His demeanor shifted. A knowing look creased his brow, and his eyes narrowed like he’d sighted his target. “I know you smell like gunpowder.”
Unconsciously, she stepped back. The back of her heel hit the porch lip. He had her cornered. Jared was good. But so was she. “Back off. I always smell like gunpowder. Hazards of being a gunsmith.”
“You’re an ATF agent. GUNS was your cover.”
“I was an ATF agent.” Sugar unlocked the door, readying to give him a final boot. “GUNS was a bonus, and it’ll be around for a long time. Can’t say I care about losing my badge. Can we continue this discussion tomorrow? I’ve got a lot—” Two hundred pounds of muscle pushed past her. “Well come on in, asshole.”
He walked down the hall, eyeing her place. “Nice digs. Different feel than GUNS.”
Did I expect anything different? Her head dropped back, staring at the ceiling. “Since you weren’t invited—”
“Show me around, or I’ll give myself the tour.”
“You can’t stay long.”
“Got something to do tonight, baby cakes?”
Frustration poured into her fists, and her nails dug into her palms. “Maybe I do. So if you wouldn’t mind. Let’s wrap this up and say our goodnights.”
He spun to stare at her, then kept walking. “Not used to a woman kicking me out.”
“Get used to me.” She tossed her purse on a table. “Or get over me. Two easy options.”
He flipped on a light, then another. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Where were you?”
“Time for you to go.” She kicked off her boots and wiggled her toes on the cold floor.
“You went looking for Asal?” He tilted his head, and his eyes shone in the darkness as he studied her.
“Looking for Asal? Not quite. So, if that’s all, you can go anytime now. I’m saying my goodbyes and goodnights. Not sure I can paint a better picture. Maybe I need a Titan map and a mission objective?”
“You’ll go out again.” He folded his arms across his distractingly broad chest. “Soon as I’m gone.”
“Maybe.” That wasn’t a lie. He didn’t need all the details. “If you don’t mind, I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”
“No go, Lilly Chase.” He plopped onto the couch. “You have three choices. First, you go to sleep. Most reasonable of the choices. I’ll assume you’ll ignore this one. Second, we forget it all and head to your bedroom. You’ll nix that plan, too, but there’s my vote. And third, you tell me what you did, what you’re doing, and we’ll hash something out together. I hate lone ranger shit, so cut it.”
Fine. He wants to know. Let him handle it like a big boy. “I cuffed Kip Pearson to his bed. He told me where Asal and Buck are.”
A wave of shock crossed Jared’s face. She could’ve bet on that reaction, and it made her smile. Surprising him was fun.
Jared scrubbed his hands over his face. “Goddamn, woman.” He blew out a long breath. “Fuck me.”
She tapped her bare foot on the ground. “I chose option three. Are you going to use that giant Titan brain of yours and concoct a plan for me, or should I slip out after fucking you senseless?”
A low rumble of a laugh erupted, and he rubbed his temples. “Let’s combine the best of those suggestions.”
The foot tapping stopped. The nails-into-palms digging ceased, and she slammed her hands to her hips. “I’m serious, Jared. I’m after my girl—”
“And GSI’s after mine!” He strode forward. “What are you going to do? Threaten Baer? Tell him to back off?”
She shrugged, trying to ignore his possessive outburst. “Not if you come up with something better.”
“You’re killing me.” He cracked his knuckles, then his neck. “How about a compromise? Can you handle that?”
His expression wasn’t as much annoyed as…
What the shit is he feeling over there? Concern? “Maybe.” She followed him farther into her house and ignored the tingle that she got from the idea that he cared.
“Maybe doesn’t work. Either yes or no. Otherwise, you’ll be tied to the bed if I don’t think you’ll behave. Let’s try again. Are you capable of compromise?”
“If that’s what it takes to get tied to my bed…”
“Sugar,” he growled.
She was exhausted and losing steam quickly. And if there was a chance he could come up with a plan better than her non-existent one… “Explain the terms of a compromise, then I’ll consider.”
