by Loye, Trish
Or maybe a weekend.
His gut clenched. Fuck it. Maybe he’d kidnap her for a week. He couldn’t see how a single night or even two would get this woman out of his system. But until this was over, he had to focus.
“I’m driving,” he said.
“Why can’t I?”
“Cause you’re not from here and you’ll probably turn on the windshield wipers instead of your turn signal.”
She huffed a breath.
“Besides,” he said, “you look like you could use a nap. I’ll drive, you call your team and then sleep.”
“Call my team?” She shook her head. “No way. They think…”
She didn’t finish, but she didn’t have to. He’d seen how fast her team had abandoned her. It had chafed at him that they’d think she’d abandon a mission for a shag. She was way too honorable to abandon anything, let alone a mission. He couldn’t believe she worked with such arseholes, but they were backup and firepower, both of which they needed right now.
“Call them,” he said, sliding into the driver’s seat of the pickup. “I can talk to them if you want. Explain.”
She snorted. “Like they’d listen to you. I think they respect you even less than me.”
The barb struck hard, but he didn’t say anything. What could he say? It was true. He’d lost the respect of the military community two years ago, and there wasn’t any way he could get it back. He’d be fooling himself if he thought any different.
It was quiet as he turned on the truck and reversed it back onto the single-lane road, heading for the A13 road back to central London.
“I’m sorry,” Charlie said quietly.
He didn’t look at her. “You’re sorry for speaking the truth?”
“But it’s not the truth. We need to clear your name after this.”
He sighed. He’d already been thinking about it. “How are we going to do that? Force Logan to confess? Why would he? There’s nothing to link him to that night. I’ve looked.”
“What about the guy he bribed?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Logan killed him. He tied up all his loose ends.” He forced his next words out. “I’ve already been tarred and feathered. It would take more influence than either you or I have to get my dishonorable discharge changed.”
“That’s bullshit. I’m not leaving you to be vilified again. Your people are wrong.”
She defended him and he almost smiled, but he couldn’t let her keep doing it. She’d be dragged through the mud if she tried. Time to be more forceful.
“I don’t need or want your help,” he said, making his voice harsh. In his mind he kissed the night he’d planned for them goodbye. If he slept with this woman she’d probably want to hang around, or rather, he’d want her to hang around. He couldn’t allow that. He couldn’t allow her to ruin her career, her life, for him.
“What are you talking about? Together we can prove—”
“No, we can’t.” He made his voice implacable. Cold. “We are going to stop this lunatic.” And I will kill him for killing my team. “Then you go back to your life and I go back to mine. End of story.”
“But…what about your promise?”
She wet her lips and desire shot through him. He stomped on it. He would not drag her down just so he could fulfill his desire to sink himself into her. He kept his eyes on the road and gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“I was just trying to distract you from being scared,” he lied. He made his voice soft, kind, and almost condescending, something he knew would anger her so she would react with emotions rather than logic. “We both know that in times of stress, the sex drive gets ramped up. People will shag anyone after being in a fight or terrified. It’s a natural response to an adrenaline rush. Surely you can understand that.”
The silence was heavy, and he had to force himself not to slump under the weight of his lies. But he needed her not to want him, to be pissed at him, because he didn’t have the strength to resist her on his own.
“You really are a bastard,” she said quietly, and then turned and watched the fields pass by.
He nodded, concentrating on driving.
He really was.
21
Charlie sighed with relief when Jack finally parked the truck near the hotel. It had taken them about thirty minutes to make it back. They’d barely spoken a word to each other in that time.
On the way back, they’d listened to the radio and heard a news report about an unexplainable blackout that had taken out a village causing accidents and mayhem, but no deaths. She sighed in relief. They would be inconvenienced, but with such a small area affected, the village would probably be up and running within a few weeks.
It was time to figure out how to capture Logan. They couldn’t let him get away with this. He’d build another bomb, and then the world would be at the mercy of whatever group of crazies had enough cash to buy it.
She had the beginnings of a plan to track him when Jack turned off the truck.
“I still think you should contact your team,” he said.
She got out without saying anything. She just couldn’t deal with him. “I heard you before.” She strode away.
He came around the sidewalk and grabbed her arm, stopping her. “What the fuck? Now is not the time for a hissy fit.”
Her eyes widened and she forced steel into her voice. “I am not having a hissy fit. I’m trying to stop a psychopath. Now get your hand off me, before I make you.”
He didn’t let go and leaned his face in close, the green of his hazel eyes sparked. “You are not doing this alone.”
Quick as a flash, she gripped his hand where he held her and twisted inwards, digging her thumb into the nerve endings in his palm. He jerked but held on for a beat, staring into her eyes, before slowly releasing his grip. So he was big and tough. Whatever. She strode away. He cursed and kept pace.
Dammit, she wished she had longer legs. She couldn’t go any faster without running and she would not do that in front of him.
She took some deep breaths, pushing her anger away. It wouldn’t help her now. Logic needed to prevail. He’d decided that he didn’t want to pursue anything between them. Fine. She wouldn’t force him.
