Next to Carter, Jordyn crossed her arms and smirked. “See, I’m not the only one who thinks you’re an asshole.”
A loud snort came from Ian as he rounded the hood of the SUV. “It appears I’m starting to get outnumbered, but don’t worry, Carter, you’ll always be ‘jackass’ to me.”
As Chris stopped a few feet away from the group, his glare not leaving the only person he knew among them, the large, ornate front door of the castle swung open, and Mic stepped out with a scowl that Carter knew she really didn’t mean. “Carter, don’t you ever call first before showing up out of the blue?”
“That’s what your boyfriend just asked, sweetheart,” he replied with a wide grin. “But you know me, surprising you is much more fun.”
“And it’ll also be too late for me to say no.”
Damn, he loved Mic. Not as a lover, they had never gone that far, but she would always occupy a large portion of his heart. Their relationship went far beyond friendship—it was more of a kinship.
Despite her words, the small but mighty blonde smiled as she hurried down the stairs and into his open arms for a hug. As he held her a moment too long for her boyfriend’s liking, the man snarled, “Enough, asshole. Get your hands off her.”
Carter eased up and stepped to the side, keeping one arm around Mic’s shoulders just to piss off Chris—and maybe to see if he could get a little jealousy out of Jordyn, too. “Bea Michaels, Chris Jordon, allow me to introduce you to Jordyn Alvarez—gotta love the Jordyn/Jordon thing we’ve got going on there. That’ll drive everyone fucking nuts.” He pointed to the two men still standing next to the jeep, enjoying the show. “This here is Tristan McCabe and Val Mancini, two of Trident’s new Omega team. And Mic, you already know Ian Sawyer, of course.”
“Of course.” Ducking out from under Carter’s arm, she hugged Ian. “Great to see you again, Sawyer. I hear there are more congratulations due back home. You Trident boys are dropping like flies down in Tampa, and I can’t believe Dev and Marco are fathers now. Sorry I couldn’t make it to your wedding.”
“Completely understood. But we missed you.” He held her tight against his chest in a brotherly embrace. Chris’s jaw clenched further, but even he could see Ian’s actions were harmless and sincere. “The team and I were sorry to hear about Phillips. He was a good man.”
“He was,” she murmured. “Thanks for the donation you made in his memory to the Veterans’ Assistance Fund.” Gary Phillips had been the second member of Steel Corps hired behind Mic and also a former Navy SEAL. He’d been violently murdered at the hand of a man who’d been bent on avenging the death of his drug lord father, who’d been killed during a Steel Corps mission. Like his father, the son had also been sent to Hell for his crimes.
“It was the least we could do.” Ian pulled back a little to inspect her face. His hand cupped her jaw as his thumb brushed over the angry, jagged scar running down her cheekbone to the corner of her mouth—the result of a psychotic freak’s knife months earlier. Mic had been lucky to get out with her life, and her assailant was lucky he was dead because there were plenty of people who wanted revenge for what he’d done to a woman they all admired. Ian’s eyes hardened with rage as he studied it, which was a good thing because Mic probably would have kneed him in the balls if his reaction had been sympathetic or anguished. His voice dropped to a near whisper. “It’s a badge of courage, Mic. You never cease to amaze me.”
Not answering him—it wasn’t necessary nor expected—she blinked several times and swallowed hard as she pulled away. Pivoting, she shook hands with the other two men and then Jordyn, while trying to swing the mood to something more pleasant. “Welcome to Castle Steel. Call me Mic. Come on inside and you can fill us in on why this dumbass dragged you to our humble abode.”
“Jeez, anyone else want to throw insults at me?” Carter snarked. “Asshole, jackass, dumbass—everyone seems obsessed with my ass. And McCabe and Romeo, I suggest you don’t put your two cents in. Not unless you plan on sleeping with one eye open for the next five years.”
The two teammates grinned, but wisely heeded his advice.
