Richie studied him. “Yeah, I can see that, mon ami,” he said, his Cajun accent coming out like it did every so often. He took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Sam. “When I give you the signal, gonna need the professor to make the call.”
“So the plan to have her set up a meeting is still the one we’re going with?”
He hated that plan. Passionately. It involved Georgie too deeply.
“It’s the best one we have. The FBI is watching the house in Greenbelt where they’re living, but they haven’t done anything yet to get themselves caught. We can’t actually tie Al-Fayed to Hamilton’s death. He was stabbed, but we have no weapon. Getting Al-Fayed to attempt to buy Hamilton’s information is the best shot we’ve got.”
“I don’t want to put her in danger. She’s not an operator.”
“I know. But we’ll be here. HOT won’t let anything happen to her. Unfortunately, we need these guys to come after her if we’re going to get them. The basic script is in the envelope along with a mockup SD card for her to sell, so get her to familiarize herself with the details of the operation. Once I give the signal, have her make the call. Those guys will come, and we’ll scoop them up.”
Sam’s heart was pounding. “How can you be sure? What if they don’t come? What if they decide to lie in wait somewhere for her? She’ll never be safe if that happens.”
“They’re desperate. Hamilton only gave them partial information and they need the rest of it. We’ve been listening to the chatter. Ibn-Rashad is getting pretty nasty. If they think Dr. Hayes has what they need, they’ll come for her. We’ll be here when they do.”
Sam hated Jake Hamilton with a vengeance right now. “Did he have the full plans or was he just scamming these guys for money?”
“If he had them, they weren’t in his apartment. Al-Fayed and his associates swept the place pretty thoroughly. We’ve checked too.” Richie shrugged. “In short, I don’t know. Maybe he realized he could get more money out of them and he stashed the plans elsewhere for safekeeping. Or he hadn’t managed to lift everything yet and he was buying time.”
Sam folded the envelope in half and stuck it in his jeans pocket. How the fuck was he supposed to put Georgie in danger when he’d promised he never would? “I hate involving her. If Hamilton was still alive, I’d kill the guy myself for getting her into this.”
Richie’s’s expression was both sympathetic and determined. “I know what you’re feeling. That sense of helplessness while you watch the woman you love do something insanely risky—but you have to trust it will be okay. She’s strong enough to do this. And you’re strong enough to stand there when she does. Evie proves it to me every day, believe me. Sometimes all you can do is hold on for the ride.”
Sam had heard about Richie’s adventures down in Louisiana. There’d been organized crime, car chases, explosions, and a missing teenager, among other things. And though he’d gone down there single, he’d come back with a sexy chef who now wore a pretty spectacular engagement ring. Sam had met her, and while she was smoking hot, what he really adored was the food she’d sent into HOT HQ with Richie recently.
Damn, that girl could cook.
Richie turned and got into his car while Sam stood there, hands shoved in pockets, and brooded. He couldn’t stop thinking about one word the man had used—love. What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
Of course he loved Georgie. He’d loved her since they were kids. But it wasn’t that kind of love. How could it be? They’d only started having sex last night. Before that, they hadn’t seen each other in six years. How on earth could romantic love be a part of the equation? And how could someone who didn’t know either one of them all that well think it was?
Sam went back into the house after Richie’s car disappeared from sight and found Georgie in the same position as when he’d left. Her eyes, when she turned to look at him, were troubled.
“This isn’t going to end easily, is it?”
He wasn’t sure what she was talking about. The situation with the Freedom Force—God, that was a fucking joke of a name, wasn’t it?—or this thing between them. That’s how twisted up she had him. He didn’t even know what they were talking about.
She put her knees down and ran her hands through her gorgeous mane of hair—which had been hanging free since he’d unclipped it earlier.
“Fucking terrorist assholes,” she spat. “And fucking Jake Hamilton for being greedy or idealistic or whatever in the fuck he was being. He was an overachiever, and he liked nothing more than to get a perfect score. Bet it was the same thing with this DARPA shit. He wanted to do it because he liked the game, nothing else.”
“I’m sorry, G. I know you liked him.”
“I did. And I’m pissed as hell he did something so stupid.”
“Some people are impatient. Or they don’t think they’re capable of getting what they want the regular way. Who knows what kind of background he had? He might have been poor or abused or any number of things that made him long to be something better in life.”
Her eyes glittered with tears. “You were poor. Your parents mentally abused you. And the last thing you would ever do is try to sell government secrets to terrorists.”
“That’s true. On all accounts.” He didn’t like admitting what his childhood had been like, but Georgie already knew. She was one of the few who did.
She looked fierce all of a sudden. “You’re a good guy, Sam. An amazing guy. I want to see you after this, and I don’t care if my family knows. You make me feel good about myself. Not that I don’t generally feel good or anything, but getting dumped knocked the wind out of me for a while. You make me remember what I felt like before any of that happened.”
