Page 7

CHAPTER 6

Shadow’s heart gave a hard kick when she saw Digger looking up at her from the cabin’s front entrance. He was just standing there, staring back at her with an unreadable gaze, and all she could think was…

I want to kiss him again.

To be fair, they hadn’t really kissed the first time. At least, not in the way she’d always imagined. Her father’s killer timing was to blame for the untimely interruption.

Though she hated to admit it, the missed opportunity was probably for the best. It would be different if they were here on a romantic getaway for two. Unfortunately for her, that was far from being the case.

A killer was out there, walking around as a free and powerful man. And though she may be on temporary lockdown with her own personal bodyguard watching over her every move, she had no intentions of giving up on a fight that had only just begun.

As for what came after, well…that remained to be seen.

“Hey.” She added a slight bounce to her steps and her best British accent to her tone. “I take it you didn’t find the Boogeyman hiding in the bushes during your evening jaunt around the cabin.”

Rather than smile, as had been her hope, Digger’s handsome face dipped into an inexplicably frustrated scowl.

“No.” He gave a curt shake of his head before resuming his previous steps in her direction. “The perimeter’s clear.”

Alrighty, then.

Assuming his extra grumpy mood had something to do with her having initiated their earlier, sort-of kiss, Shadow took his foul mood as a sign to move on as if it never happened.

“You still hungry?” She reached the bottom of the steps. “I thought I’d whip something up for us while you got cleaned up.”

“I could eat.” Digger stopped moving once again, keeping himself a safe distance away.

Okay, so apparently he’s back to his usual stay-the-hell-away-from-me self. Good to know.

The idea of apologizing for her previously flirtatious behavior briefly entered Shadow’s mind, but then she remembered this was Digger. If it wasn’t one thing souring the man’s stoic demeanor, it was another. And since he didn’t appear to be keen on sharing whatever it was that had him scowling this time, Shadow ignored the elephant in the room and shot him her most casual, breeziest smile.

“Great!” She purposely sounded far cheerier than she felt. “You go shower, and I’ll scrounge us up some food.”

She didn’t have to inquire about any possible allergies, as she’d had access to his and the other Tac-Ops members’ medical records for years. There also wasn’t a question as to the man’s pickiness when it came to the food he consumed. Her involvement in the team’s operations had long ago taught her Digger would either eat what was available or choose to go without.

A low grunt was all the response she was given as the two split off in separate directions. He went up the stairs with his bag slung over one of his broad shoulders while Shadow headed to the kitchen she’d caught a glimpse of earlier.

Positioned at the back of the cabin, the space was as pretty as the rest of the rustic hideaway. The large island and cabinets had been stained to match the floors.

The collection of stainless-steel appliances were nice enough to impress even a professional chef. Shadow smiled when she noticed a portion of the kitchen’s far wall that showcased several cast-iron skillets hanging from matching black hooks.

Her father had always enjoyed being away from the city, hence his decision to purchase a plantation versus a high-rise apartment. She could remember the occasional camping trips they’d taken whenever she was a child…and he’d always cooked the fish they caught in a skillet like the ones she was staring at now.

But even then, the nightmare of what had happened to her mother was always present. And like then, those memories were still a permanent, horrifying fixture. Their flashes striking her at the most random of times.

Because every memory she shared with her father, no matter how wonderful, or sweet, or loving they may be, were reminders of what had always been missing…and of her mother’s untimely death at the hands of a cold-blooded killer.

Shadow blinked against the stinging in her eyes as she looked away from the pans and started for the fridge. The past was the past, and there wasn’t anything she could do to change it. She would, however, do whatever she could to destroy Stanton’s future.

But for now…

She turned and headed for the oversized refrigerator. With her focus once again on making her and Digger some dinner, she opened the double doors and began perusing the contents, which had been placed inside. Her smile returned when she found it fully stocked, just as her father had promised.

For drinks, there were several bottles of water and chilled cans of her favorite diet soda. Various types of her favorite fresh fruits and veggies filled two of the three drawers while the one in the center held packages of lunch meats and cheeses.

