Midnight Action (30 page)

By the time two o’clock in the morning rolled around, Cate had given up on trying to sleep. She never slept well in unfamiliar beds, and besides, she’d pretty much been comatose for eleven hours today. Not to mention the adrenaline kick that came from being forced to jump out of a plane. She was too wired to sleep, and found herself wandering the dark halls of James Morgan’s house with no idea where she was even going.

The house was enormous, but surprisingly cozy. Pretty landscape paintings lined the cream-colored walls, and all the furniture had a rustic feel to it, reminding her of a homey ski chalet. Morgan had told her they were still getting settled there. Apparently he and his team used to live in Mexico, but they’d had to relocate after their compound had been attacked. Morgan hadn’t offered any more details, and when she’d asked Ash about it later, he’d shrugged and said he hadn’t been around for it.

Cate tried to walk quietly as she made her way downstairs. Thanks to the tour Morgan had given her, she remembered that the kitchen opened onto a huge patio that overlooked the backyard, and she suddenly felt like getting some air. Maybe the humidity would lull her into a sleepy state.

When she stepped outside, the night air was indeed humid. Within seconds, she was sweating in her cotton shorts and tank top. Morgan had deposited the clothes on her bed earlier, but she hadn’t asked whom they belonged to. Probably Noelle.

At the thought of Noelle, Cate realized she hadn’t seen her since they’d arrived at the compound. No doubt the woman was in one of the many rooms in this big house, sound asleep after the chaotic events of the day.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

She jumped, startled by the deep voice that came out of nowhere. Spinning around, she found Morgan sitting at the wrought-iron table, smoking a cigarette.

A frown reached her lips as he took a deep drag. She hadn’t known he smoked.

Then again, there were hundreds of other things she didn’t know about him.

“I’m too wound up,” she admitted. “I think the adrenaline is still running through my veins.”

He gestured to the seat across from him. “C’mon, sit down.”

She joined him at the table, toying with the end of her braid as she watched him take another pull of his cigarette.

“So how did you enjoy your first foray into skydiving?” He looked like he was fighting a smile.

“It was terrifying. And thrilling.”

In fact, she was still having trouble adjusting to the feel of the ground beneath her feet after experiencing that incredible free fall. She knew she’d never forget it—being thousands of feet up in the air, her heart in her throat, clinging to Ash as if her life depended on it. They’d plummeted so fast she’d been certain they would crash into the ground and die on impact. But then Ash had pulled the rip cord and suddenly they’d been floating, and a strange sense of peace had washed over her. She’d wrenched her head off Ash’s chest and peered around his shoulder, finally working up the nerve to look down.

She remembered seeing a sea of blue, a carpet of green—the ocean and jungle, so vast and beautiful beneath them. Once they got lower, she’d glimpsed the tops of houses, cars that looked like tiny ants, little roads winding through the landscape.

They’d landed on a deserted beach, like a scene right out of a movie, and then they’d hiked for two hours before they’d reached civilization, where they waited for a “pickup,” as Morgan had referred to it.

A man with sandy hair and light green eyes had come to get them in a beat-up black Jeep. Kane something or other—she still couldn’t match all the names to their corresponding faces. She’d met so many people today, more people than she’d ever interacted with in her entire life.

But she knew Morgan’s face. Every last inch of it.

“What happened to the plane?” She hadn’t thought to ask before, but now it occurred to her that she had no clue whether their pilot was even okay.

Morgan’s expression was bleak as he leaned forward to put out his cigarette. “It exploded in a clearing about a hundred miles east of San José.” Sorrow flickered in his eyes. “Giovanni didn’t manage to land his bird, after all.”

Her heart squeezed. “I’m sorry. Was he a good friend of yours?”

“Not really. He’d only flown us a couple times.” His features hardened. “But Sergio...I thought
he
was a friend.”

“The man who owns the airport?”

Her father nodded. “He sold us out. I don’t know to whom, but clearly he told someone I would be on board. The bastard removed the emergency gear and let someone plant a bomb in the tail.”

“Betrayal sucks, huh?”

His gaze softened. “Does that mean you’re finally going to tell me what got you so spooked that you decided to run away from your grandfather?”

Cate’s fingers tightened around her braid. “He killed Gabriel.”

