by Katie Reus
“Listen, the NSA is letting you attend—”
“Letting me?” she shouted as a burst of anger and pain popped inside her. “My father’s having to deal with all this without me! He’s lost his son and now his wife and I’m not even there for him. Do you think that’s easy for him or me?” She barreled on, not wanting to stop, needing to hold on to her annoyance. “It’s not and if you think you’re ‘letting’ me do anything, you’re out of your damn mind.”
Cade’s fingers tightened on the wheel and she had a brief flash from last night as she remembered how he’d stroked her to orgasm with his hands and mouth. She shook her head, shoving the untimely memory away.
“Damn it, Maria. You know what I mean. I’m not used to checking in with anyone. I’m making decisions about your safety and yeah, I’m not going to remember to tell you everything. It doesn’t mean I’m intentionally leaving you in the dark. I just want to get you there, then get you the hell out unharmed. Nothing is going to happen to you on my fucking watch.” Now he was practically shouting, the slight tremble in his voice at the last couple of words slamming through her like a shock wave.
He was worried about her. Which she knew on an intellectual level. But maybe he was worried for more than just professional reasons. Any lingering frustration seeped out of her in a rush. “Sorry,” she murmured.
He sighed, the frustration visibly draining out of him. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I just . . . I’m worried about you being exposed,” he muttered as he slowed and pulled down another quiet street. This one was lined with cars along the curbs. Which wasn’t normal. The church had a parking lot. A big one. Clearly it had overflowed if people were taking to parking in front of homes.
Cade parked behind a four-door Volvo and gave himself plenty of space so they couldn’t be blocked in. Though she knew he’d just ram into a vehicle if they needed to make a fast getaway. She waited as he pulled out his phone and texted someone. Once he received a buzzing response, he nodded at her. “All right, instead of going in through the narthex, Nash is meeting us at the southwest entrance. We’ll escort you through a side entryway that’s been blocked off.”
Maria wasn’t even sure where the southwest entrance was, but clearly Cade did. He’d probably memorized the entire layout and architecture of the church and its grounds. “Okay.” Grabbing her small purse, she slid out of the vehicle. As her kitten heels touched the sidewalk, a tremble went through her. The pressure on her chest was damn near suffocating. Soon she’d be in a church filled with mourners and would have to listen to people tell stories about her mom and how wonderful she’d been. Which she had been. But the thought of sitting there, of acknowledging that her mom was truly gone . . . Crap, how was she going to do this without breaking down?
Before she’d taken a step, Cade wrapped his big arm around her and pulled her tight. He kissed the top of her wig-covered head. “Cry all you want. I’ve got you and I’m not letting go.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, needing to hear those words more than she’d realized. Inside she was already shaking apart and even Cade couldn’t hold her together. Part of her hated how nice he was being, because he would be an easy target to lash out at. Especially right now when her pain was raking against her insides like razor wire. She wanted to hate him for how he’d cut contact between them eight years ago. It would be a hell of a lot easier if he were an asshole in the present day, if he’d never apologized. But after he’d been honest about why he’d cut and run, how could she hate someone for mourning in his own way? What he’d done was wrong, but it had been a long time ago and clearly he’d changed. Hell, he’d originally requested this assignment to question her. Then when it had turned into more, he began protecting her.
He pulled her close to his chest and just stood there for a long moment as he rubbed a hand up and down the length of her back.
She drew on that strength and finally pulled back. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t stand out there all day. In silence, they walked along the sidewalk with her arm wrapped around his waist and his around her shoulders. She was thankful he wasn’t keeping his distance anymore. She soaked up the feel of his big body pressing against hers. Without trying, he was such a comfort. Cade was tense and she knew he was on alert, looking for any potential threats. For that she was grateful because she could barely see past the tears blurring her vision. She didn’t want to do this. How was she going to get through this?
Her shoes clicked along the sidewalk until they reached an iron gate that led to a private garden she’d been in before. Cade put his body in front of hers, but before he’d even reached over it to unhook the latch, Nash appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. The foliage in the garden was thick, creating a quiet tropical oasis, making it easy for anyone to hide. Something she wouldn’t even have thought of a few days ago.
“Hey, Nash,” she said quietly as they stepped into the garden.
She heard Cade snap the latch back into place behind them as Nash pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with so much shit on top of . . .” He trailed off as he stepped back. He looked severe in his black suit, crisp white shirt, and black tie. She could see his small earpiece when he turned to look at Cade. “Everything’s set up. You two will go in through the west entrance, down the aisle until you reach the third row back. I’ve already got two men in place. They’ll sit on either side of you. When the service is over, you’ll leave the way you came. Everyone else will be going out through the main entrance, so this should work.” He glanced around as he spoke, taking on the same tense stance as Cade. “I don’t like her being out here like this. Let’s go.”
Cade just grunted in agreement and slid his arm protectively around her shoulders again. It might have been her imagination, but there was something almost possessive about the way he held her tight. And it didn’t escape Nash’s ever-watchful gaze either.
