Code Red

by Susan Elaine Mac Nicol

  Jess laughed. “You’ll manage. Every single guy in this area has hit on you at least three times since you arrived.”

  “That’s because I can outshoot them all at the range. And my gun is larger than theirs. Men are simple like that.”

  Marcia really could outshoot everyone in town. The woman was more ninja than artist. Marksmanship had seemed a weird skill for a sculptor taking some time away from the big city, but Jess had quickly gotten over that. She went with Marcia to the local shooting range every week. Marcia had also gotten Jess into some self-defense classes and taught her a few hand-to-hand combat moves, which helped make Jess feel more confident living alone. After the incident with Max and the drug dealers, she’d felt incredibly unprepared.

  “I prefer men with decent-sized weapons—and lots of ammunition,” Marcia said, waggling her eyebrows. “I’m surprised you can get a date around here at all. The men all treat you like you’re made of glass.”

  “You’re right, I couldn’t get a date even if I wanted one,” Jess said, half-laughing. “But I won’t be lonely for long. Kieran will be here tomorrow, so I need to get my work done tonight.”

  “He sounds like a real keeper. Have fun.”

  “I will.”

  Marcia waved before disappearing down the stairs. Jess should have followed her. Studying was impossible when all she could think of was Kieran. The deep feelings of attraction and belonging she felt each time she spoke with him overpowered the little voice in her head warning her to protect her heart. Kieran wasn’t Robert. He never promised anything except companionship. He often spoke about his plans to move to a seaport when he retired, but he never invited her along. After all, he’d just met her. It wasn’t his fault if she hoped he’d someday want her to go with him.

  She made herself a cup of tea and flopped onto her couch with her books and a pink fleece blanket to keep the October chill away, and when someone knocked an hour later, Jess stretched her limbs and wandered to the door. Whoever wanted to take her from her books would be sorry.

  Then she saw him. Kieran. Standing in a brown leather jacket with a bouquet of flowers. Orange roses and pink asters. Vibrant and fun.

  She opened the door and let emotion flood her senses, a rush from the sight of his gorgeous face and the smell of the roses mixed with a scent that was all male, all Kieran. “You said you were coming tomorrow!”

  “I took an earlier flight. Do you mind?”

  “No. I’m glad.”

  His words were similar to Robert’s, actually. And yet, she trusted him and pushed those negative memories to a deeper section of her mind, away from the affection taking over her heart.

  He brushed one of his hands through her hair. “I missed—”

  Her kiss halted his words. Way too forward, but full of her feelings for him.

  When she finally backed away, he was grinning. “I missed you too, Red.” And the kiss he returned was even more intense than hers had been, hungrier and more passionate. He closed the door with his foot and glanced into her eyes. His hands framed her face, and he stared for the longest moment at her. “Damn, I missed you.”

  She glanced at his hands, empty except for the flowers. “Where are your things?”

  “At the hotel.”

  “Hotel? You’re not staying here?” Robert always stayed with her. In fact, he’d pulled her into the bedroom as soon as he arrived in town.

  “Not this time.” Kieran kissed her forehead and then took another step back. “Can I take you to dinner?”

  “I’ll need a few minutes to change.”

  “I can wait.” He strolled over to her couch and sat, never making a move toward her bedroom. A perfect gentleman.

  She rushed off and threw on a long wool skirt and a hunter-green knit sweater. Her hair needed to be washed but she settled for a high ponytail, threw on her brown leather boots and headed back to him. He was seated on the couch reading her math text.

  “Practical Applications of Algebra in a Middle School Setting. Some light reading?”

  “My future.”

  “I’d offer to help, but I was a lit major in college.”

  “Literature? How did you end up working for the government?”

  “Not many job offers come to literature majors. My father called in a few favors and soon I was employed.” He shrugged. “I love the work, but I’m ready for something different.”

  “You never said what you planned to do when you retire except live at the beach. You’re too young to do nothing.”