But she couldn’t think about that now. The mission had to be the priority. She had to find and capture Logan Frost. Maybe then her team would understand what she’d been doing and why she’d rejected them.
“We need to find Logan,” he said, his voice professional.
She could do that, keep it professional.
“No shit.”
Okay, maybe that wasn’t the most professional response.
He sighed. “Look, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I—”
She halted and held up a hand, stopping his little speech. “Do not condescend to me. I’m going to find Logan and bring him in. Thank you for your assistance so far.”
“You need my help,” he said.
She clenched her teeth. A partner, especially one with his abilities, was something she couldn’t turn down. “Fine.” She strode down the sidewalk, not waiting for him. “Now that Logan’s no longer watching us, I think I can reverse engineer the signal emitted from my micro-bugs to locate him.”
A thought struck her that drained all her anger away. “My aunt,” she whispered. “I—”
Jack was there, standing in front of her. “I’ll find her. I’m sure she’s okay. I’ll start calling the hospitals as soon as we get inside. You focus on finding Logan.”
“Thank you.”
A porter opened the glass door of the hotel and they entered the lobby.
Jack froze, his gaze on a dark-haired man ahead of them. It was the same man who’d followed Jack into that pub. Except this time he wore a suit. He didn’t look like a business man, though. With his dangerous air, he definitely had the look of an agent of some kind. She’d bet he was Secret Intelligence Service.
The man strolled up to them.
“You lied to me, Blac
kjack,” he said in a calm voice.
“Seems he’s doing that to a lot of people,” she muttered.
The man studied her. “Dr. Singh?”
She nodded. Definitely SIS.
“Would you mind giving us a moment?”
She minded alright. But Jack touched her arm. “This won’t take long.”
Her lips twisted and she moved to the elevators, wishing she could read lips. And then wondering why she cared.
* * *
“You lied,” Ethan said again when they were alone.
Jack kept his face expressionless. “Did I now?”
“We found the signaler.”
Jack nodded. He’d known it would only be a matter of time. But he’d hoped for more.
Ethan scowled. “Did you kill him?”
Jack tried to project a calm he didn’t feel. “No. He was shot through the window when I was talking to him.”
“Or perhaps a former SAS soldier used a sniper rifle to take out the only person who had information that could lead to his arrest.”
Jack crossed his arms slowly, carefully, hoping to show Ethan that he wouldn’t fight him, though everything in him itched to strike back. He wouldn’t let his control slip. He owed it to Aiden, if not to Ethan.
“Someone is trying to frame me. You know this doesn’t make sense. Why would I kill the man?”
Ethan didn’t say anything, but anger burned in his eyes. “You lied to me. I need you to come in for questioning.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“I can make you.”
Jack considered that. He doubted Ethan could bring him in on his own, but the resulting fight would be disastrous for his cover. He needed this to end peacefully, and he needed the space and time that only Ethan could buy him.
“Maybe,” he said. “But I’m close, Ethan. Give me a few more days.”
Ethan’s nostrils flared. “I don’t believe you.”
“Your brother would have.”
“My brother died on that mission,” Ethan said, his eyes blazing. “Everything points to you being dirty. To you having called in the strike to cover your ass. What the fuck am I supposed to believe?”
Me.
The man who’s known you and your family for ten years.
But he didn’t say that. He just looked at Ethan. “Believe what you want. I’m done protesting my innocence.”
“Fine,” Ethan said. “I don’t want to hear it, anyway.” He took a few breaths, visibly calming himself in front of Jack. “Because of our history, I will give you one last chance. Two days. I want solid proof.”
It was more than he’d hoped for. Jack nodded.
Ethan’s hands clenched into fists. “I’ll be watching. If you try to run, you’ll be facing jail time, not just a discharge.”
Jack’s anger spiked, but he tamped it down. “Understood.”
He could handle jail. At least he’d get fed three times a day.
* * *
Charlie had just punched the button on the elevator when Jack walked over to stand beside her.
“What was that about?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
She stabbed the elevator button again. “I’m so glad we decided to be open and honest with each other.” She held up a finger. “Oh wait, that was just me.”
Someone called her name.
Crap. Cat’s voice. Why did the elevator never show up when you needed it?
“Where have you been?” Cat asked.
“Out enjoying the countryside,” she said. She couldn’t stop the sarcasm. She felt betrayed on all sides.
Cat studied her. Charlie wanted to tell her to shove it. How could she pass judgment on her? Didn’t she know her at all? The elevator chimed behind her.
“We’re a little busy right now. I’ll talk to you later,” Charlie said, stepping onto the elevator.
Jack followed her, frowning. “Tell her.”
Cat’s gaze snapped to Jack before she too stepped onto the elevator. “Tell me what?” she asked when the doors slid shut.
“Where we’ve really been,” Jack said for her.
“Did Spider kidnap you?” Cat asked. “Are you still under surveillance?”
Charlie’s mouth dropped open. Shock rippled through her as she tried to put the pieces together. “You knew?”
Cat snorted. “Of course we knew. You’re the worst liar ever.”
