CovertDesires (6 page)

“Of course it does. It makes all the difference in the
galaxy.” She reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Rowe’s ear. “What’s
going on? You’ve been on edge ever since you got out of the hospital. You
aren’t worried about your own safety. So why have us here around the clock?”

Rowe had to look away. Not that it’d make a difference. If
Harlow wanted to figure out what was going on, nothing would stop her.

“You’re worried about all of us.”

“I keep feeling as if something bad is about to happen.” She
stared at a small spot on the floor as she spoke. “And I can help. I
should
help.”

“Something bad did happen, sweetheart. And you did help. You
saved Jack’s life.” Harlow pulled her into a hug. And the embrace made her feel
a little better. She liked being held by others. Too much of her early life had
been spent in solitude. “What you’re feeling is PTSD.”

“No. This isn’t post anything. It’s not over.”

“It is over. They got the bad guys.” She guided Rowe to the
couch as she spoke. “Hours and hours of interrogation went into making sure
they got the right guys.”

“They didn’t get him. The other guy said, ‘He’ll cut off
your balls’, to Thomas. There has to be another person.”

“He was probably talking about Jack. I could see him cutting
off some balls.”

“No. I mean, he would.” She couldn’t help but smile at the
image. “But this is something else. I just need to go check up on him. Make
sure he’s okay.” She was an adult. Harlow couldn’t hold her without her
consent. It was time her friend realized that. “You can come with me or go
home. But I’m not a prisoner in my own home and I won’t be treated as one.”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Please. You have to know I’m
doing this for your own good.”

The words didn’t make sense but she was used to that. It
wasn’t until she felt the prick of a needle that she started to worry.
“Harlow?”

“It’s just a sleeping aid. Something to help you rest. You
haven’t slept well in days. It’s making you hysterical.”

“I can’t sleep now. I have to go check on him.” But already
her world was starting to get fuzzy.

“He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”

“I can’t lose him.” Her eyes were much too heavy. How was
she going to find Jack if she couldn’t stay awake?

“You just need some sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake
up.”

But she knew Harlow was wrong. Things would only be worse
then. Much, much worse.

Jack rubbed his temples as he stared at the screen of his
digital reader. He’d been going through the case’s files all day. He’d studied
the camp’s schematics, the militia’s financial records and the interrogations
in search of something out of place. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong but
something didn’t add up.

Actually he knew what was bothering him about this case. It
upset Rowe. She’d been doing her best to act normal. Well, normal for her. But
he could tell. She was keeping something from him. She was nervous every time
he left her side. And he’d been happy to spend as much time with her as possible.
He’d hoped his presence would make her feel safe but that was a temporary fix
at best. As much as he hated leaving her he had to go to work and somebody had
to make sure she had groceries in the house. Plus it was just no way for her to
live. She was a brave, strong woman. He hated to see her giving those bastards
so much power over her.

So he was doing what he did best. Making sure the bad guys
were off the street. It was the only way he could protect her. And once he
found the missing piece and wrapped this case up, they could start having a
real relationship. Not that he was complaining about what they had right now.
It was nice to play knight in shining armor. But as much as he loved rescuing
damsels in distress he realized it didn’t make a solid foundation for a future.
Damsels tended to move on after the dragon was no longer terrorizing them. And
he didn’t want her to move on.

“You look like shit, Jacky-boy.”

He glanced up in greeting as Marcus walked over to his desk.
“I’d say the same but it’s got to be old news for you by now. After knowing you
for five years I can’t recall a single day you didn’t look like shit.” It was a
flat-out lie. The man was one of the best-looking agents on the force. But Jack
was pretty sure his ego could handle a little teasing.

And sure enough Marcus smiled at the good-natured rib.
“You’re just jealous. Some of us are pretty boys and others are the thinkers.
But a rare few are both.”

“I don’t think having a smart-ass mouth qualifies you as a
thinker.”

“Now you’ve wounded me.” He put his hand over his heart as
if injured. “And here I was going to give you a gift.”

“A gift you say? What kind of gift?”

Marcus held out a data chip. “I think you’re going to find
what’s on here very interesting.”

“Just so you know, I’m seeing someone now. So if this has
images of your cock, I’m not interested.” He slid the chip into the slot on his
reader as he spoke. “The guys downstairs might be though.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Like I’d
waste such a precious gift on you. I did, however, send one to your new
girlfriend. You can thank me later.”

He smiled at the comment but didn’t bother to look up. The
images on the chip had captured his attention. “Who’s this talking to the
suspect? Is it his lawyer?” Thomas was in a prison uniform so it’d obviously
been taken after the bust. The man sitting across from him was in an immaculate
and expensive suit. Everything from his mannerisms to his air of authority told
Jack he wasn’t just another overindulged crime lord. This man knew how to fit
into society.

