Page 5

T he highway stretched in a faded gray ribbon toward the horizon they never got closer to reaching. Two hundred yards in front of them, the military truck’s red taillights were a beacon in the pre-dawn light.

Inside the car, the tension hung thick in the air between Henner and May. Neither tore their attention off that truck, as if it would vanish if they did. If they lost that truck, they’d also lose their only chance at stopping a massive disaster that would rock the nation.

May kept her stare locked on his phone, watching as the facial recognition software analyzed the blurred photo of the driver and passenger she’d managed to snap as they briefly passed the truck before slowing down again and slipping into the right lane.

A match popped up instantly. A photo of a young man barely out of high school filled the screen.

“Jesus Christ.” Henner darted his attention away from the screen but that image was fixed in his mind.

“Private First Class Aiden Moore,” she read aloud. “Nineteen years old. Stationed at Fort Leonard Wood.”

Another notification dinged on his phone. Another match.

“Private Jackson McKinnon. Eighteen. Fresh from boot camp.”

Henner chuckled but it held no humor. In fact, it was tinged with sadness; those young new recruits had no clue what they were doing right now.

And if he and May didn’t pull off this op, Moore and McKinnon’s lives may be at risk.

“They really are just fucking babies.” He clamped his teeth together so hard that his jaw popped. He held out a hand for his phone, and May transferred it to his palm. When he closed his fingers around it, the tips brushed against May’s smooth, warm hand. The feel of her skin shot a memory of her bare spine…her breasts…Christ, those firm thighs…spinning through his head.

He swiped his thumb over a button, activating a secure line.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling this in.”

Con’s voice filled the car. “What is it now, Chickie?”

He set the phone in the cup holder and gripped the wheel with both hands. “That truck is being driven by two new recruits fresh out of boot camp.”

“Not surprised.”

“Neither am I.” He practically growled in frustration. “On one hand, it will be easier to get what we need from them. On the other…” He didn’t need to finish that sentence. There was a reason why so many young soldiers didn’t survive battles.

“Look, I’m ass-deep in something here. I’m sending you what I have. Shoot the intel over to Cobra.”

“Copy.”

They ended the call, and Henner continued to stare at the back of that truck. Bit by bit, dawn was lightening the sky, so the outlines of the vehicle appeared crisper.

“You’re right that these guys don’t know what they’re transporting, May,” he said at last, voice pitched low.

“They don’t have the clearance to know what was loaded in the back of that truck. And if I had to guess, it’s not going directly to the base.”

She locked eyes with him. “What do you mean?”

“They can’t just deliver a bomb to the same place they deliver all their other supplies. The guys behind it aren’t going to want this traced.”

“Now we just have to find out where it’s headed.”

“We’ll find out soon enough once we reach base.”

“This is bad.”

He didn’t respond. There was nothing to say.

A long time later, the sky lightened to a dull gray but the sun still hadn’t broken over the horizon.

“Oh!” May’s quiet exclamation wasn’t needed—he already noticed the turn signal on the truck blinking. “They’re turning off at the exit.”

He let off the gas, backing off the truck’s tail. When they were a good distance behind, he also switched on his turn signal. “Keep your eye on that truck.”

She straightened in her seat. “I am.”

A small car buzzed in front of them to exit as well. Good. It wouldn’t be so obvious that they were following the truck.

“They’re heading to that gas station.” May pointed, but he saw it too and rolled into the parking lot, bumping through several potholes on the way to the small, rural gas station with a convenience store.

Henner parked at the far end of the lot behind several semitrucks for cover but with the target still in plain sight. The military vehicle parked at the island under the flickering fluorescent lights.

The drivers got out of the truck, stretching their limbs after the long ride.

“They don’t look worried at all,” commented May.

“They don’t know they need to be.”

“What now? Don’t we need gas too?” She leaned over to glance at the gauge. When she did, he caught the scent of her perfume. At the gala, he noticed it too. If he was honest, the light scent had been slowly driving him crazier every mile they drove.

“Later.”

“I still can’t believe how fast that crate got through customs.”

“Someone high up greased the wheels.” He stared at the back of that truck, thinking of the explosives inside, and how they’d hit the same potholes that he and May had on the way into the parking lot.

