Shadowed (23 page)

Nick stopped short of Molly's window and crouched low, searching for footprints in
the dust. None, not even a broken
branch or crushed leaf on the bush growing right
next to the window. He was almost sure of it. It'd been Janus.

A flash of white caught his eye, tucked near the root of the bush. He reached for
the paper, the beading sweat on his brow chilling at the familiar Russian scrawl.
All doubt receded from his mind.
A known terrorist stalking American families on American soil made his blood boil.
Time to take this up a notch, lock Kaylan away or something. He inwardly groaned.
Although if they did that, it would ruin the internship she'd worked so hard for,
the one she had almost missed because of Haiti. But her life was far more valuable.
He wished he could do something about it, but unless Janus left for overseas and
he was tasked with the mission, he could do nothing. Unless . . . there
was
one other
option. But his heart couldn't bear it.

He turned the card over. “I know where you live. I have easy access to those you
love. Catch me if you can, little SEAL.”

He called Micah. “I got another letter at Logan's.”

“Is Kaylan all right? The kids?”

“I'm outside now. They're fine. I don't know what to do. If being close to Kaylan
means I put her in danger, then . . . ” He stopped short. He didn't want anyone who
might be listening to know she'd rattled them. But if she'd lurked near the window
as Kaylan calmed Molly, she knew enough.

“Don't go to the absolute extreme yet, Hawk. The Feds are on it. Let's talk this
through before you do what I think you are thinking.” The dial tone sounded.

Nick skirted the perimeter of the house, pausing to listen now and then. A car rolled
up to the house, lights off and deadly quiet. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks.
No use alerting the whole neighborhood. This was a one-time break-in arranged for
one sole purpose—creating fear to gain control. She'd only shown interest in Logan's
family because she knew Kaylan was there and most
likely suspected Nick wouldn't
be far behind. Logan couldn't chase her even if he wanted to.

Kaylan stepped from the house to meet the two federal agents coming up the sidewalk.
Nick instantly appeared at her side, greeting them and filling them in. He wasn't
sure of the next steps, but of one thing he was absolutely certain—his team was ready
to make war.

Janus lurked in the shadows of the neighbor's house. Two men scanned the perimeter
as Nick and Kaylan stood close, talking in the light streaming from inside.

She'd scared the little girl. She'd made just enough noise to wake her and stayed
far enough out of the light to frighten her and make her doubt. That is until that
nagging cough.

Nikolai had found her note. She chuckled quietly to herself. She hadn't had this
much fun in years. She quite enjoyed this little game of cat and mouse. The cat always
won. She relished the victory. Fear remained a worthy and effective tool in her
arsenal. If she controlled their emotions, she controlled the chase.

Soon she would leave for a major deal that the boss had thought big enough to appear
for. She wondered at the risk. He remained anonymous because he remained hidden.
Her alias kept her hidden, and her clients feared to reveal her identity once business
was complete. But this meeting had the potential to wreak havoc on everything they'd
built. If only he trusted her.

She shivered in the evening air. Fear became a weapon against her, and she determined
to double her efforts to make sure her boss was caught if she was. It seemed ironic
that the thing that had almost ruined her life so many years ago had chased her down
to try and ruin it again. She could run, leave well enough alone.
But they would
chase her, and she couldn't let that go—not at the expense of her life, her freedom.

The Feds slipped into their car as Nick and Kaylan went back into the house. She
shook her head. Her first impression had been right. He could do better. The meddlesome
fool would get herself killed if she kept trying to help. The more Kaylan interfered,
the less Janus cared what happened to her. At least that is what she would continue
to tell herself. Feeling anything different was simply out of the question.

Her little game was all too real. If Nick wouldn't be intimidated, then the stakes
rose. If he played to win, she would have no other choice.

Nick closed the door to the Feds, alone with Kaylan for the first time in weeks.
His heart told him to take her in his arms and hold her until this mess ended. But
logic told him they needed to address some things. He looked up to find Kaylan watching
him and realized his hand rested over the lock on the door.

He dropped his hand and approached her, his lips finding hers. Some kisses made him
ready for the wedding. Yesterday. But some, like this one, reassured him that he
could spend a lifetime with this woman, not caught up in passion alone but because
she symbolized home to him and all the things that lasted long after the fireworks
faded.

“Welcome home.” She pulled back and rested her hands on his arms. “I missed you.”

“Missed you too. Looks like you couldn't stay out of trouble for a few weeks. What
in the world am I going to do with you?”

“Me?” She stepped away, laughter and warmth filling her eyes as the threat of danger
faded for the moment with him near. “It's not
my
fault.”

He joined in her laughter but couldn't escape the gravity of the situation. “Kaylan,
I can't leave you defenseless.”

“So leave me your pistol next time you go out of town.”

“What?”

“C'mon, darlin'.” He grinned as her accent thickened. “I grew up in the South with
three rowdy brothers, a dad, and a granddad close by, and you don't think I learned
a thing or two about guns?”

Nick crossed his arms and tried to picture his sweet girlfriend staring down the
barrel of a gun. “I can't see it.”

