The Protector: The Complete C.I.A. Romance Series

by Lilian Monroe

  Just like my first day in the Senate, the smell of rotting fish invaded my nostrils. I staggered backwards, gasping for air. I glanced down at the deck, where another bucket of fish guts and blood and slop had been tossed. I gagged. Frozen in place, I just stared at the chum soaking into my deck. The horror of it—the mess—made me want to cry.

  I couldn’t handle this. I could feel myself breaking down. Every organ, every blood vessel, every part of my insides was slowly disintegrating and it felt as if the only thing keeping me together was my skin. A pinprick would make me explode like a balloon, with my innards decorating my deck just like the fish parts at my feet.

  Movement caught my eye at the edge of my front yard.

  “Hey!” I called out, and the figure took off at a sprint.

  I didn’t think, I didn’t hesitate, I just ran. Luckily, I hadn’t taken my shoes off when I got in the house. My old Nikes were worn, but they were reliable—thank goodness for good shoes. Blood pumped through my body as I sprinted toward the figure.

  “Stop!” I called out, but they just darted off between some houses.

  The runner was faster than I was, and I knew I’d never catch them.

  But I did have one advantage—I’d lived in these streets my whole life. I knew that that alley only had one other exit. It was a U-shape, so I could cut off the vandal at the other end. I jogged toward the alley’s other exit and crouched down in my neighbor’s yard. Forcing myself to calm my breath, I listened intently.

  Then I heard it. The pounding of footsteps approaching and the raking of heavy breaths. The sound got closer and closer as my heart thumped.

  Within a couple seconds, the runner would be here. My muscles tensed and I crouched, ready to make my move. Time slowed as the footsteps got nearer, and every muscle in my body aligned itself.

  I was ready.

  As soon as the figure ran out from the alley, I pounced. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself graceful, but I was accurate. My body collided with the runner. Pain jolted through me as an elbow connected with my sternum. My hands grabbed at the hooded figure’s head. We fell to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs, and I realized I had just tackled a woman.

  Her nails left deep scratch marks on my face and I clawed at her to gain control. She had a ski mask on and a hood up, and all I could see were bright blue eyes.

  I swore under my breath and clamped my legs around hers. She snarled, landing a punch to my side. The run had taken a lot of energy out of her, though, and her movements were turning sluggish. I tried to pin her arms to her side but she managed to pepper my side with a flurry of punches again.

  I groaned, but kept my legs wrapped around her. Finally, wrestling my right hand loose I ripped her ski mask off.

  She gasped, stilling long enough for me to see her face.

  “Maribel!” I cried out, looking at my grandfather’s nurse. She scowled at me, and then sighed and stopped resisting.

  “Let go of me.”

  “Did you just dump a bunch of fish guts on my porch? What the hell?”

  “I didn’t know it was your porch!”

  “So you just go around vandalizing people’s property?”

  “No!” She exclaimed as tears clung to her lashes. “I… I…”

  “Why did you fight me?”

  Her face twisted and she looked away from me. I still had my legs wrapped around hers, but I slowly disentangled myself from her.

  “Huh?” I prompted.

  “I panicked,” she said bitterly. “I didn’t know it was you until you tackled me, I swear.”

  “But… why?” I climbed off her and she stayed still, laying on the alley pavement and staring up at the sky. She was a bit younger than me, with big blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. She was beautiful, and she’d always been kind to my grandfather. This shocked me to my core.

  It was vandalism. No, worse than vandalism. Vandalism is mindless chaos. This was targeted at me, the same way the bucket of chum had been targeted at me on my first day. It was threatening. It was… It just didn’t make sense. Why Maribel?

  “Someone paid me,” she finally said with a sigh. “They approached me at Green Meadow. In the parking lot.”

  “They approached you at my grandfather’s aged care facility?” My blood ran cold. First Mickey, and now this? They knew where my grandfather was, and panic was starting to claw at my stomach. How long would it take for them to get to him. He was old and frail, and there was no way he’d be able to defend himself.

