by Cat Johnson
“You’re welcome.” Swallowing hard, she turned toward the sink and tried to ignore the pounding of her heart.
Yup. Time to leave.
CHAPTER 15
Showered and dressed and fueled with coffee, Will had a meeting to get to and yet he still dragged his feet getting out the door. That wasn’t like him at all.
He was charged with the energy from being at Meade and privy to their discovery. In spite of that, he’d hovered.
Hovered over his coffee mug at the kitchen island. Hovered at the front door.
He tried not to read too much into it. He definitely didn’t want to think he couldn’t get his ass out of his apartment this morning because he didn’t want to leave Jessa. He’d placed a strict moratorium on heartbreak in his life. Once bitten, twice shy.
The memory of his last relationship hadn’t faded nearly enough for him to rush into a new one. He wasn’t even interested in having a fling. Not with anyone. Certainly not with Jessa.
Sara had done a hell of a number on him. Cured him of women and romance and love. Inoculated him against all of that shit that made a man all too susceptible.
Hell, he should really be grateful. Because of Sara he could focus completely on other parts of his life for a while. The app. The team. The hack.
He probably just didn’t want to get to work this morning because plans for Jessa’s security system were still so unsettled. He hated loose ends. He really did have to feel out Rudnick and see what the timeline was going to look like.
Happy with that excuse, he parked in the lot and strode into the building, nearly colliding with Brody in the hallway.
“Hey.” Brody frowned. “You’re back already?”
“Yeah.” Will nodded. “I cut my leave short.”
“I hope that means that your gramps is doing better.”
“He is, thanks.”
“Good to hear. See you inside.” Brody tipped his head toward the meeting room and was off.
Will had kept to himself that he was back to get to work on taking advantage of that Trojan Horse.
If not for that, he would have happily spent the remainder of his approved leave visiting with his family and finishing his app. But his life was an ever changing landscape and he’d long ago learned to live with that reality and adapt.
Right now, the priority was to figure out a way to best exploit this accidental conduit into the inner workings of Kim Jong Un’s North Korea. Now, more than ever, the US needed eyes on the nuclear-capable regime and thanks to the hack, they had exactly that.
Step one, hack into the hackers’ overseas servers, which would give the good guys access to their infrastructure and hopefully confirm exactly who was behind the attack.
Step two, see what was in there, try to determine what they were gathering and try to figure out why.
What they found would help direct what step three would be.
Will might be a member of SEAL Team 6, but because of his skills, he was loaned out by the Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group more times than he could count.
He didn’t mind one bit. He’d pledged his life to serve his country, and right now he could serve them best by striking back against the cyber attack by attacking them back.
All it really amounted to was hacking the hackers and Will was completely jazzed about the prospect. Challenges like this one got his adrenaline going as much, if not more, than a firefight.
Officially the hack back was called active defense, which was against the law unless, of course, you were working for the government at the highest levels in an effort to eliminate a foreign threat the way Will was.
That it was illegal didn’t mean it wasn’t done by civilian corporations and computer security specialists all the time. It was. Hell, if Will worked in the private sector, he’d be doing it and breaking the law too. Thank goodness he didn’t have to.
He’d have to brief command about what was going on at Fort Meade before he got to work. So he figured as long as he was back on base he’d sit in on the morning team briefing. See if there was any action on the horizon after what had been a long period stateside.
Will glanced at his watch. He had a few minutes to get to the meeting room and one more cup of coffee couldn’t hurt considering how early he’d been up that morning.
Inside the team room, he found Tompkins and Fitz already there doing the same thing he was intent on—grabbing some last minute caffeine before the meeting.
“Hey.” Will nodded to them.
“Hey. Look who’s back.” Tompkins lifted his brows. “It’s Mr. Elusive.”
“I’m not elusive.” Will frowned. “I was home on leave. My grandfather is in the hospital.”
Fitz bobbed his head. “I heard about your grandpa. Sorry, man. He doing okay?”
“Yeah. Better. Thanks.”
“I’m sorry too. I know you two are close. But that’s not what I meant.” Tompkins shook his head. “I meant we haven’t seen you outside of work in what feels like months. What’s up with that? What’s going on? Your girl got your balls locked up?”
The only team guy who knew anything about this was Brody and Will knew he would never tell anyone. So the rest of the guys were in the dark.
It had seemed easier to avoid the whole conversation until now. To just let them all keep thinking he was still with Sara. To not have to say it out loud and deal with them and their reactions. Questions. Sympathy. Suggestions for getting back on the horse . . . or the pussy.
He’d heard it all over the years every time a relationship imploded, which happened often. The only difference was this time it was him. His relationship. His friends who were going to want to get him back on the horse.
But they were already teasing him and making snarky remarks about his not going out. So what was the use of keeping the breakup secret? Teasing was teasing. And having them assume he was still with Sara and pussy-whipped seemed worse than letting them know he wasn’t and dealing with the consequences.
