He’d had a much-needed and brutal bout with Aidan and then started a plan of action. He had full faith in LCR in carrying off a successful mission, but they needed to use all of their resources.
He hadn’t mentioned his idea to anyone until he had everything in place. Once he was ready, Justin had shared those plans with his boss, told him what he had done. McCall had listened without comment, nodding at all of Justin’s carefully thought-out reasons.
The LCR leader had concurred that it was a good, solid strategy. He agreed that it should work and, most important, would ensure Riley’s safety. Justin had been relieved to have him on board. McCall’s assistance was integral to things going forward. Then McCall had put a kink in everything when he’d asked, “What does Riley think about this?”
When he had explained that he’d wanted to get everything in place before bringing her on board, McCall had shaken his head and delivered a final summation. “She’ll never go for it.”
Admittedly, Justin had squelched all the niggling doubts in the back of his mind that he should have talked with her before moving forward. But he had convinced himself that when he presented the plan, fait accompli, she would agree. McCall’s statement had brought all those doubts back to the forefront.
Deciding the best defense was a good offense, Justin backed up against the edge of the desk and pulled Riley forward until she was standing in front of him. Keeping his hands on her shoulders, he locked his gaze with hers. “You need to know a few things, Ingram. First, I have a deep admiration for you. Not just for overcoming so much, but for what you’ve made of yourself. You have more courage and grit than anyone I’ve ever known.
“I’ve watched you dodge bullets, take down men three times your size, and rescue countless victims without showing the least amount of fear. Hell, the injury you received last year would’ve killed most people. You’ve got bigger balls than men ten times your size.”
Riley’s startled laughter was a welcome sound. He had said the last part intending for her to laugh, but the words were true. He’d kept his word to McCall that he would let her work through her emotions in her own way, but now that things were under way, he could wait no longer. They had to do this and soon.
“There is no doubt in my mind that you can destroy Dimitri, as well as William Larson and his disgusting band of human traffickers.”
“Why do I hear a but in there somewhere?”
Instead of giving her a direct answer, he said, “You know Mia Ryker. Right?”
She frowned her confusion. “Of course I know Mia. She and her husband, Jared Livingston, are former LCR operatives, though they still work with LCR from time to time. Jared’s the one who trailed Larson to LA.”
“Jared is still there, but Mia is coming here.”
“It’ll be good to see her again. Did Noah ask her to help out with this part of the op?”
“In a way.”
“In what way?”
Pushing aside all the doubts that were suddenly screaming for attention, he continued his explanation. “You and Mia have similar appearances.”
“Yes,” she said slowly. “I even switched places with her once on an op. We have the same build and coloring. No one even noticed. But what’s that go to do with—”
Her eyes grew wide as comprehension hit. “You want her to pose as me for this op.”
“I don’t want you to have to see that bastard Dimitri again. Or Larson either. Neither man has seen you in years. Yours and Mia’s physical similarities are close already. With a little extra makeup and enhancements, they’ll never doubt that it’s you.
“I’ve rented a place in upper East Tennessee, high up in the mountains. Used to belong to one of those doomsday preppers. The place is surrounded by a twelve-foot wall and an electric fence. It’s a fortress. No one’s around for miles. Most importantly, no one could get to you there. Anna can stay with you. We’ll set up guards to patrol the grounds twenty-four seven until this is over. You’ll be safe.”
Her initial reaction was immense relief. She wouldn’t have to see the monster again. Wouldn’t have to hear his voice, smell his fetid breath, brace against the fear of his touch. And Larson. She wouldn’t have to suffer through seeing the people responsible for putting her in hell.
She felt almost dizzy from the sense of freedom. Nothing extra would be required of her. The demons of her past would be destroyed, and she would…she would…
“Oh no. Oh, hell no.” Jerking out of Justin’s grasp, Riley jumped a foot away from him.
She had almost fallen for it. She couldn’t decide whom she was more disappointed in—herself for being so damned naïve and weak, or Justin for his arrogance and lack of faith.
“Riley, think about it. You won’t have—”
“I don’t have to think about it.” Hands on her hips, she glared at him. “This is my right. I deserve to bring these bastards down. No one has that right more than I do. I’ll be damned if I’ll let you treat me like a victim.”
“I’m not treating you like a victim. I’m trying to protect you.”
“As my partner, you protect me by having my back. Just like I have yours. You don’t lock me away or hide me behind closed doors. You don’t treat me like I’m some useless, untrained civilian, incapable of handling myself.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Then what are you doing, Justin? Tell me. Because it sure as hell looks as though you don’t think I can handle this op. If you don’t, then we need to go to McCall and make some changes. I need a partner who believes in me.”
“I do believe in you, dammit. And McCall already knows about this.”
The betrayal hit her harder than she’d thought possible. She stumbled back, heard her numb lips whisper, “He doesn’t think I can handle it either?”
“Of course he does. This has nothing to do with what you can handle. Hell, I just told you you’re the strongest person I know.”
