Lock and Load (SEAL EXtreme Team) (14 page)

She shut her eyes, trying to block out Jacques’ words, blood.
“It…it was difficult, but I cracked it. And then we crashed the system. A guard threw me out of the building. I had no idea what was going on.”

One word came from Charlie’s lips. “We?”

“I caught that too. Who were you working with?” Willy asked.

A lump of sadness clogged her throat. She studied her new black running shoes. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Jenna touched her shoulder. “It might. Please, tell us.”

Amber shook her head. For some reason, she felt the need to protect Jacques. His memory, anyway.

“Are you frightened of the guy?” Ty asked. “You’re safe with us. He can’t hurt you.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Jacques would never have hurt her, even when she bloodied his nose.

“Sorry. I can’t tell you,” she said to the floor.

“Can’t? Or won’t?” Tavon’s deep voice rumbled from behind her. “Shit, woman, we’re trying to save your life.”

She warred with her emotions. No, she would not cry.

“He was your lover. Wasn’t he? The
someone
who started the process and set you up?” Charlie asked.

That did it. She lifted her head and tears ran down her cheeks. She thought about Jacques even as Charlie’s handsome face swam before her. He crossed his arms and waited for her to answer.

She didn’t speak. It was answer enough.

“Fine. You can tell the MP’s at Ship Support when they arrest you. I’m done coddling you, Ms. Fitz. Take her back to the cabin.”

“Mack, no. Give her a minute to calm down. She’s been through a lot,” Jenna said. “Ty, get her a glass of water, please.”

“I’m on it.” Willy went to the refrigerator and returned with a beer and a wink. “Here you go sweetness, better than water.”

She gulped it and wiped her tears with a napkin.

“So this boyfriend of yours, how can we find him?” Charlie’s voice had a sharp edge.

“We need to move fast,” Ty said. “He’s a security risk. We need to find out who he’s talked to.”

Mack placed a pad of paper in front of her with a pen. “Last known addresses, phone numbers, contacts. Anything you can remember.”

“It won’t do any good.” She pushed the pad back. “He’s dead.”

“Oh, Amber. I’m sorry.” Jenna rubbed her arm. “That’s who you told me about?”

“Convenient-story-dead or dead-dead?” Charlie asked.

He didn’t believe her?

“I watched him die.” She pressed her palms to her eyeballs in a vain attempt to stop the flashbacks. To unsee the blood soaking into her carpet.

“How?” Tavon asked. “Who killed him?”

“Three shots through my window. I didn’t stick around to find out who the shooters were.”

The guys all looked at each other as if she’d just pulled her own trigger.

“What floor did you live on?” Mack asked.

“The thirteenth, although the Chinese are as superstitious as we are about bad luck numbers and called it the fourteenth,” she said softly. “Why does it matter?”

“Pretty high up. Think. How many tall buildings were there on your street?” Charlie asked.

“I live in the tallest one. In the next block, there were at least two buildings that were taller.”

“You said three shots. How many missed?” Ty asked.

She wished they’d stop talking about it. The scene was too vivid in her mind. All that blood. She could smell it. Swallowing hard, she fought the instinct to gag. Taking another gulp of beer she whispered, “None of them missed. They hit Jacques in his chest, back, and head.”

Silence filled the galley.

“When? How soon after the hacking incident?” Tavon asked.

“I’d just gotten home. 
Less than an hour?” She studied the men’s faces. They were on to something.

“Long distance heart and headshots, accurate as hell. Impressive. They moved fast and got the job done. No muss, no fuss. The hostiles were not Chinese gamers,” Willy said.

“Nope. It wasn’t a member of the Triad 14K, either. Not their style,” Tavon said. “Shit woman, how many bad guys are after you?”

“Mercenary hit men?” Ty wondered.

“Or one of ours.” Tavon growled.

“Damn it to hell!” Mack roared. He grabbed a satellite phone and stomped out of the room. “I’ll contact the admiral.”

Amber was frozen to the couch.
One of ours?
Had the two American men chasing her through Mong Kok been Navy SEALs? Dread filled Amber’s chest. What if all the SEALs had been ordered to kill her?

“Wait, Mack.” Jenna followed after him.

“I’ll take the
sampan
and scout the area,” Tavon followed after them.

“I’m coming too. I’ll go west in the skiff, you go east. If you hear anything, let me know, and I’ll circle back around,” Ty said. “Remember to stay on the down-low. The Chinese can’t know we’re here.”

Charlie was still looking at her. She wished she could read the expression on his face. More than anything, she wanted him to look at her with the same longing he’d telegraphed while they treaded water in the harbor. She needed an ally.

She couldn’t escape without him.

Charlie watched her. Hot Girl was brave he’d give her that, but she was also scared. Her blue eyes had the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.

He pushed off the wall to go to her. Willy beat him to the punch.

“Come on, sunshine, I’ll escort you back to the cabin.” Willy offered his arm. “I’ll stay with you as long as you want.”

Like hell.
He pounded Willy on the back. “I’ve got her.”

Willy grinned. “Nope. I don’t think you do, Charles.”

Amber rose to her feet, but wobbled on the standing. Charlie caught her. “Careful.”

“Thanks. It’s been a shitty day. I’m exhausted. I’d like to go the cabin and lie down. Come with me?” She looked into his eyes. Searching for…what? Hell, if he knew. He didn’t know Hot Girl as well as he’d thought.

