“Thanks for driving.” He held up his hand. “Go team?”
She frowned at his hand for a moment. Yeah, it was silly, but he wanted to break the ice. She smacked her palm to his with a nice amount of force. She might be shaken, but she wasn’t doing too bad
If he had to guess, Erin wasn’t accustomed to being the one needing help. She was the one who did the helping. Having the table turned on her had to be a strange and unwelcome experience.
Riley got behind the wheel and peered in the rearview mirror.
Still no vehicles headed their way. Whatever the kidnappers’ resources were, they didn’t extend to a car chase across the desert.
They got back on the lonely road headed toward Mosul, though they didn’t intend to go that far. A safe house awaited them a little way up the road, along with Erin’s bodyguard they’d been told to bring with them.
“Erin, I’m Grant Anderson. Glad to see Riley was able to get you out of there.” Grant extended his hand to Erin who gave it a little shake.
“We did the rundown already, boss,” Riley said.
Erin didn’t appear to want to talk, and he doubted she’d appreciate Grant’s form of talking at her.
“Good.” Grant eased back in his seat. “We’ll be at the safe house soon and we can address any injuries there.”
“Water?” Riley grabbed an unopened bottle from the cup holder and offered it to her.
“Thanks.” She twisted the cap off the bottle. “Do you mind if we crack a window? You guys smell a little ripe.”
Riley laughed and slapped his hand on the wheel.
Man, he liked her better in person. The picture didn’t capture that personality.
Forty-five minutes later they pulled into a small town at the intersection of two major highways. It wasn’t very big. Hell, Riley didn’t even need to pull up the directions to find their way back to their safe house for the night. Sometimes he wondered how Zain found these places, what contacts it took to find a private residence in just about any town in any country. Then again, if he knew Zain’s secrets he might get promoted, and Riley liked his spot on Lepta Team pretty well. It fit into his ten-year plan nicely.
Riley pulled the SUV onto the paved parking pad outside the home. The square, two-story building wasn’t much to look at, but the sturdy structure would offer them security for the night and a place to make a better plan for the next day. With any luck, they’d be in and out before their neighbors realized they were there.
“Riley, stay here with Erin while we check the place out,” Grant said.
“Copy that.” Riley leaned back in the seat and checked his mirrors.
There was no foot traffic, nothing unusual. They’d only paused at the house on their way through to lay eyes on it, take a piss break, drop off Erin’s bodyguard and the second vehicle.
The other four got out of the SUV, leaving Riley alone with Erin.
The silence stretched on for a few moments. Some assets liked to talk, others cried, some wanted to sleep off the ordeal. He could already tell Erin was thinking. See the occasional glimpse of a shadow in her eyes. He wished he could erase the last few days from her memory.
“Something on your mind?” Riley asked.
“This whole thing—it’s wrong,” she said.
“How so?” He didn’t want to put ideas in her head, but he was of the same mind.
“They jammed your comms.” She turned to stare at him. “An eight-person team breached a well-guarded facility in a heavily patrolled area—for what purpose? I’m not valuable. I don’t have security clearance. Their resources don’t match them. So either they bought the equipment—with what money?—or someone gave it to them because they wanted to hit that location.”
“Why would they do that?” he asked.
“Because someone wanted me out of the way or dead.” She slid down in her seat. “I think...”
“You don’t know for sure they were after you.” What was it about Erin Lopez they didn’t know? Why was she a target? He and the others hadn’t figured out why they’d grab Erin, either.
Erin studied him for a moment. He could feel himself hanging in the balance as she weighed him against something else. Could he say or do something to make her trust him? There was something about her eyes and that crooked smile of hers that made him want her to confide in him.
She glanced away, her mind made up.
“Two years ago, I was an assistant to the Project Manager on a job. It was...they were doing everything wrong. Pissing off the locals. The surveys were done incorrectly. It was a mess. People died.” Erin sat there for several moments without speaking. Whatever she was thinking about, Riley knew he wouldn’t like it. “A few of the people who kidnapped me? I think they were from that town. I think their family members were the ones we killed.”
Well, that escalated quickly.
Riley shifted in his seat and considered his next words carefully. He didn’t doubt that there was a reason for the events happening to Erin, but the logic leap didn’t make as much sense to him as it did to her. Right now, his job was to keep her calm and get her back to the States. That was it. Everything else would be sorted out by the authorities and her bosses.
“Why would they focus on you? And why come after you now? After all this time? Unless—hear me out—they were scared you’d give their Miss Universe contestant a run for her money?” he asked.
“What?” Erin snorted a laugh and looked at him.
“I’m just saying, you’d give her some stiff competition.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Erin shook her head. “If these people are who I think they are, they’d focus on me because after the explosion happened the people over the project gave me a script and put me on the PR round. People saw me as the person behind the incident. I was too naïve to realize what they’d done until it was too late.”
“Okay. That’s...not great. But still, why now?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but hear me out, okay?”
“I don’t think they care about beauty pageants.” She didn’t smile, but she didn’t seem as sad. He’d gotten her to laugh, to break the strain she’d been under. That was good.
