Deadly Secrets, page 19
“Excellent. We’re about to burn off some calories on a hike. Are you okay?”
“Fine. Listen, I need your brain.” She asked the question, and as usual, Camille came through.
“Thor Corporation of Fairfax, Virginia. Not sure why, but a lot of those paramilitary groups, aka government contractors, are based close to the axis of power.” Camille’s words were laced with sarcasm.
“Thanks, hon. Do you need anything? Has anyone from the office tried to contact you?”
“No to both. We’re good but tell Rafe she better take care of you or she’ll answer to me.”
“I’m sure she’s terrified. Speak later.” Jana handed the phone back to Rafe. “You heard?”
Rafe nodded. “I’m familiar with Thor. They’re not known for their ethics and will supposedly take any job if the money is right.”
“So, what are you going—”
“Permission to approach,” Bennett called from the driveway.
Rafe tapped her watch and responded. “Clear.” She met Ben at the door. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”
“Want to fill me in?” Bennett stepped just inside the door with a wide boot box in her hands, and the small camper seemed to shrink around the three of them. “What’s the plan?”
“Exactly what I’d like to know,” Jana said.
Rafe pointed. “Shoeboxes are becoming one of my favorite things. What you got?”
Bennett squeezed around Rafe and placed the box on the table. “Shelby Mills sent the insurance claims for the people on some list Jana is supposed to have.”
Jana elbowed past Rafe and flipped the lid off the box. “This is the last component we need to build a timeline from my mother’s notes, the memos, and Shelby’s list. We can prove how corrupt and negligent Alumicor has been and for how long. Thank you, Ben.”
Rafe opened the door and waved. “Hate to rush, but you guys should get going. I don’t want to risk anyone finding Jana here.”
“And what are you going to do?” Jana asked.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Jana raised and lowered her hands, searching for the right words and failing. “I’m worried you’re going to do something stupid, on your own, and then where will we be?”
“We?” Rafe stared at her like she’d implied they were committed to each other, and the thought horrified her.
“Just forget it. Forget you’ve already saved my life, twice. Forget that I depend on you now. Forget we had sex. Forget everything and do whatever you want, like always.”
Bennett’s head swiveled side to side as she followed their back and forth. At Jana’s last comment, she cleared her throat and said, “I’ll be outside.”
Rafe raised her hands in a why-the-hell-did-you-say-that expression. “I’ll help you pack.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Rafe grabbed Jana’s carryall and stuffed some of her clothes inside.
Jana pulled them out just as quickly. “I. Am. Not. Leaving.”
“You’re going to make me say this, aren’t you?” Rafe released the arm of a sweater she and Jana were both pulling. “This thing, whatever was between us, is over. It’s time to move on. And Bennett can take better care of you. She has the resources.”
“I can’t believe you said that. You don’t mean any of it.” Rafe stared at her with those sexy eyes as if she hadn’t just ripped Jana’s heart out, but something told her Rafe was hurting too. Without second-guessing, Jana pressed her body against Rafe and kissed her until Rafe gave in and kissed back. When she finally stepped away, she said, “I care about you, Rafe. Don’t make me leave.” Her pride screamed at her for being so vulnerable, but if Rafe gave up on her, it wouldn’t be because she’d left anything unsaid.
“I can’t promise you anything, Jana.”
“I don’t need promises, only you.” They were so close Jana felt Rafe’s breath on her face, but she wouldn’t make eye contact. She traced the outline of Rafe’s jaw. “I’ve never met anyone as focused as you and I need that right now.”
“I’m sorry, Jana, really, but we both knew how this was going to end. You don’t have to worry about bedding the help anymore.”
“Damn you, Rafaella Silva. You make me trust you, depend on you, even like you, and then you abandon me like everybody else. Really? You’re just a coward.” She grabbed her bag and stormed out the door.
