Chapter 8 #2
Something akin to disappointment flickered behind his gaze. But then, “You already arranged for a ride? Damn.” Jagger looked over his shoulder at the jet’s opened storage panel before bringing his confused gaze back around to her. “How long was I over there?”
A small, breathy laugh bubbled free. “I used the jet’s WiFi to text her before we landed.”
“Ah. Right.” Those strong hands of his slid into the front pockets of his jeans. “You know, it’s too bad you had to sit back in the cabin and work during the flight. Would’ve been nice, having some company in the cockpit.”
“Maybe next time.”
The words were out of Natalia’s mouth before she could stop them.
Uh…did I miss something? Since when is there going to be a—
“Next time.” Jagger’s deep rumble was accompanied by an undecipherable gleam in the browns of his eyes.
It would be so easy to lose herself there.
To give in to the aching need she felt anytime he was near.
But this wasn’t the place, and it most definitely wasn’t the time.
So rather than fisting the front of his shirt and pulling his mouth down to hers like she wanted, Natalia pushed back her shoulders and offered him a hand.
“Thanks again.” The corners of her lips pulled themselves upward a tad more. “I won’t forget this.”
“Didn’t do it to collect a chit.” His warm, slightly calloused hand engulfed hers as it had before. “Just helping out a friend. And hey, if you happen to have some free time in your schedule over the next couple days, give me a call. Maybe we could have that lunch sooner, rather than later.”
The offer was more than a little tempting. Suddenly, Natalia found herself hoping for an opening in her upcoming schedule.
“I’ll see what I can do.” She released his hand to grab the handles attached to her suitcases. “Either way, I hope you enjoy your time in the city.”
Hints of mischief and secrets hid behind his slow, easy grin. “Don’t go worryin’ about me. I’ll get along just fine.”
“Take care of yourself, Jagger.”
After another quick, parting smile, she turned and made her way through the hanger, and down the long corridor leading to the airport’s main entrance.
Minutes later, Natalia was buckling her seatbelt as the car she was in pulled away from the curb. “Thanks for coming to get me.” She looked over at her friend.
Scarlett kept her gorgeous green eyes focused on the traffic up ahead. “No problem. Although, I will say, your timing was pretty lucky.”
“Yeah?”
The woman’s long, auburn locks slid along her shoulders and spine with a nod of her head. “I wrapped up my testimony in court this morning, which thankfully brings my part in the Atkins trial to a close.”
“That’s good.”
“It is. For several reasons.” A haunted look fell over Scarlett’s pretty face for a split second, and then it was gone.
“But now I have three other consultations waiting in line, including a possible serial in Anchorage, so it’s not like I’ll be taking a vacation anytime soon.
Regardless, I figured I could spare some time to help out a friend before trying to determine if the deaths of four Alaskan women are in any way connected. ”
“And here, I thought my job was interesting,” Natalia teased.
A soft chuckle left Scarlett’s delicate shoulders shaking. A brief moment later, however, the spunky redhead brought her knowing gaze Natalia’s way.
“So. Are you planning on waiting until we get all the way to your place, or do you just want to ask me now?”
“Ask you what?”
The unintentional subterfuge was an automatic response. An unfortunate side effect of the job and all that.
“Girl, please.” Scarlett’s focus returned to the bustling D.C. traffic. “That brain of yours has been working overtime from the second you sat down in my car.”
Natalia’s brows fell in the center as she studied her friend’s flawless profile. “Have I ever told you how annoying it is that you can read me so well?”
Scarlett’s red lips rose at the corners. “Several times, actually. To which, I always remind you that my ability to read people is simply a part of my God-given charm.”
The wink she gave was as unapologetic as the woman herself.
“Okay, fine. You got me. I actually have two more favors to ask.”
“I’m assuming they’re more involved than something as simple as picking you up from the airport?”
You could say that.
“I need the security feed from the hotel I stayed at in Chicago.”
A swirl of red hair flung to the side as Scarlett swung her widened gaze back in Natalia’s direction. “I’m sorry, what?”
Sticking with the basics, Natalia quickly shared the story about finding the envelope and picture on her nightstand.
“Someone broke into your hotel room and left you a picture from your past?” Scarlett frowned. “Why would someone do that?”
“No idea.” Wish like hell I did. “That’s why I need the footage from the cameras in the lobby, the hallway outside my room, and the sidewalk out front. I’m hoping we’ll get lucky with a hit on facial rec from one of the hotel’s security cameras.”
Or maybe even the CCTV from the adjacent street.
“Assuming you’re right, and that the envelope and pic are useless, which I’m sure they are…” Scarlett paused. “If the guy’s smart enough to get into your room unnoticed, don’t you think he’d have avoided the cameras altogether?”
“Maybe. Probably.” Natalia sighed. “If that’s the case, I’m pretty much stuck at square one. But I have to at least try.”
“Of course, you do.”
She looked over at her friend who’d just flipped on her turn signal in preparation of changing lanes. “Is that your way of saying you’ll help me?”
“Someone’s trying to mess with you, Talia. I know we haven’t known each other all that long, but there’s no way I’m going to just sit back and hope you eventually figure out who it is on your own.”
Warmth spread across her chest as she gave her friend a small smile. “Thank you. And just so you know, if the situation were reversed, I wouldn’t hesitate to help you, too.”
“I know.” The cocky woman shrugged a shoulder and grinned. “And don’t think I won’t hit you up some day to collect.”
Natalia chuckled softly. “I really appreciate you looking into this for me. I know hacking into an unsuspecting hotel’s mainframe is pretty much the opposite of leaving that part of your life behind, but—”
“Some creep was in your room, Tal.” Scarlett used an even shorter version of her name while effectively shutting down any talk about the other woman’s past. “Who knows how long he was in there? Or worse, what he did while he was in there. And from what you’ve told me, it’s obvious that whatever this is…
it’s personal.” The beautiful redhead turned onto Natalia’s street.
