by Leslie North
Tomorrow, he’d take her to her mother’s. He’d make sure she was going to be okay, and then he’d see about stepping out of her life. She didn’t need more trouble, and he wanted to make sure it stayed away from her.
It was time for them to say goodbye. For some reason, the idea wasn’t one he liked. But that was tomorrow. He’d learned to take what he could in the present moment.
Even with thinking that, it took him hours before he finally fell asleep, his arms tight around Anna.
***
Gage’s snoring woke Anna. She held still, listening to him breathe, feeling the rub of his stubble on her cheek. He had his arms wrapped around her like he wasn’t going to ever let go. She kind of liked that. He shifted, freeing her, and she slipped out of bed. Her bladder pushed her to get up and get moving. Her muscles ached and the red marks around her wrists looked worse than yesterday. She needed a shower and food. She headed for the bathroom, used it, and came out to find Gage and Romeo in a staring match. Gage was naked—and how did any man look that good this early in the morning? Romeo’s tail was twitching.
“Romeo!” She scooped up the cat. “What have I said about hurting the hands that feed you? Play nice.” The cat blinked at her in reply.
Anna put Romeo down and came over to Gage. She sat down on the bed. “Need a shower?” The way Gage was staring at her made her face warm. She’d left off any clothes, but she was tired of hiding. If he wanted to see her—scars and all—that was fine with her. “Coffee?” she offered.
“We’re due at your mother’s.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I’m thinking I’ll let Eloise handle the whole press conference. She’s better at lying. She can tell everyone I freaked when I came home and found my place had been robbed. I checked into a hotel, but I’m fine.”
Gage shook his head. “I think you should go and stay with her.”
Anna sat up. She frowned. “Are you kicking me out? After all I’ve been through?”
“Not kicking you out. I’ve been thinking, too. Your mom—she has money. Have her hire a security firm. A good one. Keep them around for a couple of weeks. Everything should be over by then.”
One way or another. She heard the words even though he didn’t say them. Anna put her hand over his. “You are trying to kick me out of this.”
“Anna, how long have you known me?”
She shook her head. “That’s not the point. In fact, I’m starting to think it’s never about the amount of time, it’s what you do with it. Gage, I’m not bailing on this. I’m not bailing on you.”
He stared at her. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Coran is still missing. We still don’t know what’s really in that file, and I want my damn tablet back. All my files are on it. I’m—frankly, I’m pissed about what happened to me and I don’t feel like letting any of this go.”
He shook his head. “I’ll shower and dress, we’ll have coffee, and then I’ll take you to your mom.” Gage threw off the covers and strode into the bathroom. The view distracted Anna for a moment—the man had a terrific, tight ass. She called down for room service, asked for a large pot of coffee to be brought up in a half hour, and headed for the bathroom.
The shower was running, leaving the room steamy. She stepped in. Gage turned. “What do you think—?”
“I’m soaping your back? Got any objections to that?”
“No, except that’s not my back you’re soaping.”
She grinned at him—she also took a long pull on the erection poking at her. Gage’s eyes rolled back and he put a hand on the side of the shower. “That…”
“That what?” she asked, dropping her voice to a low purr.
He seemed to lose the ability to speak. She kept soaping, kept working him hard. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her up against the tile. “That’s cold on my ass,” she said.
“I’ll warm you up.” He kissed her—long and hard. Shower water cascaded down on them, hot and pelting hard. Grabbing her, he hoisted her up. “Put your legs around me.”
She did—and he slipped into her. She put her head back as he pushed into her. He plunged deep, his hips bucking—there wasn’t anything tender about this, and she loved every second of it.
The heat built in her fast—it was almost too much. He smelled like the hotel soap—something fragrant and like apples, but he tasted like salt and like Gage. She tipped her hips and he came into her with a hot burst that left her gasping, clinging to his shoulders, digging her fingernails into his skin.
Opening her eyes, she slipped down from him, her legs wobbly. Heat kept flashing through her in waves still.
Leaning into her, he kissed her neck and straightened. “That’s not what I planned.”
“Yes, I know. Ship me off to Mom—make sure I’m safe. But Gage, how do you know I’m safe if I’m not with you?”
He shook his head. Shutting down the shower, he got out, pulled down a towel for her and wrapped another one around himself. They were thick, huge Turkish bath towels, and Anna decided she was going to have to buy some for herself.
A knock sounded on the door. Anna called out, “I ordered room service.” She wrapped another towel around her head and grabbed for a robe. She didn’t hear Gage’s answer, so she peeked into the sitting room. The warmth drained from her face and fingers.
Eloise turned from where she stood in the doorway, stylish in a dove-gray Chanel suit complete with pearls at her throat. She had the preserved look of a woman somewhere between forty and sixty, and the careful makeup that put her on the higher end of that curve. Anna didn’t know her mother’s exact age, and suspected it might be a secret kept even from the DMV.
Clutching her terry robe to her chest, feeling as always underdressed, Anna gave a small wave.
