by Rebecca Deel
Someone sat on the cushion beside her, then a heavy arm circled her shoulders and gathered her close. Surprised, Claire’s eyelids flew up and she turned her head to see Zane’s concerned expression.
“Come here,” he whispered.
“I’m tired of this,” she muttered.
His face went blank as he let go of her. “I apologize.”
Claire grabbed his arm and draped it back over her shoulders. “The shakes, Zane. You holding me is the best thing I’ve experienced in two days. I’m not giving that up.”
“You sure?”
She leaned over and kissed him, pleased his hold tightened. When she drew back, she said, “If I have a problem with you, I’ll tell you up front. You won’t have to guess. I don’t like relationship games so I don’t play them.”
“I don’t like them, either.” A wry smile curved his lips. “I also haven’t had to deal with them since I was injured and landed in a wheelchair.”
“Then the women around here are absolute idiots.” She smiled. “Too bad for them. Great for me.”
Zane chuckled.
“May I ask a personal question?”
His beautiful smile faded and a wary look came into his eyes. “Can’t promise I’ll answer.”
Huh. They’d just see about that. She didn’t want a relationship based on secrets. “Only if I have the right to avoid answering a question that makes me uncomfortable.” The SEAL scowled. Guess he didn’t like that stipulation. It was only fair, though. “I will understand if you can’t answer a question because of national security or mission secrecy. The same rule doesn’t apply to things you could answer but don’t want to.”
“Fine. Ask.”
Deciding to take him at his word and hoping he wouldn’t dodge, she said, “Why would you assume I’m not comfortable with you sitting beside me and holding me? Isn’t that what boyfriends are supposed to do?”
The former boyfriends in her life had done that and wanted a whole lot more intimacy, which she’d refused. Made all three of them angry when she wouldn’t sleep with them.
He guided her head onto his shoulder and laid his cheek against her. For a couple minutes, Zane rubbed her arm with gentle motions, sharing his body heat. Once her shakes subsided, he said, “My team and I were in Afghanistan. We’d just finished a mission and were heading to the LZ.”
“LZ?”
“Sorry. Landing zone. Zeus was driving. He swerved to miss a kid who darted into the roadway. The boy came out of nowhere. He shouldn’t have been out, Claire. It was the middle of the night. Who lets their kid outside in a war-torn country at three in the morning?” His voice thickened. Zane cleared his throat a couple times before continuing. “Anyway, we hit an IED and went airborne.”
“Oh, Zane. What about your teammates? Were they okay?”
He shook his head. “I’m the only one left,” he whispered.
Tears trickled down Claire’s cheeks. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Another shoulder squeeze was her answer. Once he regained control of his emotions, he said, “I was evacuated stateside once I was stable. A couple weeks after I arrived, the woman I’d planned to marry showed up.”
Claire sat up so she could see him better, outrage swamping her along with a touch of jealousy. He’d cared enough for another woman to propose marriage. Was he still in love with her? She pushed that aside and focused on the outrage. “What took her so long to come to your bedside?” That must have felt like a lifetime to a man so grievously injured and heartbroken because of the loss of his teammates.
“Maureen said she was busy and couldn’t get away.”
She frowned. “No way! Too busy to be moral support to the man she promised to marry?”
“She doesn’t deal well with sickness.”
“You weren’t sick. You were wounded in combat.”
“She didn’t see any difference.”
She scowled. “That is wrong on so many levels I don’t know where to start.”
“Let me finish, then you can vent.”
She motioned for him to keep going. Claire had a feeling the story would only grow worse.
“Maureen came into my hospital room, all smiles, assuming I would get better.” He sighed. “I did improve faster than the doctors thought I would and I gained more mobility than expected.”
“But?”
“She finally realized I wouldn’t heal enough to walk again. At the end of the second week of her visit, Maureen gave me back the engagement ring. She apologized, but said she was sure I’d understand that she couldn’t be expected to take care of me the rest of her life. It was too much to ask. She hadn’t signed on to deal with a cripple.”
Claire’s face burned. “She actually said that?”
“Afraid so.”
“So what did she sign on for?”
“To marry a Navy SEAL.”
“You are still a Navy SEAL.”
“Not in her mind, baby. She only saw the wheelchair. The point is that she wasn’t comfortable with my touch anymore. Even me holding her hand wasn’t welcome.”
“I repeat, too bad for her. Great for me.” Claire cupped his face between her palms. “Don’t paint me with the same brush as Maureen, Zane. I’m interested in the man who happens to be a SEAL.” She leaned close and brushed his lips with hers. “And for the record, your touch makes my heart race.”
“What a coincidence. Your touch has the same effect on me.”
The suite door opened. “Zane, have you…oops. Sorry, dude.” Remy shut and locked the door. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.” He paused. “I am interrupting, right?”
Zane continued to look straight into Claire’s eyes, his eyebrow raised in inquiry.
“You are most definitely interrupting,” she said with a smile at the Fortress operative. “We need to talk about your timing, Doucet.”
Satisfaction mixed with a little worry appeared on Remy’s face. “Z, have you heard from Jon or Eli?”
“Not yet. You concerned?”
