by Nico Rosso
April could only half smile her thanks. The website was dead, its revival a fading possibility. The leads were gone, and Hathaway still wanted to kill her to keep it that way. She sipped her tea and ate another cookie and wished it was just a friendly visit that had brought her to Art and Hayley’s home.
James completed his task and laid the jacket across a side table with the arm extended to dry. He returned to the table and sat, but seemed restless without something to do. Hayley watched him, then turned her attention to April.
“When I met Art, he was on a mission.” Hayley wrapped her hands around her mug. “I didn’t know anything about this stuff. Automatik. Secrets.” She leaned into Art when he sat next to her. “I know that when you’re in the middle of it, the beginning seems like some kind of nightmare dream thing you can’t escape, and there’s no end in sight.”
April felt that trap tight around her.
Hayley continued with a sardonic chuckle. “I was just a desperate chef trying to gig and I thought Art was a goon with the Russian mob. But he turned out to be Automatik. And those men and women come through.” She put her hand on April’s arm. “We’re all going to get you through.”
“They take a shot at one of us, it’s a shot at all of us.” Art spoke to James as well. “No one gets away with that. No one.” If she hadn’t shared cookies with the man, April would be downright scared of Art’s stainless-steel determination.
James seemed to pick up on Art’s resolve and straightened. “There’s a way at them, and I’ll find it.” He turned to her. A thread of their connection wound through her. But the energy didn’t flow completely between them. An ache of sadness filled the distance. “We’re not done.”
Was he only talking about the mission, or about the intimacy they’d found and lost? “Are we planning tactics tonight?” Her nap hadn’t done enough to revive her. After the cookies and hot tea, she felt the call of the bed again.
“Sleep.” James considered her face, his eyes warming. “By morning I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to wreck those bastards.”
She couldn’t argue with the notion of sleep and stood. The room wobbled around her, and she knew she wouldn’t be sharp and helpful if she forced herself to stay awake much longer.
Hayley walked with her back to the bedroom. “You good?”
“Yeah.” April sat heavily on the bed and removed her shoes. “Just burnt.”
“I feel you.” Hayley patted extra towels on the top of a small dresser. “It’s hard to stay cranking for that long.” She tipped her head back toward the other room. “I don’t know how they do it.”
“Training. I watched my husband learn it.” She’d met Mark just after he’d enlisted, and he’d told her what they were put through.
“Right.” Hayley sighed. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Thank you.” The mattress tugged at April like a welcome black hole.
“Extra toothpaste and a new toothbrush in the bathroom. Towels.” Hayley hovered in the doorway. “Is there anything else you need?”
James. April didn’t want to sleep alone. She wanted that link they’d found, that understanding. But she didn’t know how to get it back. Her throat tightened with frustration. “No.”
Hayley closed the door behind her. April stood to turn out the light and returned to the bed, alone in the unknown.
Chapter Sixteen
The house was locked tight and quiet. James lay awake on the couch in the living room, mind buzzing, body restless. Art and Hayley had gone to bed not long after April. There was no way that Hathaway or the hackers knew where to find April. She was safe here, but he couldn’t stop spinning terrible scenarios. A strike team through the windows. A battering ram through the front door. Or an armored car crashing into the corner of the house and taking the walls down so armed operatives could move in. In each action, he couldn’t come up with a way to protect April.
The floorboards creaked in the hall, and he sat up, hand on the grip of his pistol. April walked across the hall to the bathroom. He tried to let the initial rush of danger pass, but his legs had to act. He stood. A weight pushed down on his shoulders. The burden could crush him.
A couple of minutes passed, then April stepped back into the hall, foot hitting the groaning floorboard again. She paused and stared at him. She wore her glasses now, making her eyes unreadable from the distance in the shadows. After a moment, she disappeared into the bedroom.
He couldn’t just stand there. He couldn’t move. He had to. After the attack, pulling away from April had been agony. He’d thought it was for her good, her safety, but there’d only been an unending sense of loss. Through it, she hadn’t changed. The woman had never judged him, while he was sending his soul straight to hell.
James walked to the hall, stepped around the weak point on the floor, and entered the guest bedroom.
April sat up in the bed and found her glasses on the side table. “Is there trouble?” she whispered.
“No.” He remained in the doorway. “I’m here because...” He was a part of Automatik. He wasn’t a mercenary anymore. As April’s protector he couldn’t stand being so far away from her anymore. “I don’t know how to fix this.”
“The mission? The hackers?” Sleep remained raspy in her voice.
“Me...and you.” He took a step toward her. “You know who I am. You’ve seen it. Who I’ve been.”
“Yes.” She drew herself up so she was kneeling on the bed.
“And you let me in the room?” Any sign of fear from her, he’d leave.
“Yes.” In the dark, she was a collection of calm clouds.
“I don’t want to leave,” he confessed.
“Don’t.” She tipped her chin up like a queen staying his execution.
“I want you.” He was completely exposed.
