Maybe the intensifying nightmares were spurring her on, but whatever it was, Marissa felt forced to take a stand for herself. Since she couldn’t control her subconscious, she figured it was high time that she had a say in the matter. So stumbling upon the Sniper 1 group was actually a blessing.
“And before anyone says anything more, I just want you to know that I’m not going anywhere this time. No more safe houses. Nor am I going to put my life on hold any longer,” she tacked on stubbornly.
Trace sighed loudly, his head hanging between his shoulders as he stared down at the table.
“Do you have a problem with that?” she asked him directly, but he didn’t bother to look up at her. Not that she had expected him to. He’d stuck close to her since they’d arrived back in Texas, but he’d done little to no talking during that time.
“Honey,” Casper began, “we only want what’s best for you.”
Marissa glanced around the table at the men she considered family. She’d grown up with most of them, and seeing them look at her as though she might fare well in a mental facility didn’t do much for her confidence.
Softening her stance and lowering her voice, she said, “I understand that.”
And she did. She really did. It was the only reason she’d agreed to let them hide her out for the last year. That and she was trying to do her part to keep this nightmare away from her family, partly because she had always had an idea of who might be behind it. Although she hadn’t bothered to share the details with anyone else, simply because she was scared to death of who they were dealing with. Selfish, yes, but she wasn’t going to apologize for it.
She wasn’t an agent, didn’t actually care to be part of the family business, but with her brothers and father involved in the security company, she’d had to make certain decisions that she felt were best. After all, there were some rather sensitive egos that she was dealing with—namely every single one of the alpha males sitting at the table before her.
They’d clearly beaten her to the punch, coming to the same conclusion she had: the Adorite family was likely who was after her.
The thought made her shiver. Of all the people in the world she didn’t want to cross…
“If you understand so well,” Conner stated harshly, “mind enlightening us on the things you do know?”
Marissa stared at Trace’s older brother. She didn’t know if he was referring to something specific or just in general. She decided to play it on the safe side. “What I do know about what?”
“Oh, come on, Marissa,” Conner grumbled. “Don’t tell us that you’ve sat by all fucking year without bothering to research what was goin’ on. You’re a journalist, are you not?”
“Conner,” Casper said by way of warning.
“What?” Conner growled, pushing to his feet. “You want me to keep my mouth shut? You want me to sit by with the rest of you and pretend not to know she’s keeping something a secret? Well, it ain’t gonna happen.” Conner turned his hardened gaze on her. “You remember my wife?”
Marissa swallowed hard, nodding.
“You remember the fact that she’s dead? Huh? Well, every fucking day I open my eyes, I’m reminded of that. I’m reminded of the fact that she knew something she didn’t bother to share with the rest of us. And now she’s dead.”
Silence fell over the room and Marissa took a step back. Conner Kogan was terrifying when he was angry, and except for the day they’d come to tell him that his wife was dead, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him angrier than he was right then.
At her.
“I don’t know a damn thing you don’t know,” she declared, her voice not nearly as strong as she’d wanted.
Conner laughed, without mirth. Thrusting his hand through his dark hair, he then turned to face the men at the table. “I’m done with this shit. I’m done stickin’ my neck on the line for her. She’s obviously keeping something to herself, and until she cares to share that, I’ve got better things to do.”
Conner cast an angry glare at her before storming toward the front door, grabbing his helmet on the way.
“Conner!” Casper yelled.
“Let him go,” Ryan insisted, shifting in his chair and meeting Marissa’s gaze. “Is it true? Is there something you haven’t shared?”
“No,” she said quickly, swallowing. “Not anymore. You know what I know.” And it was true. Now that Ryan had stumbled on the article, he likely had more information than she did.
Her eyes immediately darted toward Trace. He looked as angry as Conner had been, but he didn’t say anything.
Damn it.
She’d had her reasons for keeping the details to herself. She still didn’t have any proof, and in her line of work, finding a reliable source was key. Until she had hard evidence that the Adorites were involved, she didn’t want to send them down a path that very well could end up nowhere. So, despite the backlash she’d known would eventually come, Marissa had been compelled to do what was right by everyone—and that meant keeping the information to herself. Had Ryan not called her on it, she doubted she would’ve shared anything up to this point, either.
“Seriously,” she stated harshly. “I told you all I know.”
For the benefit of the others, Marissa relayed the details of her interactions with the Adorites. By the time she was finished, more than one man at the table was glaring at her. And so was Courtney, but Marissa was almost positive there was something else in her best friend’s gaze.
“Christ,” Clay bellowed. “Don’t you think we should’ve known that from the beginning?”
“Why?” Marissa countered. “So everyone else would be at risk? It’s not enough that I don’t feel safe anymore. Would you prefer I put you in danger, too?”
“That’s what we do, Marissa!” Clay yelled. “That’s all that we fucking do.”
There was nothing else she could say. To a degree, she understood where he was coming from. She even understood Conner’s anger. But she couldn’t change the past.
