The Diehard Warrior

by Youngblood, Jennifer

“That’s right,” he snapped, wariness creeping into his eyes.

  Triumph surged through her, and she knew she had him. “Well, Piper’s my closest friend. I trust her implicitly.”

  Maddox’s brows crinkled. “Don’t turn this around.”

  The two of them going head-to-head wouldn’t accomplish anything. Addie gave him a pleading look. “Would it hurt to give it to Piper? That way, we can make sure the formula won’t fall into the wrong hands. Piper can keep us updated on what her tech team learns.”

  “You bet I will,” Piper said quickly.

  Maddox belted out an incredulous laugh. “Are you listening to yourself, Addie? Whatever’s on this hard drive could’ve cost you your life. You’re still in danger. No way am I handing it over to anyone—” he looked at Piper “—best friend or otherwise, until we find out what’s on it.” He stood there glaring. In another situation, Addie would’ve thought him magnificent with his tall stature, rock hard muscles, chiseled features and blazing eyes. He was every bit the diehard warrior.

  “Come on, Maddox,” she urged. “Piper’s business is on the line. She lost her husband. Like Piper said, Jordan most likely dropped the key into my purse because of the situation. Had Piper been there, he would’ve given it to her instead.”

  “Maybe he would have, maybe he wouldn’t.” He blew out a breath, his eyes never leaving Addie’s. “While I appreciate your loyalty to your friend, my job is to protect you, even if that means protecting you from your good intentions.” His jaw clenched. “The hard drive stays with me.”

  Piper gave him a rigid look. “How do we know we can trust you?”

  “I trust him,” Addie countered. She was surprised that the admission had come blurting out. Even so, the truth of her words hit home. She trusted Maddox more than anyone outside her family, even more than she trusted Piper.

  “This doesn’t concern you,” Piper argued, eyeing Maddox.

  “Anything that concerns Addie, concerns me,” he countered, locking gazes with Addie for one, long moment.

  Addie felt the blood quickening through her veins, then came the wave of familiar desire. What she didn’t expect, however, was the blanket of comfort that covered her. Addie was so very grateful to have Maddox in her corner. Maybe there was no hope of them ever getting back together. Maybe her stupid fear of his dangerous profession had pushed him into the arms of another woman. But here and now, she knew that a part of him still cared about her. Right now, that was enough. Time to step up to the plate, even if it meant ostracizing her best friend.

  She turned to Piper. “You know, maybe Maddox is right. The man he works for is honorable. If the formula for PZT is on that hard drive, we’ll make sure it stays safe. After it’s checked out, we’ll return it to you. You have my word.”

  Piper’s jaw worked like she wanted to say more. Instead, she clamped her lips shut and waved a hand of dismissal as she turned to go.

  Addie’s gut tightened. “Wait! Don’t leave upset.” She was about to charge after Piper when she heard a series of loud pops.

  “Get down!” Maddox shouted, lunging for her. They toppled to the cement floor, his body shielding hers. She became aware of the weight of his body and was appreciative of his protection. Her heart sank, however, as she looked up.

  A masked man wearing all black had Piper in a choke hold, pointing a gun at her temple.

  “Hand over the drive,” the man ordered, “or the woman gets it!” He tightened his hold on her neck. Piper gurgled and coughed.

  “P—please, don’t hurt me,” she stammered, her eyes wide with fear.

  Addie felt Maddox move slightly. It occurred to her that he was reaching for his gun. Of course Maddox had a gun, but she’d not thought twice about it until now.

  “Don’t move!” the man growled in a raspy voice like he had a frog in his throat that he couldn’t clear.

  Maddox froze.

  “Push the drive towards me,” the man ordered. “Now!”

  Addie realized that the drive was a foot to their left. Maddox must’ve let go of it when he rushed to protect her.

  Piper’s voice trembled as she spoke to the gunman. “You don’t have to do this. Whatever someone’s paying you, I can pay more.”

  “Shut up!” he screamed, clutching her in a vise grip. She yelped in pain.

