When he hadn’t been on his computer, they’d been going over “the plan,” and it wasn’t hard to remember.
“You can back out of this if you’re not ready.”
“Isn’t it your job to give me a pep talk or something? Not make me second-guess myself?” She wasn’t afraid to admit she was terrified right now, and having him question her was freaking her out even more.
His lips pulled into a thin line. “I just want you to know we can figure something else out if you’re not comfortable.”
Sophie tightly clasped her hands in her lap until her knuckles turned white. “The weapons are bad enough, but if Ronald is really helping terrorists, I can’t sit back and do nothing. Actual biological warfare on our soil . . . do you know how far-reaching that could be. Hundreds of thousands of people could die,” she said before he could respond, mainly because he would know better than her. “Not to mention someone tried to kill me and I know Ronald knows more than he’s letting on. Did you check your voice mail again?” She wasn’t sure why she was asking when she knew the answer would shred her up inside.
“Yes.”
Sophie dug her fingernails into her palms, hoping the pain would distract her. Hannah obviously hadn’t left a message or he would have told her. She was supposed to have called his number to let them know where she was.
“Why?”
“I want to call Hannah’s work.”
After he handed it to her, Sophie quickly dialed the number to Hannah’s sector of the hospital before he could change his mind.
“Miami Children’s Hospital,” a female voice answered after three rings.
“Hi, is Hannah Young in yet? This is a family emergency.”
“I’m sorry but Hannah called in sick tonight.”
“When did she call?”
“Who is this?”
Sophie disconnected without answering. They weren’t allowed to give out personal information at the hospital. Something she understood, but she didn’t feel like getting into a drawn-out conversation with someone who would never give her the answer she wanted.
“Is everything okay?” Jack asked.
“The woman who answered said Hannah called in sick.”
“That’s a good thing, Sophie. If she simply hadn’t shown up, then you’d need to be worried.”
“You’re right.” She tried to give the appearance that she was satisfied, but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Hannah wasn’t a flake. She should have called by now.
The closer they got to SBMS, the more tension built up in the back of her neck. Surprising her, Jack reached out and put a reassuring hand on her arm. He stroked her for a second with his thumb, the move slow, a little sensual, and so much like the way Sam used to comfort her, it was like a slap to her senses, pulsing through her like a wave. She couldn’t breathe for a moment as memories of the way her first love had done more than comfort her. She’d never felt so emotionally raw in her entire life as she had these past couple of days. Add to that these strange, conflicting feelings she experienced every time Jack looked at her or touched her in a far too familiar way and she felt herself starting to split at the seams.
At least he looked just as startled as she felt. Maybe he was experiencing the same electric . . . whatever was going on between them. Jack stared at his hand for a second before pulling it back as if she’d scorched him. God, she wasn’t going to bite. Unless he asked nicely. Then she’d definitely oblige him. She could feel heat creeping up her neck at the inappropriate thought, but she was helpless to stop those internal needs. She wasn’t sure if it was because Jack reminded her of Sam or not, but her draw to him was making her edgy, hungry for his touch. Luckily they were at their destination. Which shouldn’t be a relief considering what she was about to do. But it was. Anything to distract herself from the hundred different thoughts running through her head.
“Left here.” She pointed.
There were two parking garages, so she directed him to the older one. In order to enter the new one, they would have to get a ticket and wait for a small mechanical arm to lift. Not to mention, there were security cameras in the new garage. Technically they weren’t supposed to use the old one, but a lot of the employees did, especially if there was an early meeting and some of them wanted to dip out without being noticed. No one enforced the rules, so it didn’t matter anyway.
Instead of parking on one of the top floors, Jack wound down the ramp until they were at the basement- level garage. Not surprising, no one else was parked there.
“What are you doing?” she asked as he put the SUV in park.
“We’re going in through the basement entrance.”
“So you knew about this garage?”
He nodded and opened his door.
She sighed as she exited the vehicle. Why he hadn’t just told her instead of letting her give him directions, she didn’t understand.
Jack rounded the SUV and motioned for her to follow. When they came to the door that led to the stairs, Jack tried opening it. It was locked, so he pulled out a small black kit and worked the lock until the door swung open.
“Why am I not surprised?” she said as he held open the door for her. She’d seen him hot-wire cars. This had taken him a lot less time.
He winked at her and her stomach flipped. Just like that. Oh yeah, she was completely lacking all common sense when it came to this man. The man was walking sex appeal. Not in an overt way, but after seeing him without a shirt this morning, she hadn’t been able to get the image of his sculpted arms and chest out of her mind. She’d felt how powerful he was when he was carrying her through that icy water, and actually seeing him half- clothed only added to her desire for him. It was so easy to imagine what it would be like to have his body over hers, pumping into her while she—
“Stay behind me.” His words echoed in the stairwell, cutting her fantasy short.
Which was probably best. She needed to stay focused even if being distracted by thoughts of Jack was oddly helpful with the rest of the worries she couldn’t shake. Once they reached the sixth floor, the panic she’d been expecting settled in full force. Most people would be gone for the day, but it was possible she might run into someone she knew. They had to cross an overpass from the old parking garage to the building. There weren’t any cameras, but someone could be exiting the building and they would have nowhere to hide.
“You ready?” he asked before opening the door.
He eased open the door. There were a few cars in the upper level of the garage, but no one was around, so they hurried across the overpass.
The halls were eerily empty as they made their way to her office. Mandy and the other assistants had of course gone home for the day, increasing Sophie’s sense of isolation. Anyone could walk in on them and Jack didn’t seem the least bit affected.
Without asking, Jack sat at her desk and turned on her computer.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m checking your files.” He didn’t even look up.
“Why?”
He shot her a quick glance. “I want to see if someone has been tracking your movements on here. Someone knew you’d taken those pictures—which explains the gunmen the day we were out to lunch. But it happened damn fast. I want to find out if someone planted a back door on your computer. I’m pretty sure they did, but I want
