Gunning for Trouble Page 9

  When she sat up and peeled his shirt up and off, he lost all control. Forget slow and easy. Forget savoring. He had to be inside her.

  Grabbing for his discarded jeans, he tugged the condom out of the back pocket and ripped it open. She helped him roll it on before pressing back into the mattress again. He followed her down and braced his weight on his arms as his mouth dipped down for another long, aching kiss. When he raised his head again, she slipped her hands behind his neck and pulled him back to her.

  The kissing and touching took him to the brink faster than he thought possible. One minute he was cupping her breast, feeling the heat seep into his palm, and the next he felt her fingers guide him inside her. With one swift thrust, he pushed long and deep. Panting mixed with moving. Friction caused a tightening in his gut. The in and out of their bodies engulfed them both.

  She clasped her thighs against him as her hands glided down his damp back. Her fingernails dug into his skin and her insides pulsed around him. The crash of sensation turned the building inside him into an explosion. He let go and together they rushed headlong into release.

  Collapsed on top of her, he could hear the whirl of the fans above him and dull buzz of the machines on the floor below. He lay there and tried to slow his breathing. Worries and doubts assailed him. He had no idea what this meant, if it went beyond simple sex. With all that was happening and everything he knew about Avery slowly shifting in his mind, he couldn’t process it all.

  A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and realized he was crushing her into the mattress. “You okay?”

  “Very.”

  He placed a string of kisses along her jawline. “I think I passed out there at the end.”

  Reluctantly, he rolled off her. With his arm thrown over her stomach, he nestled next to her. He’d almost fallen asleep when he heard her sharp intake of breath. He knew she intended to launch into a deep discussion, and he put a stop to it before it ruined everything.

  “We’ve always communicated on this level. Let it be enough right now.”

  Her hand stilled in his hair. “Is that good enough for you?”

  “Yes.” For now it had to be.

  Chapter Nine

  Russell paced the floor in front of his window. At a little after six, the workday hadn’t started in earnest. He was the only one in the office, but Beltway traffic and rush-hour commutes dictated that others would start pouring in soon.

  By the time the doors officially opened he might have a solution. The loose ends kept stumping him. He had Trevor Walters under control, but he had to finish the Timmons job before the buyer got antsy. Then he had to eliminate Avery Walker. He never expected her to be an issue. The petite woman had wiped out two trained mercenaries.

  No, that was wrong. The Recovery Project was behind this latest setback. Their agents’ footprints were all over this. They took down attackers, hid the bodies, created a backstory and then launched a behind-the-scenes investigation into their identities and funding. Russell had watched Bram go through this cycle. Even with all his power, the man couldn’t derail a couple of unfunded, uncontrolled agents.

  Bram had self-destructed. He let a woman in his office destroy everything. Russell had been rushing around trying to clean up the mess ever since. He had more than a hundred thousand dollars to show for his organizational work. That went a long way to digging him out of the financial hole he was in, but he had hoped for more. With the cover tight, he could have done more jobs, had more business. He was amazed at what people would pay to gain a little revenge, how easy it was to make someone with a false identity disappear.

  Not that anyone ever cared about these women. They sucked off the system. They committed crimes and never had to pay for them. An extortionist. The wife of an assassin. Even the one who claimed to be innocent but wasn’t. Her file proved her to be a meth dealer.

  He’d spent his entire work life listening to program participants whine about how hard it was to leave their old lives behind while they took the money and opportunities provided by honest taxpayers. The world was better without them.

  It would be better off without Ms. Walker, too.

  The Recovery agents could try to save her, but he was one step ahead of them. He had his men stationed at every location where the Walker woman might turn up. She thought she was so smart, running tests after office hours and burying the results.

  She was a loose end. She stood between him and guaranteed freedom.

  She had to go.

  THE RECEPTIONIST USHERED Caleb, Luke and Avery into the large office formerly occupied by Bram Walters and now used by David in the Rayburn House Office Building at exactly nine o’clock the next morning. Introductions didn’t take long since they all knew each other except for David and Avery.

  While the three of them squeezed on the blue leather sofa, David sat in a chair on the opposite side of the oriental carpet. From the dark blue suit to the calm demeanor, David looked every bit the politician. Not bad for a guy who worked his way up from answering phones to the chief of staff spot for his predecessor.

  Now David was the one in charge, and he took over the conversation. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important it is that this information stays between us.”

  “And my team,” Luke corrected.

  “Of course.”

  Caleb still wasn’t sure what the information was. He’d never been a fan of showing up on demand, which was part of the reason he attended the Naval Academy. His father believed Caleb needed the structure and discipline. Caleb conceded only because the idea of service appealed to him. Still, letting someone else run the agenda grated. Luke, fine, because the man was born to lead. An outsider, no.

  David crossed one leg over the other. “When I started looking through Congressman Walters’s private papers following his death, I found some interesting…information.”

  When he didn’t continue, Avery pushed him along. “Yes?”

  “I hadn’t been privy to this information even though I ran the congressman’s schedule and was in and out of his office every day.”

