by Katie Reus
Her shoulders lifted noncommittally, but at least she looked at him. “Thank you for saving my life, Jack.”
“I don’t want your fucking thanks! I want you, forever. Fuck, Sophie. I’m sorry for lying to you, but—”
“It’s not about that.” Her pretty lips pursed into a thin line as she watched him. “I just realized we feel differently about each other.”
“What?” He fucking loved her and while she might not feel the same, he knew she cared for him. She could grow to love him. Even if she didn’t, he still wanted a life with her. Wanted to see her face every morning when he woke up.
The chopper was getting louder now. Since they couldn’t land on the beach, they’d probably land in one of the empty lots across the street.
She took a step closer and placed a gentle hand on his chest. “I understand you had a difficult choice to make, and in my head, I get that you had to choose catching Vargas over saving me.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
All pretense of gentleness gone, she shoved his chest, but he refused to budge. “Chadwick had you on speaker. I know you weren’t going to trade me for Vargas until he sweetened the deal.” The pain that flashed in her eyes clawed at him, but it also pissed him off that she didn’t realize what he’d gone through.
“Are you out of your mind? I always planned to make the trade.”
She let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Right. I owe you my life, Jack, but don’t patronize me. I heard you. I heard every word.”
He started to respond, but the familiar whop-whop of the helicopter blades was increasing in decibel and drowning everything else out. The chopper zoomed over them, then hovered across the road before landing in an empty lot.
When the engines shut off the silence was almost deafening. “Sophie, I swear, I never would have let Chadwick take you. I would cut off my own fucking nuts before I let that happen.”
She shoved her hands in her pockets but didn’t respond. Her expression made it clear she didn’t believe him.
He looked at the men emptying out of the chopper. Wesley was one of them. Though his boss was about half a football field away, Jack could tell by the set of his boss’s jaw that he was going to be taken in. Jack might not be arrested in the end, but Wesley would have to take him in, at least in front of the other men.
“Wait here a sec, okay?”
When she nodded he jogged toward his boss.
“I’ve got to take you in,” were the first words out of Wesley’s mouth.
“I know. Can you keep this from Sophie?”
Wesley’s gaze strayed past him. “Yeah, I’ll have one of the men bring her in for debriefing. You’ve got to come with me now, though.” He took Jack’s arm and led him toward the helicopter.
Jack resisted the urge to turn around. Things weren’t over between them. Not by a long shot. But if he was going to jail, he wasn’t going to bother explaining anything further to her. Until he knew the outcome of his situation, he couldn’t drag her through any more of this bullshit.
Chapter 23
To go private: to retire.
Jack tapped his finger against Wesley’s desk. He’d been away from Sophie too long, and his boss still hadn’t let him contact her. They’d flown to one of the NSA’s branches in Georgia, and he’d been on lockdown for the past twenty-four hours. Wesley hadn’t even let him take a shower, which in the big scheme of things wasn’t important. At least he wasn’t going to be arrested. He deserved it, but considering how many times he’d put his ass on the line, he simply couldn’t apologize for saving the woman he loved.
The woman who was very angry with him. He scrubbed a hand over his day-old stubble. How could she have thought he’d just let her die? After everything they’d shared?
He swiveled at the sound of the office door opening. Wesley gave him a curt nod. “Come on.”
“Is Sophie okay? Where is she?” he asked as they strode down the hall.
“She’s fine. She and Miss Young are done debriefing and I had someone escort them to Sophie’s place.”
“What about—”
“They don’t know it, but I’ve placed two armed guards in a car across the street.” Wesley jerked the conference room door open and motioned for Jack to enter.
Giving Sophie an armed guard was probably unnecessary, but it eased the growing tension in Jack’s shoulders. He hated being away from her. Especially now. He needed to clear the air so that she understood exactly what she meant to him and what his intentions were. Maybe he should have told her how he felt in the hotel. Just admitted he loved her. But yeah, he’d been scared of her rejection after he admitted who he really was. Okay, he’d been terrified.
He took a seat next to Wesley as a female analyst pulled up images on three of the various flat screens against the wall. One was a satellite view of what he guessed was Africa if the terrain was anything to go by. The other was a satellite view of a rain forest. Maybe South America. The third was a list of flight records. “What’s all this?”
“Images from the files Chadwick gave you. We’ve also torn apart his computer at work and I’ve got a team at his apartment now. There isn’t much. He covered his tracks better than we expected.”
“That Africa?” He nodded to one of the images.
“Yep. That’s one of Abu al-Ramaan’s training camps even we didn’t know about. With the information from Chadwick, we’re now aware of his movements over the past six months.”
“Have you briefed the CIA?”
“Yes, but this isn’t why I called you in here.” He tilted his head at the woman in the room. Without pause she exited, leaving them alone.
“What’s up? Decide you want to arrest me after all?”
“Push it and I just might. I wanted to let you know we’ve got a lead on Levi. He’s using an old alias—Marcus Tirado. Just got wind that he’s surfaced in Odessa.”
