Targeted Risk (R.I.S.C. Book 7)

by Anna Blakely

  “All set?” Mike frowned. “What’s that mean?”

  “You’ll have to excuse my brother, Dr. Greer. He’s a little on edge this evening.”

  “It’s understandable.” Offering her hand, the pretty brunette woman with green eyes smiled up at him. “Sophie Greer. You must be Mike. I’ve heard a lot about you from Olivia.”

  “All lies.” He forced out the joke to avoid biting the nice doctor’s head off. “What did you mean when you said Juliet was all set?”

  “She’s been discharged. You can take her home whenever you’re ready. Just make sure to keep the area clean and apply the antibacterial ointment I gave her as directed. ”

  “What area? Ointment?” Mike looked to his sister for answers. “You told me she was fine.”

  “She is.” Olivia put a hand to his arm. “She got a minor burn on the back of her right shoulder. That’s all.”

  “She got burned?”

  “A minor burn. Barely a second degree.”

  “Your sister’s correct,” Dr. Greer assured him. “It’s a small wound that should heal in no time.”

  He released a breath slowly and tried to calm his racing heart. “Okay, thanks.” With his need to set eyes on her for himself growing with each second that passed, he looked to Jake and Olivia. “I’ll find you before we leave.”

  His sister nodded. “Take your time. We’ll be in Derek’s room, right next door. Oh and I have Juliet’s cat. I told her we could take her to the cabin and watch her until this whole mess blows over.”

  “Lydia?” Mike ran a hand through his hair. “Damn. I’d completely forgotten about her. She made it out of the house, huh?”

  “Apparently, she was already kenneled up, and Juliet grabbed her on the way out.”

  Good deal.

  Jules loved that crazy cat, and—not that he’d ever admit it—Lydia was starting to grow on him, too. If Juliet lost her, on top of everything else, an already shitty situation would be even worse.

  Unable to wait a second longer, Mike thanked Dr. Greer and headed into the room. His chest tightened when he saw Juliet sitting there in a set of scrubs, her legs dangling over the side of the bed.

  His heart swelled when her face lit up the minute he walked through the door.

  “Jay!” She hopped down off the bed and practically ran to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him tightly and began to sob.

  “Baby, no. Your back.” Mike tried pushing her back gently so he wouldn’t hurt her, but she wasn’t having it. “The doctor said you’d been burned.”

  “It’s nothing.” She held him even tighter. “I’m so sorry.”

  Relenting, he kept her close and kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay, Jules. What happened isn’t your fault.”

  “Yes, it is.” She sniffed. “Your home was destroyed because of me.”

  “Look at me.” When he tried putting some space between them, she let him. “I told you on the phone I don’t give a fuck about the house, and I meant it. It was just a place to store my stuff and lay my head whenever I’m not on a job.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” He cupped her face and used his thumbs to dry her tears. “You’re okay. Derek and Lydia are okay. That’s all that matters. Okay?”

  “O-Okay.” She drew in a stuttering breath and nodded. A fresh round of tears hit, each one ripping his heart in two. “My father—”

  “Didn’t do this.”

  God, I hope that’s true.

  Frowning, Juliet swiped at her damp cheeks. “What? Of course, he did. Schreiber told me my father hired him to kill me.”

  “He lied.”

  I’m pretty sure he lied.

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Because I saw your dad today.” Mike swallowed hard. “That’s where Jake and I went.”

  “You flew to Vegas to see my father? Are you crazy?”

  “I used to work with him, remember?”

  “He knew about us back then, Jay. He probably knows about us, now. That’s how he knew to send his men to your house.”

  It was a possibility. In addition to the background the CIA had on file for him, Mike had also made sure Derek temporarily changed the name on his mortgage records to Jay Reynolds. Of course, if someone had been keeping tabs on Juliet, they could’ve followed her there, as well.

  Either way, Mike was going to find the fuckers and end them for even daring to hurt the woman he loved.

  “They could’ve followed us,” he pointed out.

  “No. You said no one was following us when we drove from Houston to Dallas.”

  “No one that I saw. But whoever these guys are, they’re pros.”

  “Exactly. Just like the kind of men who work for my father.”

  “Jules, I know it’s hard to accept that someone other than your father is behind all of this, but we have to keep ourselves open to the possibility.”

  “I get that. What I don’t understand is how you can be so sure it’s not him.”

  “My gut says it’s not.”

  “Your gut? Oh, god.” She went back to the bed and sat down.

  “Look, Jules. I saw the look on your dad’s face when I told him what Schreiber said to you. He had no idea what that asshole was talking about. And when he talked about finding whoever was behind all this, let’s just say he seemed pretty damn eager to beat me to the punch.”

  Her tear-filled eyes rose to meet his, and Mike wished like hell he could take away the pain and fear he saw there.

  “If that’s true”—she spoke almost as if she were in a daze—“if he isn’t the one trying to kill me, then who is? And why do they want me dead?”

  “I don’t know, but I swear to you, I’m going to find out.”

  “How?” Juliet’s long, dark hair brushed across her shoulders and back when she shook her head. “If it’s really not my father, that means it could be...anyone.”