  Caleb remembered Holden breaking into Bram Walters’s office in an attempt to find that sort of information and finding David instead. Sounded as if David eventually stumbled over it.

  Luke leaned forward. “When you say information…”

  “It’s the sort of documents and background one might keep in a secret compartment in one’s desk.”

  If the man said “one” one more time, Caleb might strangle him. It might be a felony, but it would be worth it. “If you’re worried about ruining Bram’s reputation with us, don’t bother. We know he lied and cheated his way through his term.”

  “It is possible he bent the rules to fit his purposes,” David conceded.

  “Talk about an understatement,” Luke said.

  “I know you have a personal stake in this.” David’s tone went from welcoming to serious. “If it is something that will cloud your judgment—”

  Luke stopped the building tirade. “The man is dead. He can’t hurt my wife or Recovery any longer, so as far as I’m concerned that issue is over.”

  Caleb sat next to Avery and could see her rubbing her hands, feel her fidgeting in her seat. If she wound any tighter, she might blow.

  “Why don’t we get to it? Why are we here?” he asked.

  David unfolded his long legs and went to his desk. When he sat back down in front of them, he handed a folder to Luke. “It would appear Congressman Walters was in possession of confidential documents he should not have had.”

  “From WitSec,” Avery said, cutting through the drama.

  “Exactly.”

  It was Caleb’s turn to move around. He shifted until his elbows rested on his knees. Scanning the top of the first sheet in Luke’s hands told Caleb what he needed to know. “This is about Maddie Timmons.”

  “You’ll see Russell Ambrose’s name in the file. He wasn’t Timmons’s handler, except for a brief period before his recent pr
omotion. It looks as if Congressman Walters tried to contact Russell. I have no idea if that was successful. When I inquired I received the expected response that WitSec members were not under my purview. John Tate at Justice tried to help but couldn’t provide any information I didn’t already have.”

  “So the people in charge know you’re investigating the program?” Avery tensed as she asked the question.

  David frowned. “Not investigating. Inquiring. And their reactions were appropriate. I don’t debate that. It’s just difficult to look into the matter quietly and without implicating my former boss, if I can’t figure out what that folder is or why he had it.”

  Caleb could feel her body turn to stone beside him. He understood why even if David didn’t. Caleb bit back a groan of frustration. “When did you make the inquiries?”

  David’s eyebrow lifted. “Last week. Why?”

  Caleb glanced at Avery and saw the bleakness he felt mirrored in her eyes. “If we’re right, someone in WitSec is selling access to program participants. Your boss was in this mess up to his expensive haircut.”

  A flash of fury showed in David’s face, but he quickly wrestled his expression back under control. His voice, however, did not hide his shock. “Unbelievable.”

  Caleb didn’t detail the worst of it. David’s horrified expression said he understood the magnitude of what he was hearing. If he knew the stolen WitSec information was then used to cash in on murders, he might demand an investigation that could ruin everything. “It’s nasty business and Walters wasn’t working alone. He needed someone on the inside.”

  David was a smart man. It didn’t take long for him to put it all together and realize they had a problem. “And you’re afraid I’ve tipped that person off.”

  “It’s likely the information has been flagged, looking for activity,” Luke said. “Your questions probably got people checking, which means the parties involved in the corruption and cover-up likely have a head start in covering their tracks.”

  Caleb appreciated Luke’s diplomacy but thought David needed a splash of truth. “If she’s not already dead, she could be soon. That’s the end result we’re talk ing about here.”

  “How will we know?” Avery voiced one of Caleb’s many concerns.

  Looking at her now he saw fatigue in the slump of her shoulders and worry around her eyes, but something else lingered there. Hope. In that minute he knew she was as determined as he was to save Maddie Timmons and find Rod. She may have started this process as a favor to Rod, but she was involved now. This wasn’t about handing the case off as she did in her regular job. This was about digging in and being involved.

  For the first time, Caleb thought she got it. She could see what held him, what made him go beyond his previous lab career. Seeking truth was an addiction.

  David frowned. “Excuse me? I don’t understand the question.”

  “The people who set up this plan also set up decoys and dummy files. We don’t have photos or know what the real Maddie looks like. That means we don’t know if the woman in that house is actually her or not. We’re at a huge disadvantage here,” Avery explained.

  “Thanks to David we now have an address and an old name. Adam should be able to track down her previous life and find a photo.” Luke’s voice stayed calm.

  Caleb knew the relaxed facade was more than that—fake. They’d worked together long enough for him to recognize the seconds before Luke lost control. That and Luke tapped the folder’s edge against his palm hard enough to cut through his hand.

  “I would appreciate any help you could provide in this matter. Discreet and limited to us only,” David said.

  Luke nodded. “Of course.”

  “The fewer people who know about this the better. There could be difficult repercussions. Questions I can’t answer, which will only lead to more scrutiny.”