But it was what she found on the middle shelf that piqued her interest most of all.

Shadow reached inside and grabbed the bundle wrapped neatly in brown butcher paper. Her smile grew even more when she read the familiar label.

Yes!

Knowing she didn’t have much time, she went straight to work prepping the food. The first thing she did was to gather up the rest of the ingredients, and after that, she began to peel, slice, chop, and julienne.

With the cabbage prepped and the homemade pico mixed and marinating in the fridge, she made the sauce that put this recipe over the top. Shadow quickly unwrapped the butcher paper to reveal two pounds of freshly bought shrimp. She then peeled and deveined half of the generous portion before seasoning it the way she always did when making this particular dish.

The upstairs shower was turned off, letting her know her dinner guest would be joining her very soon. She hurried to place the seasoned shrimp inside the air fryer tucked away in one corner of the counter, setting the temp and the timer, thankful it would only take seven minutes for the shrimp to cook.

Lucky for her, Digger had taken a longer-than expected shower, and the extra time he’d spent in the bathroom worked greatly in her favor. Shadow moved quickly to finish getting everything ready as she set the table with plates and silverware for two. By the time he came down the stairs to join her, dinner was ready to be served.

“Perfect timing.” Shadow smiled as she stood by the chair she’d chosen for herself, doing everything in her power to school her expression.

Because damn if the man didn’t look even sexier than before.

His short, brown hair appeared slightly darker due to the strands still being wet. The skin covering his cheeks just above his short beard was flush from what she assumed was the shower’s hot steam.

But oddly, it was the black hoodie and gray sweats that turned her on the most.

She wasn’t sure what it was about a man in a hoodie, but damn if she didn’t find it sexy as sin. Especially one who looked as good as Digger, who was still looking at her, rather than the meal waiting to be consumed.

The idea that a man in gray sweats made women all over the globe drop their panties was a familiar and, in her opinion, an oversold cliché. But a cliché’s very existence is depended upon things happening so often they become cliches, so…

She watched Digger made his way toward her in those mouthwatering sweats.

Lord, have mercy.

“I made shrimp tacos,” she blurted out the obvious before clearing her throat and trying again. “I hope that’s okay.”

He finally pulled his eyes away from hers to scan the spread she’d carefully arranged. “Looks good,” Digger rumbled low as he pulled out the wooden chair across from where she still stood. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Shadow took a seat before starting to fill her plate.

She put a generous amount of the slaw into three of the available soft taco shells.. This was followed by a drizzle of the savory—and slightly spicy—sauce, some pico, and four perfectly cooked shrimp.

Once Digger was finished filling his plate, Shadow took the very first bite. On reflex, her eyelids fell shut as she moaned, her tastebuds never tiring of what was one of her very favorite shrimp creations.

The man sitting across from her cleared his throat before taking a massive bite. When he was finished chewing, his throat worked to shove it all down before he grabbed the bottle of water she’d provided and taking a giant swig.

“I can’t tell if you’re trying to scarf your food because you don’t like it, and you’re just trying to power through, or?—”

“No, it’s good.” His next bite nearly finished the other half of the taco in his hands. “Really good, actually.”

That last part was added while the food was still in his mouth, making Shadow inwardly giggle. On the outside, however, she decided to razz him just a tad. After all, it wasn’t every day that she got the opportunity to do so face-to-face.

“You don’t have to sound so surprised, you know.” She feigned a scowl and pretended he’d hurt her feelings. “I do have other talents outside the realm of technology. I can cook, catch and clean fish, play the piano, change a tire, sew on a button?—”

“You play the piano?” Digger seemed to marvel a bit at that particular revelation.

“Since I was five. I took lessons for several years, but once I got into high school, my obsession with using computers to uncover deeply hidden information overshadowed pretty much every other interest I had at the time. But I still tickle the ivories now and again.”

She waggled her fingers in the air as if they were striking an invisible piano’s keys.

“Impressive.” The sexy man nodded, sounding genuine in his sentiment.

