Читать книгу The Men In Uniform Collection - Barbara McMahon - Страница 32

“WHAT IS THAT?” Christie moved closer to Boone and Seth, who were crouched over Milo. “What are you talking about?”

Boone looked up at her. “Does Milo have an electronic dog tag?”

“No,” she said. “I thought about getting one, but I wasn’t sure about the side effects.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said. He petted Milo, who rewarded him with a whimper and a lick. “Good boy.” Boone stood, but Seth stayed down, manipulating Milo’s neck.

“Is he hurt?” she asked, willing herself not to get crazy. It was hard, though, because it was Milo.

“No, he probably didn’t feel any pain. The RFID is implanted with a needle. Only, this one feels larger. It’s got broadcasting capabilities. Its own power source.”

“So is he listening to us?” she asked, her voice in an involuntary whisper.

“No,” Seth said. “It’s not a listening device. It’s a location tracker.”

“He knows where we run,” Boone said. “Train. Shoot.”

Christie sat at the table, thinking seriously about having a drink, even though she wasn’t that fond of liquor. This was all so bizarre. The bastard was tracking them through her dog? What kind of mentally defective creep was he?

“We have to get it out of him,” Seth said as he stood. “I’ll get my bag.”

“Wait just a minute here.” Christie looked from Seth to Boone. “Are you thinking of cutting him up?”

Boone came around to her side of the table and sat next to her. “We’ll make sure he isn’t hurt.” He looked at Seth. “You have any Novocain in there?”

“Close enough.”

Christie backed away from Boone. “Are either of you veterinarians? No? Then there is no way in hell you’re going near my dog with a knife. Is that clear?”

Boone looked at Seth. Kate looked at her hands. Seth scratched his head. Then he paused, and connected again with Boone. “I can fix it. But you’ll have to take him to a vet to get it removed.”

“What do you mean, fix it?” Christie asked.

“No knives. Nothing like that. I can disable it.”

“It won’t hurt Milo?”

“Milo won’t feel a thing.” Seth bent to his duffel.

Christie turned to Boone again, wanting to make sure that this was all legit. If something happened to Milo…

“I trust him,” Boone said. “I’d let him do it to me.”

“Okay. But if Milo so much as whines.”

“I’ll stop him.” He touched her hand, and the effect was immediate and more calming than she could have imagined.

Kate got up and went to check the chicken. She got a spoon out of the drawer and tasted the sauce, smiling her approval.

Christie liked her. She was a tough cookie, and it was good to have her on the team.

“We still have to get this room finished,” Boone said, in his familiar whisper. Then he looked at Christie. “You can go in your room,” he said. “Get some clothes, whatever.”

“Did you throw it all out?”

“Seth is going to do that for us when he leaves. I don’t want to put those sheets in your garbage.”

“That’s smart,” she said. “Good.”

“You want to go there now? Give Seth some room to finish up his work?”

“Sure.” She got up, and walked with Boone down the hallway. Glancing at Seth as she walked by, she saw he had some sort of electronic device he was working on, but she had no idea what it was. If Boone trusted him, so would she. Hell, what choice did she have.

Boone moved right next to her in the hallway. He put his hand on the small of her back. A simple move meant to reassure her. It did that, but holy crap, so much more.

Everything about last night came back in a head rush. The way he looked, standing naked by the tub. The feel of his chest on her back. The way her hand had been filled with his thick cock.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “I’ve got you.”

She smiled. She’d never get tired of hearing him say that. It didn’t just make her feel safe. It made her swoon. Her grin got bigger as she thought about that. Her? Swooning? Nate would be on the floor laughing if she’d suggested such a thing. But then, he’d never have imagined her in a situation this bizarre. This terrifying.

She stopped smiling at the door. Everything inside her revolted at the idea of walking in there. Her favorite room. Her sanctuary. Defiled in a way that turned her stomach.

“Christie.”

She looked at Boone. His green eyes were steady, his whole body strong and determined. But he wouldn’t push her. He’d let her make the call. “Let’s lock and load,” she said.

In return, he graced her with that half smile of his. That, and standing by her side as she opened the door.

Of course, her gaze went straight to the bed. He’d remade it, which surprised her. Nothing fancy, just some of her sheets with a comforter she’d gotten as a gift from a client. Clean pillowcases. No trace of the red, sticky mess. No scent at all. But it wasn’t her bedroom. Not anymore.

She walked past the bed, Boone at her side, and headed straight for the closet. Boone stood by the door, his shoulders looking so broad in his dark shirt. He’d pushed the sleeves up past the elbows, which made him look incredibly sexy.

Since she wanted out of there, she got right down to business. She got her suitcase from the top shelf. In it, she packed underwear and bras, and built out from there. Mostly jeans, T-shirts, and one dress that didn’t need much in the way of an iron. Shoes, a pair of pajamas she doubted she’d wear. It was like packing for a trip of unknown duration. A no-frills vacation to her living room.

