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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“You know, it’s a little early on to call in a favor,” Brock said on the phone.
It didn’t matter. Trace wanted answers. If Marlena’s dick of a father had traded what he knew about her work and her location, then that piece of shit was done in Trace’s book. Proving it required a little more than assumptions, though. That’s where Brock came in, and where Trace was hoping Titan would step in and live up to everything he’d heard.
“Someone at Titan can connect the dots between Brian McCloud and Romatar. They have the resources.”
“Don’t forget, Trace.Youare Titan. There’s notheyabout it.”
“Fine, whatever. Titan has the resources.”
“I’m not going to give you intel so you can go rogue and off your girl’s old man. Not going to happen.”
“Didn’t say that was my plan.”
Brock huffed. “So what’s your plan, kid?”
Well, that was the plan. How he would do it, he didn’t know exactly. But it seemed logical. All the anger coursing through his system made it feel right.
“Trace? Goddamn it. I didn’t bring you here to—”
“How about this for a plan…”
“Five seconds to make a case.”
“I connect this to Romatar, deal with her old man without killing the fucker. There’s a biological weapon with its dick flapping in the wind. Every agency in the US must be after it. I find it. I bring it home. Titan and Delta get another a gold star from Uncle Sam.”
Brock chuckled. “Not sure we’re after gold stars.”
“Give me the intel and the go-ahead.” He sucked a breath. “Look, if I can’t make shit up for Michael, at least let me do good by this girl.”
“So it’s like that, huh?”
“Yeah, buddy. It is.”
“Never in a million years did I think you’d be the one on the team to pull this shit.”
Trace paced the hallway. “Heard you have a girl at home.”
“Yeah.A wifeat home. But I’m a decade older than you.”
Well, shit. They were in two different places in life. Brock was older, a family guy—in the tatted-up, warrior-dude kind of way.
Brock let out a long breath. “But fuck. I met her right after college too. Dude, that’s a hard line to go down, if that’s what you want. And you don’t know her.”
“I know what I need to know about her.”
The team leader laughed harshly. “Yeah, and what’s that?”
“She’s the only one who can tame my demons.”
The line hung silent. Finally, Brock sighed. “I’ll send you what you need. If there’s a connection between McCloud and Romatar, you don’t kill him. If you can track intel on that stolen weapon, I’ll take a big shiny star.”
Relief washed over him. “Thanks, man.”
“Don’t thank me yet. If the rumor mill is correct, you’re going to wish you hadn’t asked for this.”
The line went dead, and he leaned against the wall. A possessive fire stoked him from the inside out. When he turned around, Marlena was leaning against the bedroom doorjamb.