Chapter 6
Chapter Six
S he couldn’t stop shaking.
Someone had tried to kill her. Tried to blow her up. She hunched her shoulders. It all seemed like a really bad dream.
Ace slid an arm across her shoulders. He was so big and warm, and she leaned into him. God, he smelled good.
She wasn’t used to leaning. She’d always done things her way, always out to prove herself.
When they pulled into the parking area at Norcross Security warehouse, she watched some of the tension leak out of both men. She realized suddenly just how vigilant they’d been on the drive.
“Come on.” Ace helped her out and they followed Vander upstairs to the offices.
No one was there on a Sunday.
“I’ll make you a coffee—” Ace hesitated. “Or a tea.”
“Tea would be good.”
Vander watched her with his dark eyes. They looked black at first glance, but were a deep midnight blue.
He led her to Ace’s office. It was the only one apart from Vander’s without glass walls. Ace needed the walls as they were covered in computer screens. This was his little high-tech lair.
Vander pulled a chair out. Maggie shed the blanket and sat. She was still a little shaky and she gripped her hands together.
“I’ve flown combat missions.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t be this shaky.”
Vander crouched in front of her. The guy had a scary edge, but Maggie had always liked it. She knew there was no one better to have in your corner.
“It’s different when you don’t see the threat coming,” he said. “And it’s not just your life at stake.”
Her pulse jumped and she pressed a hand to her belly. “I guess.”
“Whatever help you need, you’ve got it.” He paused. “This thing with Ace. He didn’t…”
Maggie raised a brow. “Coerce me? Talk me into something I didn’t want?”
“He’s older and more experienced.”
“Jeez, Vander. Not by that much. I’m twenty-seven, not seventeen. You know him. He’s a good guy. And I’ve wanted him pretty much since I first saw him.”
Vander rose and held up a hand. “No details. It’s bad enough watching Gia and Saxon kissing all the time.”
Maggie grinned. Vander had always treated her like a sister, while still respecting her skills.
“Then I won’t tell you how good Ace is between the sheets.”
Vander made a choked sound.
Already feeling steadier, the banter making her feel almost normal again, Maggie looked up as Ace walked in with a steaming mug.
Mmm, he was good in the sheets. She studied his face and the sexy stubble, and desire roared to life, leaving her tingly. She licked her lips. She wasn’t sure if she should blame the pregnancy hormones, or the near-death experience. Or if it was just her regular reaction to Ace Oliveira.
“Here.” He handed her the mug.
“Thanks.” She sipped the tea. Loaded with cream and sugar, just how she liked it.
Ace leaned back against his desk. Vander crossed his arms over his chest.
“So, we need to work out who planted the bomb in your car, and why they want you dead,” Vander said.
The hot tea burned her tongue. “Seriously, I can’t think of anyone. Who the hell tries to kill someone?”
“Lots of people.” Vander’s tone was devoid of emotion, and darkness moved in his eyes.
Maggie fought back a shiver. Looking at him, she knew he’d seen too much of the world’s darkness.
“You don’t have a beef with anyone?” Ace asked.
“No. I guess you, since you didn’t believe this baby was yours.”
Vander’s head whipped around.
Ace scowled. “That’s settled. I was shocked and being an idiot.”
Maggie’s lips quirked briefly. “I get the odd displeased customer. A flight isn’t what they expected, or the weather’s not what they’d hoped for. Some people leave crappy reviews for the hell of it.” She shrugged. “Nothing that I could think of would cause someone to kill me.”
“It has to be connected to the drone incident,” Ace said.
“When Maggie’s drone went crazy?” Vander asked.
“Yeah. Her new drone got hacked. They aimed it right at her.”
Vander cursed.
Maggie straightened. “Um…”
“What?” Ace demanded.
“My apartment was broken into last night.”
Both men stiffened, and rage filled Ace’s face.
“When?” he barked. “Were you home?”
“No. I found the door ajar when I got home last night.”
Ace leaned over and swiveled her chair to face him. “Why the hell didn’t you call me?”
“They were gone, I—”
He growled. “You call me.”
She lifted her chin. “You don’t run my life, Oliveira.”
He made another sound. “Why do you have to be so damn independent all the damn time?”
“Because I know the only person I can depend on is myself .”
He stared at her.
Vander cleared his throat. “Was anything taken?”
She nodded. “They stole my older drone. The assholes.”
“What was on it?” Ace asked.
“Nothing special. Just scenery footage I’d taken. I still have it all backed up to the cloud.”
“Anything else stolen?” Vander asked.
She shook her head. “They left my TV, and all the other electronics.”
“Must be connected to her work,” Vander mused.
