Freedom Code

by Elaine Levine

  Shooting sounded from outside. More shooting from farther away. And then the thing that filled Levi with dread—three huge explosions.

  The fireworks display started, which Levi hadn’t signaled. The fair rep probably wanted to cover-up the gunshots and explosions. Levi was breathing hard. With the screaming Arabic recording playing it was hard to hear the sit rep coming over their comms.

  “Shut that thing down,” Max growled. Levi did. Quiet took over the room, with only the fireworks booming in the near distance.

  Levi grinned at Max, who was giving the SWAT commander an update over their comms. They both heard the same thing. Three of the terrorists had run outside with their drones, trying to get away from the jammer. They were blown up with their drones. The other three tried to make it into the main office. One was shot outside. He and Max secured the other two. At least two of the bad guys had survived; the FBI would have fun getting info from them.

  Jack’s agents came in and took them into custody. Levi and Max freed the station manager and led him outside. One of the Feds took him to an ambulance. It was a zoo outside with news vans and reporters everywhere, trying to get as close as they were allowed. Jack came over with the event manager and the county fair rep. They congratulated Levi and Max.

  Levi saw Mr. Powell being led over to his station manager, who was sitting on the back of an ambulance. Levi went over to thank him.

  “No, thank you for listening to me,” Mr. Powell said, shaking Levi’s hand.

  “You bet. You did the right thing, bringing this forward and insisting someone take it seriously,” Levi said.

  The bomb squad came in to clear the site. Everyone was moved farther back. Levi and Max got on Max’s bike.

  “Where to, bro?” Max asked.

  “My Jeep. Gonna head to Zaida’s. You staying in town or heading back home?”

  “Think I’ll head back home,” Max said. “Been away from my woman too long. We’ve got some celebrating to do.” At Levi’s Jeep, they exchanged a man-hug. “You know you’re going to be hearing from Owen.”

  Levi shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “About what? I told him where to send the bill.”

  “Yeah, no doubt he’s already done that. I’m betting he’s got an employment package for you. You may not have come from the Red Team, but you know your way around a bad situation.”

  “Tell him not to bother.” Levi grinned. “I got flowers. Who needs terrorists?”

  Max laughed. “Flowers. Right.” They bumped fists. “Later, bro. If you think you still need me, let me know.”

  “Nah, we’re good. Thanks, man,” Levi said, then watched his friend ride off.

  Levi began to unwind as he made his way over to Zaida’s. He knew Jack’s team would go through the data to make sure the whole cell had been taken down. That wasn’t going to be a fast process. And who knew how accurate his analysis would be. Terrorist cells were fluid organizations. They added and lost members all the time. Their parent organizations routinely dissolved and reformed as new entities. Getting an accurate head count on terrorists was an imprecise art.

  Ten men in the cell were dead or out of commission—three of them had been vaporized. The neo-Nazis from the university might provide some info on who they worked with…but then again, maybe not.

  There were still two more full weekend days at the fair. It continued into the week for another two days, but Zaida’s participation finished Sunday evening.

  Levi would really just like to hear they’d successfully terminated this threat.

  18

  Selena opened the door for Levi. She read his face, then gave him a relieved smile. Zaida and Ace stood.

  “Is it really over?” Zaida asked, wringing her hands. Levi had texted the three of them that it was all clear and he was coming back. He knew Owen’s crew had updated Zaida as they followed along on their comms.

  Levi nodded. “I think so. No civilians were hurt.” He gave the fighters a sit rep, moving through it fast because Zaida looked ready to drop.

  “Righto,” Selena said. “We’re outta here. See you in the morning, Zaida.”

  “You’re coming back?” she asked.

  “Coming back? We’ll just be upstairs,” Ace said. “Until we get a firm all clear, we’re your bodyguards for the weekend.”

  Zaida looked relieved. “Good. Thank you. I hope this was the end of it, but I appreciate your being here.”

  “Later, Levi,” Ace waved as she went past him.

  The door shut behind the two fighters, leaving him alone with Zaida.

  So. This was it. This gig was almost up. It was time for them to face reality…time for him to accept Zaida’s choice for their future.

  “You okay?” he asked her. Neither of them had moved toward the other.

  She nodded, then followed that with a shake of her head. He went over and pulled her into his arms, holding her until her trembling eased.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  He told her the lite version of the story, telling her about the man who followed the see something, say something rule, that the guy’s friend was saved and the business wasn’t too badly damaged. “Everything worked out okay,” he said.

  She frowned at him. “You make it sound like it was nothing.”

  He shrugged, giving her a little smile. “I guess I judge things by how badly the good guys get hurt. This time, no civilians were harmed. Yes, we lost Mike at the beginning of all this, but none of those claymores were set off in the crowds. Two groups of bad guys are off the streets, one’s pretty much wiped out. I’d say it was a good day.”

  For a long moment, they just looked into each other’s eyes. Levi wanted to ask what she meant when she said she loved him, but he didn’t. If she put him in a friend zone, he wouldn’t be able to walk that back.