* * *
Rafe caught up to Bennett as she trailed Jana to the SUV. “Please keep her safe, whatever it takes. I can’t handle this and worry about her too. If I explain what I’m going to do, she’ll insist on staying with me and trying to help. I’ll be in touch.”
“Where are you going to start?”
“I think the guys hunting her are with Thor Corporation, former soldiers, and I have to find them. They’ve come after the wrong woman and pissed off the wrong grunt.”
“Just be careful and let me know if you need backup.”
Bennett reversed out of the drive, but Jana didn’t look at Rafe again. She saw pain in her eyes when they argued, but she couldn’t fix it, then or now. Indulging her feelings got her into this no-win situation in the first place. If she stuck to the rules and just kept Jana safe… The recriminations could go on forever. She rubbed her dog tags between her fingers and thought of her team’s motto: improvise, adapt, and overcome. Jana’s life came before anything else, even the painful emptiness she felt inside.
She pulled out her sat phone and stared distractedly at the keypad. Jana called her a coward. When it came to chances on love or anything personal, she was one hundred percent, yellow-bellied chicken. She had no training or experience with either. Love should be based on empirical knowledge and certainty like a Trident II missile, not a gut feeling or butterfly-in-the-stomach silliness. Was that what she felt for Jana? Love? She tucked the nagging questions away and dialed the only person who could help, former team member Alpha Six.
“Alpha One, what the hell? Good to hear your voice, dude. How can I help?”
Typical team convo, short on greeting and straight to the point. “I’m good, Six, but I need help IDing a couple of bad guys I believe belong to the Thor Corp.”
“Can you narrow it down a little? Thor is a sizeable group.”
“One was clean-shaven, blond with strong facial features, possibly Scandinavian. The other scruffier, black beard and moustache, and a seamed forehead. Looks like he lost a knife fight and had a bad doctor. These guys often work in teams, so I’m thinking if I can find at least one of them, the other will be close.”
“Way ahead of you.” A computer pinged in the background, and Six said, “I’m sending you something now. These two are several years out of active, so probably getting soft, but be careful anyway. They’ll be carrying for sure. If this doesn’t work, let me know.”
“Thanks, pal.”
“Rafe, if you need us, we’re here. Rules and regs be damned.”
She swallowed hard to steady her voice. “Thanks, Six. Give the team my best.”
Rafe pulled up the images of the two men she’d seen at the boat launch. Confirmation. She studied their service and disciplinary records, weapons training, and operations, all notable but not outstanding. Tucker and Brand. If she had to guess, Tucker was the brains of the pair with Brand, the dark-haired one, handling the heavy lifting and any wet work. He’d fired at Jana. She bristled at the thought of them getting that close again. Not if she could help it. Time to put the next phase of the operation into action.
Chapter Twenty-five
From the sidewalk in front of the Carlyle family home in Fisher Park, Jana took in the scene of ordered chaos. Two uniformed officers occupied rockers on either side of the front door, marked cars lined the street, and from the cacophony of voices inside, the place was packed.
“What is all this? Has something else happened?”
Bennett shook her head. “I’m just cautious. I put out a call at the department for volunteers to assist an officer in need.” She opened the door and waved Jana inside. “Scores showed up, and we had to turn some away.”
“But in your family home?”
“None of our other places were big enough to accommodate a small army.”
The two living spaces on either side of the entrance now resembled mini communication centers. “G-ma and Ma are okay with this invasion?”
“I strongly encouraged them to visit relatives.”
“And they just did?”
Bennett cocked her head and grinned. “You do know my family, right? They wouldn’t budge until I gave them all the details and promised we’d leave the place exactly as we found it. Two officers took photos of every piece of furniture and accessory to ensure we replaced it correctly. And you and Rafe have to join us for Sunday brunch after this…if things work out.”
Jana started to crack that would be a cold day in hell, but Kerstin bounded down the stairs and grabbed her in a hug.
