His Captivating Confidante (Secret Sentinels) (6 page)

How it could it possibly be time to rise and shine when she’d only just fallen asleep? She needed coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

After Frank had dropped her off at her apartment the night before, she’d gone straight to bed. Sleep hadn’t come easily, though. Thoughts of his proposition had bounced around her brain, keeping her awake until almost dawn.

Something about his offer didn’t add up. She had a feeling there was more to his interest in her assignment than he was letting on.

Frank had been her champion when no one else cared about her. He’d been her friend when she’d needed one the most. And he’d rushed to her rescue when her father’s gambling addiction had made her a target. Knowing he’d stepped in to take care of her father’s debt for her had made her feel special. Cherished. And if she hadn’t already been head over heels in love with him, she would have fallen at his feet in that moment.

What he’d proposed last night was almost as huge. His offer to bankroll the library’s renovation and the board’s dream project of a computer wing made it much more difficult to refuse his request to accompany her to Damon’s island—as he’d been well aware it would when he’d plunked the offer down in front of her.

She hadn’t expected him to pull such a tempting rabbit out of his hat. The more she contemplated his proposal, in fact, the more she became convinced that his motivation for putting the deal on the table went way beyond his desire to protect her from Damon.

Deciding she needed to run last night’s developments by Liz, she penciled in a meeting with her boss on her mental to-do list for the day.

Leaving the cozy cocoon of her bed, she showered and dressed. She was scheduled to open the library that morning.

When she’d transitioned to a field operative role with the agency, Liz had determined it would be beneficial for her to maintain her cover career at the library. She hadn’t argued the point. Not only was her position there the ideal smokescreen for her work with Sentinels, it was also perfectly suited to her personality. There was nothing she loved more than being surrounded by books.

Stopping by the coffee shop on her way to work, she opted for a large coffee instead of her usual medium in hopes the extra caffeine coursing through her veins would push back the cobwebs enshrouding her sleep-deprived brain.

By the time she arrived at work, the java jolt had kicked in and she was ready to tackle the day. The library was housed in a gorgeous stone building that, despite being over a century old, was just as grand as it had been in its heyday. The planned renovations would ensure it would remain an integral part of the community for centuries to come.

Upon unlocking the main entrance, she was greeted by the library’s mascot. Their head librarian had found the sweet-tempered calico cat abandoned outside the building as a kitten last year. She’d brought him in out of the snow that cold November day and the feline had quickly made it clear he’d found his new home.

The patrons had fallen in love with him and so had the staff, so when no one claimed him the decision to adopt him had been an easy one.

He plopped down now, offering his belly up in a shameless appeal for a tummy rub. She indulged him for a few minutes before seeing to the preopening preparations. First on the list was feeding the library’s Very Important Kitty.

“Ready for breakfast, Dewey?”

Her inquiry was met with a resounding meow that was quite clearly a “yes.” He ran ahead of her to the break room where his food and water dishes were kept. She followed, filling his bowls with kibbles and water before moving on to the rest of her duties.

Once everything was set for the day, she sent a quick text message to Liz asking if they could do lunch. Her phone pinged with a reply almost immediately. Liz would meet her at noon at their favorite café.

From the moment she opened the doors for the day, patron traffic was brisk. The crunch left her no time to dwell on the previous night’s events. When her coworker Joella arrived at noon to relieve her, she headed off to meet Liz.

Joining her boss at a table on the café’s lovely open-air patio, she greeted her with a warm smile. “Thanks for meeting me at such short notice, Liz.”

“No problem. So how did things go at the gala last night?”

“Great, until Frank showed up and went all caveman on Damon. Why did you tell him about my assignment? Were you afraid I’d drop the ball?”

“Of course not. I clued him in because I hoped he’d ask to be a part of your mission, since we all want to find out what we can about Lawrence Mendacci and put an end to his crimes. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you what I had planned, but I couldn’t risk you appearing anything but surprised when Frank made an appearance at the benefit.”

“I don’t get it. If you wanted him to work the case, why didn’t you assign it to him in the first place?”

