Harlequin Intrigue June 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: To Honor and To Protect\Cornered\Untraceable (43 page)

Evan glanced over at Juliet, watching her trying to get herself under control. She didn't look like a law enforcement agent right now. She looked like a woman who was frightened. She still had her Glock clutched in her small fist.

He would just have to find another way to get into the auction with Vince Cady. But hell if he had a single damned idea of how he would do so.

He felt Juliet slip her hand out of his as she turned her head to the window. Silence permeated the car. Evan didn't know what he could possibly say to make this better, so he didn't even try.

They drove all the way back to DC—Evan would have to send someone else to get his car at the pier—and pulled into the Omega parking garage without Juliet saying another word. At one point Evan had wondered if she'd fallen asleep. But at least her breathing was even and she had color in her face. All signs of her earlier panic attack seemed to be gone.

Maybe that was why he was so shocked when she turned to him as he parked her car.

“I'll go back under, Evan. It's our only hope.”

Chapter Eight

“We sat in this very room yesterday and had this exact conversation. You weren't ready then. You can't possibly be ready now.”

Sawyer spoke to Juliet, but wasn't looking at her; he was glaring at Evan. The conversation had been going on for the past twenty minutes. It was the first time in memory that Juliet could recall wishing that a bomber still threatened Washington, DC.

At least then her brothers wouldn't be here trying to convince her of something she already knew: this was a bad idea.

“Sawyer, it's the only option.” Juliet didn't raise her voice.

“Hell no, it's not the only option. And even if it was, we'd figure out something else.”

Silence flooded the room. That was the problem—there really weren't any other options. Not ones that could solve the problem in the amount of time they had. None of the four people in the room, Juliet, Evan, Sawyer or Cameron, had much that could be offered by way of an alternate plan.

Juliet spoke calmly. “It was bad enough when Cady had the surface-to-air missiles. But now he has the drone override codes. If anyone has an alternate plan I'm willing to listen to it. If not...”

More silence. Which was broken by the phone ringing on the conference room table.

“Why did a call get routed in here?” Evan asked.

“Because it's Dylan. I gave him a heads-up and told him to call.” Sawyer looked at Juliet, eyebrow raised.

She could feel her nostrils flare; she couldn't believe they had brought their oldest brother into this. This was her decision, not theirs. She slammed her palm over the handset before Cameron could pick it up. “You know what you two are? Tattletales.”

Cameron brushed her hand away and pressed the button for the speakerphone. “Hey, Dylan.”

Dylan had been an Omega agent for a long time before getting out a few years ago to start his own charter airplane business in the western part of Virginia. He wasn't one to beat around the bush. “What's going on, Jules?”

There were few people in the world Juliet had more respect for than her oldest brother. He, more than anyone else knew the price of undercover work. “It looks like I need to go back under, Dylan. As Lisa Sinclair.”

Dylan knew what had happened eighteen months before. Juliet didn't need to explain it to him. “Do you want to do it?” he asked.

“I think saying I
want
to do it would be a gross overstatement. But I don't think there's any way around it. Vince Cady has somehow acquired drone override codes, Dyl.”

Juliet could hear him whistle through his teeth. He knew the ramifications of having these codes in the wrong hands.

“Evan, are you there?” Dylan finally asked.

“Yeah, man, I'm here.”

“What happened today? How did Juliet even get drawn into this?”

Evan explained about Bolick, playing up the part about Juliet knocking him unconscious and locking him in his own trunk. Then he told about Cady's proclivity for hiring people who had family, or at least loved ones, and how the criminal wasn't interested in Evan coming in as a single man working alone.

“Sounds like Juliet was caught unawares in this situation,” Dylan stated plainly. “You felt like she handled everything all right?”

Juliet wasn't offended by her brother's question to Evan. He could give a much more accurate description of what happened.

Evan looked at her. “She held it together. Everything was dicey for a while, but she didn't blow our cover. Although I can definitely attest she wasn't having a good time.”

He conveniently left out the part about her throwing up all over the place as soon as they got out of the warehouse. That wouldn't reassure anyone.

“Evan, it's your life on the line, too, if you go under together. Are you sure this is what you want?” Dylan asked.

“Look, Dylan, I'll be honest. If we had a bunch of other choices, I would weigh them all before throwing Juliet back into this. But we don't, so there's not much point in talking hypotheticals.”

