Mission: Her Justice

by Anna Hackett

  “Jesus,” Evan said.

  “So, ARE believes one Hall of Records is in Bimini.” Nat turned and nodded at Brooks. Maps flashed up on the screen with locations marked. “Another in Mexico, in the Yucatan. And the main one in Egypt, under the paws of the Sphinx. They say these Halls of Records are vast libraries of information from survivors who came from Atlantis.”

  “Most of the Atlantis stories aren’t real,” Jonah said. “They’re a mishmash of real facts and wishful thinking. But, it is possible pre-flood civilizations did store their knowledge somewhere.”

  “Or rather, survivors took their knowledge with them and shared it,” Nat said. “There are countless stories of flood survivors, sometimes revered as gods.” She paused. “Or priests.”

  “The Shemsu-Hor,” Evan breathed.

  Nat nodded. “We know that the Shemsu-Hor were flood survivors and keepers of incredible knowledge.”

  “Sprouse was kicked out of ARE,” Brooks said. “Can’t find out why, but it seems that there was some sort of altercation.”

  “And now he’s meeting with Brennan.” Evan stared at the images on the screens.

  “ARE have an office here in Las Vegas.” Brooks tapped the keyboard. “They have a lecture about Atlantis this afternoon, and it’s open to the public.” He smiled. “Especially if you want to donate to their cause.”

  “I could attend.” Evan’s eyes lit. “Ask a few subtle questions about Sprouse.”

  Jonah felt a gut response to say no, to not put her in danger. She’d just been shot, for God’s sake.

  Shit. She was a trained agent, and she’d been in far more dangerous situations than this. If she realized he was trying to protect her, she’d fight him every step of the way.

  “Good idea,” he said. “Take Callie.”

  Evan’s brows drew together. “I can do this alone.”

  “But you aren’t going to.”

  “Why not me?” Blair asked.

  “Because you’d punch someone,” River said.

  The men all snorted and Blair’s head whipped around to glare at River.

  “I could go,” Nat said.

  Axel surged forward, looking like he was fighting for control. Nat had been abducted from an archeology conference in Greece recently. It was fresh in her lover’s mind.

  “You know too much about the subject,” Jonah said. “It might make people suspicious.”

  The archeologist sighed and nodded.

  “You and me, CIA,” Callie said.

  “I think we’ll go in as best friends with a side interest in Atlantis,” Evan said.

  Callie nodded. “Works for me.”

  “We’ll be on standby outside,” Lachlan said.

  “I want them both wired,” Jonah added. “I want a pin camera on Callie. Let’s see if ARE can shed any light on Hugh Sprouse, and what he and Brennan are up to.”

  It was all action after that. Soon, they were all back on the jet heading back to Las Vegas. That included Arlo, who decided to head back with them. Jonah guessed his old friend was keeping an eye on Evan.

  Jonah sat beside her. She wasn’t fidgeting, seemingly relaxed about the upcoming recon mission. It was what she did. What she was good at.

  “So, this artifact, Codename Leo, that Brennan is after, must be something in the Hall of Records?” she said.

  “It’s a strong possibility. If the Hall of Records is this repository of pre-flood, advanced knowledge, there would very likely be dangerous artifacts stored in there.”

  Natalie leaned between the seats. “It fits. The Shemsu-Hor come to Egypt, spread the knowledge of farming, science, architecture, writing. And they store their knowledge, perhaps more advanced knowledge the locals aren’t ready for, in the Hall of Records.”

  Evan raised a brow. “And this is supposedly all under the Sphinx?”

  “Well, traditional archeology dates the Sphinx to the Pharaoh Khafre, around four and a half thousand years ago. But—” Nat smiled “—the Sphinx actually is extremely weathered, compared to the pyramids, and some geologists believe it’s water erosion. The last rainfall in the Sahara region capable of causing that kind of weathering was about ten thousand years ago.”

  Evan gasped. “You’re saying the Sphinx is older?”

  “And perhaps built by an advanced civilization that buried an ancient library beneath it.” Nat shrugged. “Maybe. Archeologists have searched for the tunnels beneath the Sphinx and pyramids. One team did extensive scans.”