“Nope. He doesn’t have one. Doesn’t trust them. He thinks
they report back to us.”

“Not to fuel his paranoia but we are recording him.”

“Without sound.”

He nodded as he continued to watch the recording. “Which is
a damn shame. I mean, since it’s not his lawyer. It’d be nice to know what
brought Mr. Fancy to the detention station.”

“Yeah. Especially since that meeting never happened.”

That made him look up from his reader. “What?”

“Oh now I’m suddenly important again?”

“Come on, Marcus. You know I’d sit around staring at your
gorgeous face all day long if I had the time. But alas, I’ve got a life. So
what do you mean the visit never happened?”

“It’s not on the books. Whoever he is, he didn’t log in.”

He’d heard of a couple of “mistakes” in the past where
guards had allowed visitors into the detention center without having them
register. But he’d thought they’d taken care of that. The person must have been
able to make some pretty impressive promises to get the guards to look the
other way after the bloodletting that took place last time. “That’d take a lot
of power to accomplish.”

“Not to mention money.” It wasn’t comforting to know that
Marcus had the same suspicions. “And that’s not all. When I went to get the
recording, they told me it didn’t exist either.”

He’d gone to a great deal of trouble to obtain this. Jack
owed the man a dinner. “So how did you come to possess it?”

“You don’t want to know. Plausible deniability.”

Hell, maybe he owned Marcus his firstborn. He’d have to wait
to see how this all played out before he would know how far in debt he was to
the man. “I see. I appreciate you getting this to me.”

“I didn’t do it on my own. Several men in blue were willing
to put their careers on the line to recover that recording.”

“They did?” He’d do it for any member of his team. But
still, he never expected them to do it for him. They had families to feed.
Wives and children to protect.

“We’ve seen the way this case is tearing you up. And Rowe
hasn’t been back in since the bust. We like her. She’s quirky but she’s fun to
have around. Whatever happened out there, we want those bastards to pay.”

He coughed to hide the sudden knot of emotion lodged in his
throat. “They will. Tell the boys I appreciate it. And Rowe’s not going anywhere.
She’ll be back in a day, two at the most. Just as soon as the doctors clear
her.”

“Good. Tell her we miss her.”

He hadn’t really given much thought to how the rest of the
guys felt about what’d happened. But he couldn’t ignore it any longer. Not with
Marcus willing to go to such great lengths for Rowe. She’d had a huge impact on
the team. And he couldn’t help but wonder if she knew the lengths they’d go to
in order to get the bastards responsible. Probably not. She always seemed to
play down her job in the agency. But he would start to fix that tonight. “I
will. She’ll be happy to hear it.”

Marcus nodded and then left him alone with the recording.
For the first time since he was cleared for duty Jack started to feel hopeful.
He’d have to run the face through recognition but he’d have a lead soon. He’d
have something to take home to Rowe. And maybe once they found this guy they’d
be able to piece the rest of the case together.

It was already late in the day. He really should be closing
up shop and getting ready to go home to Rowe. But he just couldn’t leave this
for tomorrow. He had to know what role this man played in Thomas’ life.
Besides, the recognition program only took a few minutes. He’d be leaving an
hour late at the most.

He sent a message to Rowe and Harlow. He didn’t want Rowe to
worry about him and with Harlow staying over he wouldn’t worry about Rowe. He
could concentrate on the lead.

“I’ll stay with her until you get back.”

It was a simple reply but Harlow wasn’t one for long
speeches. He was a little concerned he hadn’t heard anything from Rowe but he
did his best not to dwell on it. If he unraveled what was left of this case
she’d be too happy to stay mad at him for being a little late.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax as he
started the program. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too high. Yes, the man
looked important and he went to a lot of trouble to make sure no one found out
about the meeting. But there was a chance he had nothing to do with this case.
He could very well be a relative of Thomas’ who didn’t want anyone to know he
shared blood with the radical thug.

Still, as much as he tried to caution himself, every ounce
of instinct he possessed told him this man was the key. Once he found out his
identity the rest would fall into place. It was hard to keep that kind of
optimism in check.

Rowe woke up slowly. It was dark in her room and her head
felt heavy—as if someone had filled it with sand. She didn’t remember lying
down. But she must have. She’d slept the day away. Maybe she was sick? It
wouldn’t be the first time she’d lost a chunk of time because she hadn’t
thought to take her temperature.

She placed her palm on her forehead but found it to be cool.
Moreover she didn’t really have any aches or pains. Other than her head. That
throbbed without any sign of ceasing. She sat up and the room swam around her.
The sensation left her nauseated but thankfully her stomach settled after a few
moments of being still.

