Targeted (5 page)

When she leaned over her desk to grab something, her dark hair cascaded over her shoulder and he couldn’t help remembering what it had been like to run his hands through that thick mass as she rode him. Or as he’d taken her from behind. Or as they’d simply held each other and watched the ocean waves. Memories of their short time together had kept him sane during some of his nastier missions. Her smart-ass attitude and sense of humor had kept him entertained back when there wasn’t much bright in his life. She’d been one of the few bright beacons in his world. He’d even categorized his life into “before Sophie” and “after Sophie.” Because after he’d met her, he’d known on a fundamental level that she was meant for him.

Watching her now felt too surreal. The outline of her jaw, the gentle curve of her neck, her dark, intoxicating eyes. Despite the sharp angles of her exotic cheekbones, everything else about her compact body was soft and inviting. Especially her hips. She had just enough curves for a man to hold on to. Well, not any man. Only him. He wanted to bury his face against her neck, between her breasts, and definitely between her legs. God, if she knew what he was thinking now, she’d run. Or maybe not. He’d seen a hint of awareness in her eyes back in Ronald’s office. It had been tempered with almost outright anger at his presence—which made him curious—but he was pretty sure she was attracted to him.

She paused before slipping the binder her assistant had given her into her purse, and then it looked as if she tucked something into her shirt. Since she had her back to him, it was difficult to see, but he found it interesting.

“Hey, Mandy. Is Sophie in her office?” A man’s voice caused Jack to turn.

Jack quickly sized up the man standing at the receptionist’s desk. He recognized him from one of the dossiers he’d studied. Benson Pollard. Been with the company six months. No red flags.

But Jack didn’t like the familiar way he said Sophie’s name.

Sophie walked out and smiled warmly when she saw the other man. A punch of need slammed into Jack, along with a healthy dose of jealousy. He hadn’t seen that smile in too many years, and he didn’t want her sharing it with anyone else. Crazy? Definitely. He just didn’t care.

She hoisted her purse higher on her shoulder. “Hi, Benson. I’m just heading to lunch.”

“I was actually coming by to see if you wanted to join me for lunch. Where are you headed?”

“It’s a private lunch.” Jack surprised himself and everyone else around him with his heated tone. Mandy’s mouth dropped and the other man’s eyes narrowed at him with barely concealed annoyance . . . and disgust?

Sophie’s dark eyes widened, but she quickly recovered before turning back to her coworker. “Sorry, Benson, it’s a working lunch. Maybe later this week.”

“Sure, or maybe we can do drinks after work?”

Jack watched Sophie finger a strand of dark hair. Something she’d always done when she was uncomfortable. Not that he blamed her. What kind of jerk asked a woman out in front of people?

“I’ll buzz you when we get back.” She looked at Jack, but her eyes were shuttered. “You ready?”

He was silent until they reached the elevators. The short walk didn’t bother him, but it was obvious Sophie was uncomfortable around him. The tiny pulse point on her neck was visible and it was working overtime. He was still unsure if it was because of him or if it was because he worked for Keane Flight and she had something to hide. Once they stepped into the elevator, he broke the silence. “I’m sorry if I was rude to your boyfriend.” If this had anything to do with work, he would have been subtle, but something primal inside him wanted to know exactly who that guy was to Sophie.

She glanced at him as he hit one of the buttons. “What . . . Oh, Benson’s not my boyfriend.”

“He wants to be.” He inwardly cringed. Today he was definitely not a superspy. More like a randy teenager who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He was supposed to be getting close to her, getting information from her, not grilling her about her social life. And certainly not alienating her. Jack couldn’t seem to stop his apparent repressed Neanderthal behavior, though. Being around her put him on edge, and the close confines of the elevator didn’t help. His skin felt too tight for his body, and the urge to reach out and touch her just for a moment was so real it scared him. For a former, highly trained Marine Corps Scout Sniper and an even better-trained government agent, he was fucking pathetic.

A delicate blush rose on her tan neck and swept across her cheeks. “That’s slightly inappropriate and none of your business.”

