Chapter 10
Cameron
Excitement bubbles in Lacey’s triumphant tone as she holds up the USB device. The small, unassuming piece of plastic and metal is the first break we’ve had since her friend’s murder. “Whatever is on that drive, people have already killed for it,” I say. “And they’re not done.”
She pales and I regret my words immediately. “Don’t remind me.”
“Let me see,” I say, holding out my hand.
My mind races as I take the drive from her. The faint heat of her fingers lingers against mine, sends a ripple of need through my blood, but I push the distraction aside. “This has to be what those assholes are after.”
“So, Adrian gave this to me as a kind of insurance? But why?” she asks. “I’m just an ordinary person without any connections to any kind of authority that could help him.”
I want to touch her shoulder, offer her comfort, support. But I restrain myself. Got to keep things professional after she punted the idea of spending more time with me. Not that I can blame her. My job takes me away from home a lot. And I’m not a white-picket-fence kind of guy.
Not since my world turned upside down after my fiancée died ten years ago.
“He probably had no other choice,” I say. “And he needed to make sure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
She hugs her waist. “How could he endanger my life like this? Why?”
“He trusted you to keep this safe.”
“And put me into the line of fire. Damn it.” She hugs herself a little tighter. “I didn’t even know the business card holder was important. If you hadn’t made me dump my purse…”
“You didn’t know because Adrian didn’t want you to. Less risk that way.” I slide the USB in my pocket for now. “But now that we’ve found it, we’ve got a place to start hunting for the killers, their motivation, and who is behind ordering the hit.”
Her breath hitches and she releases her waist to rub trembling fingers to her temple.
I instantly regret my bluntness but sugarcoating what’s going on won’t help.
She’s already been attacked twice, and the clock is ticking.
“I’m contacting Beckett, and we’ll rendezvous here with Liam to figure out what’s on the USB. ”
“Should we contact Detective Reynolds?” she asks.
“No.” I shake my head sharply. “Not yet. She’ll want to take this in as evidence. Too much red tape involved, and we don’t have time to waste.”
“Because you’re going back to your unit overseas,” she reminds me with a solemn voice.
I don’t know when I’ll be cleared for action again, but my next doctor appointment is in two weeks. Today’s attack in the parking lot proved the damage to my shoulder while running my last op no longer exists. I didn’t experience any pain or weakness after I stopped that asshole.
I know I’m physically ready for my next assignment.
Lacey purses her lips and looks at me like she wants to argue but thinks better of it. Instead, she makes her way over to the couch and sinks into it, her shoulders sagging. “What now?”
I crouch in front of her, resting my forearms on my knees so I’m at eye level.
“Liam’s got stellar IT skills. Not sure how he learned to do it, but he can hack into anything given enough time,” I say.
“We’ll have him take a crack at this drive.
He’ll scan it to see what Adrian was trying to protect, and plan from there. ”
“What about my job?” she asks. “I have to go in tomorrow.”
“That’s too risky. Can’t you use a vacation day or call in sick until this is solved?”
“I have a lot at stake here. I could lose my chance for the promotion if they can’t rely on me. So, I have to show up for work.”
“You will, but not tomorrow. We can’t give the jerks any indication that we’ve found what they’re looking for,” I say firmly. “Now that we’ve found it, we’ve got to move fast because every day that you’re out in public, and exposed, you’re in their sights.”
She visibly shudders and takes in a shaky breath.
“If I don’t go in, won’t they suspect that I’ve found what they’re looking for?
” she asks after miniscule moment of silence.
“Much as I don’t want to suggest it, shouldn’t I be a pawn to draw them out while your team works on tracking whatever information is on the USB? ”
“Unfortunately, yes, but not until we know what we’re dealing with on that damn USB.”
She closes her eyes, inhales another deep breath like she’s gathering her strength and trying to calm herself. After she releases it, she opens her eyes and locks them onto mine. “Okay, I’ll wait for you to give me the go-ahead. But I hate being used like bait,” she says.
Once more, I want to close the scant distance between us and hold her, make her feel protected in my arms. But I tamp down the desire, the primal need to protect what’s mine coursing through my veins.
“You’re the wildcard they didn’t expect.
And they sure as hell didn’t expect you to have me,” I say firmly, hoping my words will ease her fear even while my fear for her life is rising higher.
“They also didn’t expect to fight a force of elite protectors and a secret agency with the power and tools to combat them. ”
A faint smile tugs at her lush lips, but it doesn’t reach her beautiful, blue eyes. “Lucky me,” she says softly.
I extend a hand to pull her to her feet. “You’ve got more than luck, Lacey. You’ve got me, Liam, Beckett and the full force of my agency behind you,” I say. “We’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe and unravel this mess, get the assholes to justice and get you back to living a normal life.”
Her hand lingers in mine longer than necessary. For a second, the barrier she erected between us feels thinner, weaker. Damn. How easy would it be to cut through that barrier and give us both what we want? What I crave?
But before I screw up and act on that craving, she pulls back, tucking her arms around herself again. And the distance returns.
Good. That’s fucking great. I need to keep that distance until I cross the ocean and return to my unit in Kuwait.
“Let’s do this,” she says.
“Yes.” The sooner we learn what’s on the USB, the faster we can find the shitheads behind the murder. “But first I’ll contact Beckett and Liam, tell them what we’ve found.”
“Great. I’ll tell my manager I can’t come into work while you do that,” she says with a resigned sigh. “God. I hope this doesn’t mean I’ll lose my promotion, maybe even my job.”
“Don’t worry about shit you have no control over. Whatever happens, you’ll be okay.”
“Thanks for that vote of confidence, but I’m not so sure.”
“You’ve handled everything like a pro. They can’t fault you for something you didn’t do.”
While I’m texting my team members, she takes the time to contact her manager. When she’s done, relief fills her eyes. “Everything is fine for now.”
“Excellent,” I say. “Beckett’s driving down tomorrow to join us and Riley’s coming along to keep you company while we work.”
I don’t know much about her family, but my team is one.
And we’re adding to it with every new partner we bring into our circle.
The people who married into our fold know the drill.
Maybe if Lacey sees how she’s never alone even if I’m gone for weeks at a time, she might change her mind about spending more time with me.
Something powerful punches me behind the ribcage. Fucking hell. Where did that come from? I ignore the sensation as I lead her to Liam’s home office. “Let’s crack into this thing and see why people are getting murdered for it.”
I power up the laptop and insert the USB into the port. But when I open the drive, there’s no way I can break into it without the help of my team.
Not without losing all the information hidden behind the encrypted codes.