by Roma, Laurie
“Now that I see this, it clicks,” Rock said. “It’s got to be related.”
Mikayla stood and paced the room as she studied the various screens. “They’re all in different fields. We have two veterinarians, a geneticist, a toxicologist and two pharmacologists.”
“Make that three,” Adrian said grimly. “We have a missing pharmacologist and one more toxicologist, currently deceased from the Philadelphia office.”
“Shit, Philly?” Mikayla questioned. “That seems like a stretch.”
“Not really,” Adrian said as he turned toward her. “I think you nailed it. The missing pharmacologist from Philadelphia and David Henley, one of the dead guys in California, went to college together. Wanna take a guess where?”
“Christ. Here? Here in Colorado?”
“Affirmative,” Adrian confirmed. “The toxicologist was killed when Robert Ellis went missing. Looks like Ellis is something of a boy wonder. Holds two PhDs and an MD before he went into research.”
“The unconfirmed burned bodies were a male and female. Could be that David Henley and Selma Amit are dead, but my spidey-senses are telling me one or both of them are still alive and they torched the other bodies to cover up when they went poof,” Rock said.
“I agree.” Mikayla nodded as she sat back down. “So, we have two Cryton employees, Robert Ellis and David Henley, in the wind with a third, Selma Amit from Merryl Pharmaceuticals, whose status is unknown at this point. They had to be working together on something together, willing or not. My guess is willing. At least the two that worked for Cryton Dynamics. There are too many tie-ins with the thefts.”
“They had to have an inside man here in the Denver facilities,” Rock insisted. “Now we need to figure out who is working with them and what the hell they’re working on. I’m gonna call this in to HQ. Tony or one of the other uber-geeks should be able to dive into Amit, Ellis and Henley’s accounts to see what they were up to before they went missing.”
“I’m telling Tony you called him an uber-geek again.” Mikayla chuckled, enjoying Rock’s wince.
“Looks like I’ll be flying out to Philly,” Slade said with a sigh. “I wanna check out this fucker’s house to see if I can find anything that ties him to the thefts.”
“But why here?” Mikayla asked absently as Rock got up and walked away to make his call to one of their computer experts back home in Chicago. “Why choose to steal from this location specifically? Is it because this is the headquarters and there’s more to take? Or is it because of the projects that are based out of this location?”
“Or it could be because someone higher up in the Cryton food chain is involved and making it easier for them to work on whatever this side project is,” Adrian stated.
Mikayla thought for a minute then shook her head. “No. If the CEO or a member of the board was in on this, they would have never hired Mac Securities to come and look over their security system. They’d have to be complete idiots to call us in with our reputation.”
“True.”
Mikayla opened her mouth to speak again but her cell phone sounded, distracting her. She looked at the screen, both dreading and hoping to see Gage’s name. Her breath rushed out in relief when she glanced down.
“Is it Gage again?” Slade asked.
“No. It’s Katie,” Mikayla replied, standing. “I’m going to take this.” She walked out of the room, heading back to the lounge for some semblance of privacy before she answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi, Mikayla! It’s Katie. Is this a bad time or do you have a few minutes to talk?”
Mikayla simply blinked at the cheerful sound of the other woman’s voice. “No, this is fine. What’s up?”
Katie chuckled. “Boy, did you miss an epic fight after you guys left.”
“Really,” Mikayla drawled out, not knowing what else to say.
“Oh, yeah. We were all wondering why you left in such a hurry and Sebastian finally confessed what he said to you. I love the idiot because hey, he’s my cousin, but man can he really be stupid sometimes. Dylan and I were pretty shocked about what he did, but that was before Gage lit into him. They fight a lot. We all do, but wow.”
“I’m sorry if this has caused any of you problems—”
“Are you kidding?” Katie laughed. “We should be apologizing to you! I mean Sebastian was in the Army too, so what right did he have to say anything! Plus, I think it’s pretty bad-ass that you’re a better shooter than he is. He’s always kicking our asses at the games and it was pretty sweet to see you in action. Anyways, after Gage knocked him out I—”
“Gage knocked him out?” Mikayla couldn’t help repeating, unsure she had heard correctly.
“Oh, yeah. Out cold,” Katie confirmed.
“Well, hmm…”
Katie laughed again then lowered her voice as she sobered. “My brother is really gone over you. I don’t know what exactly is going on with you two, but I’ve never seen him like this. Listen, after his accident it took him a while to get straightened out. He was drinking a lot and was seriously angry at the world, but he stopped all that. He hasn’t been drunk like that since, but right now he’s pretty much drunk himself into a coma or else he’d probably still be calling you. Mikayla…”
There was a brief pause. “Yes?”
“I know I have no right to ask you this, but do you care about him? Gage is my brother and I don’t want him to get hurt if you aren’t into him. I know I shouldn’t be sticking my nose into this, but I think you guys are really good together. “
“It’s complicated,” Mikayla hedged. “But I do care for him.”
“Well, I guess that’s enough for now.” Katie sighed. “So, what I really called for was because I wanted to know what you were doing on Monday.”
“Ah…I’m not sure. Why?”
