by Regan Black
She knew he had a point, but what she wanted to do was best handled as personally as possible. “No. I have to try.” She hailed a cab and gave him the building address. Pulling out her phone, she pretended she was on a call as she spoke with Ben. “He isn’t going to give up on me any time soon,” she murmured. “He knows I overheard too much. The man you knocked out and stuffed under the bar mentioned going in and out of Detroit. If he’s operating a covert lab in the States, I can make sure we take it down.”
“And if he’s in Canada, leave it to me. Us,” Ben amended. “Scott won’t want to be left out of any attack on a UI lab.”
Professionally, she couldn’t endorse one covert operative taking out a black-ops agency, even if said operative was invisible. Personally, she’d seen too much in recent days to believe legal channels would be enough to keep Messenger and his operation down for long.
The cab jerked across two lanes of traffic to the chorus of blaring horns, stopping in an open space in front of the building. She paid the fare and slid out, uncertain about Ben’s intentions.
“I can’t go in with you,” he said. “But I’ll make sure the area stays clear.”
“Thanks.” There wasn’t anything else she could say. “You won’t do anything rash?”
“Not until you’re safe.” He nudged her toward the doors. “Go on.”
As she made her way through the security check, she reminded herself Ben had been battling Messenger and his group for years. A former soldier, he’d learned to use a remarkable, unimaginable enhancement for the benefit of the good guys.
Or what she hoped were the good guys anyway.
First she sought out her local counterparts on the cyber-crimes task force. Once she alerted them to the possibility of someone using cutting edge tech for scanning or jamming radio signals, she asked for a private room to call her supervisor in New York.
“Chloe, my God. Are you okay? The police had no explanation for your disappearance.”
“I’m fine,” she promised him. “This is the first I’ve been able to call in. I followed an informant connected to our current case and just uploaded my findings for the team.” It was the best explanation she could give.
What she’d found was a man she wasn’t ready to let go and a case that might never be solved in the traditional sense. “It’s been a while since my last vacation and I think a leave of absence would benefit everyone,” she said, pleased her voice held steady.
“For how long?”
“Six months. Starting three days ago.”
“Of course.” He sighed. “And unofficially?”
He knew her so well, and they both knew the conversation was likely being monitored.
“I’d like to use the time off to research some of the new tech issues we found on our last case.” That request fell within the lines of acceptable behavior, at least to anyone listening to a recording of this call. When he looked through the interviews and intel she’d uploaded, he’d have a better understanding.
“Chloe, are you sure about this?”
She could imagine her boss leaning his head on his hand, exasperation crinkling across his brow as he digested her request. “I know it puts you in a bind.”
“That’s an understatement.”
She forced herself to consider what might happen if she didn’t follow through on what she’d learned through Danny, Ben and Scott. What she had left to learn about Messenger, the man pulling their strings. “Someone needs to look a little deeper. I’m available.”
“A fact-finding mission?”
“Pretty much.” When she had facts, a money trail, and a location on the despicable lab that altered Danny, the FBI could take UI down forever. Then Danny would finally be free to reclaim his life, do whatever he pleased, like a normal person again. Free of the shadows and the constant stress of pursuit.
“All right. Leave granted.”
“Thank you, sir.” She ended the call and dropped her head to the desk, contemplating what she’d done. It wasn’t too late to go back, but there was every reason to press forward.
The door hinge squeaked as the office door opened. “Ben?” she asked, as if she knew more than one invisible man. “I thought you were waiting outside.”
“I got bored. You ready?”
“Yeah.” Knowing the drill, she held up the cell phone and took it apart, breaking the pieces the FBI typically scoured for intel. Now she just had to figure out if she was going to do the wild thing she was considering. And how to convince Ben to help her.
“You can hook me up with clean devices later, right?”
“Sure,” he said. “Not me personally, but Scott or someone will handle it.”
“Thanks.”
Neither of them spoke again as they exited the building and took another taxi to the airport. Following Ben’s prompts, she found the right terminal for the charter service. She stepped to the counter to request a flight into Bozeman, Montana, wondering what Danny would say when she caught up with him.
It wasn’t like they’d made any declarations or even hinted at a future. Yet it had been more than proximity and unbelievable sex for her. She knew him as a man of character and integrity even under extreme duress. No, he hadn’t been perfect by his own admission on those recordings, but he hadn’t let Messenger destroy his humanity either.
That’s when it all slammed home for her. She’d effectively left her career on the outside chance she could convince Danny to let her help him take down UI. Who was she kidding? She wanted more than a justified resolution to the investigation. Unfortunately, a real relationship could never work while she was FBI and he was a fugitive.
Her boss wouldn’t have been nearly so accommodating with her request for leave if he’d understood that very personal piece of this puzzle. Yes, they needed more insight and evidence of UI’s crimes, but she needed Danny.
What if the interviews and information she’d sent up the line backfired. She was new to this ordeal, but Messenger had consistently demonstrated the kind of reach that regularly slipped through a standard justice system approach.