“Their loss. Look, the truth is, we don’t know where they got the resources or why they targeted the facility. We don’t know why they grabbed you, and not anyone else. Right now, let’s focus on getting you some rest and back to the States. The authorities can sort this out.” He nodded at the lights in the house turning on. “Maybe your bodyguard has some better insight? He wouldn’t say much to us.”
“You brought Thomas?” Erin gaped at him, eyes wide, lips parted.
“Your bosses wanted him on hand to help us. Why?”
“Shit.” She pressed her hand to her forehead. “Nothing.”
“Erin?” Riley reached across and put his hand on her shoulder. “If there’s something bothering you, tell me. We’re here to protect you.”
“It’s nothing I can put into words. He just...gives me the creeps, okay?” She shrugged.
“I’ll coordinate with Grant and make sure you two are in different transports, how’s that?” After what she’d been through, he was willing to go the extra mile to make whatever concessions she needed. Besides, Mom had always said to trust a woman’s instinct when it came to safety. If Erin didn’t want Thomas near her, they’d comply.
“No, you don’t have to do that. It’s silly.” Erin glanced out the side window.
Riley caught sight of the flashlight in the front window signaling the all clear.
“Hey?” He reached over and put his hand over hers. She peered at him out of the corner of her eye. “It’s my job to keep you safe. If this dude’s a creep, say no more. We’ll handle it. Stay there. I’m going to come around and walk you inside, okay?”
“You take this job real serious, don’t you?”
“Haven’t lost a VIP asset yet.”
Riley grabbed his helmet and plopped it on
his head. He got out of the SUV and did another glance up and down the street. Still nothing to set off alarm bells. Just a quiet night in a sleepy town.
He circled the vehicle and opened Erin’s door. She moved slower still, probably from days of exhaustion and fear. She’d collapse soon, and he wanted her inside when that happened.
“How about something to eat and a shower?” he asked.
“That sounds amazing. These clothes stink.”
“Well, we’ve got something for you to wear if you want a change.”
“Let me guess, its green with pockets all over?” She glanced at his gear.
“You’d look good in green.” He grinned. “Nah, just some yoga pants and t-shirts. Nothing fancy, I’m afraid.”
“It’s a step up from what I’m wearing now.”
“What about injuries? You okay?”
“Some bruises.”
“Well, there’s a cream for that.”
“Do you have a line for everything?” She chuckled.
“No, but I made you laugh.” That meant something in his book. She hadn’t yet smiled, but he was getting there.
Riley guided Erin into the house and through the back into the kitchen. If she didn’t have any injuries, the next important thing was getting her hydrated and fed.
The others were still going over security measures, but it was obvious Riley was on asset duty.
“Here, sit. Let me get you some water. Hungry?” He grabbed a bottle from the fridge and slid it across the dining table to her. She’d sipped the other dry during their drive instead of gulping her fill. Erin clearly knew what she was about.
She eased herself onto the chair at the head of the table and took the water.
“You don’t have to do all that,” she said.
“Actually, it’s my job.”
“Riley?” Brenden stepped into the room. He’d stripped off most of his tactical gear and had his hands out. He glanced at Erin and gave her a little nod. Riley had assumed that given Brenden’s POW experience he’d have an affinity for Erin’s situation, but as of yet he’d barely acknowledged the woman’s presence.
“Thanks, man.” Riley handed over his rifle and the rest of his kit, shedding well over fifty pounds in gear.
Now that he could move freer, he spent a moment scrubbing his hands and arms at the sink before diving into the fridge to see what they had to offer.
“Looks like our options are some kind of soup and a lot of grilled stuff.” He picked up the soup to start with. The broth would be easiest for Erin to try first before moving on to the denser foods.
“What about everyone else?” Erin gestured through to the next room where Grant was no doubt calling Melody to make his report back to Zain and the client.
“Looks like I’m on KP. They’ll come get food when they’re ready. Eat whatever you want now before those guys get here. They’ll inhale it all.” Riley grinned, determined to put on a positive front.
Erin continued to watch him with a befuddled expression that only got more pronounced by the minute. When he finally placed a bowl of soup in front of her, she seemed well and truly flummoxed. He couldn’t figure out why. She wasn’t in a hole in the ground. They were headed back to safety. He’d have thought she would be relieved.
“What’s that face for?” He leaned his elbow on the back of a chair. “My heating skills not up to par?”
“I’m just...amazed. You rescue damsels in distress, you think about the little people, you cook—what else do you do? Do you have brothers? And my God—are those your real eyelashes?”
Shit.
Riley ducked his head and heat crawled up his neck.
Those damn eyelashes.
“Do you like them? I put them on just for you.” He glanced at Erin and grinned.
She shook her head. At least she was asking questions unrelated to the last few days.
“I do have brothers. Three, in fact, but they’re all trouble. Every one of them. Well, I guess my cop brother isn’t all that much trouble. The others? Pure hell. Now, I don’t see any damsels in distress around here, but if you do, signal us and we can make sure she’s rescued.” He was willing to bet she had a plan to get away given the opportunity.
