Blown Away

by Stephanie Julian

  *

  A few minutes later, Jimmy tried hard not to grind his molars into dust as he paced his office while Merri and Nic played with their guns. Checked their guns. Whatever.

  Jimmy had locked the notes securely in the floor safe, and they’d stuffed Zeke in the closet, where he agreed to keep quiet until they’d dealt with the next threat, after which they’d agreed to let him go.

  Zeke had been more accommodating than Merri, who refused to take his truck and get the hell out before the next thief tried to violate his home.

  “Merri. Will you please let Nic and me handle this? Mal’s on his way and—”

  “I’m just as good a shot as Mal. And if what Zeke told us is true, Mal won’t get here in time. No, you’ll need me.”

  He turned away from Merri, who looked adorable with her braids and held her weapon with total confidence, to Nic, who’d been silent the entire time. “Nic.”

  His brother shook his head, not even bothering to look at him as he slid the clip out of his gun and shoved it back in for the third time. “No way, Jim. Besides, she’s right. Another gun can’t hurt, especially since she knows how to use it.”

  Jimmy scrubbed a hand through his hair and tugged until it hurt.

  Shit. How the hell did he get himself into this? Who the hell was after his compound? And how had someone known he kept copies of his work at home?

  He always kept two paper copies. One at the office and one here. He didn’t keep a full set on his computer. Even though their office network was next to impossible to hack because of his sister’s expertise, he usually worked on a huge whiteboard then transferred individual pieces of the problem to paper so he could work on those and still be able to see the entire process on the whiteboard. When he was finished, he wrote out the entire problem on paper, minus a few key pieces, and erased the whiteboard.

  The system worked for him and only a handful of people knew how he did it. And they all worked for the Army lab. Obviously the lab had a leak.

  Zeke had given them the name of the man who’d hired him, but it would take some investigation to find out who had set up that theft.

  And they still had another hired gun to deal with. Jimmy wanted Merri gone before the next wave hit. He wanted to gnaw the furniture at the thought of her getting hurt. But she didn’t seem to understand or care about the danger.

  Probably because she was the one with the gun and he was only proficient with a frying pan.

  No wonder Nic was laughing at him. Not out loud, of course. But he saw laughter in his brother’s eyes. The bastard.

  “Fine. So you really think Zeke can be trusted?”

  Nic nodded. “The guy’s a thief but he’s no liar. And if he’s right about this second one… Well, let’s just say we might need the help.”

  Great. That didn’t make him feel any better.

  “Then don’t they already know we’re sitting here waiting for them?”

  “It’s not a ‘they,’ it’s a she. And I’m hoping she’s smart enough to know she’s out-numbered and wait until the courier arrives to pick it up.”

  Shit. “Shouldn’t we warn the courier?”

  “Already texted the lab. They told the courier and have backup coming, but they’re even farther away than Mal. I told them we’ll be able to handle it until they get here.”

  And this was why Nic handled security and Jimmy just blew stuff up.

  “If we figure she’s already in place, she probably saw me arrive, but I’m hoping she dismisses Merri as just a…cute little creampuff.” He winked at Merri in apology. “Merri’ll be our secret weapon. You’ll be the bait.”

  Jimmy’s fingers curled into a fist, itching to give Nic a shot to the jaw, just one, for the grin that lurked on his brother’s lips.

  “You’re gonna pay for this, you know that, right? You’re gonna need to watch your back.”

  Nic just stared at him, unfazed. “I’m gonna take Zeke out to my truck, drive down the road, make it look like I’m leaving. I’m figuring she’ll hit as soon as she thinks I’m out of the picture.

  “She’ll be cautious because you managed to take out Zeke, but she’ll figure he’s not too bright.” From the attached bathroom, Jimmy heard a muffled “Hey,” but Nic didn’t respond. “She’ll still think she can take you both. Shoot her with the Taser if you think you can make a clean shot. Otherwise let Merri wing her.”

  Nic looked at Merri and she nodded. “I got it. Shoulder or leg. Try not to damage her too much. No problem.”

