Rough Edges (15 page)

“You'll watch our backs?” she asked. “I still feel like we're being followed. I'm not sure Leigh would ever forgive me if her shiny new office went down in flames.”

“Don't worry. I'll keep watch.”

She turned to go down the hall, but stopped in the doorway. Without turning around, she said, “Thanks, Victor. For sticking by my side tonight. I know I have a tendency to give you shit, but I do feel better knowing you've got my back.”

“Always, Bella,” he said. “I'll always have your back.”

He couldn't see her face, but he did hear tears thicken her voice. “That's what Payton used to say, too. I hope you're not as good a liar as he is. I really can't handle the idea of doing this all alone.”

Victor was so surprised by her admission of weakness, she was already gone and behind a closed door before he found his tongue. “You won't have to,” he said, even though he knew she couldn't hear. “I swear.”

In that moment he realized that no matter what happened, until Gage was home, Stynger was behind bars or dead, and Bella was safe, he wasn't leaving her side. He was right where he belonged.

B
ella felt more solid after her shower. So much so that it made her realize just how unsteady she'd been feeling before. The lack of sleep and stress were getting to her much more than usual. Those freaky visions she'd had before they'd escaped the fire were proof of that.

It was more than the fact that Gage was missing. She'd worried about her men before and it hadn't affected her like this. There was something else going on—something that scared the hell out of her.

She was cracking. Just like the others. She could feel it seeping along the inside of her brain, worming its way through, destroying her.

If she went to the secret holding facility where Payton held the others who'd cracked, they might see just how bad she was and never let her leave.

How would she find Gage then? How would she kill Stynger?

She had to hold it together—at least long enough to finish her work. Maybe then she'd take some time off and regroup. Heal.

If healing was even possible.

She had blocked Payton's number on her cell, but she no longer had the luxury of being so petty. He'd hurt her. Lied to her. She'd never trust him again. But she needed him now.

More important, Gage needed him.

She dialed the number and held her breath.

“Is everything okay?” answered Payton, his voice ruffled with panic.

“No worse than before.”

“Then why did you call?”

“I need access to the man who survived.”

Payton didn't respond for a second too long. “It's not a good idea, Bella.”

“I need to question him.”

“Let me do it. Just tell me what you want to know.”

She bit her tongue to keep the sharp words inside her mouth. “I'd rather do it myself.”

“You don't trust me to deliver the information, do you?”

“Why would I? I know you have no trouble lying.”

“I'd be honest with you. I swear it.”

She bowed her head. “I'm sorry, but your promises are worthless. Are you going to let me question him or not?”

“If I refuse?”

“Then it will be obvious to me that you don't give a shit about what happens to Gage. I'll no longer have need of you and I'll spend the rest of my life hoping we never speak again.”

He let out a long sigh. “It's not safe, Bella. The people that come here . . . they're dangerous.”

“You think I can't handle myself?”

“Against physical harm? Certainly. It's the emotional toll they take on a person that worries me. I don't want you to see the worst-case scenario and think that's where you're headed.”

“We both know it could be. For all we know I could be inside one of those cells before the month is out.” Just the thought was enough to make her break out in a cold sweat. It took all her willpower to keep the tremor from her voice as she said it.

“I won't let that happen.”

“There's not a damn thing you can do to stop it. We both know that. All you can do now is help me find Gage. Help me find Stynger. To do that I need access to the only man alive in our custody who might know where they are.”

“It's risky, but if you're sure . . .”

“I'm sure.”

“I'll text you a meeting location. You'll be drugged for the flight so you don't know where the facility is.”

“No. No drugs.”

“You can't have knowledge of where the facility is if you get captured.”

“You think I'd talk? I thought you knew me better than that, Payton.”

“I don't think you'd intentionally tell anyone anything, but Stynger has ways of getting into people's heads. She can twist your mind around and make you think she's your friend. Our friend. You'll do whatever she wants. The only way to keep those poor souls safe is to make sure you have nothing to tell her.”

“Then blindfold me, but no drugs. I have to stay sharp and alert.”

