by Marie Harte
“It would be hard for me to turn down that kind of offer, Starr.” Kane slowly extended his arm. “Which is why you have yourself a deal.”
Catori firmly shook his hand, emotions swirling inside of her that she’d actually just solidified her Alpha team. She wasn’t in the mood to sort them out, nor did she want to. There were still things that needed to be done and the effort to get this collection organized into a cohesive fighting unit would keep her and him busy.
“My team…I want to look over their profiles.”
“As I stated, their details have been emailed to you. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. My cell phone number is included. You have forty-eight hours to sign and return the letter of intent.” Catori headed for the exit and opened the door, allowing in the loud construction noises as well. She stepped down and then turned on her heel to find Kane still leaning up against the counter. “Your team reports on the first of August at exactly zero seven hundred. I suggest you arrive the week before so we’re able to go over their training schedule, inventory the team bunkhouse, inspect the hardware that will be available to us, and the software that we’ll be using. We have a support system staff of well over fifty personnel and that doesn’t include the ship’s crew or the flight crew for our new Knighthawk.”
“I’ll be there.”
Catori closed the door, giving Kane the privacy he needed to digest what she had offered him and the agreement that he’d made. She was confident that he wouldn’t change his mind, but she also knew that the next time she saw him he’d question her about what she’d discovered regarding his sister. Catori had already put feelers out and the preliminaries coming back weren’t good. Something FUBAR had occurred and Sidney Taylor had gotten caught in the crossfire.
Walking to her car, Catori pulled out her phone and skimmed through her contacts. Finding the one person who might be able to help and highlighting their name, she pressed the call button. As the line rang, she pulled on the handle of her convertible and settled into the driver’s seat. She continued to stare at the trailer while she waited for her contact to answer.
“Catori Starr,” Schultz Jessalyn announced, as if he was surprised to hear from her. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Cut the bullshit, Schultzy,” Catori replied with a smile as she saw Kane finally leave the trailer. “We both know you are well aware that I am forming another team. My bet is you have a list of my crew already on your desk and you know the precise reason that I’m calling.”
“You never were any fun.” Schultz Jessalyn was currently the Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor for the President of the United States. His title was a mouthful and fit his personality to a tee. He was a complex man and one that she would never want to make an enemy of. She’d lucked out though, and Schultz happened to be a damn good friend, which was the only reason she had his personal phone number. “Leave it buried.”
Catori didn’t take any pleasure in being right and she felt her frustration mount. She understood and could sympathize with Kane in regards to his sister. She leaned her head back against the padding of her seat, hearing the warning that Schultz was giving her but also knowing when something wasn’t right.
“I can’t afford to be kept in the dark on this one, Schultzy—especially when it involves the family of my new lead operator.” Catori watched as Kane walked up to a man carrying a set of blueprints and start up a conversation. She tried to word her inquiry carefully. “If whatever happened has the potential to cause damage to Red Starr HRT, I have a need to know right now…her brother has a right to know if some shit-stain blew his assignment and greased his sister.”
“Not everything should be public knowledge, Starr.” Schultz wasn’t going to budge on this. If it was one thing Catori hated, it was not seeing the hand she was playing with. “This is one that you need to let go of for everyone’s sake.”
“I can’t do that.” Catori tried to figure out a way to negotiate for the information, but having taken two years off had depleted her resources. “Taylor deserves some answers, Schultz, even if it’s just a thread.”
“We both know that one lone strand can lead to a complete shit storm breaking loose.” A long pause blanketed the phone and Catori resisted the urge to pull the cell away from her ear to see if the line was still connected. She remained silent, hoping he’d cave but knowing he was protecting his interests. Because of that, his next statement surprised her. “I’ll have something for you by the end of the week.”
The only reason Schultz would divulge classified and potentially threatening information was if he wanted something in return. An ominous cloud was settling over her mood and her gut reaction said she wasn’t going to like the outcome. These men deserved better—Taylor deserved better—and she would see to it that nothing blemished their new beginning.
“Favors are returned in kind,” Catori reminded Schultz, wanting to make her position clear. “I expect sufficient information…enough to ease Taylor’s mind.”
“I’ll obtain what I can, but I can’t guarantee it will be what he wants to hear.”
Catori closed her eyes, wishing that Schultz hadn’t added on that last part. If Sidney Taylor had been used as a chess piece by the higher powers involved, Kane wasn’t the type let justice escape from his hands. This was setting up to become a clusterfuck of mega proportions and she had a decision to make. Did she get out of the car and rescind her offer? Would it be better for the morale and safety of her team? She immediately rejected that thought, knowing full well that Taylor deserved justice. If she got her hands a little dirty helping him achieve that, so be it.
“I would say thank you for your assistance, but I have a feeling this is going to cost me.” Catori watched as Kane headed to his truck. His eyes had caught sight of her red convertible the minute he’d stepped out of the trailer and he made no effort to hide his scrutiny now. She hoped like hell that no one was alive that had a hand in his sister’s death. If they were, they’d be begging for mercy soon enough. “Try to keep it unproblematic.”
