Innocent Target

by India Kells

  Abbie had slept at first, but at the planned stop to feed her, it took some time for her to latch on to the bottle and when she did, she was so hungry, she guzzled it and ended up spitting the entire bottle over James’s chest when he burped her. Mercy tried her best to help him, cleaning everything up and resuming Abbie’s feed while he changed in the truck stop parking lot.

  Back on the road, Abbie calmed down for a while before she started wailing once more. They stopped again, and despite changing her diaper and offering her the bottle, nothing seemed to calm her down. They’d agreed to get to the destination as quickly as possible, Mercy behind the wheel and James in the backseat, trying to soothe the infant.

  The cottage was just north of Sebring, near Avon Park. As James went inside with Abbie, Mercy had taken care of emptying the car and settling in, making sure everything was ready and at hand for the baby.

  It was dark now, but the cottage was secluded enough that they wouldn’t draw attention. The house was small, but warm and comfy, as any vacation home should be. There was a lake nearby, and through the windows, the moon was reflecting on it like a mirror.

  Her stomach growled, and she’d gathered the ingredients to put sandwiches together when James reappeared. The man was clearly tired with worry lines etched even deeper on his handsome face. How she wanted to take him in her arms and tell him that everything would be okay. His crooked smile brought her back to the present.

  “I’ve connected the baby monitor. Do you mind listening out for her while I take a quick shower? I don’t know if she’s crying because she’s hungry, or because I stink.”

  “Sure. I was about to make sandwiches. Is that okay?”

  He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. If I can get the smell of sour milk and poop out of my nose, I’ll probably be starving. Be right back.”

  It was his smell that lingered, and it’s wasn’t the stink, but instead, it was the smell of his warm skin she inhaled when they were training or working together—her only indulgence and one that annoyed her now. Berating herself, she returned to the task at hand. She wasn’t here on vacation or to fantasize about her work colleague, but to protect him and Abbie. In a friendly, G-rated manner.

  The only solution was to keep busy and not let her imagination run wild wondering how James looked naked in the shower, how the water slid over his skin, over every dip and crevice as his muscles rippled as he soaped himself.

  “Damn it!” She kept her curse low enough not to be heard beyond the kitchen and finished preparing their late meal.

  Once everything was on the table, Mercy could still hear the water running, so she went into the living room, watching the area through a crack in the drawn curtains. Everything looked calm and peaceful. There were still lights twinkling nearby from the neighbors. They weren’t as isolated as she would have liked, but sometimes, it was preferable to hide in plain sight.

  As she moved to the other window, comforted that they were as safe as could be, a too-familiar burning sensation started in her side, just above her hip, right where a knife sliced her during a mission. An unlucky blow as she was carrying an abducted child to safety and she couldn’t deflect. Not that she regretted it, on the contrary, she was ready to protect the weak at any price. Only this time, the repercussions took a little longer to disappear. The annoying sensation happened every time she stood for too long. The doctor said it was due to sectioned nerves, and there was nothing else to do but wait. The doctor seemed more concerned about the scar, but Mercy didn’t care. It only added to her collection. It wasn’t the first and it wouldn’t be the last.

  Absentmindedly, she rubbed her side above her hip, willing the discomfort to go away.

  “Is that where you were wounded?”

  So focused on the outside, she almost yelped at James’s deep voice so close behind her. “Damn it! Why are you sneaking up on me!”

  Annoyance twisted into pure lust when her eyes slid over the man. Only wearing pajama bottoms, hair still wet and slicked back, the shadows highlighted his warrior’s frame into an incredible fantasy. Only her training and self-control stopped her from drooling.

  “Don’t change the subject, Broussard. I know the signs. Answer me.”

  With a sigh, Mercy tried her best to push that aside. “It’s on the mend and there’s nothing more to say about it. Dinner is ready.”

  As she went to pass beside him, his hand closed over her arm, forcing her to look up and lock gazes with him. There wasn’t any sarcasm or mockery in his eyes, only real worry.