“Your friend...?” Morgan hesitated. “The one who drove you to the Eiffel Tower?”

She nodded. “It was my fault. I gave Gabriel the file on you so Nik and Grandpa wouldn’t find it on me, and they killed him for it. They thought he hadn’t told me about it yet.” She bit her lip. “They didn’t realize I was the one who gave it to him.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

Her throat tightened. “Gabriel was a good friend. He was a really good friend.”

Neither of them spoke for a moment, but that didn’t mean there was silence. Cate was surprised by the amount of noise coming from the jungle. Screeching and squawking, a monkey’s high-pitched howl, the flapping of wings and the drone of insects.

“Is it always so loud here?” she asked.

“Yeah, but you get used to it.”

She hesitated. “There are so many people living in this house. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“You’ll get used to that too. But don’t worry. It’s not always so packed. Kane just wrapped up a job in Ecuador. He flew back this morning.” He paused. “Did you meet Abby?”

“The redhead, right?”

“Yeah. She’s married to Kane.” Another pause. “They’re good people.” His voice went gruff. “You’ll like it here.”

“And if I don’t?” she felt compelled to ask.

“Then we’ll go somewhere else,” he said simply. “We’ll go wherever you want, Cate.”

Warmth infused her heart, but it was accompanied by a trickle of uneasiness. “How is this...any of this...going to work? I mean, you’re my father, but...I don’t know you.”

His dark blue eyes took on a gleam of intensity. “You’ll get to know me.”

“Will I? Because you don’t seem like much of a talker.”

Now he chuckled. “I’m not. But for you, I’ll make an exception.”

“Fine. Then I’ll call your bluff. Tell me how you met my mother.”

Morgan’s face grew pained. “That’s not a very pretty story, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t care.”

“You might hate me after you hear it,” he warned her.

Cate set her jaw and said, “Try me.”

•   •   •

Morgan felt utterly drained when he returned to his bedroom just before dawn. He’d spent hours on the terrace with Cate, doing more talking than he’d ever done in his life. He’d told her about the botched mission in Berlin, about Walther’s criminal activities, Ariana’s seduction. He hadn’t even held back the details regarding Cate’s conception, and although she’d frowned when he confessed how Ariana had sabotaged their contraceptives, she hadn’t commented on her mother’s deceitful behavior.

Once he’d finished talking, it had been Cate’s turn. She’d told him about her life, how sheltered she’d been, the restrictions Dietrich had placed on her.

Morgan had been startled to learn that Nikolaus Bauer had been a constant presence since the day Cate was born. Bauer had never married, and he’d come to live with them in Athens about a year after Morgan stopped keeping tabs on him. When he’d discovered that, he’d cursed himself for calling off his surveillance on Bauer. If he hadn’t, he might have found Cate sooner.

But she was here now, and he couldn’t deny he was downright smitten with the girl. She was smart, funny, and so damn strong it made his chest swell with pride. He’d watched her jump out of a plane today without an ounce of fear, and she’d orchestrated her own escape from Dietrich and Bauer without batting an eye. He’d honestly never felt prouder of anyone in his entire life.

It had been such an astonishing, cathartic night, but even as he basked in the joy of bonding with his daughter, he had to wonder, how long would this wonderful reunion last?

When he’d checked in with Sullivan this morning, his soldier had informed him that both Dietrich and Bauer were still at the country estate. Sullivan and Liam were sticking around to monitor the situation, but so far there were no signs of trouble. No movement whatsoever. Which was troubling, because Cate’s grandfather must have figured out she was gone by now.

So why wasn’t he making a move to come after her?

A knock on the door interrupted Morgan’s train of thought, and he answered with a brisk, “Yeah?”

Abby poked her head into his room. “Got a sec?”

He furrowed his brow, surprised that she was up so early. “You realize it’s five in the morning, right?”

The redhead shrugged as she entered the suite. “I’m an early riser. I saw the light under your door, so I figured this would be a good time to discuss that message you left for me.”

Morgan tensed. Shit, he’d forgotten about that. He’d left Abby the message days ago, after his conversation with Bailey back in Paris, but so much had happened since then that it had totally slipped his mind.

He held his breath. “Did you look into what I asked?”

She nodded.

“And?”

