Protecting Terra (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

by Desiree Holt

  He shrugged. “Suit yourself. I was trying to keep you out of the hazard zone. You looked a little shaky to me.”

  “I’m fine. Let’s do this.”

  She worried he’d try again to shunt her to the side, but he was all business as they checked the whole area. They were careful to stay as far away from the flames as they could while also watching for any other booby traps. The fire consumed almost every bit of the small dwelling, leaving only ragged pieces of wood still poking up from the ground. By the time they’d finished, the local fire department had arrived along with two agents—a man and a woman—from the DHS office in Boston.

  “Jay Stansfield.” The man held out his hand, first to Griff and then to Terra.

  “And I’m Carol Elliott. Hal Winters read us in on this.”

  “Thanks for coming,” Terra told them.,

  “Yeah.” Griff nodded. “Maybe you can help us figure out how our targets disappeared.”

  “I’m sure you guys walked the area,” Jay acknowledged, “but let’s give it another shot. Just in case. Then we can check the surrounding area.” Cabin

  But not even two extra pairs of eyes could pick up anything, no matter how diligently they looked.

  “The car they drove here was pretty much incinerated.” Terra rubbed her forehead as she looked around. “That seems to be their only means of transportation. So, how did they get away from here? And how did they get out without us seeing them? Between the two of us, we had eyes on both the front and back. The place isn’t that big.”

  “Let’s keep looking. We’re missing something here.”

  The Boston agents had brought two large thermoses of coffee with them, so they stood around letting the caffeine revive their systems while the fire department took care of the blaze. At last they got the all clear.

  “Do you two have boots with you?” Jay looked from Griff to Terra.

  They both nodded.

  “Always prepared,” Terra assured them.

  Griffin nodded.” Me, too. Let’s do this.”

  Feet encased in heavy boots, they walked carefully through the slush and debris that had once been the cabin. One of the firemen was still watering the area down, but when Jay walked over to him he nodded, turned off the hose, and headed back to the fire truck. He returned with another firefighter, both carrying shovels. Terra watched as they began shifting the debris off the area where the floor had been.

  “The old places weren’t built on concrete foundations or even pads,” Jay explained. There’s nothing but dirt beneath them with a wooden skirt concealing the space between the building and the ground. The place is soaked enough now we can take a closer look.”

  “What are we looking for?” she asked Jay.

  “Let’s see if I’m right, first.”

  He took a flashlight out of his coat pocket and began examining each inch of what was left of the floor. He stopped and crouched, using his flashlight to study the area before waving to one of the firefighters.

  “Can I get a hand here? Thanks.”

  The firefighter used the edge of his shovel to scrape the floor area until there was virtually no debris of any consequence left on it. Then Jay began pressing at different points in the cleared area. One of the places he pressed down on apparently released a catch, and a trap door opened.

  Jay turned to them and gestured. “Come take a look.”

  Terra saw Griffin was as stunned as she was. In the opening, they could see a short set of stairs leading to the opening of a tunnel.

  “Like the cartels use to smuggle people and drugs out of Mexico,” he said. “Carol and I worked out of the San Diego office and learned all about the tunnels running under the border. It was a good conduit for high-value targets until we pinched it off.”

  Griff got down on his knees and peered into the opening.

  “It would take a hell of a long time and a lot of sweat to dig this thing. And how come no one ever thought of looking for this before? This is the third time people have vanished like this.

  “This was very hard to see, even if people were searching. If Carol and I hadn’t seen it a number of times coming in from Mexico, we never would have thought to look.

  “That would take a hell of a long time to dig,” Terra pointed out. “And have to be planned well in advance.”

  “Yeah. God knows when they started work on this. However, as long as no one found it, there’s no limit to the number of times it could be used.”

  “That may be how the last two disappeared. How long have they been planning this to go to this much trouble?”

  “And after they finished? Then what? Exit someplace at the end of the tunnel and be picked up?”

  “You got it. That’s how we keep losing them.” Carol sighed. “If these guys are members of Sons of Allah, that explains why they don’t use any of the regular setups to sneak them in. They can easily make them disappear this way. Swallowed up into invisibility.”

  Griffin’s phone had rung while they were talking, and he’d stepped away to answer. Now he walked back, stuffing it into his pocket.

  “Hal wants us back in D.C. tomorrow,” he told Terra. “This is going to send a signal to whoever is doing this that they aren’t under the radar anymore. I mean, why blow up the cabin except to prevent whoever found them from searching it and trying to get fingerprints. He also said he’s got some additional info for us.”

  “Sure.” She sighed. “I don’t need sleep, anyway.”

  His mouth curved in a rare smile. “Glad to hear it. He’s sending a helo for us in the morning.”

  “Good. I’ll sleep fast.”

  Griff looked at the other two agents. “He asked that we send him a report on this ASAP.”

  Carol laughed. “He never changes. I’ll do it when I get back to the office. Think yesterday will be quick enough?”

  They all chuckled, the laughter a measure of relief from the tension gripping them.

  “We’ll follow the tunnel,” Jay told them, “and put the details in the report. You guys look like you could use a hot shower and a soft bed.”

