She stepped away from him, missing his warmth immediately, and took control of her emotions. “If I can blindly drop off a building, then I guess I’m up for a rickety ladder.”
Mac held his weapon in his right hand and reached for her hand with his left. He headed toward the far corner of the roof. “Stay close.”
At the ledge, Mac took a moment to study the street below. The way his eyebrows furrowed and his forehead wrinkled, he wasn’t happy with what laid below them.
Lexie could hear the sirens, but the rear building was deserted. “Where are the emergency personnel? Why isn’t anyone here to help us?”
“They believe we’re still in the building.”
She couldn’t take her eyes off the long, narrow ladder attached to the brick. Even in the semi-darkness she could see the rusted joints. “It’s safe, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Instead of answering her, he climbed onto the ladder. “We’ll go as slowly as you need.”
She lifted her leg and took the first rung, then eased over the ledge the same way Mac did. This time if she fell, she would take him with her.
“Lexie, those red—”
“Stop checking me out, Mac McNeil, or I’ll tell Díaz he hired a pervert as an agent.”
“Make sure you get my title right.”
“What?”
“When you report me, my title is Special Agent-in-Charge Lucas McNeil.”
“That’s…”
Lexie’s foot hit pavement. She let go of the ladder and spun around. Mac stood inches from her with a silly grin on his face. She let out a heavy breath, rose on her toes, and kissed him on his cheek. “Thanks for distracting me. Where are we?”
“Behind headquarters.” He took her elbow and moved into the shadows of the building. “We have to get you somewhere safe.”
“Where is Gabriel?”
“Jason has him.”
“I have to see him.”
His expression tensed, and he rolled his shoulder muscles. “Think through that request, Lexie. You know Gabriel is in good hands. You, on the other hand, have a crazy bastard trying to—”
“Kill me? Yeah, I kind of figured that out. I thought Ryan was one of you, an agent. He said he was there to take me home.”
Mac stopped short and studied her, his expression hard. “Wait, you know this guy?”
“Well, kind of.”
Mac cupped her elbows and brought her close to him. “How, Lexie?”
“I dated him.”
“You what?”
“One date. Actually, a half date, well, I wouldn’t even call it a date. We just met for coffee.”
“Where?”
Lexie shoved at Mac’s chest, but he didn’t nudge.
“At Marcus and Cole’s café.”
“When did you meet him?”
The angry Mac McNeil was back in full form. It took everything in her not to slug him hard in the nose. “Last night, and if you don’t let go of me, I’m going to stomp on your foot so hard, you’ll be limping into next week.”
Mac released her and widened the space between them. His eyes tightened, and he clamped his jaw. The expression spoke volumes. She didn’t invite that Ryan bastard into her life, and she’d gotten rid of him as fast as she could.
“Who is he?”
“I don’t know. He introduced himself as Ryan. I didn’t even catch his last name.”
“What did you catch?”
“At the café, I got a bad feeling about the guy. Couldn’t wait to end the date.”
“And?”
“Tonight, he asked me if I told Díaz about him. I thought he was concerned for his security clearance. He didn’t want his name connected to a woman who was being questioned for domestic terrorism.”
“What are you not telling me?”
“I can’t prove it, but he’s your man, the guy who launched the drone.”
Eight
Of all the men Lexie Trevena could have picked to start dating again, she chose a damn terrorist. Mac shoved his anger deep and took Lexie’s hand, setting out in a run toward the lot across the alley. Was Ryan still near, hoping to get another chance at grabbing her?
Since most of the lot was poorly lit, staying in the shadows wasn’t a problem. He spotted his brother’s old sedan in the rear left corner and removed the extra set of keys from under the carriage of the rear bumper. Opening the passenger door, he murmured under his breath, “Great filter for men you got there, Lexie.”
“He wasn’t my choice. I didn’t pick him.”
“Why in the hell does he want you so badly he risked breaking into the FBI?”
“I can’t explain any of this.”
Mac relaxed his cramped, fisted hand. “Get in.”
“I figured you would have something a little newer.”
“It’s Jason’s old car. We keep it handy for when we don’t want to be noticed.”
He shut the passenger door and stalked around the sedan. His body was on alert, every nerve firing at once.
Lexie Trevena had done it again. The thought of her with Ryan, even just having a cup of coffee, made him want to lock her away in a guarded safe house for the next fifty years. How could one woman be so impulsive? He swung open the door and dropped into the driver’s seat. He glanced at Lexie from the corner of his eye. She sat straight, her hands folded in her lap.
“I have every right to be furious at you, too.” Lexie’s voice shook, but her body remained completely still.
“I’m not angry at you.”
“Where were you today? How could you leave me alone like that to face Díaz and his questions? I thought we… that we were at least kind of…”
“Kind of what, Lexie? Friends? I’ve tried to be your friend, and all I have ever received was a door in my face.”
“So, what was today? Your revenge?”
“Lexie, I’m not that man. I had orders to bring you, and as much as you hate the FBI, I was doing my job.”
“I hate your job. I hate the FBI, and I hate that damn building. After everything we have been through, you should have been there.”