  Terror clawed down Addie’s spine. “Do what he says,” she said in a low tone to Maddox. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Piper.

  Time seemed to stop. Finally, Maddox cursed under his breath, pushing the drive forward.

  The gunman released Piper. “Give it to me,” he ordered.

  Piper stumbled forward and reached for it with shaky hands. She turned and went back to the gunman. Addie expected him to jerk it from her hands, but he grabbed Piper instead.

  Piper let out a cry, sobs bubbling from her throat.

  Addie felt her own eyes mist. “You’ve got what you want. Let her go.”

  The gunman held Piper as a shield as he backed out of the storage unit.

  Maddox sprang to his feet. “Stay here,” he ordered, charging after the gunman with his gun drawn.

  The next instant, shots were fired. Addie’s heart nearly stopped. Had Piper been shot? Maddox? Shakes rippled through Addie’s entire body as she stood. Not heeding Maddox’s command to stay put, she rushed outside.

  Piper was crumpled in a heap on the grass, her hand clutching her throat as she gulped for air, half-crying, half-choking. A stab of fear shot through Addie. Where was Maddox?

  Her knees went weak when she saw him jogging toward them, a furious expression on his face. “He got away,” he growled.

  Numbly, Addie pushed her feet forward. When she reached Piper, she dropped to her knees. As she pulled Piper into a hug to comfort her, a tingle of thought pricked Addie’s mind. The gunman’s voice was raspy.

  Strip that away and there was something familiar about it.

  For the life of her, she couldn’t place it though.

  14

  “What’s your risk assessment? Is it safe to say the threat is over?”

  Maddox pushed a hand through his hair as he considered Corbin’s question. “It’s possible, assuming the formula was on the hard drive.” His gaze fell on Addie in the kitchen making dinner. Her movements were deft and graceful as she opened the fridge and pulled out a head of lettuce and tomatoes. Warm brown ringlets bounced softly on her shoulders as she moved.

  “If it’s not?” Corbin asked, his voice tense.

  Maddox tightened his grip on his cellphone. “Then we’re back to square one.” Maybe it was paranoia due to his time in the SEALs, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t out of the woods yet.

  Addie pulled a knife from the drawer and began slicing a tomato. He could tell from the tilt of her head that she was listening to his conversation. “Is that Corbin?”

  He pulled the phone away from his mouth. “Yes.”

  “Tell him I said hello,” she said loudly.

  “Did you hear that?” Maddox asked into the phone.

  “Yep. Sure did. How does Addie feel about going to New Jersey?”

  “We haven’t had a chance to discuss it yet,” Maddox said evasively.

  Addie’s ears perked up as she gave him a questioning look.

  Corbin chortled out a chuckle. “You’d better get on the horn, dude. I talked to Sutton before I called you. He’s sending a jet to pick you up in the next few hours.”

  Maddox let out a breath. “I’m planning on taking care of that next.” The inquisitive look on Addie’s face let him know that he’d be taking care of it immediately after he ended the call. “How are Delaney and the baby?” The pause on the other end of the line let Maddox know the answer to his question was not good.

  “Delaney’s hanging tough, but she had a rough day. She’s been having a lot of lower back pain. The meds are starting to lose their effectiveness, and her blood pressure’s rising.” He paused, his voice sounding st
rained. “We just keep praying that all will go well.”

  You and me both. “I’m sorry, man.” Maddox felt for Corbin, couldn’t imagine the stress he must be under, not knowing if his wife and child would come through this.

  “What’s wrong?” Addie wanted to know, the corners of her mouth drooping. “Is Delaney okay?”

  He held up a finger. “Hang on a sec and I’ll tell you everything.”

  Reluctantly, she bit down on her lower lip, nodding.

  “Keep us updated on your situation,” Maddox said to Corbin.

  “Will do. You do the same. Safe travels to New Jersey. Hopefully, you’ll get some answers to put this thing to rest.”

  “I hope so. See ya,” Maddox quipped, ending the call.