Dylan's days as an Omega team leader were clearly evident in his voice as he said, “But do you believe the objective is obtainable if you and Juliet resume cover?”

“Honestly, I don't know.” Evan shook his head. “But without her, at this point, we have a zero percent chance for success.”

Dylan's sigh was tired.

Juliet had been glaring at her brothers as the two other men spoke. Sawyer and Cameron shouldn't have called Dylan; he had been through enough. He didn't need to be dragged back into this. But her younger brothers were impervious to her irritation, convinced that her resuming her undercover role was the wrong thing for her to do, and willing to go to any lengths to stop it.

“Can you guys clear out for a couple of minutes? I want to talk to Juliet alone,” Dylan said after a few moments of silence.

Juliet picked up the handset as the three men filed out, her brothers grumbling under their breath. “Yeah, Dylan, they're gone.”

“Listen, sis, here's the deal. You and Evan were a tight team once. He has always held to the opinion that you would one day resume duties as an active agent again. I know him, and he believes you can do this.”

“It didn't sound that way a minute ago.”

“It's not an easy case, Juliet, and you don't have much time to prepare. Plus you're still dealing with trauma and haven't been out there for over a year. Evan is just giving his honest opinion.”

“Yeah, I know.” And honestly, nobody knew even the half of what was going on with her. If they did, they sure wouldn't trust Juliet with their life.

“If it was anybody else but Evan you'd be going with, I'd tell you to refuse, no matter what. But he has always been...”

She waited for Dylan to finish his thought. “Always been what?”

“Nothing. Never mind. You should just know that he has your back. You can always trust that about Evan. He would die before he let anyone hurt you again.”

“I don't know if I can do this, Dylan.” The words came out as little more than a whisper. “What if I get both Evan and myself killed?”

“Jules, listen, you have good instincts. Follow those and trust them. And stay as close to him as you can.”

Juliet's heart gave a little thump. The thought of being close to Evan was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time.

“But hey,” Dylan continued, “I'm the first one on your side if you don't want to do this. I know Cady has the codes and I know it's bad. But it can be somebody else's job to get in there, some other way, and pull this off.”

But Juliet knew that in the time it would take to come up with and implement a new plan, the codes would be sold and ultimately lives would be lost. And it would be her fault.

She took a deep breath. “No, I can do it, Dylan.”

“I never doubted it for a second, sis.”

They said their goodbyes and Juliet hung up. So this was it. She was going back undercover. Juliet walked toward the door. There was no point delaying; she needed all the time she could get before they were to meet with Cady in just a few days.

The guys weren't in the hallway, so she began walking to her office. There were a few things she needed to take care of before throwing herself into the Lisa Sinclair role.

Juliet was totally unprepared for the hands that grabbed her from behind as she walked. For the second time that day, her heart dropped into her stomach. For a moment she froze, terrified.

But then, unlike this morning, without a second thought she sprang into action. She rammed her elbow into the solar plexus behind her, and heard a whoosh of air release at her ear. The hands gripping her momentarily loosened, and she grabbed one of her attacker's arms and pulled it over her shoulder. Then she dropped her weight, widened her stance and flipped the person over her back. He was a large male, but weight didn't matter in this maneuver, just momentum.

Juliet was coming down with a punch to finish her attack when she realized she was looking into the face of her brother Cameron. Her dazed brother. She barely stopped her fist from connecting with his face.

“Cameron, what the hell are you doing?” Evan yelled.

Juliet stepped back and attempted to relax her arms at her sides, though it was difficult with the adrenaline rushing through her. Her fists were still clenched, ready to take on her attacker. Who happened to be her stupid brother.

“I was trying to prove a point,” he finally said from where he lay on the floor, after getting his breath back.

Other people were coming out into the hallway to see what the commotion was about. But evidently a Branson brother lying on the floor wasn't much cause for concern, because most headed back the way they'd come without much real interest.

Sawyer reached down to help his brother up. “And what point was that?”

“That Juliet isn't ready. She can't stand to be touched. She's unpredictable.”

Juliet could still feel tension coursing through her body. Fight or flight instincts, although neither were needed now.

Evan just shook his head. “I think all you successfully proved, you moron, is that your sister can kick your ass.”

Cameron dusted off his clothes. “What is she going to do, flip everyone who touches her at Vince Cady's house?” He clenched his jaw, his exasperation clear.

“Well, then they'll learn pretty darn quickly not to touch her if they don't want to end up staring at the ceiling, wondering what the hell happened,” Evan retorted.

