Wait. His heart stuttered. No.
Lily Vaughn strode down the sidewalk. Yeah, a ball cap hid her hair, and she wore boxy dark-gray workpants, a loose green T-shirt, and hiking boots, but he’d recognize the sway of her sweet heart-shaped ass anywhere. What was she doing?
A big glass of some drink in one hand and a bag filled with something in the other, she walked with purpose, glancing around as she went. He recognized logo on the bag. She’d been to the convenience store on the corner.
He eased away from her, hoping with all the noise on the street, she couldn’t hear whisper-soft rotors he’d installed on the drone. She crossed to the opposite sidewalk, went to a navy-blue SUV, and crawled into the driver’s seat. He waited, prepared to follow her, but she didn’t go anywhere. Just sat in the vehicle, drinking her soda, or whatever.
This Lily wasn’t the one he knew. Not the soft, happy, smart, beautiful woman who broke his heart. This Lily was hyperaware of her surroundings. Tense, alert, confident. She had a purpose to what she was doing.
He’d been in and out of the shop, up and down the street, and he’d never noticed her. Never looked at the dark SUV twice. He flew the drone higher into the air, getting a lay of the surroundings in regard to the position of her car, and his blood ran cold.
Why is she watching me?
***
Lily checked her watch. Jamie would be closing up shop any time. She laid her head against the headrest and let her eyelids drift closed.
Buzz-buzz. Buzz-buzz.
She picked up her cell and checked the screen. Jacquie? She tapped to answer. “Hello?”
“Found him. Sajed Alam.”
Lily’s heart rate picked up. “You found him?”
“Facial recognition finally pinged. He went to Berkley and came out with a chemical and biological engineering graduate degree. After that, he returned to Afghanistan, and it looks like that’s when ISIS recruited him.” Her voice held an edge. Jacquie was in her element. “He’s made dirty bombs and other biological weapons that they’ve tested on small villages along the borders of Pakistan and Iraq. Nasty piece of work.”
“Where is he now?” US citizens didn’t need someone that dangerous roaming the countryside, planning who knew what.
“We’re tracking him now along Interstate 40 heading east. FBI and Homeland Security should apprehend him in”—tap, tap, tap—“the next hour.”
Lily sagged in her seat. “Thank God.”
“I know. So Grey says great job, and you can head home.”
“Okay.” She worried her bottom lip for a moment. “I may be a few days, maybe a week. I’ve got some loose ends that need to be tied up.”
“Sure.” Her fingers banged the keyboard rapid-fire. “Just sent Grey a message, letting him know. If he has a problem, he’ll call. You can debrief whenever you get here.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Jacquie. You’re the best.”
“Talk to you when you’re home.”
“Let’s do a girls’ night out. We haven’t done that in a while.”
Jacquie laughed. “Sounds like a plan.”
Lily ended the call then opened her purse and tucked her phone inside—right next to her concealed-carry 9mm Glock.
Knock, knock, knock.
Jolting, she twisted toward the sound of someone tapping on her window while her hand moved to her pistol in her purse. Bright-blue eyes met hers, and she swallowed a gasp then lowered the window. “Jamie.”
“Lily.” The chill in his tone hurt her more than the way he glared at her. “Thought you might like a coffee and bear claw while you spy on me.”
How had he found her? She’d been careful to move the SUV, changing her location every day, never in the same spot twice. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here.” He arched an eyebrow. “Why are you spying on me?”
She gazed into his bright-blue eyes. So easy to fall in and get lost forever.
You’re already lost. You’ve fallen for him. Hard.
Her heart sang the truth. Oh yes, it did.
She’d fallen for the man she’d been sent to protect…and what did that mean? How would their lives ever fit together? Did he want them to fit together? Now that the terrorist had been identified, she could tell Jamie the truth about working for The Omega Team, why she was in Cedar Valley, and…and….
She picked up her purse and got out of the car, glanced around then up at him. “I’ll tell you everything. Just not out here.”
