Rekindled (Titanium Security Series) (11 page)

But he merely nodded, as though resigned to the idea. “I know. We’ll figure something out.”

Within two days, while he worked around the clock on a critical manhunt and worrying about her security? She glanced over at him, her gaze sweeping over his strong profile. He was as powerful as ever, maybe even more than he had been four years ago. Mombasa had changed him. Hardened him. Somehow that only added to his appeal, and it annoyed the hell out of her. Even now it was impossible to ignore the emotional connection between them.

When they stopped at a traffic light Alex turned his head and leveled his stare at her. His eyes burned with male interest and an unmistakable possessive light. Tension simmered between them, full of repressed need and old hurts that needed healing. God help her, deep down there was still a part of her that wanted to heal them. For closure, she told herself. “Do you trust me, Grace?” he asked quietly.

She knew he meant more than at that moment, more than him watching over her now, and there was no way she was ready to go there again. There’d been too much damage, and too much time and distance to repair it. But as far as putting her life into his hands? There was only one answer she could give him. “Yes. I trust you.”

Grace sat up in Alex’s hotel room waiting for him to bring the other team members in to meet her. When they’d first arrived almost two hours ago he’d brought her bags in, told her to get settled, then taken her phone and left. She’d unpacked a little, but it felt weird to be here among Alex’s personal things. Especially when faced with the wide king size bed he’d slept in.  The act of placing her toothbrush next to his at the bathroom sink seemed so intimate, and slightly bizarre considering she was in his inner sanctum but wasn’t his lover anymore. That single, unforgettable night they’d shared before the attack was the most bittersweet of memories.

She occupied herself by reviewing the files in her briefcase. They’d been more than two-thirds of the way through the agenda when Alex’s call had hauled her out of the meeting. By now her team had wrapped everything up and were probably having lunch somewhere. Her stomach rumbled. How long was she going to have to wait in here? With the security scare, room service definitely wasn’t an option.

At the sound of the keycard sliding into the lock followed by an electronic beep, she set her papers aside and faced the door. Alex walked in, two large men right behind him, the ones she’d seen at the accident site yesterday.

“Got you some lunch,” Alex told her, handing her a Styrofoam container full of something that smelled aromatic and delicious. “Chicken curry over rice, mild on the spices.”

It shouldn’t have surprised her that he remembered her aversion to spicy food. Her mouth was already watering from the heavenly aroma. “Thanks.” She looked at the other men.

“This is Hunter,” Alex said, gesturing to the built, dark-haired man, “and this is Gage.” He nodded at the big redhead who’d been driving the SUV yesterday. “Hunt was a SEAL and now co-owns Titanium Security. Gage is former SF, like me. They’re my personal security detail and will fill in watching over you if I can’t.”

Grace smiled and murmured a friendly greeting to the newcomers. “Am I the only one eating?”

“We ate earlier,” Alex answered for the others, and pulled a phone out of his pocket. “Use this one from now on. It’s encrypted, and we already loaded all your contacts into it. I took the battery and SIM card out of your phone to disable it in case anyone was trying to track you with the signal. You’ll get it back once Hassani’s in custody.”

He sounded confident that it would happen, and some of her anxiety faded. “And what about the meeting with…?” She trailed off, glancing at Gage and Hunter, unsure how much she could say.

“Don’t worry about watching what you say with these guys, they’re already up to speed on everything. We’ll make sure you attend the meeting. As soon as you eat I’m going to run over to your hotel and have a chat with your team’s security guys. You can come if you want to talk to your colleagues.  Hunter and Gage will shadow us on the way there before they have to leave for a recon job.”

“And you’ll need to wear this,” Hunter added, lifting and holding out a bullet-proof vest. “Smallest I could find, but it might be a bit big on you.”

Grace stared at it for a second, her pulse picking up at the physical reminder of the threat. A phantom pain arced through her belly where the long-healed scars were. “Thanks,” she murmured, and took it from him. Normally she only had to wear this while in a known combat zone or during the actual inspection of chemical weapons facilities.