“We, uh, broke up.”
The eyes of both men widened.
“Wow.” Fitz’s one word reaction was easy enough to handle. Hopefully Tompkins would follow his teammate’s lead and be just as concise.
“Jesus Christ. I figured you were going to marry that one, you were together so long.”
Or, maybe not.
Will drew in a breath. “Yeah, well, you were wrong there.”
Fitz let out a snort. “Not the first time Tompkins has been wrong.”
After shooting Fitz a glare, Tompkins directed his focus back to Will. “So then why aren’t you out enjoying your newfound available status every damn night of the week?”
“I gotta agree with him, Wonks.” Fitz nodded. “After being with the same girl for so many years, I’d want to get back out there to the all you can eat lady buffet. If you know what I mean.”
It was impossible to not get the meaning of what Fitz meant, even without the man’s lewd hip thrusting as he mimed what he thought Will should be doing.
“We finally found the bright side for us having no action. We can all concentrate on getting Wonka back out there.”
Will couldn’t think of anything worse.
He had to get Tompkins off this plan and on to something else. Telling them about his app and getting them in on the ground floor as Beta users might distract the guys enough they’d leave him and his private life alone.
Besides, unlike Brody and most of the other guys in the unit who had steady girlfriends or were married, the two guys currently trying to drag him out were single. They could test the app on each other.
Yeah. That could work. And since it would be reciprocal, each choosing the dates for the other, it would act as kind of a system of checks and balances. No one could screw around because his own date was in the other guy’s hands.
It was kind of perfect.
Now to sell them on the idea.
“Actually, I’ve been working on a side project in my off time. An app.”
Tompkins leaned forward, looking more than interested. “The computer god is working on his own app? Do tell.”
“It’s still rough right now. Don’t get me wrong. But it’s about ready for beta testing. All I need to do is find a couple of guys to test it out for me.”
“What about us?” Tompkins spread his hands wide.
“Eh. I don’t know.” Will somehow managed to keep a straight face as Fitz’s eyes popped wide.
“Dude. We’re your bros. You have to let us test it.”
Reeled them right in. Hook. Line. And Sinker. And they’d forgotten all about taking Will out trolling for women.
He smiled.
Let the beta test commence.
CHAPTER 16
That Jessa had been away from her home, even for just a short while, was apparent when she walked through her door.
She got her first clue that as she’d fled the apartment in the middle of the night she’d neglected to do a few things before leaving—such as take out the kitchen garbage or leave the A/C on.
The hot smelly air hit her in the face as she walked in her door after work.
Oh well. At least she was home now. And, thankfully, she’d found her apartment still locked up tight with no evidence of tampering or attempted break in. It was a good thing her apartment was secure, because she couldn’t seem to control herself near Will and really didn’t want to spend another night there with him there too.
She was just dumping her purse and keys on the counter when her cell rang. No surprise, it was Will. He must have just gotten home himself and found her not there.
“Hey, where are you?” he asked.
“Home.”
“Home? Why?”
“Because there’s no need for me to stay at your place anymore. I’m fine here.”
“There is a need and that’s a bullshit excuse. The truth is you think you’re putting me out by staying over because I’m home.”
“That’s another reason.” But not the main reason, which she’d never confess to him, ever.
“Look, Jess. I’m not trying to tell you what to do. God knows I don’t have the right to do that. I just think it’s foolish to be somewhere you’re scared when you could be here. I know you think your being here is an imposition but it’s not. I promise.”
She laughed. “Will. You have one bedroom. How is it not an imposition to have some woman sleeping on your sofa?”
“First of all you’re not some woman.” His comment begged the question, what was she to him? She didn’t ask, and he didn’t provide an answer as he continued, “Second. I wouldn’t let you sleep on the sofa anyway.”
Jessa blew out a loud breath. “Oh, sure. You sleeping on the sofa when you have a perfectly good bed in your bedroom wouldn’t be an imposition for you at all.”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “Believe me, Jessa. I’ve slept in way worse places.”
She really didn’t need a reminder that he wasn’t just sweet and sexy but also a SEAL who saved the world on a regular basis. She was pretty much a goner for this guy already without the idealized image of him trudging through a jungle in camouflage war paint.
“Will. Look. I’m fine. Really.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Jessa laughed. “You’re going to have to, because it’s true.
Will let out an audible breath. “You’re very stubborn.”
“Thank you. It’s part of my appeal, no?”
“No.” He might have said no, but she heard the smile in his voice as he said it. “I’m calling Rudnick the moment I hang up with you and I’m getting an answer to when he’s available. And if it’s too long, then I’ll talk to him about what you need and see who he has to fill in for him. Okay?”
“Yes. Thank you very much.”
Jessa smiled. There was a line between a man who was a controlling asshole—like Sara’s husband—and a man who was driven and organized—like Will.