“Ah, Starr, you know I won’t promise you that,” Schultz stated, disconnecting their call with a laugh.
Catori sat there a while longer, watching Kane’s truck make a U-turn and fade away as he traveled down the road. He had the right idea in mind—they both had a lot of things that needed to be accomplished, and sitting here in the middle of a construction zone wasn’t going to get the job done. As she’d come to realize, the world kept spinning while one’s personal life was experiencing upheaval. The secret was to move with the general population while simultaneously dealing with the grief that reality had dealt. Vengeance didn’t bring one peace, but it sure as hell made a Marine feel as if he’d satisfied the mission requirements.
Chapter Eleven
‡
CATORI TOOK HER cup of tea out onto her deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This beachfront house had been her and Red’s home for when they had been between missions. She couldn’t bring herself to sell it and eventually let the lease run out for the apartment they’d rented in the city for some of their quick overnights. The last month had given her pause to consider leasing another one, but she quickly rejected the idea. Instead she made sure the construction crew rebuilding the interior of Red Starr HRT’s new headquarters had included some additional living space attached to her office where she could overnight if called upon. This was where she felt Red and this was where she would stay, regardless of the drive.
The large round patio sat high off the ground, with ten steps that led down to the cliff face that overlooked the sand and waves below. The reason she and Red had purchased this property was the feeling of isolation and the natural beauty that surrounded them. The white wooden spirals were set twelve inches apart and easily offered a view of the terrain. There was a small path that led down to the beach, but Catori didn’t feel like taking a walk tonight. Instead she opted to sit in one of the chairs that rarely got used nowa
days. The temperature had been in the high seventies, but at this time of night there was a cool Santa Ana breeze coming in off of the ocean. She’d known it would be this way and had grabbed her favorite sweater as always.
Catori had just settled herself into one of the Tuscan colored cushioned chaise lounges and taken a sip of her tea when the phone rang. She didn’t hurry as she placed her tea on the side table, knowing exactly who it was on the other line and not feeling any urgency to hear the triumph in his voice. Sure enough, Gavin Crest’s name appeared on the display.
“Take your gloating somewhere else,” Catori replied into her cell. Crest’s rich laughter floated out of the speaker and into the air. “Unless you’re calling for another reason, I don’t want to hear it.”
“I don’t gloat.”
“Bullshit.”
“Are you trying to stir up the hornet’s nest?”
“Schultzy called you?” Catori sat up a little straighter, trying to connect the dots but coming up blank. “Are you fucking serious?”
“No, he didn’t. You called Schultzy?” Crest’s exasperation was evident. “Shit, Starr, nothing is worse than owing that man a favor.”
“Kane Taylor deserves to know the truth,” Catori stated, not apologizing for the steps she’d taken. “His sister was killed on that mission and her superiors aren’t being truthful with him. It’s in the best interests of my team to have his head clear and unburdened. If Schultzy didn’t call you then how did you find out that I was nudging for the facts?”
“I received a call from a full bird colonel who ran that operation, thinking I had something to do with the interest of certain classified information.” Crest paused, as if evaluating how much he should share with her. She didn’t appreciate his evasiveness in the least. “It was an obvious assumption on his part, considering he was the one I obtained information from regarding Kane Taylor.”
“So Kane worked under this colonel when he was in the service?”
“Nice try, but that’s not going to work.” Crest wasn’t irresponsible and Catori had never bore witness to him falling for something as simple as a leading question. It hadn’t stopped her from trying. “Starr, I’ve got a bad feeling about that botched mission. I don’t want it coming back and ruining your fresh start if something gets made public that never should have seen the light of day.”
“If this was one of your team members, you wouldn’t hesitate to do some digging yourself,” Catori pointed out, knowing they were alike in that way. Loyalty, honesty, support, and trust were vital among a unit. Her crew would know that going in and, God help them, going out. “Kane needs answers and I have the contacts and wherewithal to give him closure.”
“Schultzy? Damn, woman, you didn’t go for the handgun—you went directly for the Howitzer.”
“Have you ever known me to be subtle? Why settle for a flyswatter when a surface to air missile will do?” Catori settled back into her chair and picked up tea. It had gotten lukewarm but it still tasted good. “Besides, someone’s got to keep that man out of trouble.”
“He’ll be happy as a fucking lark alright whenever he needs your services as payback.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” Catori felt the years drain away and it was as if she was back in time, waiting for Red to join her out here on the patio. Crest had been a frequent visitor and this camaraderie between them felt familiar and comforting. “Schultzy likes to keep in contact with us lowly civilians. He gets bored up in the White House. I’m only helping out.”
“It’s a good way to get your ass burnt with one of his fly-by-night black bag specials.”
“Speaking of which, have you gotten any ass lately? Last time you mentioned anyone was when you and Schultzy had that State Department dinner in D.C.”
