The Protector: MAC: A Cover Six Security Novel

by Lisa B. Kamps

  "Yeah?"

  "So why Chaos?"

  "Jesus." He ran a hand over his face, muffling the word. Another deep breath, this one even more impatient than the last. "That's just what they call me."

  "But why?"

  "Holy shit. What are you, five? Stop with all the why, why, why. You're driving me insane."

  "Sorry but I'm bored. I thought we could make conversation to pass the time." It wasn't that she was simply bored or that she wanted to talk—she could think of a hundred different things she'd rather do than make conversation with the man next to her. She was antsy. Edgy. Unsettled. All she wanted to do was go home—to Mac's place.

  But she couldn't because of this meeting. Only the meeting wasn't happening because the Senator wasn't in his office and his assistant didn't know where he was and had no record of TR's appointment with him. And no, he most certainly would not call him, didn't she know the man was very busy?

  TR's dislike for the Senator was increasing each passing minute—and it had been at an all-time low ever since she'd found out what he'd done to Mac. So no, sitting out here in Chaos's car, waiting to see if the Senator showed up, hadn't been part of the plan.

  She turned back to Chaos. "Well?"

  "Well, what?"

  "Why Chaos?"

  "Jesus H. Christ." He ran both hands down his face, his palms scraping the dark stubble on his jaw. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands and she had the uncomfortable feeling that he was pretending those hands were wrapped around her neck, instead.

  "Chaos because I can wreak havoc on any system. Because I can rain hell on anyone or anything before they even know I'm there."

  TR smiled. "Oh. So, you're just a hacker."

  "Just a—" The words ended in a low growl. "No, lady. I'm a hell of a lot more than just a hacker."

  TR waved her hand in dismissal, just to irritate him. He shot her a dirty look that said he wanted to do a lot more than just squeeze her neck until her eyes popped out but she simply ignored it and asked her next question. "So does everyone have a nickname?"

  He dropped his head against the steering wheel. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. "Holy shit, I can't take much more of this. Wolf is dead when he gets back. He did this on purpose, I know it. I don't know what the hell I ever did to deserve this but this has got to be payback for something."

  "Wow. I didn't figure you to be so drama prone." TR gave herself bonus points for saying that with a totally straight face, then added more points for keeping kept that straight face in place when he exploded.

  She waited for a break in the string of mumbled profanity—the man had to take a break to breathe sooner or later—then jumped in and repeated her question. "So does everyone have a nickname?"

  "Yes. Yes, they do. Boomer. Wolf. Ox. Bull. Zen. Everyone has a nickname."

  "Sounds more like a zoo to me. And I don't even know who most of those people are."

  "A zoo. Jesus."

  "Well, it does. And Daryl doesn't have a nickname."

  "Yes, he does."

  "No, he doesn't. He's just Daryl."

  "He's got a nickname."

  "Then what is it?"

  "Zeus."

  "Zeus? Daryl is Zeus? Why? Does he have a god-complex?"

  The oddest expression crossed Chaos's face a second before he snorted with laughter. Not a quick snort, but long and loud and filled with more mirth than her question deserved.

  He sucked in a quick breath, ran the back of his hand over his mouth, then leaned toward her the tiniest bit. "I'm not the one who said that, boss. Just remember that. And I damn well better be getting hazard pay for this."

  TR leaned away from him, wondering if maybe he really was insane and had finally snapped. That maybe her incessant questioning—as amusing as it had been—had sent him teetering over some edge she didn't know about. "Who are you talking to?"

  Chaos pointed to her necklace. "To Zeus. And your boy, Mac."

  TR reached up, felt the pendant nestled a few inches below her throat. Embarrassment heated her face. How could she have forgotten? It had only been two hours. She plucked the pendant between two fingers and lifted it up but it only reached to her chin, which made talking into it a little difficult. "Um, sorry, Daryl. I didn't mean anything by that last comment."

