Chapter 31
Haunted. That’s what Cullen was. Though he tried to hide it. He did a good job, but he’d allowed her to see some of it. Mia didn’t wonder why. She just accepted that he’d opened up.
She may not have been in the midst of battle the way Cullen had, but she had seen her fair share of it from the skies.
She’d only been in a few dogfights, but with millions of dollars worth of metal around you, it brought a different perspective to things.
Besides, any fights in the air were self-defense. It was completely different than Cullen, who was on the ground, coming face-to-face with the enemy.
Mia was fairly certain she wouldn’t handle things nearly as well as he had. She was amazed he didn’t suffer from PTSD. Or perhaps he did.
She put the address from the piece of paper in her phone and used the GPS to give Cullen directions. To her amazement, it wasn’t a mansion as she’d half expected based on Sergei’s preferences.
It was a modest house in a neighborhood that few would dare to venture into. The house was just run-down enough to mix with the rest.
“Well, isn’t this a welcome surprise,” Cullen said with a grin as he slowed the car to get a look out the window.
She returned his smile. “Sergei is full of surprises.”
“It’ll be perfect for us.” Cullen then drove off, turning in the direction of the Pentagon.
Nothing more was said as they cruised through the city and circled twice around the Pentagon. Everyone she saw was a Saint in her eyes. That’s what made the organization so dangerous, because they knew very little about them or who was involved.
It wasn’t just people with money and power. It was anyone and everyone.
She was thankful the windows were tinted to keep anyone from seeing her, because many looked. Several times, Cullen tried to find a place to park, but kept coming up empty.
“Let me out,” she said.
He shot her a frown.
“I’ll play the part of tourist and let you know if I spot him.”
“And if one of the Saints sees you?”
“The security details won’t ignore us sitting in the car.”
Cullen took the next left and drove away. “We’re going to need help.”
“Who?”
“Callie.”
Which meant he’d have to talk to Wyatt. Since Mia was an only child, she didn’t understand why some siblings didn’t get along. She’d always wanted a brother or sister. Family was family.
They were the only ones who could never turn you away because blood bonded blood. When her father and stepmother were gone, she would have no other family.
At least with a sibling, she’d know there was someone else with her in the world. Cullen had that and didn’t seem to understand how precious it was.
On the way back to the house, she wondered if he was mentally preparing to talk to Wyatt. It saddened her that the two brothers had such a rift between them.
At least Cullen talked to Owen easily. Maybe when all this was over, the brothers could mend whatever had pulled them apart. And she prayed that Orrin would be reunited with his sons.
“You think it’s wrong that I don’t want to talk to Wyatt, don’t you?” Cullen asked.
She shook her head. “Not at all. You explained your reasoning.”
“But?” he urged.
“I was an only child. I can’t tell you how lonely that was. My father and stepmother were frequently gone, and though I had someone to take care of me, it wasn’t like having a brother or sister. I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of you.”
“I didn’t think of it that way.” He wrinkled his nose while he turned into the driveway of the house. “That was insensitive of me.”
“You only know what you had. I’ve only known what I have.”
He put the vehicle in park and shut off the engine. Then he looked at her. “I want you to meet my brothers.”
“I hope I get to.” She looked at the house then. “Shall we?”
“Let’s.”
They exited the SUV together, closing the doors almost simultaneously. She met him at the front of the vehicle.
“I don’t suppose Sergei let you know how to get in?” Cullen asked.
“I only have the address.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Let’s try the back.”
She took out her gun and followed him around the house. She looked beneath the old mat, a cracked pot with the dried remains of some plant, and everywhere else she thought a key might be while Cullen did the same.
It was while she stared at the door that she realized there was something wrong with the doorbell. It was bigger than any she’d ever seen. “Do you know anyone who puts a doorbell on the back door?”
“No,” Cullen answered. “Then again, I haven’t met many men like Sergei.”
She walked up the two steps to the door and pushed the doorbell, listening. There was no sound from within the house. No matter how many times she pushed, there was nothing. She then wiggled the doorbell.
To her shock, it swung on a hinge from the top. When she pushed it to the side, she saw a keypad that lit up.
“Do you know the code?” Cullen said from behind her.
She eyed the keys. “Sergei would only send me without the code if he thought I could figure it out.”
“Then you know it.”
Mia lifted her hand, pausing over the keypad. There was only one time that Sergei had given her a code. It was after she’d been rescued from the sex slavers and needed a place where no one could find her.
