Hard Target: Elite Ops - Book One (12 page)

She heard his barely controlled patience in the question. For the first time since she’d met him, she heard irritation directed toward her. It bothered her.

Still, she would be foolish to go with him if he were the source of her peril. Part of her cringed at the thought of being left by herself in this situation, but the self-preservation part argued it might be better to strike out alone. Being as far from Leland as possible could be the better way to go, for her and for Zach.

She wanted to say this diplomatically, as kindly as she could. But there wasn’t really a good way to put it, so she just blurted it out. “I don’t know, but it seems I might be safer without yo—” Glass at the window broke with a soft
psfft
sound.

“Get down!” Leland shouted as he rushed toward her, fast even with his boot. “That’s coming from the parking lot.”

Two more shots broke through the window and smacked the wall by the door,
thwunk
thwunk
, right where her head had been seconds before.

She hit the floor beside her half-packed suitcase, adrenaline kicking in and the argument to stay on her own forgotten. With shaking hands she tucked her clothes and toiletry case into the carry-on bag and zipped it closed, focusing on the zipper-pull to keep herself from completely panicking.

Her heart was beating so fast, surely it would pound out of her chest. Leland shoved her feet first between the bed and the wall next to the bathroom. “Get back there,” he commanded. He drew his revolver and crawled to the window to peer out of the curtains again.

She poked her head around the bed to watch and pulled her suitcase toward her. The bag had just become her security blanket. He didn’t stay at the window long but hurried to the door, listening before he cautiously opened it and slid his arm out into the hallway. He stuck his head out, then came back to her.

“There’s no one out there yet. Let’s go before they get up here.” He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder along with his backpack, leaving his hands free.

She nodded, no choice left but to believe him and follow. His reaction to her failed seduction earlier allowed her to trust him like she wouldn’t have otherwise. Despite her misgivings, apparently he really did want to help her, no strings attached. God knew it would be easier to leave her behind.

She climbed to her feet, grabbing her suitcase and purse to race behind him out the door in her pajamas and black flip-flops. Her life might be complete chaos, but by God, she’d have clean underwear.

It was unnaturally quiet. She sped behind him to the fire exit. The carpeted floor swallowed up their footsteps.

Leland’s gait was uneven in his boot, but it didn’t seem to slow him down. When he hit the crash bar at the end of the hallway, she heard the elevator door
ping
behind them and froze in her tracks. Suddenly she couldn’t move.

Leland didn’t hesitate or look back to see who was coming off the lift. He grabbed her free hand and pulled her through the doorway down the steps, only stopping when they cleared the stairwell at the side of the building. He peered around the edge of the cinderblock wall.

One man stood beside a Mercedes under the hotel portico. The passenger door was open, but there was no luggage. They didn’t appear to be checking in.

“Where is your car?” he whispered.

“Over there. A blue Camry,” she pointed behind them in the opposite direction from the Mercedes.

He studied the man a moment longer before tugging on her hand, and together they raced across the parking lot on the other side of the hotel. Even with his boot, he was moving faster than she was. Her breathing was ragged, and despite the earlier rain she could feel the leftover heat of the day seeping up from the asphalt.

It was the end of November, and yet the wildly variable Dallas temperature had hit eighty degrees this afternoon. She focused on exhaling and inhaling. If she thought about how scared she was, she’d freeze up again like she’d done in the hallway upstairs.

Perspiration coated her face and slid between her breasts, a combination of fear and sticky humidity. She expected a bullet between her shoulder blades at any second. Despite the earlier showers, the air still smelled like rain.

Her car’s keyless entry kept Leland from having to fumble with digging out the keys from his pocket. They reached the sedan at the same time. He tossed his things in the back seat. She pulled her bag into her lap and sat in the passenger seat, quietly closing the door.

Contrary to what she would have done, he started the car and crept from the parking lot at the opposite end of the hotel. The man with the Mercedes couldn’t even hear them from under the portico. When Leland pulled onto the street, he sped up but never gunned the engine.

