Courting Passion (7 page)

Satisfied with her look, she bent and laced up a pair of running shoes. She tried to remember if she had anything in the cupboard that would be decent to fry up for breakfast. Her musings were broken by the sound of the shower being turned off. Deciding she could rummage after turning the kettle on, she started out of the bedroom until she heard insistent beeping from the laptop.

All thoughts of food fled as her attention focused on their mission. Turning back, Katherine rushed across the room and nearly collided with Garth as he raced out of the bathroom. His short hair spiked up in every direction, still dripping beads of water down his neck and back. He wiped his face and skin with a towel as he strode over to the laptop.

Standing side by side, they scanned the monitor. It took only seconds to understand what was going on.

“This has to be them,” she said as she typed in the commands to activate the tracer.

“Unless it’s some other poor schmucks using the same frequency,” Garth cautioned. Katherine shook her head.

“Scott said the frequency is too low for anything else, maybe a homemade crystal radio or something. But come on, what are the chances, at five in the morning, that some kid is trying to send messages to aliens on his science project?”

Garth laughed and moved to dress himself. For all of a minute Katherine kept her gaze locked on the tracing programme as it ran. But she couldn’t resist. The magnetic pull of Garth’s electric sexuality drew her eyes. He’d pulled dark jeans up over his hips. They were zipped but the button still gaped open showing a delicious hint of olive skin. He pulled his arms through the sleeves of his shirt but left it unbuttoned as he checked his weapon.

Katherine felt a thrill course through her body as she watched the ease and familiarity he used in handling the large gun. He ran through the checks, cocked it and gauged the weight again in his hand, though it moulded to him like they were created for each other. He settled it in the waistband of his jeans at the small of his back.

The laptop forgotten, she watched, mesmerised as he dipped into the small overnight bag. He pulled out a small ankle holster and a tiny clutch piece.

“Is that a twenty-two?” she asked, curious.

He nodded and checked it as thoroughly as he had his main weapon. The gun looked tiny, almost like a toy in his large hands. If he held it at an angle to his body Garth would almost be able to palm the weapon and keep it invisible.

“It’s my Plan B,” Garth spoke as he fixed the gun around his ankle. “Victor always insists the way to stay alive is to have a Plan B and, where possible, a contingency Plan C.”

“Sounds logical,” she conceded. “So what’s Plan C?”

“Turning the fuck around and running like your arse is on fire.”

Katherine laughed as Garth stood up. A frisson of sadness arched through her as he buttoned his shirt closed. He had a magnificent chest.

When Garth had finished dressing, he shot her a wicked glance. “Satisfied?” he asked.

Katherine grinned. “Absolutely.”

It didn’t really matter how he meant his question, her answer held true in many respects. Katherine licked her lips, finding the mere act of watching Garth suit up for battle hot. With those eyes and the prime condition of his body, he was smoking by himself. But watching a warrior prepare himself for the coming scuffle, knowing she’d be by his side and guarding his back—as he would hers—got her juices flowing.

The laptop hummed and drew her attention back. She turned to watch the coordinates narrow further and further down. Garth slung his bag over one shoulder as he stood next to her. She leaned into his side and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They pressed close together. The map closed in on the beacon.

They waited in silence. Katherine felt so comfortable with her lover—it was as if they’d been partners for years, working together on dozens of missions. The level of ease between them astonished, but pleased her.

“Looks like the industrial section. Stratford, maybe,” Katherine said. Almost as soon as the words had left her mouth, the coordinates honed in on Stratford and continued to close on the frequency.

“Do you have a spare clip?” Garth asked. Katherine lifted her head and jerked her chin towards her dresser.

“I was going to pick it up on my way out. It’s in the second drawer. I can fit it into my back pocket. My ID should be next to the clip, can you grab that too, please? Since we’ll probably end up breaking down a door or two, I should carry that as well.”

Garth moved to the dresser and pulled open the drawer. Katherine’s attention remained on the laptop. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited for the final destination to be revealed. The screen narrowed to a single block, a red flashing dot representing the building the frequency emitted from.

