by Nico Rosso
To what end? Ben was an expert flirt. Was this just reflex for him?
The lies of the operation and their fake personas had to tighten up with the arrival of the police. But Mary still probed, “Your mom still around?”
A bigger smile lightened him. “Yes, and proud of me and more proud of herself for raising a boy right. Your folks?”
She shook her head. His smile wavered before she explained, “We never had a lot of money for good food or good care. I was...away.” In Iraq, protecting a convoy corridor, and couldn’t get home while they were both sick.
“Damn...” His leg stayed against her. The rough memory faded faster than usual. She wasn’t used to sharing it.
“Old news.” She shifted gears quickly as the cops took the booth next to theirs, at Ben’s back. “But you’re not really interested in a video call, so I can show you how I organize my kitchen cabinets.”
“It tells a lot about a person.” He pulled out his cell. “Take my phone, call your number with it, then we’ll be looped in.”
The cops refrained from conversation, obviously listening.
She let some sass whip out. “I’ll take your number, and I’ll call you if I’m desperate to know what’s in your drawers—kitchen drawers.”
He laughed and so did the cops. Ben turned as if he just realized they were behind him and nodded at the men. They tipped their heads back at him and pointed to the sport bracelets they wore.
One cop kept chuckling. “Chief stayed late to shoot extra jumpers at the end of the game.”
“Did he hit?” Ben split his attention between the cops and taking out his business card and writing a number on the back.
The other cop scoffed. “One out of ten.”
Ben clicked his tongue proudly. “Then the sport band’s helping.” He turned back to her and slid the card across the table. “Personal cell on the back.”
The waitress came by and left the check before going to the police officers’ table for their order.
Mary collected Ben’s card and the check.
He put his hand out to stop her. “Take the card, leave the check. I got this.”
She waved him off. “It’s expensed. You were a business lunch.”
“Bang.” He recoiled as if hit. “That hurt.”
“You liked it.” She collected her bag and stood.
“I did.” His gaze slid up her slowly, from her shoes along her legs and chest to her face. She soaked in the attention, allowing it past small gaps in her defenses. Bright awareness danced on her skin. He continued to taste her with his eyes. “You got my number. Use it.”
She stared back at him. A new gravity took him. Had she gotten past his defenses as well? “We’ll see how cold it gets down here in southern Illinois.”
He turned the swagger back on. “I heard it gets real cold.”
“So do I.”
His smile turned wicked and ravenous as she burned him with her ice. God, if this flirtation was real, they’d either run away screaming or tear the sheets off a bed together. She gave him a wink as small solace for the injury, then walked down the row of booths toward the cash register.
As she departed, she heard the cops release a bubble of laughter.
The first one elaborated under his breath, “He puts one up at the buzzer for the win and...brick.”
She was too far away to hear the specifics of Ben’s defense, but the confident tone of his words was clear. The conversation between him and the police officers continued while she paid the bill. Because of the presence of the cops, the rest of the diner patrons curled more into themselves, just going about business.
The chill air shocked her first breath outside. No heat in the bright sun. But the unusual comfort from the connection with Ben remained. It had started before they’d had to turn up their flirting to keep the cover story going. So what was his angle? Build her trust, get her into bed? But it felt too real, especially when they weren’t saying a word.
Footsteps hurried toward her across the parking lot. She’d reached her car and saw in the reflection of the windows that it was Ben striding closer. Her hand eased off the handle of her pistol in her purse.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you for lunch.” He was a little louder than he needed to be. They both knew they were being watched. He didn’t crowd her space but spoke quieter as he neared. “Or apologize for sounding like a dog. I’m not a dog. I just...” Was this part of the act? He searched for words, staring out at a weedy on-ramp for a four-lane highway. “I’m just figuring out how to talk to you.”
She shifted her body from defensive to open and leaned against her car door. “And I’m figuring out if you’re worth talking to.”
All things their salespeople personas who’d just met would say. Also true for the black ops soldiers who’d run assaults together, drank beers together but had never shared any details from their past like they had in the diner.
“Fair enough.” He nodded and took a step closer. She remained where she stood, but wanted to move forward to test how real the connection was.
No one could hear them this far in the parking lot. She maintained her cool smile for appearances and asked, “How did it happen that our covers started flirting so hard?”
He was within a couple of feet of her. Close enough to see the lines in the corners of his eyes as he grinned. Her legs nearly walked her to him on their own. “It happened naturally.”
She hadn’t cut the flirtation off at the hotel bar. He’d clearly been tuned to her signals. But she’d allowed it. For the sake of the operation? For the sake of the unique charge that shook her when Ben stood this near?
“Did you follow the signs of my attraction?” She ran her fingers through her hair and twisted a thick strand between them. “You did, didn’t you?” Her voice raised in pitch and she playfully patted his forearm. “But how could you fall for that?” She licked her lips and kept them parted as she looked him over. He seemed susceptible to the simple symbols of seduction, and a look of desire rose in his eyes. But had she trapped herself? Her own need rose. It felt too good to be regarded that way by a man who knew more than just the soldier in her. She returned her face to neutral. “Just classic fieldwork tricks.”
