Undercover Accomplice

Sue strode out of the office, not looking right or left. When she stepped out onto the sidewalk, she took a deep breath of fresh air.

Maybe she sent her son away early for nothing. Maybe her senses had been on high alert because the Agency had been tracking her. Now that they’d made their move and suspended her and confiscated her computer, they’d back off.

The thought didn’t make her feel much better. The CIA didn’t trust her, and being falsely accused made her blood boil. Of course, if the Agency knew about her work with The Falcon, the accusations might not be false. She didn’t have to worry about that, though. The Falcon would have her covered.

As she waited for the elevator in the parking garage, her phone buzzed and she squinted at the text message from her friend, Dani Howard.

Dani knew she’d sent Drake back home and figured Sue needed some cheering up. Dani had no idea how much cheering up she needed.

Sue texted her friend back. I’m up for cocktails tonight.

What the hell did she have to lose at this point?

SUE SPOTTED DANI already sitting at the bar, and she squeezed between the people and the tall tables to reach her. “This the best you could do?”

Dani gave her a one-armed hug. “I just got here five minutes ago. Haven’t even ordered a drink yet.”

Hunching over the bar, Sue snapped her fingers and shouted, “Hey.”

The bartender raised his hand. “Be right with you.”

A minute later he took their order for two glasses of white wine.

Dani sighed as she flicked back her hair. “It must be your commanding presence that gets their attention. Did you see Drake off okay today?”

“I did.” Sue rolled her eyes. “Of course, I had to put up with Linda’s jabs.”

“Our mothers should have a contest to see who can outshame the single moms.” Dani picked out some pretzels from the bowl of snack mix on the bar and popped one into her mouth.

“Stepmother. At least Fiona’s dad is in the picture.”

“You say that like it’s a good thing.”

“Okay then, at least Fiona lives with you and you’re not in constant fear of losing custody of her.”

Dani folded back the corners of the napkin the bartender had tossed down when he took their order. “You know I’m planning to drive down to Savannah, and I’d be happy to drop in on Drake for you. Text me your parents’ address, and I’ll see if I can make the detour—just a familiar face from where Mom lives might make a big difference.”

“That would be great, but I don’t want to put you out.”

“Happy to do it.” Dani snatched their glasses from the bartender’s hand and handed one to Sue. “Drink.”

Sue took a big gulp of wine, but there wasn’t enough alcohol in the world right now to drown her sorrows.

“Stop beating yourself up. You’re saving the freakin’ world.” Dani tilted her head. “I suppose you can’t tell me about this hush-hush assignment of yours.”

Not only did she not have a hush-hush assignment, she didn’t have any assignment—unless she counted the one to get the name of the right barbershop.

Sue put a finger to her lips and swirled her wine in the glass. “No questions about my job.”

“Don’t even ask about my job…except for the new resident who started his rotation.” Dani winked.

“Not another doctor. You need to date outside the medical field.”

“I need to date and I may have just found the answer to our prayers.” Dani tilted her head to the side and twirled a strand of her red hair around one finger.

Sue put her glass to her lips and shifted her gaze above the rim toward a table to Dani’s right, where two men had their heads together. “Are you sure they aren’t gay?”

“Not the way they’ve been eyeing us for the past few minutes.” Dani drew back her shoulders and puffed out her ample chest. “Besides, they have a table, and we’re stuck here at the bar getting squeezed out.”

One of the men had noticed Dani’s move and he sat up, nudging his buddy.

An evening with Dani always ended in the company of men, and for once, Sue welcomed the distraction. She smiled at the eager suitors.

One of the guys raised his glass and pointed to the two empty chairs at their table.

“And score.” Dani wiggled her fingers in the air. “I get the blond unless you have a preference. I’m just thinking about cute little strawberry-blond siblings for Fiona.”

Sue’s gaze shifted to the dark-haired man as she pushed away from the bar. At least he was her type. “Go for it, Dani.”

The two men jumped from their seats and pulled out the chairs for her and Dani. She and Dani did a little dance to get Dani seated next to the blond.

He spoke first. “You two looked so uncomfortable packed in at the bar. It seemed a shame to let these two chairs go to waste.”

