Sweet Revenge (15 page)

twelve

Dylan turned when Jamie stepped onto the porch. He’d been out here for over an hour, trying to come to terms with what he knew he had to do.

“Oh, wow, it’s a beautiful day. Looks like spring is finally here.”

Funny, he hadn’t even noticed that the sun was out or that the temperature was probably already in the forties. Warmer weather meant more training time outdoors. It also meant that time was running out and the training was going to get even tougher. Was she ready for it?

“Let’s have a light breakfast and head out to the obstacle course. You need to run it at least half a dozen times today.”

Instead of arguing with him, challenging him, or giving him one of her smart-ass responses, she did something completely unexpected. She reached up and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. “Sounds good. I’ll go make us some oatmeal and toast.”

He should have stopped her right there, told her that today couldn’t be a repeat of yesterday. Instead, he stood mute as she turned and went back inside. Yesterday, she’d been beautiful. Today, she was something more. Not only was she glowing, she looked relaxed and confident … happy. How the hell could he take that away?

Once they were on the course and she had a successful day behind her, then he would talk with her. She needed to know that the next few weeks would be the toughest yet and that there was no way in hell they could continue as lovers. He refused to regret yesterday, but damned if he’d have cause to regret today.

The cellphone vibrated in his pocket. Checking to make sure she’d gone back inside, he looked at the display before he answered and was puzzled. McCall’s normal check-in day was tomorrow. “What’s up?”

“Just got the word. He’s scheduled his first market day.”

“When?”

“Three weeks from Tuesday.”

“How do we know?”

“He put the word out to his contacts.”

“You got a plan yet?”

“Yeah, I’ll need you to come here for a briefing.”

“When?”

“Next Tuesday.”

“And then?”

“Then you’re on the op.”

Dylan closed his eyes. “So that gives me seven days.”

“Seven days to find out what she’s hiding. I can send Aidan to complete her training.”

An unexpected and off-the-wall surge of jealousy went through Dylan. Aidan Thorne was as capable as any LCR operative, and Dylan trusted him with his life; but the thought of the man coming here to train Jamie slammed him hard. He’d heard more than one female LCR employee sigh over Thorne’s golden-blond good looks and the charm that went with them.

In the next instant, he silently cursed himself. He had no hold on Jamie’s life, and having her prepared for any threat in the future was his main concern. When the hell had he gotten so selfish?

“Thorne’s a good trainer,” Dylan said flatly.

McCall didn’t even try to hide his amusement. “Or I could send Livingston instead.”

At the thought of the no-holds-barred daredevil Jared Livingston having anything to do with Jamie’s training, Dylan snapped out a “Hell no.” The last thing he wanted was for Jamie to start believing she was invincible, which was apparently how Livingston saw himself.

“Send Thorne. She’ll feel easier around him. Besides, she’s almost ready … two, three weeks tops should round out her training.”

“You think you can get what you need before you leave?”

His thoughts as bleak as the landscape before him, he watched a large clump of melting snow crash from a tree branch to the ground. Before yesterday, he’d been her trainer. Gathering any intel she might be keeping from them went with the territory. But that was before he’d slept with her, before she’d trusted him with her body. As lovers, they might share confidences that wouldn’t ordinarily be given. If he used their new relationship to find out what she was hiding, he’d go a thousand miles past being a bastard. But if he didn’t use any and all means to get the information and Jamie ended up getting killed? Hell, there was no choice. He’d take her hatred any day over having something happen to her.

His voice grim, he answered, “I’ll get it.”

“Think you’ll be able to convince her not to try anything by herself?”

“Yeah, I can do that, too.” Dylan closed his phone, the heaviness in his chest caused by something more than the impending dread of doing what he had to do to get the truth. Seven days from today, he’d be leaving Jamie for good.

Jamie stood at the starting line and stretched out her muscles. Energized and ready to go, she could barely wait till Dylan finished clearing the course. Her entire being felt wired, almost electrified. The difference between yesterday and now was amazing. Maybe she’d needed a fall through the ice to wake her up, but she knew that wasn’t the cause for her change. That reason was in front of her, his expression once again grim and unwelcoming.

