Kelly held her eyes wide and unblinking. She wouldn’t cry. If he saw her weakening, he would push and she didn’t trust herself to hold strong.
She stroked her hand over the steady beat of his heart. “I can’t promise you I won’t die. But if you take away my right to stand up for myself, then I’m not truly living.”
His face hardened at her rejection. He stepped back, putting distance between them with his cold eyes as much as his retreating body. “That’s a great speech, Kelly. Of course you always did have a way with words. Well, I’m not so good with twisting around languages, but I can tell you this straight up. I’m not some damned fairy-tale prince, but I would have given you everything I had.”
As she watched him walk back up the stairs, she wondered if maybe her summa cum laude brain had misled her this time.
Wearing his tuxedo and counting down the minutes until Kelly descended the spiral staircase, Ethan stood in the cathedral-ceilinged entry hall of his aunt’s house.
His house.
His parents’ home.
He slid his finger along the neck of his tux shirt. Damn tie pinched.
Eugenie stood beside him, swathed in a purple ball gown and eager to unveil her creation. So many times she had stood at the foot of those same stairs while he slid down the steps on a sled. Or had that been his mother? He hated being inside with ghostly memories attempting to push through, but Kelly deserved to have her escort waiting for her.
He took comfort from the solid weight of the 9mm secured in his shoulder harness. Some comfort. Not enough.
Hell, none of it felt like enough—the army of a hundred security personnel outside the historic hotel where the summit ball would be held. The thirty armed guards inside posing as guests and waiters. Not to mention the room full of heavily armored forces waiting as a contingency backup.
He and Kelly had spent the entire day increasing security. They’d met with Hatch about the potential threat from Rebelian nationals and tried to pinpoint their link to Alex Morrow’s disappearance. But the ambassador to Gastonia wouldn’t cancel his appearance. There was nothing left to do but forge ahead with additional security in place. CIA, FBI, Marines, even local law enforcement were all woven together in a joint operation, yet none of them had seen his or Kelly’s faces to link them as the masterminds.
In his ear, the low voices of Juarez, Davidson and occasionally even Samuel Hatch himself already hummed with feedback from the command post in ARIES headquarters. Just as when multiple frequencies piped through his headset when he flew his plane, Ethan sorted through the voices. Kelly’s receiver would be turned on in minutes.
Not that he needed the sound of her voice to keep her in his head.
Eugenie tapped his arm. “Ethan. She’s here.”
Ethan looked up. Kelly stood above him.
She stole his breath, and he’d been prepared for her to look beautiful. Yet even he hadn’t expected this.
He had to applaud his aunt for her choices. She’d restrained her own extravagant tastes in favor of elegant simplicity that didn’t distract from Kelly. Heavy white fabric—brocade maybe—draped her in a straight sheath. Off the shoulders, her dress accented the graceful arch of Kelly’s neck, exposing a creamy expanse of skin waiting for the jewels inside the case in his hand.
No elaborate twists or curls for her hair, Kelly’s ebony hair was swept back into a low braided bun, a stark style that only the most classic of bone structures could carry off. Only Kelly could carry off. He’d always been able to see the beauty beneath her baggy clothes and curtain of hair. Now the rest of the world would see, too.
Her foot peeked free from the hem as she descended the stairs, one satin ballet slipper descending to the next step. No ridiculous heels to hamper her if they needed to act later.
If.
He shut down even thoughts of the possibility.
Kelly stopped in front of him, her eyes full of doubts and desire. He could play on both of those so easily to win her. Her inexperience with relationships would give him leverage.
But he couldn’t do it.
Honor sure bit sometimes.
Resigned, but determined to give her his protection if nothing else, he draped the ruby necklace along her pale skin—jewels to entice a crook her way. Ethan reminded himself of her training, and the fact that he would be there with her. He wouldn’t take his eyes off her until they had the thieves in hand.
No great hardship, looking at Kelly all night.