  “Thanks.” Griff shook hands with both of the agents.

  Terra followed suit, and the two of them trudged off to where they’d hidden their car. When Griffin glanced over at her, he was giving her one of those odd looks again. She wished she knew what the hell that was all about. Something was vibrating between them, and she had a sense he was fighting it as hard as she was.

  She leaned back in her seat, eyes closed.

  “Can’t wait for that shower and bed.”

  “Yeah, that’s on my mind, too.”

  But things didn’t turn out exactly as she’d expected.

  Chapter 2

  Griffin refilled his coffee mug, took a sip, and made a face. He’d already had more than his allotment this morning, but he wanted a clear head for this conversation. God knew after last night he needed it. Unbidden, images flashed in his mind, and he felt his cock twitch.

  The minute Winters had called them into his office in Washington weeks ago to tell them they’d be paired together and what their assignment was, he’d taken one look at Terra Oenning and known he was in trouble. At least his cock was, with shocking insistency. He’d thought about refusing the assignment, but that would bring up all kinds of questions and could easily create a problem for him. He’d use his years of training as a SEAL to control himself. So far, although at times it had taken every bit of determination he had, he’d made it work, and without any evidence of his struggles. But the heat between them continued to simmer beneath the surface for him.

  This was such an anomaly. He had a hard and fast rule about this. He never, ever got personal with partners, and he’d been paired with females before. Fucking your partner was a big no-no on his list, and he’d broken that rule and then some. And for the past two weeks they’d been strictly business, although unwanted urges had been driving him nuts. But Terra hadn’t given him any indication at all she was even interested in t
hat direction. They’d both been all business.

  Until last night.

  He didn’t know if what happened was the result of the stress and danger factors from the episode at the cabin or if the planets had aligned themselves in some mysterious fashion. But back at their motel he felt as if every urge had exploded. He wanted this woman in every way possible.

  Apparently, it was mutual because the sex was as hot as he’d thought it would be. Even hotter. And Terra Oenning was hotter than any other woman he’d ever been with. The things they’d said and done to each other. Holy shit! He was surprised they hadn’t set the bed on fire.

  She was the third female he’d been paired with but the first one he’d actually seen as…a female. Women came and went in his life, giving pleasure and leaving few memories. With good reason, a reason he kept locked in the back of his mind.

  They’d worked so smoothly as a team that after a while he’d thought everything would be fine, and he’d squelched whatever he was feeling. Except it kept simmering beneath the surface, always there, ready to burst forth. Hell, he could see she was affected, too, by the heat that flashed in her eyes in unguarded moments. But he kept telling himself he was imagining things and, anyway, it was a big fat no. If he was horny, he’d find someplace else to get his satisfaction. In extreme circumstances, there was always his good right hand.

  Until last night.

  A lot of women wanted relationships, but that wasn’t his thing. Not even a little. Not anymore. What was that saying? Been there, done that, with painful results. Not going there again. He’d learned long ago the job was it for him. Much safer that way. Death definitely put an end to things and left you with unremitting pain, especially if it was your fault.

  He hoped to god she was like him, just relieving stress with hot sex that meant nothing. All his time with the SEALs and now with DHS he’d never considered any kind of relationship. He couldn’t divide himself, nor was he interested in doing so. Occasional off-the-charts, casual sex and some good laughs was plenty for him. But the feelings Terra awoke in him scared the shit out of him, so he’d run like an asshole.

  Not that she’d given any indication she was looking for more, but he didn’t want to take any chances. Still, he could have found a better way to do it. After all, no telling how long they’d be working together on this project.

  So much for good intentions.

  Last night had been a rare exception in his history of casual sex. He never, ever, ever got into it with another agent, especially one he was paired with. But Terra was so fucking sexy he hadn’t been able to help himself.

  The moment they got to the motel, it all exploded. Maybe it was the tension of the day, or the realization of how their targets had eluded them. Or the tension of lying in wait in the woods all that time. Whatever it was, they’d fallen into her bed, not saying a word, letting their bodies do the talking for them. He couldn’t remember having sex that raw or satisfying in his life. She was as revved up as he was. Damn! They were lucky they’d gotten any sleep at all.

  The silky blonde hair he’d freed from its clip and run his fingers through. And those eyes. Holy shit! One a vivid blue, one an emerald green but somehow when he looked into them, they blended. His legendary discipline disappeared like a puff of smoke.

  Then, like a coward, he left before she woke up. He never did that. The women he spent time with always knew the score. Knew it was temporary. He was always very clear about it. But he also was a gentleman and never walked out without even a word.

  He may not have wanted a relationship, but he had promised himself not to disrespect the women he was with.

  He’d texted her this morning to let her know what time the helo would pick them up and who was driving them to it, as if the night before hadn’t happened. She had texted back, Fine. He hadn’t had any clue as to how she’d behave, but when they met up, she was as contained as he was. Last night might not have happened, and he had mixed feelings about that.

  And when they met in the lobby, he wasn’t sure if he liked the way she treated him, as if he was a third cousin with the plague. Well, what did he expect after running from her room at dawn like his ass was scalded? Now he was torn between memories of the hottest, best, most erotic sex he’d had in forever and the need to put great distance between them.