While Carter opened the rear end of the SUV so everyone could retrieve their bags, Chris shook hands with the rest of the men, all the while giving the spy dirty looks. A lot of heavy tension filled the air and almost all of it had started with Carter. The last time he’d been at the castle, the two men had come to blows over Chris’s jealousy—of course, the boy’s buttons had been intentionally and repeatedly pushed up to that point. He was madly in love with Mic, and far from thrilled with her close, longtime friendship with Carter. Well, suck it up, buttercup. While he really did enjoy busting Chris’s chops, it was time to set the record straight, and bury the hatchet with Mic’s boyfriend.
* * *
Jordyn didn’t know what to think about this place . . . about these people . . . about the woman who was leading her through a freaking castle of all places. Following Mic, she studied her. Five foot four, with short, blonde hair, the woman was in peak physical shape, just like Jordyn. Her muscles were long and lean, not bulked up like a gym rat. The only thing out of place was the lengthy, jagged scar on her cheek. Jordyn recognized a knife wound when she saw one, and she hoped whoever had done it was now six feet under. If not, she would gladly take them out for the woman who was opening her private lair to a stranger with a target on her back.
Mic stopped, and it was then that Jordyn realized they were in a large living room with plenty of couches and chairs, which didn’t match the rest of the décor. They’d clearly been brought in by the new owners for their comfort and not for show. A roaring fire was ablaze in a stone hearth and in the corner of the room was a suit of armor, more in tune with what should be in an old-looking castle. It was kind of cool, and she would have left it there, too, if this had been her place.
Gesturing for everyone to take a seat, Mic said, “If you’re hungry, I can have our cook, Maggie, reheat the stew from last night. It’s awesome.”
Ian answered for his group, “That sounds great, Mic. We all pretty much crashed after the first hour on the plane.”
“Great.” She nodded toward Chris. “Jordon, can you let Maggie know, please?”
Yeah, Jordyn hated to admit Carter was right, but that Jordyn/Jordon thing was going to be a pain in the ass. She’d have to make sure it was her being addressed before answering.
As Chris nodded and left the room with a frown, two other men and one woman entered. Carter and Ian shook hands with the men, but only greeted the woman with a smile. Jordyn could see why. The woman was as wide-eyed and wary as any forest animal when it heard a predator in its midst. She’d seen quite a few horrors in this world, Jordyn bet, and if she got any closer to the man who seemed to be her protector, she’d be under his skin.
Mic introduced the visitors—with the exception of Carter who’d already met them—to Ed Pierce, Matthew “Rook” Riley, and Roza. The latter quietly nodded her head in a silent hello as the men shook hands with the newcomers.
“Where’s the rest of the gang?” Carter asked as pretty much everyone settled into seats.
Rook sat on a loveseat with Roza by his side. He put a reassuring hand on her thigh. “Ran into town for supplies. What’s going on?”
Striding to the bar, Pierce said, “Before you get into it, we’ve got booze, beer, soda, and sweet tea. Anyone?”
After taking their orders, he set about pouring drinks, but his ears were on the conversation.
“Part of Deimos’s NOC list was compromised,” Carter announced without preamble and a stunned silence filled the air. Roza was the only one who had no idea how big a bomb that was.
With a bottle of scotch in one hand and an empty glass in the other, Pierce stepped closer to the group. “Come again? You’ve got to be shittin’ us.”
“I wish I was. Two operatives were killed and we believe ten more are targeted. We yanked Jordyn out minutes before a hit squad arrived. As it was, we had to blow up a few things�
�”
“That I have to fucking pay for,” Ian bitched.
“—and there was a lot of wasted ammo.”
Mic shook her head. “I assume you mean it was wasted by the hit squad, so definitely not pros. Who the hell hacks a covert agency’s NOC list then sends a bunch of lackeys to do the job?”
Shrugging, Carter took the now half-filled glass Pierce handed him. “Got me, but Aikman and Aldridge were definitely hit by pros. One by a sniper, the other by a car bomb. I’m sorry to crash in on you like this, but there was little time to plan. Devon and Boomer headed back to the states in Trident’s jet as a ruse in case anyone discovered the tail number back in Nigeria. We’ll be flying out to D.C. late tomorrow afternoon.”
“What’s in D.C.?” Rook asked.
Carter took a swig of scotch. “Hopefully a clue or two on who wants Jordyn and me dead.”
