Your Next Breath (7 page)

“It was my problem. I was handling it. Venable sent an agent to get Erin.”

“I know all that. It didn’t work out too well, did it?”

“No,” she had to admit. “There was no time. It was the best I could do, being half a world away from her. Could you have done any better?”

“Maybe.” He grimaced. “Maybe not. I guess you did okay.”

“No, I didn’t do okay. She almost got killed. The best I could do wasn’t good enough. Do you think I don’t realize that?”

His gaze narrowed on her face. “And you’re feeling guilty and responsible.”

“Yes, about her and everyone else who is unlucky enough to be my friend.” She glared at him. “And get out of my mind. You promised me that you wouldn’t do that to me. Keep your word, dammit.”

He shrugged. “I’m out now. It’s always tempting. I did slip when I first joined you. I get reckless when I’m angry.” He suddenly smiled. “But only with you. Sometimes it frustrates me not to know which way you’re going to jump. Though I always hope it’s going to be into bed with me. You’re the exception to every rule, Catherine.”

Sensual and erotic memories were flooding back to her as she stared at him. She could feel the heat tingle through her body, tightening the muscles of her stomach, causing her breasts to swell. She could remember lying naked on his lap, his fingers moving inside—

“I’ve missed you, Catherine,” he said quietly. “I don’t remember ever missing a woman after I’d left her. But I missed you. I wanted to come back and show you how good we could be together.”

“Sexually?” she asked. “No argument. But life isn’t only sex, and we’re hardly compatible on any other level. I told you when you were running off to Copenhagen that I wasn’t going to go with you and be your mistress. I’m CIA. I have a job to do.” She looked him in the eye. “And that job might be to go after you and take you down someday. We don’t think alike, Cameron. You believe the world is trying to blow itself up and going to hell. You want to prepare a new civilization by hiring superbrains, stealing knowledge, and storing it away so that we’ll have something to go back to. Me? I believe you may be right, but I’m going to work my ass off to try to keep that blowup from happening. Don’t get in my way.”

“It might be impossible not to do that.” He tilted his head. “But we’re both warrior stock, Catherine. We’d probably enjoy that, too. The idea … stimulates me. But then, everything about you stimulates me. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and want you there beside me. Do you remember my mouth on—”

“It’s over,” she said curtly. “And the last thing I want to think about right now. I have more important concerns.”

“What can I say? I’m only a man, and there are no more important concerns than sex. Well, maybe long-term, but never on the current scale.” His smile faded. “Okay, let’s get down to it. Why did you phone me four times?”

“Why did you ignore me four times?”

“I don’t like cell phones. I was irritated with you, and I wasn’t ready to make contact.”

“You mean in your own special way, where you have all the advantages?” she asked sarcastically. “But you slipped up, that’s a very crude set you’ve created for me. Was it supposed to bring up thoughts of rough, tough cavemen?”

“No, I wasn’t in the mood to play games. I just brought you to where I am.”

She went still. “And where is this cave?”

“Tibet.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “I thought you were in Copenhagen. Didn’t your committee send you there?”

“That was an easy problem to solve. I went straight from there to Beijing.”

“Why? Did they have a few brilliant computer whizzes you wanted to ‘liberate’?”

“Perhaps. Whatever I was doing is classified, Catherine.”

She dismissed the question. “Venable will find out. So what are you doing in a cave in Tibet?”

“I’m waiting for a helicopter to land to pick up our shooter. He’s on a plateau about five minutes from where I am.”

She inhaled sharply. “You found him?”

“I sent my men out questioning and searching the minute I got Erin to Hong Kong. I put an urgent on it. And I boarded a flight out of Beijing within the hour.” His brows lifted. “Would you expect anything else? Erin is one of mine. No one is permitted to touch her.”

“I’m afraid she doesn’t accept that designation,” she said dryly. “She’s an independent journalist and belongs only to herself, not to you, not to your committee.”

“And we respect both her independence and her vision. It’s what made her a Pulitzer Prize winner. It’s what made us have an interest in acquiring her for our project.”

