Page 14 of Rescuing Erin (Red Team #5)

I was five minutes away from going thermonuclear.

We’d been at the cabin for five days and had barely made any headway.

Erin and I had just finished lunch when Zane had texted to tell me he needed to talk and would call in an hour.

He wanted Erin present and was going to send some images for her to look at.

I wanted her as far away from this as possible.

She was still trying to put on a brave front, but each night when we got into bed, she begged me to hold her.

Not that she had to ask, I wanted her tucked close.

We’d only been sharing a bed for a little more than a week now, and I couldn’t imagine her anywhere else but next to me.

Last night when she’d asked me to make love to her, I’d gotten her off using my fingers and mouth again.

Much to my cock’s dismay, I still hadn’t allowed her to touch me.

At first, it was because I didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerability.

Now, it was because I wanted more. I had to know if it was me she wanted or if I was simply convenient.

It would gut me if the only reason she wanted to be with me was because of some sort of hero worship.

Not that I was a hero, but she did view me as the man that was keeping her alive.

She’d mentioned more than once, how she’d rather die than be kidnapped. I understood her fear, however, it killed me the choice was even on her radar. She should be out living her life, smiling, happy, carefree, and not thinking about lose-lose options.

“Ready?” I asked, sitting next to Erin on the couch.

“Yes,” she answered in the affirmative, but her shaky voice told me she was anything but.

I answered the phone, but before Zane could start I asked him to wait and muted the phone.

“You don’t have to do this,” I told her.

“Yes, I do.”

“You don’t. But more than that, you don’t have to pretend with me. I know you’re scared. And, sunshine, that’s okay. I hate watching you worry, but I really hate that you think you have to hide from me.”

“I just want to get this over with.”

“All right.”

Knowing I wasn’t going to get Erin to open up while I had Zane on hold and the images she needed to look at loomed over her head, I gave in.

“I’m back,” I told Zane.

“You logged in?”

“I am.”

Once I confirmed my computer was online and on Z Corps network, a picture of Erin and a man came onto the screen of my laptop.

“Do you know this man, Erin?” Zane asked.

“Yeah. That’s Hal Simpson. He’s a donor. I believe he’s an investment banker.”

“How long have you known him?”

Erin sat quietly for a moment, twisting her hands in her lap. Her knee was shaking, and her discomfort came off in waves.

“Um, I’d say, about a year. Maybe a little less. I’m trying to remember what event I first met him at, but there have been so many it’s hard to say.”

“Has he ever expressed interest in you?”

My irritation spiked at Zane’s inquiry, I didn’t like where this line of questioning was going.

“In me personally? I don’t think so. And if he was interested, he never did anything weird if that’s what you’re asking.”

“That’s exactly what I’m asking. Did he ever ask you out? Try and get you alone? Say or do something that made you uncomfortable? Ask too many questions about your dad?”

“No. He never asked me out. But now that you mention my dad, he never asked anything about him. Strange.”

“Why is that strange?” I asked.

“Because everyone always asks. And I mean, everyone. Some are more invasive than others. But since he’s become president there hasn’t been a single person, other than Liv, that hasn’t asked me something about him.”

I could believe that. People were inherently nosey. They wouldn’t be able to help themselves, they’d have to ask her something about her dad, even if it was small.

“It’s actually not so strange.” Garrett entered the conversation.

The screen in front of us changed to a side-by-side picture.

The right side was a professional portrait of Hal Simpson and the left was a cropped image of him from the charity event.

“Hal Simpson is Henry Shultz, the man who is behind surveilling your apartment and the man who hired the men to kidnap you.”

Erin’s entire being shifted from unease to utter terror. I was happy the team couldn’t see us, not that I gave a fuck. I pulled Erin onto my lap. Fucking Garrett had to bring up the fact someone wanted to take her—her biggest fear.

“However, his name is not Hal Simpson; it’s actually Michael Greenwold. He works for the NSA.”

“Why would someone from the National Security Agency pretend to be someone else? And why would they want to hurt me?”

“Christ,” I muttered. “How far down the rabbit hole are we?” I asked the team.

“So far I’ll be shocked if we’ll ever find our way out.

Greenwold is the head of an NSA counter-intelligence team.

