by Pamela Clare
Twisting away she took a step toward her SUV when Gage caught her upper arm in one hand and turned her around to face him. Hard fingers tilted her chin up until she was forced to meet his eyes. So blue, like an endless ocean she could drown in if she wasn’t careful.
“That doesn’t make you a bad person,” he said forcefully, eyes drilling into hers. “He’s lucky to have a sister who still cares about him enough to buy him groceries and check in on him even when he treats her and everyone else like shit. It’s like you said, you can’t pull him out of the quicksand. He’s the only one who can.”
“And what if he doesn’t?” she whispered, admitting her worst fear.
“Then at least he won’t pull you under with him,” he answered.
God. Claire dropped her head, didn’t resist when Gage slid his arms around her back and pulled her into his body. Slowly, imprinting the feel of him into her memory, she returned the embrace. Warm, solid muscle surrounded her. The horrible weight she’d been carrying seemed to magically ease off her shoulders. She leaned into him, grateful for his presence and that he kept this about comfort only without pushing for more than she was willing to give. Not that she didn’t wish for more—she’d loved their voracious sex life. As a lover Gage could be rough or tender and everything in between. She’d never met a man who could make her burn the way he did. The physical aspect of their relationship had never been the problem, however.
They stood like that on the sidewalk for a long time, neither of them speaking, as though they were both afraid of shattering the harmony they’d forged.
Finally she found the strength to draw her head away from his solid shoulder. “Well. Another long day for us tomorrow. Guess we’d both better get some sleep.” She lowered her arms and eased away from him, every cell in her body crying out in protest. For a fleeting moment she considered throwing all caution aside and giving into the temptation of running her hands through that soft skull trim, then draw his head down to kiss the ever loving hell out of him. And ten seconds after that you’ll be underneath him in the back of his SUV, naked.
She stepped back. “Drive carefully.”
He nodded, his expression inscrutable, giving her no clue what he was thinking. He’d held her like a friend would, nothing sexual in his embrace at all. What did that mean? Maybe he really had gotten over her and moved on in the past few months. The thought put a lump in her throat, which was crazy because wasn’t that what she’d wanted? Although she’d hated to hurt him, she’d known it was for the best in the end.
“I’m here if you need me, okay?” he said quietly.
Just like that. No demands for more, no expectations.
Her throat tightened more, because she knew he would be there for her no matter what. I love you, she thought wistfully. I’ll always love you.
“Thank you.” Feeling like she was ripping her skin away, she forced herself to step back and return to her vehicle, all the while knowing she faced another sleepless night spent aching for him in her lonely bed.
Chapter Four
Mo couldn’t believe his luck. Considering who his target worked for, he’d assumed locating them would be much harder. Yet here he was, on the sidewalk across from the tidy brick two-story house in the quiet residential neighborhood of Columbia. All the lawns were manicured, the fallen leaves carefully raked up and placed into bags waiting at the curb for the city crews to take them away for composting. All except the house he was staring at.
Its yard hadn’t been tidied up for a while, if the carpet of damp, decaying leaves was any indication. The lawn was in need of a mowing too. As if whoever lived here was either too busy to deal with it, or perhaps they didn’t care. Whatever the case, it made the property stand out in this well kept neighborhood. He cast another glance up and down the street. A jogger was headed away from him at the far end. Most of the driveways were empty, everyone off to work or to drop their kids off at school. This was too easy.
It made him nervous.
He’d taken on other jobs for the TTP cell before, little things like reconnaissance or acting as a courier. Never anything as big as this. This was a test, to see if he had what it took, whether all his training they’d provided had paid off. And he was nervous as hell about making sure this operation went off without any mistakes.
A UPS truck pulled away from the curb up the street and passed him. Making sure he displayed confident body posture, Mo crossed the street and walked up the target’s driveway. First he needed something to verify they did indeed live here before he went any further with this. For all he knew, that was part of his test too. A newspaper lay on the welcome mat on the front stoop. Through one of the long rectangular windows that flanked the metal door he clearly saw the security system keypad on the foyer wall, its little red light blinking every two seconds.
He recognized the model, and immediately looked up for the motion detectors mounted on an interior wall facing the door. He’d worked for ADT long enough to guess where the other sensors probably were. On the lower floor window contacts and doors. Few people bothered with the upper floor, and that was probably his best bet for entry. Once he got in, he’d be able to discern where the other motion detectors were and figure out how to disable them. Because to do his work, he needed access into the crawlspace. He circled around the house to the backyard, which was in the same untidy condition as the front.
The sound of a sliding door opening next door on the other side of the privacy fence made his heart jolt.
“Hello?” a female voice called out.
Shit. He quickly stepped back and searched for the best escape route, wanting to avoid anyone getting a good look at him. Before he’d taken two steps, a woman next door stuck her head over the six foot tall wooden fence separating the properties.
She held a toddler on one hip and gave Mo a polite smile, but it was obvious she was surprised to see him there. “Hi.”
“Morning,” he answered, thinking fast. He wore a ball cap and backpack, and the cooler weather excused the gloves he’d worn to prevent leaving fingerprints. He just had to sell her on the idea that someone up to no good would never stand there having a conversation with her like this in broad daylight. “Just checking out the yard. I own a landscaping company. The homeowner called to ask me to come over and give them a quote about cleaning up the place.”