And if she’d just been convenient sex for him? a little voice in her head asked.
Didn’t matter. The UI program was all kinds of wrong and she had a solid lead now on the lab location. The least she could do, whether or not Danny wanted more than one night from her, was to give him a better shot at his freedom.
“What’s the hold up?” Ben asked.
“You’re sure Messenger will follow Danny to Montana?”
“Hank and John are Danny’s only outside assets. Other than you.”
“Then we’re heading for Detroit.” She’d have to count on those assets to protect Danny in Montana while she searched for the UI lab.
“Pardon me?”
“You heard me.” She stalked to the counter to request the flight. After all the interviews with Danny, she was fairly sure she knew which radio signals to follow for the lab. Having learned a great deal about frequencies and his enhancement, she could pick up the right kind of receiver at any electronics store when they landed.
“Um, we can’t do Detroit,” Ben said. “I have orders from Danny to keep you safe.”
“And I believe you will.” She let herself enjoy the sweet flutter in her belly that Danny cared enough to leave Ben behind for her. “It won’t be nearly as dangerous with Messenger in Montana trying to kidnap Danny.”
“I like the way you think,” Ben said, clearly enthused. “Detroit’s a big city,” he warned.
“Then they won’t see us coming.”
Chapter 9
Danny and Hank were on the back porch catching up on the normal bits and pieces of life when John swore colorfully, his voice carrying through the open window.
“What’s wrong?” Danny asked as John stormed out onto the porch.
John pinned him with a hard look. “Ben just messaged me that your FBI agent is in Detroit. He expects we’ll have a visit from Messenger soon.”
“What the hell?” His mind raced. Could they ground the flight or cut her off, or hell, have her detained when the plane landed. He could just imagine how furious she’d be if he managed that.
“Ben says she has solid intel the lab is there.” John stared at him expectantly.
“Then she knows more than me.” He pushed his hand through his hair. Could it be true? “I just don’t know,” he shouted, furious with himself for not remembering and with Chloe for taking such a wild risk. “They tested me in Detroit as well as several other cities.”
“Not a bad choice for a covert operation,” Hank murmured from behind him. “Factor in the Canadian option with the general urban decay and it makes some sense.”
“It does,” John agreed, his brow furrowed as he stared out toward the mountains. “Developers are happy to have any kind of investors in the abandoned industrial spaces.”
“And no one is looking too closely in those areas,” Danny added. “What do we do? She can’t go looking for UI alone.”
“She’s not alone. She has Ben.”
“Oh, right. Is he even stable?” Danny punched a fist into a support column.
“More stable than you just now,” John observed, coolly.
He wasn’t wrong. Danny struggled to pull himself together and failed. If Messenger got his hands on her, Danny wouldn’t stop until he knew she was safe again. He’d written off the possibility of a future and though they hadn’t discussed it outright, she was smart enough to know they couldn’t be together. Why would she do this?
“Is there anything we can do?” Hank asked.
John glared out toward the mountains that framed his property. “Not one damn thing. They didn’t give me enough lead time to get send anyone out there to help them. Damn cowboys.”
“Ben has his phone on him?” Danny queried.
“Yeah, so?”
“I want to talk to her. Now.”
“I know that tone,” Hank warned John. “Won’t do you any good to argue with him.”
“Fine.” John led Danny to the office and made the call. After two attempts Ben answered.
“Super-secret agent, how may I help you?”
“Put her on,” Danny demanded.
John and Hank stepped out, voices low, but Danny’s only concern was Chloe. When her voice came over the line, his name on her lips, emotion choked him.
“Hello?” she asked again. “Danny?”
“Yeah. What do you think you’re doing?”
“The lab is here in Detroit,” she replied softly. “We’re trying to locate it now.”
God help him. “Chloe please reconsider. Go back to the airport, come to Bozeman.”
“I’ll come when I have more information. You deserve to live without having to be on guard, always listening for the incoming threat.”
The connection crackled and Danny felt an odd wave of pain.
“Danny?”
She sounded as if she was talking through a tunnel and then he recognized what was happening. “Remember the Yagi antenna, Chloe. You and Ben stick with recon today okay?”
“I’m shopping now. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.
“Recon,” he repeated. “Make sure you and Ben get any intel here to John.”
“Danny!”
He sucked in a breath, trying to alleviate the pain. “I love you, Chloe.” There he’d said it. “I fell for you in France. Thanks for giving me the best days of my life.” Lightheaded, he wished her luck and ended the call. Fighting waves of nausea, he staggered to his feet to warn John and Hank of the incoming threat.
“He’s here,” he said when he found them on the porch. “He’s got someone closing in, overwhelming me so I can’t get a clear read on them.”
While John steadied Danny, Hank grabbed a radio and ordered a status check. All but one station came in clear.
“There you go,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Can you do anything to help?”
“Working on it.” Bit by bit he was regaining control, finding the frequency and pulsing against it. He’d never had to work his enhancement quite this way, but the pressure in his head was easing.
