Chapter Three
“Get down,” Mister Ghost bellowed. He swerved as he said it, tossing Michelle back into the foot well. She landed on his duffel with an oof. Something hard gored her hip and she shifted around so she could unzip the bag and see what it was. And damn. An automatic rifle.
She wasn’t sure in the dark of the car, but she thought it was an HK. “Is this loaded?” She had to yell because of the wind whipping through the window as they careened down the road.
“What?” He veered again, this way and that, to keep the black sedan coming up on their side from passing.
“Is this rifle loaded?”
“No. There are shells in the bag.” He shot a quick look at her. “Do you know how to use it?”
She tried not to sniff. “I’m ranked as a sharpshooter.” She’d been shooting since she was in diapers. Apparently, her father had wanted a son. Without waiting for his okay, she found the shells and loaded the weapon and mounted the Nightforce scope. Using it, she could easily sight her target in the dark. But then, the damn overhead lights kept blinding her as they sped past so she didn’t bother with it.
Sucking in a deep breath, she popped up, aimed and fired off a shot, before dropping back down. Because both the cars were moving erratically, it took a couple tries to get her bearings and then she made her kill shot.
It was the tire of the other car she killed, but it was enough.
It was freaking awesome to see the bastards screech into a sideways skid. The car behind it, too stupid to slow down and back away from a gunfight, clipped the sedan and it rolled.
“Woo hoo!” she whooped as the crippled vehicle receded from sight. “I got ‘em.”
When she turned back to flash a grin at her companion, he was staring at her in the rear view mirror. “Holy shit. Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”
“Um…the gun range?” She unloaded his rifle, cleared the chamber and stripped off the scope, carefully tucking it all back into his duffel. “You shouldn’t treat your weapon like this,” she said.
“Like what?”
“Shoved in a bag. This is delicate equipment. It should have a case.”
He gaped at her. He might have looked a little put out. “I’m under cover.”
She shrugged. “Still.”
He muttered something under his breath and then, after a while, he said, “Well, thank you.”
“My pleasure.” And she meant it. She’d seen shit like that in movies, but never had a chance to do it. What a rush. It took a moment for her thrumming pulse to calm and when it did, she winced as she realized something was pricking her butt. “Hey, Mr. Ghost?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I move up front now?”
“Why?”
“The backseat is covered in glass.”
Oh crap. “Of course.” Benedict cringed at the reminder of how close they’d come to biting the big one. He loved that she’d been so calm and collected. Just picked up his HK and blew away the bad guys.
He’d never met a woman like her and he doubted he ever would again.
As she crawled over the seat and settled beside him, he glanced at her. “It was smart of you to shoot out the tires.”
She grinned. He tried not to notice how fucking gorgeous she was in the light of the dash. Her color was high. Her eyes sparkled. She loved this. Fucking loved it. “I never understood why they don’t do that more often in the movies. It seems so logical.”
“I think screenwriters prefer something bloodier.”
“Probably.” She chuckled, and he had to laugh too. It took a second for the shock to hit him. He hadn’t laughed in a long, long time. Not since…
Hell.
The memory soured his mood. But then it always did. It was supposed to.
She must have noticed the shift in his energy. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Not shot?”
“Not even a little.”
“Good.” She stared out the window as the lights flicked by. “Are we almost there?”
“Getting close.” Thank God. He wouldn’t relax until the plane took off. Maybe not until it landed in Forney. It concerned him that he’d missed that tail. He’d thought he’d been diligent in watching for it, but it hardly mattered now. No one was following. And they were almost to the airfield.
When they arrived, Benedict didn’t pull through the gate. He slowed and parked on the frontage road, scanning the site first. It was dark, deserted, but for the waiting plane. He was just about to start up the truck and head in when a pinprick of a glow caught his attention. It was there for a moment, and then gone. He rifled in his bag for his night scope and held it to his eye.
His gut clenched. A man, smoking a cigarette, leaned against the hangar. Even as he watched, another came around the corner and spoke to him. The first man checked his watch and shrugged.