“Thank you. I’m Dani and this is Sue.” Dani’s southern accent always got more pronounced in front of men, and they seemed to eat it up.

Dani’s future husband pointed to himself. “I’m Mason—” and then he pointed to his companion “—and this is Jeffrey.”

They all said their hellos and launched into the inane small talk that characterized meet-ups in bars. Sue had no intention of winding up with Jeffrey or anyone else at the end of the evening and tried to keep her alcohol consumption to a minimum.

She failed.

Mason, or maybe it was Jeffrey, ordered a bottle of wine for the table, and then another. Although Sue continuously sipped from her glass, the liquid never dropped below the halfway point, and by the time she staggered to the ladies’ room on her second trip, she realized the men had been topping off her wine.

She’d have to put a lid on that glass when she got back to the table.

As she wended her way through the crowded bar, she stumbled to a stop when she saw Jeffrey alone at the table. She clutched her small purse to her chest and took the last few steps on unsteady legs. “Where are Mason and Dani?”

“They left—together.” Jeffrey lifted one shoulder.

Sue sank into the chair, snatching her phone from the side pocket on her purse. “Whose idea was that?”

“I think it was mutual.” Jeffrey held up his hands. “Don’t worry. I know we didn’t hit it off like they did, and I have no expectations.”

She scowled at him over the top of her phone. “I hope not.”

Dani picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Sue, did Jeffrey tell you I left with Mason?”

“He did. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Dani giggled and sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you there with Jeffrey.”

“That’s okay. As long as you’re all right. Do you have an address where you’re going?”

“The Hay-Adams.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

Dani ended the call on another giggle and Sue shoved her phone back into her purse.

Jeffrey raised one eyebrow. “Your friend okay? Mason’s a good guy.”

“He’d better be.” Sue raised her phone and snapped a picture of Jeffrey. “Just in case.”

A spark of anger lit Jeffrey’s eyes for a second, or maybe she’d imagined it. Then he tucked some bills beneath his empty glass. “Can I at least see you home?”

She shook her head and then clutched the edge of the table as a wave of dizziness engulfed her brain. She took a sip of water. “I’m fine, thanks.”

“Really? You don’t look fine. The booze was flowing as fast as the conversation tonight. You look…woozy.”

Woozy? Someone had stuffed a big cotton ball in her head to keep her brain from banging around. After the day she’d had, she’d wanted to let loose, tie one on. Now she had to face the consequences.

“I didn’t drive. I can just hop on the Metro, one stop.” She staggered to her feet and grabbed the back of her chair. She’d be paying for her overindulgence tomorrow morning for sure.

Jeffrey jumped from his chair. “Are you positive I can’t help you? I can walk you to the station or call you a taxi or rideshare car.”

She narrowed her eyes and peered at him through a fog. Why was he so insistent? Why didn’t he just leave her alone?

She raised her hand and leveled a finger at him. “Stay right where you are.”

Jeffrey cocked his head and a lock of his brown hair slipped free from the gel and made a comma on his wrinkled brow.

Had she made sense? She tried to form another word with her thick tongue, but she couldn’t get it to cooperate.

She resorted to sign language, raising her middle finger. Would he get the picture now? “Whatever.” He plopped back into his chair. “Just be careful.”

She swung to the side, banging her hip on the corner of the table, jostling all the empties. Putting her head down, she made a beeline for the door.

Once outside, she gulped in breaths of the cold air but couldn’t seem to revive herself. Walking should help. She put one foot in front of the other and weaved down the sidewalk. Oncoming pedestrians gave her a wide berth, and a few made jokes.

Oh, God. Was she a joke? A drunk joke? She placed a hand flat against the side of a building and closed her eyes.

She hadn’t been this drunk since college days, and she didn’t intend to make the same stupid mistakes she’d made back then.

She shoved a hand into the pocket of her leather moto jacket and fumbled for her phone. Jeffrey had been right about one thing—she should call a taxi.

After she pulled the phone from her jacket, it slipped from her hand and bounced twice on the sidewalk before landing in the gutter.