  Addie gave him a steely look that said he’d better spill it right then and there. “All right. What’s going on? Don’t sugar-coat it,” she warned.

  “Delaney’s hanging tough,” he said, using Corbin’s words.

  Worry creased her features. “But?”

  “But, she’s having a hard time. The meds aren’t working to keep her blood pressure down.”

  Her lips formed a grim line. “I was afraid of that.” She rubbed a hand across her forehead, pushing back her bangs. “How did Corbin sound?”

  He stood and walked towards her. “Stressed, haggard, but determined to move forward.”

  “Sounds like my brother.” She tucked her hair behind both ears, looking thoughtful. “The Watermill conference ends tomorrow.” She grimaced. “Although at this point, I’ve hardly even been there.”

  “At least you got a few hours in this afternoon.”

  “Yeah, at least I got that. If Sadie weren’t holding down the fort, I’d be sunk.” She wrinkled her nose. “Fine manager I am,” she grumbled.

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve had a lot to deal with.”

  She grunted. “That’s an understatement.”

  A couple hours after the attack at the storage facility, Addie and Maddox went to the resort where Addie got caught up on work. Although, Maddox could tell that Addie’s mind was mostly on Piper. Understandably, Addie was worried about the emotional state of her friend. Piper had been inconsolable, muttering that if the stolen hard drive contained the formula for PZT, she was ruined. Maddox felt sorry for Piper and all that she’d been through. He’d read somewhere that getting a new drug on the market cost in the neighborhood of $350 million dollars. The poor woman had a lot to lose in the deal. No wonder she was stressed.

  Maddox’s mind ran through the events that occurred earlier today. From what he could tell, the masked gunman was alone. He fired shots into the air before entering the storage unit. How did the gunman know where they were? Were he and Addie being tailed? Or was Piper the one being tailed?

  “After the conference ends tomorrow, I’m thinking of heading to San Diego to see Corbin and Delaney. I can be back in time for the funeral next Wednesday.” She stopped, eyeing him. “You’re not listening to a thing I’m saying, are you?” She scrunched her brows. “I can tell you’re a million miles away. I might as well have been talking to the wall.”

  A grin stole over his lips as he leaned forward. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Don’t let me interrupt,” he continued.

  “What?” she asked dubiously.

  “Your conversation with the wall.”

  She chuckled in half amusement, half annoyance. “All right. I guess I deserved that.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Just remember you said it, I didn’t.”

  She gave him an irritated look, but a smile tugged at her lips. “Okay, enough of the chit chat. What’re you thinking about?”

  He leaned back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. His eyes made a slow run over her, lingering on her collar bone and the delicate line of her slender neck. “I was wondering how you managed to become even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”

  A rosy hue brushed her cheeks as she tipped a smile. “Nice try, Superman. Now tell me what you were really thinking about.”

  “Aside from you …” He blew out a long breath. “If you must know, I was wondering why the gunman fired into the air instead of at us. The way we were positioned in the storage unit would’ve made us easy targets, like shooting fish in a barrel.”

  The change in her was instantaneous. Her face paled, lips drawing into a tight line. “That’s a lovely thought,” she said sarcastically.

  “It’s true,” he shrugged. “Believe me, I’m glad he didn’t. I was just wondering why though.” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “Also, how did he know we were at the storage unit? That we’d found the hard drive?”

  “Do you think he’s been following us?” Her eyes widened with concern.

  He pondered the question. “I don’t think so. I make a point of being aware of my surroundings.” His mind went through the checklist of his security routine. He’d swept the cabin for bugs a few times and checked the new alarm system. Also, he made a point of sweeping Addie’s car for bugs every time they got in it. Everything was clear on their end. “I wonder if Piper and Hamilton’s home is bugged.”

  “If someone were listening in on the conversation, he would’ve known where we were headed.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Should I call Piper and tell her?”

  “That’s probably a good idea.” He paused. “Although at this point, I’d venture to say the damage has already been done.”

