For Her Eyes Only (McCormack Security Agency)

by Curtis, Shannon

  “Tell me, was arranging the Black Hawk extraction from Nicaragua a ‘travel arrangement’?” she asked sweetly, using her fingers to parenthesize the words.

  “Uh, no,” Ryan began slowly. Warily.

  “Was delivering all the weapons and disguise components you requested for Moscow a ‘travel arrangement’?”

  Ryan’s shoulders slumped. “No.”

  “And getting some splash cash to you in the Philippines so that you could take down the drug lord in that sting operation, was that a ‘travel arrangement’?”

  Ryan shook his head.

  “I work damn hard to get all you guys everything you need, everywhere you need, every time you need it. You have no idea who I know, what I know, or what I do so that you guys can get the job done, nor do you know what I’m capable of. I’m not your Moneypenny, and you sure as hell ain’t no Bond. Partner.”

  She grabbed up her things and stalked to the door. “Mal, please organize a background cover for both Ryan and myself by oh-nine-hundred hours.”

  Mal saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the team. “We’re going to be included in the next intake. Drew, can you please make the necessary arrangements.” She looked at Ryan. “We’ll drive up to Lake Galena Sunday afternoon.”

  He dipped his head in acknowledgement. She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She was fuming. She clutched her files with trembling hands and took a deep breath.

  Oh, the man was bloody infuriating. She felt a deep hurt at his doubt, his easy disregard, but quickly swamped it in a flood of anger. Anger was better than hurt. She wanted to choke something, and unfortunately Reese wouldn’t let her choke Ryan. She looked down the hall and spotted the door to their gymnasium.

  Her eyes narrowed.

  Perfect.

  * * *

  Inside the room, the four remaining males were silent for a moment.

  Mal was the first one to move, and he leaned forward in his chair to high-five Drew. “It was so worth it.”

  “Told you so.”

  Mal rose from his seat and made for the door. “I better get onto those backgrounds.”

  Ryan met Drew’s gaze, and his colleague’s expression quickly changed to a frown. “Uh, I should get going.” He scooped up his files.

  “You’ll be Ryan and Vicky’s backup,” Reese said to him. “Make sure Mal sets your cover up, too.”

  Drew grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  Reese nodded. “I’m thinking waiter.”

  Drew’s face fell. “Oh.”

  Ryan watched as Drew left the room. He felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Over and over again.

  He turned dazed eyes to his friend and boss.

  Reese stared at him. “You must have a death wish.”

  “Come on, Reese. She’s inexperienced.”

  Reese rubbed the bridge of his nose before he dropped the file on to the table in front of him.

  “Do you know where Vicky worked, before she started here?”

  Ryan frowned. “Actually, no.” He knew her favorite movie was The Great Escape, that she liked to go for long drives, that her favorite scent was Beautiful, and if you gave her ABBA music and a microphone she was happy for the rest of the night. But he didn’t know much at all about her life before the McCormack Security Agency.

  “Hmm. Maybe you should ask her. You know, while you’re both working this case.”

  “Undercover, though? Really?”

  Reese sighed. “If you think you can’t work with her, fine. I’ll get Drew to go in point with her, and you can do backup.”

  “No.” Ryan collected his things and rose from the table. “No, that won’t be necessary. We’ll manage.” He strode from the room, and Reese winced as the door closed with a distinct snap.

  He leaned back in his chair and locked his fingers behind his head. He surveyed the empty room. That went well.

  He hoped Ryan and Vicky could solve this case, without getting killed.

  And without killing each other.

  * * *

  “Are you sure you’ve packed enough?” Ryan asked dryly as he eyed the large suitcase Vicky wheeled over to him. They were inside her apartment, and he was trying not to openly stare at his surroundings. It had been a while since he’d visited. Hell, not since—well, not since THAT Christmas party, nearly a year ago. He looked around the room. Hmm. The sofa was new. It wasn’t the blue one that he remembered. He eyed the cream leather lounge with curiosity. He’d kind of liked the old one. He shut the door on those memories, of when he and Vic used to sit and yell at whatever the Cubs were doing on the TV. Or play scrabble on her coffee table. Or watch the latest movie she’d hired from the store down the street. She refused to get TiVo. They’d argue over which movie to watch—the latest action adventure versus some boring chick flick. He missed those times. He straightened. He only had himself to blame.

