by J. M. Madden
He glanced over at Amberly. “You okay, babe?”
There was a brittle look to her, like she’d reached the end of her energy and her emotions were near the surface. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just fried.”
“Yeah. Too much adrenalin for too long. We’re going to go crash for a while.”
“Okay,” she sighed, resting her head on the back of the seat.
Rather than a cheap motel, Dev pulled into one of the nicer looking tourist hotels in Bozeman. The woman at the registration desk didn’t know what to think when she saw them coming in. He was still in his blood-spattered gear, carrying Requiem in the case, along with his duffle. Amberly also had blood all over her, and a purpling knot on her forehead. They were quite the pair.
The woman took his card and assigned them a room, promising breakfast in the morning. They headed around the corner to the elevator. When they stepped off on the fourth floor, their room was just off to the right. Dev keyed the door and they slipped in, dropping bags and gear as they stripped down. Without even talking about it, they both headed to the big, walk-in shower. Dev adjusted the temp and waved her in, grabbing the little bottles of soap and shampoo from the vanity.
The hot water felt amazing, and they took turns basking under the stream. Pouring a dollop of shampoo into his hand, he motioned for Amberly to turn around. Then he lathered her hair, watching as dirt and blood and pine needles swirled down to the drain. It had been a messy business tonight.
They dried each other off with pristine white towels. Dev winced as he saw the remnants of blood from his thigh wound. It wasn’t deep, just long and awkward. Amberly painted it with antibiotic, then stretched a bandage along its length, taping it down. It felt weird to move.
“Let me see your head,” Dev murmured.
She turned and looked up at him, her eyes squinted with tiredness. The knot was purple, but not too bad. “I think you’ll be fine.”
Then, finally giving in, they climbed naked beneath the sheets. Dev settled her against his chest and wrapped an arm around her. “I love you, my heart.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered, and immediately fell asleep.
Amberly woke to Dev snoring softly in her ear. The sun was doing its best to break through the curtains, and she turned her head away, needing more sleep. Then she realized she had to pee. Sighing, she rolled out of bed, almost crying with pain, and padded to the bathroom. She did her business and paused in front of the mirror. Damn. It looked like she’d been in a brawl. Bruises decorated her from head to toe, and she knew it was from the beating they’d taken racing up the mountain in the Jeep. Then crashing the Jeep. Then crashing the Jeep again.
Walking out to lean against the doorjamb, she looked at Devlin. His face was slack with sleep and grizzled with a beard. His mostly-gray hair was mussed, but he looked relaxed. The blanket was down around his waist, and she had to appreciate the shape he was in, though he was a little bruised as well. The thought of what his body could do to hers woke her up a little, and made her smile.
“What are you thinking, standing there all delicious and bruised?”
Amberly snorted, turning her forearms for him. “I know, right? Look at all these lovely purple things…” Walking forward, she sank to the edge of the bed. “I was thinking that I was very glad you were with me this week. I don’t know that I could have done this with anyone else.”
Devlin snorted. “I know you couldn’t have. It had to be me.”
She danced her fingers across his ribs. “Don’t be smug.”
“I’m not,” he laughed, grabbing her hand. He sobered, looking into her eyes. “I’m very glad you were with me as well,” he murmured, drawing her down for a kiss.
Amberly let herself sink into it, knowing that they were going to have to deal with bad things in a little while. She needed this moment to just be with him. To remind herself what she fought for when she dealt with criminals like Regent. Pushing that out of her mind, she basked in Devlin’s love, and wondered where they went next.
They checked out of the hotel at seven that evening, and were handed a message as they check out. There was a private plane at the airport waiting for them that would fly them directly to Virginia. Once they landed, a car met them and escorted them to the George Bush Center For Intelligence.
Devlin had gone quiet, and she knew why. This would be like walking into a den of cobras for him. The last time he’d been here, he’d been considered a criminal, and she had no doubt those memories were strong in his mind. “Just remember,” she said as she used her ID to swipe into the quiet building. “They are in the wrong. They were in the wrong with you three years ago, and they need to be kissing your ass. As do I.”
Dev gave her a slight smile before turning his badass SEAL face on.
Amberly didn’t even try to go to her own office first. She headed upstairs to Deputy Director Brown, knowing he probably had a conference room assigned to the Tango 11 case. And she was right. Despite the late hour, she walked into a bustling, energetic throng of people wading through the information she and Devlin had forwarded to them. In her hands, she carried the box of hard copy. And the phones.
It startled her when someone started clapping. Then another person, and another, until the entire room was clapping for her and Devlin. Amberly didn’t get embarrassed very often, but she felt her cheeks heat, and she nodded at people in acknowledgement.
“In my office, Temple,” Brown called out. “And you too, Kreed.”
Amberly stepped into the office and set the box down on the edge of Brown’s desk. The man had never been especially intimidating to her. Short and bald as a cue ball, there was something a little babyish about him. But he’d impressed her this week. Rather than being an irritating asshole, he’d actually been a supportive boss, carrying his load on this end.