He winked, and she chuckled. He was growing to like the sound of her good humor. She wasn’t as tense. He wouldn’t say she’d relaxed, but it was a start.
“Do you want to call your family? Work? Anything before you pass out?” He checked the rest of the food heating in the oven.
“God—do they know?” Erin groaned.
“We don’t communicate with family unless the client asks, so I can’t answer that question.”
“Can you find out if they know?” She squinted up at him. “My mom is going to kill me if she finds out.”
“She doesn’t like you over here?”
“My mom? No. Her parents left Iraq when she was a teenager. A very rebellious, headstrong teenager, and she’s never been interested in coming back. If she had her way, I’d be like my sister. Married with three kids and a fourth on the way.” Erin leaned back and folded her arms over a very lean stomach.
“Sounds like my mom.” Riley shook his head. “She sends me pictures of the girls I went to high school with, keeping me updated about who they broke up with.” He shook his head. Those girls were nice, but they weren’t for him. He could never be the man they wanted.
“It’s sweet, but isn’t it the worst?”
“Yeah, and those poor girls. The pictures she sends me? She’s clearly stalking them at the grocery store to snap them.”
“Seriously?”
“I wish I was kidding.” Riley held his hands up.
“I can’t decide if that’s hysterical or the most embarrassing mother ever.”
“Oh, that’s not even embarrassing. You want embarrassing? My brother had a girlfriend for a couple months. Mom really wanted them to get married, but...what I remember of this girl? She’s not the settling down kind. Real free spirit. Anyway, mom sneaks into my brother’s house—they all live on the same ranch—and takes a picture of the two of them in bed one morning.”
“No.” Erin covered her mouth.
“Yeah, it gets worse. She then posts it on Facebook—”
“Shut up...”
“She doesn’t notice the ropes tied to the posts or the trashcan in the corner of the shot. God, my brother was pissed. The girl was embarrassed. Makes me glad I live far, far away.” Riley shook his head.
“Okay, you win.” Erin held up her hands in surrender, the left side of her mouth hitched up in that adorable, mischievous smile he’d only glimpsed in pictures. He wanted to keep that look on her face for as long as possible.
“So what do I win?” Riley grinned back.
Man, what he wouldn’t give for this to not be a job. He wanted to spend a few hours trading stories with her, making her laugh, then see where things went.
3.
FRIDAY, MOSUL, IRAQI Kurdistan.
Mark Forest climbed the stairs to the ramshackle building that served as Allied Security’s headquarters. It was a far cry from the air conditioned, comfortable office he’d had with NexGen, that was for sure. He’d had it made, and that upstart bitch had cut him off at the knees. Now he was reduced to running his company out of a shack and doing what amounted to the armored Uber of the Middle East.
He peeled off his Kevlar vest and hung his helmet on a peg to dry. Though the city was undergoing a massive clean-up effort, and everyone wanted a piece of the pie of what was to be the biggest, organized city development in decades. He sat at his desk, the weariness weighing on his shoulders.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He’d scraped his way to the top. That NexGen gig was supposed to be his. He’d put in the hours, recruited the men, did the jobs. The side work was what it took to keep business going. Everyone knew there was a cost, and they trusted Mark to take care of it.
Then she’d happened.
Erin-fucking-Lopez.
&n
bsp; Mark picked up a pen from the desk.
Now that events were in motion, she would never be a problem again. Getting her out of the picture was top of his list, then the laptop, after that the leak was plugged and business could continue. He would rebuild and all would be well.
His phone vibrated.
Mark groaned.
What now?
He peered at the screen.
Fucking hell. It was one thing after another with these people.
“Hello?” Mark leaned back in his chair.
“She’s gone,” a breathless man said in Arabic.
“What?” Mark sat up.
“Five Americans came and took her.”
“She was still alive?”
“We weren’t ready yet.”
“And you let them take her? You didn’t kill her?” Mark pushed to his feet.
“They attacked us!”
“When? Who were they with? Where did they go?”
“I don’t know.”
“Fucking hell.” Mark hung up.
There was no point in continuing the conversation. Mark’s only use for outsourcing that part of the job was to keep his hands clean of eliminating Erin Lopez from the picture.
He had to fix this. The noose around his neck was tightening, and if he didn’t stop her from uncovering more damning evidence, she’d eventually find it. He’d thought trimming a few loose ends would solve all his problems, but all he’d done was give the one person he hated most the tools to not just end his career but his life.
FRIDAY. AEGIS GROUP Safe House, Masad, Iraq.
Erin stretched her legs out on the cushioned bench toward Riley. It felt good to have showered and be in clean clothes. She was almost human again, a novel concept after being trapped in the dark with nothing but a bucket to keep her company.
She was glad the rest of his team had gone to bed or were on watch. They were a friendly group, but the noise put her on edge. Riley was different. He was easygoing, he didn’t pry, he made her laugh and forget the present, but most of all, he seemed to pick up on when she wanted to change the topic before she did.
If she met him in a bar, he was the kind of guy she’d take home with her. He was also the type she’d pine over when he left.
Dangerously Taken (Aegis Group Lepta Team, #1) Page 3
