Bound to Danger: A Deadly Ops Novel (9 page)

Cade shot her a sharp look as he slowed to a stop in front of a red light. “Yes, why?”

“It’s fuzzy, but I remember his name and . . . another name. Clay Ervin. I feel afraid even saying their names and I don’t know why.” She wrapped her arms around herself and fought the shudder that racked her. What the hell had happened at that party that she was blocking out?

Cade immediately got on his phone and called someone. After a brief conversation in which he relayed what she’d told him, he got off his cell and gave her a look she couldn’t quite define. Ignoring it, she called her dad and tried to explain why she wasn’t going to be at his place as planned without breaking into tears. Her father didn’t understand, because she barely did herself. She could tell he was hurt, but she didn’t have any other choice.

The conversation was painful and when she finally hung up, she shot Cade an angry look. “So, where are we staying tonight?”

“A safe house or a hotel,” he said almost absently as he slowed down and pulled up to a curb a few houses away from the truck they’d been tracking.

The passenger-side door was open and from what she could tell, it didn’t appear as if anyone was in it.

Swallowing hard, she took in their surroundings. She’d been concentrating on her phone call and hadn’t realized that they’d entered an older, run-down neighborhood with chain-link fences surrounding the front yards of the one-story homes. Each house had bars on the windows. She could hear loud music thumping from one of the houses nearby and there were a few people huddled together, talking over one of the fences, three houses down from where they were parked.

Cade lifted his pant leg and pulled out a small revolver. “You know how to use this?”

Of course she knew how. She was a single woman who lived alone in Miami and worked at a center with kids who often had dangerous relatives pissed at her or her people for trying to give the kids a better life. And pissed often equaled violent. Nodding, she took it even though she didn’t want to. “Yeah.”

“Good. Stay here and keep the doors locked. If something happens to me, get out of here.” Cade didn’t give her a chance to argue before he slid from the SUV like a ghost.

She hadn’t even seen him withdraw his weapon, but she could see it clearly in his hand as he crept up on the back of the truck. Body tense, he moved along the back, then side and hurried to the open passenger door, weapon drawn. Just as quickly, he sheathed it in his shoulder
holster and though she couldn’t hear, she saw his mouth move in what looked like an unmistakable curse.

Leaning in, he grabbed a stack of papers from the glove compartment, then headed toward the two men talking to each other by one of the fences. One of the guys saw him, turned, and sprinted away, but the other stayed and talked to him.

After a few minutes, Cade returned to the SUV, his expression grim.

“What happened?” she demanded.

“I got a call from one of our analysts that the vehicle was just reported stolen, and that guy I just spoke to confirmed that three white guys just left it here, then got into a Humvee and split.”

“So you have no clue who was in my house?”

He shook his head, frustration clear in every line. “We’re going to have the locals pick up the truck and dust it for prints and anything else, but . . . no.”

Maria leaned back against the seat, tension still radiating from her body. Tomorrow was her mom’s funeral, some unknown men had broken into her house, and she couldn’t even go home or be with her family. “So, what do we do now?”

“Wait for the cops to secure the vehicle, then head to a hotel,” he muttered as he started the engine. In less than two minutes, a couple of black-and-whites steered down the street, lights flashing. Cade didn’t wait to talk to them, just pulled away from the curb and they headed out. After a few moments of driving, he asked, “How well do you know that ICE agent?”

Surprised by the question, she shrugged. “We’re friends. A while ago he helped the parents of some of my kids
get political asylum. Their families had left horrific situations only to be harassed almost as badly here. They couldn’t go to the police to press charges because they were illegal. It was a nightmare. One of the kids finally came to me and I went to Wayne. He bent over backward helping them out. . . . He’s a good man, so whatever you’re thinking, don’t.”

“I just find it interesting that not long after he left, someone broke into your house.”

Maria took a deep breath and tried to rein in her anger. It was just a coincidence. If a terrorist could sneak into her hospital room, then it wasn’t a stretch to imagine one breaking into her house. “Anyone could have found out my address. It’s not that hard.”

Cade just grunted and kept his eyes on the street, but she could see the wheels in his head turning. Whatever he was thinking, she just hoped he didn’t think her friend had been involved with any of this. That just wasn’t possible.

