Chapter Twenty

 

Becca drained another cup of the high-octane coffee. In order to drink it, she’d added so much cream and sugar that she’d probably ingested enough calories to equal three king-sized candy bars. She wasn’t worried about it. Not tonight anyway. And at least drinking the stuff gave her something to do besides pace around HRT’s kitchen or stare at the walls. She eyed the pot and considered pouring a fourth cup.

Better not. She already had the jitters, and another dose of caffeine might make them a semipermanent condition. Instead, she tossed the paper cup in the trash and selected a bottle of flavored water from the fridge.

Resuming her spot at the table, Becca wondered if someone would come in soon with an update. They’d returned to Elite Force hours ago, or at least it seemed like hours. Knowing her luck, only thirty or forty minutes had passed. Honestly, there was no way to tell. The kitchen she was sitting in had no windows, and no one had ever bothered to set the clock on the microwave. She assumed her cell phone was still wherever Connor had left it earlier, and she hadn’t thought to ask him for it before he deposited her in here and walked away. Before they left the cabin, Connor had retrieved their personal belongings, including her watch, from the bedroom. Probably assuming she wouldn’t need anything in the bag, he’d left it in the car rather than bring it inside the firm with them.

Through the doorway she watched two men exit the meeting room she’d sat in following the kidnapping attempt at the hospital, an event that felt like two lifetimes ago. Had it really been less than forty-eight hours ago? It seemed impossible, but she knew it was true.

The meeting room door opened again. Connor appeared in the hall, followed by Ax. They exchanged a few words before Ax walked away in one direction and Connor headed toward the kitchen. He wore a T-shirt, and there was a white bandage on his wound, yet she could still picture him standing there with blood dripping down his arm. It was a sight she’d never forget.

When he’d opened the closet door and she’d seen the blood, her heart had stopped. In that moment, she’d realized the truth. She wasn’t falling in love with him. She was already there. The realization had quickly been followed by the thought that he might die because he’d been protecting her.

Even his verbal reassurance that the wound wasn’t serious hadn’t helped. Only after he’d wiped the blood away, allowing her to see he only had a gash and not an actual bullet hole through his arm, had her heart returned to a more normal beat.

“I don’t have a lot of time, but I wanted to give you an update before I left,” Connor explained, grabbing a coffee and joining her at the table. “Kassidy has been located.”

He drank half the cup while she processed the four words. “As in you know where she is for certain, or HRT physically has her?”

“HRT was part of the team that went in, but the FBI has her in custody.” He leaned toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I wish I could give you more details, but I can’t until I get the okay from Ax.”

Details would be nice, but she understood. “Is she okay?” Regardless of what Kassidy had or hadn’t done, Becca hoped she remained unharmed.

“Yeah. She doesn’t have a scratch on her.”

All the other details would eventually come out, especially if she had stolen the research as everyone suspected. “Good. Has anyone told Robert?” Becca didn’t need to speak to her stepfather to know the man was going crazy, not knowing whether Kassidy was okay or not.

“No idea. But if someone hasn’t contacted him yet, they will.” He drained his cup. “Thanks to cyber, we know where the bastard who’s been after you is holed up.”

Connor’s mouth covered hers before she could ask if that had anything to do with why he didn’t have a lot of time.

“It’s almost over. But until I get back, you’ll stay here.”

“Where are you going?” She asked the question even though her mind already knew the answer. They’d managed to track down whoever had planted those little devices in her purse and briefcase, and he planned to go after them.

He met and held her gaze. “Exactly where you think, Becca.”

The image of Connor’s body motionless and covered in blood much like the intruders she’d seen tonight formed. Asking him not to go was pointless, regardless of her feelings. “Be careful.”

Over Connor’s shoulder, she spotted Maddie standing in the doorway. Becca didn’t care if they had an audience or not. Closing her eyes, she took possession of his lips and focused all her attention on communicating her feelings to him.

“Save it, Romeo,” a male voice she didn’t recognize called into the room. “We’re out of here.”