“Just making conversation,” he murmured as the elevator dinged that they’d reached their destination.

When the elevator doors opened he stepped forward to intentionally crowd her. In her boss’s office he thought he’d detected some physical awareness from her, but he wanted to be sure. Her shoulder brushed his as she exited into the parking garage. She tensed at the contact. Looking away, Sophie started to dig into her purse, but he hit the unlock button on his key chain. “I’ll drive.”

Her eyes slightly narrowed at him, but she didn’t argue. She also had something grasped in her fingers as she withdrew her hand from her purse. He couldn’t see it clearly, but he was guessing pepper spray when she subtly tucked that hand into her jacket pocket and left it there. Damn. Okay, she might feel a little attraction for him, but she definitely did not trust him. The fact that she thought she could actually need a weapon against him pissed him off even if his reaction was irrational. She was just watching out for herself, as any woman should. Still, he’d never hurt Sophie.

Guest parking was right up front, so they didn’t have far to go. He held the passenger door open to the SUV, earning him a wary but curious look from Sophie as she slid into the front seat. Her exotic familiar scent assaulted his senses, bringing back unwanted memories.

“How long have you worked with SBMS?” He started the engine and tried to ignore the way her skirt kept sliding up against the leather seat.

There was a pause, and then she answered almost grudgingly, “A little over eight years. Since I graduated from college, actually.” She crossed her legs away from him, her body language crystal clear. She wasn’t comfortable sharing personal details with him.

He glanced in the rearview mirror before reversing. “That’s rare, to stay with a company so long, especially your first one after graduating. At least nowadays it is.” He was fishing for information, but she didn’t seem to notice.

Sophie shrugged and shifted against the seat, pushing her pencil skirt up an inch higher. The three-inch heels she wore gave her calf muscles even more definition. Taking this job had been monumentally stupid when even her calves had the ability to distract him. Of course when he could clearly remember having her legs wrapped around him as she climaxed, it was damn hard not to be distracted.

“Ronald gave me a chance when I had no experience, and the company offers tuition assistance. And . . . he and his wife have been really good to me.”

She said Ronald, not SBMS. That could mean that she was loyal to him, not the company. Jack made a mental note and tried to ignore another flash of her smooth, toned skin. She was still petite and fit, but she’d definitely acquired some more curves. She’d been a knockout at seventeen, but she was all woman now. And she could never be his again.

He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the foreign tension humming through his body. Missions never affected him like this. He’d always been able to compartmentalize and detach from things.

Always.

Except with her. Seemed now was no different. He’d only lived under the same roof with Sophie for six months, and once they’d crossed that line into more than friends he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her. But he’d been seventeen. He shouldn’t still be reacting the same way to her. His attraction should be dulled and he should damn well be able to control his thoughts. But Sophie had always been his one soft spot and he hated that his boss was using that against him.

Jack was only a month older than her, so he’d signed up to go to boot camp until she could move out on her own—at her insistence. They’d graduated from high school, but she’d still had a month left in the system because of her age. So he’d been gone when she was attacked, brutalized. He hadn’t been there to protect her. Her last words to him, shouted in anger, haunted him to this day.
“I hate you and I never want to see you again.”
She’d been a hurting, terrorized girl and on one level he knew she’d said them in the heat of the moment, but those words had buried themselves deep in his psyche and latched on with eagle talons. And she’d never tried to get in contact with him after that. Had never returned any of his letters. Eventually he’d lost track of her—until he’d been recruited by the NSA. Then he’d found out everything there was to know about her current life. Like a masochist.

“So, what about you? I didn’t realize Paul Keane had a partner.” Sophie’s soft voice brought him back to the present.

Game face on,
he ordered himself. Jack wasn’t some rookie, and if he didn’t get his shit together, this entire op could fail. That was unacceptable. Biological weapons were the wave of the future, and the fallout was terrifying. Hospitals, religious centers, schools—terrorists had no problem hitting innocent civilians. In fact, they thrived on those targets. And Vargas had no conscience; the man would strike where he could hurt the most. Translation: the most innocent victims, which would likely be children. The monster had done just that in his own region to instill fear and to keep locals in line.

