Page 4

CHAPTER 3

“We’ll be landing in about ten minutes.”

Shadow’s attention was pulled away from the private jet’s small, oval window to the man lowering himself into the empty seat at her left. Leather the color of thick, rich cream folded in beneath Digger’s chiseled form.

The scent of warm, spicy teakwood and something uniquely his own swirled in the air around her. Doing her best to ignore how awesome the former SEAL smelled, she returned her attention to the endless sea of clouds.

“Okay,” she responded, her tone uncaring despite the tightening in her chest. Because everything in her world was about to change.

The minute the jet’s wheels made contact with the ground, there’d be no going back. Her anonymity would be shattered, and she’d be forever seen as the boss’s daughter, rather than one of the team.

“I’m sorry about what happened to Evie,” she said, referencing Bones’ fiancée being kidnapped and nearly killed shortly after she’d vanished from the face of the earth. “I never would have gone to Columbus when I did if I’d thought she was still in danger.”

“I know.” His deep voice rumbled over the sound of the jet’s whirling engines.

“She’s okay, though, right?” Shadow turned to him, envisioning the adorable elementary teacher she’d once helped the team rescue from a cave in the Middle East. “Baker said?—”

“Evie’s fine.” He dipped his scruff-covered chin. “Thanks to you making sure Rawlins was available for overwatch assistance after you left.”

“I’d never leave you guys high and dry. I hope you know that.”

“I do.” Another dip. “Still don’t understand why you didn’t come to us for help. Especially given who and what Michael Stanton is.”

She pictured the man as he looked today. Tall. Handsome. Slicked back salt and pepper hair. But then her mind became filled with the man’s frozen image from that night.

Black ski mask, shirt, jacket, and pants. Black leather gloves and that big, black gun. To a six-year-old, the gun had seemed big. Especially with the suppressor attached to the barrel’s tip.

It was the eyes, though. Those cold, beady eyes. That’s what she remembered the most.

And it was those same eyes she’d started seeing again in her dreams a few months back. The same ones she recognized out of the blue while watching the news.

“Like I said, this isn’t your fight.” She turned away once more.

Several seconds of uncomfortable silence ticked by before Digger spoke up again.

“I have to ask,” he started before clearing his throat. “How do you know Stanton’s the one who pulled the trigger?”

Aaaand…there it was. The doubt she’d always known would come. But rather than bite off his handsome head, she kept herself cool as a cucumber, giving her shoulder a casual shrug.

“I just know.”

“Come on, Shadow. You want me on your side in this, you’re gonna have to give me more.”

Did she, though? Want him on her side, that is. She had to admit, the thought was tempting…

You’re going to have to trust someone at some point, baby girl.

“The eyes,” she told him softly. “I recognized the bastard’s eyes.”

“His…eyes.”

It wasn’t a question, but more like a disbelieving statement. Which was exactly what she’d expected.

“Just forget it.”

A deep roar sounded from below the belly of the jet as its landing gear began falling into place.

“Tell me,” Slade prodded before adding a muttered, “Please.”

One corner of her lips rose with a smirk she didn’t bother trying to hide. “Please?” She brought her gaze back to his. “Wow. Layin’ it on pretty thick, aren’t ya, big guy?”

“I’m serious.” There was no humor to be found in his sexy, dark gaze. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you, so you can put that thought right out of your head. All I’m trying to do is understand…how. Not saying you’re wrong.” He lifted one of his strong hands as a show of defense. “Just that you were really fucking young when all that went down. And you and I both know how unreliable eyewitness accounts can be on a good day, let alone relying on a memory that’s almost thirty years old.”

“Look, I get it, okay?” Shadow shifted her entire body in her seat so she could fully face him. “I was a kid; it was dark, and the shooter was wearing a mask. And no, at the time, I didn’t realize it was him. So I couldn’t possibly make a positive I.D., right? I may have only seen his eyes, Slade, but I’m telling you…Stanton’s the guy.”