“We’ll look at all your jobs for the last two weeks,” Ace said. “See if everyone checks out.”
Maggie gave a tired nod and pushed her hair behind her ear. “I have the records electronically on my computer. I can email them to you.”
“I can get them.” He leaned over to tap on a keyboard.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re going to hack my system?”
He pressed a key dramatically. “Already have.”
She leaned forward and saw her client database on one screen. God, he was good.
Vander laughed. “You know he was part of the NSA’s infamous Red Team?”
She spun. “No. What’s that?”
“Vander,” Ace growled.
“They’re like the special forces of the cybersecurity world. The government’s best and stealthiest hackers.”
She blinked. She’d known he was good, but this was something else.
“Security pros talk about Red Team with breathless admiration,” Vander continued.
Ace shot him a look. “Are you done?”
“I could go on.”
“So, were you really on this special team?” she asked.
“I was a member of the NSA’s Vulnerability Analysis and Operations Group.” His tone warned he was done. He sank into a chair, his fingers flying. “I’ll set up background searches on all of them, and then check any CCTV on your street.”
Vander nodded. “See if we can get an image of whoever planted the bomb.”
Bomb . Fear swooshed through her. “If I hadn’t dropped my phone—” Her voice cracked.
Ace whirled, and then she was in his arms.
She clutched his shirt. “I’ll be okay.”
“You don’t have to be. I’m right here. Just hold on.”
She did, slowly breathing until she was calm again.
“Okay.” She blew out a breath and sat down again. “I’ve got a lock on it.” Then she felt a trickle of anger. “I can’t believe some asshole thought he had the right to kill me. I want to find him, and—”
“Okay, okay, settle down.” Grinning, Ace turned to his screens. “Let’s see what we can find.”
His fingers danced. He was amazing to watch. Information whizzed up on the screens. Maggie was afraid to admit that she typed with two fingers, and her main fix for IT problems was switching her computer off and back on again.
Ace leaned back. “There are a few CCTV cameras on Maggie’s street. Not all great angles.”
Three screens showed her street. She identified her Jeep parked at the edge of two of them.
Vander stood behind Ace’s chair. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
Ace wound back the footage.
When she saw herself heading to her Jeep, her heart pounded. When the explosion followed, the tang of bile filled her mouth.
A muscle ticked in Ace’s jaw, and she watched herself, lying flat on the ground.
He went back to earlier in the day. Cars were coming and going, people walking dogs, kids skipping along the sidewalk.
They went through into the night.
“There,” Vander said.
Maggie didn’t see anything.
The timestamp said 1:06 AM. The dead of night. She peered at the screen and then noticed a dark shadow.
“Big guy,” Vander said.
Ace stared at the screen, his mouth a flat line.
The man disappeared, and with a jolt, Maggie realized he was under her Jeep.
He reappeared and strolled off down the street. Relaxed. Like he wasn’t a damn murderer.
Ace tapped. He caught the guy on another camera and then growled. “No clear view of the fucker’s face.”
“Run facial recognition anyway,” Vander said. “See if anything pops.”
Ace swiveled in his chair and his dark eyes met hers. “You’re moving in with me.”
Maggie blinked. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Ace—”
He yanked her out of her chair and gripped her jaw.
“Someone is trying to kill you. I’m not gonna let that happen. Until we catch him, you’re staying with me.”
* * *
Ace let Maggie through the front door of his place ahead of him.
As he carried her bag in, he paused to scan the street behind them. No one appeared to be watching them.
They’d stopped by her apartment and she’d packed her things. The burnt-out hull of her Jeep had been taken away by the police. She was a little subdued, and he hated seeing her usual feisty liveliness dimmed.
The fucker who’d tried to hurt her would pay.
“I have a top-of-the-line security system,” he told her.
“Of course, you do.” She smiled, although it was missing its usual wattage. “Ace Oliveira, tech genius, wouldn’t have any crappy system.”
He pinched her butt lightly. “You’ll be safe here.”
“I know.”
He didn’t tell her that he’d been fielding calls from Gia, Harlow, Haven, and Sofie. They’d all wanted to check to see if she was okay. He’d warned them off descending, en masse. Maggie needed some peace and calm.
They stopped at the base of the stairs, staring at each other. Damn, he really wanted to kiss her.
Ace was acutely conscious of the fact that she’d had a big shock, and she was depending on him for her safety.
“Let’s get you settled.” He dragged his gaze off her mouth and headed upstairs.
He showed her into a guest room down the hall from his master.
“Bathroom’s through there.” He jerked his head.
“It’s great, Ace.”
“You hungry?”
“I am. I guess almost getting blown up stimulates the appetite.”