Grace woke to a repeated buzzing. She rolled over and snuggled into the hard, muscular chest beside her and reveled in how safe and warm she felt. She’d never been more content...if not for that annoying buzzing sound.
The man beside her stretched to the side and ended the buzzing, but started talking, pulling her more completely from the deep sleep she’d needed so badly.
“They are?” Declan said. “Yes, ma’am... Charlie. We’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
Grace opened her eyes, memories of making love to this stranger rushing back to warm her all over. That’s when she realized she was still naked beneath the sheets, with her body pressed against his equally naked form.
A different kind of heat rushed into her cheeks. How did she extricate herself from this man gracefully? A man as ruggedly handsome as Declan had to have been with beautiful women in his past. Surely he’d forget her as soon as he completed his assignment and moved on.
Declan started to toss the bedsheet aside, but Grace held on tightly to her corner.
“You go ahead. I’m not quite awake yet,” she said, her cheeks so hot she feared she might ignite the sheets. She looked away as he shifted in the bed.
A warm hand caressed her cheek. “Hey, you’re not having regrets, are you?” He turned her to face him. Declan leaned up on his elbow and stared down into her eyes. “Because I don’t regret a single moment with you. Except...”
Grace braced herself.
“Except that I didn’t make love to you sooner.” He bent and pressed a kiss to her lips. “You’re amazing.”
She let go of the breath she held and laughed nervously. “Yeah, but we barely know each other and we’re...we’re...”
“Perfect in bed together? Fit like we belong together?”
“We’re naked,” she gushed out.
Declan chuckled. “Yes, we are.” He traced a finger along her jaw. “And I’d make love to you all over again, but I don’t have enough time to do it right.”
“Like you did last night?” Her heart beat like a snare drum, because damn, he’d rocked her world the night before. So much so, she was completely out of her depth and slightly off-kilter. Waking up in this man’s arms would be all too easy to get used to. Something she couldn’t risk.
Declan wasn’t going to be around for long. The man had a job. She and Riley were that job. When he resolved the problem, he wouldn’t have an excuse to hang around. He’d be off to his next assignment.
Would it be a beautiful woman? Would he find her more attractive and a better lover?
Grace bunched her hands into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms, the sting of jealousy burning in her chest. How could she be jealous of a woman who might not even exist? All over a man she’d met the day before.
Again, he cupped her cheek and smiled down at her. “No use being shy. It shouldn’t matter after what we shared last night.”
“Maybe it doesn’t matter to you,” she argued, pulling the sheet up over her chest as she propped herself up on her knees. “But it does to me.”
He kissed her full on the lips and gave her naked bottom a playful smack. “Then I’ll get a quick shower, while you’re dressing.” He nibbled behind her ear. “Although, I’d rather see your naked body.”
He rose from the bed and crossed to the bathroom, magnificently nude, his hips narrow and his buttocks tight and rounded.
Grace couldn’t look away. The man was too gloriously good-looking, like a buffed-up Greek god. He shot a wicked smile over his shoulder. “Caught ya looking.”
Again, her cheeks heated. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at his head, the sheet she’d held to her front slipping to expose a breast. She quickly covered herself. “You’re way too full of yourself, Declan O’Neill.”
He smiled and winked. “Maybe, but you still looked.” Declan entered the bathroom and soon the sound of water hitting the shower curtain came through the paneled door.
Grace sprang from the bed and pulled on her robe, knotting its tie securely. She was grabbing her clothing and shoes when Declan emerged from the bathroom, a towel slung low around his hips. He wore nothing else.
Grace’s jaw dropped and she ran her tongue across her suddenly dry lips. “Uh, my turn in the bathroom?”
He nodded. “Yes. And I would have dressed first, but my bag is out here.”
She started around him, but he hooked her arm as she passed and slid his hand up to hers, where she clutched her clothes to her chest as if they were armor.
“Do I make you nervous?” he asked, a frown drawing his eyebrows together. Declan lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm.
She stared at his mouth, rather than his eyes. “I’m not ready for this,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“You know...” She should have pulled her hand free, but she couldn’t. His fingers on hers, his lips on her skin... “I’m not ready to jump back into the morning-after routine. I don’t know how to date. I don’t remember how to act after...well...after...”
He gathered her in his arms and held her. “Maybe we shouldn’t have gone so fast, but I can’t regret what happened last night. My only regret is that you’re uncomfortable now.” He leaned back, tipped her chin up with his finger. “Would it make you feel better if we can pretend it didn’t happen and go back to friends working to find Riley?”
As much as she’d like their connection to be more, she really wasn’t ready for it. Her heart beat too fast and her knees wobbled. Both symptoms could be attributed to the fact she was pressed against his naked body, the electricity generated scrambling her brain.
“Yes,” she said.