  “And?” Evan prompted.

  “They never released the results,” Jonah said. “Egypt protects its history and artifacts very carefully.”

  Evan nodded. “Their history is important to the country. Important for the tourism industry. They don’t want fringe ideas impacting what they have.”

  “Or pseudo-archeologists digging under their national monuments,” Nat added.

  Before long, they landed at the Bunker. Inside, Callie and Evan changed, coming out wearing pretty sundresses. Jonah’s mouth went dry, and he only had eyes for Evan. The rich, green dress hugged her body and left her legs bare, floating around her toned thighs. Her red hair was in a messy bun and she looked younger, softer, though he liked her hard edges just fine.

  She caught his gaze and winked.

  Brooks gave them small earpieces that they pressed into their ears. They were barely bigger than the microdot that Evan had used on Brooks’ laptop, and completely untraceable.

  Brooks kissed Callie.

  Jonah pulled Evan aside. “Be careful. No risks.”

  “I’ve got this, Director.”

  He turned so his back was blocking the rest of the team’s view. He ran his thumb along her jaw. “I know you do.”

  Her eyes flickered. “Jonah—”

  “Okay, let’s move out,” Lachlan called.

  Evan pulled away from Jonah. She joined Callie, and Jonah watched them walk out to Callie’s car.

  Jonah climbed into the back of the surveillance van with the rest of the team. It looked like a normal van from the outside, but it was full of tech inside. There were swivel chairs running down both sides, in front of consoles and screens.

  Brooks was staying at the Bunker to run comms with Arlo.

  Smith drove them toward the ARE premises in Spring Valley. They parked the van a block away from the building that housed the office. Jonah pulled a headset on.

  “Okay, drone’s up,” Brooks said.

  On-screen, Jonah saw the aerial drone footage of Callie and Evan walking up toward the front entrance of the ARE building, laughing together.

  “Hello, welcome to ARE,” a male voice said.

  Another screen flickered to life, showing footage from Callie’s camera attached to the strap of her dress.

  The man smiling at the pair was in his late twenties, with a wide smile and styled, light-brown hair.

  “Hi,” Evan gushed. “Kellie and I are huge history buffs. A friend said you guys did great work here. Really fascinating stuff.”

  “Your friend is right.” The man gave the women another toothpaste-commercial smile. Then his gaze dropped to Evan’s cleavage.

  Jonah fought back a scowl. She could take care of herself. He reached out and picked up a pen, rotating it through his fingers.

  “I’m Mitchell,” the man said.

  “Evie.” Evan shook the man’s hand, and then he shook Callie’s.

  “Come in, I’ll show you around.”

  Jonah listened as Mitchell gave Callie and Evan a tour.

  “We sponsor archeologists to study and do field digs, and a lot of our budget goes to research.”

  “Amazing.” Evan paused. “I’ve always had a huge interest in Atlantis. That’s why we came.”

  “Our specialty. Our founder, Edgar Cayce, knew more about Atlantis than anyone. You have to read his books and listen to his prophecies.”

  “So cool,” Callie breathed.

  Callie wandered away, talking to an older woman. She kept her camera a
ngled toward Evan and Mitchell.

  “Do you work here full-time, Mitchell?” Evan asked.

  “I do.”

  “That’s so exciting. Do you travel?”

  “I mainly work here in Las Vegas, but I travel to our other offices and sites as well.”

  “Oh, where?”

  “Mainly headquarters in Virginia.”

  “That’s where my friend is from. She knew someone that worked in your headquarters.” Evan tapped her chin. “Hugh Prouse…no, Sprouse. Do you know him?”

  Mitchell’s smile turned into a frown. “Oh, he left recently. A terrible business.”

  Evan’s breath hitched, and Jonah saw curiosity on her face. “What happened?”

  Mitchell swallowed. “I shouldn’t gossip.”

  Evan touched his arm. “You can trust me.”

  Beside Jonah, Blair snorted. “Damn, she’s good.”