“Well, I didn't say I actually shot at anything living. But I am a pro with old Coke
bottles.”

“Now that image makes more sense.” He reached for her hand. “Seriously, though, Kaylan.
If I gave you my gun, could you use it if you needed to? If you or someone else was
in danger?”

Nick watched her wrestle with the reality of his words. Her eyes drifted to Molly's
door and her grip tightened in his. When she looked him in the eye again, he saw
no doubt, only a measure of sadness. “If there is no other option, then yes. I would
pull the trigger.”

“Kayles, anything around you can be a weapon. Look for a way to leverage your body
and your environment to get the upper hand on someone. When adrenaline gets going,
you will only have time to react, not think, so make your actions count.”

She nodded. “Do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Please don't let it come to that.”

He crushed her to his chest, his fingers running through her hair. “I'll do my best.”

But his heart sank to his feet. He was fighting a ghost and could only pray she made
a mistake.

Chapter 28

X
AND THE FIVE
guys from the Ukraine mission reported to the War Room on Saturday
morning. Titus had stopped at Starbucks, and everyone gripped cups of steaming coffee,
the scent calming Nick's nerves and reminding him of mornings with Kaylan. With the
FBI running the case on the home front, the SEALs kept waiting for something to break
abroad so they could take the fight to her. Janus had managed to cost them an active
member of the team. She had stalked Kaylan, sent threatening letters and tokens to
Nick, and overall invaded their lives. She'd poked a beast that should never be riled,
and now she would experience their wrath.

X made eye contact with every man. “I realize Janus has hit home for you in ways
it hasn't for the rest of the Support Activity 1. That makes doing your jobs even
more difficult. Because of the scope and delicacy of this situation, we will take
a much larger team on the next mission. But because this is so personal for those
in this room, I wanted you to learn what I know ahead of time to prepare yourselves.
But if this leaves this room, I will personally throttle the tattle-tale.”

Smirks greeted his threat. No one would leak info.

He tossed the photo they'd taken in Nicaragua down in front
of them. The grainy image
of a woman in a bungalow felt all too familiar to Nick now. Too bad her features
were still incomprehensible. “Meet Anya Petrov, aka Janus. Like I've said before,
she works for a much bigger fish. No name for him or her. No photo. No ideas.”

Micah elbowed Nick. “Hawk's started calling him the Big Kahuna. How do we catch her
and this big fish?”

“Do we have a plan, X?” Nick crossed his arms to curb his anxious energy. He wanted
to finish this, marry the girl of his dreams, and never worry about a terrorist invading
their home. What if something happened when he deployed? He'd never know and wouldn't
be close enough to help.

“Well, I'm stating the obvious, but we all know she has invaded our little community
in some way. Now whether she is leaving us these love notes herself or through a
courier is the question of the decade, but regardless, she or someone she works with
is intimately aware of certain team members' routines and private lives.”

All eyes shifted to Nick for a moment, but he kept his gaze centered on X. “So what
does that mean? What can we do?”

“Hawk, you don't need me to tell you that we can't do anything. It isn't in our job
description.”

“So let's fit it in,” Micah muttered through gritted teeth.

“Hold your horses there, Bulldog. We might get our chance. Intel came through that
a big meeting is brewing between a group in Iran, Janus, and this Big Kahuna.” X
smirked at Nick. “Apparently it's big enough to bring her boss out of hiding. The
top dogs are worried Iran has its sights set on disrupting Israel's new settlements,
which is not okay with the administration. There's no love lost between Israeli and
American leadership right now, but we want to make sure no fuel is added to the fire.”

“Where is this shindig going down, X?” Jay chimed in, smacking on some gum as he
rocked back in his chair. Nick could sense the energy radiating off him. He would
go hard at the Halloween party
that night. Nick caught Micah's eye and nodded. They
would need to watch Jay, whose temper tended to flare under the influence of beer
and a pending deployment.

“That remains unclear. It's possible that we are looking at another Yalta trip, or
a little farther down the coast in Sevastopol. If not, we are looking at a very uncomfortable
operation in the Iranian mountains.”

“Bring it on.” Colt rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

X sighed, and Nick knew the burden he carried weighed heavier in light of Logan's
surgery. It had hit them all hard. “Look, guys, I know we signed up for this. But
I don't think we ever sign up thinking the fight will physically invade our homes.
I know you're angry. You're looking for revenge. You want to protect this team you
care about, and you want to protect our families.” He slapped the table. “But take
this on board: don't be stupid. Logan is someone we can't replace, but at least he
came home. We won't come home draped in a flag. We will have a larger team, more
manpower, and more eyes.”

Heads bobbed around the room in silent affirmation.

X waved his hand. “Now get out of here and get ready for that Halloween party you
all have been yapping about for weeks.”

The guys filed out of the room, somber, but eager for a night of laughter. This costume
party would be epic, of that Nick had no doubt. He nearly groaned thinking about
the costumes Kaylan had picked out. “Hawk, Bulldog, you got a sec?” X called.