Arching one perfect eyebrow, Eloise gestured to Gage with one perfectly manicured hand. “Anna, I know I said you should get a man. I didn’t mean you should stage your abduction to do so.” She glanced at Gage and her stare traveled over his abs and back up again. The corner of her mouth lifted in a fraction of a smile. “Although I cannot fault your taste. Now, what are we telling the press?”
Chapter 17
Gage tried to duck out twice. Once when he’d gone to the bedroom to get some clothes on—he was thinking of trying the balcony for an exit, but Anna came in and pushed him out to deal with her mother while she dressed—and once when room service came. Eloise ruined that plan by dismissing the server and telling him to bring up a decent meal—whatever the hell that was.
Now Gage hung back. Hell, the SEALs should have Eloise on their side. She pushed Anna into changing her clothes and her story. “The idea that a Middleton would be shocked into running from anything by a mere robbery is absurd! We’ll go with a kidnapping—you escaped, assisted by Mr…” She turned to Gage. “What is your name?”
“I’d like my name left out of it.”
Eloise’s eyes narrowed. She glanced from Gage to Anna, but she nodded. “Even better. Anna, you escaped by your own abilities.”
“Mother…Eloise, there was a fire at the house where I was held. I don’t think you want the police involved in this. Just…let’s just stick with the break-in gone wrong. I simply went to stay with friends—a wise move for anyone who has had their home violated.”
Eloise’s mouth tightened, but she merely lifted one shoulder. “Very well. You always were a difficult child. You went to stay with friends. And you are moving. Again. Today, in fact.”
Anna opened her mouth. Gage watched her shut it again. Smart move. He wouldn’t have wanted to go up against Eloise on anything for anything. He also didn’t want Anna back in that place, either.
Breakfast arrived. Eloise wasn’t a picky eater. She downed bacon, eggs, toast, and urged Anna to eat. “Eat early, not late. You know that rule, Anna.” She smiled at Gage—the smile of a woman half her age flirting with a guy—and smoothed a hand down a slim hip. “A woman needs a little extra something as she gets older. Now Mr…?
”
“Leave me out of it,” Gage said again.
“I was going to invite you to dinner. Saturday. Six sharp for cocktails.” Eloise turned to Anna. “You may eat light that day. I’m having Vincent cook your favorite—fried chicken.”
Anna rose. She’d put on jeans and a loose top in a bright color, but Gage could see the shadows under her eyes—olive smudges that makeup wouldn’t cover—and how she’d sat with her hands tightly clasped in her lap. She stood and went to the door. “Thank you, Eloise, for handling this.”
Eloise stood as well, smoothed her skirt and walked to the door. She paused there, her back straight and her eyes narrowing. She glanced at Gage. “You do know the authorities will want to speak to you. I’ll hold the press conference later today to give you a little time. Do, my dear, find some makeup. You look terrible.” She swept out.
Anna closed the door behind her and leaned on it. “I am so sorry.”
Gage pushed off the wall and smiled. “For what? She’s going to cover your ass, and mine if we need it. But I think we’d better head off the authorities before your mom does.”
He grabbed her and his phone and headed them downstairs. To be safe, he hailed a cab at random, got Anna inside and asked for the nearest police station. On the way over, he went over what Anna should say.
Yes, she went to her apartment yesterday. She found men there. “Stick to what is true—and what they need to know,” he told her. “They came after you. You ran and hid out with a friend.”
“And the rest?” Anna asked.
“What rest? That’s it. When you’re done, head east and meet me two blocks down the street.”
At the station, he let her go inside. He waited at a hotdog stand across the street. An hour later Anna came out, looking weary. She headed east as he’d told her. He waited to see if anyone followed her. No one did. He stayed behind her, waited as she also waited on the corner of the street where he’d asked her to meet him. Still no one following—no cars hanging around, no shadows.
Coming over to her, Gage took her arm and they started walking.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice a little breathless from the fast pace he set.
He shook his head. He set up a random path. Metro for part of it, taxi for another, walking for some. He took them in circles, and gave Kyle a call.
Kyle answered on the first ring. “Come on over to Scotty’s spare.”
“I’ve got Anna with me.”
“That’s fine. We’ve got lunch.”
Scotty’s spare was an extra condo he kept in a secure building. The condo was not under his name—meaning no one could trace them here. Or at least a casual trace wouldn’t work. Gage took two cabs and a detour through the Metro again to get there.
“Are we going in circles?” Anna asked.
“I hope someone is,” Gage said. He buzzed the condo’s number from outside, got admitted to the building and got the once-over from a doorman who looked more like a former-MMA fighter.
He took the elevator up, noticed there were cameras on every floor. He was hoping the feed wasn’t hooked to anything like a network. Security could work both ways—both to keep you secure and let others know where you were.
He stopped at the right door. It opened before he could knock. The smell of burgers and stale coffee that had been on the burner too long hit him at once. The TV was on and football playing, the volume turned low. Gage glanced around.
