by J. Kenner
Perhaps something in one of the other operations?
He was about to signal Mario over when the crowd parted and he got a glimpse of Eliza standing next to Quincy with her left hand extended, a diamond ring sparkling so brightly that he could see its shine from halfway across the room, not to mention the glow of Eliza herself.
Beside him, Emma squealed, flashed him a huge smile that made his heart race, then ran forward to embrace her sister. “Oh my God, you got engaged last night and you didn’t call me?” She shot an annoyed look at Quince who held up his hands in a gesture of self-defense.
“It didn’t exactly go according to plan,” Quincy said.
“I was doing the laundry,” Eliza said, her voice sheepish. “I decided to wash his pants. I’ll never do that again without permission.”
“Oh my God,” Emma said, and Tony assumed she knew more about the state of Quince’s pants than Tony did. “You found the ring.”
“You knew?”
“He told me,” Emma said. “I asked when he was going to make an honest woman of you. I think there was a dinner involved.”
“We still did the dinner,” Eliza said, still beaming. She turned back to Quincy. “I’m so sorry I spoiled it.”
“Are you daft, love? You said yes, didn’t you?” Quincy was grinning so broadly that Tony was certain his facial muscles were going to ache tomorrow morning. But at the same time, Tony couldn’t deny that he’d be happy to feel that ache himself someday. It was a shocking revelation, but true. He’d never thought of marriage before. And he knew damn well that it wasn’t simply Quince and Eliza’s engagement that had it sneaking into his head now.
From across the crowd, Quince caught his eye. Then he winked and glanced toward Emma.
Tony shook his head as if exasperated, then rolled his eyes just for effect. But the truth was, he wasn’t exasperated at all. In fact, he was thinking about joy. About love.
Most of all, for the first time that he could remember, he was thinking about a future.
Quince and Liam entered first, breaching the first level and taking care of cutting the security feed. Tony and Emma scaled the building and entered from the third floor balcony. Denny was monitoring in the control van, with Mario and another agent that Tony hadn’t met—Trevor—assisting.
Two other Stark Security agents, Winston and Leah, weren’t on the operation at all. They’d been called out of town the day before with a hot lead on one of their active investigations.
“All clear in the living room.” Quince’s voice came clearly through Tony’s earpiece. “Moving to the kitchen.”
“Entry hall and master bedroom clear,” Liam said. “Moving down the hall.”
On the third floor, Emma was already inside as Tony waited on the balcony, checking the yard for any sign that they’d been detected. He saw nothing, and when he turned back, Emma signaled to him that the room was all clear, too.
He entered as she slowly opened the door to exit the bedroom. They didn’t expect to find anyone in the house. They’d used heat sensing technology to scan the place, and there’d been no signs of anybody on the premises. Still, procedure existed for a reason. Better to follow it than make a mistake.
As they moved through the house, both teams continued to check in. Below them, Quince and Liam did the same.
“First floor secure,” Quince stated. “Moving up to the second.”
“Finishing our reconnaissance now,” Emma said. “Only the office left to go.” She looked over her shoulder at Tony, who was still down the hall. He nodded for her to go ahead and enter the final room. She did, took a step in, and froze, her back going stiff.
“We have a DB,” she said. “Repeat, we have a DB.”
He hurried to her side, taking care to scan for any trouble on the way, and when he reached the office, he saw what she did. Harvey Dailey sitting behind his desk chair, a bullet to the brain.
“He’s been there a while,” she said, and Tony nodded.
“Probably killed not long after we saw him. He was cold when we ran the heat scan, that’s for sure.”
“On our way,” Quince said, his voice filling Tony’s ear.
“Negative,” Emma said. “Secure the second floor. We have this under control.”
She looked at Tony, “This doesn’t make any sense. It can’t be a coincidence.”
“No,” he agreed. “Someone knew we were coming. And that someone didn’t want us to talk to him.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. Dailey only landed on your radar because of Thea—and she’s dead. And the only person who might have cause to know that she’d tell you about Dailey would be The Serpent, and I killed him.”
“Yes, Thea’s dead,” Tony said, “but it’s possible someone identified me while we were on the island.”
“You’re thinking that since Thea worked for Dailey there may be some other player who assumes that you’ll make the connection and follow the path back here.”
He nodded. “I suppose this confirms our suspicions about Dailey. But we still don’t know what information Dailey has.”
She lifted a shoulder. “And that’s why we’re going to be spending the next few hours going through his filing cabinets. And we should get Denny or Mario in here to hack his computer.”
He nodded and tapped his earpiece, relaying the command to come to the office to the rest of the team.
“Here’s another interesting tidbit to throw into the mix,” Denny said, her voice tinny in his ear. “I’ve been going through the records, trying to figure out why I missed that document the first time. It wasn’t uploaded into the Secretary of State’s records until about twenty minutes before I downloaded it.”
Emma and Tony looked at each other. He could see the moment she understood, just as he did.
“Oh, Christ. It’s a setup,” Denny said, obviously on the same wavelength they were. “Get the fuck out of there.”