“She's not ready, Evan,” Cameron all but growled. “You're forcing her into something she doesn't want to do.”

“I'm not forcing her into anything, Cam.” Evan's rigid posture spoke volumes. “The situation sucks, I'm the first to admit it. But people are going to die if we don't get the drone codes out of Cady's hands, or whoever he plans to sell them to.”

Juliet had had enough of this. All of it. “Why are you guys talking about me like I'm not even here?”

Cameron began to answer, but she cut him off. “You zip it. You lost your right to speak when you were lying on the floor. You're lucky I didn't break your nose.”

Sawyer snickered. Juliet turned and pointed at him. “You be quiet, too. Just because you weren't stupid enough to try something so asinine doesn't mean you're off the hook.”

Evan wisely made no sound at all.

“I know this situation isn't optimal. I know I'm not a good candidate for undercover work. Believe me, I've been thinking about that every day for the past eighteen months.”

Both Cameron and Sawyer began to speak, but she held out her hand to stop them. “However, we don't have any other options that won't end up costing other people their lives. So I'm going to do it.” She glanced at Evan. “And hopefully not get both of us killed in the process.”

Evan nodded with a half smile, still smart enough to keep quiet.

“You two—” she waved at her brothers “—need to either get behind me on this or completely out of the way. No more trying to point out my shortcomings. I need your support.”

With that, Juliet turned and walked down the hallway toward her office. She knew she didn't have to say anything more. Her brothers were hardheaded and often pretty stupid—Cameron's little stunt was plenty of proof of that—but she knew they loved her. And now that they understood she was serious about this, she knew they would stop their antics and help her and Evan in any way they could.

Juliet just hoped it would be enough.

Chapter Nine

Evan watched Juliet walk down the hall.

“All right. I guess this is really happening,” Cameron muttered. “I didn't expect her to drop me like that.”

“Yeah, she's in top shape. I saw her sparring yesterday. If anything, she's even more quick and strong than when she was an active agent,” Evan said. It was damn impressive.

“But she's not consistent,” Sawyer told him. “Yeah, she took Cameron down, but was just as likely to freeze up and do nothing.”

“She'll get her rhythm back. She just needs more time to get used to being an agent again.”

Sawyer slapped him on the back. “Well, unfortunately, that's the one thing you don't have—time.”

Evan nodded. “Then I better not waste any more of it talking to you guys.”

Sawyer stopped him. “Evan, you know we only said all that because we want to protect Juliet. I don't know if she'd survive another—” Sawyer lowered his voice “—incident. Like what happened before.”

“Nothing like that's going to happen. I'll make sure of it.” That was the one thing Evan knew he could promise.

“If she's made up her mind, then we want to help any way we can,” Cameron added. “We can clear our schedule, work with you for the next couple of days if you want.”

Evan shook his head. He knew what needed to be worked on first and foremost with Juliet, and her brothers couldn't help. “Thanks, guys. I'll let you know if we need anything. Besides, she's pretty pissed at you two right now. I think you better steer clear.”

“Yeah, the demonstration maybe wasn't such a great idea,” Cameron mumbled.

“I could've told you that if you'd asked me beforehand, dumbass,” Evan declared. “It's amazing you ever got your gorgeous fiancée to agree to marry someone as stupid as you.”

“That's the truth,” Sawyer said in agreement. “I never would've done something so dumb.”

Evan didn't have much mercy for Sawyer, either, even though they'd been best friends since elementary school. “Yeah, I recall you saying some pretty stupid things to your own fiancée a few months ago, so you can't talk much either.”

The Branson brothers began walking down the corridor, grumbling at each other about who was the most stupid when it came to women. Evan turned in the direction of Juliet's office. One thing was definitely true: they didn't have much time. They needed a crash course in working together, and it had to begin immediately.

Because if Lisa Sinclair jerked away every time her loving husband touched her—or flipped him over her shoulder—everyone in Cady's operation was going to get suspicious real fast.

She had to learn to let “Bob” touch her, to be around her. To kiss her.

Seeing that she had withdrawn from even the slightest physical contact with anyone over the past year and a half, undoing it in a little over two days wasn't going to be easy.

Plus, Evan wanted to do some surveillance on Cady's house, at least the outer grounds, before they went in on Wednesday. The more they knew about the location, the better it would be.

Theoretically.

Evan tapped on Juliet's office door. “I come in peace.”