She turned to pull a pair of sweats down, and caught sight of Boone. He was staring at her suitcase as if mesmerized. When she looked to see what had caught his attention, it made her giggle. How do you take down an ex-Delta Force? Dazzle him with a pink thong.

She picked it up with her index finger, watching Boone as she lifted the Victoria’s Secret weapon. He was spellbound. He didn’t even blink.

When she dropped it back into the suitcase, his whole head moved down to catch the flutter.

Feeling wicked, she decided to test her theory further. While he was still in the trance, she undid the top button of her jeans. No effect. Then she unzipped, figuring the sound would distract him. Nope.

This would be the real test. Another thong. Would he go back and forth between thongs? Would his head just explode? She lowered her jeans, slipping them down past her hips.

Aha. He’d looked. His eyes widened quite a bit more than expected. But still, no other body movements. Well, she couldn’t swear that was true. She didn’t have a very good view of his fly.

She lowered her pants down past her knees and let them drop. She had to toe off her sneakers before she could take them off completely, but he didn’t seem to mind. Once the jeans were off, she went to phase two. She turned around.

Normally, she wouldn’t want any part of her butt exposed to this kind of light, but for this, she made an exception. When she turned her head to look back at him, bingo. She expected his eyes to boing out like in a cartoon.

No longer able to hold it in, she laughed. Really laughed. Jeez. How was it possible?

That, naturally, got his attention. He looked her in the eyes and blushed a deep, satisfying red.

“Busted.”

He coughed, his gaze on the carpet.

“Certainly an experienced soldier like you has seen one of these babies before.”

“Christie,” he said, in a warning growl.

“Oh, no, big guy. I could have had my gun out and popped you right in the kneecap, and you wouldn’t have noticed.”

“Are you finished?”

She laughed again. “Yeah. I figured I’d eat like this.”

His blush renewed. “Put on some pants.”

“What?”

“Please.”

“My, my. Panties, huh? I’d never have guessed.”

In response to her taunt, he did the mature thing. He turned his back and folded his arms across his chest.

She pulled on another pair of jeans, giggling the whole time. Was he not the cutest person ever? Of course, this wasn’t over. She would have to think about this new piece of data very carefully. Strike when he least expected it.

“All clear, Rambo.”

He didn’t turn. But he did put his right arm out, to show her his special finger.

She closed her suitcase, then took another look around. If she needed anything else, she wouldn’t be far away, but given a choice, she wouldn’t come back here. Maybe after the bastard was caught. Maybe.

“Ready?” Boone had the door open.

“As I’ll ever be.”

MILO SAT RIGHT NEXT TO CHRISTIE as they ate dinner, and Boone noticed she would slip him pieces of chicken as she ate. Even though it wasn’t that good for the dog, Boone understood the motive. She was worried about her old pal. So was he.

Seth had explained that he was going to use a modified electromagnetic pulse to zap the RFID. It wouldn’t hurt the dog, not for the duration that would be necessary. She and Boone would go to a vet first thing in the morning and get the damn thing taken out. Seth wanted it. He was going to see if he could identify the source. Figure out where the geek would have gotten it.

The other matter at hand was to lock up the doggy door, and make sure Milo never went out unattended. He’d have felt better if Seth could have taken Milo, but he didn’t want to do that to Christie. She’d already been scared out of her bedroom, she didn’t need to lose her best friend.

He tried to concentrate on the meal. It was good. Not enough vegetables, but still, it tasted great. He knew that was Kate’s contribution. She was a hell of a cook, didn’t matter what she had to work with. In Kosovo, she’d made them some incredible cevapcici and her sarma couldn’t be beat.

It was great to see her and Seth working together. After the Balkans, they’d all split up. He’d lost touch with some of them. Kate had gone deep underground. It was only a few months ago that Seth had heard from her. That first night, when she’d come back, was when she’d heard about Nate. She hadn’t disappeared again. Not from them, at least.

“You know what?” Christie said. “I think I have some cookie dough in that fridge of mine.”

Kate smiled. “What kind?”

“Who cares? It’s cookies.”

“I stand corrected.”

Christie lifted her hand for a mighty high five by Kate. All Boone could do was let it go. One night of cookies wasn’t going to blow her training. If he could have given her champagne to go with it, he would have. Tomorrow, they’d get back to it. Different track. Different gym, which was going to be a real pain. Different shooting range. They had to get the geek to come here. Not out there. Here, Boone had control. Here, he could take the man down, and there wouldn’t be a hair follicle left for anyone to find. They just had to get him angry enough to attack.

He listened to Christie’s voice as she talked so easily to Seth and Kate. He wasn’t concentrating on the words, just the voice.

He’d been strong last night. He’d thought of her, focused on his responsibility. With every word she said, with every gesture of her long, graceful fingers, he felt himself weaken.