So naturally, Shadow had no choice but to take advantage of the rare moment.

“Oh, that’s nothing.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice to a deeper, sultrier tone. “When it comes to these babies”—she lifted her hands again with a playfully arched brow—“my talents are endless.”

Digger choked on the sip of water he’d been attempting to swallow, barely managing to keep the liquid from spewing from his mouth. Though she wanted to burst out laughing at his reaction, Shadow offered him a napkin from the small stack she’d carried in from the kitchen instead.

“Was it something I said?”

Rather than answer, Digger grabbed the napkin and wiped the beard around his lips dry. “Do you ever take anything seriously?” he challenged with a frustrated frown.

She swallowed back the bubble of laughter working its way up her throat. “Of course, I do. I just don’t take everything seriously. You know, studies have shown that smiling and laughing are very good for your health.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s true. Scientists have proven that smiling and laughing triggers the reward part of your brain which, in turn, releases endorphins. Everybody knows endorphins help with pain control. They serve as mood stabilizers and can do wonders for stress and anxiety.” Then, because she couldn’t help herself, Shadow added a quipped, “You should give it a try sometime.”

“I laugh,” he argued, even as the dip of his dark brows grew deeper.

The unladylike snort that came from her body practically echoed off the cabin’s thick walls. “Sorry to be the one to break it to you, big guy, but a grunt does not a laugh make.”

Digger opened his mouth to no doubt pop back with some sort of grumbly, grimaced retort. But at the last minute, he closed those lips she hadn’t had enough time to really taste and went for another taco, instead.

After what felt like a very long, very uncomfortable silence, the former SEAL continued the conversation by opening up to her in a way she’d never expected.

“I don’t know how you do it.” His deep rumble was quieter than usual.

When he didn’t elaborate, Shadow wasted no time prompting him for more.

“How I do what?” She abandoned the partially eaten taco in her hand, setting its remnants down onto her plate.

“Ignore it all.”

“Umm…you’re going to have to give me a little more than that.”

His brown eyes lifted from his empty plate to her. The intensity in his gaze as it became locked with hers caused a tightness within her chest.

“All you’ve been through…what happened with your mother, and then having your entire life uprooted to move to Charlotte by a dad who lied to you about what he and your mother both did for a living…”

“I’ve known about my father’s past work as a government spy since I was a teenager.”

“But you only just found out about your mother being in the CIA a few hours ago.”

“What’s your point?”

He leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table. “My point is, you get hit with some pretty big news, and yet you’re sitting here cracking jokes as if this were any other day.”

“It is any other day, Digger.” Her expression became serious. “Think about the work we do. The things you and your team have been forced to see and endure. If you let all that bad mojo screw with your head, you’d be about as useful in the field as a toddler with a squirt gun.”

“So what, you’re saying all the jokes and smartass responses are your way of coping?”

“Absolutely.” Shadow was already nodding before he’d finished the question. “Listen, I learned a long time ago that sitting in the corner and crying does nothing but bring me more sorrow and pain. And it sure as hell won’t bring my mother back or take down the man who killed her. So I choose to smile and to laugh every chance I get. I choose to find humor in situations that most people probably wouldn’t. Because if I don’t…if I let my mother’s death become all-consuming, then there won’t be enough of me left to go after the man responsible. And I have to bring him down, Dig. He can’t keep getting away with what he did.”

Several seconds passed as they sat there, staring into one another’s eyes without uttering a single word. And this time, when Digger spoke up once again, it wasn’t to ask about her or her horrifying past, but instead he began to tell her more about him.

“You’ve probably already looked into the team’s backgrounds.” He settled back against his chair. “Hell, you probably know more about me than I do at this point.”

“Maybe,” she answered truthfully. “But old police reports and military records only give a girl so much. I’d really like it if you were the one who filled in all the blanks.”

He paused, that entrancing gaze of his studying hers a few seconds longer. And then those delectable lips parted, and he began to talk, sharing with her everything that had turned him into the man he was today.

