by Robin Perini
A small flush rose in her cheeks. Her lips parted. Her gaze heated.
Noah tensed. His entire being urged him to kiss her, to comfort her, to remind her that he would always be here for her.
She didn’t give him a chance.
“Thank you,” she said and pulled his head down to hers.
Stunned, he let her kiss him. Her lips parted and she swept her tongue inside his mouth.
With a groan, a wave of longing rushed through him. He pulled her close and captured her lips, drinking in the sweetness.
He lifted his head, stunned at the emotions sparking between them. She blinked up at him, her own expression frozen.
“I didn’t expect—” she whispered.
He touched her swollen lips with his thumb. “Me neither. You’re more than I ever imagined.”
A loud throat-clearing interrupted them. “Noah, we need you out here,” Rafe called from the hangar’s entrance.
Noah didn’t move away from her. He didn’t want to leave the warm softness pressing against him. “In a minute.”
His hand trembled as he touched Lyssa’s face. These feelings terrified him. Long buried dreams resurfaced. Desires he’d denied because of his friendship with Jack.
She gripped his hands and pulled them away from her. “This isn’t right,” she whispered softly. “I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t say it.” He couldn’t bear her regret. Part of him knew he was just second best, just a substitute for Jack. For her true love.
She took a shuddering breath. “You don’t understand. There are things you don’t know.”
“Secrets. I know.”
Her eyes widened. “No. Oh, no, you can’t know. No one knows.”
“Reid knew.”
She backed away, the cold air rushing between them. “You’re trying to goad me. There are things I won’t talk about, Noah. I can’t.”
Her words gutted him. “You have to trust me, Lyssa.”
“Everyone I ever trusted is dead...or in a coma. I won’t do that to you. Or to me.”
Back stiff, Lyssa walked out of the hangar into the weather. Noah followed, ignoring the curious expressions on Rafe’s and Zane’s faces.
The back door of the SUV had lifted into place, protecting them from the sleet. Zane held a receiver in his hand and he ran it slowly over the bags in the back of the SUV. One by one, he placed them into the vehicle.
“Anything?” Noah asked, his voice raised over the thwack of ice on the car. They had to figure out how Archimedes knew where they were.
“I ramped up the signal, but nothing yet.” Zane scowled. “He shouldn’t have found us here. I don’t get it. Maybe you can figure it out.”
“What about my ready bag,” Lyssa said and moved closer to Zane. “I kept it in the closet.”
“I went over everything,” Zane said. “Even your weapons. Nice, by the way.”
A loud beeping sounded from the machine. “What the hell?”
He shifted it, and the beeping got more high-pitched as he brought it toward Lyssa.
She backed away.
“Stay still,” Zane said.
He moved the machine up and down the length of Lyssa’s body. It stopped just at the top curve of her breasts. Zane flushed a bit. “Um...have you got anything...”
Noah tugged at the gold chain around her neck. Her engagement ring.
Zane held the monitor close to it. A piercing tone erupted.
He looked up at Lyssa. She stared down at the diamond.
“It’s your ring.” Noah said. “Jack’s ring brought Archimedes here.”
Chapter Eight
The thin air of Denver made it hard to breathe. Archimedes took out his inhaler and wrapped his lips around the mouthpiece for a puff. Within seconds, the invisible clamp around his lungs eased. He glared at the medicine before pocketing it. He hated the telltale weakness. One more reason the kids at school had teased him, made him the fool.
Didn’t matter he’d earned a perfect score on the SAT in math. Or that he’d been accepted to MIT. He still wound up dumped in the garbage bin behind the school. And with his clothes stolen out of his gym-class locker.
The world preyed on the weak. It’s why he’d become strong.
He would have respect. He’d earned it.
The luxury rental car purred and the warmth of the heater circulated around him. He opened his laptop and connected to the internet via a secure satellite connection. A few quick taps on the keyboard and the search result for “Bradford” appeared.
Fools. He hadn’t even had to work for the information.
Five addresses. Paul, Sierra, Mitch and Emily, Chase and Noah.
Archimedes knew exactly where Noah Bradford was. He glanced at the small screen. A red dot blinked at an airport in Texas.
He imagined the uncertainty, and the fear. Archimedes smiled. They had to be wondering when and where the next surprise would hit them.
Soon. Very soon.
Archimedes had left enough clues to know where they were heading next. Exactly where he wanted them to go.
Alessandra had the means to get to Connecticut.
Everything was proceeding precisely as planned.
With one exception.
Archimedes flicked the screen and stared at the still from the video from Lyssa’s apartment. He studied Alessandra’s hand clinging to Noah’s. Archimedes zoomed once more onto her face.
She wanted Noah.
He wanted her.
Archimedes tossed the offending image away. He had to get that man away from Alessandra. Noah Bradford needed to be taught a lesson, and Archimedes knew exactly how.
A few more taps at the computer and he hit the enter key. The executable file did its job. Within minutes, five feeds from traffic cameras displayed on his screen. Live shots in front of the five Bradford residences.
Now all Archimedes had to do was wait.
