Had they sensed some new threat? It seemed like a lifetime ago that Kit had faced down a ruthless killer here. Now she wondered if that old danger had come back to stalk her.
Baby rested her paws on the side of the metal tub, her tail wagging wildly. In one movement she kicked hard, sailing onto the flagstones in a blur of wet fur.
“Baby, stop. Your bath isn’t finished.”
Diesel shot past. “Diesel, stay. Baby, heel.”
Furry bodies raced in circles around her. Though young, the puppies were already well trained, and they usually responded to Kit’s commands instantly.
But not this time. Something was definitely wrong. The dogs were quivering with excitement, staring toward the adobe fence that circled the side of the house.
Wind played over the back of Kit’s neck, tossing leaves through the sunlight. The dogs didn’t move, listening to something that Kit couldn’t hear. Another cougar?
Suddenly Baby shot across the yard, grabbed a well-chewed stick between her teeth, and bulleted back to the patio, as if the threat had vanished. Kit took the stick and sighed in relief. These four were better than any alarm system, though Wolfe had insisted on installing one on his last visit. “Baby, let me finish brushing you, honey. Then we can play fetch.”
Baby’s tail banged on the wet bricks. The puppy gave a single high-pitched bark and then tugged the stick out of Kit’s fingers, racing off to join her litter-mates. The four of them sat panting in a neat row, their eyes on the adobe wall. Thinking and acting like a team, Kit thought.
Suddenly, a black duffel bag came flying through the air, followed by a Frisbee. A second later Wolfe Houston climbed nimbly over the top of the wall and dropped lightly onto the patio.
Wolfe?
Kit ran an unsteady hand through her hair and tried to brush foam off her chest and cheeks. Typical of a man to give her no warning. Typical of her to look like she’d been rolling around with the puppies.
Which she had.
She was surprised that the dogs hadn’t rocketed across the yard and mobbed him. There was generally a canine riot whenever he appeared. But this time Wolfe was watching the dogs, a little smile on his face, and if Kit hadn’t known better, she would have thought the five of them were having a silent conversation, which was beyond crazy, of course.
Then every other thought was forgotten as Wolfe sprinted toward her and caught her in his arms. “Forget about the suds and the water all over your jeans, honey. You’d look good enough to eat soaked in mud and crude oil.” His eyes narrowed. “Now there’s a kinky thought. Maybe we should try that sometime.”
Before he could say anything more, Kit wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a fierce, searching kiss, fueled by memories of their last night together a month earlier. When she finally ran out of breath and pulled away, Wolfe was sweating and his eyes were dark.
“How about we ditch this lunatic crew and find somewhere private so I can really say hello?”
Baby threaded her body between his legs while Diesel pushed his nose in expectantly. Then Butch and Sundance shoved their way between the other dogs until Wolfe and Kit were surrounded.
“Outflanked and outgunned before we took one step,” Kit said, laughing. “I think they’re as glad to see you as I am.” She bit his lips, her fingers trailing along his chest. “Almost as glad.”
Wolfe cleared his throat. “I’m dying here, honey. I may not have a lot of time, so—”
As he took a step back, Baby shot under his feet. Seconds later he and Kit plunged backwards into the swimming pool. When they came up for air, Wolfe pulled her into his arms and swept damp hair out of her face. “I think we just got suckered.”
“No doubt about it.” Kit blinked, brushing water out of her eyes. “Sometimes I can’t believe what they do. Yesterday I was ready to drive into town, but Baby kept running around to the back of my truck, jumping up on the fender. I finally realized she had her paws on the gas tank.” Kit hesitated. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“Try me, honey.”
“I was nearly out of gas. How she sensed a thing like that is beyond me.” Kit frowned. “Do you think it was a coincidence?”
Wolfe watched Baby cavort over the yarn. “Maybe she figured out that the gasoline smell wasn’t as intense as usual. I don’t have to tell you how sharp their olfac-tory sense is.” He watched Baby lean over the edge of the pool and drop the Frisbee in Kit’s lap.
