Explosive (The Black Opals) (25 page)

Jayce slid an arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side.
“You always have been a light sleeper.”

“Not like this.”
She snuggled into his embrace and rested her cheek on his chest, alongside her flattened palm. Just being near him warded off the chill that crept into her veins. Like this though, she felt safer than she’d ever been. Completely protected from both the past and the present.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he murmured into her hair.

“They’re powerful men, Jayce.”

He nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head.
“I’ve got an ace or two up my sleeve.”

She tipped her head up to better look at him, his odd choice of words piquing her curiosity.
“You said you do custom security designs. The man you brought over—”

“Kane Anderson.
He works with me.”

“Kane then.”
She waited a beat, then asked what had been nagging at the back of her mind since last night in her office. “When did you get so comfortable with a gun?”

Beneath her hand, she felt Jayce stiffen.
His gaze latched onto hers, but he made no attempt at a response.

She frowned. “Jayce?”

He chuckled, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

She pushed at his chest and threw him a glance that said she didn’t appreciate his humor.
“Be serious.”

“Actually…” Releasing her, he sat up straighter. “I’m not really teasing.
It’s just kinda funny to be able to say that.”

At his deadpan expression, Alyssa’s heartbeat slowed.
He’d always walked life on the edge. Had he gotten mixed up with the wrong people in Chicago? Was that why he seemed to be taking her threats in relative stride? “What do you mean, Jayce?” she asked cautiously.

He caught her chin and tipped her head up so he could look her in the eyes.
“You’re pretty good with secrets. Think you can keep another one?”

She didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.
Defensive, she answered with a clipped, “Of course.” Though she was beginning to suspect she wouldn’t like whatever he intended to say.

“I don’t work in security.
Not the way you’re thinking, at least.”

Puzzled, she blinked.
“Then what—”

He placed a gentle fingertip against her lips.
“I hold an untraceable position within the CIA. I don’t exist on paper, and I work with bombs.”

Bombs.
Alyssa blinked again. “As in the blow-you-up kind?”

Jayce chuckled again.
“I didn’t know there was another type. But usually I’m insuring that doesn’t happen.”

An unexplainable shock of anger flashed through her.
She shoved at his chest and shot off the couch. “What are you
thinking?
Are you insane? You could get killed!”

“Let’s not go there, shall we?
It’s not like I woke up yesterday and signed on. I’ve been doing this awhile now.” He reached for her wrist, the trace of a laugh on his voice.

Alyssa jerked away, sheer emotion driving her.
“This isn’t funny, Jayce. What on earth possessed you to do something so…so…” She trailed off in search of the right word. Crazy, stupid, ridiculous came to mind, but she realized the folly of voicing the thoughts. At last, she settled on, “Dangerous! I don’t want you to die!”

The instant the confession slipped free, she recognized her mistake.
Something she couldn’t quite decipher flashed in Jayce’s eyes, but it was dark enough to silence her outburst. And foreboding enough to send a shiver snaking down her spine. She clamped her mouth closed.

A muscle flexed in Jayce’s cheek, the only clue she’d hit a raw nerve.
But to her surprise, when he spoke, his voice was controlled and void of emotion. “I didn’t really much care when I made the decision.”

Because she’d left.
Because she’d been too traumatized to turn to him and destroyed the dreams they’d built.

Because she’d broken his heart, right alongside her own.

He didn’t need to say those things specifically, but she knew. She knew
him.

Alyssa sank onto the couch again, feeling like she’d just been kicked in the gut.
There were so many chasms between them. So many dark places. And she didn’t know how to build a bridge over a single one. Now this—how was she supposed to have faith in him, to let him in her heart again, if he risked his life every time he was called out?

Jayce tugged her onto his lap.
“Hey.” He settled two fingers beneath her chin and forced her to look at him. “Let’s not do this now. You’re tired. I’m tired. Why don’t we get cleaned up and go out for dinner?” Leaning forward, he brushed his mouth across hers. “How long has it been since you’ve let yourself unwind?”

Too damned long.
She closed her eyes, savoring the soft way Jayce’s lips played across hers.

“Let me take care of you tonight, baby doll,” he whispered.

Before she could form an answer, he nudged her lips apart and the tip of his tongue slid slowly over hers. The idea of talking faded into sweet oblivion as Alyssa looped her arms around Jayce’s neck and surrendered to the power of his kiss.

T w e n t y – e i g h t

B
rice tossed his gym bag over his shoulder and fished his keys out of the locker. Jangling them loosely in his right hand, he headed for his car. An hour with weights proved the perfect remedy for his knotted muscles and the tension that refused to give him a moment’s peace.

He also hoped like hell that with the time alone together, Jayce would pry the truth out of Alyssa and she could get the fuck out of
Boulder before this shitstorm of trouble came to a head. Things were getting worse, fast, and Brice couldn’t convince himself he could keep her safe any longer. He never should have taken the job defending Delfranco.

For that matter, he never should have answered his damned phone last week after the Dobson hearing.
He almost hadn’t. But fate was a tricky bastard, and at the last second, he’d decided to take the call before he met with his client for next phase preparation.