  Mike went to her. He took her hand in his, treading carefully with his words. As much as he wanted to spill his guts, she was much too vulnerable to do it, now.

  “I know. But, sweetheart, the team I work for is the best in the business. This is what we do, so if anyone can find the person responsible for all of this, it’s them.”

  She sat there for a moment, processing everything he’d said before she asked, “So, what do we do until then?”

  “I want to take you away from here.”

  “Great.” Juliet slid from the mattress and walked around him to the other side of the room. “So we go somewhere else until when? They find us there like they did here? And after that, we’ll be forced to go to yet another place, and another...” She shook her head and crossed her arms. “I don’t want to keep running all over the damn country, Jay.”

  “We won’t.” He covered the small space between them. “As soon as we landed, I made a phone call. There’s a place we can go. A cabin in Colorado.”

  Her blue eyes grew wide. “Colorado?”

  “It’s secluded and secure. A hundred acres surrounded by a high-powered, electrical fence. It’s located in a valley with nothing around but mountains and wilderness for miles.”

  Mike could tell she still wasn’t convinced, so he stepped closer, took her face between his palms, and tipped her head up so she was looking back at him.

  He needed to look into her eyes when he said this next part.

  “I don’t know about you, but I meant what I said tonight. I love you, Juliet. I think I have from that first moment I laid eyes on you.”

  She blinked, a single tear escaping down her cheek and landing on his hand. “I love you, too, J—”

  Mike took her mouth in his, the kiss swallowing that godforsaken name. Hearing her say she loved him was the best sound in the world, but it tore him to shreds knowing she was in love with someone who didn’t even exist.

  When we get to the cabin...that’s when I’ll tell her.

  Shitty situation or not, the guilt was eating him alive from the inside ou
t. The longer he waited, the harder it was going to be. Juliet didn’t deserve that.

  I don’t deserve her.

  Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, “I need you safe, baby.”

  “What about you?” She looked up at him. “You shouldn’t have to stop living your life just to protect me.”

  “Don’t you get it? Baby, you are my life. My everything.”

  Juliet was his. His to love. His to cherish. And his to protect with everything he had.

  Another tear fell when she nodded. “Call your friend. Tell him we’re coming to Colorado.”

  Chapter 12

  Juliet sat on the large, flat rock and stared out over the water. Crisp and blue, the small river flowed at a soothing pace as a cool breeze blew through her hair.

  Lifting her gaze higher, she took in the entire scene. The tall, thick evergreens lining both sides of the river seemed to go on forever. The mountains’ jagged and gentle slopes resting against the beautiful horizon.

  Quiet and peaceful, it was picture-perfect. Truly the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. Too bad it was her personal prison.

  “It’s starting to get pretty cold,” Jay said from his spot beside her. “We should probably head back to the cabin before long.”

  Jake had flown them to Colorado late last night...on his private jet. Juliet still couldn’t believe he owned one. She also was shocked to discover that—in addition to being Jay’s childhood friend—he was Jay’s boss who also happened to own the whole freaking company.

  It didn’t matter to her one way or the other. By the time they left the hospital and boarded the jet, she was dead on her feet—no pun intended—and within minutes of taking air, she was out like a light.

  It was too dark to see much of anything when they’d landed, but this morning, after checking to make sure the immediate area around the cabin was as secure as Jay’s friend had claimed, he’d deemed it safe enough to go for a short walk.

  “It’s gorgeous here,” she spoke wistfully. “So quiet and peaceful. It’s almost feels like we’re in a completely different world than the one we live in.”

  “I agree.” Jay wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “I could stay right here with you and be perfectly content.”

  She could almost envision a life like that. She and Jay living in a quaint, quiet cabin in the woods. No one around to bother them or recognize her. Somewhere she could spend all day, every day just...being.

  I want that life, someday. I want that life with him.

  “Come on.” He pushed himself to his feet and then held out a hand. “Let’s get back before a bear decides to wonder up here and have us for dinner.”

  “Thanks for that lovely image.” Juliet chuckled as she accepted his help. “Speaking of dinner, what sounds good to you?”

  “I don’t know. Ben stocked the fridge and cupboards before we got here, so there should be a good variety of things. Why don’t you pick?”

  “Oh, no. I chose breakfast and lunch. This meal’s all you.” When Jay smiled, she asked him, “What?”

  “Just seems funny. Last night you were dodging bullets and bombs, and today we’re arguing over who’s gonna choose what we eat for dinner.”

  Juliet felt her smile falter a little. She’d done her best to push away the events of the previous night. It hadn’t really worked, but that hadn’t stopped her from trying.

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “It’s okay. I mean, it is what it is, right?”

  Walking with Jay’s arm around her shoulders like before, Juliet leaned into him, soaking up every ounce of his warm embrace. She felt him kiss the top of her head through her hat. A hat that his friend Ben had purchased for her—along with a whole slew of clothing and other necessities.

  She couldn’t believe the lengths the mysterious man had gone to in order to ensure she and Jay were comfortable and taken care of. In her world, or more accurately, her father’s world, no one ever did anything for someone else unless they expected payment in return.