Speaking of eyes, his were locked on hers as if she were a puzzle he was trying to solve. Which was fair, given she knew pretty much everything there was to know about him, and he knew diddly squat about her.

“Why now?”

Aaand…this was the part of her story where she’d lose him. But since the man was like a dog with a bone…

“A few weeks ago, I was sitting at home and flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch before bed. And there he was, dressed in his fancy suit and tie with his perfect smile. He was being interviewed at some big campaign fundraising event.”

Digger paused before letting his brown brows dip together in the center. “Again, not questioning your story’s validity, but the guy’s been in the news off and on for the past few years. First as a senator and more recently during his bid for his party’s presidential nomination. But this was the first time you’ve seen him since?—”

“I never said it was the first time,” she corrected him. “You asked why now, and I’m trying to answer your question.”

There was no bite there, nor had she spoken with a snarky or smartassed tone. Banter may be her usual love language, but even Shadow knew there was a time and place to let her natural smartassed self shine.

This wasn’t one of those times.

“By all means…” He motioned for her to continue.

“Thank you.” She flashed a quick smile. “As I was saying, I saw him on the news and started to change the channel again, but something stopped me.”

“Let me guess. It was his eyes.”

“I knew there was a reason my father hired you to be Tac-Ops’ team leader.”

Okay, so there may have been a teeny tiny bit of sarcastic quip in her tone just then. But what was it they said about leopards changing their spots? Oh, that’s right…

They don’t.

The jet jostled a bit as its wheels touched back to earth, and Shadow realized she needed to hurry up with the rest of her story.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I watched his entire interview with this strange gnawing in my gut. I couldn’t figure out why I was so enthralled by the guy, but there was something so familiar about him. I spent the next three hours falling down the rabbit hole of Senator Stanton’s life. When I began losing the fight to stay awake and learn more, I closed my computer and went to sleep.” She drew in a deep breath before releasing it slowly, steeling herself for his reaction to this next part. “That night was the first time in almost twenty years that I’d dreamed about my mother. Only it wasn’t a dream, Dig. It was a memory.”

“It all started coming back to you.”

Shadow nodded, relieved that he was starting to understand. “And just as surely as if I’d traveled through time, my mind put me right back there. I was a little girl, again, awakened by something in the dead of night. I still have no idea what, but something drew me to my parents’ bedroom. And before you say it, yes, I was young, and yes, I was tired. But I saw what that masked man did. And when the shooter turned around, he looked me dead in the eyes.” Her vision blurred behind a well of unshed tears. “The bastard just stood there, staring down at me like he was trying to decide something important.” She swiped angrily at a fallen tear. “Then…and I remember this part so clearly…he casually strolled past me on his way out of the room, as if he hadn’t just put a bullet into the back of my mother’s skull.”

A low curse fell from Digger’s tempting lips, and he both looked and sounded pissed off on her behalf. That alone gave her a sense of comfort she hadn’t realized she desperately needed.

He believes me.

“So you had this dream and then what?”

“I woke up.” She smiled sadly, her throat working a painful swallow. “I went straight to my computer and pulled up Stanton’s picture. That’s when I knew.”

The pilot maneuvered the team’s private jet toward the large, open hangar to their left before bringing the giant metal bird to a complete stop. Shadow expected Digger to hop up from his seat, but he didn’t. Instead, the surprising man remained in place with a solemn expression crossing over his handsomely rugged face.

“There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered.”

Hope flourished for the first time in what felt like forever.

“But?” she asked, her breath freezing inside her lungs.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help you uncover the truth, as long as you promise to accept whatever that truth is. Even if it means Michael Stanton isn’t our guy.”

“Oh, he’s our guy, all right. I’d bet my life on it.”

Those deep brown eyes seemed to reach deep as he rumbled a low, “From where I’m sitting, that’s exactly what you’re doing.”

That may be true, but…

“You and the others risk your lives all the time in the name of justice. How is this any different?”

“That you even asked that question should tell you everything you need to know.”

“Well, by all means, Dig…please enlighten me.”

