Hugh settled back in the seat of the private plane, his spidey senses clamoring. Connor had been even quieter than usual as they’d driven to and boarded the plane, which was nearly impossible, and Ellie wouldn’t look him in the eye. Was she regretting the previous night?
God, he hoped not. He really wanted to do it again. As soon as possible.
Connor sat behind him, while Ellie sat across the aisle. Within minutes, they were lifting into the sky.
Tension rolled through the interior. He cleared his throat. “How about somebody tell me—” The cool press of metal against his neck stopped his words. What the fuck? “Connor? Any particular reason your gun is against my jugular?” he asked, his own hand inching toward the gun still on his thigh.
“Hand it over, barrel down. Or I shoot you,” Connor said, his voice a deep echo behind Hugh.
Hugh eyed Ellie, who was watching with wide eyes. Ah, shit. She looked scared. “No problem.” He grasped the gun and held it over his shoulder, where Connor easily took it. “It’s okay, Ellie Mae.” Why he was reassuring her when she obviously knew what was going on was a mystery he didn’t really care to explore.
Something cold and silver encircled his wrist, and within a second, he was cuffed to the chair. “Seriously?” he asked, partially turning to face her after Connor had secured him. “What’s going on?”
“We found your file.” Connor slapped him almost congenially on the arm and crossed around to face him in the seat in front of him. He smiled, his teeth a white flash against his dark skin. “It looks like I get to use you for target practice.”
Hugh sighed, his chest filling. Figured. It just fucking figured. What the hell should he do now? “I’m not dead, so I’m thinking there’s a question or two out there.” Hopefully.
“No.” Connor kicked back, no expression in those hard eyes. “Eleanor argued effectively to keep me from leaving you behind the hotel in a heap of death, so we’re bringing you along. It makes no difference whether you push up flowers in Arizona or Missouri. Different flowers, I guess,” he mused.
This guy was a bucket of fun, wasn’t he? Was he slightly insane? Hugh leaned forward. “Have you survived Scorpius?”
“Nope. I just do what needs to be done,” Connor said, his voice a deep baritone. “You might need to be done.”
Jesus. “Here I thought we were forming a brotherhood,” Hugh murmured, wanting to kick Connor in the head but not wanting to upset Ellie. He cut her a look. “Thanks for keeping him from shooting me in the back.”
She gulped and nodded, her eyes huge. “You have some explaining to do.”
Connor coughed. “That wouldn’t have happened, by the way. When I shoot you, you’ll see it coming. I give you my word.”
Hugh slowly turned his head to view the soldier. “You’re all heart.” This guy was colder than cold. Or maybe just messing with him to get information. Either way, Hugh could see how it’d be damn effective.
“So?” Ellie asked. “Explain.”
“Explain what?” Hugh asked, his mind spinning. What could he say? Things were too up in the air right now.
“About Gregor. There wasn’t just one picture with you and him. And all of those couldn’t have been doctored. Tell us about an FBI file that shows you working with him. With helping a terrorist organization,” Ellie said, her voice soft. “You have to explain.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “You think I’m innocent.”
She slowly nodded. “I do.”
Ah, the sweetheart. Man, how was he lucky enough to have found her again when he was such a dumbass for letting her go in the first place? “You’re a doll, Ellie Mae.”
The doll’s eyes flared, hot and bright with temper. “Then explain, dickhead. Come on. You’re two seconds away from being shot in the head. Work with me here.”
He tried really hard not to smile. She was right in that he was probably in deep shit. But she was so damn cute when riled. But he’d taken an oath, and he wasn’t going to break it at twenty-thousand feet. Not even for her. “You say we all have top clearance, but I haven’t seen it. Prove that you all have the clearance you’ve claimed, and I’ll answer any question you have.”
“Did the tire stores have financial troubles?” Ellie asked.
Hugh paused. “Well, yeah. But the economy declined for everyone.”
Her brow wrinkled again. Hell, he was worrying her. Would they be able to access his real files? Maybe not. Too many people were out or dead at all the federal agencies. He could tell the truth. But that might not be enough. He sobered. If Deke McDougall decided to shoot him in the head, there really wasn’t anybody who could stop him.