“Sleep on your attack-dog approach. We’ll catch some z’s and head in before Baer contacts us. You and I will bring the fight to him. Just let me figure out the logistics, get the team ready, and gather your back-up.”
“I dunno…” She needed him, and she hated needing anyone. Maybe that was the problem.
“Look, Sugar. You’ve got me by the gut strings. I’ll protect you, whether you like it or not. Let me do my job. Stand down for a goddamn minute, and then you’ll have one of those happily-ever-after endings. You’ll get the kid. No bull’s-eye on your head. Every day, you can run GUNS. Whatever your dreams about the future are, you’ll have it if we play by my rules.”
He began checking her windows and investigating her security measures without waiting for an answer, looking confident in her response. A tremor of rejection prickled up her arms, tightening in her throat. He’d made no mention of himself in the future. But what had she expected? Outwardly, she tried to make everything about sex, constantly kicking him out or evading him.
As if she could ball up and choke off any emotion, Sugar reflexively threw her arms across her chest again. “Fine.”
He stopped and turned. “Now what’s wrong?”
Great question. Her waffling emotions had to be exhaustion. Feelings like those shouldn’t crop up in her thinking. “Tired. Fine. You win.” She tried to act relaxed and put on a show of being reasonable. “Sleep, then kill.”
Jared laughed. “Sleep, then kill? Something like that.” He paced to her, then dragged her toward the couch. “Sugar, wasn’t that long ago a woman joined my team, and I quickly learned that the word fine means anything but.”
“Wise counsel you’ve got from Nicola.”
“Wanna tell me—”
“What’s the deal with you and Buck? GSI’s personal.” She pushed his chest, knocking him easily back onto the couch as if that’d been his plan. “It’s not just me.”
“Old history.”
“All history is old.” She stood awkwardly above him as he leaned back, relaxed. All her muscles were tight. Her mind was anxious, bouncing from one thought to the next.
Jared looked positively comfy, sprawled on her couch like he was about to watch a game. “Agree to a compromise, then I’ll answer your questions.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“More like coercion.” He tapped the cushion next to him on the couch, inviting her to sit. If she sat, her guard would be gone. Maybe that would be good. Clearing his throat, he brought her back to the moment. “Which neither of us has a problem with, Sugar. Agree or not?”
She took a deep breath, momentarily sidelining her night’s plans. He was right. “Fine, yes. I agree. Coerce away.”
“Sit with me, and I’ll tell you all about old history.”
She collapsed onto the leather couch. Her arms hung limply from her slouched shoulders. “Okay.”
“Baer and I were Rangers together. The dickhead couldn’t be trusted, but he was good at the job. Almost on par with me. We complemented each other in the field.”
“Egos got too big? You guys got out and started rival firms?”
“Little deeper than that.” He took a deep breath. “We were in southeastern Africa, some village, doing Lord knows what. Whatever political bull-crap we were sent to do. Intelligence under the cover of lending a helping hand from Uncle Sam.” Jared pushed his head back on the couch. His brow furrowed, and his dark eyes filled with hatred. Uncharacteristic lines appeared on his forehead. Maybe the memory
she’d asked him to dig up should’ve stayed buried.
“You don’t have to tell me. It’s okay.”
“There was a local punk. Maybe nineteen, twenty years old. Leader of a rebellion army. The US was turning a blind eye to him. His army—all kids, child soldiers—were systematically killing off villagers who didn’t tow his load of shit. But not before the fucker would take their possessions, what little those people had.”
This wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. Bad news tinged his voice, and it was already an awful story. “That’s terrible.”
“That’s just the reality out there. Nothing the news ever reports.” He sighed and stared at a wall. Silence hung for seconds, but it could’ve been hours. “The rebel leader would march families to giant graves. Line them up and use his child army to mow ’em down. The next round of disobedient villagers would have to shovel a dry layer of red dirt over the bodies and stand in line, starting the process again. The African village version of fuckin’ Hitler. Goddamn genocide.”
