Avenged (Hostage Rescue Team Series) (Volume 5) (7 page)

“I won’t.” He could hear her moving around the room now, probably grabbing her clothes.

“That’s good. Everything’s gonna be fine. We’re just erring on the side of caution.”

She made a sound that let him know she was listening. “Are you going to be there? At headquarters?”

The hope in her voice made him ache inside. He looked down at his free hand, gripping the edge of his truck’s doorframe. Shit, he was so compromised when it came to her, but he couldn’t shut his feelings off.
He
needed to be the one making sure she was safe, period. It would drive him nuts otherwise. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Good,” she said on a sigh of relief.

He was quiet a moment, listening to the sounds of her opening and closing drawers, the rasp of a zipper, probably on her suitcase. “You okay?”

“I’ll be better once I know what the hell’s going on,” she muttered, the annoyance in her tone making his lips twitch. She wasn’t scared, she was pissed that he was withholding information from her. But he wouldn’t talk about this latest incident over an unsecured phone line. His phone was encrypted, but if anyone was listening in on her end, he didn’t want to tip them off.

“Soon, I promise. Just get your stuff together and be ready when my guys get there.”

“I will.”

“Want me to stay on the line with you?”

“No, it’s fine.”

There was no reason to continue the conversation, but he found himself stalling, searching for an excuse to keep her talking, just to hear her voice. And he wanted to take her mind off the situation a bit, ease her anxiety level. “I’m just hopping into my truck. Wanna keep me company while I drive?”

She huffed out a small laugh. “Guess that means you don’t want me to turn on the news while I wait, huh?”

“Damn straight.”

“Sure then. I’ll pack, you drive.”

“Deal.” He got into his truck and turned on his hands-free system. “You still with me?” he asked as he backed out of the garage. The street out in front of his building was quiet, just a few people out talking on the sidewalk or walking their dogs.

“Still here, almost packed.”

“How did the meeting with the lawyers go?”

“Fine, everything was about what I expected. Mostly they wanted to go over the details of the plot I learned about when I was Qureshi’s prisoner. They’re going to focus mostly on that, rather than the human trafficking, weapons and drug smuggling, but they’ll bring all that up to paint a picture for the jury. They took pity on me and cut things short in deference to what happened today though.”

“That’s good. I bet you were glad to get the extra downtime.” He heard a faint knocking in the background, a muffled male voice calling out.

“It’s Cruz,” she said.

“Check through the peephole first before you answer.”

She didn’t answer, but he could hear her moving around the room. Then, “Yeah, it’s Cruz and Vance.” The distinctive turning of a deadbolt followed. “Hi. I’m just on the line with Nathan.”

“Hi,
Nathan
,” Cruz chimed in, the singsong voice making the use of his whole name into a verbal dig. Then in his normal voice he added, “You mind hanging up and letting us do our job now, brother?”

“All right,” Nate said to Taya. “Tell them to take good care of you.”

“He wants me to tell you to keep me safe,” she said to the others.

“Goes without saying, Doc,” Vance’s deep bass voice called out in the background.

“Well, I guess I’d better get going,” Taya said to Nate.

“Yeah. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks for the distraction.”

“Anytime. Bye.” He disconnected, relieved that his guys were taking care of her, and keyed up about the coming meeting with DeLuca and the others. He’d likely have an argument on his hands, but his mind was made up. He’d say or do whatever it took to be put on Taya’s detail, starting tonight.

Taya wished she knew more about the HRT, aside from the basics and that their headquarters were inside Marine Base Quantico, Virginia. She’d only done a little bit of research before exhaustion had forced her to get some sleep. Agent Cruz stopped the SUV at the gate and showed his ID to the armed Marine standing guard.

The Marine nodded at Vance, looked at her through the window, and smiled before speaking to Cruz again. “Have a good night, sir.”

She looked out at the base as Cruz drove them to headquarters and parked out front. She felt better being here, partly because she was closer to Nathan. After learning that some of the other witnesses had been kidnapped, she needed all the reassurance she could get.

