by Melody Anne
When his phone rang, he ignored it. There weren’t too many people who would be calling him, especially at night, and though it might be nice to get out of his own head for a while, he felt too powerless to do that.
He was consumed with thoughts of this woman who had appeared in his life, and whom he couldn’t seem to push away. It didn’t matter if he told himself all day long that he needed to walk away from her for his own sanity and her safety. That just didn’t seem possible.
A second later his phone rang again, and he glared ahead at the dark roads before him. The phone stopped, and he thought maybe the person on the other end of the line would finally take a hint. Why he didn’t just silence the damn thing, he didn’t know.
Maybe it was his years of training and having to stay alert that made him incapable of cutting off all communication with the outside world. He didn’t know. Ace would like nothing more than to get lost on some exotic island with no chance of talking to anyone, but he could never do that. What if something happened, like one of his brothers getting into another airline crash? He had to be able to access his family, even if he didn’t like the information he was given.
When his phone went off again, he cursed before lifting it, not recognizing the number on his caller ID. He thought about tossing the device out his car window and smiled, but instead he accepted the call and grumbled a very irritated hello into the mouthpiece.
“Ace, we need to have a meeting.”
The person didn’t need to identify himself. It was his boss from the CIA, Bill Hammond.
“I’m on leave,” Ace told the man, irritated. Ace hadn’t taken a single day off in so many years he’d lost track of the count. He deserved this much-needed rest. He wanted that to be clear.
“Not anymore, you’re not. Meet me at this address.” Bill rattled off an address of a lavish hotel in downtown Seattle.
The phone went dead. Ace thought for a moment about calling Bill back and telling his boss to go to hell. He’d dealt with enough in the last eight years. He didn’t owe any of them anything.
But Ace found himself exiting the side road he was on and turning around. The place his boss wanted to meet up wasn’t far from his current location. Ace wouldn’t be surprised if he was being tracked and the CIA knew exactly where he was at all times. It was their job to be informed.
Ace pulled up at the busy hotel and sat in his car for several moments. He was aware of people milling about, some just arriving, some stepping out in formal wear for a night on the town. No one looked suspicious. The situation was secure.
He handed over his keys to the valet attendant after checking him out, making the young man squirm. Ace knew he could be intense, but that kept people on their toes. He hoped he never lost that edge.
Once he stepped through the tall glass doors, Ace made his way through the lobby to the bar at the back of the hotel. It didn’t take long for him to find Bill. He sat down without saying a word, but he had no doubt Bill was reading the look in his eyes very clearly.
“Glad you could get here so fast,” Bill said. The man wore a long-practiced poker face that rivaled that of anyone Ace had ever known. There was no way to know what the man was thinking or feeling. Ace liked it, though. He’d tried perfecting the same look himself through the years.
“We both know I didn’t really have any other option but to show,” Ace told him. He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he didn’t want to be there.
Ace had thought he was out for a while. His last undercover job had taken him too long, and he needed a long break. He wasn’t even sure if he ever wanted to come back. But that wasn’t something he needed to share at the moment. If he chose to leave the CIA, it wouldn’t be out of fear, and he wouldn’t have regrets. He’d do it because it was the right move for him.
Bill gave his version of a smile, lifting of the right corner of his upper lip slightly. It was more of a scowl than anything else. Ace’s expression didn’t change.
“Why are you summoning me here?” Ace finally asked. He didn’t feel like sitting around, shooting the breeze.
Bill pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table to Ace. Not sure why, Ace’s blood ran cold as he looked down at the insignificant sealed yellow envelope. He didn’t reach out for it, didn’t think he wanted to know what was inside. What he knew for sure was the clock was ticking down. He knew he was going to be leaving, but that envelope in front of him ensured it would be sooner than he wanted. If he didn’t open it, then he wouldn’t have to go anywhere, he tried telling himself.
But after a long moment, he sighed. Ace had never been one to run away from things or hide his head in the sand. Still, the longer he was able to live in denial, the longer he could try to move forward with his life.
“What is this?” he asked Bill.
“We’ve been putting this together for months,” was Bill’s only reply.
Ace knew he couldn’t turn and walk away like he wanted to do. He had to face whatever was going on. With dread, he opened the flap and pulled out the materials resting inside.
“When?” Ace asked. He’d wiped all expression from his face. This was the life he’d chosen. It was what he’d wanted, he thought with determination. He ignored the voice in his head telling him that that was no longer true.
“Two weeks, wheels go up,” Bill said.
“Getting blown up doesn’t give a person much time off,” Ace grumbled.
Bill gave his best impression of a smile. “You weren’t blown up,” Bill told him. “Just blown onto the ground. And you’ve been through worse. We can’t sit on this too long.”
He’d barely been home. And now he had to leave again. Would his family forget all about him once more? Would Dakota? Why did he even care?
“And what if I don’t want to do this one?” Ace asked. Bill looked surprised. It wasn’t something Ace had ever said before. Bill schooled his expression and leaned back as he analyzed Ace.
