Mind of Danger (Body of Danger, #3)

by Bristol, Sidney

  Elias began walking toward an elevator she hadn’t noticed.

  “We’ll go up to the street level and proceed separately. I’ll go first since they don’t know who I am or what I look like. The rail station is a block and a half away. We’ll rendezvous there.” Elias pulled out his wallet while Jo punched the button for the elevator. “Take these. They should be good for at least one ride.”

  Why did he just happen to have train tickets in his wallet?

  Questions for later.

  Much later.

  “Where to then?” Isaac asked in a low grumble.

  Elias glanced at her. “Do you have a place to crash?”

  She winced. “I did, but... I don’t trust it’s safe anymore.”

  “I have a place.”

  “Wait, Elias? Is this smart? Should you be getting involved?”

  He looked back at her, his eyes boring into her head until she thought he might be able to read her mind.

  “I’m already involved,” he said softly.

  She hated the thrill and relief that shot through her, but he was right. From the moment she’d reached out, she’d involved him. Jo could hate herself later for it. Right now she was going to be relieved.

  WEDNESDAY. SEATTLE, Washington.

  Elias strode down the street, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone. He had the camera activated to show him the street behind him. The intent was to appear like any other city-dweller absorbed in their phone, while also using it to watch for a tail.

  So far, so good.

  He had a hell of a lot of questions, but no time for answers. At least not until he got Jo and Isaac somewhere safe.

  Zain was going to chew Elias out for the damage to the car, but this was why they had insurance. Besides, they hadn’t shot first.

  He slowed his stride as he neared the station.

  At the light, he allowed himself to appear engrossed in his phone and missed a walk cycle.

  In that time, Isaac caught up to him, but had the presence of mind to hang to the side.

  The walk sign beeped and both Elias and Isaac moved forward.

  Elias trusted Jo. They had history.

  He did not trust this Isaac character, and unless he was mistaken, neither did Jo. Elias was going to keep a close eye on him.

  They proceeded into the rail station and used the tickets, proceeding past the turnstiles.

  Elias couldn’t help glancing over his shoulder for some sign of Jo.

  There.

  She was jogging across the street, ignoring traffic laws in the name of expediency.

  With her knit cap on concealing her hair and his jacket engulfing her, she looked more like a boy trying to pass as an older guy than a woman. It was how she walked. The confidence. Most people assumed a walk like that was a man’s walk. Elias knew differently.

  Assured she was nearby, he proceeded forward where Isaac was inching along.

  “This way,” Elias said under his breath.

  There wasn’t anyone close enough to hear or take note of their passing.

  Elias took the roundabout way to their destination. A tail would have stood out. By the time they reached the platform, the train was moments away.

  Jo jogged past them to flop on a bench, legs kicked out, arms draped over the sides as she feigned sucking down air. She wasn’t winded in the slightest, and he knew it.

  They each played their part, being close yet artfully ignoring each other.

  The train arrived and Elias led, getting on first.

  Isaac retreated to the back of the car, sitting in a corner where he could see out the windows and no one could sneak up on him.

  Elias opted to sit with his back to Isaac. For now, he wasn’t a threat, and they needed to appear as casual as possible. Most gangsters had a thing about not allowing anyone at their back. It made sense if they were running from gangsters of some kind. He needed to break from that familiar behavior.

  Jo was the last to get on the train. She merely pivoted and planted her bottom in the seat across from Elias.

  Their eyes locked and for a moment, he wasn’t sitting in a public train with strangers. It was just the two of them.

  If only that were the case.

  It would be one hell of a Christmas present.

  Besides the three of them, there was a dad with three small kids and a few people who looked on the brink of falling asleep. None showed any interest in them, and Elias decided he could risk focusing on Jo instead.

  He had so many questions.

  She stared back at him. Her eyes were a gray-blue normally. Tonight they were just gray. He wished he knew what that meant.

  The doors slid shut, and the train pulled out of the station.

  “Where are we going?” Jo asked in a soft voice.

  “Four stops, then we’ll have to hike it about eight blocks to where we’ll crash for tonight.”

  Jo winced and glanced away. “Sorry.”

  He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “You needed the help. I’m glad you reached out.”

  She mirrored his pose. “I’m doing contract work. It’s not going smoothly.”

  Elias had no doubt this wasn’t how she’d intended things to go. But contract work? That didn’t sound right. He wanted answers, and she had her secrets.

  For a moment he studied her face. A bit of dark hair escaped her hat to brush her cheek. Her hair was shorter than it had been the last time he’d seen her. It was still long, just different. There were more freckles across her cheeks. She’d always been quiet and a bit reserved, but easy to laugh. Now she didn’t seem as... light hearted. It was as if there was a weight on her shoulders she couldn’t share with him.

  Jo glanced away first. “Don’t ask me to tell you more. Not here. Not yet.”

  “This isn’t the time or place for that,” he agreed.

  She nodded and darted a glance at him. Her lips curved in the slightest smile.

  “How have you been?” she asked.

  “Good. Really good.” Sure, the holidays weren’t his favorite time of year, but he liked his life.

