“Sounds like you’ve got big plans for The TEAM’s future.”
“I do. We’ve outgrown Alexandria. With the Seattle office closed, it’s time to reorganize all assets and focus on the disciplines we do best.”
“Like what?”
“Like the work Beckam and the guys do for the homeless vets over in the District. Like what Mark and Harley do in Afghanistan. What you, David, Walker, and the others are doing in the Far East.”
“You’re going international?”
“We’re already international, Zack. The TEAM’s a major world player. Because our reputation’s solid, President Adams asked me to consider working closely with him. I’d like to discuss a plan to move forward with you, Mark, Harley, and David, first thing tomorrow morning.”
“You’re considering putting Mother in charge of all things tech-related, aren’t you?”
Alex shook his head. “Not just tech related, more like technological innovation. She’s got the talent, and I believe her biggest problem is she’s stymied. It’s time she has enough staff and resources to challenge that big brain of hers. I have ideas for covert warfare that I want off the drawing board and implemented before Christmas. She can do it. I know she can.”
“Seriously? Will the new digs be ready by then?”
“Hers will. I’ve got workers working on the rest of the foundations now.”
“Well, good. We outgrew this little bunker a long time ago.”
“That we have.”
Ashley took a step backward into the security of the elevator car, wishing she were anywhere but eavesdropping on Tripp’s boss again. She had no business overhearing this conversation, either. Too bad the elevator pinged extra loud the second she moved, as if it were motion-activated or something. Which it probably was.
Both men’s heads came up, and she was caught. Breathlessly, she ducked inside the car and slapped the close-door button a couple times. “Get me out of here,” she whispered.
“Ashley Cox? Is that you?” Alex asked as they headed her way.
“Y-y-yes?” she whispered, her throat gone desert dry. Determined to get away, she hit that darn close-door button one more time. Why wasn’t it working?
“Wait up!” the extraordinarily large man named Zack called out.
“W-w-why?” She hit that stubborn button one last time. Okay, that made her the world’s biggest chicken, but Alex and Zack were both big guys, big-chested, and sweating like draft horses. They blocked her way and filled her entire view. They took up all the air and, with it, her ability to think. They were everything she was afraid of—they were men. Their only saving grace was that Tripp worked with them, and for Alex, and maybe...
Too late. Alex clapped a palm across the metal doors just when they’d finally decided to close. “Do you box?” he asked, jerking his head toward the ring.
“M-m-me? B-b-box? Oh, no. I-I-I…” Sound like an idiot. She cleared her throat and proclaimed, “I’d never hit anyone.”
A big, toothy smile lit Zack’s face. “Too bad. I teach self-defense to most TEAM wives and a few of their kids. I could show you a couple moves. Let me know if you’re ever interested.”
“No!” popped out of her mouth like a speeding bullet. “I mean…” I can’t believe I’m going to say this but, “Self-defense? Really? You’d teach m-m-me? But I’m… short.” She really meant to say a woman, but these guys seemed to think anyone could learn to stand up for themselves. Even kids.
“Thought maybe that’s why Tripp sent you down here,” Alex muttered. “Want a tour?”
“Ok-a-a-ay,” Ashley replied, the tremor in her voice hard to tamp down. But this was Tripp’s boss, and he’d just whipped Zack’s butt, and… She was so frazzled she lost her train of thought.
“Women need to be able to defend themselves, Ashley,” Alex said evenly. His voice had changed from clipped and precise to calm and mellow, almost as if he knew she was ready to bolt. Smart man. She was. “Especially these days. We teach handgun safety and conceal carry classes, too. Tell Tripp to get you registered, and my wife will be glad to take you to the range one of these days and—”
“No, thank you. Err…” What’d he say? Ashley cleared her throat again. “Your wife shoots?”
He nodded, those razor-sharp eyeballs quartering her and taking stock. Measuring her. A smile breached through that critical-looking face. “You remind me of her. Kelsey had never touched a pistol before she met me, but she carries now, even at home. She teaches a conceal carry class at her place of business, too. You’d like her.”