* * *
AS IF THE heavens heard Lyssa’s cry, they opened up and small bits of hail pinged off the metal of the SUV. Her devastation tore at Noah’s heart.
She gripped his wet hands and tugged her necklace out of his grasp. “It’s not possible. He can’t be using my ring to find us.”
Knowing what he asked of her, Noah simply held out his hand. “I need it, Lyssa.”
For a moment he wondered if she’d refuse him. Finally, reluctantly, she lifted the chain over her head and handed it to him.
“Let’s get out of this weather,” he said.
Zane and Rafe followed as they all raced into the hangar, the hangar where she’d kissed Noah, where she’d clung to him. Now she looked at him if she wished he would disappear. Noah slammed the door closed behind them. Wet and cold, she wrapped her arms around her shivering body, not once leaning into him for comfort.
Not that he’d expected her to.
Not that he’d hoped she would.
Liar.
Noah gave the ring to Zane. The techie pulled a small magnifying glass from his bag. He studied the diamond then handed the magnifier to Noah. “Take a look.”
Noah peered through the glass. Archimedes was damn brilliant.
Lyssa clutched his arm. “What is it?”
“A microtransmitter attached to the diamond. He definitely used the ring to track you.”
His fingers held the ring that Jack had presented to Lyssa—a piece of jewelry Lyssa clearly still cherished.
“But...it was hidden in the jewelry box. How could Archimedes know I would take it?”
“He knows you love Jack.”
It hurt Noah to say the words. Even though they were true. All he had to do was look at Lyssa to recognize the truth of her feelings.
“We h
ave to get rid of the ring, Lyssa,” Zane said. “Or he’ll follow us.”
“No! That ring is important. I can’t give it up.” Lyssa grabbed the jewelry from Noah, holding it close to her heart. “Please. Find a way for me to keep it.”
Noah winced at her desperate longing. He glanced at Zane. “We can remove the chip without damaging the ring.”
A smile tilted the corner of Zane’s mouth. “I like your devious mind, Falcon. Use it as bait. Yep, I love the idea of putting one over on this guy for a change.” He crossed the room and created a makeshift workbench out of several crates.
Noah pulled out a chair for Lyssa. “This could take a while. And with this weather, we’re not going anywhere.”
“I’ll take first watch,” Rafe said quietly, pulling his hood over his head and stepping out into the weather.
Noah grabbed a small space heater from the corner of the hangar and set it up near Lyssa.
The fan blew warm air toward her. She rubbed her hands and slipped out of her soggy coat, draping it over a wooden crate. Noah did the same before crouching next to her. For a few moments he’d wondered if there was a chance for them...but he should have known better.
He could never live up to Jack’s memory; he would never earn her trust. He might understand that, but he didn’t like it.
When the blue tinge of her lips turned pink and her teeth stopped chattering, she looked up at him. “Falcon?” Lyssa’s brow arched.
Noah shrugged. “A name I’m known by. You should probably forget it.” Hopefully she would. The Falcon had a price on his head. He’d saved a lot of lives, but he’d taken more than his share.
Zane let out a small curse across the room. “I could use another set of hands, Falcon. You’re the integrated-circuit wizard.”
“Be right there.” Noah checked the time. “CTC’s plane should be here as soon as the weather breaks, Lyssa. We’ll get to Connecticut. We’ll find him. Your ring may give us the break we need.”
He rose and started to the back of the hangar.
“Noah.”
Lyssa’s soft voice made him pause. He looked over his shoulder.
“Thank you. For saving the ring. It’s more important to me than you can imagine.”
The words made Noah’s heart ache. “I know, Lyssa. I know.”
* * *
LYSSA DIDN’T KNOW how many times she wanted to cross the hangar to Noah. He huddled with Zane, each wielding tiny screwdrivers and focused expressions. She’d hurt him. She knew it.
But what could she say? Better to leave them be. She couldn’t tell Noah why the ring was so important. That she wanted her daughter to have a little piece of her father, wanted her little girl to know how much Jack would have loved her.
She couldn’t give that truth away. For his sake as much as her own.
The slam of the metal door caused her to reach for her weapon until she recognized Rafe’s soaking figure stomping into the hangar.
The heater had warmed up the place, at least until Rafe had opened the outside door. Lyssa rubbed her arms to ward off the cold gust of wind. The storm had worsened. No way would an aircraft be taking off anytime soon.
They were stuck in Dallas.
“If Archimedes is still here, he’s invisible,” Rafe said, brushing ice from his coat and hair. He walked straight over and warmed his hands by the heater. “It’s bad out there.”
“Well, we’ve caught a break,” Noah stood, joining them, an envelope in one hand, her necklace in the other. Zane sauntered behind Noah. He raised the small paper. “The microdot. Safe, sound, and intact.”
Zane snagged the tracer from his bag, placing it next to the ring first. Nothing sounded. He tested the envelope. The device squealed.
Noah smiled, though the light didn’t reach his eyes. “Archimedes will follow this.” He pried open a wooden crate, placed the envelope inside, then nailed it shut. “For now, he’ll think we’re still at the airport.”
“We’re not staying here?” Lyssa asked.