“I think they want to play.” There was an edge of uncertainty in Kit’s voice as she studied his face. “Will you be here long?”
“I’m afraid not. I needed to meet someone in town, and I carved out a little time first.” Something dark filled Wolfe’s eyes. “They’ll pick me up in two hours.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “It’s the most I could manage. Things are a little…complicated right now.”
Kit forced herself not to ask about her brother, a member of Wolfe’s unit. The rules of their dangerous work demanded absolute secrecy, and she knew she was lucky he’d told her anything.
“Have you heard anything from your friend Miki?”
“I had a postcard ten days ago, postmarked from Maui. Otherwise, nothing. Funny, she was supposed to e-mail me from Tahiti.” Kit’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”
Wolfe raised his hands protectively. “I’m not allowed to ask an idle question?”
“I’m not sure.” Kit wrapped her hand around his collar and pulled him through the water toward the edge of the pool, her eyes full of challenge. “But we don’t have time for chitchat. I think we’ll start in the kitchen.”
“Why? I’m not hungry,” Wolfe said hoarsely.
“Who said anything about eating?” Kit yanked off his shirt and ran her fingers along his chest. “The kitchen table will be good. After that, there’s the sheepskin rug in front of the fireplace. With luck, we might even make it upstairs to the bedroom before you collapse.”
“Who’s going to collapse?” Wolfe shoved down the zipper on her sweatshirt while Kit vainly tried to reach his belt. They left a trail of wet footprints and scattered clothes as they made their way across the patio.
Behind them in the afternoon sunlight the four dogs sat in a watchful row, ears alert, sensitive to every movement. As the low laughter faded upstairs, Baby shot across the patio, tail wagging. The black puppy bumped noses with Diesel in what had to be the canine equivalent of a high-five. Then the four dogs took up their posts at each corner of the yard.
Keeping watch over the two people they loved most.
KIT RAN HER HAND ALONG Wolfe’s gorgeous chest and sighed lazily. “I can’t move.”
Wolfe slid his arm around her protectively. He had come damn close to losing her several months earlier, when Enrique Cruz had made his break from a secret Foxfire facility near Los Alamos. Wolfe’s work had put Kit in grave danger, and it was hard for him to live with that guilt. Yet he knew what Kit did not: her four special dogs made her risk even greater. After a lengthy argument, Lloyd Ryker had agreed to install a high-tech surveillance system at Kit’s ranch, constantly monitored from the Foxfire command center. Between the surveillance system and what he had seen of her dogs’ growing skills, Wolfe knew that Kit was in excellent hands.
Or excellent paws, to be exact.
He rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him, staring at the bruise on her rib. “What happened here?”
“We were practicing jumps in the wash and a boulder slipped. I fell a few feet.”
Wolfe traced the bruise, frowning. “You need to be more careful.”
“Explain that to my dogs.” Kit’s eyes narrowed. “I hope you aren’t telling me how to do my job.”
Wolfe cupped her hips, sliding her against his hard thighs. After a moment he sighed. “Point taken. I’ll shut up.”
“Good. Let’s forget about my bruise. I notice you’ve got a few new ones yourself.” When Wolfe nudged open her legs, Kit’s voice became a husky croak. “How do you do thi
s? You’re grinning like the Cheshire cat, ready to start all over again.” She closed her eyes, sighing as she felt the intimate brush of his hands. “Don’t you ever get tired?”
“Not where you’re concerned.” Wolfe’s eyes were dark with need. He wanted her again, hard and fast. He would never have enough of her.
Kit seemed to have the same thing in mind. Laughing, she drove her heels into the scattered quilts, twisted to her side and pulled him on top of her.
Sunlight spilled through her hair, danced over her shoulders, reflected in her vibrant eyes. Wolfe had never seen anything more beautiful. Their bodies met, teased, and desire flared back to life, even though they had made love in three different locations before they’d made their way to Kit’s bedroom.