“What’s he doing there?”
“Don’t know. The CIA is putting a team together and they’ve asked for you to piggyback.”
Part of Jack wanted to hunt Levi down for nearly getting Sophie killed—and oddly enough, to help him out of whatever he’d gotten into—but neither reason was worth it. At one time it would have been. Not now. Getting back to Sophie was all that mattered.
“You’re not going to take the job, are you?”
“No.”
Wesley cleared his throat and gave him that father look he was accustomed to. “You’re not going to be taking any more jobs.” It wasn’t a question.
“Sorry, boss. I’m done. For now anyway.” He couldn’t rule out coming back in the future, but right now the only thing he wanted in his future was Sophie.
“She’s really worth it?”
Jack didn’t bother with a response. Sophie was worth everything.
Sighing, Wesley dug into his pants pocket and handed his car keys to Jack. “I have no one but myself to blame, I guess. Go back to my place and get a shower. You smell like a donkey. I might see you tonight. If not, be here at seven sharp. Your woman will be here.”
Jack paused, unsure he’d heard right. “What are you talking about?”
“She’s left a handful of nasty messages threatening to cut off my balls if I don’t tell her where you are.”
“Sophie actually said that?”
Wesley grinned. “Not exactly, but it was definitely implied.”
The painful vise around Jack’s chest slackened an inch. If she was worried about his well-being, they could work things out. Either that or he was going to make love to her until she forgot all about why she was so angry with him. Until she couldn’t breathe without scenting him on her.
Chapter 24
Uncle: headquarters of any espionage service.
Sophie held out her arms for the third time as another man wearing a
gray, nondescript security uniform patted her down. “Do you really think I’m carrying a weapon?”
The man shrugged as he straightened. “Sorry, ma’am. Simply following procedure.”
Gritting her teeth, she yanked her purse off the security scanner and hooked it over her shoulder. She was beyond her patience limit. She wanted to see Jack and she wanted answers yesterday. “I’m here to see Wesley Burkhart.”
“I know why you’re here, ma’am.” The guard sounded as if he was humoring her—which was just insulting. “Please follow me.”
At this point she wasn’t exactly sure where here was. After Jack had disappeared onto that helicopter, she’d been ready to rip him a new one. Until she’d heard one of the men talking about Jack being arrested. Then anger had dissolved into panic when she realized the gravity of exactly what he’d done for her.
Ever since then she’d been trying to get ahold of Wesley. Like a maniac, she’d threatened the director of the NSA with bodily harm—very descriptively—if he didn’t help her. Wesley had finally called her back and offered to fly her to his office. So now she was somewhere in Pine Mountain, Georgia, wandering around the most boring building she’d ever seen. On the outside, the building was a drab gray. After a security check just to get past the building doors, she’d had to go through another scan in the lobby, and after the incredibly long elevator ride she’d just endured, another pat-down. Where did they think she was hiding these supposed weapons?
She stayed close to the guard as they walked down a hallway that actually had decent Renoir and Monet prints. After they took a left, the guard stopped in front of the first door on the right. He knocked once, then turned back the way he’d come.
“Come in,” Wesley’s familiar voice barked.
She stepped inside and closed the door firmly behind her.
Wesley stood and motioned for her to take a seat.
With shaking hands she pulled out one of the maroon chairs and perched on the edge. “Thank you for agreeing to see me.”
In response, he nodded. “What can I do for you?”
Really? He actually had to ask? She bit back a growl of frustration. “I want to see Jack. Now.”
“That’s impossible right now.”
“Nothing’s impossible. . . . Is it true he’s been arrested?”
Wesley shrugged noncommittally. “Why do you want to see him?”
“It’s important.”
“That’s not an answer.”
She shifted against the seat, unwilling to tell this man what she’d come to see Jack about. She wasn’t going to tell a virtual stranger that she was in love with Jack and needed to apologize for the awful way she’d behaved toward him. “I just really need to talk to him. He saved my life.” Before she could continue, the sound of the door opening interrupted them. Her stomach did crazy flip-flops when she saw Jack standing in the doorway. It had only been two days, but he looked leaner. His sharp face seemed even more angular. That hungry look in his pale eyes was still there, but he was somehow different.
Wesley said something, but she wasn’t paying attention. She was vaguely aware when he walked past Jack and shut the door, but she had eyes only for Jack. Abruptly she stood, knocking her purse to the floor and spilling the contents, but she didn’t care. “Are you okay?”
“I think that should be my line.” He didn’t take any steps toward her.
Okay, she deserved that. She’d accused him of betraying her when he put her first. Even before himself. The frustrating man had been willing to go to jail for her. He’d been protecting her, just like always. His familiar scent was intoxicating, but she forced herself to focus. “I guess you’re not arrested?”
He shook his head. “No. After what I pulled, Wesley had to bring me in, but with the information we recovered from Chadwick, they’ll probably give me a medal.”