  Confidence made Merri glow. Which made him want her again.

  Which was totally not an appropriate response for this situation.

  Then again, he wasn’t exactly sure what was an appropriate response for this situation.

  He should be used to this stuff by now, he figured. His parents were internationally renowned spies. Nic had been an Army Ranger who now provided protection services. Janey and Mal tracked down embezzlers and stalkers.

  He liked to play with bombs and explosives. All for the good of mankind, of course.

  Why should this situation be any less weird than any other day at the office?

  “Jimmy? You okay?”

  Merri stared up at him, a frown marring her beautiful face.

  “Yeah. I’m fine. Let’s just get this party started so we can figure out who wants my compound and why.”

  And maybe figure out why he felt like a herd of butterflies invaded his stomach every time she smiled at him.

  *

  Jimmy watched from the porch as Nic frog-marched Zeke out to his truck.

  Zeke played his part well, looking suitably pissed off with his hands cuffed behind his back.

  “I’ll be back after I drop the trash off at the cops,” Nic said. “The courier should be here soon.”

  Jimmy waved as Nic drove off then turned toward the open front door. Merri sat at the kitchen island, watching him walk back into the house. He closed the door and locked it then set the alarm. No need to make it easy for the next thief.

  “Don’t let anyone tell you you don’t know how to show a girl a good time.”

  The amusement in her tone made him smile, even as he couldn’t stop himself from trying to see into every corner of his house.

  Yes, he’d been targeted before. He’d had his own crazed stalker for a few months several years ago. A deranged rival scientist who thought Jimmy had stolen one of his inventions.

  But the fact that Merri was here made everything seem more dangerous.

  He didn’t want anything to happen to her.

  Even if it seemed she could take care of herself. Which totally turned him on.

  Walking to the island, he indulged himself and wrapped one of those braids around his hand for a few brief seconds. “Are you really okay? You’re not hurt at all?”

  She rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip. “I’m fine. I’ve been knocked on my ass plenty of times. I did tell you I’ve been taking jiu jitsu for years, right?”

  “I know. Still, I guess you’ll be glad to get back to Fort Meade, huh? It’s not always like this here… Well, I can’t really say that. There’s almost always something going on. Nic and Annie had a nutcase after them a few months ago. And Janey and Mal got shot at before that.”

  “And you apparently almost killed yourself with that compound.”

  He shrugged. “A little risk comes with the job. Usually I’m not putting anyone else in danger, though.”

  Her lips twisted. “Jeez, Jimmy. Get over it. I’m fine. I’m having more fun than I’ve had in years. I think…I get why my boss wanted me to take a little time off.”

  “Because people trying to hurt you is fun?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course not. But in the past two days, I’ve actually felt like maybe there’s more to life than sitting in a building and poring through code. Everything’s so immediate here. At work, everything’s so…distant. We deal so much with theoreticals that we kind of forget there’s a real world out
there.”

  Watching Merri, he could almost forget there was someone else on her way to steal his formula.

  He wished he could forget but then he really might get Merri hurt and he couldn’t live with that.

  Turned out he wouldn’t have to.

  Ten minutes later, the courier arrived, Nic following behind the armored vehicle in his truck, minus Zeke.

  The couriers, who Jimmy confirmed were indeed who they said they were, took the pouch and drove away.

  Anticlimactic. But at least the compound was on its way to the lab.

  Nic stopped in the doorway. “You two heading into the office now?”

  Before Jimmy could respond, Merri jumped in.

  “Definitely. I have a few ideas I want to try on that code.”

  Nic shot him a quick glance before smiling back at Merri. “Sounds like you’re having fun with it.”

  “It’s interesting. Usually we work with numeric codes, and I think this one is an actual cipher.”

  The enthusiasm in her voice made Jimmy smile. She totally loved what she did. She wasn’t some dead-eyed, nine-to-five drone who shuffled through the job, watching the clock.