“Words, Kelly. Actions speak louder than words.”
She turned on her heel and started for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to talk to Noah. If he doesn’t think I’m strong enough to do this, then he can at least tell me to my face.”
“Dammit, stop!”
A hand grabbed her shoulder. She whirled, and her fist zoomed to his face. A split second before it landed, she pulled it back.
Instead of ducking or blocking the punch, Justin twisted his mouth in a small smile. “That’s what you call control, Ingram. Not slugging me when it’s probably what you’d most like to do.”
“What I’d most like to do is to never have had this conversation.”
He closed his eyes, rubbed at a spot between them as if he had a headache. In all the years they’d known each other, she didn’t think she’d ever seen Justin look so tired or frustrated.
She still seethed with anger, but she tamped it down and asked quietly, “Why, Justin?”
He shook his head. “I handled this badly. I was trying to protect you, and instead, you took it as an insult to your abilities.”
“It’s not my abilities you insulted. If that were in question, I’d laugh in your face because I know you don’t question my skills. You’ve seen what I can do. It’s the fact that you don’t think I’m mentally or emotionally stable enough to do the job.”
“That’s total bullshit!” he snapped. “That’s not why at all.”
“Then why?” she challenged.
“Because, the thought of anything happening to you, the thought of you being hurt in any way, of having to face those assholes again…it rips me to pieces.”
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her into his arms. “This is why, dammit.” Lowering his head, he covered her mouth with his, breathed in her gasp of surprise. She tasted more delicious than he remembered, better than anything ever had.
Justin controlled the kiss but made sure she knew she could pull away if she wanted to. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks that
instead of pulling away, she moved into him with a small moan.
As tentative as he would be while diffusing a bomb, he slowly lowered his hands, caressing her lower back and then her sweet, firm ass. His control was being tested, because more than anything he wanted to dive into the need, the unbelievable heat that was now swamping him. He wanted to lay her on the desk, strip her naked, and devour every inch of her sweet body. But he reminded himself to be careful, gentle. Triggering any kind of horrific memory was the last thing he wanted.
She finally did ease away, slightly, her breath elevated. “I’m not fragile or breakable, you know.”
“You’re precious.”
She snorted. “Poodles are precious.”
He grinned and felt a loosening in his muscles. If she could joke and smile, he hadn’t completely screwed everything up. “And Rileys are what? Rigid. Rambunctious?”
“Right,” she whispered, pulling his head down to her again. “Rileys are right.” Heat washed through her body, and she found herself wanting to rub up against him like a cat.
Justin drew her closer, slid his tongue into her mouth, thrusting deep. Riley gave herself up to these wondrous new feelings he aroused in her. She’d never believed it was even possible to have sexual desire after what she’d gone through. But she knew the reasons had more to do with the man than with her recovery. With any other man, she would have either pushed him away or been revolted. This man, her partner, the man she trusted with all her heart, had opened up a part of her she’d believed was closed forever.
She owed him her loyalty, and if he wanted it, she would give him her love. She would not, however, give up who she was. What she had become.
She told her erratic heart to slow down. There were things they needed to settle.
“I’m doing this job, Justin. It’s my right.”
“You have nothing to prove to anyone, Riley.”
“Apparently, I do since you and Noah cooked up this scheme. Without consulting me, I might add.”
“This wasn’t McCall’s idea. It was mine. He told me you wouldn’t go for it.”
Relief rushed through her. “At least he trusts me.”
“Quit twisting my words, Ingram. This has nothing to do with trust. I just want—”
She held up her hand to stop his protest. “Fine. Whatever. No matter the reasons, here’s the bottom line. I have to do this.”
“No, you don’t.”
Her eyes glinting with determination, she put her hands on her hips in challenge. “Let me ask you this. If the men who kidnapped your sister were found to be alive and an op was put together to go after him, would you say, that’s okay, I’ll sit this one out because I’m too emotionally involved?”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“Oh yeah? Why isn’t it the same thing? Because you’re a man? Or because you’re tougher than I am?”
“Because I wasn’t held prisoner or brutalized by the bastards.”
“No, but your sister was.”
Justin began pacing around the office. Riley stayed silent, knowing he needed to work this out. She wouldn’t back down, but she needed him to accept her decision and not continue to fight her.
Long moments later, he stopped and glared at her. “Fine. But if you deviate from the plan even a little, I don’t care what you say, I’m hauling you to that safe house and you’ll damn well stay there.”
She could have challenged him, but she didn’t. Dimitri had locked her up out of the need to control her. Justin wanted to protect her. There was a world of difference between the two. That didn’t mean, however, that she would allow Justin to manipulate her. She’d worked too hard to become her own person. Yet, she also knew when to bend and be flexible.
“Fine.”
“McCall is waiting for us at the apartments. He wants to run some things by you.”
“Then let’s go.”