“You could use the sleep. You sound exhausted.”

“I'm fine,” she lied. “No drugs. Period.”

“It's against my rules.”

“Fuck your rules, Payton. Your rules are what got us all into this mess to begin with. Maybe it's time you started using a different set.”

He went quiet again—a sure sign she'd hit a nerve. “Are you able to go soon?”

“Yes, but you need to know that I'm telling Victor where I'm headed. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather have someone know whether or not I make it out of there.”

“You think I'm planning to hold you against your will?”

“I wouldn't be the first person you've done that to, would I?”

It was anger that came through in his tone now. “I'll make arrangements with the pilot and contact you in a couple of hours. Once you have the coordinates, you'll have twenty minutes to make it to the rendezvous. If you're not there, the pilot will leave without you. Understood?”

“Yes. Make sure your pilot understands that if he even thinks about trying to drug me, the next time he flies, he'll whistle from all the holes I put in him.”

“There's no need for violence, Bella.”

“For your sake I hope not.” She hung up and went to find Victor to tell him about her field trip.

She had her mouth open to start talking when she entered the reception area where he stood, but as soon as she saw him, all the words fell out of her brain.

The borrowed shirt he wore was far too small for his broad shoulders. The fabric pulled tight, showing off an array of muscles that made Bella's mouth water.

His stance was firm, his feet braced. His whole demeanor was one of vigilance. The butt of his gun peeking out from the back of his borrowed clothes was a reminder of the danger they were in, but only added to his appeal.

She knew she could take care of herself if things got ugly, but knowing she was backed up by a strong, capable man was more than a little reassuring.

The tendons in his forearms flexed as he parted the horizontal blinds. Streetlights silhouetted his body, draping deep shadows over the lean contours of his neck and jawline. A faint shadow of stubble graced his jaw, making him look less like a picture of military perfection and more real. More attainable.

He was just a man—flesh and blood like every other one—but there was something about him that called to her. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, why he got under her skin in a way no other man ever had.

As she watched him, her skin began to heat and some of the tension riding between her shoulder blades loosened. A sweet tingling nestled at the base of her spine and curled through her blood.

“Are you going to stare at me all night?” he asked.

She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. He hadn't turned to see her or even moved an inch, but he'd known she was there. As vigilant as he was, she should have realized that spying on him was a ridiculous notion.

Rather than answer his question, she changed subjects. “I spoke to Payton. He's going to let me into the facility to question the survivor.”

“You mean he's going to let
us
in.”

“No, but I do want you to know when I'm going and when I should be back so you can raise holy hell if Payton decides to kidnap me.”

Victor turned around slowly. By the time he was facing her she could see just how pissed he was. “If you think I'm letting you walk into a meeting with a brainwashed soldier at a secret facility with no idea of where you are, you're insane.”

“Letting me?” she asked, unable to get past the implication that he had a right to do such a thing.

“Damn right.” His voice was calm, but she could feel his fury gaining steam as each second ticked by. “I was charged with making sure your operation got the job done. If you go down, there will be no one left to make your people stay on task. There's no chance in hell they'll listen to Payton. You made sure of that.”

“He's not trustworthy. I wouldn't want them to listen to him.”

Victor crossed the space between them, getting so close she had to tip her head up a little to keep looking him in the eye. “That's another reason not to let you go in there alone. He controls that facility. Once you're inside, he can keep you there for as long as he wants. You disappear, your business will fold. Your employees will scatter to find new work. The best hope we have of finding Stynger will be lost.” He pulled in a long breath that made his chest expand to epic proportions. He was so close that the move pressed him against her breasts, causing her nipples to go instantly hard. “I won't let that happen. So unless you want to sign your company over to me, I'm going with you into the lion's den.”

She didn't dare breathe. Pressing her nipples more firmly against his chest wasn't an option, not if she wanted to continue to be able to speak. All she could think about now was how much she wanted to strip that too-tight shirt from his body and rub her naked breasts against that glorious chest of his. If they both worked up a good sweat, the glide would be amazing.

