HOT Angel_Hostile Operations Team_Book 12

by Lynn Raye Harris

  But Amy wasn’t afraid, not anymore. She’d been in character now for a while, and Brooke was so darn proud of the kid she could burst. But she was also worried because what if pretending to be someone else in order to stay strong was a mistake? What if Amy had long-term problems from this?

  What if she ended up like Brooke, afraid of her own shadow and unable to form normal relationships with people? And what if that was Brooke’s fault for suggesting they pretend to be Elsa and Anna in the first place?

  Brooke brooded on these thoughts during the flight. She was across from Cade rather than next to him like she wanted to be. When he’d burst through that door earlier, she’d been so relieved and happy. And scared, of course, because Lopez was crazy enough to detonate the bomb if provoked.

  When Cade had launched himself at Lopez, her heart lodged in her throat and her life flashed before her eyes. But then there was the sound of a gunshot and Cade was back, apparently unhurt, to grab the bomb from her lap and throw it. Every moment of that maneuver was etched into her mind, from the hard look on his face to the way he didn’t hesitate to pick up a live bomb and carry it away from her.

  She’d been avoiding the thought of the gunshot as much as she could, but there was no avoiding it any longer. Cade had tackled Lopez and they’d fallen out the open window. Cade came back and Lopez did not, which meant that Lopez was the one who’d been shot. He hadn’t shot himself. And since he hadn’t come back at all, Cade had clearly killed him.

  She examined her feelings about that. There was horror and fear—and there was relief too. Cade had killed the man who’d killed Scott and planned to kill her and Amy. He’d threatened to turn them into shark bait. He’d strapped a bomb to them. He did not care about their lives, so she wasn’t going to care about his. He’d made his choice, and he’d paid a price for it.

  The helicopter soon landed on a military base. Everyone transferred to a plane that sat with engines running. They wasted no time in taking off. Once they were in the air and the plane had passed the ten-thousand-foot threshold, Cade unbuckled her seat belt, lifted the arm between them, and dragged her into his embrace. He didn’t kiss her. He merely put his face into her hair and breathed her in.

  He smelled like smoke and sweat and grease. She didn’t care. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his, uncaring if she got his dark greasepaint on her.

  “I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

  Brooke stilled. She wasn’t certain she’d heard him right at first. She didn’t say anything for a long moment, breathing, trying to recall the words he’d said in precisely the order he’d said them. Had he really just said…?

  “I should have told you before. I should have let you know how I feel.”

  She pushed back so she could see his face. He was covered in greasepaint and sweat and she thought she’d never seen anything so wonderful in her life. When he’d fallen out that window with Lopez— Well, she’d nearly sucked the duct tape down her throat with the gasp she’d attempted to utter. And then the gunshot, which had made the world stand still until she’d heard his voice. She had to face that this was his life—chaotic, dangerous, messy, and violent. And it wasn’t going to change. Could she handle it?

  “I love you too,” she said in a rush before she could think too hard. “Madly. And I know I shouldn’t have left Grace’s house. I just thought— Well, I felt guilty that Amy had been kidnapped and I wanted to help. Bert was so distraught, and Shelly—” She swallowed. “Amy’s their only child. I thought I could help.”

  Cade looked troubled. She knew he was probably angry with her for not listening to his instructions, which was why she’d felt she had to apologize.

  “It’s my fault,” he said. “I should have told you the truth.”

  “Truth?”

  He glanced over at Amy, who was playing with an iPad someone had given her. Watching Frozen, it appeared.

  Cade pitched his voice low. “Bert let Lopez into the building. He also erased the security recordings where Lopez appeared. And he set you up so Lopez could grab you at the IHOP.”

  Shock washed over her. Bert? Her friend? He’d betrayed her? “But why? Why would he do that?”

  “His wife has multiple sclerosis. He needed the money that Lloyd and the cartel paid him to keep their meetings with Scott Lloyd secret. And then he needed to do what Lopez told him or he might end up dead as well.”

