A Deadly Business

by Desiree Holt

  She told him about her dinner and what the man had said about next week.

  “I’ve a feeling about this, Craig.” She couldn’t keep the edge of excitement from her voice. “This might be information that leads me to other men he did business with. He’s been scrupulous about not leaving any trail, even in his secret accounts.”

  “If that’s so, you need to be doubly careful,” he cautioned. “Especially with McCormack out there.”

  “I hear you.”

  “And if we don’t get these men this time, Lauren, the CIA will keep trying. But Maes is the big fish they want.”

  She nodded. “Let me just see what Desmet hands me next week and how I can use it. Then, if you still have this feeling, we can roll it up.”

  She’d spent months in place establishing herself, to reach a point where people stopped checking everything she did. It had taken a while, but at last she felt comfortable using the program Craig had given her. It blocked her digital fingerprint on the mainframe at Heath Financial, so no one could track what she was doing. She might have an itchy feeling, but after all her hard work and living on the edge for three years, she didn’t want to quit before the end. She was determined to get every last scrap of information she could before leaving Lauren Masters behind.

  “All right. What else?”

  She fished a thumb drive from a hidden pocket in her jacket sleeve. Craig’s hand covered hers on the table, and that quick, he had it and stashed it away.

  “Not much, but every little bit helps, right? I hope whatever I find out next week closes the books on Maes.”

  “And good riddance,” Craig said. “The man’s a blight on the world.”

  “Amen to that.”

  They sipped a bit from their drinks, always scanning the pub to see who might be suspect. Lauren had learned by now what signs to look for.

  Craig checked his watch. “We need to wrap this up. You have the other phone I gave you?”

  “I do.” She patted her pocket. “Always carry it with me.”

  “Good.”

  At their first meeting, he’d given her two burner phones. One was used to set up their meetings as well as for any conversation they needed to have between those meetings. The other only had one number programmed into it. His. If she ever had a real emergency, if her work was discovered and a trap set, all she had to do was press one button. Conversely, if he ever called her on that phone it meant the operation was shut down, and she was to get the hell out of Dodge to the prearranged meeting place for extraction.

  “Okay.” He leaned back in the booth. “Call me next week after you find out what this latest with Maes is about and we’ll set up a time to meet. Be prepared to be pulled out right after that.”

  “I will.” She tugged her hat down on her head and was sliding from the booth when Craig reached out and grabbed her wrist.

  “I can’t stress this enough. Be careful, Lauren. My Spidey senses are tingling.”

  “I will. I promise.” She had no wish to get crosswise with Stefan Maes.

  As she exited the Dirty Dog, she pulled her jacket tighter around her body and turned up the collar. The temperature had dipped again while she was inside and there was a sharp nip in the air. Craig’s words echoed in her brain and she felt as if she had a target painted on her back. She walked with rapid steps to the closest Tube station. A mob still crowded the sidewalks despite the temperature, and she had to fight her way through it, all her senses on high alert.

  Even when she reached the station she scanned every area the way she’d been trained. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just the usual Friday night late crowd, everything from singles and couples heading home after a night out to the usual lowlifes who seemed to spend their lives in the Tube stations.

  She was smart and savvy enough, however, to know that didn’t mean anything. At each station she was careful to choose where she stood to wait. She changed trains twice, and damn it, why did it seem as if all the cars on the three trains she rode were full past capacity? She had that familiar twitchy feeling between her shoulder blades, as if someone was watching her. Or worse yet, aiming a gun at her.

  Her eyes never stopped moving. Did that guy in the black jacket look at her strangely? Was that a gun in his pocket? Maybe it was the woman watching her from the corner of her eye. At one station she boarded a train then just before it took off, leaped out, and waited for the next one. But that twitchy feeling was still there.

  She hadn’t tripped any wires. She knew she hadn’t. And Craig was just being his usual old lady self. That was what he got paid for. So why had she been feeling this way all week?

  From the beginning, she’d been able to play her part because she knew her handler had her back. She just hoped that neither of them was overreacting.

  She was exhausted by the time she exited the final stop of the night. Again, she searched the streets as she hiked from the train to the building where she entered the tunnel. Were those footsteps she heard behind her? A man was out walking his dog, and she closed her hand over the gun in her pocket, just in case.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  When she looked over her shoulder she saw an old man walking with a cane. What on earth was he doing out so late at night? She walked faster, hurrying down the familiar street. Maybe she should have stayed at an all-night place until it was light before heading home.

  She raced up the stairs of the building behind hers, let herself in, and hurried to the tunnel, following it to her building. At last she climbed the inside stairway to her flat with weary steps. She had just pulled her key out to unlock her door when the special phone buzzed in her pocket. Her stomach knotted, knowing this meant something serious. She pulled it out and pressed the button to answer.

  “Craig?”

  “Get the hell out of there. Don’t pack, don’t do anything. You know where to meet me, and I’ll have everything you need. Just get going. This minute.”

  Then he said the three words no covert CIA agent ever wanted to hear.

  “Your cover’s blown.”

  Chapter 2

  Arrowhead Bay, two years later

  “That’s it, Marissa. Foot sweep. Just like that.”