“Kelsey’s already back to work?” Zack smoothed his towel over his head, blotting the rivulets of sweat running into his eyes.
“Sure. She takes the baby and Lexie with her. Raymond’s Place runs a daycare, and with all those vets working for her, she’s got it made.”
Draping his towel over the inked sleeve on his massive shoulder, Zack shook his head. “That woman’s unstoppable.”
The laser glint in Alex’s eyes softened even more. “That she is.”
“Who watches your dad while she’s working?”
“I hired a live-in caretaker. Mel seems to like him.”
“Didn’t think he liked anyone these days.”
Alex grunted. “You’ve got that right.”
“Tripp didn’t send me down here,” Ashley murmured. These guys didn’t seem worried she’d overheard them. “He’s still in his meeting, and I didn’t want to be a bother, so I was on my way home. But the elevator brought me down here instead of to ground level where I thought I was going, and…” And I’m rambling.
“Come on, Ashley,” Zack wheedled. “Let us give you at least one good self-defense skill while you’re here. Who do you want to take down the most, me or this big-mouthed boss of mine?”
Taking down either of these behemoths wouldn’t be good business for Tripp. She’d never. Not that she could anyway. Her head shook with hard and fast tremors of denial. “Not me. I can’t—”
“Oh, yes you can!” a familiar voice boomed from the door marked STAIRS to her far right. “I’ll show you.”
“Tripp!” Thank goodness he showed up.
He set a quick pace to her rescue. “Here you are,” he breathed into the side of her head as he gave her a half-hug. “I’ve been looking for you. These old guys bothering you?”
“Hey,” Zack groused. “I resemble that.”
“Oh, no. Not at all. I—”
Tripp reached out and grabbed Zack’s little finger. He dropped to his knees and his towel fell to the floor. “What the fuck?” he yelled.
“Lesson number one,” Tripp told Ashley calmly. With a twist of his wrist, he bent Zack’s finger farther back. “When faced with imminent attack, act fast and decisively. Go in fast, hit hard. Never let them see you coming.”
“Payback’s a bitch, junior agent,” Zack growled up at Tripp.
“You see, even the smallest fighter can leverage a much larger opponent, simply by getting the jump on him or her,” Tripp said without glancing at or answering the man groveling at his feet. “It’s all about knowing where to strike to get the most leverage, and where your opponent’s weakest points are. Fingers are easy targets, but in a close-up fight to the death, they’re not enough. Fight for keeps, Ashley. Fight to kill. Gouge your attacker’s eyes, punch the heel of your palm into his nose, or make a good hard fist and punch his throat. Knee his balls, kick, scream, whatever you have to do to stay alive. Just do something before he lays a hand on you. If nothing else, scream. Second rule: never give up. Even when all hope seems lost, when he thinks he’s got you down, endure to the fuckin’ end.”
“Tripp’s right. Every second counts in death struggles,” Alex added, his blue eyes fixed on Ashley and completely ignoring Zack, who was growing more miserable by the second. “The universe never stops moving or changing. The worst thing anyone can do is to give up when help might be just around the corner.”
&nb
sp; “Exactly.” Tripp cranked Zack’s little finger even farther back! The poor man’s sweaty face was wrinkled in agony. He looked like he was about to cry. Ashley wanted to cry for him. “Case in point. Zack Lennox here, a big, tough guy who weighs close to three hundred pounds, didn’t see this coming. Yet here I stand, making him sweat, on his knees, just by tweaking his pinkie. I don’t intend to give up until he does. Want to try?” He offered Zack’s much larger, but still twisted baby finger, for her to take.
“No!” she replied adamantly, her heart in her throat for what Zack was going through. “You’re hurting him.”
“No, I’m not,” Tripp answered even as he looked down at the man on his knees and asked, “Am I hurting poor widdle you?”
“No, damn it, you ass. Let me up.”
Which nearly made Ashley smile. Of course, Zack would say that. Men didn’t usually admit they were hurt when a woman was around. “You’ve made your point, Tripp. Let him go. Stop picking on Zack.”
“Aw, am I picking on you?” Tripp teased, as he released Zack’s finger.