They’d already started to move, but it was too late. He heard the creak of the floorboard, and turned just in time to see one of the wooden wall panels open, revealing not only a camouflaged hidey-hole, but also a familiar man dressed in a full-body skin suit—the kind designed to hide from heat-sensing technology. And he’s holding a pistol in his hand.
The Serpent.
He didn’t have the shot yet, though, and as he shifted his aim, Tony launched himself, tackling Emma to the ground at the same time the shot rang out.
It was followed immediately by another, and from his position on top of Emma, Tony saw The Serpent’s leg collapse under him. He fell, knocked down by the force of the bullet to his thigh and, undoubtedly, the searing pain of the injury.
Liam sprinted to him, the weapon he’d just fired still held at the ready. He kicked The Serpent’s firearm away, then held the not-dead-after-all man at bay with the point of his gun.
Quince appeared in the doorway next, also armed and ready. Immediately, he assessed the situation, then offered Tony and Emma a hand up.
He aimed his chin toward The Serpent, then looked back at Tony with a casual shrug. “To be honest, I’d rather just kill the fucker. But we should probably take him back to the office and let me have a go at him.” He flashed a dangerous smile that had the man on the floor cringing. “We’ll have a little party, you and me. And you can tell me every one of your goddamn bloody secrets.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I pace in front of the one-way glass, watching Quincy as he sits in front of The Serpent. His leg is now bandaged, and from what Colonel Anderson Seagrave tells me, The Serpent’s not feeling any pain. On top of the drugs the SSA medic gave him before stitching up the wound, Quincy has filled him with a proprietary pharmaceutical array that not only eases the pain in his leg, but also makes him more willing to share all of his secrets.
I glanced down at Seagrave who’s idly moving his wheelchair back and forth as he watches the show going on behind the glass. He’s in his mid-forties with dark hair going gray at the temples a
nd an easy smile that doesn’t detract from his commanding presence. We worked together for a long time, and though we butted heads often, I have nothing but respect for him.
“How long does this usually take?” I ask.
Behind me, Tony is pacing. “It’s never a fast process,” he says. “The stronger the subject, the longer it takes. Considering what we know about The Serpent, it might take forever.”
“Under the circumstances, I’m willing to wait forever.”
“Right now, Quince is working to obtain information about your father,” Seagrave says looking at Tony. “After that, he can take a break. We’ll take your new friend back to the SOC. Let our people work on him. You both did amazing work, by the way. Truly amazing.”
Tony shrugs, and I’m certain I know what he’s thinking. Seagrave doesn’t have to butter him up. Once he knows about his father, he doesn’t really care what happens to The Serpent.
I care though. Because The Serpent knows about Winston’s past, and I care about my friend.
I texted Winston an hour ago, letting him know that The Serpent is in our custody. He’s out of the state right now, but I know he’s going to be interested in what’s in the bastard’s head. Maybe it’ll even bring him some closure.
I doubt it though.
I walk over to Tony then reach for his hand. I pull back at the last minute, afraid that if I make the connection, I won’t ever want to break it again. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m hanging in there. I can’t believe we’re this close to the end. Feels like time has started moving more slowly.”
“We’re getting closer,” I assure him. “Eventually Quincy will find out about your father.”
Tony nods. “I know. I spent years working with that man. If Quincy can’t find out where my father is, then my father doesn’t exist on this planet.”
He flashes me a smile, and I feel a bit of relief flow through me. I can’t imagine how hard this is on him, knowing that his father has been alive all this time when the only thing he ever wanted to do was make the son-of-a-bitch pay for destroying Tony’s family and childhood.
He looks at me, then reaches out and tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. It’s a casual gesture, but intimate at the same time. I feel the shiver of connection run through me.
Exactly what I didn’t want to feel. Exactly what I want.
And I tell myself that this is not the time or the place for these emotions. Right now, this is about Tony and his father and what’s happening in that interrogation room.
“Do you want to be on the team when we go after my father?” Tony asks.
I feel my eyes go wide with surprise. “Hell, yes.”
I see a hint of a smile touch his lips. “We agree that I’m the one leading the team?”
“Honestly, I think you’re too emotionally involved. But I also know you’ll throw a tantrum if you don’t lead it.”
He chuckles. “Damn right I will.” He looks me up and down. “You’re exhausted.”
“You look pretty sharp and spiffy yourself.”
“I mean it. You’re completely drained. And I know I am too. If you want to be on the team, I need you sharp. I need you rested. I need me rested too.”
“Fine.” I look at him. “I’m going to my place to take a nap. I have a guest bedroom. Do you want to come with me, or shall we meet back here later?”
He hesitates before answering, then says, “A guest bedroom sounds perfect.”
We’re in my living room in under fifteen minutes. And once again, I want to touch him. To tell him that this will all be okay. To let him know that I believe it will soon be over.
And to reassure him that that I’m there for whatever he needs.
As for what I need…
I need the feel of his arms around me. I need to feel his body against mine. I need this to be over so that I can have this man again.
