“The hell it is,” Sandberg fired back. “If you were following protocol, I wouldn’t still be here at Bagram.”
“Oh, you’ll be out of here soon enough,” Filiponi told him. “We’ve looked into how your travel itinerary might’ve been leaked to Rahim’s network. Had to be someone on the outside. And as luck would have it, a tip came in about forty minutes ago.”
Sandberg raised an eyebrow. “And?”
Filiponi stared at him for a moment. “And it’s credible and serious enough that both of you will be going back to Langley to stay in a safe house until we get to the bottom of this investigation and neutralize the threat against you.”
Erin exchanged a disbelieving look with Sandberg as her stomach dropped. CIA headquarters were in Langley. Safe house? She was going to have to spend God only knew how long in a freaking safe house because of this mess?
Pushing out a breath, Sandberg turned his attention back to Bertrand once more. “What tip came in?”
The man’s dark gaze never wavered from Sandberg’s. “We’ve got a few possible leads we’re looking into. One in particular we find very…interesting.”
Erin thought her stomach couldn’t drop any lower, but the way he said it made it feel like she’d just swallowed a chunk of lead. Oh yeah, she definitely wasn’t going home anytime soon, and even though she knew Agent Sandberg had no control over any of this or the terrorist after them, it didn’t mean she wasn’t still pissed as hell at him for involving her in this.
* * *
They weren’t telling him shit because he was officially off the taskforce, Wade realized in disgust as Erin left the room. He couldn’t believe they’d do this to him after all he’d done for The Company and his country during the past three years undercover, but agency bullshit was always a problem. It was why he’d always preferred work in the field rather than being trapped behind a desk and finding himself entangled in miles of red tape.
“You gonna tell me who you’re looking into now that she’s gone?” he said to Bertrand. Erin had been pale, clearly shaken when she’d left a minute ago. Wade wanted to go after her, but he needed to know this first. What exactly was he up against? Who’d set him up?
“You’ll be alerted if anything comes of the probe. Your handler will update you when you get to Langley.”
Wade’s hands clenched into fists as he fought to curb the sharp spike in his temper. Blowing his cool here with these desk jockeys wasn’t going to help his cause. He’d just have to wait until he got to Langley.
Dividing one last icy glare between the two of them, Wade stormed out of the room and into the hall. Erin was already out of the building. He hurried to the far door at the end of the hallway, scanning for her when he stepped outside into the bright sunshine. Shading his eyes with one hand, he spotted her headed toward the Exchange, and broke into a jog. “Hey,” he called out.
She paused to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes shooting daggers at him. Not that he blamed her. If not for him, she’d be on her way to her parents’ ranch right now. Instead, she’d been chased and shot at yesterday, forced to stay the night in a cave and was now stuck here at Bagram until they caught a transport back stateside to whatever safe house the agency had picked out for them. Where they’d be staying together, due to budget restrictions or some other shit Bertrand had explained.
He owed her an apology.
He loped up to her and stopped a foot away, trying to think of something to say. Her jaw was tight, her posture rigid, and the accusations in her pretty green eyes made him feel an inch tall. Transitioning back into civilian life was going to be hard enough for him, let alone while in the same house with a woman who couldn’t stand the sight of him. “Look, I’m sorry you got caught up in all this.”
She turned to face him fully, crossing her arms over her chest, which naturally dragged his gaze to the curve of her breasts beneath her BDUs. Small, firm breasts he’d bet would nestle perfectly into his palms if he cupped them. He dragged his eyes back up to her face as she responded. “I know it’s not really your fault and you didn’t plan for this to happen, but I just can’t—” She paused to draw in a steadying breath, and he understood her need to vent her anger.
“Believe me, I never expected anything like this to happen.” Not for someone to leak his travel itinerary to Rahim’s people, anyway. Erin continued staring at him and he resisted the urge to drag a hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure why it was so important for her to believe him and accept his apology, but it was. Usually he didn’t give a shit what people thought of him or his actions, yet with her he did.
She shook her head in bewilderment, her eyes burning with resentment and frustration. “I don’t even know your name.”
He sighed, cast a glance around to be sure no one could overhear him before answering. “It’s Wade.”
“Wade Sandberg?”
He nodded, and, holding her gaze, offered his hand. “My real name, I swear.”
Her expression was still wary, but she took his hand. “I’m Erin.”
He nodded again, caught off guard by the invisible thread of attraction that wound through him at the simple contact. Her hand was small and soft in his own and he was struck again by how delicate and feminine she was. The overwhelming instinct to protect her swelled within him again, same as it had yesterday. When her head had lolled for the third time against that tunnel wall this morning he’d eased her down against his shoulder and something had twisted inside him at the feel of her sleeping against him so trustingly. In that moment he’d vowed to make up for the damage he’d caused.
He’d gotten her into this mess; he’d make sure she got out okay. It was the least he could do.
Realizing he was still holding her hand, he released it. “So what are—”
“Just tell me one thing.”
That green gaze pinned him, needled his conscience. “If I can,” he acknowledged.
