by Janie Crouch
“What about working full-time in education? I know you’re wonderful with Ethan and Mrs. Johnson said you’re one of the most talented education specialists she’s ever seen.”
Charlie peered up from her plate, a bit of life now shining in her eyes. “I love the work I do. And Ethan, God Finn, he’s such a great kid. I would love to do that full-time.” Watching that light fade from her eyes was almost physically painful. “But I can’t. And it’s not enough anyway.”
“You can’t right now. But like you said, this won’t be forever.”
Her smile was tight. “Right. Not forever.”
Finn wasn’t sure exactly what she was thinking, but probably working three jobs made anything feel like forever.
“You know, Linear Tactical is doing really well. Better than any of us thought it would do only four years in.”
Her face lit up again. “That’s fantastic, Finn. And I’m not surprised. The best of all possible worlds, huh?” She took a small bite of her eggs. “Doing the soldier stuff you love. Working with Zac and your buddies. Making money. I’m so happy for you.”
And she was, he realized. She wasn’t saying it for any other reason than because she was excited for him.
“I wasn’t trying to rub it in your face. I just wanted to let you know that I have some money saved up and—”
“Finn, stop.”
“—I mean, I don’t know how much the medical expenses are every month, but I could help out.”
She reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “I’m not taking your money, Bollinger. But you have no idea how much it means to me that you would offer. After everything.”
He gave her a half smile. “Hey, getting humiliated in front of the entire town builds a man’s character.”
Finn expected some smart-aleck reply but was gutted when her beautiful blue eyes filled with tears.
Shock ricocheted through him. Charlie Devereux didn’t cry. Ever.
“Hey. Hey, I was just kidding.” He squeezed the hand that had not let go of his.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you,” she whispered, the tears falling down her cheek. “You can believe whatever bad things you want about me, but please believe that I am so sorry I hurt you. I just . . .I had to choose.”
Had to choose between a soldier’s paycheck with Finn or the luxurious lifestyle Brandon Kempsley could provide.
But the agony in her eyes now, the tears, made that all seem so distant. Finn couldn’t stand it. He went to her side, scooped her up, and sat down in her chair with her in his lap.
“I survived. And you survived. It’s okay.”
She just buried her face in his neck and held on.
He couldn’t help but feel he was missing something again. His nickname was Eagle because he observed and attacked, so why did he feel so blind around this woman?
He held her for a few minutes as she finally relaxed against him. She was tired again, needed rest. Ethan wasn’t coming home until tomorrow, so Finn planned to take her back up to his bed, so she could sleep.
“I need to go to work,” she said against his neck.
He wrapped his arms more tightly around her. “Not tonight. I got in touch with Jordan, explained to her that you were mugged. She’s going to tell your boss. Sheriff Nelson was planning to give him a call too, just to let him know nobody was faking.”
Finn had made those calls before understanding exactly what was going on with Charlie. Now that he knew, he was doubly glad he’d contacted her workplace. He still didn’t like her being at The Silver Palace, but he respected her willingness to work hard.
He could almost hear her adding up figures in her head now.
He spoke through his teeth with forced restraint. “You will damn well let me lend you the few hundred dollars you missed out on in tips last night and tonight. Hell, princess, I have that just in mad money in the Bible upstairs.”
She leaned back and smiled at him. “I thought only women had mad money.”
He winked at her. “I like to have it for any emotion I may be feeling. In this case though, I will be angry if you don’t take it. I promise it’s not a hardship. Okay?”
She nodded, and he silently let out a breath of relief. “Okay.”
“And I won’t even give you a hard time about working three jobs.” Although he would be keeping an eye on her. “But your parents wouldn’t like it if they knew the state you were in. Are in. You’re going to have to do better at taking care of yourself. I know you don’t have a lot of time to eat or sleep, but make time, all right?”
She looked like she wanted to say something else, to make some sort of argument, but finally just nodded and melted back against him.
“Take me back to bed, Finn. I just want one more night of pretending like there’s no yesterday and no tomorrow.”
So did he. Leaving the dishes where they were, he walked up the steps with her wrapped in his arms.
Even though he knew it meant sleep would be a long time in coming.
Chapter Eighteen
“I’m in.”
It was seven o’clock the next morning and Finn sipped coffee at his kitchen table as Aiden entered through the side door, looking like hell.
“In what?” Finn asked. “My house, or a shitload of trouble? Because you look like a hot mess.”
Aiden stumbled the rest of the way in and collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs, scrubbing both hands over his face. “Coffee. Please for the love of Mike, coffee.”
He chuckled and got up to pour it for his friend. “So, by ‘in’ I’m assuming you mean the network trying to buy the NORAD info.”
“Yeah. As a weapons smuggler. Ends up my military background and Linear Tactical form the perfect backstory.”
He handed his tired friend the coffee. “How so?”
“All I had to do was play a disgruntled partner. That Linear has all these contacts overseas and we’re not using them to our financial advantage.”
That probably wasn’t far from the truth. All of them had several contacts from their years in the Middle East and Europe. If they were looking to bring illegal substances or weapons into or out of the United States, suppliers or buyers wouldn’t be hard to find.