  “Yes, but it’s mostly healed. Only a nagging ghost pain. Satisfied? Now let’s eat.”

  But his grip didn’t lessen. In any other circumstance, or any other person, being handled would have pissed her off, but not him, and that unsettled her even more.

  “Show me.”

  It was clear he wouldn’t let her go until he was satisfied, so she turned her back to him and lifted her shirt. Glad the light was low, she’d thought he’d step away, but instead, his fingers glided gently over her scar, along the reddish skin of the healing wound. It was becoming more and more challenging to stay detached with his hands on her and his body so close.

  “You said you had ghost pain. I had that once. My nerves were burning like crazy.”

  Mercy swallowed hard, fighting to keep a steady voice. “How long before it disappeared?”

  “It took some time, but massage helped.” And to illustrate his words, James pressed his palm over her scar. Immediately, the detached touch turned intimate. His fingers made circles over her hip, mindful of the scar tissue.

  Standing still as a statue, Mercy reminded herself that he was only a friend offering help. She’d almost convinced herself of that when she felt his warm hand expand its circle, turning more caressing by the second. Mercy closed her eyes and swayed.

  A muscled arm snaked around her waist and pulled her in his embrace. As she tensed, James’s mouth came close to her ear. “I don’t understand, Mercy. I know you can feel what’s between us, but I don’t understand why you can’t admit it, too.”

  Pulling slightly away from him, she shivered while fighting the attraction for his sake. “I can offer you my friendship, that’s a given. You have my gun, my skills at your disposal, and I’m willing to lay my life on the line too, but what you’re asking, I can’t give you.”

  Even with her heartfelt admission, his hold didn’t loosen. “Is it because of the other women? How I flirt with them? You know that Romeo is a nickname that stuck with me, but it’s not everything I am. Flirting is one thing, but I’m not flirting with you. I’m telling you the truth.”

  It was true James had a reputation, but the fact that he was speaking so seriously now made him even more dangerous to her. “I know, James. But understand that I’m being honest when I say I can only offer you my friendship.”

  He swiveled her in his arms, and now she could see with clear eyes the intensity in him, how he silently disagreed with every fiber of his being.

  Mercy expected him to argue some more, but instead, he lowered his head to take her mouth.

  Her mind was screaming to end it, but everything else in her surrendered. Arms around his shoulders, she indulged herself in his taste, as he did the same with her. Obviously skilled, he was willing to use it to break through her barriers using every way a man could try with a woman.

  Soon, his hands left her waist to slide up her ribcage, tracing a path of fire over her skin, before teasing the side of her breasts through the delicate lace of her bra. Even though she should have pulled back, Mercy pressed forward, opening her mouth to him.

  Breath mingling, her hands slid up through his hair and back down his neck, featherlight and teasing, enough to make him catch his breath. The rising tide of lust almost made her forget where she was and what she was doing.

  With inhuman effort, she tore herself away from him, pushing against his muscled chest until they were no longer touching. Even at a distance, the electricity between them
crackled, the expression on his handsome face reminding her of a predator ready to pounce.

  When she spoke, it was hard not to hear the rawness of her own voice. “James. I’m asking, no, begging you. Please respect my wishes. Take a step back and be my friend.”

  Utterly bewildered, James shook his head. “You can’t be serious. What just happened is proof of our connection, and you still deny it?”

  “I am. I’ve never been more serious.”

  She expected him to be annoyed or even tease her about it, but the agent before her couldn’t have looked or sounded more serious.

  “Not a chance in hell, Merc. Why are you pushing me away?”

  Only hanging by a thread, she shouted at him. “I’m trying to protect you, dammit. I can only be your friend, and I don’t want to lose you as such. That’s all I can offer you. I told you that. It’s the only connection I’ll ever be able to give you. Believe me,” taking a deep breath, she forced herself to smile and tease, even if her next words felt foul in her mouth, “there are plenty of fish in the sea, willing enough to be captured. Including your happily-ever-after if you search hard enough.”

