“So you want me to walk away from this country and let the Taliban win?” She hurled the accusation with vehemence, her fingers twisting that half empty plastic bottle into garbage.
“Partially. I’m also here to protect what you’ve already acquired. I have a trusted agent who is willing to legally transfer what you have stolen to a museum for safe keeping until this war is over. My source claims you’ve stolen more than this crown, is he right?”
“Possibly,” she hedged. Her lashes fluttered as her gaze drifted up to Lee with a hint of mischief, a sparkle of a dare. Damn. She was still playing the smarty-pants cat burglar. She just didn’t get it.
Alex called the game. “Miss Culver, let me make myself perfectly clear. You are now in my custody, per the terms of the contract. Like it or not, you will not steal another item. You’ll be returned to America on the first military transport out of here, where you’ll be placed in protective custody. Only then am I authorized to reveal who signed this contract for your safety. Then you’ll understand. Until then, I’m under a strict confidentiality agreement. You have to trust me and my men.”
“Give me a break. You can’t sign a confidentially agreement that infringes on my rights as an American citizen!”
Alex’s gaze narrowed. “Want to bet? You forget. You’re not in America.”
Lee held his breath.
Tess blew out a barely suppressed sigh between pursed lips. She flounced her hair back with a wave of her hand, her jaw clenched tight, and her nose in the air. “Fine, but who is your trusted agent? Who will you deliver the crown to? It must be kept safe.”
“You’ll have to trust me on that one,” Alex replied dismissively.
Bam. The shutters slammed shut. Tess pursed her lips, biting the bottom one hard.
“Who’s your trusted agent? Who’s accepted the artifacts you’ve stolen before tonight?” Alex asked the same of her.
Her nose twitched. Barely. Tess threw his words back in his face. “Guess you’ll have to trust me on that one, won’t you?”
Chapter Six
Alex gave Agent Hart a silent guy-signal, and the cuffs came off his belt.
“Excuse me?” Miss Culvert protested when he tugged her to her feet, but neither man seemed to be paying attention to her. “I want the crown back,” she insisted before she lost her freedom.
“What’s next?” Agent Hart asked his boss while he followed those invisible orders without answering her. He pulled one arm behind her back and snapped the cuff to her right wrist.
“You don’t have to do this,” she pleaded, apparently not very convincingly. “I thought we had an agreement.”
Alex chose to answer his employee instead of her. “I should hear from Eric and Seth soon. In the meantime, get some rest.”
Agent Hart grunted, Alex smirked, and Tess got angrier at the unspoken implication that it was unlikely Agent Hart would get a moment’s rest in the near future. “I want the crown back,” she ground out while he wrestled her other wrist into the cuffs.
Once again, she stood with her hands behind her back, at his convenience with his big left hand shackling the chain between her wrists. Apparently trust was a one-way road with these jerks. It had vanished the second she’d refused to disclose her source, which was really unjust. Alex had yet to reveal his. He wasn’t cuffed.
They’d left the inner office as a threesome. Alex caught the light, but the men paused in the shadowy doorway for more guy talk. The exit beckoned. Tess knew she could best Agent Hart. She sized him up, planning how to take him down. He was definitely bigger, but not so wide around the middle. Hmmm, what a body. The night hadn’t been a complete waste. The manly hand between her hands didn’t feel so bad. His thumb kept rubbing circles on her wrist that felt—good.
“Eric and Seth need to finish this,” Alex muttered. “I might have to sanction a home invasion if they can’t catch him any other way. This guy’s racking up kills too fast and too easy. Remember Hathcock? This guy might be as good as Cobra.”
A burst of aggravation ignited in her gut. Who cared about some guys named Hathcock or Cobra? She didn’t. The bag with the crown now dangled off Alex’s fingers instead of hers, while they stood chatting likes a couple of idiots.
“Eric’s damned good, too. He’ll get him, Boss. Don’t worry.”
“Maybe he needs a better scope,” Alex said, a twinge of sarcastic humor in his voice.
