Chapter 3
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QUINN SMILED TO HERSELF as she headed down the hallway.
Knox had looked shocked as hell at her statement, but she knew he wouldn’t act on it—not right now, at any rate.
He was quiet. More serious than his teammates.
But she’d given him something to mull over.
Neither of them had time for that right now anyway.
They were on a deadline, and lives were at stake.
Laughter erupted from Holt’s office as they headed toward it, and her brow creased in confusion. He was already hanging up the phone when she poked her head in the door, Knox right behind her.
Holt looked up, glancing between the two of them, yet not seeming surprised in the least that they were together.
Quinn felt a flush wash over her. Knox was standing so close, she could feel the heat emanating off his athletic frame.
And he smelled good, too. Clean, but with a woodsy scent that was pure male.
He towered above her, and she felt distinctly feminine.
Knox was appealing in all sorts of ways, but standing together in front of their boss was not the time to mull over that thought.
“Anna is a wildcard,” Holt said, shaking his head. “I’m not sure how Jett deals with her every day,” he said. “A woman like that would drive me mad.”
“I’m not sure a meek, quiet woman could handle you,” Quinn said. “Or Jett for that matter.”
“Huh. I don’t have time for a wife anyway,” Holt muttered.
Quinn worked that thought over. A wife? As far as she knew, the boss didn’t even date. Ever.
“Gotta take a woman out on a date first before you marry her,” Knox pointed out. Quinn’s lips quirked.
Holt flattened both hands on his desk, eyeing the two of them for a beat, then stood. “Don’t have time for that either,” he said, all business once again. “I’m heading down to brief with some of the analysts. Do you have an update for me?”
“We’re in,” Quinn told him. “I’ve got eyes on the city near the Space Needle. I’ve hacked into the traffic cams and other surveillance systems. We can see whatever we want.”
“Good job,” Holt said. “And what about the side project?” he said, his gaze narrowing.
“Still monitoring the chatter on the dark web, but I’m almost into one of the men’s accounts. I’ll be able to impersonate him and gather further intelligence about the terror plot if it works like I expect it to.”
“Excellent. Keep me posted,” Holt said, moving around his desk and toward the door. He pointed a finger at Knox. “Make sure she eats. I know for a fact that Quinn skipped lunch.”
“Yes, sir,” Knox said.
Quinn backed up in surprise as Holt headed their way, bumping into Knox’s muscled chest. Shivers snaked down her spine as Knox’s big hands steadied her, and she liked the feel of them on her bare arms a little too much.
How would a man like Knox be in the bedroom? He might be quiet, but he was intense.
Knox released her, and Quinn instantly felt the loss of heat from his big frame.
She wasn’t usually rattled around Knox, but she felt slightly flustered after backing into him.
The guy was rock solid, clearly big everywhere.
He was nothing but masculine flesh over hard muscles. A delicious shiver wracked through her.
“Cold?” he asked, his deep voice husky.
She turned toward him, looking up into his dark eyes.
They were close. So damn close that it was probably inappropriate given they were colleagues, yet she felt trapped in his gaze, neither of them moving away.
A wicked thought shot through her—Knox’s woodsy, clean scent all over her skin, his big body hovering over hers as she lay on his bed.
Yes, in her fantasy, she was definitely in Knox’s bedroom.
Quinn imagined his hands moving over her body, positioning her how he wanted. Lining himself up and—
She’d be at his complete mercy as they made love, his muscled arms caging her in.
Knox might’ve been the quietest man on his team, but he was still a complete alpha male. Confident. In charge. Quinn had the sense that he would easily take control in the bedroom when he was with a lover—and she was one hundred percent for that.
The air between them thickened, pulsing with electricity.
“You shivered,” he said, his voice husky. His eyes raked over her like a caress, assessing.
“I’m okay,” she replied, still flustered by how close he stood. By the way he looked at her so intently. Knox looked like a man who wanted to solve all her problems. It was flattering. Unnerving. “Let’s head down to the cafeteria,” she finally said, her voice soft.
“Ladies first,” Knox told her, his voice nothing but a low rumble.
He was affected, too. Quinn’s heart thudded.
He gestured for her to go ahead, and warmth flooded through her entire body.
Knox was simply being polite, but every moment she spent with him felt like they were edging closer to something big.
***
AN HOUR LATER, KNOX was back in his office, frowning at his computer screen.
Quinn had barely gotten a chance to grab some food when someone from IT had called her back upstairs.
He had his own emails and updates to review before the briefing.
The clock was ticking, and he felt antsy, eager to move into action.