POTUS shut down the special collection service unit, code named Angel, when he found out a tech-specialist wrote a program to spy on the general population of US citizens.

Millions of emails and phone calls were intercepted. ”

“Found out? How did he find out?” I inquired.

“Tom’s not being forthcoming about how he received his intel.

Nor he is telling us the full scope of the program.

The only thing he’s willing to provide is that it was presented as a data-dump and back-up system for all intelligence gathered overseas.

He’s aware there’s a shadow team working, mostly in the black, but it was his understanding the team was concentrating on cyber counter-intel and system security.

They employ some of the most effective hackers in the world. ”

“I take it Greenwold isn’t happy his collection service was dismantled.”

“You’d be correct. He’s asked for, and was denied, several meetings with Tom. He also tried going around him to the vice president to ask him to speak to Anderson.”

By the time Garrett had finished his brief my head was pounding. “The VP is a slimy prick. Did he talk to Tom?”

“Oh, yeah. VP Perkins tried several times to get the president to reinstate Angel, but he won’t budge on this. We all know how he feels about spying on his own people. They know they’re fighting a no-win situation. Unless—”

The vice president wasn’t Zane’s favorite person. Power had gone to Perkins’s head and he’d made questionable decisions over the years.

“They get their hands on Erin,” I provided.

“Correct. We have a team in place to bring in Greenwold. You have twenty-four hours until this is all over.” Zane was quiet for a moment before he continued, “Red is going black, zero contact for at least forty-eight hours. Gold Team will be on standby, Declan’s staying behind with them.

Once we have Greenwold out of the country, Dec will be in contact. ”

I wasn’t surprised Zane had given Declan Gold Team.

He’ll make one hell of a team leader. The time he’d spent as a deep-cover agent had taught him a lot.

But Dec had something the military, CIA, or the NSA couldn’t teach—good instincts.

It sucked losing him as a member of the Red Team, however, he was restless, still beating back demons he didn’t want to share.

Maybe this is what he needed to find the salvation he was after.

“Copy that.”

“Wolf’s team has been briefed. They’re ready if there’s a need. Everything straight there?”

Knowing that Wolf and other SEALs in the area had our backs made me a little less apprehensive about my team being out of the country.

“Five by five.”

“You two hold fast there and you’ll be home soon.”

“Roger.”

“Erin?” Zane called out.

“Yeah?”

“Your dad wanted me to tell you he’s proud of you. He also asked me to tell you he’s sorry. ”

Erin bowed her head and closed her eyes, but not before a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Tell him I love him and I’m proud of him, too. He taught me to never give in to those who try and make you go against what you believe in. I’m proud my dad has stood by his convictions.”

“Will do. You two stay safe. Out.”

I closed the lid of the laptop and placed my cell phone on the table next to it before I settled back on the couch with Erin, still on my lap.

I couldn’t begin to put into words how impressed I was with how she was handling everything.

Not to mention, how very wrong I’d been about her, she was not even close to being the spoiled princess I’d thought her to be.

She was strong and capable. Her courage and composure were remarkable.

“It’s almost over.” Instead of smiling like I thought she would she frowned, and her eyebrows drew together. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.”

“Break it down. One problem at a time.”

“I’m scared. Really scared. And I’m afraid after this I always will be. Which makes me a total baby because Olivia was actually—”

“Don’t compare yourself to her. An imminent threat can be just as damaging as the act.

Does that make sense?” Erin shook her head.

“Yes, Olivia was held hostage and some bad shit happened to her. But it happened quickly. She didn’t know it was coming.

You knowing someone is out there looking for you, waiting to grab you is almost worse.

They’re terrorizing you. There is nowhere you can go to get away from the knowledge.

But I promise you, when this is over, you’ll move on. ”

“What happens when all of this is over?”

“What do you mean? ”

“With us?”

Thank fuck, she asked. I’d been waiting to have this conversation but didn’t want to push her.

“We continue to take things slowly and figure out where we want this to go.”

“I don’t want slow.”

I had to smile at the vehemence of her statement.

“We need slow. I need to know you’re with me every step of the way. And you need time to make sure I’m who you really want. The real me, not the man hired to protect you.”

“I already know you are.”

“Then I need to know that.”

“Why? I’m telling you you are.”