  “I want to teach. Find a small private school and teach literature.”

  “Are you qualified? I mean, isn’t it hard to find a position without a Master’s in Education?”

  “Private schools are more lenient in who they hire. Perhaps I can impress them with a Shakespeare monologue or sonnet. And you? Still focused on teaching math to whiny, self-centered middle school students?”

  “They’re not so bad.”

  “I personally prefer high school, but I’d compromise so we can teach at the same school. Mr. Brody and Ms. Wonder sneaking into the back of the gym to make out between classes.”

  It was the first time he’d hinted at a possible future together. And the idea seemed wonderful.

  She laughed. “You’d get me fired. Then where would I be?”

  “With me.”

  He kissed her again, this time all sweet and caring. She was getting lost in him, and he’d just arrived. What would happen at the end of the weekend?

  “Do you know when you’ll officially retire?” she asked.

  “I have one more task to complete. If everything works according to plan, I’ll be free by Christmas.”

  He escorted her to the local diner for dinner, took her for a stroll through the town with his arm shielding her from the cold, and gave her a very long, intense goodnight kiss. He kissed her hard and possessively. He kissed until all the heartache of their separation faded. They held each other close, his hands moving up and down her back but never wandering to places that would increase the intimacy.

  Her breathing became heavy, and she nipped at his neck and felt his body react to her invitation. She wanted him with her all night, wrapped in bare arms and legs creating erotic memories that would last until he could be by her side again. There just wasn’t enough time. “Do you want to stay?”

  He buried his mouth in the top of her head, and his hands gripped her tighter. “Do I want to stay? Yes. But I think we need some more time. I’m not here for sex, Jess. I’m here for you.”

  He dropped his mouth over hers and proceeded to kiss her like she was the only thing he wanted in the entire world. She pressed herself between his legs and felt him solid, ready. And then he left her at door, horny as hell and wondering what he saw in her that was deeper than sex.

  It was a gorgeous autumn weekend with changing leaves, brisk cool weather, and perfect company. But after two more days of perfection, he had to leave.

  They arrived back at her apartment from the shooting range where he’d outshot Marcia and was accepted as a native son by the guys, and he brought her into his arms and kissed her goodbye. He never made a move to enter her apartment. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you, but I hope it’s soon because I miss you already.”

  “Really corny line,” she accused, “but I miss you too.”

  A nervous giggle spilled from her mouth, causing him to grin. He had a beautiful grin. Especially when it descended on her lips and swallowed up her giggles and devoured her fears. She just leaned further into him and allowed herself to be immersed in her dream of a future with a perfect guy.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Kieran was headed to hell. In order to keep Red safe, he needed to place her in danger.

  It was all his fault. He should never have flown up to see her. Marcia had been a great bodyguard and rarely let Red out of her sight, but NSA intelligence analysts located Dmitriyev in Virginia. According to the agency hacks, the assassin had bought a plane ticket
to the Jack Garland Airport in North Bay, the closest airport to Ohneka. If the bastard had learned of Red and Kieran’s relationship, which it seemed he had, he was probably intending to kill her as a statement, as a precursor to killing Kieran himself. Kieran had to bring her to Washington and force Dmitriyev to come forward, and he had to do it now. An empty, raw feeling clawed his insides. He’d used every last resource available to bring Dmitriyev down, but it looked like it was coming to this.

  “Visit you?” she asked when he extended the invitation to fly to the States.

  “I’m going to a dinner at the Belarus Embassy. I’d love it if you’d be my date.”

  “Belarus?”

  “A small, former Soviet Bloc country. It’s kind of short notice, but I’d love it if you could go with me.” He needed to tell her the truth, but how did you tell the woman you love, By the way, the man who killed Max now wants me dead and he may want you dead as well.

  “Tomorrow night? Seriously? How will I get there? Where will I stay? What will I wear?” She sounded frantic, but excitement rang in her words as well.