Relief punched through her. “So you caught that Abu whatever guy?”
“Not yet, but they’re closing in on him. With Vargas dead and your former assistant in jail, there aren’t any more loose ends.”
She shifted on her feet as they stared at each other. The last two days without him had been calm and uneventful. Well, with the exception of filling out a novel’s worth of paperwork for the NSA, things had been quiet. She’d also been living in a suspended state of pure hell without Jack. She hadn’t even realized anything was missing from her life until he’d barreled into it. “I’m so sorry for not believing you. I didn’t know what you’d put on the line for me.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets but still didn’t make a move in her direction. That’s when she noticed a light sheen of sweat had formed across his forehead. Under the most intense gunfire, the man barely flinched. Now he was sweating?
“Why did you come here?” he rasped out.
“Because I love you.” Saying the words released the pressure around her chest. She’d never said those words to a man before. Not even Sam. She’d loved him but had never found the courage. Saying them now should terrify her, but after everything she’d been through, it was a relief. She’d spent a decade running from anything resembling commitment, and it was time to stop. If any man was worth risking her heart, it was the brave one standing in front of her.
His lips curled up at the corners in an almost smile, but he didn’t say anything. Maybe she’d made a mistake in coming here. Maybe he was nervous because he didn’t know how to let her down easily. He might have told her that he wanted her forever in the heat of an intense moment, but now that everything had settled down, he could have realized she wasn’t what he wanted. Even if that was true, she wouldn’t let herself regret telling him.
She averted her gaze and bent to retrieve her fallen purse. Stupid tears stung her eyes, so she kept her head down as she reached for a tube of lip gloss. She stilled when Jack’s strong, callous hand clasped over hers. She hadn’t even heard him move toward her.
“I love you too, Sophie.” The words were so low she wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “I know we still have stuff to work out. We need to talk about . . . Sam.”
It was a little weird the way Jack talked about himself in the third person, but she thought she understood it. He’d shed that life and started a new one when he became Jack. Sam had been the old him. The truth was, she didn’t care what name he went by as long as he stayed in her life and let her be a part of his. But before they went any further, she needed to get some more stuff off her chest.
“When you . . . when I thought you died—in Afghanistan—there was so much I wanted to say to you. I had so many regrets. You were the one real friend I had and . . . I’m so sorry for the hateful things I said. I know what I said, but I never actually hated you. I loved you back then, but I felt dirty, ashamed of what had happened to me. I thought you’d eventually realize I wasn’t good enough and push me away, so I pushed you first. I was just trying to survive.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” Jack said, his voice rough with emotion.
“Yes, I do. You were going to war and I know you had that ring for me and . . . I was horrible. Everything I said to you—” Her voice broke off as a tear escaped.
“Stop. You were seventeen, hurting, and dealing with being raped. I never held what you said against you. I might have hated myself, but never you.”
Her throat was tight with so many years of regret, but now it seemed they were getting a second chance. Or she prayed they were. “So what do we do now?”
A slow, seductive smile spread across Jack’s face. “Whatever we want. I quit my job.”
Her eyes widened at his admission. “You love what you do.”
“No. I love you. This is all I’ve ever known, Sophie. I want . . . Hell, I don’t know what I want. I never thought much about it until you were back in my life. The only thing I do know is that I want to come home to you every night and wake up to yo
ur face every morning. Everything else, we’ll figure out together.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he held a finger to her lips.
“I’ll give it a year. If I’m miserable, I’ll find a job in some sort of law enforcement, but I’m not going back to this kind of lifestyle.”
“This is a big decision to make so suddenly.” Despite her protest, joy pulsed through her at the thought of starting a life with him.
“This is the easiest decision I’ve ever made.”
The sincerity in his voice slammed through her. Smiling to herself that they’d been lucky enough to get a second chance against all odds, she leaned forward and touched her lips to his.
The kiss was tentative at first, and then his animalistic side took over. Their lips and tongues collided in a hungry frenzy. She wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair, until a loud slam pulled them apart. They both turned at the sound.
Wesley shook his head and stepped past them. “I didn’t leave the two of you alone so you could go at it on the floor of my office.”
Sophie fought the heat she felt creeping up her cheeks. Jack, however, was completely unfazed.
In one swoop he gathered the rest of her things, shoved them in her purse, and took her hand before standing. “Don’t worry, we’re getting out of here.”
With her hand clasped in Jack’s, Sophie’s heart swelled to ridiculous proportions. They were both jobless and she had no clue what the future held, but this was the happiest she’d been in her entire life.
Epilogue
One year later
Sophie glanced up as the bell to her and Jack’s shop jingled. A dark-haired man with a full beard and mustache walked in. He wore a Rusty T-shirt, board shorts, and flip-flops.
He looked harmless enough, but she was thankful she had the counter as a barrier between them. “Are you interested in renting a Jet Ski or chartering one of our boats?”
Glancing around, the man cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Actually I was wondering if you guys were hiring.”