“I’m so glad to see you.” She waved at the officers dashing back and forth, talking on walkie-talkies, and relaying information. “Quite a sight, isn’t it?”
“You can say that again. Going from Rafe’s one-woman show to this will take some adjustment. Is she here? Rafe? I mean, will she be part of—?”
“I haven’t been looped in on that yet. All I know is the subtle approach to your safety didn’t work, and Bennett favors the strength in numbers method. Let’s get you settled.” She guided Jana upstairs and pointed to the second bedroom on the left. “You’ll be here next to Bennett and me in the master. The room across from you is empty, right now. Jazz and Finley will be in the rooms at the top of the stairs serving as sentries for the second floor.”
“Is this really necessary? It’s a bit overwhelming, all the people, preparations, and the constant hum of activity. And what about everyone’s normal lives? Will Emory, Dylan, and you be here until this is over?” Jana pressed a hand over her stomach to quell a sick roiling.
“Bennett thinks the manpower is necessary, and I never question my wife about police matters. And yes, the spouses will be together. That’s what you sign on for in a law enforcement family.”
Jana rolled her suitcase into the bedroom, placed Shelby Mills’s boot box on the bed, and collapsed on the settee. “Beautiful room.” Part of her wanted to run from the nightmare that had become her life. The other part missed the seclusion of the cottage with Rafe by her side facing whatever came together. She brushed the hair off her forehead and stifled the urge to cry.
Kerstin joined her. “You’re going to be fine.” She rubbed Jana’s back in soothing circles. “You want to talk about what happened…or Rafe?”
“I’m not sure what to say. She gave up and called Ben without even discussing it with me. Shouldn’t I get a vote on how my life is managed?”
“Is that really what’s bothering you?”
“Of course. Probably.” Jana couldn’t look at Kerstin, afraid she’d see the feelings that were becoming harder to contain. “I don’t know.”
“Something happened between you two at the lake.”
It wasn’t a question. “Bennett told you about our argument. What she heard.”
Kerstin nodded. “We don’t keep secrets. And we’re concerned about both of you.”
Jana stared out the window toward Fisher Park and gathered her thoughts. Nothing she said would adequately convey what happened between them or the impact it had. “We talked about our pasts. I thought it meant something.” Jana brushed her lips with her finger remembering their kisses and the intense emotions that had claimed her.
“And?” Kerstin leaned forward so Jana would have to look at her.
“We had sex, nothing more.”
“Nothing more? From the look on your face, I’d guess it was pretty awesome sex.”
“Transformative.” Jana blushed, and the heat of it flooded her body. “Sounds corny, I know, but I’ve never felt anything so amazing. One romp and everything changed for me, but I have no idea how she felt. We didn’t talk about it, and then, she…”
“Left.” Jana nodded, and Kerstin continued. “And you’re usually the one who leaves relationships. Right?”
“If you can even call what I have relationships.”
“I’m sorry, Jana, but don’t give up on Rafe. She’ll be back. Trust me.”
“Why would you think that? She said what we had was just a fling and it’s over. But after the way I’ve acted, why would she think I wanted anything else?” Why wasn’t she more open about her feelings when they were together? She could’ve pressed for more conversation, more intimacy. She thought they had more time. Now, nothing was certain.
“I’m so sorry, hon.” Kerstin hugged her again.
“How could I expect anything different?” Jana mumbled under her breath.
“Why don’t I give you a few minutes to settle in and catch your breath?” Kerstin said. “Feel free to use your laptop or whatever. Ben has a secure network that’s monitored constantly. Come down when you’re ready.” Kerstin gave her another hug. “It’ll be fine. We’ve got you.”
Jana sorted her casual clothes into neat stacks in the closet, plugged in her devices by the bed, and considered looking in the boot box. Distractions. She didn’t want to think about what could happen next with her life or Rafe. Her employer fired her over something that should’ve been resolved years ago. A solitary and maddeningly attractive soldier swooped in and altered her life in tangible and subtle ways and then vanished. Criminals chased her out of her home and across the state. And now police officers were assembled to fight for her, probably with no idea why they were called into service. The rally spoke to their respect for Bennett but only reminded Jana what a total train wreck her life had become.