“I do have to ask, though—and just so we’re clear, I’m happy to help in any way I can, but—why didn’t you just ask one of the Delta guys to do it while you were still in Chicago? ”
The question wasn’t altogether unexpected and given that the woman was so willing to help, she probably deserved the full, unabridged truth. But Natalia had neither the time nor the desire to get into it now, so she stuck with a much simpler response.
“It’s like you said.” She met her friend’s stare. “This is personal.”
“And you want to keep the two halves of your life separate,” Scarlett surmised. “I can respect that. Can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing in your shoes. Hell, I have done the same thing. Gone to people outside my usual circle for help, I mean.”
“It just makes things a lot easier, you know?”
“It does.” Her friend nodded. “Of course, keeping everyone at arm’s length also tends to make for a lot of long, lonely nights. Trust me.” Those green eyes landed back on hers. “This, I know.”
They were like two kindred spirits. Professional women who were all but married to their jobs. For Natalia, however, there was more to the nights she spent in her condo all alone.
It wasn’t merely because she had to work around the clock. Some days, yes. A lot of days, actually. But far too often, she’d let Scarlett and the others at work believe her job was the reason she couldn’t socialize more.
The truth was, Natalia had no personal life. Not one to speak of, anyway. The occasional night out at her go-to dance club. One where the chances of being recognized were all but slim to none.
It was the only time she ever allowed herself to be somewhat free. The one place she felt as though she could let her hair down. Let go of the past. Be more like the woman she was…before.
Before Afghanistan.
Before Julian died and everything in her life suddenly changed.
Now, even the occasional night out came with its own set of rules and guidelines. Limitations she’d put into place. Personal fail-safes, if you will.
Natalia always went out alone. If she met a man she felt a physical connection with, they always went to a hotel or his place.
Never, ever hers.
She also shared no names, professions, or any other sort of personal or potentially identifying information. No exception.
It never went beyond a few hours of meaningless escape. Safe, consensual, no-strings sex she could easily leave behind. Even then, it had been months since she’d spent any sort of intimate time with a man aside from those she worked with.
Almost a year, to be exact.
Jagger’s naturally tanned, handsome face filled her mind’s eye. Oh, what she wouldn’t give for one wild, passionate night with him. A few hours to finally, finally get him out of her system once and for all.
The last-minute invite he’d tossed her way back at the hangar replayed through her mind...
If you happen to have some free time in your schedule over the next couple days, give me a call. Maybe we can have that lunch sooner, rather than later.
Maybe she would call him. If she could manage to get some time away, that is. Better yet, maybe she’d figure out how to put the mouthwatering operative out of her head once and for all.
“Home sweet home.” Scarlett pulled her car onto the small, paved driveway connected to the three-story, brick colonial townhome.
“Thanks again, Scar.” Natalia unbuckled her seatbelt. “For the ride, and for looking into the other. I know it’s a lot to ask, and I could get Delta or someone on my team to get the footage I need. But this is—”
“Personal.” The brilliant woman smiled. “Like I said, I get it. And I’ll get to work on the hotel footage as soon as I get back home.”
“Okay. I’m going to take a few minutes to freshen up, then I’ll be locked away in meetings the rest of the day. But I’ll check in with you as soon as I’m free.”
“If you want, I can leave what I find on a voicemail, or—”
“No!” When Scarlett’s big eyes blinked, Natalia rushed to clarify the unsettling blurt. “Sorry. I just meant…I’d prefer not to discuss any of this over the phone. Not by text or voicemail.”
Just in case.
“You think someone’s got your stuff bugged?”
“Given who I used to work for and the enemies I’ve made over the years, it’s always a possibility.”
Too many government players had their hands in the mess after everything went down in Afghanistan. A few had even made it clear they held her solely responsible for it all. Now wasn’t the time to risk trusting the wrong person.
As for potential enemies looking for revenge, it was a possibility that came with the job, but not something that typically kept her up at night with worry.
The thought of someone possibly targeting her for revenge for what happened to those hostages or something else from her past, however, would almost assuredly cost her a few hours’ sleep.
Not because she was scared. She was pissed. Someone was using the memory of her fallen friend to screw with her. Why, she had no idea. But when she found the person or people responsible—
“I can see why you waited to ask for help until you saw me in person.” Scarlett’s slight rasp broke through Natalia’s wandering thoughts.
“Okay, how about this? Once I’m done with my ‘research’ I’ll text you letting you know that I’m free to meet for coffee.
When you see that, you’ll know I’ve gotten what I could from the picture and feed, and we can plan to meet up at your earliest convenience. Coffee’s always an option, of course.”
“Let me know when you’re free, and we’ll put it on the books.”
“Sounds good to me.” The redhead flashed her a smile. “Talk soon. And…be careful, yeah?”
“Always.” Natalia winked before shutting her door.
After retrieving the two small suitcases from the trunk of the car, she gave Scarlett a parting jut of her chin as she walked past on her way to her door. With a wave from the other side of the windshield, the other woman backed the car out of the driveway and disappeared down the road.
Natalia released one of the handles to punch in the security code on the pad mounted to her door. The light turned green, the locks disengaged, and she opened the door and stepped inside.
Minutes later, she was stepping into her shower for a quick rinse before heading across town to Homeland.
The intel those men had regarding Arlo Sanchez’s illegal operations was too important to risk bringing less than her best to the table, and the hot water and fresh set of clothes did wonders to help her recharge.
Feeling much more put-together than before—despite the tender bump on the back of her head and a black and blue chest—she grabbed her jacket, phone, and purse, and rushed back out the door.