  “Let me take care of everything. If you’d like, you can stay at my place.” He needed her at his house to protect her, although her presence would make him crazy with need. Yet he’d resist. Red deserved someone better than Robert. She required a long-term partner, a lover, a friend. Someone who could commit, and until Dmitriyev was out of the way, Kieran had to focus his efforts on hunting the bastard down and keeping her safe. He couldn’t be distracted.

  “Yes. I’d like that,” she said.

  Her enthusiasm made him wish this entire fiasco ended so that the two of them could sail off the coast of Maine to parts unknown. “Great. And a black cocktail dress will be perfect. It’s rare to see women in anything else.”

  “I can swing that. I can’t wait to see you!”

  After she hung up, though, Kieran’s heart slowed like the pendulum of a rusty grandfather clock. Dmitriyev. Marcia had damn well better be on that plane and not leave Red’s side. If he trusted anyone to protect her, Marcia was the one. Ever since her husband disappeared ten years ago, she’d been all work and one of the most dedicated officers he knew. She could keep Red safe without Red even knowing what was up.

  A few hours later, however, a new idea formed. Better. More honest. He’d call Red and tell her everything she needed to know. She wouldn’t be mad.

  Yeah, she would be, he realized. He’d once tried to explain a few things about his need for secrecy to his wife over the phone from a small hotel room in St. Petersburg. She’d yelled, she’d cried, and she’d served him divorce papers when he returned home. No. He’d better not explain on the phone.

  He called Marcia instead.

  “Hello, Brody, all set for the ball tonight?”

  “Yeah. I just picked up the Prince Charming suit from the cleaners. I need you to deliver the princess.”

  “I was told. And, no problem. I want a break from this hick town.”

  “That bad?” He’d found enough to do in the few days he’d spent there before Red, but longer than a month might be torture.

  “One word. Bowling.”

  “You have me there.”

  They made small-talk about several past operations before Kieran got up his nerve to say, “Listen, tell Jess why you’re there. She has to be alert to any possibility of danger. She thinks Max was killed by drug dealers. She should know what really happened and how exactly I’m involved. Tell her I wanted her to know.”

  “Is it wise to unmask us?” Marcia sounded surprised.

  “In this case, yes. It should be done in person, and I think she’ll trust you. I’d screw it up on the phone and probably piss her off.”

  “All right. We’ll see you soonish.”

  And he did see them. They arrived a few hours before the opening reception, and Red changed in his apartment. Her movements were deliberate, her face somber, but she never mentioned Marcia’s confession. So he brought it up.

  “You understand why you’re here?”

  She nodded, rubbing her right thumb in the palm of her left hand. “Marcia explained that a Russian agent escaped after murdering Max, and he may be after the two of us. You want me closer to you. But I have to return to work. I can’t live here indefinitely.”

  “If he knows you’re with me, he’ll make a move this weekend.”

  “I still don’t understand why it’s safer here.”

  “I have about twenty men and women backing me up. In Ohneka, it’s you and Marcia.”

  She gripped her hands together but maintained a calm expression. “Oh. And we have to go to this party.”

  “It’ll announce our presence. One of his friends will be there and communicate with him. I’m sure of it.” Kieran didn’t mention how many moles he’d contacted, the tapped phone lines or Internet connections, everything he’d done to find Dmitriyev before Dmitriyev found either of them. All of which had led to this.

  Red took a deep breath and visibly relaxed.

  Her dressed-up appearance challenged Kieran’s concentration, his focus. The woman had transformed from a natural beauty to a goddess created to drive men wild. Every caress, every kiss had made his body respond with a growing intensity that nothing could alleviate except finally being with her. His mind, however, had to overrule his body. She was off-limits until she wasn’t a work assignment, until he could claim her forever.

