by Julie Rowe
“Agreed.” He looked at Connor with one eyebrow raised.
“I won’t let her out of my sight.”
He sounded so uptight Sophia couldn’t help but say, “Why don’t you microchip me while you’re at it?”
“Good idea,” Connor said with a toothy grin.
She rolled her eyes.
“No. Really.” Connor was talking to Max now. “It is a good idea. If she gets nabbed we can find her.”
“What’s to stop the bad guys from using such a chip to find me too?”
“How are they going to know?” Max asked.
“How did they know where my room was last night?”
Connor stared at her with an expression that made her shiver with dread. “Where are they getting their info from?”
“You’re suggesting that we have a traitor on base providing information to Akbar?” Max asked.
“Money makes people do all sorts of things they normally wouldn’t. Then there’s the possibility that some radicalized kid has joined the American military so that they can cause havoc, sabotage equipment, people and information.”
“We’ve considered that,” Max told her with a grim look. “It’s why we’re going to be changing how things are done in this part of the base. Changing things without informing anyone who doesn’t need to know.”
“I don’t know if that’s going to be enough,” Sophia said.
“It probably won’t,” Connor put in. “I’d like to make a request.”
“By all means,” Max said.
“I’d like to bring in a couple other Berets to help. If you’re right and we do get deployed to investigate an outbreak, I want men I can trust working with me to protect Sophia.”
“You have specific men in mind?”
“Yes. Both are currently training Afghan troops and could be pulled for that duty no problem.”
“Give their names and particulars to Eugene. He’ll get it done.”
“Thank you, sir.” Connor nodded and left the office, giving her a nod as well on his way out.
Sophia looked at her commanding officer and noted the dark bags under his eyes. “Things just got a lot harder.”
“We can’t let that stop us from doing what we must.”
“It won’t, but the danger to everyone is greater now. Not just to me, but you, too. What are you doing to protect yourself, Max?”
His mouth tightened. “General Stone has decided to assign me a bodyguard, too.”
“Another Special Forces soldier?”
“Not exactly.” It was the way he said it, the stiffness in his shoulders and in his crossed arms, that told her who it was.
“Oh. Sergeant Stone.”
“Exactly.”
“I thought you liked her.”
“I do like her. That’s the problem.”
She thought about Connor and how she felt about him, every confusing thing, and what it would do to her if he got hurt protecting her or took a bullet meant for her.
The thought was enough to make her stomach twist so hard it made breathing difficult.
“I understand. I’ve only known Connor for a few days, yet the length of time doesn’t seem to matter. He’s the first soldier who didn’t dismiss me as irrelevant the moment he met me.”
“Like I said, these guys...soldiers don’t even know where the damn box is that most people spend their lives in.”
“She doesn’t know where the box is either, Max. She’s one of the people who makes sure they don’t.”
“Unfortunately, the box isn’t the only thing she doesn’t see.” He dropped his arms and gave her a patient look. “Your report?”
As much as she wanted to help him, this was something he had figure out on his own. Like how she had to create a working relationship with a man she wanted for something other than work. “Can I write it in my office?”
“Of course, tell Button to write his, too.”
“Yes, sir.” Sophia left Max’s office, relief, anxiety and anticipation making her muscles shake and her head dizzy.
She wasn’t sure how her sexual encounter with Connor was going to impact their ability to work together. Would it change the way he treated her during their working hours?
She couldn’t stop thinking about it, but Max and General Stone were keeping such a close watch on them, Con wouldn’t want to risk getting caught with his pants down. Or his hand down her pants. Whichever.
A large part of her wanted more. The rest of her was uncertain and a little afraid of the way she’d lost total control with him.
Connor was standing next to Eugene’s desk talking with the young soldier. Both of them had determined expressions on their faces.
“Are you good?” Connor asked her.
No, I’m not good. I’m terrified, turned on and two seconds away from throwing up. She couldn’t tell him all that in front of Eugene, so she found herself lifting her chin. “I’m going to write my report in my office. You’re supposed to come with me. You can use Dr. Samuels’s computer to write yours.”
He nodded, then said to Eugene, “Let me know if you have any problems.”
“Of course, but I don’t expect any. Colonel Maximillian’s team is high on everyone’s priority list.”
Connor walked with her to her office and for the first time since she met him, his height and size made her feel...awkward. “Was that about the extra men you want on my security detail?”
“Yeah. I’ve asked to for two specific guys. Demolitions and Engineering Sergeant Lyle Smoke and Medic Walter River.”
“I know Smoke. He was assigned to Dr. Samuels for a short time when she was here recovering from getting blown up and infected with anthrax.” She paused. “I didn’t know his name was Lyle.”
“Don’t use his first name. Ever.”
“I know. He told me when I asked him if Smoke was his first or last name.”
Connor glanced at her, his brows raised. “He talked to you?”