He brushed his lips across hers in barely a kiss, then he straightened and stepped away.
Grace dove for the bathroom, shut the door, threw her clothes on its hook and leaned against the wall. She didn’t want to go back to being friends, not after experiencing the magic of a night in Declan’s arms. But she wasn’t ready for the pain and disillusionment of being discarded once the magic wore off. Three years after her divorce, she had just begun to feel right in her own skin. Her ex-husband had been so controlling and critical of everything she did, she had to fight her way back to any level of confidence. She couldn’t afford to lose that.
She pushed away from the wall, leaned over the sink, splashed water onto her face and then brushed her teeth. She noticed a red mark on her neck where Declan’s stubble had rubbed against her skin as he’d kissed his way down to her breasts. Her nipples puckered and tingled at the memory of his tongue flicking the tips.
With a groan, she splashed cold water on her face again and patted it dry, refusing to acknowledge the red marks or pointed beads of her nipples making little tents against her robe. No, she couldn’t go there. Riley was her focus.
Hoping it would calm her down, she took a fast shower, toweled off and ran a brush through her still-damp hair. She pulled on her clothes—just jeans and a soft blouse—ready to face the day...and Declan.
When she exited the bathroom, she entered the empty bedroom. Through the open bedroom door, she could see Declan standing in the living room, at the boarded-up window.
He turned when she approached. “My team has arrived at Mrs. Halverson’s. The bank doesn’t open until nine o’clock. I’d like to swing by Charlie’s place and connect with them before we hit the safe-deposit box. I think they will be useful in providing backup when we retrieve whatever Riley stashed there.”
“I’m all for additional protection. I’m afraid whatever we’re getting from that safe-deposit box would either hurt who she’s running from or is something they want.”
“Exactly.” Declan’s brow dipped low on his forehead. “Which puts you in just as much danger as Riley’s in now.”
A shiver rippled down the back of Grace’s neck.
“Are you okay with this? You could hand the key over to the FBI and give them permission to enter that box.”
Grace shook her head. “I can do this. Once I have it, she’ll contact me for the handoff. She said not to trust anyone.”
“Not even me?” He gave her a gentle smile that made butterflies take flight in her belly.
“I trust you,” she said. “You saved Mrs. Halverson from kidnappers. You went after the intruder in our apartment. I’m convinced you would have done both those things regardless of who Mrs. Halverson was.”
He shrugged. “I did what any decent human would have done.”
Grace chuckled. “Most people would have saved themselves and never considered going after the bad guys.” She stared up into his eyes. “You’re real hero material.”
“Not according to the US Army.” His lips thinned into a straight line. “If you’re ready, let’s go.”
She hoped Declan would loosen up enough to tell her what he’d done that got him discharged from the military.
A few moments later, she settled into her SUV, stealing a glance over to where Declan sat with his hand curled around the steering wheel. Trusting him was not an issue. Grace trusted the man with her life. She just wasn’t sure she could trust him with her heart.
* * *
DECLAN PULLED THROUGH the gate at Mrs. Halverson’s estate in Kalorama twenty minutes later. A dark SUV stood in the circular drive.
His pulse quickened and his heart grew lighter as he climbed out of the vehicle and rounded to the passenger door.
Grace had the door open and was swinging her legs out.
He extended a hand and helped her to her feet, then tucked her arm through his elbow and led her up the stone staircase to the front double-door entrance.
Before he could reach for the bell, the door burst open and five men spilled out.
“O’Neill,” Mack greeted him first with an outstretched hand.
Declan grabbed his assistant team leader’s hand and tugged hard, pulling him into a tight hug and then clapping him on the back.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Mack said.
“Good to see you, man.” Declan’s eyes stung. He knew he’d missed his team, but hadn’t realized just how much. Now that they were in front of him, he felt as if he’d come home.
Mustang nudged Mack aside and moved in for a bone-crunching bear hug that left Declan chuckling and breathless. “Missed you, old man.” Mustang stepped back and let Cole, Gus and Jack have their turns at greeting their old team leader.
“Who do you have with you?” Jack held out his hand. “I’m Jack Snow, slack man on the team.”
“Grace Lawrence.” Grace’s brow wrinkled. “What’s a slack man?”
“He’s the newest man on the team,” Gus said.
“Which makes him the pack mule,” Cole added. “He carries everything the rest of us don’t want to carry.” He backhanded Snow in the belly. “Speaking of which, where’d you put my duffel bag?”
“Bite me,” Snow said. “We’re not on active duty anymore. You carried your own bag. Find it yourself.”
“We’re a team, aren’t we?” Cole said. “Every Force Recon team needs its slack man. If you’re not our slack man, what are you?”
“Excuse these two jokers.” Mack pushed Cole and Snow aside. “I’m Mack Balkman, assistant team leader, second only to our man O’Neill.” He held out his hand to Grace.
