Born To Protect

by Christina Tetreault

  Maddie nodded as she sipped her drink. “Yep. So you can stop worrying. Tomorrow at this time, the two of you will be naked, and you’ll be showing Connor how much you love him. In the meantime, how about a game of cards? Or chess if you play.”

  The woman was blunt and far too perceptive. No wonder she and Connor were friends as well as coworkers.

  But how the hell had Maddie determined she loved Connor? The truth had only hit her tonight at the cabin.

  “The kiss you gave him before he left told me everything I needed to know.”

  How does she do that? Becca knew mind reading only existed in the fictional world, but if she didn’t know better, she’d think Maddie was truly able to do it.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to him,” she said. “You can tell him yourself when he comes back.”

  If Connor and the other members of HRT trusted Maddie with their lives, Becca trusted her to keep anything they said between them. “Thank you.” She considered Maddie’s two suggestions. “If you have a chess set around, I’m up for a game.” Right now, she’d do almost anything to pass the time.

  “I have an electronic version on my tablet. Be right back.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  A game of chess could last hours. Becca prayed she wasn’t sitting here that long.

  ***

  He’d worked with several government agencies in the past. With a few exceptions, FBI agents were better than their counterparts from other agencies or the local police. Regardless, Connor and the other members of HRT preferred to work alone.

  Especially this time around.

  He’d experienced fear before. But he’d never experienced it like he had tonight. If he hadn’t been there, or if he hadn’t been able to stop the three intruders, Becca would be at the mercy of the animal after her. Various scenarios of what could’ve been done to Becca had tormented him throughout the ride back to Elite Force.

  So, unlike other operations, this one was personal.

  When they got the radio signal, they approached the perimeter of the home. According to property records, the estate belonged to a Michael Zane Jefferson, known to the police as Zane. He’d faced various criminal charges over the years. Except for the time he’d done as a juvenile, he had never been convicted.

  A light switched on in an upstairs room, and a man passed by the window. Soon after, a woman walked by. Evidently, Zane had female company for the evening. Connor hoped the woman upstairs with him was the dude’s only houseguest.

  Considering what the guy had been charged with in the past and what the cops suspected he dabbled in, it was possible he kept a few thugs on hand just in case.

  Weapon in hand, Connor took up his assigned position and waited.

  He watched a member of the FBI SWAT team breach the door with the battering ram. The moment it was open, Connor moved into the house, his teammate Ryan right behind him as well as several FBI agents.

  Not a soul bothered them.

  He reached the second floor, expecting gunfire to erupt at any moment. Men like Zane didn’t usually go quietly.

  None came.

  The house remained silent.

  With his finger mere inches from the trigger, he moved down the hallway. The light had come from a room at the back of the house.

  Connor turned a corner as a door opened. Light from inside flooded the hall, and a man stepped out. Fully dressed, he stood with his arms relaxed by his sides, palms facing out and an all-too-smug expression on his face. Despite the lack of any visible weapon, Connor kept his gun pointed in Zane’s direction.

  “FBI! Stay where you are, with your hands up!” the FBI agent closest to Connor shouted as he and another agent approached Zane with their weapons drawn.

  He waited for the jerk to reach for a gun or make a run for it. Instead, he stood there as if having several armed men storm his house was an everyday occurrence.

  “People usually knock before they enter someone’s home. Or didn’t they teach you that at Quantico?” Zane said.

  The guy’s got balls. Connor had gone in the house expecting either a firefight or an escape attempt. He hadn’t expected to hear the man complaining because the authorities had come in to arrest him and failed to knock first.

  “Michael Jefferson, you’re under arrest,” the tallest of the agents said, moving closer so he could slip handcuffs on him. “You have the––”

  Zane cut the agent off before he got any further with the Miranda warning. “Under arrest for what?”

  Unsurprisingly, his expression didn’t change as the agent cuffed his hands behind his back and then searched him for any hidden weapons.

  “Your role in the attempted kidnapping of Becca André,” the agent answered.

  “You have the right––” He started the Miranda warning over, but again Zane interrupted him.

  “And when did this attempted kidnapping happen?”

  The agent looked as baffled as Connor, but he answered. “Thursday night outside Washington General, and then again last night.”

  Zane shook his head. “I’ve been on vacation. We got back late last night.” He tilted his head toward the room he’d exited. “Molly was with me. Feel free to speak with her or anyone at my home on Cape Hatteras where we stayed.”

  The agent acted as if the man hadn’t opened his mouth and again reminded him he had the right to remain silent as the two agents who’d gone in the bedroom escorted Zane’s company from the room.

  Connor watched Zane be led away, the same smug expression still on his face. Damn, he’d love to be there when the guy learned what evidence they had against him. Because Zane wouldn’t be smiling then. And no story his girlfriend or his employees gave would help him.

  “That was fucking bizarre,” Ryan said, holstering his gun. “How did a genius scientist from a top laboratory get mixed up with him?”

  He’d been wondering that, as well as a few other things since getting Zane’s dossier. Nothing in the man’s criminal past indicated he’d have the contacts necessary for doing anything with the research Kassidy stole. Even if he did have the connections, how had Kassidy met the guy? A woman who dated congressmen and wealthy businessmen wouldn’t get involved with a thug like Zane.

