Chapter 19
The first ten minutes of our drive was done in silence.
I was more annoyed than I should've been but after the morning I'd had, my nerves were fried.
I couldn't remember a better way to wake up than in Brooks’ strong arms. And the two smokin' hot rounds of toe-curling sex were fantastic, too.
It was the vulnerability I could've gone without. The verbal sparring where Brooks had outright told me he thought I was beautiful. I still didn’t believe him but when he'd promised to make me see what he saw, I wanted to.
I wanted to feel as strong and as brave as he thought I was.
I knew I was more than capable of doing my job, but I no longer felt courageous.
"We have a tail," Brooks told me, breaking the silence.
"White Mercedes?" I asked.
"Yep."
I'd been watching the car in the side mirror for the last few miles. The driver was trying to stay a few lengths back but he stupidly changed lanes every time Brooks had.
"Where are you going to try and ditch him?"
"Once we get closer to the naval base. On the north side, near the pedestrian entrance."
"There's nothing there but small side streets. Most are one-way. I think you should stay on the Causeway, take the last exit before the bridge. To the east of the base, there's nothing but industrial parks, it will be safer without the congestion of all the shops on the north side."
"I agree less traffic, but a wide-open space gives him a better opportunity to catch up. Not to mention, a straight shot if he opens fire."
"Ah. I hadn't realized Brooks Miller was afraid of a little gun play."
"Being shot at is not my most favorite pastime. I'm more concerned about what the passenger's packing. I'd prefer not to give them the range to detonate an RPG."
That was my preference as well. I'd had enough of having missiles shot at me for a lifetime.
"Take us into the industrial park. Better to be on the offensive."
"And what? You gonna go all Wile E. Coyote? Did I miss where you packed your dynamite and boomerang?"
I would've been pissed if it wasn't for Brooks' playful tone.
Something strange hit my chest, normally when I picked up a tail, adrenaline kicked in and I got a little nervous.
I was always by myself. I had no one to rely on but me.
But today I had Brooks, and in turn, he had me.
The heart-pounding fear of someone hunting me was absent.
Together, Brooks and I would figure something out.
"You totally missed me packin' the car. I have my Wonder Woman Underoos on under my cargos, too."
"Goddamn, Doll," he choked out. "You cannot tell me shit that is going to make my dick hard while some asshole is following us."
His comment made me smile. "I can't? Why not?"
Brooks gave me a sideways glance as he weaved in and out of traffic, putting more space between us and the Mercedes.
"They're not gonna wait until we get to the exit." All the humor in Brooks’ voice was gone. "Passenger's making a move."
I unbuckled my seat belt and started for the back seat when Brooks’ hand on my bicep halted my progress. "What are you doing? Put your belt back on and get down," he snapped.
With a shrug I knocked his hand away and found what I was looking for. Out the back windshield I could see the passenger of the Mercedes, now sitting on the open window frame.
"He's gonna take his shot, Brooks," I warned.
Sure enough, the man fired through the traffic-laden Causeway. His shot went wide and came nowhere near our car. But the surrounding drivers quickly sped up or pulled to the side of the road, giving the shooter his desired outcome, a clear shot.
"Goddammit, Tatiana. Get a fucking seat belt on now!” Brooks yelled.
"Hold your underwear on, jeeze."
With the AR15 now in my hand I'd almost righted myself back into my seat when Brooks veered hard right, making my body thrash.
"Seat. Belt!" he growled again.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I'm not putting the damn belt back on and sitting here like some helpless ninny.” I quickly checked the magazine was full, pulled the charging handle, lowered the passenger window, and facing rear, I balanced on my knees.
“Your choice, brake and get me a shot of the fucker shooting at us or switch lanes and get me in view of the driver.”
“Christ,” he mumbled, looking in the rearview mirror. “The driver will be easier. Brace yourself.”
I flipped up the rubber lens covers on the Aimpoint CompM4 Red Dot sight, steadied myself the best I could, and shouldered the AR15. Brooks switched lanes and hit the brakes. I took aim, clicked the safety off, and waited for a clear shot.
I had the driver in my sights “In three…two…” I pressed the trigger.
Three things happened at once; the recoil of the rifle and the awkwardness of shooting left-handed out of a moving vehicle made me flinch, my ears hurt so fucking bad from the .223 being fired in a small space with no ear-pro in, and the driver of the white Mercedes slumped.
“Goddamn, woman.”
I could barely hear Brooks over the ringing in my ears. I recapped the Aimpoint, ejected the round from the chamber, and clicked the lever back to safe, keeping the AR in the front seat with me.
“I think I busted my eardrums,” I told him as I sat down in the seat. “Thank God, I only needed one shot or my ears would be bleeding.”
“Now that you’ve taken care of that issue, how ‘bout we get back to the Underoo conversation?”
“Are you always like this?”
“Like what?”
“Have sex-brain in the middle of car chases?”
As soon as the question rolled off my tongue, I realized I didn’t want to know the answer. Mainly because it would crush me if he said yes, but also, I didn’t want to know anything about Brooks’ past. The less I knew about him, the easier it would be when he walked away.
“Hell, no. The guys on my team don’t talk about their underwear. And if they wear Wonder Woman Underoos I don’t wanna know.”
With a sharp nod I continued to stare out the windshield.
“Doll.” He reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers.
“The answer is still hell no, however I’ll clarify.
I have never found a woman wearing cargos, tac vest, and brain bucket sexy—until you.
I have never, not once, gotten a hard-on when a teammate, male or female, was checkin’ the magazines and rackin’ the slide of their firearms—until you.
I have never taken a shower or crawled into bed with a woman while on an op.
I’ve certainly never had sex on a mission.
And I’ve never thought about the sexy woman next me’s panties while she was expertly handling an assault rifle out the window of a moving car. Does that answer your question?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and gave the only answer I could manage. “Yep.”
“Good.”
My mind was racing a mile a minute trying to digest what Brooks had told me.
More information I didn’t want to process.
It was my fault, I’d stupidly asked. I was getting too wrapped up in what he thought of me and how he saw me.
Then savoring the feeling his words invoked.
I foolishly wanted to believe him when he called me sexy and beautiful.
I hadn’t felt those things for a long time, and I never thought I’d feel them again.
It shouldn’t matter to me how I looked or what others saw, but it did.
“Don’t you need to call the team and tell them what happened?” I asked.
“No need. Thad and Kyle were a few cars behind the Mercedes.”
“Seriously?”
“I keep telling you, we always have backup. You think that when I tell you you’re not going somewhere alone, it’s because you’re a woman. It has nothing to do with your gender and everything to do with being a part of a team.”
“Well, who has Thad and Kyle’s back?”
“Us.”
I’d never been a part of a team. When I was in the CIA, I had a partner and I’d worked with others but I’d never felt like I was truly a part of a crew. There was comradery but no real loyalty. I needed to be careful. A girl could get used to this.