Chapter Eight
Elise gazed at the computer screen in front of her. Never in a million years would she believe she’d be cracking codes that led back to herself. But the war she was fighting was one of genius minds, and she had to fight fire with fire. It was the only way to nail these people who were after her. She needed to get ahead of them, to know what path they’d take to find her.
Bo had set her up in a cabin on the edge of nowhere, and it was far from a vacationer’s dream setting. Hell, the abandoned restaurant where she’d started out with Dylan and Sean was better than this.
Of course, in her mind, nothing could compare to the inn where she and Sean had finally blown open the whole case. There, she’d seen just how brilliant his mind was, how he could keep up to her in every way.
Crap, she had to put him out of her head. Who knew when they’d see each other again. Bo refused to tell her anything about Knight Ops’ operation.
Her fingers ached, and she realized she was gripping the edge of the table so hard her fingertips were white. She pulled her hands back and rubbed at a splinter embedded too deep to pick out without a needle.
Things sometimes went wrong on missions. Like when she’d downloaded the files, which had drawn a fat red X over her location the minute she’d opened them. She’d moved around enough to throw off the people trying to locate her, but eventually they’d pinned her down at her apartment.
Whoever had written that little program into the secret messages was a fucking Einstein. She was good at what she did, but she couldn’t begin to wrap her head around the methods used to find her.
But now she was turning the tables on the sonofabitches—she would not be found. Nope, she planned to live her life without fear and worry that she and Sean would be—
She cut off that thought.
Pushing out a breath, she drifted to the window. It seemed more and more when thinking about the man who’d rocked her world since demanding his place in it, she’d stand at this grubby window and look out on… well, nothing. Trees surrounded her, branches so thick she could hardly make out a bird.
At the click of the door lock, she turned to see Bo entering the space, dressed in all black, his face smudged with black streaks so only the whites of his eyes stood out and his teeth if he saw fit to smile.
He dropped his gaze over her, and she stared back. “You haven’t finished, have you?”
“No.”
“Jesus, Elise. I’ve never seen you this way.” He put his back to the door, a human barrier. She’d like to see who could get through her ex, though Sean had, hadn’t he? He’d shimmied into her life right under Bo’s nose.
She wet her dry lips and walked back to the computer. “What way?”
“You’re afraid. I’ve seen you take on four men at once without a blink of fear. You’ve dropped into enemy territory just to get intel and you never faltered. But this…”
She sank to the chair and avoided his gaze, though she did wonder where he was going with this walk down the Marines memory lane.
She cocked a brow.
He came to stand in front of her. “You’re afraid,” he said again.
Considering his words only left her confused as to how she felt. “I’m cautious, not afraid. Anybody would be stupid to underestimate the people looking for me.”
He grunted. “I’m not talking about that, Elise. You’re afraid you’re not going to see Sean again.”
At his name, her heart gave a wild lurch. Her ears pounded with the jump in her heart rate. “What do you know about Sean?”
Bo stared at her, his dark eyes unwavering. “Holy hell. You’re in love with him.”
Her brows pinched, and she shook her head.
He nodded. “Oh yes, you are. No wonder I’ve never seen you this way before, Elise. I’ve never seen you in love.”
Her jaw dropped on a quiver of a sigh as pain and guilt bled through her chest. He was right—she’d never loved Bo the way a wife was supposed to love a husband, and she’d always felt like the lowliest scum because of it. What woman couldn’t love Bo that way? He was damned amazing. Hell, he even loved to go clothes shopping.
But her heart told her it wasn’t right, and so had his.
“Bo, I’m—”
He made a slashing motion in the air with one hand. “Don’t apologize, Elise. This isn’t about us.”
She blinked. “It isn’t?”
He shook his head. “You’re in love with Sean Knight. Jesus Christ.”
She blinked. Love? Was she in love with him? Confusion tore at her, digging its claws deep until she looked up at Bo for help.
“Sweetheart, you’re worried about the man. You’re sitting here pining for him. And I’ve never seen you wear that glow you wore when you both came out of your bedroom.” He sounded more amused than shocked, and she grasped that with both hands.
Right now, as usual, they were not people who’d once been bound by matrimony. They were the closest of friends.
“You think?”
“I know. Think about it, Elise.”
She pivoted in her seat to the window again, blasted by a need to set eyes on Sean and make sure he was safe. To touch him, to feel his kisses, his caresses, his cock moving deep inside her…
Standing, she put her hands on Bo’s shoulders and looked into his eyes. An urgency fired her blood. “I need to know where he is, and you can tell me.”
He drew his lips tight across his teeth. After a full minute, he released a sigh. “The man’s worthy, at least.”