“More like a steadier spotter. Seth’s still damned shaky. He’s gotten better, but he still has a long ways to go.”
Alex pursed his lips. “Understood. Eric’s got a helluva job ahead of him, but he’ll pull Seth around.”
Tess had no clue what these guys were chatting about, but audacity spiked an idea. She might not be able to grab the artifact, but one sharp twist of her body followed by a kick or two, and she could be out of sight. She mentally accepted Agent Hart’s challenge. Let’s see if you can really run as fast as—
“Hey.” He wiggled the cuffs. “Pay attention. You might learn something.” Dark green smirked down at her. He’d read her mind. He’d caught her, and of all things, she wondered what her hair looked like. Argh! This guy was driving her nuts.
“Can we just go?” Again, she was ignored.
“This op might still take a day or two. Hope I didn’t put you in a bad spot.” Alex sounded apologetic—to Agent Hart.
“Been in tougher spots. I’m here as long as you need me.”
“Sure wish you’d reconsider leaving The TEAM. I hate losing a good operator.”
Lee Hart was quitting? Interesting. Tess’s ears perked up.
“I’ve got to get my head straight, Boss. Give me time. I might be back.”
“We’ll know which way to proceed once I know what’s really on the thumb drive,” Alex muttered.
“You staying at the presidential palace?”
“Not exactly.”
“Don’t know how you do it.” Agent Hart chuckled. “You’re as bad as Turik. Seems like you and he both go anywhere you want. That’s saying something in this city.”
Tess shot to attention. Turik? That name she definitely knew. What did Mohammed have to do with these guys?
“Keep in touch.” Alex extended a hand, which Agent Hart grasped up to his elbow. “Will do.
Tess caught the drift of loyalty between the two. These men were much more than just a boss and his employee. She blew out an exaggerated sigh to show her disgust with the whole guy moment taking place while she stood cuffed and dying for it to end.
“Sure thing,” Agent Hart answered, once again in charge as he angled her toward the exit, which she no longer intended to utilize to her advantage. That moment had passed. Wherever he was headed, she was going, like it or not. Alex didn’t venture out of the warehouse, at least not that Tess noticed. And he still had her crown, damn him.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked when Agent Hart escorted her to a dusty, camouflaged Humvee parked in the shadows.
“Home.” He opened the passenger door at the same time as he pulled her against his hip. Their bodies collided. Standing next to him brought a rush of feelings she didn’t expect. Her body reacted in ways she wasn’t proud of. Dripping ways. Clenching ways. Wanting-him-doing things-to-her ways.
Thinking she could shut out the sight of him, she closed her eyes, but that activated her nose. The smell of cinnamon and orange mingled with a hint of sweat on the midnight air didn’t help. Her nostrils flared to take in another whiff. How could he still smell this good after all she’d put him through? But he did. Musky. Manly. She closed her eyes and drank it in. Good-smelling men were hard to find in this country. Case in point—Clint.
“Hey.” Lee nudged her elbow with his. He stood close looking down at her, and all that height did crazy things to her heart rate and her head. Dizziness twinkled at her peripheral. It could’ve been stars. “It’s a big rig. You want a boost up or can you climb in yourself?”
“Back off,” she snapped, annoyed wi
th herself more than with him. It was time to hop out of fairytale land and remember she was his prisoner, not his date, for hell’s sake. Even as she did, her devious mind licked its lips at the prospect of him laying his hands on her again. The moment stretched, and she very nearly forgot what to do next. Was he going to kiss her? He stood close enough to. Was he going to hug her? She held her breath and waited him out, daring him for a change.
A small smile tugged the corners of his mouth. “I get it. You’re too damn short. I’ll boost you up.”
She shivered and prepared to be boosted.
“You gonna do this or what?” he asked, crouched at her knee with his hands interlocked together, making a step. Oh. That kind of a boost. He wasn’t going to lift her into the vehicle.