“Can’t help wondering if the truck boys had help.”
“Eli and Jon can handle the situation and themselves. SEALs are tough to kill.”
That brought Claire’s attention back to Zane. They must be tough for him to have survived all he’d been through and come out the other side with his sanity intact. To lose his teammates must have been devastating, and yet he honored their sacrifice by living with their memories and doing what he could to safeguard others in the field. She sighed. At least he had until Maddox pulled the rug out from under him. How could Maddox do that to this heroic man?
“Even SEALs can lose their lives if the odds are stacked too far against them.”
“Not these two,” Lily said as she walked into the room from the second bedroom. “I just talked to Eli. He and Jon are on their way. They had to wait for Taylor to cart off the two would-be kidnappers.”
“They were after Claire?” Zane asked.
“Seems so. Jon said they would tell us more when they arrived.”
Remy blew out a breath. “At least they’re safe enough for the moment.”
That had Claire sitting up straighter. “What do you mean?”
“Of the six of us, they are the more vulnerable. Zane, Lily, and I know to watch our backs. Eli and Jon are on a leave of absence. It’s no secret Jon and Eli are friends of ours and will do everything they can to run down the real traitor and clear Zane’s name. That means they’re potential targets, along with their wives.”
“Anyone who goes after Brenna and Dana will die,” Zane said, voice flat. “There won’t be second chances or time for explanations.”
“Fortress operatives know that. Whoever is after Claire doesn’t. If Eli and Jon keep putting themselves out there to help us, their wives will become targets.”
“We can’t let that happen, Zane.” Claire turned to him. “You said Dana is still dealing with the aftereffects of the human traffickers. I don’t want to be responsible for a setback. She
deserves a good life with her husband, one free from fear.”
“We need help, baby. Eli and Jon are the best at what they do.”
“There must be someone else you trust.”
He gave a slow nod. “Yeah, there is. A team, in fact.”
“Durango?” Remy asked.
Claire’s eyes widened. “The Delta unit? But they’re part of Fortress as well.”
“True. They aren’t based in Nashville, though, and are selective in the missions they take. Their primary role is to train bodyguards for the personal protection arm of Fortress.”
“Are they good?”
“Oh, yeah. Josh Cahill’s team is incredible.”
A signal from Zane’s phone indicated an incoming text message. He shifted and grabbed his cell phone from his pocket. He grimaced, shoved the instrument back in his pocket without responding.
“Important?”
“Not anymore.”
What was that about? She opened her mouth to ask him when his phone rang.
Zane scowled and yanked the instrument free of his pocket. He swiped the screen and pressed the decline button, sending the call straight into voice mail.
“Who is it?” Lily asked.
“Maddox.”
“Why would he call you? He’s the one who fired you.”
“Probably to see if I’d checked the separation agreement.”
Claire frowned. “Separation agreement? When did he have time to give you that?”
“Right before I left his office.” He paused, looked thoughtful.
“Zane?”
He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of yellow legal paper.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Zane frowned at the paper in his hand, torn between curiosity about the words his former boss scrawled across the lines and betrayal that made him want to tear the paper to shreds without reading it. He’d never been a coward, though. Wasn’t in his DNA to back down from a fight.
Curiosity won, though it was a close call. As he unfolded the paper, Claire pressed close to his side. He thought she was trying to see the words on the paper until he noticed her gaze turned toward the French doors. His heart skipped a beat when he realized she offered moral support while respecting his privacy. How had he been blessed enough to capture her interest? Her small gesture healed a hairline crack in his heart left behind from his last encounter with Maureen.
He dragged his attention to the words. Relief washed through him. He closed his eyes a second until he wrenched his emotions under control for the second time in as many minutes. Ironic his emotions were swinging to extremes since he was known for being calm under pressure in the military.
“Z? You okay?” Remy asked.
Claire’s head whipped his direction. “Zane?” Alarm tinged her words.
“I’m fine, baby. Better than fine. I’m ecstatic.”
“Over a separation agreement from Maddox?” Lily asked, her disbelief evident.
“The boss found a camera and bug in his office this morning. Combined with the so-called evidence of my betrayal in his inbox, he thought it best to play out the scenario the real traitor wanted.”
“Let me see that,” Claire said, voice crisp. She scanned the words. “You got that from this?”
Three words his boss had written. Surveillance. Alternate number. Maddox was nothing if not succinct.
“Not good enough,” she snapped. “He put you through agony with his little acting job. I won’t forget that any time soon.”
Bemused, he kissed her frowning lips. “He gave us room to work.”
“He could have done that without making you look like a traitor and shredding your reputation among your co-workers. Why didn’t he meet you in a secluded spot?”
A knock forestalled his comment. Between one heartbeat and the next, Zane palmed his Sig and aimed at the door. Lily placed herself between Claire and the door while Remy checked the peephole. He signaled them to stand down and unlocked the door.
Eli and Jon walked into the room, three large to-go pizza boxes in hand.
“Hope you have soft drinks close by,” Eli said. “I’m starving and we didn’t want to make a second stop.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Remy said and walked into the hall.
