Shadow of Doubt (An SBG Novel Book 2) (11 page)

Cappy could only murmur, “It’s okay,” over and over into the crown of her head. He shifted to relieve his crushed balls and sent up a small prayer for guidance.

He hated feeling so helpless.

He had seen good men, good soldiers, struggle with the horrors they faced in war. Whether the violence was by their own hands or what they watched their buddy go through didn’t seem to matter. They were crippled just the same. To witness this exquisite creature’s terror as she fought to stay out of Raul’s phantom hands left him feeling inadequate and guilty. He should have known about her capture sooner. Should have been able to save her from that hell.

Images of her tortured body rose in his mind. Christ, what those men had done to her. Rage curled in his gut as he gently stroked her arm. He wished he could kill them all over again and not just for what they subjected her to, but for the men he had lost that day. Friends who didn’t deserve to have their lives cut short because he had lost focus and allowed his emotions to lead.

Fewer tears soaked into his shirt and a soft snore filled his ears. He gently transferred her to the couch, replacing his arm with an ugly beige pillow.

After crossing the room, he motioned for Talon to lift the paper towels. His teammate tipped his head back and removed the wad. Bruising across the bridge of his nose had already started blossoming spectacularly. “You’re going to have a hell of a shiner just in time to replace the one that just healed.” Cappy peered closer. “You need to get that looked at.”

“I’ve had a broken nose before.” Talon pivoted and entered the kitchen. “This doesn’t feel like that. Any ice ready in the freezer?”

Cappy opened the appliance’s door but it was empty. A stack of plastic trays sat neatly on top of the refrigerator, waiting to be filled. “Nope. Go see a doctor anyway just to be safe. Call me when you’re released. I’ll give you the list of supplies we need from the store.” Cappy stepped out of the kitchen and glanced toward the couch. Michelle still slept in the same position he’d placed her in. Good. He motioned for Talon to follow him through the dining room and out the sliding glass door.

Once Talon crossed over the threshold, Cappy closed the door and angled his body so he could watch over Michelle.

Talon flicked a glance down Cappy’s sight line and snorted, then winced at the action. “You better get your head out of your dick and wake up.”

Cappy jerked at the attack and straightened to his full height. “Excuse me?”

“That girl murdered Colin Harris and you’re in there stroking her like a damn puppy.”

“We don’t know that for sure.” Even to his ears he sounded defensive. Shit.

“Spoken like a guy wanting to get laid.”

“Hey,” Cappy snapped. “I’m still your CO.”

“Then act like a commanding officer,” Talon retorted, not getting the message to back down. “Find out what happened.”

Cappy gripped his hips to keep from encircling Talon’s throat. “What do you think I’m doing?”

Talon tried to snort again. “I don’t know, clearing the house so you can screw her.”

“Get real,” Cappy retorted. “She doesn’t really want me, just what I represent.”

“She’s suffering from hero worship and you have a rescue complex when it comes to her. You’re both screwed up but that still doesn’t mean you can’t fuck her.”

Cappy moved into Talon’s space and forced his clenched fists to stay at his sides. “Get out of my face and to the hospital before I break something for real. Capisce? Call me when you’re done. I’ll have a list for you by then.”

“Check,
sir
.”

Talon strode around Cappy, grazing his shoulder as he passed. It wasn’t a full-out challenge but a message. Cappy watched him disappear around the corner. If that man didn’t straighten up soon, he might just have to send a message of his own—one with no hint of subtlety.

He gazed up at the blazing pink and orange clouds as the sun disappeared from the sky. The taste of what her therapy sessions must have been like as she battled the PTSD soured in his mouth.
Shit.

How could he have been so callous all these years and not even tried to find her, to check up on her even if it was from a distance?
You know why
, his mind answered, zeroing in on the instant connection he had felt the second he broke into that room. He wouldn’t’ve been able to keep himself on the perimeter. The temptation to touch her, talk to her, be with her would’ve been too much.

SBG operatives were not allowed to have personal lives.