Her stomach soured. This wasn’t a memory she should’ve asked for. She didn’t deserve it after how she’d behaved. He didn’t need to tear off a Band-Aid for her. “Christ. I’m sorry.”
“The guys had to pull me back.” Cold, hard anger burned in his words. The temperature of the room seemed to drop a dozen degrees. “I wanted to tear that rebellion apart with my bare hands. But orders were strict. Do not engage. Watch and report.” He sneered. “Buck Baer not only didn’t engage, he profited. Made a deal with the rebel leader, bought and traded provisions. Not that Baer needed anything. Greed just got to him. Couldn’t stand not making money. Fucker was always on the take.” A tough guy like Jared didn’t need soothing or sweet words. He probably didn’t need anything. But she couldn’t keep her anger from percolating as her appreciation for his need for revenge fully formed. “Profiteering asshole. Baer might as well have been a soldier of the devil. He started GSI with the goal of getting rich, and he’s come a long way from ripping off African villages.”
She turned to him as all the pieces fell into place. “The genocide was a pivotal reason for creating Titan?”
“The reason. I started Titan because I was the best. Could lead and recruit the best. Choose my assignments. Show up where I felt like it. Do what I thought needed doing.”
The cold in the room was lifting. His personal confession warmed her heart. “You do a good job. No doubt, Titan’s the best.”
“A lot of jobs are gray. No clear right or wrong. But we have honor, and, for better or worse, we’re the good guys.”
“I never questioned that.”
“And I will demolish GSI, taking down Baer. Hard. So you want the kid alive. I want Baer ruined, almost more than I want him dead. Though he’s screwing with you, so I may re-evaluate that.”
“You know, Jared.” She dropped her shoulder against him. “At the risk of sounding like some fan-girl of yours, you have a good heart. It’s hidden by that rusty exterior, but I like that about you. A lot.”
He harrumphed.
Snuggling against him, she sighed. “Good thing you have a tough coating, because I’m a pain to put up with.”
He hooked an arm over her shoulder. “You aren’t so bad.”
“I’m exhausted. Borderline delusional.” He was so warm. His scent washed over her. “I… need your help.”
“Fall asleep. I’m not going anywhere.” His voice was low and coaxing.
She rested her chin on his shoulder. “Do you want to lie down?”
“I don’t need to sleep. I need to watch over you. Nothing’s getting by me. You might’ve forgotten there’s a bounty on your head, but I haven’t.”
“Oh.” So tired and so safe, she hadn’t felt in danger before, but with Jared, she was sure no harm would come to her.
“As stubborn and pushy as you are, Sugar, as often as you ignore direct orders and common sense, we’re partners. You and me, baby cakes. You need to sleep, and I don’t.” Eyes locked, they sat in silence. Jared pushed a non-existent strand of hair from her cheek, smoothing it behind her ear. “Sometimes, you have to rely on others.”
She burrowed farther into the crook of his arm. “Partners works for me.”
“Not much of a choice. I always get what I want.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
The kiss reminded her of one she surely imagined back in Afghanistan while curled into his body in a cave. She pulled back to study his face, searching to define how a brash man like him could dole out kisses as soft as that. “What do you want, Jared?”
“You.” No pause. No moment. Only pure confidence.
Her stomach flipped, bursting into her throat. With a dry mouthed and a spinning head, she realized she needed him in ways that she couldn’t grasp. She interlaced her fingers with his. “Come to bed with me. Awake, asleep. Next to me, in a chair. I don’t care. Just be near me.”
The whispered request against his ear earned a nod, and he tightened his hold on her. Forget the rest of the world, he was all she could handle. All she wanted.
His cell phone vibrated. Phone calls before the crack of dawn were never good.
“Go lie down. I’ll find you in a minute.” He squeezed her hand, then answered his phone as he stood and walked to a corner.
Moving wasn’t on the agenda, not without him. Curiosity played a part, and she stayed put.
He turned back on his heels, clicking off the phone. “Did you hurt Kip Pearson?”
