Danger Mine: A Base Branch Novel (4 page)

K
hani called
upon every ounce of decorum she possessed and nodded at Street before slicing Vail with her gaze. “What’s going on, Commander?”

Vail’s mouth screwed into a knot. He hated when she called him that. She ticked a dash on her scorecard—which was behind quite a few points at the moment thanks to Carmen, her brother, Street, and now her commander.

“London Branch is lending us Lieutenant Commander Street to help clear us,” Vail pointed between her and himself, “of all suspicion of traitorous activity for our part in the recent security breach.”

That explained why Street wore a suit. She’d assumed he’d worn it only to inflame her lady bits. That might have been a better reason.

“Hold the fucking ringer.” She stepped forward and smacked her empty cup onto the desk. Her gaze narrowed to slits on the horse-sized man who made the average desk chair look like a child’s toy. “You mean to tell me, you’re now LTC of the London office? How in the hell did that happen? I know five people off the tip of my nose more experienced than you, with more time in the outfit, and more…”

She thought to say mettle, but that wasn’t exactly true. Street had taken a bullet saving three of their own from an ambush. A bullet that changed the course of her life. He’d been off duty, put together the pieces of an intricate scheme on the open case, and acted without her clearance. If he’d taken the time to call for back up or get permission to act, the day would have ended more tragically than it had.

“No one was more surprised than me,” Street said.

“Who appointed you?” she demanded.

“The commander,” he answered smoothly.

“Who is…” She spread her arms wide, willing him to fill in the blank.

“He wants to tell you himself.” One of his huge shoulders shrugged.

Khani snapped her gaze to Vail. “Do you know who the hell it is?”

Vail nodded his greying head once.

“And you’re not going to tell me either. Un-fucking-believable.” She slapped her hands together so hard it burned her palms. “And now he’s here to clear us of suspicion. Well, he can start with you. I have to take some personal time.”

The plush leather chair whined as Vail leaned forward and settled his elbows on his desk. “Street, will you give us a minute please?”

“He can stay.” Khani ground both hands onto her hips and took a drag of oxygen. “This isn’t about him. My brother is missing.” Pressure built behind her eyebrows.

“Elaborate,” Vail ordered.

“He went on an Alaskan adventure. When he got out of the wilderness he was supposed to call. That was two days ago. His phone is going straight to voicemail.” The more she talked about it the tighter guilt hugged her.

“He’s a capable man, Khani. Don’t you think it’s a little soon to worry?” Vail asked in an easy tone.

“If a team was due to report in at oh-two-hundred and they didn’t, would you shut down your computer and call it a night?” She arched a brow, trying to work out the kinks and drive her question home.

“This isn’t the same thing. He wasn’t going on an op. He was going to whale watch and dog sled.” Her commander shook his head almost imperceptibly.

“Sure it could be nothing, but if I know anyone, I know my brother.” She pressed at the headache that gained strength like a pro athlete on the needle. “He wouldn’t leave me hanging like this.”

It might seem insane to Vail and Street that she’d jet set after such a short time. After all, she and Vail had tried on numerous occasions to hire him as a Branch agent. Her brother could take care of himself. He had since he was eighteen. Before that really. But he’d never broken a promise. Not to anyone. Especially her.

Vail lowered his twined fingers to the desk. “I trust your judgment. Where are you going and how can I help? We don’t have many guys to spare right now, but Street can hold down the fort and I can give you a hand.”

Nope. If Carmen was up the duff, V needed to be with her. “You can’t go. Carmen needs you.”

“What do you mean needs me?” His gaze narrowed. “Is there something I should now about?”

“She’s great. But you just got back. Haven’t even been home from the sound of it. She and Sophie are in a new place. They deserve to have you around.” She dropped her fingers from her forehead. They weren’t doing a damn bit of good anyway.

“True enough,” Vail agreed.

“I’ll go,” Street said.

A shadow cast over her shoulder. Since she’d stepped forward in an attempt to ignore his presence, the heat from his chest seeped through her blouse. Cold sweats chilled her skin and it took every bit of her training to rein in what might have been a full-blown panic attack or a dead body on V’s floor.

Khani whipped around, putting her back to the wall. Street stood like he was ready to hit the tarmac within the minute.

“No.” Khani’s excessive volume echoed in the utilitarian space. She despised her telling retreat and automatic refusal. “I need you to finish those reports and get them to New York, otherwise none of us will have a job.” Her headache twirled her optic nerve into a tangle of pain.

She turned to Vail. “I just need some cold weather gear and Street to finish my operative reports.”

I
t took some fancy footwork
, but Street got what he needed from Tucker. Just like he did from everyone. Almost everyone. Reading people’s cues—those minuscule ticks of a facial muscle, near imperceptible shifts in their gazes, the beat of their pulse—gave him the edge essential to his survival.

