Rising Hope by Edie James

16

After the attack,Sarah slept better than she expected. Having four agents staking out the house didn’t hurt. She rose feeling rested, but troubled. The Diablos weren’t a huge concern. They were part of the script for sure.

It was Wenmark. She had no idea how to continue her search. Or even whether she should. If he’d truly had a medical emergency, she had no right to poke into his life.

But what if he hadn’t? She didn’t feel like she could stop until she knew the guy was all right. With a new drug buy pending any day, she couldn’t afford to drive a hundred miles down the coast to his duty station, but she could leave him a message at work.

She almost revealed her concerns to Enzo last night at the pizzeria. The impulse shocked her. She barely knew the guy. Maybe she wasn’t the hardcore loner she thought she was.

Or maybe Lieutenant MacKenzie simply inspired confidence.

Whatever the reason, it would have been a bad idea.

Antsy and frustrated, she paced the living room and peeked out the window. Two vehicles were parked across the quiet street, each in position to watch a corner of the property.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Baker, the agent in charge of surveillance.

Security system will be monitored 24/7 from headquarters. Diablos under phone and visual surveillance also. Best of luck.

The sound of engines firing up broke the early morning silence. The two unmarked cars rolled sedately away from the curb. Once the vehicles disappeared, the mourning doves in the front yard returned to their cooing.

She backed away from the window. Grabbing her handgun, she headed for the shower, back prickling with tension. There was no way anyone would get across the front lawn without tripping a silent alarm, let alone get through the door. But the thought made for a tense shower.

She was drying her hair when the security alarm beeped, sending her pulse skyrocketing. She dropped the towel, grabbed her weapon, and headed for the control panel in the hallway.

Enzo stood at the front door, face turned up toward the camera. He held up a white paper bag. “I brought donuts.”

Her heart lifted, but she quickly quashed the ridiculous sentiment, stuffing

her weapon in the waistband of her jeans and heading for the door. Whatever he wanted, it wouldn’t be good. Helping her out last night was mostly reflex. The guy couldn’t help, well, helping. But he’d made his opinion of the operation clear.

He wasn’t her friend, and he wasn’t here to help. She had to remember that.

Thoughts straight, she answered the door.

His megawatt smile blew her intentions out the window. Which only made her more anxious. Could he read her vulnerability? Her loneliness?

She blocked the opening with her body. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice. Thanks.” He held the bag up between them like a taunt. “How about we try that again?”

The donuts were fresh. Still hot, if the aromas of yeast and sugar were anything to go by. Her mouth watered. She had to stop herself from grabbing the bag. “Sorry. I’m not a morning person.”

“You’re not a people person, either. You gonna let me in before these get cold?”

Fair enough. She waved him into the huge kitchen.

He set the bag on the breakfast bar and gestured at the view. “Not bad.”

“The job does have its perks.” About now, though, she’d take a friendly conversation over a world-class view.

She poured them each a cup of coffee then dove into the bag. Sugar and fat exploded on her tongue. She closed her eyes. A small moan escaped her lips.

Her cheeks flamed. She stole a glance at him, but he was concentrating on his own chocolate-dipped treat. “I know, right? Jaeger’s is unreal. I’ve been eating these my whole life. Never gets old.”

Before she knew it, she’d devoured an entire donut. She wiped her sticky fingers with a napkin. “So really, why are you here? Not that I’m not grateful for these amazing sugar bombs.”

Mouth full, he nodded, then took his time answering. Another thing she liked about him. He weighed his words, didn’t clutter up his communications with glib remarks or sarcastic asides.

“I felt like you were about to say something last night,” he said. “I wanted to hear what it was.”

Again, his perceptive abilities surprised her. There was a lot more to the guy than it appeared. She shook her head. Unless he could help, there was no upside to telling him about her concerns. Not for her. Or him.

In her world, knowledge got people killed.

Time to dial up the sarcasm. Push him away. Luckily, she was exceptionally good at that. “I’m sorry for barging in on your life. If I didn’t say that enough last night, I apologize.” She grabbed the last glazed donut from the bag. “I didn’t know you were in the restaurant when I went in. I was just looking for a way to get away from the Diablos.”

He cocked his head, studying her. “That second part I believe. But the rest…” He shook his head.

She shrugged, but the movement felt forced. “Suit yourself.”

He rested his forearms on the counter and leaned close. The silver cross at his throat swayed gently. “Something’s got you worried. Let me help.”

