Shadow of Doubt (An SBG Novel Book 2) (20 page)

She winced and looked away, tears crowding the corners of her eyes.

Ah hell. If only she realized how forcing those words out cut him deep.

He placed a finger under her chin and turned her to face him again, unable to take being shut out anymore. The tears streaking her cheeks shredded his already-battered heart and the liquid bronze pools staring up at him did him in.

The realization of just how much he loved this woman hit him like an anvil. His pulse jumped in time with the knotting of his stomach and his knuckles protested his trying to burrow them into the drywall.
Fucking Fates.
He mentally flipped them the finger at dangling her in front of him just so he’d have to walk away from yet another loved one.

From the second he saw Michelle locked to that bed in Colombia and every minute being back in her presence since solidified how far he had fallen until he could no longer deny she was the one for him.

Why?
he cried to those evil bitches, barely refraining from punching a hole in the wall.
My friends, family, and life weren’t enough? You think it’s funny to have me watch my sisters and their kids grow up on the Internet, knowing I’ll never get to interact with them again? Now you make me fall in love. Literally give me the girl of my dreams, shroud her in this murder conspiracy to make me doubt her, then, tell me I have to choose between her or my life as an operative and the team? Fuck you!

Energy coiled through his arm, urging him to drive his fist into the wall, but he froze at her soft spoken word.

“. . . children.”

“What?” He straightened and blinked against the red haze.

She lifted her chin. “I don’t have the luxury of a family either. I can’t have children.”

Romeo lifted his face to the sun and inhaled. A perfect, mid-sixties day unlike the hot-as-hell-humid-as-fuck Mexican villages they had tromped through too many times.

“I don’t like leaving her here,” Bob Harris rumbled, peering at the front door of the cottage where they all congregated on the walkway just outside.

Talon stiffened. “Don’t trust me to keep her protected?”

“She’s already escaped once under your and Cappy’s watch,” the Senator snapped.

Talon drew himself up but Wraith asked a question before his teammate could react. “You buying into Talon’s PTSD-induced murder?” A frown marred her pretty face.

Bob Harris sighed. “I’m not discounting it. That girl’s not completely innocent. She wasn’t just randomly chosen out of a phone book. Until we find out for sure what happened, she needs to be kept under lock and key.”

“Then you shouldn’t worry,” Grady deadpanned. Romeo held his breath, waiting for the rest. “Talon’s got such a way with people, she’ll either be incapacitated within the first five minutes or barricaded in her room, trying to hide from his stellar personality.”

“One day, Southern IQ,” Talon warned softly. “We’ll finish what we started.”

“Don’t tease,” Grady replied with a cold grin, scratching the area just below the team’s emblem hanging around his neck.

Wraith slapped Grady’s arm and shot Talon a look filled with mixed emotions.

Romeo felt for the guy. Wraith needed to shut this shit down. If she didn’t have a talk with Talon soon, Romeo was going to stage an intervention and
no one
was going to be happy when they left.

A frown stole over the Senator’s face. “I’ll lodge my issue with Cappy once he’s done. In the meantime, I’ve got to make arrangements for the plane and set up the visitation with Victor.”

“Cottage One is empty,” Romeo answered, peeking at the front of Cottage Two again. His curiosity was getting the better of him. What the hell had happened in Colombia? Why had Michelle been held? How did Cappy get involved? “Talon’s got the keys.”

Isis raked her gaze down Talon’s physique then threaded her arm through his. “I’ll join you.”

Talon jerked and frowned at the connection.

Romeo blinked.
Ah
. She was moving on. He stroked his fingers absently against the small of Magician’s back. He didn’t want to understand or analyze the relief tingling in his veins.

Talon extricated his arm out of hers and froze when he glanced at Wraith’s hand interlaced with Grady’s. His face reddened and he slipped over the yard. No sound showing how upset he was; only the lingering aura of emotion betrayed him.

Ted lumbered after him with Isis clasping the Senator’s elbow and leading him away, her chin held high. Wraith and Grady didn’t really follow; instead they strolled to the end of the walkway. Probably giving Talon some space.

The scent of roast beef hung in the air, reminding him of Sunday dinners in his parents’ home. It had been too long since his last visit . . .

He blinked.
Two years
. Man, since his brother’s wedding. He was now the only bachelor left out of the four of them.

He bounced on his toes, barely able to contain the excitement as his mind raced with possibilities.

Maybe he’d finally get to go home for longer than a day or two. With Victor out of the picture, he didn’t have to worry about jeopardizing his family. He could still keep them safe while upholding his vows by using his part of his alias. No one questioned him before when he claimed to be undercover a lot for the FBI.
Hot damn.