  She nodded, tears streaking down her face. Dragging her eyes up to mine, she blinked the tears away. “I needed the money, Cat,” she said quietly. “Please don’t call the police. My landlord kicked me out and I’ve been sleeping in my car. I have nothing, Cat. I needed the money. I was desperate. I’m so, so sorry. You have to believe me.”

  I frowned. I could tell she was being truthful, but this still didn’t make sense. We both sat there, in the middle of the alley, staring at each other.

  “You’re telling me that someone paid you—how much did they pay you?”

  “Ten thousand.”

  “Someone paid you ten grand to dump rotten fish on my deck? And you didn’t ask why or who? You just said yes? Doesn’t that seem like a lot to just vandalize someone’s front deck?”

  “Well… they asked me to do something else.” She chewed her lip, eyes wide as she stared at me.

  “What?” She didn’t answer right away, and my heart started bouncing against my ribcage. Fear gripped my throat, and I leaned toward her. “What did they ask you, Maribel?”

  “They asked me to let them into Green Meadow tomorrow. Said they’d call me and I should let them in a side door. They didn’t say why.”

  “What?”

  “Cat, you have to understand—they knew about me. My name, my sister and my niece… I thought it was my ex, he was into some drugs, and I thought it was something to do with that. I thought… I don’t know. I just needed the money and I was scared.”

  She took a slow, raking breath as tears continued to spill on her face.

  “I’m sorry, Cat. Please, I can’t lose my job, I…” she sobbed and I grunted, standing up. I dusted the dirt off my pants and straightened my shirt.

  “I won’t tell anyone on three conditions.”

  Her eyes widened. “What are they? I’ll do anything. I promise. Anything, Cat.”

  “Number one, you tell me every single thing you remember about the person that accosted you and anything else strange you might have seen. Number two, you make sure that my grandfather is safe at all times. At all times,” I repeated, arching my eyebrows. “Number three, you clean that disgusting slop off my deck right now.”

  Her shoulders slumped, but she nodded. “I’m sorry, Cat.”

  “Do we have a deal?”

  She sniffled and nodded again, and I extended my hand to her to help her up. When she was standing, she looked me in the eye and took a deep breath. She seemed to be settling down, and her resolve was strengthening.

  “You got a mop and a hose?”

  I nodded. “I do. Let’s go. You can start by telling me everything you remember about the guy who asked you to do this while we walk back.”

  24

  Chris

  I went straight from the prison to find Gary. He met me at the office, and we compiled all the information we had on Tony Kowalski. By the time we finished, dusk was settling on the city.

  Handing me a fat file, he grinned. “I take it this is a good lead?”

  “Straight from the horse’s mouth.”

  “Which horse is that?”

  “Blanchet.”

  “You think you can trust him?”

  “No, but we’re running out of options.”

  Gary grunted, tapping on his computer. “I’ve put a trace on his last known number, but so far I haven’t had any hits. It’s possible he’s got a few phone numbers we don’t know about.”

  “Address?”

  “Baltimo
re. Moved from Philly in the 90’s after serving a six-year sentence for drug charges and has been there ever since.”

  “Still in the game?”

  “Drugs? Nah. Stopped when he moved to Baltimore. I can’t find any information on why he moved to Baltimore, or what happened between him and Nowak beforehand.”

  “So, where can I find him?”

  “Best guess? Fell’s Point in Baltimore—Little Poland. Krasinski’s Cafe and Deli seems to be his usual hangout, based on this intel.”

  “All right. Let’s go.”

  Gary nodded, closing his laptop and stuffing it into his bag. I tucked the file on Kowalski under my arm, planning to dive into it in more detail on the drive to Baltimore. First, though, I had to make sure Cat was okay. She hadn’t looked happy when she left the hospital, and I wanted to make sure she’d gotten some rest

  We got in Gary’s van and I motioned to the street. “Small pit stop before we go. Crawford’s place.”

