Feel the Heat (22 page)

Troy nodded. “It’s just like that.”

Lauren frowned. “I must have taken a short mental vacation here. Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”

Troy lifted her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “Dan just got another text from Mike in Canada. We’re pulling together the team for a full-out assault.”

“We have the location of the kidnap victim,” Mark added, “and a reading of the scene and surrounding area. Time to go in and get the victim out. In one piece.”

“And Troy says he’s not going,” she guessed.

“They don’t need me.” He lifted his hand and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear. “With Ed, they’ll have five people. Rick’s the sniper, so he’s key. I’m just the medic who patches people up.”

“That’s not true.” She tried to bat his hand away. “You’re a SEAL and I know what kind of skill set that means. I’m not stupid. And my crisis here has passed, so there’s no need for you to hang around when you’re needed elsewhere.”

She did her best to keep her voice calm and reasonable, even as her stomach clenched with the tiniest spasms of fear. The media was gone, the mob had disappeared and her stalker was dealt with. What did she still have to be afraid of?

“I’m not leaving,” Troy said in a voice that left no room to doubt his meaning. “I’ve had this damn itchy feeling along the back of my neck since we went to the hospital today, and it won’t go away.”

Dan studied him. “Well, in an agency that certainly believes in psychic gifts of any kind—and even has a de facto psi department—I’m not about to discount that. You think there’s still some danger out there?”

Troy shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but I get the feeling something’s wrong. Something we haven’t even dealt with yet.”

“Another threat of some kind?” Mia asked.

“Another something, that’s for sure. And it revolves around Lauren. So I’m not leaving. I also want to leave the cameras up around the house. No one can see them, and every time a car goes down the street it trips the beam to take a picture. I’d say better safe than sorry.”

Mark nodded his approval. “I’d do the same thing. No problem.”

Lauren looked at him. “But there’s absolutely nothing else going on in my life right now. Except you.” She blushed when she realized how that might sound. “I mean—”

“It’s okay.” Faith grinned. “We understand.”

Understand what?

“What I do know,” Troy continued, as if no one else had spoken, “is I’m not comfortable leaving someone else here with Lauren.” He draped his arm possessively across the back of her chair, long fingers squeezing her shoulder.

Lauren caught a look passing between the two women again.

“What?” she asked. “What am I missing here?”

Faith laughed. “Nothing, Lauren. It’s just this thing all the Phoenix men seem to have. When they meet the woman with whom they have a special connection, they get all macho and protective.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Special connection?”

She looked at Troy, surprised to see a dull flush creeping up his face. “What? What’s that all about? What do they mean by that?” Little butterflies of anticipation danced in her stomach. She wasn’t even sure herself about the situation. Was what she and Troy felt just something that had blossomed in the ramped-up atmosphere of danger? Everything had happened so fast. Now the situation was resolved, would this somehow fade away despite his previous intimations?

He kissed her temple, a very proprietary kiss, she noted.

“We’ll discuss it later. Meanwhile, let’s get back to business.” He looked at his two partners. “But unless you can’t do this without me, I need to stay here. Not someone else, although we have great people we tap when we need them. But me. Just me. Anyone got a problem with that?”

Both men shook their heads.

“I trust your instincts,” Dan told him. “We’ll leave things the way they are.”

They went back to work on the rescue plan, using their tablets and cell phones, coordinating what they now tagged Operation Wild Goose, for the Canadian geese that nested near where the victim was being held. Lauren was captivated with the process, even more so as both Faith and Mia gave their input.

“I’m listing the key components of this,” Mia broke in one time. “If I can wipe everything from my mind when we get home maybe I can see something that will help.”

It was blatantly obvious that the women had become a very integral part of the agency.

Faith grinned when she caught Lauren’s fascination. “What we said before is true. All the wives use their psychic abilities as best they can for any given situation. Not all contracts require them, but sometimes like now they can become integral to the event.”

Mark looked across the table at Faith. “Can you keep your mind clear for the next seventy-two hours?”

She nodded. “No problem. I’m not behind on my deadlines, so I’ll be ready if you need me.”