“You’re my best agent,” Bill said. That wasn’t an answer.
“I just . . .” Ace trailed off. What was he going to say? This was his profession. He couldn’t tell Bill he wasn’t ready to leave yet, that he wanted to be with his family . . . and with Dakota.
“In this line of business, not everything is black-and-white. You know that, Ace. It’s why you stayed away from your family for so long. Maybe it’s safer for you to get back to work sooner rather than later,” Bill told him.
He knew Bill was right. He was only stating out loud what Ace had been thinking about for the past couple of weeks. But hearing the words spoken to him drove the guilt of putting those he loved in danger even deeper.
“I’ll be there,” Ace finally said, accepting what had to be. Bill nodded.
“I knew you would,” Bill told him.
“I have to go now.”
Ace stood up and moved swiftly through a group of high school cheerleaders checking into the hotel. A hand brushed down his arm, but he ignored it. His time with Dakota had begun ticking down, and the way he’d walked away from her earlier irritated him. He suddenly had to get to her—and fast. Yes, he was most likely the most dangerous person in her life, but he needed to say good-bye, even if she wouldn’t know that was what he was doing.
Ace reached the stand and stood impatiently while his vehicle was retrieved. Why in the hell had he valet parked his car? He needed to go now. The kid running the booth obviously saw the urgency in his eyes, because he had gone scrambling away to collect his car. Ace needed to be with Dakota.
The kid pulled up with his car, and Ace jumped inside, throwing him a hefty tip in an attempt to make up for his brisk attitude. The need to get back to Dakota made a cold sweat break out on his neck. He should fight it, should force himself to drive in the opposite direction of Dakota’s place. But he didn’t.
The drive back to her house seemed to take an eternity. As he drew closer to her neighborhood, something seemed off, and his spidey senses were definitely on alert. He’d been too
relaxed since coming home, hadn’t been as aware of his surroundings as he should have been. That needed to change.
He pulled up near Dakota’s home, and all seemed to be fine from the outside. But Ace was abnormally sensitive to things that were out of the ordinary. There was a black sedan parked half a block away. Ace knew something was wrong. He’d learned long ago not to ignore his instincts.
A couple of houses across the street from hers had their lights low. Ace could see the flicker of a television screen behind lace curtains, a couple relaxing on their couch as they watched some mindless sitcom.
Nothing seemed out of place, but Ace knew it was all wrong. Dakota was in trouble. And whoever had dared put her in danger was about to get the surprise of a lifetime. A murderous protectiveness filled his eyes as Ace went to his trunk and opened the secret compartment in the back, pulling out his sidearm.
He hadn’t felt the weight of it for a few weeks, but it fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. It felt right. He was on high alert as he looked around the quiet neighborhood, screwing on his silencer.
Then he stepped forward, quickly getting lost in the shadows of Dakota’s place. He slipped around the side of her house and checked any place someone could be hiding. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
Though he didn’t hear a thing, he knew someone, or multiple someones, were inside with Dakota. He also knew he might be too late. Pushing all emotion down, he moved to the back door. Anyone who attempted to hurt someone he cared about was going to pay the ultimate price.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Standing in her doorway, Dakota looked at the two stoic men in suits. A sliver of fear ran down her spine, and she didn’t know why, but she did know it was better if she didn’t ignore the feeling.
“Can I help you?” she asked, her voice slightly shaky, irritating her.
Everything inside her told her she was in danger, though the men didn’t look particularly menacing. She forced a smile, knowing what she was feeling was utterly ridiculous. They looked more like Bible salesmen than muggers. Still, she didn’t move from her doorway, somehow trying to block their entrance, even if they weren’t attempting to push through.
Her body was pulsing with a need to protect herself, but she didn’t understand why. She was in that in-between of not knowing if she should just slam her door shut and lock it or if she should find out why these strangers were at her home so late at night.
They said nothing, and that was only making her more nervous. Why were they just staring at her? But just as she was about to fully panic, one of the men took a slight step forward, not exactly blocking her door, but moving closer.
“Are you Dakota Forbes?”
The man’s voice was calming, almost therapeutic as he spoke. It should have slowed the racing of her heart, but the guy beside him had a menacing demeanor that wasn’t allowing her to escape her fight-or-flight mode.
“Yes, I’m Dakota,” she told him, the words coming out almost like a question. Of course, she knew who she was, but what she didn’t know was how they had her name and what they wanted.
“We believe you’re in danger,” the man said.
“Danger? Why would I be in danger?” she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. They looked official, but that meant nothing. She’d been raised with brothers, and they’d taught her not to be gullible. Just because a person was wearing a nice suit didn’t mean he was a good guy.
“There’s been some vandalism in your neighborhood, and we believe you’ve been targeted,” the man said. “Can we come in?” He took another step forward, and her heart thundered.