She dropped to a crouch and stuck her hand over the curb to feel for the phone. The effort proved too much for her and she fell over onto her side.

Good thing her son couldn’t see her now, passed out like a wino in the gutter.

She flexed her fingers toward her phone but lead weights had been attached to their tips—and her eyelids. DC Metro would pick her up and she’d lose her job for sure.

“Sue? Sue? You’re coming with me now.”

An arm curled around her shoulders and pulled her upright. Jeffrey. He’d followed her out to finish what he’d started.

She arched her back, but her gelatinous spine sabotaged the act and she collapsed against Jeffrey’s chest.

He had her.

“It’s all right. I’m taking you to my hotel.”

Her lips parted and she uttered a protest, but just like everything in her life lately, the situation had already spiraled out of her control.

Her mind screamed resistance, but her body had already succumbed.

SUE STRETCHED HER limbs and rubbed her eyes, the silky, soft sheets falling from her shoulders. Then the memories from the night before tumbled through her mind in a kaleidoscope of images.

She bolted upright against the king-size bed’s headboard, yanking the sheets to her chin to cover her naked body.

Had Jeffrey raped and abandoned her at the hotel? Was his name even Jeffrey?

The bathroom door crashed open and a large man stopped cold on the threshold. “God, you look beautiful even after the night you had.”

Sue’s mouth dropped open as she took in the man at the bathroom door, towel hanging precariously low on a pair of slim hips.

The man she’d betrayed and who still haunted her dreams…and it sure as hell wasn’t Jeffrey.

Chapter Two

The look on Sue’s face shifted from shock to disbelief, to horror, to pain and to a whole bunch of other stuff he couldn’t figure out. And that had been his problem with Sue Chandler all along—he’d never been able to figure her out.

Those luscious lips finally formed a word, just one. “You.”

He spread his arms wide. “In the flesh. Did you expect me to leave you in the gutter, like you left me?”

“As I recall, it was a luxury hotel.” She patted the pillow next to her. “Somewhat like this one—and all I did was check out.”

“Details, details.”

She pointed at him. “Your towel is slipping. Not interested in seeing that package—again.”

The years hadn’t softened Sue Chandler one bit. He held up one finger. “Give me a second.”

As Sue turned her tight face away, he crossed the room to his suitcase, tugged a pair of briefs from an inside pocket, dropped his towel and pulled on his underwear.

“There.” He turned toward the bed. “Decent.”

Her gaze flicked over his body, making him hot and hard, as only Sue Chandler could do with one look from her dark eyes.

The twist of her lips told him she’d noticed the effect she had on him.

“Maybe not decent enough.” He yanked open a dresser drawer and pulled out some jeans. He stepped into them, feeling less cocky under Sue’s unrelenting stare, but he had the upper hand for once.

“Now, are you going to tell me what you were doing last night stumbling along the streets of DC close to midnight?”

“I live here.” Her jaw hardened. “What are you doing here and how did you happen to find me?”

“You’re not exactly hard to find. You work for the CIA and live in DC, and I knew you weren’t on assignment, not after…”

“You know about my kidnapping?” She drew her knees to her chest beneath the sheets, clasping her arms around her legs.

“Several special forces knew about it and were actively planning your rescue.” He tilted his head to the side. “But you didn’t need rescuing.”

“Don’t go throwing any parades. The kidnappers were not that bright.” She blinked. “Is that why you’re here? Have you been following me?”

“Whoa, wait.” He tossed his towel onto the foot of the bed. “I followed you from your place to the bar last night. That’s it. I just arrived yesterday.”

She sank back against the stacked pillows. “Why’d you follow me? Are you here on official duty, or something? I’ve already been debriefed by the Agency.”

“Official duty? Really? What would a Delta Force soldier have to do with the kidnapping of a CIA agent?”

“Don’t try that ‘Who, me?’ stuff with me, Mancini. You didn’t seek me out to profess your undying love. You had three years to do that—and not a peep.”

He reached into the closet and jerked a shirt from a hanger, leaving it swinging wildly. “You’re not gonna pin that on me. I got the message loud and clear that you were moving on. Did you expect me to chase after you?”