Zack jerked his hand away, shook it, and for some reason, Alex took a full step backward. Just in time. Without so much as a whisper, Zack barreled into Tripp, and the fight was on. In seconds, he had Tripp pinned flat to the floor, his massive forearm across Tripp’s windpipe. “You think you can take me, smart ass?”
Ashley stepped alongside Alex. “Make them stop. He’s hurting him.”
“No, he’s not,” Alex answered, both arms crossed over his chest. “Watch.”
Tripp’s face turned red. Ashley bit her bottom lip at the sweating male pretzel sprawled before her. It certainly looked like Tripp was in trouble. His eyes bugged out. He wheezed. Sweat dripped off the ugly face Zack was making at him. But the second he eased back just a tiny fraction, Tripp twisted his body and bent one leg, then stuck his other knee up into Zack’s groin.
“Pressure points,” he whisper-gagged at Ashley. “It’s all about making the most of your attacker’s pressure points. With one good kick, I can now knee this big boy in his—”
“Like hell!” Zack rolled off Tripp.
Tripp was now sucking in air like a fish out of water.
“Damn, for a minute there, he had me,” Zack admitted as he looked up at Ashley. “He could’ve broken my finger, remember that. Might does not make right. Men who assault women are generally bullies and cowards. They’re weak. They think because they might be physically bigger and male, that women are easy targets. Now you know better. If you ever find yourself up against some jerk...” He stuck his chin at Tripp. “Surprise the hell out of that son of a bitch and prove him wrong.”
“Eyes, nose, throat, balls,” Tripp rasped. He was sittings cross-legged, looking up at her with a crazy smile.
“But the best defense for an untrained woman,” Alex interrupted, “should always be to scream bloody murder and run in the opposite direction. Know your surroundings at all times and never get into a car with someone you don’t know. Don’t look for trouble, Ashley, but don’t be afraid to knock it on its ass if it comes looking for you. Now, about weapons training… Tripp, get your lazy ass off the floor.”
“Yes, Boss,” he replied, as he bounced to his feet and extended a hand to help Zack up.
Zack slapped his offer away. “From a place you’ll never see, asshole, will come a sound you’ll never hear.”
Ashley didn’t get the joke, but Tripp and Alex both laughed.
“Get this woman a weapon,” Alex ordered. “Teach her how to shoot. That okay?” he asked, turning those icy blue lasers back to Ashley.
“Yes,” she admitted. “I’d really like to be able to defend myself.” Because hiding under the bed when I’m scared sucks.
A big sweaty arm landed around her neck. “You bet, Boss,” Tripp replied. “Right after Ashley and I have a little talk.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tripp steered Ashley away from his boss and Zack and into the waiting elevator car. The second the doors closed, he asked, “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“Because you were working, and everyone was busy, and I didn’t want to be a bother.”
“I thought we were going out for coffee after I finished here?”
She looked up at him. “You don’t need to babysit me, Tripp. Besides…” Her voice trailed off.
“Did Mother say anything to you? Was she rude?”
Ashley blew her hair out of her eyes. “She’s seriously depressed. Did you know she lost a child? I’m not sure when. Recently, I think.”
“I had no idea,” Tripp murmured, wondering how she’d come to that bit of gossip. “That explains why she’s difficult to work with. I’ve been bounced between here and Seattle since I was hired, but every time I needed something from her, she’s been difficult. I usually work with Beau. He’s just as smart, without the attitude.”
“Try being kind to her for a change and don’t call her Mom. That’s a huge trigger for her. I’m not sure why Jameson keeps calling her that. Do you?”
“Sure don’t, no.” Because I mind my business at work, and I’ve got enough family drama of my own to worry about. “Hey, listen—”
“Alex and his wife lost a baby, too. You’re surrounded by people with PTSD.”
Ashley was certainly full of personal TEAM information, but Tripp needed answers. “Okay, stop. This is all good gossip, but—”
“Oh, it’s not gossip. Mother had a little breakdown while I was sitting with her. She told me about losing her daughter. Then Alex showed up and told her to hang on, that everyone who’s lost a child feels like they’re drowning some days. That he and his wife Kelsey were still drowning, too. Your boss and his wife lost a child, Tripp. Isn’t that awful?”
