Targeted (16 page)

He felt a small cracking around his chest at the way she said “we.” “Wesley is my handler. We’re all part of the same organization, and everyone who works for him knows each other. I don’t know what missions any of the team goes on unless we’re on the same mission. And if Levi was working with Vargas, I would have been informed. It would have been a joint op. As it stands . . .” He shook his head, not wanting to say the words aloud.

She frowned. “Okay, so how did they track us down? Your friend sold you out?”

“I don’t know, but it’s possible.” He didn’t tell her that Levi was the only other person who knew about Jack’s personal safe house. It would make her even less likely to trust him, and right now he needed her.

“So why can’t we call your boss?”

“If someone’s hacked the NSA or if there’s a mole in the agency, it’s possible they’re watching him too.”

“We can’t sit by and do
nothing
.”

“I know. I just wanted you to know our options.”

“We need to call Hannah now. Those guys left over an hour ago. They’ll be in Miami soon.”

Sophie was right. It didn’t matter what option they chose. Her friend was in danger. Jack handed his phone to her. “Call your friend. Make sure she understands the urgency of the situation, but don’t waste time explaining. She needs to leave and go somewhere no one would think to look, not even you. Tell her not to use her credit cards and to take the battery out of her phone. She should get money out of an ATM and use cash for now. She can buy a throwaway with cash tomorrow and leave a message on my phone that she’s safe.”

Sophie swallowed and took the phone from his hand. He didn’t miss the way her hands trembled as she slipped the battery into place.

Jack listened as Sophie convinced her friend to leave. To give her credit, she didn’t take no for an answer and she didn’t waste any time.

“You sure she’s going to listen?” he asked as she hung up.

“She’s my best friend and she’s not stupid.” It was hard to miss the defensive note in Sophie’s voice.

“You met her in college, right?” He needed to keep her distracted right now, and talking was the best way to do it. Plus, he wanted to know the things about her life that a file simply couldn’t tell him. He’d missed Sophie so fucking much. More than he’d realized until he’d found himself face-to-face with her, her tantalizing scent messing with his head and making him remember how great things had been between them.

She nodded, the action jerky. “Yeah.”

“And? Come on, give me more than a one-word answer.” He gave her a lopsided smile, hoping she’d let her guard down.

She gave him a small smile as the tension in her shoulders loosened a fraction. “Freshman year I got stuck with this horrible roommate who talked to her boyfriend for hours every night, but after a week she got homesick and moved out. That’s when Hannah got placed with me. I was really shy and she
really
wasn’t, but somehow we clicked instantly. We’ve been best friends ever since. Her mom—” Sophie bit her lip and stared at her clasped hands as if she was afraid she’d said too much.

To him, it wasn’t enough. “What is it?”

“Nothing. Sorry if I’m rambling. I do that when I’m nervous.”

“You’re not rambling. What about her mom?” He could listen to Sophie talk for hours.

She shrugged. “I love her mom, but lately she’s been hounding Hannah to get married and have kids even though she has four older brothers, all of whom are single.”

“Isn’t she a nurse?”

“The
head
nurse of the pediatrics ward. She’s young and ambitious, but it’s not what her family wants for her. Don’t get me wrong, her mom is really great. If it wasn’t for her, I’d have probably starved in college. She bugs me about settling down too, but she’s not as hard on me.” A small smile tugged at Sophie’s lips, and it nearly undid him.

From Sophie’s file he knew she was close to Hannah Young, but it was obvious she was close to the whole family. Hell, it sounded as though she considered them her family. It had been a long time since he’d prayed, but he decided to take a chance and throw up a silent one for her friend’s safety. If her friend died, it would shred Sophie. And anything that caused her pain was unacceptable.

Sophie barely concealed a yawn as they pulled into a cheap motel on the next island closer to the mainland. “Where are we?”

“Islamorada, and this place accepts cash. Stay here while I get us a room.”

She didn’t audibly respond, but nodded instead. Her red-rimmed eyes were glassy and tired. The one-story baby blue building looked the same as it had six years ago.

