High Ground

by Madelon Smid

  “It would explain why the FBI is adamant they’re not their agents,” Josh said. “But, it doesn’t explain why the CIA followed me on American soil. Were they in on the assassination attempt, or were they using me as bait in hopes they’d get the terrorists they think are involved?”

  “Come on, Cat. Let’s go talk about something else of interest. This thing will be waiting to take over when we leave.” Siree rose and led the way to the sitting area in front of the fireplace, leaving the men in Josh’s study at the far end of the loft.

  Cat followed, straining to hear Jake’s reply. She settled onto the couch beside Siree, content to distance herself from Josh for a while. “Tell me how Sharon and Ty are doing.”

  Siree leaned forward. In seconds, their questions and answers flew back and forth like a shuttlecock over a net.

  “So, Cat, tell me how it’s really going with Josh.” Siree took advantage of catching her friend short.

  “In what way?” Cat pulled back behind her barriers. “He’s alive, which means I’ve done my job so far. He’s cooperating, so I can’t complain.”

  Siree gave her a look of scorn. “Don’t play dumb with me. I know you felt an attraction when you met him, though why you didn’t connect with him at our wedding still mystifies me. It’s obvious you’re in sync, you work together like you read each other’s minds.”

  “A definite benefit to getting along.” Cat leaned forward to set her coffee cup on the bamboo table fronting the couch. “I don’t know why you think I was attracted to him.”

  “Maybe because the two of you filled the limousine with oscillating atoms so strong they moved us from our fixed positions,” Siree teased.

  “The only things oscillating were my anger and his contempt. He’d just accused me of getting you stabbed.” Cat cut off the rest of her diatribe by clamping her lips together.

  “But he apologized.” Siree reached over, resting a hand on hers. “I can tell he has feelings for you, and I’d swear you have feelings for him. You’ve lived together for a month. He’s handsome, fascinating, and an extraordinary person. Can you honestly say you haven’t fallen for him?”

  “He’s my principal. Falling for him would interfere with keeping him alive. He’s the job.”

  Siree’s expression grew pitying. “Like we ever have a say. Protest all you want, I bet you’re already in love with him.”

  The words hit with the impact of an artillery shell. Cat leapt up, cutting the uncomfortable conversation short. “More decaf, Siree?”

  Siree sat back, sighed as if truly put upon. “No, thanks. A word of advice though. If you want the world to believe you’re lovers, you better heat up your act a little. You’re not very convincing at the moment.”

  ****

  In the far corner, Josh and Jake leaned closer and lowered their voices. “All right, spit it out,” Josh invited. “You’ve been waiting to have a go at me since you arrived.”

  “RG told me you approached him about changing Cat for a male bodyguard. Why? Are you dissatisfied with her work?”

  “Hell, no. She’s saved my life twice.” Josh rested his ankle on his knee and hunched over it. “I’m dissatisfied with sitting back like a wimp while a woman endangers herself protecting me.”

  “I don’t imagine Cat thinks much of your attitude.”

  “Cat thinks it sucks. RG thinks it sucks. And you? Do you want your name on the list, too?”

  “I empathize with you, totally. I remember how I felt when Siree flaunted our relationship, making herself a target. Fear just about eliminated my reason. But on the practical side, Cat has trained for years and RG tells me she excels at this job. She has a ninety-six percent success rate at keeping her principal safe. And if you exchange her for a male, you’ll let the guys after you know you’re on to them.”

  “So RG said when he added FBI agents to my detail. The fact I have been shot at twice would make it a realistic next move to ask for protection.”

  “I agreed with his decision. Both the sniper and the men in the car following you would ID Cat as a professional after watching her in action outside the Foundation.” Jake sat in silence as he studied the situation.

  “At least three people know she’s my bodyguard. RG did the debriefing with the FBI and Homeland after the assassination attempt. He stated his team covered me, but didn’t specify which ones. When Cat and I gave our statements, we stuck to our P.A./lover story.”