It had been a beach house in the Florida Keys. Sergei had told her the code was a date, the first time she’d agreed to work with him.
She punched in 4-12-11.
There was a click as the door unlocked. She exchanged a look with Cullen, who gave her a wink. Then he opened the door and slowly stepped inside.
She replaced the outside of the doorbell and followed Cullen into the house. The inside was just as modest as the outside, but clean. She pulled the door shut behind her and heard the click of the locking mechanism.
“That’s a steel door,” Cullen said. “No one is getting in. At least not fast.”
That gave her some relief. While he explored the upstairs, she checked the kitchen. The pantry and fridge were completely stocked. The produce looked fresh, as if someone had bought it that day.
“Two bedrooms and one bath upstairs,” Cullen said as he walked down the stairs and into the living room.
She went out to meet him. “Everything we could want is in the kitchen.”
“This must be a safe house. The windows are double paned with bulletproof glass.”
“So we’re safe.”
He nodded. “I think so.”
She smiled and sprawled on the sofa. “It feels great to be out of the car.”
“Yeah.”
She lifted her head from the pillow and saw him holding the cell phone, his face lined with apprehension. “I can call Callie.”
“I need to do this.” He drew in a deep breath and released it. Then he dialed a number before putting it on speaker and setting the phone on the wooden coffee table.
“Hello?” Callie answered.
Cullen smiled at the sound of her voice. “Hey, Cal.”
“Cullen? Is that you?” she asked hopefully.
“It’s me.”
Callie let out a whoop. Then she asked, “Where’s Mia?”
“I’m here,” Mia replied.
“It’s so good to hear from you both,” Callie said. “We were getting worried.”
Cullen rubbed a hand over his jaw, scraping his whiskers. “Callie, unfortunately I don’t really have a lot of time to fill you in right now. Suffice it to say that it’s not just Russians after us. It’s a group—the Saints.”
“That’s what was written on that paper Natalie took from the embassy,” Callie said.
Mia sat up and scooted to the end of the couch. She clasped her hands together with her forearms propped on her knees. “The Saints are well connected. They have people everywhere.”
“They’re looking for us, so we’re hiding,” Cullen explained.
“Do you need us?” Callie asked.
Cullen licked his lips. “What I need is for you to use your magic.”
“Where are you?” came a deep voice over the phone.
Mia knew without asking that it was Wyatt. Cullen’s entire attitude changed. He stiffened, and his face hardened. Her heart hurt for both brothers.
There was a pregnant pause before Cullen said, “Virginia.”
“Good. Based on information that Owen and Natalie got, Orrin is supposed to be there,” Callie said.
Cullen sat in one of the chairs. “We’re looking for a Major General Yuri Markovic. Mia saw him at Dover AFB, and I know he’s been at the Pentagon.”
“You think he took Orrin?” Wyatt asked.
Mia said, “We think he’s a good place to start. I did some business with Yuri before, and I can use that as our way in to see him. We think he’s part of the Saints. The problem is, we need to find him.”
“Ah,” Callie said. “Give me some time. I’ll locate him. What number is this you called from?”
“A burner,” Cullen answered. “Our phones were being tracked by the Saints.”
There was some mumbling. Then Callie said, “That means they could be monitoring ours, as well. We’ll have to get new ones. I’ll call when I have something.”
The line went dead then.
Mia smiled at Cullen. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“No.”
She rubbed her hands on her thighs. “I know it’s none of my business, and feel free to ignore this, but I can’t imagine what it was like for your brothers to find your mom as they did. That event changed all of you, but I’m betting it affected Wyatt more than you or Owen.
“I’m not saying Wyatt isn’t at fault for his actions in how he’s treated you. What I am saying is that perhaps he doesn’t even know he’s doing it because of the pain he carries. The same pain you have.”
When Cullen didn’t reply, she wished she hadn’t said anything. She got to her feet and started past him. His hand reached out and grabbed hers.
She halted, her head swinging toward him. Looking deep into his hazel eyes, she found that she wanted to soothe all of his hurts and wash away his pain.
The seconds stretched on as their gazes held. The air became fraught with desire as the coldness left his beautiful eyes to be replaced by blatant desire.
She waited for him to do something. Say anything. But the moment came and went. She swallowed and pulled her hand from his.
Perhaps it was better that nothing else happened between them. Because the longer she was around Cullen, the more she wanted to know about him.
Without a backward glance, she went up the stairs to put some space between them—and her heart.