He swallowed, hard. “That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. But you know it can’t last, G. We’re too different. I don’t fit into your world—”
She swore so colorfully that he lost his train of thought. “What world? The one where I take the Metro to the Pentagon and teach college classes to military students? Or the one where all I can think about is having you inside me? Or maybe the one where I go to bed every night with a book and Belle and feel sorry for myself because my husband didn’t find me interesting enough in the long run?”
“I already told you Tim was a fucking asshole,” he growled. “But dammit, you know what I mean. You’re Junior League, country club, everything I’m not. Hell, I don’t even know the right word half the time and you teach the right words on a daily basis. I can conjugate fuck pretty well—but that’s about it. I’m a soldier, Georgie. It’s as simple as that.”
Her eyes glittered. “I don’t care, Sam. That’s the part you don’t get. I don’t care what you think your place in my life is. I know where I want you, and you won’t convince me otherwise.” She pointed a finger at him. “And FYI, genius, but being a soldier is pretty damned awesome. Anyone who doesn’t respect your accomplishments is stupid and not worthy of your time.”
Now he was pissed. Because she wasn’t listening and there was no way she was truly prepared for what his life as a Special Operator entailed. “Do you really want to be a part of this kind of life? The kind where I disappear for weeks on end? Where I can’t call you and can’t let you know that I’m even alive?”
She swallowed but didn’t say anything, and he knew he’d made a point she couldn’t refute. But he still kept going.
“Christ, Georgie, you freaked out because a student went missing from your class. What the hell will you do when it’s me who’s missing? Call my fucking boss and demand to know where I am? Do you really think that’ll work?”
Her eyes filled with tears and his heart ripped in two. He didn’t stay to see if they would fall.
16
Georgie watched Sam walk out of the house and into the yard. She wanted to call him back, wanted to say she was sorry, but he’d pretty much stunned her. And he was right. How could she stomach the life he led after she’d felt so out of control of her own l
ife these past couple of years?
Tim had abandoned her for another woman. Jake Hamilton skipped class a few times and she’d gone looking for him. What would she do when it was Sam who left? How could she possibly have a life with him when he was right that she wouldn’t like it?
And why did she even think she wanted that life? She’d had a crush on him once and they’d had sex. So what? That wasn’t a recipe for the future, no matter that he made her feel good about herself again for the first time in a long time.
Georgie swiped her fingers under her eyes and wiped the moisture on her clothing. And then she grabbed her computer, determined to get some work done. Eventually, Sam came back inside. She didn’t know what to say so she didn’t say anything. He walked over to her side and thrust a piece of paper at her.
“What’s this?”
Sam looked grim. “You’re going to have to make a call sometime in the next couple of days. Everything you need to know about it is on this paper along with a basic script. It’s best if you practice so you can sound natural.”
She read the first few words, her blood going cold. “I’m supposed to tell them I have the information. And that I’ll sell it for a hundred thousand dollars in cash? Oh my God.”
Sam shrugged. “Yeah.”
She read the paper over a few times. “Drone technology? That’s what Jake was selling them?”
“Yes.”
“What the hell was he thinking?”
“He was probably thinking it didn’t matter because it wouldn’t affect him.”
She cocked her head. This was already more information than she’d expected they’d tell her about what Jake had been doing. But if she was going to sell the idea she had something these people wanted, she had to know what it was.
“What do you mean it wouldn’t affect him?”
“He wasn’t deployable. If somebody weaponized the technology and used it against our deployed soldiers, it wasn’t going to affect him. He’d be here.”
Anger throbbed in her belly. “That’s disgusting. And immoral.”
“Yes.”
She looked down at the words again. They blurred a little, but it was anger rather than tears that made it happen. “I’ll get it right.”
“I know you will. And Georgie, you realize you can’t talk about any of this once it’s over, right?”
Her gaze snapped to his. “Of course I do! I’m not an idiot. I also care about the soldiers I teach, so I don’t want any of them in danger. Ever.”
They were in jeopardy because of their jobs sometimes, but damned if she’d be the cause of any additional peril.
The lines around his eyes softened. “I know you care, G. You need to read the words aloud. Really get them in your head and mouth.”
“Is this the kind of thing you do all the time?”
Sam was standing over her, hands in pockets, frowning. He hadn’t said a word about earlier, but they both knew it was still there between them. “It’s part of it.”
She shook her head, the enormity of what he did pressing into her brain. “When you left to join the Army, I don’t think I pictured this. I pictured tanks and guns. And believe me, I didn’t like the idea of that at all. But this seems more frightening somehow.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” He sucked in a breath, blew it out again. “I did the other stuff for a while. This is something new, and yeah, it’s dangerous. But it’s important, Georgie. What we do—the guys I work with, me—keeps this country safe.”
She’d always thought of the Army as dangerous and she’d hated that he might be in jeopardy. But this.
This secret organization—because she had no doubt that’s what it was—was simply another layer to an already risky career.
“Are you happy with your choices?”
His jaw flexed. “Yes.” He let out a sigh and sat down across from her. “This job is me. It’s something I’m good at. If I’d stayed in Hopeful, I’d have never amounted to much. Even with your family’s influence. I couldn’t afford college, and without it there were no jobs I’d ever grow with. I didn’t want the mill, Georgie.”