“Bo.”
“He fucking tied me up with zip-ties and left me back in that swamp. You know that, right?”
She nodded, a sudden temptation to giggle teasing her lips. She bit it back.
“And he’s just led Rou to capture that spy who’d been in the wind and in the process, located the people behind those missing warheads. It’s fucking huge.”
The information rolled over her, and her mind clung to one small detail. Team Rou was another special ops unit in OFFSUS, a group of guys known for getting into tight spots and being ruthless in their activities.
Her mouth dried out. “Rougarou?”
“Yeah, named after the Cajun werewolf said to prowl the Manchac Swamp.”
“I know what it is,” she said.
“They’re as wild as their name claims, trackers and hunters from the bayou, all of them dirty players willing to take risks most aren’t.” He eyed her, and since he was a true swamp rat himself, she saw the same wildness in his eyes. “And Knight’s being given leadership.”
She was nodding, but her heart was beating too fast. “I know them.”
His gaze penetrated her. “Of course you do. You’re in the middle of everything. I hope to hell Knight knows how to handle that. It’s damn nerve-wracking.” Bo trailed off on a mutter.
She squeezed his arm. “What are you talking about, handling that? Handling me? Are you stepping aside as my handler?” Her heart gave a small lurch of heartbreak even as it swelled at the idea of Sean working so closely with her. Their chances of being caught with their clothes off might be increased by about a million times, though.
Bo took her hand. “I’m not walking away from anything. You’re an important asset to us, Elise, and you’re important to me. From what I see coming, Sean will be leading his own unit after this.”
Her heart dropped. Any man could fall when it came to being a special operative, but the leader was usually the man who took the hit if it meant saving the others. Sean would be even more of a target. Could she handle living that way?
The revelation hit like a hurricane wind, shaking her to her bones. Yes, she could handle it, because living without him was not a choice. She loved him.
She loved Sean Knight.
Bo’s gaze roamed over her face, and to her surprise, he smiled. “I’m not walking away from my work with you, Elise. But I am handing over your heart to Knight.”
A noise broke from her, and she threw her arms around his neck. Clinging to him, a tear slithered down her cheek and was absorbed by his shirt. He gripped her against him in a platonic embrace—there had never been anything else between them—and understanding and peace settled over them both.
She stepped back, a new freedom and hope lifting her spirits. She felt like she could crack all the codes he put in front of her in one night if it meant seeing Sean soon.
She searched Bo’s eyes. “He has to know I love him. I need to tell him. Take me to him.”
Bo waved at the computer. “First, you’ve got to save yourself. How fast can you get your life back, Elise?”
“When you put it that way…” She hurried to the chair and sank into it, her fingers already tapping the keys.
* * * * *
Sean burst into Colonel Jackson’s personal residence, his lungs burning with the need to bellow. He’d been in the big old Southern mansion once before, when Knight Ops had been invited to a barbecue for the colonel’s birthday. Then he’d been asked by Ben to more or less kidnap the colonel’s daughter, who Ben happened to be fucking. Still was. In fact, Sean and his family had been waiting for months for news of their wedding plans.
Hearing the door slam off the inner wall, Jackson strode into the grand foyer, weapon at the ready.
“Hell, it’s you, Knight.” He lowered his weapon. “Since when is it okay to storm a commanding officer’s personal residence?”
Sean faced him. “Since when do you leave your door unlocked? I need to know where Elise Dupré is.”
Jackson blinked. “Son, you know I can’t give out that information. It’s classified.”
“I need to know, sir.”
He eyed Sean. Damn if he didn’t feel like a little kid being reprimanded by his father, made to stand and bear the man’s scrutiny, knowing he saw far too much.
Sean’s fingers convulsed into fists, but he stood his ground.
Jackson set his weapon aside on a table beside some mail and waved at Sean to follow him. With no other choice, Sean did. Over his shoulder, Jackson said, “Should I expect your brothers?”
“No, sir. They don’t know I’m here.” Sean’s boots seemed to ring on the expensive tile floor. They went into Jackson’s office, and he waved to a chair.
Sean took it, his back rigid. He only needed one piece of information and then this interview was over. He had to get out of here and find Elise—now. Not knowing where she was or if she was safe these past few days had worn him down until he felt a ticking like a bomb inside his chest.
Across his desk, Jackson looked at him. “What you did with Rou was nothing short of genius, Knight.”
He grunted. He gave zero shits about what he’d just accomplished. Okay, maybe not zero but it was way down there on the list of his current priorities. First, he wanted to find Elise and kiss the hell out of her, right after telling her how he felt.
Saying he loved her was a huge achievement in its own right. Since walking away from her, his feelings had not only revealed themselves to him but smacked him between the eyes.
