“Let me know if you were able to ice skate your way through Atlanta so I don’t make a wasted trip to the airport.”
Interesting how even Kreed’s texts read in that cocky way he normally spoke. For some reason it grated on Aaron’s nerves more than usual. With a small smile, he shoved his phone back in his pocket, deciding to ignore the text. Let Kreed make the trip to Dulles to pick him up. Kreed deserved at least that much trouble for his part in insisting Aaron fly to DC in the first place.
SpongeBob SquarePants reruns played on the television set in the hotel room the FBI had assigned to Kreed Sinacola. He’d arrived late last night under a mandatory directive from the powers that be. Sadly, he’d had to leave his parents on the command of Director Carpenter who apparently hadn’t seen the need to end his own holiday vacation like he’d demanded of Kreed, Aaron Stuart, Special Agent Connors, and Special Agent Brown.
If Kreed chose to care, that would probably piss him off. But with twenty years of being a government employee under his belt, he knew how the top brass generally operated—all posturing, little performance.
Boredom more than anything had Kreed sprawled across the king-size bed, a couple of pillows tucked under his head as he absently tossed a blade in the air, artfully executing a perfect spin before catching the handle solidly in one hand each and every time. He didn’t pay much attention to the act itself, it was second nature to him. Where his longtime partner and buddy Deputy US Marshal Mitch Knox had his video games to keep him occupied during the long hours of downtime in their jobs, Kreed had his knives. The scars along his hands and arms proved the time he’d put in to becoming an expert bladesman.
A couple of minutes, maybe more, had passed since he’d texted Aaron Stuart, the little computer hottie he was assigned to pick up from the airport. The guy hadn’t responded. Since he’d seen the weather alerts crossing the bottom of the screen, he figured Aaron was stranded, pissed off, in some terminal somewhere. Hell, pissed off was probably mild because the guy had already been pretty damn upset he’d had to make this trip in the first place.
Kreed gave a little chuckle at the memory of the fit Stuart had thrown when he’d found out about the mandatory directive. Just wait until the sexy IT guy heard he was now being officially reassigned from the NSA to the FBI to help solve the case. Aaron had proven himself invaluable, negating all the years of government skepticism or maybe the better word was “fear” regarding his expert hacking ability. Kreed laughed out loud at that one. Yeah, they were scared shitless of Stuart’s skill set.
There was absolutely no doubt in the kid’s talent. Anyone who spent more than a few hours with the guy had to walk away impressed. Years ago, when Aaron was still a teenager, he had bested both the FBI and Department of Homeland Security when he’d broken into a system thought to be impenetrable—all as a fraternity prank or some shit like that. Of course, at the time he’d been “dealt with.” And like most of those types of things turned out, the kid ended up working for the NSA, doing what he did best, finding weaknesses in computer systems and networks. It was just like the government to turn a blind eye when they needed something from someone.
Aaron probably didn’t understand how badly they were using him. He was a genius in his field, but young enough that he still had that youthful idealism about him. No doubt he’d believed he could make the world a better place and proved that fact when he’d gone over a closed case file, found a problem, and made calls on Christmas Eve to everyone involved.
His brother Derek had that same way about him, too. Man, he missed his brother.
Instant grief blanketed Kreed, gnawing at the raw void in his heart. He’d spent Christmas at home with his parents for the first time in years to help ease the burden of this being the first holiday without his little brother. Yeah, that sucked on every level. His pop had already been in his late thirties when Kreed had been born thirty-eight years ago. His brother was twelve years younger than him. Derek had come as a surprise and no matter how old he’d gotten, everyone always considered him the baby of the family. God, that kid was so loved.
The loss had taken a major toll on his family. Kreed could see the decline in his parents since the Marines had informed them of Derek’s death. Damn if grief wasn’t a bitch to deal with.
For Kreed, his true problem lay in all the unanswered questions and the refusal to release information about the cause of Derek’s death. He knew that secretive side of military too well, probably better than anyone. Their refusal to provide any real information had him questioning everything and suspecting the worst.