Taking her by the elbow, he ushered her across the street and inside the bakery. The bell over the door no sooner stopped ringing than he rounded on her. “Talk.”
She blinked. Oh God. He looks so pissed off. “First, I want you to keep in mind that I do care about you. A lot.”
“Yeah. The way you walked out without so much as a ‘kiss my ass’ shows how much you care.”
Ouch. “Okay. I probably could’ve handled that better. But at that time, I couldn’t tell you anything, so I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“Everyone has choices,” he growled.
“Do you want me to tell you or not?”
“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
“Then hush.”
He pressed his lips together and moved his hand in a circular motion in her direction, indicating for her to continue.
“I work for an agency called The Omega Team. We take cases all over the world.” She left out the no matter how dangerous part. No sense getting into that right now. “We assist individuals who need our help, but we also work with various agencies. The CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, MI6, and the French National Gendarmerie Intervention Group are a few you may have heard of.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“My latest assignment came from the National Counterterrorism Center, which brought me here to Cedar Valley. To you.”
“Counterterrorism?”
“There was a breach on a US military base in Afghanistan. A list was stolen. Your name was on it. And then a known terrorist stepped onto US soil.”
He rubbed his hand along his jaw. “So, you were sent here to, what? Protect me?”
“Yes. But I couldn’t tell you because you’d left the military and no longer had clearance. I was told in no uncertain terms this was a need-to-know assignment.”
“And I didn’t need to know.”
“Not unless things went south. I would’ve told you then, to keep you safe.” She met his gaze, willing him to understand him position. “But then you found my gun and started asking questions that I couldn’t answer.”
“But you can now.”
“Yes. I can’t go into detail, but I can tell you the terrorist has been located and my mission is finished.”
“Finished?” His jaw tightened, and he crossed his arms. “So you’re leaving again?”
“Not right away.” She took a step toward him. Never before had anything or anyone meant more to her. Never had a moment been so important. “I don’t know when, but, somewhere along the way, things got…complicated. I’ve been on lots of missions around the world…taking cover in war-torn countries while friendlies dropped bombs from the sky, staring down men who’d killed thousands, even base jumping from a building while being shot at. But none of it prepared me for this mission.” She dared to reach out and set her fingers on his arm, reveling in the familiar electric connection that flowed between them. “Nothing prepared me for you.”
His blue eyes darkened, and his lips parted. Lips she’d kissed. Lips she longed to kiss again. All she had to do was lift onto her tiptoes and tilt forward a bit.
“I fell in love with you, Jamie MacKay. I am in love with you. Which is more dangerous than anything else because you hold my heart.” She held her breath. Would he reject her, send her away? She stepped back, searching his face for some hint of what he was thinking. “Say something.”
“You base-jumped off a building? Are you insane?”
“That’s all you got from this conversation?”
>
“I heard MI6, terrorist, bombs, and that you jumped off a building. Honestly? I couldn’t focus.” He gathered her against him. “I was too busy staring at your mouth.”
Before she could blink, he scooped her off her feet, and she squeaked in surprise. And then his lips captured hers, and she moaned, tangling her tongue with his and wrapping her arms around his neck.
The trip upstairs was a blur of delicious kisses, ending with her bouncing on a mattress—not on the floor but a real bed with headboard, frame, and all. He crawled next to her, and, amid lip locks, they undressed one another, touching and teasing until Lily thought she might lose her mind with the need building inside her.
His fingers danced over her skin, tracing her most sensitive spots and leaving a trail of goose bumps behind. He worshipped her body, teasing her nipples with both hands and mouth, laving and nipping, and rolling and pinching the tight points. Palm skating over skin, he moved lower and lower, along her ribs, across her tummy, until he cupped her mound. With gentle fingers, he parted her drenched folds and inserted a long digit, stroking her and driving her higher and higher.
“Please!”