The threat wasn’t necessarily more urgent than any other they’d dealt with, but it felt different, like something he hadn’t planned for was about to happen.
He brushed off the uneasiness churning through him. Knox liked to look at things from all angles. Plan for multiple scenarios. Assess a situation thoroughly before he voiced his thoughts. Yet he couldn’t find words to explain what was bothering him now.
His fists clenched.
It felt like something ominous was going to happen. Knox didn’t know how he knew, he just did. All he could do was stand ready to solve whatever mishap sprung up. No one could predict the future, and for a man that appreciated careful control of a situation, that bothered him.
He eyed the time on his monitor, rising and heading down to the bullpen.
They’d hash out multiple plans there, and he’d feel more settled after going over things with his teammates.
Some of the men were already there when he arrived, and he grabbed a seat at the conference table.
There was a commotion in the hallway, and as Quinn rushed in with Boone and Radley, Knox could see that she was rattled.
He frowned as she conferred with Holt, unable to keep his eyes off her.
What was going on?
Quinn faced the room, and as she clasped her hands together, Knox realized she was nervous. Protectiveness and concern wound through him. She was always poised, calm as she relayed technical details, and whatever had happened must be something big.
“We’ve discovered that bombs will be planted in self-driving vehicles across multiple cities,” Quinn told the assembled group.
“These vehicles are already in use in L.A., one of the targets. Although the self-driving cars are not available for customers to ride in certain markets yet, they will be.”
“How’s that affect us aside from L.A.?” Xaden asked. “If these self-driving vehicles aren’t in use, how could the terror cell use them to plant explosives?”
Quinn pinned him with a look. “Because they’re being tested. Passengers can’t ride in them yet, but if the terror cell gains access to the systems? All bets are off. They figured out how to bypass it all. They can access the vehicles, take over the controls, and load them with explosives.”
She continued with her explanation of the technical aspects, and Knox’s mind was already racing through multiple scenarios. They’d known the explosives were being shipped in crates, but until now, they’d assumed lone actors would head to the specific sites and plant the bombs.
This changed everything.
“The delivery mechanism is not what analysts originally assessed,” Quinn stressed, echoing his own thoughts.
“There aren’t going to be unattended backpacks left lying around.
No one is parking a rental truck full of explosives in front of a landmark or crowded area.
The crates packed with explosives will be in cars that for all intents and purposes appear harmless. ”
Holt began barking out orders, and then suddenly everyone was in motion.
Knox headed right toward Quinn as they finished. “I can’t believe you figured that out,” he said, impressed.
“I’ve been digging around the dark web,” she admitted.
‘The encrypted messages were posing a problem, but we were finally able to decode them. I’ve also gotten into one of their own personas.
They think I’m one of the terror cell members.
Until this guy logs on and realizes I’ve been posing as him, we’re good. ”
“Holy shit. You’re a little scary,” Knox said with a low chuckle.
She beamed at him.
“Only you would be thrilled at that compliment,” he joked.
Quinn licked her lips, smiling. She clearly thrived in an adrenaline-driven environment. Maybe she’d been nervous, but she’d briefed the room like a pro. “I’ve got to head back upstairs and check in with the IT staff,” she told him. “I’ve got one of my guys monitoring the chatter.”
“Okay. You need help watching the camera feeds later? Holt has Gage and me on standby. Right now, I’ve got to contact the Seattle PD to surveil the self-driving vehicle lots. Gage will reach out to LAPD. The rest of the team is making preparations to roll out.”
“I can definitely use your help later. I have the IT staff, but another set of eyes is always good. You’ll be looking for different things no doubt given your background. Besides, after Boone and Radley arrive in L.A., I’ll be busy getting into the systems they need there.”
His dark eyes locked with hers for a moment. “All right. I’ll touch base with you later.”
She nodded, looking like she wanted to say something else, but then rushed off as quickly as she’d arrived at their briefing earlier. Knox watched her go down the hall, her hair swishing behind her. He breathed in, realizing the area they’d been standing in smelled like jasmine.
Floral. Sweet. Fucking intoxicating.
She glanced back at the end of the hallway, no doubt feeling Knox’s eyes on her, and gave him a little wave.
A feeling of rightness washed over him.
He’d see her later tonight, and after this terror plot was behind them, he’d get a chance to finally ask her out.
Knox was confident she’d say yes. The flushes Quinn got around him, the spark in her eyes, and the times he’d caught her watching him all pointed toward go.
He would tread carefully for now, both of them focusing on the mission, but something told him ignoring the chemistry and connection he had with Quinn would be a huge mistake.