Targeted

little crazy. Now she couldn’t get rid of the fear that their time together was coming to an end. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Okay, that was total bullshit. She didn’t like the thought at all. Wrapping her arms around herself, she asked, “Who are those guys?”

“They’re part of the tactical team. There are probably six or seven of them and they won’t know anything about us or the mission until they get set up in the hangar.” Jack answered her, but she could tell he was only half listening. His eyes narrowed as he scanned everyone, probably looking for a possible threat.

All in all, there were seven men dressed like commandos, four men wearing suits and ties, and one woman in a pantsuit. She guessed the older man was the boss. He turned to everyone, shouted something, and people fanned out like ants, pulling boxes and bags from the backs of the vehicles in a quick but orderly manner. One of the men shut the hangar door, which gave her a surprising sense of claustrophobia. She didn’t know any of these people.

When the older man looked through their windshield and nodded at Jack, Jack turned to her. “You ready?”

No. “Yeah.” For the past two days she’d been running for her life, but she’d been with Jack. Which, in her mind, translated to safe. Now all of a sudden, she was nervous. Before she’d even shut her door, Jack had rounded the vehicle and was standing protectively close to her. His nearness was wildly soothing.

“Just relax,” he said, low enough for only her as the older man walked up to them.

“Ms. Moreno, I’m Wesley Burkhart. We spoke on the phone. I’m sorry you’ve had to be a party to all this.” He held out his hand.

“Thank you, and please call me Sophie.” She shook his hand before sticking her hands in her pockets.

When Jack placed a comforting hand on the small of her back and pulled her a fraction closer, the older man’s green eyes narrowed. Not in a dangerous sort of way, but he looked almost surprised.

“I’ve got an unconscious guy tied up in the back of the SUV. Probably one of Vargas’s. He spotted our vehicle and he’s definitely not airport security. I left his weapons under the driver’s seat.” Jack’s statement tore his gaze away from the way he was holding Sophie.

“Where you’d run into him?”

“Outside hangar seven after I’d finished recon of Keane’s. So either he got nosy or they’ve got guys doing larger-scale sweeps.” Or the guy could have been smoking a cigarette and noticed the vehicle. Who knew?

His boss frowned. “The satellite hasn’t caught anything like that,” he murmured, almost to himself. Then he turned and shouted an order to someone. Two of the men wearing all-black gear stopped what they were doing and headed for the vehicle.

“This way.” Without waiting, he turned and headed toward a far corner of the hangar.

Jack nodded, so she fell in step with him. The other people barely glanced their way as they unloaded the vehicles. Unlike in the other hangar, there weren’t any crates. Just tables with computers and a couple of the men were in the process of setting up cots and dry-erase boards.

“Are they going to sleep here?” she whispered.

“Probably.”

Once they’d reached the far corner of the building, Wesley stopped. “The two guys from Bayside were likely hired thugs. We couldn’t find a concrete connection to Vargas, but they’ve done work for hire in the past. The locals are wrapping the case up as we speak,” he informed them.

Sophie had wondered about those men—though she hadn’t cared much about their deaths considering they’d been hunting her and Jack.

Jack simply nodded, his expression blank, as if he felt the same way.

“Did you get a chance to scope out Vargas’s hangar?” he asked Jack.

“Yeah. Five men guarding the place now. Well, six if you include the guy I took out. After Sophie’s break-in, I’m guessing they increased the security, because she said there were only two men there Sunday night.”

His boss glanced at her, so she just nodded in confirmation. Then he looked back at Jack. “Have you contacted Weller yet?”

“No, I was waiting for you.”

Wesley’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t comment. Sophie didn’t understand what was going on, but she was under the impression the other man wasn’t happy. As if they were having a conversation without actually talking.

“Contact him and pick him up,” Wesley ordered.

“Send someone else.” There was an unexpected edge to Jack’s voice. She’d heard the same tone before, but this was his boss he was talking to.

Wesley’s jaw clenched. “She’ll be protected.”

“I’m not letting her out of my sight. You’re the one who insisted I take this mission, and I’m doing things my way.”

Jack’s boss gritted his teeth, but he conceded after a few tense moments. “Fine. I’ll go with one of the guys. You need to call him, though. You’ve been his only contact and he trusts you.”

Without responding, Jack pulled out one of his phones and texted her boss.

As they stood there waiting for Ronald to return the call, she decided to take a chance. It was constantly weighing on her mind to the point she wanted to scream in frustration. Jack had promised he’d tell her if he heard anything, but maybe his boss knew something he didn’t. Asking was worth a shot. “Has there been any news on my friend Hannah?”

Wesley shot a glance at Jack. It was almost too quick, but she saw the warning glance in Jack’s eyes as he looked at his boss.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she demanded. Raw panic slithered down her spine, leaving her cold and numb.

Jack rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “When we were at her house I saw some broken glass and some of her clothing scattered in her garage.”

His admission was like a stinging slap to the face. He’d kept this from her the entire time they’d been together. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It could be nothing and I didn’t want you to worry.”

“You should have told me.” Her hands automatically balled into fists at her sides.

“Why? So you could needlessly worry? There’s nothing you can do and now this knowledge only hurts you. I . . . just wanted to protect you.” The way his voice softened smothered the majority of her previously spiking anger. But it didn’t soothe her growing panic.

She hated that he was right. There wasn’t a damn thing she could do. Still, Hannah was her best friend. Sophie pressed a shaky hand against her abdomen. Hannah was okay. She had to be. But this was the real world and she knew all the bad things that could happen. Staring into those pale eyes, she felt absolutely betrayed. “I thought we were in this together.”

“I didn’t want . . . You’re right. I should have told you. I’m sorry.” He said the last part quietly.

Wesley raised his eyebrows as he glanced between the two of them. But she didn’t care about him right now.

“Is there anything else you’re not telling me?”

“No.”

“Should we call the police, then? Her parents?”

Wesley shifted his feet, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I’ve spoken with a local contact about her, and we have her house under surveillance, but we’re not involving her family. The timing is too coincidental, so we’re assuming Vargas has her. If he’d wanted her dead, he’d have just had her killed at her house and left her there.”

Sophie nodded because she’d heard what that man in Marathon had said about taking Hannah. But she didn’t understand why they weren’t calling the police.

Before she could ask, Jack cut in as if he’d read her mind. “If we contact the locals, it might alert Vargas that we know a lot more than he’s aware of. Right now he knows that people are asking questions about SBMS, but he doesn’t know more than that. He thinks you are a threat because of the pictures you took, but he doesn’t know who’s helping you or why. For all he knows, you’re working with competition looking