He closed the clasp on the ruby necklace, allowing his hands a brief detour along her silken shoulders. No doubt her SIG-Sauer waited strapped to the inside of her silken thigh.
He dragged his mind away from thoughts of her soft, white thighs. Dangerous territory tonight.
Ethan snapped an orchid from the vase of flowers. With the familiarity of a lover—his by rights, damn it, if only for one more night—he secured the flower into her gathered hair. He pressed his lips to hers and whispered, “Be careful.”
He heard himself echo the very words she’d spoken to him before he’d left for Gastonia, the words that had alerted him to her feelings. And he realized for the first time what watching him leave for that assignment had cost her.
“Ethan, you’ve taught me well. Now it’s time to trust me.” With a single brush of her mouth against his, she stepped back and waited for him to offer his arm.
He would have offered this woman more, but Kelly had made herself damned clear. He’d given her everything he had. But as he’d known from the start, what he had left within him couldn’t be enough. Not anymore.
He just prayed like hell his mojo that had carried him through ten years and more operations than he cared to remember would hold for one more night.
Kelly sipped her glass of club soda, the crowds and conversations swelling around her in multiple languages while she conversed with Ethan’s friends. No champagne for her. She had to stay clear and sift through the interpretations.
She absently pressed her palm to her chest, where her aquamarine rested inside her strapless bra. Her good-luck charm was far more precious than the rubies around her neck because it had come from Ethan the man—not the multimillionaire.
The scent of the orchid in her hair wafted forward, a constant reminder of Ethan and his touch on her shoulders. The touch of his eyes even now. Always on her.
Kelly forced a smile and nodded while Jake Ingram’s fiancée Tara rambled on about her latest purchases for the wedding. Easy enough to stay silent and listen.
Strains from the string quartet drifted through as unobtrusively as the security personnel. Men in tuxedoes stood by the doors, looking more like bouncers than dignitaries. Others talked covertly into their sleeves. Their lack of humor marked them more than their size or actions.
Nerves strung within her as tight as the violin bow.
Cases of jewels marched down the middle of the room. Inside rested necklaces, rings, solitary stones—some historical, others new and ostentatious. Rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires perched in artistic displays, cradled or suspended, all arranged with tiny halogen lights refracting sparkles beyond comprehension.
Masses filed by. Men in tuxedos or military uniforms of various nationalities. Women in designer gowns and the traditional costumes of their homeland. Not that anyone allowed their awe for the jewels to show. Everyone from Mrs. Mega-Bucks Blasé to Ambassador Nonchalant cruised past the velvet ropes around the exhibits with low hums of “lovely, lovely” as if viewing an attractive floral arrangement.
And they all accepted a Nebraska farm girl’s right to be there.
Incredible.
She’d pulled it off, with Eugenie’s help—and most of all because of Ethan’s confidence in her as a woman. If he could only trust her as a partner, as well.
Unable to stop herself, Kelly searched for him. Finally, she spotted him across the sea of bodies, standing with Samantha Barnes and White House advisor Matt Tynan. With them stood Eugenie and the Gastonian ambassador. Et
han hadn’t left the man’s side all evening, just as Kelly hadn’t left the jewels.
Ethan’s face creased with his laugh, a deep rumble that echoed in Kelly’s ear, along with background noise from ARIES headquarters.
Only she would recognize the underlying edge or how Ethan longed to ditch the formal garb. His tuxedo fit his body with a negligent élan. So often she’d seen him in a suit at ARIES and thought the same thing, never realizing the true Ethan preferred ragged jeans to designer clothes.
He knew how to adjust to fit into the world around him when necessary, while no one ever realized he held a piece of himself apart. Never noticed he didn’t allow himself to belong.
Kelly accepted another round of congratulations from Ethan’s social set, along with eat-dirt-and-die glares from more than one woman. No doubt Ethan would have plenty of consolation after their post-mission breakup.
Would he share with one of them why he hated ties?