  “Could be if you dialed up the lover routine you’d be more believable. You need to sell it.”

  “I don’t think it’s sellable. I’m not known for being callous or self-involved. It bothers me enough people think I’m sleeping with a woman I employ. I hope they believe we were lovers before I made her my P.A. and not the other way around.” He sat forward, swept his hand through his hair. “No man would take a woman he cares for out and make her a target when he knows people are shooting at him. Especially when they hit someone close.”

  “You’re right. However, the possibility exists someone is after something they think you have and might believe Cat can access the information for them. Cutting her loose at this point might not be the safest thing for her.”

  “Keeping her close so they think I care for her might turn her into a tool they try to use against me,” Josh countered.

  Jake groaned. “God, you must feel like you’re playing poker without a clue about the other guy’s hand.”

  Fear stirred in Josh’s gut. He’d made Cat part of the equation. The men after him would now factor her in as a threat, a source, a tool, or collateral damage. Cat was in as much danger as he. He swore a litany of silent curses, felt the cold steal of the trap reach for him. Serenely, he stepped clear of its teeth.

  Life is constant rebirth, a continual coming and going of universal energy. Cat and I are energy, part of the whole. Grounded once more, he reclaimed the present moment. His muscles loosened, his breathing leveled.

  “Damned if you do,” Jake sympathized.

  “Damned if I don’t,” Josh finished.

  ****

  In the end, Josh based his decision on pleasing himself. If Cat was in danger with or without him, then he might as well keep her with him. His strategy was failing. His return to a disinterested attitude had only given her time to reinforce her defenses. She’d stayed with him was the best he could say about the situation. The act they put on for the public felt forced. The strain between them had grown exponentially with the time they stayed together.

  “We need to talk,” he said, the next morning after Siree and Jake left.

  “About what?” Cat sank cross-legged onto the couch.

  “You’re in real danger now, if the guys after me want access to something in my files. If they buy you’re my P.A., they might go after you, thinking you can obtain the information for them. If they buy you’re my lover, they may kidnap you and use you as leverage on me.”

  “I’m aware and will prevent them from using me, either way.” She reassured him.

  His lips quirked. The idea he needed coddling was ludicrous and endearing. “My own conclusion exactly, but Jake thinks we could still throw them off if we heated up the act.”

  “Siree gave me the same advice.”

  “What do you think? Would it help?”

  Cat’s shoulder’s climbed toward her ears. She hunched her back, resting her elbows on her knees. “If we can keep them off balance for even a short while, RG and the agencies working on this will have more time.”

  “The trial begins tomorrow. I know we’re prepped for all the security stuff. We can use all the media hype to show them I’m a fool for love, without another thought on my mind.”

  “Well, I’ll have enough on mine. Securing you will be as much fun as safeguarding a swimmer in a swamp full of alligators.”

  Josh agreed, but kept his concerns quiet. Cat had enough on her mind without wondering if her principal would crumble under pressure. They’d be exposed entering and exiting the courthouse, with medi
a and scandal mongers crowding the streets. They couldn’t leave by the back exit, because federal officers would take their suspect out that way. Cat would be jeopardized over and over while guarding him. His testimony would probably drag on several days, giving his aggressors time to conceive and execute another attack, calculated on the exact time and place he would be vulnerable.

  ****

  They heated up their public relationship until it smoldered. Josh took advantage of every opportunity, winding his arm around her waist as they exited the limousine outside the courthouse, putting his arm around her shoulder while he waited to testify. He talked lover’s nonsense loud enough people around them could hear. Avid listeners leaned closer, the press photographed them. For three days, they balanced on a tightrope, alert and anticipating an attack. When the prosecutor and defender finished hacking away at his testimony, the judge dismissed Josh. They walked out of the courtroom for the last time, photographers pushing and shoving to get a picture of the wealthy spymaster and his lover. The crowd provided good cover until they climbed into the limousine.