“I am not.” She spoke without thinking, trying to remember all their encounters.
“Yes, you are, Sherlock,” Jack said with a small smile.
“You don’t get a say in this,” she said to him.
“Come to my room,” Cat said. “The others are there.”
When Cat opened her door, people in the room stopped talking. “Look who I found,” she said.
A tall and lean man, almost beautiful with his dark hair and blue eyes, stood and moved to her. Marc ‘Spooky’ Koven was one of Cat’s team. As an ex-CSIS agent, he knew how to use his looks to his advantage. He used every weapon to his advantage.
“Q! What the fuck? You had us worried,” he said. He grasped Charlie in a hug and lifted her feet off the ground.
“I’m okay, Marc,” she told him.
“That’s not what we’d heard,” a man’s voice growled from the other side of the room. “Dani and Gears are scouring the black net looking for any whisper of you, while I’ve got Doc and Lucky pounding the pavement and backtracking all your steps.”
The man stood with his arms crossed over his powerful chest. He wore simple jeans and a gray T-shirt, but it did nothing to hide his strength or the steel will in his eyes. Jake had been a decorated Navy Seal before he’d been recruited to EDGE as a team leader. For him and Cat both to be here meant…
“Blackwell sent two teams to find me?” she asked softly. Doc and Marc both belonged to Cat’s team, while Gears and Lucky belonged to Jake.
“You were MIA,” Jake said. “Of course we came to find you. And don’t worry about your aunt. She’s in the hospital recovering. Blackwell has two men watching her.”
Charlie’s shoulders sagged. “Thank God.”
“Why don’t you tell us everything from the beginning,” Cat said.
Charlie told them the basics of what had happened and what she and Jack had learned.
“So he used your own tech against you,” Marc said softly. “That must have sucked.”
“Especially since it works so fucking well,” Jack said. “It was a bitch to work around.”
Jake stepped forward and extended a hand. “Thanks for sticking by Q.”
“Sure.” They shook. “Besides,” Jack said, “she saved my life more than once. She’s a hell of an operator.”
“I’m not—” Charlie started.
“That she is,” Jake said, staring right at her. He nodded.
A small warmth started in her chest. These people not only liked her, they respected her. They’d come for her. The thrill of that knowledge made her feel like she was glowing. It was good to have friends.
“So what’s next?” Marc asked, looking at her. “Do you know where he is?”
“Not exactly,” she said, trying to remember all of the conversations she’d had with Logan. “But we know it’s outside the range of the pulse, because if everything had gone according to his plan, he was supposed to have an auction tomorrow.”
“Who’s invited?” Marc asked, his face intense.
“He didn’t say,” she said.
“Your best guess,” Cat said. “Will he continue with the auction?”
“Yes,” Charlie said. “Logan’s been planning this for a while. If the auction goes through then we’ll be dealing with the fallout for years. He’s been gathering weapons and tech to sell for some time and most of it is incredibly dangerous. We need to find out where he kept us.”
She started to pace. “It’s a large place. I suspect we were held underground. No windows. Fluorescent lights.” She waved a hand as she spoke.
Ca
t pulled out a laptop and started tapping the keys. “How long were you in the air?”
“An hour tops,” she said. “I woke when the timer was at ten minutes, but I made it to set for an hour.”
“It was a small private plane,” Jack said, “So that gives it a top speed of about two hundred and fifty miles per hour.”
“I think I can reverse engineer the signal from my micro-bugs, but I need time and a receiver of some sort. And it won’t be a strong signal. We’ll have to be within range.”
“Tell me what you need,” Marc said. “I’ll get it.”
She gave a quick list of the tools she wanted.
“I’m on it,” Marc said, and left the room.
Jake pressed a spot on his collarbone where a small flesh-colored mic was taped. He relayed all the information into it while looking over Cat’s shoulder, then looked at her. “Dani and Gears are working on possible locations. They’ll call in Doc and Lucky. You two should rest while you can. We’ll narrow down the possible locations. Then we’ll need you to build us that receiver before we go.”
“I’m coming too,” Charlie said.
Jake shook his head. “I think you’ve done your part.”
“You guys need me there. He has tech that you won’t know how to deal with. This is my field of expertise. I’m not asking so I can get revenge—though I want it. I’m telling you that without me the mission won’t have as high a chance of success.”
“She’s right,” Jack said. “This isn’t going to be a simple in and out. This guy is smart. He’s…Charlie level of smart. He’s going to have defenses you won’t know how to get around. You’re going to need her there.”
Charlie didn’t smile, but she nodded at Jack. She wouldn’t forgive him for leading her on, but she appreciated him backing her up.
“Besides,” Jack continued. “She’ll have me as her partner. I’ll keep her safe.”
Jake stepped forward and sized Jack up. “SAS?”
“Eight years.”
“I read your file,” Jake said. “It wasn’t pretty.”
“It’s a lie,” Charlie said. It was only fair that she stick up for him now. “He was set up. By Spider, who was in military intelligence at the time. It was a trap and Jack took the fall, while his team died.”