Once he’d secured a room and two keys, he found Sophie dozing against the headrest of the car. When he knocked on her window, her eyes flew open in a panic until she realized it was him.

She grabbed her purse and stumbled out. Luckily they were parked two spots down from their room, so he didn’t have to move the vehicle.

After opening the door, he gave her one of the keys. “Don’t open for anyone. I’ve got my own key.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back in five minutes.” He shut the door behind him without further explanation. Jack might not be able to do much for her, but he was going to make sure he took care of whatever needs he could.

Kidnapping: the crime of unlawfully seizing and carrying away a person by force or fraud.

Sophie was too tired to argue or question him, so she simply locked the door and surveyed her surroundings. On the outside, the blue paint was chipping and a green-looking fungus covered the bottom half of the walls, but the room itself wasn’t too bad. There were two double beds, both with pink and blue floral comforters, and a table with a rotary telephone. She dropped her purse on the bed farthest from the door and stepped into the bathroom. At least they had soap and two toothbrushes. She quickly washed her face, then stripped out of her dress and wrapped one of the white towels around herself.

There was no telling when she’d have a decent change of clothes, and she wasn’t sleeping in this dress if she was going to have to wear it all day tomorrow. She left the bathroom light on, but turned off the lights in the main room.

As she slid under the crisp cotton sheet, the thin material had a cooling effect. She could practically feel the knot in the back of her neck loosen. So much had happened since that morning, it was hard to grasp that her world had turned upside down in the span of twenty-four hours. The only reason she was remotely able to relax now was that she’d talked to Hannah. Knowing her friend was getting out of town made dealing with everything else bearable.

She tensed at the sound of the doorknob rattling until Jack stepped in carrying a bundle of clothes. Like a laser, his gaze immediately narrowed as he fixated on the dress she’d draped over one of the chairs. Then he looked at her. Pure sex was in his eyes. It was so brief, but the look he gave her made her toes curl. He might not want to want her, but he definitely did. She didn’t know how it was possible, but his pale eyes seemed to darken as they raked over her face, all hot and hungry. For her. She actually got wet as he watched her. Her cheeks flushed and she was thankful there was no way he could tell her reaction. That hadn’t happened to her since she was seventeen going on eighteen. Only one person had ever gotten that reaction out of her. Being around Jack and those annoyingly familiar eyes brought back too many memories of Sam. Not to mention she couldn’t deny her growing attraction to the actual man in front of her. Not a memory.

Jack had such a dangerous yet sexy edge to him that it got her impossibly hot when it was the last thing she should be feeling. After that one escape attempt back at his condo, she’d been full-on prepared to try to run again. But after her boss’s shady behavior and then those men who’d stormed Jack’s place, she realized that she was a hell of lot safer with him than on her own. If she tried to leave she had no clue where she’d go. Not to mention that Hannah was supposed to be calling him and leaving a message when she got to safety. And strange as it sounded even to herself, Jack was the ultimate protector. He’d seemed so pissed that she’d been afraid of him. As if he could ever hurt her.

The gaze on his face right now was so raw she wasn’t sure what to do. Instinctively she pulled the sheet up higher, hoping he didn’t think she was trying to get him into bed. Although the thought was pretty damn appealing. So much so that the thought of dropping her cover and asking him to join her was sounding better and better. She couldn’t remember exactly how long it had been since she’d had sex—which said a lot about the state of her love life—but after the insanity of the last day she had no problem admitting she could find comfort in Jack’s arms. There was no doubt it would be a mistake, but it was one she’d make with open eyes.

She nodded at his hands and found her voice. “What is that?”

“A couple changes of clothes for you. And two pairs of shoes. These should fit.” Was it just her or was his voice unsteady?

“Where did you get those this late at night?”

He shrugged, but his heated stare never wavered from hers.