  Brooke was stunned. “Shelly has MS?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, poor Bert.”

  He frowned. “That’s your reaction to him setting you up? Poor Bert?”

  “No, it’s not my whole reaction. I’ll get mad soon enough. But right now—well, I can’t imagine what he must be going through.”

  “He put his family in danger. And you too. I’m not so inclined to think poor Bert right now.”

  Brooke glanced at Amy. “She’s safe. So am I. And Bert’s going to suffer for this because he put his child in danger. She’ll have nightmares. She’ll need therapy. He’s not going to ever forget what he did to her.”

  Cade brushed her hair back from her face, his fingers gentle against her cheek. “What about you, angel? How are you really? Because I’m worried.”

  She thought about it. Really thought about it. Everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. And though it scared her, as it should, she didn’t feel that throat-closing panic she’d gotten before.

  “I think I’m okay. I mean I’m not going to magically process this and act like nothing ever happened, but I think I know what I need to do this time. I need to talk to my counselor. And no, nothing happened to me this time. No sexual assaults at all. And they didn’t touch Amy either. They scared us, but I think Lopez must have issued orders about leaving us alone—or they just weren’t interested. Not one man copped a feel. Not one.”

  “You’re brave, you know that?”

  She smiled. “Actually, I do. Brave and strong. Amy and I pretended to be Elsa and Anna from Frozen. I did it to help Amy—but I think it may have helped me too. I had to stay strong for her. And I did.”

  His gaze searched her face. He put a finger on her mouth, skimmed it over her lips. “You ripped the tape off.”

  “I didn’t rip it. I pulled steadily. No worse than hot wax.”

  He snickered. “You crack me up sometimes, angel.”

  “Do you want to kiss me, Cade?”

  His gaze dropped to her lips. “I definitely do. I’m a little worried about the tenderness though.”

  “Then I’ll kiss you.”

  Chapter 23

  It took far too long for the plane to reach DC, and then it took even longer for the mission debriefing and medical checkups that were a necessary part of operations. Brooke and Amy were taken to a private medical facility that usually evaluated the people HOT brought back. It was an exclusive place, accustomed to the kinds of injuries and psychological issues that hostages could have. Cade was glad that Brooke was being seen there, but she’d been seen there before and she’d still managed to hide the things that had happened to her from the medical professionals on duty.

  She’d sworn she was okay this time, and he believed her. But still he worried.

  When she’d touched her mouth to his on the plane, he’d groaned and hugged her close. The guys very wisely didn’t comment, though once they were on the ground and Brooke and Amy were taken by ambulance to the medical facility, he’d taken some ribbing.

  “Cade and Brooke, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…,” Mal said. The others took up the ditty and teased him all the way back to HOT HQ. Except for Hacker, he’d noticed. Hacker didn’t say a word.

  “Laugh it up, assholes,” Cade had said. “But your day is coming. If you’re lucky.”

  “Not me,” Mal declared. The others followed suit. Hacker had turned away and gazed out the window. Cade figured he was just tired. Hell, they were all tired.

  Now Cade stood in the shower and let the hot water hit aching m
uscles. His hip and leg hurt where he’d landed on them when tackling Lopez. There’d be bruising, and he had muscle relaxers if he needed them.

  But he didn’t care about his aches and pains so much as he cared about Brooke’s. He was dying to get to her, especially after what they’d said to each other on the plane, but he had to wait. She’d promised to call him when she was done. Her cell phone was gone since Lopez had confiscated it when she’d been taken, but she swore she had his number memorized and she would use a phone at the hospital and call him.

  He finished showering, got dressed, and headed for his truck. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he stopped to fish it out and look at it.

  Brooke: Hey, handsome. How are you?

  His heart throbbed. I’m good. How about you? Where are you? And how did you get a phone?

  Brooke: Grace. She got me a new phone. She was waiting for me when I finished. Insisted on bringing me back to her place. Garrett is home.

  Oh hell, he hadn’t even realized Alpha Squad was back. He’d been so preoccupied with this mission, and with Brooke, that he hadn’t paid attention.

