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H enner gave the universe credit for blessings, even small ones.

Being paired with the explosives expert wasn’t one of them.

Neither was the fact that she didn’t live very far from the Charlie team base. Taking a chopper and having no ability to converse over the noise would be far preferable to driving to her place so she could pack.

He guided the SUV down the road toward the address she’d given him. He tossed her a pointed look to see if she had read the file containing information about their roles, but the file rested in her lap unopened.

“Why aren’t you studying your file? You need to learn who you’re supposed to be. You can’t slip up, May.”

She wasn’t even trying. And she thought he was going to get them killed?

Her argument against working with him echoed in his head. He had to admit that her changing tactics to convince Con they shouldn’t work together had been a smart one—if she had been talking to anyone but Con. His commanding officer would never throw one of his team into the line of fire. Their team was a tightly bound brotherhood, a chain that couldn’t be broken.

May continued to stare out the side window and ignore him.

He forced the huff of annoyance down before he could let it slip out. Okay, if he was going to make this work, he required a hell of a lot of control.

“I get that you don’t want to work with me. I don’t want to work with you either. Get used to it. This is the military.”

“I already know what I’m doing.”

Her voice grated on his nerves as much as that finger tapping had back in the conference room.

“If you won’t read it for yourself, I’ll fill you in on what you need to know. Getting into the gala requires clearance. Your badge is in the file. You are a government contractor who does research on weapons. That’s how you’re getting into the military ball.”

She waved a hand, drawing his attention to her slender fingers. “I got it.”

He blinked. Few people ever brushed him off. Who was this chick?

“You got it?” he countered, a gritty edge in his voice.

She turned her attention to him. “I know my cover. I’m your girlfriend.”

She sounded like being his girlfriend was a death sentence.

“I’m also the daughter of a wealthy family that happens to have a government contract. My status gives me clearance to attend the gala. Our op goal: find out more about the bomb. Information about its exact arrival time in Virginia is limited—probably buried.”

Blah blah blah blah. Who cares? We’ll see if you’ve got the details down when you screw up.

After only a short drive—and a lot of mental fuming later—the GPS alerted him that they’d arrived at their destination.

Henner turned onto a winding driveway, swinging his gaze left and right, drinking in the appearance of the manicured grounds. The house was concealed by trees, but snatches of the structure peeked between branches.

When the lane arced again, a mansion came into view. The place was massive with stately columns parading across the front of the stone facade. The upper floor flaunted ironwork balconies beneath french doors reflecting the sun.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t this.

“I don’t suppose this was a tax seizure too.”

“No.”

As soon as he parked off to the side, May climbed out of the vehicle. He followed her to the front door, which opened for them.

A person in business casual dress greeted them with a dip of his head, and she breezed inside. “Thank you, Brooks.” She tossed her head, sending her black hair into a silken wave. “This is—”

“Adler. Jason Adler.” He cut her off before she could say his real name. She’d been in that meeting with the rest of his team, and that meant she knew what Blackout was—dead men walking. So deep undercover that they didn’t exist on paper. Ghosts.

She didn’t miss a beat. “Brooks, please make Mr. Adler comfortable. I won’t be long.”

She took off across the massive foyer. Two of Blackout’s entryway would fit inside this one.

Brooks waved a hand, gesturing for him to follow, but Henner had no intention of being seated somewhere to wait with a drink in his hand. He set off after May and was halfway up the stairs before she whirled around.

“Better grab hold of that railing before you fall and break your neck.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Where do you think you’re going?” She stood a step above him, but it still didn’t make them equal in height. It did, however, give him a chance to study her.

The light from an ornate fixture turned her skin to gold. Her dark eyes flashed like obsidian with a warning that he wasn’t about to heed. Up close, her features appeared more delicate, her lips curved into a small pout.

He might think of her as pretty if she didn’t talk.

“I said I won’t be long,” she bit off through her clenched teeth. She stuck out a hand and gripped the polished wood railing to continue upstairs.

“Sure thing.”

He trailed her to the top and down a long hall to her bedroom.