Honestly, the whole thing just sucked balls. He fought the anger forming. There was more to the story than what his parents were told. He stopped the monotonous flip of the knife, grabbing the hilt of the blade a little aggressively as he moved his free hand to rub a palm across his aching heart.
The possibilities of what caused his brother’s death… “Stop, Sinacola,” he growled and mentally forced himself to quit thinking about all the inaccuracies, anything to keep from going to that dark place deep inside his soul. Nothing would be gained from him losing his shit right now.
Lifting his head, he looked for something to focus on, anything to help keep him on a level playing field so he could tie this case up for Knox. A weather alert beeped loudly on the TV and the information began to run across the top of the screen. The weather… Okay, he’d think about the weather.
Thank God he wasn’t sitting in an airport somewhere waiting out the storm. Somehow, on his trip from San Antonio, he’d just managed to bypass the storm blanketing the Southeast. Connors and his family were in one of the Carolinas visiting family for the holiday. Aaron was traveling from Miami. Both men were en route and most likely stuck in that icy mess.
From what he’d heard—and the best he could tell—the storm was fast-moving. Good thing, because the Southern states weren’t equipped to deal with the extreme cold weather. Hopefully, the temperatures would rise quickly tomorrow, but for now, it was enough to be a major pain in the ass for travelers.
Once it had become apparent they weren’t working on the case today, Special Agent Brown had done the standup thing and invited Kreed over for dinner. That had been a nice team-oriented gesture. Kreed appreciated the thought, but it was the holidays, and Brown had a house full of small kids… Kreed again crinkled his nose at the thought. Yeah, that just seemed torturous as hell, so he had respectively declined with a straight up hell-fucking-no and ended that with a loud bark of laughter. Good thing Brown had a sense of humor—that being the key difference between Brown and his partner, Special Agent Connors, who would have taken great offense to his invitation being so rudely declined.
All in all, seeing Connors get upset would have been kind of fun to watch, too. Connors’s straight-laced, by-the-book, goodie-two-shoes persona just drew guys like him and Mitch to the task of rattling his chain any chance they got.
Kreed’s cellphone started playing Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack,” alerting him to a call from Mitch Knox. Mitch had assigned the song to himself when he was going through his Timberlake-slash–Flo Rida phase.
Looking down at the phone, Kreed paused. He’d been waiting for this call. All agents were under strict orders not to tell Mitch about the latest development in the case. The guy had been placed on mandatory leave for the time being, and Kreed had received a very private message from their director stating he’d be reassigned to a new partner as soon as this detail was complete. He figured that meant they were just waiting to tell Mitch he was on desk duty from this point forward. That caused another little ache to trickle across his heart.
Mitch had to see this coming, but his buddy had a way about him. He could change minds when he chose to, but Kreed didn’t think that would work this time. Mitch had been directly targeted by the people they were investigating, and his lover, Cody Turner, had been shot at point blank range as a message to Mitch. Only a freak occurrence had Cody surviving the vicious attack. At this point, Mitch
was a liability to anyone he worked with in the field, but Kreed hadn’t wanted to be the one to tell his best friend he’d be becoming a suit if he wanted to continue being a deputy marshal.
Yeah, like having Mitch Knox in an office all day was ever going to work out for anyone involved. Kreed huffed a laugh and pushed that thought from his overactive head too. He didn’t want to think about all that right now either. Instead, he let the phone ring four times before he answered. Mitch Knox hated waiting for anything, and Kreed loved pushing his buttons. Kreed grinned as he swiped his finger over the screen to accept the call.
“A man takes a vacation, gets engaged, but calls his partner? Aww…you missing me already? Trouble in paradise, princess?” Kreed couldn’t resist teasing his long-time friend.
“Fuck you. Fuck the making me wait thing you always do when I call, and fuck the FBI. You should have fucking told me,” Mitch responded.
