Voices escalated now as members of the team were either on the phone or discussing the contingency plans. People moved in and around the airborne command unit and Ric was planted firmly in the middle of the organized chaos. He looked at home in the fray, ordering analysts, answering questions, arguing with Ross, who still managed to interject himself into conversations while on the phone. What’s with those two? Mel assumed they were part of the same graduating class at the Farm and were somehow pitted against each other as lifelong professional rivals, despite being on the same team. Where Ric had on his tactical pants and a buttoned-down shirt, Ross was dressed in business attire, his suit jacket discarded on a nearby chair and his tie loosely hanging from his neck. Maybe he wishes he was in the field, too.
The field. She understood its draw, much like her undercover operations. I know he loves it. The danger of moving among terrorists, getting into desert shoot-outs, supping like a prince with a sheik. Mel glanced down at her hands. They shook. She put them into her pockets. Would Ric always need the adrenaline rush? Did she? He wasn’t a man who’d settle down and before she met him, she didn’t want to settle down either. Tears stung the back of her eyes. Oh, no. This can’t be happening. I can’t... I just can’t! After years of being alone, of loving every minute of her peaceful and protected solitude, how could her heart have betrayed her like this?
Her eyes involuntarily found the man of her desire and she sighed in resignation. She was in love with Ricardo Santiago. And he was in love with his work. When this was all over, she’d return to Texas and her fugitive recovery division and ask for an undercover assignment. It was how Alejandro distanced himself from the pains of life. Sure, he’d found love that way, but what was the mathematical probability of that happening twice in one unit? Nil? Zero? Zero was absolutely credible and her plan was just as foolproof. Return home and lose yourself in work; it’s the only way to get over him and forget about living your life with someone.
The few short days she’d spent with Ric in his tent were the most enduring, vulnerable, and wonderful days of her life. Connecting with this man had made her grow so much as a person. He’d forced her to look inwardly, to examine the darkest places of her heart and give the last remnants of her fears and bitterness to God — something she’d convinced herself she’d done many years ago. In turn, Ric had opened his heart to his own pain and Mel was sure days of healing were ahead of him. Never had she’d been so transparent with a man — even his own brother, whom she considered one of her dearest friends — and she couldn’t imagine having such a soul-tying bond with anyone else. Mel glanced out a nearby window. The wings of their small aircraft parted white, puffy clouds, and incinerated them with one slice. Well, that’s it then. Ricardo Santiago, you’ve ruined me for...no one else because there won’t be anyone else.
“Melody?”
Oh, his voice… She didn’t know what she’d miss about this man the most. His kiss or the sound of his voice? Perhaps how he held her to him as if he possessed her. She juggled the possibilities in her mind, and was no closer to a decision when she heard her name again. “Oh!” She jumped at the warm hand on her shoulder. Ricardo had taken a seat next to her.
“Hey. Sorry I scared you.”
“It’s okay.” She hugged herself. She refused to look him in the eyes, afraid if she did he’d read her thoughts. His knowing how she felt about him would make the pain even more unbearable when it was time for him to say goodbye. And that time was coming — soon. When they touched down in Dubai, they’d separate: he off to fight terrorists and save lives and she to another plane and out of the country. There probably wouldn’t be any time for a goodbye.
Mel met his eyes. If this were the last time she’d gaze into them, then she’d take all the time given her, and cry about it later.
“What’s wrong?” His brows bushed in concern. He reached a hand to gently cup the side of her face. “You look…sad about something. Are you thinking about Hakeem?”
She nodded, knowing it would throw him off her tracks. Although the longer he stared into her eyes, the more layers she felt were stripped from the protective sheath of her soul.