Several blocks from the hotel her heart slowed to the point where she could finally speak without gasping for air. “Will that man follow us?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t think so. He had a partner. They may not know we’re gone yet.”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t, Anna. I’m just guessing from what I saw.”

She knew she was frustrating him, but she couldn’t stop her questions. “I’m not doubting your tactics, but you promised you’d answer all my questions when we were away. When we were safe.” He stopped at a red light. “You’re right. I did.” He took a deep breath and turned to face her. “What else do you want to know?”

“How did you know they were coming?”

“The informant I told you about showed up in my room next to yours. Right after we . . .” He trailed off.

She felt the blush creeping over her face and was grateful for the darkened car.

“Why did they shoot at you?”

“That’s an excellent question. With these men, I have no idea.”

“Where are we going now?”

“To friends of a friend.”

“More informants?” she asked.

He laughed in genuine amusement. “Not hardly.”

“Will we be safe? Shouldn’t I just let you drop me off somewhere else, and you can deal with your ‘issue’ on your own?”

His gaze pierced her. “Do you really want that, Anna? Do you think you’ll be able to manage on your own? You have a lot on your plate.” His voice was uncharacteristically cool.

Anger pricked along her backbone and her face felt hot for another reason entirely. She hated being reminded that she was in such a vulnerable position. “I don’t know, but the thought of your ‘friend’s friends’ scare me.”

“They’re ex-DEA and Special Forces in the security business. You’ll be safe.”

“How do you know?” she insisted.

He smiled. She could see his lips curving in the light of the dash and knew what he was going to say in that deep Southern drawl before he said it.

“You’re just going to have to trust me.”

Chapter Thirteen

A
NNA WAS SILENT
as Leland drove the rest of the way to Gavin’s office in West Plano. Leland assumed she was still thinking over whether she would be better off on her own. That was craziness, but he hoped she’d be coming to that conclusion herself.

He wasn’t surprised to find the AEGIS office situated in what would be considered a private aviation community. Gavin had told Leland about his unique office situation a while back. Walnut Creek Residential Airpark looked like any other gated North Dallas community, except where there would normally be garages and driveways, there were also hangars and taxiways.

Nick Donovan was standing beside the neighborhood’s security kiosk when they arrived at the gate and introduced himself to both Leland and Anna with a firm handshake. Dressed in cargo shorts and a tight black t-shirt with short hair casually mussed, the former SEAL looked like a walking advertisement for
GQ
magazine—even at this ungodly hour.

“Did you have any problem finding the place?” he asked Leland.

“No, Gavin sent me directions.”

“Good.”

The guard slid open his drive-through window and handed Donovan an electronic tablet, promptly shutting the window again without comment. A recent blockbuster was playing on the television screen situated alongside the security camera feeds from the subdivision. Nick was about to electronically sign the visitor’s logbook when Leland interrupted him.

“I don’t know what we’re dealing with here, so I’d rather not have a record of mine or Anna’s presence, even in a guard’s digital logbook.”

Nick didn’t raise an eyebrow. He simply nodded and typed into the register, then chatted with the guard when he opened the window to retrieve the tablet. The guard never looked at Leland or Anna, obviously anxious to get back to his movie.

“Welcome to Walnut Creek, Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” said Donovan.

Leland chuckled. “Went to a lot of trouble there I see.”

“Easier to remember,” said Nick, completely at ease. “Mind giving me a ride? I jogged down here after I got Gavin’s text.”

“Climb in,” offered Leland.

Nick shut the door to the back seat of the sedan and directed them down the street through the subdivision. Each house sat on an acre of property, with garages and one-plane hangars beside the residences. Short taxiways led directly from each home’s hangar to a 3500-foot private runway.

“Appreciate your meeting us. Did you have to drive far tonight?” asked Leland.

“No, I currently live here at the AEGIS office.”

Leland glanced at Nick in the rearview mirror. “How does that work?”

