“Unless and until we need them. Roger that.” He kissed me. “But remember, I was a Ranger. When plans go to hell, we go to work.”
“Is that a Ranger motto?”
“Nope. Just made it up here on the spot. But it’s true.”
“Leave!” I gave him another kiss and sent him on his way.
I returned to the bathroom and started the shower to warm up the water. As I undressed, I saw the red spot in my panties. After all the angst of the past twenty-four hours, mybody had just been pranking me. I’d never been so deeply relieved and overwhelmingly sad at the same time.
The next thing I knew, I was ruminating about the past few weeks and the possibility I’d lost the business and the very real chance that even HEAT wouldn’t be able to help me save it. Like Bond had said yesterday, I had a lot on my plate.
I sat down on the edge of the tub and cried.
27
SAVANNAH
That afternoon, I stood inside one of HEAT’s large panel vans and adjusted the jacket of the one business suit I’d packed. The outfit was more dressy than what I would normally wear to work on a Friday afternoon, but nothing else I had brought along seemed suitable, and I didn’t need the distraction of wearing borrowed clothes.
Ben was worried about me. I felt his intense gaze on me as Pasco fitted me with a nearly invisible communications earpiece. Bond, as we called her now that we were on an operation, adjusted a dainty gold watch on my wrist and explained its capabilities. Despite the delicate look of it, it was capable of monitoring every vital function plus ambient conditions and noises.
“It can also detect airborne toxins,” Pasco added, “like potential chemical and biological threats.
Ben scowled at him. “There’s no way she’ll need that functionality, and you’ll scare her. Hell, you’re scaring me.”
“Sorry,” Pasco apologized to me, “that he’s such a pain in the ass.”
I smiled, which was probably his intention, so Ben only shot him a murderous look and didn’t throttle him.
“Now,” Pasco said, “as far as the earpiece goes, you’llmostly hear my voice, maybe Kat’s or Bond’s if necessary, but we’ll keep your channel as clear as possible so our chatter doesn’t distract you.”
“And I’ll relay any information you need that affects us once we’re inside the building,” Ryan said.
There was a knock on the back door. Ben pushed it open, and Kat climbed inside, followed by Logan. They, along with Bond and Pasco, would monitor the four of us who would be on the ground.
Ben hopped out of the van and helped me step down to the cement floor of the secluded parking garage, where Kyle waited for us. If I hadn’t been surrounded by multiple armed agents, I wouldn’t have spent five seconds in the creepy place.
Ryan came out after me. The three men did a gear check. Kyle and Ben were both dressed in dark gray pants and jackets that hid all manner of climbing gear, Tasers, and tranquilizer guns. Watching Ben, I understood why, when I’d found him in the airport, he’d been even more intense and laser-focused than he had been seven years ago. He was in his element when he was on an active mission, and it was a thing of beauty. Despite my nerves over the task at hand, my lady bits melted as his big, firm hands tugged at his holster.
Ryan nudged my shoulder. “Hey, Savannah, I get it. Your boy gives good game face, but it’s time to switch focus.”
They had finished their checks and were all staring at me.
I cleared my throat. “I’m ready,” I said. It wasn’t completely true, but we had a schedule to keep. Besides, the sooner we started, the sooner our mission would be over.
Ben put his arm around my shoulder and spoke to Ryan. “The real question is, areyouready?”
Ryan’s smile widened. “Born that way, mate.”
“Seriously,” Ben pressed, “you’ve got this?”
“Yeah, because you’re normally a laugh-riot.” Ryan punched Ben’s shoulder. “I’ve got this.”
Ben nodded. “Remember, I know eight ways to kill a man, and those are just the ones that don’t involve weapons.”
Ryan shook his head as he and Kyle stepped a few feet away to give us a moment of privacy.
Ben pulled me into a hug and whispered. “Don’t worry. He’s almost as good as he thinks he is.”
