Bulletproof & Locked, Loaded and SEALed by Cynthia Eden
He popped open the trunk of the rental car and laid her dress across the carpet. Then he slammed the trunk and wedged his hip against it while he crossed his arms.
“You’re not going to a party. You’re putting yourself in danger by attending some function that could very well be the target of a terrorist attack. You’re doing it on the off chance that you can identify someone there who might’ve been in contact with Dr. Fazal. You’re doing it for Hamid and Ginny. You’re doing it to find some measure of justice for them.” He pushed off the trunk. “And you needed a dress to do it.”
He opened the passenger door for her and she slipped inside the car.
When Austin got in next to her and started the car, she put her hand over his. “That was a vehement defense of plans you didn’t agree with the first time around. If that’s how you presented it to your commanding officers, it makes sense they relented.”
He blew out a breath and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. “Let’s just say I know what it’s like to want justice for someone, retribution, even.”
“I figured you did. One of your comrades in arms?”
“My brother, my blood brother.”
“What happened?” She pressed her fingertips to her chin.
“He was a marine, deployed in Afghanistan. He was killed by a roadside IED, which was planted by a terrorist group that specifically targeted American military.”
“I’m sorry, Austin.” Her fingers curled around his hand. So, he’d lost a member of his perfect family. “Is that why you became a SEAL, to avenge your brother’s death?”
“Tucker was younger than me. He followed me into the service.”
“You wanted revenge against this one specific terrorist organization? How’d you manage that? There are so many of them now.”
“It wasn’t just the group I wanted. You’re right. These organizations form and break apart and then morph into something else, but for me there’s always one constant.” His jaw tightened and a muscle ticked in the corner.
“Which is?”
“Vlad.”
“Vlad? Sounds Russian.”
“We don’t know what he is, but he uses a Russian sniper rifle. Vlad has been around for a while. He was a sniper in Afghanistan. He moved on from that to form and lead various groups, and we don’t even know where his loyalties lie. He seems intent on destabilizing the region and may have even gone global.”
“I take it you didn’t stop him?”
“I tried. Man, did I try, and almost faced a court martial for it. I defied orders once to go after him.” Austin held his thumb and forefinger together. “I was this close.”
“Then you came to your senses.”
“It was that or destroy my career. I didn’t think Tucker would want that.” He shook his head while he started the car. “I don’t get why they wouldn’t let me go after him when I had the chance. Several SEALs died trying to take him down, and a sniper from our team was captured. We thought he was dead, but he escaped about two months ago. I have a score to settle with Vlad.”
“Maybe that’s why your superiors didn’t allow you to track him down—too personal.”
“Talk about personal. I can’t help thinking this whole situation with Dr. Fazal has Vlad’s stamp all over it.”
“Really? This is something he’d be involved in?”
“He might be involved in it because I’m involved in it.”
“Does he know who you are?”
“He knows my entire sniper team, and we know him.”
“Does Vlad have a name?”
“I’m sure he does, but we don’t know what it is. It’s impossible to get any intel on him. He’s guarded and protected.”
“Which brings us back to where we started—what information did Patel-slash-Jilani give to Dr. Fazal about the symposium, and where is it?”
“Two very good questions, but it feels as if I haven’t eaten for a very long time and I need to answer the growling in my stomach before I can tackle those other questions. Do you mind if we pick up some fast food and bring it back to the room?”
“Whatever you want. I’m not hungry.”
“Yeah, but I’m going to force you to eat something anyway. You cannot live on bagels alone.”
By the time they got back to their new hotel room with a couple of bags of food, Sophia actually had an appetite and wolfed down her chicken sandwich and fries.
She bunched up her paper bag and shot it into the wastebasket. “I’m going to take a shower since I was too creeped out to take one this morning with that camera watching my every move.”
“I’ve got an idea.” He swept the rest of the trash from the table where it joined her bag. “Remember how we had to pretend showering together last night so we could talk and get away from the watching eye of the camera?”
“I remember.” Butterfly wings beat in her belly.
“Remember how hard it was to just stand there in that tub, letting the water run over our bodies, keeping our hands to ourselves?”
She arched one eyebrow at him. “I remember how hard it was.”
He laughed. “Now you’re talkin’. We don’t have to pretend tonight. I’d like to soap you up and do all the things to you I couldn’t do last night.”
She crooked her finger at him. “Let’s shower.”
And for the rest of the night, she forgot about everything except the man who’d become such a big part of her life in such a short period of time.