  I want to see you, angel. NOW.

  Brooke: And I want to see you, Cade. Come and get me and Max. I need to see you and hold you and get your [eggplant] in my [cat] as soon as possible.

  Cade snorted a laugh. Was she really okay? Could it be that easy? Guilt followed hard on the heels of his happiness. He’d told her he loved her. She’d told him she loved him. But he was still who he was, and she was a woman who didn’t like the kind of life he led.

  I’m coming.

  Brooke: [waggling eyebrow emoji] You will be.

  I love you, angel. Crazy love. You know that, right?

  She sent back a string of hearts. Yes! I love you too. Which is why I want your [eggplant].

  He didn’t think it was as easy as that—they were going to have to talk first—but he hopped in his truck and fired it up. He wasn’t sure what was going to be the hardest—talking with Brooke about what had happened and where they were going or getting through Iceman and Grace and convincing them he was in love with Brooke Sullivan.

  For better or worse.

  * * *

  Brooke was nervous, and not just because Grace was overly chipper and Garrett looked grumpy. They talked to her like she was made of eggshells, speaking to her like a light breeze would blow her over and she’d shatter. It was annoying.

  Cade didn’t talk to her that way. In fact, Cade treated her like she was made of stronger stuff, though he also made sure she was holding up when things got tough. But he gave her the benefit of the doubt, and she appreciated that.

  Still, she knew her friends were coming from a place of love and she couldn’t be mad at them for it even if she wanted to scream sometimes.

  Max was his usual self, happy to see her, licking and whining and jumping up and down when she walked in the door. She hadn’t wanted to go to Grace and Garrett’s other than to get Max, but of course they’d known what was happening and they’d also known the instant she’d returned. Since Garrett was HOT, he knew where to find her.

  They’d been waiting for her when she’d been released from her evaluation. She’d been dehydrated and exhausted but otherwise healthy. She’d demanded information on Amy and been assured that the little girl was well and her parents were with her. Brooke hadn’t wanted to see Bert, so when she’d emerged to find Garrett and Grace waiting, she’d gone with them with very little argument.

  They’d stopped so she could get a new phone on the way. Since all her contacts were in the cloud, she’d been able to restore her phone and access her conversations with Cade. She didn’t tell her friends that she’d texted Cade because she didn’t want to hear any arguments against it.

  When his truck pulled up a short while later, she knew he’d have to be buzzed into the house by the Secret Service. She’d gotten out easily enough two nights ago because she wasn’t their charge and they weren’t assigned to her. But getting in when you weren’t expected would be a whole other story.

  A few minutes passed and no Cade, so Brooke returned to the window to see what was happening—and there were Garrett and Cade, facing each other with fists clenched and red faces. The Secret Service guys didn’t even bother to interfere. They knew better.

  Brooke bolted down the hall, ripped open the side entry door and bounded outside to where the men stood.

  “What are you doing?” she shouted.

  Garrett spun. “Get back inside, Brooke.” He was calm and almost fatherly with her. She wanted to smack him. And kiss him on the cheek for being so sweetly irritating. She knew he still felt guilty for what had happened to her, just as Grace did. That’s why they were so protective. Her family was in California, so Garrett and Grace felt responsible for her. She loved them for that, but it was also suffocating.

  “No, Garrett. Let Cade in. I want him here. We can talk like adults inside.”

  Garrett frowned. And then he let out a breath. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  They went back inside, and Brooke led the way to the TV room where so many football games had happened. Where these men had been friends and had a good time together.

  Grace appeared, having gone to take a nap when they’d returned home earlier. She looked refreshed, though she also looked puzzled.

  “Oh. Hello, Cade,” she said when she realized he was there too.

  “Hi, Grace.”

  Brooke marched to his side and twined her fingers in his. Garrett looked to Grace with a huge frown but didn’t say anything. Grace sighed.