  James was clearly about to charge forward, but a faint cry through the baby monitor stopped him.

  He turned around to get to Abbie, but not before giving her one last threat. “I won’t allow you to lie to me, Mercy. I’ll get to the bottom of this, and you’ll tell me why you’re denying what we have. We’ll get this mission done, get my sister back, and then, I swear to God, you’ll see what I see between us and accept it.”

  The cries intensified, and James disappeared as Mercy fought to calm her breathing.

  Through the baby monitor, she heard his soothing voice coaxing his niece to calm down, and Mercy touched her belly, tears welling up. She was so close to losing it for the first time in years because the man she cared about was stubborn enough not to walk away.

  It was the cell phone buzzing in her back pocket that drew her away from her depressing thoughts. One look told her that it was Imari, which didn’t bode well so soon into the investigation. “Mercy here.”

  “Hey, it’s Imari with Alex. You’re on speakerphone. Shane and Emme are also on the line. Is James there?”

  The request confirmed her thoughts. “He’s busy with Abbie. I can get him.”

  “We can hear the baby crying on the line, so better let him finish up. You can update him when he’s available. I found the last address for Bethany Valentine. She’s been in Miami for the last month or so. It took me some time to find it. It seems she was trying to hide every trace of herself she could.”

  Mercy frowned. “It must have been about the time Abbie was due.”

  Emme came on the line. “Correct. Shane and I went to the address. It’s still intact. There are a few things left, clothing and baby stuff mostly. It looks like she left in a hurry. But that’s not what intrigued us. Imari found the lease is good for another six months. She renewed yesterday morning.”

  That was only hours before their meeting. Why would she hand over that sum of money when she had no intention of staying?

  “There’s something else. And it’s not good. Shane brought Caitlin and her dog in before they left for James’s parents’ place. Not that we needed the dog, but Caitlin has an eye for finding what shouldn’t be there. Killy became excited, almost uncontrollable the moment he entered the room. We found drugs in a hole in the wall, carefully hidden behind the bed frame. It was a lot.”

  “Shit.” Her word summed up everything she felt about the situation.

  Shane sighed on the line. “Yeah. We haven’t alerted the authorities yet. We’re still gathering clues. We won’t bring that up until we’re certain what’s going on. And not before speaking to James first.”

  Mercy could still hear his voice through the baby monitor, and she swallowed hard. “I’ll tell him. Keep us informed of the situation.”

  “Sure. We’re on it.”

  The line cut and Mercy sat on the sofa, listening to James cooing at the baby. She took the precious moments to gather her thoughts, trying to find the right words for him. A new and painful front was opening, and as it implicated James’s sister, it was one that would cause him more pain. Mercy wanted to give him one last moment of peace before she had to shatter it once more.

  Chapter Five

  James felt out of his depth as he looked at his niece in his arms, so tiny, so vulnerable. Every single need she had rested on his shoulders. Yet, that wasn’t what had him pacing the bedroom as he cooed nonsense to her. No, it was the woman in the living room who was driving him crazy.

  He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Mercy wanted him, he could feel the burn of desire every time they stepped into a room together. Sparks crackled so loud it was a miracle nobody else had noticed.

  The anger and fear that chased down his spine when he remembered her scar had him gritting his jaw to stop the snarl that wanted out. The fact that he hadn’t been there when it happened still plagued him. He woke after a short nap sweat dripping from his body, images of her bleeding blinding him until he managed to shake it. He never went back to sleep afterwards, thoughts of something happening to her floating around his mind.

  He’d come to realize over the last three years of working with Mercy that she had a wild streak, but more than that, she had a recklessness about her that both thrilled and petrified him at the same time. He loved that she was fearless and yet he understood it was fear that kept you safe, fear made you careful. She had none, at least, that’s what he chose to believe because the alternative was that she had a death wish.