She hadn’t asked him about the future. The moment she’d walked out and seen that forbidding look back on his face, she’d chickened out, but damned if she’d pretend that last night hadn’t happened. It had been an amazing experience and one she wanted to repeat frequently. So instead, she’d changed tactics, and so far, it was working. She had thrown Dylan so completely off balance, he had no idea how to respond.

Kissing him this morning had been an irresistible impulse … the expression on his face had been priceless. The discovery was unbelievably exciting. Dylan might continue his gruff, austere front, but Jamie knew that’s all it was—a façade. They would never go back to the way things were before … she wouldn’t let them. From now on, every time he made a terse or aggravating comment, she would do what she’d done this morning. She would kiss that grim mouth and know a secret no one else knew.

“You ready?”

She nodded. At his “Go!” she shot off, leaping over hurdles, running through tires, swinging on the rope that had defeated her yesterday. Everything she did felt fabulous and new, as if she had a different body, a new spirit. Her focus total, she soared over the last hurdle, landed on the other side, and turned to Dylan, waiting for what she knew would be her best time yet.

“Eighty-nine seconds. You beat your record by nine seconds.”

Shouting her glee, she ran toward Dylan, who had no choice but to open his arms as she flung herself at him. As his arms closed around her, she hugged him hard. Once again she knew she’d thrown him for a loop, but keeping him off-kilter was even more exciting than beating her time. Suddenly she felt as if there was nothing she couldn’t do.

Though he held her tight, he didn’t return the hug. That was okay with her. This was something he would get used to. Pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, she dropped her arms, and Dylan dropped his quickly, too.

“Eighty-nine seconds isn’t a record, you know.”

She grinned. “For me it is. Didn’t you say that’s the only thing that counts? That I’m only in competition with myself?”

Clearly not appreciating her using his words against him, he scowled at her. “Do it again.”

She nodded. “Gladly.” And with that, she went back to the starting point and waited for his signal. If he thought he could put her in a bad mood or get her off her game, he was wrong. She’d show him.

At his shout of “Go!” she was off again.

Though he kept his focus on her form, Dylan couldn’t help but move his gaze up from time to time and watch her face. He’d never seen her so focused or sure of herself. She was running the course like a pro. And dammit, if she threw herself at him or kissed him one more time, he was going to … Dylan sighed. He was going to kiss her back.

He should’ve talked to her this morning at breakfast. He was her trainer; she was his trainee. They couldn’t have this kind of intimate relationship; it would throw everything out of balance. He ignored the little voice inside him that said she was performing much better than she had when they’d been snarling at each other. “Inappropriate” seemed an old-fashioned term, but it was the only one he could come up with. It was totally inappropriate for her to fling herself at him or tease him. He had to put a stop to it.

He clicked the watch as soon as she landed from her last jump.
Hell
. “One second faster than last time. What’s gotten into you?”

Giving him a sultry, confident look, she walked slowly toward him. Dylan’s heart pounded and his body tightened, going stone hard. She stopped inches from him and said softly, “What’s gotten into me? I would think that’s an obvious answer.”

He wanted to respond with sexy banter, laugh at her obvious sexual innuendo. Hell, he wanted to pull her against him and feast upon that sweetly curving mouth. If he did that, he was done for. There was no going back. If they didn’t return to their old, distant relationship, he’d never be able to do what had to be done. She was already going to hate him. Damned if he’d give her even more reasons.

“What the hell do you think is going on here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Jamie, yesterday can’t happen again. You do understand that, don’t you?”

There was only a small flicker of hurt in her eyes before that chin, delicate but oh so damned stubborn, rose. “Excuse me, but I don’t believe I’ve stripped off my clothes and jumped on your sexy body, have I?”

“No, but—”

“But nothing. Dylan, if you can’t handle a little harmless flirting, that’s your problem. Not mine.”