“What is it?” Michelle whispered in his ear. Damn. She was close. Right up against him.
“I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Let me look.”
He frowned at her. “You don’t need to look.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Let me look. I’m an analyst, remember.”
“Anal-yst,” he muttered, but he handed her the scope.
She set it to her eye and leaned closer. He was aware of her scent, curling around him. That, and her warmth. Damn. He wanted her. He wanted her bad. What a pity that would never happen.
Her breath caught and she pressed even closer. Her breasts flattened against his back. Heat scudded through him. It took all his determination to remember who and what and where he was. “What is it?’ he asked by way of distracting himself.
“I think I know that man.” She pushed against him harder in an effort to see better. He didn’t have the heart to tell her it really wouldn’t help. Because it felt so damn good. “Oh, shit.”
Her tone didn’t bode well. She eased away and he sent her a curious glance. “Well?”
Her throat worked. She nodded, a tiny bob of her head. “He’s one of Ralley’s men.”
“Ralley?”
“Ralley Carson. My boss. The man who’s hunting me.”
“Shit. Fuck.” Benedict didn’t even wince when he realized he’d cursed in front of a lady. “How did they know where we were going?”
Her shoulder lifted. “How could they know?”
“They couldn’t.” Unless… Unless he’d missed something. Unless there was still a tracker on her person. The thought horrified him because if he’d missed something, that meant her boss had some kind of GPS tech he wasn’t aware of. Something new. Something really small. Really powerful.
He’d stripped her naked. She’d been bare. Utterly bare—
His gaze snagged on the lobes of her ears, at the winking diamonds, and certitude roiled through him. “Where did you get those earrings?”
She blinked. “I…they were a gift.”
“From your boss?”
“I… Yes. It was a Christmas—” She stilled. “You don’t think…? Oh God.” She quickly unfastened one and then the other and dropped them in his waiting palm.
Benedict studied them. They looked like…earrings. There was nothing about them to suggest they were anything more. But what else could it be? How else could her boss be listening in?
A cry from the airfield caught his attention, and Benedict glanced over to see men running toward them. They had weapons. “Shit,” he said, and he tossed the earrings out the window and gunned the engine, tearing off down the frontage road.
“Hey,” Michelle cried. “Those were diamonds.”
“Were they?” he clipped.
She sat back and crossed her arms. “Probably.”
“Well, they were listening in on something. Any idea what else it could have been?”
“No.” It was clear she was disturbed by the revelation that her boss had been privy to each and every conversation she’d ever had. She sighed. “Well, what do we do now?”
“Go to plan B.”
“Is there a plan B?”
He shot her a grin. “There’s always a plan B.”
Silence hummed in the cab, and then she said, “Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“No.”
“What?” A squawk.
He frowned as he shifted gears and turned onto the road leading to Quantico. “Until we know if they’re listening or not, I think it’s best we not reveal our plans to them again.”
Michelle glared at him, but he wasn’t paying attention to her so it was a wasted effort. What was worse, he was right. She was horrified to think that Ralley had played her so utterly. And so easily. She liked to think she was a sharp and clever intellect. Apparently, all it took was a little bling to blind her.
Those goddamn earrings.
She should have known. She should have suspected something.
Military contractors didn’t gift their employees with jewelry. But everyone had received similar gifts at the last holiday party. The men had gotten Rolexes and the women diamond earrings. Ralley explained it was a thank-you for excellent work and that profits were up, contracts had been renewed. It was a celebration.
But it hadn’t been, had it?
And she’d been fooled. He’d listened to every conversation she’d had since then, tracked her every move.
Heat rose on her neck as fury lashed her.
How dare he? How dare he?
She couldn’t help but wonder what other methods the bastard had used to keep an eye on his employees. She should have expected it. They were in the business of sneaky surveillance. But she’d never imagined she’d be a target.
But then, who did?