She looked up from where she sat at her desk. “I know my brothers are your best friends, but they are really idiots sometimes.”

“No argument here.” Evan sat down in a nearby chair. “But if it helps, they're on board now. Anything you need or want for this op, just ask them and they'll get it to you.”

Juliet nodded. “I know they're worried about me. I don't blame them.”

“You're going to do fine.” Looking at her now, so comfortable in her office, her color just slightly heightened from the fight with her brother, Evan believed his own words.

“I noticed when you were telling Dylan what happened that you left out the part where I hurled my guts all over the pavement. That's not exactly the most confidence-inspiring action.”

Evan shrugged. “We've all lost it a time or two. Throwing up isn't the worst way someone's dealt with the stress of an op. Plus, you didn't do it while we were surrounded by Cady and his men. That's what counts.”

“But what if I had, Evan?” Juliet's posture was hunched, her voice strained. “What if I had lost it right there in the middle of everything?”

“Then we would've dealt with it. Like anything that doesn't go your way while you're undercover. We would've blamed the guy who grabbed you, or the Avian flu, or told them you were pregnant. But we would've come up with something.”

Juliet didn't look convinced.

“We can't prepare for every possibility in the field. That's why not everyone is cut out for working undercover. You have to think on your feet and be ready for anything.”

“Yeah, well, I don't know that I'm able to do that anymore. I could barely think at all at the warehouse this morning.”

“We'll stick together as much as possible, have each other's backs. And always, if you don't know what to say, the best bet is to say as little as possible.”

Juliet's grin was wry. “That shouldn't be a problem for me.”

“Are you nearly done here? I don't think we can afford to waste any time. We're going to need every bit of the days we have before meeting Cady.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Burgamy all but jumped for joy when I told him I was going back undercover as Lisa Sinclair. Then got this very smug look on his face, like he knew it would happen all along. He had Chantelle clear everything off my plate for the next couple of weeks.”

“Poor Chantelle. I don't know how she can bear being that close to Burgamy all the time.”

Juliet began gathering up papers, straightening her desk. “I won't waste any more time around here, so you and I can get to work prepping for the op. And I won't be offended, Evan, if you feel we need to start back at the very beginning. As if I'm fresh out of the academy.” But he could tell she found the thought distasteful.

“Even if you were straight out of the FBI Academy, you've still got good instincts, Jules. You're just going to need to learn not to panic. You've got the skills, we just have to hone them. It'll all come back.”

Evan walked over to her desk and helped her collect and stack the files that had to do with Vince Cady. Juliet's discomfort grew as he got closer to her. Normally he would've backed off, given her the space she requested with her nonverbal communication. But not now.

Physical distance between the two of them was over. Their lives would depend on it.

Evan never actually touched her, but definitely came near enough to invade her personal space. Juliet didn't say anything, but shifted away, avoiding eye contact and rocking slightly.

That sort of behavior was more likely to get them killed while undercover than anything else. She couldn't cringe every time he was near.

“Jules.” Evan kept his tone soft, even. “Lisa Sinclair wouldn't shy away from Bob. He's her husband. They love each other.”

She nodded jerkily and stopped sliding farther away. But she was obviously still uncomfortable. Evan moved nearer.

“It's just me, Jules,” he said softly into her ear. “I've been this close to you a hundred times before.”

* * *

J
ULIET
KNEW
WHAT
Evan said was true. They had been this close countless times before. She had known him since they were teenagers. He'd been running around with her brothers for almost as long as she could remember.

Evan was never going to hurt her.

Juliet tried to relax into that knowledge. The presence of such a large man—she came only up to his chin—so close beside her was still unsettling, but this was Evan. It was okay. Juliet took a deep breath and let the fear ease out of her system.

This is Evan
. She repeated it in her head like a mantra.

They finished stacking the files. Evan helped her put them into her bag.

“So what's the plan?” Juliet asked him.

“When was the last time you fired your weapon?”

“I've kept current. Been at the range at least weekly.”

“Good, because we don't have time to mess with that. We've got more important things to do, like go grocery shopping.”

Of all the things Juliet could think of that needed to be done before their next meeting with Cady—memorization of her undercover role, brushing up on hand-to-hand combat, going over details about Cady and his known associates, coming up with a solid overall
plan
—none involved walking leisurely through a grocery store.

But that's where she found herself forty-five minutes later. Strolling through the local grocery store, pushing a cart, Evan right next to her helping her pick out produce.