“A little. He gave me a nickname.”
Con’s eyes widened. “This I can’t wait to hear.”
“Ghost. You know, because I’m so white.” She pointed at her hair, then turned on Dr. Samuels’s computer, entered the password and waved at Connor to sit. “I don’t know the other man. What’s he like?”
“River is an interesting guy. He has an eidetic memory.”
Sophia paused in the process of entering her password on her computer. “Really? I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a curse.”
Connor tilted his head. “Most people get excited and start imagining all the ways River can use his memory to their benefit.”
“My memory may not be eidetic, but it’s pretty good, and there are plenty of things I wish I couldn’t remember. Not being able to forget would be torturous.” She met Connor’s somber gaze. She wasn’t the only one who wished they could forget. “How does he cope with the bad stuff?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“When will they be here?”
“A day, two at most.”
“Good.” She blew out a breath and concentrated on writing her report. The faster the better. All the assholes from last night weren’t going to get any more air time inside her head than they already had. She was done. Done with being scared.
One fact stood out, however.
They’d been waiting for her outside her door.
She’d been their target.
“Connor?” she asked, attempting to come up with alternate places where she could sleep and be secure. “How safe is the lab?” She glanced at him to see if she had his attention. She did. He was watching her with an eagle’s interest in prey. “I mean, in your professional opinion, is the lab secure?”
“Security, safety,
whatever you want to call it, is mostly a myth.” He shrugged. “With the right intel and planning, any area could be breached.” He thought about that for a second. “I’ll talk to Max about moving your hotel room around every few days.”
“What about you?”
He gave her a strange smile. “Whenever I say you, I mean me, too.”
“Oh. Right, we’re a team.” Having him that close all the time might prove inconvenient when she needed to give herself a transfusion of platelets. How was she going to explain an IV sticking out of her arm? She should probably give herself one today or tomorrow. Could she get away with locking herself in the bathroom for a couple of hours?
Or would that cause a whole new set of problems?
Chapter Ten
Connor corrected Sophia’s grip on the Beretta slightly, and had to make himself take a long step back and resist touching her for too long. His body language was going to give him away to even a casual observer if he didn’t watch it. “Again.”
She nodded. Sighted down the weapon, took in a deep breath, let it out and fired. Once, twice, three times.
Instead of putting his hands on her to show his approval, Connor brought the target toward them. All three shots and the three before them had hit the human-shaped target somewhere. Not perfect, but plenty good enough to kill. If the bad guy was ten yards away or less. Her proficiency at hitting the target dropped to seventy percent at twenty-five yards, and rapidly lower outside of that.
Practice would improve her confidence and aim.
“That’s it for today,” he said, finally allowing himself to touch her on the shoulder and angle his head toward the rest of the world.
“Okay!” Sophia smiled and continued yelling, “I did good, right?”
Con reached out and took her ear protection off. “Not bad,” he told her at a normal volume. “You rate a not-bad, which means you get to practice every day.”
“Oh.” Her smile dimmed a little. “Not a surprise. My depth perception isn’t great.”
“Your depth perception, your spatial orientation... Have you considered glasses?” They left the range and headed across the base toward the lab.
“My vision is twenty-twenty. I don’t need glasses, I just don’t have ten-twenty vision. I’m not a pilot or a sniper, Connor. I’m a doctor and when I need to look at little things I use a microscope.”
“Am I catching some attitude from my student?”
“No, I’m simply explaining why my eyesight is normal and not superhero abnormal.”
He shook his head and exaggerated his sigh. “Yep. I’m getting attitude.”
He liked it. Too much.
“Button.” A shout from behind them caught Con’s attention.
Two men were walking toward them. Both in Army Special Forces uniforms. “Hey, if it isn’t the cavalry.” Con turned to Sophia. “Here’s your backup.”
“Our backup,” she said, frowning at him.
“Right, sure.” Con held his hand out to Smoke, who shook it once. River did the same. “You two wasted no time in getting here. What did they do, get you onto transport as soon as Colonel Maximillian made the request?”
“Yeah,” said River. His voice was oddly high-pitched for a grown man. He had a slight build, about five ten and maybe one seventy-five, but he was all muscle and bone, with not an ounce of fat on him. He was also one deadly son of a bitch. When River and Smoke did advance recon, no one ever knew they were there. If they did, they were dead.
Smoke, on the other hand, was a big, broad-boned man, who stood over six feet and had a face that never seemed to show any emotion at all. He was Navajo, but had pale blue eyes. He also never talked unless he had to.
“Is this Dr. Perry?” River asked.
“Yes, I am.” She stepped forward to shake his hand, then nodded at Smoke. “It’s good to see you, Smoke.”
“Who’s trying to kill you, Ghost?” Smoke asked.
Got to like a man who got straight to the point.