Sue opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. Then her eyes widened and she gathered the covers around her body. “I’m naked. How did I get naked?”

“I took your clothes off—sorry.” He gestured to a pile of clothing in the corner of the room. “Yours were dirty. I didn’t think it was sanitary to put you to bed in filthy clothes.”

“How thoughtful.” She snorted. “I fell on the sidewalk. I’m sure you could’ve brushed the dirt from my slacks and left my underwear alone.”

He cleared his throat. “You vomited all over yourself when I got you to the room.”

“Oh my God.” She covered her mouth with both hands. “I don’t know what happened last night. I—I apologize.”

“Nothing I haven’t handled hundreds of times before with my buddies. I’m sure we can send your clothes to the hotel’s laundry or dry cleaning. I already cleaned off your boots and jacket.”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m embarrassed. I’m not sure what came over me. I did have a lot of wine last night, but I’ve never felt that way before.”

“I’m thinking the fact that you upchucked saved you.”

“Saved me from what?”

“Whatever was in your system.”

“You mean besides the alcohol?” She twisted a lock of dark brown hair around her finger, not looking surprised at all. “What do you know? Why are you here in DC?”

He swallowed against his dry throat. He had to concentrate, but remembering Sue naked in bed had his thoughts scrambled.

Should he pretend he was here for her instead of trying to explain the real reason? He met those dark, shimmering eyes that seemed to see into his very soul. He couldn’t lie to Sue—not that she’d believe him, anyway.

“I got a message from Major Denver.”

“Major Rex Denver? AWOL Delta Force commander?”

“You know as well as I do that he isn’t and never has been working with any terrorist organization against the US government. One of your own translators proved the emails she’d received implicating him were phony.”

“I’ve heard all the stories, but if he’s innocent, why won’t he come in? Why is he sending messages to you instead?”

“He doesn’t feel it’s safe yet. He’s already been the victim of a setup, and he doesn’t trust anyone.”

“Yeah, I understand that.” Sue bit her bottom lip. “What was the message? What are you supposed to do?”

“Contact you?”

“What? Why?”

“He believes the people who kidnapped you belong to the same group he’s trying to bring down, the same group that he believes is planning some kind of spectacular attack.”

Sue clenched the sheets in her fists. “Why does he think that?”

Hunter’s pulse jumped. Again, no surprised looks from Sue. “Something his informant told him. Why? What happened during that kidnapping? Did they ever give you any reason why they snatched you?”

“Wait.” She massaged her temple with two fingers. “I can’t take all this in right now, especially not huddled under the covers with no clothes on. I need a shower. I need breakfast. I need clothes.”

“The shower’s all yours. I can send your clothes out to the laundry right now, if you’re okay with eating room service wearing my sweats and T-shirt.” He took a step to the side and slid open the closet door. He reached in, his hand closing around the fluffy terrycloth of a hotel robe. “You can wear this into the bathroom.”

“Thanks.”

She uttered the word between clenched teeth, almost grudgingly, but he’d take it at this point. Her reception of him had been chillier than he’d expected, especially since she was the one who had ended their brief affair by leaving him in his hotel room with no note, no phone call, no explanation.

He placed the robe across her lap, dropping it quickly and jerking back. Being close to Sue again had proven to be more difficult than he’d expected when he first got Denver’s message. Undressing her last night and putting her to bed had been an exquisite torture. His hands lingering on her smooth flesh had screamed violation, so he’d made quick work of it.

“I’m going to bag your stuff and call housekeeping. I’ll put a rush on it, so your clothes will be ready by the time we finish breakfast.” He pinched the strap of her lacy bra between two fingers and held it up. “Anything need special attention or dry cleaning?”

“Everything is machine washable.” She flicked her fingers in the air. “Turn around, please.”

Not like he hadn’t already seen every inch of her beautiful body.

“Yes, ma’am.” He turned his back on her and stuffed her clothing into the hotel’s plastic bag for laundry, as she rustled behind him.

She slammed the bathroom door before he even rose from the floor with her bag of clothing dangling from his fingertips.

Blowing out a breath, he wedged a shoulder against the closet. He knew it wouldn’t be easy reconnecting with Sue after what had happened in Paris, but she couldn’t completely blame him for not contacting her, could she?

