by Debra Webb
“I’ll help you all that I can while I’m here.” He lowered his hand, allowing it to drop back to his side. “And I’m not expecting anything in return. You and Charlie are like family to me.” He let go a sigh of defeat. “A man’s supposed to take care of his own. I can’t promise you how long I’ll be here, but while I am, I’ll do whatever you’ll let me to help. I’ve never been afraid of responsibility, Brin. That wasn’t why I left. You know that.”
So many emotions twisted inside her that she felt ready to run, run hard and fast. She knew why he’d left, all right. He didn’t love her and he hated the life he’d had here. But he was right about one thing, he would never shirk his responsibilities. If he found out he had a son, Court would not walk away without him. What would he do if he discovered she had kept that son from him?
She didn’t want to know. She only knew that she had to put that distance back between them. Court Brody might be hanging out with Neely and his cohorts, but he was not like them. If nothing else, the last few days had proved what kind of man he was. Sabrina could not risk his finding out about Ryan. And she sure couldn’t chance falling in love with him all over again. Her heart couldn’t take the hurt when he walked away. And that was the one thing she could be absolutely certain of, he would leave. If he learned that he had a son, he would not simply walk away this time. He would likely want his son. That was a gamble she was not willing to take. This relationship had to stop here and now.
“How about I take you out to dinner,” he offered with one of those killer smiles.
Sabrina bit back the cry of “yes” that raced to the tip of her tongue. She had to end it now. She had to go to that compound and drag her brother home. And she had to make sure Court stayed away from her and the ranch until that restless heart of his took him away just like before.
“You go on,” she urged, praying he would do just that. She needed to pick up Ryan. “I appreciate what you’ve done, Court, but I don’t want you to come back tomorrow.”
Not giving him a chance to argue, Sabrina turned and rushed back toward the house. Allowing him this close was a mistake. One she wouldn’t make again.
COURT SCANNED the quadrangle, squinting to see any movement in the darkness. He studied the guard in the observation tower next to the dining hall. The man turned like clockwork. Court waited patiently until the guard was in the twelve o’clock position again and Court made his move. Wearing black jeans and T-shirt and his hat to shield his face, he should blend into the darkness well enough not to be seen, but there was no use taking chances.
Once he’d reached the far corner of the meeting hall, he waited, watching the guard in the tower directly behind the training center. Again, he waited until the man turned his back and Court felt fairly confident he had ninety seconds or so. He stole across the quadrangle to the training center, pausing before entering the door to listen for any sound. After several minutes of uninterrupted silence, Court slipped inside the building.
The classrooms that lined the left side of the first floor were dark, as was the large open area to the right where arms training was conducted. At the rear of the room, Court took the stairs going down rather than up. The only things upstairs were a couple more classrooms, a latrine and another large open area for hand-to-hand combat training.
Neely kept the communications center manned twenty-four hours a day. Court was certain his presence would not be considered unusual if he merely sat down at one of the open tables and reviewed intelligence. Any lieutenant was authorized that access. The fact that it was well after midnight might seem odd, but all he had to do was say he couldn’t sleep. Court wanted to look at old data, to see if he could find any link to previous contact with the Black Order. This morning’s status meeting had included a review of recent intelligence, which revealed nothing significant in Court’s opinion.
He needed to pinpoint Neely’s goal as soon as possible. Before the arms deal went down would be nice, but highly unlikely. The sooner he got the information he needed, the sooner he would be out of here. Austin had gotten excited about the scheduled deal with Fahey. Whether Court could connect Neely to the Black Order or not, Austin intended to take the man down when the business with Fahey took place. Court had given Austin the time and place of the rendezvous. Austin would arrange the bust with the ATF. All Court had to do between now and then was stay alive…and, of course, dig up what he could.
At the bottom of the stairs Court paused to listen again. The basement was comprised of four rooms, each leading into the next. The place was as dark as a tomb. He shrugged off an uneasy feeling as he moved through the first room. Staying alive might be more difficult than usual. He was having trouble focusing on the mission, and that was highly unusual…and dangerous.
It was Sabrina, he knew. He couldn’t bear the thought of her working so hard. The memory of the calluses on her hands tore at his heart. How would she ever survive with only two mares about to foal? It wasn’t likely that she had enough money stashed away somewhere to tide her over until she built her herd up again. Hell, she obviously didn’t even have the money for needed repairs. Court was going to have that long talk with Charlie when this was over. The kid had no right running off and leaving his sister without any help like that.
The irony of that thought struck Court so that he had to stop to catch his balance. Who the hell was he to give lessons in not running away? He couldn’t wait to get away from this place when he was Charlie’s age. But had Court done the right thing? He refused to consider that question. He had done the right thing. His life was with the Bureau. There was nothing here for him. Nothing that made him want to stay.
As if summoned to make a liar out of him, Sabrina’s image filled his confused mind. He scrubbed a hand over his face and pushed the picture from his head. Sabrina was not his responsibility. Why was it that he couldn’t ever put her completely out of his head? Not even when he buried himself in his work back in D.C. What was it about her that made him ache to hold her, gave him pause when he was certain he knew what he wanted?