  He’d hired a car to take them to the party, and when they arrived every man from the valet to the ambassador openly admired her. The woman looked amazing in blue jeans and a sweater; in a black cocktail dress cut high enough to show off her long legs, and low enough to hint at breasts the perfect size for a man’s hands, she could bring the entire dinner party to their knees.

  Her red hair flowed down her back, advertising her presence to Dmitriyev or his associates. Who else had hair like this?

  “I feel out of place,” she whispered as they entered the main reception area.

  “You are out of place here, Red. Because not one other woman here looks as beautiful.”

  She released the bottom lip she’d been biting at. “Really?”

  “I swear.”

  After dinner, he introduced her to a colleague from Homeland Security, Deirdre Timmons, who had helped him out on numerous occasions when he needed access to Russian diplomatic channels in the swaps he’d organized. She’d sometimes tried to make their business relationship something more, but Kieran had no interest. Not in a colleague. The closest he’d ever come to crossing that boundary was Jess.

  Deirdre barely acknowledged Red, hugging Kieran too close and kissing him on the lips. Red didn’t appear amused by Deirdre’s display, but neither was Kieran. He pushed her away a bit too sharply.

  Deirdre placed a manicured hand on her hip and tipped her chin up as though accepting a challenge. “I haven’t seen you in weeks. I’ve missed you. I hear they won’t let you go until after this assignment. I hope it ends quickly—for your sake.”

  “It was nice seeing you,” Kieran grunted.

  He steered Red away while trying to keep his expression steady, but he could feel her glare. Shit. “I am not seeing Deirdre,” he promised. “Nor have I ever.”

  “I know that.” But Red, fists clenched and brows creased, turned on him. “Am I the assignment? Am I the reason you can’t retire?”

  Where the hell had this anger come from? He guided her toward the door. If she was going to cause a scene, he’d take her somewhere private. They’d already broadcast their presence to Dmitriyev, especially with Red’s flame-colored hair, so their task here was for all intents and purposes done. Maybe they could even head home.

  “It’s more complicated than that.” She was part of the assignment, of course, but the assignment wasn’t stalling his retirement. His need to protect her was the real roadblock. Without the resources of the agency, they’d be sitting ducks.

  When they arrived in the parking lot, Red let her temper fly. “I really
believed in you. Did any time with me mean anything other than work? Maybe a few kisses on the side?”

  “A whole hell of a lot more.”

  “I’m such an idiot.” She yanked away from him and stormed to his car. “You’d think I’d learn, but no.”

  “I can explain,” he said.

  “You can explain why you lied to me?”

  “I wanted you to be safe. Initially, I didn’t tell you about the threat because there was no real threat against you. Why worry about something that doesn’t exist? As soon as the situation turned, we told you. Well, we sent Marcia.” Frustration stormed through him. She wouldn’t listen, and he sucked at declaring how he felt. “Damn it, I have one task left in this lousy job, and trust me when I say I want the whole thing to be over.”

  “Me too. Just take me to pick up my things. I want to go home.”

  ***

  Jess wasn’t jealous. She was embarrassed. She had wanted never to be fooled again, and here she was being strung along by an out-of-towner. Unlike Robert, and perhaps even more humiliating, Kieran didn’t want to sleep with her. Instead, he needed her to finish a case so he could run away to his beach somewhere. Alone.

  “I’m not here for sex, Jess,” he’d said. “I’m here for you.” But he’d been doing the minimum to stay in close proximity. Lying to her, pretending to be interested. She was a task to finish, not a woman to love.

  They drove toward his house in silence, and she mentally walked through what Deirdre had said about Kieran retiring. They wouldn’t let him go until he finished this one assignment. So, instead of letting her remain protected in the middle of nowhere indefinitely, he’d brought her here and put her life on the line, all to hurry up and collect his pension.

  He maneuvered down the long driveway to his house, which was hidden away in an acre or two of woods. He exited the car first and trotted around to open her door, held out his arm to help her up. Damn gentleman. The perfect man. Just not for her.