Warmth spread across her lower belly as her nipples hardened. The way Jack stared at her was different. He looked at her as if she was special. Not just another pretty woman. And she wanted . . .
him
. Damn it, she wanted him so bad her body ached for the feel of his hands and mouth stroking over her entire body. Maybe if she imagined or willed it hard enough, he’d do something about it. She was tempted to make a move on him or at least let him know she was willing, but if he rejected her after the day she’d had, she’d probably die of embarrassment. And there was nowhere to go if he did. She’d be stuck with him and her own humiliation.

When he cleared his throat she realized she’d been staring at his mouth. “Did you steal those from someone’s room?”

Jack lifted a dark eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his expression. “I can return them if you’d like.”

“No way.” She smiled and fell back against the pillow. She was tossing those stupid sneakers tomorrow.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Cotton filled her mouth when his gaze fell to her lips. She wondered if he was remembering that kiss. Unable to take his scrutiny any longer when it was obvious he didn’t plan to do anything about it, she rolled onto her side and punched her pillow. Behind her, the creaking of his bedsprings cut through the otherwise silent room. Sophie bit back a frustrated groan. She’d been ready to pass out minutes ago, but now she was wide awake and wondering what was going on in Jack’s head. She shouldn’t care, but the man was a mystery. A very sexy mystery. She should just keep her mouth shut and stay as detached from him as she could until this whole mess was over. Too bad that wasn’t going to happen.

“Jack?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?” Oh boy, she was so going to regret asking this, but there was no way to stop herself.

“Sure.”

“Earlier, in the closet . . . Did I misread, uh . . .” Her face heated as she struggled to voice what she meant.

“No, you didn’t. . . . I’m attracted to you.
Very
attracted. We have to keep this professional, Sophie. There’s too much at stake.” His deep voice was exceptionally low in the quiet room.

So he wanted her and she wanted him. She’d known it, but hearing him say it sent tingles racing along her nerve endings. Unwanted heat pooled between her legs as she imagined all the things he could do with those big hands. At that moment she was very thankful he couldn’t see her expression.

With her back still facing him, she spoke again. “Where are you from?”

“What?”

“You have a file on me, right?”

“You know I do.”

“So you know things about me you have no right to know. I just want to know where you’re from.” It was a fair request.

He was silent for so long she wasn’t sure he’d answer. “I’m from Miami too.”

His pause made her think he was actually telling the truth. Or maybe that was just some spy trick to make her believe him. “Really?” It wasn’t actually that surprising, considering the way he’d maneuvered around the city, as though he was extremely familiar with the area in a way only locals were.

“Yes, really. Will you please try to get some sleep?” He yawned and she knew it wasn’t real.

“That fake yawn is pathetic and just so you know, the attraction isn’t one-sided. If you change your mind I’m right here.” Sophie’s chest tightened as she said the words she’d never have been able to say if she’d been facing him. It was out of character for her to be this bold, but with people trying to kill her, she was going to do exactly what she wanted.

From the moment they’d been introduced, she’d been more than aware that Jack was a good-looking man. Even when she hadn’t trusted him and had thought he was a potential criminal, her body had flared to life with something raw and unexplainable. Something that had only happened to her in Sam’s presence. In her experience, outward appearance didn’t mean anything. Looks would fade and good-looking, charming people could be angry and cruel underneath the surface.

Truth be told, despite her original primal draw to him, it was seeing him in action and a strange familiar quality about him that triggered real awareness on her part. When he’d kissed her back in Miami, she’d felt it all the way to her pinky toes. It was as if she’d been hit with a live wire and it had woken up some long-dormant part of her. None of the men she’d ever dated after Sam had been able to affect her with just a kiss. Until Jack. Mr. Tall, Sexy, and Inappropriate Timing.

The sound of Jack moving against the sheets interrupted the quiet of the dark room and silenced her thoughts. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she actually felt safe in a bone-deep sort of way. Ironic, considering the circumstances. Tomorrow she’d have a billion things to worry about. For now, her body and mind needed time to recover. Or at least rest. Closing her eyes, she let the blackness of sleep overtake her.