  Driving in silence, we wound our way through the streets toward Cat’s little bungalow on the edge of town. It was hardly fit for a Senator, but after being in Baltimore, I had a sneaking suspicion she’d chosen it because it reminded her of home.

  When we pulled up outside, I frowned. “Where’s her car?”

  Gary scanned the street. “Garage?”

  “She doesn’t have one.”

  I jumped out of the car, glancing to the black sedan parked down the road. It flashed its lights at me in acknowledgement. At least the agents were still here… but where was Cat?

  I rang the doorbell as my heart started to thump. My mouth went dry and I gulped, ringing the doorbell again. I mashed the button another time as the panic started curling around my chest.

  I jogged around the back, peeking in windows and trying the doors.

  Dark, locked, silent.

  She wasn’t here.

  Gary honked the horn and I jogged back out front. He opened the passenger door for me and leaned across.

  “She’s in Baltimore.”

  “What?”

  He turned his phone to show me a little yellow dot flashing on a map. “You put a trace on her car?”

  “Obviously,” Gary frowned. “Car, phone, computer. The works.”

  “What’s she doing in Baltimore? Why are those two muppets sitting here?!”

  I slammed the door and stalked toward the black sedan. York and Haynes were laughing about something, munching on some McDonalds with the radio up. Very professional. Very inconspicuous.

  York rolled down the window when I stormed up to it.

  “What’s up, boss?”

  “Where the fuck is Crawford?”

  York nodded to the bungalow’s front door, chewing on a Big Mac. “Came home after the hospital. I assume she’s asleep, I haven’t seen her since she got home.”

  “You assume she’s asleep.” Rage was bubbling under my skin, threatening to spill out through my pores. My nostrils flared.

  “Yeah,” York said, taking another bite of his burger. “Why?”

  “Because she’s in Baltimore, dickhead.”

  The burger stopped halfway to his mouth as he looked at me, slack-jawed. I could flip this car across the street, with the both of them in it, I was so mad. Instead, I just turned on my heels and jogged back to the van. My pulse was thumping as I got back in, anger still simmering just below the surface.

  “Drive,” I said to Gary. He nodded without a word and put the car in gear.

  I called Cat, but no one answered. Night had fallen around us, and the darkness felt oppressive.

  Clenching and unclenching my fists, I tried to keep my anger under control. Something else mixed with anger—deep, unwavering worry. I wanted her to be safe. I needed her to be safe. If anything happened to her, it would be my fault.

  I stared out the window and took deep, cleansing breaths, but they weren’t helping.

  Cat was out there, on her own, days after we’d been attacked. She had no protection. She wasn’t the main target, but I’d put her in the crosshairs. Just by being near her, I’d put her in danger. I cursed myself, hating how vulnerable I felt. I was exposed.

  If they hurt her, I’d never forgive myself.

  Gary glanced at me. “I’m sure she’s fine,” he said quietly.

  “Mm.”

  “She probably just went to see her brother.”

  “And put herself directly in Kowalski’s line of fire.”

  “We don’t know that yet.”

  “We know that he didn’t hesitate to attack both of us a couple days ago. We know he broke into her office. We know he knows her grandfather.”

  Gary was silent, and my rage boiled. I felt like I was going to explode. The sheer incompetence of my team was staggering. How could they not notice Cat driving away? Had they done multiple McDonald’s runs and failed to keep eyes on the house?

  How could we be so sloppy?

  This wasn’t just a recon mission anymore. It wasn’t just gathering information on Cat and assessing the Russian threat level.

  This was life and death. It was dangerous.

  I needed to find Kowalski before he hurt Cat, if he hadn’t already. I needed to make sure that she was safe and out of harm’s way until this was over.

  I pulled out my phone and called Cat. She didn’t answer, and I feared the worst. I called again, and again, but she didn’t answer.

  I called a third time, and finally someone picked up.