  Caleb was surprised it took this long to get to the politician-speak part of the talk. He liked David, thought the man might actually be what he seemed. But the whiff of power surrounding the man turned Caleb off. Big office, people scurrying to do his bidding, perks based on his title. To Caleb, a man should have to earn respect and not simply demand it because of his office.

  “What you mean is we shouldn’t talk to anyone about this,” he said.

  “Correct.” David stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. “I would insist, however, to be kept in the loop.”

  Luke seemed to take the hint and got up, too. “Agreed.”

  “I bet you’re sorry your former boss disbanded the Recovery Project now.” Caleb couldn’t resist the jab. To him the answer was so simple. The world needed groups like Recovery for assignments just like this.

  “Actually no. It occurs to me you may be able to get a lot more done while working outside the law.”

  AVERY WAITED UNTIL A bus rattled by before she said anything. The meeting in the office fifteen minutes earlier still played in her mind. The buzz of people and traffic on Independence Avenue outside the Rayburn Building helped to bring her back to reality.

  “He wasn’t what I expected.” Not that she’d ever met an almost-politician before. She’d been interviewed by prominent attorneys and met with clients whose lives were fodder for the news. Politicians were new.

  “I’m reserving judgment.” Caleb leaned against the white marble wall. They stood on the sidewalk but out of the direct path of tourists and congressional staffers bustling around them.

  “He brought you guys in.” She almost said “us” but stopped herself just in time. Whether she could play an integral role in Recovery was up to them. She was shocked at how much she wanted that answer to be yes.

  Caleb didn’t look impressed. “David could be setting us up.”

  She guessed a hearty dose of disbelief came with the job, but still. “Are you always so skeptical?”

  “I learned that the hard way.” He threw away the line without looking at her.

  Luke frowned. “Damn, Caleb.”

  “What?” His head came up. When his gaze locked on hers, his eyes widened. “I didn’t mean—”

  Of course he did. She ignored the sharp pain and continued. “I have a possible way for us to figure out if Maddie Timmons is alive.”

  “How?” The frustration hadn’t left Luke’s voice when he asked the question.

  She blocked it all out. Caleb, them, last night. It had all been a huge mistake, but none of that mattered except finding Maddie. “My contingency plan.”

  “Explain.” Caleb’s order didn’t leave room for refusal.

  “I set up a computer program that would send a copy of the test results, without any biographical information, to a private mail place. The instructions were to print it out and put it in my box.”

  Caleb pushed off from the wall. “And you’re just mentioning this now?”

  “It can’t be used as evidence because there’s no identifiable information. Heck, unless the person who reads it has a science background, they won’t even understand what they’re seeing, but it can tell us if she was still alive when Rod disappeared.” She glanced around to make sure none of the people passing by had stopped to eavesdrop. They didn’t, but she lowered her voice any way.

  Now they had her paranoid.

  “It’s a fallback in case Adam can’t find what he needs on her.” She directed her final comment to Caleb. “And I didn’t mention it before because I doubt it worked. I tried to bypass internal security by making it look like a personal email, but I don’t know.”

  Caleb’s smile appeared out of nowhere. “It worked.”

  His odd good mood confused her almost as much as his sudden support. He morphed from indifferent to angry to charming in the span of five minutes. She never thought of him as prickly or temperamental. A little irritable and maybe dark, but following the swings now gave her a headache. “Why do you say that?”

  “You’re not someone who fails at things.”

  Analyzing the comment was out of the question. If she started
thinking it meant something, that he’d finally found something positive about her outside of the bedroom, she’d only be disappointed.

  She pretended she hadn’t heard it. “Everything had to fall our way for this to be an option. The testing had to be finished on time and before the attack at the lab. Damon had to miss the extra coding in the file. The email had to work. The place had to get my instructions right. Just don’t get your hopes up.”

  “I’m betting you were successful. I’ll be surprised if you weren’t.” Caleb turned to Luke. “We’ll take her back to the warehouse and then go check it out.”

  She knew that was coming. Cutting her out under the guise of keeping her safe would appeal to two overly protective males. “Not going to work. I have to be there and sign.”

  “You used your own name?”

  The soft tone to Caleb’s voice didn’t fool her. He was laying a verbal trap, and she had no intention of falling into it. “I didn’t leave a paper trail, if that’s what you’re asking. Paid cash and asked that the box be listed anonymously. Everything goes by a number, not a name.”

  “I’m convinced,” Luke said. “I’ll go relieve Adam and send him to West Virginia to set up surveillance on the Timmons woman, or I guess I should say on the woman we hope is Maddie Timmons. You two head over to the mailbox place. In and out. Don’t waste time.”

  Caleb started shaking his head before the words were out of Luke’s mouth. “I don’t like it.”

  “Me, either, but we have to get to the bottom of this disaster. If that DNA belongs to the Timmons woman, then she’s dead and we have an imposter in West Virginia and someone to question. And if Timmons is alive, we need to keep her that way.”

  A bus pulled up beside them. Tourists carrying small flags and wearing matching blue T-shirts piled out of the door. They squealed and pointed. Cameras flashed. Two ladies insisted the Air and Space Museum was really the Capitol.