“You know I have to strut around, be the sexiest thing in the room, every time I hear your ringtone, Knox. And what exactly should I have told you?” Kreed asked. There was a laundry list of things Mitch didn’t know.
“Fuck you, Sinacola. You should have told me Aaron found something critical. And you need to tell me everything you know. These little surprise attacks aren’t cool.” Mitch sounded annoyed and angry, and Kreed knew when to back off. Now wasn’t the time to joke around. This case they were working had been Mitch’s baby. Mitch had painstakingly pieced together case after case of brutal attacks all on his own dime when their superiors had refused to allocate any money to the investigation. Kreed whole-heartedly agreed that Mitch shouldn’t be left out now.
“You’re too high profile, Knox. You’re considered a liability,” Kreed repeated what the higher-ups had said to him.
“Fuck that. I can be there on the inside. I know this case like the back of my hand,” Mitch barked out the exact same argument Kreed had used in his partner’s defense.
“You know I agree. I fought for you, man. I’ll still fight for you. But they’re firm. I’m gonna need the whole team to fight against their decision. And what are you gonna do with Cody while you’re here in DC? You need to consider that before I throw a massive fucking fit to get you here.”
Silence ensued. Yeah, Kreed figured Mitch hadn’t gotten that far in his thought process. He was just pissed off he’d been excluded.
“He’s still off work. He can come with me. Move the rehab to DC,” Mitch argued, clearly thinking and talking at the same time.
“How’d you find out?” Kreed asked, contemplating Mitch’s plan.
“The case file opened back up. I got an alert. I called your parents and they told me you were back in DC.”
“You called my parents?” Everything stopped right then. If Mitch were in this room, he’d have thrown a blade at his partner. Mitch shouldn’t have used his parents to gain information. That was one hell of a low blow.
“Fuck yeah, I did. You didn’t fucking tell me what’s going on,” Mitch accused.
“That’s low, even for you, Knox.”
“No lower than you. I’m heading down there. Cody’s coming with me. He’s smarter than the both of us combined anyway—”
“Man, don’t do it this way.” Kreed cut Mitch’s rant off. “The whole team’s really worried about you and Cody. It’s personal to them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have eyes on you two at all times. They’re serious. Hang tight. I’ll keep you updated, I swear. I was going to anyway. Everybody’s just stuck in the shitty weather.”
“Who’s everybody?” Mitch asked.
“Brown’s here. They’re bringing Connors back in from vacation, and your gaming buddy Stuart’s being brought to work inside.”
“No shit? What’d he say about that?” All the anger had dissipated from his voice, and Mitch sounded astonished.
“It wasn’t pleasant.” Kreed condensed Aaron’s bitch session about the decision into those three little words.
“Yeah, I bet.” Mitch barked out a laugh. Just like normal, he rarely stayed angry, and Kreed appreciated that about him.
“Seriously, man, stay put. Enjoy your family and your man. Let me get a feel for what they’re thinking. It won’t be but a day or two longer and we can decide what to do from there,” Kreed advised, praying that pacified Mitch.
“Keep me in the loop or I’m bullying my way in.” Yes, Kreed had no doubt Mitch meant those words.
“Does Cody agree with this plan?”
“He will when I tell him.” Mitch sounded defensive.
“Already keeping secrets. Tsk, tsk, princess,” Kreed chided, tossing out his favorite nickname for Mitch.
“Fuck you. I’m not playing. Keep me posted or I’m showing up on my own. I’m not being left out of this. I want this finished. Cody’s not safe until they’re stopped.”
“You’re not either,” Kreed countered.
“Neither are you. I’ve had your fucking back for almost ten years. Watch yourself until I can. Nobody kicks your ass but me,” Mitch added a little more quietly, but still firm.
“Fuck you, Knox, and I will. I swear, as soon as we move, you’ll know.”
“All right. And record Aaron’s first experience in that building. That shit’s gonna be funny,” Mitch said, laughing.