  He touched her cheek with his fingertips. “I’d kill for a shower. Want to take one with me?” He grinned, expecting her to shoot him down.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Zaida’s shower was big, built for a man his size, not a little thing like her. There were two showerheads. They each stood under one, facing each other. Zaida’s nude body was perfect: big breasts, slim waist, curvy hips, gorgeous thighs, slim shoulders and arms. She was not in the least shy about her body or worried about his watching her as she bathed.

  She’d had a long and stressful day, but she’d been brave as hell facing it. The last thing he wanted was to take more from her by asking for intimacy, but his dick was already long and hard, stretching down between his legs. When she looked at him with hungry eyes, he could no more fight his reaction to her than he could stop the sun from shining.

  They washed themselves independently, watching the other. When they both were rinsed, Zaida shut off her water. Levi was almost afraid to move, wanting what he knew he shouldn’t.

  “Levi, you should know… I mean, I want you to know…two things. I don’t…I’ve been cleared, you know, of any STDs. I should have told you before.”

  Levi frowned at her, trying to make sense of what she was saying while the shower roared down on him. He shut it off. STDs. She didn’t have any. Good. That was great.

  “I’m clear too,” he said. “I had that as part of my annual physical in the service. I haven’t been with anyone since my last one. So...”

  Zaida moved a step closer to him. “And I’m on birth control.” She shrugged. “I started that with Jamal and just never stopped. It messes with everything, going on and off that stuff, so I just stayed on it. I was thinking of getting off it, but then you came along.”

  He moved toward her, catching her face in his hands. “I didn’t want to press you. Not tonight, after the day you’ve had.”

  “The day I’ve had? What about you? You had to stop terrorists and bombs. You faced death head on.”

  He shrugged. “That used to be a normal day.”

  She shivered. “Make love to me, Levi. Please.”

  He nodded, then opened t
he shower door and got out. He handed her a towel. They both dried off. He watched as she put lotion all over herself. Such a girl thing…but that was Zaida: one hundred percent female.

  He went into her room and turned her bedside lamp on. It had three brightness levels; he put it on the dimmest. He wanted to watch her as they made love.

  Love.

  Was this love? The real stuff? The kind of love you gave up everything for?

  He looked over at her Kama Sutra couch. It would be wasted tonight. Tonight they needed slow and easy, sex and talk. When Zaida came out of the bathroom, he lifted the covers for her. The air conditioner was on super cold. Felt great after the blistering heat of the day. He got in after her and pulled her close, loving the feel of her soft body against his, their legs entwined. He knew she could feel the heat of his erection between them.

  He leaned over and kissed her mouth, leisurely, taking his time, letting her body get used to his. He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes, losing himself there as he smoothed a bit of her damp hair from her face. He had so much to say to her, but he knew it needed to wait.

  He leaned down and kissed her cheek, wondering if his bristly beard bothered her. He hadn’t shaved in a few days. He kissed her chin, her neck, her shoulder. She moaned. He caught her breast in his hand then inched down to mouth her nipple. There was the slightest taste of lotion on her. He rubbed her skin with the back of his hand, wiping it off before he sucked hard on her tightened peak.

  Still holding her breast, he kissed her side, her ribs, her hip. Pushing her flat on her back, he opened his mouth and ran his teeth gently over her upper thigh, her inner thigh. She was open to him, relaxed and beautiful. His to take. He kissed her mound, then separated her intimate folds and tongued her clit. She whimpered quietly, a frown wrinkling her brow. He smiled at her as he lay between her legs, then gave all his attention to her sex, letting her moans and quiet cries, the movements of her hips direct his touch.

  She tasted so sweet. One finger entered, teasing her. Two fingers. Her hips lurched up against his face. He draped an arm over them, holding her in place as her orgasm racked her body.

  As it began to ease, he kissed his way back up her body. When he was almost lying fully on her, she pushed herself to sit up. Smiling at him, she ordered him to his knees. When he knelt, she took hold of his cock, her hands stroking him, her fingers teasing him until he was huge and throbbing for her mouth. She leaned forward and brought him to her lips, letting her pink tongue swipe over his swollen head.

  He hissed at the sensation, watching as her mouth opened and she took him inside her, deep. His breath came in short huffs as he felt her tongue stroke the sensitive underside of his cock. He moved his hips, gently thrusting into her mouth. She moaned, and the sound rumbled against his skin. She sucked him, drawing down against one of his thrusts, wresting a groan from him.

  He eased himself from her mouth, feeling dazed. He bent down and kissed her, fucking her now with his tongue. When she sucked that, he almost came. “You’re trying to kill me, woman.”

  She laughed, that sexy, feminine, brutal laugh that reminded him she knew so much more about infinite things, things he’d never know or understand. She was a mystery, a woman, and she was his.

  He scooped a hand behind her waist and tugged her lower on the bed, then kneed her thighs wider open and settled between them, rocking against her mound, grinding himself against her clit. When he guided himself to her opening, it was pure heaven. He tried to enter her slowly, so slowly, but she was wet and hot and ready for him, and slow was itself a demon right now. When she arched up, pushing herself against him, he slid all the way in, seating himself to his balls, stretching her.