Out of sheer embarrassment for her dumb thinking, she stomped her boot into his proffered boost and was hoisted up and inside the Humvee in no time. Of course she ended up sprawled across the seat because she had no way to support herself when she landed, not with her hands cuffed behind her back. He was polite enough to pull her into a sitting position and fasten her seatbelt before he closed her door like the gentleman he wasn’t.
I’m so stupid.
He climbed into the driver’s side, started the engine, gunned it for good measure like most guys, and away they went. Whatever he was doing to her brain, it had to stop. She had no intention of falling for some jock in cowboy boots. Not with important work to accomplish in Afghanistan. No way.
“I’m hungry.” At least he could feed her now that he’d kidnapped her.
“For?”
“A cheeseburger would be nice. Fries.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You like American food?”
“Duh. I’m an American.”
An appraising green eye drifted over her dark hair. “I thought you were a local girl come back home to play Robin Hood.”
“You didn’t even know who you were kidnapping? You thought I was Afghan?” Sheesh, how stupid was this guy?
“I didn’t say that. I read your file. You grew up in New Jersey. I just figured you had family here, that’s why you love this country, and that’s why you came back.”
“Actually, I do have family here. My great-grandfather on my mother’s side left Afghanistan years ago to give his family a chance at freedom. He didn’t keep in touch with his family though. Those were dangerous times. If I have relatives here, they don’t know me, and I don’t know them.”
“Hmm. Interesting.”
“You thought you could fool me about the treasures of Tellya Tepe, didn’t you? You don’t really know anything about the digs, do you?”
“I know a little. Archeology’s a hobby of mine,” he admitted. “Of course I know more about dinosaur digs in Utah than ancient Persian artifacts.”
“A natural history buff then?” She calmed. Despite the cuffs, this conversation felt normal. Even though she’d been snippy, he’d continued responding courteously. Tess cast a sideways glance, taking in the sight of the very capable man at her side. Lee looked tired, his face drawn and his laugh lines subdued. It had been a long night.
That she was still this stranger’s captive should’ve frightened her more, but it didn’t. The scruff on his cheeks and chin made her wonder if that was one day’s growth or two. His hair had been recently trimmed, the neckline neat. He’d never fit into Afghanistan looking like that. The insight told her a lot about Agent Hart. He didn’t plan to stay.
“Guess so. I’ve only been to the one site in southern Utah. Found a fragment of a fossilized dinosaur eggshell.” He turned to her with a glint of pride in his eye. “Best day ever.”
She couldn’t suppress a grin. “I know, huh? The second you touch something from eons ago—it’s like magic, isn’t it?” There was that wink again, as if he and she shared something deeper than idle chat. She changed gears. “Who’s Hathcock?”
He took a moment to answer, driving in silence north to Kabul. “Carlos Hathcock was a United States Marine Corps sniper and a true legend,” he finally answered proudly.
“Then who’s the Cobra guy?”
Lee cast an appreciative smile her way. “You were paying attention. Good girl. Cobra was a damned sharp NVA sniper. NVA is North Vietnamese Army in case you didn’t know. The NVA offered a thirty-thousand-dollar bounty on Hathcock’s head for killing so many of their guys. He and Cobra finally came face-to-face—at least as much as snipers could get in the jungles of Vietnam. Cobra and Hathcock fired at each other at the same time. Hathcock’s round went straight through Cobra’s scope and into his eye. Killed him dead.” Lee shrugged one shoulder. “Cobra missed. Hathcock lived to tell about it. End of story.”
“Yeah, right.” She sniffed her disbelief at the outright exaggeration. Men lied; like Clint, The guy couldn’t tell the truth if it walked up to him on the street and slapped him in the face. Agent Hart didn’t offer further argument so she moved on. “Who’s Eric?”
“One of the men trying to save your sorry ass,” he muttered.
“I told you I don’t need help,” she ground out. This guy didn’t have a clue what she needed. She had everything under control. Mostly. Sort of—not. Okay, so she’d screwed up at the palace, but she wasn’t about to admit it to this guy.