Lauren knew Faith and Mark shared a telepathic communication. She was aware that when Mark was a prisoner of terrorists in the Peruvian jungle, it was not only his ability to communicate with Faith that kept him sane, but also led to his rescue. This was the first time she’d ever seen them deliberately put it in play.

“So does that mean,” she asked slowly, “that if the guys get into a situation where normal communication methods can’t be used, you and Mark provide the link?”

Faith nodded. “It’s really helped a couple of times when electronic communications were blocked for one reason or another.”

Mark read a text message on his screen and punched in an answer. “Rick’s all set. I told him we didn’t need Kelly and Xena this time though.”

“Okay then.” Dan nodded his agreement, tapped a message onto his cell phone and hit the Send key. “Ed’s on his way. We’re wheels-up in two hours, boys and girls. Let’s go home and pack our goody bags.”

When they left Lauren cleaned up the dishes while Troy triple-locked the front door and checked all of the security settings. When he came back into the kitchen, she pointed to a chair at the table.

“You. Sit there.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Getting a little bossy, are we?”

“If I have to.”

She leaned against the counter, arms folded over her chest. “I have a question.”

He grinned. “And I’ll be happy to answer it, sugar. Ask away.”

“What did you mean before about a ‘special connection’? What did everyone else mean?”

His face sobered. He patted his knee, indicating she should sit there.

“I’m not answering until I have you in my lap,” he insisted.

Lauren eased her way over and perched tentatively on one thigh. Troy’s strong arms came around her to hold her close to his body.

“It’s been kind of a ‘thing’ in the agency with each of us. Mark and Faith already knew each other, but for the rest of us, the women we’ve met and fallen hard for had a psychic gift, one that we’re convinced made the relationships stronger. In their hearts, Dan and Mike and Rick knew almost at once they’d met the woman for them. I was the odd man out. Until now.”

Lauren lifted an eyebrow, waiting silently for him to continue.

“Remember our little discussion about where we go from here?” he asked. “I said at the time this wasn’t just about sex. That’s still the truth.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just like my partners, I know I’ve found that special connection with you, Lauren. I hope you feel it too because I have no intention of walking out of your life.”

She cleared her throat. Expressing her emotions wasn’t something she’d ever been very good at. “You said when all of this was behind us we’d talk about where we go from here. Is that what you mean by ‘special connection’?”

He nodded and cuddled her closer to him. “Like I said when we were alone, I’m in this for the long haul, sugar. We’ll take it as slow as you need to, but I’m not going away.” He paused. “How about you?”

She wound her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his body. “I think I’m still getting used to this. I’ve never had good luck with relationships before. Most men find me…odd.”

Troy turned her head to face him. “Most men aren’t me. And they don’t have an appreciation for who and what you are. But I’m sure glad they left the door wide open for me.”

“Me too.” She grinned. “I’m not going away either.” A sobering thought wiped away her smile. “Do you really think we haven’t seen the last of this business? Is that what’s bothering you?”

He frowned. “Not exactly. I think whatever is tweaking my Spidey sense is a result of all this but still something totally different. I just wish I could put my finger on it.”

“While you’re puzzling it out, I’m going to log in some time on my computer and catch up with my clients. Then I think I’d like a glass of wine.”

“I put your favorite Riesling in the fridge to chill earlier,” he told her.

“I love a man who thinks ahead. Be still my heart.”

He teased her lips with his. “If you’re really good, I’ll show you some more of my skills later.” He studied her face. “If you’re tired, we can just hit the sheets early. You can sleep and I’ll read. You had a draining afternoon.”

“And then some,” she reminded him. Warmth flooded through her and crept up her cheeks. “But I think I can drum up a little more,” she teased.

The kiss he gave her was brief but scorching nevertheless. “Then prepare to be overwhelmed.”

Chapter Eleven

“They haven’t moved from the house since they got home from the hospital,” Bonner complained in an irritating whine. “And last time I drove by, there were two other cars in the driveway. How the fuck are we supposed to snatch her if she’s never alone? Kill everyone else?”

He and McFadden were in the living room of their suite. Next to him the laptop was open, its screen displaying the program tracking the little GPS on Arsenault’s car. McFadden was sitting at the conference table unpacking the box of goodies Olberman had shipped to him.