“Got it,” she beamed.

Garth came up beside her and handed her the clip and her wallet. She tapped the screen before reaching for both items and placing them in her back pockets. He studied the screen. She presumed he was memorising the cross-section and building placement.

As he began to stride towards the door, Katherine reached out to stop him, her hand curving around inside his elbow.

“Do you think we should call this in?” she asked.

She could think of serious pros and cons to both sides. The possible traitor weighed heavily on her mind. The last thing she wanted was to tip them off or, worse, give them a golden opportunity to kill more of their number or create havoc. At the same time, entering an unknown situation such as this was lunacy with no back-up except each other. Despite her earlier resolution to cast the rules aside, it didn’t mean she wanted to ignore basic safety precautions.

“Are you saying you really want to call the Agency?”

Katherine couldn’t read what Garth was asking. He didn’t seem annoyed or angry, but neither did he radiate a keen desire to inform their colleagues.

“I want to tip our hand to the traitor even less than you do,” she reassured him. “But I also don’t want us to enter a firefight, or worse, with no one except each other aware of our movements. Would you and Victor rush into something like this with no safety net? With no one else having a clue what you were up to?”

Garth tilted his head and nodded, seeming to acknowledge her point. He moved back to study the satellite map in more detail.

“Do you know this area at all?” he asked, his attention riveted to the screen. Katherine crouched beside him, her gaze also focused on the map.

“Not well, though I’m sure I’ve passed through dozens of times. Over here there are some factories, and a block down, in this direction, are some newly built business parks. There shouldn’t be too much in the way of collateral damage, certainly no residences that I can recall or schools, parks, nothing like that. The fact this shows basically warehouses, factories and small businesses has me leaning to believe nothing much has changed.”

“It looks rather like a rabbit warren around here, though. See how there are almost a dozen small outbuildings in this particular block? Makes me think they’ve taken those old, large factory lots, knocked the original structure down and subdivided it into many smaller blocks, all on the one piece of land.”

“One-one-three-two A, B, C,” Katherine agreed as she switched from satellite view to street-map view. “I think you’re right. So, with the exact address and hopefully a fair bit of privacy, I think we can take them on. If Jennings is holed up in there we should have everything under control with a minimum of fuss.”

“Now you’ve made me sit and wish we had blueprints,” Garth replied with a frown as he switched back to satellite imagery. “How many rooms do you really think the building could have? It doesn’t look that big.”

Katherine pointed and counted the windows visible from the different angles they could see.

“Being generous, I’d say there couldn’t be more than six or so rooms. More likely three main ones and maybe a few windowless rooms. A bathroom, toilet, closet, that sort.”

“We do recon as soon as we arrive,” Garth insisted.

Katherine nodded. “If we get a whiff it’s larger, or more complicated, we can call in a few favours. I’ve assisted Peterson a few times, a few of the other lads owe me from various other missions. We can keep this from being a legitimate mission until we’ve finished one way or the other. Keep the mole in the dark.”

The grin Garth gave her made her belly roll in lust.

“Why, Miss Hitchens, I do believe you’ve come to the dark side.”

Katherine chuckled and punched his shoulder.

“It’s your corrupting influence, Spenser. You’re dark and wicked by nature, I obviously have succumbed.”

“Mmm, I’d like for you to succumb in other ways,” his voice lowered, thickened with passion as he cupped his hand over her arse. He squeezed her cheek and she felt his fingers slide along the seam of her jeans. Had she been naked he’d have fingered her tight hole.

She moaned, hunger spiking through her at his sensual touch. Lifting her face to meet his, she pressed her lips on him. Eagerly, she kissed him back, the intimacy easy and natural between them. Panting hard, she pulled away. She laid a hand, palm down, over the thick ridge straining against the seam of his jeans.

“We have to go catch the bad guy,” she murmured. He made an inarticulate sound that sounded something like a frustrated moan.

