Marked (Hostage Rescue Team Series) (11 page)

She slid it into place and tapped it, watching him, fascinated by the heat in those dark eyes.

“Can you hear me?” he whispered, his voice barely carrying in the quiet, but it was amplified in her left ear. It felt intimate. Sensual. If he was trying to distract her from her anxiety, he was doing a hell of a good job.

She nodded, her mouth going dry as her gaze dropped to his lips. So close. What she wouldn’t give to have them on hers right now. But she was already feeling off balance and vulnerable so she wasn’t going to make the first move.

His mouth twitched slightly in a hint of a smile, as though he guessed what she’d been thinking. “Tap it twice.” She did. “What about now?”

She shook her head, feeling strangely dizzy as she stared back at him. “It’s off.”

“Good.” He took her face between his hands, his thumbs moving gently over her cheekbones, making sensitive nerve endings tingle. “When they drop you off you won’t be able to see me, but I’ll be close and so will the others. Nothing’s gonna happen to you, I promise.”

She swallowed, her throat tight from a mix of fear at what she was about to do and the aching need he ignited in her.

He shook her once gently, holding her gaze. “Say you believe me.”

“I believe you.” It came out a breathy whisper, an erotic invitation in the charged space between them. No way could she not kiss him. She swayed toward him, her body making the decision for her, her eyelids fluttering closed as he bent his head…

Abruptly he pulled back, his expression set as he tapped his earpiece. “Go.” His eyes burned with unfulfilled desire and regret as he stared down at her and listened to whatever was being said. “Roger that. Be down in five.” With a deep sigh, he smoothed a hand over her hair and set her away from him. “They’re waiting for you.”

Nodding because she didn’t trust her voice yet, Rachel licked her lips. Her entire body was humming, craving that kiss, the taste of him, even as her heart pounded in terror of what she was about to do.

“Turn your earpiece on.”

She started to shake her head, wanting to clear this up between them, find out exactly where they stood before she did the drop. Just in case. She couldn’t stand the uncertainty a moment longer. Did he want more than friendship or not? “Not yet, I—”

He silenced her with a finger against her sensitive lips. A slow, sexy smile spread across his face and his eyes glowed. “Later. I promise we’ll talk tonight after this is all done, okay? Right now I need you to have your game face on.”

Her throat tightened as she realized he was telling her he did want more. How much more, she wasn’t sure, but it was enough for now as long as she got a clearer answer later. “Okay.”

His stare was so intense it smoldered. “Just remember we’ve got your back out there.”

She knew Jake would do whatever it took to protect her. “I know. And you be careful too.”

“I will,” he said, grinning as though her concern amused him.

She tapped her earpiece, struggling to find her balance now that he’d thrown her world off-kilter. “It’s on.”

“Okay.” He took her hand, twined his fingers through hers and squeezed as he reached for the door. “You can do this, babe, no sweat. Now let’s go get this done.”

The cool, damp night air washed over Rachel as she got out of the unmarked car and shut the door. She tugged her raincoat closer around her body to ward off the chill and resisted the urge to reach up and check her earpiece. Late afternoon rain showers had left puddles standing here and there on the pavement, the water reflecting the brightly colored lights from the lamps and signs overhead.

The driver, an undercover FBI agent, pulled away immediately, leaving her alone on the corner near the entrance to Chinatown. They’d given her a tracking device that she’d attached to the back of one of her earrings. That and the earpiece still weren’t enough to settle the nerves fizzing in her belly.

Pulling the collar of her leather jacket up higher to block the chilly breeze, she walked toward the ornate red gates that marked the entrance of Chinatown, her shoes making wet slapping sounds on the damp pavement. Being a Saturday night, the area was busy, packed with cars and pedestrians going to the night market and the many shops and restaurants in the district. Her destination was one of the stalls set up at the market, a few blocks away.

Hands tucked into her jacket pockets, she curled the fingers of her right hand around the USB drive one of the analysts had given her that contained the altered files. They’d assured her time and time again that the files were complete enough that the tampering wouldn’t be detected even if the information was somehow transmitted before the team could move in and arrest whoever picked it up—assuming Xang wasn’t a total whacko and actually showed up himself tonight.

