Chapter 11 #3
She grabbed his wrist, torn between pulling his hand away and holding it steady—pressing into his touch.
She didn’t want it to be like this. A giant gap between them.
Raging waters below. Because they needed to work as a team.
The way they always had. And she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want—crave—to be part of it. To belong. Even if only for now.
She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, then stepped into him.
Letting her head fall against his shoulder, her body lean into his.
He inhaled sharply, then shifted. Wrapped his arms around her back, cupped her neck and waist, and just held on.
Firm. Like an unbreakable force between her and everything else.
She wasn’t sure how long they stood there. What his team was thinking. Didn’t really care, because she needed him to know she trusted them. That she’d put her life in their hands. Do everything within her power not to let them down.
But more than that, she wanted Brett to hold her.
Not because she was going to topple over.
Or because he was trying to shield her from bullets and flashbangs.
Just for the sheer pleasure of it. His heart beating beneath her cheek, his fingers pressing into her skin.
She wanted to breathe in his scent—the hint of citrus from Cannon’s sweatshirt mixing in with Brett’s usual aroma, but still uniquely him. Brave. Safe.
Brett smiled when she finally eased back, sliding his fingers through her hair. Holding it away from her face. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Right. We only have a covert unit of the CIA after us. No big deal.”
“Bastard doesn’t know what he’s up against. Who he’s up against. He might have gotten the jump on us. Caught us before we really knew the stakes. But that won’t happen, again. Like Cannon said. We don’t repeat our failures.”
“Hooyah, right?”
He laughed, slowly releasing his hold. Moving back. “Damn straight. Now, about resting…”
“Soon. But if you’re really all still in…”
Groans from behind Brett, followed by, “Hell yeah,” said in unison.
“Then, it’s time to go on the offensive.”
She shifted in order to see the men and women sitting at the table. Brett’s crew. Now, hers. She still thought they were all crazy, but she needed crazy. A shit ton of it if they had any hope of coming out of this alive.
Ellis addressed the group as a whole. “I need to go back to that warehouse where they were holding me. I assume Cannon sent some of you to backtrack my trail. Follow the blood.”
Midnight nodded. “I went with Six and Rigs. I can take you or show you on the map. There wasn’t much there that seemed important. What are you looking for?”
She tried not to flinch at Six’s name. He was going to pull through. Ice had told them that much. And staying locked in the guilt would only get others hurt.
“Don’t know, yet. But I will when I see it. And thank you. I also want all of you to go through the files I have on my last mission. I can only assume it’s those guiding systems the prick was asking about. Maybe you’ll see something I’m missing.”
Cannon snorted. Leaned forward onto his elbows. “Files? What files?”
“The ones I compiled for all my ops.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have any evidence.”
“I don’t. Not in the conventional sense.
I haven’t tapped McCormick’s phone or followed him around.
Gathered intel on other missions. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t keep encrypted files of everything I’ve done since the beginning, including those original files.
But using those against him implicates me just as much, so either I’ve missed something or they think I have something else. ”
“And where, exactly, are these files?”
“That’s the tricky part.”
“Tricky? What does that mean?”
“Before I tell you, answer me one thing.”
Cannon arched his brow.
“You asked if I trusted you. And while I’m not proud I hesitated—made you question my answer—it’s yes. Which is crazy, considering I haven’t trusted anyone in a long time. But if we’re going to work as a team, then the question isn’t just whether I trust you, but if you trust me?”
Cannon’s jaw tensed. “That doesn’t sound ominous at all. And yeah, Ellis, I trust you.”
She took a deep breath, knowing that this was it—the point of no return. They’d be all in. “I stored the files on the CIA mainframe.”
“What?” He stood, again, pushed both hands through his hair, looking as if he wanted to pull it out. “You have to get through the CIA’s firewall, through all their security, in order to download files that could cripple that very organization? Jesus, honey, you’re either suicidal or brilliant.”
“It’s a backdoor, outside their top-secret stuff. Lower security, but compared to anywhere else… I needed somewhere no one inside the CIA would ever think to look. I’ll give you everything you need to access it covertly, but if through some shit luck they notice—trace it back to any of us…”
“Game over. We’re familiar with the notion.”
“I can go to an internet café. Retrieve it myself—”
“And get highjacked on the spot when McCormick picks you up on some traffic cam? Sneaking around the warehouse district is one thing. Going downtown—”
“I’ll do it.” Kam held her head high. Smiled. “And no one will trace it. Guaranteed.” She motioned to the men gathered around the table. “Besides, if you entrust this to any of these knuckleheads, they’re liable to bring back porn, instead.”
Cannon shook his head, sighing. “And they call women the gentler sex. Obviously, they’ve never met any of the ladies at this table.
” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, we’ll deal with that tomorrow.
In the meantime, is there anything else you need to tell us?
Secretly working for the NSA, too? Maybe doing a bit of work for MI6 on the side? Recruiting for the Secret Service?”
“Did you seriously just make a joke?” Ellis shook her head in mock amusement. “Who knew all you needed was the right woman to unclench your ass.”
Jericho laughed, cutting off when Cannon looked over at her.
He muttered something under his breath, losing the hint of a smile.
“You do realize that at some point, we’re going to need outside help on this.
We can’t go around offing CIA officers and think it won’t come back to bite us in the ass.
Not that we won’t do what’s necessary. We said we’d have your back, and we will. ”
“I was at Colt’s for four days. I knew you’d start investigating me, that warehouse, as soon as you were convinced I wasn’t going to die. Which means, you’ve already talked to one or two key people. Maybe someone inside the Marshal Service you trust. Old military connections. Am I close?”
“Were you always this annoying? I seem to recall you being much sweeter back in MI.” He grunted but nodded. “And yeah, we may have asked some ‘theoretical’ questions about you. How this would all play out if our assumptions were right and you were being hunted by your own agency.”
“I assume since I didn’t wake up handcuffed to a gurney in a hospital, they’re on board with helping out. Or, at least, willing to give me a short leash to strangle myself on before turning me over to the Agency. Assuming, as well, that I can give them proof.”
“No one’s turning you over to the Agency. And yeah, we’ll need proof. Which means killing McCormick won’t solve your problems. We’re going to have to figure out what he wants, what he’s hiding, and catch the bastard with his hands in the cookie jar.”
“Then, what are we waiting for? Let’s fry his ass.”