by Janie Crouch
Cameron locked the door and looked around the room. It was definitely much nicer than the DS-13 house in DC. A huge four-poster bed, made of the same wood as the rest of the house, dominated much of the room. There was a dresser against one wall and two sitting chairs over by the massive sliding glass doors that led out to a small deck.
There were two doors over on the far wall. Cameron walked over to them. One was a closet. He quickly closed the door, praying they wouldn’t need to use it. The other door led to a bathroom. Cameron whistled as he took in the huge hot tub and separate shower. This whole place was gorgeous and tasteful.
Cameron walked back into the bedroom and saw that Sophia had wandered over to the windows and was staring out vacantly, just as she had on the plane. He wanted to talk to her, but first he needed to check that their room wasn’t bugged.
Cameron took what would look like a smartphone to any casual observer and punched in a code. This turned on a scanner that allowed him to see if there were any electronic transmissions being sent from anywhere in the room. It wasn’t a foolproof way of checking for surveillance, but it was pretty useful.
There were no transmissions being sent from anywhere in this room. Not surprising. Criminals rarely recorded what was going on in their own homes if they were smart. Too many ways for it to be used against them.
Cameron walked over to Sophia and put his hands on her shoulders, then looked out at the view with her.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked softly.
“Breathtaking. I wish we were here under different circumstances.” He pulled her back against his chest and was relieved when she didn’t pull away.
Sophia nodded. “Me, too.”
Cameron turned her around so he could see her face. “Soph, why did you come back? Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful that you did. But why?”
Sophia looked around the room. “Is it okay to talk here?”
“Yeah, I checked for bugs. The room’s clean.”
“I was on my way out and I heard Rick and that other guy talking. Fin still didn’t trust you completely. I was the final test for you.”
Cameron felt himself tense. He’d had no idea. Fin—on Mr. Smith’s orders—had set him up, and Cameron had been oblivious.
“You saved my life,” Cameron whispered.
Sophia just smiled and shrugged. “So I guess we’re even.”
Cameron saw Sophia wince at the shrug. “Is your shoulder okay?”
She nodded. “Yes, just stiff. How’s your head?”
Cameron winced but grinned. “You’ve got a pretty mean swing there, Miss Reardon.”
“I’m sorry I’m still here, Cam. I know I complicate everything.”
Cameron trailed a finger down her cheek. “Well, if you weren’t here, I’d probably be dead. So I’m pretty damn glad you’re here.”
Sophia swayed on her feet. Cameron caught her quickly before she fell and led her over to the bed.
“You need to sleep,” he told her gently as he pulled the covers back on the giant bed and ushered her in.
Sophia didn’t say anything, just slipped her shoes off and lay down, fully clothed. She was asleep before he could pull the covers over her.
Cameron slipped his own shoes off and walked around to the other side of the bed. He slipped under the covers next to Sophia.
She was right; her presence here did complicate everything. But hell, Sophia complicated his life just by breathing. He reached over and pulled her sleeping body into his arms.
Cameron didn’t have a plan, and that made him nervous. If it was just his life on the line then he’d be willing to fly blind as long as possible if it meant his goal was accomplished.
He kissed the top of Sophia’s head as she snuggled in closer to him. Not having a plan when it was Sophia in jeopardy was unacceptable to him. So he would need to come up with one. Fast.
* * *
WHEN SOPHIA OPENED her eyes again the sun was setting. She sat straight up as she tried to remember where she was and who she was with. And then it all came back to her.
She knew Cameron had slept with her in the bed. She remembered waking up in a panic and finding him right by her side, rubbing her back and easing her to lie back down on the bed.
She could tell he had been there next to her until recently. The pillow still held the indentation from his head. She didn’t know if he had slept this whole time with her or not, but she was thankful he had been there, next to her. She touched the place where Cameron had lain.
Sophia laid back in the luxurious bed now and stretched. No matter what, this place was definitely nicer than the rat hole they’d been in yesterday. But somehow that didn’t make Sophia feel much better.
She turned over to her side and saw Cameron staring out the window. He seemed deep in thought. He was wearing only his jeans and his arms were crossed over his naked chest. He was definitely more muscular than when Sophia had last seen him five years ago. He had been fit then, but now the muscles in his chest, back and arms were even more pronounced.
And that six-pack he had acquired was definitely mouthwatering. Sophia once again wished they were here under different circumstances. That there wasn’t so much weight riding on his shoulders, even if they seemed broad enough to carry anything.
Sophia got out of the bed and wandered over to stand next to Cameron. “Hey,” she whispered.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
“Yeah. It’s amazing what a few hours of sleep can do.”
“You definitely needed it. I don’t know how you were holding it together.” They stood in companionable silence for a few moments, looking out the window. Sophia wanted to wrap an arm around Cameron, but wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate. Or welcome.
“So do we have a plan? What do I need to do?”