Street didn’t need any special skills to discern that the wall of muscles and attitude walking his way down the basement corridor were three Base Branch operatives agitated by his presence in their inner sanctum. Couldn’t say as he’d blame them considering the mess they’d been in a couple of weeks ago.

Man-bun’s hand flew to his sidearm the moment his blue gaze lit on Street. The black guy hulked out. The already pronounced muscles defined by his tight shirt rippled as he prepared for battle.

The tallest of the three, hitting eye level with Street thanks to the boots on his feet, narrowed his gaze. His grip doubled on the file in his hands, bowing it to hell and back. “Your call-sign, now,” he demanded.

“Sure,” Street smiled, “if you can beat it out of me.” He wanted to see how they’d take him in a narrow hallway with no cover.

Three big men scattered. The two white guys moved to the wall and drew on him, while the guy in the middle barreled up the centerline.

Street slowly put his hands in the air. “I’m just tuggin' your balls. Juliett. Oscar. Hotel. November. Sierra. Mike. India. Tango. Hotel. Zero. Zero. Zero. Zero.”

The thunder rolling at him stopped with a clap of boots two feet from the tip of the black wingtips that complimented his monkey suit. At least, that’s what the sales lady had told him. But high-dollar clothes were one of the few things he knew jack about.

“I heard you were big and crazy as a broke-neck chicken,” the cowboy called. “Now I know it’s true.”

“You’re the one who took down Aldo Bassani? I heard the guy was like a ninja.” Intelligent brown eyes studied Street from head to toe. “You’re a toe-to-toe heavy-hitter type.”

“Goes to show you shouldn’t believe everything you hear. Though, they aced the loony part.” Street shrugged. “Now, can I pass? Or do you fancy a round or two?”

“We’re cool. I’m Hunter.” The stout man presented his fist.

“Street.” He tapped knuckles with the bloke’s.

“That’s Oliver and Tyler,” he explained.

He nodded to each of the men. “You come from the armory?”

“Yep.” Tyler stowed his gun. “You need in?”

“Na, I’ve got the code, card, and my blinker is in the system.” Street winked. “I’m just looking for Slaughter. Have you seen her?”

“So, are you the reason she’s in a shit mood? If you are, I’m not sure I’m ready to put down my weapon.” Oliver scowled.

“I tend to have that effect on her, yes.” Street pushed a hand into his pocket and tapped the center of his chest with the other. “Here you go.”

“Damn it.” Oliver holstered his gun. “You have to tell me how you do it. We’ve tried everything to light her up.” He pointed back and forth between him and Hunter. “Nothing works. She’s always so mellow, but not today.”

At least he affected her in some way. That knowledge made his trip worth the trouble of convincing the queen of England to do him a proper and recommend him for the job.

“It’s just a gift.” Street shucked his suit coat. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a date with destiny.”

“Yeah, if your destiny is about four square yards of dirt,” Oliver laughed.

“Meters for me.” Street stepped past the men and then turned around. “All of our destinies are dirt, unless you get cremated.”

“You Brits have one hell of a dark sense of humor,” Tyler twanged.

“It’s the fog.” Street strangled his jacket in one hand and yanked on the tie with his other. “You blokes be safe.”

“Always.” Hunter bowed his head and then the lot of them headed down the corridor.

Street turned the corner, braced himself to see Khani again, and then jumped through the ridiculous series of hoops it took to get inside the vault. The door slid open. Her blustery gaze hit him full-on. Both her hands braced on an island in the center of the room. A pen bowed her middle finger, holding it against the back of her others. She stood on the far side with her back to the wall like she always did.

A laptop sat to her left. She hunched over a map spread across the table. Three bags, rope, a tent roll, headlamps, knives, MRE’s, and other gear littered the bench to her right.

He stepped into the room and her expression hardened. “V already gave you a key to the place, huh?”

“You’re really going after your brother.” He’d thought her withdrawal from duty, no matter how brief, was a result of his presence. What a whopper he was. She didn’t give two shits about him. When would he ever get that through his soft skull?

She huffed. “I can’t sit around and wait to find out he froze to death on a trip I pushed him to go on, a trip…” Her slightly uneven front teeth bit her lower lip, stalling her sentence as though she’d said too much.

“A trip..?”

Khani slammed the pen onto the table. “A trip I was supposed to go on with him.”

“You would’ve if you could’ve.”

“You don’t know that.” She pushed the heel of her hand at her brow and spat the words like venom.

“Yeah, I do,” he argued.

“Just because you’ve been inside me doesn’t mean you know me.”

“Not for lack of desire.” Street took a step forward, and then another. He tossed his coat onto the black counter. Khani’s backbone went arrow straight. She’d break her own spine before she’d back down from anything.

His heart did flips like a bloody schoolgirl. This lass made him such a sap. He couldn’t bring himself to care. “I’m going to help your headache.” He rounded the counter. His shoes stopped inches from hers. He raised his hands slowly toward her throat.

