Intensity (11 page)

“His house?” An itching settled between her shoulder
blades, and she wished for a weapon.

“Yes, ma’am. He requested I be there to pick you up
and bring you over.”

How’d he know when and where I was coming
home?
“How long have you worked for Admiral Davies?”

“Three years, ma’am.”

“And I’ve never seen you before, why?”

His smile was easy. “It’s my job to blend in,
ma’am.”

And it was hers to spot those who did.
They
turned off a main road and onto a smaller two-lane road.
Rock
Creek Park?

They may have made it strict practice not to meet at
his place, but she was well aware of how to get to his house. And
this wasn’t it. She leaned back against the seat and nodded. “Why
don’t you tell me what Fith wants with me?”

His eyes met hers, and she moved before
understanding could seep into them. She lunged at him, grabbing him
around the neck and choking him. He punched back, landing a few on
her face as they swerved all over the road. The man pressed the
gas, shooting them forward where they hit a patch of ice and spun
before rolling.

Her world went black, for a moment, but she came to
when the man in the front seat attempted to move. Ignoring the pain
in her shoulder, she grabbed the back of his suit and yanked him
close where she elbowed him hard in the jaw, knocking him back out,
cold. Slithering out through the window, she winced at the
injuries. She turned back to the vehicle, its wheels still spun in
the air, and the scent of gas permeated the air.

“I should leave your ass here.” She ducked back in
and pulled out the man, grunting as she struggled for purchase on
the snow and ice.

Once they were a safe distance, she reached for her
phone and dialed a number. The vehicle blew while she was waiting
for the call to be answered.

“‘
Sup, Bug?”

She breathed hard and gazed about. “Fixate on my
location and send me a pick up. SitRep—injured, bleeding, and one
prisoner.” She moved her jacket aside and frowned at the growing
stain of blood on her left side, darkening her tan shirt.

“The fuck? Hang on.” Furious typing before Mucker,
another of her team—their ginger Irishman, their tech guru—came
back on the line. “They’re inbound. It’s going to be close to an
hour. You be okay for that time?”

“I can’t stay here by the burning car. I don’t know
if he was working alone or not. We’re moving. Just”—another glance
at the bleeding—“make it quick.” Hanging up, she shoved her phone
in her pocket. Going over the man with her, she took his sidearm,
checked it, and felt better having it in hand. With his shoelaces,
she bound his hands and had to stop several times to catch her
breath. Her body burned.

They moved slowly, her energy depleting faster than
she could recover. The cold helped slow the blood flow, but she was
still losing too much, and she knew if Fith’s men found the crash,
tracking her would be a snap.

The only thing in her favor was the sun had gone
down, so unless they had night vision on them, they would be using
flashlights. That alone would give her a heads up before they
reached her.

Exhausted, she sank to a tree trunk at the edge of a
clearing. After checking to make sure the man at her side was still
out and secure, she used her free hand to touch the injury. Broken
rib that had punctured through. She could only pray it hadn’t
gotten to a major blood vessel.

Spots had begun to flicker before her eyes when she
heard the familiar
whoomp whoomp
of a helicopter.
God
love you, Mucker.
She struggled to gain her feet only to give
up and remain on the cold ground, pistol pressed up to the man at
her side.

“Bug? I’ve got her, up here to the right.” Windy’s
voice was music to her ears. The light hurt her eyes, but she
didn’t care.

Windy crouched before her while Owl and Liver took
the other man. He moved her jacket aside and shook his head. “This
is what happens when you take vacations without us.”

She licked her dry lips. “Noted.” A few deep painful
breaths. “We secure?”

He nodded in the light. “We got you, Bug.”

“Good.” She passed out.

αβ

Sarah opened her eyes and groaned. There wasn’t an
inch of her that didn’t hurt.

“Want me to get the doctor?”

She cut her gaze to the left and found Shea waiting
there. Her friend was in civvies and looked exhausted.

“Shea?”

“Let me fill you in before you ask. You’re in
Bethesda, three broken ribs, so damn lucky you didn’t puncture your
lung or something else vital. You’ve been here for a week now.”