No sooner had the word left her lips than he swiped his thumb over her clit and her release consumed her. Wave after wave of shudders washed through her, stealing her breath, her thoughts. Only pleasure remained, tingling along her limbs. And as she slowly floated back to reality, she found the man who’d taken her there.
“Hey, gorgeous.” A knowing smile curved his lips.
She reached up, set her palm to his jaw, then lifted onto her toes to kiss him, deep and long. He needed to know how he made her feel. How she felt about him. She slid her hand down his arm, along his waist and hip, caressing every hard plane she encountered, until her fingers found his engorged shaft. She stroked his length, enjoying the soft skin covering his desire.
He groaned. “If you keep that up, I’ll be done before we get started.” He stilled her hand with his. “I want to be inside you the first time.”
Leaning to the side, he opened a drawer in his new bedside table and removed a condom packet. He ripped the foil square open, sheathed himself, then threw her a sexy grin. “Ready?”
Her heart thumpa-thumped. “Uh-huh.”
She parted her legs in invitation, and he settled between her thighs. He pressed inside her, filling her inch by inch, and just when she thought he was too big for her, his pelvis touched hers.
Heat swirled in his eyes as he bent his head and brushed his lips over hers. “Okay?”
She nodded.
Reaching down, he lifted one of her legs and hooked her ankle over his shoulder. Then moved. Slow thrusts that felt like heaven. He made love to her, holding her and staring at her as though she was something special. She certainly felt that way.
Picking up the pace, he drove into her, urging her closer and closer to the edge of release. She met him stroke for stroke, taking all he had to offer.
“Look at me, Lily.”
His command drew her focus, and she stared into his eyes.
“Come for me, sweetheart.” He tilted his hips, the simple move sending her flying into a frenzied bliss.
Pleasure streaked through her, tingling along her nerves to the very tips. She shook and shuddered in his embrace, her body pulsing around him. And then he growled, his body jerking against hers as he found his own release. Together, they rode the ecstasy they created between them.
After a while, once galloping heartbeats had slowed and breaths had calmed, and Lily lay snuggled tight to Jamie’s side, her leg draped over his thigh. She lifted up on one elbow and pecked his lips. “So, we’re good?”
“So good.” He gave her a lazy smile. “Gimme a minute and we’ll be good again.”
“Good.”
“What? Good, now?” He rolled, half-covering her body, and nuzzled her neck until she squealed with laughter. “Sweetheart, we’re gonna be good all night.”
Chapter Eleven
Sunlight streamed through the blinds as Lily snuck down the stairs to the kitchen. They’d made love four more times last night, and though her knees still shook and her body ached in all the right places, she was determined to bring him breakfast in bed. They hadn’t discussed how their lives would fit together, but that could wait. She planned on them getting to know each other better over the next several days.
Outside, she walked down the sidewalk, her step so light she wouldn’t have been surprised if she floated into the air. She loved Jamie MacKay. Her heart thump-thumped against her sternum in confirmation, and a swirl of heady adrenaline dumped into her veins. Even just running to the corner to get some bagels and coffee left her anticipating seeing him again. Was that crazy or what?
She crossed a side street. A few cars eased along Main Street. She passed a few people on the sidewalk. She hoped none of them were headed for Desserts du Jour. If so, they’d be disappointed. The chef was sleeping in today.
A deep, unearthly growl vibrated the air. The ground pitched, and Lily stumbled. What the—?
Boom!
A wall of heat slammed into her, and she tumbled to the sidewalk.
Shop windows blew out. Trees bent. Cars horns honked in a rhythmic cadence while beeps and whirs of other vehicle alarms set up a discordant accompaniment. People screamed.
Lily looked up. A huge ball of black smoke bowled into the sky. She shoved to her feet and ran toward the chaos. Strangers wailed and moaned as they shoved past her, heading in the opposite direction. As she drew closer to the epicenter, she caught sight of bright gold tongues of fire licking at a half-demolished building. A column of flames shot up from twisted and blackened gas pumps. A car—thankfully empty of occupants—lay upside down on Main Street.