  “Yeah? You aren’t just saying that to get out of telling me about yourself?”

  “Nah. Maybe a year and a half ago that might have been the case, but not now.”

  “What changed? What was wrong?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just knew I wasn’t happy where I was, then Zain Lloyd reached out about coming on board to handle their sales department. I figured, what did I have to lose? More pay, better benefits. Downside was moving, but it turns out I don’t mind Seattle.”

  She squinted. “Who do you work for again?”

  Elias found it highly doubtful she didn’t know that for some reason, but he humored her anyway. “Aegis Group. We do the run-of-the-mill bodyguard duty, but our specialty is in high conflict asset retrieval.”

  “You mean like kidnappings and being held hostage?”

  He nodded. “Exactly like that.”

  “Wow. Okay, so you guys are like, way cooler than I thought.” She grinned at him and he could have died happy right then and there. Her gaze jumped over his shoulder and her smile died. “We should probably be as vague as possible around Isaac.”

  “I’ll follow your lead.”

  She stared into his eyes. They seemed to say so much more than her lips in that moment. “Thank you, Elias.”

  He wished he understood what she wasn’t saying.

  He ducked his head. “Always said I’d have your back.”

  “I’m grateful.” She slumped back in her seat and let her eyes close.

  Weariness weighted down her shoulders. She let her head fall back and just sat there.

  Elias leaned his back against the window and turned slightly so he had both Isaac and the door in view. They sat like that in companionable silence as they crept through the city.

  After two stops, he pulled out his phone and winced.

  There was already a missed call from Zain.
/>   Figures he’d know something was up already.

  Elias opted to ignore the voicemail and tapped out a text.

  Army buddy in town. Not sure what’s going on. Fill you in later. Crashing at the airport condo.

  He hit send and pocketed his phone.

  The condo wasn’t actually at the airport. It was a few miles away. Since they’d moved the office further out of downtown Seattle for better security purposes, Zain had decided to purchase a condo to have a convenient staging location for teams heading out on early or late flights.

  Elias glanced up and realized he’d missed a stop.

  He patted Jo’s knee. “Next one is us.”

  Her head snapped up, and she blinked as if he’d just woken her up.

  Damn.

  She must be really worn out if she’d passed out so quickly.

  Jo straightened her hat and glanced back at Isaac.

  Just what was going on here? Why was this guy integral to what Jo was doing? What was she doing? And why didn’t she have back-up? Someone she could trust?

  All of those questions would have to wait.

  Elias stood as the train pulled into the station and made his way to the door. Jo followed and Isaac brought up the rear.

  Elias glanced around, but no one paid them any mind.

  He was the first off the train, looking left and right, taking note of people hanging out on the platform. Not a one gave them anything more than a tired glance.

  “Come on. Let’s get going,” he said over his shoulder.

  His phone vibrated against his thigh, but he didn’t look at it.

  After last Christmas, Elias didn’t have any qualms about borrowing company resources. Besides, the guys in the field were wrecking cars and responsible for enough damage. A broken window and staying at the condo weren’t that big of a deal, all things considered.

  Once they were out on the street, they walked side by side. It was mostly day oriented businesses and condos, so foot traffic was light.

  “So who is this guy?” Isaac gave Elias a head to toe once over. “Your boyfriend or something?”

  Boyfriend?

  Elias glanced up and down the street.

  Hell no. If he were Jo’s boyfriend she sure as hell wouldn’t be in Seattle with no one to watch her back, that was for damn sure. But the question also told Elias something important. Isaac wasn’t dating Jo either.

  “I used to work with him,” Jo said in a tone that didn’t invite further questioning.

  That was at least the truth.

  Elias met Isaacs gaze and nodded.

  Isaac hunched his shoulders and adjusted the duffle bag hanging from his shoulder.

  They didn’t speak much or offer any comment during the walk.

  Just what were they doing?

  It was clear there was very little trust to be had between Isaac and Jo. So how had they wound up together? What was the real story? Would Jo tell him? Or was Elias going to be in the dark completely?

  He took the two of them into the condo building via a small side entrance. There was very little traffic on the narrow, one-lane road, even at peak time. Tonight it was completely deserted, which ensured no one was the wiser about where they were.

  The condo building was newer. The whole thing had been renovated and office suites converted into condos. The scent of fresh paint still clung to the place.

  Elias led them up to the top floor. They’d secured two suites, each with three bedrooms, and combined them. A normal team could be anywhere from one to five, then throw in a VIP or any sort of liaison and quarters could get cramped. The place was too big for three, but it provided a lot of options.

  He used his keycard to open the suite and stepped back to allow them to enter first.

  Isaac shouldered past Elias with the same grumpy demeanor that seemed to be his standard. Jo, however, paused and looked up at Elias with a look he couldn’t translate.

  “We should talk,” she said softly.

  “I’d like that.”

  She nodded and entered the condo.

  Elias glanced up and down the empty hall. With luck, there wouldn’t be any distractions and he’d get answers without having to drag them out of Jo.

  WEDNESDAY. AEGIS GROUP Safe House, Seattle, Washington.

