Under the Wire: Bad Boys Undercover (19 page)

Then Reid was there. He skidded down the hill,
flying on the side of one shoe. It was an amazing sight. When he got to the bottom he checked the man for a pulse and shook his head.

She wanted to ask questions but didn’t know if they were clear or if more men were pouring out onto the open area above them.

“He’s dead?” Simon whispered the question but it still sounded loud in the relative quiet of the cloudy day.

“Yes.” Reid answered as he walked back up to where they lay in the mix of dirt and mud. “Both of them.”

Simon’s head fell back on the ground and he exhaled. “Thank God.”

“They were after you?” Reid’s eyes narrowed as he talked.

Simon didn’t move. “I heard a truck and started running.”

She needed to stand up. Reid held out a hand and she grabbed it, springing to her feet. That put them both in a position towering above Simon. He looked relaxed and relieved and not even a little bit upset about the idea of a dead body lying just a few feet away.

“Thank you,” Simon said as he sat up.

Reid let his arm fall to his side but he didn’t put the gun away. “You can make it up to me later.”

Simon’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“You have some questions to answer.” Cara thought that seemed obvious, but she filled him in anyway.

“Uh, yeah.” Simon stood up. Didn’t wince or reach
for any injuries. He stood straight, as if he’d been out on a leisurely hike. “Of course.”

Reid glanced at her. “Of course.”

“We’re getting out of here, right? I’d like to be on a plane home as soon as possible.” Simon brushed his hands on his pants. Seemed oblivious to the fact that he’d just issued an order of sorts.

Reid took a step toward him. “I’m not your travel agent.”

“I don’t know what you are.”

“How about the guy who just saved your life?”

“Gentlemen.” Cara knew if she didn’t step in she’d be mopping up after a bloodbath. She leaned into Reid’s side to get his attention. Also to hold him back. “We should get out of the open area and into somewhere more protected.”

Simon nodded. “Onto a plane. That’s what I’ve been saying.”

“Get up there and get in the truck.” This time Reid did aim the gun.

Simon looked at the weapon, then at Reid’s face. “What truck?”

“The men following you were nice enough to leave us one.” Reid touched his side. The move took a second and he never showed weakness. “It will make the trip back to the mine go faster.”

Cara knew she needed to check his wound, but there was no way Reid would allow that to happen in front of
Simon. Reid viewed Simon as a threat. She could tell from the way he spoke and how he handled himself. He had not lowered his guard even one inch.

She knew she should stick up for her fellow team member but she couldn’t. They barely knew each other . . . and she didn’t trust Simon either.

Simon glanced from Reid to Cara and back again. “What mine?”

For the first time since they found the hatch, Reid grinned. It was feral and carried a threat as he regarded Simon. “I’m afraid you’re not done with Russia yet.”

Simon snorted. “I get a say in that.”

Reid’s grin only widened. “No, you don’t.”

T
HEY SETTLED
back in the mine less than a half hour after the latest shooting. Then the talking began. Question after question. The routine went on for over an hour without providing Reid with any new information.

There were enough dead bodies on the ground. Reid didn’t want one more, but he might make an exception for Simon. Nothing about the guy’s story made sense.

Reid had absolutely been in situations where the truth sounded like a lie and vice versa. Simon might truly be the most unlucky man alive. All possible. None of that explained the limited injuries and fresh clothes.

He claimed he escaped from a group of Russian special forces. Trained men who, from Reid’s experience over the last few days, didn’t have any qualms about shooting first and verifying identity later. They might not be the top fighters in the world but they were still damned good, and tough as hell. Had to be to survive in this sort of business. Reid admired them for doing their jobs. He hated killing them for performing as they
should, especially if Simon turned out to deserve killing, but no one touched Cara without her consent. Ever.

Reid figured he’d know more about Simon and his objectives in the next few minutes. After walking through his wild tale about being driven all over the Urals and threatened while watching his coworker die—none of which added any new facts to what he’d said back on the hill—Simon asked to “stretch his legs.” Reid assumed he was considering running away. Which was why he waited just around the bend of the mine tunnel on the way to the entrance doors.

He could hear Cara humming in one of the rooms. She said something to him about it being one of the songs her father composed. Reid had never met him or heard the tune before. But it never ceased to amaze him that her father was a man who wrote symphonies . . . ones that never sold.

Her mother kept the family alive on an elementary art teacher’s salary. Together they hated Cara’s science career and, from what he could tell, anything that didn’t directly benefit the arts. Never mind that Cara excelled at everything she did. Their billionaire tech genius son Caleb was no slouch either. A royal pain in the ass, but successful under any calculation.

Maybe Cara had been right not to introduce him to them. They would have hated his lack of talent. Probably hated him. He pretended not to care about that.

Hated that he hadn’t read a book in more than two
years. Been horrified that he couldn’t remember ever stepping into a museum. He did knit. A habit he picked up while undercover but hadn’t done for a while. He bet the skills were still in him somewhere.