Scotty, Spencer and Kyle were all here, along with two laptops. The place looked like a guy lived here—no decorations on the walls, sparse furniture, a mountain bike parked in the kitchen.
Kyle stood. “Gage, you’ll want to have a look.” He nodded to the laptop.
Scotty grinned at Anna and asked, “Who’s hungry?”
“I’m starving,” Anna confessed. She came in and nodded to the guys. Scotty gave her a burger. Gage lifted his eyebrows high, and Scotty remembered he might have plates.
Once Anna was seated and eating, Gage glanced at the computer screen. It looked just like what Kyle had said—a list of names pulled out of coded passages that made no sense until you knew something had been hidden inside. He looked at Scotty, at Spencer and finally at Kyle. “I had this idea of leaving Anna with her mother. Am I wrong about that?”
Anna sat up. “Yes, you are.” She glanced down at her half-eaten burger. “I mean, unless…you don’t want me around.”
Kyle stood and put his hands into his pockets. “I don’t want to butt into what’s between you two, but…Gage, we may need Anna. She is still our link to Coran Williams’ company.”
“So you need me?” She sounded perky now—bright, but her smile faded and red flowed up into her face from her neck. Her stare slipped away from Gage’s face. “I mean…you, as in you guys.”
Kyle smiled. “We do. Gage, well, we like to let him figure things out on his own.”
“Doesn’t sound like it,” Gage said. He glared at the others. Finally, he threw up a hand. “Okay, but before this goes any further, Anna needs to know what’s going on. I’ll start.”
“No way. It was my mission. I’ll start,” Kyle said.
***
Anna looked from one hard face to the other. She hadn’t known any of these men for long, but somehow she felt safe with them—she wanted to be here. She’d had dreams about yesterday—bad ones. She hadn’t wanted to tell Gage about them, but now, sitting here, eating a burger that had been over-cooked, she felt—alive. She didn’t want to lose that. She didn’t want to lose Gage.
Kyle sat down facing her, his hands dangling between his knees. Anna swallowed a dry chunk of burger, and Kyle said, “You know Gage is a SEAL…we’re a team out of Virginia Beach. I don’t know what you know about SEALs, but we’re usually the guys who go out to deal with rescues, bomb disposal, and basically scary stuff. Each mission is led by a different team member dependent on what skills are required.”
Taking a deep breath, Kyle straightened. “The last mission were we on—I was CO. We were to track down stolen tech and retrieve it or destroy it. Should have been easy. Except it wasn’t. We found the location, the area didn’t seem to be guarded, and all I had to do was make sure we all got in and we all got out safely. I fucked up.”
“Kyle,” Scotty said the word like a warning, but Kyle held up his hand. Anna glanced between the two men. She could feel the tension between them. Kyle looked tired and older than his years, and frustration just about shimmered off Scotty. She glanced at Gage and saw his lips pressed tight—he was keeping his thoughts to himself.
Looking back at her, Kyle said, his voice flat. “We didn’t know it until Nick went down. Master-level sniper on our six. A single shot hit Nick at the base of the skull. He was dead before he hit the ground.”
The burger sat like rock in his stomach. Quietly, Spencer said, “Nick was Kyle’s big bro.” Anna bit her lower lip.
Kyle nodded and stared at his hands. “Navy doesn’t like siblings on the same unit. They hate for a family to lose big. But Nick was filling in for another teammate who was out on family leave—wife just had a baby. For all we know, Nick may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or…” He let the words trail and looked away.
Gage finished the thought. “Or someone wanted Nick dead and they knew where they’d be able to make that happen.”
Looking at Anna, Kyle nodded. “That’s what’s eating at all of us. Why Nick? Why then. I…I’ve been shit-faced drunk for weeks. I…” He stood and walked away, heading into the kitchen.
Gage took up the story. “After Nick’s wake, we found out we were all under suspicion.”
“For what?” Anna demanded. She sat straighter, the burger clenched in her hand. “Not for…your own team member?”
“SOP—standard operating procedure,” Scotty said. “The brass has to check out the guys with a guy when that guy doesn’t come home. It happens. Could be the dead guy had it coming—wouldn’t be the first time SEALs have taken out a b
ad one. Could be an accident. But…lady, we were set up.”
Gage nodded. “Military ordinance was used. US mil spec stuff—meaning friendly fire took Nick out. Our CO didn’t believe the accusations and he told us…”
“To get lost,” Spencer said. He gave a tight smile. “Or words to that effect.”
Gage nodded again. “We got hold of Nick’s personal effects, but they weren’t particularly helpful. His awards and honors—a wedding photo, a wrapped present for his wife, a flash drive, and a book. A romance.”
Kyle came back in from the kitchen, a steaming coffee mug in his hands. “Know how many SEALs read romance? That’d be about none. I mean, maybe they look at one or two if they’re about SEALs just to see how wrong folks get it.”
