Mission Made For Two(Romantic Suspense) Read online

  194

  Mission Made For Two

  By: C.R. Hill

  Contents

  Chapter One 3

  Chapter Two 9

  Chapter Three 19

  Chapter Four 31

  Chapter Five 40

  Chapter Six 50

  Chapter Seven 60

  Chapter Eight 70

  Chapter Nine 81

  Chapter Ten 91

  Chapter Eleven 100

  Chapter Twelve 109

  Chapter Thirteen 122

  Chapter Fourteen 133

  Chapter Fifteen 142

  Chapter Sixteen 152

  Chapter Seventeen 161

  Chapter Eighteen 171

  Chapter Nineteen 180

  Chapter Twenty 189

  Chapter Twenty-One 202

  Epilogue 206

  Chapter One

  Jake Harding watched through his binoculars as the hot August sun beat down on his neck. He ignored the sweat soaking his shirt as Sierra Thayer and Daniel Matheson climbed out of their black SUV.

  Sierra’s graceful movements as she walked across the parking lot tightened his gut. Three months had gone by since she’d barged into a warehouse in South America and dragged his sorry butt out. He’d been in bad shape from beatings, starvation and dehydration and probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer. Sierra had not only saved him, but she’d taken a couple of bullets in the process, minor flesh wounds, but still she’d risked a lot to get him out.

  At night when he closed his eyes, he could feel the heat from her hands as she’d gently stroked his face, then down across his chest to check for injuries. He’d been half-dead and yet the strong pull of lust had still sprang to life inside his body.

  She’d dragged him through the jungle, even though he’d outweighed her by seventy pounds. She was tough, brash and sexy as hell. Which was the main reason he’d steered clear of her for the three years he’d worked at USOI.(United States Operations in Intelligence)

  He still couldn’t believe of all the agents that his boss and friend, Trent Browning, had sent to bring him home, he’d picked her. Of course, it wasn’t just Sierra he steered clear of. He pretty much steered clear of all of the other agents. He worked alone. It was the deal he’d made with Trent when he’d come to work and it made life a whole lot simpler.

  Except now, he was here in Miami, providing back-up. Back-up that Sierra and her partner didn’t even know about. All because someone inside their organization had sold him out.

  His cover had been blown, and Trent had no idea how. But despite that, Dominic Diaz needed to go down.

  Trent had sent Sierra and Daniel to Florida to pose as a couple desperately wanting a child and willing to pay most anything for one. Trent had called Jake to let him know where the meet was, so he’d gotten here well ahead to set up. With the possibility that someone inside the USOI organization was selling out agents, he didn’t trust anyone else to watch Sierra’s back.

  He owed her for saving him and if nothing else, he was a man who paid his debts.

  He’d hardly recognized her when he’d first seen her in her disguise a few weeks ago. Her normally long, soot black hair was hidden beneath a deep auburn colored wig, very sophisticated looking, and she had to have on a padded body suit. She was at least two sizes bigger than normal. She was wearing a mouth piece too, because her face was fuller. She was still quite attractive, but he preferred her dark hair and athletic frame that seemed to go with her sassy attitude.

  Jake wished Trent had sent another female agent besides Sierra, but Trent said she was the best. Plus, he trusted her.

  Watching Sierra and Daniel meet with Michael Toraz, Diaz’s right hand man, made Jake nervous. Having Sierra in the line of fire fueled something inside of him he’d rather not feel. He barely knew her, yet for three months now, she’d filled his thoughts.

  He sighed. For a month, he’d been tailing her and Daniel, keeping an eye on things, still worried about the possible leak.

  He squinted through the binoculars. Toraz just got a phone call. Not good. Every muscle in his body tensed and his hand went to the rifle lying on the ground beside him.

  Toraz hung up, turned back to Sierra and Daniel and said something. They nodded, said something else and then turned to leave. He relaxed marginally. The meeting was done. Now they had to wait and see if Toraz followed through.

  That was always the tough part. The waiting. One thing for sure, Jake would be keeping a close eye on things.

  ~***~

  Anger simmered in Sierra’s veins at what Dominic Diaz was doing. The man they’d met had given her a picture of a brown-eyed little girl, no more than two years old. That was the girl they were supposedly buying. Some parent’s somewhere could be missing that little girl. She could have been snatched right out of her bed.

  Of course, just as many of the stolen children were taken or bought from orphanages. Then sold for a profit. Some sold to people like she and Daniel pretended to be, which wasn’t such a horrible trade off. Get out of the orphanage and into a family.

  Others, though, used them for unspeakable things. Slaves, child pornography, or just abuse. The thoughts sickened her. She’d seen her share of slime balls as she’d made her way through foster care from the age of three until she was finally free at eighteen. That life was the main reason she’d learned to defend herself. Self-preservation had turned into a job and now she was more than prepared to take down Diaz.

  She and Daniel didn’t talk until they were inside their SUV. Once they were seated with the air on full blast, Sierra turned to him. “Do you think if we take this guy down, he’ll roll over on Diaz?”

  Daniel’s mouth thinned. He put the vehicle in gear and pulled out. “When the shit starts hitting the fan, guys like him look out for number one.”