The words stung; the shaky, breathless tone in her voice hurt more. She would never know how in the instant Díaz broke her, Mac questioned his future as an agent.
He started the car. “You didn’t want me in there, Lexie. You think you hate me because of Rico. If I were in that room, if it were me throwing those questions at you, it would have raised a wall between us we could never break through. I know you don’t trust me, but you are going to have to work with me if you want to see Gabriel turn three.”
“Answer one question, Mac.”
“What?”
“Do you think I did this horrible thing?”
“Not for one damn second. However, you’re connected to this somehow. When did you suspect that Ryan was responsible for the drone attack?”
“You mean before he tried to blow us to smithereens?”
“As I approached you in the back hallway, you were in strike mode.”
“The closer to the stairwell we got, the more pressure he had on my elbow. It just freaked me out. Then I saw Ryan put that device on the wall, and every instinct in me shrieked not to go with him. I pulled back, but I couldn’t pull away from him. I told him I had nothing to do with the drone attack. His eyes changed to the cold gleam of a madman right in front of me and he said, I know. There wasn’t any doubt in his expression, he was responsible and wanted me to know it.”
Mac yanked the gear in reverse and backed out of the spot. At the exit, he turned onto an access road and took the entrance to the interstate. This time of night, few cars crowded the lanes. Needing a way to release the tension, he pressed his foot on the accelerator, kicking the vehicle past the seventy-five-mph mark. “That bastard never should have gotten that close to you. That’s on me.”
“You saved my life tonight, twice. I think we’re even for now.”
If M
ac lifted the sleeve on her blouse, he would find bruises where Ryan’s fingers dug into her skin. And, had he arrived in that hallway one minute late, he would have lost her. They weren’t even. The promise he’d made to Rico, shot to hell and back.
What bugged the hell out of him was if Ryan wanted her dead, why didn’t he just kill her when he had the chance? He could have snapped her neck, ignited the bomb, and escaped.
It was Mac’s duty to keep Lexie and Gabriel safe. He had tried so many times over the last two years to be part of her life. When Lexie shut him out, he kept his promise from the shadows. It wasn’t stalking―or, at least, that’s what he told himself.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to let Ryan think he succeeded.”
“You mean people will think I’m dead? You can’t do that. I’ve lived in Austin all my life. I have friends who care about me.”
“And there is a brilliant maniac out there who wants you dead. Until we discover the connection between you and Ryan, and the drone attack, you will stay dead.”
“My chances of holding my head up at Roland’s may be long gone, but this… it’s just wrong, and it will kill Cole and Marcus.”
“I know you’ve had a hard day—”
“Don’t patronize me.”
Mac’s grip tightened on the steering wheel and he choked down his anger before it boiled up all over Lexie. No one dared push his buttons, and she didn’t have a clue what she was doing to him. “Have you given any thought that maybe one of your friends or a colleague at Roland help set you up?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ryan didn’t do this on his own. This was a team effort, a very well-planned hit, from stealing the drones to the attack on Senator Ramirez. Whoever is behind this went to a lot of trouble to pin it on you.”
“My friends wouldn’t—”
“For once, will you just listen? You’re drowning in this mess. All I’m trying to do is pull you to safety, but you have to stop treating me like I’m your enemy.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Lexie curled in on herself. This was why she closed the door on him so often. After the day she’d had, the last thing she needed was a taste of his temper.
He took the exit off the interstate toward the safe house set up for Jason and Sarah. After a few minutes, the quiet got to him. “I’m sorry, Lexie.” When she didn’t even acknowledge that he spoke, he tried again. “I’m trying to keep you alive. I can’t allow anything to happen to you.”
A fist-sized knot took up residence in his neck. He massaged the muscle, hoping it would ease the tension. “Someone set you up, and it’s going to be hard proving you’re the victim. I promise you I’ll find out what’s going on and end it. If you want to continue working for Roland, I’ll make sure they know you are innocent. And if you want me completely out of your life, I’ll honor that.”
He turned into a residential neighborhood. After weaving his way through a maze of streets, he turned into a cul-de-sac and hit the garage door opener for the home at the end of the circle. He then pulled into the garage and shut off the engine.
“Marcus and Cole aren’t part of this.”
“Don’t contact them, Lexie.”
“Where is Gabriel?”
“Inside with Jason and Sarah.”
Without a glance in his direction, she opened the car door and rushed into the house. Mac didn’t try to stop her, nor did he follow her. The distance she placed between them wasn’t a bad idea.
The kitchen door opened into the garage, and his brother jogged down the steps. “You look like shit.” Jason eased in a little closer. “And you don’t smell much better.”
“That’s what happens when you’re trapped in a burning building.” He glared at his brother. “Don’t you have a diaper to change or spit-up to clean?”
“Lexie’s upset. What the hell did you say to her?”
Mac let out a harsh laugh. “I told her all the people she trusts are in on this nightmare.”
“Dumbshit. Why did you do that?”
“She wanted me to just take her back to her life like nothing happened. I also told her to shut it and listen.” He eyed Jason. “I think that was the real kicker.”