“Oh, they don’t live here—they’re the landlord. The renter left about an hour ago. That’s great you’re going to do the cleanup though. Whenever the leaves build up out front they clog the gutters and then when it rains hard our yard gets flooded. I’ve talked to the landlord plenty of times and they never do anything about it.” Her annoyed expression softened when she offered him another smile. “Are you going to do the gutters too?”
“I was just going to look at them.” Climbing up on a ladder would give him the perfect opportunity to check for an entry point on the upper floor.
“Great.” She turned her head to coo something at the blond-haired boy on her hip, then looked back at Mo. “Well, have a good day.”
“You too.” She disappeared from view and he heard the sound of the sliding door shutting behind her a moment later. He let out a sigh of relief. Nosy neighbors made his task more difficult. The blinds were drawn on all the windows except for one on the upper floor that he guessed must be the master bedroom and there was no way he could see through it without having an extension ladder, which he didn’t have. Even if he’d just given himself the excuse to pretend to be checking out the gutters, he’d verified the address and the neighbor lady said the occupant was a renter, so he was positive he had the right place.
The heavy tools in his backpack bumped into his spine as he circled around to the left side of the house, looking for an easy entry point. Over the last day he’d thought of several ways to kill the target; some where he had to get up close, others…not so much. Because it allowed him an easy escape route, he’d already decided on the latter. He had what he needed to set everything up ri
ght in his backpack. If he could sneak in he could do it now and carry out the hit tonight. But he didn’t like that the neighbor lady might be watching. For all he knew she might be on the phone to the landlord right now to talk about things that needed to be done in the yard. Last thing he wanted was to make anyone suspicious or investigate further.
Then, as if it was a message from above, the first drops of rain began to fall and made the decision for him. They hit the brim of his cap, pattered against the leaf-covered roof. Looked like the lady next door might have a flooded yard in the morning. The wet only increased the likelihood that he’d leave muddy tracks in the yard.
Aborting the plan to go ahead with the setup today, Mo quickly strode around to the front of the house and crossed the street to his rental vehicle. As he drove away through the steadily increasing rain, he was already planning his next move.
*
Gage rolled up and parked at the curb out front since Hunter and Ellis had already taken up the driveway of the safe house the NSA had put them in. It was just after seven, the sky already dark and the rain had eased off to a light shower. Normally he’d be out tailing Claire but she’d been in meetings on another floor most of the afternoon and he hadn’t heard from her since lunch. She’d replied to his text inviting her out for a bite to eat saying she couldn’t meet up for dinner because she had plans to go out with her best friend, Mel, after work.
Rather than look like a desperate ex or tip her off that she needed watching, he’d arranged for Dunphy to tail her instead. It bugged Gage that he couldn’t keep eyes on her himself, but he trusted Dunphy. Guys didn’t make Force Recon without amazing observation skills, and if any threat should materialize on Dunphy’s watch, he could handle it.
Gage let himself in through the front door and found Hunt and Ellis at the kitchen island drinking beer and eating a plate of what looked like nachos. Chips and cheese, nothing else. Gage set his laptop case and shoulder holster down and shook his head at them. “That’s dinner? I fill the fridge last night and that’s the best you could come up with?”
“Yeah. Feel free to whip up something else for yourself,” Hunt replied, stuffing a wad of cheese-drenched chips into his mouth.
Gage strolled into the kitchen. “Okay. You boys’re welcome to watch this free cooking lesson, so long as you don’t bother asking me for any of it when I’m done.”
“Can’t guarantee that. Depends on what you’re making,” Ellis commented, slapping Hunt’s hand away from a giant glob of cheese stuck to the plate and stealing it for himself.
“None of your business, is it?” Gage answered, and started digging ingredients out of the fridge. Chorizo, bell peppers, cream, garlic and parmesan. The others continued munching on their chips while he chopped and minced. He’d just put everything in a pan on the stove to sauté when his phone vibrated in his hip pocket. He dug it out and read Dunphy’s text. Zahra just showed up to meet them.
A moment later, Best surveillance job EVER.
And finally, I love you, man.
Snorting, Gage put it away and got back to the chorizo and peppers sizzling in the pan. He noticed both Ellis and Hunter were now staring at it like hungry wolves, their half-demolished dinner sitting abandoned between them. “Sure smells good,” he said to himself, giving the pan a little shake as he hid a grin.
Ellis sat forward on his stool, taking a closer look. “That’s too much, even for you. I’ll eat whatever’s left over.”
“There’s not gonna be any leftovers. Maybe you two losers should put in a little more effort next time, huh?”
“Where the hell did you learn to cook like that, anyway? Cuz it wasn’t in the Army.” Scowling, Hunter picked up his beer and took a long pull.