  Evan leaned in. “Oh, I love your cologne, Mitchell. You smell so good.”

  The man’s chest puffed up and she let her fingers drift along his shoulder.

  As he watched, Jonah’s muscles stiffened.

  “Well, Hugh stole from the organization,” Mitchell said.

  “How terrible.”

  “He was caught digging through old records for—”

  “Mitchell.” A well-dressed, older man appeared, his gray hair cut short. “I’m sure you’re sharing the best of what ARE has to offer with the young lady.”

  Mitchell’s face went red. “Of course. Evie, this is Ronald Loftin. He runs ARE here in Las Vegas.”

  “I’m so happy to be here.” Evan turned up the wattage on her smile. Both men blinked.

  The discussion turned to history. Mitchell waxed on about a dig in Mexico for the Hall of Records. Thankfully, Ronald got called away. Mitchell started talking about diving in Bimini.

  “I’ve always loved everything I’ve read about the Bimini Road,” Evan gushed.

  “Yes.” Mitchell smiled. “You’ll have to come on a dive. I can show you some incredible sites.” He grinned. “Do you have a bikini?”

  She shot him a coy smile. “Of course.”

  “I bet you look great in it.” The man moved closer. “Evie, I hope you’ll give me your number.”

  “Are you flirting with me, Mitchell?”

  He reached out and touched her hair. “Yes. I’d love to take you out for dinner. We can talk more about Atlantis.”

  The pen in Jonah’s hand snapped in two.

  “Okay there, boss-man?” Axel asked, in an amused voice.

  “Fine,” Jonah replied.

  Chapter Eight

  Evan and Callie walked out of ARE, side by side.

  “Well, I don’t think ARE is involved,” Callie said.

  “Agreed.” Evan turned and waved at cute, attentive Mitchell, then she shot him a wink. “Sounds like Sprouse was bad news, and they booted him.”

  “Careful.”

  At the woman’s warning tone, Evan turned to look at her. “What?”

  “If you overdo the flirting, you’ll get yourself in trouble.”

  Evan scoffed. “I can handle Mitchell.”

  “I’m not talking about Mitchell.” Callie strode ahead to the car.

  Evan’s heart skipped a beat. Yeah, she could handle Mitchell with her eyes closed. Jonah Grayson was a whole different proposition.

  Her belly erupted with butterflies. She followed Callie. When was the last time a man had given her butterflies? She paused. It had probably been Vinnie Antonelli in the fourth grade.

  Evan slid into the passenger seat of Callie’s car. The woman pulled into traffic.

  “You’re pretty easy to work with.” Evan winced. “That was a compliment, even if it came out sounding lame.”

  “Funny how you lie so well, but you’re not so smooth when you tell the truth.”

  Evan shifted in her seat. “I’ve gotten rusty dealing with real people.”

  Callie shot her a quick look. “It’ll come back to you.”

  Evan looked out the window. Is that what she wanted? A chance to forge some real connections in her life, or to clear her name and get back to her job? Go back to the work she loved and help defend her country. She stared at the blur of Las Vegas, passing by outside the window.

  Soon, they were back at the Bunker. The van had beaten them back, and was parked out front.

  Inside, Brooks claimed Callie for a kiss. “I hope you keep that dress on,” he murmured.

  The medic laughed and smacked another kiss to her man’s mouth.

  “Nice work in there.” Golden-eyed Lachlan caught Evan’s gaze.

  She lifted her chin.

  Jonah appeared in the conference room door. He was unsmiling. “Debrief.”

  He whirled away.

  Hmm, maybe there was a problem?

  The team packed into the room. The men stood in line against the wall, arms crossed over their chests. Jonah stood at the head of the table. Just looking at that patch of bronze skin at the open collar of his shirt distracted her.

  “I think we can rule out ARE,” he said.

  Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement.

  “Sprouse’s firing from the organization confirms that he was likely working with Brennan,” Jonah said.

  Evan blew out a breath. “But we’re no closer to knowing what they’re after.”

  Jonah nodded. “Next, we plan a mission to D.C. to trail Brennan.”