Thinking about Ralley’s perfidy—the evidence she’d uncovered that he was in bed with an ex-KGB commander, and the truly horrifying plot she’d uncovered—made her stomach hurt. She forced her gaze to her companion and focused on him instead, on the sharp lines of his profile, the tight, controlled movements as he worked the controls of the truck, his determined expression.
He was the biggest man she’d ever seen, easily the most frightening. His face was a panoply of hard planes, angles and scars. His chest was massive. His biceps bulging. His expression fierce. But she wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t. Not really. She had no idea why. She hated to think it was because she found him unspeakably attractive. She hated to think she was that shallow. That stupid.
But if she disregarded his looks—as though she could—there was more to him she found attractive. He was brave, powerful, determined to keep her safe. She didn’t know who he really was or what he intended, but if he’d wanted to hurt her, he would have done so by now.
She had to believe he was telling the truth. That he was here to save her. That they were on the same side—even though he was so damn secretive.
Fuck, she didn’t even know his name. “Who are you?” she asked, before she had time to filter the words.
He glanced at her. “I told you. No one.”
“You’re not no one.”
“I am.”
“What’s your name?” Surely he had one, this No One Man.
It annoyed her that he pressed his lips together.
“What should I call you?” She tipped her head to the side. “I’m not going to let up until you—”
“Lithium. My name is Lithium.”
She gaped at him. “Seriously?” Lithium? “Is that like a codename or something?”
“Or something.”
“I’m not calling you Lithium.”
He made a noise that sounded like a growl. “Well, you have to. It’s my name.”
“It’s a stupid name. I’ll call you…” She looked him up and down. “George. You kind of look like a George.”
“I do not look like a George.”
“Yeah. You kinda do.”
“You’re not calling me George.”
“I’m not calling you Lithium.”
“Lithium is my name.”
“Was your mother into chemistry? What are your brothers’ names? Argon and Fluorine?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Right. Fluorine would be your sister.”
He fell silent, and then muttered, “I don’t have any siblings.”
“None?”
“And I don’t have a mother.”
“Everyone has a mother.”
“No. They don’t.”
She had to stop needling him. She had to stop then. The ribbon of pain in his voice was too much to bear. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I never had a mother. Never had a family. Never had anyone.”
Her heart ached. How sad. It was bad enough losing everyone, the hole it left. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to never have had them, never have loved them. Never been loved by them. “Who raised you?”
“The state. Foster care.”
The way he looked away told her a lot. Not everything, but a lot.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well don’t be. It is what it is. It made me the man I am.” There was a hint of pride in the words, but a hint of regret as well.
“So you were raised in foster care? What was that like?”
He didn’t answer, but to send her a look.
“And then you joined the military?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s pretty obvious.”
“Is it?”
“You have a military bearing. Which branch?”
“We shouldn’t be talking. They could be listening.”
Balderdash. “Which branch?”
He huffed a sigh. “Marines.”
“And then what?”
His gaze was dark as it met hers. “And then what, what?”
“How did you get into Black Ops?”
His expression closed down like the slamming of a door. “I’m not in Black Ops.”
“All right. And then…how did you get into…whatever you’re into now?”
“Ah. And then…” He shot her a smile. It was mostly teeth. “And then…”
“Yes?”
“And then…it was none of your business.”
Well. That was rude.
Michelle crossed her arms and stared into the night. There wasn’t much to see as they’d passed through the city and into a wooded area. Signs for Quantico flicked by, giving her some frame of reference.
He pulled into a gas station with a 24-hour mini-mart, and glanced at her. “I’ll be right back.” Panic fluttered in her stomach, but then he pressed his Sig into her hand and she relaxed. “Wait here. Honk the horn if you need me.”
She nodded and tightened her hold on the weapon. It was hard watching him disappear into the brightly lit store.
True to his word, he wasn’t gone long, but when he emerged, he had several bags in his arms. Without comment, he loaded them into the back seat and then hopped into the driver’s side.
“What’d you get?” she asked.
