Atlas (The Atlas Series) (2 page)

Owen had taught her how to shoot tin cans in their backyard. It was the first real moment she ever had with anyone before in her life. No one had ever given her the time of day, always writing her off as the problem kid they wanted to get rid of. But Owen treated Kala like his daughter that day. He patiently taught her how to safely use a gun. Kala would never forget the glimmer of pride shining in his eyes when she had hit five cans on her first try. After a few weeks of training with Kala consistently hitting every target Owen put in front of her, he entered her into a shooting range competition. Kala came in first place and Owen and Linda were so proud of her they kept Kala’s trophy displayed in the foyer of their house for everyone to see.

The cab stopped in front of Jack’s brownstone. Kala paid the man, giving him a sizeable tip. The cabbie was more than thrilled and tipped his hat to her as she left for Jack’s front door.

Kala was almost sobered up, or at least only slightly above tipsy, but her training still kept her aware of her surroundings no matter how fuzzy her state of mind.

Jack’s brownstone always seemed to reach out and welcome Kala more than her own apartment. There was just something so inviting about the building’s old architecture with its dark brickwork, arched windows and stone stairway leading up to a wrought-iron entry.

Kala hopped her way up the stairs and knocked on Jack’s door. Even though her heart was racing and her palms were sweating, an outside observer would never know. Kala knew this emotional “camouflage” was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it kept her safe from getting hurt. A curse because she could never let the people she cared about really know how she felt.

The clacking sound of someone walking by caused Kala to turn and look.

It was a woman wearing a business suit with a tailored trench, holding a briefcase in her hand.

There was nothing special about her by all outward appearances, but something about this woman made Kala’s skin crawl. Enough so that she felt for her gun, but quickly remembered she wasn’t armed.

The woman didn’t look at Kala as she walked past Jack’s brownstone, but Kala had the feeling that the woman could see her all the same. It was an eerie feeling that Kala couldn’t shake. As if the woman had eyes on the side of her head. If she weren’t so creepy, the woman would actually be quite stunning. High cheekbones framed a chiseled youthful face. A long nose, full lips and gigantic brown eyes made the picture complete. With her stark black hair pulled back in a loose bun, and tailored pants suit, any observer would think that she was a businesswoman coming home from a long day at the office.

But not to Kala.

Kala couldn’t stop staring.

This was another reason why this woman was alarming her. If someone had been staring at Kala the way Kala was staring at this woman, Kala would have stared right back, and let’s face it, she probably would have ended up in some kind of violent confrontation. Or at least a verbal one.

It was hard for Kala to let things go.

But this woman walked off down the street without a single glance.

“What is it?” Jack’s voice broke Kala out of her stare down.

Kala turned to him and tried to shake her paranoia. “Nothing. Just some lady. She gave me the willies.”

Jack pulled Kala in and kissed her, then pulled away with a smile. “Someone actually gave
you
the willies? Now that’s someone I’d like to meet.”

Kala shrugged, which normally would make any guy annoyed at her obvious lack of affection, but Jack was used to it. He nodded his head toward the inside of his house to invite Kala in.

Kala moved past Jack and entered inside his apartment. After Jack’s knee-buckling kiss she wanted to jump him in the doorway, but her stubborn pride wouldn’t let her.

“You got anything to drink?” Kala took her jacket off and threw it over one of Jack’s plushy armchairs.

The inside of the brownstone was just as cozy. From the golden hardwood floors to its soft cushioned furniture, Jack’s place was as warm and inviting as the outside. There was a brick fireplace framing the living room, with a dining room and kitchen right behind it. On the mantle were pictures of his family: brothers, sisters, parents, nieces and nephews. Jack was seriously the All-American Boy. Everything about him was perfect. He had a perfect life with a perfect family and was just well… perfect. Being a Navy Seal himself, Jack’s physique was all tone and muscle. Sometimes Kala couldn’t look at him for too long, his face was gorgeous in a scrappy-sexy kind of way, and his shaved head was always a weakness for her. And it certainly didn’t help that he was only wearing his A-shirt and boxers.

“What would you like? I have scotch or vodka.” Jack walked over to the kitchen and pulled down the two aforementioned bottles.

In that moment, Kala no longer wanted anything to drink. She just wanted Jack.

There was something so sexy about a polite guy. Bad boys were never her thing, probably because
she
was the “bad” one in most relationships. And being twenty-eight years old, Kala had had more terrible relationships than she cared to admit. But Jack. Jack was different. He was kind and protective
and
a bad ass to top it off.

And did she mention he was gorgeous?

Kala walked to the kitchen and grabbed Jack by his shirt, pulling him in for a passionate kiss. Jack was easily persuaded away from the alcohol as Kala led him up the stairs and into his bedroom. Being with Jack sexually was the most intense experience Kala had ever felt. As closed off as she was, sex never meant anything to her before, it was just a means to an end. There was never a guy Kala felt was worth her time. But Jack was different. He was attentive — and cared more about her experience than his own. The hardest part for Kala was not letting Jack see how intense her feelings were for him.

Jack lowered her to the bed and the two of them ripped off each other’s clothes like they had acid on them. Kala flipped Jack over so she was on top, which Jack didn’t mind in the least. She leaned down and they kissed with some force, as if they couldn’t get enough of each other. Kala loved the way Jack kissed her. His kisses were the perfect combination of light and forceful that made Kala’s whole body tingle.

Jack reached over and turned out the lights as the two of them proceeded to have a good time.