But the truth was, if Cara had asked him to do any of those things—hell, he’d sit through one of her father’s symphonies or even listen to a lecture about paintings or whatever—he would have. As much as he hated being weak for her, he was. Whatever she needed from him, he’d give. It’s why he mentioned the parade of terrible foster families. He’d hoped that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity about his past, but he doubted it.

He leaned against the mine wall and listened. A few seconds later the scrape of a boot against the dirt floor echoed back to him. He checked his watch. Hell, it took Simon long enough to make the move. Reid wondered what he’d been doing for the last ten minutes while he skulked around the mine tunnels. There were only so many places to go. Reid knew because he’d explored each shaft until he ran into a blockage.

Now the issue of how to handle this. Nice or not.

Simon’s shadow passed on the far wall, which meant he was getting close. Sneaking to the door and then . . . Reid had no idea. He was half tempted to let him get outside and follow, but the truck stood out there. Simon might be stupid enough to jump in and try to start it.

More footsteps.

Reid knew he had only seconds to decide. Appar
ently, shooting the guy was out of the question. That wasn’t his rule. Cara told him no. He couldn’t even persuade her that one bullet to the thigh might get them answers faster.

Women.

Simon picked up his pace. He rounded the corner and ran smack into Reid’s chest. The expression on his face, half fury and half shock, was worth the body blow.

Reid tried being nice. “Hello.”

Simon just stood there.

Well, the guy had his chance to finish this with some self-respect and wasted it. One swing and Reid slammed his gun into the side of Simon’s head. Used just the right amount of strength to drive him to his knees. Reid was about to take a second shot when Simon fell over on his side in the dirt.

“Huh.” Reid leaned down to check his pulse. Still breathing. That was probably a good thing.

Parker walked in a few seconds later and stood across from Reid on the other side of Simon’s still body. “I see we have company.”

Always on time. Parker had messaged ahead to say he’d be there in ten minutes. He’d stopped to take care of their newest round of casualties and hide the bodies to lessen suspicion as much as possible, so he missed the initial questioning. Lucky him. Reid had filled him in about the lab and the theories about the conflicting
players in this game. He hadn’t quite gotten to the intel on Simon yet.

Reid continued to stare at the body at his feet. “He’s alive.”

Nothing about that seemed to impress Parker. “Is that good?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Reid looked up. “We found our missing scientist wandering around the riverbed.”

Parker nodded as he pushed against Simon’s arm with the toe of his boot. “Convenient.”

“Right?”

“And then he tried to sneak out past you?” Parker laughed. “The dumbass.”

The move did strike Reid as wildly optimistic. The poor bastard. “He has some trouble with authority.”

“Apparently.” Parker dropped down and checked Simon for weapons. “No ID. What does Cara say about him?”

“She doesn’t know him well and won’t vouch for him. They got thrown together on this expedition. She’d never heard of him until he showed up for the flight.”

Parker snorted. “That’s not suspicious at all.”

“He’s a botanist.” Reid wasn’t sure what that added, but Cara stated it as an important fact, so he passed it on.

“Plants, right?”

“Something like that.” Reid hadn’t asked what, if anything, that would have to do with a cobalt bomb. He figured they had some time while they tried to work out
how to handle the lab, their new guest, and the crap ton of moaning that was headed their way from the Russian government for being on its soil without permission. “She keeps staring at him like he’s an experiment she can’t figure out.”

“So that makes three of us against this guy.” Parker put his hands on his hips and walked around the body. Seemed to be assessing Simon while he slept.

“You just got here and you already hate him?” That seemed about right for Parker. He figured people out fast and didn’t hold back.

“He’s too clean for a guy who’s been on the run.” Parker gestured in Reid’s direction. “I mean, look at you. You look like hell. You even smell.”

“That’s not a really big concern for me. And Cara seems fine with it.” He’d already bled all over the one person he cared about on this continent. She’d sewn him up and never complained about dirt or a smell or the lack of a shower. Another reason he thought she was a keeper.

Parker snorted for the second time in a minute, which might be a record. “Well, for now. Give her time.”

Reid froze. That tone meant trouble. He recognized it and knew he should walk away. Still, curiosity had him asking. “What does that mean?”

“You already used your emergency condom. Unless you had sex with Simon here, I’m thinking Cara is okay with your stench.”

Reid looked around to make sure she hadn’t snuck up on them—again. He felt a kicking in his gut, and not the good kind.

“When did you check my bag?” The words were out before Reid realized he’d failed to deny the comment. But why bother? Even if it was an educated guess, it was the right one. Unlike her, Reid didn’t regret the sex or being together. She wasn’t some secret shame he needed to tuck away and never think about again.

“I got here before your distress call about me needing to bury more bodies, then headed out again.” Parker reached over with a small packet between his fingers. “Here’s mine. Enjoy.”

“What if you need it?” Reid asked as he snatched it out of his friend’s fingers. No need pretending he wasn’t hoping one would magically appear. Tasha insisted on a condom being in the go bag. He’d stupidly
only
included one.