“I don’t remember anything.”

“You’ve been in and out of consciousness since they
brought you here.”

“My mom?”

“Doesn’t know.”

“I have to get home and see her.”

She tried to sit up, but Shea shook her head. “Don’t
move.”

The doctor showed up, and once she left, there was
another knock on the door. Cooler stood there, his hat in hand.
Also, dressed in civilian clothing. He walked in and approached the
bed. His normally bland eyes were hard as flint, and she couldn’t
even begin to say how happy she was not to be on the shit end of
the storm he would be creating.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been fucked. Who was he?”

Cooler flicked his gaze to Shea, who shook her head
and stood.

“I get it. I’m not needed for this part. I’ll be
back later, let you two talk. Coffee?” When Cooler nodded, Shea
reached out and squeezed her arm. “Back in a bit.”

When they were alone, Sarah looked back at her CO.
“Well?”

The man sat at her side and inhaled deeply. “It is a
man who works for Fith.”

“Who is he?” Her palms burned with the need to wrap
around the asshole’s neck. “I should have reacted sooner. I
shouldn’t have let it get as far as it did.”

“Don’t go there. Davies wants to come see you.”

She immediately shook her head. “Tell him to stay
away. The car blew up, so by all accounts, I could be dead.”

“Not anymore. You’re in Bethesda. Fith will know
you’re alive.”

“I can leave, right?”

Cooler nodded. “Yes, I asked they keep you a bit
longer for observation. You can go if you feel better enough to
head home.”

Home. That would be a nice thing. Go see her mother
and relax.

“I’d like to go. Don’t suppose you’d allow me on my
bike, right now, would you?”

“Not happening.” Shea’s tone was sharp and decisive.
“I’m driving you home.”

She’d not even heard her friend come back in. “What
about—”

“I’m on leave. No room for arguing. You won’t have
to drive in my car, and it’s about time I meet your mother.”

Cooler grunted. “I’ll patch you in on more and let
the Admiral know you’re okay.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He squeezed her shoulder and walked out, taking the
coffee on his way. Shea took her seat once more and reclined back.
“When do you want to leave?”

“This place? As soon as I can get some pants on. Not
heading out in this with my ass hanging out the back of the
gown.”

Shea lifted a bag from beside her chair. “Had some
here the entire time. Just waiting on you.”

Sitting slowly, Sarah took some careful breaths and
realized it was okay; she would survive this, after all. With
Shea’s help, she got dressed and eventually got checked out of the
hospital. Together, they walked out, and she shook her head when
she saw Shea’s car.

“How is it you can get away with parking right up
there?”

“I’m special,” Shea replied.

“So many things I could say to that,” she
muttered.

“Shut up and get your ass in the car.”

She sank into the comfort of the interior and
groaned as the heat rose up into her. Shea joined her, shifted into
gear, and pulled smoothly away from the hospital. Music played
softly around her and Sarah watched through lidded eyes as the
snowy landscape went by.

When they merged onto Interstate 95, Shea sped up,
zipping around those who were scared by the snow falling.

“Did you really think you would be riding your bike
down here? In your condition?”

“The thought had crossed my mind.”

“You’re stubborn and crazy.”

“Good traits to have, I would say.”

“Sure.” Shea sent her a pointed look. “Now, that
we’re here, away from prying eyes and listening ears, why don’t you
tell me why you’re hanging out with a man from Recon who seems to
know you very well and care deeply for you.”

Shit. Should have known she would’ve picked up on
that.

Shea drove straight through as they talked. Once
back in Cottonwood Falls, Sarah directed Shea to her house. After
convincing her mom that all was fine and it was just a car
accident, Sarah crawled into bed.

Two days later, she was strolling around the town
square with Shea. The morning had brought rain, but it had since
passed on. The warmer temperatures were nice. She—and Shea—were
passing time until her mom finished running errands.

She stopped to tie her boot when her phone rang. She
answered it as she watched a helicopter coming in.
Odd.

“Hello?”

“Captain, it’s Davies.”

She smiled. “Yes, sir?”

