“Don’t you think that’s a stretch?”

“I worked for the Pentagon. Trust me, sugar. Nothing’s a stretch.”

“Okay,” Marley said. “I’ll see what I can find out. I still don’t understand why Jake can’t know, though.”

“Because whether I’m right or wrong, it’ll just get him fired up, and he’ll start making calls. And if someone at the State Department finds out Aegis is asking questions about black ops, they’ll clam up. Or worse, leak shit to the press. Ryder’s not exactly a people person.”

Marley huffed. “You can say that again.”

Landon smiled. Marley was a saint. She really was. Ryder didn’t realize the gold mine he had in her. Landon just hoped she didn’t get fed up with Ryder at some point and walk away from the company. Because if she did, Ryder would lose more than just his right hand. He’d lose the majority of his operatives, who’d follow her anywhere if she asked. Him included. “Thanks.”

“Okay, my turn to ask you a question. Is Archer okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine.”

“Is he with Evelyn Wolfe?”

Landon hesitated, then figured the more Marley knew, the longer she could keep Ryder in the dark. “Yes. And neither’s killed the other yet, so I think we’re safe.”

“That doesn’t leave me feeling all tingly inside.”

“That’s why you get the joy of dealing with people like Karl Stetson on a daily basis.”

Marley laughed. “Okay, point taken. So, tell me this, smart guy. If you’re no longer tracking Archer, what are you doing?”

“Looking for her sister. Something tells me Olivia Wolfe knows a hell of a lot more about what’s going on here than anyone else.”

“And Archer and Evelyn Wolfe?”

“Running down other leads. Wolfe’s security clearance with the CIA has been revoked. It’s only a matter of time before her name shows up in the press as being linked to the bombing as well.”

“Fabulous. Just watch your six. My gut says there’s more going on here than meets the eye.”

Marley’s gut was usually right. And on this one, Landon agreed. He looked back out at the water again. “Speaking of . . . if Ryder ever fires you, you’ve got a freebie from me. I wouldn’t mind being the one to take that bastard out.”

“He’s your boss.”

“That’s never stopped me before.”

Marley chuckled, then sighed. “Firing me isn’t the worst thing he could do to me.” Her voice strengthened. “I’ll call you as soon as I have news.”

12

Eve stood near a rack of workout pants in Macy’s while Archer paid for new clothes for both of them. She glanced around the quiet store in the middle of the afternoon in Everett as her pulse ticked up another notch.

Come on, come on, come on . . .

The young girl behind the counter was the slowest clerk ever. And either exhaustion was finally settling in, or Eve’s blood sugar was at an all-time low, because her patience was nearly at the breaking point.

Archer pocketed the change, said thank you, and took the bags. He was careful to keep his ball cap pulled low so his face was shadowed, but Eve’s gaze strayed to the ceiling and the security cameras for the hundredth time, then darted toward the doors where a security guard stood still as a gargoyle.

She didn’t like the way the guy kept glancing in her direction. Just her luck they’d get a GI Joe wannabe. An ambitious rent-a-cop was the last thing they needed right now.

Archer moved next to her and placed a hand at the small of her back, right over the Glock nestled in the waistband of her skirt, then herded her toward the exit. “Relax. That girl had no idea who I was.”

The guard near the door stiffened as they approached, and Eve had a vision of everything going straight to the shitter, all because Archer had left his supply bag in a locker near an ice-skating rink instead of somewhere more easily accessible and out of sight of the public.

She turned quickly, wrapped her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, and tugged him into her. “Baby, I’m not done shopping yet. I want those crotchless panties you promised me.”

Archer’s eyes widened, just a touch, and Eve rose up on her toes and kissed him. Then she mumbled against his lips, “That security guard has got his eye trained right on you.”

Archer wrapped the arm holding the shopping bags around her back and tugged her in tight. Then he smiled and said, “Anything you want, sweetheart,” before pressing his mouth to hers.

It was an act. Eve knew it was an act. But oh man, the guy could kiss. He pushed her lips apart, then dipped inside for a wicked taste. And tingles shot straight to Eve’s core as soon as his slick, hot tongue touched hers.

She arched into him, tangled her fingers in the fabric of his T-shirt, and kissed him back while her mind replayed what they’d done this morning. Behind her, the security guard sighed. The door opened and closed, and voices bounced off the store walls, but Eve was suddenly too light-headed to care.