If he was speaking the truth, then she definitely wanted to find out what was going on, but if he was lying to her, then these men were the danger. She was torn on what to do. She was also wishing Ace hadn’t left. Never had she needed a man to protect her before, but right now she wouldn’t mind another person in her house, having her back.
“Where did you hear this?” she asked. Her grip on the door tightened as the need to close it intensified. She really needed to get away from these men. Whatever they were up to, it was no good. That was for sure.
“May we come in?” The second man repeated the first man’s question, and his voice was as menacing as his appearance.
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You can tell me what’s going on from where you are,” she told both men, making sure to look them in the eyes. She wasn’t going to show them how afraid she actually was.
“No, it’s safer for us to come inside,” the first man said.
“I think you need to leave,” she told him. This felt all wrong. She had no doubt about that now. She didn’t trust these men, and she needed to listen to her screaming instincts.
“That’s not going to happen,” the second man snarled as he took a step forward.
Dakota decided she’d had enough. She pushed on her door, but it was too late. Both men stepped forward, easily pushing her out of the way as they barged their way inside. She took a step back, true fear filling her. She knew for sure she was in danger.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but this is my place and I don’t want you here,” she said, her voice squeaking.
“Maybe you should think twice about opening your door to strangers then,” the first man said, all the charm in his voice suddenly gone. He obviously didn’t feel he needed to keep pretending he was a good guy.
She backed away, trying to decide where to go when they shut her front door behind them. Who were they? And what was going to happen to her?
“If you cooperate with us, this will go a whole lot smoother,” the first thug said.
“I don’t want any part of this,” she told both men as she continued backing away from them, getting pushed into the far reaches of her house. She was making her way to the kitchen, where she could possibly slip out the back door and hide in the bushes or run to a neighbor’s house.
“It’s too late, Ms. Forbes,” one of the men said.
They reached the kitchen. The men didn’t try to grab her, but she had no doubt that if she tried to run, they would pounce. They were simply waiting for the right moment as they boxed her in. She didn’t want to take her eyes away from them, but she was also thinking she might need a weapon. If they thought she was some meek woman who was simply going to roll over and let them do whatever they wanted to her, they certainly had the wrong gal.
Her skin was on fire as sweat dripped down her back. Dakota didn’t know what she was going to do. When there was a loud crash behind her, she was too frozen with fear to turn and see what new threat was coming her way.
But she did see the two men in front of her shift their focus, their hands reaching for guns inside holsters attached to their chests. All color washed from her face.
“Dakota, get down!”
Both relief and disbelief washed through her at the sound of Ace’s voice. She didn’t hesitate as she dropped down. Ace flew over her, plowing into one of the men, a sickening thud echoing through her kitchen as the man’s head hit the tile floor.
A shot rang out, and then a second one, her eardrums ringing as the sound echoed in her kitchen. Tile splinters broke apart, stabbing her in the arm and side of her neck. She couldn’t focus on that as she tried to see what was happening.
Grunts could be heard as Ace turned, his fist slamming into the second man’s jaw, making the huge guy stagger back on his feet. All of this happened in seconds, though time seemed to have stopped having any meaning whatsoever. The second guy fell, and then an unbearable silence swept through her kitchen.
Her eyes must have been the size of saucers when they focused on Ace, whom she barely recognized. He looked feral, clutching a gun in one hand while reaching for her with the other. She instinctively flinched away from him as she noticed blood dripping from his fingers. Her focus was on the red beads as they splattered to her floor, the sound seeming so loud, though she was sure she couldn’t hear the splatters at all.
“D
akota?” Ace’s voice was trying to break through the ringing in her ears. But she just shook her head as she gazed at this man she didn’t really know at all.
“I . . . What . . . Who . . .” Dakota couldn’t complete a sentence, much less ask any questions.
“It’s okay, Dakota,” Ace told her, reaching for her again. She took a step back. If he touched her at this moment, she might fall apart, and with two men groaning on her floor, now wasn’t the time to let that happen.
“I’m just going to call the cops,” he told her, his voice filled with authority. He lifted his phone and spoke for a few moments. The ringing was still buzzing in her ears. She shook where she stood as she tried to replay all that had just happened. He hung up and grabbed her fingers.
“Let me go,” she said, hating how weak her voice was.
“I can’t,” he said. “You’re in shock, and you’ve been cut. I need to look at the wounds.”
“Cut?” she questioned. His hand moved upward, and he pulled a shard from her neck, showing her the piece of sharp tile that had her blood on it.
“One of the bullets hit your counter. It sent splinters through the air,” he said.
She finally looked him in the eyes. That’s when she noticed the pain on his face. She looked at his arm, which was hanging by his side. Blood was flowing heavily from his fingers.
“Were you shot?” she asked, more shock filtering through her.
“It doesn’t matter.” They heard sirens in the distance. Help was on the way.
“It matters,” she countered. She shook off her fright and gripped his good hand firmly, pulling him to the stool not far from them. He didn’t sit. “Take off your jacket,” she told him.