Magician split her gaze between the couple and the cottage’s front door. He should bring her too. She could use the rest after surviving the past seven intense months.
Don’t sound so altruistic.
Okay, so the distraction of him bringing home a beautiful woman to help alleviate the hell he was going to catch for not visiting sooner may have something to do with it.

Whomp
. Cappy banged through the outer door and paused at the edge of the front porch. Two seconds later Michelle stepped out and crossed her arms.

“What’re you guys still doing here?” Cappy barked, his hands on his hips.

Romeo exchanged a quick look with Magician.

Prickly and barely tempered fury rolled off Cappy and Michelle as a whole. They evidently didn’t settle the argument or give into their raging hormones . . . much as they seriously needed to.

“We’re the Senator’s protection detail,” Magician replied with a steel edge to her tone. “Remember?”

Cappy searched the area. “Where is he?”

“First cottage.” Romeo thumbed toward the other house. “Making arrangements for your trip. Ted, Talon, and Isis are with him.”

“And you all aren’t with them, why?”

Romeo stiffened, dropping his hand. “I have something that needs your attention.”

“Can’t it wait?”

“No.” Romeo held his CO’s gaze.

Cappy sighed. “Michelle, can you go with Sandra and Grady to the other cottage?”

Her chin inched up and she narrowed her eyes.

“It’s not a trick,” Cappy placated. “I told you you’re not under arrest and I meant it. I’ll be over in a minute.”

She skirted Cappy, giving him a wide berth, and march-limped over the grass toward the other house. Grady and Wraith gave Cappy a quizzical glance but the man’s jaw remained hardened as he watched her leave.

Okay, then.

“What is it? What’s so important?” Cappy snapped, finally peering at them now that the other three had disappeared inside.

Romeo studied his CO’s rigid posture and twitching cheek muscle. “What’s going on with you?”

“Excuse me?” Cappy’s muscles inflated.

“You heard me,” Romeo replied, not the least bit intimidated. “Magician, correct me if I’m wrong, but does our CO seem to suddenly have erratic mood swings, perform an uncharacteristic abundance of touching of our beautiful”—Cappy’s eyes narrowed to slits at his description—“damsel in distress, throw off a powerful claiming vibe, and exude sexual tension?”

“Careful, Romeo,” Cappy growled.

“Mag, wouldn’t you also agree that said damsel is doing the same damn thing?”

“Absolutely,” Magician replied, crossing her arms. “They’ve obviously weathered a horrific event together and forged a powerful bond from that experience.”

Romeo nodded. “And their raging attraction?” He shook his hand as if burned. “Our CO has
clearly
fallen for her.”

Magician lifted her chin and beautifully completed Romeo’s thought. “I agree. Could it be outside of her allure, he’s drawn to getting a slice of his past back?”

Cappy stomped forward until he got within a foot of Romeo and Magician. “You two need to back off and mind your own business.”

Romeo held Cappy’s gaze until the CO looked at Magician.

Magician swiped a strand of hair out of her mouth then broke the tense silence. “If she didn’t have the murder charge—”

“She’s innocent,” Cappy retorted, but Romeo could’ve sworn he saw something flash in the CO’s eyes. Ah. So the man had picked up on the fact that nothing in the conversation exonerated her. As much as he hated to admit it, that made Romeo feel better. Cappy may be a lunatic about Michelle but he wasn’t a complete fool.

“Enlighten us,” Romeo taunted. “If she didn’t have the charge, would you—”

“You know who we work for, what we do, how we live.” Cappy cut off the question again.
That’s telling.
The man yanked a pair of sunglasses out of his side pocket. “We can’t settle down and have normal lives with white picket fences and doting civilians.”

“I’m pretty sure the original founders, Sam and Thane, never meant for operatives and the civilians they told to die,” Romeo stated flatly. “That was Victor. Geez, the guy’s sitting in jail because we have evidence he murdered those two just to take over. That should be all the grounds you need to realize this could be the start of a new era.”

Cappy shifted his gaze into the distance.

“I don’t know what happened in Colombia, but it’s undeniable it left her scarred inside and out,” Romeo said quietly, knowing he was about to royally piss off an already angry man, but he needed to wake the guy up and make him admit his feelings . . . at least to himself so his head could get back into the game. “Is she too damaged then?”

Magician sucked in a breath and stared at him.

The muscle on Cappy’s jaw ticked and his physique somehow seemed much larger. “Fuck. No.” His hands clenched into fists and he inhaled. After a moment he replied in a lethal voice, usually signaling imminent violence, “The hell she survived in Colombia only makes me admire her more. The scars on her body humble me and are a testament to her strength. She’s beautiful in every possible way and I’d gladly bring her back from the brink every damn time. None of us deserve to breathe the same air as her.”