  “Jessica sent over some necessary outfits. Wait, there’s one more bag.” She returned to her room. The one place in her apartment he’d never seen. She’d calmed down since the briefing. It was one of the things he kind of appreciated about her. Kind of. Vicky angry was like watching an electrical storm blow over. Spectacular when the lightning flashed and the thunder roared, followed by a serene calm. No hard feelings. He thought of the Christmas party. Mostly no hard feelings.

  “We’re going for less than a damn week, Vic.”

  “You’re going to have to start calling me Cassandra, Pete,” she yelled out.

  Cassie, maybe. He couldn’t see her as a Cassandra. He shuddered. His cover was Peter Winthrop. The Third. He tested the suitcase. The damn thing weighed a ton. He shook his head. He could only imagine what Jessica Pennington, successful style and etiquette consultant and Noah’s fiancée, had deemed as “necessary outfits” for Vicky’s role at the exclusive Ultima Resort.

  Vicky walked out carrying a matching Louis Vuitton valise. This time he tried hard not to openly stare at Vicky. She wore figure-hugging black ski leggings and a black top in some sort of draping fabric with a loosely folded neckline, and every time she bent over to set a bag down or pick one up, the neckline dipped and swayed, and he found himself staring, just in case she bent down low enough and he caught sight of more than just a hint of her cleavage. Today she looked...magnificent. He knew she liked to keep fit, and her curves disguised a competitive athleticism that had left him breathless on many a weekend jog. Today, though...well, today she just looked hot. Sexy, curvy, hot. He assumed she was trying to look the part of the trophy wife of a wealthy developer. Whatever, it worked. Her hair shone, her jewelry sparkled, and she wore boots that seemed to make her legs look longer and slimmer. He forced himself to stop checking out her damn fine legs.

  He leaned over to grab the handle for her suitcase when her cell phone rang. She checked the display and sighed. “Sorry, it’s my brother, Scott. I emailed Jason that I was going away.” She turned away as she answered the call, and Ryan released the handle. He’d met Scott, her brother, and the man’s two energetic sons. This could take a while. He listened with half an ear as he scanned the books adorning her shelves.

  “It’s only for a couple of days, Scott. I’ll be fine.” She ducked her head as she listened. “Uh-huh. It’s work.” The quick glance she shot at Ryan had him raising an eyebrow. She looked away. “It’s just work, Scott. Oh, okay, put them on.”

  She waited for a moment, then smiled brightly. “Hey, Kai. How you doin’?” Ryan sat down on the sofa as she spoke with her eldest nephew. “All right. I’m cool.” She listened, and then chuckled. “Constipated, overrated old lady, huh? I’ll show you old. Why don’t we go ice-skating next weekend, and I’ll show you some old lady moves? Yeah, I’m sorry I can’t come by this weekend. I have to go away for wor
k for a little while. No, everything is fine. Okay, put your brother on.”

  Ryan relaxed against the cushion. Yep, this could take a long while. He wasn’t annoyed, though. He’d seen firsthand her close relationship with her brothers and nephews, the trouble she went to, to keep in touch with her family. It was...nice.

  “Hi Kyran. Did you just come off the toboggan?” She grinned as her younger nephew chatted away in her ear. “I think I did this with your brother, but okay. I’m cool.” She listened then started to laugh until tears glistened in her eyes, and even though he couldn’t hear the conversation, Ryan felt a tug at his own mouth at her obvious amusement. “Oh, okay. A consecrated over-mated old lady, huh? That’s a good one. Okay, put your dad back on.” She wiped at her cheeks. “You’re going to have to clean that kid’s ears out, Scott.” She listened for a moment. “I’ll be fine. Thanks. Love you, too. Bye.”