His bossiness with her stemmed from genuine concern. Jessa knew that. And his pushiness to get the security system installed was because he hated to see a task, any task she had a feeling, unfinished. She could tell that about him from the first day he’d grabbed the box from the hardware store off her kitchen counter and hadn’t left until the lock was installed.
He let out a huff. “I still think you’d sleep better here at my place tonight.”
Little did he know she’d barely slept at his place last night.
Being in Will’s bed, even when he wasn’t in it, was too much for Jessa’s system to handle.
“Thank you for the offer but I’ll sleep fine here. I’m not scared. Really.” Jessa’s assurance to Will was even true—mostly.
She had every intention of leaving lights on when she went to bed but she did intend to go to bed so that was a step forward. She was so tired she’d probably even sleep.
“Can I trust you to tell me the truth?” he asked.
“Will, I swear to you on my parents’ lives that you can always trust me.”
Somehow her answer spanned more than his question had intended. It encompassed everything she’d wanted to say to him since Sara had left him. That she never would have left him. And she definitely wouldn’t have taken the coward’s way out and snuck out of town and disconnected her phone the way Sara had.
“Wow.” He let out a short laugh. “Okay. After that sworn oath I guess I have to trust you.”
Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. She really was useless when it came to men.
Jessa swallowed. “Thank you for always being concerned for my welfare.”
“Always, Jessa. Remember that.”
The sincerity in his tone and words stole her breath and had her heart doing flips it shouldn’t be doing.
“I will.” Her voice sounded breathy in her own ears.
After the briefest of hesitations, he said, “I’ll let you go. But promise you’ll call—any time, day or night—if you need me. I mean that.”
She knew he meant it. She’d never met a more sincere man than Will Weber.
“I promise.” She’d promise him anything.
“Okay. Good night, Jessa.”
“Good night, Will.”
Jessa tried to keep herself busy. She had laundry to do. The dishwasher to run. Real riveting stuff. She rolled her eyes at herself. Chores at least kept her hands busy.
If only she could keep her mind occupied as well.
A pint of ice cream and a sappy chick flick on Netflix helped occupy her for a bit but only for one hour and fifty-one minutes—the run time of the movie.
Sighing as the hero and heroine had one passionate Hollywood kiss and the credits started to roll, Jessa hauled herself off the sofa. She carried the empty carton and her spoon to the kitchen.
One glance at the time displayed on the microwave told her it was getting late. She should get to bed.
On her way back to the living room to turn off the television, she couldn’t resist taking a peek out the window just to reassure herself all was well.
What she saw did the opposite. Was that a shadow behind her car?
She sucked in a breath as it moved.
There was definitely someone there because it was too big to be a cat or raccoon.
Why wasn’t there better lighting outside by the parking spaces? Why hadn’t she demanded it of the building’s superintendent after that last robbery?
Her heart thundered beneath the hand she held pressed to her chest as she watched the shadow become two distinct figures.
There were two of them and they were using the cars as cover as they crept from one to the other, moving toward an apartment opposite Jessa’s.
As she watched, too scared to move or even breathe, one man took a quick look around while the other took a step back, raised his foot, and kicked.
The door gave way, swinging in, while leaving the splintered wood of the doorframe behind.
Sucking in a shocked breath, Jessa backed away from the window,
but not before she saw the men glance around them one more time, then duck inside, pulling the door shut behind them.
She dove for her cell phone plugged into the wall socket above the kitchen counter.
It took a second to get her shaking hands to function but she managed to dial 9-1-1.
In her terror, the wait for the operator to answer seemed like an eternity. Finally she heard, “Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
The relief and fear combined made her breathless. The impending tears made it nearly unable to get words out.
Even children were taught how to make a proper phone call to 9-1-1 in an emergency. Apparently, panic had reduced Jessa to a babbling child.
The words and the tears spilled out in a tumble as the operator, a saint of a woman, talked Jessa down until she became coherent.
She got out her name and address and the horrific details, including that the man was currently inside the home of the neighbor across from her in the apartment complex. She could only hope it was another instance of the burglars knowing the occupants were away and taking advantage of an empty apartment. But if her neighbors were inside—she didn’t even want to consider that.
“Please hurry. I don’t know if they’re home or not. They could be in danger.”
“Police are on their way. Stay inside with your doors locked.”
“I will.” Jessa had no intention of going outside where the bad guys were, that was for damn sure. Though at the moment, being inside didn’t feel all that much safer.
She eyed the locks Will had installed. Were they strong enough to withstand the force of the kick she’d just witnessed?
“I’m going to hang up now, but the police have your name and address. After they arrive on the scene they might want to speak with you.”
“Okay.” She disconnected and stood, frozen with fear in the dim apartment.
She wouldn’t feel better until that patrol car arrived.
Should she turn on more lights until then? She didn’t know.
She wanted to let the criminals know this wasn’t an empty apartment and they should steer clear. But at the same time, she didn’t want them to know she was awake and aware of their activities or that she had been the one to call the police.