Cole and Gus introduced themselves to Grace, each holding her hand a little longer than the last.
Finally, Declan had enough and walked between Gus and Grace, forcing Gus to let go. “When did you get in?” Declan asked.
Gus grinned and stepped back.
“I got in around two in the morning,” Mack said. “Snow came in shortly after me.”
“Gus, Mustang and I came in around two in the morning, too. We drove in from Virginia Beach,” Cole said.
“Becoming professional beach bums?” Declan asked. “You haven’t gone soft on me, have you? I sold you to Charlie as the best of the best.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t tell her the best of what, did you?” Mustang winked.
“We’re ready and more than willing to do whatever you have in mind,” Cole said. “A couple of months of hanging out at the beach and going to the bar was getting old.” He cracked his knuckles. “I’m ready to get back into the action.”
“You mentioned using our skills,” Mack said. “What exactly do you and Charlie have in mind?”
Declan waved toward the door. “Let’s go inside and I’ll brief you and Charlie on what’s going on.”
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, Declan’s team had been briefed and had come up with a plan to support Grace on her trip to the safe-deposit box at the bank.
“It might be overkill,” Mack said.
“But better overkill than mission failure or Miss Lawrence getting hurt,” Charlie said. “I’m glad you’re all going with her. I’d go myself, but that might add more complications to the operation. Especially after what happened the other day.”
“True.” Declan wouldn’t want to worry about two women at the same time, especially one who’d proven to be a target for kidnappers. He didn’t like the idea of Grace putting herself into danger, but she insisted she had to do this for Riley.
“I’m leaning toward overkill,” Grace said. “I’ll feel a whole lot better with a few more able-bodied men watching my back. With your help, I’m going to walk into that bank, get whatever is in that safe-deposit box and walk back out.” She wiped her hands together. “That’s it. No problem.”
A knot formed in Declan’s gut. His instinct told him it wasn’t going to be that easy. Someone had killed Moretti. If the killer wanted what Riley had stashed in that box, he might be willing to kill Grace to get it.
“If you don’t mind, I like the redundancy of having my team as backup. I’m hoping it’s as easy as you seem to think it will be. If it is, great. If it isn’t, we have skilled operatives who know how to take the bad guys down.”
Grace gave Declan a twitch of a smile. “I’m okay with your way of thinking. It’s almost time for the bank to open,” Grace said with a glance at her watch. “Let’s go.”
“Wait.” Declan held out his hand. “Give me your cell phone.”
Grace’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” she asked as she handed it over to him.
“Just in case, for some unexplainable reason, we get separated, I want to be able to find you.” His gaze captured hers. “Do you mind if I put a tracker on your phone?”
She shook her head; her heart was warming to the idea. He cared enough to want to find her should they be parted. Sure, it was all because of the task he’d been assigned, but she liked that he would go to the trouble to set it up.
He brought up the applications store and selected a tracking application. When it had downloaded, he added information that would allow his cell phone to track hers. He handed the phone back to her and she put it into her pocket.
“I’d rather tag you with a smaller tracking device, but for now, this is what we have to work with.”
Charlie stepped up beside them. “Declan, you and I need to work on what our new organization might need in the way of communications equipment and weapons.”
He nodded. “And we will. But for now, we have to get moving.”
Declan insisted on leading the way out to Grace’s SUV. He helped her into the passenger side and slipped in behind the steering wheel.
Mrs. Halverson had loaned the men two of her estate’s black Cadillac Escalades. The men split up, two in one vehicle, three in the other. They could all have fit into one, but this way they had multiple vehicles if they needed to chase the bad guys.
Charlie stood beside the lead vehicle as the men climbed in. “I took the liberty of loading the rear of these with some of the weapons my husband collected in his own personal armory. Hopefully you won’t need them. But I also included ammunition, should things get sticky. If this weaponry gets you in hot water, call me. I know people who will make sure authorities know you’re okayed to use these things.”
Declan bent and kissed the older woman’s cheek. “Thank you. It’s nice to know you’re looking out for us.”
The drive to the bank took fifteen minutes. Declan pulled the SUV into the parking lot beside the one-story, gray stucco building.
Grace didn’t say a word on the way. She sat with her gaze on the road ahead, her purse clutched so tightly to her chest, her knuckles turned white.
Declan reached over and touched her hand. “You’ll be all right.”
She gave a shaky laugh. “I don’t know how you and your team could walk into enemy territory and not be scared out of your minds.”
“Don’t let my team tell you differently,” Declan said. “We were pretty scared at times. We just didn’t let it slow us down. We had a job to do, and got busy doing it. The end usually justified the means, and we did our best to make our efforts count.”