Kelly willed away distracting thoughts and flipped her wrist to view her diamond-studded timepiece. Only fifteen minutes left in the cocktail hour and then the guests would all shift to dinner. The jewels would be stored away. The transfer to and from the armored cars could be controlled. No worries there.
Could the whole thing have been a hoax to divert their attention? Or had word of the additional security leaked, scaring away the thieves? In which case, they might not have a security heads-up next time. Alex Morrow might not have a second chance.
Ethan’s voice stayed with her as her constant companion, an ever-present reminder that even if she succeeded in the evening’s mission, she had still failed him. Failed them.
Where was the compromise?
The string quartet on the corner dais faded to a stop.
Adrenaline simmered, heated, tingled through her.
“Attention, ladies and gentleman,” the speakers blared with the announcer’s voice as the lights dimmed. “If you’ll direct your attention to the displays so generously loaned, we’ll begin our laser show and highlights of tonight’s features.”
Across the room, Ethan nodded to his friends and stepped back, his gaze raking the crowd. “Show time,” he mumbled.
“Got it.”
“What?” Tara asked.
Kelly pulled a smile. “Got to step back so I can see better.”
Tara looped her arm through Jake’s. “Of course.”
The laser show spotlighted jewels, strobing through the room, flickering, distorting images away from the cases into choppy, fragmented disco movements. Kelly blinked. Looked again. Her SIG-Sauer lay like a cold block of ice against her thigh. If only she could have worn a shoulder harness like Ethan.
“Kelly, check your six o’clock,” Ethan called the warning to look behind her. “Why does that person look familiar in a wrong way?”
She glanced over her shoulder at the mass of bodies. Slowly, her eyes focused on…the hairstylist from Peter’s salon? Then his cashier. Two, five, then ten of the salon’s employees moving. Reaching into their jackets for…
“Gun,” Kelly ducked to speak into her mike.
“Security, guard your eyes,” Ethan barked. “Dazzler, go.”
With barely a flicker, the lights adjusted, shifting to the military-developed Laser Dazzler. A hum of noise started from the crowd two seconds before disorientation set in.
Pandemonium reigned.
Guests stumbled in uncoordinated confusion. Couples clutched each other. Jake Ingram braced an arm around his fiancée’s waist. A waiter tripped over a potted tree, champagne glasses sliding, shattering on the floor.
Twenty men with guns surged forward, aiming wildly. Guards swarmed the ballroom, wearing protective eyewear.
Screams echoed up to the crystal chandeliers. Keeping her post by the jewels, Kelly karate-chopped the guns from two men’s hands. The damn dress limited her from kicking.
One gunman somehow staggered past the fountain toward the Gastonian ambassador. “Ethan! Coming your way.”
Bodies swayed, dropped to the floor. If a shot went wild… Ethan plowed through, launched himself on top of the ambassador.
“Ethan?” Kelly forced her voice to stay calm, her focus on the mission, essential for keeping Ethan and the others safe.
“Secured and clear.” His steady bass rumbled reassurance through the airwaves. “Check right.”
“Roger.” Kelly turned in time to trip the salon’s valet and call another warning to Ethan. “Two possibilities coming your way!”
Ethan pivoted, bodyblocking one figure while shouting to his aunt.
Eugenie swayed, averted her head and righted. She hefted a near-empty pewter punch bowl from the table and clocked the gunman on the head. The man collapsed back into a jewel case, glass shattering.
Alarms blared as the punch bowl thumped to rest on white velvet.
And it was over.
That fast.
After two weeks of intense planning and praying. A multiservice security force of unlimited funds brought the op to a successful conclusion in less than three minutes.
But worth every penny for the lives saved. God, how much worse this could have been without prior warning to plan.
Feds swarmed the room, making arrests and taking statements. Kelly’s ear buzzed with cheers from Juarez and Davidson. The general consensus circulating through the crowd seemed to attribute the disorientation to prior planning by the jewel thieves. Fine by Kelly as it kept their role downplayed, the goal of all ARIES operatives to maintain cover. An APB had been put out for Peter Miller.
Peter the masseur.