  Sometimes that payment came in the form of cash. Sometimes in a beat-down. Then there were the other times...the ones Juliet never saw but heard whispers about. Those were the things of real nightmares.

  But Jay had assured her this Ben guy was totally on the up-and-up, and she trusted him, so...

  The thought left her smiling.

  “Do I even want to know what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

  She glanced up at Jay whose mouth was curled into that half-smile she’d grown to love. Her lower half tingled the way it always did when he looked at her like that, and suddenly nightmares and boogie men were the farthest thing from her mind.

  “I was just thinking how soft that rug in front of the fireplace looked.”

  Heat filtered behind his eyes. “Oh, yeah?”

  She nodded. “Maybe when we get inside, we should check it out. See just how comfortable it is.”

  “I’ve said it before, woman. I love the way you think.”

  “In that case, I think the last one there has to...wash the dinner dishes!”

  Running as fast as she could in her new hiking boots, Juliet slipped out from under his arm and took off for the cabin.

  “Hey!” Jay began running after her. “Cheaters never win!”

  She laughed and stole a glance from over her shoulder. “That’s what you think!”

  He caught up to her in the end, but she didn’t mind. Juliet did, however, learn that the rug in question was every bit as soft as it looked.

  Three days later, they were still living the dream...if the dream was to hide out away from civilization while Jay and his team back home tried to figure out who wanted her dead.

  Still, as far as safe houses went, this one was a hell of a lot better than the one she’d been forced to stay in two years before.

  Juliet glanced at the man sitting across from her and smiled. Yes, this one was much, much better.

  “Well...lunch is over. Whatever will we do, now?” She straightened her leg and ran her socked foot up and down the bottom of his denim-covered calf.

  Looking much too serious for her liking, Jay stood and picked up their plates and silverware. “Saw on the news that a storm’s supposed to come through here in the next couple of days. I need to go chop some more wood before it hits.”

  Blinking at his suddenly strange demeanor, Juliet glanced over at the ample stack of wood by the fireplace. “You need more?”

  He set the dishes in the sink and headed for the door. Grabbing his coat and hat from the wooden peg near hers, he shook his head. “That won’t last us a full day.”

  “What about the massive stack on the porch? Won’t that be enough?”

  “Not if we get snowed in for a significant period of time.” He threw on his cap and gloves. “Stay inside. Don’t—”

  “Answer the door unless it’s you. I know the drill, Jay.”

  Something strange—almost angry—flashed behind his eyes. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  And with that, he was gone.

  What the...

  Juliet’s mind began to race through the past few days. Had she done or said something to upset him?

  She couldn’t think of a single thing that had existed between them that wasn’t warm, loving, or passionate.

  Maybe he was worried because his team hadn’t figured out who wanted her dead yet. That had to be it because nothing else made sense.

  Despite his rules, Juliet rushed to put on her boots and grabbed her coat. She needed to go to him. To let him know everything would be okay.

  Maybe it was this place. Or more likely, the man she’d been sharing the place with. Either way, she’d finally started to believe that to be true.

  Somehow, some way, they were going to get through this mess. After that, they’d finally be free to start the life they both wanted...together.

  Juliet turned the knob and opened the door, letting out a
tiny squeal of surprise when she saw a man standing in front of her. He was tall and lean, his dark hair parted perfectly to one side. And his gloved hand was raised into a fist, as if he’d been about to knock.

  “You must be Juliet. I’m sorry I startled you.”

  He knows my name.

  Her heart began to race. She should slam the door and lock it, but instead, Juliet found herself asking, “W-who are you?”

  “My apologies. I’m Ben. This is my cabin.”

  “Show me some I.D.”

  Despite the harshness of her order, the man’s thin lips curved into an approving grin. “I see your protector has trained you well. Here.” He pulled out his wallet and flipped it open for her.

  Juliet studied it closely, her mouth dropping when she read his credentials. “Your CIA?”

  “I am. But if you tell anyone, I’ll have to kill you.”

  Her eyes flew up to his, which were filled with humor.

  “Sorry.” Ben offered her a chagrined smirk. “That joke was in poor taste, given the circumstances.” A bout of awkward silence filled the air between them before he said, “Glad to see the boots fit. I hope the fuzzy black slippers I picked out for you do, as well.”

  Okay, he must be legit. Otherwise, how would he know about the slippers?

  “Everything was perfect. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  When he didn’t say anything more, she asked, “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I just came to drop this off.” He held up a folder she hadn’t even noticed before then. “Is your man here? There’s some intel in here I think he’s going to be interested in.”

  “Is that about my case?” Hope bloomed inside her chest. “Do you know who’s been trying to hurt me?”

  “We might. We’ve recently come across a couple new leads. That’s why I wanted to bring this to you both now, rather than wait. With the snowstorm coming, I was afraid the phone lines would be down, and I wouldn’t be able to email or fax it later.”

  Excited to see what was in it, Juliet took the folder and said, “Jay’s out cutting wood, but I’ll make sure he gets it.”