already. You almost died in that explosion. I’d never forgive myself if…”
In a nearby chair, Harper had found a ringside seat to their verbal skirmish. All he needed was a bucket of popcorn. Jess caught Seth’s eye and nudged her head, asking him for privacy. If Harper hadn’t gotten the message before, when the arguing had started, she wanted it spelled out now. She needed alone time with Payton. The kid took her hint and left without a word, ousted from his own study.
Jess walked up to Payton and placed a hand on his chest.
“And how do you think I’d feel if you went alone and something happened? I’d want to be there to watch your back and I’d trust you to do the same for me,” she said. When he wouldn’t look her in the eye, she stroked his cheek with a finger until he did. “You and me, we aren’t sidelines people, Payton. We get into the game one way or another. It’s part of who we are. Now, I made a promise to Nikki, to get her out of this, and I’d like to keep it.”
She rose on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, loving the way her lips felt on his warm cheek. The arousing smell of his skin left her feeling light-headed. All she wanted was to hold him—to feel her arms around him. But before that could happen, she needed him to concede her point.
And she’d saved her best argument for last.
“Besides, I know what Petrovin looks like. If it comes to it, I’ll be able to spot him from a distance. His ugly mug is hard to forget.” She tightened her jaw, with memories of the Russian careening through her head.
When Payton gazed down at her this time, she knew by the look in his eye that their bickering was over. She had pleaded her case and won, if the word “win” described it. Urban girl Jess Beckett was heading for the Alaskan wilderness—remote and sparse, where grizzly bears and alpha males roamed free. Once her feet hit the tundra, she’d be nothing more than part of the food chain.
St. Lawrence Island was dead ahead. And she’d be in the thick of it before nightfall.
CHAPTER 27
Chicago O’Hare
Private hangar
Overcast skies from the early morning had burned off, leaving the promise of a beautiful day. Rays of sunlight breached the clouds and speared light through billows of white. And rain had settled into puddles on the side of the road, sparkling like gems under shimmering light, a vestige of last night’s storm.
In theory, the change in weather should have lightened her mood, but her more philosophical nature made that impossible. She liked to think that a renewing rain could cleanse the world, but even in her imaginings, mankind would find a way to screw up the idyllic notion. As long as humanity preyed on itself, the world would only reflect the worst of mankind’s cruel intentions. And Alexa felt helpless to alter the breadth of society’s sins…except one covert operation at a time.
Doing something about Globe Harvest felt right, even if she’d be taking the law into her own hands. She knew what lay ahead. An operation of this magnitude always put her on edge. She liked to think of it as mental preparation, but in all likelihood her restlessness had been forged by the reality that this day could be her last.
She drove up to the nondescript metal and glass structure, the one without a name and only the designation 4569 on its front door. She knew from experience the number was a blind that led nowhere. Garrett Wheeler and his people knew how to be discreet. On the tarmac to the side of the building was the man’s private jet, glistening in the sun. And despite her wish to take her encounter with him in stride, she couldn’t help but notice her heart beating faster as her eyes searched for him.
“Whose bright idea was it to get personal?” she muttered under her breath, gripping the steering wheel tighter than usual. “Oh, yeah. Me. I was the genius.”
Once that ship had sailed, she figured shutting down the damned harbor made no sense, but she wasn’t sure which was worse—the first time or every time since. She’d never been a woman to curb her appetites, and neither was Garrett. That made for a dangerous combination.
She parked the car in a spot near the front door marked for visitors. When she stepped out of the vehicle, the sound of planes taking off from O’Hare filled the air and mixed with the hum of traffic coming off the interstates. As if on cue, a man emerged from the building and approached her. Alexa recognized his face and knew the drill. She handed over her car keys and rental agreement, knowing he’d return the vehicle to the rental agency for her.
“I’ll take care of everything. Have a safe trip.” The man acted as if she were going on vacation.
“Let’s hope,” she replied.
Although she tried to be subtle about it, Alexa watched for Garrett as she readied for her eminent departure. She got help with her baggage from a crewman in uniform who loaded her bags onto the jet. But when she was done, still no Garrett. By the time she looked at her watch a second time, she heard a lusty male voice behind her.
“Glad you got my message and could join me.”
She turned to see Garrett coming out of the building with his usual swagger and a coffee cup in hand. Dressed in a sharp navy suit, crisp white shirt, and a bloodred tie, he looked like he’d stepped off a magazine cover with his swarthy good looks, resembling a highly successful financier. No one would guess the man had powerful yet deadly connections all over the globe. He dressed in sharp contrast to her more casual attire of jeans and a brown leather jacket.
“And may I ask what changed your mind?” she asked. “I thought I’d still have to convince you of the merits of this case. Imagine my surprise when I find you’d set the wheels in motion for this trip before I barely had my morning coffee. Fortunately for you, I like surprises, especially when I get my way.”
Set against tanned skin and dark hair, his steel gray eyes took her in without restraint as he slowly sipped coffee. He gazed at her from top to bottom, as if he was starving and she was a leg of lamb. He didn’t miss a curve, and looked at some parts twice. But when he finally grinned, his slick smile disarmed her, as it always did.
“I aim to please.” He winked, and moved toward his jet. “I brought more appropriate clothing for you. Everything’s on board. We can both change en route.”
He dangled a well-played carrot before her, not saying where they were headed. The man loved his games.
“At the risk of overindulging you,” he added, “I’ll give you first picks of your accessories.”
Alexa knew he meant she’d get first crack at the weapons locker he carried with him on assignment. The man really knew how to treat a woman.
“We’ve got plenty of locations to choose, all coordinates needing immediate attention,” she pointed out as she climbed into the jet. “Tight timing, but I’m sure you’ve got a logistics plan.”
Once they were inside and had their privacy, the ground crew secured the outer door and Garrett replied, “Yes, I have. You’ll be in charge of the primary entry team. I’ve got the snipers and Stanton has support and perimeter. I’ll go over the details for the other locations to get your input once we’re airborne. We’ll launch our assault soon after we land. Does that work for you?”
She smiled and buckled into her seat as the jet began to move. “Yeah, that works.”
Knowing Garrett, he’d picked a top-notch team to accompany him into the field. The man had a taste for the best, and no one was more thorough when it came to planning an operation.
“And we may have a line on Petrovin, although there’s been no confirmation as yet.” His face suddenly became more solemn. “I thought you’d want to know.”
Garrett had tossed out that little morsel as if it meant nothing, but she could tell that wasn’t the case. She suddenly understood why he’d gotten involved in her personal investigation. What moved the man to act sometimes baffled her, but his motives usually warranted closer examination.
“My, you have been busy. Impressive. By the way, where are we heading?”
Although he hadn’t committed to a specific location in his briefing with her, she had a strong suspicion that if Garrett had a lead on Petrovin, that’s where he’d want to be. Alexa had to admit. She wanted another crack at the Russian too.
“By your own admission, you’re a woman of mystery who likes surprises,” he said, arousing her interest when his lethal smile returned. “I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you.”
Two hours later