“Stuff.” His lips quirked in a quick grin. He riffled in a bag and pulled out a pre-paid cell phone. He ripped off the packaging and turned it on, and then punched in a number with quick, practiced moves. She heard it ring and then a deep voice answer, “Smith residence.”
“Hey dad,” Lithium said in a cheerful tone. “It’s me. Is mom there?”
A pause.
“No. She’s gone out.”
“Oh. Bummer. Can you let her know I’ll be late?”
“But she’s expecting you.”
“Yeah. Sorry. I had car trouble. I’m staying the night at Sam’s place. Can you send someone to pick me up?”
“Sure thing.”
“Great. Thanks.” Lithium shot her a speaking glance, and then he disconnected the call, broke the phone in half and dropped it out of the window.
Apparently, that was one of his hobbies, breaking phones in half.
They didn’t speak as he started up the truck and pulled out of the lot onto the highway, but then, they didn’t need to. It gave her a warm feeling knowing that help was coming, even though she didn’t know who, or what that might be.
They drove on for quite a while, and then, with no warning, he pulled off the highway onto a road she hadn’t noticed. It wasn’t paved, and twisted and turned through the woods. The truck jounced as they hit a bump and then another. “Where are we?”
He didn’t answer.
She sighed. Yeah. He was right. If Ralley was listening, they shouldn’t reveal their location. But she couldn’t imagine how he could be listening.
Then again, the earrings had surprised her too.
It was probably best to play it his way.
At least for the time being.
The safe house wasn’t a house so much as a cabin. It was nestled in the woods on the edge of Prince William Forest Park. The road leading to it was feathered with Ys leading off to other parts of acres-wide woodlands. If someone didn’t know where they were going, they would never find this cabin in the maze of trails.
Benedict knew where he was going. He’d been there many times before. In fact, he’d taken his survival training there. It wasn’t fancy, just a one room cottage, but it had a fireplace and a bed and a ratty old sofa. They’d be warm and dry and safe until Titanium could mount an extraction.
He pulled into the overhang next to the cabin and tugged down the tarp so the truck wouldn’t be visible, and then he took Michelle inside. He lit the fire in the hearth and a couple lamps so they could see, and then he went back to the truck to bring in the groceries.
“Can you unload these while I go scout the area?” he asked as he dropped the bags on the counter.
Her eyes flared. “You’re leaving?”
“Just to scout the area. I won’t be long. I promise.”
Still, she put out a lip.
It was a tantalizing lip. She should never put it out. Never offer it to him like that. They were here, in an isolated cabin. Alone. It occurred to him what a challenge this would be, keeping his hands to himself. “I’ll be back,” he said gruffly—too gruffly—as an inconvenient longing snaked through him.
“Fine,” she snapped, although he didn’t wait for her response. He was out the door before he even heard it.
It didn’t take long for him to reconnoiter and determine they were alone up here. It took even less time for him to set the trip wires that would warn them of any unwanted visitors.
As he headed back to the cabin, to her, he gave himself a stern lecture—about how important it was for him to keep his mind on the mission, how important it was for him to keep his distance. But he wasn’t really listening.
It annoyed him that, right in the middle of it, he found himself thinking about kissing her. It was a stupid thought and he ejected it.
For one thing, it wouldn’t do for him to become distracted. He needed to be on point in case he’d missed something. In case their enemies had some way to track them here.
For another, well, he was Lithium. A hard-hearted machine who didn’t need anyone or anything. His power stemmed from his ability to disconnect from the world, to focus, unerringly on the mission. To do whatever it took.
Attraction was a distraction.
Passion was a weakness.
He was hardly a monk. He’d had many women in his lifetime, but he couldn’t bring one face to mind.
He suspected, with a curl of horror, that hers was a face he would never forget. She was a woman he would not be able to expunge from his mind. Somehow she’d wriggled in past all his carefully constructed defenses to make him care.
That made her dangerous.
To his to concentration, to his oaths, to his very identity.
He needed to resist her. Needed to keep her at arm’s length until help arrived.
It shouldn’t be difficult.
He was a man of legendary determination after all.