Minutes passed—or maybe it was only seconds; she couldn’t be sure, since her brain seemed to short out every time Archer kissed her—and then he eased back. A twinkle lit up his hazel eyes when he smiled down at her. “Crotchless panties? Oh baby, I’m all over that. Come on.”

He let go of her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back to the middle of the store, then turned down the aisle that led to lingerie. A quick glance over her shoulder told Eve the security guard was no longer watching them and had moved on to staring at another man, lurking near a display of men’s belts.

Eve followed Archer into the lingerie section and glanced around. Another security guard—this time a woman—was walking through this end of the store, but her gaze skipped right over them as if they weren’t even there.

“These?” Archer held up a pair of black boy-short panties, open along both hips, with crisscrossed ties holding them together.

Eve’s brow lowered. “For you? I doubt they’d fit.”

Archer picked up a second pair from the table display—this one in red. “I can’t wait to see you in these.”

He pulled her toward another register, and Eve’s adrenaline kicked up again—but this time not from being caught. “Hold on. I was kidding about the panties.”

“I wasn’t.” He set their bags on the floor, pulled cash out of his wallet, and slapped it on the counter, careful to keep his head tipped down so the clerk couldn’t see his face. Not that she would notice even if he looked right at her. The girl was barely eighteen and bored out of her mind. The place could probably get robbed and she’d barely notice.

She bagged the panties, then handed Archer the receipt. “Thanks for shopping at Macy’s,” she said in a monotone voice, without even looking their way.

Archer took the bag and muttered thanks, then herded Eve toward the unguarded exit. “Friendly girl.”

“I’m not wearing those,” Eve said as they stepped out of the store and moved into the parking garage.

“You were right.” Archer nodded up toward the ramp. “You need underwear. Should have thought of it when we were grabbing new clothes.”

“Not those kind,” Eve huffed. “I was just trying to fool the security guard.”

Archer shot her a wicked grin. “I bet you’ll look totally hot in these.”

They stopped behind a Ford Taurus parked on the third level, and Eve crossed her arms over her chest while he opened the trunk. “Well, then you’ll lose the bet, because I’d rather go commando than wear those.”

That spark flared in his eyes all over again as he glanced sideways at her. “Oh, baby. Stop talking like that or you’re gonna make me hot.”

Eve’s skin grew warm, and she glared at him under the orange parking lights. Why was she letting him get to her? The Archer she remembered had a wicked sense of humor, and it was clear he was just razzing her like he’d once done. And she’d obviously started this by kissing him as a cover, so she needed to suck it up and deal with it. So why was she feeling so . . . frustrated and out of sorts?

It wasn’t because of this morning. She wouldn’t let it be. Yeah, they’d screwed each other in a moment of complete insanity, but life-and-death situations often pushed people to do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. They’d both been trained on the effects of adrenaline, and she was smart enough not to fall into the relationship trap again anyway—any kind of relationship for her was a dead end. So that’s not what this was about.

He closed the trunk and turned toward her. And a frown cut across his lips when he said, “Relax. There are security cameras out here too, you know.” Then he moved in close and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. “You’ve still got some dirt or blood there from earlier.”

Warmth spread across her cheek where he touched her and shot a wicked blend of heat and need straight to her abdomen. And in an instant, she knew what was bothering her. Not just the fact he was staying and helping her. Not even the fact he’d admitted earlier that he cared. What was freaking her out was this feeling growing in the center of her chest, the same one she’d had in Beirut and which had ultimately caused her to walk—no, run—away from him the first time. This sense of security telling her she could have this. That there could be more. That if she reached out and just took, she could have him and everything she’d stopped wanting so long ago.

The air clogged in her lungs, and the walls seemed to close in around her. Turning away from his touch, she moved around the side of the car and reached for the passenger door. “We need to go.”

She felt him looking after her, wondering what the hell was up with her, even after she climbed into the car and closed the door, but she didn’t care. As she breathed deep and tried to steady her racing pulse, she reminded herself that crazy thoughts like that were the reason she’d ended up with a broken heart in the first place. And she wasn’t going back there again. Some people weren’t meant for happily ever after, and she’d learned long ago that she was one of them.