  Marissa Hayes extended her leg and swept her foot as instructed, almost, but not quite taking Justin Kelly to the floor. Sweat dripped from her as the former SEAL, wearing protective gear and a big grin, moved just out of range. The protective gear she wore didn’t help her movements, either.

  “Damn!” She swiped her forearm across her forehead, catching the drips of perspiration. “You do it every time.”

  “That’s what I get paid for. Don’t tell me you’re ready to quit.”

  She glared at him. “Not even for money. Bring it on, mister.”

  Justin grinned at her, a curve of his lips that made her body want something other than kicks and jabs and punches.

  “Okay, then.”

  This was the fourth lesson she’d taken from him. When Vigilance, the elite private security agency that made its home in Arrowhead Bay, began offering both group and private classes in certain forms of self-defense, Avery March, the owner, had urged Marissa to take advantage of it.

  “You never know when you might need it,” she’d cautioned.

  And in Marissa’s situation, that was more truth than poetry.

  When one of the most dangerous men in the world had you at the top of his hit list, you never had the luxury of relaxing. Stefan Maes’s reach, even after losing so much of his empire, was still extensive. And she knew, without a doubt, he’d never give up.

  In the two years since her job with the CIA had ended so abruptly, she’d fit herself in to the slow pace of life in Arrowhead Bay, which really suited her. She could be as anonymous as she wanted. For the most part she’d isolated herself from social situations, reminding herself she wasn’t in a position to d
evelop a relationship. Not now. Maybe not ever. Her situation could blow up in her face any time. She never stopped looking over her shoulder. Always double and triple checking locks. Never parking her car in dark places. Ever alert to her surroundings and strangers who could bring danger to her. Never getting too close to people.

  She didn’t think she’d ever be able to let her guard down again. She’d always be looking over her shoulder, but that was the tradeoff.

  Reluctantly she’d let Avery talk her into these classes.

  “You know Justin,” the woman reminded her. “You’ll be comfortable with him.”

  That was true. He was an unexpected and unplanned bright spot as she crafted a new life for herself for the third time. She’d also begun to think of him as her safety net. Not only had he been with Vigilance for five years but he was also a former SEAL. She couldn’t get better protection than that if she needed it.

  Maybe because of that he was one of the few people here she could relax with.

  Sort of.

  Because he was also a man who lived in her dreams almost every night. Who woke up parts of her body she’d thought frozen. It didn’t help that she sensed she was having the same effect on him, from the way he looked at her and the tentative signals he’d floated. But he would never make any kind of move unless she indicated she was open to one. It both excited and scared her.

  She couldn’t relax too much.

  She had to keep repeating that to herself on a daily basis. Letting down her guard could prove fatal to her. Something she never forgot. When she took the CIA assignment, she had suppressed any need for sex, buried any desire for a relationship. She couldn’t do that and her job. Something like that softened her edge, could destroy her, could distract her senses and expose her secrets.

  Taking these classes had been a bad idea. Temptation wasn’t something she needed, even if sometimes alone at night she was desperate for the comfort of another human being. And too often, Justin Kelly was exactly the comfort she craved. How she longed to lean into that toned body, feel those muscular arms around her, press her mouth to his lips that looked so firm. At just over six feet, his lean body was solid, toned muscle. Short-cropped light brown hair accented a sculpted face with a square jaw, high cheekbones, and dark brown eyes that reminded her of melted chocolate.

  She hadn’t been with anyone for so long she’d almost forgotten what it was like. But, if she was honest with herself, she hadn’t ever felt that same crackle of electricity with any other man. That same hunger. That same throbbing in every one of her pulse points.

  And beyond that, he made her feel safe. With Justin, more than with anyone else, she felt one hundred percent protected. Knew if danger came calling, Justin would be there helping her.

  She was sure Avery hadn’t clued him in on her real situation. One of the reasons her former boss had sent her here was because Avery had a zipped lip, knew the meaning of security, and had top-of-the-line protection available. To Justin, she was just someone who had moved to Arrowhead Bay, ran a small art gallery, and basically avoided the mainstream of life.

  She had no idea what to do with this hot sexual attraction growing between them, an elephant in the room they both were ignoring. Not that he was overt about it. No, that wasn’t his style. But he left plenty of openings for her to send him signals. She saw it in his eyes when he was teaching her certain moves. Or when he helped her to her feet and held her hand just a few seconds longer than necessary. Or removed the protective pads she wore during class and let his hands linger on her skin.

  Twice he’d asked her to go for coffee after class. At first, she’d said no, but then she’d thought, I want this. What harm can coffee do? Except, even with a table between them, and casual conversation, the electricity in the air surrounding them was so strong it was almost visible.

  Then last week he’d been teaching her a kick maneuver and swept her legs out from under her, taking her to the floor. They lay there for an endless moment, neither wanting to break the intense gaze they were locked in.

  Yes! She wanted to shout. Kiss me.

  And she was sure he would have, except Avery had come into the room to tell Justin he had a phone call. Her brain told her that was for the best, but the rest of her body had yet to catch up.