“She really gets under your skin, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Want some brotherly advice?”
“You want my fist in your ugly face?”
“You’re going to be confined in the same house for a few hours. Maybe you should take the time and figure out why she makes you so crazy.”
“Maybe you should butt out of my life.”
“Now what fun would that be? Lexie is my friend, and I don’t believe for a minute she did any of this. Go easy on her, Mac, or I’m going to have to pound on you a little. And just for the record, Sarah wants your head on a stick.”
“What the hell did I do to piss off Sarah?”
“Jason, Mac, you better get in here.” Sarah stood in the doorway.
Mac opened the door and got out. “What’s wrong? Is it Lexie, Gabriel?”
“No. For the last several hours, I’ve been watching for any signal from the drone. It just went live, and this isn’t good.”
“Where is it?” Jason moved through the doorway behind his wife.
“The worst possible place it could be.” Sarah pulled her laptop on the table around so he and Jason could see the screen. “It’s in Brownsville, a half mile from the bridge into Mexico.” She ran her hands rapidly over the keys. “I can’t shut it down.” An instant later, she blew out a shaky gust of air. “Shit. It’s launching.”
A traffic camera view of the bridge between the United States and Mexico spread across the screen.
“Son of a bitch. Sarah, can’t you do anything?” Mac’s heart plummeted into his gut.
“No, I’m shut out completely.”
Mac watched as the drone flew above the vehicles queued on the bridge, paused for a moment, then fired a missile through the customs and immigration building on the Mexican side of the bridge.
Nine
The softness of Gabriel’s warm body in Lexie’s arms and the smell of his bath soap worked like magic and eased the turbulent emotions churning through her. Using the palm, she wiped the tears from her face and laid her son on his makeshift bed on the sofa.
“Mommy’s crying.” His small hand reached up and touched her eyes.
“I missed my sweet boy.”
“I played with Jason, and he let me hold the babies.”
Lexie couldn’t help smiling. The innocence of children. That was how it was supposed to be, and she would fight to make sure Gabriel’s life stayed that way. She tucked his blanket around him and kissed him on the forehead. “You need to go back to sleep. It’s still nighttime.”
He wiggled his nose. “You stink like Cole’s cigars.”
She took in a good whiff of her blouse. “I stink worse than Cole’s cigars.” She brushed a finger over his eyebrows. “Now close those eyes. As soon as you’re asleep, I’ll take a much-needed shower.”
“I want Giraffe.”
Gabriel loved his favorite stuffed animal and was never without it. “Giraffe is home in bed. Cole and Marcus will take care of him for you until you get back.”
Gabriel tried to sit up, but she gently eased him onto the pillow. “Why can’t we go home now?”
“I need to talk to Jason and Mac first. Close your eyes, and I’ll read Giraffe’s story to you.”
Her son raised his hand. “No book.”
“I don’t need the book.”
Squirming down into the soft cushions, he closed his eyes, then instantly opened them. “Stay with me.”
“Yes, sweetie. I’m not going anywhere.”
That seemed to calm him. He turned on his side. For the next five minutes, she recited Gabriel’s favorite book, word for word, until his breathing grew heavy. She lowered her tired body to the floor and rested her head on the sofa cushio
n, her eyes never leaving her son’s peaceful face.
Lexie had several horrible days in her life, but this one topped the list. A sob clogged her throat. What if she’d never made it out of that building? She took her son’s hand in hers, her only lifeline. It was a lot of pressure to place on a two-year-old.
A hand touched her shoulder, and she couldn’t help the tremor that sliced through her body. Without opening her eyes, she whispered, “Please leave me alone.”
Mac knelt next to her. “There’s been another attack.”
Lexie lifted her head, almost banging it into Mac’s jaw. “What?”
Keeping his voice at a whisper, he said, “The drone just fired a missile at the border closing in Matamoros, Mexico.”
“Good God. Why? You don’t think I had anything—”
“No, of course not.”
He reached for her hand, held it for a second, then released it. This was the first time she got a clear look at Mac since they escaped the FBI building. His face and neck were covered with soot and every feature crowded with exhaustion. Lexie brushed a finger over her own face, the tip coming soiled. “Oh, Mac, I’m so sorry about all this. What can I do to help?”
A hint of a smile touched his eyes. “Do you know you just willingly volunteered to work with the FBI?”
Before she could say anything, he held up his hands. “Sorry for the dig. Couldn’t help myself.”
“Next time, try harder.”
The smile evaporated and his eyes turned serious. “I know you are dead on your feet, but we need something on Ryan.”
“I know next to nothing about the man.”
“That’s more than we know. How acquainted are you with Jason’s wife, Sarah?”
“I consider her one of my friends. Why?”
“Sarah has a way of extracting the most obscure details and finding valuable information we can use. If you don’t mind, we would like you to go over everything you can remember about your date with Ryan. There may be something we can use to figure out who he is.”
“He was in the building where there are cameras at every corner. Can’t you use facial recognition to ID him?”
In the Shadow of Pride Book 4 Page 7