In her defense, in the beginning, she hadn’t had any clue as to why someone would target her. Her family’s first thought was that it was related to Sniper 1, which honestly made perfect sense. And that was why she’d let them run with it. But now they knew as well as she did … this had nothing to do with Sniper 1.
At least it hadn’t at first, anyway.
Although her father had made some pretty powerful enemies in his lifetime, Marissa knew that she had to carry the full responsibility for this mess on her own shoulders. It sort of went without saying that being a political blogger was a job that could easily ruffle a few high-and-mighty feathers. And generally, those feathers belonged to people who had a lot riding on the skeletons they thought they had safely tucked away in their closets.
Marissa was particularly good at digging up dirt and exposing some deeply buried secrets. Her family was aware of that fact, too. And despite their request for her to cease for the time being, Marissa hadn’t been able to abide by their rules. Her decision certainly hadn’t helped her case at all.
“Can we get on with this?” Trace asked, shooting a glare at Marissa. “Right now, I don’t think we need to be worried about what she wants; we need to focus on what will keep her safe.”
Marissa wanted to tell Trace to fuck off, they did need to be worried about what she wanted. Instead, she bit her tongue, holding back the curse.
“I—” Marissa wanted to argue reasonably, but she was quickly cut off when Trace took the floor.
“We know how you feel,” he stated, his tone carrying an icy chill. “We don’t want you gone, either, so let us figure this shit out.”
Marissa stared dumbly at Trace for a moment, her jaw in danger of hitting the floor. Despite the anger lacing his words, his eyes were soft, not quite as dangerous as she was used to. As Trace continued to stare at her, she found words had failed her. Nodding her head, she waited for him to continue.
Trace turned back to face the group. “For now, I think
it’s best if she stays here. In Dallas. I’ve transitioned my other assignments, and my only focus is her right now. I agree that we’ve got to find this guy—whether the Adorites are behind it or not—and put a stop to it.”
Marissa looked at her father, feeling slightly reassured that Trace seemed to be in her corner. Bryce was listening to Trace and glancing between the two of them as he did.
“Do you think she’s safe here? At the house, I mean,” Bryce asked, his gaze cutting to Trace.
She was taken aback by the insecurity in her father’s tone. Of course she was safe there; the place was a veritable fortress. The guy hadn’t gotten close to her last night.
Trace glanced over his shoulder at her again, then turned back to face Bryce, shocking her when he said, “No, sir. I don’t.”
Again, Marissa was staring at Trace, confusion racking her brittle thoughts.
Trace held up his hand to stop Ryan before her brother could argue. “I think the security here is top notch, but it’s hard to believe she’d be safe anywhere. They’ve found her every time. Last night included. And though that guy was a dumb ass, we can’t take it lightly that he managed to breach the perimeter.”
True, Marissa thought to herself.
“Then where do you suggest she go?” Clay asked. “We’ve stashed her all over the U.S. and you see how that’s turned out.”
Marissa could hear the irritation in her brother’s tone.
“I don’t suggest we send her anywhere,” Trace answered. “I volunteer to keep my eye on her. Where she goes, I go.”
Oh, God.
No. That certainly couldn’t be a good idea. And it had nothing to do with the danger she was in.
Marissa’s heart kicked into overdrive as she stared back at the group, at the men who held the decision for her future in their hands.
She darted a look at Courtney and noticed a small smirk on her best friend’s lips. Courtney was the only person who knew how Marissa felt about Trace, even though Marissa had never actually copped to it. Courtney was the only one who had confronted Marissa about the crush she’d had on the man since she was a teenager. But not even Courtney knew the extent of the desire for him that lived and breathed inside of her.
There were more reasons to stay away from Trace than just how dangerous he was. And if she were smart, she’d find a way out of this. Only, she honestly didn’t know how to do that. She’d been telling the truth when she’d said she didn’t know more than they did. Other than the people she’d interacted with, Marissa wasn’t even sure she could contribute a viable lead for them to go on.
Crap.
“So, what? You’re gonna camp out here permanently?” Colby questioned Trace skeptically, his eyebrow cocked.
“But you just said she’s not safe here,” Hunter added.
“And I believe that,” Trace admitted. “I was thinkin’…”
Marissa’s breath lodged in her throat as she waited for Trace to finish his statement. Surely he wasn’t about to suggest what she thought he was.
“That she would be safer at your place?” Clay muttered, anger underlying his tone.
“Yes,” Trace said seriously. “That’s exactly what I was thinkin’.”
“Not a bad idea,” Hunter added. “Your place is impenetrable.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Courtney added. “But I agree, it’s a better option than here. They know where she is right now. They’ll come back for her as soon as the opportunity presents itself.”
She glared at her best friend. She couldn’t believe Courtney was supporting this.
Marissa watched as her brothers gave Trace the death glare, and for a brief moment, she almost considered it amusing. Except it wasn’t.
None of this was funny. Not even a little bit.
“How do you feel about that?” Casper asked, and Marissa realized his question was directed at her.
The idea, although terrifying for many reasons, wasn’t a bad one. Trace’s place was off the grid, not many people knew about it, and from what she’d heard, it really was practically impenetrable. Not to mention, Z was there. If she could get a little privacy, she might be able to find the opportunity to dig just a little deeper, uncover the truth that would hopefully eliminate the threat to her once and for all.