  Isaac stared at Jo and her so-called friend washing the dishes from dinner. Jo didn’t seem to notice it, but every now and then this Elias character let his stoic mask slip. Never when Jo was looking at him, but Isaac still saw. The idiot was infatuated with Jo.

  Great.

  Just what Isaac needed.

  As if things hadn’t gone sideways enough.

  Who the hell was in the second car? What had Dion seen to make him start shooting at them?

  Isaac needed answers.

  “Yo, Jo?” Isaac stood, stretching his hands over his head. “I’m beat. Gonna crash. Does it matter what room?”

  “Help yourself,” Elias drawled.

  Jo turned to face Isaac while drying a plate. “Get some rest. Tomorrow’s a big day.”

  Isaac grimaced before he could stop himself. He hid it by saying, “See you tomorrow.”

  He grabbed his bag and headed toward the longer hall. The rooms on this side of the condo were smaller, but also allowed him to put more distance between himself and Jo. Given that he didn’t know who this Elias guy was or what he did, Isaac wanted to ensure as much privacy as possible.

  He had to get answers.

  Isaac ducked into the next to the last room and closed the door. There was a queen sized bed, a futon, dresser, and TV.

  Good enough for him.

  He tossed the bag onto the bed, then locked the door. It wouldn’t do much good if someone really wanted to get inside, but it might give him enough warning to save his own hide.

  Isaac paced to the window and pulled out his phone.

  Seattle was such a dreary, ugly place. Why would anyone live here?

  He glanced over his shoulder at the door before tapping his phone screen and putting in a direct call to Giovanni.

  “You’re alive,” a bored sounding man said into the phone.

  “Yeah.” Isaac grimaced. He was doing a lot of that lately. “Any idea why Dion started fucking shooting at us?”

  “I was told the two of you ran and you had a team waiting for you. Is that not true?”

  “Fuck no. We arrived and Dion was there, which might not have been a big deal if there wasn’t a second car. Who else do you have following us? What the fuck is going on?”

  “I have no idea who else is there. I only sent you and Dion. Dion picked his own partner.”

  “That’s it?” Isaac turned and paced the room.

  “That’s it. Has she said anything? Do you know yet if it’s her?”

  He glanced at the door. “Nothing more than she has. I don’t know if the leak is her or not.”

  “It might be time to take them both out. Be done with this,” Giovanni muttered.

  “Say the word.”

  “Where are you? What are your plans?”

  Isaac quickly filled the boss in on their location and the flimsy plans they’d made thus far. It wasn’t until after Isaac hung up that he considered his own chances at surviving this.

  Some days it sucked being on the boss’ shit list.

  3.

  Wednesday. Aegis Group Safe House, Seattle, Washington.

  Jo was both completely wired and exhausted all at once. She needed rest, and yet how long had it been since she’d spent time with someone who knew her? The real her?

  “Here. Decaf.” Elias handed her a steaming latte courtesy of the ultra-fancy machine in the kitchen. It had more buttons than she knew what to do with, but Elias had seemed confident with the thing.

  “Have I told you that you’re my guardian angel yet?” She cradled the drink in both hands, letting the warmth seep into her palms.

  Elias shook his head. “Nah, I’m no angel.”

  She sipped the too-hot coffee.
>
  They’d have to agree to disagree.

  Elias peered at her, no doubt wondering what the hell she was doing. He wasn’t asking, and there was a good chance he wouldn’t. Part of her wanted him to demand answers, force his way into this mess and save her.

  Too bad that wasn’t his style. And really, she didn’t want to be saved. She wanted people she could count on to have her back, and her handler was not that person.

  One of the lessons Jo had the hardest time learning during her military career was to rely on others. Growing up, that hadn’t been smart. She’d been burned and hurt enough that she’d stopped investing in people. But the guys hadn’t let her do that. They’d been there for her, and though she hadn’t always appreciated their intervention or help, their actions had shown that there were good apples out there. It was nice to be part of a team.

  They stood there like that, her blowing on the coffee with Elias watching her, saying nothing.

  Would he ask? Or would they remain committed to this silence?

  She couldn’t offer up her secrets. She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.

  But Elias...

  He blew out a breath and shoved his hand back through his hair.

  “What are we doing, Jo?” he asked.

  “Having an after dinner coffee?” She smiled, but it felt weak.

  Elias stared at her, his brow furrowing. Was he resisting the urge to strangle her? Drag answers out of her? Push her up against the wall and kiss her?

  Jo quickly sipped her coffee.

  She had to stop thinking about Elias like that. It wasn’t happening. If he were the slightest bit interested, wouldn’t he have done something by now? Years before?

  He was familiar. She was stressed. It made logical sense her old crush would flare up with him here, doing all of this for her. She was the one who needed to grow the hell up and act like a woman and not a lovesick girl.

  Elias took a step toward her, invading her personal space. He bent, bringing his face mere inches from hers.

  “I need to know you’re going to be okay,” he said in a hard as steel voice.

  Jo swallowed, too caught up in staring into his eyes to form words.

  His gaze narrowed. “Jo?”

  “You’re here. Of course I’m going to be okay.”