“How were you involved with whatever’s going on with this Rahim guy?”
Okay, most of that he definitely couldn’t tell her. “I’ve been…undercover for the past few years.” She was intelligent; she’d figure out the gist of what he was saying.
She studied him for a moment longer as if she was trying to decide whether or not he was telling the truth. His answer must have satisfied her, because after a pause she nodded once. “And you agree that I’m in enough danger now to warrant being put into protective custody when we get back stateside?”
“If he’s identified you as working with me, then yeah.” And shit, he was more sorry about that than he could say. Rahim’s network extended farther than even Wade knew, so it was possible he had people activated in the States right now, waiting for them to arrive. Protective custody was the best option.
Erin looked away, her expression a study in weariness and resignation. For some reason Wade wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her tight. His sister was around her age, late twenties. He hated knowing she was feeling lost and scared because of him. It drove him nuts that he couldn’t fix any of it right now.
Meeting his eyes once more, she swallowed. “And how do I know I’ll be safe if I’m there with you?”
“Because I’ll keep you that way.” He owed her that much. He’d done many fucked-up things over the past few years in the name of duty, but this was one task that might balance the karma scales a little. Wade would do whatever it took to ensure her safety while she was with him. If Rahim was seriously thinking of targeting her, he’d have to get through Wade first.
His answer seemed to surprise her. “Why would you care? I don’t even know you.”
“You don’t have to know me for me to promise that.” Besides, she’d get to know him a hell of a lot more than he wanted her to in the days or weeks ahead once they got to Virginia. “I know this is a shitty-assed mess, and I know you have no reason to trust me, but—” He exhaled, wondered what the hell to say to put her at ease. “Just know that I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”<
br />
Holding his gaze, she let out a slow breath. “Don’t have much choice, do I?”
No. They’d both been forced into this position of powerlessness. He hated it. Feeling helpless and powerless was not something he was accustomed to, and so far it fucking sucked. “Where are you off to? Want to grab something to eat?” He had no idea why he asked, since it was evident she wanted nothing to do with him. Still, part of him hoped she’d say yes. They needed to clear the air between them before they arrived at the safe house.
“Sorry, can’t. Gotta go call my family and make up some excuse as to why I won’t be home, then I have to meet with my CO about everything.”
“You’ll go home,” he told her firmly. As soon as Rahim was brought in, the threat would be over. Shouldn’t take long now, not with him wounded and half the U.S. intelligence services hunting for any sign of him. “I’ll see to it.” He’d make it happen, just as he intended to find out who the hell had set him up to die at that checkpoint, and to help nail Rahim. If The Company thought he’d stay on the sidelines of this investigation after everything he’d done for them the past three years, they were sorely mistaken.
She lowered her gaze. “Well. Guess I’ll see you on the transport in the morning.”
He nodded, but didn’t respond. He stood there watching her confident stride and the sway of her hips until she disappeared from view around the corner of a building.
Between being removed from the investigation to nail Rahim and living under the same roof with Erin for the foreseeable future, it would be a miracle if his head didn’t explode before this was all over.
Danger Close: Chapter Six
Erin stumbled around the corner into the kitchen of the safe house, only to stop dead at the sight of Wade standing next to the kitchen sink.
Whoa.
He was shirtless, checking something on the new cell phone he’d gotten a few hours before. Way fancier than anything he’d had over the past couple years. He looked up and met her gaze, and she couldn’t stop herself from running her gaze over the sculpted planes of his wide chest and shoulders, the scattering of dark hair that thinned into a line that bisected his delineated abs. The man was sheer masculine power, his lean build showing off all those mouth-watering muscles she’d only imagined before now.
Realizing she was staring, she jerked her gaze back to his face and was taken aback by the odd mix of heat and embarrassment in his eyes. He set the phone down on the counter and folded his arms across his chest, as though she’d made him feel self-conscious. Regretting that, she would have reassured him that he had nothing to be self-conscious about, except she sensed that would make him even more uncomfortable.
“You get any sleep?” he asked.
“Some.” She’d been so exhausted by the time the flight had landed and the CIA people had got them set up here, she’d crawled beneath the quilt of one of the upstairs bedrooms and crashed hard just after lunch.
He glanced away, cleared his throat. “Sorry, I uh, thought you’d sleep a lot longer once I finished my shower.”
“Don’t worry, it’s no problem. I’m a nurse, in case you forgot.” Yeah, and while she’d seen countless half-naked men in her day, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d responded to anyone the way she did to Wade. The magnetic pull he exerted was ten times more captivating because he seemed unaware of it. Since losing David she hadn’t dated much or been that interested in men as a whole, but Wade definitely interested her. An unsettling thought, as they had to live here together until the CIA let her leave.
Even more so because she’d sworn never to get involved with another military man again. After losing David she’d promised herself to find someone whose job didn’t threaten their life on a daily basis. Wade Sandberg was everything she wanted to avoid in a man.
Try remembering that the next time you devour him with your eyes.