  Sierra agreed. She looked at the picture she still held of the little girl. “I can’t believe how angry it makes me to think of these children being sold like pieces of property.”

  Daniel glanced at her and nodded. “We’re going to end this.”

  Sierra looked instinctively in the side mirror. No one tailed them. She still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling the phone call their contact had received gave her. She’d watched him closely, but he hadn’t revealed anything by his expression. It was mostly the fact that Jake had been sold out that had her so jumpy.

  And Jake. Where the heck was he? She’d gotten him back to the states, seen him safely ensconced in the small medical facility that took care of them and then he’d vanished. Every time she asked Trent about him, he just said Jake was fine.

  She could still see him lying on that grungy floor in South America, his dark hair was long and shaggy, the sharp angles of his face covered with a ratty beard, but his blue eyes had been as intense as ever. Even beaten down the man radiated power and determination. She’d known he was barely strong enough to stand, yet he’d made it the two miles they had to trek to get to their waiting chopper.

  Too bad he was such a lone wolf. He’d probably be a lot of fun to work with, but to Sierra’s knowledge he hadn’t worked with any of the other agents since coming on aboard three years ago.

  She couldn’t help being curious about his whereabouts and condition. He’d been in bad shape the last time she’d seen him. He intrigued her. And she had risked her life to bring him home.

  For now though, she and Daniel needed to finish the mission that Jake had started. She blew out a breath and watched the passing scenery as Daniel took them back to their condo.

  They made it back to their makeshift home without incident, and Sierra relaxed marginally. They would wait to be contacted again, then they’d go after Diaz
’s organization.

  “What do ya say you whip us up something for lunch,” Daniel said with a grin as they climbed from the vehicle. He loved to tease her about her inability to cook. Something he’d discovered the second time they’d worked a case together and had posed as a married couple then, too.

  “Ha. Ha. You are so funny.” She smiled and closed the car door. “But I will help you with whatever delicacy you’re planning on fixing us.”

  He snorted as they walked up the walk. “I wouldn’t let you within ten feet of my creations. I saw what you did to our toast last week.”

  “Hey! That was the toaster’s fault.”

  Daniel just shook his head and unlocked the door. He stepped inside, Sierra behind him. Cool air washed over her arms. She couldn’t wait to get this padding off. In the August Miami heat, it was stifling.

  She turned and locked the door. “I’ll call Trent while you get to work on the food.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Daniel replied and veered toward the small, fully equipped kitchen.

  Sierra kicked off her sandals and headed toward the bedroom. The plush carpet pressed against her bare feet. The first thing she did was strip off her dress and out of the padding, then yank the wig from her head. She slipped into a pair of shorts and a tank top.

  Plopping on the bed, she pulled her secure cell phone out of her purse. Time to call Trent.

  The sound of wood splintering in the front room stopped her cold.

  Chapter Two

  Sierra snatched a bag with her gun from under the bed, grabbed the 9 millimeter and leapt to her feet. She stopped in the doorway of the bedroom.

  The front door burst open. A muscle-bound thug rushed into the room, automatic weapon in hand.

  Sierra dove to the side, back into the room, just before the first spray of bullets hit the doorframe over her head.

  Her heart beat in triple time. She should have listened to her inner voice. That phone call had been the end of their cover.

  “Damn it all to hell,” she muttered, as she rolled to her stomach and looked around the door jamb.

  More bullets splintered the wood. She fired a couple shots. Things got quiet. She couldn’t see the kitchen. Didn’t know if Daniel was okay.

  “Come out, little girl,” the man called. “You’re out numbered.”

  A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Daniel hadn’t said a word.

  The bedroom window shattered. Bullets sprayed the wall over the bed, sending chunks of sheet rock spiraling to the floor.

  Nothing like having your ass shoved up against a wall full of razor blades.

  Pushing to her feet, she peered around the opening. The goon who’d busted in the door had moved to the wall cater-corner from the front door. All she could see was the tip of his gun. One thing was for sure. She needed more fire power.

  Another gun waited in the bottom of her duffel bag. She fired a shot into the den, just to make sure no one thought she was coming out easy. Then she scurried back and grabbed her bag from the closet.

  More gunfire sprayed the wall and the bed. Sierra ducked and crawled back to the door. She fired another shot, then pulled out her Glock, stuck a full cartridge in both guns and stood.

  Only about six feet of wall separated her and the gunman.

  Too bad she probably wasn’t going to come out of this alive. But life was a bitch sometimes. At least she wasn’t going down alone.

  Sierra sucked in a breath. She sprang, gun in each hand. Her body horizontal to the floor. She turned toward the gunman in mid-air, squeezing off shots in succession.

  Her would-be assassin hadn’t expected that. His body jerked.

  Sierra hit the floor hard enough to rattle her fake teeth. She rolled to her back and sprung up to her feet, turning immediately to face the door.

  The sight that greeted her sent shock rolling through her.

  Jake lowered his gun. He was a different Jake from the one three months ago. This was the old Jake. His blue eyes bright and fierce, the muscles in his clean shaven jaw clenched.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded and lowered both her weapons. “I don’t suppose you being here is coincidence.”