Hank was issuing orders, and calling for reinforcements. It seemed Scott, John’s wife, and John were also taking action, though Danny didn’t understand the orders given.
“Let’s make sure he gets close enough to see us in action,” John was saying into a radio. “I could really use Ben about now.” He swore again. “I’m not sure what they can accomplish. We’ve hit a lab before, emptied the bank accounts and the operation is still going.”
“Better to focus on the threat right here and now,” Hank reminded him. “We can’t let the man in the gray suit pull Danny back into the operation.”
“You’re right.” John’s hard gaze locked on Danny. “And it should be your call. How do you want to convince Messenger you’re off limits?”
“He won’t stop unless he sees me die.”
“I’m not letting him shoot you again,” Hank said, obviously bitter.
“I’ve been his spy,” Danny said. “I know where some of the details are buried, if not the bodies.” And there had been plenty of bodies. Recruits that didn’t survive for one reason or another, those that went into the field and didn’t return were never mentioned again. “What if I surrender?”
Hank said no just as John asked him to explain.
“I’ve got nothing to lose and he knows it. I’ll get on the radio and try to negotiate.”
“Bring him in close and then we cut him down?” Hank asked.
“I was thinking bring him in close, I surrender, and you ambush us on the way back to the airport,” he said to Hank. “I’ll escape and come back here.”
“I like it.”
“You’ll have to tell your team face to face,” Danny said. “I’m about to render all comms in the area useless.”
“You can do that?” John asked, eyes wide.
Danny nodded. Taking a radio, he walked down off the back porch to the front of the house. As he strolled up the drive, the easier it was to ignore the assault on his enhanced hearing. When he felt stronger, he toggled the switch and negotiated his surrender.
A black SUV met him at the end of the driveway and he climbed into the backseat beside Messenger, no shots fired, no violence.
“Danny Boy, I’m glad to have you back.”
It was the type of welcome loaded with the promise of punishment.
In his mind the clock was ticking. He hoped, once he gave Messenger the information, that Chloe and Ben were close enough to benefit from the reaction. “Special Agent Spencer took me by surprise.” That much was true. “She heard about Noble and his attempts to steal our operatives. I set her up, expecting her to come out here.”
“She isn’t at that pitiful excuse for a secure compound?”
“No.” Danny didn’t have to fake the exhaustion of managing so many signals at the edge of his range. “Something she heard sent her to Detroit.”
“What?”
It was the first time he’d seen Messenger rattled. The man started making calls with his cell, then his radio and when both those signals failed, he demanded the satellite phone to warn his lab. With luck, that would raise enough chatter in Detroit for Chloe and Ben to follow to the source.
Suddenly the driver pulled the wheel hard, braking to avoid a blockade in the road. Exhausted, Danny stopped jamming the comm signals, fumbling with the door handle as the SUV rocked on its axles.
Gunfire erupted from Hank’s ambush and Messenger’s team responded in kind. As Danny fell from the car a man rushed forward. John, he realized, striding about heedless of the crossfire and escorted him to safety.
Bulletproof. It was his last thought before he passed out.
*
Chloe was furious that Danny would drop that ‘I love you’ bombshell and hang up. She recognized the voice of a man who saw death bearing down on him. No way in hell would she let him go out be
fore she could give him back the same words. Give them both a chance at a real future.
“Wanna talk about it?” Ben asked for the third or fourth time since they’d landed.
They were sitting on a rooftop, using the Yagi to boost the range of her receiver. It was rudimentary equipment, but she was getting the hang of it. Who knew listening for the right kind of chatter across frequencies could be so mindless?
“Messenger must have been closing in on them.”
“Ah. You can trust Scott, John, and Hank. We have to focus here, or the bastard wins another round.”
He’d win two if they couldn’t protect Danny and she couldn’t find the lab. They’d studied an overview of Detroit on the plane and narrowed their search areas to three likely locations. She’d chosen one on instinct alone and set up the gear while Ben had cleared her second choice using his skills.
From the sound of things, Danny didn’t have time for them to be wrong.
Suddenly there was a flurry of chatter across a frequency Danny said was commonly used for the day to day stuff at the lab. People were panicked about an imminent attack.
“There. Listen.” She hit record and then turned up the volume a bit for Ben, who started laughing like a loon.
“Awesome. Take notes. I’ll be right back.”
She did take notes of the street address as well as various names and code words, hoping to fit them with Danny’s earlier interviews. She’d get more when she played back the recording. This was fantastic news. When they started talking about notification protocol and named the deputy director of the FBI, she wanted to cry. It couldn’t be true.
For a moment, she feared that there would be an evacuation and they’d have to start the recon all over again, then Messenger’s voice came through loud and clear. The lab was on lockdown and all personnel were to hold their positions until the local guards finished a sweep of the area.
She snapped off the receiver and disassembled her antenna, scrambling to the fire escape to make her way off the roof. On the ground she heard Ben.
“I have a surprise for you,” he said, taking her hand. “Don’t move.”
To her utter shock, he rendered her as invisible as himself, just before a patrol dashed by.