“I don’t need any help.”

Anger flashed in his brown eyes. “My butt’s on the line here, too. It doesn’t matter how good a pilot I am if someone wants to blow us out of the sky. From what I understand, you’re a seasoned agent. If you’re concerned about something, you must have a good reason. I deserve to know what’s going on.”

Yeah, he did. But she couldn’t risk her suspicions getting out. Not until she had a better idea what, if anything, they were facing.

She studied him, cataloging the details: broad shoulders, confident stance, gorgeous brown eyes, ready smile. And that peacefulness, the ingrained sense of purpose. Of place.

She’d never met anyone so grounded before.

Too bad she had to drive him away. “Nothing’s going on. This mission’s just as straightforward as it appears. We buy drugs from the bad guys, pretend to sell them, then buy more. Once the bigger baddies show their faces, we’re done. Nothing more to know.”

Silence fell. Beyond the huge windows, the surf crashed onto the beach. They stared each other down. His expression hardened, shifting from disbelief to anger to contempt. “Wow. You undercover types really have the loner thing down.” Arms rigid, he pushed himself away from the counter. “Good luck with that, Agent Walker.”

He headed for the door.

She wanted to stop him, to explain her motives, but it wouldn’t matter. There’d be another secret, and then another lie to cover that up. That’s how things worked in her world.

She bit into the donut, tearing off an oversized chunk. The sugar hit failed to ease her conscience. The least she could do was show some manners. She swallowed quickly and chased after him, catching up with him as he pulled the door open.

She put a hand on his arm. “Thanks for the donuts.”

His muscles tensed beneath her fingers, but he didn’t pull away. “Sure.”

She thought he was going to shake off her hand and bolt, but he turned, his lips curving up in a sheepish grin. “You’re a hard case, Sarah Walker. My devious ploy didn’t work.”

The sheer force of his personality sent her back a couple steps. If she were any less hardened, a guy like Enzo would have no trouble unlocking every one of her carefully wrapped secrets.

She folded her arms across her chest, but the movement did nothing to dim his magnetism. “It came closer than you realize.” She dropped her gaze. Why was sharing so hard? “I do have some concerns, but I can’t talk about them yet. It’s just the way it is. I’m sorry.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“You do?”

“Sure. Not saying I like it, but I know how you feel.”

That she had a hard time believing.

He made a face. “I’m flat-out lying to my family right now.”

She did a mental face-palm. “Right. I wasn’t—”

The shrill tone of her burner phone interrupted her. “Hang on,” she told him as she headed back toward the counter where she’d left it. “I’m expecting a text from the buyer.”

Enzo followed her back into the kitchen.

It was Ulrich. Got what U need. Coordinates sent. Meet up in two hours. UR late; we’re gone.

She showed Enzo the message. “Ulrich agreed to the next buy.”

Ulrich insisted on sending GPS coordinates separately, through a dummy email account. Not a bad move. She reached for her laptop and checked her email.

Ulrich’s message was waiting. She dropped the coordinates into her mapping program and finished her donut while the program worked. She turned the laptop toward Enzo. “Recognize this spot?”

He studied the map for a moment before nodding. “That’s well south of here. It’s at least half an hour farther by air than the last meeting place. Deeper into the mountains. I know the general area.” He checked his watch. “If we’re going to be on time, we have to hustle.”

She checked the clock over the microwave. Between drive time to the helicopter and Enzo’s pre-flight routine, they’d be lucky to make the designated meeting time. Probably exactly what Ulrich intended. They’d barely have time to get there, let alone plan any kind of ambush.

The man was annoyingly clever.

Enzo dangled his truck keys in front of her. “I’ll drive. You can tell me what you’re worried about on the way.” It wasn’t a request.

She gestured at her clothes. “I need to change. Peaches is gonna be a minute.”

“Understood.” He pointed at her messy ponytail. “Going from a silk purse to a sow’s ear.”

“I think you have that backwards, it’s making a silk purse from—”

“I know how it goes. I meant it the way I said it.” He snatched the last donut, stuffing it in his mouth as he headed out the door. “Grab a jacket. Storm front’s blowing in. It’s gonna be cold in the mountains.”

She groaned. The man radiated charm even when he wasn’t trying. Should she be more afraid of confiding in him, or the turbulence they’d surely encounter?

Suddenly that second donut seemed like a very bad idea.