by Elle James
“No, CJ. They aren’t. Every child deserves to be loved and looked after.”
She snorted and turned away. “You grew up in a different world than the one I grew up in.”
“That doesn’t make mine the only way to grow up,” Cole said.
“Or mine wrong,” CJ whispered. “Just different. And we learn to adapt to our environments.”
Cole dipped his head. “Granted.” He cupped her cheek again. “But you don’t live in that world anymore.”
“Don’t I?” She stared up at him, her heart pinching hard in her chest. “Until Trinity is wiped off the face of this planet, I will never have another life. I will always be on the run, looking over my shoulder, expecting someone to shoot me in the back.”
“You have me, now. I’ve got your back.” He leaned close and kissed her cheek where the tear had been. “I promise to do my very best to keep you safe from harm.” He kissed the other cheek.
“You don’t understand Trinity,” CJ murmured, her heart fluttering. “They’re relentless.”
With his thumb, he tipped her chin up. “I can be relentless, as well.”
CJ shifted her gaze from his eyes to his lips. How she wanted him to press his mouth to hers. She could almost taste his lips. “It could take years to end their terror.”
“I’m in this for the long haul.” He lowered his head, his lips capturing hers.
For a long moment, he held her until footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Cole released her and stepped back as Charlie entered the room with an armload of clothing. “I forgot to ask you what size you wore, so I grabbed a few things in a couple different sizes.”
Heat rose in CJ’s cheeks. She held out her hands to take the pile. “Thank you. I’m sure I can find something that will work.”
“If you’ll leave the things you’re wearing now outside the door, I’ll have Roger collect them. We can have them cleaned and back to you by morning.”
“Please, I can do my own laundry, if you point me to the washing machine,” CJ said.
Charlie shook her head. “Roger won’t let anyone touch the washer or dryer. He just replaced them with a fancy new set and insists on doing all the laundry. He lets others help fold, but he won’t let anyone near the new machines.” Charlie chuckled. “You’d never guess the man is former British Army.”
CJ’s eyes widened. “How did you get such a man to be your butler?”
Charlie shrugged. “My husband hired him. I think he was looking for a less dangerous position after he was injured and retired from the SAS, the Special Air Service, the Brits’ special forces.”
Cole snorted. “How’s that working out for him?”
Charlie grinned. “Let’s just say his skills as a butler are impeccable. But his skills from his SAS days have saved our butts on more than one occasion.” She looked around the room. “If you need anything else, just ask me, Grace or Roger. Although, Grace will be at the hospital until Declan is released. Which, by the way, should be soon. I received word the bullet missed all the vital organs.”
CJ drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “I’m glad to hear that.” A weight lifted off her chest and she breathed freely for the first time in a few hours.
“The doctor said he’ll be fine as long as he doesn’t get an infection. He’s got Declan on antibiotics and pain medications.” Charlie’s lips thinned. “We have to find the people who are doing this and put a stop to their brand of terrorism.”
CJ and Cole nodded.
Charlie’s face lightened. “On that note, I’ll leave you two to rest. Good night.” The widow left them and walked to the far end of the hallway to her suite of rooms.
Once the door closed, Cole turned to CJ. “You need rest. If you need anything else, all you have to do is yell. I’ll hear you.”
“I’ll be fine,” CJ said. “I’m glad your teammate will be okay.”
Cole shook his head. “It would take a lot more than a mere bullet to bring that man down.” He smiled. “And that’s not the first bullet he’s caught.” He crossed to the door. “You can have the shower first. I want to go check on a few things with Jonah.”
Still holding the collection of clothing, CJ nodded. “Thank you for being there for me. I know it’s your job, but I still appreciate it.”
Cole’s brow furrowed. “It’s not just a job, CJ.” He closed the distance between them, took the clothes from her hands and laid them on the bed. Then he cupped her cheeks in his hands. “It’s more than the job. I kinda like you.” Then he kissed her hard, his mouth descending on hers, taking and coaxing her to give back.
She gasped, her lips opening to him, allowing him to sweep in and kiss her like their tomorrows were uncertain.
When he finally raised his head, he stepped back, his hands falling to his sides. “You have every right to slap my face. And I encourage you to do so, if you don’t want me to do that again.”
She pressed a hand to her throbbing lips, her tongue tied and her voice lodged in her throat.
“Now, I have to go before I do something we might both regret.” He spun on his heels and left the room, closing the door behind him.
CJ should have been relieved, but she couldn’t help wondering what he might regret doing. Her only regret at the moment was that he didn’t do whatever it was.
Chapter Six
Cole fought the desire to stay with CJ, pick her up and toss her on the bed. Then he’d make sweet love to her through the night.
He adjusted his jeans, without hope of loosening the tight constraints. Time would accomplish that. Or a cold shower.
He needed to meet with Jonah to see if the young computer geek had any information for them to go on. They had been operating in the dark for far too long.
Any one of them could have taken that bullet. Mack, who’d been seated in the backseat, had been lucky it hadn’t hit him.