And with those words, she turned and walked to the truck. Not looking back, she said, “I’m going to get some water. Want some?”

Arousal pounded through him with every step she took. He should’ve known that Jamie’s smart mouth and sass would see her through. She’d just turned the tables and made it all about him and his hang-ups. Problem was, he wasn’t so sure she wasn’t right.

His fists came at her hard and fast. Jamie blocked each one with her arms, whirled, and threw a sidekick, knocking Dylan in the chest. He scooted out of the way and came at her again.

With each successive move, he grew more aggressive, and though he got in a few hits, she was able to deflect the majority of them.

Their training had gotten tougher in the last couple of days. If he’d been grim-faced before, now he was granite hard. No amount of banter, teasing, or even the occasional unexpected kiss moved him. He didn’t push her away … he just didn’t respond.

No way could she deny the hurt. What she had hoped was something special to him had turned out to be what she’d feared—nothing but a crazy, impulsive act that he was determined not to repeat. When they weren’t training, he kept himself separate from her. And though they still sat together at mealtimes, there was almost no talking. When she did ask a question or even tried to start an argument, she got grunts and the occasional one-word answer.

“Let’s call it a day.”

She jerked at the news. “It’s only a little after five.”

“We need to talk.”

Were there ever any more chilling words than those? Every time someone said that, it was never “We need to talk because you just won the lottery” or “You just got a big raise.” It was always, always bad news.

“What?”

“Let’s go upstairs.”

“No, if you have something to say, I’d just as soon you say it right now.”

That damn brow arched again. “Come upstairs.” And with that, he turned and headed to the stairway.

She was tempted to stay put just to spite him, but since she wanted to know what it was they needed to talk about, she had no choice. Which, of course, he knew.

Following him up the stairs, she watched him head to the living room and stand in front of the fireplace. Since it’d gotten much warmer outside, Dylan had stopped building a fire. Now the area looked cold and uninviting—much like the demeanor of the dark, brooding man who stood in front of it.

Perched on the edge of a chair, she looked expectantly up at him, waiting for him to deliver what she already knew was going to be disturbing news.

“Reddington’s resuming business.”

This was his news? Of all the things he could have told her, this was the least surprising. She had known that Reddington would get back to business at some point. This news didn’t change her plans at all. Yes, she hated that hapless victims were being bartered like cattle, but her focus was on the endgame: putting the man behind bars forever.

She shrugged. “We knew it was coming.”

“I thought you’d be more upset.”

“If there was something I could do about it right now, I would. There’s not.”

“But you do still intend to try to do something, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

His eyes narrowed, as if to pierce through her resistance. “You told Noah that you’d reveal your plans once you went through training. He’s kept his end of the bargain. Don’t you think it’s time you did, too?”

“Is my training over?”

“Almost.”

“Almost is not the same as over.”

“And you promise you’ll go to Noah and tell him everything?”

“I’m not a liar, Dylan. I’ll keep my end of the bargain.”

“Have you ever thought that if you’d told him, he would’ve been able to get to Reddington sooner?”

“There’s no information I could give you that would’ve helped LCR get to him any faster, so don’t try to put me on a guilt trip.”

His gaze grew even harder and more determined; Jamie stifled a shiver, in equal parts unbelievably aroused and totally intimidated.

“Whatever your plan is, you’re going to fail.”

“No, I won’t.”

“It takes months, sometimes a year, to perfect an undercover disguise. You’re not only naïve, you’re going to end up getting yourself killed. Just what the hell is that going to do to McKenna? Don’t you know it would destroy her to lose you again?”

Oh yeah, he was using the big guns now. No more “You’re not ready” or “Don’t you feel guilty?” pesky little shots that dented but didn’t penetrate her armor. Thinking about McKenna in pain was a surefire way to weaken her defenses.

“If there’s anyone who understands and supports me, it’s McKenna.”

“Just because she understands doesn’t mean she wants you to put yourself in danger.”

“Noah’s already used the McKenna card on me. It didn’t work.”

“You’ll never be prepared to do what needs to be done.”