Atomic Beauty

by Barb Han

  “But you don’t stay in touch with her?” It wasn’t really a question.

  “I tried at first. They told her I’d shipped out overseas and limited our contact. She was so caught up in being the perfect daughter, doing everything they expected of her, it was hard to make a real connection. Then it just became easier to slip into my dark hole and disappear. Guess that makes me an asshole.”

  “Or just a human being.”

  “After the things I’ve done, no one would accuse me of that.” There was a hint of sadness to his normally self-assured voice. It was too subtle to be fake.

  Jace, his voice, was cracking through her walls. She couldn’t afford to allow it. “We knew the deal when we signed on.”

  “Yeah, sure. I was twenty-six years old. I knew what I wanted for dinner that day, not what signing up for this life would do to my future.”

  “So you regret it?”

  “Not really. I don’t know who I am without this job anymore.”

  “I need to know what’s going on if you want me to help you, Jace.”

  “Is that what you want? To come to my aid? Or are you playing with me to find out what’s on the information you stole?” His tone was razor sharp, and just as cutting.

  “I was trying to do my job. Don’t take it personally,” she shot back, not wanting to reveal just how much it hurt. “And don’t call me until you’re ready to deal.”

  * * *

  Daylight was giving way to dusk for the second night when Erika saw a shadow hovering from the light beneath her door. Someone was out there, lurking, and she was no closer to figuring out what was on the thumb drive. Everything she tried to learn about Exacto was classified as above her pay grade.

  She jumped into action, palming her SIG Sauer and a camera the size of a writing pen. Her weapon led the way, aimed chest-level at whoever was on the other side of that door. A body shot would be her best option since it didn’t require as much precision.

  Following the movement of the person outside, her weapon zigzagged left to right.

  She glued herself to the wall, moving forward without making a sound, in case he slipped a camera—some of which were no larger than the head of a needle—under the door.

  A flutter in her chest accompanied the thought it could be Jace.

  She bent down and placed the pen at the side of the crook in the door, angled toward the person connected to the shadow. His shoes were three and a half feet from the door, men’s work boots. She shifted the camera to scan him, staring into the wireless handheld screen in her palm.

  Jace.

  Her heart stuttered as her body flushed with heat. She didn’t want to admit just how much she wanted to open the door and run into his arms. Except that she couldn’t be sure she could trust him.

  Jace paced, looking as though he was trying to decide whether or not to knock. With him this close her insides heated, softening her bones to the consistency of warm Jell-O.

  She steadied herself as he crouched low. Try to slip something lethal under the door, buddy, and see what happens.

  With her left hand wrapped the around the door lever and her gun in her right, Erika was ready to spring into action.

  He slid a loosely folded piece of paper under the door and then folded his arms.

  Chapter Eight

  There could be any number of poisonous agents on the paper. Erika toed it with the tip of her flip-flop. Or it could be a distraction before a strike. She made sure the hall was clear before retrieving gloves from her backpack and the ice tongs from the bucket on the counter.

  Based on her visual scan, there didn’t appear to be any substance on the white paper. Using the tongs, she gingerly picked it up and unfolded it.

  I’m not armed and I’m not leaving until you talk to me.

  The past two days without Jace had been the definition of misery. Erika had lied to herself and said it was the headache she’d endured but the truth was that the pain came from a place lower. She was heartsick, pure and simple. It hurt to breathe and all she could do was stay in bed, rest and try to crack the code on the computer and find information about Exacto.

  Looking through the peephole, seeing him standing there in the flesh, Erika threw logic aside and opened the door. She was fresh from the shower, still dripping water and naked beneath the robe, and her thighs heated when primal hunger registered in his blue eyes.

  He stalked inside, closed the door behind him and picked her up.

  She wrapped her legs around his toned midsection and let him claim her mouth—she wanted to be his right then for that moment.

  His tongue slicked across her teeth before delving deep inside her mouth, his intense need matching hers. She tunneled her fingers into his thick dirty-blond hair and dug her nails into his scalp. He responded with a guttural groan as his hands splayed on her ass and squeezed. Only a thin piece of denim kept her slick heat shielded from his thick erection. He turned her toward the wall until her back pressed against it. Using it as leverage to keep her right where he wanted her, he unzipped and then dropped his jeans.

  Allowing him inside the room was a mistake she’d pay for later. For now, she wanted to feel his weight on top of her, his cock filling her, stretching her until nothing else mattered but the two of them and everything else melted into the abyss.

  His hot, silky head found the cradle of her wet pussy and he entered her with his tip.

  “Oh, God, angel. You’re going to destroy me,” he said against her lips.

  She’d missed everything about him. The minty taste of his toothpaste mixed with the strong taste of coffee when he kissed her. His spicy masculine scent. She could still smell the ocean in his hair.

  Erika struggled to gain purchase on his shoulders, her fingers digging into his skin as she rocked her hips. One deep thrust and he was inside her. Her body stretched around him, adjusting to his size and everything in her crazy world seemed right.

  She drove her tongue in his mouth as he slammed her against the wall, thrust after thrust. A thousand tiny explosions rocked her brain with pleasure as an intense pressure built from low inside her, begging for release.

