Protecting Terra (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)
Page 8
“Sometimes, as part of a larger mission.” He blew out a breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to piss you off.”
She held up a hand. “Forget it. I may have been an agent for more than ten years, but you’ve got experience I don’t, and I need to listen to you.” She tapped a finger on the table. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Agreed, so let’s move forward.”
She swallowed the last of her coffee. “Okay. In that vein, I looked up travel time, and if he brings them across near Fort Kent, right at the tip of the state, it’s almost a four-hundred-mile round trip. Even with a fast car, he’d be gone most of the day.”
“Unless he gave a legitimate excuse, that’s a long time to be gone for a man who makes it his business to be very visible. Plus, doing it on a regular basis without a logical excuse would only raise eyebrows, and that’s the last thing he wants.”
“He might have someone who helps him,” Griffin suggested. ”I have some ideas, but we need to go over them carefully.”
The chime on Terra’s watch sounded, and she checked the time.
“I have my first class in twenty minutes.” She gathered up the remains of her breakfast.” I need to get ready for it. Can you call me later?”
“I’ll text you on the burner at the end of the day, and we’ll figure out how to get together. I—” He stopped. “Uh oh. Trouble coming our way.”
“Well. Good morning, you two.” Dalton Jennings stood beside their table, his professional smile in place. “Terra, I saw you were busy on the slopes all day yesterday.”
“I was. I didn’t think you’d have time to notice with all you have to manage around here.”
“The skill of being a good manager. And I’m glad to see so many of our guests are taking advantage of your skill.” He turned to Griff. “Dunne, is it? Griffin Dunne?”
“Good morning.” Griffin pasted on a polite smile. “I’m flattered you know my name.”
The smile never wavered. “I make it my personal business to know the name of every one of my employees.”
I bet you do.
“Uh, thank you.”
He moved a finger from one to the other. “I wasn’t aware you two knew each other well enough to share breakfast.” Another smile, as artificial as the first one. “It’s nice to see employees of the inn enjoying a relationship. Did you know each other before you arrived?”
And there, Griffin thought, was his real angle.
“No, we didn’t. Griffin helped me with the lift the other day when the regular operator had to step away for a minute,” Terra said. “We’ve spoken a few times, but we’ve both been too busy find time to chat. It was nice bumping into each other this morning.”
“Yes. Good. Very good. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the job.” The fake smile didn’t match the closed look in his eyes. “I’ll be keeping my eye on you two.”
He walked away without giving them, a chance to say anything else. Griffin stared across the table at Terra.
“Was that a funny line or a warning?”
“I don’t know.” She broke off another tiny piece of bagel. “I’m taking it as a warning, though. We need to be extra careful around him. The guy seems to have eyes everywhere.”
“Agreed. I should hear from Hal later, so how about meeting tonight at your place? If Jennings sees us, let’s hope he thinks there’s a budding romance between two employees and not what it really is.”
“Okay. See you after work.”
He watched her walk toward the door out to the activities area, dumping her trash in a bin along the way. The dark-blue ski pants and jacket she wore hinted at the firm body it covered, a body he’d run his hands and mouth over last night more times than he could count. And damn! Just looking at it made his cock bump against his fly.
Sex, he kept reminding himself. Plain old sex, even if there didn’t seem to be anything plain or old about it. He wasn’t about to fall down the painful rabbit hole again. That’s why this overpowering attraction to Terra Oenning had blindsided him. Whenever they were alone together, he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her. Not only that, the sex was so off the charts he wondered if another woman would ever attract him again. Where the hell was his famous self-control? He’d better figure that out, because they had serious, dangerous business to deal with.
Okay, it wasn’t when they were immersed in this assignment he worried about. It was the times when they were alone.
Well, fucking shit.
So, asshole, don’t be alone with her.
Yeah, right.
He was glad it was a busy day handling all the equipment because it gave him no time to think about all the things he and Terra had done together. The inn was full, and there were a lot of day-only customers. It was midafternoon, and he was coming off a five-minute break when the burner phone he had zipped into the side pocket of his pants buzzed against his thigh. Stepping around to the side of the building where the snowmobiles were kept, he yanked out the phone and read the text from Hal.
Call me. Now.
It had to be damn important if Hal wanted to talk to him now. He made the call, and Hal answered at once.
“We’ve uncovered some additional information about the subject we discussed this morning.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“It isn’t. You know how Dalton Jennings spent a lot of time in Europe running his financial services business, right? Apparently one of the companies he poured money into was Novak Tech. We managed to get a look at his bank accounts, a really tricky thing, but it’s all there to see. It seems Novak Tech has been doing ‘favors’ for Jennings, accessing other countries’ systems and disrupting activities so Jennings’ firm could benefit.”
Griffin stood there, turning away from anyone walking past and tamping down any reaction to the news. He had learned as a SEAL not to react to unpleasant news. Never let the enemy see you sweat, his training officer drilled into them. But he couldn’t help the anger curling through him. Another American turned traitor, screwing the country that made him successful.
