by Terry Spear
He blew out his breath and stalked toward the booth. He should have known she wouldn’t stay put in the lobby like he’d told her to do. He should have left her at the safe house.
“I was expecting someone else,” Joe said with a half smile, lifting a beer in greeting. His expression was pure predatory wolf, and Finn had to reign in his combative nature before he took out the bastard.
Finn had seen the way Joe had seemed fascinated with Meara at her cabin, and Joe hadn’t hidden his animosity for Finn, either. He wouldn’t easily forget that the man had stuck his hand in Meara’s pocket, letting her know he was doing so as he left a bug there.
“She’s not coming,” Finn said abruptly.
“I gathered that when you showed up instead.” Joe motioned with his free hand for Finn to join him, although Finn wasn’t waiting for an invitation.
“At Meara’s place, you told her that you didn’t drink,” Finn said, letting Joe know he’d had an eye on him the whole time he’d been in her house.
“I lied. Some women are wary of a man who drinks.”
True enough. Sliding into the booth, Finn asked, “Who are you, and what’s your business?”
“Bjornolf Jorgensen…” He bowed his head slightly. “…at your service.” He gave Finn a look of conceited satisfaction when he saw Finn’s expression change to instant awareness.
“Bjornolf,” Finn said under his breath. Bear-wolf. The person known by that name served as a deep undercover operative, although many thought the man was a legend or a myth rather than someone real. No one was sure who the man really worked for. And he rarely revealed his identity. Many thought that those who bragged about knowing him were telling tales.
“That’s me.” Bjornolf waited for Finn to ask something further, then seeming to remember that Finn had asked what he was doing here, he added, “I’m here to watch your backs.”
“Ours,” Finn said softly.
“Yours, since you’re here, and Hunter’s sister’s.”
“And the others on the team?”
“They were merely a distraction.”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “The assassin nearly killed Allan Rappaport. How is that nothing more than a distraction?”
Bjornolf shrugged. “Fatalities can cause a pretty good distraction.”
Finn’s phone buzzed and he looked at it, noting that Hunter was calling. Finn hoped he wasn’t having trouble in Hawaii—the only reason he could think of for Hunter calling at this hour. He lifted the phone to his ear and asked, “Hunter, can I call you back?”
“What the hell happened, and who’s the guy you’re talking to?”
How in the hell had Hunter gotten word about this already? Meara had to have called him.
Finn studied the man sitting across from him and said to Hunter, “I’m talking with Bjornolf Jorgensen.” He figured Hunter would be just as surprised since the man rarely revealed himself to anyone. Finn wondered who Bjornolf was working for now. “I’ll call you back in a bit. Meara’s safe with Anna Johnson.”
“Call me back ASAP,” Hunter said, his tone short and angry, and hung up on him.
Finn knew Hunter was incensed about the way he had handled the situation with Meara and Anna. It wasn’t the first time Hunter hadn’t liked the way Finn dealt with a situation, nor would it be the last. But there were times when Finn had felt the same way about Hunter’s handling of a mission.
Bjornolf was watching him with an amused expression, and Finn wanted to wipe the arrogant look off his face. Bjornolf was the whole reason Finn would have words with Hunter over this mess. “What if I send Meara to Hawaii to join Hunter?” Finn asked.
Without hesitation, Bjornolf said, “They’ll go after her there.”
Finn couldn’t believe it. “Why her?”
“She’s Hunter’s sister.”
Finn scowled at the operative. “I already got that part. But why go after Meara?” he repeated.
“You would have all been dead on your last mission if it hadn’t been for Meara. Didn’t you know that? That’s what this sick bastard intended. But when Meara thwarted him, he vowed revenge. At least I assume that’s the case.
“The fires that burned down Meara and Hunter’s home and those of their pack members? Who do you think set them? Neither Meara nor Hunter were supposed to have escaped that. As luck would have it, the winds were in Meara and Hunter and their pack’s favor. After Hunter and his pack relocated to the Oregon coast, they ran into all kinds of trouble. On top of that, a red pack leader named Leidolf was poking his nose into their business. The man in charge waited for a more opportune time to strike again—a time when fewer pack leaders could cause him trouble.”
