Chapter 28
Callie did her best to hide the pain that moving caused. It was Wyatt who lifted her and carried her to the desk. She could only imagine how his wound must smart, but he didn’t so much as bat an eyelash.
“You shouldn’t be carrying me. You’re wounded.”
He cut her a disgruntled look. “My gun weighs more than you.”
She liked the feel of his heat against her. Beneath her arm slung across his shoulders, his muscles moved, reminding her of how he’d felt as they made love.
Unable to help herself, her eyes went to his mouth. Her fingers widened on his shoulder as she flattened her palm against him. Pure, unadulterated lust ripped through her with such force that it stole her breath.
She wanted to cry out when he set her in the chair and backed away. With his heat gone, she began to shake. Not even the blanket Natalie wrapped around her helped. Only Wyatt could.
Owen rolled the chair to the desk, shoving her stool aside as he did. She smiled her thanks up at him as she reached for her laptop—but it wasn’t there.
“I stashed it,” Wyatt said. “I’ll return shortly.”
Owen quickly followed him, saying, “I’m coming with you.”
Callie was actually glad for the time alone with Maks, and apparently, so was Natalie because she took the stool and faced him.
Maks gave a shake of his head as he chuckled. “They won’t be gone long, so whatever questions you have, ask them quickly.”
“How do you know Wyatt?” Callie asked.
His smile grew. “I knew you’d ask that first. I met Wyatt about ten years ago when I was added to his Delta Force team. He’s one of the best men I know.”
“Is that why you came to help?” Natalie asked.
He straddled another of the stools. “I came because I wanted to help and because I knew it’s what Wyatt would do in my place.”
“So he’s your friend?” Callie questioned.
“Wyatt is his own man, but he commands respect like I’ve seen few do. He’d give his life for any of his men, and that kind of dedication results in unflinching loyalty. If you ask Wyatt, he’ll tell you he doesn’t have any friends. But if you ask any of his team, they’d all say he’s their friend.”
That made Callie smile. “So he hasn’t changed all that much since leaving here.”
“I can’t answer that, ma’am,” Maks said. “What I do know is that Wyatt rarely shows emotion. He keeps it locked inside.”
Callie wrapped the blanket tighter around her. “Why did you leave Delta Force and join the CIA?”
“I thought I could do more good. Besides, growing up with a Russian father gave me an edge since I could speak the language. I didn’t know how big of a shit storm I’d walked into until I saw Orrin.”
Natalie said, “So I imagine there are Saints in the CIA.”
“I didn’t stick around to find out,” he replied.
Callie gave him a hard look. “They’ll be looking for me.”
“Let them,” he stated. “Now, let me ask you a question.”
She was shocked to find it directed at her. Callie glanced at Natalie before she said, “All right.”
“Was there something between you and Wyatt long ago?” Maks asked.
Callie could only stare at him. No one had ever actually come out and asked her. It felt odd to talk about what had been a private affair.
She licked her lips and said, “Yes. Briefly.”
“That’s what I suspected,” Maks said.
Natalie quirked a brow. “Why do you say that?”
“He’s protective of her.”
Nat smiled as she turned her head to Callie. “That he is.”
“He feels responsible, is all,” Callie said.
Maks shrugged. “I beg to differ.”
“What do you know that we don’t?” Natalie asked.
Callie didn’t like the turn the conversation had taken. She shook her head and said, “Enough. I don’t want to hear any more.”
“You don’t want to know if Wyatt cares for you?” Natalie asked in surprise.
Callie felt Maks’s gaze on her as she said, “I know where I stand with Wyatt. We had something once, but it’s over. We’ve partnered up again to find Orrin. That’s all.”
Flashes of their lovemaking replayed in her head, laying waste to her claim.
“Callie, you can’t be serious?” Nat declared in shock.
“I know what type of man Wyatt is. I know where he belongs, and it isn’t on this ranch.”
“You’re being nonsensical.”
Callie lifted her chin. “I’m being practical.”
“What are you being practical about?” Owen asked as he and Wyatt descended into the base.
Callie knew she had to speak before Natalie. “Programming the cameras for a wider angle to give us a better look.”
“Sounds good to me,” Owen stated.
It was the way Maks had silently watched her during her exchange with first Natalie and then Owen that made her uncomfortable. It was as if he knew that she and Wyatt had been together recently.
Wyatt handed Callie the laptop with a nod. She accepted it, her breath hitching when his hand brushed hers. That small contact sent heat skating through her seductively.
“We need to turn up the heat,” Maks said. “Callie hasn’t stopped shaking.”
Wyatt frowned as he looked her up and down. “You are shaking.”
Callie rolled her eyes. “Stop fussing. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s the blood loss,” Owen said.