He needed her in his life—wasn’t letting go.
“Sir, I just need to know about Elise.”
“Hm. We’ll get to that, Knight. Now what kind of colonel would I be if I didn’t give praise where praise is due?”
Jesus, the man was settling into his leather seat to give Sean a rundown of his own actions. He had no choice but to grip the arms of his chair and listen.
“I’ve said this before, but your tactical skills are very sharp. I knew very early on in your time with Knight Ops that you’re cut out for leadership. What you walked into in those swamps was an all-out war, and you handled yourself and your men with the highest honors.”
“Thank you, sir.” Why didn’t Sean feel the pride he should in this situation? He’d always wanted to hear these things, and now here he sat, wishing he could speed Jackson along to get to the information he craved like water to a parched man.
“You saved your team’s asses—and I don’t just mean Rou. You kept Knight Ops from taking heavy fire too.”
Sean’s knee jerked up and down in a nervous action. He just needed to get to Elise. “I appreciate it, sir.”
Jackson sat back in his seat, eagle eyes penetrating him. “You don’t give a shit about a goddamn thing I’m saying, do you, Knight?”
“Uh, yes, sir. I give a shit about every goddamn thing you’re saying.”
Jackson flashed a smile. The man was a hard ass but eventually he’d be the father-in-law of Sean’s brother, and maybe that earned them all special treatment. But Sean didn’t hear him giving accolades to any other operators.
He waited, forcing his knee to still.
“There’s a permanent position as leader open on Rou, and I’m offering it to you.”
There it was. What he’d been waiting to hear for so many years.
Sean shoved out a breath and dragged in a new one. What he wanted dangled within reach, his for the taking. All he had to do was utter a simple yes.
Yet he sat there gaping at the colonel as if he didn’t comprehend English.
A dozen things ran through his head. How would he break it to his brothers that he was walking away from them, no longer one of the Knight Ops unit? One of the reasons they were all so in sync was that they were related—watching each other’s backs was a survival instinct, a primal need to protect and preserve family in all ways. Even Rocko had become like a sixth brother in the past few months, which meant Sean was capable of feeling the same about the guys of Team Rou.
And then there was Elise.
It galled him to have let her go into Hawkeye’s hands. Though the man was capable, Sean did not like it one bit. He should be there for the woman he loved.
“I’ll give you some time to consider my offer, Knight.” Jackson broke into his thoughts.
He barely got out a nod.
“And I’ll tell you about that woman you’re so keen on finding.”
He moved to the edge of his seat and his knee took up its violent jiggling again. “What about her, sir?”
Jackson’s eyes narrowed as he obviously honed in on the internal battle Sean was waging. “I know you worked closely with her on decoding those messages, and that is also to be commended.”
“All respect, Colonel, but I don’t need praise. I’d just like to know where she is.”
“I’ll get to that. ‘Elise,’ as you call her, has managed to decipher more intel concerning her own safety.”
His throat constricted, and he could hardly push air past it.
“And she has handled her own business.”
Sean stared at Jackson. “What does that mean, sir?”
“Hawkeye might have acted as a handler, but she’s never failed to take care of herself, and this time was no different.”
“Sir?”
“She saved herself, Knight. ‘Elise’ is a very dangerous woman.”
Relief swept him, and he felt his muscles relax. Sean’s grin was unstoppable. His cheeks ached from the sudden movement of muscles that had been held so tensely in the past few days. “I know that, Colonel.”
Jackson tipped his head back and released a laugh, leaving Sean in a state of shock. He’d never heard the colonel laugh in his life and had no idea he was even capable of making the sound.
If only the colonel knew just how dangerous that woman was to Sean’s heart… Still grinning, he shook his head.
Jackson stood, as intimidating in his khaki pants and polo shirt as he was in full uniform. Sean snapped to his feet, at attention.
“Thanks to your quick thinking that has the warheads secured and the Russians under lock and key and being interrogated as we speak, the threat has passed. And your lady friend was able to return home. She should be on her way there right now.”
Sean took two steps toward the door before he realized he needed to take leave of the colonel first. He strode back to salute him, but Jackson held out a hand for him to shake. Sean took it and pumped it hard, once.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Think about Rou, Knight.”
As he rushed back out to his El Camino and gunned it down the long drive flanked by Magnolia trees, he couldn’t think of anything but Elise. How she’d feel in his arms as he plunged his tongue between her lips and tasted her. Then wiggling under him as he tongued her hot pussy.
He had no idea how she’d react to him confessing his love, but he was more than ready to find her and do just that, his mind far from Jackson, Team Rou or Knight Ops.