I run my fingers over the stone on the bracelet on my right wrist. It’s become an unconscious habit. Feeling the smooth stone always reminds me that I mattered to Ford during our short time together. It hurts that it couldn’t have been more, but I have to accept it.
The hardest part is that it could have been more, but his work is the most important thing in his life. I would have waited for him if he’d asked me to. I would have taken one night a month if that was all he could give me. As long as I was the only woman in his life, I would have tried just about anything.
It wasn’t meant to be, though.
I take a final look at the lab site and head back to my car. I’m about to open the driver’s side door when I feel a hand on my shoulder.
“Sarina.”
I stiffen at the sound of the male voice, but quickly turn around. It’s Chad, which is an unpleasant surprise.
I’m not greeting him like we’re still friends. We’re definitely not.
“What do you need?” I ask him.
“I was hoping we could talk.”
“Everything okay, Miss Ross?” Warren asks. He’s approaching us at a brisk pace.
I put a hand up to stop him. “It’s okay. Just my ex-boyfriend.”
Warren nods and goes back to the car.
“What’s up with that?” Chad asks, giving me a puzzled look.
“Long story.”
He gives me a sheepish look. “Can we maybe grab some coffee real quick?”
“Like how quick?”
“I won’t take much of your time.”
“Good.” I give him a pointed look. “We need to keep it short or I just might bore you to death.”
He cringes. “I’m sorry I said that, Sarina.” He walks around to the passenger side of my car and meets my eyes over the hood. “Can I ride with you?”
“I guess.”
I get in and start the car, and when I turn to look over my shoulder to back out, Chad has a dark metallic object in front of his stomach. It’s a gun, and it’s aimed at me.
“What the hell?” I look at him in disbelief.
“Just drive,” he says, the contrition gone from his tone.
“Those are FBI agents surveilling me.” I nod at the sedan. “They’ll follow me. Your best chance is to get out of this car and run like hell, because they’ll shoot if they know I’m in trouble.”
Chad just smiles. “I know who they are. And I know they’ll follow. But they won’t get far since I cut the fuel line on their car.”
Cold panic seizes my chest. “What do you want with me?”
“I don’t want anything with you. I meant what I said—you really are boring as shit. But I’m being paid very well to bring you to someone.”
“The terror cell,” I say softly.
“Drive.”
“The CDC has the formula now. I’m of no use to anyone.”
“Drive, Sarina. Or I’ll blow a hole right through you.”
“You don’t have the guts.”
His laugh is cold and humorless. “I had the guts to blow you up in the lab, but you got away somehow. Not this time.”
I put the car in drive, trying to stay calm.
“Don’t even look at the FBI agents,” Chad says. “Just follow my directions.”
“I can pay you a lot of money to let me go,” I offer. “We can go to the bank right now.”
“I’m not messing around with the people who hired me. They mean business. Don’t try to talk your way out of it. Just keep your mouth shut and drive.”
I do, my mind turning over all the possibilities. It’s not a good situation.
In my rearview mirror, I see Sela driving the sedan behind us. It doesn’t take long for her to pull over to the side of the road, the car probably out of gas.
And now I’m alone with Chad, my ex-boyfriend who was apparently never really my boyfriend, but a con artist working with the terror cell that wants me dead.
He texts someone, and then tells me to pull over on a side road behind a dark SUV. A man gets out. He opens my car door, grabs my arm and jerks me out of the car, then hits me in the head with something. As I fall to the ground, everything spinning around me, I know things just went from bad to worse.
Chapter 16
Ford
It’s been the longest month of my life. I miss Sarina more with each passing day, and I become more of a miserable bastard to the people around me.
Fortunately, it isn’t many people. I’ve been surveilling a cult in Oregon, mostly just talking to the checkers at the grocery store when I buy food to take back to the motel I’m staying it. And by talking, I mean grunting and glaring.
I go back and forth between figuring she’s probably forgotten about me and wanting to call her and tell her I need to see her.
The decision between the two got easier this afternoon. I sent in my latest report on the cult and Matt told me I’d gotten everything he needed. So now it was either head to my sister’s place for a few days, or…
On impulse, I dial Sarina’s number. My pulse is racing at the thought of hearing her voice again.
The call goes straight to voicemail. I furrow my brow and try her again.
Right to voicemail again. I don’t like it, because I know she keeps her cell phone charged.
I could run to Arizona on foot right now. I need to know she’s safe. But the thought of seeing her, of telling her just how much I missed her…well, it scares the shit out of me.
She’ll know I’ve been a mess without her. And if she still wants to be with me, I’ll take her up on that offer in a heartbeat. But would I be doing that for her, or just for me?
Sitting down on my shitty motel bed, I dial Wolf.
“Ford,” he says in answer. “How’s it going?”
“It’s okay.”
“Doesn’t sound okay.”
