by Rebecca Deel
Eli and Jon both scowled and shook their heads.
Another silence from the phone, this one longer. “Why? You need their skills.”
“True,” he admitted. “But I need them to work on this from the inside unless they think it’s too dangerous to their wives.”
Something lethal came and went in Jon’s eyes. Yep, challenging the sniper would be a fatal mistake for anyone stupid enough to make the attempt.
Jon shook his head. “Don’t even think about pulling us off this protection detail, Maddox. I can scour cyberspace just as well on the outside as I can on the inside. Maybe better since I won’t worry about looking over my shoulder or finding the latest camera and bugs in the communication center.”
“How many are in there now?”
“Two cameras, at least two bugs. I couldn’t sweep thoroughly without revealing that I spotted the surveillance in the first place.”
“What about Adam?” Claire asked. “If my brother calls, he won’t know to watch what he says. The lines could be tapped.”
“They are,” Jon confirmed.
“You could have given me a heads up on that, Smith,” Maddox groused.
“You suspected as much yourself, which is why you’re calling me on your alternate cell,” Zane pointed out.
“I wasn’t sure.” The boss growled. “We have to get rid of the extra ears on our phone conversations. Lives and missions hang in the balance.”
“Bypass the switchboard and route the calls to my cell,” Jon said. “I’ll field whatever needs to be done remotely. Zane can handle part of the load without anyone knowing he’s doing the work.”
“Zane?” Maddox asked.
“Do it. We can’t have the comm center down.”
“How soon do you want the switchover to occur?”
He wanted to say immediately, knew he couldn’t. He needed to rest as did Jon. Added to that, he didn’t want to tie himself to this suite, not if his plans went as he wanted. “Tomorrow night. Either Jon or I will contact you when we’re ready.”
“And Adam?”
Left unsaid was the probability Claire’s brother wouldn’t contact them any time soon. Zane didn’t want to scare her, Adam had never been out of touch this long on any mission. Her brother was in trouble. If Zane was wrong, he had to provide a way for Adam to safely contact him. None of the other missions were as critical as his. “I’ll send him a text to contact me directly. If he calls Fortress, he uses his cell. A text will be the first thing he sees when he powers up the phone.”
Some of the stiffness disappeared from Claire’s body. The gaze she turned his direction revealed eyes filled with unshed tears. Without saying anything, he maneuvered his chair closer to hers, cupped the back of her neck, and eased her into his arms. She buried her face against his neck.
“What’s your plan, Zane?” Maddox asked.
“Depends. Where is the rest of Adam’s team?” He knew they couldn’t have been in Belize for two months. Too much risk of someone stumbling across them, especially with Ackerman along.
“They’re in Otter Creek, completing a team training exercise.”
Satisfaction swirled in Zane’s gut. Perfect. Couldn’t do better than having Adam’s team in the same place as Durango. “Then I guess we’re heading to Otter Creek.”
“One of Adam’s team is the traitor?”
“Don’t know, but we’ll find out. I’ll call when we’re settled.” He tightened his grip on Claire when he felt moisture on his neck. Man, he couldn’t take too much of that. Zane hated it when women cried. When he was growing up, his father had drilled into Zane never to make his mother cry. He’d done his best to honor his promise to his father. To his knowledge, the only time he’d broken his word was when his mother saw him in that hospital bed after he’d been wounded. “Brent, keep a plane on standby.”
“Copy that. Watch your back, Murphy. I don’t know how deep this goes.”
“We’ll find them all and yank them out of Fortress.”
“I don’t want to lose Fortress’s best communications tech and my best friend to do it.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Claire sat back with a soft groan, stretching her legs in front of her as the last pictures printed out. Finished, finally. She hoped Sheila and Marty loved them as much as she did. Despite their prickly personalities, the couple were photogenic. A smile curved her lips. Not as photogenic as a certain Navy SEAL who would be the subject of photos she couldn’t post anywhere. Posting his picture would compromise his safety, something she would never do. Once the ink was dry, Claire positioned the final proofs in the album and closed it with a snap.