“I couldn’t have made it back there without you,” he said gruffly.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about…your grief.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
She forced her dry throat to accept a swallow, while she waited for him to continue. A familiar stinging sensation around the lids of her eyes caused her to blink in succession a few times. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, or any of the other intelligence operatives. They were on high alert, their focus on stopping a terrorist act. What would it say about her and the US Marshals if she sat here blubbering? And Ric would say it was because of Hakeem — a man she’d wished she had more time to know — but that wouldn’t be the truth. It would be because her heart literally broke inside her chest for a man she couldn’t have. Ric didn’t need to know that, not when thwarting Abdul required every ounce of focus and concentration.
“I hope Abdul shows his face in Dubai. It would give me a legitimate reason to end his life.”
Mel smiled at the thought. Revenge for Hakeem would be sweet, even if it wasn’t enough to bring the man back to life. “Just don’t make it quick. Get a shot or two in for me, would ya?”
Ric laughed. “You got it.” His hand dropped from her face. “We’ve got a few minutes before we land so I’m going to change into some fresh clothes.”
Mel simply nodded, all her efforts focused on eradicating the swelling sadness over his impending departure.
“What’s that look?” He peered at her curiously.
“What look?”
He stared, not answering the question. Mel continued to display a feigned expression of impassivity — at least she hoped she did. When Ric’s gaze lowered decidedly to her lips, Mel lost all resolve. A slight whimper escaped her parted lips and that was all the invitation Ric needed. He leaned forward, took her lips in his own, and kissed her hard. His hands gripped the sides of her face and held her to him as he retained all control of the kiss. Her lips succumbed to his demands and while he had his way with her mouth, Mel did her best to keep all sounds of passion within her. The plane was too small to avoid any peep of pleasure.
Ric’s force lessened and eventually he freed her from his grasp. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to do that again, so it might as well be now.”
Do it again? He was planning on a repeat performance? Mel refused to hope Ric had intended to continue where they were leaving off. Words escaped her and all she could do was stare.
Ric chuckled at her muteness. “Thank you. I thought it mind-blowing myself.”
Mel rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop her lips as they formed a grin. “You stink. Go wash up.”
“Now that’s rude. I don’t think I mentioned once how badly you reeked the first night we met.”
Mel blushed and then cried out when Ric leaned in and rubbed his dusty, sweat-stained neck against the side of her face. He launched from his seat, ignored the curious looks of his colleagues, and strode confidently to the lavatory. Mel kept her gaze lowered. Her face burned in what she knew was a visible sign of infatuation with Ricardo Santiago. The last thing she wanted was the appearance of impropriety between them, even though Ric had thrown all concern for his boss’s approval out the plane window when he kissed her.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re approaching the location and have begun our descent…
Mel’s mood instantly soured into despondency. In twenty minutes, the plane would be on the ground and her adventure with Ric would come to an end.
I don’t know when I’ll be able to do that again...
For a brief moment, her heart soared at the prospect of seeing Ric one more time…of kissing him once more. If he truly wanted it, then he was the type of man to make it happen. But when? He wasn’t even sure when the attack on the embassy would occur. The team would be on standby until then, if t
hey weren’t able to thwart the attack. And afterwards? She only had her own job to compare, but if CIA debriefings were anything like the ones after marshal operations, it would be some time before she’d lay eyes on the man she loved. And if they caught any of the attackers, Ric might be involved in the interrogations.
And those could last years.
Mel’s gaze found its way out of her window again. The heavens were beautiful and her thoughts turned to God. If there’s any way, please God, let Ric and I find each other again.
“Ms. Lewis?”
Mel rotated in her seat to find Mr. Daniels approaching. “Yes?”
“I’d like to briefly discuss what’s going to happen next.”
Her spirits sank even lower, but she trained her face to be passive. “Of course.”
Daniels sat in the leather seat beside her. “Because you’ve spent extensive time with Abdul and his men, we need to conduct a thorough debrief of your time in captivity and Hassan’s camp. As of right now we don’t have the time, given the circumstances, but we’ll need you close by to confirm the identities of any men we apprehend and as a cross-reference to any story I’m sure they’ll fabricate.”