“The weather isn’t clearing. CTC’s plane can’t land. We can’t get out, but Archimedes can’t trace us, either. It’s time we reclaimed our advantage.”
Noah didn’t meet her gaze. He’d turned all business, their connection severed.
Maybe it was for the best.
Within minutes they’d gathered up their things. Lyssa raced to the SUV, snow, sleet and rain in a combination that had her slipping the last few feet. She nearly fell, but Noah scooped her into his arms and placed her in the backseat. Once she was settled, he turned to her and held out his hand.
The gold chain dropped and the sparkling ring swung from the necklace.
Her heart sped up. She clasped it to her. The ring was all she had of Jack. All Jocelyn would ever have.
“Thank you.” She swallowed around the thickness of her voice. “It means the world to me.”
Noah gave her a sharp nod and then readied his weapon, staring into the dim light of the afternoon storm. It’s not that she didn’t trust Noah to keep her secret if he could. But she didn’t trust that Archimedes wouldn’t win.
Noah probably wouldn’t understand the distinction.
By the time Rafe pulled into the front of a hotel near the airport and slipped out to check them in, Lyssa couldn’t handle the quiet any longer. “Noah—”
“Weather report says we’ll have to wait for at least several hours,” he interrupted, his tone curt. “Maybe longer.”
A small sigh escaped from her. She was doing the right thing, wasn’t she? What if she told him? Lyssa knew exactly what would happen. Noah would want to know where Jocelyn was. He’d want to protect the baby.
While Lyssa would do anything to hold her daughter in her arms, she’d become a pragmatist. She’d made a choice. Her daughter’s life over her own.
For now, Jocelyn was safe. If Lyssa tried to get in touch with them... A shudder settled at the base of her spine. Archimedes would find out.
Rafe opened the front door of the SUV and slid inside. “I got us a suite.” He grinned at Noah. “You paid.”
“I’m assuming you didn’t use my credit card?”
“Nah,” Zane said. “I transferred your money to our new fearless leader. Ned Bourne. Jason’s younger brother.” He chuckled.
At Noah’s slow shake of his head, Lyssa bit back a small smile.
The engine roared to life and Rafe pulled around to the back entrance of the hotel. “We’ll drop you off then pick up food. No reason to make ourselves visible,” Rafe said.
He tossed Noah the key. Noah snagged it from the air then grabbed a laptop from the backseat. Lyssa shouldered her duffel and followed him into the hallway.
They rode the elevator in silence. When they reached the door, Noah stretched his arm in front of her body. He checked out the room, nodded, and allowed her to go in. He said nothing, but emptied his computer case and set up his laptop on the table in the suite’s sitting area, attaching a small black box to the internet cable.
“What’s that?”
“I don’t want anyone tracing my signal,” he said. “Zane may think he’s the computer whiz around CTC, but I hold my own.” He gave her a long look. “I know what I’m doing, Lyssa.”
Lyssa hovered for a moment before taking a breath of courage and sitting beside him. How could she apologize without explaining? “Jack told me you were more than good. He called you a genius.”
Noah tapped the keys, his face stoic. Finally he leaned back in his chair. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to apologize,” Lyssa said. “You could make it easy on me.”
Noah twisted in his chair, facing her. “You made a choice not to trust me, Lyssa. I thought we’d come further than that. My mistake.” He turned to his computer and started typing. “We�
��ll keep our relationship just business. It’s probably best anyway. No small talk necessary.”
His fingers tapped away at the keyboard. She didn’t move. She sneaked a few glances at the strong line of his jaw, the intense focus.
This wasn’t right. He was Jack’s best friend. She placed her hand on Noah’s arm. “Um...Jack said you owned more than one company when you went into basic training together?”
His hands stilled and his gaze rose from the monitor. “This isn’t necessary.”
“Yes, it is. You’re doing everything you can to help me,” she said. “I don’t like the strain between us.”
“Strain?” He rose and bent over her chair, his hands on each armrest. His big body loomed large, his hooded gaze dangerous—not to her safety but to her sanity.
“You think learning more about me will make me forget that you haven’t been honest? You think a few words will make the tension between us go away? What’s happening between us is about way more than trust, Lyssa, and you know it.”
His breath warmed her cheek, his lips nearly touching her as they hovered just above her skin. She swallowed, the gulp seeming to echo in the room.
“I see you get the message.” He pulled away slightly. “You have a choice to make, and one road leads to you going all in.”
The words sent a shiver to her core, not of fear, but of longing. She placed her hand on his chest. His heart thudded against her palm.
A knock sounded at the door, the pattern of the taps obviously preplanned.
Noah cleared his throat. “Rafe and Zane.”
Slipping his gun from his pants, he peered through the keyhole. He turned back. “You’re starting on a dangerous path,” he whispered. “Be very sure it’s what you want.”
He opened the door. The scent of mesquite-smoked barbecue filled the room. While Rafe and Zane set up a huge meal, Lyssa couldn’t stop staring at Noah. He was right. She had a choice to make.
Archimedes might be dangerous to her life, but Noah Bradford brought a whole new kind of danger—and if she let her heart rule her head, she’d never be the same.
* * *