  She hung up the phone, a smile teasing her lips. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  Ryan rose. For the three years he’d known her, Vicky’s family had played an important role in her life. He knew she still went home each Sunday night for a family dinner, and she tried to take her nephews out for an excursion at least once a month. The constant contact she had with them was a little alien to him. Her phone rang again.

  She glanced briefly at the screen. “It’s Jason. Scott must have rung him.”

  Ryan sagged back onto the sofa as she answered the call. She strode to her kitchen and turned the light off.

  “Yes, I’m going away for work, it’s only for a few days, and I’ll be fine,” she told her brother. Ryan watched as she clutched the kitchen bench and tilted her head back. “No, like I said, it’s work. That’s all.”

  Her brother said something that had her jaw dropping and color swamping her cheeks. “I’m hanging up, now. I’ll call you when I get back.” She disconnected the call abruptly.

  “Everything okay?” he asked. What had her brother said that had made her face go as red as her hair?

  “Peachy. Let’s go.”

  So she wasn’t going to tell him, huh? He shrugged and rose. He didn’t need to know everything that went on in the Hastings family. He shouldn’t feel excluded. They weren’t his family, damn it. He didn’t do family. Family was...pain. He mentally kicked his curiosity to the curb. Time to get to work.

  “Let’s go.”

  He leaned down to grab her bag when the musical tones of her phone again tinkled in the small apartment. She looked at the screen. Paused.

  “Are you going to get it?”

  “It’s Dad.”

  This time he sat down and put his feet up on the table. “Answer it.”

  She sent him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Thanks.”

  “No worries.” Maybe there was a third cousin in Wichita who could call, while they were at it.

  He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He’d never met the man, but he knew Vicky had a close relationship with her father. He found their constant contact and communication...unusual.

  “Hi Da—” Vicky paused and listened.

  “Yes, but—” She paused and listened some more.

  “It’s work, Dad.” She glanced at Ryan before pirouetting on her heels and stalking back to her bedroom. Ryan watched her retreating ass with interest. Then he glanced at his watch. At this rate they wouldn’t get to Hawk’s Ridge, Lake Galena, until just before dark.

  “Okay, let’s go.” Vicky strode back into her living room, a set look to her face. His curiosity was piqued.

  “What did your dad want?” It still amazed him that she talked to her old man—not for any other reason than she wanted to.

  “My brothers told him I was leaving town for a few days. He wanted to call and check to make sure everything was all right.”

  Ryan frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be?” Why would Vicky leaving town for a few days be cause for concern?

  Vicky grimaced. “Let’s just say that for a while, I only left town when there was a problem.”

  Guy trouble? He’d never figured Vicky for a runner. Hell, he’d seen enough of her to think that whenever there was a problem, she’d roll up her sleeves and deal with it. But then, he didn’t really know how she handled her man troubles. Didn’t want to.

  He shrugged. “Fine. Are we ready to go now?”

  She nodded and bent to snatch up her tote and a white parka with a faux fur-trimmed collar, and Ryan tried not to crane his neck for a better look. But he did. And was rewarded with the sight of the black lacy edge of her bra cupping two pert breasts. Vicky might be out of bounds, a pest and his personal pain point, but he wasn’t a eunuch.

  He followed her out of her apartment and down to the street where he’d parked the vehicle that Reese had organized for the mission. Stylish yet practical for the terrain they were visiting.

  Vicky whistled as she ran a gloved finger along the hood of the M-class Mercedes. “Wow, she’s a beauty. Can I drive her?”

  She placed both hands on the hood and leaned forward.

  Ryan halted, eyes on the feminine hands almost stroking the car. Her knee bent, and one booted foot lifted off the ground in a wishful pose that made him think of hot kisses and sex on the hood. With the cold gray Chicago street behind her, she looked like a vibrant light in a sea of dismal gray. The pleasure and excitement on her face had his jaw dropping. Vic was a car buff. Who knew? She glanced over her shoulder at him, her expression mischievous. Her dark clothing outlined her body to perfection, all long lines and curvy butt. Her burnished copper hair gleamed in the weak afternoon sunlight. She looked like a demure-but-naughty snow bunny.