“I’m glad Saturday night wasn’t a total wash since I completely bailed on you.”
Aiden took a sip of his coffee, closing his eyes in relief as the brew entered his system. “Actually you not being there was probably for the best, given I’m supposedly trafficking weapons right under your nose.”
He nodded. “So, they bought your story?”
Aiden nodded and took a sip. “I’ll admit I talked a lot of shit about you guys. And we should probably try to keep this cover in place long-term. It could come in handy for other stuff.”
Linear’s primary objective was to teach survival intelligence. But from time to time they stepped out of the training field and back into the heart of trouble, helping corporations and individuals with dangerous situations: kidnap and ransom, extortion, detention.
A cover story that a member of Linear wasn’t afraid to dip into illegal activities could definitely be to their advantage.
“I agree,” Finn said. “But be careful. That could bring trouble back on you.”
Aiden took another sip. “Like having to stay out till the crack of dawn two nights in a row at two different strip clubs? That sort of trouble?”
He chuckled. “That wasn’t exactly what I meant, but yeah.”
A knock came at his front door.
Aiden turned toward it. “That’s Henry. He was in the area, so I told him to stop by.”
Finn shook the other man’s hand, then led him in and offered him a cup of coffee. Henry looked marginally better than Aiden, but not much.
“Cline bought your cover,” Henry said to Aiden as he took a sip. “I found a transmission late last night that included you as a potential buyer.”
Aiden grimaced. “Good. Because I’m ass-deep in this now. From what I’ve been able to f
ind out, Cline is not stupid. He’s setting up an auction for the Operation Sparrow stuff, trying to pull together as many potential buyers as he can that might be interested in flight pattern info.”
Henry nodded and sat down in the kitchen chair Finn gestured to. “That’s why you got in so relatively easily. Selling the info is a one-time shot for Cline, so he wants to make as much as he can.”
“Smart on his part,” Finn said.
Henry circled the rim of his mug with his finger. “I just wish there was something more I could do. I’m a DoD civilian now, not active duty anymore. But just sitting around, gathering intel doesn’t make me happy.”
“What branch were you in?”
“Air Force. Combat controller. Until I blew out my knee.”
Both Finn and Aiden nodded respectfully. Air Force combat controllers were held in high regard among the Special Forces community. They generally acted as a one-man attachment to special operations teams where air traffic was involved, working in remote and often hostile locations. Lone warriors—both part of a team and yet separate from it.
“You caught Cline in the act. That’s the most important thing,” Finn told him. “Aiden will make sure he goes down.”
Aiden took another sip of his coffee. “Believe that. I know it’s tough doing nothing when everything you’ve ever been trained to do tells you otherwise. But I promise we will take them down. Not just Cline, the buyers too.”
“Did you find out anything this weekend?” Henry asked.
“They’re meeting at different clubs each week, or sometimes even private residences.” Aiden rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Cline gives them a little teaser of what he’ll be offering. There’s a lot of foreigners around, Russians, South Americans. But there are also some good old home-grown criminals like me.”
“And what about the mysterious Mr. Stellman?” Finn asked. “Any word on who he is, how to nail him?”
“I haven’t been asking a lot of questions, not wanting to draw undue attention. But once drinks are flowing most of those bastards gossip like old women. I don’t know who Stellman is, but I know they’re all damn scared of him. He’s the one coordinating this whole thing for Cline.”
Henry took another sip. “My intel confirms Stellman isn’t interested in the airspace intel, just in being the broker.”
Aiden shifted back in his seat, smothering a yawn. “Honestly, I think there’s more going on than just the info with Operation Sparrow, but I have no proof. It’s just a gut feeling.”
That was enough for Finn. “I’ll take your gut feeling over most hard evidence any day. Shamrock has gotten us out of many a dire situation.”
Aiden laughed at his Army nickname, which he’d gotten not only because of his Irish name, but because good luck seemed to follow him around. Every single one of their Special Forces team had been shot, stabbed, or damn near blown to kingdom come. Except Aiden. The man never seemed to get a scratch on him.
“All luck runs out sometime, brother. Let’s just hope this isn’t it. Word is, when Stellman has something to sell, he only shows up at one place and stays out of sight. Once the deal is finished, he makes sure there are no civilian witnesses left to identify him. Evidently, the criminals he works with know not to double-cross him, but civilians he just eliminates.”
“Damn, Aiden.” Finn’s eyebrows drew together. “Be careful you’re not in over your head.”
Henry’s face mirrored Finn’s concern.
“Believe me, with no real backup or support? I know it.” Aiden nodded. “I just want to figure out where and when the sale is going down. So, for my foreseeable future I’m going to need lots of ones and fives. I’m too old for this shit, you guys.”
“I’ll be sure to provide you any information I can,” Henry said. “You’re not completely without backup or support.”
They all glanced up when they heard water running upstairs. Finn’s house was large—really, way too big for just him and Ethan—and the piping was old. Quiet wasn’t an option here.
“Ethan?” Aiden asked.