But his heat remained high. “I saw some tricks, but I saw some truth.”
“A testament to my skill.” He was right, though. And it had been liberating to show a little of herself to someone.
“You might be trained, but I’m experienced.” His body remained neutral near her. “Mary Long can tell me to fuck off, and I’ll still give one thousand percent of my effort backing up ‘Bolt Action’ Mary on this op.”
She believed he wouldn’t let their bizarre flirting get in the way of their safety or the mission. Same went for her.
“I’m afraid Ben Louis is getting to Mary Long.” Was she admitting it for her alter ego or herself? It didn’t matter what name she operated under, the same heart pounded as she continued this dance with Ben.
“Was it his wit? Or his smile?” He flashed that easy grin and got her blood pumping even faster.
“His honesty.”
His face grew serious. “That’s hard to come by these days.”
Sparks of excitement tingled in her fingers and up her legs. Like doing a HALO jump into foreign territory. She didn’t want it to stop. “Mary Long needs a kiss from Ben Louis, to see if he means what he says.”
He approached. Her thrill rose higher, into her chest. His hand stroked down her shoulder and arm. She stepped away from the car and closer to him. He wasn’t that much taller than her, but broader, and seemed to envelop her and shield her from the world around them. His heated gaze moved over her face, slow and deliberate. No rush toward an end. It was all meant to be savored.
His jacket was thick, but she still felt
how solid he was as she moved her hand over his ribs to pull him nearer. He cupped her elbow and the two of them swayed a moment in a dance to find balance. His mouth dipped to hers. She tilted up to meet him.
The kiss surprised. He was confident, but not forceful. Firm lips that communicated there was more potential than just a kiss. Fueling her own needs. Heat spread deep in her belly and between her legs. She pressed harder against him, opening her mouth to him and seeking out her own answers. Was it real? Was it part of their cover? Her tongue darted out, found his and drew him into her mouth.
It felt like the truth. His need and hers. His hand tightening on her elbow. Her wanting to pull him closer to her chest. The heat they shared in the cold parking lot.
It was too real.
She ended the kiss.
Their hands remained on each other. Heat continued to pulse through her. She knew how to fake all the signs of seduction but understood that the desire on Ben’s face had to be genuine. And her own rushed breath had been inspired by the kiss.
She glanced over his shoulder at the diner. “We sent a message.” But frustration bit into her. The kiss shouldn’t be over. There was so much more to discover, now that she felt signs of life beneath her armor.
His focus remained on her. “They’ll know Ben Louis is a closer.”
She looked up at him. “What’s Mary Long?”
He considered for a moment, which was unlike him. Usually the slick answers came quickly. His hand moved from her elbow. “Unafraid to take what she wants.”
She slid her hand off his side, and the chill air crept between them. “That explains why she’s heading to the train yard when Eddie Limert told her not to.”
The cords of his neck tensed with the prospect of danger. “Want backup?”
She shook her head. “Too suspicious. I won’t press so hard I can’t get out.”
“Right.” He nodded. “We’re here for fact-finding only.”
“Until they get too tight.” She held up a fist between herself and Ben so only he could see it. “Someone makes a play, they’ll regret it.”
He bumped her fist with his own. “Be safe.”
The small touch bloomed like a grenade between them.
An atmosphere of menace polluted a far corner of the parking lot, where the semis were parked. “You, too,” she said.
Three truckers, not the ones she’d marked as carrying handguns, watched her and Ben with more than just passing interest. One of them talked on a cell phone and communicated short sentences to the others. The men hitched their pants up and rolled their shoulders in preparation for a beat down. Ben flicked a look to them then to the police officers in the diner. One of the cops was just hanging up his phone. A serious calm washed over Ben. She recognized it. Battle ready. He knew what was coming.
And he still managed a small wry smile for her. “Time to put on a show.”
“Want backup?” She’d seen Ben’s capable hand-to-hand work. It shouldn’t be too much trouble, three against one. But it didn’t feel right leaving a teammate to fight alone.
“Thanks.” He gently ran his hand down her arm. “But it’s got to look natural.”
“You can still punish them.” She wished for a little of the action, just so she could control a fragment of the tension building in the town around them.
He brightened with a smile. “You know it.”
She got her keys out but hesitated. It still burned her to leave him. A partner. The man she’d just kissed.
He cocked his head toward her car. “I’ll be fine.” His sly eyes slipped back to the truckers. “The cops are trying to send a message without getting their hands dirty. I’ll keep it from impacting our mission.”
“I’ll circle.” She still felt how his lips had slid against hers.
“They’ll notice.”
Was this how Mary Long and Ben Louis would part?
She brought herself closer to him again and stole another kiss. Even if she wouldn’t be there, she was backing him up. Trusting him to take care of himself. The way he trusted her to operate in her sector.
A kiss between a man and a woman. A kiss between soldiers.