As tension seeped into his shoulders again, Brice rolled his neck and pushed the worries away.
Nothing he could do about it now. He’d become entrenched. One more day, and if things went as planned, as
promised
, this would all be over.

That too he doubted.
From here, it could only get worse.

He reached his Hummer and unlocked the rear door to toss the gym bag inside.
It landed in a heap on top of the folder that had begun this mess. As he slammed the hatch shut, something hard and sharp pricked into his lower back. His brain barely registered
knife
before his heart clunked into overdrive. Dread cramped his gut. He craned his head to see his attacker.

“Uh-uh, you just keep staring straight ahead.
Open that hatch back up.” A gravely masculine voice rasped near his ear.

Fuck.
Swallowing hard, Brice unlocked the door. It popped open soundlessly.

“Now, make like you’re looking for something while we have a little chat.
Keep your eyes off me. Otherwise, someone will be pulling your body out of that compartment.”

Dutifully, Brice obeyed the directive, though he couldn’t help trying to chance a glance at his assailant from the corner of his eyes.
The glimpse did no good. All he could make out was a man, probably close to his own five-foot-eleven height, dressed in faded jeans, a grey sweatshirt, and a leather jacket.

“What did your girlfriend tell the cops?”

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Maybe if they realized that, they’d leave Alyssa out of this. It was worth a shot at least. Worth the slim hope. “And I don’t know.”

“Bullshit,” he barked.
The point of the knife pricked more insistently into Brice’s lower back. “Don’t fuck with me, McTavish. I ain’t playing games.”

Okay, so maybe assuming this was just some dumb thug had been a mistake.
Brice regrouped as he pretended to rummage through his duffle, careful to keep the sealed folder hidden.

“I’ll give you that one.
I can respect loyalty,” the man continued. “Loyalty’s why I’m here. You tell that bitch to keep her pretty little yap shut.”

Alyssa?
Jayce blinked. Confused, he attempted to lift his head and frown at his attacker.

His reward was another prick of the knife that sent pain flaring up his spine.
Brice felt blood trickle into the waistband of his jeans.

“I warned you once.
I won’t do it again.”

Brice dropped his gaze back to the black carpeting of his cargo bay.
“She doesn’t know anything.”

“Beg to differ, McTavish.”
A snide, sneering kind of laugh rasped off his lips. “You use that
loyalty
and convince her it’s best to cooperate with us. If she doesn’t, well, I sure would enjoy carving her up. Was mighty tempted to the other night, she was sleepin’ so pretty in your arms. Just wanted to take a piece of her home with me.”

Brice’s stomach churned.
Bile rose to the back of his throat. He’d led this monster straight to Alyssa. If something happened to her, he would hold the blame. Choking down nausea, he nodded.

“You’re a sensible kind of guy, McTavish.
I’m sure you and I will get along just fine.”

The pressure near Brice’s spine let up.
Leather creaked as his attacker moved. From the corner of Brice’s peripheral vision, he caught the movement of the bastard’s arm as he pocketed the knife and took two steps backward.

“You count to six.
Then you can leave. And I don’t think I really need to tell you, but just in case—we never had this conversation.”

Right.
That was becoming standard practice in Brice’s life.

He remained bent inside the Hummer, his hands braced on his gym bag, fighting back fury as the thug’s rhythmic footfalls drew further away.
Fuck this.
He clenched his fingers. This had to end. He was tired of these bastards using Alyssa to intimidate him. He’d started it; he would finish it here. Then all he would have to deal with was Toledo.

Brice shoved off the car and whirled on his heel.
Breaking into a sprint, he chased after his retreating assailant. But instead of running, the man froze and slowly turned to confront Brice. He wore a baseball cap pulled low over his brow, shielding his face in the dim grey of twilight.

Before Brice could consciously associate the flash movement of the stranger’s hand with plausible danger, Brice found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

“Maybe you’re not quite so sensible after all.”

Shit!
What was about to happen registered in Brice’s brain. He threw himself behind a parked minivan. As his knees ate up the asphalt, a gunshot rang out. Plastic shattered at the minivan’s taillight, sending bits of red raining down less than an inch from Brice’s heel. Another flash of pain seared across Brice’s arm.

Stunned, he glanced down to find a jagged tear in the cotton of his shirtsleeve running horizontally across his bicep.
Blood oozed from beneath the fabric, turning the pale grey a deep dark color. Blinking, Brice snatched at his shirtsleeve and examined the wound.

He let out a relieved breath and sank back against the minivan.
Just a graze. But damn, it burned like fire. Grimacing, he clutched the wound with one hand, and turned his gaze skyward.
What the hell have I done?

* * *

Alyssa sat across from Jayce, sipping her second glass of wine. It was strange, really, to think of all the ways they had matured. Ten years ago, neither of them knew anything about wine beyond what came in a box at the convenience store. A nice dinner out meant something along the lines of Applebees. Jayce in dress pants? She’d have never imagined it would happen.