“Well, if you have some free time I was hoping you’d come to Denver with me. I have to drop some paperwork off at a client’s office, but then I thought we could do lunch or go shopping or something.”
Mikayla thought it over for a few seconds then found herself smiling. Some girl time would do her good. “That actually sounds like fun. I might have to make a stop myself, but if you don’t mind waiting I’d be happy to go with you. Or I can drive.”
“I don’t mind waiting and I can drive. I know the area better. How ‘bout I pick you up around nine thirty?”
“Sounds good.” They said their goodbyes then Mikayla simply stared at the phone for a moment, wondering exactly what she was going to do about Gage. If he really was done with her, how was he going to feel about her spending time with his sister?
* * * *
“Hmm…”
Mikayla sighed as she watched Gage’s truck slowly making its way up the driveway toward the house with a feeling of dread in her stomach.
She had woken to another dreary gray day on Sunday morning. Adrian, Rock and Slade had taken off around noon to head back to Denver to drop Slade off at the airport. He was taking a flight out to Philadelphia to see what he could find on the missing scientist there. She had been back downstairs working in the security center when the alarm had sounded that someone was approaching the property. Obviously, her plan of a quiet day of work was blown to hell in lieu of her personal drama exploding in her face like a primed IED.
She opened the front door and stepped out into the cold to wait as Gage got out of his truck. Damn him for being so fucking handsome, even if he did look like shit run over…twice. As he slowly approached her Mikayla could see he had the bloodshot eyes of someone who had been on a bender the previous night and instantly took pity on him, even if she did feel slightly better at seeing how rough he really looked up close.
“Come on in. You look like you could use a cup of coffee.”
“Yes, please god,” Gage croaked out, his voice raspy from disuse.
Mikayla gestured him into the warmth of the house then closed the door. She led the way back to the kitchen and poured him a mug of coffee before r
efilling her own. She sat down at the table and waited for him to take a seat before looking at him. The misery in his eyes stirred her sympathy, but she wasn’t going to put herself out there for him to kick at again. She made sure her armor was in place and pushed back her emotions beneath the icy calm that protected her.
“What are you doing here, Gage?” Mikayla asked after he gulped down the hot, dark liquid. “What do you want?”
Gage looked down as he set the empty mug on the table and rubbed a hand through his dark hair so it stuck out in haphazard fashion. When he looked back up at her there was such stark longing in his gaze that it almost stopped her heart. “I want you.”
“Didn’t we already have this conversation before?” She sighed. Damn it, this wasn’t going to be easy. “Sometimes wanting isn’t enough, Gage.”
“Oh, fuck that,” Gage snarled as she watched the anger blaze into his eyes, lighting them up so they were like green fire. “So, I screwed up. I wasn’t the only one, Mikayla.”
“I’m not going to apologize for my past, Gage. Look, you’re obviously looking for someone that is clearly not me. Regardless of what you think of me, I like who I am and will never change for anyone, especially a man.”
His eyes narrowed as he stared back at her. “Now, didn’t that just put me in my fucking place.”
Mikayla stood up, walking to the doorway. “This is unbelievable. I’m not going to fight with you about this so you might as well go.”
“No.”
Mikayla halted in the doorway and slowly turned around to face him again. “Excuse me?”
“I said no,” Gage snarled as he stood up. She could see the barely leashed rage on his face. “I’m not leaving until we work this out. Yeah, I fucked up but so did you. Are you really such a coward that you’re willing to throw away what we have because we had an argument? Fuck that, because this ain’t gonna be the only time this happens, sweetheart.”
Her laugh was cold as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you really think calling me a coward is going to goad me into a fight? What are we, like twelve? Come on, Gage. Believe what you want, but I’ve never lied to you about who I am. Besides, I’d told you there was something I wanted to talk to you about after the games were finished, remember? I knew you were going to have questions, but I never expected you to react like that. Yes, I’m a sniper. That freaks you out. I get it. You and your cousin made that perfectly clear. We aren’t good for each other, so why don’t we just leave it at that.”
“I’m not leaving anything. Do you know how incredibly unfair it is for you to just throw that shit at me then walk away? You didn’t even give me a fucking minute to process everything before you left.” Gage’s voice rose with indignation. “Is that how you want to handle this relationship, Mikayla? Because if it is, that’s pretty fucking selfish.”
Anger sparked to life, melting Mikayla’s icy calm with a blast of heat. “Don’t pull that shit on me. You think it’s selfish to protect myself? How exactly did you want me to tell you what I’ve done in my past?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe anytime we were talking?”
Mikayla scoffed. “Yeah, and that went so well when you found out.” Her breathing sped up and to her mortification she felt tears filling her eyes. Pride had her spine stiffening and refusing to let them fall. “Do you really think you’re the first guy to freak out about what I do? Do you think it’s easy for me to open up to people when I’ve been burned before?”
“I think it’s unfair that you are judging me based on what some other fuckhead did!” Gage shouted.
“Oh, shut up. You flipped out, too!” Mikayla shot back.
“That’s because you should have told me you were some fucking super soldier in the special forces. I didn’t even think women were allowed in the special forces units!”