He let out an appreciative growl when they parted. Her frustration wasn’t sexual this time as she moved away from him. She burned to stay and help him finish the fight. But he was right. She had to force herself out of the coming conflict. She got into her car and jabbed the key into the ignition. He held the door open for a moment to lean down and give her a wink, then closed it securely.
She turned the engine over, and the radio started blaring pop. She immediately killed the volume as Ben chuckled at the music. But she didn’t need to apologize, and his levity was gone in the silence.
The tires rolled slowly out of the parking lot. She had to go. She wanted to stay. Through the rearview mirror she saw Ben turn from watching her and walk toward his car. There was a bounce in his step, as if he’d just kissed the girl and had no idea the fight was coming. The three truckers detached from their rigs and approached him. She turned a corner and lost sight. Her frustration rose, laced with anger. Was it because of their operation? Or the kiss? She made a silent promise to Ben, one she’d never tell him, that she’d never leave him without backup again.
Chapter Five
Cold weather always made the hard points of a fight ache more. Knuckles and knees and elbows were already raw from the chill. Get them hit, and the pain was like frozen lightning bolts. He blew in his hands and rubbed them together as he approached his car.
Did he still taste her? Was it his imagination that filled his head with the scent of hot roses? The kiss had hit him like one of her sniper rounds. Out of nowhere, and he was on the ground. Flirting was one thing, and the little touches they’d shared had reinforced the act for anyone watching. But there was more to that kiss than their cover. Honest need. And a challenge that he had to be truthful.
He had been. She’d taken his breath away.
He’d wanted another, and he’d gotten it. Totally unexpected. The mysteries of Mary did not end. Pursuing them would take him way out of the safe and distant life he’d been leading, leaving him exposed.
Way more exposed than standing in this half-empty parking lot while three truckers sauntered their thick selves toward him. None of them appeared to be carrying handguns. All three had pocketknives clipped to their pockets. He had two knives on him. If the bullies wanted to get things deadly, Ben could reach for the compact 9mm strapped to his ankle, but that escalation would change the whole profile of the operation. One shot fired, and he’d have to go completely dark until extraction or a larger force could arrive to take on a full fight.
“You guys hear I was giving away the performance bands?” He opened his bag. Either the compact flashlight or the collapsible baton inside could be used to dissuade an attack. “I’ve got enough for you. Perfect for your circulation during those long days in the captain’s chair.”
They didn’t look interested. They just looked mean. Two were around the same size. Broad shoulders and thick arms. One of them wore a knit cap, and the other was shaved bald. The third trucker licked his lips and blinked hard. Whatever he was cranked on kept him lean. Heavy boots on all three men.
The big guys made the first wave of the attack while the tweaker hung back, shifting from side to side eagerly. The men were brawlers, rushing Ben with closed fists. Wild fury reddened their eyes. A primal show of force meant to intimidate the victim and win the fight before any punches were thrown.
Ben stood his ground, stayed loose and let the wave of violence crash toward him. The knit cap trucker led the way. He cocked his fist back for the first devastating strike. Ben ducked low and kicked out into the side of the first trucker’s knee. Ben’s cold shin immediately ached.
The trucker’s scowl of rage cracked i
nto a shocked look of pain. He bent awkwardly and listed hard to his left. Bald trucker’s attack slowed. He didn’t stop to help his friend who fell to the ground; instead his footsteps became lighter as he had to pick his way around the man.
Three openings on the bald trucker would allow Ben to finish the fight: side of the neck, groin, temple. He didn’t take any of them. These men, and anyone watching, couldn’t know the extent of his skills.
The bald trucker stumbled his way into Ben’s guard and grabbed him by the shoulders. Again, he had options. The most flamboyant of which was to completely flip the trucker onto the hard asphalt. But that would reveal martial arts and combat training.
It didn’t mean, though, that Ben was willing to lose the fight. He just had to roughen the edges on his usually sweet H2H game. A subtle twist of his torso pulled the bald trucker off balance. He pressed forward awkwardly as Ben maintained his balance and slid backward.
The bald trucker leaned hard on him, open mouth stinking of chewing tobacco. Ben dipped for leverage, balled a fist and drove a hard jab into the man’s solar plexus. Bald trucker grunted hard, then ran out of breath. His grip loosened on Ben’s shoulders and he fell into his body while convulsing for air. Ben slid sideways out from under the weight of the bald trucker, who went to his hands and knees, wheezing.
From half-standing, the knit cap trucker lunged forward and punched Ben in the stomach. It came from an awkward angle, and the man didn’t have his full force behind it, but the blow still stung as Ben tightened his abs and controlled his breath. He’d had worse sparring in the MMA gym where he trained.
The knit cap trucker hobbled onto his one good leg and tried another swing. Ben leaned back from this one and raked a backhand across the man’s face. The trucker’s head was hard, and pain jabbed into Ben’s knuckles. It would take a lot to knock him out. But from the way he blinked, he wasn’t quite ready to take another hit just yet.