Well, shit.
* * * *
Ellie barely kept from smacking Hugh in the nose as he sat at the conference table, looking all calm and reasonable. If the guy had half a brain, he’d be scrambling to make an explanation. Connor and Ivan flanked him while they waited for Deke to arrive.
“It’s okay, Ellie Mae,” Hugh said, kicking back in the chair.
She sat at the head of the table and gave him a look. “I’ve been reading the files on you for the entire ride here, and I can’t find a loophole. Any sign that you’re anything but a crook.” It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t.
Deke strode into the room. “Well? Are we shooting the bastard?” He yanked out a chair next to Ellie and faced Hugh.
Ellie glanced toward the door. “Where’s Nora?”
“On the phone with Lynne Harmony at the CDC. Or rather, at the hospital where Lynne is being treated.” Deke didn’t look away from Hugh. “Has he explained?”
“Nope,” Connor said, almost cheerfully. “After I shoot him, where are we gonna leave the body?”
Hugh sighed and crossed his arms.
Deke cocked his head to the side. “You’re a cool one, aren’t you?”
“I’m not.” Ellie slapped her hand on the conference table. “Give him your clearance so we can figure this out.” She was so finished with the tough guy acts from all the morons at the table and couldn’t care less that they were most possibly the most dangerous men in the country right now. “I can’t believe the future might hinge on you dorks.”
Connor leaned forward enough to see Ivan on the other side of Hugh. “She called us dorks.” He sounded slightly hurt.
Deke merely grasped the remote control and brought up several documents on the screen. “Top clearance—for all of us. Even you, Hugh. Because I asked for it, and Homeland gave it to me without checking out your FBI file. Apparently the government is breaking down faster than any of us had anticipated.”
Hugh read the documents on the screen. “They look real.”
“And since the government is breaking down, nobody is garna come looking for you if you disappear.” Deke clicked a button, and the screen went black. “Now’s your chance. Talk or Connor is going to start target practice early this week.”
Hugh rolled his neck. “When the tire stores started having financial difficulties, I was approached by Gregor Valentino with an offer of a whole lot of money. All I had to do was give him the schematics and maybe a computer code or two for certain nuclear plants in the country.”
Ellie closed her laptop to watch his face. Calm. Honest. True. But what the hell was he saying? “And you said no?” she asked.
“I said yes,” he said softly, his tone the one he only seemed to use with her. “Before you ask, the Arizona and Pennsylvania plants were included in his list. They’re weak, like I told you.”
What was he saying? “Hugh,” she said, her mind spinning. “You didn’t work with terrorists.”
“Of course not.” He leaned forward and obviously ignored the tensing of the two men on either side of him. “I reported it to my boss, it went up the chain, and all of a sudden I was a fucking double agent. Or spy. Or whatever the hell they’re called these days.” He ground his palm into his left eye. “I didn’t want it, but there it was, and I thought I could do some good. So we’ve been playing G
regor for about four months.”
“And you didn’t let the FBI in on your little plan?” Ivan asked, his tone low.
Hugh shrugged. “Not to my knowledge. It’s not like the agencies play all that well together.”
That was true. Ellie was well aware of that fact. “Who did you report to at Homeland?” She flipped open her laptop.
“Rick Jorgosen,” Hugh said.
Ellie did a quick search, and her stomach dropped. “He died a week ago from Scorpius.”
“How convenient,” Deke drawled. “Anybody else?”
“Hector Gomez,” Hugh said, losing his casual look. “He works with Rick.”
Ellie typed more. “In a coma in Bethesda. Scorpius.” Apparently the bacteria had made its way through that part of the agency rather quickly. Okay. This wasn’t looking good. “I can hack into their secure Homeland records, but even with our security clearance, it’ll take a while.”
“There isn’t anybody to flash our clearances at,” Deke said with a low growl. “People are dropping like roadkill in spring.” His phone buzzed and he lifted it to his ear. “McDougall.”
