TEN
H enner’s eyes homed in on May standing halfway across the parking lot. In a blink, he picked up little cues about her emotions.
Her back was too straight. The stiffest he’d ever seen it. And the way she reached up to brush her hair over her shoulder was surely a sign of her irritation.
When he swept his stare over the group, he saw what set her off…and it wasn’t a bomb.
Fuck.
What was the fucking chance that Simpson attended the training?
The major general wandered over to a cluster of men in uniform and braced his hands behind his back in a casual stance. But nothing about the way he regarded May was as nonchalant as he was letting on.
He’d spent time on a lot of military bases all around the world. Rarely did he ever cross paths with anyone with a rank higher than colonel. The higher-ranking officers didn’t condescend to leave their offices. So what was a man with this much rank doing at a training?
The answer came to him swiftly—it had already been poised at the back of his mind.
Simpson may have a vested interest in the explosives.
Henner returned his attention to May. Her body tensed even more as she caught sight of him coming toward her.
Jesus Christ.
No way could Moore be in this training along with May and the major general.
And here was Henner, about to add some flames to the powder that was already primed.
He reached May’s side in a few long strides. She stepped up close to him, peering up to his face and then down at his chest. “This is bad, AJ.”
“I put that together. What the fuck is the kid doing in this training?”
Her dark eyes fixed on Henner’s. “I don’t know, but it looks like our luck is about to get even worse. Simpson’s coming our way.”
Henner rested a hand on her spine. The fine muscles seemed to quiver from the strain she was putting them through. As one, they both swung to greet Simpson.
The man’s sharp gaze rested on him for a long beat.
“Major General. What a huge surprise to see you here.” He extended his hand to shake Simpson’s.
“Pleased to see you again.” He sounded far from pleased.
“You can’t imagine how excited May was to be invited. You know that visiting all the bases in every state is on her bucket list. Following in her grandfather’s footsteps.” He gave her an engaging grin, and she smiled in return. Some relief glimmered deep in her eyes, which Henner was glad to see.
Later, when they were alone, he would pull out all the stops to erase every ounce of tension in her sexy body.
“Her heart is so devoted to work that she couldn’t wait to jump in the car and come to Missouri as soon as possible. I was glad to come along. I’ve been harping on her to take a vacation for months. Getting her out on a business trip was the only way I could pry her away from her work.” He slid his hand up and down her back in a reassuring massage.
“Well. How nice that you’ve made this your destination. You must let me give you a tour of the grounds.”
“But the training—” May started to protest.
“I’ll have Michaels take over and drill them on something besides explosives.” Simpson flicked two fingers in the air, beckoning the next in command to jog forward.
He delivered the orders to the man he was leaving in charge in May’s place, giving May a much-needed moment out of the spotlight.
She seemed to wilt against Henner’s side for no longer than two heartbeats. He didn’t get time to offer her the support he wanted to before Simpson was asking them to follow.
He led them around the barracks, training centers and command offices. He threw in anecdotes about the history of the base, listing the names of famous and important people in history who trained here.
Henner kept a hand on May at all times, either touching her elbow, stroking his fingers over the back of her hand or resting a hand on her spine.
Luckily, things between them had shifted. A couple days ago, if he’d attempted to touch her this way, she would be so brittle that the Missouri wind could snap her in half. But today his touch seemed to comfort her throughout the short tour.
Simpson shared a bit about the training schedules as they neared the airplane hangars. Henner caught her eye and tilted his head slightly toward the structure, indicating that the bomb was located inside.
May pointed at the modern hangar. “I’d love to see that beauty.”
Simpson issued a low chuckle. “Not much to see. Just storage.”
“Ah, too bad. I was hoping to see some top-secret aircraft.” May chuckled along with the major general.
Abruptly, he checked the gold watch gleaming on his wrist. Henner tracked the move and even took in the appearance of the expensive timepiece, storing away all the information to share with May—and Con—later.
“I’m going to have to end the tour here. I’ve got a meeting to attend.” Simpson shook May’s hand and then Henner’s. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to the front of the base where the visitor parking is.”
They set off in his wake. May threw Henner a few looks that told him that she’d picked up on the change in Simpson’s demeanor as soon as they reached the hangar.
The big question was why Simpson would have knowledge about a bomb that had been planted by a terrorist.
