He studied her for a moment before answering. “All of them.”
Matt crouched behind the tree and handed the binoculars to Laney. He felt fucking stupid forcing her to accompany him on the midnight mission, but he didn’t trust her not to flee him again. When given the choice between being handcuffed to the bed or joining him, she’d chosen to tag along.
Which was a good thing. Because if he’d cuffed her to the bed, he wouldn’t have wanted to leave her. Not only because there was possibly a serial killer after her, but because Laney spread out on a bed was a temptation he couldn’t resist.
She was so damn cute his teeth ached.
Once learning they were going on a clandestine mission after closing the bar, she’d dressed all in black, including a cap that covered her hair. If she’d had camo paint at the apartment, she probably would’ve slathered her stunning face with it. Even now, when she was pissed at him and scared of a serial killer, her eyes gleamed with fun as she eyed the cabin.
“They’re still awake,” she whispered.
A moan echoed through the night.
Laney choked. “Oh. They’re, ah, busy.”
Yeah. The sheriff was putting it to Tasha Friedan for the third time that night. “I gotta give it to the guy—he has some stamina.” Matt turned around and leaned his back against the tree. “I can’t go in until they freakin’ go to sleep.”
Laney pivoted and sat next to him. “Promise you won’t hurt them.”
He’d do what he had to do in order to secure the phone. “I won’t hurt them.” The lie cut through him and made him frown. “Promise you’ll stay right here.”
“I will.” She shrugged. “Running doesn’t make sense any longer. You found me, the commander will find me, I’m on the FBI’s radar, and apparently a killer wants me. I’m out of safe places to go… so I need to finish this. One way or the other.”
“Been giving it some thought, have you?” While he appreciated her logic, he didn’t like the fatalistic tone of her voice.
“Yes.”
“You’re going to survive this.” He’d make sure of it.
Her smile was sad, especially in the soft moonlight, as she wrung her hands together. “It’s doubtful any of us are going to survive this. I’ve had three good years here, and that’s more than some people get.” Her gaze ran his face in an almost physical caress. Sorrow echoed in her tone, nearly palpable with her regret. “It’s probably more than you’ve had.”
His five years of freedom had been good, but he’d been working hard the entire time to position himself and his brothers in a way to help them survive. “Is that what you meant in that you can’t have kids? I mean, that you knew the commander would find you?”
“Yes.” Her voice softened. “I couldn’t bring a child into the world knowing I was going to die soon. The commander will find me, and you know it.”
“No, he won’t. My brothers and I will make sure you live.” His feelings were convoluted and confusing as hell, but he wouldn’t let the commander or Emery hurt her. He’d spent time protecting her, caring for her, and he couldn’t just let that go.
“What’s it like? I mean, having brothers?” The wind picked up, and pine needles settled across her legs.
He brushed them away. “It’s good. I had to train them harder than the commander realized, and sometimes they hated me. But that was okay. We survived, and now Shane is happily married.”
“What about the other living brother?” she asked, curiosity in her voice.
Matt shouldn’t trust her. He couldn’t tell her anything about Nate. But he found himself answering anyway. “He’s on the edge… always. Drinks too much, fights too much, and plans to sacrifice himself to save us.”
“Same as you. Well, without the drinking and fighting.” She wrinkled her nose and glanced up at the full moon. “Maybe that’s what it’s like to have brothers—to be willing to die for somebody else. To plan on it.”
“I guess. We were raised as soldiers and studied as brothers. They used us against one another—if one of us escaped, the others would be killed. So we didn’t escape until we all could survive.” He plucked a weed by the tree. The woman was too easy to talk to, and the desire to share with her clouded his mind. “Thanks for giving me the location for the sheriff’s fishing hut.”
“No problem. When he skipped work today, I figured he’d gone fishing.” She peered around them to the quieting cabin. “Though I had no clue he was seeing Tasha.”