  Marissa was so busy letting all these thoughts dangle in her brain that she missed it completely when Justin executed a perfect kick to her knees and took her to the mat.

  “Hey!” She pushed herself up so she was leaning on her elbows. “That’s supposed to be my move.”

  That tantalizing grin flashed again. “Then you best get to it. Come on, or I’ll think you’re a quitter.”

  It continued to amaze her the way he could tease her into putting all of herself into this very physical exercise.

  “Marissa?” Justin’s voice broke into her tiny reverie.

  She blinked and shook her head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to let my mind wander again. Let’s get to it.”

  He cocked his head, studying her. “You sure? We can quit for the day. The hour’s almost up, anyway.”

  “Quit? Hah! You wish. Come on, show me what you’ve got.”

  She skillfully parried and blocked every move of his, answering with one of her own. When the alarm on Justin’s watch sounded, letting them know the hour was up, she was again dripping in sweat and breathing hard, but she felt exhilarated. She’d had greater success blocking his moves then previously, and got in a few hits of her own.

  “You did great there at the end,” he told her, helping her out of the pads. “One of these days you’ll kick my ass but good.”

  “Oh, right.” She snorted. “As if.”

  “Seriously. You picked this up quicker than most people. You’re my star pupil.”

  “I bet you say that to all your students,” she teased, grabbing a towel from the bench and mopping her face and neck.

  “Not quite.” He checked his watch. “Listen. It’s eight thirty. You don’t open until ten. Want to grab a coffee and muffin at Fresh from the Oven like we did the last couple of times?”

  Yes!

  She was playing with danger here. Her life could blow up at any moment, dragging Justin in with her. But despite all her discipline, she couldn’t say no.

  “You’ve got plenty of time.” He tapped his watch. “An hour and a half. Come on. You know what they say about all work and no play. Besides, you always end up having fun.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Right?”

  She had really enjoyed the last two times. What could it hurt to do it again?

  God, she certainly didn’t want to answer that question. But wasn’t she entitled to a little pleasure? As long as she kept remembering it was just coffee. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars or anything else. Suppress all those tantalizing feelings. It was becoming harder and harder to do that, but…

  She blew out a breath.

  “Okay. Sure. That would be nice.”

  He burst out laughing. A deep, warm sound that tickled her nerve endings. “Not the enthusiastic response I hoped for, but I’ll take it.”

  Heat suffused her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I—”

  He waved a hand at her. “Just kidding. It’s fine. Meet you there in about a half hour? That will give you plenty of time to relax with coffee and a roll before you open the gallery.”

  “I— Yes. That works out fine. Thank you.”

  It might have been her imagination, but she was sure she could feel him staring after her as she walked out of the room.

  The gym was housed in a long building next to the renovated Key West house that contained the Vigilance offices and electronics setup. She had just unlocked the door to her car when she heard a woman calling her and turned to see Avery standing on the porch.

  “Hey, Avery.” She waved back.

  “Come on in for a minute, can you?”

/>   Marissa’s stomach knotted. This had to be bad news. And just when she was finally drawing a full breath and thinking she was safe.

  “Sure.”

  When she reached the porch, Avery gave her a hug. Marissa wasn’t sure if it meant the woman was glad to see her or was setting the stage to drop a bomb.

  “Is everything okay?” She hated to ask the question.

  “What? Oh, sure.” Avery grinned. “I just wanted to chat with you a little bit. Come on in for coffee.”

  “Um, the thing is, I’m meeting Justin for coffee in half an hour and I still need to shower and change.”

  Avery’s smile got bigger. “That’s better than a cup with me. You go on. I just wanted to check up on you. We’ve been a little busy lately and I haven’t had as much time to stop by the gallery.”

  “No problem. It’s—I’m actually doing okay there. In fact, better than okay. Traffic is steady and I’m starting to show more local artists.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Avery studied her face. “You’ve done a great job weaving yourself into the fabric of life in Arrowhead Bay without being front and center.”

  Marissa squeezed the other woman’s hand. “Thanks. I feel good here, and I appreciate your concern. Not many people would have done what you did—taken in a complete stranger and helped her build a new life.”

  “Brian Gould is a longtime friend,” she told her, referring to Marissa’s former boss at the CIA. “I owe him big time on a lot of fronts, so I was glad to do it.” She grinned. “The fact that you turned out to be someone I could really like and be friends with has been a bonus.”

  “I don’t know what to say except thank you, to both you and Sheri.” She checked her watch. “And now I’m going to be rude and say I have to run.”

  “Go ahead. Have a little fun.” Avery winked at her. “You could have a lot of fun with Justin.”

  Marissa shook her head. “I—No. It’s nothing like that. He just wants to have coffee.”

  “If you say so. But, Marissa? He’s safe, and you know what I mean by that. He’s also a really nice guy and you couldn’t ask for better protection if you need it.” She held up a hand. “Not that I expect you will. We’ve got you sewed up nice and tight down here. I just think you need to cut yourself a break now and then. I, of all people, wouldn’t encourage it if I didn’t believe you could have complete trust in Justin.”