Henner and May reached their vehicle, throwing waves of farewell to the major general. As soon as the car doors slammed shut, they burst out talking at the same time.
“The bomb is in that hangar.”
“At least the bomb is far away from people.”
She blinked at him. “You followed the tracker to the hangar?”
He nodded and started the engine, eager to get off this base—and May to safety. He might have the most at stake in coming here, but she’d made herself a target too. Not only did Simpson have to buy their story, but the kid had seen them both.
She threw out a hand and clasped his arm before he could put the car in reverse. “Maybe we shouldn’t go just yet.”
He eyed her. “What do you want to do? Sneak into the hangar?”
A long second ticked by. She dropped her hand from his arm. “You’re right. It’s not like they wouldn’t keep the place locked.”
“Oh, I can blow the door easy enough.”
She gaped at him.
“I’m a breacher.”
“Of course I knew that. I wasn’t thinking.”
He only grunted as he backed out of the parking spot and turned the car toward the exit.
“You’re sure the bomb is in that hangar?” Her voice was pensive, giving him the impression that she was questioning every person, place and thing they’d just encountered—as she should. In games like this, things were rarely what they seemed.
He nodded. “The tracker is never wrong.”
“AJ…”
“Yes?” They approached the gates and rolled past the guard.
“Can you really get inside that hangar?”
He gave her a sharp look. “I can. What are you thinking?”
She slowly shook her head. “Nothing. It was a stupid thought.”
“What is?”
“Blowing the door that’s hiding the bomb is a terrible idea.”
* * * * *
The hotel room that AJ managed to snag for them was no presidential suite. The boring four walls felt like they were closing in on May, and too much furniture crowded the space.
She paced back and forth in front of the king-sized bed, able to take no more than four strides before she was hemmed in by an old pedestal table surrounded by two chairs, all about a decade old and well-worn.
During their ride from the fort, she had unthinkingly chewed off one of her fingernails, and that annoyed her to no end. She spent years breaking the bad habit, only for her control to slip at the smallest risk?
She defused bombs for god’s sake. Facing down the major general and the kid from the military truck didn’t pose more of a threat than that.
Moving a step away from the table again, she whirled and set off in the other direction. AJ stood next to the bed, going through his shopping bags. Clothing was strewn over the mattress.
She stopped pacing. “What are you looking for?”
He picked up a bag and dumped the contents on the bed. A few travel-size toiletries fell out, along with a box.
May gaped at the box. “Did you take that from my bag?”
His brow hiked upward. “Take what?”
“The condoms.” She felt heat slowly creeping into her cheeks and hated how the flush made her look so childish.
“I bought those.” He took in her blush and erupted in a low rumble of a laugh. “You bought some too?”
She nodded.
His eyelids hooded. “Guess we’re set in that department.” He rooted around the items he’d just dumped out of the bag. “Aha!”
He picked up a small package.
“Handwarmers?”
With a distracted nod, he set those aside and grabbed a small white container. May inched closer to the bed to study the items he arranged in a line.
“Pool shock packets, handwarmers.” Realization scudded through her as she put two and two together. “A metal thermos, an aluminum pie plate, string lights and a nine-volt battery.” She gave him an astounded look. “You already knew you’d have to blow that door to reach the bomb.”
He didn’t grace her with a direct look or an answer. “I left everything I carry with me back in that hotel in DC. I like being prepared.”
She looked him over. The fact that her partner knew what household items to pick up at a department store to create an explosive was kind of hot in a dark and bad-boy way.
Illegal too, in the wrong hands.
She caught herself staring at AJ’s long fingers as he began to pack the items into a cheap bag intended for toiletries. Those hands were capable of delivering the most mind-blowing pleasure…and they could kill.
A jagged scar down the back of one hand had drawn her notice before. Now she wondered just how he got it.
He glanced up at her and caught her staring too. “Con’s going to call in a minute. We have a lot to discuss.”
Her nerves kicked in again, and she set off pacing back to the table and fiddled with the little coffeemaker. Caffeine would only amplify her jitters, but she needed something to keep her hands busy for sixty seconds while she waited for Con’s call.
It didn’t even take that long. AJ’s phone barely got out a full buzz before he snatched it off the bed and swiped the screen to accept the call.
“Tell me you had a better day than I did.” Con’s voice was tight.
