Fatal Courage: Shadow Force International, Book 3 (Shadow Force International Romantic Suspense Series) (6 page)

Hiding one in the palm of his hand, he exited his car, locked up, and went to pay Agent McKellen a surprise visit.

S
HE
W
AS
G
OING
back to the club.

Pulse knocking around after Elliot’s visit, Ruby considered her options as she stared at herself in her bathroom mirror.

Call her handler and turn El in.

Go with him.

Go back to the club and get that damn information from Little Gus.

Call Jax.

No way
. That last one wasn’t an option. He could be the last man on Earth and she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Jax and satisfaction
. If that combo didn’t conjure a whole host of unbidden memories.

Stop it
. She wiped at the eyeliner that was smudged under her eye. Jax wanted Elliot’s head on a platter. She was not going to let that happen.

The three of them had been good together. Until they weren’t. Elliot was like her brother, smart and always looking out for her. He’d taught her the craft in ways Langley had never thought of. Always cool and levelheaded in the tight places and the most dangerous moments, what he’d said was true. She tended to jump first and get her ass in trouble. Elliot had always been there to bail her out.

He was, without a doubt, the best spy she’d ever worked with, and she’d worked with a few who would sell out their grandmothers with a straight face.

Jax, on the other hand, was bold and egotistical and didn’t back down from anything. The opposite of finesse. Not that he couldn’t deceive or use his charm to get what he wanted. He had some skills she admired, and his SEAL training had taught him plenty of subterfuge, but his abilities were more physical-based. Undercover operatives relied on their mental skills and cunning as much as anything. They were actors. She was an actor. There was an art to being an agent. It took more brain than brawn.

Of course, Jax could be sneaky, i.e. the handwritten number he’d snuck into her bra while he’d been distracting her with that very physical body of his.

Ugh.

How could I let myself be sidetracked by him?

She knew how. He might have made her crazy, but her body wanted him. He was like French pastries to a woman on a diet.

Her diet had lasted a long, long time.

And now he’d come along and tempted her, offering her an unlimited supply of his special brand of pastry.

Ruby licked her lips.

Enough
. She had to quit thinking about him. Elliot was out there on the run and she needed to get back to the club before Little Gus was too drunk or too high to give her the info she needed on Deuce.

Her hair was limp thanks to the heat and humidity, so she flipped her head upside down and gave it a quick spray with her super hold hairspray. She couldn’t bear putting the wig back on. She blotted her damp skin, reapplied eyeliner, and touched up her lips.

Good enough
.

Her Sig was once more secured in its holster, her cell phone hidden away as well. She’d just started to turn off the living room lamp when someone knocked at her door.

Had Elliot come back? She rushed to the door and checked the peephole.

God Almighty.

She closed her eyes.
You’ve got to be kidding me.

Didn’t this guy ever give up?

She couldn’t exactly ignore him, but the thought held appeal. Knowing Jax, he’d bust in anyway.

“What do you want?” she said through the door. “I already told you, I don’t know where he is and I wouldn’t help you find him if I did.”

“Testy. You need some sleep, Ruby, or maybe something else. I can help with that last one, you know. Work that stress right out of you.”

God, yes!
Her nipples puckered at the thought. Steadying one hand against the door, she mentally scolded her traitorous breasts. “Go to hell, Jaxon. Please.”

He chuckled. “Are you going to open the door or are we going to have this conversation in front of your neighbor. His dog is cute. Fat, but cute. He might wonder about you if I start talking louder and saying things like…”—his voice rose an octave—“I know how you like that spot on the back of your neck kissed. How it sends you into orbit. And how about the inside of your thigh. Oh, yeah, that’s a favorite, isn’t it, Ruby?”

“I hate you,” she said more to herself than him as she unlocked the door. Jerking it open, she saw Dan letting himself and Woodstock into their place across the hall. A frown creased his forehead, so Ruby smiled and waved at him while speaking to Jax through gritted teeth. “Stop acting like a child.”

His bold eyes met hers. “Let me in.”

Be strong
. “No.”

A smirk caught at the corner of his mouth. “Why not?”

“Because, like I just said, I hate you.”

“Is everything okay?” Dan called.

Woodstock strained at the leash toward Jaxon. Dumb dog, she should be barking at him. Growling. Instead, she looked at him with her big, liquid eyes and panted like he was her favorite dog treat.

“Fine,” Jax said, giving Dan a casual wave.

Ruby kept up her fake smile as she spoke to Jax under her breath. “We’re not fine. You need to leave.”

He swung those sultry eyes back to her. “But I have something you want, Ruby.”

Boy, did he. There was a whole beautiful glass case of pastries in that gaze, in his teasing tone. “And what would that be, Jaxon?”

“I know how to find Hayden.”

“Is that so?”

Dan tugged Woodstock through their door. A second later, it closed and Ruby heard the flip of the deadbolt.

Thanks for ruining my one normal relationship.
“Then I suggest you run along and go find him.”

She started to slam the door shut, but he stopped it with one beefy arm. His eyes narrowed. “He was here, wasn’t he?”

“What? No.”

“Damn it.” He pushed into the room, forcing her back, his gaze scanning her small apartment. “You were hiding him here. I can’t believe it. He was right under my nose and I let him get away.”

How did he guess Elliot had been there? “I was
not
hiding him.”

His gaze swung to hers, his eyes hard as chunks of coal. “But you’ve seen him, haven’t you? You’ve talked to him.”

For the second time that night, she needed to kick a man out of her apartment. Something about that seemed wrong since she hadn’t had a relationship—outside of that one night with Jaxon—in years. “You can’t just force your way in here and accuse me of aiding a federal fugitive.”