“Because this mission is about more than searching for evidence that can lead us to Mendacci. It’s also involves protecting Frank without him knowing we’re watching out for him.”

“Wait a minute. You’re telling me you think
Frank
is in need of protection? Are we talking about the same tough-as-nails ex-CIA operative we both know and love?”

“I’m afraid so. And I don’t just
think
he needs someone to have his back. I know
he does
.
The night of the attack on Lauren Dimitriou, when Frank was shot, the investigating officers recovered casings from a nine-millimeter handgun. The bullet the surgeon removed from Frank’s shoulder was from a .308-caliber rifle.”

“That means there was a second gunman on the scene.”

“Exactly. My gut tells me the other shooter wasn’t working with Lauren and Rafe’s attacker. I think he was there gunning for Frank.”

“Does Frank know?”

“I filled him in as soon as I saw the report, but he’s entirely unconcerned. He vehemently denies he could have been the target of a separate incident.”

“That figures. He thinks he’s invincible.”

“It’s either that or he has a death wish. I haven’t figured out which yet. In any case, he may not be worried, but I am. I’m going to do everything I can to mitigate the risk he’s facing, but I need your help.”

“Of course. You know I’d do anything for you and Frank.”

“He thinks the world of you. I told him about your assignment knowing he wouldn’t be on board with the idea of you spending time alone with Damon Landers. I figured given Landers’s playboy reputation and the rumors of his business dealings straying into the gray, there was no way Frank would sit on the sidelines. I hoped he’d want in. And he does.”

“So you want me to let him tag along with me to Landers’s island?”

“Right. Letting Frank believe he’s lending a hand with your mission will keep him occupied and out of trouble. In the meantime, I’ll dig further into the second shooting. You can keep an eye on him while I get to the bottom of what’s going on.”

Stephanie rubbed her suddenly damp palms on her pants. She wasn’t sure Frank
would
be safer with her. She hadn’t fared very well the last time he’d needed her to have his back.

She felt she had to come clean with Liz, and make her aware of what had really gone down when Rafe and Lauren were attacked. There was too much riding on this new assignment not to.

“About that. I don’t think I’m the right person to watch over Frank. I’m too close to him to handle things objectively. I’m ashamed I didn’t tell you this sooner, but the night of the ambush I failed you and the team. I had an opportunity to neutralize Lauren and Rafe’s attacker, and I let it slip through my fingers. I had the gunman in my sights, but I didn’t take the shot because I was afraid Frank would wind up as collateral damage.

“I let my emotions get in the way of doing my job. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was afraid of the consequences. I understand if you need to take me out of the field.”

Liz shook her head. “Oh, hon. You’re being too hard on yourself. It’s only natural that you reacted the way you did. You’d have to be a machine not to hesitate in a situation like that. Don’t beat yourself up for some imagined ineptitude.”

“Frank could have been killed.”

“Yes, but he wasn’t. You responded to the situation like the hero you are. You got Frank out of the line of fire and out of the path of a speeding vehicle at great personal risk. You didn’t make a single misstep. Any of us—myself included—would have reacted the same way had we been in your shoes.”

“You still think I’m the right agent for this assignment after what I’ve told you?”

“Absolutely,” Liz asserted with an encouraging smile.

“Then I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

“Excellent. So, you said you wanted to run something by me when you called?”

“Yeah. Last night, Frank tried to get me to agree to let him tag along on my assignment by offering to finance the entire library renovation project—including the addition of a computer resource wing.”

“Wow.”

“My thoughts exactly. The enticement he dangled is huge. It’s too large a carrot for his interest in this mission to be due solely to his concern for me, like he claims it is. The question is, what’s his real motivation?”

“You’re good friends. Is it so hard to believe he’s just concerned about you?”

“Truthfully, yes. He’s been upset with me since he found out I wasn’t up front with him about what I really do for a living. He’s been avoiding me ever since he discovered I’m an agent.”