He knew how much it cost her not to ask questions about her brother. He also suspected that she and her friend Miki were cooking up some kind of plan. The last time he’d been here, Miki had shoved something white into a big box and pushed it back out of sight in the closet.
Wolfe was almost positive it had been a wedding dress.
He couldn’t think of anything he wanted more. He’d marry Kit in a heartbeat, except for one small problem.
Foxfire.
The oath of loyalty he had made to his country meant that all personal relationships had to undergo scrutiny of the team, and Ryker had met Wolfe’s first request with stony silence. Over the days that followed, Ryker had said nothing more, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Wolfe had already decided to press for an answer when he returned. But marriage meant potential security risks and emotional complications, things that Ryker was determined to avoid at all cost.
In spite of that, Wolfe couldn’t see any real reason that two sane, mature people couldn’t tie the knot. Maintaining a long-distance marriage wouldn’t be easy, but Wolfe was determined to make it work.
Kit’s nails raked his back. “Daydreaming, Navy? You must get bored fast. Here I am, naked and available, and you’re thinking about tactical training manuals.”
“Not a chance.” Wolfe’s hands tightened on her shoulders. He leaned down, nipping a wet path over her stomach until Kit squirmed. She wrapped her legs around his waist, driving their bodies together while Wolfe tried to keep his mind in one piece.
A dull whine came from the middle of the bedroom floor.
He cursed softly.
It was his beeper, vibrating in the back pocket of his jeans. Disappointment swirled through Kit’s eyes. Without a word she wiggled free, stood up and reached for his pants, then tossed him the beeper that was still vibrating loudly.
After that she walked out of the room without a backward glance.
No questions, no anger, no protests. She was one hell of a woman. She didn’t like it by half, but she knew it came with the job.
Wolfe pressed a button on the encrypted pager. A terse message ordered him outside to the gravel road in front of Kit’s house. A chopper would be there to pick him up shortly.
Wolfe glanced at his watch and cursed. He had less than five minutes to dress and say his goodbyes.
Join the Navy, see the world.
KIT WAS DOWNSTAIRS, fully dressed, her face calm. Baby pressed against her right leg, nuzzling her hand while her three other puppies watched the stairs.
When Wolfe came down, they shot toward him, then sat down abruptly. For a moment, Wolfe wondered if Kit might have been crying, since her head was turned away.
She pressed his duffel bag into his hands. “Be careful.” There was no mistaking the raw emotion in her voice or the telltale shimmer of her tears. “I hate this part,” she whispered. “I hate not knowing where you are or what you’re doing. So—damn it, just be careful.”
Wolfe closed his eyes, dragging in the faint citrus scent of her shampoo, pulling her warm body against his. “Count on it, honey. You’re not getting rid of me ever again.” Down the hill he heard the drone of motors, moving fast.
“They sent a chopper for you, didn’t they?”
Wolfe nodded, scratching Baby’s head with one hand and Diesel’s back with the other. All the dogs were huddled close now, pressing Wolfe and Kit between their warm bodies. “I have to go, Kit.”
Kit looked down at Baby and took a deep breath. “I know you do. You’ve got the world to save and I’ve got puppies to train.”
Something bumped Wolfe’s leg. Baby was shoving something against his hand, and Wolfe realized it was the red training leash that Kit always used to mark the transition from play to focused work time.
Baby was telling him that she wanted to go along, that playtime was over and she wanted to work, too.
Something burned at the back of his eyes. There seemed to be no limit to these dogs’ intelligence. Any soldier would be lucky to have their help.
But Baby wasn’t going anywhere. The puppies were far too valuable, and it would be months before they were experienced enough to be tested on their first field assignment. Ryker wasn’t going to risk another attack from Cruz.
A black speck appeared on the horizon and the motors drummed closer. Kit made a small sound, slid her arms around Wolfe’s neck and kissed him, locking her body against his. A shiver ran through her. “Something’s wrong,” she whispered. “He’s out there, Wolfe.”