Close by…
Those were the only two words she heard in the entire exchange. How close? At another safe house? Would Ric be stationed there as well?
“Once we land, we’ll be heading directly to the embassy. Unless you’d be more comfortable in another location, you’re coming with us. We can arrange transportation to an awaiting carrier in the Gulf or we can fly you to our outpost in Germany.”
And leave Ric? “Ah, no, the embassy is fine. But it’s not exactly safe, is it?”
“Officials on the ground have been informed of a possible attack and security has been tightened in the area. Evacuations have begun; however, certain essential personnel are authorized to remain. A skeleton crew, security and, of course, our team. You will be safe.”
Mel nodded. “Is there someone at the embassy who can start the debrief?”
“Yes. We do have a team on station and we’ll dedicate an agent to start the process. Whatever you can offer us will be beneficial, no matter how minute the detail.”
She’d learned that at the law enforcement academy. When piecing together the story of the crime, no detail was irrelevant until ruled out by the authorities. “I’m eager to do what I can to help.”
Daniels’s eyes sparkled with thinly veiled mischief. “I’m quite certain of your…eagerness.” He stood. “Thank you, Ms. Lewis. Your comfort is important to us so, please, let us know if you need anything.”
Think cool, think cool, think cool... The heat growing beneath the surface of her cheeks never quite materialized into anything more than fleeting warmth. Mel was sure the only color Daniels witnessed was the mocha tone of her skin.
Ric exited the lavatory minutes before the plane was on the ground. He’d given her a quick wink before he departed the plane with Ben, Ross, and Daniels. They sprinted to an awaiting SUV while Mel was spirited to another identical black SUV. Mel expected her driver to follow the car Ric was in but it veered off course and traveled in the opposite direction. Alarm spiked through her. “Where are we going?”
“The embassy,” the driver confirmed. “Just taking an alternate route. One SUV traveling alone is far less suspicious than a caravan.”
That made sense. Mel released a long breath and settled back against the leather seat. Relax, Melody, relax. You’ll see Ric soon…
****
“Do we really need to discuss this now?” Ric gritted his teeth against the accusation Ross dropped as soon as they were in the vehicle.
“Everyone saw you kiss her!” Ross’s expression was incredulous over what he perceived as Ric’s denial of the facts.
“How is this pertinent to the operation?”
“Because she’ll be at the embassy with us whenever Abdul decides to show his face,” Daniels answered in a bored tone. “I’ll expect you to be on your game, Santiago, and your attentions not diverted to your beautiful crush.”
Ric’s blood heated to near boiling point. The embassy was still a fifteen-minute drive away — too long for Ric to control his temper and not knock Ross out. “With all due respect, sir, when have I not been on my game? I’ve recovered a missing United States Marshal and uncovered details about the plot against the embassy.”
“You’re forgetting your dead source.”
Hakeem. He’d never forget the man who acted as his surrogate father. No, he couldn’t save Hakeem, but Hakeem saved him. Saved both he and Mel. The man deserved a medal. No, he deserved his life.
Now, I must go…forever.
“Hakeem mentioned retiring after this operation. He would’ve wanted to go out in a hail of gunfire. His wife and son are dead. His life was working with me and the agency. If he’d lived, he’d be dead in six months, guaranteed. When a man stops working, he dies.”
The last phrase was an excuse Hakeem used an operation or two ago when Ric asked him how long he planned to continue putting his life on the line instead of enjoying his remaining years on a beach somewhere, sipping mojitos. Hakeem had laughed off Ric’s insistence that he retire sooner, and now Ric wondered if Hakeem intended to live through this operation. Did he know? He wasn’t a man to unnecessarily create a situation where he’d lose his life and he wasn’t prone to suicide… Guess some people really do know when their time is up. Ric refused to think about his own mortality, which helped his sanity in his profession. But now, life and death held a new meaning, and it was all because of a certain Deputy US Marshal.