•   •   •

Date: October 11, 2006

To: Cade O’Reilly

From: Maria Cervantes

Subject: Cookies

You made my mom’s entire year. She and my aunt are making you enough of those cookies to feed a small platoon (is that the right word for the Marines?). Of course my aunt’s taking over the kitchen like she always does. Fine with me, though, because I’m eating everything they don’t send, lol. I’ll send them out this week along with a bunch of books. What kind do you want? Fiction, nonfiction, specific genre . . . ? I could send you some
from my romance collection, but I don’t think those are your reading style *g*.

Classes are good, but no, not telling them anything yet. In the end I know they’ll deal with my choices, but I don’t want to have to listen to them try to change my mind for months and months on end. And when I say “them,” I mean my mom. I love her like crazy, but she drives me nuts sometimes.

Well, my eyes are about to fall out I’m so tired. I’ve got class at 7 tomorrow (remind me why I ever thought that was a good idea?), so I’m going to crash. Stay safe!

xo,
Maria

Collateral damage: damage, injuries, or deaths that are incidental to an intended target(s). Unintended civilian casualties or destruction of civilian property.

M
aria stepped inside the quiet two-story house in the middle-class neighborhood Cade had driven them to. He’d originally planned to take her to a hotel but had made a last-minute change and brought her to a safe house. Which was fine with her. She desperately needed sleep and preferred a house to a hotel by far. She wouldn’t be faced with random strangers or social niceties. The thought of interacting with people—no, thanks.

“A security team will be arriving in a few hours to guard the place, but only three people know we’re even here and I trust them with my life,” Cade said as he locked the door behind them. He also set the alarm using a standard-looking keypad.

“Just show me to my room,” she said tiredly, hoping she didn’t sound ungrateful. Because she wasn’t. She was glad to be protected from whoever wanted her dead, but mental exhaustion was pressing in on her. Especially since she knew she had to wake up in a few hours for her mom’s funeral. That was going to be hard enough to deal with even if she had a full night of sleep.

“You want to eat first? This place is stocked with anything you want.” Concern etched his expression.

The thought of food wasn’t appealing. She shook her head. “No, but thank you. I’d just like to take a shower and crash.” She picked up the bag he’d set in the foyer, but he took it from her and motioned that she should follow him up a set of stairs.

The house was painted with warm earth tones and had nice furniture, but there were no pictures or anything personal on the walls or shelves. “Does the NSA use this house a lot?”

Cade shook his head as they reached the top of the stairs. “No. This is actually a transitional WITSEC house, but my boss pulled some strings to get us put here.”

“A transitional house?” She knew what WITSEC was but didn’t understand what he meant.

Three doors down, he held open a door for her and motioned inside. “Sometimes witnesses put into the Witness Protection Program stop over here or other similar locations for a few days before being moved to their permanent location.”

“Oh.” She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the queen-sized bed with a simple white comforter set with tiny pink flowers embroidered in the soft-looking material. The bed looked like heaven.

“Shower’s through there.” Cade pointed to the other door in the room. “I’m going to get something to eat downstairs, but I’ll be sleeping right next door.”

“Okay, thanks. The funeral’s at eleven, Cade. I’m not missing it.” They hadn’t talked about it again, but she was
going no matter what he might think. She might not have the energy for much, but this was one fight he’d lose.

“I know, I already talked to my boss. You’re going to have to go in disguise, but you’re attending.” His expression wasn’t exactly happy, but he seemed resigned that she was going. Which was good because at least he wasn’t arguing with her.

The thought of going in a disguise sucked, but it was better than nothing. She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t stand the thought of bringing danger to anyone at the funeral, and if someone truly wanted her dead, it would make sense that they would look for her there. Since most of the bodies—including her mother’s—hadn’t yet been recovered from the rubble, it was just going to be a ceremony at her parents’ church. No urn, no casket, nothing. There was no guarantee all the bodies would be discovered anyway. Many had been obliterated in the blast. That thought brought up another wave of grief.

“Okay,” she rasped out. Her throat tightened, making it impossible to speak more, so she just picked up her bag and headed for the bathroom.

Once inside, she stripped and turned the shower to hot. Even though she’d brought her own things, there was shampoo, conditioner, a razor, and shower gel in the tiled stall. Cade hadn’t been kidding. This place was stocked. Once the water turned hot, she stepped inside and let the jets pummel her tense shoulders. It didn’t help any and when her fingers started to prune from being in the water so long, she got out and made a half-ass attempt to towel-dry her hair.

