Unmasking Kelsey (12 page)

When he lifted his head at last, Kelsey was breathing a bit roughly. But he was also smiling.

She fought to catch her breath. “You—you changed your mind?” she ventured unsteadily.

“No,” he murmured, reaching up to brush a strand of her silver hair away from her face. “I’ll still be in your bed by midnight.”

Elizabeth blinked. “You’re a very confusing man,” she said at last, a bit helplessly.

“And I’m sorry about that.” He was gazing at her face very intently. “Can you bear with me while I work it out?”

“I guess I’ll have to.” She was strongly aware of his body against hers. “You charmed my vicious watchdog, apparently mesmerized at least one of
my sisters, and I won’t even mention what you’ve done to me.”

“Mention it,” he requested, smiling.

“I think I commented once on the size of your ego; I’m not about to add to it.”

He laughed softly. “All right, I’ll let you off. This time. I need to drive into Charleston, and I’d like you to come with me. Will you?”

“Of course,” she said simply.

Kelsey hugged her briefly, then stepped back. “I don’t know what it is about you,” he said conversationally, “but you’ve got the damnedest habit of making me feel humble.”

“Of making you feel
what
?” she asked, incredulous.

He met her laughing eyes, and his own were very bright. “Obviously, I don’t do humble too well.”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“I’m not going to stand here and be abused. Do you need anything from the house? I’m ready to leave now.”

“My purse. You can come in—”

“No. The next time I cross that threshold, I plan to be carrying you.”

She tamed the leap of her heart and inquired gently, “Over one shoulder?”

“If necessary,” he responded in a bland tone.

Elizabeth stood looking at him for a moment, smiling despite herself. “I’m out of my mind,” she said finally.

“That makes two of us,” he said lightly. “Go get your purse.”

Kelsey remained where he was, watching her return to the house. Out of his mind, sure; why else would he torture himself by spending a nice platonic day in her company? She was so beautiful, it hurt him just to look at her, and the knowledge that her physical response to him was total had his control on the fine edge of impossible.

Out of his mind.

He had spent the remainder of a very bad night sleepless, trying with all his will to get a handle on the situation. His professional instincts told him to pull out, and quickly, because his own state of mind was too uncertain and that was dangerous;
yet, pulling out now for whatever reasons would mean the death of his relationship with Elizabeth, because she would never understand why he had to leave. Not now. She couldn’t see him clearly enough to understand his motives.

He couldn’t leave her, not now, and that understanding had brought a cold weight to his stomach somewhere around dawn. Because unless this explosive thing between them was resolved, and quickly, he was a danger to all of them. With his mind and emotions in turmoil over her—to say nothing of his body—he would have to examine every instinct, every thought, to make certain they weren’t colored by his feelings for her. And in a situation like this one, that hesitation could easily get somebody killed.

His partner’s words in the small hours of the night made only too much sense, and Kelsey knew that Derek was right. How could Elizabeth trust a man she couldn’t even see clearly? And until she learned to see him, and trust him, what was between them could never be completely resolved.

Kelsey knew what he had to do, but he didn’t
know how to do it. He honestly didn’t know how to fuse the various bits and pieces of himself into a complete whole. How? How, when he wasn’t sure what that complete image would be?

“So, you’re still hanging around, huh?”

He looked at Meg, standing before him, and pulled his mind away from puzzles. She seemed younger this morning, more vulnerable; she was dressed in jeans and a sloppy sweatshirt, no makeup, and her hair was tousled. A very young sixteen-year-old.

“Hello, Meg.” He smiled a little. “Yes, I’m still hanging around. Did you expect me to leave?”

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans and looked mutinous. “I don’t see why you’re still here, that’s all.” Her tone was rude, deliberately.

“I hate to say wait until you’re older, and you’ll understand,” he said dryly, “but I’m afraid I have to.”

Meg smiled sarcastically. “Oh, right. Desperately in love with Beth, I suppose. Hate to tell you
this, but you’re just the latest in a long line of men dogging my sister’s steps.”

“I imagine that’s true,” he said neutrally. “She’s a lovely woman.”