“Finished, sweetheart?”
The soft, smoky voice send a shiver cascading down her spine. Claire picked up the album and carried it to the couch where Zane rested. Her lips curved. Not that he’d rested much. Every time she’d looked his direction, he was reading or typing on his laptop, his weapon in reach. “You should be sleeping, Zane. I know you didn’t rest much last night.” She tilted her head. “You were working and watching over me.”
He smiled, not bothering to deny or confirm her suspicions. “No sleep for me when you’re awake and working. Also not when the rest of your protection detail is asleep.”
“I hate disrupting the lives of five people.”
“Temporary disruption. Adam is friends with all of us. Think of it as getting to know your future best friends.”
Claire waggled the album. “Want to see?”
He set aside the laptop. “Absolutely.”
She handed him the pictures and sat on the floor beside him, watching his expression at each turn of the page. She grinned at his stunned expression. “Yep, that’s the money shot all right.”
“Money shot?”
“The one they’ll order. Sheila will love that picture. So will both mothers even though it’s not the formal setting they requested.”
“The formal poses are special as well.”
“They are good,” she agreed. “They’re just not incredible. Neither Sheila nor Marty wanted to do those poses and it shows.”
“Anyone who knows the couple well will recognize the look in this one,” Zane said, pointing at the money shot.
“I’m not fond of either of them, but it’s obvious they’re in love.” She nodded at the photo she’d taken in the Cascades. “No one can miss how they feel about each other. I hope that feeling lasts for many years. I can’t tell you how many engagement or wedding pictures I’ve taken only to find out later the couple is no longer together.”
“Must be hard to see the evidence of lives torn apart by divorce.” He closed the album, handed it to her. “You are so talented, Claire.”
Smiling, she set the album aside. “Thanks. So tell me, Superman, when will you sleep?”
He glanced at his watch. “As soon as you go to bed. Eli is sleeping on the floor of your room. It’s time for him to take over the watch.”
“I’m glad Jon went home for a few hours.”
“Dana will be fine.” Zane trailed the back of his fingers down her cheek. “Brenna’s agreed to stay with her as long as Jon is gone. She can work from anywhere and the two sisters are close.”
“Maybe it won’t take long to bring Adam home and uncover the traitor.” She didn’t miss the silence that greeted her statement. “But you don’t think so, do you?”
“I’m sorry.”
Noting the exhaustion on his face, Claire got to her knees. “I’ll go wake Eli.” She kissed him and stood. “I assume it’s not smart to wake him with a touch?”
Zane shook his head. “Opening the door should do it. If not, call his name. Claire, try to sleep. You’re exhausted.”
She stopped with her hand on the doorknob to her room and glanced over her shoulder. “Same goes, Murphy.” She grinned at his snappy salute, then opened the door. A dark lump near the window clued her in to the second-shift bodyguard’s location. “Eli?”
“Yeah, I’m awake, sugar
.” The SEAL climbed to his feet, stretched, ruffled her hair as he passed, and shut the door behind him.
After Claire brushed her teeth and washed her face, she climbed onto the bed, fully clothed except for her shoes. Lily had warned her about the possibility of having to leave the suite in a hurry if their location was compromised. Nothing would suit her more than for her protection detail to take out the threat to her tonight, leaving them all free to concentrate on finding Adam, but she didn’t want to run out of the hotel in her pajamas.
She stretched out, lulled to sleep by the rumble of male voices. Four hours later, she was awakened to the sound of Lily’s laughter. Claire checked her cell phone for the time, moaned. She needed to get moving. Fifteen minutes later, she walked into the living area of the suite to see Jon had returned with a bag much like Zane’s, and Eli was now absent.
Lily smiled. “There you are. I was about to wave a cup of coffee underneath your nose to wake you.”
“Please tell me you have more.”
“Are you kidding? We live on the stuff. When we run out, we have the supplies to make more.”