  “Please?”

  Yes. Please what? Oh. Drive. The car. He immediately shoved all suggestive images of her driving him out of his mind. He swallowed. “Not a chance.” He jerked the suitcase closer to him, wincing as the wheel rolled over his foot.

  Pain. Pain was good. It meant he still had circulation down there. That meant not all of his blood had rushed to his groin.

  He ignored her sexy little pout as he wrestled her bag into the back of the car. Vicky opened the door and got in, and he quickly joined her.

  She fumbled around in her tote bag, and Ryan kept his eyes steadfastly on the road, neckline be damned. He was driving. He was in control.

  “I have tunes,” she muttered into the depths of her bag. “Hah!” she pulled out a stack of discs and waved them triumphantly.

  Ryan shook his head. “Hell no. No ABBA.”

  Vicky grinned as she slid the first compact disc into the car’s CD stacker. “Oh, come on, admit it. You love ’em.”

  Ryan shook his head. “No, I don’t.”

  “Well, you will by the time we get there.”

  Ryan sighed as the complicated chord sequence of “Dancing Queen” filled the car. It was going to be a long ride.

  Chapter Five

  Jade folded her arms as she gazed out across the expanse of glaring white. So cold, so white. So pure. Her lips curled. Not for long. She envisaged rivulets of red running across the flawless blanket.

  Masculine arms wrapped around her from behind, pulling her against a warm figure.

  “You should come back from the window,” Simon whispered in her ear.

  She turned in his arms, and gazed up at him. His features were so different, an alien face—but the eyes. Dark, cold. She smiled. Her Simon.

  “I can’t believe we’re actually here.” Ultima Resort. And for some, it would be the last resort.

  Simon’s lips quirked. “I told you we could do it.”

  She laughed as she entwined her arms around his neck. “Yes, you did.”

  Simon frowned. “Although we could have done without the chitchat with the nurse.”

  Jade pouted. She hated it when he criticized her. “I felt like I had to e
xplain why she had to die.” She stood up on her toes to whisper in his ear. “No witnesses, remember. Leave no one behind.”

  “But you told her where we were going.” Simon tugged her hair, and Jade winced, her head tipping back as he glared at her.

  “And then we took care of her, Simon,” she growled, trying to pull her hair out of his grasp.

  “We don’t need to explain ourselves,” Simon said, and he pushed her away. She gasped as she fell back on to the bed. “You took a risk, telling her where we were going.”

  “Well, she’s not going to tell anyone else,” she snapped, trying to roll off the bed. He grabbed her and dragged her back, his hands like vices on her ankles.

  “Remember why we’re here, Jade,” he warned her.

  Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t need to remind me, Simon. She was just a damn nurse.” She lifted herself up on to her elbows. He liked it when she argued with him. She liked it, too.

  He leaned over her. “I don’t want anyone ruining this for us. We’ve gone through too much. You, me. This is going to work. Together we’re invincible, Jade. We’re smarter, stronger. We are the special two.”

  She tried to move her legs, but he held her tight. “I know. Now, let go.”

  He smiled, and she could see the chill in his eyes melt into dark pools. “You make me hot, baby. Always.”

  She lifted her chin, her lips parting in a smile. “Even after all these years?” Her voice was almost a whisper. Did he still find her attractive, with this new face, did he still love her?

  He lifted his hand to cup her cheek. “Everything old is new again, baby.” His grip tightened on her face, and she gritted her teeth against the pain.

  “Stop it,” she said through clenched teeth.

  He grinned as he forced her to lie back on the bed. “Nah. I know you like to fight.” She struggled against him as he lowered himself down on her. They grappled silently for a moment, then her palm cracked against his face. She grabbed his hair and yanked him over, and he gave a muffled laugh as she rolled with him until she straddled his hips.