“The hell I can’t.”

The small space seemed even smaller as he circled the living room, checked the kitchen, bedroom, and bath. He took up too much space.

“Happy?” she asked as he returned to scowl down at her. “I told you he isn’t here. He’s far too smart and savvy to come to me for help.”

“He’s clever, I’ll give you that, but he’s also in love with you. Love makes people do stupid things.”

Her chin came up. Jax didn’t know the first thing about real partnerships. What she and Elliot had wasn’t that kind of love. “I wouldn’t know.”

He shook his head. “Such a liar.”

Yes, she was. Came with the territory. But not about this. She and Elliot were partners, not lovers.

Maybe it was time to go on the offensive. Do a little intel gathering. “So how
are
you going to find Elliot?”

“I have a lead. A guy who goes by the name of Deuce. But forget about it.” He opened the door and strolled through. “I’ll figure it out on my own.”

Deuce. Shit. “You have contact information for that guy?”

Jax glanced back over his shoulder, turned and leaned an arm against the doorjamb. His face came within inches of hers as he studied her reaction carefully. “We could work together, Ruby. Share our intel.”

Never in a million years
.

She bit her lip, considered her options.

Go back to the club and hope like hell she would attract Little Gus’s attention.

Stay here and flirt with the man whose attention she already had.

Hard choice.

She stepped back. “Why don’t you come in, Jaxon?”

Chapter Four

_____________________

______________________________________________________

O
N
H
IS
L
OOP
of the place looking for Hayden, Jax managed to stick three bugs around the small apartment.

He hoped like hell Ruby wouldn’t find them. Knowing her, she probably did a sweep every night before she went to bed.

He’d made sure to put one as close to that bed as possible.

Which was probably a straight shot to Torture Land. Hearing her moving around in bed would only fuel his already out-of-control fantasies.

He just hoped she went to bed alone.

Because if not, then he would have to kill someone.

“Who’s this Deuce person?” Ruby said.

She stood near the door, arms crossed over her breasts. He couldn’t tell if she was pissed or curious. Maybe both.

“You tell me. Isn’t he why you’re in Chicago? You’re looking for him, right?”

Her lips thinned ever so slightly. “I’m in Chicago helping an FBI special taskforce with counterterrorism.”

He plunked down on the worn sofa that must have come with the place. Ruby didn’t seem like the midcentury, green-tweed-with-cigarette burns kind of person, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, right? “You were at that club tonight looking to score a meeting with Augustus “Little Gus” Nelson, who just happens to know Deuce, aka Keon James. Is that part of your counterterrorism gig?”

Her features remained stoic. “I went to the club to have a drink and dance. Having a good time is not illegal.”

“Cut the crap, Ruby. I know about your personal mission to clear Hayden’s name and I know that Keon James and your partner were working together to sell military secrets.”

“What?” She scoffed. “You always think the worst of everyone.”

He stared at her, let her words hang out there, and propped his feet on the coffee table. It wasn’t untrue. He did tend to think the worst of people because people constantly disappointed him. In big, big ways. This, however, wasn’t about what he thought. It was about evidence. Proof. The connections between Elliot Hayden and Keon James couldn’t be ignored.

“We both want to find this Deuce guy,” Jax said. “Let’s work together.”

She chuckled, a hard, humorless sound that echoed off the ceiling. “The last time we worked together, I lost my partner and ended up on probation. Why in the hell would I work with you again?”

Ouch. Bitter much? “Did Hayden try to get you to help him when he dropped by?”

“I’m not helping Elliot. I didn’t even know about his escape until you told me.”

“So you said. Hard for me to believe, but okay, I’ll give that one to you if you admit you’re in Chicago to find Deuce.”

“What do you know about him?”

He refused to show his irritation with her non-answer. “I know he’s an old army buddy of Hayden’s and that he’s suspected of selling intelligence secrets. An equal opportunity traitor, sounds like. He also knew Abdel Al-Safari, which seems like a damning coincidence, don’t you think?”

She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Deuce can clear Elliot’s name, so you go ahead and find him.”

“Is that what Hayden told you?”

Her dark eyes locked on his. “Do you know where Deuce is?”

“I’ll have his exact coordinates soon.”

“But you haven’t found him yet.”

“Neither have you, apparently.”

A buzzing came from her thigh. She reached down, drew up the hem of her dress, and gave him an eyeful of leg. His pulse hopscotched as he took in all of that smooth, sexy skin and the holster she had strapped there. A compact Sig Saur rested in the black holster along with a cell phone.

She pulled out the cell, caught him ogling her leg and gave him a sneer. Then she stomped off to the bedroom where she shut the door with a sharp
whack
.

SEAL training had taught him how to move his big body soundlessly. He avoided the creak in the floor he’d noticed earlier and scooted over to the closed door, setting his ear against it to listen.

“Yes, sir,” he heard Ruby say. “I understand…no, I didn’t know until tonight. I’ll keep an eye out… Yes, I understand how this could affect my future.”

There was a long pause as whoever was on the other end of the conversation—her boss at Langley?—rambled.

There were more ‘yes, sirs’ and ‘no, sirs’, Ruby making out like she was a team player and would never contemplate rocking the boat. Jax mentally scoffed. If the person on the other end knew Ruby at all, they had to know this was an exercise in futility.

“Sir, if you would just let me—”

She was interrupted again and Jax could almost feel her frustration through the wooden door. The sound of her heels pacing across the worn carpeting filled the silence on her end as she listened.