Cruz. Only one person could make Kit feel this kind of panic.
Abruptly she stepped away, staring out at the black helicopter sweeping over the mountains. She looked angry. “Do you think he’ll come back here?”
“Not likely. Cruz is a fast learner. He’s looking for different prey now. But I’ll have two men watching the ranch just in case,” he said grimly. He traced her cheek, committing her face to memory, aware that it could be months before he saw her again.
A sense of loss hung between them, so bitter he could taste it. But Wolfe had made a promise when he joined Foxfire, and duty wasn’t a responsibility you could toss away when your life changed.
Even if you’d found the love you’d never believed was possible.
He swung his duffel bag over one shoulder and scratched Baby’s head, bending down to take her red training leash. “You guys stay close. Keep an eye on the boss here, okay? Work hard and don’t give her any guff.” Baby gave a small growl and shot forward, licking his face thoroughly, while the other three dogs pushed closer.
The helicopter roared along the gravel road toward the house, and the dogs turned sharply, running to the front door, bodies tense. In full protection mode, Wolfe realized.
He felt Kit’s hand touch his shoulder, just for a second.
“Get moving, Navy. We’ll be fine. Just…don’t get yourself shot.”
The emotion behind her words slid into the dark places of Wolfe’s heart.
He gripped her hands for a second, his touch saying all the things that words couldn’t while the blades of the helicopter churned and hammered, sending up a vortex of dust and sage twigs. Then he opened the door and walked across the front yard.
He didn’t look back.
KIT STOOD IN THE QUIET house, her heart pounding.
Damn it, she wasn’t going to pieces. He was tough and smart. He’d come back. When he did, she’d make him crazy and they’d get around to that wedding.
Something bumped her hand.
When she looked down, Baby had a box of tissues in her mouth, holding it up to Kit. She gave a watery laugh. Around these dogs, there were absolutely no secrets.
The helicopter lifted off, banked sharply, and headed west. Kit’s eyes followed it every foot of the way.
WHEN WOLFE SLID INTO his seat, Lloyd Ryker’s aide was holding out a file. “Teague just sent us an update. He’s received an encrypted short-burst message in code. Probable weapon sighting at the island.”
Wolfe stared at the horizon as the chopper thundered west toward a military cargo plane less than half an hour away. In less than five hours, he’d be back with the rest of the team in the Pacific, and he’d be carrying new hardware to deactivate the stolen guidance system.
“Any news on that storm?”
“It’s holding right on course. Teague says it’s going to be nasty.”
Wolfe pictured the sky over the island, methodically running through the details of his last briefing. Max Preston was a fine solider, highly decorated before he was selected to join Foxfire. Thanks to his bio-enhancements, he had become even more formidable. He knew what Cruz was capable of and his new sensory skills would take him as close to the weapon system as humanly possible. Ryker had planned every detail of the mission carefully.
But once you dropped out of a plane and hit the ground, Wolfe knew, plans usually went awry.
He patted his front pocket, which held documents from the current investigation of Cruz’s actions in Santa Fe. Ryker wanted Wolfe’s scrutiny in the hope that some detail might have escaped their notice. Now, thanks to Miki Fortune’s detailed description of the man who had spilled coffee on her, they had a possible target under surveillance.
The net was closing, Wolfe thought, as the chopper headed west. The only question was whether it was closing fast enough.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
MAX TIGHTENED HIS CARABINER and squinted through the rain. He was hanging from a wall of sheer granite with rain whipping his face and visibility next to nil. The sea was two hundred feet below him. It would have been nice to be doing this on a dry, sunny day, he thought, instead of during the final hours before a hurricane. Grimly he rechecked the placement of his carabiners, leaned away from the rock face and pulled himself up to the next handhold, fighting the cold wind that drove in from the ocean.
He’d told Miki that this was going to be a rough ascent. That had been a serious understatement.
A bird soared past, brushing his shoulder, and Max locked his fingers into a crack in the cliff face, swaying.
Code Name: Blondie Page 21