  “Nothing’s coincidence in this business. I took care of the contingent outside.”

  “Daniel…”

  Jake shook his head. Her breath hitched in her throat. She ran to the kitchen. The sight of Daniel sprawled across the floor, the top part of his skull missing, churned her stomach.

  She’d suspected he was dead, even known it, but in the firefight, hadn’t had time to really consider it. She pushed down the wave of grief. Agents in the field didn’t have time for emotions.

  They lost men. They all knew it when they signed up. Hell, she’d been ready to accept the same fate not five minutes ago.

  But she had no family who’d miss her when she was gone.

  Daniel did.

  Jake covered the distance between them. “Grab whatever stuff you need and let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Sierra let her grief turn to anger. “That bastard just made this very personal.”

  She looked at Jake. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “It’s been personal for me for months now.” His voice gentled, she supposed realizing how much Daniel’s death affected her. “Now get your stuff. We need to go before anyone else shows up.”

  Sierra nodded and ran to the bedroom. She removed the dental fitting and stuffed it in her duffel bag, then shoved her clothes in and the few things she had in the bathroom. After slipping her feet into a pair of sneakers, she met Jake at the door.

  They didn’t talk anymore until they were miles away from the bungalow, speeding away in a sporty little blue mustang that Sierra suspected had a very souped-up engine. “Where are you going?” she finally asked.

  Jake glanced at her. “To a private airstrip. Then someplace safe.”

  “Have you been following us this last month?”

  A slight smile curved his mouth. “Yeah.”

  “Did Trent know?”

  He nodded his head. “I’ve been working with him trying to figure out who the hell the leak is.”

  Sierra frowned. “Why didn’t he tell me you were watching our backs?”

  Surely, he didn’t suspect she or Daniel was involved in anything.

  Jake glanced at her. “He didn’t trust the communication.”

  Sierra arched an eyebrow. “That deep, huh?”

  At least that was a relief. Provided Jake was being truthful with her.

  “Sierra, we don’t suspect you or any of the other operatives.”

  She glanced at his hard profile, believing him, if not a bit unnerved that he’d just read her thoughts.

  “That’s nice to know. So what have you found out?”

  Jake was quiet a moment. “Just that none of the other missions seemed to be compromised. Only the ones dealing with Diaz.”

  “That should make it easier to narrow down who our traitor is.”

  “We have some ideas.”

  “You care to share?”

  Jake’s hands tightened around the steering wheel. “I don’t really know enough right now to share them.”

  Sierra’s hackles went back up. He apparently didn’t think she was capable of helping find the answers. “Look! I know you’re used to playing the Lone Ranger, but Daniel Matheson was a damn fine agent! One I worked with countless times the last few years. His wife is going to be devastated. If I owe him nothing else, I owe him to find out why his cover was blown.”

  Jake’s mouth thinned. “I told you, I don’t know enough to share it yet.”

  Sierra’s anger leaked out like a deflating balloon. All that was left was an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach at thoughts of Daniel.

  Even though she knew the risks, this was the first time someone she’d worked with so closely had been killed.

  And she couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow it was her fault. Somehow, she hadn’t been careful enough. She’d
ignored that little voice after their meeting telling her something was wrong.

  That was a hell of a thing to live with.

  ~***~

  Jake turned down the road leading to the private airstrip that housed his plane. Sierra had ridden quietly for the most part. She was one tough lady. Hell, taking out the gunman at the house had taken a lot of guts.

  Even in South America she’d shown mettle and determination. But her partner’s death had hit her hard. He knew the feeling.

  “You still haven’t told me where we’re going,” Sierra said as he pulled the car into the airstrip’s parking lot.

  He turned off the engine and set the parking brake. “North Carolina.”

  She arched a delicate eyebrow, but didn’t comment. They climbed out, and he retrieved her stuff from the back of the car along with his bag and headed toward the Turbo Skylane Cessna.

  She let out a whistle as they neared the aircraft. “Nice ride. Yours?”

  He opened the baggage compartment in the rear and tossed their stuff in. “A gift to myself on my thirty-fifth birthday. Hop on in. I’ve got to go inside the hanger a minute.”

  Jake left her and jogged to the hanger. Carl Roland, the operator of the airport, met him at the door. Jake pulled out some money and a sheet of paper with an address on it and handed it to him. “Will you make sure the car gets back to this address?”

  The car was a loan from a friend. Carl nodded and took the cash. “You’ll take care of filing the flight plan I left with you when I arrived?” Jake asked.

  “I’ll handle everything, Mr. Harding.”

  “Thanks, Carl.” Jake turned and jogged back to the plane. Sierra sat like a stone in the front seat, her gaze fixed on something outside.

  “We’re ready. Buckle up.” He put his headphones on and handed her a set, then readied the plane for takeoff.

  He could feel her gaze tracking his movements as he worked. The same surge of lust he’d experienced three months ago when she’d helped him out of the jungle, pumped into his bloodstream.

  Only now he was stronger and so was the lust. Dammit. The last thing he needed was to have those kinds of feelings interfering with what needed to be done.