  He stared down into her eyes as he moved in her, realizing they weren’t two people seeking their own independent pleasure; they were one being, one heart, each experiencing the other. He never wanted this feeling to end, though he knew he wasn’t going to last long. Not with his balls so tight, banging against her.

  She bent her knees and wrapped her arms around his chest, hugging him to her as she moved against him. He moved faster, tapping all the way against the back wall of her vagina. She was making delicious little sounds that drove him harder. He was so close. So close. He clenched his teeth, fighting his release, wanting her to go first. And when she did, her inner muscles gripped and pulsed against him until he could no longer resist.

  He groaned as he released inside her in hot spurts. His orgasm set hers off anew. He kept thrusting, riding her passion, giving her what she needed.

  Took a while for her body to calm from its excitement, but it finally eased away. She went limp under him. He smiled into her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Making love to her was like riding an earthquake. God, she was amazing.

  She looked as moved as he felt. Her nostrils flared as her breath hitched. Levi frowned at the storm in her eyes. She caught his face and brought him close for a kiss. “I meant what I said, Levi Jones. I love you.”

  He gave her a sad smile. “I wasn’t sure when you said it. You love everyone. You love easily. I was afraid you meant you loved me like a friend.”

  “I do. Like a friend. Like a lover. Like my man.”

  “Zaida, I can walk away now. I don’t want to, but I can. But if you tell me I’m your man, then you gotta know it’s a forever kind of thing. And I mean for fucking ever.”

  She circled her arms around his neck. “I want forever,” she said, “with you. I want us. I want the world to know you’re mine. Is that clear enough for you?”

  He stroked her face. He wanted to smile, but it was hard with his heart in his throat. He nodded. “Yes.” He kissed her forehead. “We need to talk, though. There are things you should know.”

  “Like what?”

  Levi eased himself from her. For a moment, they lay side by side. Then he rolled over and faced her. “I took this job with extreme prejudice. I hate cybercrime ops.”

  She touched him, her hand moving from his shoulder across his chest. “Why?”

  “I told you I was in love twice…before now. The last time was when I was paired on a cybercrime op with an intelligence officer from the Navy. ”

  “She was the one, right? The one you loved?”

  “Yeah.” He paused. “We were in Tbilisi, Georgia, trying to ferret out details about some Russian hackers. Those bastards were staying a step ahead of us, and we couldn’t figure out their secret. My job was to provide Julia security so she could do her job. We posed as a married couple. It was an extended op. Things got a little heated. Fuck, they got a lot heated. I fell for her. Hard.”

  Levi sighed. He stared into Zaida’s eyes, wishing things were different. Wishing he didn’t have to tell her this story. She put her hand on his fist.

  “Mike was there.”

  “My Mike? Mike Folsom?”

  “Yeah. He was our CIA liaison. He was also working the case. He saw something I didn’t. I was too blinded by Julia to see it. He did a psy-ops maneuver, releasing a bit of false info to see where it spilled out.”

  “What happened?”

  “Well, it spilled out of Julia. We discovered she was a double agent. She was working for the fucking Russians.”

  “Oh my, God.”

  “Took a while to convince me. I tried to prove him wrong. But once he was on to her, the things she did became clearer. He got confirmation from a couple of his sources.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I did what I was sent in to do. Neutralize the threat.” Levi opened his fist and looked at his fingers. He could still feel Julia’s hot, wet blood on his hands. “I killed her.”

  “Levi.”

  “Yeah. I killed the woman I loved. I never gave her a chance to get away. I took her life.”

  Zaida leaned up on her elbow and looked at him in horror. He closed his eyes and rolled to his back, knowing her next words would be for him to leave. Her hand was cold on his face. He sat up, dropping his legs over the side of the be
d as he held his face in his hands.

  Zaida crawled over to lean against him. She wrapped one arm over his back and the other under his arm. Joining her hands, she kissed his shoulder. “When was this?”

  “Two years ago. Nothing was the same after her. That’s when I knew I had to get out. I already had the farm. It was time to go. My tour was up in January, so I left.” Left everything. His brothers. The teams. The Navy. The only life he’d known as an adult. “I’ve had a hard time trusting women since Julia. There’s really been no one. I never expected you.”

  She smiled and kissed his shoulder again. Wait…why wasn’t she kicking him out? Couldn’t she see what a monster he was?

  “That’s what I meant when I said I took this job with extreme prejudice. At first glance, you looked a like another Julia.”

  “I’m not Julia redux.”

  He looked at her, then nodded. “I’m sorry for being a bastard when we first met.”

  “I didn’t understand what was happening.” She rested her chin on his shoulder. “You were overwhelming.”

  “This—you and I—we’ve happened fast. So fucking fast. I don’t want to take any of this for granted, especially not you.”

  “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

  “I haven’t believed in love for a long time. I really haven’t given it a thought. I’m not exactly batting a thousand in that department.”

  “I believe in it.”

  “Well, you would, given it’s your career.”

  “Or is it my career because I believe in it?”

  Levi sighed. He scooted back on the bed and drew her over his chest. He honestly was afraid to move forward with her. What if he failed her? If he opened himself and let her in, and then at some point in the future they didn’t work out, he would fucking die.

  “I know what we should do,” she said.