A cold knot immediately formed in her stomach. Back to work. His voice was all business, and his expression said he was taking charge. It shook her out of her lovey-dovey headspace.
“Nothing more than his pride.”
“Well, the fucker’s dead. Shackled and shot in his bed. No weapon to be found. I told you not to fuckin’ kill him. Goddamn it, Sugar.”
“I didn’t! You don’t believe me?” Of course not. Why would he? He trusted only Titan, not her, not even when he was feeling all hearts and flowers. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could see her mother shaking a finger at her, chiding her because she should’ve known better.
“Damn it.” Jared paced her living room, his boots leaving a path in the carpet. “I never should have left you alone.”
“Partners?” She laughed because they were back to the beginning. “Believe what you want, asshole. I didn’t kill him.”
He glared. “Asshole? Really?”
Jared’s phone rang again, and she was up the stairs before he had it against his ear. Time to get the hell out of the house.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Rubbing his temples, Jared continued to pace Sugar’s living room. Kip was dead, Sugar was pissed, and he’d had about enough of all the random headaches tied to what should’ve been a tidy operation. His skin prickled. Sugar was being set up by someone close. There were too many coincidences, and too many sure things had fallen apart. Overly aware of the tingle racing the length of his spine, Jared tossed his phone from one hand to the other. His heart thumped in his ears. Think, think, think. The beats pushed his mind to position the puzzle pieces.
He didn’t have many options to consider. Either GSI had eyes and ears on his team, or…
His heartbeat still spoke to him. Think, think, think. Its demand grew more impatient when he wouldn’t admit the possibility staring him in the face. Someone within Titan had screwed him.
He dialed Parker. Gut feelings were worth investigating, even if it meant the worst-case scenario could exist. Jared checked his watch, oh dark thirty. He gave Parker an extra minute to answer the phone before irritation fueled their conversation.
“Boss Man, what can I do?” Parker’s voice splintered with sleep-heavy dryness.
“Get to a computer, and light up everyone’s phone signals.” He cracked his knuckles, not believing he had to ask this. “Locate everyone on the team.”
Jared heard a shuffling in the background, which he could only guess was Parker getting out of bed. “Give me two, and
I’ll hit you back.”
“I’ll wait.”
A blasting noise screamed from the driveway. His breath caught in his lungs. Surprise, then concern jumped his blood pressure. Car alarm? What the hell? He put the phone on a side table.
“Sugar,” he yelled up the stairs.
No answer.
He ran to the closest window, ducking for cover, and peeked out. Va-voom, rumble, rumble, rumble. The hood to his Expedition was up. Sugar’s car floored into reverse, screeching out of the driveway as the lights flipped on.
“Sugar!” Jared ran up the stairs, then kicked open every door.
Each was empty. Instinct said he was alone, but his mind couldn’t wrap around it. Jared scrambled down the stairs, swiping his cell phone, and then out the front door, keys in hand.
He barked at Parker, “Locate Sugar’s phone.”
“Okay.”
How someone had slipped into her house and taken her was a question that should’ve made him question his chosen profession. If he couldn’t pick up on an intruder who was an imminent threat to his woman, then he needed to pick up a new gig.
Still keeping Parker on the line, Jared walked outside, pocketed the phone, and withdrew his sidearm. His eyes scanned the perimeter, his senses honed for any danger. Nothing. All alone.
Why would Baer’s team grab Sugar, knowing he was there? At the very least, someone had been there. They’d gone to the trouble of screwing with his truck. That didn’t make sense. None of it did.
Gun in hand, Jared slammed down his hood and silenced the alarm. He opened the driver’s door and slid in. His gut tightened. Why’d I have to accuse her of—
It took half a second before Sugar’s brilliant plan slapped him across the face. His head dropped to the steering wheel, shaking slightly from side to side. He’d questioned her. Doubted her. She was gone, and there he was, analyzing his words.
“This woman will be the death of me.”
The Titan Series: Military Romance Boxed Set Page 66