She lightly nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry. If an innocent died because of us . . .” Too many people had died already. “Well, I uploaded the DNA sample into the system to double-check that it was him,” she said as Luke exited the en suite bathroom, freshly changed.
“Good,” Asher said. “But I promise, it was the son of a bitch.”
“Did you jailbreak his phone yet?” Luke strode between Jessica and Asher, as if attempting to cut the tension that had just slammed through the room.
“I’ve only had five minutes with it.”
He smiled. “Exactly. You should be done already.”
“And I am.” She grabbed the phone off the desk and tossed it to him. “Last GPS location—a home outside Salzburg. Looks pretty secluded, too.”
“Did you check satellite cams already?” Luke arched a brow.
“Yeah, since the jailbreak took all of sixty seconds.” She stood.
“Salzburg isn’t far. As soon as Max takes the body off our hands we’ll head out,” Luke said.
The body. Bravo had hidden Egon’s dead body until their German friend could arrive. “You scanned his palm?” she asked Asher. “In case we need it to get into his home?”
“Of course.” He removed his tee, and he stood in only cargo pants and boots. Being shirtless in front of her wasn’t a first, even with the team present, but now that they’d slept together again . . . she could feel the heat rise in her neck and into her cheeks at the sight. Even if she shouldn’t be thinking about him sexually, her body wasn’t getting the memo.
“What’s Max’s ETA?” She refaced the team, thankful Asher was pulling on a clean shirt.
Luke checked his watch. “An hour.”
“So, he’ll take the credit for the kill, but what about the hostage? Will he be a problem?” She crossed her arms and studied the team.
Knox, Liam, and Owen were packing up everything from the room, and Asher now stood alongside Luke, a few feet away from her.
“We’ll be fine,” Asher said, dark brown eyes thinning. This wasn’t their first time being exposed in the field like this, and as long as POTUS didn’t shut them down, it wouldn’t be their last.
“How’s your dad?” she asked Knox.
He finished zipping a duffel bag and straightened, hands going to his hips, a slight tilt to his head. “Fine. I told him if he plans on running for president he’d better get used to shit like this.”
“Hoping to deter him?” Asher asked.
“You blame me?” Knox asked as Luke’s phone began ringing.
“Wyatt’s calling,” he announced.
“He must have something.” Her eyes met Asher’s, and everything inside of her tensed.
He could deliver so many thoughts and provoke so many emotions with a simple look, even at a time like this.
Their talk—and kiss—buzzed around in her mind.
Luke placed the call on speaker. “What do you have?”
“They got a new message and hopped into a van twenty minutes ago. I accessed their GPS, and it’s a match to the address in the ciphertext Samir sent them. They’re heading to New York City,” Wyatt said.
“Up until now, Samir only used those messages for meeting times.” Jessica dropped into her chair and flipped open her laptop.
“What are you thinking?” Luke asked. “This is a diversion?”
She stared at her screen, trying to get the wheels of her mind to work again.
Before she could respond, Luke said, “Text me the address. I’ll send some guys from the company to check out the building.”
“It’s a hotel in the Bronx,” Wyatt answered. “They reserved two rooms. No aliases used.”
The room was quiet for a moment, the team collectively coming to their own opinions on the matter.
“I’m with Jessica,” Asher said. “This is a diversion.”
They were a good team. The two of them.
She cleared her throat and attempted to think again. To focus.
“They may try and lose the Feds,” Asher said. “The GPS address could be bogus.”
“Well, we’ll stay on them,” Wyatt responded.
Jessica’s lips pursed in thought as an idea rolled around in her mind. “Maybe Samir’s reaching out to these guys in another way. The newspaper messages are for the Feds, but they’re getting their signals as to what to do from another source. Or there are more than five guys. Another contact somewhere?”
“We haven’t found anything else out of the ordinary aside from what we’ve provided you,” Wyatt responded.
“So look for something that wouldn’t raise flags,” Asher commented.
She could feel him standing close behind her now. She could always feel him whenever he was near—the same tingling sensation would move up her spine like a warm whisper.
“He’s right.” Jessica nodded and worked at her laptop. “Company emails. Texts with friends and family. Samir could be sending messages under the guise of someone they’re in regular contact with, which the Feds wouldn’t pay attention to. Could’ve used a classic substitution cipher.”
“Got it. I’ll see what I can do on the drive,” Wyatt answered.
“Keep me informed,” Luke said. “Asher took out Egon; we’ve got an address for him. Bravo will be heading to Salzburg in an hour.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Well, the guy was certifiable.” Liam handed Jessica a cup of coffee in the hotel suite in Salzburg, Austria.
“What’d you expect from an assassin?” She took a sip of the drink and set it on the nightstand next to her, directing her focus back to the laptop.
“I didn’t think he’d rig his place with so many damn explosives.” Liam dropped onto the bed next to where she was stretched out, working.
They were alone in the room right now, and she was grateful for a reprieve from Asher. “For a guy who likes to cover his kills with explosions—” She dropped her words and closed her eyes, but at the feel of Liam’s hand resting over hers, she drew in a ragged breath and peered over at him.
