Plenty depended on her trust in Tanya’s instincts and her own when it came to Garrett. And her experiences with the man and his covert organization told her their search should be low-key until they dug up something more substantial to go on.
When she got to Tanya’s office, the door was open. She strode into the room but stopped when she saw that her friend wasn’t alone.
“I’m sorry.” Alexa stopped in the doorway and turned on her heels, heading out. “I’ll come back later.”
“No, please. Come in, Marlowe.” A deep masculine voice called after her. “I was just leaving.”
Alexa turned in surprise when she heard her name coming from the stranger. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the man. And from what she could see, Tanya appeared stressed. The analyst made eye contact and tried to communicate something Alexa couldn’t read . . . yet. But knowing Tanya, that wouldn’t take long.
“Have we met?” She stepped back into the office and closed the gap between her and a tall man dressed in an impeccable charcoal gray suit. “How do you know my name?”
“Your dossier.” He flashed a slick smile and extended his hand. “Quite impressive. My name is Donovan Cross. I’m an old friend of Garrett’s.”
Alexa took his hand and fixed her eyes on him. Few people in the world knew her real credentials. Once she’d become a member of the Sentinels, her background had been sanitized or erased. If this man had seen her dossier, he had to be part of the organization—and a high-ranking agent at that. Yet this was the first time she’d heard his name or crossed his path. And she hated being at a disadvantage.
“Funny. He’s never mentioned you. Why are you here, Mr. Cross?” She shifted her gaze toward Tanya, who only raised an eyebrow. When the analyst allowed it, her face could be an open book. And just then, she made for an easy read. Something about this man annoyed her.
“Please . . . call me Donovan. And as for why I’m here, Tanya can fill you in. I’m sure you’ll have plenty to talk about once I leave. Good day, Marlowe.”
Cross had an arrogant swagger, and he moved with the confidence of a man who had been in the business for a long time although he didn’t look to be older than his mid-to-late thirties. In some ways, Donovan Cross reminded her of Garrett.
He had short dark hair and the same keen intense eyes that took in everything, except that Cross’s eyes were hazel, not the steel gray of Garrett’s. He was tall and athletic-looking. And although he had the same taste for expensive clothing, he had a rougher edge than Garrett. His face told her that. He’d seen a fight or two and broken his nose more than once. He wasn’t classically handsome, but any woman would notice him in a crowd.
“What was that all about?” she asked Tanya, after Cross left.
“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to tell you. I only got the official word an hour ago, direct from Mount Olympus. And that’s when he walked in, complete with access codes and security clearance.”
Without Garrett at the helm, they had no one above his level to trust. Tanya was the only one who had communicated with the upper echelon, but she’d never met anyone face-to-face. Alexa didn’t like what was happening. And maybe a small part of her knew what Tanya would say next.
“He’s Garrett’s replacement, Alexa. And I’m not sure it’s temporary.”
Once Jessie exited the secured area at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, she looked through the sea of expectant faces of those waiting for friends and family coming off flights. She searched the crowd for tall, lanky Seth Harper, a guy who wore his hair a little long in soft dark waves and had honey brown eyes that made her weak in the knees. His boyish good looks had always captivated her.
Jessie peered at dozens of faces, looking for him. When she didn’t see him anywhere, she felt a twinge of disappointment. She couldn’t believe how eager she was to see him. And, completely unlike her, she had primped on the plane and made sure her breath smelled minty fresh, behaving like such a . . . girl.
In her haste to leave New York, she’d only given Seth her flight number and arrival time, resorting to text messages after they’d played phone tag. And she’d told him if they missed each other—which would have been easy at the massive airport—that she’d see him on the curb outside baggage claim.
With airport security these days, it was easier to make arrangements to meet on the arrival ramp although a part of her had hoped he’d surprise her by showing up inside the terminal.
She hoisted her overnight bag over her shoulder and followed her fellow passengers toward baggage claim, but as she rounded a corner beyond security, she saw Harper leaning against a column outside a gift shop. He had a big grin on his sweet face and was holding flowers.
The boy looked damned good.
Without a word, she walked toward him. When she got close, she dropped her bag at his feet and collapsed into his arms. He smelled good—like soap on warm skin—and he felt even better. And all she thought about was how good it felt to be home.
Harper was home.
“Oh . . . you feel so good,” she whispered into his shoulder. “You have no idea.”
Her ear tickled with the sound of the soft laughter muffled in his chest.
“Yeah, I’ve missed you, too.”
He pulled back long enough to raise her chin with a finger and kiss her. Sweet tenderness heated to a slow burn. People walked by, and the noise of the airport faded. None of it stopped her from showing how much she loved him.
“I’ve got a new place. And I can’t wait for you to see it,” he said, as his kiss turned into a big hug. “I got a deal on it.”
“Yeah, I hear you’re connected.” She grinned.
When she reached down for her bag, he had already grabbed it and put his arm around her as they walked through the busy airport, with her holding the flowers he had given her. On the surface, they looked like a damned Hallmark card; but given their pasts, they were the polar opposite of ordinary.
“Tony carved out a piece of real estate for me downtown, one of his renovation projects, but the beauty of it is—I actually own it, Jess. Guess that makes me an official adult.”
Harper said that like it was a good thing.
“You’ve done it now. You’ve crossed the line, Harper. I’m not sure I can hang with someone like you. Too rich for my blood.”
Tony Salvatore was a local business developer in town, head of the Pinnacle Real Estate Corporation, a major player in the real-estate market. And he’d been a good friend to Seth and his family.
“Don’t worry. It hasn’t gone to my head. I have a roommate. He needed a place to stay for a while.” Harper stopped and reached into his jeans pocket. “I better give him a call now, let him know we’re on our way.”
Jessie stood with her mouth open as Seth hit speed dial and walked away.
Keeping a low profile had been Harper’s way of dealing with the strained relationship between him and his father, a former cop who suffered from a form of dementia, the aftermath of a job that had consumed him. Seth’s actually putting down roots shocked her, but the whole roommate thing was really over the top. Way too normal for Harper.
Living in downtown Chicago was expensive. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, Jessie knew it made sense that Harper had someone to share the cost, even if it was only “for a while,” whatever that meant.
But it was hard to deny she had been disappointed when he told her about his roommate. She had high hopes of spending real alone time with him. And Harper was excited about her coming to Chicago, too. She’d seen it in his eyes. Before she arrived, he’d loaded up her phone with text messages, telling her about his special plans for their time together.
She chalked it up to bad Karma. A dark, surreal cloud had followed her from New York, after Sam’s phone call. And after seeing Harper, she didn’t have the heart to blurt out the real reason she’d come. Eventually, she’d have to; but before she ruined everything by leaving town again, all she wanted was to enjoy his company.
When Seth rejoined her after calling his roomie, she took a deep breath and shook her head, trying to hide