  "Oh Jesus." Chaos nudged her hand until she dropped the pendant. "Don't do that."

  "Don't do what?"

  "Talk into the damn thing. Kind of ruins the whole point when you do that."

  TR nodded—she wasn't going to apologize, not when that would make the satisfied smirk on his face grow even wider. She fidgeted in the seat, had to make a conscious effort not to play with the necklace. "So. They've been listening to everything we've said since we left?"

  "Probably."

  "Great." She looked out the window, not paying attention to the traffic or the people hurrying by, bundled against the biting chill. It was a clear day, the sun bright overhead, but it was still the first week of January and still cold.

  That did nothing to alleviate the mortification burning her face as she tried to remember everything they'd said. Everything she had said. Had she said anything embarrassing? No, she hadn't. Well, except for that god-complex comment but that wasn't too bad.

  "Well damn."

  She turned back to Chaos with a frown. "What?"

  "If I had known that was all it would take to get you to shut up, I would have reminded you an hour ago."

  "Oh, shut up." She turned away and looked out the window again, this time paying closer attention to the buildings lining the street. More importantly to the building up the street, at the corner of the next block. She turned back to Chaos. "What time is it?"

  He raised those dark brows and pointed to the clock on the dash then told her the time, as if she couldn't read it herself. "Fourteen-thirty-three. That means two-thirty-three."

  "I know what it means. And I can see it myself."

  "Then why the hell did you ask?"

  "Do you think the Senator has shown up yet?"

  "Did you see him go in?"

  "No."

  "Then he's not there."

  "There could be a back door."

  "Could be."

  "Should we go check?"

  "No, we'll give it a few more minutes."

  "And then what?"

  Chaos paused then shook his head. "No idea. I'll let Zeus make that call."

  "Fine. I'm going to get some coffee and use the restroom." She reached for the door handle, her fingers barely brushing it before she was jerked back.

  "No. You don't get out of this car." Chaos's whole demeanor had changed. Gone was the impatient, arrogant man she'd been bantering with the last hour. In his place was the feral warrior, the deadly fighter she had sensed lurking below the surface.

  The change startled her, made the breath hitch in her chest as the first flash of real fear licked at her skin. "I was just—"

  "I don't care what you were going to do. You do not get out of this car without me. You do not go anywhere without me. Is that clear?"

  TR swallowed, nodded, finally eased back against the seat when Chaos released her arm. "I just wanted to get some coffee." And she really did need to use the restroom, especially now that she'd brought it up. Chaos didn't care, though, she could see that much from the stony expression on his face. He just sat there, watching her, his jaw clenched, his eyes cold and flat.

  His phone vibrated and he finally pulled his gaze from hers. She sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs with much-needed air while he checked his phone. And oh God, why was she suddenly shaking? Why was her heart pounding so hard that there was a very real possibility it would just explode in her chest?

  Because she was overreacting to the sudden change in him, that was why. One second, she'd been teasing him, enjoying the banter and seeing how much she could irritate him, knowing she was completely safe pushing him. And then, the next second, he'd become a different person entirely. Dangerous. Lethal. Coldly inte
nse.

  Had she laughingly said he was just a hacker?

  She'd never been more wrong in her life.

  "Okay, coffee it is."

  "What?" Had TR heard correctly? The Chaos she'd been teasing earlier was back. His eyes were no longer cold and flat when he watched her, his expression no longer dangerously empty. She blinked, wondering if maybe she had imagined the earlier change.

  No. No, she hadn't.

  "I said the coffee is a go."

  "But you said—"

  "Zeus okayed it." He tucked the phone into an inside pocket of his jacket then readjusted the edges to conceal the shoulder holster—and the really big gun inside it. Had she known he was carrying? Maybe. She hadn't really given it much thought, hadn't seen the weapon earlier and hadn't even thought to ask. The sight of that weapon should reassure her—but it didn't. Which made no sense. She knew Mac carried, had seen his weapon more than once, had seen him pull it, the other day at her apartment. Had even held it, when he shoved it into her hand and told her to shoot anyone who came near her.