Finn straightened taller. “Did Hunter know the fire was set on purpose by someone out to get them?”
“Yes. But he didn’t let Meara know it. Several in the know have been investigating, trying to find a link to the arsonists.”
Finn scowled at Bjornolf. “Meara should have been told. How did Hunter think she could protect herself if she wasn’t aware of the danger to them both?”
“None of us thought it would be carried any further. Possibly it had just been a way of getting back at them. Destroying their homes. Hunter’s pack even mutinied. Quite effectively, the arsonist wreaked havoc on Hunter and his pack, more so than if he’d just eliminated Hunter and Meara. But then, maybe the arsonist didn’t believe they’d been punished enough. Maybe he saw how nicely Hunter and Meara were doing in their new home in Oregon, how Hunter had located a mate and Meara was happily looking for one through renting the cabins.”
“Hell,” Finn said, rubbing his chin and feeling a shadow of a beard making its appearance because of the late hour. He wanted to know what was going on, but he still felt apprehensive about leaving Meara alone, despite Anna being with her.
“As soon as Hunter flew off on his honeymoon, we figure the man in charge made his move, striking at Allan as a distraction, figuring you and Paul would go to his aid and assume he was after the team. Hunter was already out of the picture. I’m sure the head honcho never considered any of you would think to protect Meara. She wasn’t part of the SEAL team.
“Even I was surprised to see you join her here. Thinking none of you would consider Meara as a possible target, I came here. To protect her. Then here you are, claiming the territory for your own—both the land and the woman.” At that revelation, Bjornolf looked and sounded annoyed.
Momentarily stupefied, Finn stared at him. Bjornolf had to be either highly misinformed about their mission and how Meara fit into the scheme of things or pulling his leg. But worse, he wondered just what lengths Bjornolf had planned to go to while protecting Meara. Pretend he truly was Joe Matheson, a guest, interested in finding a mate?
Until he’d discovered Finn had beaten him to it. Well, not as a guest interested in finding a mate, but as her close protection. “They haven’t caught the arsonist who set the fires in the redwoods, but you’re sure he’s connected to Allan’s attack?”
Bjornolf took another swig of his beer, set the mug down, and leaned back against his seat. “No, the arsonist hasn’t been apprehended. But the threat to their lives is too coincidental not to be suspect. Particularly when Allan was hit next.”
Still not believing that Meara could have saved them in any way, shape, or form, Finn said, “Meara had nothing to do with our missions.”
Bjornolf gave a dark laugh. “Oh, really. She fought with Hunter over every job he went on, worried that she’d lose her twin brother and her pack leader at the same time. She berated you every time you returned with Hunter, thinking you were the one who got the contracts for the missions after your team left the Navy.”
Hell, how long had Bjornolf been watching the team behind the scenes? Then a darker thought occurred to Finn. Just how long had he been watching Meara?
Bjornolf continued, “She’s not the sweet little innocent that you think she is. She’s devious, if she thinks she might be able to save Hunter fro
m harm.” A gleam shown in Bjornolf’s darkened eyes. “Or possibly you know that already. She tends to leap into a frothing river to rescue someone from drowning before fully thinking the situation over.”
So, he even knew about that incident in Meara’s past. Finn’s mind raced over the events of the past, of their final doomed mission, the explosive devices that had been tampered with, and Meara’s angry words over their operations. Sure, she was impetuous and would face down danger to protect those in need. But she couldn’t have been involved in their final assignment or any other. Their assignments were classified.
He stared at Bjornolf. “I don’t believe you.”
Bjornolf shrugged. “Believe what you will.”
Finn didn’t like it. He didn’t want to believe Meara had had anything to do with their last mission, that she might have saved their lives, that she could have been endangered because of it, and that she might now be in danger because of something she had done. Was it inadvertent?
He couldn’t believe it.
Bjornolf finished his beer. “If she wasn’t so headstrong, she’d make a good operative. But she’s too stubborn and way too impulsive. She’d be a team all unto her own and happy for it.”