The muscles in his strong, chiseled jaw bulged with the clenching of his teeth as his broad shoulders and chest expanded with a slow, deep breath. And when he spoke, it sure seemed as if he were struggling to reign in his frustration.

“For starters, the guys and I don’t go off on our own half-cocked without our teammates backing us up. We also don’t hunt down a target without plenty of hard evidence to justify the actions we take. And unlike you, we’re trained for the shit we do out in the field.”

“How do you know I’m not trained?” She wasn’t, of course. Not like him, anyway. But still, “Until last night, you didn’t even know my first name.”

“Don’t need to know your name to see you’re already in this way over your head. And if I hadn’t shown up when I did, you and I both know we wouldn’t be able to sit here and have this conversation.”

He wasn’t wrong, and she was more thankful for his unexpected visit to her motel room than he’d ever know. But pushing the man’s buttons had always been a favorite past time, so…

“I think I held my own with you pretty well.”

“Was that before or after I pinned you down on the ground? Or did you already forget about that part?”

“Oh, I remember.” Shadow purposely let her gaze lower to the zipper of his jeans before bringing it back up to his overly intense stare. “I’ve been meaning to ask, when you were straddling my hips, was that another gun I felt in your pocket…or were you just happy to?—”

“Shadow…” Her name came out all growly like a warning even as his eyes grew dark with pure male heat.

She parted her lips, fully prepared to come back with some sort of smartassed, witty quip when the jet’s intercom system dinged to life, and her father’s trusted pilot spoke to them from inside the cockpit.

“The engines are off, and it’s safe to exit. Mr. Owens sent a car to take you both straight to Tac-Ops headquarters whenever you’re ready.”

“Looky there.” Shadow grinned, reaching down between her feet to grab her backpack from the carpeted floor. “Guess I was saved by the bell.”

Though Digger looked as though he had plenty more to say, the former SEAL held her gaze a moment longer before pushing himself to his feet. He slid out of the way, waiting not-so-patiently as she stood and followed his lead.

“We’ll finish this conversation later.” The surly man grabbed his own go-bag from the empty seat across from where they’d sat.

“Or not.” She gave a slight shrug. “Personally, I’d much rather focus my time on finding that evidence you so badly need.”

She started to walk past, toward the jet’s curved exit. But the man her father had sent to bring her home apparently had other plans.

“Wait.” Digger put a surprisingly gentle hand on her upper arm.

Shadow schooled her expression, unwilling to reveal just how much the simple touch truly affected her. “Yes?” She pulled the ends of her long hair free from where the strap of her bag had them trapped.

“You want justice for your mother, well guess what?” His Adam’s apple bobbed with a swallow. “I want that, too. But getting yourself killed in the process won’t do a damn thing but let her killer walk away.”

Oh.

That was actually kind of…sweet.

“I’ll meet with my father and the team, but I’m not waiting forever on this, Digger. I will get a confession from that son of a bitch, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

With that, she turned and made her way to the front of the plane. As she disembarked the steep metal staircase and onto the privately owned tarmac below, Shadow didn’t look back to see if he was following in her steps.

She had a feeling that, for as long as she continued on her quest for justice, the tempting man would never be too far away.

* * *

Senator Michael Stanton sat in the back seat of his government-leased Cadillac Escalade, waiting anxiously for the man he was meeting to arrive. The bullet-resistant windows were tinted a deep black, completely concealing him from the outside world.

“He’s here, Senator,” his driver informed him from where the other man sat behind the wheel.

James was a good man and a stellar employee. Most importantly, he was very, very good at keeping secrets.

Michael turned to his right to see the man he’d trusted with a time-sensitive task get out of his piece of shit car and walk their way. On cue, James exited the Escalade and walked around the front bumper to the other side. The back passenger door was opened, and a man Michael had known for damn near thirty years appeared outside.

“You think next time you could pick a more out-of-the-way spot to meet?” Former CIA wet work agent Douglas Easton slid onto the expensive leather, shutting the door once he was fully seated inside.