He could tell from her expression that she wasn’t going to tell him what he wanted to hear.

Sighing, she shook her head and said, “There was nothing in any of Jeremy’s safe-deposit boxes. My lawyer found about three dozen flash drives full of data, but nothing related to what you were asking about. Sorry, Jim.”

Aside from Noelle, Abby was one of the only people who called him that, probably because her foster father had done the same. Morgan remembered being shocked when he’d learned that his commanding officer had adopted a teenage girl with a troubled past, but Jeremy Thomas had always been full of surprises. And once Morgan met Abby, he’d realized why Jeremy had been so ardent about rescuing her.

Abby Sinclair was tough as nails, a shrewd, resourceful woman who could survive anything life threw at her. She reminded him a lot of Noelle, except he’d never felt the same burning desire for Abby as he did Noelle.

At the thought of her, he suddenly realized he hadn’t seen Noelle since they’d gotten here. For all he knew, she was already on her way back to Paris.

“She’s in the blue room,” Abby said, as if reading his mind. “But she’s planning on leaving today.”

He swallowed. Yeah, he’d figured she’d cut and run the second they wrapped up the job. Noelle didn’t like to linger.

“I like your kid, by the way. I just ran into her in the kitchen. Told her I’d teach her how to shoot later.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Because she said she wanted to learn.” Abby grinned, which was a damn rare occurrence. “Oh shit, are you gonna go all Papa Bear on us? Because word to the wise: overprotective parents breed rebellious children.”

“You never rebelled against Jeremy,” he pointed out.

“Jeremy wasn’t my father. He was just the prickly black-ops soldier who decided to adopt a fucked-up kid like me.” Her voice softened. “He was my hero.”

“Mine too,” Morgan admitted, his thoughts once again drifting to his former commanding officer. “He was a good man.”

Abby hesitated.

“What?” he said roughly.

“So are you, you know. I mean, you’re a total bastard at times, but you are a good man, Jim.”

He shifted in discomfort.

“Okay, I can see you getting all squeamish about this heart-to-heart. Don’t worry. I am too.”

He had to chuckle. “Yeah?”

“Definitely. You know I’m not into all that emotion crap.” She gently ran a hand over the small bump at her belly, the gesture effectively contradicting what she’d just said. Then, with another grin, she headed for the door. “Come to the range in an hour and watch your daughter shoot. I bet you she’ll be a natural.”

Yeah, he’d make that bet too. And he couldn’t wait to see Cate shoot. Hell, he’d be happy to just sit there and watch her read a frickin’ book for ten hours, as long as it meant spending time with her.

But first, he had something else to take care of.

•   •   •

Noelle was on the balcony when she sensed Jim’s presence behind her. She always knew when he was close by—her body hummed every time, like an early alarm system for impending tension.

She kept her gaze on the gorgeous sunrise beyond the railing, admiring the incredible view. She hadn’t watched a sunrise in years, and she was surprised that she was still able to find beauty in something. Brilliant pinks, yellows, and oranges filled the sky as the sun soared upward, casting a halo over the jagged mountain peaks dotting the horizon.

“You were up all night,” she remarked without turning around.

Jim came up beside her and swiped her coffee cup right out of her hands. “I was with Cate,” he admitted after he’d taken a quick sip.

“I figured.”

He handed the cup back and rested both hands on the rail, his blue eyes somber as he focused them on the horizon.

“So serious,” she murmured. “What’s going on?”

“Abby says you’re leaving today.”

“Yep. You know I don’t like to overstay my welcome.”

He let go of the railing and shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting his feet awkwardly. She could feel his gaze on her now, but he didn’t say a word. He just watched her, his expression flickering with hesitation.

“What’s on your mind, Jim?” she said with a sigh.

“I want to talk to you about your father.”

When Noelle stiffened, he quickly held up his palm. “Wait. Before you go into street-fighter mode, just hear me out, okay?”

She shot him a terse look. “Fine. Say your piece.”

“I called Abby the other day. I, uh, asked her to check Jeremy Thomas’s safe-deposit boxes. It was just a shot in the dark—I mean, I didn’t expect to find anything, but I know that Jeremy used to keep backups of certain mission files for his personal records. He also made copies of interrogation tapes.”