“Maybe if you’re very good, once we’ve fried Jennings’ arse and discovered the name of his contact within the Agency, I’ll give you free access to my derrière. You can do anything you want to it and me, whatever you please.”

Garth wrapped a hand around the base of her head, threading his fingers through her hair as he dragged her back for another devastatingly potent kiss. With a jerk, he pulled away. Her mind took a moment to focus again, the cloudy haze of arousal threatening to melt her brain entirely.

“You’ll let me do anything I please to that luscious arse of yours anyway,” he replied with fierce pride and a hungry smile. He patted her cheek again, this time in an arrogant, masculine way.

“But never let it be said I didn’t rise to the promise of a sweet reward. You’re on, sweetheart. Frying the bastard and locking him in a cage, discovering the rogue mole ruining the Agency and in return anything I desire, including unrestricted access to your body.”

Katherine beamed.

“Deal.”

“Well then, Agent Hitchens, lead the way.”

Katherine patted herself down, going through her mental checklist as they walked towards the door. She checked her holster, her gun, the spare clip and her identification. She picked up her keys from the bowl by the door and jangled them at Garth.

“My car, I’m driving,” she challenged. With a wry smirk, he nodded as she led the way outside.

Chapter Four

Katherine and Garth walked up the street, each carrying a steaming takeout mug of coffee. Their free hands were linked and, in the early morning light, they looked like a couple on their way to the start of a shift. They both smiled at each other and kept a close watch of their surroundings—this wasn’t the type of area one would wander at night—but no one would recognise how carefully they surveyed the business park they passed.

When they were well out of sight and earshot, they paused beneath a lamppost and sipped their coffee. They’d swung by an early-opening food chain, grabbed a sausage and egg roll each and the coffee. Katherine had inhaled her roll but they had kept the coffee.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“Lights were on inside,” he replied.

“Half a dozen cars parked in their bays, too. There must be at least a few people inside.”

“The buildings on either side of our target were still dark, no cars. I think it’s safe to assume the neighbours aren’t home just now.”

Katherine paused before replying.

“If we wait, call for back-up and the others to assist us there’s a strong chance more people will arrive. Regardless of whether they’re innocent or knowing conspirators, more bodies mean more potential casualties and a harder task keeping everyone under control.”

“Agreed,” Garth said as he sipped his coffee. “Whereas right now, with just the two of us, if we go back, walk in like we’re starting a new shift and take charge there’d be a dozen people there tops. We know a short time ago someone was trying to decrypt that hard drive. If we wait and play it safe we might miss our window of opportunity.”

Despite his words Garth watched her and remained silent. His opinion was clear to her, but he didn’t push her either way. She smiled at him and felt a warmth unfurl in her chest, pleased that he let her make her own decision and didn’t try to bully her.

“If the two of us can’t handle a half dozen people—likely techs and civilians—then we don’t deserve to hold this job,” Katherine said before she drained her coffee cup. Retaining the empty cup, she shrugged her shoulders to loosen her muscles and bounced on the balls of her feet to warm her legs up.

“I’ll take point,” Garth insisted. “We go in easy, make a quick survey. If we can see the hard drive we go immediately for it before they have a chance to react.”

“Resist only if necessary,” Katherine added.

“Piece of cake,” Garth grinned.

She chuckled.

“Because these things always go to plan, don’t they?”

“That’s why we have a Plan B.”

“And C, don’t forget turning tail and running.”

In high spirits they turned around and walked back to the building. As they approached, Katherine could feel the weight of razor sharp awareness settle upon them both. Katherine noticed that both of their movements became graceful, fluid. Garth in particular appeared like he had released his inner hunter.

They stalked their prey.

With smiles on their faces, like any normal couple who were starting a new day together, they passed by, appearing to be completely unnoticed. But to the trained eye Katherine knew their movements would be recognisable. She remained alert, wary, coiled and ready for action.

“I count five cars,” Katherine murmured. Garth shifted his head to indicate another parked out on the street.