The corner store exploded?
In the distance, the wail of sirens permeated the rumbles, groans, and insanity of the scene. She stared, her brain trying to process what she saw. The corner store exploded. Shock. I’m in shock.
She patted herself down.
I’m fine. I’m okay. But the store…
Exploded.
Pieces clicked inside her mind.
Explosion. Afghanistan military base. Hidalgo, Texas. Cedar Valley, California.
The terrorist….
She turned back the way she came.
Jamie!
She sprinted to the bakery, dodging people as she went. Please let me be wrong. Please be okay. She burst through the entrance.
Jang-jang-jingle-ling!
“Jamie!”
Nothing.
Desperation swamped her as she rushed toward the kitchen and through the swinging door. “Jamie!”
She headed toward the stairs leading to the apartment, hoping against hope he remained tangled in the sheets and blissful asleep where she left him. She reached for the doorknob.
“Uuuuunh.”
Lily turned toward the moan. “Jamie?”
“Uuunh.” Cough, cough.
She hurried toward the back door—which stood open—and outside into the alley. Her breath caught. A body lay on the ground. “Will!”
She went to him, dropping to her knees at his side, and rolled him to his back. Blood stained his tan jacket and the white shirt underneath, his pants, his face. Thick crimson puddled the asphalt, a thin stream flowing to the lowest point in the road.
So much blood covered him, she had to use the wettest spots to determine where his injuries were. As best she could tell, he’d been shot, twice. Once in the shoulder. Once in the thigh. She bolted back inside the kitchen, grabbed a handful of dish towels, an apron, and a wooden spoon then sprinted outside again. She wadded the towel and pressed it against his shoulder.
He groaned. “T-tried to s-stop.”
“Shhh.” She wrapped the apron around his leg then used the ties and the spoon to create a tourniquet to staunch the wound. God so much blood. After inserting the spoon in place, she angled toward his face. “This is gonna hurt a little.”
She twisted
the spoon, tightening the apron strings and cutting off blood flow to the wound.
“Aargh!”
“I know, Will. But if I don’t do this, you’ll bleed out.” She tied the spoon in place. Moving to his shoulder, she pulled the soaked towel away and replaced it with a clean one then set her hand on top and pressed down. He moaned, and his eyes rolled back in his head. Damn. Digging in the purse she still wore across her body, she pulled out her cell and dialed 911. After ending the call, she leaned toward him.
“Help is on the way.” When she didn’t get a response, she gave his cheek a hard pat. “Will!”
“Nngh. Here.”
“The ambulance is coming, so stay with me.”
“’Kay.”
“Where’s Jamie?” She looked up toward the back door, which still stood open, then scanned the street around her. She didn’t see any other signs of blood or struggle. “Will! Where’s Jamie?”
“Tried to stop.” He groaned, his eyelids fluttering. “Took him. Black T-Taurus.”
She grabbed her phone again, wiped the screen on her jeans to get the blood off from the previous call then hit speed dial for Omega. She’d failed. The terrorist had taken Jamie. She hadn’t protected the man she loved. Guilt and fear threatened to overwhelm her, but she battered it back to a far corner in her mind. There’d be time to fall apart later.
“Lily!” Jacquie’s upbeat voice greeted her. “FBI picked up Sajed Alam at a gas station off of I-40 in Arkansas. How’s it going on your end?”
“There’s another terrorist.”
“What?” Confusion filled the single syllable.
“Do you have satellite access?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You’re looking for a black Ford Taurus.”
***
Water splashed in Jamie’s face, causing him to splutter and spit. What the hell?
He forced his eyes opened. Everything had a weird soft focus deal going on. Some big dude stood in front of him.
Smack!
Jamie’s head snapped to one side. Pain seared his left cheek.
The Omega Team: Lethal Intent (Kindle Worlds Novella) (MacKay Destiny Book 7) Page 8