  But that hadn't seemed real—not then, not now. TR knew that made no sense but she couldn't help it. Besides, it was Mac. She knew him, knew he carried, had always known that so it didn't seem off or odd or even unusual.

  But the man seated next to her, watching her with those deep blue eyes—she didn't know him. At all. And somehow, even though it didn't make sense, that only made all of this seem more real somehow.

  No, not real—surreal. Like she was an actor stuck in some movie but she didn't know what part she was playing or what was going to happen or even if it was any good or not.

  Chaos was still watching her, oblivious to every odd thought and sensation battering her insides. "Did you want that coffee or not?"

  No, she didn't. Not anymore. All she wanted to do was go home and curl into bed and pull the covers over her head and pretend the last few weeks had never happened.

  Avoidance. Yes, she really needed to dive headfirst into that right now. But while she didn't want the coffee anymore, she did need to use the restroom. If she didn't, she'd be begging Chaos to stop on the side of the highway on the way home—and she was pretty sure she had an ice cube's chance in hell of that happening.

  She nodded, reached for the door handle then hesitated, wondering if he was going to jerk her back. But he was already climbing out of the car, studying their surroundings as he walked around and opened her door.

  He placed his hand in the middle of her back, guiding her up the street.

  "Coffee. Piss break. Then back to the car. Got it?"

  TR nodded, shivering as a sharp gust of wind washed over her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mac stared at Daryl, wondering if the man had lost his fucking mind. He wanted to reach over and throttle him. Wanted to grab his phone and send another message to Chaos to tell him to get back to the fucking car with TR. To lock the doors and start driving.

  But he couldn't, not unless he wanted to risk causing a fucking accident and they'd already wasted too much time sitting in traffic as it was. I-95 had been a nightmare, the southbound lanes merging into one because of an accident. They'd cleared that only to hit another snarl on 495.

  Mac's patience was at its snapping point. They were twenty minutes away from the Senator's office and it was too long. Too far. They should have left the offices sooner. Should have detoured off I-95 and found an alternate route even though he knew from experience any alternate route would have been just as bad, if not worse.

  Hell, he should have just called this whole damn thing off. Should have told TR she wasn't going to the meeting. Yeah, she'd be pissed. Beyond pissed, to the point where she wouldn't even talk to him.

  Tough shit. He would have dealt with it. Would deal with it because when they finally got there, he was dragging TR with him, whether she wanted to go or not.

  Because those hairs standing up on the back of his neck? Yeah, they weren't standing anymore. They were jumping up and down and doing the fucking Jitterbug.

  Mac reached behind him, rubbed the callused palm of his hand against his neck, trying to calm his shit down. Yeah, it had been amusing listening to their banter while they waited outside the Senator's office. Amusing as hell hearing Chaos get irritated, especially when Mac knew TR was deliberately pushing him, needling him, teasing him. Even that whole god-complex comment had been fucking funny as hell, especially when Daryl had narrowed his eyes and frowned at the receiver.

  But giving the okay for coffee? No. Fuck no.

  Mac checked the traffic behind him then veered into the left lane, hitting the gas then slamming on the brakes when the light turned red. Dammit. Fuck DC. Fuck this traffic. Fuck everything.

  "Getting into an accident isn't going to help make up for lost time."

  "I know that."

  Daryl nodded, checked something on his phone. "It's just coffee."

  "I know that, too."

  "Chaos is damn good."

  "Yeah." Yeah, he was. But he wasn't Mac.

  "She'll be fine."

  Yeah, she probably would. On some level, Mac knew that. Knew he was probably overreacting. Knew he was letting personal feelings get in the way.

  But he didn't miss the subtle change in Daryl's voice, or the way his friend carefully checked his weapon again.

  The light turned green and Mac floored it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  TR hugged herself and tried not to dance from foot-to-foot as she waited in line. Why was there always a line?