  “What?” She was terse, angry, short, but she was alive. Relief flooded through me and I exhaled, putting my hand to my forehead.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Is there a reason you’re calling?”

  “You weren’t at home.”

  “Shouldn’t you be in the hospital? I thought you were supposed to stay away from me for my own good.”

  “You sound angry.”

  “Wow, he’s smart, too,” she answered sarcastically.

  Gary glanced at me and I cringed. “You shouldn’t be in Baltimore.”

  “How do you know I’m in Baltimore? Are you spying on me?” Her words cut like razors. “Oh, wait, I already know the answer to that.

  I frowned, taking a deep breath. I’d have to answer this carefully. “We have to keep you safe, Cat.”

  She snorted. “Well, I’m fine. Can you do me a favor? Can you just stay the hell away from me?”

  “Cat…”

  The phone disconnected, and I stared at it, confused. How had things changed so drastically in less than a day? When she left the hospital, she looked hurt that I wanted her to stay away. She had spent the night by my side. We had been on the same team.

  Now she was angry. Had something happened? Was she just mad that I’d asked her to leave?

  We drove into Baltimore in silence. Gary hadn’t said a word since my call with Cat, and I wasn’t in the mood to talk. He glanced at me.

  “Where to?”

  “Cat’s house.”

  He nodded, and silence settled between us again. When we pulled up outside her place, I took a deep breath. I was more nervous about this confrontation than the one I’d have to have with Kowalski later.

  My steps were quiet on the grass as I made my way to the front door. The porch was wet, as if it had been cleaned recently. It smelled like bleach. I frowned, pausing to listen for any noise. I could hear the television blaring inside and crickets sounding in the neighborhood, but nothing else.

  I rang the doorbell and waited.

  It took a couple of minutes for the door to open, but when I saw her alive and well, I couldn’t help sighing in relief.

  “Cat,” I said, taking a step toward her. “You’re okay.”

  She was holding something in her hand, and her face was drawn. Her whole body looked stiff.

  “I’m fine. What do you want?” Her eyes narrowed, and then she tossed something at me. I caught it against my chest, looking down to see one of our tracking devices.

  “I found that on
my car,” she spat. “Care to explain?”

  Her eyes were fiery, her mouth set in a thin line. My heart thumped for her and I couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she was.

  When I said nothing, she huffed. “Did you put that tracker on my car, or was it someone else?”

  I paused, dipping my chin down. “It was us.”

  “And is that standard Secret Service protocol? Seems more like something the CIA would do.”

  My head snapped up as she arched an eyebrow. She snorted, shaking her head.

  “You’re no better than the men we’re running from. Don’t come here again.”

  The door slammed, and the porch light went off. I stood there in the dark, shocked and angry… and scared.

  25

  Cat

  Maribel looked up when I closed the door. “What was that about?”

  “Nothing.”

  I slumped down on the couch beside her. She shifted toward me and put her hand on my arm.

  “You sure you’re okay? Do you want me to leave?”

  “Maribel, you just told me that you’ll have to sleep in your car if you leave here. I don’t want you to leave. I’ve just… I’ve had a rough couple of weeks.”

  “Being a senator isn’t all you thought it would be, hey?”

  “Something like that.”

  I sighed. I felt so exhausted that my bones ached—not to mention my heart. The Bachelorette was on TV, and up until ten minutes ago, I’d enjoyed switching my brain off and watching trash television. Right now, though, my head was a mess. Maribel turned the volume down and looked at me.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  I took a deep breath. What could I say? If I opened my mouth, I was afraid all my fears and worries would come tumbling out, and I wouldn’t be able to stop them. Maribel had told me about the man who came to see her in the nursing home parking lot. He didn’t sound like Tony Kowalski—she said he was young. One of Kowalski’s associates, maybe?

  I didn’t want to scare her, and I didn’t want to drag her into my mess.

  But still, I felt completely alone. She squeezed my forearm and arched her eyebrows, and I could feel the words bubbling up toward the surface.