Cameron turned so they were looking face-to-face at each other. “I’ve been thinking a lot while you were asleep. I have a plan.” He didn’t look too thrilled with it, though.
“Hopefully a better one than me running down this mountain in the middle of the night by myself?” Sophia joked, but inside she was afraid that was what she was going to have to do.
“No, you won’t have to run all the way down. I’ll have an extraction team waiting.”
Sophia shook her head. “Last time I escaped, it almost got you killed. What makes you think it’s a good plan this time?”
“It won’t be just you. We’ll both be going.”
“I don’t understand. How will that work? What about this case?”
Cameron didn’t answer.
Sophia wasn’t sure she was understanding exactly what was going on here. “But what about all your work? The eight months with DS-13? The weeks in the jackass-infested rat hole?”
Cameron turned to the side and looked back out the window. He shrugged.
“You can’t do this, Cameron. What about the justice for your partner?”
Sophia watched as Cameron took a deep breath and ran his hand through his thick, dark hair. “Soph, I watched you there while you were sleeping. You’re covered in bruises. You have a huge, nasty cut on your shoulder.”
“But—” Sophia tried to cut in but he wouldn’t let her. He turned and held both of her arms in his hands, careful not to put any pressure on her wound.
“No, listen. You’ve been absolutely amazing. You’ve kept your head and you’ve kept it together, when you had every reason to fall apart.” He brought her a little closer. “And then, when you had a chance to get away, you came back for me, Soph. You saved my life.”
Sophia just shrugged. There hadn’t been any option for her. She wasn’t going to leave him there to die.
“I want justice so bad for my partner that I can taste it, Soph. And there’s other stuff, too, that you don’t even kn
ow about. But that will all have to be taken care of another way at another time. I’m not going to risk your life. I’m going to call in for help and we’re getting out of here tonight.”
A sudden vibration from a small cell-phone-looking thing on the nightstand by the bed caught both of their attentions. Cameron quickly walked over and grabbed it. Sophia watched as Cameron twisted the box inside out and began typing a series of symbols on it. Then he stopped and waited, saying nothing. A few moments later the inside-out box beeped.
This time Cameron brought it up to his ear and spoke into it. “Omega, go. Code 44802. Security confirmed.”
Cameron listened for a few moments to whatever was being said on the other end.
“Coordinates are confirmed. Primary target has not arrived.”
Whatever was being said to Cameron did not make him happy. “Roger that. Secondary target has not arrived, then. Primary target location has not been ascertained.”
More talk from the other end.
“Request withdrawal assistance tonight.”
Now whatever was being said was really making Cameron mad.
“Bystander in pocket, but too many unknowns. Immediate assistance requested.”
Cameron turned and looked directly at Sophia while he listened. She could see his teeth grit and a vein flicker at his neck. “No, there is no immediate threat to bystander. But again I repeat—there are too many unknowns.”
Sophia watched as Cameron’s fist clenched at his side.
“Roger that. Primary objective understood.”
Cameron poked a series of buttons angrily into the phone. He turned it inside out so it just looked like a regular phone again and placed it on the nightstand again.
Sophia wasn’t completely sure what she had just heard, but it sounded as if they were completely on their own.
CHAPTER NINE
Cameron wanted to throw the satellite phone across the room, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. He drew a breath and released it, trying to focus. Being angry at Omega Sector’s unwillingness to send a rescue team in immediately was not going to help anything. He needed to work the problem.
And right now the problem was standing a few feet away from him, engulfed by his T-shirt, with tousled brown hair and gorgeous green eyes.
He couldn’t get her out. Cameron had to face that. She was watching him with intent eyes, looking so tiny. But she was far from helpless. Sophia wasn’t a trained agent—as she was so quick to point out—but she was smart, and quick-thinking.
Cameron wanted Sophia out of there. But according to Omega Sector that wasn’t an option. So she was about to become his partner.
Cameron stretched his arm out to Sophia and she walked hesitantly to him, questions in her eyes.
“Moving to plan B?” she asked. “No backup from the Bureau?”
Cameron nodded. “Yeah.” He hesitated. “Except I don’t work for the Bureau.”
Sophia took a step back. “You don’t?” Cameron could see her trying to figure out who he was working undercover for if it wasn’t the FBI. “Are you DEA? Some sort of local law enforcement?”
“No. I’m part of what’s called Omega Sector. We’re an interagency task force. All the advantages of having the resources of individual agencies—DEA, FBI, Marshals Service, ATF, hell, even INTERPOL sometimes. But much less red tape.”
“So basically you’re like your own Justice League.”
Cameron smiled at the Saturday-morning cartoon reference. “Yeah, basically. But without superpowers.”
“I’ve worked at the Bureau for four years now. I’ve never heard of Omega Sector.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. It’s not something you can just apply for. You’re recruited by Omega, or you don’t get in at all. They’re looking for specific skills, mind-sets, abilities.”
Sophia took another small step away from Cameron, frowning. “And you had all those things.”
