Suspicion At Sea

by Nichols, Amie

  “Come with me, Ellie,” Cody says, trying to direct her into the bedroom.

  “Stop, Cody.” Ellie pulls away from him. That's my girl. She comes straight back, standing next to me. “What is going on, Justin?” she asks, staring up at me.

  “Ellie, I'm not sure you want to hear this right now,” Cody says and again takes her arm to try and get her out of the room. This time I grasp Cody's upper arm, squeezing with just enough pressure to let him know I'm serious.

  “I'm only going to say this once,” I grate through gritted teeth trying to keep my noise level down. “Do not touch her like that ever again.” Cody drops his hand from Ellie's arm. Now let the pissing contest begin.

  “I don't know who you think you are, but you don't tell me what I can do. I've had Ellie's back long before you ever knew she existed, and I resent what you are trying to imply.” Cody steps up, his chest inflated.

  “Stop it,” Ellie yells, stepping between us.

  “Just what do you think she is going to hear? Just what in the hell do you guys think you know?” I spout at Cody over Ellie's head.

  “Fine, don't say I didn't warn you, El,” Cody says, backing off when Ellie gives him a dirty look.

  “What the fuck is going on? Someone better start talking.” Ellie is in feisty mode which means every man in this room better watch out.

  “Obviously you gentlemen have read the top secret file, so you all know what happened that night,” I raise my voice just enough for emphasis.

  “Except more than half the report is redacted,” Cody huffs, now in extreme defense mode.

  “What part of top secret do you not understand?” I smart, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

  “Why were you not on the boat that night with the rest of your team?” Denny starts in on me next.

  “Read the report,” I say, deadpan, staring straight at the red head.

  “In the report it says you got a gut feeling something was wrong and your radio jammed,” Cody says. I really don't think he could be any more condescending.

  “Like I've told my superiors, it was just a feeling. I can't explain it, but it was wrong. Everything about it was wrong.”

  “So you’re psychic then?” Cody scoffs.

  “No, I'm not fucking psychic,” I shout to the asshat standing next to my girl. “Haven't you just ever had a gut feeling...” I stop, knowing this is falling on deaf ears.

  “Yeah, I'm having one right now,” Cody burns, adding more fuel to my already flaming fire.

  “You know damn well what he is talking about. When you are in the field sometimes your gut feeling is all you have,” Ellie says, defending me without even knowing what she is defending me for. I didn't do that for her, I did the opposite and thought the worst. This makes me go to her and wrap my arm around her waist. Guiding her out of the room into the bedroom, I hear objections from Cody, but ignore them and shut the door.

  “I don't know how they know about Talamarin. There was no rescue team. There is something not right here,” I voice my worries aloud.

  “What are you saying?”

  “Like it seems to be all official in a way, but there's just too many weird coincidences. Someone is being reckless with the crayon, coloring outside the lines,” I explain, Ellie nodding her head slightly.

  “I've been thinking the same thing, just didn't want to say it aloud. Who could be doing this?” she asks, but I can tell she is more thinking aloud than actually wanting an answer.

  “When the boys disappeared I figured it was something they had gotten into, but never in a million years did I think they could have been connected to Alejandro...I mean Fausto.” I run my hand across my head as Ellie stares right through me, biting the inside of her cheek, her mind in overdrive.

  “There was an explosion that killed your team?” Ellie questions softly, her hand reaching out for my forearm.

  “We watched Alejandro for months. Never was there any suspicion of it being an alias. They were running guns and we were off the coast of Honduras tracking them coming from San Pedro Sula.”

  “That is one of Fausto's known hideouts, at least we've known that for a year now.”

  “All intelligence told us was that he was aboard that ship. The night of Talamarin we were all in position. The orders were to take the ship and its contents.” I've been trying to forget that night for so long. I need to try and remember every detail because now it affects so much more. If Fausto finds Ellie because of something he thinks I did...I shake my head to get the thoughts out of my head.