He scooted a hair closer and squeezed her hand. “Is it too soon for you to be back? Especially on this particular op?”
Her gaze veered to his green eyes, a touch of blue in the outer rim. “I’m—”
“Fine.” He squinted one eye. “Heard that before.”
“Well, that’s because it’s true.” Her hand slipped free of his, but her throat thickened at the lie.
“He’s crazy about ya, you know?”
“What? Who?” The laptop nearly fell off her legs and to the floor.
“You know who I’m talking about. And he’d do anything for you. He’d lay his life down for you.”
She didn’t do heart-to-hearts. What could she say? The truth?
Her chest expanded as her lungs filled with air. “You all would . . . and, me, too—for you and the team,” she blurted.
The flicker of a smile faded fast. “So, then, what’s your excuse for not being together? We love you, and you love us. And I don’t feel like my life is in danger because of it.” He lightly lifted his shoulders. “I feel safer, actually.”
“It’s different.”
“At least you’re admitting something. That’s a start.” He rubbed at his cheek, his eyes shifting to the ceiling. “I have my own reasons for not settling down, but at least I gave it a shot once before.”
Her brows drew inward. “When?”
“We’ll save that story for another day.” He stood.
“You expect me to open up and share my deep, dark secrets, but you won’t do the same?” She moved the computer off her lap.
His hands disappeared into his denim pockets, and he narrowed his eyes. “I just don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
“Asher would never hurt me.” Sharing his name like this for the first time had her pulse climbing. The admission almost freeing.
He swirled a finger in the air. “Other way around.”
“You think I’ll hurt him?”
“I,
uh, should let you get back to work. That code won’t crack itself.”
“Actually, it will.” She fixed on a smile and rose to her feet.
“So, you want me to stay and waffle on?”
“I don’t know what to do,” she softly admitted after a moment of silence had passed. “And then there’s Luke to consider.”
Liam cocked his head, studying her. “I think you do know, and Luke will get the fuck over it. And if not, I’ll make him get over it,” he said, his face almost stoic.
She couldn’t help but wonder about his past, a past he’d never shared before. Had Liam been in love once? It was hard to believe, but maybe something had happened to shape him into the person he’d become.
“I—” The click from the key card being inserted in the door had her backing up a step and pressing her palm to her chest to gather her thoughts.
Once the door was open, Liam twisted around to view Asher.
Asher shut the door behind him and inched closer to them. He scratched at the back of his short hair, eyes on her.
“Where’s the rest of the team?” Her fingertips bit into her arms now as she tried to swallow the emotions surging to the surface. Her defenses flimsier than ever since Berlin. Maybe even before that—maybe the culprit for her near-crumbling walls stood before her now.
“They’re checking in with Echo,” Asher answered. “Any luck on your end?”
“Uh, yeah. Tracing the funds from Egon to Samir wasn’t that hard, but now my program is running to track down where Samir’s storing his money.”
“Good.” Asher nodded.
“I’ll let you two talk,” Liam said a beat later and started for the door—leaving before either of them could protest his departure.
Asher jerked his thumb toward the closed door. “Is he okay? Why does he think we need to talk?” He rubbed his palms down his face. “Did he say something to you, too?” He walked past her, and she turned to find him sitting on the bed, pressing his elbows to his knees, his eyes on the floor.
“He spoke to you about me, didn’t he?” She pulled the hair tie off her wrist and whipped her hair into a messy bun atop her head as she waited for him to speak.
“He may have said a few words.” His brown eyes journeyed to her face. A tight line darted across his forehead. “We, uh, should probably focus on the op, though.”
“That’s what I told him, but . . .”
“But what, Jessica?” A slow whistle of breath left his barely parted lips.
He had every right to be angry. She’d made love to him. Given herself to him, knowing he’d wanted her for years. Only to turn her back on him afterwards.
When he stood, his height dominated hers. The close shave of his beard accentuated the strength of his strong chin. His jaw clenched as if he were attempting to grind stone with his back teeth.
He stroked his short beard, and a flurry of emotions crossed his face so fast that if she’d blinked, she’d have missed it.
“I should never have proposed meaningless sex,” she admitted. “It was a ridiculous idea.” Her eyes traveled to his mouth. To the lips she wished could steal her sins with a kiss and make everything okay again. If only it were that easy. “I’m sorry.”
“You should be.” He turned and strode to the window, bringing both hands to cradle the back of his head.
“What’s going to happen between us?” she softly asked.
He placed a palm to the window. “Nothing, right?”
“I’m pretty sure we’ll never be able to go back to the way things once were.” The break in her voice had been unplanned, and she was pissed at herself for allowing it to happen because it had Asher facing her now.
“What are you saying? You don’t want to work together?” He crossed the room to her in three quick strides.
She reached up and pressed her palm to his face, her eyes on the brink of brimming with tears despite the protest of her brain to keep it together.
His cheeks filled with air before he allowed the breath to leave his lips. “Jessica.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes fell shut. “Thank you for killing Egon. I thought I didn’t want him dead, but I don’t know if I could’ve handled the alternative.”
He pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her, and rested his chin atop her head, holding her tight in place.
He knew what she needed. He somehow always knew.
“Asher.” His name was a soft sound vibrating against the hard planes of his sculpted chest.
He pulled back to find her face.
Right or wrong—she didn’t know anymore. Sex with him and offering more sex was evidence of that.
But the indecision pulling at her was unbearable.
And so, she pressed up on her toes and brought her mouth to his.
He didn’t kiss her back. Not at first. It was as if he were afraid she’d burn him again.
But then his hand dipped beneath her shirt to touch her back, and his fingertips scorched a hot path over her skin.
His mouth relaxed against hers, and his tongue parted her lips. And right now, she’d give him entrance all day. Every night. To hell with the consequences.
She gripped his arms and pressed against him, needing to be even closer.
“What the fuck?”
Her shoulders jerked at the harsh words, and she stumbled away from Asher. Her eyes winged straight to Luke who stood in the doorway.
Asher swiped a hand over his jaw and down his neck before he pivoted to view Luke—only to find the door slamming shut behind him.
“I’ll talk to him.”
“No, I should.” But her legs were weak, and so was her frame of mind.
“I’ll be right back.” He nodded and strode toward the door.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Wait up.”
Luke faced him in the hall with both palms in the air—a warning to stay the fuck away.
“We need to talk.” Asher stopped in front of him and placed his hands on his hips, not sure what the hell to do with them. Maybe Luke would deck him? And he’d probably let him.
“I was right about you two.” Luke stabbed at the air in the direction of Jessica’s hotel suite. “How long have you been together?” His lips became a white slash on his tanned skin.
Asher closed his eyes for a second, trying to find the courage to deliver the truth, when in all honesty, he still didn’t know what was going on with her. She was warm one minute and cold the next.
Luke closed the short distance between them and locked his arms tight across his chest as if to deter himself from hitting Asher square in the jaw.
“We, uh, had a thing long before I knew you were her brother.” The truth settled in the air between them, and his heartbeat ticked up as he waited for Luke to speak.
“The Aleppo op?” His eyes became razor thin, his mind working fast. Anger flaring.
Asher nodded. “I didn’t see her again until you guys offered me the job.” He wasn’t about to place the blame on her shoulders for the lie, so he added, “I thought if you knew you wouldn’t want me on the team. I asked her not to tell you.”
Luke cursed under his breath. “So, all this time? Are you kidding me?”
“No.” Asher shook his head. “We kept it professional.” His mind went blank for a moment. “Er, until recently. Working together while you were gone, and then after Berlin, things just—”
“How could you?” His brows knitted, and his eyes darkened to a familiar shade—to the same color as Jessica’s whenever anger stirred inside of her. “She’s family, man. You crossed the line.”
His hands tightened at his sides. “Yeah, well, I can’t help who I fall in love with.”
“Yes, you . . .” His words seemed to die as he shook his head. “Love?”
Asher scrubbed both hands down his face, almost unaware of the words he’d spoken until Luke repeated them. But everything was on the table now, and so, he said, “Yeah, I love her. I’ve tried not to. I’ve trie
d really fucking hard.” His voice gave out, his words nearly falling through the cracks. “But I can’t help it.” He swallowed. “I’m sorry.”
Luke’s mouth opened, but his gaze shifted over Asher’s shoulder.
Asher turned. His heart plummeted at the sight of Jessica in the hall. Her lips parted, and her eyes locked onto his. “My program’s done,” she said, her voice barely audible. “I located Samir’s bank.” And then she retreated into the room.
Asher gripped his temples with his right hand. “I’ll, uh, get the team together.” He started past Luke toward their other hotel room, his mind racing like a greyhound around a track.
“Asher.”
“Yeah?” He glanced back over his shoulder.
“Does she love you, too?” he asked, his voice still tense, but less strained than before.
He looked down at his boots. “Probably not.”
“What do we have?” Owen examined Jessica’s laptop as he stood behind her at the desk in the hotel room.
Asher pressed his back to the window and bent one knee, pressing the bottom of his boot to the wall.
Luke knew he’d had sex with Jessica. And now Jessica knew he loved her.
Things hadn’t gone exactly as planned.
But then again, when in his life had anything gone fucking right?
Jessica glimpsed Asher over her shoulder, a visible tightness to her face. Her cheeks were only now sweeping back to their normal rosy hue after she’d become so pale in the hall.
He’d only been able to give her five minutes alone to absorb his confession to Luke, his words like those of a man taking his last dying breath.
“Jessica? You good?” Owen asked when she still hadn’t answered him.
She lightly shook her head. “Sorry.” She lifted her laptop and turned to face the team. “Samir had money in offshore accounts divided over seven countries, but then he funneled all the money into a bank in Cairo.”
“Is it still there?” Luke asked, crossing the room as if his boots were trudging through the muck to get to her. He slowly looked at Asher, and it had Asher’s spine straightening against the window.
“Unfortunately, the money was withdrawn. I’m about to access the bank camera feeds, so I can try and figure out who made the withdrawal because it was done on-site.”
Stealth Ops Series Box Set Page 68