“She turned you down, Cameron. She doesn’t want to be part of your ‘perfect’ future world.”

“Not at the moment. But as she becomes more discouraged and disillusioned at what’s happening around her, she might change her mind. She came close a few months ago.” He shrugged. “If she doesn’t, so be it. I still chose her, and I have to protect her. It’s my job.”

“As the Guardian?” she said mockingly.

“It’s what I am,” he said simply. “It took me a long time to decide I’d accept the responsibility. I take it seriously.”

“I’m sure you do. Everything from killing and blowing up fireworks factories to rescuing idealistic reporters from the bad guys.” She changed the subject. “Does this shooter have a name? Venable hasn’t been able to trace him yet.”

“Carlos Nagoles.” He smiled teasingly. “And my techs were able to track and identify him within eight hours. It’s wonderful what you can do without government red tape. He’s a killer for hire who works principally out of Hong Kong and Beijing. Very efficient. Very expensive.”

“You’re sure he’s the sniper?”

“Quite sure. I don’t make mistakes like that, Catherine,” he said gently.

“I thought he might have ties to the South American drug cartels.”

“And he might, but he’s freelance.” He paused. “You thought he might be connected to Santos.”

Her eyes widened. “How do you know about Santos?”

“Erin didn’t know enough about what was going on with you, so I had to tap Hu Chang. I would have gone to you, but I was pissed off that you hadn’t told me yourself.” He paused. “I’m still pissed off.”

“And, of course, Hu Chang told you everything he knew.”

“He’s a wise man. He wanted to enlist all the help he could to protect you. But we’ll go into that at another time.” He straightened. “I have to leave. I hear the helicopter. By the way, when we intercepted the message from the pilot to Nagoles, he mentioned that he’d been sent by Santos to pick him up. If you had any doubts it was Santos who was targeting you, that should put them to rest.”

“Wait. Do you have help to take Nagoles down?”

“It’s only a helicopter pickup. Nagoles is hiding in the rocks near the plateau. When the helicopter lands, he’ll surface, and I’ll have him.”

“Is that a no?”

He got to his feet. “I’m touched by your concern.”

“Cameron, listen,” she said urgently. “I don’t want this Carlos Nagoles dead. I want to ask him questions.”

“I thought that might be why you were trying to contact me.” He was heading for the cave opening. “I don’t promise you anything, Catherine. Santos’s errand boy piloting that helicopter will definitely go down. Nagoles? He tried to kill Erin. I’m not going to let him get a chance to do it again.” The glance he gave her over his shoulder was cool, narrowed, and razor sharp. “If you’re lucky, I might place a few questions to him. Emphasis on might.”

“Damn you. I need to—”

But the cave was suddenly gone.

And so was Cameron.

She was only surrounded by the shadowy darkness of her familiar bedroom.

And Cameron was somewhere on that mountain in Tibet, running toward the shooter.

And she wanted to be with him.

Who knew what kind of firepower the pilot on that helicopter would have?

Why was she worried? Cameron was totally remarkable and could certainly take care of himself.

And the bastard had refused to give her any reassurances about Nagoles. Cameron would do things his way and to hell with what she wanted. Which meant that she might lose her chance to get the information she needed about Santos’s location. So it was ridiculous for her to feel anything but anger at Cameron.

And stupid of her to still want to be on that mountain with him.

*   *   *

Cameron could feel the blood coursing through his veins as he ran down the rocky path to the plateau. Seeing Catherine again had made every sense come alive. Long, dark hair, sleek and shining, a slight tilt to those dark eyes that were bold and fierce and brimming with life against the gold of her skin. A mouth that was shaped as beautifully as the rest of her features. A slim body that was still sensual, sexual as well as strong. He loved her strength as much as that sexuality. In spite of his anger, she’d had the same explosive sexual effect on him as she’d had from the moment he’d met her. Sex and obsession. As Guardian, it wasn’t wise for him to form obsessions, but Catherine had definitely become an obsession. That was why he’d resented the fact that she’d not come to him for help when she’d been targeted. She had left him out, and it angered him … and hurt.