  “Baby, I don't know what happened that night, but I do know that you had nothing to do with getting your team killed. We will figure it out, together,” she says without hesitation, reaching her hand up and cupping my face. I lean into her warm, loving touch, knowing she believes in me. She always has, and that is why she told me her past. I let her down, something I will never do again.

  “I don't deserve you, angel,” I whisper into her hand.

  “Probably not.” She smirks, raising an eyebrow.

  I laugh, pulling her to me, hugging her so tight I hear her gasp.

  Chapter 39

  Ellie

  “How well do you know those agents?” Justin questions me, letting me loose from his vice grip.

  “Cody I trust completely. I would even say the same about Lyle, but I've not worked that much with Denny. All I know is he was also a SEAL.”

  “It’s guys like him who have given us our bad reputation,” Justin sneers, looking toward the closed door.

  “So let's say for a second that Denny may not be playing on our team, then what? Do you think he could work for another agency, or worse, been bought?” I shiver at the thought, a rogue agent with top level security can do a hell of a lot of damage before they are found out.

  “No, I say maybe another agency. Didn't you say that a black sedan was watching you yesterday when you left the boat?”

  “Yeah, and it was definitely a low level government tail, probably someone who didn't know anything and was following orders,” I add.

  “If caught, plausible deniability,” Justin says, shaking his head as if it makes sense. The way he was so obvious and then taking off like he did. It was pathetic actually, very premature.

  “Unless...” I stop and recall it. “It was just a little too pathetic, made to look like an amateur to throw me off.”

  “Justin?” We hear a panicked voice in the main room. Suzy has woken up and come out to a room full of strangers. It takes us two seconds to burst through the door.

  Suzy is standing by her bedroom door looking lost. The three men staring back at her and trying their best to look harmless. Suzy is obviously still groggy from whatever meds she took. They must have been some strong ones.

  “What is going on?” Suzy's voice is hoarse as her eyes roam over Denny, Lyle, then Cody. She stops on Cody, her stare lingering as she takes in the gorgeousness that is Cody Reed. I forget sometimes the affect he has on the opposite sex. She is visibly nervous as she fidgets with the hem of her old shirt and sweat pants.

  “These are Agents Reed, Burdock, and O'Brien,” I introduce them one by one, but her eyes stay with Cody.

  “It's nice to meet you all,” she whispers looking down at herself, her cheeks going rosy as she realizes what she looks like. “Umm, I should get cleaned up,” she says, turning back toward her bedroom and disappearing into it without another word.

  I turn to Justin whose jaw is tense. Apparently it hasn't escaped his attention that there were some lingering stares between his sister and Cody. I place my finger over my mouth to stifle a laugh. The air is thick with tension. Denny is staring down Justin while Justin is staring down Cody. Way too much testosterone in the room, and it's even worse now that Justin doesn't trust any of them.

  “Okay, boys, we need to figure out just what the hell is going on. Can we work together here?” I cross my arms in front of me and wait for answers. I get some grumbled okays from Justin, Cody, and Lyle, but D
enny doesn't say a word. He continues to stare down Justin.

  “What we need to know is what else is in that report,” Denny sneers, not being obscure about his contempt for my boyfriend.

  “Then you need to get a higher security level clearance.” Justin curls his lip up, knowing that this will get under Denny's skin.

  “Asshole,” Denny mumbles under his breath and turns back to the maps of the islands.

  “Don't.” I grab Justin's arm, his bicep tensed and bulging. The man probably deserves a good ass kicking, but this isn't the time or the place. Justin turns his head toward me, looking down at my hand on his arm. He takes a step back signaling to me that he won't act.

  “Thank you,” I mouth to him.

  “We were just talking about getting into the warehouse and hacking their computers. Hopefully finding out how they were communicating and who the boys were communicating with. If we can find out for sure what Fausto is after it can help us,” Cody interjects. The tension in the room is palpable.

  I nod in agreement and walk to the map splayed out on the kitchen table, showing the schematics of the warehouse. Lyle is studying it, and Justin, Cody, and I surround the table.