“Sure.” His own clipped tone surprised him. He was mad, even though he had no right to be. They weren’t exclusive. They hadn’t even been on a date yet, so why did he feel like she’d cheated on him?

“Well, what do you know? You do have her. For now.” Willy made a grandiose effort to step aside.

Charlie socked him in the pec.

Willy laughed. “You still hit like a girl.”

He did not wrap his arm around her. He took her by the elbow and led her toward the cabin. No one could mistake the gesture for affection. The closeness to her made his cock take notice, but he would not press her up against the wall and kiss her. Would not. She was his prisoner. Plain and simple.

“Charlie?” The soft rasp to her voice did numbers on him. “What’s going on?”

He didn’t answer.

“Please, talk to me.”

He opened the door for her and she stepped inside.

In his ear piece, Willy whispered. “Remember what Mack said. Get close, but do not let her know we have the memory card. She’ll give up her accomplices and contacts if she thinks it’s still at Mr. Lee’s.”

He closed the door.

“I want you—” she began. He cut her off before he knew exactly what she wanted. This is what he needed to hear.

Before he could stop himself, he had Hot Girl against the wall. His hard cock pressed against her. Encircling her wrists with one hand, he locked her arms above her head as he kissed her neck from her shoulder to her jawline. Her skin was soft and smelled so good. He tugged softly on her earlobe with his teeth and asked, “Me? Is that what you want?”

She let out a hot breath. Arching her back, she brought her breasts closer, as if longing for contact. “Charlie...”

“Yes?”

He ran his other hand over her breasts, feeling her pebbled nipples under her T-shirt. He rolled one nipple between his thumb and finger. Her raspy voice could get to him but the moan she made nearly killed him.

“I want you,” she whispered.

He cupped her ass, running his finger along the seam. Her breath hissed on the intake. She wrapped her leg around his waist, giving him better access to her sweet, sweet spot. She tipped her head back against the wall and ground down into his hand. “More, please, more.”

She was so damned hot. Better than anything he could have imagined. He was ready to explode. He wrapped her other leg around his waist and carried her to the bed. Stretching himself on top of her, he pinned her to the mattress.

She looked into his eyes, hardly blinking. Her lids were hooded, sexy.

He traced the bridge of her nose. Was that a tiny hole? She wore a nose ring? What other secrets did the woman hide? “You’re so damned beautiful.”

She ran her palm across his jaw, lifting the stubble. He enjoyed the feeling. For just a second he lamented cutting his long hair. He would have liked for her to thread her fingers through it. Wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, she drew his head down.

Just as his lips met hers he asked, “Did you love him?”

She pulled back. “Excuse me?”

“Dead boyfriend. Did you love him?”

She froze. Her eyes widening. “What kind of a question is that?”

“An important one. Answer it.”

“More important than kissing me?” She lifted up and ran her tongue over his chin.

Shit. He wasn’t sure he could do this. He wanted her so bad that it hurt, but orders were orders. And the truth was…“I need to know.”

Releasing his neck, she tried to sit up. She couldn’t. He had her right where he wanted her—pinned underneath him. She sighed, her chest rising and falling against him. “We were friends, mostly. We’d only started dating a few weeks ago.”

“About the time you stopped playing games.”

She frowned. “How could you know that? Were you spying on me?”

He grinned. “I’m a good gamer, but not that good. I didn’t know where you were, sweetheart. I’d asked you out and then you disappeared. I was worried.”

“And now that you know me, can see me, touch me…what do you think?” Her gaze poured over him.

“You scare the shit out of me.”

She smiled and played with his chin. “In a good way?”

“In a worried-we’ll-both-end-up-dead way. If you didn’t love, Jacques, why did you hack into the D.O.D?”

She stopped playing. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Right. So you said.”

“You don’t believe me.”

“No. I don’t think any U.S. court will believe you either. Think up a new story, sweetheart.”

“I’m not lying.” She shoved him.

“Tell me about Jacques and his contacts. Who was he planning to sell the data to?”

“I don’t know.” She tried to wiggle out.

He held her in place. “A name, organization, give me something.”

“Get off of me, Charlie. I don’t know anything, I swear. I had no idea what Jacques was up to. I wouldn’t have gone along with it if I had known. He used me.”

He rolled off of her. “I believe you,” he lied.

She let out a deep breath. “Thank God. Will you help me prove my innocence?”

He ran his finger down her bare arm. He couldn’t stop himself from touching her. “How do we do that?”

“First we go back to Night Temple Market. I…I left something there.”

He turned on his side and rose up on his elbow. “What is it?”

Her blinks sped up and she had trouble meeting his gaze. It was her tell. She was lying. “A music box my mom gave to me. It’s special and I want it back. I’m not leaving Hong Kong without it.”

“Uh-huh. What’s inside the box?”

“My little treasures. That’s all.” She looked at the ceiling, the wall, the dresser, anywhere but in his eyes.

“And this music box, what’ll we do once we have it?”

“I don’t know yet.” He could almost see her mental wheels spinning.

Dammit! She’d better not be planning what he thought she was planning. Anger sparked in his chest. He ground his teeth to keep from letting her see it. “Maybe we’ll sell what’s inside the box and buy your freedom?”