Chapter 4
Cullen couldn’t look away from Mia’s black gaze. There was no doubt she wanted a piece of the group responsible for the deaths of Orrin’s team as much as he and his brothers did.
He had to admit that Mia was more than he’d expected. And he liked it. If his gut were wrong and she turned out to be a person they couldn’t trust, he could very well get his father killed.
As he stared at her, he had no idea how big of a team the Russians had. It had to be luck that allowed Mia her life. Otherwise, she’d be as dead as the rest of the team and unable to help him find Orrin.
“Unfortunately, we’ve not gathered a lot of information. My middle brother, Owen, and Natalie, who used to work for the Russian Embassy in Dallas, are looking into some things.”
She raised a black brow. “So we have nothing more than Hewett to go on.”
“The Russians put a hit on Natalie when they realized she’d learned about Ragnarok.”
“The bioweapon,” Mia said with a nod.
Cullen twisted his lips. “In order to help Natalie and confuse the ones after us, we split up. Natalie and Owen stayed at the ranch. Callie and Wyatt went one way—”
“And you came here,” she finished for him.
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
She shifted in her chair. “Does our government know you have the bioweapon?”
“No. And we don’t intend to tell them.”
“That’s probably wise,” she said. “Until you know who you can trust.”
“No one should have that weapon.”
“I agree wholeheartedly. But we live in a world where those kinds of weapons are developed again and again. Hiding this one won’t stop it from being made once more.”
“Nor will it prevent other weapons from being conceived and implemented,” he added with a nod. “I know.”
She pushed back her chair, the wheels rolling silently on the floor. She rose to her feet and gathered the file he’d perused earlier.
Then she said, “We need to regroup and figure out a plan to find Orrin.”
“The men who took him are a good place to start.”
“I’d like to have a word with them myself.” She rose, half-sat on the desk corner, and folded her arms across her chest. “So, Cullen Loughman. Where should we start?”
“The beginning, of course. It all starts here. On this base.”
Her gaze lowered for a moment. “I know this base inside and out. I’ve looked everywhere to try and find where the men came in and got out. I’ve found nothing.”
“Someone had to help the group.”
“This is a military base. They’re not just going to let anyone in.”
He held her gaze. “Someone did. Just like someone betrayed my father.”
The length of her ponytail moved from one shoulder to the other as she shook her head. “Not on this base. I trust everyone here. General Davis is one of the most honorable men I know.”
“Why? Because he gave you what you wanted?” Her chin lifted, alerting Cullen that he’d hit a nerve. He shrugged one shoulder. “I think the best advice we can give each other is to not trust anyone.”
Her nostrils flared as she drew in a deep breath. “If it’s someone on the base, then it’s part of my family here.”
“It’s going to be tough. I’m not going to lie.”
“Davis doesn’t let us get away with anything.”
Cullen looked around. “Then where is he? I’m sure he’s already been informed of your arrest and the fact that you flew here when you weren’t supposed to.”
“I plan to tell him there were extenuating circumstances.” A frown formed as she looked out the office windows. “But it is odd that he hasn’t arrived. No one has come to talk to us.”
“That’s not a good sign.”
“No. It isn’t,” she said as she rose to her feet and walked to the windows.
He rose and moved to stand beside her. “Perhaps we should leave.”
“And make it look like I’m running? No way.” She gave a soft laugh. “You know, Orrin spoke of you often. He told me if I was ever in trouble, that I should turn to his sons.”
Cullen felt bad enough that it had been years since he’d spoken with his father. Now to learn that Orrin had urged others to turn to them for help made him feel worse. What a sad state the Loughman men had become that it took his father being kidnapped to bring them together again.
“He said I could trust you,” Mia said.
His gaze clashed with hers. “You can.”
“You saved my ass back in Florida.”
“You were handling yourself very well. The simple fact is that I need your help. You were there for the mission. You took the team to Russian and back. I need to know everything you saw, heard, and said.”
“Ever since that night, I’ve been looking over my shoulder. I don’t like this feeling.” She looked at her plane. “I’d much rather do the hunting.”
“It’s why I’m here.”
“Since I doubt I’ll be flying anywhere anytime soon, I’ve got plenty of time to help.”
He licked his lips, his mind once more on Orrin. “Dad talked about me, huh?”
“A lot,” she said with a soft curve of her lips. “He was proud of his sons. Orrin often told tales of each of your exploits. Wyatt with Delta Force, Owen with the SEALs, and you with Force Recon.”
Cullen frowned, wondering how Orrin knew of their missions.
“I saw a bit of each of your files,” Mia said as she turned away from the windows.
“How did he manage to get our files?”
She laughed as she shook her head. “Your father has many connections and a plethora of friends. He made sure to know what each of you was doing at any given time.”
Cullen digested that news. He’d never stopped to think about his dad looking in on them. So many questions arose that he’d love to pose to Orrin about a few missions.
But that was for later.
He got to his feet. “How well do you know the locals?”
“There are many Russians about we could talk to. They run the docks.”
“Where I’m guessing there are a lot of warehouses where Orrin could be hidden.”
She wrinkled her nose and nodded. “Right you are. It would take days to search them.”
“Weeks. And we don’t have that kind of time.”
“Neither does Orrin.”