  But it’s also how she’d managed to wear herself down to the point that her boss told her to take a break.

  That enthusiasm translated to powerful sex, and Jimmy was kind of upset she didn’t want to go back to the bedroom and continue what they’d started last night.

  Of course, now that he’d gotten the compound off his plate, there was that idea bubbling in the back of his brain…

  “Jimmy, did you hear anything I just said?”

  Nic’s raised voice drew him out of his thoughts, and the exasperated look on Nic’s face was one he knew pretty well.

  “Uh…”

  “He asked if I wanted to go with him to the office, but I’d rather wait and drive with you, if that’s okay.”

  She spoke so matter-of-factly, Jimmy realized she was used to this.

  Women he dated typically got pissed off when he blinked out, as his sister called it. Merri took it in stride. Probably because she dealt with men like him every day at work.

  She wants to stay with me.

  “Uh, sure. That’s fine. That’s great.”

  Her smile made his blood pound and…Jesus, were his palms getting sweaty?

  And did Nic just smirk at him?

  Jimmy realized he didn’t care.

  *

  “So who do you think is after the compound?”

  Jimmy pressed the gas pedal a little closer to the floor as they drove into the city. The sooner he got the compound out of his lab, the better he’d feel. He didn’t want his family or Merri to be in any danger because of him. “Could be anybody. I’ve got a couple of ideas but I’ll let the Army figure it all out.”

  “Really?” Her eyes widened. “You don’t want to find out yourself who wants to steal your invention?”

  Did he? “Not really, no. Sure, I’m pissed off someone hurt you, but chasing the bad guys isn’t my thing. That’s what Nic does and he’s damn good at it.”

  “So you’ve never wanted to be the one with the gun chasing bad guys down dark alleys?”

  No, he didn’t. He opened his mouth to say exactly that but snapped it closed. Would she think he was a coward if he admitted that?

  Did he care what she thought?

  Yeah, he did.

  “Guess I’m just not built that way.”

  When he slid another glance her way, her grin threatened to steal his concentration from the road.

  “I think you’re built just fine, Jimmy.”

  He liked the sound of that but couldn’t let go of the thought that she wished he was more gung-ho.

  “So you don’t think I should chase after whoever’s behind the attempt, guns blazing?”

  “No, I don’t. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think you’re a coward. I wouldn’t do it either. I know I’ll never be a good field agent because I don’t want to be a field agent. I like what I do and I’m damn good at it.”

  “Yeah, you are. And don’t forget it.”

  Her grin turned into a smile of pure pleasure. “And you’re brilliant at what you do. Your brain’s too important to get injured by some random thug.”

  “Well, the compound will be out of the lab soon enough. The lab’s sending another courier right away.”

  “So what are you going to work on now? I’m sure you have something else ready to go.”

  “A couple of things actually. But I thought, after the compound was picked up, maybe we could take a ride out to the zoo.”

  The surprise on her face made him smile. He liked surprising her. He didn’t think there was a lot that could.

  “The zoo? Really? Don’t you have to work? I told Nic I’d get that code—”

  “Yes, the zoo. And Nic’s code can wait.”

  He saw her brain working through that, picking it apart.

  Then she frowned. “What are we going to do there?”

  “Look at the animals.”

  “But…why?”

  “Haven’t you ever been to a zoo?”

  She shrugged. “No. I mean, yeah, when I was a kid, sure. But…you really go to the zoo?”

  “Helps me unwind.”

  Her face screwed up in that adorable frown, like whatever he’d said just did not compute. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Really.”

  “Okay.” She drew the word out to at least three syllables. “When is the lab coming to pick up the compound?”

  He glanced at the dash. “In an hour. Leaves us plenty of time for the zoo.”

  Merri looked at him like he had a screw loose to which he responded with a smile.

  The girl needed to learn to loosen up. She was still wound so tight, he was beginning to think that’s what made her hair curly. If she ever did relax, it’d probably be stick-straight.

  Merri fell silent for the rest of the drive to the office, which was kind of unsettling. But he figured being in the middle of all that turmoil this morning had shaken her up.