But I have to be realistic, too. I know that it might never be over. The Serpent might not know where Clyde Morgan is. Or if he does know, Morgan may well have moved on. There’s no certainty in this business. As I’m fast learning, there’s no certainty in relationships either.
I don’t say any of that, of course. Instead, I just point Tony toward the guest bedroom and ask him one simple question. “You’ll wake me if Quince calls?”
“Of course.”
I nod. “Okay then. I’ll see you when he calls or when we both wake up. Whichever comes first.”
I don’t bother changing clothes. I’m too wiped. All I do is kick off my shoes, then pull back the duvet and slide under. I think I’m asleep before my head even hits the pillow, but I come wide awake, the moment I feel the mattress shift.
“It’s okay. It’s me.” I feel his hand on my hip at the same time as he speaks, and I relax into my pillow.
“Holy Christ. You realize I keep a gun in that drawer. You could be dead by now.”
“I don’t think so. You’re far too good to shoot without knowing who you’re shooting.”
“Maybe I was going to shoot you for waking me up,” I retort. “I barely got to sleep.”
I prop myself up on an elbow and try to blink away the cobwebs. “Did we hear from Quince?”
He shakes his head. “No. Not yet.”
I frown, suddenly concerned. “What’s wrong?” I push myself all the way up so that my back is against the headboard. “Tony, tell me what’s going on.”
“We need to talk.”
My stomach twists at the measured and unfamiliar tone in his voice. “Oh.” I really don’t know what else to say.
“This isn’t working for me.” He scrubs his hands over his face and looks at me. “I’m so sorry.”
“Oh.” I say again. I feel sick. And I don’t understand how he can be breaking up with me a second time when we’re not even together right now.
“I could have died in Dailey’s office. You could have, too. Thank God you were there to save me, but we could have died. We survived on pure luck.”
“That’s not true, and you know it. We survived because of training. Sharp instincts. Fast reactions.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Doesn’t matter.” He draws in a breath, then lets it out slowly. “The point is I don’t want to wait until I don’t have a mission. There will always be a mission.”
I frown, trying to put his words in the context of where I thought this conversation was going. But like a piece of a puzzle that belongs to a different picture entirely, nothing fits at all.
“I don’t know if I’ll find my dad tomorrow or the next day or ever. Maybe I’ll keep looking and maybe I won’t. Maybe I find him, maybe I don’t. But the bottom line is that I already found you.”
He brushes my cheek as I try not to let the hope that has started as a trickle turn into a massive flood.
“I want you there with me. I want you by my side, Emma. I want to sign on at Stark Security. I want a partner, sweetheart, and not just for work.”
I stare at him, my heart filling so that my chest feels as though it might burst. I want to say all the pretty words back to him. Words of love and passion and hope and the future. But I have no idea what words to say. All I have are these feelings in my heart.
I guess that’s okay, though, because he seems to have plenty of words.
“I’ve fallen in love with you Emma,” he says, taking my breath away. “I’ve spent my whole life chasing a goddamn vendetta, thinking that coming to the end of it would make me whole. But that’s not the answer.”
He takes my hands and the warmth of his touch flows through me like an elixir, bringing me fully back to life. “It’s you, Emma. You’re the answer. You’re what makes me whole.”
“Wow,” I say. “Tony, I—”
I’m still struggling for words, so I say the only thing that comes into my mind. The only thing that’s flashing in there like neon. “I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”
He looks at me, and for a moment I can’t read his expression. Then I see the
fire in his eyes. And before I can say or do anything else, he pulls me close and captures my mouth with his.
I melt against him, so happy that this man belongs to me that I want to cry. That’s not who I am, though. I’m not a woman who gets emotional. I’m not a woman who ever thought she needed anybody except her sister.
But there’s no denying that I need this man.
I wrap my arms around his neck and cling to him, almost afraid that if I let go, he’ll disappear and this will all be a dream.
But that’s not me either. I’m not a girl who avoids reality. I’m not a woman who’s afraid to look at the hard questions. And so I slowly pull back to cup his face in my hands. “Are you sure? Because honestly, Tony, if you walk away … if you change your mind … I don’t think I’ll be able to survive.”
“You would,” he says. “You’re the strongest person I know. But it won’t ever be an issue, because I’m not leaving.”
“Good. Because no matter what, I’m stronger with you.”
“You’re all I want,” he says. “All I need. I’ve been chasing shadows. I know that. What I should’ve been chasing was love. Baby, please. Please know that I love you.”
I take his hand and I press it to my heart. “I’ve never been one for sentiment,” I say, “ but I do know it.”
I take his hand and press it to my lips. “Would you do something for me?”
“Anything.”
“Would you make love to me?”
His smile is slow and deliciously wicked. “With pleasure.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tony moved slowly inside her, their eyes locked on each other. Her lips were parted, and her face was alight with pleasure. With love.
Even if he lived for a thousand years, he knew damn well that he would never understand what he did to deserve this woman. This strong, beautiful woman who loved him so openly and so completely.
She was his other half, and it was a miracle that somehow through all the shit of their lives, they managed to come together.