She crossed to the other side of the kitchen to grab some coffee—her favorite brand, which they’d bought along with some other groceries on the way here from the airport. The CIA had equipped and stocked the house ahead of time, but she’d wanted to pick up a few specific things and had received permission. The two-story white farmhouse with red trim sat in the middle of a gorgeous, six acre expanse of rolling farmland, with a thick stand of forest on the east side of the property. In the western sky the sun was already a glowing orange ball shining through the kitchen window above the sink that overlooked the gently curving terrain.
As she stood with her back to him, an awkward tension filled the room. She was acutely aware of him standing behind her in nothing but a pair of jeans that hugged his lean hips and muscled thighs, and of him not saying anything more. “So, what do you want to do about dinner?” She glanced back at him, had a hell of a time keeping her eyes on his face when half that gorgeous body was on display. It was weird, having to stay here with him when she knew hardly anything about him. “Do you cook?”
“Not really. You?”
“I’m decent, but it’s already dinner time and it’ll take me about an hour to get something on the table if I start from scratch now. Do you want to just do pizza or something? We could order in for tonight.” Or could they, considering the security situation?
Wade frowned a little. “I haven’t had pizza in years.”
Erin’s eyes widened. “Years?”
He nodded, rubbed a hand along his whiskered jaw. “Guess that would be okay. Be better if we ordered in, rather than go pick it up though. I’ll let the security guys know.”
This whole living under guard thing was totally new to her, so she’d follow his lead. “Okay, what kind do you want?”
“Doesn’t matter, I’ll eat whatever. You want me to order?”
“No, I’ll do it. You want some coffee?”
A slight smile curved his lips, softening his rugged features, and something low in her abdomen did a somersault. “Love some.”
She didn’t ask how long it’d been since he’d had any coffee, Afghanistan being a tea drinking nation, but his reaction made her glad she could offer him that simple comfort. After a few minutes of silence that wasn’t exactly tense but not completely comfortable either, the coffee machine finished brewing the pot and she filled two mugs with fragrant black liquid. “How do you take it?”
“I don’t care—” His face brightened with anticipation. “Do we have any cream?”
“We do.” She grabbed it from the fridge and poured some into both their mugs, then glanced back at him. “Sugar?”
His eyes lit up, and she knew he’d been deprived of that luxury for a long time too. “Sure, a little.”
She stirred a spoonful in for him and held out the mug. He walked over and took it from her, and just having him stand so close in the quiet kitchen sent a buzz of feminine awareness through her. When his woodsy scent wrapped around her and their fingers brushed, a wave of heat prickled over her skin. Her body didn’t give a damn that he was all wrong for her, it wanted him anyway. Badly.
Either oblivious of or not wanting to encourage the attraction between them, Wade looked down at his mug as though he wasn’t comfortable holding her gaze at such close range, and took a sip. As he swallowed, one side of his mouth curved up and he let out an appreciative groan that seemed to reverberate right through her, heating her blood. Startled, she drank in the almost dreamy expression on his angular face and imagined that same look right after he’d enjoyed an intensely satisfying orgasm. Erin couldn’t be positive, but if his reaction to a simple cup of coffee made him groan like that, she was pretty sure it had been a while since he’d had one of those, too. And man, the idea of being the one to end his dry spell was way too freaking hot for her own good.
Flushing slightly, she looked away and sipped at her own coffee as she tidied up and tried to think of something to say that would put him more at ease. “There’s lots more here if you want any.”
“Thanks. I’d forgotten how much I missed it.”
The almost wistful not
e in his voice tugged at her. Her body was pulsing with arousal and having him so close to her without a shirt on wasn’t helping matters any. “I’ll uh, go put our pizza order in.” She left the kitchen and pulled in the first deep breath since she’d stepped over the threshold. God, the man was pure walking sin and didn’t even realize it. Pulling out the specially encrypted phone Wade’s CIA handler had given her on the way from the airport, she found a pizza place that delivered on the list of acceptable takeout spots they’d been given and placed their order. “Food’ll be here in about half an hour,” she called out to Wade.
“Sounds good. I’ll let the security team know.” His footsteps retreated toward the back of the house where the stairs were and a minute later he entered the living room, dressed in a snug T-shirt and carrying his mug. A slight stab of disappointment hit her that he’d covered himself, but that shirt hugged every swell and curve of his muscular torso so she couldn’t complain.
Without looking at her he set his mug on the coffee table and began searching the room, checking behind the TV and the paintings, objects placed on the bookshelf. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Checking for bugs. I didn’t find any upstairs or in the kitchen when I checked earlier, but there’s probably at least a few in the house. Safe house or not, they’ll want to know what’s going on.”
Oh. She sank onto the couch and watched him work, admiring the way he moved and the flex of muscle in his bare arms as he checked various things, shifting with each movement. The bugging thing didn’t seem to bother him, more like he took it as a matter of course. He paused a moment, pulled something off the back of a book on the shelf and held up something the size of a grain of rice for her to see. “Transmitter.”
She nodded and stayed where she was while he shoved it into his pocket and completed his sweep. Weird, to know someone might be listening to them right now, but she had nothing to hide, and if it kept her safer, she was all for it.
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