“At least that explains why he’d cover for her about her past.” Matt grimaced. “Though why they just don’t go after the bastard who hit her, I don’t understand.”
“Perhaps she’s too afraid,” Laney whispered. “If the sheriff loves her, he’d understand and let her choose her own path.” Then she grinned as more pine needles scattered around them. “I guess I’m not the only one drawn to Charmed.”
“Apparently not. You should’ve changed your name more.”
“Why? Laney is a far cry from Eleanor.”
“No, it isn’t. You should’ve changed your name to something completely different.” No reason existed for him to be so irritated with her choice of names, or for her courting danger when she shouldn’t have. If the commander had found her before Matt had, she’d be dead. But, that wasn’t his business, was it? Laney Jacobs didn’t belong to him, and he needed to stop acting like she did.
“I disagree with your assessment of my choice of fake names.” Her stubborn chin poked out. “I’ve been fine flying under the radar until you found me, and the search took you five years. So suck it.”
His head jerked up. “Did you just tell me to suck it?”
“Yes.” She turned back to watch the cabin.
The woman had grit, that was for sure. And no sense of self-preservation. When she forgot how dangerous their situation was and challenged him, he couldn’t decide whether to kiss her until she submitted, or flip her over his knee. God help them both when his temper decided for him. “Behave.”
“You behave,” she retorted.
That did it. He shot an arm around her waist and tumbled her to the ground, stretching out atop her. While his elbows bracketed her and sustained his weight, he allowed enough pressure against her to keep her in place. Intensity poured through him with raw, living need at the contact. “I think we need to go over the rules again.”
Her eyes darkened to the shade of a pure, deep riverbed. Her lips parted. Indecision wavered across her face. With a smile that was all female, she leaned up and placed a soft kiss at the base of his throat. “No rules.”
Fire shot through him. His heart slammed hard enough that he was sure she could feel it against her breasts. He tried to breathe, tried to keep in control.
What in the hell was she doing?
She slid her fingers through his hair, scraping her nails along his scalp.
“Laney,” he breathed, her name a warning on his lips.
Her eyelids dropped, and she licked her way along his jaw to nip at his ear. She shifted beneath him, opening her legs and making room for them to get closer, her thighs bracketing his.
His cock sprang to full life, and his mouth took hers. Hard, demanding, he put the feelings he couldn’t recognize into the kiss. Gone was indecision, gone was anger, all burned away by a soft kiss to his jugular. His body went up in flames, and he didn’t care. He grabbed her ass, his hand scraping dirt, and rubbed her against his raging erection.
A soft sigh from the back of her throat yanked him back to reality.
Then her small hands banded around his back, and her body softened against him. She returned the kiss, her tongue stroking his, her thighs tightening against his.
Electricity roared down his spine to spark his balls.
He lifted his head, taking a deep breath and trying to regain control. They were on a mission, about to commit breaking and entering. She stared up at him, her eyes unfocused, her lips nicely swollen.
A part of him wanted to snap at her, to r
age at the way she could light him on fire. But no matter what she’d done in the past, she was his responsibility now, and hurting her was out of the question. “I like kissing you.”
The surprise that flashed across her face mirrored the one inside of him. Now he couldn’t even control his speech.
She blinked, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. “I wish we could go back to you liking me.”
“Me, too.” He rolled to the side and helped her into a seated position. The hurt that shot into her eyes hit him right in the chest. He blinked, the idea of causing her pain slamming denial through him. Through who he needed to be. “Okay. I still like you.”
“Do not.” Her lip pouted out and tempted him far too much.
He blew out air. “You don’t sound like a doctor.” She sounded way too down-to-earth and real… no snotty opinions or medical jargon.
“I can speak to you in Latin, if you wish.” Her slight grin still held sadness.
“Thanks, but no.” Latin would sound sexy coming from her, and he had enough problems.