Finn could call her stubborn and too impulsive, and often thought that of her, but he didn’t like Bjornolf doing so. He knew she loved being part of a pack and wasn’t a loner in the least. But he thought Bjornolf was right about her being her own one-man team. She did not take orders well. And for the most part, she didn’t seem to give them, either. So in that regard, she seemed to run the show all on her own, not waiting for anyone else to help.
“What’s your interest in her?” Finn asked gruffly, wanting to get the truth out in the open.
“Suffice it to say I like my women like that.”
His voice low and cold, Finn said, “You leave her alone.”
Bjornolf gave an irritated grunt. “Why? Are you going to settle down and take her as a mate? The great adventurer? The savior of lost causes? She needs someone who warms her bed at night, keeps her content and happy. She’s not the one for you.”
“You think you’re the one for her? Hell, you’re cut from the same cloth as me, from what I’ve heard.”
“Ah,” Bjornolf said, waving away the waitress who’d noticed his mug was empty. “I’ve been thinking of settling down.” He cast Finn a wry smile.
“Like hell you are.” Finn didn’t believe the man. From everything he’d heard, the operative was a loner who preferred undercover work. Settling down wasn’t in the picture.
Then Bjornolf’s expression turned icy. “I was supposed to be watching your backs on your last mission, but I was surprised as hell when Meara got involved, and I missed doing my job. You can’t imagine how much that bothered me when a woman—a civilian—distracted me. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. I’ve been pondering what occurred for these past few months. Maybe there’s something to the way she sidetracked me so thoroughly. What do you think?”
Finn wasn’t sure what to think, wondering if Bjornolf was just leading him on and trying to rile him over Meara. Maybe get him to reveal how intrigued he was with the woman.
Bjornolf didn’t wait for Finn to respond but added, “I regret that the mission was botched and everyone but you was injured in the process.”
Finn raised a brow and Bjornolf chuckled evilly. “I didn’t mean that as it sounded. I was glad you weren’t injured, but no one else should have been hurt, either. I’m not going to let any harm come to her because I owe that to Hunter and to Meara.”
Finn was glad to have Bjornolf on their side—as long as he didn’t try to seduce Meara—but he wondered about the other Joe they’d seen at the morgue. “Did you kill the man near Meara’s house?”
“Yeah. Took his identity before he arrived. He was pretending to rent one of the cabins, but that wasn’t his identity, either. When he spied me heading for the blue cabin to lie in wait for his arrival—assuming whoever had paid for the contract would eventually learn where Hunter and Meara were—he tried to fire a round at me, and I threw him off the cliff. He still got a couple of rounds off as he made his backward dive. His gun must have found a watery grave.”
For that, Finn was grateful. “No evidence of any foul play.”
Bjornolf gave Finn a sly smile. “That’s what they pay me for. Getting rid of assassins without leaving any trace of wrongdoing.” He leaned back in his seat and changed the focus. “The woman working with you isn’t half bad.”
Not sure what Bjornolf’s intentions were concerning Anna, Finn scowled at him. Anna could handle herself, but Finn still didn’t like that Bjornolf had bested her and then was talking about her like she was someone he might pursue as a side hobby.
Bjornolf added, “She did a good job of taking out the assassin that I’d lost while I tailed another.”
“But you still bested her in her hotel room.”
Bjornolf chuckled. “She’s dangerous. Has killer knees. If I hadn’t moved quickly enough, I’d be singing soprano.”
At that, Finn almost smiled, knowing from workout sessions with her just how dangerous her knees could be. Thankfully, he’d managed to outmaneuver her at every turn. But he still didn’t know Bjornolf’s intentions toward either Anna or Meara. And that bothered him.
“Why has the bastard waited six months to take revenge?” Finn asked.
“For one, he hasn’t waited that long. The fire, remember? And for another, I believe he was injured during the incident when your team was hit or out of the country. Or both. So that slowed him down a bit. Not only that, but some take their time planning revenge. Maybe he’s not the kind who jumps into a situation without mapping every move. Who really knows?”