She’d known at least one person was watching, but the comment from the newcomer made her blush anyway.

Connor pulled away and stood. “Be back soon. Mad Dog is going to keep you company.” He moved away and paused at the doorway. “Keep her from thinking too much.”

Yeah, not possible. Until he returned alive and unharmed, she’d be thinking about nothing but him.

“I’ll do my best,” Maddie answered before coming into the kitchen and picking up the cup Connor had left behind. “Man, I wish I was going with them.” She tossed it into the trash can before pouring what was left in the coffeepot into a new cup.

Although it would mean being in danger, Becca shared the woman’s sentiment. Connor hadn’t even exited the building yet and already she was worrying. If she were with him, she wouldn’t need to wait to find out if he was okay.

She watched Maddie—she just couldn’t think of her as Mad Dog, no matter how many times she heard Connor call her that—get a fresh pot of coffee started.

“Did Ax or Connor ask you to babysit me?” A conversation wouldn’t stop the thoughts going through her head, but it would help pass the time. Right now she couldn’t do anything but pass time.

“Nah, I’m not allowed on any operations until I’m done with physical therapy.” Finished at the counter, she joined Becca at the table. “I offered to keep you company while Connor’s gone.” She crossed her arms on the table. “And don’t worry, he’ll be back.”

She wasn’t worried if he’d be back; it was the state he’d be in when he came back that concerned her.

“Safely. So relax.”

“Are mind reading abilities a prerequisite for a job here?” Becca inquired. More than once Connor had done the same thing to her.

Maddie smiled, and Becca again wondered why a woman would choose this type of career. “If such a thing existed, it might be,” she replied. “Some people are easy to read. Whether you like it or not, you’re one of them. But, like I said, there’s no reason to worry. Connor and the team know what they’re doing. He and everyone with him will return in one piece.”

“How many are with him? Or can’t you tell me?” On television, it was always two or three good guys going in after a gang of bad guys. She always guessed it didn’t happen like that in real life. It would simply be too dangerous, but knowing for certain would go a long way right now.

“The team sent tonight consists of six and, trust me, they all know what they’re doing.” Maddie sounded confident. “Plus, they’re not going in alone. Because it’s believed this is tied to your stepsister, the FBI and the local police are involved as well.”

“And they have the element of surprise,” Becca added. At least she hoped they had surprise on their side. If whoever planted those devices knew the good guys were coming, they might be able to overtake Connor and whoever was with him.

Maddie nodded as she sipped her drink. “Yep. So you can stop worrying. Tomorrow at this time, the two of you will be naked, and you’ll be showing Connor how much you love him. In the meantime, how about a game of cards? Or chess if you play.”

The woman was blunt and far too perceptive. No wonder she and Connor were friends as well as coworkers.

But how the hell had Maddie determined she loved Connor? The truth had only hit her tonight at the cabin.

“The kiss you gave him before he left told me everything I needed to know.”

How does she do that? Becca knew mind reading only existed in the fictional world, but if she didn’t know better, she’d think Maddie was truly able to do it.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to him,” she said. “You can tell him yourself when he comes back.”

If Connor and the other members of HRT trusted Maddie with their lives, Becca trusted her to keep anything they said between them. “Thank you.” She considered Maddie’s two suggestions. “If you have a chess set around, I’m up for a game.” Right now, she’d do almost anything to pass the time.

“I have an electronic version on my tablet. Be right back.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

A game of chess could last hours. Becca prayed she wasn’t sitting here that long.

***

He’d worked with several government agencies in the past. With a few exceptions, FBI agents were better than their counterparts from other agencies or the local police. Regardless, Connor and the other members of HRT preferred to work alone.

Especially this time around.

He’d experienced fear before. But he’d never experienced it like he had tonight. If he hadn’t been there, or if he hadn’t been able to stop the three intruders, Becca would be at the mercy of the animal after her. Various scenarios of what could’ve been done to Becca had tormented him throughout the ride back to Elite Force.

So, unlike other operations, this one was personal.