She put her hand on the doorknob, and Justin covered it with his. Pulling her back against him, he spoke against her ear. “Don’t give up on us, Ingram.”
Those words, more than any others he could have said, relieved her mind. He hadn’t given up on her, on them. Then neither would she.
Chapter Twenty
The apartment complex the operatives were staying in wasn’t the most expensive, but the apartments were large. Each had its own washer and dryer and a surprisingly nice décor. Those weren’t the reasons LCR had chosen these particular apartments, though. The biggest draw was the top floor of the apartment building. It boasted six apartments, each one connected to the other. This enabled operatives to move from one apartment to another without anyone seeing them.
Riley and Justin had been silent on the ride over, absorbed in their own thoughts. This was another reason she and Justin got along so well on an op. Neither of them ever felt the need to fill the silence with unnecessary banter. She was especially appreciative today, because her mind was running fast and furious.
William Larson had been contacted, told there was a possibility of a sighting. That she might be found soon. And there was no doubt in her mind that Dimitri now knew that as well. Even though it had just begun and neither man had been told where she might be, Riley felt her adrenaline surging. It would be only a few more days, and they would be in full operations mode. The serious stuff would begin.
On the elevator ride up, she glanced over at Justin. His jaw was clenched, his mouth a grim line. She knew he was worried about her. A part of her felt guilty for the hard time she’d given him before. The fact that he cared enough to want to hide her and make sure she came to no harm was sweet and romantic. For anyone else, it might have even been considered heroic. But for Riley Ingram, who fought everyday not to be seen as a victim, it hadn’t been appreciated.
“McCall said he’d meet us in our apartment.”
“I’ll be glad when this is over and we can go back to my apartment in Virginia.”
“You don’t like where we’re staying?”
She scrunched her nose. “Not enough windows.”
“For a woman who needs to hide, you sure like to be out in the open.”
He didn’t know about her phobias, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to get into them now. He knew more than anyone else, and as far as she was concerned, that was more than enough.
They reached their apartment door, but before she could unlock it, Noah opened it. He had the same worried look as Justin. That look made her even more determined to see this through. She knew they trusted her, but if there were doubts that she could handle this op, she needed to make sure she dispelled them.
She went to the living room and settled onto the sofa. First she would listen to what Noah wanted to say, then she would find the words to convince him that she could do this job.
“Justin told you I made the initial call,” Noah stated.
“Yes. How did it go? Did you learn anything?”
Noah pulled his cellphone from his pocket and then clicked a key. “You tell me.”
For the first time in eleven years, she heard the voice of the man she had believed was her father. His voice sounded a little older, gravelly, as if he might be a smoker. The excitement in his voice was over the top and unsettling. She could not recall a time when she’d ever heard emotion in his voice. When she was growing up, he had rarely raised his tone and oftentimes had sounded bored. In hindsight, it was hard to believe that she thought she had loved him as a parent. He had never shown her the least amount of affection. But she had admired him, believed he was such a hard worker, so dedicated to his employer.
Noah’s conversation with Larson didn’t last long. At the end, she heard a huskiness in his voice, as if he were so overcome with emotion he was trying not to cry.
There was silence in the room after the call ended. Finally, Justin broke it with a sardonic, “Laid it on a bit thick, didn’t he?”
“That was my thought, too,” Noah said. “The man has so little idea what real emotion is, he can’t even fake it.�
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Two sets of eyes turned to Riley. “What did you think?”
What did she think? She thought if she had anything in her stomach, she might be throwing up about now. She drew in a breath. No. She knew how to compartmentalize. This was an op. He was nothing more than a sleazy human trafficker who was going to get his just deserts.
“He sounds older. And I agree. He was laying it on a bit thick. I doubt that he has to play the role of grieving father too often. Must be hard.”
“Did you catch his surprise at the mention of Greece?” Noah asked. “That made me wonder if we’ve been looking in the right place.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“We assumed you boarded that ship in Greece because of the language and the signs, but you might have merely been in an area heavily populated by Greek people.”
“Crap.” She shook her head. “All this time…”
“Don’t beat yourself up. Dimitri is still too common of a name even in Greece, much less other countries.”
She accepted the truth of that. Having nothing to go on but a first name and possible location had been their biggest impediment from the beginning. “We’re still on target for another contact in a few days?”
“Yes. I’ll wait three days and call him back. Let him know we may have found you. In the meantime, Livingston is still trailing him, trying to determine if he’s got more than the three houses that we already know about.”
“Good.” She paused a beat, then gave both men a hard stare. “I know about the safe house. I won’t go.”
McCall’s mouth twitched with a smile. Justin didn’t bother to argue or defend himself. He believed in Riley, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to protect her. He had, he now admitted, gone about it in a stupid-assed way, though.
“Justin said Mia’s planning to come here, too.”
“That’s on hold for right now,” Noah said. “We’ll call her in if need be. Even if everything goes according to plan, it would be helpful to have a double in the wings, just in case.”
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