“Here we are,” Cruz said, gathering a folder and his jacket from Vance. “We’ll get you a coffee inside while you wait. It’s not Starbucks or anything, but it’s decent. Our meeting could take a while.”

“Sure.” She gathered her purse and exited the SUV, then followed them up the walkway to the front entrance.

She noticed both men seemed much more relaxed than they had been when they’d picked her up at the hotel. Neither of them was scanning the area, which made sense, since they were in the middle of a military installation. Cruz had also doubled back several times on various streets near the hotel before hitting the highway down here, to ensure no one was following them, and Vance had been watching the mirrors carefully too. The chances of anyone tailing them here were low, and the chances of someone attacking her while on base were pretty much nil.

She hoped.

The scent of coffee greeted her when she stepped inside the brightly lit building, Vance holding the door for her. It was after midnight now, so it wasn’t a surprise that the place was so quiet. “Thank you.”

“No worries.” The incredibly muscular agent waited for her to precede him and follow Cruz down a hallway. Taya looked around, absorbing every little detail. So this was where Nathan worked. He must spend a lot of time here on base.

Before falling asleep after her meeting with the lawyers, she’d Googled the Hostage Rescue Team. What she’d read was impressive, not to mention eye-opening. It didn’t surprise her that Nathan had made it through selection and had been given a spot on one of the teams. After seeing him in action in Afghanistan, watching him work under pressure while under extreme duress, she knew what a skilled operator he was.

She’d never forgotten him or what he’d done for her. In fact, she’d thought about him maybe too often over the years. In particular his protectiveness and the kind way he’d spoken to her, keeping her calm even while her life lay in his capable hands.

And his touch while he’d tended to her. Skilled, firm, but also gentle with her. She’d thought about that plenty as well, had wondered what it would be like to feel his fingertips stroking all over her naked body.

Stop that. Bad Taya.

She couldn’t stop thinking about those hugs earlier though. Having his arms around her that way had been amazing, and remembering the feel of that hard body was only going to torment her now.

After getting her a coffee, Vance left her to wait in a staff lounge and headed out to his meeting. She waited for nearly half an hour before footsteps sounded at the end of the hallway, along with two male voices. Taya set down the news magazine she’d been reading and sat up straighter, relaxing a little when Nathan appeared in the doorway next to a good looking middle-aged man with short, dark hair. Not as good looking as Nathan, mind you, but still easy on the eyes.

“Hey,” Nathan said to her with a sexy smile that set off a burst of warmth inside her. With his dark auburn hair just long enough for a woman to run her fingers through and a few days’ growth of stubble on his jaw several shades darker than his hair, the man was ruggedly sexy.

She stood, returning the smile. “Hi.” She looked at the other man, who stepped forward and offered his hand.

“I’m Supervisory Special Agent Matt DeLuca,” he told her, his grip firm but not painful. “I’m sorry we had to drag you down here in the middle of the night on top of everything else.”

Nathan’s commander. “No, it’s fine. Did you find out anything more about the missing witnesses?”

DeLuca nodded. “Come into my office and I’ll tell you what I can.”

She didn’t like being kept in the dark about any of this, but knew she had no say in the matter. “Okay.”

Taya fell in step with Nathan as they followed DeLuca back down the hallway and into the second room on the left. She felt small next to him, but in a nice, fluttery way that made her hyper aware of her femininity. And he smelled good too, the subtle, clean scent of cologne emanating from him as he moved. The attraction wasn’t unwelcome, but it was more intense than she’d imagined it would be, and she had no idea if it was mutual or not.

You’re too old for him, Taya. He’d never think of you that way.

DeLuca made his way behind the large desk that dominated the far side of the room and typed some commands into his computer. When he was ready he looked up at her and motioned for her to approach. With Nathan at her back, she walked over and took a look at what was on screen.

“Two of the missing witnesses are male,” DeLuca said to her, easing back for her to get a better look. “I think you might recognize them.”

Taya’s breath caught when she saw the pictures of the two men. She swallowed. “Yes. I know them.” They’d both been in Qureshi’s most trusted inner circle. And both had taken their turn beating her when she’d first been captured. All in an effort to break her.