  So far, she’d been handling it remarkably well, but he figured she probably needed some downtime.

  After he parked in the garage down the block, they walked to the office and found Annie talking to a guy in the reception area.

  “Hey, Jimmy. Long time, no see.”

  Jimmy held out his hand with a smile. “Hey, Vance. How’s it going? How’d you draw the short straw today?”

  “Dave’s daughter had a thing at school. Believe it or not, I volunteered.”

  Vance was career Army, though you wouldn’t know it from his ripped jeans, t-shirt, and motorcycle boots. Which was the point.

  A former Green Beret, he’d been stationed at the Army lab in Adelphia, Maryland, for years and had transported several top-secret items for Jimmy. When Vance walked out the back door with the compound in a specially made backpack then blended in with the crowds back to his car, no one would know they’d made the transfer.

  “Well, I swear this won’t weigh a ton like the last one. Come on down to the lab and I’ll get you fitted up.” Jimmy turned to Merri with a grin. “Be back in a few then we’ll go cavort with the lions.”

  Merri saw the surprised look Vance gave Jimmy, which he quickly covered. Annie didn’t bother to hide her smile though, and when Jimmy disappeared down the stairs to the lab, Annie turned her full attention on Merri.

  “I heard you had an exciting day.”

  Merri blushed. She couldn’t help it. “Uh…”

  “Excitement seems to follow the DeMarcos. If you’re going to be hanging around for a while, you’ll get used to it.”

  A tinge of regret stung at her. “I’m not going to be here that long. I have to go back to work soon.”

  Annie sat behind her desk, tapping on her keyboard even as she continued to stare at Merri. “That’s what I said. I told Janey I’d fill in for her for a week. Months later… Well, you can see I’m still here.” She shrugged. “The DeMa
rcos are sneaky. They steamroll you without you noticing. And that’s not a bad thing. When they take you in, you’re in for good.”

  “But…”

  What? She didn’t want to be taken in?

  Not true.

  Who had she run to when her life had turned upside down?

  She’d run to Mal. Knowing the DeMarcos had taken him in. Hoping they’d do the same for her if she needed.

  And they had.

  Hell, it was even better because of Jimmy.

  Whom she’d fallen for even before they’d met. Yes, maybe she’d fallen for her idea of the guy first. Mal had called him brilliant and funny and a great guy. High praise from Mal. She’d been intrigued. And then she’d met him and realized he was everything Mal had said and more.

  She’d wanted him, but until now she’d never had the time to pursue a relationship.

  So what happened to this so-called relationship when she went back to her job?

  And she would go back. She loved her job. Really, she did.

  But she had a sneaking suspicion she could just as easily fall in love with Jimmy.

  “Oh, I know that look.” Annie was out of her seat and around the desk in a heartbeat to stand in front of Merri, hands on her shoulders. “Take a deep breath. The situation is not that dire, and I talk more than I should. Don’t flake out on me. I’m not trying to scare you, Merri. Honestly.”

  Merri took a deep breath. And another. “I really like him.”

  The words were barely a whisper but Annie smiled. “He’s easy to like. And honestly, I’ve never seen him act this way with another woman.”

  “But we don’t really know each other. And I live in Maryland.”

  “That’s not the other side of the world, you know.”

  “But I work almost all the time.”

  Annie’s eyebrows lifted. “And isn’t that how you got here in the first place?”

  “You know,” Merri frowned, “you sound a lot like Grace.”

  Annie’s smile grew wider. “I consider that a huge compliment. Thank you.”

  She’d meant it as one. “So what do I do now?”

  “Well, first, don’t stress. You’ll just make yourself crazy and you won’t be able to enjoy yourself. Trust me on this one. Second, have some fun.”

  A blush covered her cheeks in seconds and Annie chuckled. “I see you already have been. Good for you. Now,” Annie moved back to her seat just as Merri heard the rumble of male voices from the hall, “have fun at the zoo.”