Wow.
Romeo blinked. Had that come out of
Cappy
? “Damn, that was poetry.” A small spike of something resembling too close to jealousy reared its head.

***

Cappy stared at the silent cottage across the street. He noted stupid details like how the ivory siding matched all the other houses, how the maroon shutters adorning every window also hung on other cottages, blending nicely with the sand-colored brick, and how the hedges were uniform, right down to leaf size across each front. The consistency and balance comforted him . . . such a contrast to the chaos now ruling his mind, heart, and life.

A steady breeze washed over his still-bare chest, driving a cool chill down his spine. He really needed to put a shirt on before the neighbors took interest in their front-yard drama.

“Talk to us.” Magician rested her hand against his forearm.

He shifted his weight evenly over his feet. Maybe he should trust the pair he sent in during missions when navigating and manipulating human emotions were involved. They were experts in reading people and their instincts were usually spot-on. His big mouth had already spouted enough to confirm their accusations about his personal stake in Michelle anyway.

Cappy rubbed the back of his head. “Talon may be an asshole, but he said something that’s stuck with me.”

“Can’t wait to hear this gem,” Romeo muttered.

“Right after he accused me of leading with my little head, he eloquently pointed out how Michelle has hero worship and I have a rescue complex. Together we’re both screwed up.”

“And you listened to him?” Romeo asked, his eyebrows up in disbelief.

“I can’t believe you took advice from Talon,” Magician stated with obvious displeasure. “Dr. Warm and Fuzzy he is not. He can only see one thing.”

“Wraith’s decision to be with Grady instead of him.” Romeo tag-teamed. “He’s bitter and raging and spewing his twisted view of relationships . . . and you’re paying attention.”

True.

“Besides,” Romeo continued, plucking at his designer suit, which flashed a section of his shoulder harness, “don’t we all have rescue complexes? Isn’t that why we’re so good at what we do?”

Magician squeezed Cappy’s arm. “Trust me, you may literally be her hero, but she’s not looking at you with stars in her eyes and placing you on a pedestal.”

A small chuckle burst from Romeo. “Quite the opposite I’m learning from the little bit of time I’ve spent around you two. Cap, she sees
you
.”

Cappy opened his mouth but Magician spoke first. “You should be asking yourself a larger question. If she stayed in your life, would she push you to be a better person or feel like an anchor pulling you under and holding you back?”

Cappy opened his mouth but Magician held up a hand, silencing him again. “I don’t want an answer. That’s something you need to think about for yourself.”

A bird tore off from the edge of the cottage’s roof, its wings flapping as it cawed. Cappy followed the bird’s flight across the baby-blue sky.

Such a simple question yet the answer would tell him so much.

He inhaled and the smell of roasted meat made his stomach growl. Damn, he hadn’t eaten since last night. Hopefully he could catch a bite before they left for the airport. A door slammed shut and Talon paused at the edge of the small porch next door. The hat shielded his eyes, but Cappy could still feel the man’s gaze assessing the group. Right. He had a job to do.

“I won’t compromise this team.” Cappy turned to head to the first cottage.

“You don’t have to compromise,” Romeo called out with utter conviction, stopping Cappy’s retreat.

Cappy pivoted.

“A new regime has taken over,” Romeo implored, his handsome face impassioned by his words. “There’ll be no more urban myth under the Senator’s rule. No more operatives dying for the sheer fact they want to retire or leave the life. No more civilian casualties for loving one of us and vice-versa.”

“You don’t know that. We only have Wraith and Grady to go by and they were a specialized circumstance.” Cappy slapped the sunglasses on his face. “Are you asking me to be the guinea pig? To risk Michelle for a
see what happens
?”

Romeo squared his shoulders. “No. Once all the bullshit of Colin’s murder gets resolved and hopefully you find out you’re right about her innocence, we’ll protect her if it comes to that. But it won’t.”

A new layer of guilt stabbed at Cappy—as if he didn’t have enough of that malignant emotion already. He shouldn’t harbor any doubt about her innocence, but he did. In his heart he knew she didn’t do it, but he had to face reality. She hadn’t given them one shred of evidence to support her claim and he couldn’t risk his team’s reputation and safety based on a feeling. He had followed his dick once. Never again.

“Like I said,” Cappy replied in a firm voice. “I won’t compromise this team for my own selfish want.”

“It’s not the choice you think it is.”

“I’m not willing to take the chance. No matter how I feel about it, it wouldn’t be fair or right to ask her to always be waiting for me when every time I leave there’s a strong chance I might not come back. She’s been through enough.”