He shrugged. “I’m a divorced dad. Can’t feed your kid fucking nachos and mac and cheese every night. It was either figure out how to cook real food, or risk poisoning my only child.” He’d been a piss poor cook at first, too. Poor Janelle. Now his pasta carbonara was her favorite dish and he had a handful of go-to meals that were actually damn tasty. He had Claire to thank for that, at least in part. She’d been the one to encourage him to continue with his clumsy attempts to reach out to his daughter when he hadn’t been sure how to bridge the gap between them. Claire had been a steadying presence in his chaotic life, which was why he’d been so crushed then pissed off when she’d kicked him to the curb.
Ellis shoved the half empty grease-covered plate toward Hunter. “Here, have at ’er.” A few moments later he was at Gage’s elbow, peering down into the pan. “Do that flippy thing again. You know, the…” He mimicked the motion with his hand.
“What, this?” Gage raised the pan slightly and gave a flick of his wrist to toss the contents around, catching them all without spilling.
“Yeah. That’s freaking awesome. Bet chicks dig that move, huh?”
“Yep.” It had certainly impressed Claire. One morning when she’d come into his kitchen and found him flipping pancakes like that, she’d jumped him right there at the stove, ripping off his clothes and climbing his body like a tree. They’d hit the floor laughing and he’d barely had the sense to reach up for the switch to turn off the stove. That morning they’d missed breakfast and wound up eating the pancakes for lunch instead. The memory of it was bittersweet, filled his gut with that familiar ache he always experienced when he thought about her.
“For Christ’s sake, don’t drool in it,” Gage muttered, elbowing Ellis out of the way. “Grab me the heavy cream over there and two plates.”
“Heavy cream?”
“Whipping cream. Jesus, don’t you watch the Food Network?” Ellis quickly passed it to him and stood silently while Gage made the sauce and let it reduce. “Normally I’d toss this with some fettuccini but I’m way too fucking hungry to wait for the water to boil.”
Ellis nodded. “Word.”
When it was finished Gage divided the steaming mixture onto the plates. Ellis went with him to the table and the two of them dug in while Hunter watched. Ellis moaned and rolled his eyes back on the first bite and Gage couldn’t help but grin at Hunter’s sullen expression.
“Good?” Gage asked Ellis.
“Mmmhmmm,” he mumbled around another mouthful, his eyes half closed in pleasure.
In response Hunter narrowed his eyes at them and pointedly shoved a couple more greasy nacho chips into his mouth.
With a chuckle Gage turned his attention back to his plate and polished off his dinner. One forkful from finishing, his phone rang.
“Aren’t you the popular one tonight,” Hunter remarked as Gage put the thing to his ear.
Gage held up his middle finger as he answered the unknown number. “Wallace.”
“Gage?”
He stilled and frowned. The male voice was familiar somehow but he couldn’t place it. “Yeah. Who’s this?”
“It’s Wayne. Claire’s dad.” The urgency in his voice lit up Gage’s inner warning system.
He was up and out of the chair heading for the quiet of the living room without conscious thought. Wayne had never called him before. Ever. “Hi there. How are you?”
“I’m…not good. I didn’t know who else to call.” The man’s voice cracked, sending Gage’s pulse up a notch.
Claire was fine, still out with her friends, or Dunphy would’ve called. “What’s wrong?”
A shaky sigh answered him. “I can’t get hold of Claire but she told me you were in town. Are you still?”
“Yeah, what do you need?”
“Just… Can you meet me at her place? I need to talk with her and it would help to have you here when I do.” He was near tears, the ragged edge to his voice making the hair on Gage’s nape prickle. “I’ll tell you everything when you get here.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Gage hung up and raced back into the kitchen to grab his keys. Hunter and Ellis were on their feet.
“What’s up? Do you need us?” Hunter asked.
He shook his head. “Not yet. Tha
t was Claire’s dad. He wants me to meet him at her place. I’ll call you once I know what the hell’s going on.”
Whatever it was, it was bad. On the way out to the SUV he tried Claire’s cell but it went straight to voicemail. He texted Dunphy to blow his cover, go in there and tell Claire to call her father. Dunphy texted back thirty seconds later that she’d already left the restaurant and he was following her. Gage hoped she was going home. As for him, he was going to make sure he found out what was happening before she got there.
Chapter Five
“Thanks for dragging me out tonight,” Claire said as she hugged her best friend.
Mel squeezed her in return, her answering laugh warm and bright as a sunbeam. “You’re welcome. It’s been way too long since we’ve gone out. I knew you needed it.”
“I did, more than I realized. I used to be fun, dammit! Wait, I’m still fun, right?” She pulled back to eye her friend.
“Definitely,” Mel said, then looked at Zahra, who was at the curb pulling her long black hair into a clip at the base of her neck. “She’s still entertaining, yeah?”
“Very much so,” Zahra agreed, hazel eyes dancing with humor. “Who knew?”
“Oh, come on, you always suspected I was fun to hang out with,” Claire told her.
She shrugged. “Yeah, I did, but consider the source. I’m a linguist, so not really known for lighting the night up, you know?”
“Well I kind of like that about you.” Claire turned her attention back to Mel, who’d spent half the evening digging for details about Gage and the other regaling tales of her own recent dating disasters. “God it felt good to laugh like that. Been a while.”
“That’s what I’m here for—to provide you with comic relief about my horror show dating experiences when life gets you down.”