“There’s this woman.”
He laughs. “Yep. Been there. So tell me what’s going on.”
“I met her the night before my undercover prison job. I wanted her, but couldn’t take advantage of her. Then when I got out of the can, my next job was a security detail for a scientist and get this—it was her.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
I sigh heavily. “She wanted more when the job was over. Hell, I wanted more, too, but what kind of boyfriend would I be? You know my lifestyle. Always on the road, always undercover. I can’t get close to people.”
“It would be challenging, yeah, but not impossible.”
“She deserves better than me.”
“Because, what, you’re a douchebag to women or something?”
“No. I mean, I have been, but not to her. And not since her. I’m just…bad at intimacy, you know?”
“Most men are.”
“You figured it out, though,” I say. “When did you know Caroline was the one?”
“When I found out she was hurt on the plane but she hadn’t said anything to me or my team. I was impressed by her inner strength.”
“Yeah, that’s how Sarina is, too. She might be the strongest person I’ve ever known.”
Wolf talks to someone in the background.
“Hey, I should have asked if you were busy,” I say.
“No, just packing up supplies for a mission. It’s a good time. So when’s the last time you saw her?”
“Almost a month ago.”
“And you miss her like crazy.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s because she’s different than the rest.”
I stand up. “You think so?”
“Yeah, I do. Because every other time you’ve talked to me about a woman, you’ve told me why she wasn’t right for you. With this one, you’re thinking of her before yourself.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“And Ford…when you love someone, you make it work.”
“I’m packing my shit and going to her place right now. Thanks, Wolf.”
“No problem.”
>
“Hey, be safe on the mission.”
“Always.”
I throw everything into my pack and dial Warren Silva, one of the agents on Sarina’s security detail. I’ve been checking in with him to make sure she’s safe.
“Silva,” he says brusquely.
“Hey, it’s Ford. How’s Sarina?”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line.
“How is she?” I repeat.
“I’m actually in the office right now, can I call you back later?”
“No. What the hell is going on?”
He sighs heavily. “She’s gone.”
“Gone?” I practically yell into the phone. “How? Where?”
“We don’t know. Her ex-boyfriend is involved. We’ve got a dozen agents on the case right now, working night and day.”
“Chad?” My blood is pumping hard and fast at the thought of where Sarina might be and what might be happening to her.
“Yeah, you know him?”
“I did background on him when I was starting her case.” I grab my bag and bolt from the motel room. “Listen, I can help you find her.”
“Yeah? What’ve you got?”
“A GPS device I planted in a bracelet I gave her. I was worried something like this might happen.”
Warren calls out to another agent and puts me on speakerphone.
“Can you activate it?” the other voice asks.
“It’s active. I’ll get her location and text it to you right now. And I’m on my way there, too, wherever it is.”
“We’ll get right on it,” Warren says. “Thanks, Ford.”
I end the call and pull out my laptop, connecting to the Wi-Fi on my phone. When I open the program and ping the GPS, I see that Sarina is in northern Arizona. I text Warren the login info for my program so they can track her in real time in case she’s moving. And then I drive like hell, hoping I can get to her in time.
Chapter 17
Sarina
The people holding me hostage haven’t given me one opportunity to check my surroundings. They have a dark hood over my head, and they put a bottle of water to my lips every few hours. I even have to pee with the hood on, which is terrifying since I don’t know who can see me with my pants down.
I don’t know how long I was knocked out when they first took me, but it’s been about ten hours since I woke up. I’m too scared to be hungry or tired. Since I have no leverage now, I’m guessing I’ll be killed and dumped somewhere. I have no lab for them to blow up, no formula for them to get rid of.
There are hushed conversations happening around me, but they’re usually in a language I don’t understand. All I can do it sit and wait for whatever’s next.
I think about my parents. I’ve missed them since they died, but never as much as I do right now. Just the thought of their steady presence makes tears well in my eyes.
I also think of Uncle Owen. I’m grateful I got the chance to know him so well. He told me I was the daughter he always wished he had, and he was more like a second father than an uncle to me. If I’m about to meet a violent end, at least I finished our work on the vaccine and got it to the CDC first.
And of course, I think about Ford. I still wear the bracelet he gave me and right now, it gives me comfort. Even though my wrists are bound, I can feel the soft leather cord on my skin.
Our brief time together meant everything to me. I felt more in that time than I ever have for a man. He helped me find the strength and confidence that were buried deep inside me.
I wish I’d told him I love him. I do, even if he doesn’t love me back.
At the sound of rapid-fire gunshots, I dive to the floor from my sitting position, curling into a ball. This might be it. I squeeze my eyes closed and try to drown out the noise. I don’t want to know when I’m about to go. I’d rather it just happen quickly.
“Hostage has been located,” a male voice says.