As if they were on their fifth date and about to make a romantic meal together.

And the crazy thing was, for the first time in as long as Juliet could remember, the thought of a romantic meal didn't make her want to be sick to her stomach.

Evan didn't talk to her about the case or Vince Cady. He just talked about normal stuff, as if they were getting to know each other.

“Fresh strawberry pie is my favorite. Although apple pie with ice cream...I don't know that anything in the world is much better than that. How about you?”

Juliet stared at him as he handed her a pint of strawberries to put in their cart. His thumb grazed her hand as he did it. Juliet could swear she could feel where his thumb had touched her skin even after he moved away. “How about me, what?”

“What's your favorite kind of pie?” Evan took a small step closer and smiled at her.

That smile—the one that brought out the dimple in his chin—did something to Juliet's insides. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. Something she hadn't been sure she'd ever feel again.

The faintest stirrings of desire.

She immediately took a step back. “I don't know. I guess key lime pie is my favorite.”

Yeah, Evan wanted her to be comfortable with him, but he didn't want her actually
wanting
him, she was sure. Plus, she totally couldn't think about feelings right now. Just surviving the next few days.

But she couldn't stop looking at the dimple in his chin.

Juliet tried to keep everything professional, yet friendly between them as they walked around the store. It was hard, given the way Evan constantly touched her, just briefly, or smiled, or said something funny to make her laugh.

Eventually they gathered all the food Evan deemed necessary for whatever meal he had planned, then paid and went out to his car. He had insisted she leave hers at Omega.

“Your house?” he asked her. “It's closest.”

Juliet froze in the middle of putting a bag of groceries in the back of his Jeep. Evan couldn't see her house, not the state it was in right now. “No, let's go to your town house. That'll be better. Mine's a mess.”

And she wasn't just talking about a mess, although it was a mess. She was talking about something else.

He didn't seem to have any argument with that, and Juliet relaxed. Evan just wouldn't understand what she'd done in her house.
Juliet
didn't even understand it.

Evan's town house wasn't too far from her place, just a couple miles. They both lived north of DC, in College Park, a popular area for young professionals.

She had been to Evan's home a few years ago, but never just the two of them together. They pulled into his designated parking spot.

His home was different than Juliet remembered. Previously it had been more of a bachelor pad, with mismatched furniture, no color on the walls. She'd made fun of Evan and her brothers, about their poor taste in decorating, and the fact that some boxes remained unpacked in the middle of their living rooms. She had called all their places the bachelor death pads. They'd argued that they worked too much to be at home very often, anyway.

Now Evan's house couldn't be any more different. The walls were a deep teal, causing the white trim and molding to stand out brightly. The old couch and folding chairs in his living room had been replaced by a lovely overstuffed sofa and matching armchair, both of which fairly begged you to sit down, get comfortable and watch a movie with a loved one.

The room appealed to all Juliet's senses. She walked inside, looking around, amazed. “This is gorgeous. When did you do all this?”

Evan seemed uncomfortable, although Juliet had no idea why. “A little over a year ago. I thought it was finally time to grow up and stop looking like I was about to move out any second. I hired a decorator to help pick things out, although I did most of the work myself.”

“Well, it's unbelievable.” She spun away from him to look at the couch. “I couldn't have picked out a better color myself. And this sofa? I just want to sink into it and stay there forever.”

Juliet knew she was gushing, but couldn't help it. She loved everything about this room. Smiling widely, she turned back to Evan.

Only to find him looking at her with something akin to agony in his eyes.

“Evan? What's wrong?” She rushed to his side. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Let's get this stuff into the kitchen.” He blinked and his easy smile slid back into place. Juliet wondered if she had imagined the whole thing.

The kitchen was just as tastefully decorated as the living room. Evan now had matching appliances and granite countertops. An island rested in the middle of the space, two stools slid neatly underneath.

“Wow, whoever your decorator was, I want to kiss him or her.”

“Her. Kimberly's pretty brilliant.”

Juliet could hear the admiration Evan had for this woman. Had they been lovers? All of a sudden Juliet wasn't as enthralled with the colors and textures as she had been a moment ago.

Were they still lovers now? Juliet had avoided any personal conversations with Evan for a long time. She realized she had no idea what was going on in his life. For all she knew he could be seriously involved with someone. The thought that she was standing here, leaning against some other woman's kitchen island, did not sit well with her.