Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
T he aircraft touched down at Miami International Airport in the middle of a thunderstorm. Thorn watched the rain lash against the small windows, the turbulence rattling the plane as it taxied down the runway. She shivered.
That better not be a sign of things to come.
As soon as the wheels hit the tarmac, she breathed a sigh of relief. They’d made it. Now they had to face a different kind of tension as they remained on full alert.
Damian leaned back in his seat, his jaw clenched, eyes scanning the storm-drenched landscape outside. For a moment, Thorn felt like they were stepping into a battlefield.
The plane rolled to a stop far from the main terminals, coming to rest near a secluded hangar where a convoy of black SUVs and an armored van awaited.
Blackthorn Security.
Hawk, Pat, and two other men she didn’t recognize—all wearing tactical gear with earpieces—approached the plane.
She glanced at Damian, who met her gaze with a slight nod. He was thinking the same thing.
Let’s do this.
The sooner they were secure in the conference hotel, the better.
The pilot cut the engine, and the door creaked open, letting in the humid Miami air. Pat and Hawk boarded the plane and motioned for Thorn and Damian to follow.
“Good trip?” Pat asked as she picked up her bag.
She nodded. “Fine.”
“Glad to see you safe and sound,” Hawk added.
She shot him a brief smile. “Thanks.”
There was no time for small talk—they had to get to the sanctuary of the hotel. Thorn followed Damian out into the storm. The rain hit her skin like cold needles, the wind whipping her hair into her face as they hustled down the steps and into the waiting vehicle.
“See you at the hotel,” Pat said as he slammed the door shut behind them, sealing them inside the sleek, armored cocoon with blackened windows.
Thorn knew they’d be escorting the van to the hotel, providing backup cover if needed, in case they were ambushed along the route.
The driver took off immediately, the vehicle jerking forward as it merged with the convoy. Thorn could barely make out the city through the rain-streaked windows, the palm trees bending under the force of the storm, the lights of Miami blurred into a kaleidoscope of colors.
Damian sat silently beside her, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. She could see the tension in the set of his shoulders, the way his hands flexed against his knees.
She reached out, her fingers brushing against his.
He glanced at her, his expression softening for just a moment before he turned back to the window. She’d never seen him this on edge before. The easy-going, confident attitude was gone, replaced by a bundle of pent-up, nervous energy.
This meant a lot to him, clearly. She got that.
“We’re nearly there,” she said, breaking the silence in the back. The driver had the partition down, so he couldn’t hear them.
He grunted.
“It’ll be okay,” she repeated, thinking he was scared, even though it was very unlike him. In all the time she’d known him, he’d never shown any sign of fear.
“That’s not what I’m afraid of,” he said quietly.
“What then?” She frowned. Was something else bothering him?
“I don’t want to be another disappointment.”
What was he talking about?
“I want to be there for you, Rose. Do you think that’s possible? After all this is over… do you think we can build a life together?”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Damian, now isn’t the time?—”
“If I make it?—”
“You’re going to make it. Don’t be silly. Twenty-four hours and you’ll be in the clear.”
He nodded, a distant look in his eyes. The armored vehicle ate up the miles. They were crossing a long causeway over grey-blue water—the color of Damian’s eyes—whipped up by the storm.
Her heart soared. He wanted to be with her, wanted to make a life together. That was huge. Even though they’d only known each other for just over a week, they’d been through so much. She knew one should never fall in love during times of crises—it put a false sense of urgency on everything. What they felt now might be enhanced by the situation they were in.
Still, she knew she wanted to be with him, so she didn’t care about that. At the very least, they could see where this led. They owed each other that much.
“It’s in the corporate website,” he whispered, as the wheels drummed over the joins in the road.
Thorn shook her head, not understanding. “What is?”
“The code.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You mean the code for the software update?”
He gave a tight nod. “I hid it in one of the files on the server used to house the website. It’s called footer.css. No one ever updates the footer style sheet.”
That was clever. Thorn didn’t know what a footer style sheet was, but she could guess it was part of the website, probably the bottom section that contained the information about the company. That information never changed and so was never updated. He’d hidden the code in plain sight.
“Remember your promise.” His gaze was earnest. “If anything happens to me?—”
“Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“You don’t know that.” The look on his face made her wince.
“I do know that. You’re going to get to make your announcement. The upgrade will go ahead.”
“Promise me, Thorn.” His eyes were hard, silver slits.
“I promise,” she whispered.
Things happened fast once they got to the hotel. The armored vehicle dipped into an underground parking lot, and flanked by a group of Blackthorn Security operatives, Damian was ushered into the elevator and taken up to the suite.
“Thorn, a word.”
It was Pat Burke, her boss.
“Yes, sir.” Together, they took the stairs up to the hotel lobby.
“Good work,” he said as they walked toward the bar. “Quick thinking in Las Piedras. What the hell happened there?”
She repeated what she’d told him on the phone, going into more detail, describing the two men and the weapons they were carrying. “Damian thinks they could be Alek Markov’s men. All I know is they were trained. Definitely hired mercs.”
“You’ll be pleased to hear the hotel proprietress was unharmed. They searched the hotel and left. Good work stashing your bags in the closet. The local police found them when they searched the room.”
“Did they identify us?” she asked, worriedly.
He smiled, but his eyes remained untouched. Pat wasn’t known for his warmth. “No, you didn’t leave anything telling behind.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“How’s our favorite crypto billionaire holding up?”
She hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second. “He’s good. Keeping it together, although I can tell he’s worried.”
“The FBI are chomping at the bit to get hold of him. They want the upgrade code, in case anything happens to him.”
She stiffened, swallowing over the lump in her throat. “Then we’ll have to make sure nothing does happen to him.”
If she told him she knew where the code was, Damian’s life would suddenly become less important. The FBI would swoop in, make a copy, and be less concerned about his welfare than they would be if they thought he was the only one who knew it.
Pat nodded. “That’s the goal.”
They went over some security details, and he asked her if she wanted a break. Needed some time off. They could take it from here.
“I’m good,” she said firmly. “I’d like to see this through. After all, it would seem strange if his wife suddenly returned home while he was here on his own.”
Pat nodded, pleased. “We could definitely use the help, and you know him better than anyone.”
She didn’t respond.
“How’d you two get on, anyway? Hawk said he thought there was some tension between you back at the house.”
“Oh, fine.” She tried to disarm him with a smile. “That was just us setting our boundaries. It’s always difficult at the start of a new assignment.”
He nodded, but she got the feeling he didn’t quite believe her.
“So you’re good now?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
More than good.
An image of Damian’s dark head between her legs flashed into her mind, and she clenched her thighs together, praying Pat wouldn’t see through her.
Now was not the time to be thinking about that.
“Good.” He got up. “I’m sure you’ll want to freshen up and get a couple of hours sleep. I’ve booked you into a room—Anna’s got the details.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“No problem. Come up to the suite first thing tomorrow.” He glanced at his watch. “Make that today. We need to discuss strategy for Damian’s announcement and the actual upgrade.”
“Will do.” Her heart lurched at the thought of not spending the night with Damian, but that couldn’t be helped. They had to pretend again, but this time, instead of pretending they were together, they had to pretend they were apart.