Meg’s eyes were bright and hard. “So they say. All of them. Blaine’s still saying it, and he’s been hanging around her for years. He’ll be here when you’re gone. She’ll probably marry him, you know.”

Kelsey wasn’t putting much faith in his intuition these days, but he had a flash then and knew it was on target. Quietly, he said, “I won’t take her away from you, honey.”

Meg flushed to the roots of her pale hair. “You’re damned right you won’t!” she said shakily, and whirled to walk quickly toward the house. Her back was stiff, and she moved jerkily. She met Elizabeth on the front porch, and her high, unsteady voice was audible to the man watching several yards away.

“I don’t see why you’re wasting time with
this
one, Beth—he’s just out for what he can get!” Then she vanished into the house.

Elizabeth hesitated, then came out to meet Kelsey, her face troubled. “I’m sorry,” she told him.

“Don’t be.” He smiled a little. “The poor kid’s just terrified of losing you.”

She looked at him searchingly. “That’s what I finally realized. I’ve dated in the past few years, and Meg’s always hostile. Except to Blaine. I guess because he’s so settled here, she’s decided I wouldn’t go far if I ended up with him.”

Kelsey took her hand and began leading her to where he’d left his car at the end of the driveway. “Logical enough,” he agreed calmly. “And I’d guess she’s also testing your authority to the limit. Any major trouble?”

Elizabeth looked down at their clasped hands and had to swallow before she could respond. “No, not really. She runs with the wrong crowd, but so far I’ve been able to handle her. It’s just a phase she’s going through. She’s a good kid.”

Kelsey opened the car door on the passenger side, shaking his head. “You haven’t had it easy.”

She got into the car, smiling up at him. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” she said lightly.

He closed her door and went around to get into the driver’s seat. “No, I guess not. You’re not one to lean on somebody else, are you, Elizabeth?”

She half turned to look at him, studying his hard but somehow pleasant face. “I never have been. But then, there wasn’t anyone else,” she added simply.

Starting the car and backing from the driveway, he said, “There is now. Keep that in mind, will you?”

They rode for a few moments in silence, and then she said, “Kelsey? Is Jo all right?”

He reached over and took her hand, closing his mind to the inevitable speculation of a mind that knew too well what dangerous men could do to a captive. “I’ll make sure she’s all right,” he said steadily, making a reckless promise he had every intention of keeping.

He would make very sure that Jo Conner was just fine. And if that was a promise broken for
him, nothing in the world would be able to repair the shambles he’d leave of Meditron and everyone involved.

“With your trusty sword?” she said softly.

“With everything I’ve got.”

“That’s it.”

Josh looked over one of Zach’s shoulders, while Raven looked over the other, and it was she who spoke after reading the computer’s screen intently.

“No wonder they had the data locked. Is that as dangerous as I think it is?”

Josh answered. “Deadly, in the wrong hands. And if they’re holding that girl captive, I’d say it was in the wrong hands.”

“So what do we do with this?” Raven asked.

“We get it to Kelsey, pronto,” Zach said, turning away from the computer as the other two straightened. “Luc’s checking with his sources now, but if that data on Major Thorn checks out,
there’s one hell of a bad situation brewing down there.”

Josh looked at him thoughtfully. “You’re the only one of us with military experience. Just how much authority can Thorn command?”

Zach grunted. “All he wants, dammit. The military set up a nice little operation in Pinnacle, and it’s been running smoothly for years. Thorn’s kept it quiet and produced for them, so they’ve stopped keeping an eye on him from the higher levels. Soldiers are a peculiar breed, Josh; they’ve been trained to take orders and not ask questions. Except for maybe one or two key people, Thorn’s men probably don’t even know he’s going into business for himself. And it’s a lead pipe cinch they don’t know a girl’s being held hostage in the plant.”

Softly, thinking as much of the phone call she had received as of this new information, Raven said, “Kelsey and Derek are going to need help.” She was gazing steadily at her husband.

He met her gaze, his own still thoughtful, but didn’t respond immediately because Lucas walked
into the room. “Is the information confirmed?” he asked his investigator.