Cameron shrugged. “I guess so.”
“How long has Omega Sector been around?”
“About ten years.”
“And when did you begin working for them?”
Cameron grimaced. There was no way around this. “Five years ago.”
Sophia’s head snapped up and Cameron could see realization dawn in her eyes. Omega Sector was the reason he had never said goodbye to her.
Sophia turned and walked over to the window. Cameron stayed where he was over by the bed, giving her space.
“So they recruited you?”
“Yes.”
Sophia continued to look out the window. “I’m not surprised. You’re obviously good at this sort of thing.”
“I wanted to make a difference in the world, Soph. Omega Sector was that chance.”
Sophia nodded, still not looking at him. “And I suppose because it’s all top secret and stuff, you couldn’t tell anybody.”
“Sophia…”
“You know what? I don’t even want to talk about this right now. You wanted to make a difference. You joined your Super Friends group and have been doing that ever since. Congratulations.”
Her back and shoulders were ramrod-straight as she stared out the window. What she didn’t say stood like a giant between them.
You wanted to make a difference more than you wanted to be with me.
Cameron was glad she didn’t say it out loud, because he had no idea how he would respond. Yes, he had wanted to fight bad guys when he had joined Omega Sector five years ago. And at the time, it had been the most important thing in the world to him. He and Sophia had been at the beginning of their relationship. No promises, no real commitment. They hadn’t even slept together.
Casual. At least that’s what Cameron had told himself. But he had known they both were taking it seriously. Every morning when he had met her at the little diner for breakfast, he had known they weren’t casual.
And with five years of perspective, Cameron could see exactly what he had given up. Having Sophia standing here right in front of him, and having no way of getting her out of the danger, made him think perhaps it wasn’t worth it after all.
After a moment, Sophia turned to Cameron. “So Omega Sector deems arresting Mr. Smith more important than getting us out? I mean, I can understand you wanting to get him because of your partner. But if you’ve decided to cut out? It sounds like you maybe just moved from one jackass-infested place to another.”
Cameron gave her a half smile. “Actually, I haven’t told you everything.”
Sophia closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. “Of course you haven’t. What’s new?”
“Arresting anybody in DS-13 has become secondary in this op. Instead, it’s something in his possession that Omega Sector has deemed more important than either of our individual lives. And they’re probably right to feel that way.”
Now Cameron had Sophia’s attention. “What is it?”
Cameron explained to her the details of Ghost Shell. How, if used by terrorists, it could cripple computer and communication equipment of law enforcement and first responders, basically by using their own communication equipment against them.
“They’d be pretty paralyzed against any sort of terrorist attack or anything like that,” Sophia whispered after Cameron finished explaining.
“Yes.” Cameron walked over to her at the window. “It’s not an actual weapon, but in some ways this technology is more devastating than any one weapon. Law enforcement’s reliance on computers and communication technology is pretty heavy.”
Sophia nodded. “How did Omega Sector find out about it?”
“I’m not sure exactly. Somebody, evidently a law-abiding computer scientist person, who had been working on something similar, reported it and the report made its way to Omega Sector.”
“And t
hey found out DS-13 has it?”
“Yes. But DS-13 isn’t interested in using it against law enforcement. They don’t have any political or religious ambitions—they’re only interested in money. They want to sell it on the black market. Absolute chaos, available to the highest bidder.”
“Oh, my gosh, Cam. In the wrong hands…” Sophia shook her head.
“I know. So like I said, I can understand why Omega Sector said no to us getting out. But I don’t like it.”
Neither of them said anything for a few moments. Sophia turned and took a step toward him.
“Is the Ghost Shell drive here?” she whispered finally.
“If not right now, then definitely soon, when Smith arrives. Although I don’t know exactly where. Omega is afraid if they come in here full force, someone from DS-13 could escape with Ghost Shell.”
She looked up at him, having to crane her neck to do so. God, she was so tiny. “Then we’ll find it. And we’ll get out of here,” she said.
Cameron framed her face with his hands. “Soph, I can’t ask you to risk your life like that. They killed my partner because they found out he was undercover. They won’t hesitate to kill us, too.”
“No offense, Cam, but my life is already in jeopardy. I might as well do something useful.”
Cameron shook his head. He didn’t like it; Sophia in the line of fire was definitely not his first choice. But it didn’t look as if he had any choice at all.
Unbelievably, Sophia smiled at him. “You know, when I interviewed for my job as a graphic artist for the FBI four years ago, one of the first things I asked my boss was if I would ever be in life-threatening situations. I was assured I wouldn’t be.”
Cameron chuckled softly. “You mean they didn’t list this situation in your job description? Hard to believe.”
Sophia took a step back from Cameron. “I’ll try not to get in your way, but I’m definitely not cut out for secret-agent spy stuff.” She shrugged and used her hair to hide her face. “I’m hardly capable of walking inside my own closet to pick out clothes without having a panic attack, much less do anything courageous.”