She shrugged. “I was raised pretty much on my own. My friends were poor, and their families were poor. So once I went to college and medical school, I decided to sound like a real person and not an overeducated butthead. I decided to just be me.” A dark flush wandered from her chest to cover her face. “Well, until I decided to become somebody else. You know.”
He did know. Every time she explained her past, he wanted to like her more. “Tell me the commander forced you to work for him.”
Her lids dropped to half-mast. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Truth is, I willingly went to work for the organization, and I enjoyed the job for the most part. For the first year, I worked on finding drug regimens to help soldiers survive injuries. I really thought I was helping.”
“You didn’t question the experiments? Not once?” Those drug regimens had caused more problems than the training exercises.
“Sure. I have a brain, Matt. I knew the incredible results we gleaned could be misused. The science could be misused. But we were allowing people to live. To walk after spinal trauma, to think after brain trauma. I saw the danger and still participated.” She ran a hand down the side of his face. “I’m sorry, Mattie. I really am.”
The use of the nickname dashed cold water through him. While he didn’t believe she was trying to manipulate him, the fact that it’d be easy for her to do so caught him up short. “Okay. Let’s figure everything out later.” He turned to survey the now-darkened cabin. “I’m going in to get the phone.”
She grabbed his arm. “Won’t the sheriff notice his cell missing?”
“Yes, but hopefully I can just screw with the memory chip enough that he’ll think the phone malfunctioned and not question the missing pictures.”
She arched both eyebrows. “You’re going to replace the phone after you erase the picture?”
“That’s my plan.” He should cuff her, but to what? “I want your word you’ll be here when I get back.”
She nodded solemnly. “I promise.”
He studied her, his gut churning. He had no clue whether or not she was lying. “This trust is a one-shot deal you don’t want to blow.”
She rolled her eyes.
Damn it. “Fine.” He stood and strode silently through the trees and toward the darkened cabin. Rough steps led to the wraparound porch, which had old tackle gear and fishing poles hung for decoration. The place was rustic and didn’t even have a lock on the door.
He opened the door and slipped inside, taking several moments to accustom his eyes to the darkness. Two heartbeats pumped slowly from the cabin’s only other room—they were asleep. Good. He didn’t want to blow his cover—or have to hurt the sheriff.
Moonlight illuminated the main room to show a small kitchen and slightly bigger gathering room. A woman’s purse sat on the counter, surrounded by fishing paraphernalia. A stereo system was shoved to the side of the counter, and a smartphone had been plugged into the base.
Excellent.
He hustled over and lifted the phone. The sheriff’s screenshot was of a ten-pound bass, and the guy apparently didn’t believe in passwords. Matt scrolled to the photo screen and looked through the pictures.
The breath caught in his throat. Holy crap. The pictures were of Tasha in various stages of undress and—He shut his eyes. God. The woman had been smiling as she’d posed, so the couple had probably been having fun. But… ugh. He didn’t need to see some of those shots.
Swallowing, he ran through the remaining pictures—all were taken that day of the woman, the lake, and some fish they’d caught.
Matt replaced the phone in the holder and exited the cabin. Time to configure Plan B. He reached Laney and was surprised by the rush of relief that filled him.
She stood and gave him a questioning thumbs-up signal.
His grin came naturally even as he shook his head.
“Why not?” she whispered, glancing back toward the cabin.
For answer, he took her arm and led her back through the forest toward where he’d stashed his bike—a mile down the way. “The sheriff purged his phone before today, apparently. I need a whack at his computer.” Which would be beyond difficult considering the sheriff’s station was staffed twenty-four hours a day.
Laney bit her lip as he straddled the motorcycle. “That sucks.”
“I know.” He held out an arm to help her mount the bike. She hopped into place behind him like she belonged there.
They rode back to the bar, and he paid close attention to sights and sounds around them. Nothing seemed out of place. After parking the bike, they headed up the stairs to her apartment.