  Maybe if he’d concentrated harder on his job before—

  He slammed that door in his mind shut with an almost audible bang. He had no idea how Terra felt about last night or the future, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Between them, it would be sex. Just sex. If he let it continue at all.

  If? Yeah, lie to yourself, asshole.

  Asking Hal to reassign him would cause even more problems, so he was stuck. He needed to build a huge wall between the two of them. So what did he do about the boner that wouldn’t go away and was now pushing against his fly?

  He snuck a look at her now to see if he could read anything in her facial expression or her body language. Was she angry with the way he’d left? Was she pissed off? Nope. She sat there cool as a cucumber, drinking the godawful coffee and watching Hal. What was she thinking? Why did he even care? All he had to do was make sure they had a solid working relationship. He’d been a SEAL, for fuck’s sake. He could do anything. Right?

  I like hot, uncomplicated sex. That’s what works best for me.

  Of course, that’s what he’d thought he was getting with Terra. Now he couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. He kept thinking about her firm breasts with their tight nipples, and the nicely rounded cheeks of her ass when they…

  Damn it! Stop, stop, stop!

  He’d never get rid of his boner this way. Good thing his sweatshirt was loose enough to cover his fly. He’d ask for either another partner or another assignment, but Hal Winters was no dummy. He’d chew Griffin’s ass out for what he’d done and then probably assign him to a case in Siberia. And even with all that he still couldn’t seem to wipe the images of her naked body out of his disengaging brain.

  Fuck.

  Suddenly aware the others were waiting for him, he sat back down at the little table in Hal Winters’ office, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and Terra.

  “Griffin? We boring you?”

  Hal’s voice had a sarcastic edge as it broke into his mental fog, and he realized suddenly the man was speaking.

  Get your head in the game, Dunne. Better get your shit together. Focus on the assignment. Keep your fly zipped and don’t open it again.

  With an effort, he kicked his brain into gear.

  “No. Not at all. Sorry.” He slugged down some of the hot coffee.

  “That hidden tunnel explains a lot,” Winters was saying. “I can’t imagine how long it took to dig it or where they got the labor. But they must have had someone waiting wherever the exit point was to pick up those guys. We need to find out where they’ll go next and where they take their packages after that.”

  “Did we ever discover where they ditched the body of the guy they killed and his car?”

  Winters shook his head. “We have a lot of unanswered questions. But we have solved one riddle.”

  “Yeah?” Griffin lifted an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

  “We finally know who’s bringing this crap over the border, and we can make an educated guess what their final destination is.”

  “Let me guess.” Griffin scowled. “Another anonymous source.”

  “Same one, and don’t knock it. God knows where we’d be without our sources. A lot of police work wouldn’t get done. This one was particularly valuable.”

  “Okay, okay. Enough. I don’t care how we found out, just that we did.” Terra leaned forward. “Who is it?”

  “The word we got is that a man named Dalton Jennings is managing the whole process, from smuggling them into the country to controlling their final objective.” He grimaced. “If only we knew what that was. The top brass is convinced it’s something monumental.”

  Griffin
frowned. “Who exactly is this Jennings? I don’t recall hearing his name before.”

  “That’s because he hasn’t given us cause to look at him. He made a crap ton of money in international finance. Well respected in business circles. Then, one day, out of nowhere, he retired. Said he’d had enough. Wanted to enjoy life. He’s a skier, so buying Inn on the Hills seemed like a good match. And the place is always busy. They get a lot of guests from other countries, believe it or not.”

  “Here?” Terra’s brows lifted. “In the middle of nowhere? Wouldn’t they go to Colorado or Utah or Switzerland or wherever?”

  “He’s gone out of the way, it seems, to make the place high class and appealing to people like that as well as your average ski resort customers. Word is the place has different levels of lodging, ski packages, and dining.”

  “What’s his rep like in the area?” Terra asked. “Good? Bad?”

  “Excellent. Exactly as you’d expect. He’s no dummy. He knew what was needed. He’s built a great cover for himself during the two years since he bought Inn on the Hills. Made himself into a respectable and popular member of the community. You know the kind. I’m sure people would think we were crazy if we pointed fingers at him.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Terra made a face. “I’ve run into too many of them.”

  “Since he took ownership, he’s spent a lot of time rehabbing it into exactly the kind of luxury ski resort he wanted. Apparently, however, it’s the best cover for his other career. Moving these high-value targets from the Middle East into this country over the Canadian border is only part of it. His resort has guests from all over the world, so it’s easy to blend these assholes in with them. We have no fucking clue what they’re planning to do once they’re all here. With the level of guys they’re bringing in, however, I promise you it’s bad. But he can easily integrate someone into the international clientele he has without a problem.”

  Terra frowned, a tiny wrinkle creasing her smooth forehead.

  Smooth forehead? Jesus! He sounded like some ladies man. But it was smooth, like other parts of her body his hands itched to touch. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was at work. He never played where he worked or worked where he played. Life was a lot simpler that way. Was he regretting last night? Was she?