They’d better be right about that, because right now no one had a clue where Brandon might be.

They also assumed that whoever came to pick up the files wasn’t actually going to meet Xang in person, since that would only lead anyone following the runner straight to him. Once the agents made the arrest, they planned to find out how the person was going to transmit the files to Xang and duplicate the method exactly, thereby getting a starting point to begin the search for him and Brandon.

Her pulse thudded in her throat. Telling herself to stay calm, she crossed the street and entered the tall gates with their sculpted Chinese lions flanking either side, following the instructions Jake and the others had given her.

Walk tall. Head up. Don’t glance around like you’re expecting to be watched. Don’t look for us. We’ll be there
.

Even though there were plenty of people around and she knew the undercover agents were out there somewhere, she still felt nervous and exposed out here.

Jake’s voice came through her earpiece. “You’re doing great. Scratch your nose if you hear me.”

She did, resisting the urge to look around for him in the shadows. And she knew better than to say anything in reply, in case she was being watched or followed by whoever Xang had sent.

“Perfect. Tuck and I have you covered and everyone else is in position. You’ll be just fine.”

It helped to hear his voice and know he could see her even if she couldn’t see him. If anything happened, he’d be there to help. She pushed out a breath and continued down the sidewalk past steamy windows of restaurants serving hand-pulled noodles and genuine Cantonese or Mandarin specialties.

The market always drew a lot of interest, including people outside the Chinese community who wanted a more authentic experience of Chinese cuisine and culture. The smell of barbecued pork and steamed dumplings wafted in the air as she turned right at the first corner and headed for the lit display tents set up in the market area.

When she was within forty feet of the stall she’d been told to make the drop at, the back of her neck prickled. Forcing back the urge to glance around, she waited in line at the food stall. Someone was watching her, she felt it.

Rachel stared straight ahead, watching people order and pay for their steamed buns and spicy shrimp. She was too nervous to be hungry, even with the tempting smells around her, but when it was her turn she ordered herself some sweet pork buns anyway.

The woman at the cash register took her money, filled the order and handed over a small cardboard takeout tray full of steamed buns. As Rachel accepted it, she quickly slipped the USB drive out of her pocket and placed it on the counter to the left of the register as she’d been told, then turned and began to walk away.

The prickling at her nape continued and this time it was impossible to keep from darting looks around for possible threats. Brandon’s safety depended on this going down smoothly and she didn’t want any screw-ups. To signal to the team that she’d successfully made the drop, she picked up a bun and forced herself to take a bite. The spiced meat and the dough felt heavy in her mouth but she made herself swallow it and keep walking, ignoring the hard thud of her heart.

She was almost at the end of the line of people waiting to order when out of the corner of her eye she noticed someone barreling toward her. Her stride faltered and she turned her head, eyes widening when she saw a man in a black hoodie coming straight for her. For an instant, panic seized her, rooting her in place.

“Rachel, run for the secondary extraction point,” Jake commanded.

She whirled, bouncing off someone in the crowd as she tried to get away. Expecting to feel hands grabbing her from behind at any second, she was surprised when the man coming her way blew past her, headed for the stall.

“
Run
,” Jake barked. “We’re moving in on them.”

Them?
Shoving her way through the knot of people surrounding her, she caught sight of two more men also dressed in black hoodies running toward her, pushing their way past people to clear the way.

She was outta there.

Praying Jake and the others would get them, Rachel burst out of the crowd and took off back the way she’d come. Half expecting someone to grab her, she veered left at the next corner and raced toward where the getaway car was supposed to show up.

****

Jake stayed back a few precious seconds longer to ensure Rachel made it to where a fellow agent had pulled the car up, then bolted from his position after the third suspect.

“Tuck, Bauer, report.” Up ahead, the man Jake was after darted around a corner. Bastard was fast, Jake would give him that. He dodged people as he raced after him, never taking his eyes off the back of that black hoodie.