“Having the main office in the airpark is more convenient than being in a typical Dallas high rise or even a warehouse. The AEGIS teams are able to fly in and out with more discretion and less interference from the FAA since we’re over twenty-four miles from a municipal airport, and we aren’t required to have a tower. It’s the perfect location.”

Nick directed them to the back of the subdivision.

The house was a little unique in that it was built on stilts over the hangar and a three-car garage, all at the undeveloped end of a cul-de-sac surrounded by trees.

“Makes a lot more sense now,” said Leland.

Nick nodded and pulled a remote from his pocket. The garage door opened.

“Given the sensitive nature of our business and surveillance equipment, this isn’t a building that can be left unmanned on a predictable schedule or subjected to a leasing office and cleaning crews,” said Nick.

“Is it hard to stay covert in this kind of neighborhood?” asked Leland.

Nick shrugged. “The population consists mainly of executives who fly back and forth to work each day or retired individuals who just like to fly. The residents assume I travel for a living. They’ve finally stopped trying to include me in the homeowner’s association or to set me up on blind dates and have just left me alone.” He got out of the back seat and headed to the door.

Anna didn’t move. She’d been silent since Nick introduced himself. Leland suspected she was still stewing over their earlier discussion about the ambush being his fault and having nothing to do with Max Mercado or Zach’s disappearance.

He’d been right not to tell her of the possible connection, and that was a generous way to look at what he’d done. He’d told her what he hoped was true. The ambush at the hotel had nothing to do with Zach’s kidnapping or the cartels.

Basically, he’d lied.

But he didn’t yet understand the possible cartel connection himself, and she would still be peppering him with questions in that hotel room if he hadn’t said what he had and gotten her the hell out of there. When he did finally own up to this, she was never going to trust him again.

But keeping her safe trumped being truthful.

And leaving her to fend for herself was out of the question. He wanted to be sympathetic, but the idea of her on her own was insane. He had no patience for that. “We’ll be safe here,” he offered.

She nodded. “I suppose so, for now.”

Nick was at the back door, a bit of impatience in his stance as well. Leland couldn’t blame him. They had gotten the man out of bed at two
AM
.

“Let’s go.” Leland tugged the keys from the ignition.

Anna slid out of the car, pulling her bag along with her.

She didn’t speak to either of them as she walked around Nick and made her way indoors.

“Friendly much?” murmured Nick under his breath. Which was totally unfair.

Leland felt the need to defend her. “She’s had a helluva a rough evening. Give her a break.”

She needed time to rest and wrap her head around everything that was happening at warp speed, not some
GQ
jackass getting his panties in a wad because she didn’t fall all over him.

“Gavin said you were in a bind,” said Nick.

“The man has a flair for understatement.”

Donovan tilted his head. “Indeed.”

“Let’s just say that it’s been a long night. Here’s the note.” Leland had slipped it into a plastic dry-cleaning bag from the hotel. “I doubt you’ll find anything, but—”

“You never know till we try,” finished Nick.

Anna stood silently in the entry, her exhaustion and the day itself evidently catching up with her. Leland empathized. His ankle throbbed like a bitch. Jogging down the fire exit stairwell twice tonight and then racing across the asphalt had not been good to him. He needed Vicodin now, but after the catastrophe at the hotel he was concerned about it affecting his judgment.

“Gavin told me a little,” continued Donovan. “I imagine you’re both wiped. I’ve only got one guest room outfitted with a bed. Everything else is office space, but you’re welcome to it. I know you’ve got to get to the bank before we fly out tomorrow. We’ll shoot for an early afternoon departure and talk details in the morning. Okay?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Leland felt Anna tense beside him as Donovan led them toward the stairs and the guest room.

“I’ll sleep on a sofa, Anna. You can have the bed.”

She nodded. Leland mulled over her silence. This was all moving so fast. He wasn’t sure if she was shutting down, allowing the shock to overtake her, or if she was still rethinking staying with him. Whatever it was, she needed to lie down before she collapsed.

“Sorry, no sofas. Loveseat okay?” asked Nick on the way through the living area with nary a sofa in sight.