But he didn’t comment. Instead he spoke quietly into his earpiece as they headed down a winding stone path that led right through the middle of the garden. Once they were across, the garden opened up onto the west side of the church where a private parking lot was situated. The main one where all the mourners would be parking was on the opposite side. She’d never been in this area before, but she recognized her father’s Mercedes. The silver SUV shone under the bright sun.
“Your dad wanted to see you before the service.” Nash’s voice had a rough edge to it today and she knew this had to be hard for him too.
Cade had started to say something when the driver’s-side door opened and her father stepped out. Maria immediately left the two men and hurried to her father. The tears that had been building finally broke free, but she didn’t care as her dad pulled her into a tight hug. She knew how much he was suffering and she was glad to finally be able to hug him, to mourn with him.
• • •
“How private is this parking lot?” Cade scanned the limited number of vehicles in the small lot.
“It’s been secured. No one other than family is getting in this way,” Nash said.
Cade hated having Maria out in the open, especially in a place where there were so many trees and other places to hide. If someone wanted, they could have set up early in one of the cathedral towers with a sniper rifle. He expected that Nash’s team would already have secured it, but he didn’t know all the details of what they’d done. At that thought, Cade automatically glanced up.
“The towers have been swept and secured,” Nash said tightly, obviously understanding. “We were here early this morning and the church has been very cooperative. They love the Cervantes family and are doing everything possible to make sure today is as smooth as possible.” A short pause. “The wig is good. I recognized her because I know her so well, but most people won’t be able to tell. Especially not with those glasses.”
Cade nodded, his gaze straying to where Maria stood with her father. It looked as if
they were both crying, and he tried not to let the sight of her in pain affect him so much. It was a fruitless effort.
He’d rather get punched in the nuts than see her grieving. This morning he’d ordered himself to keep things professional. The hurt in her eyes had been palpable and he’d wanted to kick his own ass for putting it there. For adding to what she was already dealing with. But he’d needed to set up some damn boundaries. For both their sakes. Someone wanted to hurt her, and they needed to know why.
“She remember anything else?” Nash asked quietly, though Cade knew he had an earpiece in.
He shook his head, still not completely comfortable opening up to the man even if he was with her family’s security. The guy’s record was clean and he seemed to truly care about her, but Cade didn’t care. To him, everyone but the men and women he worked with were the enemy right now. And while the rest of the security team had passed standard vetting from the NSA—otherwise Maria wouldn’t be here—he definitely couldn’t risk someone random overhearing. “How many people are here?”
“A few hundred. Riel had to tighten the list of mourners allowed. He doesn’t want his daughter at risk. But people are still showing up. My team’s having to turn them away.”
He shook his head. “Bet that’s fucking fun.”
Larson made an annoyed sound, then straightened when Maria stepped back from her father and looked at them. “See you inside,” he murmured before heading toward Riel Cervantes.
Cade made his way to Maria, who tried to wipe away her tears under her sunglasses. He quickly fished out a tissue and handed it to her. She seemed almost surprised, though it was hard to tell with the shades, but she murmured thanks and took it from him.
She pushed her sunglasses up for a moment, and the sight of her red-rimmed eyes was a jolt to his system.
Against his better judgment, he pulled her against him once again and headed for the entrance. He wanted to give her a moment to compose herself but didn’t want to keep her outside longer than necessary. Not when he hadn’t done the securing himself. Larson’s team might be good, but he didn’t know them.
As they stepped into the side door, Maria turned and buried her face against his side. Her body shook as she tried to hold her tears in. He just held her tighter. Fuck being professional. He’d tried that this morning, but there was no way in hell he could keep his distance from her today. Not when she needed him.
Oh yeah, he was a total masochist, because whatever happened between them was going to end badly. A woman like Maria had the ability to completely strip him of his control and shred his heart. They were from two different worlds and if she knew the truth about him, she’d hate him. Which would destroy him—but his heart wasn’t listening to his head right now.
He just wanted to protect her from all the pain she was experiencing. The only small silver lining was that there was no coffin. Since the bodies hadn’t been released, and in some cases, some might never be recovered, there wouldn’t be a symbol for her to look at. It probably wouldn’t make things any easier for her. When she tried to muffle another sob, he tightened his grip, hating how helpless he was to shield her from any of this. He might be able to defend her physically, but there was nothing he could do to protect her heart from breaking right now.
• • •
He narrowed his gaze on the back of the woman’s head. Even with the light brown, almost blond hair, it had to be Maria. The hair was different, obviously a wig—a very good one because it looked real—but his gut told him it was the bitch.
That giant tattooed guy sitting next to her gave her away. All his tats were covered up because of the suit, but he recognized the man. And he looked like a street thug. But he wasn’t. No, the man worked for the government, so he had to have decent training. Of course he’d seen the agent in action, so he knew he was skilled.