“No, he’s with my mom. It’s Charlie.”
He’d left her asleep in his bed when he’d come downstairs. The two of them had spent the last sixteen hours in a sort of surreal mixture of sleeping, eating, and lovemaking.
But now it was time for real life to restart. They couldn’t lock themselves away from reality any longer. Ethan would be coming home in a couple hours and Charlie had her own condo to go to.
“Zac mentioned Charlie got mugged and you brought her here,” Aiden said.
Henry looked surprised. “She’s here right now?”
“Yeah, she needed somewhere to crash.” Finn turned to Henry. “Do you know her?”
Henry shook his head. “Just heard of her.”
Finn refrained from rolling his eyes. He shouldn’t be surprised. You couldn’t get far around here without knowing about Charlie and their history.
“Is she okay?” Aiden asked. “I heard a knife was involved.”
“Yeah, that was just a nick. The bigger problem was exhaustion. Evidently she’s been working three jobs for a while.”
At least now he knew why she’d been at The Cactus Motel. It had to be easier to stay there a couple nights a week than to drive all the way to her condo in Oak Creek.
Aiden scratched his jaw. “Is she going to be sticking around your place permanently?”
“Hell no, she’s got to leave in the next few minutes. There’s no way I want her here when Ethan gets home.”
Not that Ethan didn’t like Charlie or would be upset to find her here. It was just time to get back to real life, a life Finn had conveniently pushed aside during the last thirty-six hours of mind-blowing sex.
“It was nice of you to give her a place to crash.” Aiden folded his arms across his chest. “A lot of ex-boyfriends wouldn’t even do that. Or might try to take advantage of her.”
Aiden hadn’t been accusing him, but he couldn’t control his wince. Shit. Is that what had happened? She’d been so adamant otherwise, but in her weakened state . . .
He wiped a hand over his face. “I—I . . .”
“Bollinger didn’t take advantage of me,” a feminine voice said from the doorway. “But I very definitely took advantage of him.”
Three handsome faces, all with that military air, swung around to look at Charlie as she walked through the kitchen doorway. She kept a smile on her face even though Finn’s comment about making sure she wasn’t here when Ethan got home cut at her heart.
What had she expected? That this was the start of a relationship with him?
She’d thrown herself at him in bed and he’d reciprocated. Hot sex, that was all it was. She’d lost the right to hope for anything more eight years ago.
She smiled at the guys. “I’m sure Finn’s too much of an officer and a gentleman to say I was the one doing all of the advantage-taking, but it’s still true.”
Finn looked like he might actually blush. “I was never an officer,” he muttered.
Aiden smirked over at him. “Or a gentleman, if you’re honest.”
“No offense,” she said to Aiden, “but it looks like you weren’t too much of one yourself last night.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Weren’t you at The Silver Palace on Saturday night, too? Sounds like you Linear Tactical guys stay pretty busy.”
She wouldn’t have figured Finn to be much of a strip club guy. But how well could she say she really knew him anyway? He walked over to the kitchen counter and poured her a cup of coffee. “Still milk and sugar?”
She had learned to drink her coffee with nothing in it to cut down on cost, but hell, if he was offering . . . “Yes, thank you.”
“And oatmeal. You still need to eat.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mother.”
He was right, she did. God knew they had burned as many calories as she had gotten into her system yesterday. One glance at Finn told her he was thinking the same thing.
The
man she didn’t know held out his hand. “Henry Nicholson.”
She shook it. “Charlotte Devereux. Nice to meet you.”
Finn handed her the coffee. “Believe it or not, Aiden and I aren’t regular strip club attendees. He’s working undercover. Henry is the brains behind it all.”
She wiggled her eyebrows at Aiden. “Undercover at a strip club, not a bad gig.”
He raised his coffee mug at her in a salute. “I’ve definitely had worse.”
“Same thing you guys were talking about at the Frontier that day at lunch?”
Finn sat beside her. At least he was willing to do that. “Yes, Aiden’s going undercover to stop the sale of some government secrets. Henry’s the one that discovered it in the first place.”
“It’s a hodgepodge of criminals and they’ve been known to meet at clubs,” Aiden said.
She nodded. “We get some shady people at The Silver Palace. Last Wednesday night a group reserved the back rooms. They had guns and freaked me out pretty bad.”
Henry leaned closer from across the table. “Do you remember anyone who was there?”
She took another sip of her coffee for fortitude. “Big guy with a gun. Little guy who I think was in charge but hid in the dark. There may have been others in the dark room too. Jade, one of our dancers, was back there, probably doing a lot more than just dancing. But that’s her business, not mine. The only person I recognized was a guy named Rocco. He’s a regular at The Silver Palace.”
“Rocco Christensen?” Aiden asked, then glanced at Henry, who gave a little nod.
She shrugged. “I don’t know his last name. I just know he’s around all the time and brought his friends into the VIP room last week. They weren’t happy when I came in to clean up before they were done.”
She didn’t mention her paranoia about Paul and the police officer talking to her that night. Now that she’d had rest and food, she could recognize they hadn’t done anything overtly suspicious.