When they got the radio signal, they approached the perimeter of the home. According to property records, the estate belonged to a Michael Zane Jefferson, known to the police as Zane. He’d faced various criminal charges over the years. Except for the time he’d done as a juvenile, he had never been convicted.

A light switched on in an upstairs room, and a man passed by the window. Soon after, a woman walked by. Evidently, Zane had female company for the evening. Connor hoped the woman upstairs with him was the dude’s only houseguest.

Considering what the guy had been charged with in the past and what the cops suspected he dabbled in, it was possible he kept a few thugs on hand just in case.

Weapon in hand, Connor took up his assigned position and waited.

He watched a member of the FBI SWAT team breach the door with the battering ram. The moment it was open, Connor moved into the house, his teammate Ryan right behind him as well as several FBI agents.

Not a soul bothered them.

He reached the second floor, expecting gunfire to erupt at any moment. Men like Zane didn’t usually go quietly.

None came.

The house remained silent.

With his finger mere inches from the trigger, he moved down the hallway. The light had come from a room at the back of the house.

Connor turned a corner as a door opened. Light from inside flooded the hall, and a man stepped out. Fully dressed, he stood with his arms relaxed by his sides, palms facing out and an all-too-smug expression on his face. Despite the lack of any visible weapon, Connor kept his gun pointed in Zane’s direction.

“FBI! Stay where you are, with your hands up!” the FBI agent closest to Connor shouted as he and another agent approached Zane with their weapons drawn.

He waited for the jerk to reach for a gun or make a run for it. Instead, he stood there as if having several armed men storm his house was an everyday occurrence.

“People usually knock before they enter someone’s home. Or didn’t they teach you that at Quantico?” Zane said.

The guy’s got balls. Connor had gone in the house expecting either a firefight or an escape attempt. He hadn’t expected to hear the man complaining because the authorities had come in to arrest him and failed to knock first.

“Michael Jefferson, you’re under arrest,” the tallest of the agents said, moving closer so he could slip handcuffs on him. “You have the––”

Zane cut the agent off before he got any further with the Miranda warning. “Under arrest for what?”

Unsurprisingly, his expression didn’t change as the agent cuffed his hands behind his back and then searched him for any hidden weapons.

“Your role in the attempted kidnapping of Becca André,” the agent answered.

“You have the right––” He started the Miranda warning over, but again Zane interrupted him.

“And when did this attempted kidnapping happen?”

The agent looked as baffled as Connor, but he answered. “Thursday night outside Washington General, and then again last night.”

Zane shook his head. “I’ve been on vacation. We got back late last night.” He tilted his head toward the room he’d exited. “Molly was with me. Feel free to speak with her or anyone at my home on Cape Hatteras where we stayed.”

The agent acted as if the man hadn’t opened his mouth and again reminded him he had the right to remain silent as the two agents who’d gone in the bedroom escorted Zane’s company from the room.

Connor watched Zane be led away, the same smug expression still on his face. Damn, he’d love to be there when the guy learned what evidence they had against him. Because Zane wouldn’t be smiling then. And no story his girlfriend or his employees gave would help him.

“That was fucking bizarre,” Ryan said, holstering his gun. “How did a genius scientist from a top laboratory get mixed up with him?”

He’d been wondering that, as well as a few other things since getting Zane’s dossier. Nothing in the man’s criminal past indicated he’d have the contacts necessary for doing anything with the research Kassidy stole. Even if he did have the connections, how had Kassidy met the guy? A woman who dated congressmen and wealthy businessmen wouldn’t get involved with a thug like Zane.

“Don’t know,” Connor admitted.

There was another piece missing. Or, rather, a third party missing. Eventually, the answers would come out, but this morning he had other matters to see to. Becca needed to know they’d gotten the man after her. And he planned to be the one to tell her.

 

Stopping at the kitchen doorway, he expected Becca to be sitting there. She wasn’t. Only Mad Dog remained inside the room. She had her feet propped up on a chair and a tablet in her hands.

“Where is she?” he demanded.