Getting to her here would be impossible, though he’d temporarily toyed with the idea. He didn’t have a death wish, though. Unlike the men he worked with, he wasn’t hell-bent on some cause he would die for. No, he was in this for one very important reason. He loved money. People who said money couldn’t buy happiness were fucking stupid and had obviously never been poor. Not truly. Not the kind of poor where you had no idea where your next meal was coming from or where you would sleep at night.
Unfortunately, taking out Maria would be tricky, with her lethal shadow. Not to mention the extra security sitting next to her and the team of men sitting behind her.
Yes, her father wasn’t leaving her safety to chance at all. Speaking of, he turned back to where Riel Cervantes stood at the front of the church, speaking quietly into a microphone about how much his late wife would be missed.
Fucking spare me.
His wife had died instantly; it wasn’t as if she’d suffered. All those wealthy people didn’t know shit about true pain. The rich kept getting richer and people like him had to struggle to get to where they were. Even Maria; she might try to make herself feel better by giving back to the poor in her community, but she always had her parents’ money to fall back on. Money she hadn’t earned. Right now she was an obstacle in his way. Her and that community center. Soon enough she’d be out of the way and he could finally make the money he’d worked so hard for. It was what he deserved.
Glancing around, he eyed each of the exits. If he had to guess, he’d say that Maria and her shadow wouldn’t be leaving through the narthex. They hadn’t come through that way, because he’d been waiting for her. No, they’d take one of three other exits, if he had to guess. As soon as the ceremony was over, he’d make his way to the end of his pew as quickly as possible and try to catch up with her.
While he might not be able to do any damage here, he had another plan. One she wouldn’t see coming. He’d be able to track her without worrying about avoiding detection from a trained operative. Then when the time was right, he’d strike and eliminate her.
Chapter 12
Command center: central location for processing data, giving orders, and supervising a critical situation.
Maria might have felt stupid keeping her sunglasses on, but as she used Cade to block her, covertly looking over his shoulder at the crowd of mourners, she saw she wasn’t the only one. There were more than a handful of famous people in attendance, and the shades were so typical of many in this crowd. For once, she didn’t think the act of wearing them was pretentious.
The artificial barrier over her eyes made her feel saner. Even having a small way to block out the rest of the world was a comfort. Her pain was hers and she didn’t want to share it with anyone else.
Except maybe Cade. That thought was terrifying in its own way. She shouldn’t be leaning on him for anything. Not after the way he’d disappeared on her when her brother died. But he was here now and even though it was for his job, he was an incredible comfort.
Her aunt was speaking now as the service finally wound down. Maria had loved hearing everything different friends and family members had to say about her mother, but her heart could only take so much. It was like nails being pounded into her chest with each person that got up on the podium. One more person solidifying that yeah, her mom was gone for good and that this wasn’t some nightmare.
It was real and horrifying and she just wanted to curl into a ball and cry, blocking out the rest of the world. She didn’t want to hear any more damn words. She just wanted to leave and be alone in her misery.
After sobbing in the shower this morning until she didn’t think she had any tears left, she wished she could be numb. But she wasn’t. No, she wasn’t that lucky. Every second that passed was agony.
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against Cade’s shoulder. His arm had been around her the entire service and he tightened it as she moved in. His spicy scent wrapped around her, just as much a comfort as his physical presence. She didn’t even know where to go with the feelings he evoked in her. It was a
s if he calmed part of her when she needed it most. He just had that rock-solid, steady thing about him. The type of man you could depend on for anything. It was deceiving, though, and despite that she tried to remind herself of that, it didn’t matter. She soaked up all his comfort without reserve.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her aunt stopped talking and the priest wrapped things up very quickly. That was out of character, but Maria had a feeling her father might have said something beforehand. He could be forceful like that. He wouldn’t want anyone preaching at his wife’s funeral and wouldn’t be shy about making that clear.
She was vaguely aware of the crowd starting to stand and shift toward the middle and outer aisles. Instinctively she stood, but her knees were shaky. Emotionally exhausted, she felt as if she’d just run a marathon for how weak she was.
Cade moved up beside her impossibly fast. He kept his hand at the small of her back, another possessive gesture that didn’t go unnoticed.
“We’re going out the same side exit,” he murmured as they followed after a couple of the security members walking to the outer aisle. It was the quickest route.
Glancing around, she watched as people slowly made their way to the back of the church. She spotted so many people she knew, including her best friend and a handful of kids from the center. Just seeing them made a fresh wave of tears well up. She knew they must be wondering why she wasn’t at the funeral and hoped Leah had made something up. The only person whose opinion mattered was her dad’s, and he knew she was there. Eyes burning, she prayed for the security men in front of her to move faster. Her chest ached as she tried to stifle the sobs she’d been holding in since the moment they arrived. It wouldn’t do for her to break down and make a spectacle of herself, drawing attention to her and Cade. She didn’t care about personal embarrassment, but right now she knew she needed to remain unnoticed for safety reasons.