“In spades.” Luc rested a hip on the corner of a desk and addressed the others briskly. “Thorn’s a renegade, all right. He has a history of doing things his own way, and promotion was denied several times due to quote, unauthorized activities, end quote. I’d like to know who the hell was dumb enough to put him in charge at Meditron. I played a hunch and got in touch with a friend who works both sides of the streets.”

“Weapons dealer?” Zach asked neutrally.

Lucas, knowing that the big security chief hated arms dealers, gave him a rueful look. “Don’t bite me. but yes. To his credit, he’s one of the few who has scruples; he won’t sell to just anybody. He told me that he’d heard a renegade army major was looking for buyers for some very sophisticated weapons—and that
he
didn’t care who he sold them to as long as the price was right.” Luc shook his head. “And it will be. There are groups out there who’d pay just about anything.”

“Who takes care of shipping?” Josh asked.

Zach shrugged. “Thorn, I’d bet. He’s got the authority to ship stuff out of there. Who’s to know the destination isn’t what it should be? This country sends arms overseas all the time.”

“Wouldn’t Meditron’s quota come up short?” Raven asked.

Zach gestured disgustedly toward the computer. “You read that. Thorn’s been shaving the quota for months; he reports machine breakdowns and design problems. He could have a huge stockpile by now, and he probably does since it looks like he’s getting ready to sell the stuff and get out.”

“Then we don’t have much time,” Raven said.

“Less than you think,” Lucas said quietly. “My friend told me something else. Our renegade major has sweetened the pot. Along with the more conventional weapons, he’s offering a nuclear missile—with the warhead intact.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Raven said softly, “Dammit, I’ll bet that’s why Mallory’s keeping quiet if he isn’t in on this. Thorn must have threatened to use the missile.”

“That makes the timing more critical.” Josh
looked at his wife and friends for a moment. “Zach was right. We can’t all go down there.”

“Teddy stays here,” the big man said definitely.

“Want to bet?”

They all turned to look toward the doorway of the computer room, where Zach’s small redheaded wife leaned casually.

“You stay here,” Zach told her in a voice that would have vanquished most armies.

Teddy smiled at him gently, an understanding smile that did nothing to dim the laughing triumph in her brown eyes. “I got the floor plan,” she said serenely.

Josh lit a cigarette, focusing all his attention on the matter. Raven studied her fingernails intently. Lucas gazed thoughtfully at his shoes while whistling softly under his breath.

“Where the hell did you get it?” Zach demanded.

Her eyes danced. “Think I haven’t been paying attention to how you commandos work? I spoke to a friend of a friend, and then I called in a few favors.”

“Then you’ll give it to me,” Zach told his wife firmly.

“If I did that,” Teddy said reasonably, “you’d refuse to let me come along. Besides, it’s in my head, and I think I’m going to have a hard time remembering it until I actually
see
Meditron with my own eyes.”

“This is serious, Teddy,” he said very softly.

Equally softly, she said, “I know it is. Another jungle. And you’re not going into it without me.”

Judging that the time was right, Josh said briskly, “Luc, you know General Ramsey, right?”

“Yeah. Kyle knows him too. Want us to run interference?”

“We’ll need it; try to keep him from throwing a battalion at Meditron before we have a chance to get in there quietly. And we may need a favor or two from the good general.”

“You’ve got it,” Luc said.

“Hagen needs to know,” Raven noted reluctantly.

Josh nodded. “We’ll let Rafferty and Sarah
beard that lion, and keep him busy long enough to give us some time.”

Zach was still gazing steadily across the room at his wife. “The rest of us head south?”

“The rest of us head south, first thing in the morning,” Josh confirmed. He glanced at Zach, then took Raven’s hand and gestured to Luc; the three of them left the room.

Teddy crossed the room until she stood before her husband. “You knew I would,” she said gently.

“Dammit, Teddy!”

She didn’t resist when he pulled her down into his lap. And since there were always better things to do than fight …

Teddy loved storms.

“Why are we stopping?” Elizabeth glanced around at the location where Kelsey had chosen to park the car, puzzled to discover that they were in one of the worst areas of Charleston.

He was intently studying a small group of men
several yards away on a street corner and answered absently, “Those guys are ex-military. They may know something.”