“Are you telling me it was his money that funded Novak?”
“More than that,” Hal told him. “The Director thinks this plot was hatched a long time ago when Jennings learned Novak Tech could hack into America’s infrastructure more than the Russians or Chinese ever dreamed, and possibly bring the country to a virtual standstill. Jennings had the money. Novak had the electronics and brains. All they needed was a physical way to decimate America to bring it under their control. We think that’s where the terrorists come in. They can build any explosive you can think of.”
“Jesus Christ!”
“No kidding. We’ve also come up with a lot more information on Babic. His visit to Jennings could definitely signal an uptick in activity. We’ve fucked up their timetable, and he’s not happy. He’s been the muscle behind some uprisings in various countries, and he’s known as a hothead. Bloodthirsty and power hungry. Not a nice man.”
“No shit.” Griffin had fought against men like him in the sandbox. “If he’s upping the timetable, he’ll want to deliver that news in person. Not take a chance sending it through the airwaves or even on a so-called secure phone.”
“I agree.”
There was a heartbeat of silence. “I’ve got more bad news. Remember I told you our source up and disappeared?”
“Yeah. Did he finally show up?”
“His body did.” Hal’s voice was tight with anger. “Buried in what is essentially a deserted field. If two guys hadn’t been snowshoeing through it, we might never have found it until the spring thaw. Then it might have taken a while to identify him, and we’d already be in a pickle. It’s obvious these guys are on high alert for anything slightly off, so the two of you need to do the same.”
“So, what’s the deal now? Where does this leave my assignment with Terra? Are we off the case? Is Washington sending in bigger deals to handle it, or is it still ours?
“Okay. Just checking.”
“Is Jennings still taking those snowmobile rides?”
“Yeah.” Griffin had been keeping track of that part of the assignment. “There have been a couple of days in the two weeks since we’ve been here that he didn’t, but I think that’s because he had meetings in his office.”
“Too bad we can’t bug his office.” Hal snorted.
“If we could find a way to do it, we would, but when he’s not in it, it’s locked up with security codes.”
“Yeah, figures. As a reminder, though, that team we have ready can be in Castile at a moment’s notice. But it’s imperative you find a way to discover when and how Jennings brings in their next target, and we need people to follow them from there. We don’t want to move too soon and give ourselves away. If we spook Jennings, he may change everything, and we’ll lose him.”
“We’ll continue to monitor him and see if there’s anything else we can do to nail down the next parcel.”
“Right. I hope Terra manages to identify where they’ve got everyone and everything holed up.”
“And we’re sure it’s somewhere within two hours of the inn?”
“Yes. Logistically it makes sense. Plus, now that we’re pretty sure Jennings is involved at the top level, he’ll want to have it close by where he can control things. Or at least think he is. Be ready in case anything comes up.”
Griffin swallowed the sour taste in his mouth. He fucking hated people like Dalton Jennings, spitting on the country that made him so successful.
“We don’t know how many people are working with him,” Hal continued, “now that he suspects we’re onto him. He’s killed our source, and blowing up the cabin gave him a sure sign they’ve been made. He’ll be wary. It’s critical, now more than ever, that you and Terra let us know when Jennings makes another run because we think this time he’ll take the person directly to where everyone else is. We need to be on the alert, and you guys are the only key to this.”
Griffin frowned, even though Hal couldn’t see him.
“We’re all over him without giving ourselves away,” he said. “There might be an additional resource here if we need it. Someone I can count on before you have time to get people here. Even if you’ve got them staying in Bangor, they still have to gear up and make the short drive. This guy’s like ten minutes away. I mean, in case Jennings gets wind of what we’re doing and the situation changes.”
“What guy?”
“The guy Terra was sitting with at the bakery. The guy and his fiancée. Terra said his name’s Sam Alvarez, and he was a SEAL. Can you get him checked out just in case? And fast? I don’t know how much longer he’s going to be in town, but you never know when help might be needed. Especially if something pops before we get anyone else in place as backup. Besides, he thought he knew Jennings from someplace, and it wasn’t good.”
“Yeah, okay,” Hal told him. “We don’t normally reach out to civilians, but he’s not exactly in that category, and he could be a real asset if we need him. Let me run him through the system ASAP. I’ll let you know if he’s clean. I’ll try and get you an answer quick. Meanwhile, ask Terra if she can hook you up with him. See if you can jog his memory about whatever bothered him where Jennings is concerned.”
“Copy that.” That ought to be fun. “I gotta go, or my supervisor will come looking for me. It won’t do us any good if I get fired.”
“Get with Terra and fill her in.”
“Got it.”