Kala listened to Jack’s heavy breathing as he slept beside her. Normally, this was her cue to sneak out, but for some reason she didn’t want to leave just yet. He looked so peaceful lying there with the down comforter keeping him warm on this cold winter’s night. Jack never asked her to leave. He never asked her to pretend they weren’t seeing each other. He completely gave Kala her space and time. Never pressuring. Always respectful. Who was this guy? Jack was flawless.

That’s what scared Kala the most.

There must be something wrong with him. No one was that perfect.

Kala tried to resist the urge to snoop, but since it was in her nature, she carefully crawled out of bed and walked to Jack’s dresser. She had probably been in Jack’s room over a hundred times and over a hundred times Kala had done exactly the same thing she was doing now: looking for anything that would confirm that there was no way on the planet someone like Jack could exist.

After a few minutes of searching, she came up with what she always came up with:

Nothing.

Kala didn’t know why it was so hard for her to trust men she was in relationships with. Sure she had a crappy childhood, but once she met Owen and Linda, her life had turned around ten-fold. When it came to combat, Kala never had a single trust problem. She knew her fellow soldiers would die for her and that she would do the same for them. But for some reason when it came to relationships, Kala never really cared about the guy, not like Jack, who she figured had to be some sort of robot or clone.

She took a deep breath, then went to the window to feel the cold against the glass. Sometimes just holding her hand against the pane and feeling the cold air hovering on its surface calmed Kala down. Pulling the sheer curtain aside, she looked outside. Kala’s heart jumped in her throat.

The woman from before was standing across the street, staring straight at Kala.

Kala threw the curtain aside and instinctively grabbed Jack’s gun out of his side table.

Jack was up instantly.

“What is it?” He jumped out of bed, poised for action like a trained soldier.

“That creepy woman is out there, staring at your apartment,” Kala said while cocking the gun.

Jack carefully took the gun from her hands. “What are you going to do? Kill her for staring?”

Kala shook her head. What
had
she been thinking? It wasn’t like her to grab a weapon just because someone creeped her out.

Then again, Kala never got creeped out.

So what was it about this woman that made Kala’s skin crawl? The person down there was a businesswoman for God’s sake. Carrying a briefcase.

Or a bomb.

Maybe that’s what set Kala’s teeth on edge. Her instinct that this woman was a terrorist.

Kala grabbed back Jack’s gun and looked him in the eye. “She has a briefcase and I’m checking it out.”

Jack didn’t argue. He pulled the curtain open further to get a look at the mystery woman himself. “Where is she?”

Kala was putting her jeans on, but dashed back to the window.

The woman was gone.

And really gone.

No sign of her anywhere.

Jack wrapped his arms around Kala from behind and kissed her neck. “Are you sure you weren’t imagining things?”

Was she?

Could she have possibly made up the whole thing in her head? It definitely wasn’t like her, but it was late and now that Kala looked outside…

She pulled away from Jack and placed his gun down on the dresser, then she rejoined him at the window. “You think I’m crazy,” she accused.

Jack smiled. “My kind of crazy.”

Kala relaxed and smiled back as Jack leaned down, giving her a kiss that made her knees wobble.

A loud buzzing interrupted them.

Kala mumbled into Jack’s lips, “That’s your phone.”

Jack finished the kiss, then pulled away and picked up the phone by his bedside.

Kala watched as Jack’s face revealed something she’d never seen in him before. Ever.

Fear.

It was so foreign to her she didn’t know how to react.

“What is it?” she asked and found that her voice was shaky.

When Jack looked up at Kala, all signs of fear were gone.

Kala was starting to wonder if she was going insane. First the woman appearing-disappearing, then Jack being scared? Her eyes were playing tricks on her. Or her brain was. Or maybe it was all that tequila.

“We’ve got an assignment.” Jack put his phone down and started to get dressed.

Kala was a bit taken aback. Usually when the team was called in all their phones went off at the same time like a universal alarm.

Kala’s phone hadn’t made a peep.

A slow inkling of doubt started to creep up in her brain. Was Jack lying to her? Why would he when she could easily catch him in a lie like that?

“Are you going to get dressed?” Jack was transitioning into “commander mode.”

“Yeah,” Kala said and since she already had her jeans on she reached for her t-shirt on the floor.

Both their phones went off at the same time.

Kala grabbed her phone off the dresser and checked the message:

Compound A.S.A.P.

Kala tried not to show what she was feeling. Something was weird. And something was off. Jack received a message almost two minutes before the rest of the team received orders to report in. It was nearly impossible for Kala not to be suspicious. In the three years that Kala had served in Jack’s company, Jack never received orders first. Orders came from General Turner and they were simultaneously sent to everyone on the team. So who had given Jack the heads up? And why?

Kala desperately wanted to grab Jack’s phone and see who the first message was from.

Jack was fully dressed and tossed Kala her jacket. “Let’s get going.”

“I took a cab.” Kala was horrified. The last thing she wanted to do was arrive at headquarters with Jack. Derek and Lali would know right away about their affair. It was extremely difficult to hide anything from the two of them and Kala was positive Lali was already suspicious. But to arrive together at three in the morning? They wouldn’t be fooling anyone.

“Your choices are simple: take another cab or come with me. What will it be?” Jack had a kind of hopeful look in his eyes, and Kala knew he wanted her to come with him.

“I’ll call a cab.” Kala just couldn’t. She wasn’t ready.

Jack seemed to be okay with this as he smiled knowingly at her. “Stubborn as ever.”

Kala just nodded, called a cab and headed for the front door.

Jack went with her. Before he walked towards his car he leaned down and kissed her. “See you there.”