Whatever it was, in a few days, a couple of weeks, tops, he would be out of here. He would protect her and Charlie as best he could, but he would not allow himself to become physically involved with her again. He’d hurt her once. He would not do it again. No way.
As Court neared the tunnel’s secret door a sound to his right diverted his attention. Drawing the weapon tucked in his waistband, he moved silently in the direction of the sound. A solid thud alerted him that his prey did not know his way around the area in the dark. A hissed swear word gave away his follower’s exact position. Three seconds later Court had the barrel of his Beretta pressed to the back of the man’s head.
“Don’t move,” Court ordered quietly. “This way.” He ushered his prisoner back toward the stairs. “Very carefully.”
Court could hear the man breathing, fear rising inside him. It surprised Court to find another traitor, or snooper, at the very least, among Neely’s followers so soon. All the lieutenants knew their way around. They definitely wouldn’t be sneaking around in the dark. Unless whoever it as had a hidden agenda like Court. At the bottom of the stairs, Court flipped a switch and a fluorescent light high above the stairwell blinked to life.
A long gold-and-brown ponytail hung down his prisoner’s back. Court frowned. “Sabrina?”
She whirled to face him, the fear in her eyes immediately changing to anger. “You scared the hell out of me!” She looked ready to tear off his head and spit down his throat. “What are you doing down here?”
He lifted a skeptical brow. “The better question is, what are you doing down here? I could have shot you.” He lowered the weapon still leveled on her chest.
Her eyes went wide as if she only just then noticed the gun in his hand. “Is that…the gun you used on Benson?” Her gaze connected with his, uncertainty and fury warring there.
Did she think he’d killed Benson? How could he explain that the guy was safely tucked away until this was
over? He couldn’t. Disgusted with himself for even considering the question, Court pushed the weapon into his waistband at the small of his back.
“Yes, it’s my weapon. Do you realize that it’s past lockdown?” he added, using all his effort not to explode with the rage building inside him. He shouldn’t feel this way. “Do you know what they’ll do to you if they catch you here now?”
She blinked, but couldn’t hide the renewed fear in her eyes. “Lockdown? I don’t understand. I just wanted to find Charlie.”
Court dragged a hand through his hair and rubbed his neck. “They lock the whole compound down at ten o’clock every night. No one except the lieutenants is supposed to be outside the barracks after that.” He pinned her with his gaze. “You don’t belong here, Brin. What’s Charlie going to do when you wind up dead because you were snooping around here like this?”
Her tremble was visible. “I didn’t know. I just thought it would be easier to find Charlie once all the training was over for the evening.” She shook her head. “I didn’t know.” Tears threatened to brim over those long, thick lashes.
Court swore under his breath. What the hell was he going to do with her now?
“I’ll just…” She backed up a step. “I should go home now.”
Court snagged her by the arm before she could take another step. “You can’t leave now. If you try to go through the gate they’ll know you were here.”
She moved her head from side to side. “I have to go.” A new kind of fear welled in those wide brown eyes. “I need to…to go—”
He pressed his fingers to her trembling lips. “You can’t go, Brin. You have to come with me. I’ll keep you safe until morning. Then you can slip into the children’s classroom and no one will be the wiser.”
She wanted to argue, he could see it in her eyes, but her survival instinct kept her quiet. Court ushered her up the stairs, then paused to switch off the stairwell light. Once outside, he retraced his steps, each time watching the guards in the observation towers until it was safe to move closer to the barracks. Sabrina didn’t resist. She remained glued to his side as they stole through the darkness.
Ferguson would love to catch Court in a compromising position like this. The bastard had followed Court to Sabrina’s house yesterday. When Court had gotten out of his truck at the edge of her driveway, Ferguson had taken off in a roar of souped-up horsepower and a spray of dust and gravel. Court wouldn’t put it past the low-life scumbag to try to use Sabrina and Charlie against him somehow. Court had to find a way to keep Sabrina away from this place—Charlie, too, if possible.
Court unlocked his door and followed Sabrina into the dark room. He closed and locked the door before turning on the small reading lamp on the table near the bed. After removing his weapon, he placed it beneath the pillow on his bed. Sabrina huddled in a corner, her arms wrapped around her middle.
He flared his palms and shrugged. “Home sweet home.”
All signs of fear vanished from her expression. She charged up to him and planted her fists at her waist. “I cannot believe you,” she snapped. “How could—”
He pressed his fingers to her lips once more. And once more fire shot straight to his loins. “Shh. We don’t want to wake the whole place.”
A withering glare was her only response.
“You don’t have to worry.” He gestured to the bed, trying to calm her fury. “There’s plenty of room for both of us. I’ll stay on my side.”
The glare intensified. “There is no way I’m spending the night with you, Court Brody. Been there, done that, remember? I’m out of here and you can’t stop me.”
She made a move toward the door and he manacled her wrists with his hands. He pulled her around to face him with ease despite her struggle. “Dammit, Brin, think. I took care of Benson personally. Do you want to risk Ferguson or Jed or even Raymond taking care of you? Being here after lockdown is breaking the rules. Neely won’t let it go unpunished, you can bet on that.”