“They’re not, I was a special exception. Yes, Gage. I was a sniper for the US military. Your cousin was right, I am a killer. But this is what I find so fucking funny. Your cousin was a soldier, but you don’t seem to have a problem with him and what he did while in the service. Is it because I’m a woman that makes it so difficult for you to accept? Does having tits make me less capable or worthy of serving my country? While you were playing soldier until the director called cut, I was doing it for real. I was overseas risking my life for hypocritical assholes like you so you could sleep at night.”
She always did have good aim and could see she scored a hit with that as Gage flinched. His face softened, but she didn’t let that faze her. She was tired of having to explain herself and what she did with her life. He could either accept all of her or get the hell out of her life.
“Mikayla…”
“No, you stupid, stubborn fuck. You don’t get to judge me. Do you know exactly how long I have waited to be with someone who could really understand me? Who could understand my desire to serve and protect and be proud of me? Is that really too fucking much to ask?”
He pointed a finger at her accusingly as his voice rose in panic. “Don’t you start that. Don’t you fucking cry on me!”
“I’m not! This is why I didn’t say anything. I’m tired of this. I’m still the same person, Gage. What I’ve done doesn’t change that, but you treated me like I was some mass murderer that you couldn’t stand to be around.” Mikayla wiped angrily at the tears that had fallen against her will and moved to turn away from him only to be hauled into his arms as he held her tight against him.
“I didn’t think that,” Gage swore. “I swear I didn’t think that. I just…shit, honestly? It was more a blow to my ego and shock than anything. Jesus, baby. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I’m an asshole. Slap me, hit me, just don’t give up on me. I want this to work between us. I need this to work. I can be proud of you. I am. I really am.”
She struggled against him for a minute then allowed herself to the lay her head on his shoulder and accept the comfort he was all but forcing on her. She would have smiled at the panicked way he kept pressing kisses on her forehead and stroking his hands over her back if she wasn’t so emotionally torn apart.
Gage’s mouth trailed down her face, licking at the tears that tracked down her cheeks, following them down to her mouth. He captured her protest and seared her with a scorching kiss. She fought against it for a moment then let herself give in to the taste of him. She opened her mouth and welcomed his tongue in to play along hers, stroking and mating in a dance filled with heat.
Desire was not a problem for them. No, their issues started when the flames of passion burned out. It would be easy to give in to the heat and overlook the rest of their problems, but that wouldn’t help anything in the long run. Both of them were relationship neophytes that had enough baggage that a fucking cargo plane couldn’t handle it, but together somehow they fit.
Deep down she knew he had been right. She might not have lied, but it was an omission that she knew she should have told him as soon as they had gotten intimate. Sure, Gage hadn’t had the best reaction when he found out about her past, but then again, neither did she. She should have never just walked away. She should have stayed to talk it out, even if they did fight. Mikayla pulled back and sighed as he rested his forehead against hers
“Give me a chance.” Gage breathed out. “I just needed a moment to catch up.”
She wanted to. God, did she want to, but at what cost? “Gage, I don’t know what you want from me. I can’t change who I am, even for you.”
“I don’t want you to change,” Gage swore. “I just want you to let me in. Show me the real you and let me know you. Can you give me that?”
She hesitated as she thought about it. She wanted Gage, more than any other man that had been in her life. She would have to let him in. Could she do it? Could she open herself up to him, let down the walls of ice that had surrounded her heart, protecting her? If she did, he could hurt her. No, that wasn’t all he could do. Gage had the ability to destroy her. But in order for them to have anything real she was going to have to
let her guard down and take that chance.
“I can try. There are still some things that I can’t tell you. I’m sorry, that’s just the way it has to be for now,” she added before he could speak. “If you can understand that, be patient with me then I can promise to try and make this work. I…I care about you, Gage. A lot, but—”
He cupped her face in his hands, looking down at her as if she were something precious. “Then that’s all I need for now. I know this is still new, but there is something special between us. I know I’m going to make mistakes, piss you off, but we can do this. Together.”
He kissed her lightly then let out a low chuckle. “You know, you are supposed to be the one who knows how to do this. I don’t do relationships, or at least I haven’t in the past. You’re supposed to be making sure I don’t fuck this up.”
Mikayla choked out a laugh. “Christ, then we’re seriously fucked because I have no clue what I’m doing.”
Oh yeah, this was going to be like the blind leading the blind…straight off a fucking cliff.
Chapter Eleven
“So, where do we go from here?”
After their explosive argument in the hallway, they had retreated into the living room in front of the fireplace where Mikayla found herself sitting on Gage’s lap on one of the couches. She had allowed him to pull her down with him, relaxing into his embrace as she settled her head in the crook of his neck. She loved that space between his broad shoulder and his neck. It was the perfect fit, as if it had been made for her and her alone. She breathed in deep, inhaling the spicy, masculine scent that was uniquely his.
“I think we should talk.”
“Shit,” she groaned. “I knew you were going to say that.”
He pinched her side playfully. “Hey, now. Aren’t you chicks supposed to be the ones who want to talk about feelings and shit? When did I turn into the girl in this relationship?”
He yelped when she jerked on his hair, hard. “Watch it, pretty boy.”