The note taped to her door caught him up short. Slowly, he tugged the paper away from the wood and unfolded: Did you like my present? She wasn’t as lovely as you are, and thus she had to go. She tried, but her love wasn’t enough. We have much to accomplish, you and I.
He handed the note to Laney, and the anger in him grew in direct proportion to the color that drained from her face. “I won’t let him near you.”
She swallowed. “Ah, should we call the FBI?”
The less interaction he had with governmental agencies, the better. Laney was safer with him, and notifying Patterson wouldn’t accomplish anything. “Let’s call them tomorrow. That way we won’t need to explain where we’ve been tonight.”
She paused and then nodded, unlocking and pushing the door open.
He caught her arm and drew her behind him as the moved into the apartment. No heartbeats, no breathing. He closed his eyes and listened. No humming of any type. The apartment was secure. “Okay.” He herded her inside, turned, and locked the door.
She brushed the cap off of her head, and her brunette hair framed her face. “So, um, I guess I’ll go to bed.” Desire and need shimmered in her eyes, even as she faltered near the doorway. “Are you coming?”
Chapter 18
“No. You go to bed.” God, he wanted her. Matt gestured Laney toward the bedroom. Her natural vanilla scent was killing him, and if she didn’t get away, he was going to tackle her into the couch. “Sleep well. I’m going to call my brother and see if he’s hacked into the FBI files yet.”
Her bottom lip trembled, and she turned to head into the bedroom. Her shoulders dropped to a dejected slant. Did she not want to be alone?
It took all of his formidable will not to call her back… or follow her inside. He’d almost lost it in the forest, almost let down his guard again. But lines had been drawn, and sleeping with her would screw things up more. He’d slept with her, and that meant something even to a fucked-up guy like him. It meant he’d make sure she lived through this and could start over afterward.
That’s all he had to give.
So he sat on the sofa and booted up the laptop until Shane came into view. A shadow covered his brother’s jaw, and dark circles lined under his eyes.
“When was the last time you slept?” Matt growled, not in the mood to see his brother disinte
grate.
“You sound like my wife.” Shane shoved unruly hair away from his face. “We only have six weeks. Sleep is a luxury I can’t afford.” Anger and determination glowed strong in Shane’s gray eyes… along with fear.
Matt had never seen Shane truly afraid until he’d married Josie. Now he had something to lose. “I know. Stop worrying poor Josie—she deserves peace for now. I mean, just in case.”
Shane flashed twin dimples. “Josie is worried about you. She thinks you’re in over your head and need backup. In fact, she packed a bag.”
God, Matt loved his sister-in-law. “Tell her I’ll call the second I need help.”
“I will.”
Right. There was no way in hell Shane would allow Josie to leave the safety of the ranch in Montana, but the feisty blonde probably didn’t know that. Her security meant everything—to all of them. “Is she asleep?”
“Yes.” Shane sighed. “Nate has fallen off the grid again. He’s obsessed with finding out if Jory is dead or not. I wish I hadn’t shared the memory of the video where Jory might have moved. What if he was dead, and I imagined him moving because that’s what I needed?”
That’s probably exactly what had happened. “Where was Nate’s last location?”
“Philly.”
Shit. “When?”
“Yesterday. I’ve called several times, and he hasn’t called back in. I’ve left messages about what’s going on with you… and he hasn’t called in.” Worry lowered Shane’s voice. “He’s on the edge, Mattie. We need to pull him back.”
“I will. You worry about Josie and our next step.” Shane had followed the money that funded the commander’s organization, Matt had followed the doctor, Jory had infiltrated the scientific agencies, and Nate was supposed to infiltrate the military organizations that conspired with the commander. Their jobs were clear. “Maybe Nate dropped under cover.”
“I hope so. If not, the jackass had better check in.” Shane typed in keys on his computer. “I’m sending you the rest of Laney’s file—her history after she purchased the new identity in Philly. I haven’t been able to find her records from when she worked for the commander.”