  “Look, I love you two,” Brooke said. “And I know you’re only looking out for me. You care about me and you care what happens to me. I wasn’t truthful with you about what happened two years ago.” She knew Grace would have told Garrett by now. A muscle in his jaw tensed and she knew it was true. “But I’m going to be fine. And I’m going to be fine because of this man right here.”

  Cade squeezed her fingers. “I understand that you two are worried about Brooke,” he said. “But you have nothing to fear from me. I love her. I intend to marry her whenever she’s ready. And if she’s not ready for ten years, well, I’ll marry her then.”

  Butterflies beat in her belly. “You want to marry me?”

  “When you’re ready.”

  “You don’t even know if I have any disgusting habits yet—what if I clip my toenails at the breakfast table? Or wear the same socks for a week?”

  He grinned. “Then I’ll make sure we don’t sit at the table for breakfast, and I’ll wash your dirty clothes every day.”

  Grace still looked dubious. Garrett looked thoughtful. Brooke let go of Cade and went over to her bestie. She had to stand on tiptoe to kiss her friend’s cheek. Then she took both of Grace’s hands and held them in hers. “You’re emotional right now. Your hormones are going crazy and you love me. But honey, you fell for Garrett in a matter of days. And he fell for you. Now tell me that your hasty romance has ruined your life or that you’re miserable with this man and looking for a way out. Tell me it isn’t working out and you made a mistake. Tell me that, and I’ll tell Cade to go away and I won’t see him again.”

  Grace only blinked, her mouth falling slightly open. Garrett was actually grinning when Brooke shot him a glance. He came over and put his arm around Grace, pulled her into his side, and kissed the top of her head.

  “Admit it, cupcake,” he said. “You’ve been outmaneuvered. She’s right.”

  Grace let out a long breath. “You’re right. We already talked about it, I know, but I wondered if maybe you weren’t infatuated. And I wondered if Cade was really capable of giving you what you deserve.” Her gaze lifted, went to Cade standing nearby. “I think he is, by the way. He’s almost as romantic as Garrett.”

  Garrett snorted. “Cupcake, he’s way more romantic than I am. I’m not romantic at all. I just knew you were the one for me and I was going to do whatever it took to let you know. Saint here—well, he seems about as likely to spout po
etry as my great-aunt Mary. Which, as you know, happens often and tends to be flowery as shit.”

  Brooke stifled a giggle. She’d heard all about Great-aunt Mary. She spoke in Shakespearean sonnets when particularly moved, and she could quote Emily Dickinson and Wordsworth all day long. Grace laughed about the way the woman would launch into sonnets at the Olive Garden whenever they went back to visit Garrett’s family. Apparently the breadsticks there were worthy of great poetry.

  “Hey, I don’t spout poetry,” Cade protested. “I mean, I’ll learn if she wants it, but hell, dude, when have you ever heard me say anything poetic?”

  Grace laughed suddenly and hugged Brooke. “Congratulations, bestie. I mean it. Clearly if Saint can put up with us, he really does have the patience of a saint. And he deserves you.”

  Garrett shook Cade’s hand. “Just kidding with you, man,” Garrett said. “You aren’t bright enough to memorize a poem.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Cade replied.

  “Okay, so I’m not her dad or anything—and understand she’s still got one of those you’ll have to go through. A fancy doctor out there in California or something, so good luck with that—but I’m obliged to tell you, on behalf of my wife, that if you hurt Brooke or break her heart, I’ll have to beat your ass into a pulp.”

  “Roger that,” Cade said.

  “Okay, great,” Garrett replied, stepping back with arms wide. “Can we fucking get something to eat now? I’m starving.”

  Chapter 24

  He had every intention of taking it slow with her after her ordeal, but Brooke had other ideas. Ideas that shocked Cade considering that he’d figured she’d just want to cuddle up in his arms and sleep.

  He took her to his place so they could let Max out to run if he wanted, and because it was closer, and no sooner were they inside than he had her in his arms. He intended to hold her close, just hold her, but Brooke had her hands beneath his T-shirt, her palms on his skin, searing into him, within seconds.