“My company is mine,” she said with less force than she'd intended. “I can handle myself fine while I'm at the facility.”

“How in the world are you going to watch your back when you're barely even alert enough to pay attention to what I'm saying?”

That was true only because she was distracted by the scent of his skin and the feel of his chest against her straining nipples. When he was no longer around, her focus would return as good as ever. “I'm going alone. I don't want both of us to get stuck behind bars with no one on the outside to fight for our freedom.”

He shook his head. “No. It's too dangerous. By the time I know you're in trouble, it will already be too late to help you. We'll make sure someone on the outside knows what we're doing, but either you let me go with you, or I tie you to a damn chair and keep you there until Gage is home and Stynger is neutralized.”

“You wouldn't,” she said, not even bothering to keep the venom from her voice.

He grabbed her around the waist, hooked a rolling office chair with his foot and pushed her down into it. His body caged her in. His big hot hands pinned her wrists to the armrests of the chair. His face was close to hers, giving her a direct view of his clear blue eyes. “I do what's best for the mission. If that means pissing you off, so be it. I'd rather have you angry and safe than dead or detained against your will.”

“And you don't think tying me to a chair would be detaining me against my will? What do you think it would be? Fun?”

A flicker of a smile crossed his lips. “Depends on how many clothes you're wearing at the time. If I stripped you bare and tied your legs over the arms of this chair, I think we'd both be having fun once I got my mouth on your sweet pussy.”

All thoughts of missions and danger trickled out of her ears, leaving a buzzing sound behind. Sexual awareness prickled across her skin until she had to shiver to shed its hold on her.

Victor's grip on her arms tightened. He leaned a little closer until his lips were only an inch from hers. His pupils were huge now, making his eyes appear darker. There was hunger there—a kind she'd never seen before. The man wasn't hiding a thing from her, as if he had no fear of her knowing just how much he wanted her.

“I'm your boss. You can't talk to me like that,” she said. There was no bite of reprimand in her tone, only breathless anticipation.

“Sorry, Bella. I really don't give a shit what you are right now. Boss, general—none of that matters, though I wish it did. Wanting you isn't easy.”

She knew exactly what he meant. She wanted him just as bad, and it made each mission with him both more exciting and more difficult. If it weren't for the fact that they worked so well together, the distraction he caused would have been too much of a liability. But they did work well together. They fought well together. She was absolutely certain they'd fuck well together.

Just like that, she could see the two of them going at it, tearing each other's clothes off, battling for dominance. In the end it wouldn't matter who ended up on top. She knew it would be good.

His gaze fell to her mouth before coming back to her eyes. “I don't know what you're thinking right now, but whatever it is, it's hot as hell.”

“I'm thinking that you should let me up before I head butt that perfect nose of yours and break it. Maybe you'll worry more about having better manners if you aren't so pretty.”

He didn't even bother to shift away in the face of her threat. He stayed right in reach, showing no sign of fear. “No, honey. You're not going to do that.”

“I'm not?”

“No.” Absolute confidence.

“Why not?”

“Because you like the way I look. And because if you break my nose, it's going to be really hard for me to breathe when I go down on you.”

A shiver coursed through her. Her knees tried to squeeze together to ease the sudden ache between her thighs, but he was standing too close, his body keeping her legs spread.

He saw her shiver and a knowing grin stretched his lips.

Her mouth watered for another taste of him. The brief kiss they'd shared before wasn't enough. Not even close. She needed more.

Bella licked her lips and strained to close the distance between them. Victor's nostrils flared as he sucked in a deep breath. “You smell so damn good.” He tucked his nose in the crook of her neck and breathed her in. “I know it's not perfume. You didn't have any of that here after your shower. What the hell is it?”

His lips found the side of her neck and grazed across the sensitive skin.

She stifled a groan and rolled her hips to ward off a sudden flare of need. Her voice lacked all traces of command, leaving behind only a wavering thread of sound. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

His tongue flicked out just below her ear. “You taste so damn good, too. I want to eat you all up.”