“You could have gotten student loans, could have worked for my dad—”
“No.” His voice was a whip in the air between them. “That’s what you don’t understand. What none of you understand. I’m not helpless and I’m not a charity case. Besides, I like what I do. It makes me damn proud to say I rescue people and stop terrorists, because not everyone can do it. But I can, Georgie. Me, fucked-up Sam McKnight.”
Her heart filled. Sam was driven to succeed and he’d done it on his own terms. He was still doing it. How could she fault him for that? She’d left Hopeful too and she didn’t much appreciate her family trying to pull her back. “I understand.”
His eyes said he didn’t believe it. “Do you? Or are you just saying that?”
“I’m trying.” She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Yes, I care about you, and yes, it worries me that you’re in danger. I’d be worried if you were a policeman or a fireman too. And you aren’t fucked up. Or at least no more than the rest of us are.”
“It’s nice of you to say that.”
She laughed. It wanted to turn into a sob but she wouldn’t let it. “I’m not being nice. Trust me, I know fucked up. Just because someone seems to have a perfect life on the outside doesn’t mean they do. My husband cheated on me, lied to me, and left me for another woman. I’d say that’s pretty fucked up.”
Sam sighed and scrubbed a hand over his head. “Yeah, all right, you got me there. We can both be fucked up then.” He nudged his chin at the paper in her hand. “Now how about you read that a few times and let’s see how it sounds.”
She skimmed the words again, her belly twisting. “Does this mean I have to actually meet with them? That they’ll come here?”
He nodded, though he didn’t look happy about it. “I’ll be with you. My guys will be outside, surrounding us. You won’t be in danger. Get the conversation down in your head first, then we’ll go over what happens if they agree to meet here.”
Georgie nibbled her lip. She thought of Jake Hamilton, of Sam, of Matt Girard—and of the other men she’d met in the military facility he’d taken her to. So serious and dedicated. Unlike Jake, who’d only been looking for a way to enrich himself.
And crushing on her, apparently. The thought made her shudder.
“I won’t let you down, Sam,” she said firmly. She wouldn’t let any of them down. She couldn’t. Not when she knew what they risked to keep the world safe.
“I know you won’t.”
His words made her feel good, and yet worry still clung to her like a second skin.
She shoved it down deep and focused on the paper.
She’d get this right. For all of them.
17
Georgie memorized the details of the operation and practiced saying what she needed to tell Jake’s murderer while Sam went out into the yard to engage in some kind of workout routine that left her breathless.
He was wearing athletic shorts, nothing else, and breathing deeply while moving through a set of exercises that left his body dripping with sweat.
Georgie tried not to ache deep inside, but that was about as fruitless as trying to prevent a dog from eating a plate of bacon left on the floor. She worked a bit, grading the papers she had left, and looking over the final exam one more time. It was two days before it had to be administered and she held out a crazy hope this might all be over by then and she’d go back to her usual routine.
Well, except for one thing.
She still wanted Sam as a part of her routine. She didn’t know how that would happen, especially since he’d pointed out the obvious conflict between his life and hers.
Yes, she had freaked out when her student went missing. And yeah, she’d had half a marriage with Tim for the last couple of years and she wasn’t precisely ready to engage in the kind of relationship where she had no idea where her man was
or what he was doing.
How would she handle that?
She’d felt a vague uneasiness over Tim’s late nights at work, but she’d told herself it was silly. He was working hard at a new job.
Except it wasn’t that at all.
Because he’d been working hard all right, giving it to Lindsey until late and then coming home and showering before crashing into bed and starting the whole thing over again the next morning.
Georgie bit her lip. God, what a fool she’d been. But they’d been arguing so much then and she’d really preferred the quiet time alone when he was supposedly working. She’d read books, worked on her lesson plans, and waited for him to come home.
When weeks passed without sex, she’d felt relief rather than worry. Just when she started to believe something was wrong, Tim would make love to her and they’d have a blissful few days before everything went sideways again.
Sam was still working out, his muscles bunching and flexing, glowing with sweat. Her core clenched tight. How could she want to leap into a relationship with a man who would give her even less stability than Tim had?
She shook her head and tried to concentrate on her computer. When she read the same sentence for the twentieth time, she snapped the computer shut and propped her chin in her hands so she could watch Sam.
Eventually he came inside and she pretended to be busy while he went and took a shower. When he returned, smelling like soap and looking delicious with his hair slicked back, he quizzed her on the information she’d learned. Once he was satisfied, they fell into silence.
Georgie didn’t know what to say to him, so she said nothing. Sam spent time cleaning his weapon and reporting in to his super-secret military organization every hour.
When dinnertime rolled around, they ate leftover pasta with wine. Sam even baked a chocolate cake in the microwave, which she found super impressive. She told him so and he grinned.
“Even I can read a cookbook, G.”
She took another bite of the cake. It wasn’t beautiful but it sure was good. “Yeah, but you don’t have a cookbook here. You’ve memorized this, and I’m impressed. I wouldn’t begin to know how to do it.”
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