Thankful for the mental reminder of what was on the line, Jack recited the cover story he’d gone over half a dozen times in the past couple of days. “I gave him the start-up for Keane Flight. Until now I’ve never had any interest in his company, but when he got in that accident, I stepped in to take over things for a while.”

“So, what did you do before this? Or what
do
you do?” There was a definite note of anxiety in her voice.

He risked a quick glance at her. Sophie’s face was impassive, but she was twirling a strand of dark hair. Why was she nervous? The information he had didn’t suggest she was involved, but until now he hadn’t realized how loyal she was to her boss. Maybe she wasn’t nervous because of that. If it was because she was attracted to him—no, he shut that thought down. It didn’t matter. “I own a few restaurants, and I’ve been fortunate enough to make wise investments over the years.” This was all part of his cover, but he didn’t divulge too much information.

She nodded and glanced away. As he pulled up to La Marea at the Tides Hotel, she tugged at her skirt almost self-consciously, and when one of the valet guys opened the door for her, she jumped. It was subtle, but enough for him to notice.

Jack’s hands clenched around the steering wheel, but he forced himself to get out. He rarely used a valet—didn’t ever like giving up control of his keys—but for the role he was playing, it only made sense.

“Is the terrace okay?” he asked as he held open the front door to the restaurant for her.

“That sounds great.” The smile she gave him was tight and brittle, but it didn’t detract from her full lips and he couldn’t help staring at them.

All he wanted to do was nibble, tease, and stroke them. The urge to lean forward and do just that was startlingly real. He sighed. Being so close to Sophie again was going to put him in an early grave.

From the file Wesley had given him, he knew this was her favorite place, so he hoped to soften her up while he subtly grilled her. Once they were seated and the hostess had taken their drink orders, he jumped right in to professional mode. “Ronald tells me you’re like his right hand.”

She blushed and damn if his cock didn’t jump to attention. Again. It gave her a deliciously innocent quality that made him ache. She was quick to brush away his compliment. “I don’t know about that.”

A light breeze blew up, ruffling the open table umbrella sheltering them. He instinctively glanced around. The terrace was blocked by thick hedges, giving them a decent amount of privacy, but his senses had been on high alert since they’d left SBMS. At first he thought it was because he was around Sophie, but his gut told him otherwise. A familiar tingle spread across the back of his neck, as if someone was watching him. He’d been in the crosshairs of a sniper scope before, and the sensation he had now was damn familiar. Jack started to respond when a reflection from the hedges caught his eye. It danced and flickered for a second and raw adrenaline kicked in.

There wasn’t time to make any other decision. Even though there was a slim chance he was making a mistake, it would be worth the embarrassment. He shoved the iron and glass table on its side and tackled Sophie. The last thing he saw as he flew at her was her wide brown eyes. He attempted to soften the blow as he fell over her by rolling the chair, but a few cuts and bruises or even a broken arm would be nothing compared to a bullet in her chest.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sophie yelled, and struggled underneath.

A huge potted plant exploded behind them, followed by screams and shouts from the other patrons. She immediately stilled, her mouth falling open.

“There’s a shooter. We have to get out of here.” He shifted and grabbed one of the iron table legs, pulling it around so they had more cover.

Face pale and eyes wide, she nodded likely because the word “shooter” sank in.

The glass tabletop exploded, showering them with shards. Which told him the shooter had suitable visibility. At least he had lousy aim. Jack kept his body over Sophie.

“Get ready to run. Stay low,” he ordered.

Still shielding her, he grabbed her arm and they sprinted for the open glass doors to the interior of the restaurant. Luckily there were other patrons doing the very same thing, inadvertently giving them cover. Once inside, he scanned the area for a backup shooter. Patrons, servers, and other staff of the hotel were all running around in a blind panic, so if there was a backup shooter, he would be the only calm person. Jack didn’t spot anyone like that and at least now they were inside. Short of being hit with a missile, they had cover for the moment.