“Thank goodness. I feel like I need a direct infusion with an IV.”
Remy chuckled. “You have some time before we need to leave town.” He inclined his head toward the food covering the surface of the table again. “We didn’t know what you wanted, so we ordered a little of everything.”
A little? Good grief! Enough food to feed an army of people covered the table. “I’m not picky.” She poured a mug of coffee and sipped. Oh, yes. If she could drink a vat of this stuff, she’d be good for the day.
Claire set aside her coffee and crossed the room to Zane, who was once again in his chair beside the couch. She sat on the cushion. “Morning, handsome,” she murmured, leaning over to kiss him. He cradled the back of her head in his palm, prolonging the kiss. She could so get used to this.
“Morning, beautiful.” His hand cupped her cheek. “How do you feel?”
“Better than yesterday.”
“But still not great, huh?”
She wrinkled her nose. “It shows?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I pay attention.”
She stared a moment, then a wide smile curved her lips. “That’s it. I’m keeping you, Zane Murphy. You might as well get used to it.”
Zane leaned forward and brushed her mouth with his. “If you’re expecting me to protest, you’re doomed to disappointment,” he whispered.
“Claire.”
She glanced up at Lily, took the plate the other woman had filled with small portions of everything. “Thanks, Lily.”
“Have to make sure you’re taken care of, including food.” Her gaze skimmed over Claire. “No offense, but a good gust of wind could blow you away, my friend.”
“Not even close. I appreciate you watching out for me, though.” She picked up her fork and dug in while the conversations swirled around her. Once she finished, Zane took her empty plate and carried it to the serving cart.
“What’s on the agenda today?” She didn’t like being unprepared for what lay ahead. Adam laughed at her often for her propensity to plan ahead, claiming the best things in life were surprises. Her gaze shifted to Zane and thought her brother was right. She couldn’t have planned for someone as special as Zane Murphy.
“We wait for Eli to return, then drive to Otter Creek,” Zane said. “That’s where we’ll find at least some answers in our search for Adam. If his team didn’t have anything to do with his disappearance, we’ll move on.”
“The faster, the better,” Jon said. “We’re on a short clock.”
“What does that mean?” Claire asked.
“The longer Adam is out of touch, there’s a greater chance the trail leading back to him will disappear.”
Claire’s stomach lurched, making her regret eating the breakfast Lily had brought her.
Zane snatched a soft drink from the table and zipped across the room to her side. “Drink this. It will help.”
She didn’t think anything would dissolve the knot of worry in her stomach. Maybe the carbonation would help her meal stay down. She’d hate to embarrass herself in front of Zane and the others. Claire sipped a fourth of the liquid before the danger passed.
“Better?”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
A sharp rap on the door surprised her. Once again, the weapons came out and Lily placed herself in front of Claire. Remy checked the peephole. “Wolfe.”
Jon frowned. “Everything okay?” he demanded of his partner as soon as he stepped across the threshold.
“Depends on your definition of the word.” Eli stepped aside. “Come in, ladies.”
Two women entered the suite. Claire recognized the tall brunette. Brenna Mason Wolfe. The writer was even more beautiful than her pictures. Her gaze moved to the smaller of the two women. She must be Jon’s wife, Dana. Looking into her eyes, Claire could still see the shadows until her gaze locked onto her husband’s. Then pure joy lit her from within. Love, pure and simple. Dana Smith adored her husband and from the look in Jon’s gaze, the feeling was mutual.
Claire hoped the right man looked at her that way one day. Her gaze shifted to Zane to find him watching her intently. Her cheeks burned. Boy, she hoped he didn’t have a clue what she’d been thinking or he might race for the hills.
Jon crossed to his petite wife in two strides and pulled her into his arms. “Baby, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Brenna and I decided we’re going with you to Otter Creek.”
His eyebrows rose as his attention focused on his partner. “Is that right?”