They’d failed.

She straightened, fighting her body’s innate flight response to seeing the men’s faces. “Those aren’t the names I knew them by though,” she added, reading the unfamiliar names beneath the photos.

“No. You knew them by their noms de guerre,” DeLuca said. “After they were captured they both agreed to testify for the U.S. government against Qureshi in return for a reduced sentence. They were attacked along with their prison security teams in two separate locations during a routine transfer tonight.”

“The attackers are acting either for or on Qureshi’s orders?” she guessed, not liking the possibility that a homegrown cell or cells had been activated for the purpose of eliminating the witnesses and disrupting the trial.

“That’s what we think so far, yes.”

Taya nodded, still staring at the screen. She rubbed her hands over her upper arms, suddenly feeling chilled. “So are the witnesses presumed dead at this point?”

DeLuca nodded. “If they’re not already, they will be soon. There’s no way Qureshi’s network would capture them and then let them live. If they do, we think it’ll be for propaganda purposes.”

She was acutely aware of Nathan standing at her back, and had to fight the urge to step closer to him, enough to feel the warmth of his body against her spine. Taya took a deep breath. “And what about the third witness?” From the way DeLuca had worded it earlier, she knew the third one was a female.

“This might be a shock for you,” DeLuca warned.

Taya glanced at him sharply, her heart thudding hard against her ribs. “Who is it?”

“You sure you want to do this right now?” Nathan asked, shifting to stand beside her. Taya looked up and met those warm hazel eyes, saw the concern written there. “It’s been a long day for you already.”

Oh, God, who was the third witness? Her stomach muscles tensed. “Just tell me.”

Nathan shared a look with DeLuca, then let out a deep breath and relented with a muttered, “Okay.”

Taya looked at the screen while DeLuca pulled up another page. Her heart plummeted when she saw the familiar face looking back at her. “Chloe,” she rasped out. She straightened, one hand flying to her mouth as she turned away from the sight.

Nathan’s big hand caught her shoulder. His warm fingers curled beneath her chin, tilting it up until she looked into his face. “I’m so sorry, Taya.”

She couldn’t answer, could barely even breathe as the horror of it sank in. The male witnesses dying didn’t bother her except that it might now delay the trial and Qureshi being brought to justice for what he’d done. But Chloe? Until now Taya hadn’t even known she was still alive.

She struggled to swallow the lump in her throat, lowered her hand from her mouth. “She got out.” Her voice sounded strangled, but that’s exactly how she felt, like an invisible fist was closing off her airway.

To his credit, Nathan didn’t look away. He gazed straight back at her, nodded. “Yeah. A year after you did. She went straight into the WITSEC program. That’s why you didn’t know. Her story was kept secret from everyone, even her own family.”

She could feel her lips trembling, her body beginning to shiver. Chloe had chosen WITSEC to keep her safe, had sacrificed yet again by missing out on the support of her friends and family, and for what? In the end, even that hadn’t saved her from Qureshi. “Who got her out?” she managed to ask, hating that her voice shook but unable to stop it.

“A team of Delta operators.”

Taya pulled free of his gentle grip and wrapped her arms around herself. “I can’t believe it.” She turned away from both men, struggling to get hold of herself. This was too much.

It was too awful. Just too goddamn cruel to think of what her young friend had gone through. At twenty-two, Chloe had been captured from a refugee camp near the Pakistani border where she’d been working as an aid worker. She’d endured an even longer captivity than Taya had, only to come home and be taken by people working on Qureshi’s orders, here where she was supposed to have been safe. Now she was either dead or about to be executed.

“How did they get to her? WITSEC has a good reputation. How did they even know where she was? There’s no way anyone should have known where to even find these witnesses, let alone be able to pull off multiple, successful attacks like this,” Taya said.

DeLuca nodded. “I’ve heard from a trusted source that the attackers got help from an insider at WITSEC. One of their agents. That’s what it looks like for now, anyway, so they’re taking care of it on their end. He’s been arrested and if there’s enough evidence against him, he’ll be charged and prosecuted accordingly.”