“One just ducked into a restaurant up ahead,” Tuck replied. “He’s mine.”

“Gaining on mine,” Bauer said, his heavy breathing telling Jake he was still in hot pursuit.

Jake knew other agents were converging on the area right now but it was up to the three of them to at least keep a visual of the suspects. He planned to do a lot more than that. His boots pounded against the pavement with each racing stride. Helluva way for him and his buddies to spend their day off, but at least he knew Rachel was safe. Now, they were gonna nail the sons of bitches who’d come for that USB drive.

Halfway up the next block the guy tried and failed to leap over two people carrying what looked like a small couch. He caught his foot on the top of the thing and sailed headfirst over it, hitting the ground hard.

Those few seconds it took for him to scramble to his feet were all Jake needed. The suspect had just gained his footing and taken a lurching stride up the sidewalk when Jake caught him in a flying tackle. They hit the ground hard, the guy beneath him taking the full brunt of the impact, the breath rushing out of him in a loud, painful grunt. People cried out and scrambled away from them in surprise.

“FBI,” Jake called out as he pinned the guy in place. “Stay back!”

Nobody moved as he flipped the man onto his stomach and seized his wrists, wrenching them behind his back before securing them with a plastic zip-tie. Once he was immobilized, Jake turned him back over again, not surprised to see an unfamiliar face staring up at him. He was in his late teens or early twenties, definitely of Asian descent, and his nose and chin were bleeding from their introduction to the pavement.

“Who are you,” Jake growled, wasting no time in searching him. The kid didn’t answer as he checked the pockets of the jacket and jeans. Jake found no weapons, and unfortunately no USB drive either. The only thing the guy had on him was a cell phone, which Jake took for further analysis.

Via the earpiece he reported his location to the rest of the team. “What’s your name?” he demanded again, growing impatient. He wanted fucking answers, so they could get mobilized and rescue Rachel’s brother, then bring Xang down.

He got nothing but an angry glare in response. Didn’t much matter. The team would have portable biometric scanners to immediately upload his picture and fingerprints to AFIS and IDENT systems, so if this guy had a criminal history, they’d know about it pretty damn quick.

“Tuck?” he said instead, looking up to scan the immediate area. Two agents were running toward him. Jake stood guard over the suspect in case he got it in his head to try to get up and make another run for it.

“Got him,” Tuck panted and gave his location, about three blocks east of Jake. “Unarmed, and no sign of the files.”

“Got mine too,” Bauer reported a moment later, sounding out of breath. “I’m four blocks northwest of you, Evers. Little bastard ducked into a restaurant and convinced the owners to hide him in their apartment upstairs. He was trying to climb out the fire escape in back when I got there.”

“Has he got the files?” Jake asked.

“Negative, but he’s got a cell on him and some other stuff.”

They’d seen the first guy grab the USB from the food stand, but it was likely he’d passed it off to one of the others when he’d realized they were being chased. “I’m moving to you now.” Jake waited for the other agents to come over and take charge of the suspect before jogging up to Bauer’s position.

He found the former SEAL towering over the prisoner cuffed face-down on the floor of the tiny restaurant. Someone had ushered all the patrons out into the street, but the older man and woman who Jake assumed were the owners stood huddled together behind the counter, watching the proceedings with wide eyes.

Jake pulled out his ID and held it up for them to see before looking at what Bauer held in his gloved hands. A cell phone and some kind of electronic transmitter.

“I can’t get in,” Bauer said. “Password protected and he’s not cooperating.”

Wouldn’t take their analysts long to get what they needed. Jake went down on one knee beside the suspect. Young Asian male, probably in his early twenties. “Who are you?”

“Michael,” the kid answered in a heavy accent.

“Michael who?”

“Michael Wong.”

“What were you doing in the market tonight, Mike?”

“Getting food.”

Riiiight.
“So why’d you run from us?”

Mike rolled his head enough to glower at Jake. “He chasing me,” he said, jerking his chin at Bauer.