Chapter 3
Mia could well imagine Cullen’s mind attempting to work out if she were part of Orrin’s kidnapping or not. Because, despite Callie’s assurance that Mia wasn’t guilty, Cullen was the type of man to make his own assessment.
If only Callie were there. She wasn’t just Orrin’s right hand running Whitehorse, she’d also become a good friend to Mia. And right now, she could use a friend.
She’d felt that way ever since she’d walked into the hangar and found the team dead.
“We’re ten minutes out from Dover,” she told Cullen.
“By now, General Davis will know of your arrest.”
As if she needed the reminder. “I’m aware.”
“Will that end your arrangement with them?”
“It could. But that’s not my concern right now. Orrin is.”
Cullen made a sound in the back of his throat. “So much so that you took a job to fly to Panama.”
Her head whipped around to glare at him. “Go ahead and waste your energy believing I was part of the kidnapping. I’ll continue to focus my efforts on finding Orrin. That’s what I was doing in Panama.”
“Please explain. I’m dying to hear.”
He was just like all the other men, she realized. The fact that he was Orrin’s son led her to believe he would be like his father. Then there was the fact that she couldn’t stop looking at him—he was so sexy.
But blood relations and sexiness meant nothing in a man’s world.
“Camilo runs—ran—a cartel that caters to buyers looking for black market items. Many drug cartels, mobs, and even companies have their hands in the profitable business. I’d hoped a connection in Panama might give me some information on the Russians.”
“And?”
She blew out a breath. “No one wanted to talk about the Russians. I was told to forget about them. That’s not going to happen.”
“If the men who took Dad don’t already know of you, once they find out, they’ll be after you.”
“I know.” It was why she slept with two guns now instead of one.
She held up a hand when he started to talk and spoke to the tower, getting clearance to land. Mia wasn’t looking forward to facing Davis. The General was going to be furious.
But losing the hangar was going to be the least of her problems if her license were revoked or suspended.
It wasn’t long before they landed on the base and taxied to the hangar. She looked around, expecting Davis or the Military Police, but there was no one to greet them.
She shut off the engine outside the hangar and unbuckled her seat belt. No sooner had she stepped off the plane than Cullen called her name.
“I want to see where it happened,” he said.
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. Every time she walked into the hangar, her gaze always went to the area. It was a constant reminder that she’d somehow escaped death. But for how long?
“Follow me,” she said.
She led him to the dark spots on the concrete. Those stains were a chilling reminder of how easily friends could be taken.
That’s what Orrin was—a friend. Orrin’s smile was infectious, as was his deep love of America. He—like his sons—risked his life for the freedom and liberty of every man, woman, and child in the country. Without recognition.
Despite her attempts to keep Orrin from getting close, he was too charismatic, too charming to be denied.
Much like Cullen.
Cullen halted before her and gave a slight bow of his head. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah.” She got a close-up view of his very wide, very thick shoulders. Muscles bulged in his biceps, and an image of those arms wrapped around her as they kissed flashed in her mind.
She gave herself a mental shake. Now wasn’t the time for her body to suddenly become wanton. Especially not with a man like Cullen. He was the type to love-‘em-and-leave-‘em.
And she was the opposite. If she gave herself to a man, it was because she saw a future. Cullen was here for Orrin. Once that mission was complete, he would return to his Force Recon unit without a backward glance.
It’s what made him a good Marine.
It’s also what reinforced that no matter how much she might want to know the feel of his kiss, it would only bring her misery. She didn’t know how to have a fling or fool around.
“Callie spoke highly of you.”
She pulled herself from thoughts of stripping Cullen naked to let his words sink in. “I talk to her often, though we’ve only met a few times. She’s amazing at coordinating everything. Orrin leans on her a lot, and she’s never let him down.”
“I didn’t realize Callie had gone from being a ranch hand to working for Dad until recently.”
Mia didn’t miss the undercurrent of animosity. To the casual observer, it would seem like nothing. But she wasn’t a casual observer. “You don’t approve?”
“This work is dangerous.”
“Callie is a grown woman, who can make her own decisions.”
Cullen dropped his arms to his sides. “I still remember her as a gangly thirteen-year-old.”
“You remember her as you would a sister.”