“I’m glad to see you two made it back in one piece,” he murmured, settling into his leather office chair. He waved for them to sit in the chairs opposite, and she sank down. Devlin stood at the door, unbending. She’d seen that expression in his eyes before, and she knew there would be no coddling or bending him.
“I feel like we should get this out of the way first,” Brown murmured, holding a folded letter out to Devlin.
Devlin moved forward and took the paper, unfolding it and scanning. Then he handed it to Amberly. It was a formal apology from the director of the CIA. And a promise to closely monitor the SAC division of the CIA.
“I want to personally apologize as well,” Brown murmured. “I know the agency isn’t perfect, but this was wrong on many levels.”
“You weren’t in charge of it,” Devlin murmured finally, “so you weren’t responsible. No apology needed.”
Brown shrugged and didn’t look convinced, but he turned his attention back to Amberly. “We’re going through Frank’s life with a fine-tooth comb right now. His wife is devastated, but kind of not surprised. She said she’d noticed him being ‘off’ and distracted. More complaining. She thought it was another case that had him on edge. She doesn’t seem to be involved with the operation, though.”
Amberly frowned. Anna was a good woman, and she didn’t deserve what Frank had done to her. She didn’t deserve this scrutiny. Once things kind of settled down, maybe she’d go talk to her.
“We haven’t found any of the bombs he supposedly planted,” Brown said, “and nothing in any of the pictures…”
His voice trailed off as if in question, so Amberly treated it as such. “I don’t think Regent knew about them. I think this was Frank’s own side-project.”
Brown sighed, and she could see tiredness in his expression. It was obvious he’d burned the midnight oil last night as well. Tonight wasn’t looking great either.
“Both phones are in a fireproof case in the box,” she told him softly, “as well as a bunch of the most important paperwork we found. Maps.”
Brown moved to the box and started removing items. He immediately called the techs for the phones. Within less than a minute, a team arriv
ed and locked the box away. They would x-ray the box and do a dozen other tests before they even cracked it open, probably. It was like dealing with a hot potato in that they didn’t know if the phones were rigged, so they treated them as if they were.
Hence, the private plane. As much as she would like to think it was to make their life easier, Amberly knew it wasn’t. Less collateral damage if they did blow.
“Frank filed several complaints with his immediate supervisors,” Brown told them, “the most recent concerning me getting the job he thought he was supposed to have.”
Amberly lifted her brows. “I didn’t even realize he’d put in for it.”
Brown nodded. “He did. And he was pretty pissed when he didn’t get it.”
Cocking her head, Amberly thought about her recent dealings with Frank. He had bitched a lot, mostly about their new boss. Had her own perception of Brown been swayed by Frank’s constant noise about him? Perhaps.
“So, with that being said,” Devlin murmured, drawing the attention back to him, “maybe you should check your own house for his little presents.”
Brown and Amberly turned to look at Devlin, then each other. Immediately, Brown reached for his phone, tapping in a number. Amberly realized he was talking to the director, getting permission to lock the complex down as they did a thorough search with the explosives crew.
Apparently, he got permission, because as soon as he hung up, the buildings went into lockdown. People were concerned, but not overly alarmed. They’d been through this drill many times because they realized they were one of the highest priority targets in the country.
It took them seven hours to find all of the Semtex charges Frank had planted, not just in their own buildings, but in the others in the complex as well. It took the crew two hours to go through her own building. So, they sat in the parking lot in an incident tent with reams of data going through intel until they were given the all clear.
It was a ridiculous scene.
Devlin stayed at her side for all of it, clarifying information as needed. They were both debriefed individually, which took hours, but it needed to be done.
The night was gone again and morning was creeping over the horizon again by the time Brown told them they had a handle on things and to get out of there. “Temple, you have a significant amount of vacation time accumulated. Why don’t you use some of it?”
Grinning, she nodded. “Will do. See you next week, boss.”
“Kreed said he needs to get home,” he continued, “so the plane is at your disposal. I got the Director’s approval for that.”
Amberly smiled, though her heart hurt at the reminder that they didn’t live together anymore. “Thank you, Sir.”
She started to turn away but Brown called her name and motioned her to the side. She was more than surprised when he stopped in front of her and leaned toward her a little. “I just want to thank you. My niece goes to Riverside. I made sure my brother took her out of school for a few days. They’re running down the coast to see my parents for a while, just in case we missed something.”
Amberly nodded. “Good. Probably smart, sir.”
“You won’t be recognized publically for this, you know that, but the Agency knows exactly what you did for this country. And I’ll be putting a personal letter in your file.”
Emotion tightened her throat. “Thank you, Sir. Will it get me out of the cold case room and off your shit list?”
Brown looked at her, startled. “You were never on my shit list. I put you in there because I know the kind of person you are, and I knew you would find what others could not.” He gave her a smile. “Have a good trip, Temple.”
“Yes, sir,” she said weakly.
They were driven back to the airport, their bedraggled bags over their shoulders. Requiem rested on the seat across from them.
Anxiety churned in her stomach, because they hadn’t really talked about what was going to happen next. “Do you mind if I tag along with you? To check out your place?”
Devlin glanced at her in surprise. “I thought that was a given?”