“Well, let’s see…I never knew who my real dad was. Still don’t, actually. And I was four the first time I remember seeing my mom strung out on cocaine.”

The tightening in her chest got worse. “That had to be a hard thing to see. Especially as a little boy.”

“I remember being worried that she was having some sort of medical issue because she was in such a manic state. At the time, I didn’t know that word even existed. I just knew that something wasn’t quite right. When I’d ask, all she’d say was that she’d taken her ‘feel good’ medicine her doctor had prescribed.”

“And I’m sure, as a kid, you took her at her word.”

Digger nodded. “Doctors do good, right? They’re supposed to help make people better. So yeah, I figured if that’s where the so-called medicine came from, then it must be okay.”

“When did you figure out that it wasn’t?”

“About a year later.”

“When you were five.”

Another nod. “I came home from kindergarten one day and found her strung out on the living room floor. The needle was still sticking out of her arm, and I thought…” His Adam’s apple bobbed with a hard swallow. “I was sure she was dead.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, it gets better.” His broad shoulders shook with a humorless laugh. “Of course, you already know what happened with the whole?—”

“Tell me anyway,” she encouraged softly.

With another working of his throat, Digger pulled in a deep breath and gave her the shortened version of his heartbreaking childhood.

“I started getting bounced around the foster care system so she could try her hand at rehab. She’d do better for a while. Those first few weeks back, she was like Mother of the Fucking Year. But then she’d fallen back into old habits, and once that happened…”

“The cycle would start all over again.”

His nod was slight, his expression one of acceptance. But there was also love for a mother lost to him too soon, as well as some residual resentment and anger still brewing behind his dark, stoic gaze.

“Tell me about the men,” she prodded softly after the next stretch of silence became too deafening to bear.

“What about them?” He scowled. “They were a bunch of losers who were just as bad-off as she was, only their list of addictions included paying my mother for sex.”

“That’s how she ended up in jail, right? Weren’t you six when she was arrested and charged with prostitution?”

A sarcastic smile lifted one corner of his lips. “At the time, I remember thinking it would have been better if she’d actually died, rather than having a mom who was in prison. But then…something happened. After two years of being behind bars, my mom was finally, truly clean.”

Just as he’d accused, Shadow already knew the rest of the heartbreaking story. But she hadn’t lied when she’d said she wanted to hear it from his perspective, and when he finally opened up, she couldn’t help but share in his pain.

“Believe it or not, we had some good times after that.” His mouth curved into a ghost of a smile even as a flash of sadness filled his gaze. “She was released when I was eight, and for the first six months, I stayed with a foster family while she came for scheduled, supervised visits. Her parole officer helped her find a steady job, and with assistance from a community outreach program for parolees, she was approved for a two-bedroom apartment.”

“Is that when you started living with her again?”

“Yeah.” He took a sip of his water before continuing. “The place wasn’t the best, but it was far better than the run-down shack we’d once lived in. And the best part was, for the first time in my life, I actually had a mom.”

“I’m really sorry you lost her so soon after.”

“Almost two years to the day after I moved back in with her.” His gaze returned to hers. “I was at school when the counselor came and pulled me from my classroom. I was only ten, and our past was such a clusterfuck of chaos I was sure when I saw the police officers waiting for us in the principal’s office that she’d fallen back off the wagon.”

“But she hadn’t.” Shadow’s vision blurred behind a well of unshed tears.

Her kindred heart broke for the boy who’d lost his mother at such a young age. Especially after all they’d been through to find their way back to one another.

“No.” Digger’s voice grew thick as his childhood story drew to a tragic end. “Some teenager coked out of his mind robbed the convenience store where she was working. The officers told me my mother did everything exactly right. She gave him the money from the cash register without arguing. She never tried to fight him off or threaten him in any way. And the kid…he just shot her at point-blank range as if she were nothing. When the cops asked him later why he’d done it, he said he’d killed her just because?—”

“He could,” she finished softly. Because yeah, she’d read the police report on his mother’s death. But no matter how many times her eyes crossed over the printed words, they’d never made her feel the empathy or pain in her chest at his loss as she did in that very moment. “I’m so sorry, Slade.” His nickname didn’t seem fitting, given the story he’d just shared. “I know our stories aren’t exactly the same, but I do understand how you feel. To a certain extent, at least.”