Rather than saying as much, Marissa asked, “Do I have a say in the matter?”
Looking at Trace, she waited for a response. She didn’t have to wait long.
When Trace looked back at her, the sexy gleam in his light gray eyes spoke to her on an entirely different level. “No. You don’t.”
Shit.
Knowing she was going to argue, but not in front of so many eyes, Marissa merely stared back at him and kept her mouth shut.
Sixteen
Casper would admit that he’d seen a lot of things in his life. At fifty-nine years young, he knew there were plenty more things he’d likely see in the future, and just as anytime he’d taken on a job that had to do with kids, regardless of their age or who they belonged to, Casper knew there was absolutely no room for mistakes.
None whatsoever.
As he watched Marissa stare back at the group, he felt shitty for some of the decisions they’d made on her behalf in recent months. Then again, they hadn’t had much of a choice, because when it was clear that a madman was targeting one of your children, making decisions that would ensure the safety of that child, no matter what they were, wasn’t absurd.
Casper had wholeheartedly supported Bryce’s decision to send Marissa away in an effort to keep her safe. Would he do it again? Abso-fucking-lutely.
Casper wouldn’t take any chances when it came to his family, and yes, Casper loved Bryce’s and TJ’s kids as much as he loved his own. That was what happened when you had friends who were that close. They became family.
And thirty-three years of running a company with one man, making decisions that affected both their lives—present and future—meant they were like brothers. Which was why Casper was doing his damnedest to let Bryce make the decisions regarding his daughter, although he knew there were some emotional reactions they wouldn’t be able to avoid.
Like Marissa’s refusal to leave town.
Or Conner’s reaction to the situation. They all knew Conner had every right to be angry, but the way he’d turned on Marissa bothered Casper.
Casper didn’t blame Marissa for not wanting to be sent away again, not at all. She needed to be home with her family. She needed to be close to her mother and her father and her brothers. They missed her, and Casper had seen firsthand just how hard it was on Bryce each and every day she was gone. How Bryce and Emily had lasted a full year, Casper would never know.
Was it easy for Casper to sit this one out? To let Marissa’s brothers and her father make the decision? No, it wasn’t. He wanted to offer his professional opinion although he knew it wasn’t necessarily his place. Which was why he didn’t have a problem with Trace stepping up to the plate. In fact, he was giving Trace a fair amount of room to breathe on this one. They all were. His son had never been the sort to jump to conclusions or make rash decisions, so when Trace had brought forth the information he’d uncovered after their meeting with Duchein, Casper had opted to let him and RT handle it.
And now, as he watched Marissa’s reactions, he had a feeling she had come up with some conclusions on her own. Why she wasn’t sharing that information with them, he didn’t know. But with absolute certainty, Casper agreed with Conner: Marissa was still holding something back.
“Can we spare him for the time being?” Bryce asked, interrupting Casper’s train of thought.
Casper glanced beside him, realizing Bryce was talking to him. “What the hell kinda question is that?” he retorted. “We’ll spare every last one of them if we have to.”
Whatever it took to end this nightmare, and he fully agreed with Trace in this case, he was definitely the best man for the job. Not only because he was a highly skilled agent but because it was clear his s
on had feelings for Marissa. Feelings that had nothing to do with family commitment and everything to do with something even deeper. That emotion could work for and against Trace, but Casper was inclined to believe Trace would channel it appropriately, keeping her safer than anyone else could.
Bryce nodded his head as though he were agreeing. Casper had to wonder why his friend was questioning him now.
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Bryce stated. “Marissa will stay with you. Where she goes, you go.”
Trace nodded.
Casper watched his son, wondered what had brought this on. It wasn’t unreasonable for one of the boys to step in when help was needed, but it didn’t escape him that Trace had been so focused on Marissa’s safety ever since the unthinkable had happened. Ever since the enemy had managed to get his hands on her a second time, roughly five months ago.
Proud was an understatement when it came to how Casper felt about Trace’s reaction in a time of crisis. He didn’t doubt that his boys would go to extremes to do the job, to protect the client, but what Trace had done… That had defied any loyalty to the job. Marissa was more than a job to Trace; Casper could see it in the way Trace looked at her.
Did that make it more dangerous? Maybe so. He still kept his mouth shut.
“Then it’s settled?” RT asked, glancing around at the group.
All attention went to Marissa, who was standing a few feet from the table, her hands on her hips, her mouth slightly open as though she couldn’t believe that they were still talking around her.
“Are you sure you’re all right with this?” Casper asked Marissa one last time.
“Fine,” she murmured and then turned on her heel and escaped before anyone could ask any more questions.
Too bad there were still plenty more that needed answers.
□«»□«»□«»□
Ryan watched his baby sister walk away. Before Marissa made it completely out of the room, he turned back to see Trace was also watching her. He noticed the man was having a difficult time keeping his eyes above waist level.
Wait for Morning (Sniper 1 Security #1) Page 14