Tripp nodded but said nothing. Things in the office were making a little better sense now. Alex’s obsessive-compulsive attention to detail might’ve come out of his need to make sure no one else died on his watch. The loss of a child also explained Mother’s bitter comebacks at the drop of a hat. The way Alex and Mother seemed to tolerate each other some days, then hate each other the next morning. The way Mother snapped at Jameson. Alex seemed to have a handle on his grief, but Ashley was right. Mother was still drowning. That was the perfect descriptor.
Tripp felt like he and his mom were drowning in his sister’s drama. How could he even begin to help someone like Mother, who wouldn’t let him close enough to ask a simple question? Better question, what did Jameson know about Mother that no one else did? He wasn’t usually an instigator, yet he seemed to be taunting her even after she’d told him in no uncertain terms to stop calling her Mom.
The elevator was nearly at The TEAM’s floor. “You’ve been busy,” he murmured.
Ashley looked up at him. “I just listened, that’s all. And I ordered soup and sandwiches, too. You’ve got a foot-long steak-and-swiss waiting upstairs for you. Soup, too. I didn’t get myself anything because I didn’t want to impose. Would you mind sharing?”
Such an innocent question for a woman who, only this morning, couldn’t stand to touch him.
He licked his bottom lip and changed the subject. “Where’d you go to college, Ashley? Were you ever…?” He never got the rest of the question out. The moment he said the words, he knew he’d ruined the rest of the evening.
Ashley’s eyes widened with something that looked a lot like fear. Not surprise. Her pupils dilated, squeezing the sparkle out of the sapphire blue. Her breath hitched. She took a step back from him. One hand clutched the top buttons of her shirt, as if she needed to hold it together. As if it might suddenly be torn away. Or off. But the worst physical reaction? She dropped her lashes and seemed to shrink into the woman he’d met Friday night.
Damn it, he’d done it again. Common sense sometimes took a full minute to engage. Tripp was, after all, one of those hard men who’d stood in the dark of the darkest nights and done what most other men would not. He’d seen and done too much, tho
ugh sometimes, he felt as if he hadn’t done enough. Like now.
A flaming spark of ‘Shit, damn, maybe I shouldn’t have asked anything,’ slapped him upside his hard, Army head. The convo ground to a sudden stop. He swallowed hard, huffing through a throat that refused to comply, trying not to see Ashley’s lovely face superimposed on the victims in those gruesome crime scene photos in Mark’s office.
She retreated to the opposite corner of the elevator and went as still as a church mouse, not looking at him. Ashley planned to bolt the second those doors opened.
Shit. Tripp sucked in a belly full of regret, managed to finally swallow, and reached a hand to her. “Come with me, Ashley. Please,” he said evenly, needing her to give him a way out of the mess he’d created. “We need to talk. In private.” His throat was so damned dry, he sounded like a toad croaking.
The car doors slid open, and there stood that son of a bitch Jameson, his head cocked as if he’d known precisely where Ashley would be. “Ashley?” he asked a helluva lot more calmly than Tripp had. “May I speak with you in private for a minute before you go?” And he’d given her a way out. Said she could go. Tripp had to admit, Jameson was a smart guy.
She stared up at him, trembling like a sweet, innocent doe caught in the crosshairs of a hunter’s scope. Her nostrils flared, and the pulse spot in her throat quivered.
Tripp looked to Jameson for more help. Could he sense how badly Tripp had messed up? Had he anticipated Ashley running out of the elevator for the stairs? Sure seemed like it. God, what didn’t that guy know?
Jameson held out his right hand and fluttered his fingers, as if he knew where she stood. “Come on, kiddo. Just for a minute. Tripp, would you like to join us?”
Yes, gawddamnit, his inner Ranger roared. But he replied more evenly, “Sure. Maybe you can help us with a case we’re working, Ashley.”
“Me?” she squeaked, her pretty blues wide and glistening. Finally, she looked at him.
Tripp Page 13