“Put it on under your shirt, so it’s less noticeable,” Alex told her.

Not about to argue, Grace grabbed a T-shirt to wear beneath the vest so it wouldn’t abrade her skin, then headed into the bathroom to change. In the mirror her face looked pale, her eyes tired. When she emerged, all three men were waiting by the door.

“Can hardly tell you’re wearing it,” Gage said in a Southern drawl, giving her an easy smile that put her more at ease. She guessed he was the friendly one of the security team. “Now Alex can relax a little and stop ordering you around for a bit.”

“Thanks, but I won’t hold my breath on that last part,” she said, returning the smile.

“Can you eat on the way?” Alex asked. “I wanna get going on this.”

“Yeah, sure.” She picked up the container.

When she turned back Alex was studying her, searching her eyes as if he could see the fear she kept buried inside. “You can stay here if you’d rather.”

“No, I need to talk to Dr. Travis.”

Apparently satisfied by her answer, he nodded once. “Let’s go.”

She ate as Alex drove her back to her hotel. Hunter and Gage followed close behind in another SUV and the other vehicle of security personnel from earlier stayed behind them. All the men wore earpieces to communicate but thankfully the trip was uneventful. Alex led her into the lobby while Hunter and Gage trailed behind them and whoever was in the third vehicle stayed in the parking lot. Though the weight of the tactical vest was comforting, it was Alex’s presence that truly made her feel safe. If he’d been with her the night of the attack in Mombasa, part of her still believed she might never have been shot in the first place. He’d have known what to do, how to protect her and get her out of there.

At the elevators Alex nodded at Hunter and Gage, then ushered her inside the car. They rode in silence to the floor where the inspection team was staying, with her vividly conscious of the man standing beside her. An almost electrical tingle of awareness flowed over her skin and when he put a hand on the small of her back just below the bottom of the vest, heat kindled low in her belly. His hand was warm, the touch both protective and proprietary and she felt that simple contact right down to her toes.

The elevator dinged as it reached their floor and the doors opened. Expelling a breath, Grace stepped out after Alex with his guiding hand firm against her lower back. “Where’s Travis’s room?” he asked.

“Across the hall from mine.” She knocked on his door. She’d called him before driving over, so she knew he was expecting them. Dr. Travis pulled open the door. He glanced from her to Alex, his shrewd blue eyes measuring him before stepping back so they could come in.

“So, does this mean everything’s cleared up then?” he asked.

“Unfortunately not.” She looked over her shoulder at Alex, unsure how much she was allowed to divulge.

“There’s an ongoing investigation right now,” he said to Travis.

“With Hassani,” Travis answered.

Alex frowned, and Grace was impressed by her colleague’s insightfulness. Alex didn’t surprise easily. “How do you know about that?”

Travis shrugged. “I’m a reasonably intelligent guy.”

Said one of the most brilliant and respected scientists on the planet. Grace hid a smile.

Alex’s hand pressed harder against her back. “Does the rest of your team know?”

“That Hassani’s missing? Yes. But they don’t know Grace’s having to leave has anything to do with it.”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it that way.”

Travis measured him for a moment in silence, then nodded. His gaze shifted to Grace. “So, how are you holding up? What’s the plan?”

“I’m okay. Alex just wants me to keep a low profile until Hassani’s caught, that’s all. He said we can figure out a way for me to attend the meeting with the Syrians.”

“Good, because I can’t do this without you.” He opened his mouth to say something else but a knock on the door interrupted him. “That must be David. I asked him to come.” He strode to the door and let her assistant in.

David smiled in relief when he saw her, then his face tightened in surprise when he looked at Alex. The two men seemed to size each other up for a moment and Grace immediately stepped into the awkward lapse by introducing them. They shook hands, but Alex’s expression was far from friendly. Letting the other man know without a word that he was the one in charge.

“I’ve got to meet with your security team,” Alex said as he set his hand against her back again. The move was territorial and the other two men couldn’t have missed the statement, but for some reason the show of possessiveness didn’t irritate Grace the way it should have. “I’ll text you once I’m done,” he said to her. “You guys go ahead and catch up on whatever you missed at the meeting. I’ll post someone outside the door.”