At that moment, she let out another small gasp. He looked up to see the driver was staring in their direction.

She snatched up her phone and ducked her head, pretending to be absorbed in the content on the screen. “Henner—”

“I see him. We’re parked pretty far away, though.”

“You don’t worry enough.”

“And you worry too much.”

“Good.”

“Fine.” He clenched his jaw on the word he bit off.

Their stares locked in yet another faceoff. By the end of this op, they would either both be dead or…

That desire he felt back in the hotel when they were changing stirred low in his groin.

Her eyes darted back to the baby bomb transporters.

“Moore is going inside!”

He twisted more slowly so it wasn’t apparent that they were watching the guys.

When he heard the click of the door opening, he whipped back to May. She slipped a leg out of the car.

He locked his hand around her arm before she could go. Warmth spread through his palm and up to his wrist. “Where are you going?”

“I need crappy junk food.”

He watched her walk away, purse slung over her shoulder, oozing nothing but confidence.

The woman might know her stuff when it came to explosives. But he just hoped she could handle what she was going up against with young military men.

Or hell…against seasoned ones like him who knew better.

* * * * *

Stress clung to May like a miasma. Each step she took toward the entrance, she shoved her chaotic emotions down another notch. Using the excuse of buying junk food was the perfect reason to go inside the store.

When she stepped inside, her senses all shot directly to the young man dressed in cammies. The thump of his boots on the tile floor sounded loud in the near empty space.

Steeling her spine, she circled the store to the nearest aisle. Moore sauntered up to the coolers and perused the drink selection.

May realized she wasn’t in the food aisle at all. At an unhurried pace, she moved to another aisle with small bags of potato chips and candy bars.

She needed something to get this guy talking. Anything he could tell her would only make her and Henner’s job easier. What if their intel was wrong and the truck wasn’t going to the fort at all? If Henner’s hunch was right—and she believed it was—then they wouldn’t just drive up to the base and unload that bomb.

First, she sidled up next to the guy and surveyed the drink selection. She selected two bottles of water, shooting him a small smile as she did. Then he went one direction and she returned to the snack aisle.

Inspiration struck. She fished her phone out of her purse and dialed her partner.

“What the hell’s happening? Do I need to come in there?”

She sliced a look at Moore’s back where he still stood at the cooler. “No, baby. They don’t have any of the chips you like. What would you like instead?”

He hesitated for a beat. “Baby? Jesus fucking Christ. Who needs food?”

She used her sweetest tone on what must be the most sour human being she’d ever met. “Baby…if you don’t choose, I’ll choose for you.”

Moore pivoted in the stiff way he’d been trained to move in. She felt his stare sliding over her and cast him a polite smile.

“Okay, I’ll look for those. See you in a minute, baby.”

She slipped her phone into her purse, keeping an eye on Moore, who was walking toward the checkout with two energy drinks in hand. She snatched up the first thing she saw in front of her face—a package of cookies and two bags of barbecue chips—and hurried behind him.

He stepped up in front of the counter and gave her a grin. God, he was young. Fresh-faced with hardly a hint of facial hair. Either he was very good at shaving—unlikely—or Henner was right that he couldn’t even grow a beard yet.

He looked over the junk food. “I heard you on the phone. I see you got your answer.”

She smiled back and added a little eye roll at the food in her hand. “How hard is it to say you want double-stuffed cookies?”

He chuckled. “That would be my first choice.”

In a deliberate sweep, she looked him over from military-issue cap to boots and all the camo in between. “Oh! You’re in the military truck. Thank you for your service.”

His smile widened. Just then, the clerk emerged from wherever she’d been hiding and picked up one of the energy drinks he set on the counter.

“What brings you through these parts?” May pushed to keep the conversation rolling.

The clerk gave him the total, and he passed her some bills.

“Just had to pick up a shipment from port. We’re on our way back to base.”

“How interesting. Where is base?”

“Fort Leonard Wood.”

May leaned a hip on the counter. Keeping her expression light while her mind raced wasn’t easy. “That’s a long haul. Must be important cargo to warrant a direct pickup from port.”