“I still see her from time to time, but only when I’m in D.C. on business. Getting CSA off the ground is keeping me busy.” Crest’s bachelor status was well known among their circles and Starr looked forward to when some woman had the wherewithal to tame him. “Besides, who wants an old scourge like me? Speaking of personal lives, if things get too heated when Taylor finds out what really happened over in Nigeria, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”
“Did this colonel tell you something that you’d like to share?” Catori asked, her mind spinning of what could have happened that forced a high-ranking official to cover it up.
“No,” Crest replied, “he was vague. It was apparent he wasn’t willing to shed light on the situation without considerable pressure. Which leads me to offering you the advice I originally called about—it would be in Red Starr HRT’s best interest to let it go. Even an old dim-witted jarhead like me knows when to pull back.”
Tea sputtered out of her mouth as another infrequent laugh took hold. She pulled the phone away from her ear and used the back of her hand to wipe the drips running down her chin. She used her other hand to put the cup back on the side table. Once she could inhale without feeling like she was drowning, she eventually put the cell back to her ear.
“Crest, you’ve never known when to pull back a day in your whole fucking life.” Catori shook her head at the absurdity of his statement. “Shit, it’s your ass that Red always had to pull out of the fire.”
“Yes, he did.” Crest’s voice had softened and it dawned on Catori that this was the first time she’d brought up her husband in talking about the past in such a casual manner. It made her chest hurt and she was appreciative when Crest ended the call. “If you need me, all you have to do is call. God knows that I still owe you a favor or two. Good night, Starr.”
Catori lowered the phone from her ear and slowly placed it next to her now half empty cup of tea. Earlier this evening she’d been satisfied with her initial progress in reviving a company that made this world a better place. She could separate that part of her life. What she didn’t like was this transition that seemed to be happening to her personally. She wasn’t ready to let go of Red. She wasn’t ready to refer to him in the past tense.
Catori closed her eyes and listened as the waves crashed against the sand in the distance. It amazed her that two oceans could sound so different, although she admitted that maybe it had something to do with the memories. This was where she and Red had built their home. This was the stability that they’d needed and in which had been taken away with one FUBAR mission that should have been a cakewalk.
She wasn’t averse to the fact that Kane Taylor was facing something similar today that she’d had to deal with two years ago. Catori still felt that she’d missed something in regards to Red and the team’s elimination. No matter whom she contacted, no matter how many times she’d questioned the liaison that assisted Red Starr HRT, and no matter how many satellite images she’d spent hours combing over…she never did receive a concise answer as to what had truly transpired to cause the mission to go south. If Kane Taylor didn’t need to suffer the same fate, then she would assist him in any way that she could.
What seemed like hours later Catori couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. She’d resorted to her old habit of sitting out here and trying to obtain some of the peace that the ocean seemed to bring every once in a while. She wasn’t sure of the time. She only knew that she was tired enough to get a few hours of sleep without having a nightmare that relived the day she’d found out about Red. She welcomed the sleep and managed to move her numb ass off of the lounge and into the house.
The morning would be here soon enough and she was certain that Kane Taylor would be at the warehouse facility at zero six hundred. Most of the construction was done with the new office spaces, armory, security fences, pier upgrades, an extremely large maintenance bay, attached hangar, training areas, team bunkhouse, communications electronics suite, briefing room, and a state of the art operations control facility. If she worked enough hours tomorrow then maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t have to sit out here staring into the darkness until exhaustion overtook her.
*
“CAT,” RED’S DEEP voice called ou
t, the raspy coarseness of it sending shivers over her skin. Was he really here with her? Catori’s eyes fluttered open and sure enough, he was situated above her with his sexy crooked smile and blue eyes. His blond hair was tousled and the fiery highlights could be seen even in the golden hued lighting coming from her bedside table. Something told her this wasn’t real, yet she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out with her hand and gently placing her palm directly on his whiskered cheek. Would he disappear? “Cat, I’m still here.”
A sob rose up inside of Catori’s chest because she knew that he wasn’t. Red was gone but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take these special moments when he chose to appear to her. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers, so softly and so tenderly that she could hardly feel it. There was a reason for that, but she pushed that thought out of her mind. She would be greedy just this once.
Using her tongue, she traced his lips…knowing them from memory. The fullness of his mouth was engrained on every part of her skin. He used to explore to his heart’s content, always making her beg for more. Catori moved her head to the side, wanting to feel the heat from his mouth on her neck. It was there, she just knew it. Discarding all thought, she abandoned herself to his memory, his touch, his being.
Red caressed the side of her breast and his calloused fingers brought with them a trail of fire. Yes, she could sense everything he was doing. Catori opened her eyes to see him dip his head and felt her nipple enveloped in the moist heat of his mouth. Nothing had ever felt so pleasurable and she arched her back, trying to receive more. He loved nibbling on her, yet he wasn’t doing that. She strained for that slight erotic pain that he liked to give.
“More, Red. I need more.”
“I’ll give you whatever you want, Cat.” Red smiled lovingly and he once again dipped his head, her abdomen recognizing the blazing trail of his tongue as he went lower. It felt like he was becoming more real with each stroke, caress, and kiss. This couldn’t end. She felt alive and loved. She wanted to stay in this realm of existence forever. “That’s right. Feel me.”