Doug had been there from the very beginning, but even he was unaware of the many skeletons hidden inside Michael’s closet.

“I’m hoping there won’t be a next time,” Michael told him. “Of course, that all depends on what you’re about to tell me. I saw on the news that a run-down motel in Columbus got shot up last night. Anything you’d like to share?”

“Not much to share, I’m afraid.” The other man’s expression didn’t falter. “Turns out the girl got away.”

The hope he’d been feeling was instantly replaced with anger. “What the fuck do you mean, she got away? You’re a government assassin, for Christ’s sake.”

“No, I was a government assassin. And…I wasn’t the one doing the shooting.”

Anger morphed into a boiling fury, making his next words escape through a set of clenched teeth. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

The asshole turned to him with a pointed brow. “You know I never kid about work.”

“What I know is that you said I could count on you to help clean up this mess. You , Douglas. Not some idiot who can’t handle a simple fucking assignment.”

“I’ve used Chuck in the past, and he’s always come through. He was in the area, and most importantly, using him offered another layer of protection between you, me, and the girl you want dead.”

“She’s a barely-thirty, five-foot-nothing woman who, according to you, is in the city all by herself. And yet this Chuck asshole couldn’t handle taking her out in that shitbag motel? And what kind of hired killer shoots up the place like it’s the wild fucking west? Has he not heard of discretion for crying out loud?”

“It was a shit neighborhood where crime runs rampant. He thought making it look like a gang hit or some random drive-by would pose fewer questions than an obvious hit. And I agreed.”

“So you knew his plan and just went along with it?”

“I made a judgment call in bringing him in,” Doug admitted. “Clearly, that was a mistake.”

“Damn right, it was a mistake. What the fuck even happened? The place looked like it had been turned into Swiss cheese. There’s no way she should have been able to escape unscathed.”

The other man was shaking his head before Michael even finished what he was saying.

“You know the drill. No questions, remember? If this is going to work, it’s crucial that you maintain plausible?—”

“Deniability,” Michael cut the man off. “Yes, I know. This isn’t my first rodeo, Doug.”

“I’m well aware. And don’t worry. Next time, I’ll make sure it gets done.”

“Yes, you will.” He stared the former assassin down. “As soon as fucking possible.”

There was a slight pause before Doug said, “So you killed the chick’s mom back in the day, and you’re afraid it’ll come out before the election. But don’t you think if she knew something, she’d have spoken up well before now? ’Cause, I gotta say, paying her off would be a whole lot easier…and less messy…than making her disappear.”

“It’s not money she wants.”

“Then what?”

“Best guess?” Michael looked away with a loud exhale. “My head…on a silver fucking platter.”

Several seconds before the other man spoke again. “If I’m risking my ass for you, the least you could do is tell me everything you know.”

“You’re only risking your ass for me because you’ve been out of the game a while, and you miss the excitement. And because I’m paying you a shit ton of money to do it.”

“And because you trust me.”

“I don’t trust anyone.”

“You trust me a little.” Doug sounded smug. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

Michael looked back at the man and smirked. “I suppose you’re right.” After pulling in a deep inhale, he let the air out slowly. “I’m pretty sure she also knows I was with the Agency.”

“How the hell does her daughter know you were CIA?”

“I don’t know for sure that she does.”

Another brief pause ensued and then, “Okay, now I’m really confused. I assumed the Owens woman’s desire to see you dead had to do with her suspicions that you were somehow connected to her mother’s death. But if there’s a chance she doesn’t even know you were an agent, then why would she think that you?—”

“She saw me, Doug.” Michael cut the man’s question short with a truth he hadn’t uttered to another soul in nearly three decades. “I never told you, but…the night I broke into their house, and I shot my partner in the back of the head…Alice Owens saw me do it.”

A low whistle filled the air as Doug ran a hand over his five-o-clock shadow. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I wish I was. But now do you understand the importance of making this go away?”

“I do.” His former colleague nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll find her, and when I do, she won’t have the chance to get away.”