He shrugged, popping the top of one of the energy drinks. “Logistics, you know? Above my pay grade. They give us orders, we take them. We don’t have any say in where we drive.”

She made a humming sound of agreement. “I get that. Ever have to haul anything classified?”

His hesitation was almost indiscernible—a twitch of his fingers against the can he held, a flick of his eyes.

She needed to disarm him further. Leaning close, she whispered, “Any UFO parts?”

He chuckled and relaxed. “Nah. Nothing that important.”

She could tell by the lightness in his expression that he really didn’t have a clue that he was transporting an explosive.

She tipped her head. “Must be nice, just driving and not having to ask questions.”

“Standard procedure.” He sipped the drink and shuffled forward to let May set her items on the counter.

The clerk started ringing her up. May didn’t have much time left.

“We’re not supposed to ask questions,” Moore told her.

“But you’re curious, right? You get a cargo load from port and you must be dying to know what’s inside.” Now why had she said that? What if the kids looked inside the crate and something terrible happened?

He chuckled again. “Probably just training equipment or spare parts.” He took another sip and then tipped his head toward the exit. “McKinnon’s waiting. Gotta hit the road.”

“Nice chatting with you. Drive safe.”

Hastily, she paid for her purchases and legged it to the car where Henner waited. As soon as she slipped into the seat, he turned to her. “What the hell was that call about?”

“That was me creating an ice-breaker.”

“Between whom?”

“Me and Moore.”

His vivid blue eyes pierced her. “You’re joking.”

“We were wrong—they’re headed directly to Fort Leonard Wood with the cargo. We believed they wouldn’t go straight to base. They have no idea what they’re hauling, and they didn’t ask.”

“Well, why would they? They were given orders.”

She saw that everything was black and white for Henner in that regard, and for the young recruits too. “They think it’s training equipment or spare parts. And they won’t be stopping for a while.”

His brows shot upward. “How do you know that ?”

“I talked to the kid. Plus, he bought them each an energy drink. They won’t need to rest for some time.”

A low grumble from Henner made her look at him harder. “Talked to the kid in the store,” he muttered.

She passed him the cookies. “We don’t all need high-clearance software to get information.”

He snatched the cookies and tore open the package, stuffing one in his mouth whole.

Her belly fluttered. God, did he have to look so hot eating cookies? His jaw shifted into sexy angles that had her mind sparking with other things that mouth could do.

To her.

After he swallowed the cookie, he focused on her.

“Feel better?” She opened her barbecue chips.

“Not really.”

“Gonna share those cookies?”

With a huff that was part irritation, part laugh, he held out the package, and she took two. In return, she extended the chips his way, and he held out a broad palm.

She shook a few into his hand. They munched in silence a few minutes.

“You have to admit I bought us some peace of mind. We don’t have to worry that they’re not really headed to the base. We can take our time and sit here eating junk food before we follow them.”

He crunched on a chip and then uncapped one of the waters she’d placed in the cup holder. When he took a sip, his throat worked on the swallow. Was it possible that women found a man drinking water hot? Because she was starting to wonder if she needed an intervention.

“It’s helpful.” His gritty tone made her freeze with a chip partway to her lips. His blue eyes burned over her. “The way you rattled off all that info about the kids was really hot.”

She sucked in a breath at the very unexpected flirtation. Her insides rippled with liquid heat from one silly statement.

She leaned closer. “Wait until you see me defuse a bomb.”

He gave her an I’m-going-to-undress-you-and-see-how-to-make-you-go-off look.

From the corner of her eye, she studied Henner. AJ. The name fit him. The kind of name that suited a man with a boyish glint in his eyes. It was short and easy, rolling off the tongue.

The playful edge in his eyes mixed with the reckless streak she knew inherently was there. Just like she knew he’d never been called Albert James or Andrew Joseph, or whatever those initials stood for.

Just AJ. A man who could grin through the dangers of a battlefield and crack jokes when tensions ran too high.

Snacking on cookies and potato chips—not to mention the years of battle—he looked like the kind of man who could get away with anything .

With a breathless realization, she bit down on the sandwich cookie.

And I’d let him.