“I will. Stay put, Knox. We’re gonna be smarter where we’re all concerned. No one’s getting hurt this time, and based on Stuart’s intel, the threat still looks very real.”
“You already said that. You did your job today and kept me out of it—I’m not balls to the wall anymore. I’m hanging up now.”
Mitch disconnected the call, and Kreed chuckled, slower to drop the phone back on the bed. That had been the right thing to do—keeping Mitch safe in New York—but Mitch had a point about having his back. Sure, they would take their aggression out on each other at times, but that was all it was, just blowing off steam. No matter how many scuffles they got into with each other—and there had been plenty over the years—no one had his back like Mitch Knox. For whatever it was worth, when the tables were turned, he would always be there for Mitch. The stakes were higher in this particular case. Kreed needed to be at his best to keep any one of them from being hurt again.
Kreed picked up the blade and continued tossing it in the air. They were back to playing tactical games once again. His mind drifted to thoughts of his brother and his resolve firmed. He was done losing the people he loved.
Chapter 2
Twenty hours after landing in Atlanta, Aaron stepped off the overly-packed plane at Dulles International Airport, thankful he’d finally landed. Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered where they landed as long as he was able to get off that hell ride he’d been trapped in.
The airlines had rescheduled him to a coach seat in order to get him out on the first available flight. Not one of his best decisions. He ended up smack in the middle of a family. The mother with her crying baby sat in the row in front of him. The father and another smaller child took the seats beside him. Then their two tweens sat a row behind him.
It had seemed like such a reasonable suggestion when he’d offered the mother his seat so she’d be more comfortable next to her husband instead of dealing with all the back and forth and corralling the kids. The father had been useless in controlling anything, but the mom never seemed to get the clue or take the hint. She just kept rocking the crying baby and snapping those damn fingers at the other children.
His sound-resistant Bose headphones never stood a chance against that family of six. Thankfully that flight was over and they’d disembarked.
Since overcrowded airports seemed to be the new norm, Aaron tried to block out everything as he kept an eye on the overhead signs in search of baggage claim.
Honest to God, he tried to hurry because he knew Kreed was parked in front of the baggage claim exit, waiting for him there. Aaron shrugged on the new coat he’d bought when his other one was ruined, relieved he didn’t have to wait with the masses of people in line
for their rental car. And since the clothing he’d been able to salvage from his taxi-suitcase disaster now fit inside the backpack on his shoulder, he could also bypass waiting for luggage, making it way easier to get the hell out of there.
Aaron followed the signs directing him out of the terminal. He went down the double set of escalators then through the baggage claim interior doors. When he entered the large, open room, he scanned the back wall, looking for an exit. But he put that undertaking quickly on the back burner when his gaze landed on a tall, dark-haired guy wearing a leather jacket, standing by a wall. Jesus Christ, he had to be at least six-five with every inch solid muscle, and hot as holy fuck. Big, muscular guys in leather had always been a weakness for him, and this one was certainly his walking wet dream personified.
He smiled as he took in the sight. All of a sudden, Dulles International Airport didn’t seem such a bad place to be.
The guy was turned away from him, and since Aaron wasn’t one to miss an opportunity, he lowered his gaze, taking in a nice, firm ass that made his mouth water. Aaron could only imagine what sinful temptations were hidden under all that leather. The guy was probably waiting for his wife…or not. Who knew? Pity he didn’t have time to find out. Duty called. Well, that and his need to escape the post-holiday travelers sucking his will to live. Thanks to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Menacing, Aaron had all the material needed for his spank bank later when he was alone in his hotel room.
Redirecting his focus to the task at hand, he finally located the sign he needed across the room, but as he headed for those doors, he couldn’t help the quick glance in the leather-clad man’s direction. It hadn’t taken more than a thought for Aaron to convince himself he needed a face or, at the very least, a glimpse of the guy’s lips to put with the body, then he’d be a fucking happy boy for the rest of his trip. Well, maybe that was pushing it, but whatever… Aaron wanted one last look.
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