Collateral Damage (27 page)

He sat up immediately, his posture alert. “I’d love to be your pillow, but especially your blanket,” he murmured, lifting one heavy arm in invitation.

There was no way she would refuse it.

Liam bit back a groan when Honor snuggled up beside him and curled against his side with her head resting on his chest. He lay back against the blanket and closed his eyes, the relief rushing through him so intense it made his throat tighten in gratitude.

Burying his nose in her hair, he inhaled her clean, fruity scent. She sighed and cuddled closer, her hand resting over his heart, which was beating hard against his ribs. He wrapped both arms around her and gathered her close, savoring the feel of her, the warmth of her body along his mixing with the heat of the setting sun and the gentle splash of the waves against the rocky shore.

So far everything had gone better than he’d ever hoped. She’d blown him away with her willingness to forgive him and move on, and now that she’d reached out to him like this all he could think about was having her back in his life on a permanent basis again. He’d meant every word he’d said to her today. If she took him back he’d bust his ass making sure she never felt neglected or taken for granted by him.

Her breathing slowed and deepened, her body growing lax as she fell asleep in his arms. It was the most humbling gift she could have given him, her trust after all he’d put her through.

She jerked awake when his cell phone started buzzing about ten minutes later. The ring tone told him it was someone from work calling. Cursing under his breath, he rolled slightly, still keeping one arm around her as he grabbed the phone and answered. Honor sat up but he still didn’t let her go, listening to his commander’s voice telling him to come in to base for a briefing.

Ending the call, Liam put the phone down and sighed. “Gotta head in to base,” he said apologetically.

Honor was frowning in concern. “Everything okay?”

He nodded. “Not sure what it’s about, but it’s probably to do with the training tomorrow.” Either that or the security situation tomorrow just got real. His gut said the latter. He wouldn’t say anything to her unless he had hard evidence though.

Honor got to her knees and reached for a container of fruit. “I’ll help you clean up.”

Much as he didn’t want his time alone with her to end, he didn’t have a choice. They packed everything up and he got the 407 ready for the flight back. He touched down and shut off the engine just as the sun sank behind the western trees lining the small terminal, casting a deep golden light over everything. It gilded Honor’s hair and face, made her eyes glow as she smiled up at him. She was so beautiful she took his breath away.

“That was the best date I’ve ever been on,” she told him over the sound of the slowing engine.

“Yeah, I had a good time too.” By far the best part had been holding her on the beach. He wished they were still there right now.

Before he could say anything else or decide whether to reach for her or not, Honor popped her door open and slid out. The drive back to her place was quiet, but not tense. It felt right being with her like this, comfortable and familiar. They fit, just like he’d always known they would. And if he was reading things right, she was leaning towards moving forward with him.

Don’t push
, he reminded himself as he turned into her townhouse complex. Last thing he wanted was to spook her now when he was so close to gaining her trust.

In her driveway he turned off the truck, intending to help her out and walk her to her door. He was cutting it close time-wise right now for the briefing so he couldn’t stay anyway. But when he started to unbuckle his seatbelt, she stopped him by placing her hand over his. Glancing up, the tension slid out of him when he saw a soft smile on her face.

“It’s okay, I don’t need you to walk me in.” She slid her hand back and he had to stop himself from grabbing it. Her smile widened. “I had a really good time today. If you were to ask me out on a second date, chances are good I’d say yes.”

He returned the smile. “As soon as I’m back, it’s on.”

Her eyes flared with longing at his words and an answering bolt of heat lanced through him. Oh yeah, things were definitely looking up for him. “Can’t wait.” Leaning toward him, she placed her hand on the side of his face.

Liam froze and forced himself to stay still as she leaned in and put her mouth on his. The moment their lips touched he slid a hand into her hair, his fingers flexing restlessly, his body coming alive under that simple kiss. Her lips were full and soft and oh so sensual against his. He kissed her slowly, softly, letting her lead this time. She pulled back way too soon, leaving him achy and edgy. “See you soon,” she whispered.

