“I don’t like being here. It makes us vulnerable and—”
“What about all the security? What would we have done without someone to tell us what was going on outside?” Her cobalt blue eyes blinked up at him and he was keenly aware of how glittery they’d been earlier. The fear had returned now and that was a gut punch. Gabriel wanted to provide a safety net for her. He couldn’t give that to her fourteen years ago. Damn the past for rearing its ugly head and making him feel like that inadequate juvenile again.
“The more people who are aware of our whereabouts, the more dangerous it is for you.” It was true.
“What are you saying?” It was obvious that her brain was still trying to reconcile a world of guns and sneaking around and terror. Sure, she knew it from a distance, from the news, like most people. Having it show up at her door aimed at her was a different story altogether.
“We’re better if we stay off the grid completely,” he clarified.
“Are you talking about going somewhere with like just the two of us?” There was a whole heap of shock and trepidation in her tone.
He nodded. “Unless you’re afraid of being alone with me.”
“Why would I be?” Her answer came fast, too fast, and she sounded defensive. That generally meant the opposite was true.
She could trust him. He didn’t go where he wasn’t invited. Ever.
There was no way he was bringing up that kiss. It was probably because part of him was still hoping for another. Stupid? Yeah. Tell that to his hands—hands that wanted to reach out and touch her, comfort her. Tell that to his mind—his mind wanted to think there could be something ‘in the moment’ between them. Tell that to his lips—his lips wanted to press against hers again and feel that feeling of the world disappearing and him finally being home.
Being anywhere near her proved a challenge to his self-control when she gave him signals—signals that normally lead to an amazing night of no-strings-attached sex.
With Kinsley, it wouldn’t be that simple and he knew that deep down. There’d be no walking away without someone getting hurt. He’d licked wounds long enough to know
“Good. We should leave after I make a phone call,” he said.
“How will we get past the people watching, Gabriel?” His name had never sounded better rolling off another person’s tongue.
He smirked at her question and didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was offended.
“Simple. I’m the best at my job.”
Chapter 8
Gabriel fished out his cell and called his old friend, Bear. He’d alerted Bear to the call by using a special code in a text before making the call.
“What’s up, bro?” Bear picked up on the first ring.
“I need a favor.” There was no time to catch up. That could wait.
“Done. What do you need?” Bear was one of a handful of people who would understand a call like this—a favor with no questions asked.
“I need a new safehouse and I have to find it on my own. In order to do that, I need a lift out of a hot situation. I have a high-value target and a Russian on my ass.”
“Damn.” Bear knew exactly what that meant.
“I can send a chopper. Do you have coordinates?”
Gabriel rattled them off.
“I’ve got you covered,” Bear said. No one, aside from the person planning the mission, ever knew the full plan until it unfolded but there was a standard protocol of using multiple vehicles to move an asset. “And I’ll send a team.”
One vehicle would contain the asset and take a last-minute turn down an unexpected path in order to throw off anyone who could be watching or have set up snipers.
Snipers could be the most difficult to detect. One of those could hide in the darnedest place. Patience won those battles.
The driver wouldn’t be in on the secret. Not even he would know which vehicle the asset would be carried inside.
“I appreciate everything, bro,” Gabriel said.
“I know you do. I’ll have you covered in…” he paused a few seconds, “twenty-three minutes. Can you hold that long?”
“I’ll make it work.” The pair exchanged goodbyes. The other thing Gabriel needed to do was update Jaden. Daniel was on his honeymoon by now and Gabriel had no plans to involve his buddy. He’d seen the look in Daniel’s eyes when the news came down about the hit. Daniel was a good man. Walking away from an assignment like this was difficult for him. Gabriel had seen it in his friend’s eyes.
Gabriel stepped onto a loose board. It creaked. He noticed that the kitchen rug was a couple of inches to the right of where it was when they’d left. The reason he knew was because the sun had lightened the area around the rug. This was dark, pure. No sunlight had hit this rim.
He waved his arms in order to get Kinsley’s attention.
She froze. Good. Kinsley had always been inside her own head, a thinker. She didn’t need to overthink this—this was a no-brainer. She needed to follow his lead. There could be anything underneath that floorboard, including a bomb.
Gabriel released a string of curses underneath his breath. He put his hand up, palm out to indicate that Kinsley should not move. At the very least someone had been inside the house while they were out. That bugged him more than he wanted to admit. It also made him wonder if one of his people had turned on him. After one of their female agents had done that very thing, he had to consider every possibility.
Gabriel surveyed the area in case someone was still inside.
He surmised that no one was in the main living room/kitchen area. They could deal with a threat in the next room. He palmed his Glock and motioned for Kinsley to get behind him.
Once she was safely tucked to the rear, he took a step