She shifted and waffled a hand. “Not really. I mean, I don’t want to impose. And you didn’t really invite me.”
Devlin snorted, catching her hand. “Amberly Temple, would you come home with me to Tennessee? I would love to have you.”
Grinning, she leaned in for a kiss. “Yes, I will. Thank you for asking,” she laughed.
21
Devlin couldn’t have made the day any more perfect.
Amberly had woken him with a kiss, and they’d made love in the foggy light coming through his bedroom windows. They’d showered together, as they had every morning since she’d arrived. And she’d made them cinnamon pecan pancakes with bacon, his personal favorite. Now they sat on the front porch, watching the herd of deer he’d come to be cordial with cross his lower field.
Amberly had been entranced the first time she’d seen them. Hell, she’d been entranced for the better part of a week now, as he introduced her to his mountain home and his animals.
She and Tink had fallen in love with each other, though the pup was a little standoffish for a while. “She’s jealous,” Dev told her softly.
Amberly had laughed it off until she realized that Tink tried to intercede every time they hugged or kissed. And if they left the bedroom door open at night, well, that meant trouble. Dev had resorted to locking the dog in the laundry room every night, a situation Tink thoroughly disapproved of.
Everything else was perfect, though. Dev took Amberly fishing in the river behind the cabin, and took her horseback riding through the hills. Though she’d never owned a horse, Amberly had been enough places around the world that required horses for transportation that she was a competent rider.
Dev laughed as he chased her through the hills, and he loved seeing the relaxed, happy look on her face.
The 9-11 anniversary had come and gone, and there were no new bombings or attacks. They’d both scanned the news channels that day, and Amberly had given Brown a call. He had confirmed that no news was good news and told her to take another week off. She hadn’t argued.
They were in the cabin making tomato soup and grilled cheeses one day when his phone buzzed.
You have a delivery.
He laughed, looking out the window. A truck was pulling in the drive, and a man stepped out. Tall and broad, he wore a ball cap to protect his face from the light rain. He started walking toward the cabin, and it took a minute for Dev to get moving. He recognized that slow walk…
Devlin opened the door. “Master Chief Garvey. I…”
“Hey, Dev,” the big man grinned and wrapped him in a hug, pounding his back, then stepping away.
Dev was in shock. Since he hadn’t heard anything from Charley, he’d assumed the deal had been bogus. He’d kind of been okay with it, though, because he’d been immersing himself in Amberly. She only had a little time, so he’d been entertaining her. The thought of his old team hadn’t really even entered his mind.
“Come in, please,” he said, stepping back.
Amberly was beside him, sizing up the other man. “Amberly, this is Master Chief Garvey. We always called him Gravy.”
“Gravy is fine,” he said, shaking Amberly’s hand. “We’ve met, though it’s been several years ago.”
“I remember,” she said cooly.
Dev remembered as well. It had been at his court martial. “Can I help you, Master Chief?”
Gravy looked around. “Mind if we sit down?”
Dev waved him to a furniture grouping in the living room and Gravy chose a chair, removing his hat as he sank down. He glanced around at the honey gold interior logs. “This is beautiful.”
“I need to go turn the burners off,” Amberly murmured, sensing the tension in the air. “Gravy, can I get you a drink?”
“Water would be fine, if it’s not too much trouble.”
Without a word, Amberly disappeared through the kitchen, and Dev was left with one of h
is former bosses. “Can I help you, Gravy?”
“I’m sorry to show up unannounced, but the bigwigs wanted this handled today. They’re reinstating you, Moon Devil.”
Devlin heard the words, but he wasn’t as excited as he thought he’d be. At one point, he would have given anything to be back in his team, but he’d had three years to get used to being out.
Apparently, he’d been thinking for a while because Gravy leaned over to catch his attention. “Did you hear me, Dev? They want you back. We heard about what went on with Regent, and the CIA.”
Ah, yes… the same issue that had been bothering him about being with Amberly. Now that he was proven to be in the right, and safe, not corrupt, they were willing to take him back. “I think I’m good, Gravy. If they want to modify my record to an honorable discharge and give me my retirement, I’ll be happy with that. I’m not coming back to the teams.”
Gravy blinked, surprised. “I thought for sure…”
“That I would want to go back to the team that didn’t believe in me?” Dev finished for him. “That took the CIA’s word over my own? No, thanks. There’s a level of trust that a team needs to share.
”
“Dev,” Gravy said, leaning forward, “you have to understand. They played us this recording and it sounded exactly like you.”
Ah, yes, that doctored recording. He should have known. He relented a little, and tried to force a smile. “I understand, Gravy. But I won’t be coming back. Thank you for asking.” He stood up and moved toward the door, opening it. “If you’ll let the brass know.”
Gravy looked at him incredulously, then pushed to his feet. “I will.” He stopped in front of Dev at the door. “I’m sorry, Dev. You’re completely right. We should have had more faith in you. If you ever need us, please call us. We’d like a chance to make it up to you.”
Reaching into his wallet, he retrieved a business card and handed it over. Dev took the card, but didn’t look at it.
“Thank you.”
And Gravy left.
Dev watched him go, feeling sad and frustrated.