She opened the computer and quickly went to her files to connect back to the cameras. Callie hoped by ignoring them that they would see she was only mildly chilled. Except her hands trembled as she typed, causing her to have to backspace and try several times to get the correct letters input.
A second blanket was put around her as she felt the heat kick on. But it was the steaming, giant mug of coffee that made her smile.
She looked up to thank the person responsible and found herself staring into gold eyes. “Thank you.”
“Are you hungry?” Wyatt asked.
Natalie jumped off the stool. “Lord, I can’t believe I didn’t even ask. Callie, I’ll make you anything you want. Say the word.”
“Some soup,” she said, thinking of the warm liquid in her belly.
Natalie gave her a wink. “I’ll be back soon.”
Callie pulled up the map of the ranch and motioned the three men to her. She pointed to where the red dots were blinking. “These are all the cameras that have been installed. Unfortunately that still leaves a lot of acres we can’t see. The Saints could be out there now.”
“I can fix that,” Maks said.
Owen asked, “How?”
Maks took out his phone and put it on speaker before dialing a number. It wasn’t long before a female voice answered.
“Hey, darling,” Maks said.
“Maks,” came the startled reply. “You know you’re not supposed to call me while I’m at work.”
He smiled at them. “Sally, do you remember that favor you owe me?”
She groaned aloud. “You’re not going to call it in now, are you?”
“Yep. I am.”
“I knew it,” she snapped. Then she let out a loud sigh. “Well, go on. What is it?”
Maks looked at Callie as he pointed to her screen. “I need satellite imagery over these coordinates.”
Callie hastily wrote them down and handed them to Maks, who read them to Sally.
“Where do I send these?” Sally questioned in a hard tone.
Once more, Callie scribbled, but this time, it was the secure email address.
After Maks read it off to Sally, he said, “If you do this, your debt is paid.”
“I could get fired for this,” Sally said.
They all waited as she determined what she would do. Finally, she said, “The satellite won’t be over that part of the globe for another hour. As soon as it is, I’ll send what we see.”
“Thank you,” Maks said and disconnected the call.
Callie gave him a thumbs up. “That was nice going. Thanks.”
“It won’t do us much good for another hour,” Owen said. “Why don’t we take a walk out there and see for ourselves?”
Wyatt shook his head. “We stay close to the base and house. What we do need is to move all the cattle and horses.”
“Where?” Callie asked.
Wyatt glanced at Maks. “As far from us as possible.”
“Ahmadi’s men will slaughter everything,” Maks explained.
Callie was appalled. “Over my dead body. I’ll kill all of the terrorists myself if they even think about it.”
“Maybe we should just let Callie loose on them,” Owen joked.
Everyone laughed but Wyatt.
Callie tucked her hair behind her ear. “There are several herds in the back pastures. We’ll never get to them in time.”
“Then we move the ones we can,” Wyatt said.
Callie pointed to a piece of land adjacent to Loughman Ranch. “There’s a small pasture there that belongs to the Deckers, but we use it sometimes.”
“I know the place,” Owen said. “I’ll start moving the animals.”
Maks said, “I’ll give you a hand. That way, I can see what you do on a ranch.”
Their laughter faded as they left her and Wyatt alone. He took the stool Natalie had vacated and held his phone in his hand. He stared at it as if he were unsure about something.
“What is it?” she pressed.
He looked up at her and lifted the cell phone. “If I call the team, they could very well save our bacon.”
“But you’re worried that they’re part of the Saints.”
“While I carried you here after I was injured, Maks told me how Orrin’s entire team was part of the Saints. That’s why Yuri killed them.”
Callie shook her head. “That’s not possible. I helped Orrin vet those men.”
“Maks seemed sure of it.”
Well, hell. No wonder Wyatt was hesitant. She leaned to the left to ease her right side some. “We agreed to follow our gut in this. What is yours saying?”
“Nothing. Not a fucking thing. If I call them and they’re Saints, I’ve killed us all. But if I don’t ask for their help, we’ll probably die anyway.”
The sight of Wyatt so conflicted caused a myriad of emotions within her, and none of them good.
“What do your instincts say?” he asked.
Their gazes held for a long minute before she said, “Call them.”
“Callie, I’ve known most of these men for years. I’ve been shot at for them, but I can’t guarantee that they’ll have our backs.”
She shrugged. “We can say that about anyone, really. If it turns out even one of them is a Saint, then we do what we do.”
“Fight.”
“We fight. I’m not going to let any of them find this base and the bioweapon.”
A soft smile tilted his lips. “You are vicious.”
“I protect what I love.”
The tension thickened as he rolled the stool to her. When he lowered his face near hers, he said, “I’m glad you’re on our side.”