“Come here.” She put out her arms, and he moved to her. Her hands glided over his shoulders and around his back. He kneeled on the bed with her and breathed in the desert storms on her hair and skin. They coiled together. A tremble rose through him and dissipated. He kissed her, and she returned it tenderly. Silent acceptance that confirmed everything she’d said.
They parted. “You’re amazing,” he told her.
“Lay down.” She pushed on his body with her palms.
He removed his shoulder holster, boots and socks and jeans. She pulled the blankets back as he piled everything on the floor, his pistol at the top. He climbed into bed, between her and the door. She curled into his body, wrapping her legs around his and twining one arm behind his shoulders. The other hand rested on his chest. His breathing slowed.
Her lips brushed against his shoulder when she spoke. “We have our pasts. We can’t let them have us.”
The night stilled. The quiet surrounded them and seemed to expand beyond the walls and roof and city. He placed his hand on hers and held her. Yesterday couldn’t be changed. Tomorrow was unknown. He gripped her tighter. She wound her fingers through his. One second. That was all he needed. One second with her, then the next. He lived each one, feeling her strong and brave presence next to him. He allowed sleep to approach, knowing that after sunrise, he’d fight like hell for her.
* * *
She woke to find herself still wrapped around James. The quiet of falling asleep together had been as restorative as the sleep itself. Having him next to her now felt right. She didn’t want to fight against their histories any longer. Holding James, trusting him, didn’t take away from what she had with Mark. That life, that marriage, couldn’t be altered. This life had to start now.
Of course James was already awake. She couldn’t see without her glasses but felt his breathing, steady but not deep. Heavy curtains blocked all but a sliver of light at one edge of the small window in the guest bedroom. A kiss on James’s arm turned his head toward her.
> “Good morning,” his voice rumbled.
“Good morning,” she squeaked, then cleared her throat. “Did you sleep?”
“I did.” He sounded impressed. “Better than in a long time.”
She stroked over his chest. He rolled over for a brief kiss. Neither had brushed their teeth, but it conveyed that the risk he’d taken to find her last night continued. After hours under the covers together, their hot bodies sweat, and skin clung to skin. His erection glanced across her thigh. Her body responded with a quickening of her pulse and a blaze of awareness between her breasts and around her hips. But neither moved further. The moment wasn’t right and the circumstances of the mission were too unsettled.
James ran his fingers through her hair. “Another morning, and you’re mine.” His conviction wrapped her in heat. A thirst she could never satisfy scratched her throat.
“Another night, when we can take our time.” His beard prickled against her fingers.
“We will,” he promised.
Another kiss, then they unknotted their bodies. Cold air moved in where she no longer touched him, but parting this time didn’t make her feel like she’d lost him. He got out of the bed and dressed. She got her glasses on in time to see him pull his shirt over the muscles of his back.
“No tattoos?” she asked, though she hadn’t done a full inspection of his skin. Yet.
“None.” He shrugged on his shoulder holster. “But the idea’s growing on me. A dagger through a skull.” He swiped a hand across his chest. “Or Kali, with all of her arms.”
She stepped from the bed and collected her clothes. “Maybe start small.”
“I’ll consult Art. Have you seen his work?”
“It’s bold.” Art conveyed a lot of attitude through his ink.
“Hayley, too.” James sat to pull on his boots. She steadied herself on his shoulder as she balanced on one leg to dress. When he stood again, they were both fully clothed. He unplugged his phone from a charger on the side table. “Bathroom’s yours. I’m going to check in.”
She stepped into the hallway to find Art on one end, near the master bedroom. Even dressed in something as casual as jeans and a sweatshirt, he looked dangerous. But there was nothing mean about his face.
“All good?” he queried.
“Yeah.” She pointed toward the bathroom to indicate her destination. He nodded understanding, and she went in. She brushed her teeth, put in her contacts and took care of her other morning needs. By the time she was out, sounds in the kitchen indicated the house was completely awake.
James walked from the dining area and past her, toward the bathroom. He tapped his phone. “Ben and Mary have eyes on Silvia and there are no signs of trouble.” He closed the door behind him, and she proceeded to the dining area.
Hayley moved with relaxed efficiency in the kitchen while Art backed her and helped with supplemental tasks. “Coffee, right?” Hayley indicated a kettle over a flame on the stove and a French press standing by.
“Absolutely.” There was no room for April in the kitchen. She remained in the dining area and leaned on the separating bar to watch Hayley’s mastery. Eggs were cracked and vegetables sliced. Art brought Hayley a package of sausages, which she cut into discs and scraped into a large pan with sliced onions.
Hayley looked up from her cooking with concern. “No allergies?”
“None,” April responded.
“Anything you won’t eat?”
“Liver.” April’s stomach flipped just thinking about it. “Stuff like that.”
Hayley pointed at her with a wooden spoon. “I’ll change your mind about liver sometime, but not for breakfast.”
April hesitated with a doubtful whimper.
Art pointed at himself. “It worked for me, and I never thought it would.”
“I’ll try it,” April acquiesced. “And if you ever want me to take a look at your website, I’d be happy to.”