  “He knows your team, Jonah,” she warned.

  “Then we’ll need some outside assistance.”

  Evan leaned against the table. “He’s good. He’ll know.”

  Jonah moved closer, and his cologne tickled her senses. “He’s not going to get away with this. We’ll stop him.”

  She pulled in a breath. She had to remember that she had help. She wasn’t alone… At least, for now.

  She lifted her head and realized Jonah was just inches away. With a start, she noted that everyone else had left the room. Shit, she was messed up if she was missing stuff like that.

  She heard the rest of the team talking in the main room. Blair and Axel were arguing about the coffee again.

  Jonah’s jaw was tight, his eyes dark and turbulent.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He pressed his hands to the table on either side of her hips, caging her in.

  Her pulse spiked and she raised a brow. “Problem, Director?”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned closer to her. God, the man was too damn good-looking and too tempting.

  “Did you enjoy flirting with the helpful Mitchell?” Jonah’s voice was a silky growl.

  “Not really. It’s just a job. A means to an end.”

  Long bronze fingers gripped her chin and tilted her head back. His green gaze bored into hers.

  She recognized the look. “You’re jealous.” Her words were a little breathless.

  His dark look deepened.

  She slid her hand along his hard jaw. God, to be able to touch this man… What would it be like to have the right to do that all the time?

  “The difference is,” she continued quietly, “that I didn’t enjoy flirting with him. I had no interest in touching Mitchell.” She stroked Jonah’s jaw, her thumb touching his lips. “Or kissing him.” She leaned forward and bit Jonah’s full bottom lip. His big body shuddered, and it filled her with a sense of power. “I don’t want to strip him naked and—”

  Jonah’s mouth closed over hers. She leaned into his hot body.

  She liked pushing him to the edge. It was so amazing, but she was on the edge, too. Riding this all-consuming desire, bigger than anything she’d felt before.

  She slid her hands into his hair and kissed him back.

  His kiss was hard, with an angry edge. She loved it. She bit his lip hard enough to taste blood.

  He pushed against her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, undulating against the rock-hard bulge in his trousers. She shifted. Yes, there. He was pressed right
where she wanted him.

  “You drive me crazy.” His mouth was on her neck, teeth scraping her skin.

  Evan moaned. “Jonah.”

  She shimmied her hips and her breath caught in her throat. Shockingly, she felt an orgasm close, just from kissing and rubbing herself against Jonah Grayson.

  He pulled back, his eagle-sharp gaze on her face. Then a sexy grin crossed his features.

  “You’re close. I’ve barely touched you and you’re ready to come. For me.” There was a possessive edge to his voice.

  His hands slid down her body and then under the skirt of her sundress. His clever finger slid between her legs and stroked over her panties.

  Pleasure erupted inside Evan, and she cried out. It was like a small explosion went off inside her.

  “There. Damn, you’re so beautiful when you come,” he growled.

  Evan panted, her pulse racing. Nothing quite so innocent had revved her up this high in years.

  Suddenly, she heard a thud in the room next door. Jonah stiffened.

  She heard a muffled shout and another thud.

  “What the hell?” Jonah spun and moved toward the door.

  Evan slid off the table, pulling her dress in place. Dammit, she didn’t have her Sig. She was one step behind him when he wrenched open the conference room door.

  The first thing she saw was Brooks, tied to a chair. Callie and Blair were tied together on the floor, both with murderous looks in their eyes.

  Another closed door to one of the offices vibrated under several blows. She realized Lachlan and the others were locked in a side room.

  A tall, curvy woman faced off with Arlo in the center of the space, her back to Jonah and Evan.

  “You look a little more seasoned than the rest of them, but you still can’t take me,” the woman drawled.

  Arlo’s faded blue eyes narrowed. “We’ll see.”

  “What is going on here?” Jonah snapped.

  The woman turned. Curls of bright red hair escaped her knit cap.

  Evan groaned. “Mom, what did you do?”

  Beside her, she heard Jonah draw in a sharp breath. “Mom?”