Stop thinking of Catherine. There was work to be done.

His gaze raked the clusters of rock ahead for signs of Nagoles. By nature, he was a hunter, and Nagoles was fair game. Not only was he a killer, but he was a threat to Erin and Catherine. Besides, he didn’t often get the chance to go one-on-one. To his infinite disgust, the committee regarded him as too valuable to the project to risk.

He could see the red-and-cream helicopter on the horizon. It was losing altitude, preparing to land.

Nagoles had still not come out of the rocks.

Wait.

Watch.

He dodged to one side for cover as he reached the rocks.

The helicopter was hovering.

Shit. There was a missile mounted on either side of the copter.

A complication.

Where the hell was Nagoles?

Then the helicopter was on the ground, rotors blowing snow in all directions.

“Here!” Nagoles was running through the boulders toward the helicopter, his right hand clenching on his rifle.

In a minute, he’d be out of the rocks and a few yards from the helicopter. That would be the time to take him down.

Just a little closer …

He carefully aimed his rifle at the door of the helicopter.

He’d do better to send the bastard straight to hell, but Catherine wanted information. He’d see if he could get it for her without damaging his own agenda.

Nagoles sprinted into view, only four yards from the helicopter.

Now.

He pulled the trigger.

Nagoles screamed as the bullet hit his back. He stumbled and went down.

Blood on the snow.

Cameron could hear the pilot cursing as he started to lift off.

And his second act would be lethal.

Move.

Cameron dodged to the right, just as a missile exploded and shattered the rocks where he’d been only seconds before.

Get in position for another shot. Fast. If that pilot gained altitude, he’d have a clear shot of anyone on the ground below him.

He was already ten feet off the ground when Cameron reached a boulder and rested his rifle on the surface and aimed at the helicopter.

Fifteen feet.

He aimed five feet above his actual target.

Gas tank. Take out the gas tank.

The pilot swiveled the aircraft around, spoiling the shot.

Aim again.

Now.

He pressed the trigger.

The helicopter exploded into a fiery ball as the gas tank blew.

Cameron moved to the edge of the plateau and watched as the flaming remnants of the aircraft fell out of the sky to the valley below.

Nagoles groaned on the ground behind him.

Cameron turned and looked at him.

Bleeding. Snarling. Trying to crawl to reach his rifle.

Conscious enough to want to kill.

Therefore, he should be conscious enough for Cameron’s purpose.

Before he made sure that the bastard was never a threat to either Erin or Catherine again.

“Hello, Nagoles, I’m Cameron.” He squatted next to Nagoles and shoved the man’s rifle farther out of his reach. “We have to have a chat. You need to pay close attention, because I have a terrible temper, and that could bring you intense pain…”

*   *   *

“The shooter’s name is Nagoles,” Catherine told Venable as soon as he picked up. “Cameron’s men tracked him down. And he’s freelance, not one of Santos’s usual goons. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have information that I can use.” She added in frustration, “If Cameron will give me the chance to get it out of him.”

“Cameron?” Venable wasn’t pleased. “Where is he? I’ll send agents to intercept him and make sure we get our hands on Nagoles.”

“Fat chance. Cameron is being protective, which means that Nagoles is a dead man. I just hope that he deigns to get me some of the information that I need before he sends Nagoles to hell.”

“Where is he?” Venable repeated.

“Tibet. Don’t send anyone near him. You know that Cameron and the CIA have been dancing around each other for months. You don’t want a confrontation with him unless it’s over something important to global security. Not about some drug dealer trying to take an agent out.”

“I’ll do what I please, Catherine. We want Santos back in custody on a charge that will stick. Or we want him dead. You’re important to us, but there are other motivations. Once Santos is finished with revenging himself on you, he’ll turn his attention to rebuilding the empire we tore down. So Cameron can keep his hands off anything to do with Santos, or I’ll have to take him down.”