  Chaos didn't seem to care. He stood right beside her, his body shifted sideways so he could study the line to the restroom—as well as the line of customers placing their coffee orders. TR glanced over her shoulder and realized that maybe he wasn't studying the line, that he was watching the front door instead.

  She almost rolled her eyes at his paranoia—almost. Too many things had happened recently to discount it. If he was being extra cautious, then good for him. She would be extra cautious, too.

  Until the bathroom door finally opened and the woman that had been in there forever stepped out. She offered TR an apologetic smile then moved out of the way so TR could enter.

  Except Chaos went in first.

  "Hey!" TR was the only one objecting and even that didn't last long because he simply stepped in, looked around, then stepped right back out again. What the hell did he expect to find? There was nothing in there except a single toilet and sink.

  She pushed past him and started to close the door then hesitated. Using the toe of her boot to hold the door open, she reached up and started to unclasp the necklace—only to have Chaos grab her hands and stop her.

  "Leave it."

  TR clenched her jaw, looked at the three women now giving her dirty looks, then leaned closer to Chaos. "But they'll hear me."

  "Tough shit."

  "I won't be able to go if I know they're listening." And why was she whispering? It wasn't like Mac and Daryl couldn't hear her, thanks to the stupid necklace that was really a transmitter that she had thought would be cool to wear at first.

  Chaos stepped toward her and leaned in, his face so close she could see the flecks of coal mixed in with the blue of his eyes. "Tough. Shit. Turn on the water if you need to but it stays on."

  "Fine."

  TR slammed the door in his face, locked it, then moved to turn the faucet on—except it was one of those motion-activated faucets and the water cut off as soon as she moved her hand away.

  Great. She was going to die of embarrassment but hey, at least she was helping the environment.

  "We are totally going to have a talk about this when I get home, I hope you know that. And that steak dinner you're treating me to tonight? I'm adding lobster to it."

  TR kept up her one-sided conversation while she attended to business, her face grower hotter with each passing second. "And not just lobster. I'm ordering the most expensive glass of wine on the menu. No, not a glass. A whole bottle. And dessert. In fact
, I think I'm just going to order one of everything and take it all home. Better yet, we can drop it off at a shelter somewhere so you'll have to take me out tomorrow night, too, instead of eating leftovers. And the next night. And the night after that. In fact, you're taking me out every night for the next month. At least."

  She winced when the toilet flushed automatically then mentally chided herself when she looked in the mirror and saw the blush staining her cheeks a bright red. "Yeah, you definitely owe me for this one, Mac. Big time. Big, big time."

  She dried her hands then opened the door, nearly running into Chaos. A crooked grin curled his mouth, momentarily stunning her with the way it transformed an already-attractive face.

  "Having a nice conversation in there?"

  "Oh, shut up."

  She pushed past him and hurried toward the counter, thankful that she was next in line. Chaos mumbled something under his breath and stood next to her, his gaze still focused on the front door.

  She ordered her drink then looked at him expectantly. "I need you to pay."

  "What?"

  "I left my wallet in my tote bag."

  "Yeah, so?"

  "My tote bag is in your car."

  "Jesus." Chaos rolled his eyes to the ceiling and muttered something under his breath then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed her a twenty, which she gave to the girl behind the register—then promptly tossed all the change she received back into the tip jar on the counter.

  "Glad to see you're so free with my money."

  TR stepped to the side to wait for her drink. "I'm sure Zeus will pay you back."

  "Jesus." He started to say something else then stopped and reached for his phone. He glanced at the screen then raised it to his ear with a curt, "Yeah."

  TR wondered if it was Daryl, or maybe even Mac, calling for whatever reason. Maybe to tell Chaos to stop griping about his money. Or maybe...well, she didn't know why they would be calling. It didn't matter because something changed in Chaos's face, in his whole demeanor. Not that coldly dangerous change that had come over him before in the car, this was something else. The danger was there, lurking under the surface, but there was also surprise.