“It’s not like he can predict his own demise,” Ross spewed. “Boss, you’re not really buying this, are you? The way Ric has run this operation would be laughable if it didn’t end in a dead source. His handling is shoddy, and the intelligence collection questionable. Even if Abdul plans to attack the embassy, we still don’t have a date and time, which was information Ric was supposed to confirm during this operation. We could be on lockdown for weeks! And let’s not forget Ric’s inability to tell when a source is playing him. He was completely oblivious to Hassan’s financing of terrorist operations!”
Count to ten. Those were wise words his mother had taught Ric when he and his brothers were younger. Whenever they got mad at one another — which was often — the best course of action was to count to ten and then decide whether or not they really wanted to say what was in their heads or throw that punch. As rambunctious boys who always got into trouble, they never quite mastered this principle.
Ross cried out when Ric’s fist impacted the slender bridge of his hawk-like nose. Blood instantly flowed, following the telltale sounds of bone breaking. Ric drew his arm back for the second punch; he aimed for the man’s eye socket when he felt a firm grip on his biceps and his body being dragged back against the seat. Ben and Daniels held him back, their shouts muffled beneath the sound of Ric’s own growls, as he struggled to break free.
“You son of a… You broke my nose!”
“That’s not all I’m gonna break, McNulty! Argh, let go of me!”
“Santiago, calm down!” Daniels shoved Ric against the doorframe. He pointed a finger in his face, his stern look a warning for him to cease. “Save it for the enemy.”
“Is that an order, sir?”
“Don’t push me, Santiago, or I’ll have you shipped back to Langley to sit at a desk all day doing translations.”
At one point in time, the idea of being confined to a nine-to-five schedule in a cubicle on some floor of a nondescript building terrified him. The soul-sucking work of keeping to a never-changing schedule and clocking hours on a time card would’ve been a death sentence, but now, being out of the field and away from danger held a greater appeal than ever before. Melody did this to me. Meeting her had made him question his life choices and whether or not it was possible for Ricardo Santiago — daredevil and self-proclaimed lifetime bachelor — to fall in love and settle into a nice, routinely boring life. Someho
w, life with the feisty Melody Lewis promised to be anything but dull.
“I want this guy reprimanded!”
With a sigh, Daniels sat back in his seat. “He will, Ross, he will.”
“He broke my nose!”
“And that hasn’t stopped you from talking, has it? Relax. We’ll get it set at the embassy. But for now,” he eyed both Ric and Ross from narrowed lids, “I want the two of you to steer clear of each other. Do I make myself clear? If it doesn’t have anything to do with thwarting this attack, I don’t want you to say two words to each other. Understand?”
Neither man said a word as they stared each other down.
“Ric’s source and his relationship with Ms. Lewis are topics that are off-limits. If there were any errors in handling Hakeem or impropriety in dealing with Ms. Lewis, I and I alone will handle it.”
“I’m filing a complaint with HR,” Ross said with half a whimper. His eyes had filled with tears, possibly due to the pain of the break.
“You do that, Ross, but for now, we’re all going to keep our heads in the game and stop this attack. That is the number-one priority.” Daniels wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. He pulled out a cell phone from his coat pocket. “I’ll have the medics on standby so you can get that nose fixed as soon as we arrive, Ross. After that, I want you back on the job.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ric.” Daniels turned to him with the phone at his ear. “How’s your hand?”
Ric didn’t need to look at his knuckles to know they wouldn’t even hold a bruise. “Fine.” He cocked a grin at Ross. “Wasn’t that hard of a hit anyway.”
“Don’t even think about it, Ross,” Daniels said, seeing the fair-skinned man go from lightly flushed to blood-red. Daniels frowned at Ric, who didn’t care about the consequences of picking a fight with Ross. He’d win any day of the week.
Ricardo (The Santiago Brothers Book Three) Page 16