  “According to the security company that installed the cameras, there was only this kind”—Lyle points to a picture of a standard security camera—“installed in these locations.” Circles on the map show the areas where they are located.

  “Okay, but there were cameras also hidden here, here, and here.” I circle the different points where the other cameras were. “Here is what they looked like.” I had researched the cameras and found them. They are used by private security firms all over the United States, but were developed by CIA tech. They are very expensive and are made to not look like cameras. I pull up the file on my laptop that I had sent to Tommy to see if he could find out if they are hackable or not. If we can find where the feed is coming from it will be a game changer.

  “I can't believe Jade would ever have had the brains to have those cameras installed.” Justin leans over the table, using his finger to point to one of the areas I've circled.

  “And why is that?” Denny has now decided to join the group at the table.

  “Because he's a dumb son-of-a-bitch.” Justin rolls his eyes toward me, making a face. I stifle a laugh, not needing to add fuel to the already smoldering embers.

  “He was also working with one of the most dangerous criminals in all of North America,” Denny fires back, like that's supposed to prove a point.

  “Exactly, dumb son-of-a-bitch,” Justin spouts with half a chuckle and a wave of his hand. Denny is just about to retort when Suzy walks in the room dressed in clean clothes and looking completely different. I've only ever seen her wearing frumpy clothes and with mussed up hair.

  She is very cute with her jeans and light pink blouse with her hair in soft waves and her face with makeup. Not a lot, but some blush and lip gloss. She has that girl-next-door look, the kind of girl mothers like their sons to marry.

  “Is that Jade's warehouse?” she asks, standing next to her brother, but staring straight at Cody.

  “At night fall we are going in. El said it had a key code entry, do you know the combination?” Cody directs his question to Suzy.

  “No, are kidding me, Jade has told me anything but lies for the past few years,” Suzy says, aggravated. “You're the FBI, can't you just break down the door?” she states after getting a look of disappointment from Cody.

  “We could, but we are going to try and get in and out undetected. We don't want to scare Fausto and his men away,” I say to her.

  “Oh,” Suzy mouths, and I think it hits her just how dangerous all this might be. It's obvious to everyone from the look on her face as her hand goes to her belly like she's going to be sick.

  “Mrs. McGill, we are here so no harm comes to you,” Cody speaks up, coming around the table, placing a hand on her shoulder. I know Cody, and that is not something I've seen him do before. Yes, he is a sweet, compassionate man, but this... He knows the effect he has on the opposite sex and this could be construed as misleading.

  “Please don't call me that.” Suzy looks up at the dashing Cody with batting eyelashes. “Just Suzy,” she says with a half-smile.

  “Okay, Suzy it is,” Cody smiles softly. I'm pretty sure by the way they are looking at each other they have forgotten there is anyone else in the room.

  “Hey, sis, can I talk to you for a second?” Justin snakes his arm around Suzy's shoulders, not so subtly pushing Cody's hand off. Ushering her away from the crowd, he takes her into the front room whispering something to her, but I can't hear what they're saying.

  “What the fuck was that?” Cody grumbles under his breath.

  I just cock my head and stare at him.

  “What?” He mimics my head position, giving me the same leer I'm giving him. I just shake my head and decide to drop it. He knows what, that is why he is acting so innocent right now. Is the infamous bachelor, Cody Reed, smitten?

  Chapter 40

  Justin

  I have a talk with Suzy and explain to her that Ellie and I are not sure who we can trust right now; that I want her to keep her distance from all of them and not to answer any questions if I'm not present. I get a dozen eye rolls and a ‘don't fret, big brother’ before I finally convince her it is not safe to talk to anyone but Ellie or I.

  It's mostly true what I say to her, but what I'm most concerned about is the way Cody is looking at her. After learning what he allowed Ellie to do with LDR, there is no way he is ever getting near my sister.

  I think I covered up pretty well with the ‘not knowing who we can trust’ speech. I absolutely don't trust Denny, and I don't want him questioning her. Knowing Suzy, she would start rambling and the way that asshat is acting, he'd probably arrest her for god-knows-what.

