and lunch, located in the Le Parker Meridien Hotel lobby. Norma’s was too expensive and trendy for Jessie’s taste, but Alexa knew her partner had suggested it for her sake. Being a former bounty hunter, Jessie had dealt with the dregs of humanity and would have been satisfied with any hole-in-the-wall greasy spoon.
When Alexa arrived, she noticed that Jessie had gotten there early and scored a table, a small carafe of coffee, and two shot glasses of the restaurant’s complimentary smoothie du jour. After her partner waved her over, it didn’t take Alexa long to notice the carry-on luggage under the table.
“Planning on staying the week? The blueberry pancakes are good, but come on,” she joked to cover up her surprise . . . and disappointment.
“I’m on my way to the airport, heading for Chicago. Something personal has come up.” Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, Jessie leaned across the table. “I know this is short notice, but I don’t have a choice.”
Alexa narrowed her eyes and dropped her smile. “Anything I can do?”
“No, nothing.” Jessie shook her head. “I’ve got it covered.”
Jessie had hesitated, enough to tell Alexa her trip to Chicago wouldn’t be for pleasure.
“And I’m guessing you probably don’t want to talk about it.”
“Bingo.” Jessie grabbed her coffee cup and hid behind it.
Her partner was a woman with secrets, and Alexa respected her privacy. The scar over Jessie’s eyebrow had a story behind it, one Alexa had never been privileged to hear. Even though not too long ago, Alexa had gotten a glimpse into something Jessie had barely survived as a child, her partner had never confided in her, and she hadn’t pushed.
And Alexa also guessed that Jessie had feelings for the computer genius, Seth Harper. Maybe her trip had something to do with him. The guy was a new recruit for the Sentinels, but he’d opted to stay in Chicago rather than move to New York, so he could stick close to his mentally deteriorating father, who lived in a nursing home. Those had been her first thoughts about Jessie’s trip; but with her partner, she might never know for sure.
“How long will you be gone?” she asked. “I mean, in case something comes up.”
“Maybe a few days. Not long.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Will you call me if you need anything?”
“Yeah . . . I’ll do that. So what’s good here?” When Jessie flipped open her menu, her eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God! They have a lobster-and-caviar omelet for a thousand smackers. Who the hell are they kidding? That’s just . . . insane.”
As fast as Jessie stuck her nose in the menu and changed the subject, Alexa knew her partner would never take her up on her offer. Jessie had a tough, independent streak. It was one of the things she liked most about her, but sometimes that made it hard for anyone to get inside. As a partner and a friend, Jessie was an acquired taste.
But with Jessie going out of town—completely distracted by her personal agenda—Alexa knew she’d be working with Tanya alone. Once her partner got back and could focus, Alexa might ask for her help, but for now, Jessie was out of it. And there was no sense telling her anything about Garrett. Jessie had enough going on in her life without adding the guilt trip of leaving her in the lurch—because that was exactly how Jessie’s mind worked. She’d feel guilty over something she’d have no control over.
As if she’d read Alexa’s mind, Jessie looked up from her menu, and said, “You look tired. You getting enough z’s?”
Alexa ran a hand through her blond hair and heaved a sigh as she propped her elbows on the table.
“I’d be doing better if you’d dose me up.” She forced a smile as she shoved over her empty cup. “Pour me some coffee, will ya?”
While her partner filled her cup, Alexa turned her thoughts to Garrett. Something was terribly wrong. As an experienced operative, she sensed it in her bones, especially after talking to Tanya and hearing that Garrett’s top analyst hadn’t heard from him either. That clinched it. She had to do something.
When they were together, Garrett had been an attentive and aggressive lover and quickly become her obsession after she’d come off the high of her near miss with fellow operative Jackson Kinkaid. Her one-sided feelings for Jackson had been tough to let go. They had chemistry, no doubt, but she needed more than he had to give. And, after working with him on a hostage-rescue mission in Cuba not too long ago, the emotional roller- coaster ride with him had not changed for her. She still had it bad, especially after Jackson told her why he’d kept her at a distance.
There had been another woman. A dead one.
Jackson was still deeply connected to his murdered wife and the child he had lost. He had nothing to give her, or anyone. He’d changed. He wasn’t the same man she had known years before. It broke her heart to walk away from him after the Cuban op, but she had to. Forcing Jackson to deal with his grief before he was ready to let go wouldn’t have been good. He would always resent her for it. And that was no way to live, for either of them.
After she’d first met Kinkaid years before, Garrett had been a rebound fling for her, but he’d been a distraction she needed at the time. He had unleashed her insatiable need and been a much-needed diversion after the pent-up feelings she had for Jackson. And even though the urgent passion she had with her boss, Garrett Wheeler, had run its course, she still cared for him deeply. She owed him more than her unflinching loyalty.
“Is it . . .”
“Is it . . .”
“ . . . him?”
A woman’s voice echoed in his head and filtered through the fog in his brain. Her words overlapped like undulating ripples across still water, mixed with the faint distant echo of a child’s laughter. The sounds nudged his faltering consciousness or tapped into a sliver of memory. He didn’t know which, nor did he care. He had to concentrate to hear anything at all. He didn’t know where he was or how he got there. In this place, he had no past, no future, and barely remembered his own name. Yet in his shadowy existence, he felt certain that he was completely deserving of whatever fate had in store.
When he felt a cool velvet touch on his fevered cheek, he heard a moan, unsure if the sound came from him. He forced his eyes open a crack and caught a glimpse of light. Shadows eclipsed a dim glow, but he was too weak to move. With the drug still so strong in his system, he wavered on the razor’s edge of darkness and took the only comfort he could. He imagined the woman’s voice he had heard morphing into a more familiar sultry one and pictured running his fingers through a soft tumble of blond strands as he gazed into pale blue eyes.
His lover’s throaty voice stirred him, and her haunting eyes lingered, along with a trace of her perfume. He felt her kiss and her whisper in his ear as she trailed a finger down the bare skin of his chest and onto his stomach. Her touch made him flinch, and his body reacted.
He wanted her. He needed her. And when he willed the beautiful woman to stay—
Chapter 2
After breakfast, Alexa arrived at the Sentinels’ headquarters and went through the high- tech security measures to access the elevator that would take her to the belowground stronghold. Running on autopilot, she had her mind on Garrett as she headed for Tanya’s office and walked through the massive computer area, where analysts manned global surveillance systems.
Black walls encircled the room, and the overhead lights were purposefully dim, so computer jockeys could better see the array of colors on their monitors. And with the tight acoustics in the room, the cavernous space had the feel of a planetarium.
With Jessie out of town, Alexa would be working alone with Tanya to dig into Garrett’s whereabouts. Following the physical and electronic trail to find him would be tricky. Any search would cover sensitive information and involve tapping into restricted resources within the organization, something she’d be willing to chance if it meant finding him.