  “Don’t know,” Connor admitted.

  There was another piece missing. Or, rather, a third party missing. Eventually, the answers would come out, but this morning he had other matters to see to. Becca needed to know they’d gotten the man after her. And he planned to be the one to tell her.

  Stopping at the kitchen doorway, he expected Becca to be sitting there. She wasn’t. Only Mad Dog remained inside the room. She had her feet propped up on a chair and a tablet in her hands.

  “Where is she?” he demanded.

  Ax wouldn’t let her wander around the floor alone, but she was free to leave the building at any time. If Ax had passed along that Zane was in custody, she might have gone home.

  Mad Dog looked up from her tablet. “Nice to see you too. Things go smoothly?”

  “Almost too smoothly.” He’d spent the drive back thinking about the guy’s reaction. Considering the charges facing him, Zane had been too relaxed. Connor didn’t know what card the guy had to play, but he had one. “I thought you were keeping Becca company until I got back. Where is she?”

  “Don’t get your panties in a knot. Becca is fine. She fell asleep sitting here, and in case you didn’t know, your girlfriend snores.”

  “And you put her where?”

  “I got one of the cots cyber keeps on hand. Ax let me put it in the meeting room. She’s in there, sleeping like a baby and dreaming about you.”

  More like dreaming about the events of the past forty-eight hours. She’d been having nightmares already. The shooting at the cabin wasn’t going to help.

  “Thanks for staying with her.” He turned to leave.

  “One of the men from the cabin made it through surgery.”

  One had been gone before the pa
ramedics arrived. Despite their efforts, he’d expected the other two to be dead before they reached a hospital. “Good.”

  Given the right incentive from the district attorney, the punk might be willing to provide testimony that could be used against Zane.

  He passed Ax’s office. Later he’d check in with him. First, he had something much more important to do.

  Connor didn’t knock on the meeting room door before walking inside. Since it wasn’t uncommon for employees in cyber to pull all-nighters when working on a case, the department kept cots on hand so they could rest. Tonight, one was pushed up against a wall and all the lights in the room were off.

  Compared to the king-sized bed in Becca’s home, the cot was about as comfortable as a hardwood floor. This morning it at least gave her a place to rest. He should’ve gotten one for her before he left, but his mind had been on other matters.

  Sitting on the edge, he ran his fingers through her messy hair. Despite the less- than-ideal sleeping conditions, she looked content. More importantly, she was safe.

  Back at the estate, he’d wanted to pull Zane into a room and show the asshole what happened when someone threatened the woman he loved. And he did love her.

  He hadn’t been looking for it or expecting it, but denying it was pointless.

  In hindsight, maybe falling in love with Becca had been inevitable. She’d been the first and only woman he’d ever wanted to be with because he enjoyed her company, rather than because he was looking for physical pleasure.

  She loved him too. He didn’t need her to say the words. Her actions gave her away.

  Becca moved onto her back and threw out an arm, her hand smacking into the gun still holstered at his waist. “Ouch.” She opened her eyes and then bolted upright. “Good, you’re back.” Her gaze swept over him. “You look okay. Are you?”

  “Fine.”

  “You’re not just telling me that, are you, Connor? Because, so help me, if you are….”

  Except for the occasional inquiry from his sister, no one ever questioned his well-being, let alone worried he might be injured. Becca’s concern at the cabin and again this morning was only further evidence she loved him.

  “When we get out of here, you can give me a thorough physical examination.” He kissed her, because not doing so was impossible. Leaning into her, he pushed her back down on the cot.

  How likely was it someone would walk in, looking for him? Mad Dog wouldn’t bother them. However, Ax knew he was back and expected him to check in along with the rest of the team. He might not come searching for him right away.

  Leaving her mouth, he moved his lips down her neck and gently tugged the collar of her shirt down.

  Pounding on the door interrupted his mouth’s pleasant trip south. “My office,” Ax said, opening the door. “We’re waiting for you.”

  Resting his forehead against Becca’s chest, he swore.

  “Heard you, Anderson,” Ax called before walking away and leaving the door open.

  Sitting up, he pulled Becca back into an upright position and fixed her shirt. “Be back soon. Get some more rest.”

  She grabbed his hand before he could stand. “Is it really over?”

  “Kassidy and Zane are in custody, and both will be spending time behind bars. You’re safe.”

  The distress on her face disappeared, and he could see the weight lift off her shoulders.

  He gave her hand a quick squeeze and tried to stand again. “The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back. Then we can split, and I can get back to what I was doing before Ax interrupted us.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  After pouring batter onto the Belgian waffle iron, Becca lowered the top and turned her attention to her laptop. Threat gone or not, the nightmares continued. Rather than disturb Connor this morning, she came downstairs to start breakfast after waking up from the most recent one. Eventually they would stop.

  She hoped.

  She hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since before the break-in.

  Opening her preferred internet browser, she typed in the address for her favorite news site. As expected, articles pertaining to Kassidy’s arrest had been everywhere for the past few days. A story about a top scientist stealing research intended for military use was just too good for the press to ignore. The media would keep running articles until they got every dime they could from the story too.