He thought again about what had happened in the closet. She’d made him stupid. It was still hard for him to reconcile that he’d held it together when she was naked and willing in his arms, but that he’d become thirteen again when he’d seen her damn panties.

Tonight would be a struggle. One he wasn’t at all sure he wanted to win.

“GOOD BOY. WHAT A FINE DOG. You’re the bravest of all the animals in the kingdom.”

Boone smiled at Christie’s chatter. She held her beloved Milo’s head in her lap while Seth worked his voodoo. It took a tenth of a second and it was done. The EMP had destroyed the chip inside the RFID. The end, except for removing the chip itself.

It was also the end of the night for Seth and Kate. They’d disappear, go back to the worlds they’d created for themselves, but he knew if he needed them, they’d come back. No matter what. No matter where. They were a team.

Christie hugged them both. She invited them back under happier circumstances. No one asked what she meant. Then they were alone.

Finally and truly alone. Every bug and camera the geek had planted was gone. He’d lost his eyes and his ears. And now he’d lost his tracking system. There wasn’t much left for him to do. Come back and plant more bugs? Maybe, but Boone doubted it. He’d come to claim what was his. Christie.

“I’ll wash, you dry?”

She led him into the kitchen where the table was cleared and all the dishes were piled in the sink. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to grab the dishtowel, to stand, leaning against the counter, as Christie soaped up her sponge.

“So you guys were all in the Balkans, right?”

“That’s right.”

“With Nate.”

“Yep.”

She paused, her lips slightly pursed. “What did Kate do?”

“She was part of the UN peacekeeping force.”

“How’d she get mixed up with you guys?”

“We had mutual acquaintances,” Boone said, turning away from her.

“You mean she was a spy.”

He shouldn’t tell her anything. Especially when he wasn’t one hundred percent certain no one was listening. “No, she wasn’t. She helped the people in Kosovo.”

Christie washed dishes for a while in silence, while he watched her, wanting so much to tell her everything. When she spoke, it wasn’t about Kate.

“Seth, I assume, was the electronics expert, yes?”

“Surveillance.”

“And you did communications, which is different.”

“That’s right.”

“What was it you were sent over to do?”

He got another dish to dry.

“Boone?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“You’re not even in the army anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter. I took an oath.”

“Ah. I see. An oath.”

“It matters.”

“I’m sure Nate would say the same thing.”

“You know how he felt about the Force.”

“Yeah. He died for it.”

“I can’t, Christie. I’m sorry. It’s not an option.”

“Fine.” She went on washing. Not looking at him. Bruising the china.

He put down his cloth and took her by the shoulders. He turned her to face him and made sure she was looking him straight in the eyes. “I’m not telling you because it could be dangerous for you to know. Okay? You have enough to worry about in your life without me adding to it.”

She didn’t respond. Her lips, which had been pressed together when she turned, loosened. Her eyes softened and he felt her relax beneath his hands. “Okay. I’m sorry I pressed. I just keep wondering why anyone would want to kill my brother. You can understand that, can’t you?”

“What I can tell you is that your brother was the best of the best. What he did, he did for his country. He honored you. He honored us all. I was, I still am, proud to have served with him.”

Her eyes closed. She breathed in and out slowly. When she looked at him again, it was the vulnerable Christie he’d seen so often in the last twenty-four hours, but this time, there was no fear, just sadness. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Boone nodded.

She turned back, and they finished the dishes in silence. He put the towel away. Milo scratched at his locked doggy door, and Christie got quiet.

Boone took his weapon out from his jeans. “You have a leash?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. I’ll take him outside.”

“No. Please. Not here. I’d rather take him to a park. Somewhere not around here.”

“Sure, we can do that. Go get the leash. We’ll be back in no time.”

THEY WENT TO WESTWOOD, and walked by the university. Milo seemed no worse the wear for his implant ordeal, but Christie was silent and jumpy. It wasn’t a long trip, but the ride home felt as if it took forever. He went into the house first; they both had their weapons ready and he had the scanner. They went through each room, each closet. Then they checked the locks on every door and window. Christie was so keyed up, he suggested they go to the kitchen and have some tea.

She surprised him with hot chocolate, instead. “What the hell,” she said. “We already had evil cookies.”

He sat her down, and they drank the sweet drink. Even he had to admit, it was damned tasty. Still, they didn’t talk.

Tonight, he’d have to be vigilant. It could happen, although he doubted it would. The geek would be angry, yes. But not yet to the point of breaking. That would take a little more time. A few more trips parading for the last remaining camera—the one that focused on the path out front.

That would do it. It had to.

Christie finished her drink just as he finished his, took their mugs to the sink and rinsed them out. Then she put the dishes away from dinner, wiped her hands and went to the door where he was waiting for her. “I’m going to take a shower,” she said, turning out the kitchen light. She touched his arm. “You’re welcome to join me.”

Boone looked at her, into those dark brown eyes. He should say no. Offer to stand outside the bathroom until she was done. Instead, he kissed her.