Grace nodded, her breath catching a little at the longing in his eyes as he gazed down at her. It brought back all the good memories of him in Kenya that she’d tucked away, reminded her of how intense he’d always been with her from that first kiss in the courtyard garden next to the bubbling fountain. Grace remembered that sizzling moment when she’d first felt those powerful arms around her, when she’d experienced his iron self-control and the blazing passion he’d roused within her so effortlessly as he’d covered her mouth with his and made her head spin.

“I’ll see you soon,” he murmured, his tone intimate. As he pulled away he grazed his fingers over the thin fabric of her shirt below the bottom of the vest in a tantalizing caress that left tingles in its wake.

Blocking the distracting sensation and the flood of memories it evoked, she faced her colleagues as the door shut behind Alex. “All right, bring me up to speed on what I missed.”

They sat around a small circular table to discuss everything. David pulled out the minutes to review and they reviewed the notes and other remaining concerns about the meeting with the Syrians.

“If I can’t be there in person, I guess video conference is the best we can do,” she murmured.

“That won’t work,” Dr. Travis said flatly. “Too many security leaks and the Syrians will never okay it. We need you at that meeting.”

She was well aware of the possible consequences of her absence. She was a self-professed control freak. They’d worked so long and so hard securing this meeting, the thought of not being there killed her. “Alex will do whatever he can to make that happen, but if it doesn’t work out, the rest of you will have to go ahead without me.” She hated even thinking of that option, but it might be the only one available to them. She wasn’t going to lose her life over this or put other people at risk by being there. “Let’s just go over everything again to take my mind off it, okay?”

They spent almost an hour reviewing their strategy, arguments and counterarguments. Everyone knew the timing of this dismantling program was vital. The faster the chemical weapons stores were destroyed, the better. They were just wrapping up when her phone buzzed with a text from Alex. She responded that she was ready, and stood.

Dr. Travis surprised her by giving her a quick hug. He paused when he noticed the vest she wore beneath her shirt. “You be careful,” he admonished.

“I will be.”

David hugged her next, his reaction far less subtle when he felt the vest. He released her, his brows shooting up. “Is that really necessary?”

“Just for now,” she said evasively, wanting to ease the worry she read on his face.

Alex showed up a moment later, spoke briefly to Dr. Travis, then stepped close to her and slipped his arm around her waist. He tugged slightly until she brushed against his side. “Your security team’s been briefed about everything they need to know. I’ll arrange for backup if they want it. If anything else comes up I’ll update them personally.” He looked down at her, those silver eyes heating. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

He kept his hand on her waist on the way to the elevator but once they stepped inside and the doors closed, it seemed too intimate and she pulled away to put some space between them. He didn’t say anything but she could feel that assessing gaze on her all the way down to the lobby. As soon as the doors whooshed open she stepped forward, but he stopped her by slinging that strong arm back around her waist and stepping in front of her.

“You can ignore the pull between us if you want, but your safety comes first and that means you stick close to me,” he murmured close to her ear, the feel of his warm breath against her skin making her shiver. His hand tightened on the curve of her waist, his lean fingers flexing there, reminding her of what it felt like when he gripped her tight and worked himself in and out of her body.

He was in full defensive mode as he escorted her out to the waiting SUV. Gage and Hunter were already gone, off on whatever recon assignment Alex had sent them on, but the other vehicle with another security detail was still there to watch their backs. The drive back to Alex’s hotel was quiet and tense, the unspoken sexual tension between them impossible to ignore.

“So, you get everything tied up?”

Given her train of thought, his choice of wording made her blush because it reminded her of the way he’d dominated her during that single night of blisteringly hot sex. He’d used the belt from her robe to tie her wrists to the bedpost, and she’d been only too happy to let him. She’d never have guessed that surrendering to a man that way would turn her on, but Alex had damn near melted her from the inside out with his addictive mix of control and tenderness. She longed to feel that freedom and release again. “For the most part. Any word yet on Hassani?”