Ax wouldn’t let her wander around the floor alone, but she was free to leave the building at any time. If Ax had passed along that Zane was in custody, she might have gone home.

Mad Dog looked up from her tablet. “Nice to see you too. Things go smoothly?”

“Almost too smoothly.” He’d spent the drive back thinking about the guy’s reaction. Considering the charges facing him, Zane had been too relaxed. Connor didn’t know what card the guy had to play, but he had one. “I thought you were keeping Becca company until I got back. Where is she?”

“Don’t get your panties in a knot. Becca is fine. She fell asleep sitting here, and in case you didn’t know, your girlfriend snores.”

“And you put her where?”

“I got one of the cots cyber keeps on hand. Ax let me put it in the meeting room. She’s in there, sleeping like a baby and dreaming about you.”

More like dreaming about the events of the past forty-eight hours. She’d been having nightmares already. The shooting at the cabin wasn’t going to help.

“Thanks for staying with her.” He turned to leave.

“One of the men from the cabin made it through surgery.”

One had been gone before the paramedics arrived. Despite their efforts, he’d expected the other two to be dead before they reached a hospital. “Good.”

Given the right incentive from the district attorney, the punk might be willing to provide testimony that could be used against Zane.

He passed Ax’s office. Later he’d check in with him. First, he had something much more important to do.

Connor didn’t knock on the meeting room door before walking inside. Since it wasn’t uncommon for employees in cyber to pull all-nighters when working on a case, the department kept cots on hand so they could rest. Tonight, one was pushed up against a wall and all the lights in the room were off.

Compared to the king-sized bed in Becca’s home, the cot was about as comfortable as a hardwood floor. This morning it at least gave her a place to rest. He should’ve gotten one for her before he left, but his mind had been on other matters.

Sitting on the edge, he ran his fingers through her messy hair. Despite the less- than-ideal sleeping conditions, she looked content. More importantly, she was safe.

Back at the estate, he’d wanted to pull Zane into a room and show the asshole what happened when someone threatened the woman he loved. And he did love her.

He hadn’t been looking for it or expecting it, but denying it was pointless.

In hindsight, maybe falling in love with Becca had been inevitable. She’d been the first and only woman he’d ever wanted to be with because he enjoyed her company, rather than because he was looking for physical pleasure.

She loved him too. He didn’t need her to say the words. Her actions gave her away.

Becca moved onto her back and threw out an arm, her hand smacking into the gun still holstered at his waist. “Ouch.” She opened her eyes and then bolted upright. “Good, you’re back.” Her gaze swept over him. “You look okay. Are you?”

“Fine.”

“You’re not just telling me that, are you, Connor? Because, so help me, if you are….”

Except for the occasional inquiry from his sister, no one ever questioned his well-being, let alone worried he might be injured. Becca’s concern at the cabin and again this morning was only further evidence she loved him.

“When we get out of here, you can give me a thorough physical examination.” He kissed her, because not doing so was impossible. Leaning into her, he pushed her back down on the cot.

How likely was it someone would walk in, looking for him? Mad Dog wouldn’t bother them. However, Ax knew he was back and expected him to check in along with the rest of the team. He might not come searching for him right away.

Leaving her mouth, he moved his lips down her neck and gently tugged the collar of her shirt down.

Pounding on the door interrupted his mouth’s pleasant trip south. “My office,” Ax said, opening the door. “We’re waiting for you.”

Resting his forehead against Becca’s chest, he swore.

“Heard you, Anderson,” Ax called before walking away and leaving the door open.

Sitting up, he pulled Becca back into an upright position and fixed her shirt. “Be back soon. Get some more rest.”

She grabbed his hand before he could stand. “Is it really over?”

“Kassidy and Zane are in custody, and both will be spending time behind bars. You’re safe.”

The distress on her face disappeared, and he could see the weight lift off her shoulders.

He gave her hand a quick squeeze and tried to stand again. “The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back. Then we can split, and I can get back to what I was doing before Ax interrupted us.”