He shoved the phone into his jacket pocket, zipped it in, and trudged toward the equipment area. Get with Terra. Fill her in. Right. He could think of plenty of ways he’d like to fill her in, and none of them had to do with their assignment. In an instant the image of her naked body with its rosy nipples and nicely rounded ass filled his brain.
Shit. Why couldn’t he shut off his hormones? Or stick his dick in a freezer? But worse than that was the uneasy feeling that in such a very short time he had developed actual feelings for the woman, and what the hell was up with that?
Well, the answer was in. He was royally fucked, in more ways than one.
Chapter 6
Terra finished with her last student of the day right before six o’clock. Actually two students, an engaged couple who had more fun falling down on each other than learning to ski, but she figured, what the hell. She was getting paid, and they were a great couple to spend time with. She took care of the lodge ski equipment they’d rented and signed off on the logbook then left the little building they called the ski shack to head to her apartment.
She was startled to see Dalton Jennings standing there, talking to the lift manager. He turned as she neared them.
“The last couple of runs your student made were quite good,” he told her.”
“Yes. We had a good time. Of course, I love all of them, even those on the bunny hill.”
“Can I give you a hand with that?” He started to reach for her skis.
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
“I had a chance to watch you on the slopes off and on today. You’re damn good. I know Human Resources checked your references when you applied, although we were really in a bind at the moment. I reached out to Colorado and Montana, and their reports were glowing. When you have a minute, I’d like to talk to you about a permanent position on our staff.”
Thank god he got the right answers.
She knew the numbers on the references were connected to Homeland Security. They’d even made arrangements for calls requesting information on her to be forwarded to those numbers. Her hope was that neither Jennings nor his staff would decide to look the real numbers up themselves.
“That would be great.” She grinned. “Except there’s no snow in Maine in the summer.”
“But we do have other activities that might interest you. What do you think? You up for a little chat?”
She wanted to tell him she hoped he’d be in hell by then, but she made herself sit calmly.
“Let me think about it, okay? I really kind of like being a nomad.”
“Yes, well, there’s something to be said for everything. You looked like you were having a good day on the slopes today. I’ve been watching you now and then. It’s always nice to see someone extremely talented.”
A little shiver raced down her spine.
“Thank you. I think. Did you want something else? I was on my way back to my place for a hot shower.”
“Of course. Be sure to get on my schedule. I look forward to meeting with you.”
What the hell? No way was she going to be alone in his office with him, with doors that locked with secure codes and who knew what the hell he had in mind. If he was really suspicious of her, he could kill her, dispose of her, and no one would be the wiser. Except Griff. Nope. Not doing that.
She headed off toward her apartment, doing her best not to look like she was hurrying. As soon as she was inside, she pulled out her burner to text Griffin.
Jennings wants to talk to me, about a job.
She hoped Griffin was in a situation to text back. She let out a breath when her phone dinged.
He’s fishing for something. On the way over. Let’s talk.
She had barely filled two mugs with coffee when there was a light tap on the door. When she opened it Griffin walked in, bringing the scent of the cold as well as that of his tantalizing cologne. For a moment, the memories of the previous night flashed in her mind, and her interesting body places reacted as if zinged by ele
ctricity. She had to get her act together. Unbelievable, over-the-top sex with Griffin, better than she’d ever had before, was one thing. She’d never, ever reacted this way to another man.
But she had to compartmentalize it. It had no place in why they were here, and she had to keep it under control. They were here on serious business, and that was primary. If Hal had the least inkling what was going on, he’d pull both of them so fast they’d get dizzy, and send them off to Siberia or maybe Easter Island. Or worse yet, stick them behind a desk to do paperwork, every agent’s nightmare.
Hot, erotic sex with this man was okay. Well, definitely much more than okay, but developing feelings? Uh uh. For one thing, she didn’t have time for a relationship in her life. Her job played hell with a regular schedule. For another, that was a journey she’d taken once with disastrous results. She wasn’t doing it again.
But then she looked at Griff’s face and saw the same thing reflected in his eyes. Only for a moment, though, and then it was gone.
Get a grip.
She cleared her throat and pointed to the steaming mugs on her little dining table. “Coffee’s ready.”
“Ah.” Griffin slid into one of the chairs and, before he even unzipped his jacket, lifted a mug, inhaled the aroma, and took a swallow. “You are a goddess. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
“So tell me about your little convo with Jennings today?”
He listened carefully as she repeated it almost verbatim, an ability she often found useful.
“What do you think?” she asked when she’d finished.
“I don’t think he knows anything for sure. I think something pushed his buttons, and he’s fishing, but we need to make Hal aware. And I definitely don’t think you should be alone with him, even if it’s only in his office. Let’s not take chances.”
“I agree. He gives me the shivers. Year-round job? I know some ski instructors work as guides or in water sports off season, but Hal didn’t even have that in my creds.”
Griffin rubbed his jaw. “Yeah, it’s a signal something’s up. I can’t think of anything we’ve done to arouse his suspicions, but you never know.”