She jerked against his hold. “Maybe they’ll let you take care of me like you did Benson.”
Court took a deep breath and counted to five as he released it. It didn’t help. “I didn’t hurt Benson,” he said quietly. “He’s safe until this is over.”
She shook her head, clearly confused. “Until this is over? What are you doing back here? You swore when you left all those years ago that you weren’t coming back. Then two years ago you blow into town long enough to bury your mama and take me to bed, and poof you disappear again. What’s the attraction now, Brody, didn’t you get what you wanted last time?”
Court restrained his own fury at her words. She had never fully understood what drove him. She didn’t understand now. “You don’t know me as well as you think you do, Brin,” he returned tightly.
“You’re right, I don’t.” She relaxed in his firm hold. “I don’t know you at all. The Court Brody I knew would never have gotten involved with a man like Neely.” She closed her eyes and struggled with the emotions he’d seen welling there. She took a breath, a sob almost, and opened her eyes to his once more. “You know, with Charlie I can kind of understand it. He’s young, confused, and he needs a male role model in his life. But you—” she shook her head again “—there’s no excuse for what you’re doing. You’re a grown man who should know better.”
Her pain ached through him. He had hurt her so badly. Nothing he could say or do would ever make it up to her. “Brin, I can’t explain why I’m here to you. But I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you.” His fingers slid down her wrists to entwine with her long slim ones. “I made a mistake. Coming back here and dealing with my mom’s death, it rattled me. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“I see.” She tugged free of his touch and turned away from him. “That night was nothing but a mistake?”
He rubbed at his eyes. “You know I didn’t mean it that way.” He took her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him again. She moistened her trembling lips, the move tugging at his flimsy restraint. “You know I care about you. I always have. I just couldn’t be what you needed me to be. I can’t now.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Court. What makes you even think I’d want you now?”
He closed in on her and took her face in his hands, peering deeply into her eyes. The eyes he had seen in his dreams far too many times. “Maybe it’s the way you tremble when I touch you.” He traced the line of her jaw, then lower, down the smooth column of her throat. “Or the way your eyes go wide when we’re this close. I can feel it.”
She fought to control the trembling his touch evoked within her, just as he’d said. “You’re one of them,” she accused, a quiver in her voice.
In that instant, with her looking so deeply into his eyes, and her heart on her sleeve, he couldn’t lie to her. “I’m not one of them. I’ve never been one of them.”
She blinked rapidly, but not before a single teardrop slid down her silky cheek. “Then why are you here, pretending to be like Neely and his men?”
“Because it’s my job,” he admitted. A rush of relief that made him weak-kneed followed the confession. “The Bureau sent me here to infiltrate Neely’s organization and assess what he’s up to.”
Horror danced across her pretty face as she absorbed the implication of his words. “But it’s too dangerous. If they find out you could be…” Her voice drifted off with the unspeakable thoughts forming inside her head.
“I know how to take care of myself,” he assured her, pulling her closer. His arms went around her and he drew her into an embrace that both eased his conscience and wreaked havoc with his senses. “I couldn’t tell you the real reason I was here. I shouldn’t have told you now.”
She pulled back far enough to look into his eyes. “I don’t like this, Court. What if—”
He smiled. It was nice to have someone care if you lived or died. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this before. ‘Careful’ is my middle name.”
“What are we going to do?” She scrubbed a
t the dampness on her cheeks.
“I’ll get you over to the children’s classroom in the morning. All you have to do is act as if nothing happened. If anyone asks questions, I’ll just tell them that you were with me all night.”
“What about Charlie?” Worry swirled in those deep brown eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to him.”
Court ushered her toward the bed. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Charlie. Right now, you need to get some sleep.”
She looked at the bed and then at him. “I don’t think this is such a good idea, Court. I mean—”
“I know what you mean.” He drew the covers back and gestured to the right side of the bed. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay on my side.”
“But I can’t stay,” she argued again. “I have to get home.”
“Sabrina—” he settled a gaze on hers that he hoped conveyed the gravity of the situation “—you cannot leave tonight.”
Hesitantly, she sank onto the white sheets. “You’re sure my being here won’t get you into trouble?”
Court couldn’t prevent the smile that tilted his lips. “Your being here is nothing I can’t handle,” he assured her with a great deal more confidence than he felt.
But he would do what he had to…even if it killed him.
One last look at Sabrina as she slid beneath the covers and he decided that dying might be a hell of a lot easier than lying in that bed next to her until dawn.
CHAPTER EIGHT
WHEN THE DIGITAL clock on his bedside table blinked from 4:59 to 5:00 a.m., Court knew he would not live through one more minute of Sabrina snuggled on top of him. He had been fully aroused since crawling into bed with her. But he’d decided he could handle it until she fell asleep and wriggled closer to him…and then she’d wrapped those long legs around his and he’d had to put his arms around her. That move had proved a big mistake and negated any possibility of sleep.