  Jace had maneuvered her legs over his arms, his hands pressing into the wall, and he fucked her harder so he could reach deep to her core. Her breasts pressed against his chest as he tilted his head in order to kiss her.

  “I missed you…us.” He thrust harder, deeper, and she could feel his muscles tense as he neared the edge. His entire body trembled as his cock pulsed inside her.

  “Me, too, Jace.”

  He froze, and then looked straight into her eyes. “You mean that?”

  “Yeah. So fuck me.”

  That was all the encouragement Jace needed. He dipped his full cock in and out of her wet pussy until she begged him to make her explode.

  He pulled her from the wall, in a frantic heat, placed her on the corner of the bed and wrapped her ankles around his neck.

  The next time he drove inside her, her muscles quivered…climbing toward that sweet release only Jace could give her…

  He pumped inside her again and again…until she absolutely detonated all around him. Her body shook as he brought her to climax and pushed her over the edge. And then she felt his balls tighten against her skin. He thrust deeper and with a primal groan, he pulled out just in time.

  Both of them stayed still, neither moved an inch, as they caught their breath.

  Erika slid her legs down the sides of his body and scooted up the bed until her head rested on the pillow. If she was smart, she’d keep an eye on Jace. There were still so many unanswered questions.

  Instead, she relaxed into a deep sleep.

  * * *

  Erika woke to the sounds of Jace talking in the next room. She slipped out of bed and followed the sound to the bathroom. His voice was too low to make anything out, so she pressed her ear to the door. All she heard clearly was the name, Sam Carter. Why was that name so familiar?

  She moved quietly back to the
bed and slipped under the covers. A few moments later, Jace came out, scribbled a note and left.

  Once Erika had secured the hallway, she moved to the note on the table. He was running out to pick up food. She opened her laptop and searched for the name on Google. He was an American businessman who’d sold his business CorMeds and relocated to Paris three years ago.

  So what?

  Why was that important?

  The company name CorMeds didn’t spark anything significant. They were a small research and development lab outside Atlanta. No alarms sounded. But then, she dealt with international cases, not domestic.

  Something about the name Sam Carter niggled at her subconscious, though. Trying to connect the dots made her brain hurt.

  Erika picked up her satellite phone and called her research specialist, Stacy, asking for all the information she could get on Sam Carter and his business dealings.

  Her next call was to Murdock.

  “Where in hell’s kitchen are you?” Concern laced his irate tone and there was another emotion there, too. Surprise?

  “I blew it. He figured me out before I could shoot him just like the message said. I had to disappear,” she said, tensing, hating to lie and ignoring his question.

  “Since you’ve been compromised, you need to come back to headquarters. Or do I have to remind you of protocol?”

  She wasn’t about to walk away now. Not when there were so many unanswered questions, Jace was so close and she’d become a target. Plus, she had no idea who’d sent Berlin and someone else in the agency could be compromised. Her rational mind said Murdock would not have sent an assassin to pick her up. And then there was Sam Carter. “Has the lab found anything in the data I sent?”

  He didn’t answer right away. Silence hung heavy on the line.

  “Nothing yet. It’s too early to tell if there’s anything useful,” he conceded. “But you’ve done your part and your assignment is over.”

  “You wouldn’t tell me if they had, would you?” she asked.

  “The information is above your pay grade and you know it. I know you’ve been poking around in the system.” Stress strained his voice. “You’re done with this mission. Come in.”

  Sanctuary employed the best and the brightest in every field. If there was something in those files, they’d have a decent chance of discovering it given enough time.

  She could almost see Murdock pinching the bridge of his nose as he did when his stress levels hit the stratosphere. He sounded worried, stressed and tired.

  “I also don’t have to remind you that unless we know what we’re looking for, we might never find anything useful,” he added.

  No, he didn’t need to remind her of that. She was keenly aware of the fact. But she did have something else to go on. “What does the name Sam Carter mean?”

  “Nothing. Never heard it before,” he said a little too quickly, and she could tell from his intonation that he was lying. Had she hit a nerve? Or, better yet, given him the missing piece so that he could find what he was looking for on the files she’d transmitted?

  In her job, she didn’t always get to see the whole puzzle. Everything was on a need-to-know-basis and depended on pay grade. But this mission had placed a target on her back and pay grade could go fuck itself.

  If she were going to put herself at further risk, she needed answers. “He’s important to Mitchell in some way and I need to find out why.”

  “You need to come in. Period. Assignment done. I’ll forward the name to the tech guys. See if that helps them but I’m ordering you to stand down.” The worry in his voice was outshined by anger this time.

  He had every right to be frustrated with her. She’d broken protocol, failed to kill her target, and she was about to violate another direct order. But he had to know she’d do it again if it meant figuring out what had happened.

  All kinds of data could be embedded in the pictures she’d sent and they’d never know it. Murdock was right. Narrowing it down, figuring out what was there without knowing exactly what they were looking for was near impossible. Having the best coders on payroll only increased the odds slightly. It was time to change things up. Maybe even stay close enough to squeeze more information out of Jace.