“He might not be happy you weren’t entirely honest with him, but it’s obvious he cares a great deal about you. He was furious I’d assigned you to infiltrate Damon’s domain, and he insisted I let him back you up on the mission. I made him work for it so he’d think it was his idea, but eventually I let him believe he’d convinced me.”

“Well, I still think there’s more to it. I guess there’s only one way to find out. I’m not excited about having to deceive him, though.”

“You aren’t deceiving him. You’re keeping him safe. If we let him go off after whatever demons he’s chasing without covert backup, there’s a considerable risk he’ll get himself killed.”

If what Liz was saying was true and Frank was in trouble, she knew him well enough to realize his pride would never let him admit he needed help. She damn sure wouldn’t walk away from him if there was a possibility he might be in danger. “I’m having dinner with Frank tonight. I’ll tell him he can come with me to Damon’s island.”

She only hoped that covertly watching over Frank wouldn’t cost her his friendship. And she hoped she could shake off the silly notion there could ever be anything more than friendship between them, because unless she did this assignment could cost her more than Frank’s friendship. It could cost her her heart.

Considering Stephanie had successfully completed the “acquire access to target” portion of her assignment, Frank fully expected her to morph back into the endearingly shy and bookish version of his friend—the version he was most comfortable with.

Instead, it was a lovely-in-leather adaptation of his buddy who greeted him when he arrived at her house to collect her for dinner.

Last night, rocking the elegant-yet-smoking-hot evening gown she’d worn, she’d ranked a solid ten on the sexiness scale. Tonight’s look trumped that in spades. Once again, she’d ditched her eyeglasses in favor of contacts. Rather than constraining her gorgeous hair in a bun, she’d set it loose to tumble free down her back.

Black leather leggings hugged her long legs like a second skin, and a matching crop top bared an enticing amount of her tanned, toned midriff. He stared at her taut abs in fascination as the light from her porch sconce danced off a diamond belly button stud.

His kitten had a navel ring?
What was she trying to do to him? Every time he saw her, she looked more seductive than the time before.

He realized she was staring at him now, her expressive features reflecting a mixture of concern and confusion.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked, sounding perplexed. “You said you were bringing your Ducati, so I thought I’d dress for the bike.”

He shook his head, trying to focus on anything other than the way the shiny, supple leather clung to her curves. After last night, he was trying hard to put her neatly back into the “friend” box. She wasn’t making it easy for him. Especially not when getting in touch with her inner badass biker chick put her squarely in the sexier-than-hell category.

His motorcycle was his pride and joy, and he’d begged his doctor for clearance to resume riding. That very day, the poor guy had finally given in to the relentless badgering and taken pity on him, reluctantly agreeing but warning him to keep the rides short and not to overdo it.

Chomping at the bit to get his bike out again, he’d suggested bringing the Ducati on a whim. He’d expected Stephanie would tell him she’d prefer one of his four-wheeled modes of transportation, but she’d surprised him by agreeing to his suggestion. She’d surprised him even more by dressing for it.

“Nothing’s wrong.” The cheeky smile he shot her was spiked with more than a hint of wickedness, but he couldn’t help himself. Remaining immune to her considerable charms was beyond his scope of restraint at the moment. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you wear leather before. I like it.”
Yeah, he liked it a lot.

“Thanks,” she said, executing a neat little spin to show off her outfit and giving him an alluring glimpse of her gorgeous backside in the process.

He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “I’m glad you don’t mind taking the bike. I wasn’t sure you’d want to, since you’ve never ridden with me before. I like this new adventurous side of yours.”

“Actually I’ve never ridden a motorcycle with
anyone
before, so I wasn’t discriminating based on my assumption of your skills—or lack thereof,” she clarified with a grin.

“You’re really sure you want to risk it?”

“Yeah,” she said and smiled. Then her expression turned serious. “The work we do—the danger that goes hand in hand with it—it makes you realize just how short and uncertain life can be. I’ve decided it’s long past time I live a little.”

Honored that she trusted him to initiate her, he handed her a helmet and made sure she secured it properly on her head before he mounted the bike.