Wraith was an exception, which only happened after Victor had been taken into custody. Christ, the rule they had been taught on
day one
of training drove home the point they were no longer a part of the normal world.
“
Never
reveal your real name, where you’re from, or anything more significant in your background than what I ask for in the next few minutes,”
the instructor had barked the moment he walked into the room where Cappy and the rest of those who would make up Delta Squad waited.
“In case you geniuses haven’t figured it out, that’s what
clean slate
means.
When you leave here, you’ll have a new name. You’ll answer only to that. Period. I don’t give a shit what brought you to this facility, I only care about what you do while you’re here and in the future. If any of you
ever
defies this rule”—
the drill-sergeant-esque man slapped his hands on his hips and captured all of their eyes—
“well, let’s just say you should never want to find out.”

Years into Victor’s reign of running the Black Ops side of SweetBriar Group, the CEO became twisted and paranoid to the point he viewed everyone as a security risk. More and more operatives were declared Rogues for the smallest infractions (real and perceived), consigning them to a death sentence, and his madness also bled into the civilian world. In the beginning, he’d place the operatives under twenty-four-hour surveillance, and when opportunities for “natural-looking” deaths were presented, they died. In the end, he’d send his Assassin Squad to make the hit with no subtlety.

But Victor’s no longer in charge
. The dangerous thought poked through his memories.
Wraith found and got to keep Grady. Life could be different now.

He couldn’t risk it just to satisfy an itch.
An itch? Who you foolin—

His phone rang. He pushed his squawking conscience to the back of his mind and saw Ted’s name scrolling across the screen. “You all have your flights booked for tomorrow?”

Ted wearily sighed.
“Yeah.”

“What time do you guys arrive?”

“Around ten a.m.”

Cappy grunted. “Fine. Text me the details.”

A pause, something sounding like paper shuffling, then Ted’s drained voice stated,
“I found out a little bit more about your girl.”

Cappy startled, but before he could make the correction, the genius continued,
“In an interesting twist not normally done, the Marshals also placed Michelle’s parents in WITSEC using the last name of Fields. Seems the mother had a near-fatal incident not too long after Michelle returned to the states. Marshals suspected the cartel trying to draw Michelle out. They’re now residing in Virginia.”

Christ.
This family couldn’t catch a break.

Michelle rolled off the couch.
Bam
,
she smacked the floor
.
She flopped for a second then sat up with a start.

“Shit. I gotta go.” He hung up on Ted’s exhausted,
“Sure.”
A small twinge of remorse niggled at Cappy, but not for long. Ted had to learn quickly that operators didn’t get days off or timeouts for being tired. Life in the field worked on a twenty-four/seven/three-sixty-five rotation. The kid needed to toughen up if he wanted to join Cappy’s team.

Michelle swiped the hair out of her face and stared at the room blankly. Just as Cappy was about to open the slider, she lifted her hands over her head for a full body stretch. Her full breasts pushed against her uniform top and the bottom rose up to reveal a slim, soft patch of creamy skin on her stomach. His mouth went dry and his cock twitched. Shit. Talon was right. He needed to get the
right
head back in charge.

***

Romeo crossed the threshold of suite 1410 with Magician right behind him. The investigation commandeered the entire fourteenth floor of the Cerise, the hotel across the street from the Blakely, for the command post and sleeping arrangements, with the FBI and U.S. Marshals taking up the most space.

When Romeo and Magician debarked from the plane earlier, they were met by none other than FBI Special Agent in Charge Warren Bingham. The man had been on a complete fishing expedition to find out why the Senator would request them specifically. But in dodging questions from such an esteemed chauffer, they had learned the local U.S. Marshals office had identified the woman in the video and supplied the FBI with Michelle Holman’s name, addresses, and photos.

SAC Bingham also admitted to being frustrated about the Marshals’ refusal to state why Michelle was in WITSEC in the first place. The Marshals would only cop to lending a hand in the investigation due to the potential clusterfuck it could mean for everyone later.

Romeo nodded appropriately and made all the usual responses but made a mental note:
Cappy had some ’splaining to do.
What the hell had been his last mission? And who exactly was “everyone” in this scenario?