  A stricken look crossed her features as she looked around, lowering her voice. “Do you think the cabin is bugged?”

  “No, I’ve been checking. We’re in the clear.”

  She nodded in relief.

  He motioned at the veggies she was chopping. “Whatcha making?”

  She looked down. “A chef salad,” she replied dully, picking up the knife and resuming her chopping.

  He could tell her mind was still on Piper and the problems. “Sounds good.”

  “Well, you might not say that when you hear what kind of dressing we have.” She tore the lettuce and placed it in a glass bowl.

  He groaned. “Don’t tell me. Blue cheese?”

  A smile tipped her lips. “Yep.”

  “You know how much I hate blue cheese.”

  Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “I remember.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I knew you were coming. It’s what I happen to have on hand. You’ll like this kind though. It’s mild and creamy, tastes more like ranch than blue cheese.”

  He quirked an eyebrow, talking with his hands. “That’s like saying that you’ll like this pile of manure better than this one because it’s milder.”

  “What?” She burst out laughing. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re comparing blue cheese dressing to manure.”

  He sighed in defeat. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be comparing it to manure.”

  “That’s right.” She flashed a victorious smile.

  He pumped his eyebrows. “I should be comparing it to mold. That’s what it is.”

  “Is not,” she countered in annoyance.

  “Sure, it is. Where do you think the blue veins come from? Mold.” He pulled a face. “That’s why it smells so gosh awful.” His tone grew speculative. “You know, in Papua New Guinea, blue cheese is known as the cheese of the dead.”

  “You’re making this up,” she said, but he could tell from her intrigued expression that some tiny part of her wondered if he was telling the truth.

  “It’s because of its decaying properties. When the elderly tribe members are getting ready to pass to the other side, a ritual is held. The elderly are given blue cheese to help speed up the decaying process and hurry them along their journey.”

  The look of shock and outrage on her face was too much. He couldn’t hold back the laughter. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed when she realized he was teasing he
r.

  Her lips turned down, and she gave him a self-deprecating grin. “I can’t believe I semi-fell for that.”

  “Oh, you fell for it—hook, line, and sinker, darling. You should’ve seen the look on your face.”

  She slapped his arm. “You’re such a dork,” she muttered, but there was a hint of admiration in her voice as she smiled. “The cheese of the dead?” Her hand went to her hip. “I don’t know how you come up with this stuff.”

  He winked. “I’ll be here all day.”

  She gave him a quizzical look. “How do you do it?”

  “What?”

  “One minute you’re talking about how we almost lost our lives. The next, you’re telling me some cockamamie story about Papua New Guinea and cheese.” She pinned him with a look. “Which one are you? The comedian or the diehard warrior?”

  The comment jolted him as he let out a dry chuckle. “Both, I guess.” Something in her expression shifted, and he got the feeling there was a lot more to her questions than what was on the surface. “Does it have to be one or the other?” He stepped closer and peered into her jade eyes. In them, he saw what he thought was pain or regret or uncertainty. Maybe it was none of the above. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking. “I understand very well the gravity of the situation. I guess I use humor to deal with it. Everyone has layers—the surface and everything going on underneath.”

  She offered a strained smile. “I guess I’m not as good as you are at jumping back and forth between the two extremes.”

  The temptation to be close to her was too great. More than anything, he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until neither of them could think straight. “Addie,” he uttered, caressing the line of her cheek with his thumb. She drew in a halting breath, and he feared for one agonizing moment she would retreat. When she didn’t, it gave him courage to continue. He swallowed, trying to figure out how to explain how he felt. “When you do what I do,” he cleared his throat, “um, I’ve seen things—horrific things.” He cringed inwardly when her face grew pinched. “But I’ve also seen amazing things. I’ve seen the good a few people, sometimes even one person can do. Look at Sutton and the difference he makes in people’s lives. He helps people in impossible situations, gives them hope when no one else can.” His voice caught. “To be part of that. To know my life makes a difference. Well, it means everything.”