Ellie swallowed and looked around the room. So far, not one of them had been infected. That would probably change at some point. Would they all survive? “I’ll find proof for you, Hugh.” She knew he was telling the truth, right? A small niggle of doubt entered her head, and she shoved it away. Now was the time for faith, not suspicion. At some point, Deke would tire of waiting. Then what? Would he believe her or just eliminate the possible threat? Now wasn’t a time to take risks.
Deke listened to somebody on the other end of the line and then ended the call. Slowly, deliberately, he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Well.”
Ellie’s shoulders stiffened. “Well what?”
Deke looked at Hugh. “That was a contact still working at the FBI. Apparently Gregor’s body was found a week ago floating in a river in northern Kentucky. Three days after you went on vacation, Hugh.”
Hugh flicked his gaze toward Deke. “That’s unfortunate.”
“Isn’t it, though?” Deke asked thoughtfully.
Whoa. This so wasn’t good. Ellie dragged her laptop closer. She had to fix this. Either way, she’d get the truth from those files.
God, she hoped Hugh was telling the truth. She couldn’t have just slept with a bad guy.
“It’s me, Ellie Mae,” Hugh said quietly, as if he could read her thoughts.
She looked up and into the blue eyes that still chased her through dreams. It was him. But it had been ten years. Ten long years.
Was he still the guy she’d fallen for so long ago?
Chapter Eight
Sometimes my brain and my heart are at complete odds. Which is neither here nor there for the purposes of this type of journal. So. To get back to it. We’ve found a credible threat against the nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, and it’s my job to secure Hugh’s cooperation. If I don’t shoot him first.
—Dr. Eleanor Mae Smithers, Brigade Notes
Ellie nodded at the two armed guards outside Hugh’s quarters and then pushed inside without knocking. Each private quarter had been set up like a studio apartment with living area, bed, kitchenette, and attached bath. “Hi.”
Hugh sat on the floral sofa with his feet perched on a metal coffee table that housed one pathetic-looking cactus in a chipped red pot. “You here to spring me?”
“No.” She moved toward the one available chair, trying like heck to look casual.
“They let you in here by yourself?” he asked mildly.
She blinked and then sat. “I assured them you’d never hurt me.” Plus, she knew a few moves. Yeah, it had taken an hour of arguing with Deke, but Hugh didn’t need to know about that. “Right?”
Hugh shrugged. “I don’t know, Ellie Mae. I could grab you and force my way out of here.” If anything, he sounded bored by the entire idea. “Or just take you hostage.” His grin was wolfish.
Her face heated. How he could make her blush so easily she’d figure out later. “We need your help.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Is that a fact? Your gang thinks I’m a terrorist.”
“Nobody really thinks you’re a terrorist,” she countered, trying hard to sound reasonable and not irritated as hell. “We just need to clear up that undercover op you were on and you’ll be fine. But as my code is worming its way into your section of Homeland’s computers, before they go down, we need your help.”
His bare feet dropped to the floor, and he leaned toward her. “If Gregor is dead, I have no clue who he was working with.” Hugh scratched his elbow, somehow looking tough even against the flowered material. “All I got from him those two months was the name of a group called the Haven, or something like that. That’s it.”
“That’s something,” Ellie murmured. “I can start there—after I return from Pennsylvania.”
He tilted his head to the side. “You’re not going to that power plant without me.” His tone lost all semblance of lazy playfulness.
Her breath quickened for some inexplicable reason. “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here.”
“No.” Without seeming to move, he somehow broadened. “That plant is in jeopardy, and I identify threats better than anybody else out there. Even you.”
She nodded, wanting to soothe the beast a little. It sucked to be locked up. “I understand, but I’m the computer expert. I can get into their internal servers and maybe find what’s going on. At least I need to review the security feeds.” She moved to stand.
Quicker than she could blink, she found herself on his lap. He extended his legs again, easily adjusting her into place, his grip firm. “Well, now, here it is,” he said, his Southern drawl deepening.