Jordyn’s head whipped toward his and he met her startled gaze. She’d been so wrapped up in the roller coaster ride that made up the past ten hours, from the moment she’d taken out her target, that she hadn’t run the list of other operatives through her head. Carter was number eight on the alphabetical list. Shit. They were going to have to work this together. Strength in numbers. Two heads were better than one. And all that other clichéd crap. Damn it.
“Do you mind setting up a secure line to Trident before we eat?” Ian asked Pierce as he accepted a bottle of beer. “We need to check on a few things.”
The man nodded. “Sure thing. Give me five minutes. Do you want Evans or the new twerp? I’ve met some big geeks in my time, but that fucking kid must eat, sleep, breathe, and shit coding. I’ve only talked to him a few times on the phone and have this vision of a skinny runt with glasses held together by tape, wearing a button-down shirt with a pocket protector. Am I close?”
Ian’s rumbling laugh filled the room, and Jordyn liked him more as time passed. If she had an older brother, she imagined he’d be just like the head of Trident—funny, but with a take-no-prisoners attitude and fiercely protective of his friends and family. “Pretty close. Nathan’s definitely a geek of the highest degree, but he’s worth his weight in gold. Swiping him from the NSA was the best deal I’ve made all year—with the exception of my marriage, of course. Anyway, Brody’s waiting for us to check in.”
Pierce headed for the door to the hallway, passing Chris walking back into the room. “Jordon, finish the drinks. Sawyer, I’ll yell as soon as I’ve got Egghead on the line.”
It wasn’t long before Pierce called them into the combination computer/communications room. Without being asked, the man left the room as Ian, Carter, and Jordyn stood in front of the camera and stared at the video screen. Brody was sitting in his own war-room in Tampa, leaning back in his ergonomic chair. “Damn. Boomer wasn’t kidding when he said Jordyn was hot. Nice to finally meet you, sweetheart.” She’d received emails from him during the op to help the girl, along with some texting, but they’d never met. “Next time you kick Carter’s ass can you make sure I’m there? I want to film it for posterity. Of course, I’ll have to blur out both your faces which kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?”
Each one of the Trident boys was more charming than the last, and she chuckled. Beside her, Ian pointed to the bottom of the screen which showed part of Brody’s desk. “What is that? Don’t fucking tell me Fancy made pecan rolls today. Seriously? Tell your fiancée she’s not allowed to bake those damn things when I’m out of town.”
Purposely, Brody leaned forward, picked up the sticky treat, and took a huge bite out of it. “Mmmmm-mmmh. D-fwking-wiscous,” he said with a full mouth, clearly savoring the taste of the pastry. He swallowed the bite, then slowly licked his fingers one by one. “Sorry about that. What were you saying, Boss-man? Something about my fiancée? The woman who bakes with only me in mind, and you’re just lucky to get the leftovers.” Ian opened his mouth to retort, but Brody cut him off. “And before you threaten me, just remember the ‘Chicken Dance’ ringtone and Siri calling you ‘Princess Twat-Waffle.’”
Ian growled. “Fucking bastard. I will get my revenge one of these days, you little shit. In the meantime, what do you have for us?”
Washing his breakfast down with a swig of coffee, Brody leaned back in his chair again. His expression going from playful to professional in the blink of an eye. “McDaniel sent me all the info I needed by courier.” The head of Deimos had wanted an independent, high-clearance-level contractor to confirm what the agency’s techs had already told him, and had taken Carter’s suggestion about having Trident do it. “I tracked the hacker through seven countries and twice as many IP addresses, only to land back in Washington D.C. in an internet café on Connecticut Avenue. Had one of our contacts go check the place out with no luck. The camera system in the place was hacked and erased at the same time our UNSUB was there. When I called McDaniel a little while ago, he said that was exactly what his techs had discovered, so it doesn’t appear any Deimos techs had a hand in the breach.” He paused. “Um, by the way, Carter, have you checked in with him in the past two hours or so?”
Carter’s eyes narrowed. “No. I was going to call him in about thirty minutes. Why?”
“Shit. Sorry to tell you, but Luis Benito was found dead a few hours ago in a hotel room in Paris. His extraction team made the discovery and said his throat was slit—body was still warm. Looks like he was sleeping and taken by surprise.”