“That’s a very unsophisticated and dangerous suggestion,” he told the other man. He was forced to dig deep for some forbearance. He didn’t know which annoyed him more, the fact they were not closer to grabbing the Cahill woman or Bonner’s insistent complaining. “She’s just been through an ordeal. From everything the boss sent us on psychic healing and the aftermath, it makes sense Arsenault would stick to her like glue. And her friends are probably just checking up on her.”

“Olberman’s been on our ass,” Bonner pointed out. “He must call you ten times a day.”

“This is important business to him,” McFadden pointed out, looking at the piece of electronics he’d just taken out of the box. “He’s got a lot riding on it. And a lot of people waiting. But he also knows we have to pick the right time for this.”

“What does he plan to do with this broad when we get her, anyway? Rent her out?”

McFadden stared at the other man. He hadn’t mentioned anything of his boss’s plan for Lauren Cahill. But obviously Bonner had been thinking about this a lot while they waited. And waited. And waited.

“That’s none of your business.” He kept his voice carefully controlled. “You only have to worry about doing what you’re told, so you can keep getting paid.”

Bonner hitched himself up in the armchair. “I’ve been thinking. If Olberman’s shelling out half a mil just to get the real goods on this girl, he’s set to make billions by renting her out to people who need her. We ought to be able to cut ourselves a slice of that pie.”

McFadden set the piece of gear he was holding carefully on the table and looked at Fred Bonner.

“You’ve been working for Kurt Olberman for a long time. He pays you well.”

“But—”

Reid held up his hand. “But nothing. Face it. You’re not smart enough to earn the kind of money you do without this job. Be grateful for what you’ve got.”

“Damn it.” Bonner smacked his hand on his knee. “Surely he could spare us a little cut of everything he’s gonna rake in. Can’t you even ask him?”

Reid thought if Olberman didn’t kill Bonner, he might do it himself.

“Do the job right, and you might get a nice fat bonus. Keep bitching about it, and you won’t be around for your next meal.” And maybe he wouldn’t anyway once he outlived his usefulness. McFadden was getting damn sick and tired of the man. He just couldn’t allow him to fuck up this gig.

“What’s all that stuff you’ve got?”

“Electronic gear the big man sent so we can bypass Lauren Cahill’s security system if we need to.”

“You mean if we need to get into the house? What about the guy with her?”

“Sooner or later he’s going to leave her alone, even if it’s just for a quick run to the store. We need to be ready.”

Bonner scratched his head. “From what Olberman said about the agency, this guy is sure to have installed a high-end system. What makes you think we can get through it?”

McFadden allowed himself a smile. “The system hasn’t been invented yet that the boss can’t figure a way around. Don’t get your shorts in a bunch. If we have to go in for her, it will be smooth as glass.” He looked at his watch. “Isn’t it about time for you to make a run past their house anyway? See what’s going on?”

Bonner heaved himself reluctantly from his chair. “How come you don’t have to do the night runs?”

Reid ground his teeth. “Because I do the daylight runs, which, in case you missed it, are a lot more dangerous. More chance of discovery. Would you rather change?”

“No. I’ll do it. Shit, I hope we snatch the broad soon and get this done.”

“Meanwhile,” Reid pointed out in a voice edged with sarcasm, “you’re living on Olberman’s dime in a high-rent hotel and eating top-of-the-line food. If you have to do a little driving and sit on your fat ass to earn your salary, I’m sure you can put up with it.”

He ignored the venomous look Bonner shot at him as the man headed for the door.

* * * * *

Lauren stretched out on the couch, half sitting, her head against Troy’s chest, her hands cradling her glass of wine. A baseball game was playing on the television screen but the sound was muted. They were enjoying the silence and the warmth of each other’s bodies after a long, stressful day. She hadn’t really been up for company, but Faith sounded so concerned about her. Besides, her friend had hinted the men had some business to discuss, and Lauren didn’t want to be the kind of person who complained about things like that. Troy’s fingers sifted through her hair, brushing her scalp with a gentle rhythm that eased the residual tension in her body.