Cole descended the staircase, the taste of CJ’s mouth lingering in his. She was so tempting. And he’d been wrong to take advantage of her when she’d been through so much over the past year. Hell, over her entire life. She didn’t need a man coming on to her. She’d had enough men in her life telling her what to do and when to do it. She deserved to make her own decisions, not have him forcing one on her.
But then, she hadn’t fought him. In fact, she’d kissed him back. But was that because she’d wanted to? Or had she gone along with him because that was what was expected?
Cole could have kicked himself for succumbing so easily to his desires without taking CJ’s wants and needs into consideration.
Bottom line, he had to keep his hands and lips to himself.
Jonah was in the war room beneath John Halverson’s old study, tapping away on his computer keyboard.
Cole sat at the computer beside his and clicked the mouse to bring the computer to life. “Anything new?” he asked, hoping and praying for a fresh lead. Anything that could steer them in the right direction. They’d had so little to go on so far.
“I got word that the FBI and Secret Service investigators followed up with Chris Carpenter about the text message he sent to Tully before the attack. Carpenter swears he didn’t even have his cell on him that morning. He’d left it at home.”
“Interesting,” Cole muttered. “If he didn’t send the text, who sent it for him?”
“It might be worth tapping into his computer at home to see if we can find anything, but he doesn’t leave it on or tied into the internet when he’s not at home,” Jonah said. “I’ve tried for the past few hours and, apparently, he doesn’t log on very often. There’s a limit to what we can get from here. We need to send someone in to do a download of everything on his hard drive.”
“What about his desktop at work?”
“It might be worth getting into, but he has it secured with a password and government common a
ccess card. It would take me a lot more time to hack into it than it would to send someone in to swipe his card and access it while he’s away from his desk.”
“Can you get me and CJ inside the West Wing like you did for Snow when he went to work for Anne as her assistant?”
Jonah grinned. “Already have you and CJ in their system. You as yourself and CJ as Charlotte Jones. All I need are pictures to go on the cards and you’re golden.” He tilted his head toward the camera behind him. “If you’ll stand in front of the camera, I’ll get yours ready right now.”
“I can have CJ come down after she showers so that you can take her picture.”
Jonah nodded.
“I can do it now,” a voice said from behind them.
Cole turned to find CJ standing at the bottom of the staircase leading into the basement war room.
“I thought you would be in the shower.”
She shrugged. “I needed a drink of water. When I came downstairs, I heard your voice and came to see if you’d learned anything else.”
“Well, good. We can take care of this now.” Jonah stood and stepped behind the camera.
“Aren’t you concerned someone might recognize you?” Cole said. “We got some of the Trinity sleepers who’d been working at the White House. There could be more.”
CJ raised a single finger. “Hold that thought.” She turned and ran up the stairs.
Cole could hear her footsteps ascending the staircase, moving quickly. Then they were coming down again and CJ entered the war room, her backpack in her hands. She placed it on the conference table in the middle of the room and rummaged inside.
A moment later, she pulled out a black wig and a blond wig and held them up. “Which would be more appropriate for the office?”
“Blond,” Jonah said at the same time Cole said, “Black.”
CJ’s brow furrowed. “Seriously?”
Cole frowned at Jonah and then faced CJ. “You’ll be a little more invisible with the black wig.”
“Then black it is.” She pulled her auburn hair up and secured it in a ponytail that she then wrapped around the base several times, securing it in place using pins. Tipping her head down, she pulled the wig over her scalp and tucked in any stray strands of dark red hair.
Straightening, she slipped a pair of black-framed glasses onto her nose. The transformation was uncanny.
Jonah chuckled. “Perfect.”
Her costume didn’t make CJ any less desirable in Cole’s books. In fact, it made him want her even more. Though CJ was a knockout with black hair and those thick, black-framed glasses, Cole wanted to tear them off her and reveal the beautiful woman she was beneath. She shouldn’t have to disguise who she really was.
“If you’ll step in front of the camera, I’ll get this ID card made for you. I’ve set you up as Chris Carpenter’s temporary assistant. You’ll be filling in for Dr. Millicent Saunders until she’s back from medical leave.”
“The woman who was run down over a week ago by Trinity,” Cole confirmed.
Jonah nodded. “I understand she’ll be out on convalescent leave for a couple more weeks. Cole is coming in as tech support to manage a work order Carpenter put to have his office rearranged, moving his desk, phone and computer to a different wall.”
“A worker out to move his stuff?” CJ asked.
“He put in the request over a month ago. I imagine it’s been low on their priority list,” Jonah said.
“You sure we’ll get in with these cards?” CJ stood in front of the camera and waited for Jonah to snap the picture.
“I got Jack Snow in, I can get you in,” Jonah said.
“Remind me not to make you mad at me,” Cole murmured.
“I can get you in, but you’ll have to figure out how to get a backup of Carpenter’s hard drive without him catching on to you.”
“We’ll get Anne and Jack to show us the ropes,” Cole said.