  He leaked stories to the press. He wined and dined her at cozy hideaway restaurants perfect for lovers and easy for the press to cover. While they ate, he entertained her with the latest headline on their love affair. She looked fragile, fine-tuned. Being constantly alert was wearing. Although she threw herself into the act, her smile a bright flash, her laughter low and alluring, she toyed with her food and her eyes remained dark with strain.

  He took her clubbing, meeting up with other high profile people he’d invited along. Looking like he hadn’t a care beyond holding her attention, Josh ladled kisses and touches, smiles and charm over her like gravy on a biscuit. Her attempts to hold him off were weakening, and he took advantage of her willingness to play the role, to woo her. He had no doubt she was the other half of his soul, and he wanted her to acknowledge he was the matching half of hers.

  They’d put in another full day at the computer, making up for the time lost while he testified. The socializing took its toll. Smudges lay like shadows under her eyes. She’d begun teaching him a combination of kickboxing and tae kwon do, needing the practice time for her own regime. He enjoyed the challenge and the exercise. But the late night socializing combined with extra training took a toll. Mental fatigue, like acid, ate away at his concentration, forming weak spots and holes in his normal absorption.

  He leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. He needed this mess cleaned up so he could get on with his life. This mess is your life. Don’t spout Zen philosophy now, you jackass. It’s time you stopped being passive and practiced spontaneity. Take Jake’s advice and mix up an explosive concoction even Cat won’t be able to withstand.

  His gut told him an aggressive approach would send Cat leaping out of reach as quickly as she avoided his attacks when they sparred. And other things demanded his attention.

  Cat looked over from her position in front of a laptop at the dining room table, always checking, always aware of his every move, sometimes he figured she read his thoughts.

  “What’s up?”

  Josh took in the sparkle in her eyes, the high color along her cheekbones, and congratulated himself for bringing her into his work. Obviously, she loved the challenge, thrived on being tested. Earlier, her shoulders almost touched her ears. After several hours checking security protocols, she looked relaxed, more approachable.

  He disliked causing her tension. “I need some time on the wall.”

  She stiffened, her focus sharpened, she rotated her chair to face him.

  “We’re only forty days out. I won’t put Jake and Sam at risk by being the weak man on the team.”

  “Cheap blow, Josh. You know I won’t say no when it’s about safety. You’re wearing the guys out with trailing us. They have three details working shifts on you now.”

  She didn’t complain about her own excruciating hours, the hectic schedule added to the minimum time she slept.

  “Let’s keep them alert.” His smile invited her to collude with him. “I’m playing by your rules. Who goes to the gym at 9:30 at night?”

  “Someone who doesn’t care if he gets shot when he steps out his door. Why are you insisting on making yourself an easy target?”

  “You know why.” He looked at her steadily.

  “Action or attitude.” For the first time, she mentioned something from the night of her fever.

  “In this case a little of both.”

  “Mostly action,” she snapped out. “Acting as a sacrificial goat so Homeland can capture a mad man.”

  “Or a terrorist cell, a rogue agent or two,” he said implacably. “It’s the only way we can end this.”

  He’d shuttered his eyes, screening the fact he meant the strain between them, as much as the attacks on him.

  She bit her lip. “Let’s go then.” She turned back to her computer and tapped in commands, locking down its secrets.

  From his room, Josh heard her order a limo pick-up in an hour, then phone for a taxi. Clever, over the past three days, she’d mixed up everything she could, leaving no pattern for anyone to guess their plans. Yet, surveillance reported another car following the limo twice. Calculating someone could gain information from the limousine company, every time they booked his limo and driver, Cat laid down interference and chose an alternate route.

  With her pistol tucked into her waistband, her back-up gun strapped to her ankle, and her backpack in place, she led the way out of the loft. Josh curved his arm around her body and drew her closer, resenting the press of hard metal against his forearm. They moved in synchronicity. His stride matched hers, her breathing his. Inside the cab, he checked out the driver, turned to look out the back window, and took a long look around, following what he’d learned by observing her. If nothing else, he’d never go back to ignoring his surroundings while he lost himself in introspection. His senses were razor sharp these days, fueled by danger and boosted by sexual attraction and love.