“My kind of food,” Lily said. “What did you bring?”
“All meat, pepperoni and cheese, and the last is loaded with everything except anchovies.” Eli shuddered. “Nasty little things.”
Claire laughed and dropped her head to Zane’s shoulder. “Do you guys always think about food?”
“We burn a lot of calories.”
Remy returned with soft drinks.
Zane set Claire away from him and lifted her to her feet. “Choose what you want before the big boys scarf it down.”
“Hey, now,” Eli protested. “I can wait a few seconds for the ladies.” He grinned. “Maybe.”
Jon snorted as he lifted the lids of each box. “I wouldn’t dally long, Claire. Eli is not known for his patience.”
While his girl selected pizza slices, Zane shifted to the wheelchair. Once everyone loaded the paper plates Jon brought, Zane asked, “Any trouble with the truck boys?” Jon sent him a look which made Zane grin. “That’s what I figured. What did you find out?”
“They didn’t know who hired them. Anonymous phone call offering easy work for good pay.”
Easy work? They’d tangled with two SEALs and lost. They were lucky to be alive. “Instructions?”
Eli gestured at Claire with a half-eaten slice of pizza. “Nab her and take her to an abandoned warehouse. Once there, tie her up and leave her. Payment would be sent to their bank accounts.”
“How much?”
“Twenty-five thousand, each.”
Remy whistled. “Any idea why they were to grab Claire?”
“No,” Jon said. “They’re thugs for hire without much between the ears.”
“Why do you say that?” Claire asked.
“Chances were high they wouldn’t leave the warehouse alive.”
“Do they know that?”
“They do now.” Jon turned to Zane. “Anything new on your end?”
He handed the yellow paper to his friend. “Did you know about this?”
“Suspected. A camera and bug were hidden in the comm room.” He frowned. “They belonged to us.”
“Know who planted them?” Remy asked.
He shook his head and swallowed his last bite of pizza before replying. “Maddox buys cameras and bugs in bulk. No telling who had them. I only know it was one of us. No one else has access to that room.”
“Wonder how long the camera and bug were in Maddox’s office.” Lily gathered empty plates and pizza boxes. “Can you imagine how much intel goes through there every day? Talk about compromising hundreds of missions.”
“No more than 24 hours,” Zane said.
“How do you know?” Eli asked.
“The boss is a paranoid man. He sweeps his office for bugs and cameras every morning.”
Eli glanced at his partner. “And I thought you were bad,” he muttered. “He’s got you beat.”
“Now we can turn the tables on the traitor and feed him false intel.”
“Don’t you have cameras of your own?” Claire asked. “I imagine a security firm would have surveillance set up everywhere in the headquarters and on the grounds.”
Eli saluted her with his soft drink. “Z, your girl is a smart cookie. We do have surveillance. Unfortunately, the traitor knows where the cameras are located and wiped all images of himself by creating a loop. Jon checked the security cams remotely while we waited for Taylor.”
“In other words, we’ve got squat.” Zane sat back, frustrated. “Every member of Fortress who isn’t on assignment is a suspect.”
“Even worse, we don’t know how long the monitoring equipment has been in the communications center. Could have been longer than 24 hours.”
Zane grimaced. “Once we’ve
uncovered the traitor and searched every nook and cranny in the headquarters building, we’re changing the procedures. This is never going to happen again. I won’t lose more friends over someone we should have been able to trust.”
His cell phone signaled an incoming call. Zane checked the screen and hit the speaker button. “You’re on speaker.”
A pause, then, “I’m sorry, Zane.”
When Claire’s eyes narrowed, he covered her hand with his, squeezed. “I understand, Brent.”
“I couldn’t call and warn you. I didn’t know how many bugs and cameras were in the building and their location.” His tone was sharp and angry. “I will find out who did this. Is Claire safe?”
“She’s fine.”
“She is not fine,” Claire said with a fierce glare at the phone. “You couldn’t find some way to clue Zane in before you laid into him? What kind of spymaster are you, Maddox? And what about all the people Zane works with? They believe he turned on them. What if he needs their help in a firefight? If they haven’t received word you were acting, he’ll be watching his back with his own teammates. And I’m still thinking about asking Adam to leave Fortress.”
Silence greeted her statements.
“Go, Claire,” Lily murmured.
“Don’t encourage her, Doucet,” Maddox protested. “Look, Claire, you’ll never know how much I regretted doing that to Zane.”
“Not as much as you would if he walked away from Fortress.”
Zane turned and caught his breath. Man, she was beautiful in her fury. Her impassioned defense stunned Zane. Another piece of his heart his ex-girlfriend crushed began to heal.
“Murphy, you’re not leaving. You’re a valuable team member. I lost count of how many lives you’ve saved on that comm system. After we uncover the mole and trace him back to the source, I’ll make sure every member of Fortress knows you aren’t a traitor. Zane, stay. Please.”
“Reinstate Remy and Lily,” Zane said.
“Done. I never intended to accept their resignations anyway. What else?”
He glanced at Eli and Jon. Sighed. They weren’t going to like his next words. “Give me Jon and Eli for another 24 hours, then rescind their leaves of absence.”