Next she pulled out the simple black dress she would be wearing in the morning and hung it up to get out the
wrinkles. Actual ironing was so not one of her priorities at the moment. The closet was surprisingly large, made even more so with her lone dress hanging there.

Sighing, she tugged on panties, set the alarm on her phone so she’d wake up in plenty of time to get ready, then crawled under the covers. The sheets were cool against her skin, a sharp contrast to the hot shower she’d just taken. Feeling as if she were on a giant cloud, she closed her eyes and tried to block out the images of fire and rubble that appeared each time she did. The scene from when she’d woken with paramedics looking down at her worriedly just wouldn’t disappear. The terror, the confusion—it was as if it was seared into her pores and she couldn’t shake those feelings or the ever-growing fear inside her. As more thoughts continued to race through her mind, she squeezed her eyes shut, willing sleep to come.

•   •   •

I’ve got to tell someone. Find a phone. Like, yesterday.
Urgency bombarded Maria as she raced over the grass and across the expansive property. Why wasn’t anyone here? Where were the guards? She couldn’t go back through the house or else
they
might see her.

Even thinking of those men’s words terrified her. The Freedom Tower. Lord, it sounded as if they wanted to target places all over Miami. But why? Okay, she didn’t care why. She just wanted to stop them.

Beneath her the earth began to rumble. Fire and destruction burst through the night sky. . . .

“Maria . . . Maria.”

Opening her eyes, Maria realized Cade was staring down at her, his handsome face a mask of concern.

Light from the adjacent bathroom streamed in, giving her enough illumination to make out her surroundings.

His hand was on her shoulder and he’d been lightly shaking her. She glanced down and realized her sheet was pulled over her breasts, covering her. She blinked, trying to orient herself from the nightmare. Sweat dotted her upper lip, and her palms were damp. She wiped at her face as she tried to will her racing heart to slow down. “The Freedom Tower.”

“What?” His piercing eyes narrowed a fraction. “Are you okay?”

They had to
do
something. “Someone is going to bomb the Freedom Tower. I don’t know when or . . . anything else. I just know they are.” It scared her that she didn’t know how she possessed that knowledge or who was behind it, but she had no doubt that something was going to happen there if she didn’t stop it.

Cade looked torn for a moment as he stood, but he remained at the edge of the bed. “You’re sure?”

She nodded. “I dreamed about the explosion. Well, before it. Most of that night is still a blank, but I remember that.”

“Do you know who?”

Fury surged through her at the unknown men. Why couldn’t she remember more? “No.”

“Give me a second.” He disappeared from her room but returned five minutes later, still looking tense. “I’ve informed my boss. Someone’s going to look into it. They’re also following up on a lead—the one you gave them about Clay Ervin. Looks like you might have been right.”

Before she could ask who the man was, Cade shook
his head. “I don’t know more than that and the truth is, I might not be able to tell you more even when I do have details.”

That pissed her off, but she actually understood. She wanted to help as much as she could, but she also knew they had national security to worry about. Her own curiosity didn’t matter when weighed against finding the terrorists behind the bombing and apparent new murder. “I get it,” she murmured.

Cade stood there for a long moment, watching her, as if unsure whether he should go or not. Wearing plain black boxers and nothing else, the man looked delicious. Not that she should be noticing him like that. Especially not now.

But it was hard not to when all those muscles, tattoos, and raw sexuality were right in front of her face. It was as if he’d been cut from marble. His body was exquisite, though something told her that if he knew what she was thinking it would embarrass him. But the man had a body that artists or photographers would kill to mold or photograph. There was such a raw sexual vibe he put off.

He exuded a quiet strength and undeniable power. It was one of the things that had originally drawn her to him years ago, part of why she’d decided to start e-mailing him. She swallowed hard, hating how weak she felt at the moment. But she was human and decided to ask for what she wanted. Even if he rejected her. “Will you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?” She’d been tossing and turning and even though she’d finally fallen into a fitful doze, her eyes were gritty and she felt as if she’d run a marathon instead of sleeping.