“I’ll have the kinks worked out by the time you leave for work in the morning.” Jonah clicked on the computer and waited while the information and image imprinted on the card. When it was done, he handed the card to CJ. “Run it through the scanner.” He tipped his head toward the card reader set up in the corner of the room. “It should work the same at the West Wing. I’ll also create a Virginia driver’s license matching your assumed name—in case the Secret Service question you. Anne said they’ve tightened security since she and the VP were involved in that foiled kidnapping.”
“Great.” Cole shook his head. “What are the chances we’ll have our cover blown before we even get inside?”
“One in ten?” Jonah quipped.
“Odds aren’t all that great,” Cole said, digging into a drawer and pulling out two tiny, flat, round disks. He held them up. “These look like watch batteries. We need to drop one into Carpenter’s pocket. That way, we can track where he goes. He might lead us to whomever is pulling his strings, if in fact he’s one of Trinity’s agents. Even if he isn’t part of Trinity, they might be using him to get what they want.”
Cole glanced over at CJ.
She didn’t look convinced about their ability to get inside the West Wing.
“I can get Anne Bellamy to help me get into Chris’s office. You don’t need to go.”
“What excuse will Anne have to be in his office?” CJ shook her head. “No, I need to go. As a temporary replacement for Dr. Saunders, I would have more reason to be in Carpenter’s office than Anne would. No use in her getting caught snooping. If I lose my job there, it’s no big deal. I’m only a temporary employee.”
“Like I said,” Jonah interjected. “I’ll have all this squared away by morning, and I’ll have Cole with administrative authority to get onto Carpenter’s computer.” He waved them away. “Go on. Get some sleep.”
“What about you?” Cole asked.
“I can sleep tomorrow. You two need this by morning. I’ll have it ready.” Already, Jonah was back at his computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
CJ removed the wig and stuffed it into her backpack along with the black-framed glasses. “Thankfully, Charlie had a skirt, a white blouse and some black pumps in the stack of clothing. Hopefully, it’ll be sufficient business attire for the job.”
“I’m sure it will be.” Cole took CJ’s elbow. “We’d better leave the man to his work.” He led her up the stairs and turned toward the kitchen instead of the staircase. “I could use a drink and something to eat.”
CJ’s stomach rumbled. “I hadn’t realized that I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
Cole shook his head. “Come to think of it, neither have I. Let’s see what Charlie’s chef left in the refrigerator. Carl’s one of the best cooks the Navy let get away.”
He opened one side of the double-door refrigerator. “I think we hit the jackpot.” He pulled out a glass platter filled with slices of ham. “Care for a ham and cheese sandwich?”
“I’d love one.” CJ pressed a hand to her belly. “Know where I can find plates?”
Together they unearthed condiments, plates and a knife. Minutes later, they had two thick ham sandwiches lying on plates and two glasses of milk.
“And I thought I was the only one who liked milk with my sandwich.” He grinned.
“I’m all for strong bones. A big glass of milk with my sandwich is one of the few memories I have from my childhood before I went to train at Trinity.” She took a bite and closed her eyes, a moan rising up her throat.
Cole’s groin tightened. “You need to stop that right now,” he said through gritted teeth.
Her eyes opened and widened. “Stop what?”
“Never mind.” Cole focused on his sandwich and milk, refusing to look up at CJ. The woman was making him nuts. He finished his sandwich and milk and was surprised to see that CJ had finished hers as quickly. They rinsed their plates and
glasses and placed them in the dishwasher.
Back at the top of the stairs, Cole walked CJ to her door and waited while she entered before he headed for his own room.
“Cole,” CJ called out.
Cole turned, his pulse picking up. He wanted so badly to take CJ into his arms and hold her. He couldn’t understand how he’d come to this point so quickly with a woman he’d known only a short time.
She stared at him for a long moment. “Why did you kiss me?”
He closed his eyes, drew in a deep, calming breath and let out it before opening his eyes again. “To tell the truth... I don’t know. I can’t seem to stop myself.”
CJ’s eyes flared and her tongue swept across her lips. “Are you sorry you did it?”
His gaze captured hers. “Are you?” He held his breath, wanting to know the truth but afraid of her response.
* * *
UNSURE OF THIS mating game people played, CJ finally shook her head. “No, I’m not sorry you did it.” In a lower voice, she continued. “I’m only sorry you won’t do it again.”
Cole crossed the floor, pulled her into his arms and kissed her before the last consonant rolled off her tongue. He crushed her mouth with his in a soul-capturing kiss that rocked her to her very core.
When he finally allowed her to breathe again, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I can’t keep doing this.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because, the more I do it, the more I want.”
Her heart fluttered, an unusual feeling to the hardened warrior inside her. “That’s funny,” she said with a little laugh.
“Why is it funny?” he asked, pulling back to look into her eyes.
She met his gaze unflinchingly. “Because that’s exactly how I feel.” CJ reached around him and gave the door a gentle push, letting it swing shut behind Cole. Her breath hitched as she made a decision. “Don’t go. Please.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Cole shoved a hand through his hair. “I can leave now. But if I stay, I’ll want much more than just a kiss. Tell me to leave now.”