They’d met at a party of expats. He knew she was CIA, and she knew he was Delta Force on leave. They’d approached their relationship as a fling and had been enjoying each other’s company until she’d turned cold. He’d assumed at the time it was because she knew they’d have to end their Paris idyll once he got deployed, even though he’d been ready to ask her to wait for him.

Maybe it hadn’t been the wisest decision for him to get involved with someone so soon after separating from his wife, and maybe she got that vibe from him, although he hadn’t gotten around to telling her about his wife. He hadn’t wanted to open that can of worms until he’d gotten a signal from Sue that they had some kind of future. Once she’d shut that down, he’d shut down, too. He didn’t need any more women in his life who couldn’t accept his military career.

He pushed off the closet and grabbed the phone by the bed. He requested a laundry pickup and then room service, ordering eggs, bacon, the works. From what he’d seen of Sue’s body last night, she still must work out and burn calories at a ferocious rate. With Sue’s dedication to running, kickboxing and Krav Maga, he’d had no trouble imagining her escaping from a gaggle of hapless terrorists—even though others did.

He’d heard rumblings that Sue faked her kidnapping and miraculous escape but hadn’t heard about any motive. Why would she fake a kidnapping in Istanbul? Glory? Sue wasn’t like that. Didn’t need that. The woman he’d met in Paris kept her head down and got to work. No nonsense. No drama.

And that’s how she’d ended their affair.

The bathroom door swung open, and Sue poked her head into the room. “Can they do my clothes?”

“They haven’t picked up yet, but they assured me they could have them ready by noon. Is that okay?” He glanced at the clock by the tousled bed. “You don’t have to get to work?”

“I have a few days off. That’s why I was out last night with my friend.”

“When your friend left the bar with that guy, I thought maybe…” He shrugged.

“You thought I’d be leaving with someone, too?” She tucked a lock of wet hair beneath the towel wrapped around her head. “Queen of the one-night stands?”

“What we had wasn’t…”

He choked to a stop as she sliced a hand through the air. “Don’t want to discuss it.”

“Housekeeping.” The sharp rap at the door had him pivoting to answer it. He handed the bag to the woman. “I was told the clothes could be returned by noon.”

“That’s what I have on the order, sir.”

By the time he turned back to the room, Sue had grabbed what she needed from his bag and retreated to the bathroom.

He ran a hand across his mouth. He didn’t understand her anger at him. He hadn’t been the one who abruptly left Paris without a word, without even a note on the pillow.

She’d hurt him more than he’d cared to admit, but he’d chalked it up to being dumped and accepted it as a sign that he shouldn’t have gotten involved with someone so soon after Julia left.

Maybe Sue had expected him to run after her, pursue her, but he hadn’t had the energy at that time for games and he’d let her go without a fight—clearly his loss.

She emerged from the bathroom again, yanking up the waistband of a pair of gray sweats that swam on her.

“I can turn up the thermostat in the room if you just wanna wear the big T-shirt.”

“That’s all right. I don’t plan to run any marathons, or even leave the room.”

The next knock on the door brought breakfast, and Hunter added a tip and signed the check. He lifted the cover on the first plate. “Eggs, bacon, hash browns. Is that okay?”

“Toast?”

“Under this one.” He plucked a cover from a rack of toast. “Coffee?”

“Please.”

She’d exchanged her ire for a cold civility. He couldn’t decide which stung more. Over the years, he’d built up some ridiculous significance to their fling—Sue just set him straight.

He poured her a cup of coffee and nudged the cream and sugar toward her where she’d taken up a place across the table from him.

She dumped some cream into her coffee, picked up the cup and leveled a gaze at him over the rim. “Where did you sleep last night?”

His own coffee sloshed over the side of his cup. “The sofa.”

“That small thing?”

“My legs hung over the edge, but I’ve had worse.”

All the questions that must be bubbling in her brain and that one came to the surface first?

“Look, this is what happened.” He slurped a sip of coffee for fortification. “I’d followed you to the bar from your place. I watched the entrance, waiting for you to come out, and I was going to approach you then.”