Declan slowed at an intersection and then turned right. “Until we didn’t follow orders,” he added softly, his lips pressing together.
“You must have had a good reason.” Grace tilted her head and stared into Declan’s eyes. “If you had it all to do over again, would you have made the same decision?”
An image of the babies strapped to the Taliban’s chests and the bride and groom being used as human shields flashed before Declan’s mind. “Yes.”
“Then you did the right thing.” Grace smiled. “Now, let’s get this over with. I want my roommate back in one piece. Preferably alive.” She faced forward, her head held high.
Declan’s lips twitched.
Grace was scared, but she would do whatever she had to in order to help her friend.
Declan parked as close to the front entrance as possible.
When Grace started to get out, he put up a hand. “Wait for me. I can’t protect you if you’re standing out in the open, alone.”
She stared at him. “As long as you don’t intend to use yourself as a shield to catch bullets aimed at me.”
He shrugged. “I’ll do what I have to. Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
Grace frowned. “It better not. I like you just the way you are. Not peppered with lead.” She chuckled. “I never thought I’d utter that phrase. Sounds like something out of an old Western movie.”
The other members of his team arrived shortly after Declan and Grace, parking at opposite ends of the lot, probably trying to look like they weren’t arriving together.
When they got out of the SUVs, they were so much alike in build and bearing, only an idiot wouldn’t put the five of them together.
Declan preferred that they act as a visual deterrent to anyone who might try to attack Grace. He glanced around the lot. Several cars were parked and two more pulled in as he helped Grace down from the vehicle. He slipped an arm around her, pulling her as near to his body as possible.
She didn’t resist; instead, she leaned into him, holding her purse in front of her. “You think anyone will try to attack me?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t want to take any chances.” He smiled down at her. “I think I like you, and would hate for anything to happen to you so early in our potential relationship.”
She shot a quick glance up at him. “You like me?”
He nodded with a gentle smile. “Yes, I do. So, let’s get this over with so we can have coffee and get to know each other in a little-less-volatile environment.”
“I’m game.” She smiled up at him and walked with him to the door.
Once inside, Declan loosened his hold but didn’t relax his vigilance.
Grace asked to access the safe-deposit box, showed her identification, along with the power-of-attorney papers, and presented the key. The receptionist asked them to take a seat and left her desk to find a manager. She was gone for at least five minutes when finally a dark-haired man appeared with a smile, wearing a name tag with Branch Manager engraved on the gold-colored metal. He introduced himself as Alan Jordan. He checked the computer, presumably looking up the box information. After he verified Grace was who she said she was, he finally showed her into the vault where the boxes were located.
When Declan went to follow, Jordan held up his hand. “I’m sorry, sir, only the key owner is allowed into the safe.”
Declan was forced to remain outside the safe until Grace returned. He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t argue against the rules.
The entire time he waited, he studied the people coming in and out of the bank.
An old woman walked in with a cane, her body hunched over, her gait slow and steady.
A man wearing jeans and a polo shirt came in, carrying a money bag for deposit. He nodded toward Declan and headed straight for the tellers’ counter.
Mack and Gus entered without giving Declan so much as a nod. They made brief eye contact and stopped at the receptionist’s desk to inquire about opening accounts.
A woman carrying a small baby came through the doors and stood in line at the tellers’ counter, bouncing the baby on her hip as she waited.
None of the people in the bank appeared to pose a threat to Grace.
Declan checked his watch. Grace had been inside for three minutes. How long did it take to open a safe-deposit box? He paced the floor in front of the receptionist’s desk. The woman had yet to return to her post. Had she gone on break?
He looked around at the different offices, all with glass fronts and people working with customers. The receptionist had gone down a hallway to an office that didn’t have glass walls.
Declan assumed the office belonged to the branch manager. Until that moment, he hadn’t thought about why the receptionist hadn’t come out of the branch manager’s office with him, assuming she might have gone on break in the back of the building.
Not wanting to leave his position in front of the vault, Declan nodded toward Mack, who was waiting in a chair for an account representative to call him to open an account.
Declan caught Mack’s gaze and tipped his head in the direction the receptionist had gone.
Mack rose from his chair and walked toward the hallway.
One of the loan officers chose that moment to enter the hallway ahead of Mack and knocked on the closed door.
When she didn’t get a response, she opened the door and leaned in. The scream she emitted echoed throughout the bank lobby, generating more screams from the tellers and account representatives.
The loan officer raced back toward the lobby and ran into Mack. When he caught her shoulders, she screamed again and struggled to get free. “They’re dead. Oh, my God. Laura and Mr. Jordan are dead!” She collapsed against Mack.
Declan leaped over the counter and ran toward the safe, his heart pounding hard against his ribs.
If the receptionist and Mr. Jordan were dead, who was the man in the vault with Grace?