“How are you?”

What the hell is a chopper doing landing here in
the middle of town?
She shared a look with Shea, who appeared
just as confused, given the way her face had drawn tight.

“Surviving.” The sleek black door opened, and two
men hopped out.
Damn!
“What can I do for you?”

She’d pitched her voice to be heard over the loud
rotors. One of the men had blondish hair and never-ending muscles
along with the cocky assuredness she connected to military men. The
other maintained a similar expression with a slighter build and
brown hair.

“I wanted to let you know,” Davies said. “First,
that you’re being promoted up to Major Mallery. I don’t want to
hear any arguments; it’s in motion. Come by and pick up your new
pins. Then, there’s something else, which I wish I didn’t have to
tell you. But I do, so here goes. Everything was a setup.”

A major?
His words took her attention from
the gorgeous men gazing about and the one approaching them—Grey.
“What was?”

“The addition of the SEAL in that op over in
Hamburg. He wants to bring us down and sent in him as a spy, to
glean how we worked.”

Ice coated her veins. “And my accident?”

He sighed. “You were to be bait for the others. To
be exposed as renegades without respect for the rules, they would
have been accused of going off half cocked and getting you
killed.”

Her gaze snapped back to the man she’d been
considering staying with after their two weeks on the island. Right
now, it was anger that surged through her with an unrelenting
force.

“I’ll be right back,” she said to Shea. “Thank you,
sir. For the information.” She ended the call.

Sarah strode toward Grey, pain from her injury no
longer a concern. Ignoring the two men approaching from the left,
she went straight up to Grey and stopped.

He quirked a brow at her, the twinkle in his eyes
creating a flutter in her gut despite her anger. The joy segued
into confusion. Behind Grey, she spied not only her mother who’d
come out to see this chopper but also Chase.

“Mallery,” Grey said.

“Out of everything low and conniving, I never
thought you’d stoop so damn low.”

“Are you ready to go, Commander?” the blond
interrupted.

“Hold on, sir.” Grey reached for her, and she didn’t
even attempt to hide the wince. “You were injured?”

“All the sweet talking, the romance, the sex. You
SEALs really go all out to get your information.” She glared up at
him. “To think I even
considered
falling for your lines.”
She trembled with the force of her rage, and she stepped closer
still. “You risked the lives of my men and me.”

His brow furrowed. “What the hell are you talking
about and what happened that you got injured?”

“Commander,” the man insisted.

“Wait one,” she snapped, not taking her eyes off
Grey. She narrowed her eyes on his face. “Sign the motherfucking
divorce papers.” She whirled away, only to whip back and punch him
in the jaw, rocking him back on his heels. She felt a tear and knew
she was now bleeding. The way Grey honed in on her shirt, he’d
noticed it, as well. She blinked away the stinging tears as she
walked away from the man who’d not only stolen her heart all those
years ago but was the same man who’d betrayed her.

Grey saw stars. Sarah had one hell of a strike. His
mind whirred with everything he’d not only just heard but seen. The
blood on her shirt, extremely disturbing.

“Commander, we have to go now.”

Grey looked in the cornflower eyes of Captain Scott
Harrington, leader of the famed Megalodon Team. “I have to—”

“Hold up.”

Grey turned his attention to the approaching man,
Chase Ellery. He gazed past the scowling man to Sarah’s mother—his
mother-in-law—and on to the retreating figure of his wife.

“What, Ellery?”

“What did you do to my Sarah?”

Grey snapped. He yanked the man up by his shirt,
distantly aware through the red haze encompassing him that Chase
had mimicked the action, not the least bit fazed.

“That woman isn’t your
anything
,” he ground
out. “Sarah Mallery,” he glanced to her mother, “is
my
wife.”

“Commander!”

“Coming, sir.” He released Chase and jogged to the
waiting bird, swiping his bag on the way. His heart was torn, but
he was first and foremost a SEAL. He joined Harrier and Cade inside
and drew on the headset as the door slammed shut while they lifted
off.

“So,” Cade said, drawing his attention. “You’re
married to Major Mallery.”