  “I might have another play with Mitchell in a couple of days.”

  “Absolutely not. This mission is over for you. I don’t want you chasing any more leads or putting yourself at further risk. The best place for you is here. Your required check-in is three months past due already.” His voice rose with what sounded like frustration and panic. Was he afraid she’d get hurt? “I’ll send someone else. We’ll bring him in for questioning.”

  “Sir, I—”

  “That’s a direct order, Nile.”

  “I’m fine, sir,” she lied. She could appreciate his concern, but she wasn’t going in and nothing he could say would change her mind. “And I’m all you have. I’m the only officer who’s gotten close to Mitchell in a year and you know it.”

  “And you’ve done your job.” She’d thrown that out to see if she could get a feel for whether or not Murdock had sent Berlin to Vancouver. If she could believe his responses so far, Berlin must be working for the other side. Why would anyone from Exacto come after her?

  Her association with Jace?

  “With all due respect, no I haven’t. Mitchell’s alive and we don’t know if we have anything usable yet. But, I’m making progress. Given a little more time, I can find answers. I’m asking you to give me space before you dispatch someone else. Let me stay on the mission. Besides, he’ll see them coming. I have a chance at figuring this out. Anyone else will come home in a casket.” Or get in her way.

  “No. Absolutely not. I forbid it.” His agitation vibrated through the line. “The best, no, the only course of action is for you to come back. Regular check-ins are mandatory for a reason. Failing to obey a direct order from your superior is unacceptable and I can’t have it.”

  The line went dead quiet as she left him waiting for a response. She let more silence sit between them for several uncomfortable beats.

  “If I have to send someone to pick you up, I will.” Murdock blew out a breath.

  “We both know you won’t find me. There’s a reason you gave me this assignment. Mitchell is good. I’m better. End of story.” An uneasy feeling settled over Erika as questions started to swirl. First, she’d expected a bigger reaction when she threw out the name Sam Carter. Murdock had glossed right over it. Why?

  While that was still churning in the back of her mind, she wondered about his emphatic plea for her to return to the office. Then there was Berlin. What side was he on?

  “I’ll come in as soon as I figure this out. I’m close to getting answers and I need to finish this mission.”

  Another beat of silence, and then a frustrated hiss came through the line.

  “You really are as stubborn as your father.”

  And as beautiful as her mother. How many times had she heard that while under Murdock’s care? She’d lost count of how many times he’d told her that both could get her killed, too.

  Which was precisely the reason she planned to use both to her advantage.

  “I’m being followed. I come in now and the location of headquarters could be compromised.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.” The shock in his voice registered as genuine.

  Another piece of the puzzle that didn’t fit anywhere yet.

  Her excuse was convenient and gave him an out as far as allowing her some leeway. She didn’t doubt her own skills or ability to disappear when she needed to for one second. Jace may have found her in Las Vegas, but she knew it had been a risk when she’d called him and, truth be known, she’d wanted to see him.

  Murdock blew out another sharp breath. “We can send in a drone. There’s no reason to risk your safety. And if you won’t come in, I’ll send someone to get you.”

  He sounded desperate. Guilty?

  “He’ll disappear. All our hop
e of figuring out what’s in those pics will vaporize and you know it. As far as sending someone to pick me up? Good luck with that.”

  “I know he’s the best. I know you’re the only one who’s a match. Believe me, I didn’t want you on this assignment in the first place. Come home and we’ll close this case. It’s only a matter of time before tech breaks the encryption,” he said. There was a sad quality to his voice now.

  “Can’t do it, sir.”

  “You have no idea what’s on the line here, Nile.”

  Alarm bells sounded inside Erika’s head, ringing in her ears. Why did he feel the need to remind her of the stakes? Her boss was holding back and something was off. What else wasn’t she being told? And why?

  Dammit, why did he feel the need to protect her?

  Her dad had trusted Murdock. And this reaction most likely had to do with sending her into a dangerous situation more so than not trusting her.

  Memories of assigning her father to the mission that had taken his life hadn’t dimmed. She’d seen it all over Murdock’s face, in his eyes and his actions for the past decade. The nights he drank until he stumbled to his room were even more heartbreaking.

  Murdock had never exactly been husband or father material, which was why he lived alone, but losing his best friend had screwed with his head. The anniversary of her father’s death seemed to be making him as testy as it was her. The date circled on his calendar every year was almost here. She and Murdock had lost someone special that day. His guilt had driven him to take care of her until she’d turned eighteen. His guilt had been the reason he’d worked with her, day in and day out, to make her physically and mentally strong. What he couldn’t teach her, he’d paid others to. And his guilt most likely drove his actions now.

  Erika knew exactly what she needed to do next.

  “This is my assignment. Don’t take it away from me. I’ll bring him in and you can question him as much as you want.” She ended the call before he could argue.

  After throwing a few personal items into her backpack, she came up with her exit plan, wiped down the hotel and waited. She would leave in the middle of the night while Jace slept and not use any of her usual methods of transportation en route to Seattle where she planned to be in two days. In the meantime, there was a place where no one would find her. She needed to stop by the family’s cabin.