Anytime Jordyn had ever seen Carter pissed over the years, paled in comparison to now. He looked like he wanted to tear apart Steel’s war-room and the only thing keeping it from happening was a thin thread of restraint. Taking a step back, he ran a hand down his face, and Jordyn couldn’t resist reaching out and touching his arm. She could feel the tension he was holding back. If he was surprised at her sudden tenderness, it didn’t show. In fact, she had no idea why she’d touched him. Meeting his gaze, she said, “I’m sorry. I know you trained him before me. He was a great guy.”
With his jaw clenched, he nodded once, then addressed Brody again. “Anything turn up in Deimos’s history that seems like a red flag.”
The geek snorted. “You mean, like practically every mission you guys have ever been on?”
“Can you narrow it fucking down and give me a place to start, damn it?”
Yup, barely hanging on by a thread, Jordyn thought.
“Yeah. I had Nathan run some names, dates, and places through NSA to see if we could match them up with any intercepted chatter. Got a few hits, but not sure if they have anything to do with this mess. I sent it all to Boss-man’s computer so he can access it through Steel. I used Jones’s preferred encryption—just have him open it for you.”
When Carter didn’t answer, Ian did. “All right. Anything else?”
“Yeah.” Brody let out a heavy sigh. “On another problem we’re dealing with. Tara O’Brien’s body was found this morning—at the Tampa Zoo, of all fucking places. Same condition as the others.”
Confused, Jordyn glanced at Carter and then Ian. “I don’t understand. Who’s Tara O’Brien?”
She didn’t miss the silent exchange of stares between the two men and a subtle shake of Carter’s head. Ian uncrossed his arms and leaned on the back of the desk chair. “Local case. Tampa’s got a serial killer, and Trident’s been helping the feds with it. It’s nothing to do with the Deimos crap.”
While she believed that last statement, she was certain there was something they weren’t telling her. If she didn’t have the NOC list situation on her mind, she’d be curious enough to do some research on the Tampa case. But right now, it was very low on her list of things that needed her attention.
Back in Tampa, Brody continued. “There’s a task force meeting today with the profiler from Quantico—a Dr. Suki Ralston. Anyone know her?”
“I do,” Carter answered. “She’s good.”
“Hope her bedside manner is a lot better than Parrish’s. I didn’t think anyone could be a bigger dick than Stonewall. Anyway, that’s a
ll I’ve got.”
After ending the video chat with Brody, Carter led the way through the halls of the castle until they reached the huge dining room. Well, Jordyn didn’t think any of the rooms in the place could be describe as anything but huge. Their lunch was waiting for them, and the two other Trident men had already dug into their large bowls of stew. Jordyn sat down across from Romeo, and Ian and Carter took the seats flanking her. The latter passed her a basket of fresh bread and she couldn’t resist taking a piece and slathering it with butter.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, but suddenly Carter stood and stalked out of the room without saying a word. Jordyn glanced at his table setting. He’d barely eaten a bite. For the first time since she’d left his bed many years ago, she wanted to go to him, wrap her arms around his neck, and comfort him. Her heart said to do it, but her mind said no. And she always found it best when she heeded her mind over her heart.
Chapter 6
Sitting on top of a picnic table near the back entrance of the castle’s kitchen, Carter hung up the secure sat phone Pierce had let him use to contact McDaniel. He’d given the head of Deimos the rundown on Jordyn’s extraction and then listened to his boss recount the details of Benito’s murder. The body count was rising and they still had no idea who had targeted Deimos and why. There wasn’t much Carter could do from Scotland, but once he was back on US soil, he’d be knocking on a lot of doors, refusing to bury any more operatives.
His gut was in turmoil. Between the murders of the three agents and being so close to Jordyn and not being able to touch her the way he wanted to he was going a little nuts—which was putting it mildly. Add in someone torturing and killing submissives of the BDSM lifestyle in Tampa—a city he’d spent a lot of his downtime in—he felt things were spiraling out of control. And that was something he couldn’t allow to happen. He needed control in his life. Without it, he was afraid he’d turn into the type of man he despised—one with no honor, no loyalty, and no soul.
Absolving His Sins: Trident Security Book 7 Page 5