She pushed against his chest, her mind spinning even as desire wound through her. Hard and smooth.
He just tightened his hold, waiting patiently until she stopped wiggling. “Something happened between us last night, Ellie Mae. More than I planned or possibly even wanted. But it’s here, and it’s fact.”
She gaped at him. For years, she’d watched him date girl after girl, woman after woman, and then cheerfully let them go on their way without a problem. Not once, not once, had he exhibited one titch of possessiveness. Protectiveness, sure. Kindness and humor, definitely. But not this iron-hard jaw of determination he was facing her with right now. “Have you lost your mind?” she squeaked.
“Quite possibly,” he murmured.
What in the world was she supposed to do? This was Hugh, for goodness’ sakes. Where was the mellow Southern boy she’d fallen for? “You’re freaking me out.”
His eyebrows rose. “That’s the last thing I want to do.” But he didn’t release her. “Here’s the deal. We went to Arizona—just looking for a threat we actually did not find—and got attacked by a nut job. Your folks, these Brigade experts, say there’s a credible threat in Pennsylvania. So you’re not going there without me.”
Her mouth gaped open.
He gently used two knuckles to tip her chin up.
Her lips met together, and temper stirred at the base of her neck. “Hugh.”
“Ellie Mae.” He leaned in, his blue eyes suddenly not so mellow. “Scorpius is bad and it’s only gonna get worse. I’m not losing you to it. Period.”
Well, if that wasn’t so sweet, she’d punch him in the nose for being a jackass. But it was a little sweet. Her heart warmed to mingle with her temper.
“Ellie?” Deke’s booming voice filled the hallway outside.
She sighed. “Now everyone is calling me ‘Ellie.’ If one person calls me ‘Ellie Mae,’ I’m going to kick you.” Eleanor was a much more sophisticated and grown-up name, damn it.
He grinned. “Nobody calls you that but me.”
The door opened, and Deacan McDougall strode inside. He frowned. “Get off his lap. We need to fly to Pennsylvania. Now.”
Ellie unobtrusively pushed against Hugh’s thigh…and didn’t move. She cut Deke a look.
The massive Scotsman put his hands to his trim hips. “Hugh? Let her the fuck go.”
Hugh stood in one smooth motion and turned to face Deke, keeping Ellie tight against his chest. Her hair swung against his face. “I’m the foremost expert in nuclear plant threats right now, and if she’s going into danger, I’m going with her,” he said.
Deke looked from Hugh to Ellie and back. “Jesus.” He shook his head. “What the fuck is this all about? Is this because you knocked boots?”
Knocked boots? Seriously? “That is none of your damn business,” Ellie snapped, trying to sound somewhat in control of the situation, which was incredibly difficult considering she was three feet off the ground and cradled against a hard-bodied idiot. “Hugh. Put me down. Now.”
With a long, laborious sigh, Hugh set her on her feet. But one broad hand remained on her hip. Solid and secure.
She drew air into her chest and then released it, trying to keep from completely losing her temper. “Hugh comes with us. Period.”
Deke’s eyes widened slightly. “What did you say?”
“There you go,” Hugh said, his voice warm.
She rolled her eyes. “Deke, I understand you don’t know or trust Hugh, and that’s fine. I’ll find those records that clear him. But I do trust him, and we need him on this op. There’s a threat against the nuclear power plant, and we don’t have time for you guys to dick around. This is serious.”
Deke crossed his muscled arms. “I’m in charge.”
“Then make the right damn decision,” Ellie snapped. “We sought him out for a reason, and that hasn’t changed.”
Deke smiled then. Slow and threatening. “I guess it’ll be just as easy to shoot him in Pennsylvania as here.” With that, the Brigade leader turned on his heel and prowled out of the room.
“I think he’s really starting to like me,” Hugh said, releasing her hip.
She turned and poked him in the chest. Hard. “That was your one chance to act like a bozo. No more, or I’ll shoot you myself.” Yeah, she might’ve liked him getting a little possessive over her—nerdy Ellie Mae—but she couldn’t let him get away with it long term. “Got it?”
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