  He managed to get his hand over the curve of her hip, his nose into the warm spot between shoulder and neck, before she gutted him with her elbow in a pretense of pulling open the gym door. Baby steps, but worth every bruise. He covered his grin with his hand.

  In order to prevent lawsuits, the gym insisted climbers wear a harness and have someone to belay them. Delegated for the job, Cat agreed with alacrity. He instructed her to leave slack in the rope, explaining he wanted to free climb. Though for much of their climb on McKenzie they would be roped together, he most enjoyed bouldering, swinging from rock ledge to small protrusions.

  When he leapt across a five-foot space and snagged a finger-size hueco on the adjacent wall, Cat’s attention snapped from casing the gym to him. She gave the rope a sharp jerk and hissed. “I’m supposed to keep someone else from killing you, not watch while you do yourself in with those crazy stunts. Quit the grandstanding.”

  Josh took in her tense body, the fine tremor in the fingers holding the rope. The maneuver had been easy, one done automatically, as he went for a greater challenge. She never showed nerves on the job. His eyes narrowed, his lips pursed. It pleased him immensely to know concern for his safety could make her tense. Right now, Cat was like a spitting feline, her back arched and her fur sticking straight out. He inclined his head and started a harder climb. Let her suffer a little. He’d been tense on so many levels since her intrusion into his life, he deserved a little payback.

  Thirty minutes later, sweaty and breathing hard, Josh leapt from three feet up the wall to land inches from Cat. She pulled the line tight, hoping he’d dangle midair.

  “Too little, too late.” He poked her failure. “I guess you won’t keep me from falling off a mountain. You’re too small and too slow.”

  She rose like a cream puff in an oven. She took great pride in her strength and speed. Her ego wouldn’t let him get away with the dig. He braced himself and sure enough he went swinging through the air a few feet above the mat.

  “Ha,” she puffed
, winding the line around her hips and holding him in position.

  Delighted with her, he crossed his arms, looked around the gym, and whistled a few bars from “I Am Woman.” “Nice vantage point. Thanks.” Again, he braced himself, bent his knees to take the sudden drop to the mat, as she released the rope.

  “Cat…” He reached out, pressing his forefinger to her nose, her chin. The name allowed him to claim her, bind them together with something uniquely theirs. “You’re so easy,” he crooned. Moving in until his chest touched her breasts, he enjoyed the rapid rise and fall as the firm mounds brushed against him.

  “I swear if I wasn’t hired to save your worthless life, I’d kill you.” She jerked away.

  She never let him shower at the gym after his workout. They argued the point at the end of every practice session, but he tried again, just because her adamancy turned him on.

  “I can’t cover you in the men’s locker room.” She spread her legs to shoulder width, crossed her arms over her breast, obdurate as ever. With a flick of her chin in the direction of the front desk, she ordered, “Get your things, the taxi should be here any minute.” She reached down, grabbed her backpack from the corner of the mat, and shrugged into it. “Heads up. We’re on the move.” She spoke into the small mike on her collar.

  She insisted he keep his bag of outdoor clothing behind the front desk within her sight. The bouncy blonde manning the phones handed the soft sider over at his request. She gave him a come hither look, which he pretended he didn’t see. Moving away, he dropped the bag, unzipped the top, and checked Cat’s location. She stood feet away glaring at the blonde. He pulled on a long-sleeve hoodie, hiding his smile. She might talk like she didn’t give a fig, but her actions said something else entirely. He pulled on his leather jacket. Cat’s long strides ate up the space between him and the door. He raced to catch up, cursing under his breath. Cold air hit his heated body, sweat turned to icy condensation. He matched her pace across the sidewalk and into the cab. She still believed he kept up to keep safe. Now keeping her safe motivated every action.