Not trusting his voice, Liam only nodded. She slipped out of the truck and he watched her walk to the door where she paused to give him a sultry, mysterious smile before waving and disappearing inside.

“Oh God, please let this training exercise be over with fast,” he muttered to himself as he started the engine. He’d gone too long without her already. He wasn’t sure he could handle even one more day apart.

This time he wanted it all, including his ring back on her finger and for Honor to take his name. They belonged together. He wanted the whole world to know she was his.

In a dim, underground room beneath a professional building in Peshawar, Safir pushed aside the plate containing his half-eaten dinner. He was too amped up to eat or sleep.

Footsteps on the concrete stairs had him tensing. He drew his pistol and aimed it toward the bottom of the staircase, heart thudding.

“It’s just me,” Qasim called out.

Safir kept his gun where it was, waiting until he could verify that his friend was alone and not under duress of any sort. Sliding the pistol back into its holster, he scanned Qasim, seeing a radio in his hand. Alarm punched through him. “Did you turn it off before coming into the building? Did you take the battery out of your cell phone?” He couldn’t help the urgency in his voice.

“Yes and yes,” Qasim answered calmly as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He took in the dim, dingy space before settling his gaze on Safir. He frowned when he saw the half-full plate next to him. “You’ve barely eaten or slept for the past three days.”

Safir waved his concern away. “Don’t lecture me.”

“Are you worried someone will try to poison you?” Qasim asked, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

The thought had crossed his mind but he wasn’t about to admit it because he knew Qasim and all the others thought he was slowly losing it. Since the drone strikes he’d become increasingly mistrustful and he’d heard that the men whispered he was becoming paranoid like Rahim had been. He felt it happening too and didn’t know how to stop it. Whenever he tried to sleep he always jerked awake at the sound of a deafening explosion and the smell of burning flesh in his nostrils. Whatever it took to remain safe and undetected, he’d do it. At this point he was more concerned with his own safety than anything else.

“I’m not worried about anything except ensuring no one locates me until I can make sure this attack happens.” Just sixteen hours more and then all his work and sacrifice will finally have been worth something. Of course he’d have to be far away from here by then.

A loud banging on the steel door at the top of the stairs made him leap to his feet. Qasim urged him away with a hand signal, pistol in his grip as he edged toward the bottom of the staircase. “Who is it?”

“Anwar,” he called back, muffled by the door. “Satellite call for Safir.”

Qasim darted a look at Safir. “It’s Omar.”

The twenty-year-old hacker who worked at Boeing they’d hired some months back. He’d been working on finalizing the last details necessary for tomorrow’s operation. Things Safir had been unable to ascertain himself. Safir nodded his consent to Qasim.

“Are you alone?” Qasim called up to Anwar.

“Yes, it’s just me.”

Safir stayed where he was, cloaked in shadow while Qasim went up the steps. His friend would take a bullet to protect him, but Safir never wanted it to come to that.

The door opened and shut. He relaxed when there were no shots fired and then a set of footsteps descended. Qasim appeared at the top of the stairs, holstering his pistol at his hip. He nodded at Safir. “It’s safe.”

“Did you search him?” Safir asked.

Qasim nodded. “No electronics except for the phone. We’re good.”

Safir hurried up the stairs and took the phone from Anwar. His bodyguard and Qasim stood watch while he spoke. “Omar. Is everything ready?” He didn’t mention the drones aloud. The timing was too critical now to risk anyone who might be listening in figuring out what their plan was.

“Everything’s ready to go. And I found out something else I thought you should know.” The hacker’s voice was filled with pride. Safir’s own heart rate picked up in response.

“What is it?” he demanded, impatient to get off the phone. They could track him this way. The fewer people who knew he was here, the better. And he had to move locations again within the next few hours. Not something he relished doing in broad daylight but he didn’t have much choice if he wanted to avoid foreign surveillance and detection.