Cullen wondered what it was that brought his dad and Mia together. Orrin’s sons had gone out of their way to all but cut him from their lives, and yet Mia was willing to die for Orrin. So was Callie.
Callie had been a part of their family since she was thirteen and working on the ranch. He understood why Callie loved his father, but Mia was another matter entirely.
“You wanted the story from the beginning,” she said as she walked past him. “I left out a few things. I met Orrin my first year in the Air Force. He took an interest in me, urging me to follow my heart when it came to flying.”
Cullen watched her walk to the coffee pot, his eyes dropping to her hips as they swayed. She was smart, tough, and sassy. A combination that was a particular favorite of his.
Normally, he could control his reaction if there was an attraction, but she was different. She set him off-kilter in every way possible.
“How did you begin working with him?” Cullen asked.
She poured two cups of coffee and offered him one. “Remember me telling you I have a bit of an issue with taking orders? My time in the Air Force was short-lived, but I’d made good friends here.”
“Apparently.”
She walked back to her desk. “I’m willing to take missions others won’t. I’ve proven myself multiple times. One such time was when the pilot who was supposed to get Orrin and his team out of Argentina decided it was too dangerous.”
“But you didn’t think so?” he guessed.
Her smile was wide. “It was exceedingly dangerous, but lives were on the line.”
“So you rescued Orrin and the team, and in the process, he became beholden to you.”
Her smile faded slowly as a frown took its place. “Do you know your father at all? He’s a great man who elicits loyalty and love from anyone who knows him.”
He looked away from her penetrating gaze. “I don’t know my father like you do.”
“What a pity.”
“Yes, it is,” he admitted.
Her head cocked to the side. “We’ll find him.”
They’d better. Now that Cullen was in Delaware, he wasn’t going to stop until he’d found his father—and the bastards who took him.
“It’s late. I think you need to get home.”
“This is my home,” she argued.
He set down the coffee. He’d had a bad feeling ever since they’d arrived at the base. Something was off, and he suspected it had to do with everything surrounding his father. And Mia had been dragged into it.
But he didn’t want to tell her that part yet.
“The sooner we get started, the sooner we can find Orrin,” he said.
She gave a reluctant nod. “I’ll bring you to Sergei, then.”
The night air held a touch of fall as they walked from the office into the hangar. The distinct sound of two F-22 Raptors preparing for takeoff could be heard. The pilots gunned the engines, and in seconds, the most feared stealth aircrafts in the world were airborne.
His gaze immediately went to Mia’s plane. The twin-engine, medium-size bomber had been made obsolete nearly as soon as it took its first test flight and was regulated to transport duties. Intrigued by the pilot’s choice, he walked to the plane.
He spotted four machine guns placed at the fuselage—the main body of the aircraft—in forward-firing positions. Peering closer, he noted that the weapons weren’t those that had originally come with the plane. These new machine guns were modern, mobile, and extremely accurate.
Another four were on the dorsal turret, and another two on the ventral turret. All in all, the plane was armed better than the original—and with advanced weaponry.
But it wasn’t the plane’s retrofits that impressed him. It was Mia Carter.
She was a strong, capable woman, blazing her own trail in a male-dominated world. And she was doing a hell of a job. No wonder his father had taken such a fancy to her.
Mia’s beauty drew people in, but it was her intelligence and cunning that won her the day.
“What?” she asked, glancing his way.
Cullen shook his head, smiling. “I pity anyone who dares to go up against you. I’m not sure I’d have you in the air. I’d have you on ground assault.”
She laughed, her black eyes twinkling. It caused a surge of desire so strong, so swift to go through him that he misstepped and nearly lost his balance.
“I like you, Cullen Loughman. But you’ve not really seen me fly.”
“I’d like to.” It wasn’t just a hasty comment either. He really wanted to see what she could do.
He imagined that she was magnificent. Orrin had gotten to see and experience it several times. Cullen was instantly jealous of his father for being so fortunate.
That drew him up short. He never got jealous over a woman. Ever. He barely knew Mia, and yet the emotion was thick as honey within him.
His expression must have shown what he was feeling because she suddenly stopped and turned to face him. “Forget the estrangement from your father. It’ll all be forgotten as soon as the two of you are reunited.”
“Yeah,” he replied, not wanting to tell her she was completely wrong in her assessment since his head was spinning.
She put her hand on his arm, and something warm and tingling went through him, originating at the skin she touched. Her eyes widened a fraction as she looked at her hand. Then her gaze jerked to him.
Cullen had the urge to slide his hand around to her lower back and slowly draw her to him so he could kiss her long and slow, savoring every breath she took.
Her hand fell away, and she took a step back. “Um. Yes, it’s all going to be fine. Your father loves you.”
“So you’ve said. He’s been a father to you, as well.”
Her tongue peeked out to lick her lips. “I can’t deny that. I don’t have the best relationship with my father. Orrin always supported me.”
There went that surge of jealousy again. Cullen really needed to find a way to stop it. The best way would be to take her to his bed.
A thought he quickly dismissed since he disappeared from a woman’s life after sleeping with her. Now that he was working with Mia, that wouldn’t work.
There was going to be a lot of cold showers in his future.
As well as hating his father for a whole new reason.