“Shit, that would be awesome.” Hayley nodded emphatically as she threw more food in the sizzling skillet. The caramelized hot edge of the onions reached April’s nose, as well as sweet peppers and voluptuous tomatoes. Hayley stirred and talked. “We used one of those do-it-yourself site builders, and there’s all kinds of stuff that’s not working.”
Art brought a stack of plates next to the stove. “The mobile site’s jacked.”
“I can fix that.” April already went through the checklist of things to look for in the code. “That’s how everyone’s looking at things these days. We’ll get you up to date.”
“Sweet.” Hayley whisked eggs in a large bowl. “It’ll be a liver and website party.”
“Can’t wait.” James returned with a wry smile. He leaned on the counter next to her, shoulder to shoulder. “Sounds like a hell of a time.”
Hayley shot him a look. “You and Art can mud wrestle or something.”
Art flexed and stated, “I’d win.”
James straightened and stared him down. “Probably.” After they seemed to reach a truce, James joined her again.
Someone knocked on the front door. James wrapped his hand around his pistol. Art pulled a revolver down from the top of the refrigerator. Hayley winced, and April scanned for cover in the dining room. Silently, James and Art communicated with their eyes and hand gestures. They moved toward the front door. April’s breath tightened and her sweating hands clenched into fists.
A voice came from outside. “Raker, reporting for duty.” James and Art visibly relaxed.
Hayley blew out her tension, whispering under her breath, “Jesus.”
Even though they knew who it was, when Art opened the door, James stood off to the side, covering him. A lean, red-haired man with a trim mustache walked in with his hands raised in mock surrender. He was around James and Art’s age, face weathered from time in the sun, and wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and down jacket. The door closed, he bumped fists with Art and James before coming over to her.
If he’d been wearing a hat, he would’ve taken it off with polite charm. He spoke with a country twang. “I’m Raker.” He put out his hand, and she shook it. He had the calluses of a career soldier.
“April, but you know that.”
He looked away, sheepish. “Yeah, part of the job.” His face brightened when he brought his look back to her. “Glad to hear you’ve been out there kicking ass. Looks like Sant doesn’t need his old partner no more.”
James drew attention moving into the dining room. “We’re going to need everyone for what I have in mind.”
Art and Raker joined him at the table. The tension that had just released came back.
April came to his side, feeling her jaw clench. “You thought of something?”
Hayley continued to cook and listened in.
James took a long breath and put his hands on the table. “We can’t find the hackers. The mercs are in the wind.” He smiled, vicious. “We let them find us.”
Hayley commented from the kitchen, “Not here.”
“Not at all,” James reassured her. “We bait them. Draw them out.” He turned to April. “I think that address you found in Phoenix might’ve been a setup. They knew we were going to be there at some point.”
Art and Raker considered the plan, both staring at the table as if there was a map complete with flags and miniature tanks. Her stomach churned. She tried to remain as stoic as the men, but fear trembled out through her fingers. “We saw what happened the last time they found us.”
James growled bitterly. “We weren’t ready.”
“Two teams.” Raker smoothed the corners of his mustache.
Art looked up at the ceiling, thinking, calculating. “Target and a wingman close enough to get in when things heat up.”
April swallowed hard. “How hot?”
James
put his hand on her arm. “As soon as he shows himself, we strike.”
“I’m bait.” She tried to fill her confidence with his.
“We’re bait,” he told her. “Hathaway’s going to bring everything he’s got now that he’s been bled.”
Raker regarded his partner warily. “You know his name?”
James tipped his head toward the back of the house. “A word.”
“Alright.” Raker remained reserved. He followed James through the kitchen and out the back door.
Hayley announced tightly, “Food’s up.” She spooned the scrambled-egg mixture onto the plates. Art added a butter-slathered piece of crusty bread to each before passing it over the bar to April. She set the food around the table, while Hayley brought out the coffee and mugs.
Ordinary business. But nothing felt normal. How could she go out there and put herself in danger? It didn’t matter. She was in the crosshairs no matter what. If it meant taking the fight to them, punishing those sons of bitches, then she could do it.
James and Raker returned as Hayley was pouring the coffee. Raker had a slightly stunned look on his face, and James was grim. He must’ve told his partner about his past with Hathaway. They loosened up again when they rejoined the group and sat at the table.
Art pushed a mug of coffee toward Raker. “You drive all night?”
“Handful of sleep in a highway motel.” He shrugged. “Not too bad.”
Everyone ate the hearty yet deft food and complimented Hayley, who accepted graciously. Art collected the plates as they were emptied. April and the others were on their second cups of coffee when she brought them back to the mission. “I know how we can hook them.”
All eyes were on her, especially James, who regarded her with admiration. “The idea is to put you in harm’s way as little as possible. If at all.”
“I’m in harm’s way,” she told him flatly.
Anger flashed in his eyes, but not for her. “So what’s your plan?”
“The library,” she said. Blank stares all around. “I’ll use their computers to log on, check my email, snoop around for clues on the hackers. It’ll ping on their side, and they’ll pick up the IP address for the library.”
