by Katie Reus
A makeshift shack proclaiming to sell lobsters and shrimp was up on the left near their turn.
“This is it, right?” Sophie asked.
“Yes. . . . Shit,” he muttered as he watched the satellite image on-screen. What looked like a cigarette racing boat was moving fast toward the city beach. Exactly where Vargas and Chadwick were headed. He couldn’t allow them to get on that boat, especially since that particular type was known for being able to outrun the Coast Guard. “Speed up, Soph.”
“Don’t call me Soph anymore!” she snapped, her voice sharp as she pressed harder on the gas.
“What’s going on? And don’t say you’re fine because you’re obviously not. You can’t shut me out like this.”
She snorted.
“I’m not a mind reader. . . . Wait, follow where the road curves.” He looked back at the screen and ran through scenarios. “When we near the entrance to the city beach parking area, speed up until we pass it, then pull off about thirty yards down.” As he watched, the vehicle Vargas was in slowed and turned into the city beach parking lot. Well, parking lot was a bit of a stretch. There were about ten spaces drawn out in a badly paved area. He couldn’t see that much from the satellite view, but he’d been there before. After most of his undercover operations, he usually spent his downtime fishing and vacationing in the Keys.
With the exception of a house half a mile down the road and another house a mile down from that on the point, mangrove and palm trees surrounded the area. He’d have plenty of cover.
Though he wanted nothing more than to grill Sophie until she told him what the hell was going on in her head, he called Wesley. If he didn’t stop Vargas, he’d never get to talk to Sophie again. Or it would be from behind bars.
“Are you seeing this?” Jack asked the second his boss answered.
“Yeah. That boat is tearing through the water. Do not let them get on.”
“Am I authorized to use deadly force if necessary?”
“If you can’t bring them in alive, you have to take them out. We can’t risk either of them escaping.”
“Understood. . . . Park here.” Jack pointed to a stretch of grassy area but kept his eyes trained on the computer.
The vehicle had parked, but only one person got out. The images weren’t crystal clear, but he could see one of the men walk around to the passenger seat and pull a body from the vehicle. One man dragged the other toward a cluster of trees—with difficulty—then only one individual emerged. Jack couldn’t be sure, but his money was on Vargas being the one still alive. Chadwick had nothing to gain by killing Vargas.
Jack moved the computer to the backseat, then turned to face Sophie. “I’ve gotta go. Stay here and wait for me. If anyone comes up to the vehicle, drive away and don’t look back.”
She opened her mouth as if to argue, then snapped it shut and nodded.
Jack pulled out his SIG and after a brief scan of the area got out of the Jeep.
“Be careful.” Sophie’s soft words cut through the air as he shut the door. He paused for a brief second but didn’t turn back before rushing into the underbrush.
That speedboat was either very close or already on the shoreline. He dashed through the mangrove trees at full speed, ignoring the snapping branches and leaves hitting him in the face. When he neared a clearing on the beach, he stayed hidden in the shadows and bushes. The boat he’d seen on the satellite was cruising full speed toward the shore, ready to beach on the white sand.
Jack guessed Vargas was hiding under some sort of cover until the last moment possible. At least that’s what he’d do if he was in the man’s position. Jack glanced down the stretch of beach, thankful it was deserted. The few times he’d visited, there had usually been one or two kite surfers, but there was no wind today so the place was dead. Using the trees as cover, he inched his way closer to where the parking area joined with the beach.
As soon as the boat hit the sand, Vargas appeared from a cluster of mangroves. Jack hated revealing his position, but there was no other choice. He couldn’t wait for backup to arrive.
Weapon drawn, he rushed from the trees. “Stop where you are!” Moving across the sand was difficult in shoes, but Vargas was having the same problem.
He stopped midstride to look at Jack, then looked back toward his escape. He had twenty feet to go.
The two men with the dark sunglasses in the boat shifted slightly, so he continued shouting. “A chopper and the Coast Guard are on their way. Leave now and we have no problem.”
The men hadn’t made any sudden movements, so he’d bet his life savings they had guns in their hands. Only their heads and shoulders were visible above the dash. As they glanced at each other, the faint sound of a helicopter rent the air. They spoke for a few seconds, then reversed as if they were in a Super Boat race. The twin-engine speedboat was gone in milliseconds, leaving a raging wake in its path. Water and foam lapped against the shore.
Jack guessed it was the mention of the Coast Guard that changed their mind.
Vargas still hadn’t moved, though Jack was sure he had a gun tucked in his pants. The movement wasn’t overt, but Jack saw his hand twitch. He was almost a hundred percent sure Chadwick was dead, but he paid close attention to the parking area using his peripheral vision. “Don’t even think about it, Vargas. You’re coming back with me.”
A large vehicle out of the corner of his eye momentarily distracted him. For a split second Jack thought it was the Jeep he’d stolen. Before he could react, Vargas reached for his weapon.
Vargas swung his arm up, gun in hand, and Jack fired twice. The loud pops thundered, echoing loudly along the coast. The weapon dropped from Vargas’s hand as crimson liquid spread out like a river across his chest, lapping and twisting as it covered his entire shirt. The man hit the ground knees first, then fell onto his face.
The sound of squealing tires pulled him out of the funnel. He turned to see a Jeep—thankfully not the one Sophie was in—tearing out of the lot. No doubt whoever that was had already called the police. Even though he was sure Vargas was dead, he checked his pulse and retrieved the man’s weapon.
He’d left Sophie alone far too long. Once he was sure Vargas wasn’t breathing, Jack sprinted across the pavement, only pausing at the entrance to scan the road in both directions. His heart rate tripled when he saw the dark green Jeep still parked about thirty yards north.
When he was a foot from the driver’s-side door, she opened it and jumped out. “You’re okay?” The words came out hoarse and scratchy and her eyes were red and glassy.
“I’m fine. It’s all over.” He wanted to take her in his arms and bury his face in her neck, but he kept a little distance.
She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the seat. “Will I be able to see Hannah soon?”
“Of course. She’s probably still being debriefed.”
“Good.” She stared at him for a long moment, then looked down at her feet.
He could hear a chopper in the distance and knew he should call Wesley, but before she was debriefed—and he was possibly arrested—they needed to talk. “Will you please tell me what’s going on?”
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 unde
rstand 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.