“One of us shouldn’t be thinking with his dick right now.”

That came really close to the one step too far. “Careful.”

Parker held up both hands. “I was just going to say the same thing to you.”

A heavy sigh preceded Cara’s entrance. She stood right by the bend in the wall and glanced at the condom in Reid’s hand then frowned. “Wishful thinking.”

Parker barked out a laugh. “I really like her.”

“At least you two tried to whisper this time.” She walked around the body, following the same path Parker had taken and stopping beside him. “He’s alive, right?”

“Yes,” Parker said.

Reid wasn’t quite ready to let her dramatic entrance go. The rush of his heartbeat at the sound of her voice would take a while to slow. “You have a habit of sneaking up on people.”

“Unless I want a dunk in the pool, there’s not a lot of places to hide in here.” She’d changed since being outside. Wore a dry thermal pullover. Looked like she might have brushed her hair. The wild concern still showed in her eyes but her body no longer buzzed with unspent energy.

He took that all as a good sign. As a scientist she understood the ramifications of finding that lab. Rather than wither, she came out fighting.

He loved that about her. Standing there, looking at that round face and thinking about all they’d been through together, he knew he felt more here than loving
things
about her. He loved her. All of her. Even the frustrating, stubborn bossy parts. Loved her to the point that this time he would fight for her. Run the risk of losing all over again, no matter what that would cost him.

He felt the sudden need to sit down.

“Pool?” Parker pointed at Simon. “We could throw him in and be done with him.”

“The water could be contaminated.” Cara sounded very serious as she pointed the fact out.

Parker’s eyebrow lifted. “So?”

Reid’s mind scattered. All of a sudden he didn’t want to deal with death or Simon’s stories. He needed a minute with her. She talked about how they got sucked into this danger vortex and it spun their feelings out of control. He didn’t buy it.

“We need to get rid of the truck.” The words just popped out of him. He knew he’d missed something in the conversation or context because both Parker and Cara stared at him.

Parker cleared his throat, clearly covering a smile. “Is that my job, too?”

“We’ll do it.” He pointed to Cara. “The two of us. Together.”

Great.
Now he sounded like a bumbling teenager. Much more of this and he’d start fidgeting. That would just be fucking fantastic.

Cara frowned. “What?”

“Oh, really?” Parker asked at the same time.

Reid rushed to think of a reasonable excuse for walking out on an interrogation. He usually stuck around to ask the questions. Probably had something to do with his control issues and fear of missing something. “Me staying around here isn’t going to get us any intel out of Simon. He doesn’t like me very much.”

“You did threaten to shoot him.” Cara took a turn
trying to move Simon with her foot. “And it looks like you knocked him out.”

“Both were justified.” No matter what happened with Cara, Reid knew that much was true. Simon should be tied to a chair and forced to spit out whatever information he had. They had enough unknown variables without adding him to the mix.

Unknown variables
. . . now he was thinking like her.

Parker shrugged. “Probably.”

“We’ll get out of here for a few minutes and you can question him.” Reid spoke to Parker but didn’t look at him. He could imagine the grin and that was enough. “Simon might trip up.”

Cara looked from one man to the other. “If not?”

“Parker will shoot him.”

Her face fell. “You’re kidding.”

“Is he?” Parker asked in an amused voice. “Because we should clarify the parameters here.”

None of this was getting him where he needed to go, so Reid just conceded. “I am joking.”

He probably would have said anything at that moment. The need hit him hard and out of nowhere. He was not the type to risk her safety by driving all over the Russian countryside in search of a safe place for a booty call.

“Then let’s go back to the part where you two leave.” Parker crossed his arms in front of him. “How is that going to work, exactly?”

“Should I stay?” Cara asked.

“Good question.” Parker would not stop smiling. “Reid, should she?”

A few more minutes of this and he might hit something. Reid bit back the frustration roaring inside him and tried to keep his voice steady. “I promised Caleb I wouldn’t leave you, so you’re with me.”

“That’s what this is about? A promise to her brother?” Parker asked.

Yeah, two seconds from punching.
“You want to say something about my plan?”

Parker shook his head. “Nope.”

Cara treated them both to a long drawn-out sigh. The kind that said she was sick of male nonsense. “What’s happening?”

Lucky for her, so was he. Reid looked at Parker. “Is it raining now?” When Parker shook his head, Reid turned back to Cara. “You’re going to get to ride in a Russian truck.”

She winced. “Lucky me.”

“We’ll see if you think so when you get back.” Parker winked at her then bent down and started dragging the body toward the other part of the mine.

T
asha sat on the oversized bed with the oversized pillows, in the oversized hotel suite. The place struck her as overkill.

She bounced up and down on the mattress. Just a
little but enough to test it. Not bad. There weren’t exactly luxury accommodations in this part of the Urals. Cozy houses, good apartments, and hiking cabins. Not five-star properties, but that didn’t stop Niko from staying for a while.