  Ellie goes into the bedroom and shuts the door as the others get things ready. The sun will be setting soon so it's almost time to leave.

  I open the door and Ellie's standing in her bra and panties, rummaging through her bag that is on the dresser. She stops when she hears me.

  “Do you have anything dark to wear?” she asks, glimpsing up at me. Seeing her there all gorgeous and half naked makes my dick jerk. It takes me no time to be standing behind her, pushing her body into the dresser with mine.

  “Not now,” she giggles, feeling my hard cock against the small of her back.

  “I can't help it, he has a mind of his own, babes.” My mouth goes to her neck, her skin so smooth. My lips travel lightly up to the shell of her ear as my hands wrap around her tiny waist, then move upwards, finding and cupping her bra-covered tits. Her nipples harden through the material. “I think he's just reading your mind,” I whisper, my lips traveling back down her neck to her shoulder. Her hips move against me.

  “No, stop. We can't. We are leaving in five minutes,” she protests, her breathing labored. I turn her around, putting my hands under her arms and lift her onto the dresser. Squeezing between her legs, I press the tip of my jean covered cock into her, forcing her panties against her clit. She gasps at the sensation as I grind against her to give her more pleasure. My tongue travels up her neck to below her ear as her body shivers under my touch.

  “Justin, no—” I hush her with my mouth on hers. She tries to protest, but her will is not strong enough. She parts her soft lips with a moan, letting my tongue slip in between them. Her hands go to my head, her hips moving to get closer to me.

  The sound of the door opening makes both of us freeze. “Are you ready...oh shit.” Cody is standing in the doorway.

  “Fuck, Cody, don't you knock?” Ellie yells, mortified. I set her down and hide her body with mine.

  “We're ready to go, are you coming with us or not?” He's annoyed, not embarrassed. What the fuck is with this guy, and why the hell would he think it was all right to just walk in the room like that?

  “Get the fuck out of here, man,” I shout, looking over my shoulder, still tryin
g to shield my half-naked girl from him. I hear the door slam and Ellie leaves me as soon as it does.

  “Fuck, that wasn't embarrassing at all.” She's mad, and by the way she is acting, I'd say she was mad at me. I watch her for a moment as she puts on some black leggings and a black t-shirt. I'm speechless at the moment, not sure if it is smart to say anything at this time. She grabs some tennis shoes, sitting on the bed to slip them on and tie the laces.

  “Do you have any dark clothes? We have the black bullet-proof vests, but if you have some darker pants,” she says, standing and eyeballing me. Yes, I do believe she is upset with me.

  “Yeah, I think I have some dark cargo pants in the dresser,” I tell her cautiously. One thing I've learned so far with my girl is that when she is in a feisty mood, tread lightly. She lifts the side of her shirt, clipping her hip holster to the waist of her pants and clicking her Glock into the holster.

  “Well, get them on,” she snaps, swinging the door to the bedroom open and stepping out. The worst part is when she's all feisty with her gun and tight leggings on with that amazing ass in them, I'm majorly turned on.

  When I come out of the bedroom a few minutes later there is arguing going on. Ellie is talking to Cody in a loud whisper, like she is so mad that she can't be quiet but is trying to.

  I watch them for a minute, wondering if what they're arguing about is vexing. When Ellie sees me move out the corner of her eye, she stops mid-sentence. Okay, so this is about me.

  “Are we ready to go?” I ask, taking steps toward them.

  “I don't think so, cowboy, this is FBI business,” Denny smarts off, leering at me. Pretty sure he would look better with a fat lip, my fist tenses.

  “He's going, Denny,” Ellie shouts over her shoulder at him.

  “I agree with Denny, shouldn't he stay here with Suzy anyway?” Cody interjects, Ellie's head snaps back to Cody, making him take a step back.

  “We can't have a civilian there with what we are doing,” Cody explains fast, just like me, I believe he is also a little scared of Ellie.