It was only as she sat in her bed that she noticed the sound
of voices in her house. Harlow, Parker and Barkswell seemed to be arguing about
something. Maybe she really had been sick. She should probably find a way to
tell them she was okay now. Maybe then they’d stop yelling at each other.

The floor seemed at least a mile away as she lowered her
legs from the side of the bed. But amazingly enough her feet reached it.
Standing was a whole different story, however. Her legs just didn’t seem
capable of holding her weight. She must weigh a ton today. How did she regularly
carry herself around? It seemed so easy this morning.

She eventually gave up on trying to make sense out of it and
just crawled to the door. It was hard work though. When she finally propped
herself up against the wall she was breathing hard and her body was a little
sticky with sweat. But she still felt a sense of accomplishment. She’d made it.
Now she’d just rest for a moment before she tried to figure out how to reach
the door’s release panel and make her way into the front room.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Barkswell’s deep voice
filled the next room.

“I was thinking she needed to rest. She does too much. She
was just in the hospital a week ago. Or do you not remember?” Why was Harlow
yelling so loudly? Didn’t she know Rowe was sick?

“She’s not a child. She knows her limits.”

“Like hell. She thinks she’s ready to go back to work.”

“She said that?” Parker’s voice was the only one soft enough
that it didn’t make her head hurt.

“Not exactly.” Now Harlow quieted a little. The change made
Rowe sigh with gratitude. “She told me she wanted to go to a bakery. But when I
read her—”

“You read her?” Barkswell’s loud accusation made Rowe wince.

“Her mind was practically screaming with fear. I had to find
out if it was justified.”

She did remember being worried. Actually she’d been worried
a lot lately.

“Still, that doesn’t give you the right to drug her.”

Oh that’s right. That was why nothing made sense.

“She was going to go check on Jack. Checking on Jack would
mean going back to the office. And once she goes back they won’t be able to
keep her out. I think she proved that two years ago.”

“It’s what she wants.”

“She said something bad was going to happen.”

“And you didn’t believe her?” Parker asked.

“No. I did. I couldn’t let her walk into that. Not again.”
The sentence was broken up by odd noises that sounded like sniffles. Was Harlow
crying?

“I know you love her but that really isn’t your call to
make. Would you like it if I drugged you every time you were going to make a
dangerous run?” Parker’s voice sounded soothing. “She’s a big girl. She can
take care of herself.”

“When she’s aware of what’s going on, maybe. But she zones
out.”

“Jack has her back when she zones out.”

“Really? Like he did back at the compound? She had to save
him.”

She’d heard enough. And thankfully the fog had mostly
cleared. She stood and put her palm against the release. Rowe’s legs were still
wobbly but they managed to hold her this time. “And what if Parker needed you
to save him? Wouldn’t you want to be there? Or would you rather be knocked out
and pushed out of the way?”

Everybody in the room became silent as they turned to look
at her. Harlow was the first one to find her voice. “Rowe. I didn’t know you
were awake.”

“Obviously. Or you wouldn’t be fighting in my front room
about me. My head is killing me.” She stumbled across the room on her way to
the kitchen. She needed some water and something to help with the headache. It
wasn’t until she saw the digital readout of the time that she paused. “Where is
Jack? He should’ve been here hours ago.”

There was a shuffle behind her followed by someone clearing
his throat.

“He sent a message. He had a break in the case and was going
to be a little late.” Harlow’s voice was pinched. She wasn’t being completely
honest.

“How late?”

“Rowe—”

“He said an hour. He was going to be an hour late. We
haven’t heard anything since,” Barkswell said.

She looked up at the clock again and her legs crumpled
beneath her. “It’s happened. And I wasn’t there.” The fear and anxiety that had
been stalking her all week now consumed her. This was all Harlow’s fault.

“No. I only wanted to help you.”

“Get out of my head!” Rowe probably should have felt bad for
the look of hurt that went across Harlow’s face but she didn’t. She was too
angry and afraid for Jack to feel anything else. “I don’t need your help. Not
like this.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to stand. “I’m going to
go find him. And I will save him. And we’ll have a long talk about boundaries
when I get back.”

“You can’t go. You can barely stand,” Harlow argued.

“And whose fault is that?” She looked pointedly at the other
woman.

“I’ll help.” Barkswell took a step toward her.

“I don’t need—”

“Of course you don’t. But two guns are better than one.”

“I could help too.” Harlow looked completely defeated but
Rowe wasn’t ready to forgive her yet.

“No. I’m sorry but I can’t trust you to not drug me again if
things get dicey.”