“You keep saying that, but you came damned close to dying. My buddies usually wear helmet cams when they’re on ops. Let’s see if they were there tonight, and if they caught the shot that damned near knocked you off that five-story wall you were parading across.”
“It’s only three stories and I wasn’t parading,” she hissed. “I was stalling because Clint—I mean, you—were late. You’re the one who nearly got me killed. You and those stupid guards who thought I was a boy.” None of this mattered. She wasn’t dead.
“How about I make you a deal?” he asked. “If I can prove that you nearly ate a bullet out there tonight, will you at least listen to what I’m trying to tell you?”
“I already listened. Didn’t I shake hands with your boss? So why the cuffs?”
Agent Hart smirked, not taking his arrogant eyes off the road. “You did say all the right words.”
“Trust goes both ways, you know.”
“It does,” he replied smoothly. “I’m just not up to chasing you down again. You’re smart, Tess, but you’re cocky. For some reason, my boss doesn’t want you dead before we can convince you we’re the good guys.”
She huffed at his typical, I-know-better-than-you, condescending male attitude and looked out the side window, biting her bottom lip hard. The truth was that Alex was right. Agent Hart, too. Clint had been trustworthy—at first. He’d followed her to Afghanistan, but only for the lure of easy money and adventure it seemed. The liar claimed he wasn’t using drugs, that he had an enterprising business, but one had only to look at his hollowed cheeks and drawn face to know better. If anything, he was the one who needed to be shipped home like a spoiled child and locked up in rehab until he kicked his habits, not her. He was the one who needed Agent Hart’s help. Their goals had never been the same anyway, but if he left, she’d have to locate another accomplice, no easy task in this particular part of the world. Maybe it was time to trust this guy and his boss.
“Then prove it to me,” she challenged. How on earth could he do that?
“Okay. Good.” That seemed to satisfy Lee. “Soon as I get hold of Eric and Seth. Who knows, maybe I’ll order popcorn from room service so you can see how close one of those guards came to ending you.”
She had to smile. He’d turned into a little boy again, all excited about a stupid movie that was maybe five minutes long and worthless in her estimation. It almost sounded like a date. “Who’s Seth?”
“Another sniper buddy of mine.”
“A what?” She straightened in her seat at that word. “You’re a murderer, too?”
Agent Hart offered a deep sigh, his eyes glued to the road as a flock of a dozen or so sheep and goats swarmed around the Humvee on the outskirts of Kabul. “No, ma’
am. I’m more like those guys over there.”
He nodded at the two young boys urging the sheep into the narrow alley, no doubt on their way to the morning market. The sun hadn’t yet cleared the steep mountains to the east. For the moment, the country was bathed in pinks and golds. The boys and sheep were peacefully tinted by the sun’s early salute to the world.
She didn’t understand. “You’re what? A kid with a loaded staff?”
Lee shot her a gentle smile. “No, ma’am. I see myself more as a shepherd guarding his flock from the wolves in the world. Damned proud of it, too.”
She huffed through her nostrils at that ridiculous comparison. A man with a gun was nothing but one man’s hero and another man’s terrorist. A shepherd? Ha! Shepherds took care of sheep. They were gentle and kind. This guy was just another predator—who smelled like cinnamon—who knew how to lift a woman off her feet without hurting her—who had to-die-for green eyes and gloriously thick, rich hair the color of nutmeg, hair she wouldn’t mind raking her fingers through if she got the chance. Hair she wouldn’t mind dipping her nose into.
Tess huffed again, trying to remember when she’d hit her head hard enough she’d lost her mind. That had to be the problem. She certainly wasn’t herself. Too many enticing pictures of Lee’s hands on her and the way his pockets moved when he walked kept popping into her mind.
It had to stop.
Chapter Seven
“Where are you from?”
Lee offered Tess a sparse glance. Women. Always up to the same old tricks. First, they tried to make conversation like they were interested in you as a human being. Next, they wanted to know how you were feeling. At least this one was predictable. Crabby and nosy, but predictable.
Lee (In the Company of Snipers Book 12) Page 7