  Noticing Abbie was once again sleeping soundly, he went to place her down when she stirred again. He loved this child, but he needed to be able to work. Then he hit on a memory of his sister wearing a papoose like thing. Moving to the bag of supplies Cleo had set them up with, he quickly found what he needed. Walking into the open plan living space, he found Mercy working on the laptop at the table. Her eyes immediately flicked up to his, desire leaking out as she scanned his body before clearing the reaction and closing down her expression.

  He bit back the smirk of pleasure and walked toward her with purpose. “I need your help.”

  Relief crossed her pretty face, and she nodded. “Of course, what do you need?”

  “Cleo packed this.” He handed her the vast length of fabric and watched her frown. “Abbie cries as soon as I set her down, and I need to work. I can’t walk around with her in my arms all the damn time.” He pointed to the device. “With that, I can strap her to me and still work. She feels held, and I have my hands free,” he finished with a grin.

  Mercy looked a little bemused as she flipped the instructions on the table. “Okay.”

  Nearly forty minutes later, after several false starts and a lot of baby swapping, they had his niece safely nestled against his chest.

  His hand rested on Abbie’s back as he sat opposite Mercy at the laptop. “Any word from the team?”

  Mercy was staring at him distractedly. “Sorry, what?”

  James grinned at her apparent inability to concentrate. “Have we had word from Alliance?”

  He saw her face sober, and instantly his smile fell.

  “Uh, yes. I was going to tell you when you came out, but we got caught up in this.”

  “Tell me,” he demanded. His hands curled into fists as his heart beat faster. Whatever it was he wasn’t going to like it; he knew from the way she was behaving it wasn’t good news.

  “They found the apartment Beth was renting.”

  He laid a protective hand over Abbie as if sensing the blow that was coming. “And?”

  Mercy lifted her hand as if to touch him and then dropped it with a sigh. He could tell she wanted to comfort him, but right now he didn’t need her damn friendship, he needed answers. “She’s been in Miami about a month but what struck us as odd is she paid up the rent for the next six months. Beth renewed it yesterday before she left Abbie with you.”

 
James sat back feeling the weight of responsibility, brushing his hand through his hair in frustration as his brain whirred at the news. His eyes shot to Mercy. “Has anyone checked the apartment in case she went back there?”

  She nodded slowly. “Shane and Emme went over her stuff there, but they said it looked like she left in a hurry.”

  James shook his head, trying to connect it all. “It makes no sense to pay six months on a lease you have no intention of using.” His eyes moved to Mercy, and he saw sympathy there. “My sister isn’t rich, and that money would’ve been all she had.”

  Mercy sat beside him; her warm body so close he could feel the frisson of electricity pass between them. “Caitlin went in with Killy, and they found a huge stash of drugs.”

  James’s eyes snapped to hers. “What?”

  He stood and began to pace, his heart galloping hard with fear, anger, frustration. Mercy walked toward him as he leaned his hands on the kitchen counter, trying to catch some air and get his emotions under control.

  Her hand touched his bicep, and the tingle of her touch went all the way down his neck, through his spine to his balls. He twisted his head to look at the hand on his arm, before raising his eyes to Mercy and saw the same mixture of emotions, the conflict in her expressive face.

  “I don’t understand what’s happening,” he muttered. His voice was gritty as the last twenty-four hours hit him.

  “Neither do I.”

  James looked down, fighting for control, knowing she meant more than his sister’s disappearance too. They stared at each other, and he saw a glimpse of the woman who was stealing his breath as sure as she was his heart. The air hummed with tension and desire that was like a taut thread between them.

  He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek and watched as her inky-black lashes fell, hiding her eyes from him as she leaned her head into his touch. This was less intense, less sexual than their earlier encounter, but it held so much more meaning. She was showing him her vulnerability, allowing him to see who she really was instead of the formidable, trained operator not afraid of anything. “Who hurt you, Mercy?”