Now though, here they were, two adults enjoying a meal that would run close to a hundred dollars, not including the bottle of Italian Chianti they were sharing.
He’d even run inside his sister’s townhome and come back out to the truck in a suit coat. A live blues band played softly in the corner, tucked behind a polished and sophisticated dance floor. Nothing like the seedy bars they’d snuck into back in high school, or the sweaty club for under twenty-oners they’d met each other at every Friday night.

Classy.
Grown up. And Alyssa had never felt more spoiled in her life. Brice certainly never took her out on dates like this. He’d join her for a nice dinner, but the bill was neatly divided down the middle, and once the meal finished, they didn’t linger for a second glass of wine.

Jayce reached across the table and collected her hand in his.
“You’re quiet.”

Alyssa chuckled.
“You clean up pretty well, Jayce Honeycutt.”

A lazy smirk glided over his sensual mouth.
“Environmental hazards force me to blend in.”

That again.
She couldn’t get over the discover Jayce was a bomb specialist. As they drove through Boulder, she’d asked him more about his job. Covert agent—that was how he put it. A Black Opal. And currently he was taking a forced leave over a disagreement with his boss about a new employee.

“I don’t want to talk about all that now.
It bugs me.”

Jayce cocked an eyebrow.
“Anything in particular you do want to talk about?”

The ever-present questioning light in his eyes gnawed at her heart.
He’d had plenty of opportunity to ask her for an explanation. That he hadn’t yet told Alyssa he wouldn’t. Still, she wished she could take that pain from him. She knew she possessed the ability; she lacked the strength. And she didn’t want to revisit that night, tonight of all nights. It would be hard enough sleeping as it was.

Jayce gave her fingers a squeeze.
“Talk to me, baby doll. What’s got you preoccupied?”

She summoned a smile.
“I’m just a little overwhelmed.” Tracing his wide thumb with her fingernail, she studied their interlocked hands. “The food, the wine, the music—your suit.” She paused, lifted her eyes to his handsome face. “Today. This whole week.”

He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the underside of her wrist.
“Let’s get out of here.”

His gaze took on a burnished quality that sent a thrill tripping through Alyssa’s body.
Her heart skipped several dozen beats, and for a moment, just a moment, she allowed herself to consider what a life with Jayce would bring. Days spent in peaceful companionship, nights spent entangled by wild desire. Laughter. No more fear.

“Yes,” she murmured.

He helped her from the table, and placing one hand in the small of her back, guided her through the restaurant to the door, out to his pickup.

* * *

Jayce closed Alyssa’s door and jogged around the bed of his truck to the driver’s door. He’d made it his mission to put aside the past for tonight and show Alyssa what life with him could be like. Not the money or the lavish date. But all the other things he could, and would give her if she’d only let him in. He intended to spoil her to the nines tonight, and when he was finished, if he’d managed to erase the haunted look that shadowed her eyes, he’d have succeeded.

He let himself inside the driver’s side and keyed the engine.
Her light citrusy perfume filled his head with more visceral images of all the things he intended to show her after they returned to her house. A glance her way, and the spark of desire that met his brief gaze said he wouldn’t meet much resistance.

As he backed out of his parking space, he clasped her hand.
She gave his fingers an affectionate squeeze. “Thank you, Jayce.”

“For?”

“You’ve made today a lot…better.”

He flashed her a grin.
“I’m not finished yet.”

A beat of silence passed, then she asked quietly, “Why are you doing all this?”

Because he was a damned fool and setting himself up to have his heart torn out and handed to him. But that was neither here nor there. He’d confessed enough fruitless truths to last a lifetime. Instead, he settled on, “You’ve had a long day, and I don’t want you dwelling on these assholes who are harassing you.”

“It’s a little hard not to think about them.”

He couldn’t resist smirking. “I think I know how to make you forget.”

Alyssa let out a soft laugh.
“I’m sure you do.” With a slight shake of her head, she chuckled again. “Do you remember the night before I took my SATs, and how much of a basket-case I was?”

Jayce found himself chuckling as well.
She’d been a frantic mess, convinced she wouldn’t score high enough to get into the University of Chicago. She had worked herself up to the point she was convinced she’d fail, which would make her a terrible mom, and he’d end up hating her for being a total loser. Tears, hysterics—the whole she-bang. “One of you finer moments,” he teased.

“You took me out for pizza and skeeball.”
Her laughter transformed into a rich melody. “And then you called Jordan to have her cover for you, so you could take me up on the mountain and break into that falling down cabin.”

“There was nothing wrong with that cabin.
You stopped worrying about passing the SATs.”

“I almost missed them.
You dropped me off three minutes before they locked the doors. And oh my God, my father didn’t let me out of the house for two weeks, after not coming home that night.”

Jayce squeezed her hand.
“It worked though.”

“Yeah.”
She chuckled once more, then added more quietly, “Yeah, it sure did. You’ve always known just what to do.” Her humor faded. “What if this isn’t just threats, Jayce? What if Parker comes after me? What if I come home some night and someone’s waiting for me?”

Turning the corner, he eased onto her street and did his best to keep his voice low and reassuring.
“Kane will make sure the security system won’t allow that to happen. Relax, baby doll. You’ve got the cops looking out for you, and you have me.”