“Hey, don’t look at me. The ladies cooked this up between them. They’ve already contacted Del and arranged a book signing.”
A soft laugh from the sniper softened the harsh lines of his face. “Fast work, Brenna. Did you also arrange a place for us to stay?”
“We’re staying with Alex and Ivy Morgan.” She turned to Zane. “I don’t know how you want to handle security arrangements for Claire, but Alex has room if you think your team should stay together.”
Because Claire was watching, she caught the silent battle Dana fought with herself. The prospect of too many people caused her discomfort? No, this was fear, not discomfort. She considered what she knew of the other woman’s history and concluded it wasn’t the number of people, but the number of men she might share enclosed space with that was causing her problems. She turned to Zane, saw that he’d noted Dana’s reaction as well.
“Too many people under one roof.” Zane pulled out his phone and tapped the screen, hitting the speaker button so his conversation would include everyone in the decision.
“Kincaid,” said a male voice on the phone.
“Rio, it’s Zane. You’re on speaker with my team. I need a favor.”
“Anything. What do you need?”
Claire was shocked at the open ended offer of assistance.
“A place to stay.”
“How many and who?”
“Remy, Lily, me, and Claire Walker. We need to be in the same place, buddy. I don’t want to stay at the motel.”
Silence for a few seconds. “Adam’s team is here.”
“We need to talk to them, see if they’re responsible for Adam’s disappearance.”
“You know you’re always welcome here, Z, but Nate can learn the information for you.”
“I also need to get Claire out of town. Kidnappers have already made two runs at her.”
“If someone on Adam’s team is behind it, you’re dragging her into the heart of danger.”
“I know. We need answers, fast. One more thing. Maddox sort of fired me.”
“Has he lost his mind?”
That comment made Claire grin. Nice to know Zane’s friends would take his side. So what did that say about the people at Fortress who turned on him? Nothing good.
“Don’t call and give him grief, Rio.”
“He deserves it. Of all the idiotic things to do.
Why would he do something that stupid?”
“Someone inside Fortress is planting evidence that I’m the one who betrayed Adam. That someone also hid cameras and bugs all over the building, including Brent’s office. The boss did what was necessary to convince the traitor that he bought the evidence.”
“This is nuts, Zane. No one will believe you would do something like that.”
Jon broke into the conversation. “Rio, it’s Jon. Hate to tell you, man, but people all over headquarters were doing just that.”
“Well, it’s obvious you didn’t. I assume Eli is with you?”
“Yep,” the other SEAL said. “Our wives are coming with us to Otter Creek. The ladies arranged for the four of us to stay with Alex and Ivy.”
“How soon will you be in town, Zane?”
“Mid afternoon.”
“Call me when you arrive. I have some calls to make myself before I know for sure where it would be best to house you and your team.”
“Copy that. Thanks, my friend.”
“This doesn’t makes us even on favors, Z. Not even close. I still owe you for saving Darcy. See you this afternoon.”
Zane turned his head toward Claire. “Pack your bags, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Zane’s lips curved at the squeals of delight from Sheila over the pictures Claire stayed up most of the night to tweak and print. Never would have dreamed a photographer worked so hard, which showed his level of ignorance regarding to his girlfriend’s occupation.
His gaze zeroed in on Claire. He could hardly believe she was interested in him. Zane hadn’t lacked for female companionship until he’d been injured. Then, not only had Maureen dumped him, no other woman looked at him twice. Until Claire walked into his life. He was still wary, waiting for her to wise up and run.
As if feeling his gaze on her, the woman in question reached over and laced her fingers with his without taking her attention from her client. That Claire was so aware of him made Zane’s heart squeeze.
He swallowed hard and shifted his attention to the coffee shop where they met Sheila. Marty couldn’t leave work which, in Zane’s opinion, wasn’t a great loss. Zane figured Sheila’s preferences on the pictures would trump her future husband’s opinion. Like Claire thought, Sheila loved the money shot picture taken at Opryland Hotel.