  Becca now had a better understanding of what Connor and his family must have gone through following the arrest and prosecution of his father. And each time she saw her stepsister’s picture on a news site, she thought of Robert.

  She’d talked to both her stepfather and mom following Kassidy’s arrest. He’d been in complete denial despite the evidence against Kassidy, evidence that included the hard drive with all the research data she hadn’t yet sold to her buyer. Perhaps in his shoes she’d be in denial at first too. No parent wanted to believe his or her child would break the law and end up in prison.

  She hadn’t spoken to him again, but according to Mom, he’d since accepted the truth and hired a fantastic defense attorney for Kassidy. Not that even the best lawyer in the world would be able to keep her stepsister from serving time.

  When the news site opened, she reached toward the touch pad, prepared to scroll past the articles about Kassidy and see what else was happening in the world. The first headline on the screen kept her fingers motionless.

  Federal Authorities Arrest Congressman Dale Fuller.

  The arrest of a congressman wasn’t an everyday occurrence.

  Becca scanned the article under the headline. Her eyes stopped when they passed over the name Kassidy Buchanan, and she reread the sentence.

  She’d thought nothing else about Kassidy’s arrest would surprise her. She’d been wrong.

  Dale Fuller and Kassidy had been working together. Unbelievable.

  Hoping the article would share the role the congressman had played in Kassidy’s plot, she read the next paragraph.

  Kidnapping for hire—the words jumped out from the long list of charges against the Virginia congressman.

  Scrolling down, she continued reading, oblivious to everything else.

  Beep! Beep! The smoke detector on the ceiling erupted, disturbing the quiet. Jumping up, Becca grabbed a dishtowel and waved it near the device until the offending sound stopped.

  Then she went to check the damage.

  “Crap.” An overcooked waffle greeted her when she opened the lid. Not even a gallon of maple syrup and strawberries would make it edible. She’d have to start a new one.

  Removing it from the iron, she set it on a plate and reached for the mixing bowl.

  “Maybe we should go out for breakfast.” Coming up behind her, Connor kissed her neck and settled his hands on her waist. Despite the threat being gone, he’d stayed with her every night since the kidnapping attempt at the hospital.

  Stupid smoke detector. She’d wanted to surprise him with breakfast in bed. “No need. I was reading the news and got distracted. I’ll keep a closer eye on them this time.” After pouring more batter into the machine, she closed the cover and turned. “Sorry I woke you. There’s coffee if you want some, and I have some bacon in the oven.”

  “You didn’t. The call from Ax did. When the smoke alarm went off, I was on my way down. Bacon in the oven?” He brushed his lips across hers before going for coffee.

  “Trust me on this. It tastes so much better if you cook it under the broiler.”

  “Whatever you say.” He took a seat at the kitchen island. “Anything interesting going on in the world this morning?”

  “Interesting is one word you could use to describe today’s breaking story.” She took a sip of coffee before continuing. “Authorities have evidence connecting Kassidy, Michael Jefferson, and Congressman Dale Fuller. Fuller’s been arrested, and he’s facing a long list of charges. The article is still up on my computer if you want to read it.”

  The green light on the waffle iron went on, indica
ting the breakfast treat was ready. Before another waffle turned into an inedible piece of charcoal, she removed it and then covered it with fresh sliced strawberries.

  “No need. I already know. Ax told me. It was part of why he called. Surprised the hell out of me too.” He accepted the plate she handed him and smiled. “This looks amazing. Thank you.” He didn’t bother to add any maple syrup before he dug in. “I figured there was another party involved. Never expected it to be a congressman. Not even after you gave us the guy’s name.” He cut another large segment off his waffle. “Both Kassidy and Zane implicated Fuller and turned over evidence against him.”

  She carried her waffle and the bacon over to the island. “Do you think they did it in exchange for lesser charges or something?” Right or wrong, it was a common practice in the judicial system.

  Snagging a few slices of bacon, he shrugged. “Possibly, or they gave him up because if they were going to prison they wanted his ass there too. Ax didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”

  She wanted the congressman to pay for whatever role he’d played. At the same time, Becca hated the idea of Kassidy and Zane getting off easy after all the suffering they’d caused. “I know it sounds terrible because she’s family and everything, but I hope Kassidy stays locked up for a long time.”

  He paused with a strip of bacon almost to his lips. “No, it doesn’t.” Lines of concentration deepened along his brows and under his eyes. “When my father was arrested, I refused to believe it at first. After all the facts came out and I learned the full extent of what he’d done, I hoped he’d rot in jail. And I haven’t talked to him since.” Reaching over, he covered her hand with his. “Anyone in your position would be thinking the same thing.” He gave her hand a little squeeze. “Considering the danger she put you in, I hope she never gets out. You don’t want to know what I’d like to see happen to the congressman and Zane.”

  He’d risked his life to protect her. Somehow saying thank you didn’t seem sufficient, but she’d tell him anyway. “I should’ve said this sooner, but thank you. If not for you, I’d be who knows where.”