She whipped around. “I thought the Navy SEALs require perfect hearing.”

“We do.”

“Clearly you need a doctor to check you out, because you must not have heard me.”

“I heard you loud and clear. I’m just not waiting downstairs for you while you pack.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What do you plan to do in my bedroom? Fold my socks?”

A few comebacks waited on his tongue—all of them dirtier than the last. Living in close quarters with SEALs did that to a man.

He waved a hand. “Who folds socks anyway? I just toss mine in the suitcase with the rest of my laundry. Time is important, May. You need to pack quickly.”

“Then let me get on with it, Henner.” She spun to continue to her room, and he took a step to follow.

She whipped around again. “Stay!”

“I’m not a dog.”

“Fine.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Good.”

She gave him a look as if to say she reserved her opinion on that topic, entered a room and slammed the door.

He leaned against the wall for a moment, staring at her door. Besides wanting to irritate her further for what she’d said about him to Con, the clock really was ticking. The chopper waiting to fly them to DC was waiting.

He fisted and relaxed his hand over and over again. Waiting around wasn’t his strength. He was the operative who broke down doors and barricades—the breacher. He glanced at May’s closed door.

The fancy wood trimming it would splinter nicely if he chose to kick it in.

His lips twisted in amusement as he turned away. He went back downstairs but Brooks was nowhere to be seen. Henner stepped outside for a moment to place a call to Con.

“Chickie. You’re not in the chopper headed for that gala in DC.”

“No. She’s packing. Con, I just want to go on record. This isn’t going to work.”

“Seriously, Chickie?”

He ignored the disapproving growl in Con’s voice projecting into his ear. “You’re sending me to this gala…where anyone could see me. Recognize me.”

“Are you saying you can’t pull off this op?”

He sliced his fingers through his short hair. “That’s not what I’m saying. But even in a tux, people would know me.”

“Then you’ll just have to convince everyone that Jason Adler has a doppelganger who happens to be dead.”

“Fine. That I can do. But this woman isn’t going to convince anyone that she’s with me. Why do I need her at all? I can gather intel on the bomb and she can show up later and defuse it if we need her.”

“Nice.” The sarcastic voice coming from behind him made him groan.

He swung around to see her standing in the open doorway with her bag in hand.

He cocked a brow in challenge. “Well, you started it.”

Into his ear came Con’s voice. “Stop tattling on each other.”

He pushed a breath through his nostrils. Henner was man enough to admit when he was acting like a child. Only it had never happened until now. This woman was driving him crazy and they’d only spent an hour in each other’s company. How the hell was he getting through an entire op with her?

“Focus on the mission, you two. I don’t have time for this. Charlie is rallying right now.”

Alarms blared in Henner’s body. “What’s happening, Con?”

At that moment, May’s phone vibrated with an incoming call. Tossing him a glare, she quickly closed the front door and rushed several feet away from him. She twisted her back to him before accepting the call.

“Chickie, there’s been another attack. Charlie is going now.”

“You need me. This is much more important. I’m coming now. Hold that chopper for me.”

“The Air Force was testing a new plane and there was an explosion.”

“A bomb planted on it?”

“We don’t know everything yet. People were there to watch the test, and some government workers died when shrapnel from the plane hit the crowd.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“They lost the pilot and the prototype.”

Pilots were a huge resource in the military. The government invested in their training as much as they did in aircraft or weapons.

Henner’s mind jumped between what had taken place before and what was happening now. He locked on May standing a short distance away, the phone pressed to her ear. But he wasn’t truly seeing her.

The terrorist they were after had a bomb headed to a military fort and a plane had just exploded with what they believed to be another bomb. Could the man have military connections and was making them a target?

He wanted to pose the question to Con but at that moment, May met his stare. He didn’t want her to overhear him ask so he chose to remain silent on the matter until a better time.

“Your order stands, Chickie. Go to the gala, gather intel. Find the exact location where that bomb is coming in and at what time. Then follow it. Your success is more important now than ever.”