She’d been lucky enough to have a loving and nurturing mother from even before she was born. But he’d only been given that for two very short years before a bullet ripped his mother away.”

“I’m sorry.”

His muttered apology took her by surprise.

“For what?”

“Making the conversation all about me.”

“You didn’t.” Shadow shook her head. “I asked you to talk about your past. And I know it isn’t an easy thing to dredge up. Trust me, there are days I wish my past was all some sort of terrifying dream, but…” Her words trailed off with a shake of her head before she looked deep into his eyes and said, “It really means a lot that you were willing to share all of that with me.”

“Not sure why I did, to be honest.”

For some reason, this made her smile. “Perhaps because you aren’t strong enough to resist my charming ways.”

“Or maybe you put some sort of truth serum in the pico without my knowledge or consent.”

Shadow blinked, and it took her a full two seconds to realize…

“Did you just make a joke?”

His deadpan expression told her everything she needed to know.

“Holy shit, you did. You, the infamous smiling-is-for-pussies Digger just made an actual joke. I mean, on a scale of one to hilariously funny, it maybe rates at like…a six. But still, you put yourself right out there, and I for one am so proud to know that?—”

“Shadow?”

“Yes?”

“Shut up and finish your food.”

The man’s words may have been gruff and a tad bit rude, but the small smirk she saw sent her lips curving into a full-blown grin. For the remainder of their time at the table, they took turns sharing more about themselves and their lives prior to working for Tac-Ops.

Digger volunteered even more about himself, and the years following his mother’s death. He gave his thoughts about growing up in the system, his struggles at school, and how glad he was that he’d joined the Navy right after graduation.

Shadow shared more about what her life was like prior to her mother’s murder. Memories of her mom, and some funny ones involving her dad.

Long after the food had vanished from their plates, the two were still sitting at the table swapping stories as if they were each trying to one-up the other in a competition of the funniest story.

A rush of warmth quickly spread throughout her entire system as she listened to him tell of antics pulled by him and the rest of the team. The longer they talked, the more they shared. And when one particularly hysterical story involving her teenage self nearly getting caught hacking into her high school’s online grading system, the most wonderful, magical, surprising thing happened…

Slade “Digger” Garrison threw his head back and laughed.

All sense of time and space around her slowly began to dissolve. For the second time in her life—the first being when her mother was shot and killed—Shadow felt as though her entire world had just tilted on its axis.

Beautiful.

It wasn’t nearly an adequate enough word to describe the sight before her, but she couldn’t seem to think of another that fit the bill. Digger’s chin was up, his eyes squeezed tight, and the opened mouth smile he wore spread clear across his handsome face.

But it was his laugh—that deep, manly, reverberating laugh—that consumed the air around them. It was hands-down the most beautiful sound ever to have reached her ears. And as Shadow sat there, soaking up every last second of the incredible, stolen moment, she felt as though she’d been given a gift that had just changed her heart forever.

Oh, this could be bad. Really, really bad.

Or it could end up even better than she’d ever dreamed.

* * *

“I found her.”

Michael Stanton sat up a little straighter as Doug Easton’s voice sounded from the burner phone’s speaker. Giving his locked office door a second glance, he kept his voice low so anyone who happened to enter the hallway outside couldn’t possibly overhear.

“Where?”

“Charlotte.”

Ah, so she ran back home to Daddy.

He sat back in the expensive leather chair his constituents paid for with their hard-earned taxes and smiled. “How sure are you?”

“One hundred percent,” Doug’s unwavering tone oozed of confidence. “I’ve had a guy watching the Travel Assurance building since the night of the shooting.”

“I hope to hell this isn’t the same idiot who let her get away the first time.”

“No, that guy has already been taken care of.”

Michael didn’t ask for details because he didn’t want to know. The only thing he needed to be certain of was that the loose end had been tied.