An American spy? Or Rebelian national? His flat accent that sounded like studied newscaster tones thrummed through her memory. At least they’d found out before anyone died.
Kelly slumped against a wall, the draft from the hall cooling sweat she hadn’t even realized had beaded her skin. Her heart thudded in her ears. She’d done it. They’d done it. Ethan had to see how well they’d worked together.
If only they could find the same balance in a relationship.
Kelly’s hand gravitated to her breastbone where the aquamarine lay nestled and hidden inside her dress. What had happened to taking charge of her future? So she and Ethan had argued. One fight. A really big one with no apparent compromise in sight. But she’d been willing to battle for her job. Why had she fallen short of giving the same effort to a relationship with Ethan?
Because the failure would hurt more.
A pitiful excuse for not going after what she wanted. A woman with a dragon on her hip and love in her heart didn’t back down so easily anymore.
Kelly spun away from the wall.
Smack into a chest.
A masculine chest and the man of the hour everyone was seeking. Too late, she realized her shock and fear must have shown—and alerted him. An arm hooked around her waist.
“What are y—”
A hand slapped over her mouth. Strong and masculine. Peter Miller yanked her into the corridor.
“Kelly?” Ethan looked left to where FBI agents cuffed and hauled away suspects. Right to where a society matron draped in diamonds sobbed on her companion’s shoulder. Who the hell could see anything in the mass of people? “Kelly? Talk to me. What’s happening?”
He surged into the crowd, searching. Wingtip shoes crunched shards of glass along the hardwood floors.
“Walk,” a masculine voice growled through the earpiece.
Ethan’s steps faltered. “Kelly?”
Her breath huffed heavier, faster into the mike. Ethan’s joined pace. Only now did he realize how their breathing had become one over the past two hours since they’d left the house. “Kelly? What the hell’s going on? Where are you?”
Kelly gasped. “It would be easier to walk if you’d take your hand off my eyes and the gun out of my side.”
A gun on Kelly. Ethan’s gut twisted, burned. Only minutes ago he’d been reeling with relief over keeping Kelly alive. Even if she did walk away from him, at least he didn�
��t have her blood on his soul. Now his worst nightmare exploded in front of him and all he could think about was the time he’d wasted arguing with her.
“Davidson, do you copy that? Kelly’s been taken.” Ethan flung through the door into the hall while ARIES affirmed his transmission. “Keep talking, Kelly.”
“Ow!” she squawked. “It would sure be nice if you didn’t bump me into walls. This hall has too many corners.”
Fear grabbed Ethan in a stranglehold as he listened to her voice. “The hall. Got it, Kelly. Davidson, give the order. Have security fan out. I’m looking, Kelly. Hang tough. We’re looking.”
Kelly panted, the sound of running feet pounding through the mike. “You won’t get away with this, Peter. Why are we going upstairs instead of leaving?”
Peter. She’d found Peter Miller. “Good, Kelly. Keep it coming.” Ethan forced his voice to stay even, hell-bent determined to keep her calm, reassured even as his feet double-timed toward the service elevator. “Davidson, did you get that? Peter Miller is here and he has Kelly.”
“Roger that,” Davidson barked from headquarters. “We’re trying to track you, Kelly. Keep talking.”
A door squeaked and clicked.
“Peter, stop. You don’t want to do this.” Kelly’s voice rose for the first time.
The hair on the back of Ethan’s neck prickled.
“Get in the room and shut up.”
What the hell was the man thinking? Peter Miller was in a load of trouble in a place crawling with agents of every kind. The guy shouldn’t have a second to spare…
Unless he’d lost hope and planned a standoff—with a hostage.
In a room. A hotel room. Alone with Kelly.
No. No. And hell no! Fury fired through Ethan while fear iced his spine. He didn’t want to hear what he was almost certain would come next.
“Take off your dress.”
Ethan’s world exploded into a red haze. Not Kelly. Not that.
“No!”
Chapter 16
The Cinderella Mission Page 21