He could hear the smile in the younger man’s voice. “The VIP in town is going to make an appearance on the base tomorrow.”

Safir couldn’t believe his luck. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. But this changes the timing of the operation slightly, to a few hours earlier.”

Triumph exploded inside him. This was the opportunity he’d been praying for. It seemed Allah was finally listening. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll have to move it up. Is everything else in place?” Omar’s part of the operation was the most important, especially now that the VIP would be on base. The money Safir had spent securing Omar and the American insider would easily have fed have a dozen villages here for the next year. If the two men didn’t deliver on their promises, Safir would make sure they suffered horrific deaths.

Omar chuckled. “I’m ready.”

****

The first thing Honor noticed when she got into work the next morning was the heightened security. At the gates, at the PX, and the entrance to the hangars. And those were just the ones she could
see
, not including the snipers and whatever personal security detail the incoming VIP—she was guessing some big government bigwig—had sent ahead of his or her arrival.

She ran into Smithers on the way to her office. “Hey, everybody up to speed on what’s going on today?” she asked him.

In addition to being alerted by her superiors, Liam had called to update her last night after his briefing. He couldn’t go into specific detail but he’d said they’d received credible threats about an attack on the base, likely to do with the incoming VIP today, and the Fourth of July made for a very symbolic date. Intelligence pointed to the threat being linked to someone named Safir, who’d been part of Rahim’s network and now ran the propaganda machine from overseas.

Liam had also said there was a rumor going around that there might be an insider helping them with the plot. That was more disturbing to her than the rest of it.

“Yep, everybody knows the score.”

Guards at the gates were being extra careful in checking IDs and everyone on base had been told to stay vigilant. Increased security happened from time to time, but it made sense with whoever this VIP was coming to visit.

Everyone except gate guards, MPs and the VIP’s security detail remained unarmed, as usual all weapons locked away in each unit’s arms room. Honor wasn’t worried though. An attacker wouldn’t live longer than two minutes here if they tried anything, not with all the added security.

“Ipman’s here, too,” Smithers added.

She stopped and looked up at him in surprise. “Ipman’s back? I thought he was taking the rest of the week off?”

“Can’t do much with his cast on, but he said he wanted to come in anyhow. I think it’s hard on him, being alone at home on the Fourth.”

“Yeah, no doubt. How’s he seem?” She hadn’t seen or talked to him since they’d taken him to the hospital.

“Way better. He’s been to talk to someone off base a couple times and dried up for a few days now.”

Since he hadn’t assaulted his wife and she’d since dropped the charges, command had decided to let him return to work. Honor just hadn’t expected him to return this early. If he was willing to work hard and follow direction, she was fine with it though. “Okay, great. Have you got stuff to keep him busy with you? If not, I’ve got a whole ton of paperwork and filing he can help me with.”

“I’ll send him over when he’s finished with me in the hangar.”

“Thanks, Smithy.”

In her office she returned some phone calls, then had a quick meeting with her direct superior before sitting down to tackle her paperwork. She took care of the most important things first, saving the more mundane things for later. As she worked her mind kept skipping back to yesterday and she found herself smiling.

She had a good feeling about the way things were going with her and Liam. He was gone for the next few days on a training mission someplace, but he’d promised to call her as soon as he got back and she knew he would. Last night after he’d told her about the increased threat level he’d ended the call with a “sleep well, sweet pea”. That endearment, spoken just the way he used to in that deeply intimate tone he reserved only for her, had suffused her entire body with warmth.

At a knock on her door, she turned in her chair to see Ipman standing there. She waved him in and he shut the door behind him. His stance was stiff and he met her gaze only fleetingly as he stood there. “How’s the hand?” she asked to break the ice.

It seemed to unfreeze him. “I don’t need surgery.”

“That’s good news.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his free hand over the back of his neck. “Listen, ma’am, I wanted to apologize for the other day.”

She sat back in her chair and folded her hands across her abdomen. “Sure. Go ahead.”