Speaking of loose ends…

“This man you have in Charlotte,” he continued. “How do I know he can be trusted.”

“You don’t. But I do, and that’s all that matters.”

“Bullshit. You trusted the last asshole and look how that turned out.”

“This guy’s different.”

“How so?”

Doug momentarily paused before adding, “Because he is with the Agency, too.”

Not he was or used to be, but…

He is.

“Currently active?” Michael needed to be sure.

“Affirmative. And, he’s good. Better than good, actually. If you’d like, I can send you a copy of his file.”

“No.” He shook his head despite the fact that Doug couldn’t see him. “The fewer trails there are to follow, the better.”

“I agree.” The other man cleared his throat. “Anyway, as I was saying, my guy was outside Rafe Owens’ building earlier today when he spotted Alice Owens entering the building with one of her father’s employees.”

His cold heart thumped hard at the news. So it was the Owens girl he’d seen lurking outside three of his rallies and a fundraiser event, all held in Columbus over the course of the last two weeks.

At first, Michael had been flattered, believing he had a sexy, young new fan. But then he’d made the mistake of asking a member of his security team to sneak a few pictures without being noticed.

When he’d passed those along to Doug to run through the man’s high-tech facial recognition system, he’d nearly fallen on his ass with shock.

Ninety-eight point six percent match to a girl who was supposed to be dead.

Michael had denied his friend’s findings, ordering him to run her image through his system again. After three separate tries yielded the exact same results, he finally accepted the science for the truth that it was.

I spared the little bitch’s life that night and for what? So she could come after me twenty-six years later?

Well, she wasn’t a kid anymore. And whether the woman wanted money or revenge, it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t get the chance for either.

“You run him?” he asked of the man seen with the Owens woman.

“Facial rec got a hit,” Doug confirmed. “Name’s Slade Garrison, and he’s a former Navy SEAL-turned-insurance salesman.”

Insurance, my ass.

“What else do you know?”

“Guy’s background is pretty thin. He entered the Navy right out of high school, then boot camp to BUD/S. According to what I’ve found out so far, Garrison was part of the most decorated SEAL unit on record. He was given an Honorable Discharge a few years ago, after which, he went to work for Owens.”

As the other man’s words sank in, everything suddenly began to make perfect sense.

“Owens knows about the shooting,” Michael spoke his theory aloud.

“How can you be so sure?”

“The man is nothing if not a loving and protective father. If he thinks his daughter is in danger, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.”

“Including assigning his former SEAL employee as her personal protective detail,” Doug surmised.

“Exactly. And if that’s the kind of man watching over her, we’ll need to approach this thing with caution.”

“Don’t worry.” The other man did his best to reassure him. “I already have a plan in the works.”

“You’d better.”

“I tagged his car after they went inside the building,” Doug let him know. “From what I can tell, both the woman are holed up in a cabin in the middle of the fucking woods.”

“A cabin?” Michael frowned.

“Before you ask, I already checked out the property’s deed. It’s owned by a shell company with no known ties to Owens or any of his people, but given the guy’s background…”

The other man didn’t finish, but Michael already knew what Doug was thinking. A former MI6 operative would have no problem hiding the fact that he owned the wooded hideout.

“It’s a safe house,” he told his trusted confidant. It was the only thing that made sense. “At the very least, there will be an alarm system and cameras. And if this guy really was a SEAL?—”

“Don’t worry,” Doug interrupted with an attempt at appeasement. “I’m putting a plan in place as we speak that will almost certainly draw them back into the city.”

“Make it quick. And this time, make damn sure that it’s done.”

Rather than wait for the other man to give him an unnecessary response, Michael ended the call and shoved the phone back into the hidden bottom in one of his desk drawers. Locking it tight, he pushed himself up out of his chair and headed for his private bathroom.

He checked his watch on the way there to see how much time he had left before his next meeting. This one was with a group of Girl Scouts and their leader to discuss the importance of some sort of bullshit cause.

Michael smiled when he saw he had just enough time to grab a coffee on his way there.