The crack of her palms on the back of his hands reverberated through the room and traveled up his arms. “You just want to cop a feel.”

“Not denying it, but this is strictly homeopathic.” He tried again.

“I’m a licensed nurse.” She wrapped her hands around his wrists—as much as they would fit—and shoved his hands way.

Street let his gaze sink into the tempest of hers. He swallowed against the dryness of his throat. Blimey hell, she flipped him on his ear and had him scrambling to find which way was up. He licked his lips. “I would never hurt you.”

She grumbled something under her breath akin to, ‘bullshit’ or ‘too late.’ Her hands balled into fists, and then dropped to her sides. “If you really think you can make it stop, give it a whirl. But stay in front of me.”

It must have been one hell of a migraine for her to agree to let him touch her. His fingers hadn’t had the pleasure, not even when he was buried to the balls inside her. Street filled his constricting lungs with her scent. He wrapped his right hand around the column of her neck.

Her eyelids raised and her breath caught. The pulse of her carotid battered his fingers.

“Breathe.” He braced his thumb and middle finger on either side of her jaw. His other hand slipped underneath her hair. The heat of her body warmed him from the outside in. A knot of muscles greeted his touch. “For this to work, you’re going to have to relax.”

Khani’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. Sadly, it had nothing to do with ecstasy and everything to do with irritation. She blew out a breath. The moist air caressed his neck much like it did when she rode him to the brink.

His cock grew, testing the bounds of his trousers. He ignored it. Hell, he really tried. He massaged her sub-occipital muscles, rubbing each one from the base of her skull to her nape.

Degree by hard-won degree, Khani’s shoulders slackened.

Street kept his gaze locked on hers. He pressed from the front and pulled from the back. The harder he dug into the muscles the more limber she became in his grasp. Her rigid form no longer limited his ability to mold her to him with his touch. Optimism he had no right to feel bubbled inside his mind and solidified his purpose for coming.

He’d push her. Not too hard or too fast. But no matter how hard she shoved him back, he refused to give up on her.

Under his prodding fingers the knots worked out of her muscles. He smoothed the length of her nape from skull to back one last time, and then removed his hands from her skin. But not his gaze.

She waggled her brows. “How’d you know to do that?”

“I had an interesting upbringing. Learned a thing or two along the way to save money.”

“Save money? You have a flat screen as big as a bus hanging in your flat.”

“It’s my first telly and I worked hard to earn it.” He stepped back. “And so we’re clear, I wouldn’t presume to know you. I’d like to know you, but it would take some extraordinary circumstances for you to allow that to happen.”

She turned toward the computer. Though he was denied the connection of her gaze, he was gifted with the profile of her fit body. Her small breasts curved delicately in the gauzy material of her shirt. Tight-legged black trousers hugged every inch of her lush bottom and accentuated the grace of her long legs.

“I don’t do relationships.” Her finger tapped on the keys. A topographical view of the same map appeared on the screen.

“You’re friends with Law and Magdalena. Why not me?”

“You’re confusing banging with friendship.”

“Am I?”

“You want to be my friend?” She peered over her shoulder, her eye drawn.

“Yes, I’d like to be a friend to you.”

“Why?”

“I’ve asked myself that a few thousand times. When I come up with an answer I’ll let you know.” True talk, he’d spent more time thinking about Khani than he should spend thinking about any problem except how to end world hunger, create lasting peace, fix the foster care system, or reverse global warming.

Bangs hung almost into her eyes, covering her forehead. Artful, but heavy black, liner rimmed her ashen eyes, amplifying their gloom. A shellac very similar to her porcelain skin tone camouflaged her cheeks along with a burst of color that offset the sharp red mouth she’d painted on. And then it struck him. Her make-up acted as a shield.

Khani clasped her upper arms, hugging herself. She stared at him as though he were one of those big problems she needed to solve. “The people I fuck and the people I’m friends with don’t overlap. Life is complicated enough without adding to the drama.”

“You handle complicated beautifully. I’ve seen it.”

“On the job,” she corrected with a flip of her fingers. “My personal life is off limits. Besides, you don’t seem like the relationship type either.”

“I’m not.”

“People don’t change, no matter how much we want them to.” She blinked three times in a row, which was more rapid than he’d ever seen her calculated eyes move.

His gut twisted. Somewhere along the way someone had hurt her. Badly. He’d sensed it all along, but now he knew for sure. He just didn’t know who, when, or how. But he would.

Surprisingly, she turned her back on him and clacked away on the computer. That in itself was a victory of sorts. Small-won battles turned the tide of wars.

He took one calculated step forward. “It’s easy for people to dismiss others, to say they don’t change. But if a person wants to, they can change.”

She stilled. “If I wanted to, I couldn’t give you what you’re looking for.”

“You sell us both short, but that can change too.” He left the room and took his small win with him. He’d have to accumulate a lot more before she’d take him seriously.