His eyes held hers for a moment. “I do. She needed a family, and my father gave her that.”
“Orrin has a way of knowing what people need.” Just as he had with her.
“There’s more to the story of you and my dad,” Cullen said.
She wasn’t going to get into that now—or ever if she had her way. “You know Orrin was a planner. He tried to see ten steps ahead and be ready for anything.”
“He couldn’t be ready for betrayal.”
She understood treachery all too well. “No one ever is. Do you have any idea who it might be, besides Hewett?”
“Not yet.”
“You want to be sure it’s not me before you tell me more.”
There was a quick smile before he replied, “Callie said you’d have me figured out.”
Figured out? Hardly. That was part of what drew her to him. She knew military men all too well, but there was something much more to Cullen, something that pulled at her like the moon commanded the tides.
And it scared the hell out of her.
As well as intrigued and excited her.
She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s common military thinking.”
“Perhaps.”
She wanted to take a step back, to put some distance between them. The hangar was huge, but with Cullen inside, it felt small and confined.
“Every flight I make is in the log books for FAA regulations, as well as the Air Force since I’m on their base.”
“Of course,” he said in his sexy Texas accent.
“I make notes of every call, every request, and every person who boards my plane.”
He looked at the plane. “I’d like to see those books.”
“Of course.”
They walked to the office in silence. She stood behind her desk as her mind went blank for a second on what she was supposed to be doing.
She sat and pulled open the bottom right-hand file drawer. After finding Orrin’s file, she laid it on the desk. As she kicked the drawer shut and opened the folder, Cullen came to stand beside her.
He leaned a hand on the desk near her and peered at the papers. His nearness jumbled her thoughts. When he glanced at her, he quirked a brow. She cleared her throat and turned her attention to the file.
She briefly closed her eyes and told herself to gain control. Then she motioned to the documents in the folder. “These are my private records.”
“Not on the computer?”
“Computers can be hacked.”
“And papers can be stolen.”
She smiled up at him. “True, but that means they’d have to get into the hangar, which means the culprits would have to get past base security first.”
“That’s a good point. What about someone on the base?”
“It could happen. It’s also why I make three copies. One I scan into my computer and encrypt. The second is in a safe at my home. The third is here, in the files.”
“That’s a lot of precautions.”
She stared at the papers. “It’s what happens when someone takes advantage of you once.
” She quickly changed the subject before he could ask what she meant by that.
“The first entry is Callie’s email, asking me if the date requested was open.
From there, it’s a list of our communications—booking the plane, and the destination. ”
Cullen picked up the file and straightened as he continued reading. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he slowly moved around to the front of her desk where there were two chairs.
By the time he’d finished with the file, she’d undressed him in her mind. Twice. His hazel gaze lifted and met hers. His face was devoid of expression, but that didn’t normally stop her from knowing what a person was about to do or say.
Not so with Cullen Loughman, Force Recon captain. He was a blank page, and it left her feeling as if she were falling through the sky without a parachute.
“Callie was young when she came to the ranch,” Cullen said. “I’ve known her for so long, it’s like she’s always been in our lives. I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t returned home in ages. I doubt I would’ve gone back to Texas if Dad hadn’t been kidnapped. But here I am.”
She was silent, wondering what he was getting at.
He tossed the file on her desk. “The thing is, there are some things that never change. Wyatt’s abrasive personality or Owen’s need to protect that which he cares about.
Or Callie’s inherent ability to know when someone can be trusted.
” Cullen folded his hands over his flat stomach.
“She trusts you. So, Mia Carter, that means I do, as well.”
“Because Callie said so?” she asked, more than a little shocked.
“That, and because I agree with her.”
“I could’ve been working with the Russians.” She wasn’t sure why she played Devil’s advocate, but she wanted to make sure Cullen truly knew she was trustworthy.
His smile was slow and heart-stopping. “You could’ve, but since Callie checked your correspondence on your cell phone, desk line, and email, you weren’t contacted by anyone in DC.”
“So you do think it’s Hewett?”
“It’s looking that way.”
This was a hefty pile of manure she was getting herself embedded in, but there was no turning back now. Not that she would.
She held Cullen’s gaze as she leaned forward. “Tell me what you know.”