AJ’s spine snapped straight. “What happened?”
“Let’s just say New Mexico has been a bust.”
AJ started to ask another question, but Con cut him off. “We’ll fill you in later when we’re all back at base. Talk to me, Chickie. What did you find?”
“We got it. The bomb is in the hangar.”
A beat of silence followed. “Where in the hangar? What’s surrounding the explosive?”
They all knew that mattered—a lot. Just as with the items AJ placed in the travel bag, things inside that hangar could mix with the ones in the crate to create a massive explosion with the potential to kill more than just the men on base.
“Are we talking jet fuel or—”
May spoke up. “We don’t know, Con. The major general wouldn’t take us in there during our tour.”
AJ gave her a steady look. “Which suggests he knows exactly what’s in there.”
“Major General Simpson?” came Con’s next question.
With a sharp jerk of his hand, AJ dragged his fingers through his hair. “You knew Simpson was at the base. Of course you knew. I wish you’d shared that information with me.”
“Why? You don’t know him.”
“No, but May does.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. We also ran into the guy at the fucking gala.”
“Oh fuck.”
“May’s well acquainted with him, it seems. We talked to Kit earlier, and she fixed things to make it look like the invitation to do the training was extended to May’s father, but she came in his stead.”
She gave her head a small shake. “You make it sound like he knows about the bomb, AJ. You don’t know Simpson. The man has served for thirty years. He’s decorated. He isn’t harboring a bomb!”
“He’s also lying to your face,” AJ shot out.
“He probably has no idea the bomb is on that base.”
“So why did he give us a thorough tour of everything except that hangar?”
“Because he had a meeting!”
“Or he’s blocking us.”
They glared each other down. They stood on opposite sides of a canyon with her believing her old family friend was innocent and unknowing, while AJ believed Simpson was concealing that bomb.
“AJ’s right,” Con interjected.
She jerked her scowl away from her partner’s.
Con continued, “If he’s clean and he knows about the bomb, he’d be helping us.”
“I’ve known Simpson for so many years. My family trusts the man.” She folded her arms in an unspoken show of solidarity. Confirmation that she trusted him too.
AJ couldn’t miss her stiff pose if he tried. “The man was wearing a Rolex.”
“Maybe it was a gift!”
He breathed heavily through his nose. “This isn’t about trust, May. It’s about getting into that hangar—fast.”
“I’ll get us in.”
“How? You gonna ask real nice?”
“Maybe by trusting people instead of treating them all like threats? Like I did with the kid.”
“Who is the kid?” The bark of command in Con’s voice silenced her and AJ’s argument.
“There’s more.” AJ’s lips were tight. “The driver of the transport that brought the explosive to the fort talked to May in a convenience store during one of our stops. He was also in that training with her.”
“He recognized you. Damn, this op is just digging us deeper into a trench we might not be able to crawl out of.”
“I’ll get into that hangar.” AJ nodded to the travel pouch filled with components to create a homemade detonator.
“I’m pretty sure I’m the one who has the clout to get into the hangar,” May announced. “I can talk to Simpson—”
“Your blind faith is going to get us killed. I saw you in that training—you’re smart as hell. So why can’t you see what’s right in front of your face? It’s common sense!”
Irritation mixed with the satisfaction of his praise, a warm stroke to her ego that she felt move across her skin even as annoyance jabbed her like a sharp instrument.
Tension zapped between them. For five beats, nobody spoke.
“I’m hanging up before you two start throwing punches. If that happens, don’t call me asking to swap partners. You guys are in this together now.”
Without a farewell, Con ended the call.
May folded her arms tighter across her body. AJ swung to face her.
“You didn’t have to throw me under the bus with Con like that.”
“Throw you under the bus? Woman, I gave you a compliment!”
“Sandwiched between two insults!”
His eyes flared almost imperceptibly. She wouldn’t have even noticed if she hadn’t been watching him so closely.
When he launched at her, a cry of shock escaped her. The noise ended on a gulp as he threw her down on the bed and covered her body with his.
His big… hard …body.
He was hard everywhere.
Desire bloomed in her core, and she was stunned to realize she had already been aroused from their argument.
Oh god, they were that couple, who had a lovers’ spat for the sake of making up.
She saw his eyes darken to the shade of a sapphire at the bottom of a lake before he lowered his mouth over hers.