Finn mulled that over, then nodded. “So what now?”
“Let your female operative know—”
“Anna,” Finn said, perturbed.
Bjornolf smiled a little. “…Anna know that I’m on your side. As much as she fought me, I didn’t figure she’d believe anything I had to say. As for Meara, I’ll be behind the scenes, watching over her.”
“All right.” Finn rose, but Bjornolf remained seated. “Paul will be here shortly,” Finn said, half in warning. Paul wouldn’t like Bjornolf anymore than he did.
Bjornolf pulled out a twenty. “Hell, that’s what these guys want. The team all back together in one place, easier to hit.”
Finn cast him a thin smile. “Maybe that’s how we need to take them out. Do you know who they are?”
“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be sitting here chatting with you. I’d have taken out the one responsible, and without a buyer, no more deals.”
“The Knight of Swords,” Finn said under his breath.
Bjornolf gave him a solemn nod. “He’s the one. Whoever he is.”
* * *
Finn was surprised to find Meara sitting cross-legged on Anna’s bed in her hotel room while Anna leaned back in a chair, feet propped up on the mattress, as if the two had been pajama-party buddies for years. Not that either of them was wearing PJs, but that’s what this reminded him of. The thought of seeing Meara in her pajama shorts set stirred him up all over again.
With a ragged breath, he explained as much as he could to Anna with Meara listening in. He told them who Joe really was, and when Anna’s eyes grew huge, he turned to Meara and said, “Bjornolf gets rid of assassins, leaving no trace, making it look as though they died of natural causes. At least that’s one of his jobs. No one really knows who he works for or what else he does. But I will tell you that his name means ‘bear-wolf.’ And from what I’ve heard, he earned the name for a reason. He’s not one to tangle with unless you know what you’re doing.”
Meara looked sufficiently shocked, and he thought—and hoped—she wouldn’t pay Bjornolf any attention now that she knew what he did for a living, if that was Bjornolf’s intention. But Finn was beginning to wonder if hiding his real objective was part of Bjornolf’s chameleon persona. Finn
noted that Anna appeared just as surprised to learn who “Joe” was, and he thought she wouldn’t see anything good in the man now, either.
Having covertly made eye contact with Finn, Anna looked as though she wanted to talk privately about something. From the way she wouldn’t sequester him in the living area of her suite, he assumed the something was about Meara. He wondered what Meara had done now. Finn had given Anna ample opportunity to speak with him privately, but she didn’t seem to want to alert Meara that she needed to talk to him about her. Hell.
When Anna still didn’t say anything about it, he finally decided to call it a night. Whatever it was couldn’t be too bad, or Anna would have made more of an effort to speak with him secretly.
Feeling smug about Bjornolf not having a chance at seducing the women, he said good night to Anna, knowing Paul would arrive momentarily and watch her back as she did his. The time had come to take Meara back to the safe house. He assumed they’d have a tail, Bjornolf again, only Finn didn’t plan to try and lose him this time. But he damn well wanted to know what was bothering Anna.
Meara was quiet on the drive back. He figured she was frazzled and tired, so he didn’t push the issue of her following Bjornolf to the lounge when he’d instructed her to stay in the lobby.
But when they arrived back at the safe house and Meara went straight to the kitchen to grab a stash of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, he studied her in surprise.
“What are you doing, Meara?” Finn figured as late as it was and as little sleep as they’d had, she’d want to return to bed. Like he did. He hadn’t planned to do anything more than hold her close, thank the merciful heavens that she and Anna were safe for the time being, and sleep.
He had every intention of questioning Meara about the SEALs’ last mission the next morning after they’d both had sufficient sleep. He wanted to learn how she had become involved and what exactly she’d done that none of them had known of.
“I’m having some more s’mores,” Meara said matter-of-factly and pulled open the door to the deck. “You and Bjornolf and Anna worried me sick. I need some chocolate to help me get back to sleep.” She sounded drained by the experience as she left the house and walked down the wooden stairs to the beach.