He placed his hand on the small of Magician’s back and maneuvered them around the rim of the bustling room, taking in the energy of the space. Grim determination pulsed throughout the junior set while the seasoned veterans were a little more relaxed.

Every male in the room surreptitiously followed Magician’s progress as she kept pace with Romeo, while the few females allowed in the inner sanctum kept up with his steps. Typical reaction for them. Most times Cappy used their looks as a way to distract their quarry while the rest of the team went in for the strike.

Romeo snuck a glance at Mag and noted her scarred cheek didn’t face the room.
Huh
. Had he subconsciously done that on purpose or just the luck of the draw? And when had he become so sensitive to Magician to the point of imagining her pole dancing? An unsettled feeling weighed on his shoulders. Ever since that damn op seven months ago, something had shifted between him and Mag. An undercurrent he couldn’t name now surrounded them. He needed to find out what it was before any more daydreams—day-mares—took hold.

“Howard, over here,” SAC Bingham bellowed over the din of conversations.

Could it be?
Romeo’s body tightened, restoring the balance in his shallow psyche.

Over by the kitchen, a wall of badly suited bodies parted and a curvaceous woman with short, spiky blond hair, so pale it was almost white, moved forward. Her red Donna Karan dress molded to her body and the skirt stopped mid-thigh. Walking sex on four-inch heels.

Just what he needed to wipe away the disturbing images from the club.
Maybe this op won’t be so bad after all.
He dropped his hand from Mag and adjusted his suit coat.

For the second time in a matter of minutes, every male eye tracked a beautiful woman’s progress. The biggest difference was that Magician didn’t let on if she noticed it, but by the faint smile on Howard’s face she not only knew it, she encouraged it. She played the salivating agents like a violin, swaying her hips and lazily sweeping the room. When she spotted Romeo, her eyes widened, then darkened with heat. She altered her path, lifting her chin while giving him a slow, burning grin.

Magician stiffened and a soft curse fell from her mouth. He had momentarily forgotten the two women didn’t get along. They were like cats fighting over the same territory, though he had no clue where or what it was.

“Well, well, well,” the woman murmured, pausing in front of him. “You just perked up my day.”

“As you did mine, Isis,” Romeo replied softly. “Or are you using an alias on this op?”

The unexpected SBG operative slid her hand beneath his suit jacket and traced a finger over the top edge of his pec, causing his skin to pebble and the muscle to quiver in its wake. “Isis Howard. Figured it was easier since the legend was already built and hadn’t been burned yet. You?” She added a second finger to her exploration.

He sucked in a breath at how his blood quickened in response to her touch. Their chemistry had always been explosive, and neither missed the opportunity to exploit it whenever their paths crossed. Add the bonus of neither wanting a commitment or strings attached and he had the perfect distraction.

What had she asked?
Magician shifted beside him. Oh, their aliases. “Still using Raymond Stiles and Sonya White.”

Isis ripped her smoldering gaze away from his and coolly assessed his partner. After an uncomfortable, silent moment she finally said, “Magician.”

“Isis.” Magician lifted her chin and stared down her nose, which was cute since Isis stood about a foot taller in those fuck-me heels. “Didn’t know the Senator had sent another team in to help. Snowman and the rest of Echo squad here?” Ice dripped off each word.

Youch.
He was going to get frostbit if he stood next to these two any longer.

“Nope, just me.” Isis dismissively turned away and focused her attention back on him, her fingers picking up the trail to reverse back across his chest. “Happened to already be undercover, finishing an op when this occurred. Heard I missed quite a show in North Carolina last week.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “I’d have liked to jump out of a helicopter to swoop in and save you, lover.”

“You know I like it when you play soldier,” he rumbled softly, grinning. “Your ass is so cute in those pants.”

She curled her hand around his tie. “And you know what seeing you in a well-cut suit does to me.”

Magician gagged theatrically. “Glad we’ve got that covered. But now that Romeo and I are here, I’m sure Snowman wants you back.”

“Nah. Things just got interesting. I think I’m going to stick around and offer my services in
any
way I can.”