* * * * *

May frowned at her phone, her brows pinching together. She wasn’t easily rattled.

That call she just took rattled her.

The tension between her and Henner seemed to shift on the breeze rustling the trees on her family’s property.

He took a step closer. “We have to go—now.”

She gave him a jerky nod.

A far-off expression filled his eyes. “You’re not arguing with me?”

“No.” Gripping her bag, she took off in a fast clip to the SUV. She whipped open the back door and set her bag inside just as Henner caught up.

She jumped into the passenger seat, and his carved backside hit the driver’s a second later. She shook herself. Why was she noticing that feature about Henner when everything about him was an ass?

“Something big is happening.”

He jerked his head, eyes fixed on her. “How do you know this?”

She held up her phone. “What do you think that call was about?”

“How did you get that information? Exactly what kind of clearances do you have?”

“Just drive. And call your commanding officer back. We need to talk.”

She picked up on his stunned irritation but he gripped his phone, long fingers curled around the device as he thumbed the screen. A moment later, Con’s voice projected into the vehicle.

“Chickie—”

May cut him short. “It’s May Lin. I got word about the explosion.”

For an eternal moment Henner’s stare burned into the side of her face.

She waved at the road for him to focus on driving rather than on her. They didn’t have time to be in a wreck now—they had important things to do.

She cut straight to the point with Con. “You think it could be a diversion?”

Henner sputtered. “Did you tap into my mind?”

She threw him a narrow look and returned her attention to the conversation.

Con’s voice sounded muffled, like he was inside a box. “There’s a very good chance it could be a diversion. Which is why it’s more important than ever for you guys to pull off this op. And to communicate. With each other. ” The emphasis he placed on the words left May feeling a little like a child, told off by an adult who saw the bigger picture about life while she acted out.

She drew in a deep, calming breath.

She asked Con another question, which morphed into an almost coded discussion spoken in keywords and sometimes syllables that the other party understood. Henner’s fingers clamped around the wheel until his knuckles began to whiten.

He didn’t like being left out, but he could put his ego away. They had more important things to consider right now.

Con continued, “I’ll pass on your thoughts to Commander Barrett. We’re taking off in a minute. I’ll check in soon.”

“Good luck.”

The line went dead, filling the vehicle with a loaded silence that seemed to vibrate.

“What the hell was that ?” Henner shattered the quiet.

She folded her hands in her lap.

“You have a higher clearance than I do.” If the shock in his tone could make her break out in hives, she’d be scratching right now.

“You don’t have to sound so surprised. I told you I know what I’m doing. That’s why I’m here. Now, as much as I hate admitting this, Con’s right—we have to figure out how to work together. There’s too much at stake for us to be bickering.”

“I agree.” He shook his head, lips compressing in a way that told her something else was bothering him. “A pilot died today, as did several bystanders who were just there to watch the prototype take off.”

A wave of sadness washed over her.

“Fuck.” She gave him a harder look. “Did you know him? The pilot?”

“Doubtful. I don’t know many people in the Air Force. It’s just… We know what danger is out there waiting for us all. Hell, we run straight into it . But times like this are a reminder that we’re all in danger, all the time, no matter our rank.”

His words made her suck in a quick breath. Henner had a depth she didn’t know possible under all that bulky muscle. It seemed he was more than just the blow-stuff-up guy.

He scrubbed a finger over his upper lip. “At least the poor bastard who went down in the plane doesn’t have to put on a tux for this gala.”

Their gazes met.

“Dark humor too much right now?”

“Little bit, Henner. Little bit.”

In no time they arrived back at the Blackout base. He jumped out and grabbed both of their bags before she could. She had to jog to catch up with him as he crossed the lawn in long strides. They circled the house to see the chopper at the ready, perched like an insect on the helipad.

He jerked his head toward the chopper, and May ran forward, ducking beneath the blades. Once they were situated and strapped in, he passed her a set of headphones.

Her mind bounced between all the information they knew and what she and Con suspected—and Henner too. That their bomber was responsible for that plane blowing up. That it was possible the catastrophe was a diversion from what might be an even bigger event—the bombing of a major military installation.