“Come on,” Con said. “Let’s get you two settled and we’ll fill you in on all the fun we’ve been having.”
“How are you doing, Con?” River asked as they continued on to the lab. “Back to full strength?”
“Yeah. I have to keep physically fit, but that’s nothing new.”
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with his reflexes or his fighting skills,” Sophia added.
The silence following that was a little uncomfortable.
Both men stared at him.
“Who did you kill?” Smoke asked.
“No one,” Sophia said before Con could. “Why would you assume he killed someone?” She waved away any answer Smoke might have given, though he didn’t look like he was going to anyway. “He broke one guy’s collarbone and the other guy’s arm.” She sucked in a breath. “Then I broke the guy’s arm again.” She stopped and said in a whisper, “It took the orthopedic surgeon several hours to get it all put back together.”
Con had to rein in his irritation and their chatter in a public place. “Come on, you bunch of old ladies, let’s get inside and somewhere we can have a real conversation.”
“Why are you so grumpy?” Sophia asked, frowning at him.
“I don’t know, maybe because last night was a little busy?”
“Well, you would have gotten a better sleep on that plank you call a bed if you had put me in my cot.” She started walking away. “You’d have had room to turn over at least.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, Smoke punched Con on the shoulder. “You slept with her?”
“Slept, slept. For fuck’s sake, her safety is my responsibility and she fell asleep on my bed when I was having a shower. I decided to let her sleep.” He shrugged. “She’s a good kid.” Liar, liar. “A little weird sometimes, but in an interesting way.”
“You realize that’s how most people talk about us,” River said. “Until they find out we’re Special Forces, then they figure we’re weird ’cause we’re trained to notice shit most people wouldn’t see with a magnifying glass.”
“No,” Smoke intoned. “Because we’re trained to kill.”
“I’ve got to go with Smoke on that one,” Con said as they caught up with Sophia at the first checkpoint. He was going to have to really watch how he acted around her, so Smoke and River didn’t catch on to the fact that he’d already crossed the sexual line with Sophia.
Having the other two guys around to watch out for her was a relief, but it also made him tense, which surprised the fuck out of him.
For months all he could think about was getting back on active duty and into a place where he might be able to kick some ass. Permanently. Today, he’d woken up and all those plans had taken second place inside his head behind protecting Sophia.
Having Smoke and River around would help him with that, but prevent him from following through on his goal to get revenge.
He’d just screwed himself royally.
Con got them checked in with Eugene and introduced River to Max while Sophia went to her office. Then he took the two men there. She was waiting for them.
“I have a job for you guys,” she said far too happily.
Smoke sighed loudly.
“Are we going to like this job?” Con asked.
Sophia thought about that for a second. “Do you like tents?”
Con looked at Smoke, who shrugged.
“Tents are okay,” River said.
“Good, because if I get called out to investigate an outbreak, which Max is certain of happening, we all have to be extra-prepared—”
“You have a tent you want us to construct?” Con interrupted. He didn’t need to know the whys and wherefores, he just needed orders.
No, what he really needed was space and time to get his sh
it together.
“Yeah, the level three tent.” She pointed at three large duffel bags.
“Where can we build this tent?”
She deflated fast. “Oh. I don’t know.”
“Do you want it kept a secret?”
“Sort of.”
“Okay, what are the dimensions of the tent?”
She winced. “Um, it’s not really that simple.”
Con was rapidly running out of patience. The presence of the other two men was making him edgy. He should be happy to have them as a buffer between Sophia and himself. Instead he was irritated and resentful. “Does Eugene have the specs on this tent?”
“Yes.”
“How about we figure out where to construct it and you do your thing here?” There, that ought to get everyone doing something productive, and him away from temptation.
She stood and stared at him for a moment, all her earlier enthusiasm gone. “Sure. See you.”
As she turned her back on them and went back to her microscope, he wanted to take her by the shoulders, turn her around and kiss her until she was demanding another orgasm from him.
That he shouldn’t want it made him that much angrier.
* * *
Sophia stared at the closed door, barely keeping her anger from boiling over. Connor had dismissed her, like she wasn’t of any use or interest. Like she was a problem that needed fixing.
“I’m going to fix his wagon,” she grumbled as she grabbed a new slide and put it on the stage of her microscope. She was ridiculously behind in checking blood smears for any unusual morphology.
Morphology of blood cells was an early indicator of all kinds of health problems. Infections, both bacterial and viral, cancer, and immune responses were only a few.
It was interesting work, but her thoughts kept going in circles, always starting and ending with Connor.
She couldn’t get the intense, deadly expression of his face when he’d fought her two kidnappers out of her mind. Then there was the expression of satisfaction he wore after their sexual encounter. The concern when he tried to explain human nature to her. His laughter after surprising him.
Why was he so upset today?
She couldn’t remember doing or saying anything too awkward. She’d worked hard not to seem like a girlfriend.