Footsteps sound, getting louder as they approach me. The hood is pulled from my head and I squint in the light. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to focus on the “FBI” hats and jackets of my rescuers.
I’m not going to die. Tears of gratitude spill from my eyes.
“Someone wants to talk to you,” an agent says, passing me a cell phone.
“H-hello?” I croak.
“Sarina. Are you okay?”
“Ford?”
“Yeah. I put a GPS tracker in your bracelet…don’t be mad.”
“That’s how they found me?”
“Yeah. Tell me you’re okay.”
I smile. “I’m okay. And how could I be mad? That GPS saved my life.”
“I’m on my way to you, okay? The agents are taking you to a field office and I’ll be there in a couple hours.”
“Okay.”
I nod at the agent and he takes his phone away from my ear, then helps me up from the ground and unties my wrists and ankles.
Another agent does a quick check for injuries and then ushers me out to a van. We pass three dead bodies on the way, and I say a silent prayer that I’m still alive.
I’m numb on the drive to the local FBI field office, and during the interview about my captivity. I can’t provide much in the way of details since my head was covered the whole time, but they ask me endless questions anyway.
When I finally walk out of the interview room, Ford is waiting by the door. He opens his arms and I practically jump into them.
“Thank you,” I say in his ear.
“No thanks necessary.”
I move back so I can look up at his face. “Do you have to be interviewed next?”
He shakes his head. “As soon as they give you the okay to leave, we’re out of here. I’m hoping you’ll want to leave with me, anyway.”
“You came here just for me?”
He furrows his brow. “Of course.”
“When are you leaving?”
The agents in the office start to clear out so we can talk. Ford leans his forehead against mine and says, “Not for a while.”
“Really?”
“I’m hoping to make amends.”
“With me?” I give him a skeptical look. “For what?”
“For not jumping at the chance to be with you. And for not telling you sooner that I love you.”
My heart pounds as his words sink in. “You do?”
“Yeah. I did a lot of thinking on the way here. I don’t really need to work as much as I do. I actually have lots of money saved. I was thinking of maybe looking for a part-time job as a lab assistant and just taking on black ops assignments here and there.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, grinning happily. “A lab assistant, huh?”
“Yep. I have experience.”
He kisses me softly, then pulls back and says, “Do you know any hot scientists who might be looking for an assistant?”
“I might,” I say, laughing.
“Are you rebuilding the lab?”
I shrug. “Actually, I hadn’t decided to, but if you’re staying…”
“I am. But do you have to rebuild in Arizona?”
I consider this for a second. “No, I guess not. I don’t have any connections here anymore, really. Just the animal shelter.”
“How do you like the beach?”
“I’ve only been once, and I loved it.”
“I was thinking of getting a little beach house with some space for a lab.”
I bite my lip, my excitement growing by the second. “This is so impulsive. But I like it.”
“So let’s do it.”
I take a deep breath and then nod. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
He picks me up and swings me around, my feet flying up behind me. When he sets me back on the ground and moves in for a kiss, I stop him with a fingertip on his lips.
“And Ford?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you, too.”
“You fell for me as soon as you walked into that bar last year, didn’t you?”
I
smile. “Actually, it took a little longer than that.”
He gives me a mischievous grin. “Sarina, I don’t care when it happened, I’m just damned grateful it did. Don’t ever fall out of love with me.”
“How could I?”
“Good point.”
I roll my eyes. “It was your humility that I fell for.”
He takes my hand and we head for the door. And I don’t even feel nervous about this huge life change. As long as I have my cat and a few personal treasures, I don’t need anything else. Nothing is tying me here anymore.
Hopefully, Ford and I will plant roots that will last. I’m kind of thinking the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done may also turn out to be the best.
Epilogue
One Year Later - Sarina
The lapping of ocean waves is the only sound on our morning walk. This is my favorite part of the day. Every morning, Ford gets up first and makes coffee. The smell lures me out of bed and then we have a light breakfast and walk on the white beach hand in hand.
Often we catch the end of the sunrise, a stunning sight that never gets old. We usually walk in silence, just grounding ourselves with the feel of sand between our toes and the brush of the ocean breeze on our faces.
“You going to the lab this morning?” Ford asks me when we get back to the stairs that lead to the back door of our beach cottage.
“No, I think I’ll take the whole day off since Tanya and the boys are coming in this afternoon.”
He smiles. “Tyson and Bryce will want to spend the whole day at the beach.”
“And they’ll want to bury you in the sand.”
“Which means I’ll have sand in my ass crack again.”
I laugh and look up at his tanned face, still covered with a short, dark beard. “And you’ll love it. I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re playing with those two.”
“They’re good kids. Fun to be around.”
We climb the stairs and walk inside the cottage. With its whitewashed plank floors and casual blue and white furniture, our home is comfortable above all else. Tigger is curled up on his favorite chair taking a nap.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Sarina (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 8