She went over the plan. First, they would land in Washington, DC and attend the gala. Then they had to locate that bomb and follow it so they could stop it from harming a lot more people.

After they were in the air for some time, Henner tapped her arm. She looked up at him. Through the headphones, his deep voice filled her ear.

“Before we land, I need to blindfold you.”

She recoiled. “You’re joking.”

He gave her a solemn shake of his head. “It’s the rule. No outsiders can see where a Blackout base is.”

“But I saw where yours is.”

“That’s different. You were invited to ours. You had Con’s approval.”

“I thought we determined I have a higher clearance than you!”

His blue eyes narrowed into laser beam sharpness. “There’s no clearance high enough for me to break protocol when it comes to Blackout.”

She silently fumed for the rest of the flight. When the buildings below began to clump together and form a city, Henner pulled out a black hood.

She shook her head hard. “No damn way!”

“May.” His voice sounded with a warning.

She held firm. “I refuse.”

He stared at her for a heavy beat before directing his attention to the front of the craft. “Pilot? Circle around.”

She sputtered. “Wait—no. We don’t have time for that.”

He held up the black hood, indicating that they did this his way or she took responsibility for delaying them.

Letting out a low groan, she yanked the hood out of his hand. “Fine.” She gulped as if it were her last breath before tugging it over her head.

Without all her senses, everything felt frightening. Her head swirled with every change of altitude and motion. The chopper descended quickly. She curled her fingers on her thighs.

Fortunately, the ordeal ended quickly. As soon as she felt the chopper touch down, she reached up to remove the hood.

Henner’s warm, rough hand grabbed hers. “Not yet. We have to get inside.”

She let out a huff of annoyance and received a low chuckle from him in return. The bastard. The minute she figured out a way to get even with him for this, she would enact her revenge.

She still wore the hearing protection when they got out of the chopper so she heard him loud and clear over the noise of the blades.

Henner planted his palm over her head. “Duck!”

She crouched, trusting him to keep her low enough that she wasn’t whacked by a blade.

He led her blind for several steps across some flat ground. “Step down. You’re on a flight of stairs.”

Tentatively, she extended her foot, seeking these steps.

“You can pull off the hood. Fourteen steps to the bottom.”

Relief filtered into her veins. In all of her career, she hadn’t encountered many things that made her balk. This was one.

She ripped off the hood and blinked like a confused owl at a world pitched into blackness.

Still behind her, Henner curled his fingers around her upper arm. “Your eyes will adjust in a moment.”

She began to count with every step down she took with Henner right behind. The thump of his boots on the metal treads offered a strange kind of comfort. If she had to navigate the stairs to a strange place, at least she wasn’t totally alone.

She reached the bottom, clutching the hood like a limp flag of war. “What now?”

“Door is right in front of you. Open it.”

She felt around for the handle. “I guess this is why you’re called Blackout.”

He snorted.

Finding the handle at last, she twisted it and pushed open the door. Light filtered in, allowing her vision to clear. Before them stretched a long corridor with several doors lining it.

Not a whisper sounded from any of those rooms.

Henner pushed past her. “That’s odd.”

Her heart rate spiked. “What’s odd?”

“It’s usually not so quiet. Stick close to me.”

The first door on the right hung open. A long table was scattered with plates of food—hot dogs and hamburgers and various salads—suddenly abandoned.

“Is this Blackout’s idea of a day’s work? Where’s the bar?” She swept a look over the detritus of the room. A few balloons bobbed in the corner and a big blue cake sat in the center of the table.

“Clearly it’s a party for the baby.”

Baby? In Blackout? She thought they were supposed to remain single, lone ghosts infiltrating the toughest places in the world.

She stared at his profile. The deep line etched between his brows concerned her even more than wearing the hood had.

His Adam’s apple bobbed upward in his throat, hanging there for three solid heartbeats before he swallowed. He turned to her. “This was a welcome home party for Kit and the baby. They must have received word about the explosion and had to scramble.”