His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he immediately
nodded. “Yeah, just give me a sec.” Once again he disappeared from the room, returning moments later with a gun, phone, and pillow. After placing them on the small nightstand, he started to stretch out onto the floor, but she frowned and pulled back the comforter, still keeping herself mostly covered with the sheet.

“You can sleep on top of the sheet if it makes you feel better,” she muttered. Maria was too damn tired to think of sex right now. She just wanted someone to hold her. If that made her weak, then she didn’t care.

After a longer pause this time, he slid in behind her. Maria turned her back to him, hoping he’d wrap his arm around her. The bed depressed a little and shook as he settled in. Seconds later, he did what she’d hoped. Pulling her close, his chin resting on the top of her head as he wrapped his strong arm around her middle, he sighed. “This isn’t protocol for an NSA agent.”

It was hard to read his tone, but he didn’t sound put out by holding her. “I don’t care.” She laid her own arm over his and settled back against his strong chest. The man was so warm he was like a furnace. Considering how chilled and shaky she’d been, this was heavenly comfort. She wished the sheet wasn’t between them, but even with it covering her back, she still savored his embrace.

“Neither do I.” His voice was almost a whisper, his warm breath teasing her hair.

An unexpected frisson of awareness curled through her at his words, but she ignored it and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure how much time passed as they lay there in the near darkness, but she knew he wasn’t asleep. His breathing was steady and reassuring, but he was tense. And . . . she could feel his erection even though he’d
tried to move his hips away from her. Apparently the man was huge all over.

Something she didn’t want to know because it made her think all sorts of things. Like how that thick length would feel thrusting inside her. Her nipples strained against the thin sheet as heat slowly built between her legs. Cade was turned on. Because of her. Finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Are you . . .”

“Yeah,” he said through gritted teeth. Even though his breathing was steady, his voice certainly wasn’t.

“You don’t have to stay.” Even though it was selfish, she still wanted him to. She might not be able to sleep yet, but she felt safe. All because of him.

“I want to.”

If she was completely honest with herself, she wanted him with her but not just because of the comfort factor. It had been a long time since she’d had sex or any sort of relationship, but right now the thought of . . . No. She didn’t need to do anything stupid. Lord, the man had cut communication with her years ago as if she meant nothing. The thought made her go cold, the iciness invading her veins as she remembered how much she’d cried, not only over the loss of her brother, but of her friendship with Cade.

As if he sensed her train of thought, his grip tightened. “What are you thinking?”

“Why did you stop writing me? The truth.” It was like dropping a bomb into the quiet.

He went still, but finally he answered, “When Riel and the rest of my team died, I didn’t handle it well. You were a reminder of my best friend, so instead of bringing you down with me, I cut contact. It was a shitty thing to do, I know that. But it was the only way I could deal at the
time. I wish I could say it was a youthful thing to do, but I wasn’t that young. I was just mourning. If I could go back . . . fuck, I don’t know what I’d do, Maria.”

When he laid it out in such blunt terms, she actually understood. Still, they’d been friends, with the possibility of more, and she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that he was holding something back. She turned over so she could face him. Her sheet slid down, and cool air rushed over her breasts, but she didn’t make a move to cover herself. Even with the bathroom light his face was cast in shadows, but she could see enough and she knew he could too. His gaze dipped to her breasts for a moment, and he swallowed hard, but he quickly met her gaze.

“You hurt me.” She wanted him to know. “I cried over you and Riel. I lost both of you at once.”

His jaw tightened. “I know and I’m so damn sorry. More than you know.” His hand settled on her hip, his fingers flexing slightly as his gaze dipped to her chest again. “You deserved better than that. Better than me.”

Her nipples tightened even harder, the peaks becoming almost painfully aroused. She didn’t just want him looking at her. It didn’t matter that he’d hurt her. Okay, it
did
matter, but some primal part of her wanted the release she knew he could give her. She wanted his mouth on her breasts, teasing them until she was begging for more.

Cade sucked in a deep breath, his nostrils slightly flaring, but he didn’t say anything else or make a move to touch her. And she wanted him to. Sex should be the last thing on her mind, but she could lose herself in him for just a little while and feel no regret.

“No,” he said quietly, correctly reading her thoughts.

“No, what?”

“I know what you’re thinking. You’ll regret it in the morning.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking?” she whispered. And what made him think she’d regret it later?