Where the hell was Rafe and what was she doing? The short time they spent together altered Jana. Her pulse quickened. She’d fallen for the reserved major, granted her trust, shared her life story, grieved with her, made love with her, and longed for her in ways she’d never wanted another. Rafaella Silva was not the kind of woman to quit. Righting wrongs was in her blood. No one had ever fought for her like Rafe, so why had she given up? Because Jana seduced her? Forced her to feel things she didn’t want to feel and couldn’t understand or manage? Whatever the reason, it didn’t change the fact that Rafe left her.
She grabbed the doorknob and twisted. “Damn it, Silva, you better come back to me unharmed because…” The truth settled in her chest with the awe of a breathtaking sunrise and the warmth of an aged whiskey. She placed a hand over her heart to settle her stampeding pulse. “Because I love you.”
* * *
Rafe slumped in the seat of a generic rental car outside the Alumicor building and adjusted the settings on the long-range camera lens. A black SUV with tinted windows pulled up a few minutes later, and Tucker and Brand exited. If she got a picture of these two with Fergus, it would establish a connection.
While she waited, her mind wandered to the days with Jana at the lake cottage—confusing and challenging days. She plunged into civilian life where social and emotional skills mattered more than operations and action and was tested on all fronts. Personal protection details demanded focus, but Jana proved a formidable rival for Rafe’s attention. Their first kiss took Rafe to new physical and emotional heights, and their sex altered her. It broke her heart to push Jana away and pretend she didn’t care.
The distant hum of an engine starting drew her attention back to the SUV, and a few seconds later, Fergus came out of the Alumicor building. She snapped photos as both men flanked him from the entrance to the vehicle, and then she ducked as the vehicle passed heading north on Elm Street. She made a U-turn and followed behind other cars to maintain her cover.
The SUV turned into Old Irving Park, one of the richest neighborhoods in the city and home to US ambassadors, senators, philanthropists, and captains of Fortune 500 companies. The vehicle stopped in front of a massive Colonial style home across the street from the Greensboro Golf Course and Country Club. Rafe clenched her hands around the steering wheel. Fergus lived in exclusivity while the people his company exploited were predominately residents in low-income areas unable to afford insurance or decent health care. This injustice had gone on too long and was the kind of inequality she, and now Jana, fought against. She took more pictures, waited for the SUV to leave, and again followed.
Tucker dropped off his partner in a less affluent area of town before pulling up outside a ranch style home near downtown. Rafe parked half a block away between other cars and waited until the lights went out. She decided to approach Tucker because the thinker of the team was more likely to consider other options and less likely to be as hotheaded as the muscle man.
She crept around the house, found a bathroom window ajar, pulled on her gloves, and hoisted herself up on the ledge enough to leverage it open farther. The bathtub was underneath the window, so she snagged a towel from the rack and threw it into the tub to mask her footprints before lowering herself down. She eased to the doorway, scanned the layout of the home, and then checked each room before finding her target in the master bedroom alone.
A Ruger 9mm semi-automatic handgun rested on the nightstand. Rafe grabbed the weapon, flicked on her flashlight, and aimed it at his face to blind him. “Don’t move.”
Tucker lunged sideways and reached for his gun.
“Looking for this?” She waved the weapon in the light. “I asked you politely not to move. Try it again, and I won’t be so nice.” She didn’t want to use the gun or fight him. Her combat days were supposed to be behind her. “We need to talk.”
“Who the hell are you?” Tucker asked as he sat up.
“What’s important is I know you, your partner, where you both live, and who you work for. I also know Thor doesn’t pay you guys enough for the crap jobs you do, and I’m wondering if you’re smarter than your neanderthal partner.”