She even forgot she’d have to say goodbye to him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The following morning, Sophia got ready for the memorial. On her way to the door, she picked up the bag with the frame. “I forgot to swap out the broken frame for the new one. I guess I’ll do it when we get back.”
“You need to watch out for those shards of glass.” Austin held out her jacket. “At least it’s not raining today.”
“Are you going to follow me right over?” She grabbed her jacket and threw it over one arm.
“I told you, I’ll be right behind you. The limo’s going to drop you off at the curb. Stay with the other mourners as you walk down the path to the gazebo. Security will be in place to watch you—including me.”
“I’ll be sitting with Morgan and Anna.”
“I know you’ll be meeting some strangers, friends and colleagues of Fazal’s, but don’t go off with anyone you don’t know.”
“You said that before.”
“I’m saying it again.”
They stepped into the hallway, and he stuck beside her all the way to the front, where he hustled her into the limo. He leaned inside and kissed her hard on the mouth.
“Be careful.” Then he said a few words to the driver, who must’ve been CIA or FBI.
When the limo pulled away from the hotel, she stretched out across the leather seat. She would be enjoying this if she weren’t on her way to say her final farewell to her good friend and mentor.
He’d tried to keep her out of this, but her close relationship with him had made that impossible. For that reason, his killers believed she had access to the information Jilani had given him—but she didn’t, did she?
She’d racked her brain trying to recall their last conversation and if there were any hints in his words. Unless there were hidden clues in his description of the patient who’d broken his hand in a fight, she couldn’t think of anything unusual about their chat.
The park was near Walden Pond, where apparently Thoreau hadn’t roughed it as much as he’d let on. That was a detail Dr. Fazal would’ve relished. He’d loved the area and its history.
As the car slowed, the driver got on the speaker. “Ma’am, please wait in the car until I get the door for you. I’ll let you out when I see other people heading for the gazebo.”
“Thanks.”
A few minutes later the car stopped, and a few more minutes after that, the driver swung open her door and helped her out as if she were a ninety-year-old dowager. She felt about ninety years old right now.
As a clutch of people surged into the park from the sidewalk, the driver gave her a nudge. “I’ll be right here when the service ends. Look at my face. I’ll be driving, nobody else.”
As she studied his fresh, earnest face, a feather of fear brushed across her flesh. This was real.
She nodded and joined the group, waving at two of the doctors from their floor.
Chairs had been set up in the gazebo, and Sophia spotted Morgan, who waved. Sophia climbed the two steps and sat in the chair Morgan had been saving with her purse.
Morgan dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “I can’t believe this is happening. Ginny’s funeral is next week. The cops won’t tell me anything. I’m walking around looking over my shoulder every few seconds.”
“I know what you mean.” Sophia flicked her fingers in the air at Anna, who had a lost look on her face.
When she joined them, Anna spent several minutes crying on their shoulders. Wiping her nose, she plopped into the chair on the other side of Morgan. “Have the police told either of you anything about Ginny? That’s just too much of a coincidence to me, even though I keep hearing Dr. Fazal shot himself.”
Morgan whispered, “If he did, it’s because someone made him. He’d never commit suicide.”
Sophia scanned the crowd, but didn’t dare look for Austin. He’d probably be up high somewhere, looking at the world through his crosshairs. The thought gave her a warm feeling.
Her gaze moved past the people standing on the outskirts of the crowd, and she did a double-take at a familiar face. Her eyes widened as Tyler Cannon raised his hand.
Her Spark date had figured out where she’d be? She waved back, a crease forming between her eyebrows. On their coffee date, she’d told Tyler all about Dr. Fazal, so he must’ve put two and two together when she mentioned her friend’s death. Of course Dr. Fazal’s murder had made the news.
Was he just paying his respects or did he hope to talk with her? She’d talk with him, but a date was out of the question—especially after the night she’d spent with Austin. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to date another man as long as she lived.
Austin had made love to her last night differently from the night before. That time had been slow and tender. The man could do it all.
As Dr. Fazal’s imam began to speak, the crowd hushed. Soon he turned over the mic to Dr. Pritchard, one of Dr. Fazal’s colleagues, and soon enough it was her turn.
Sophia pulled the crumpled piece of paper from her purse and approached the podium at one end of the gazebo. With her voice shaking only a little, she was able to relate to everyone how much Dr. Fazal had meant to her, how much he’d cared about his patients. She touched briefly on the reason why he’d relocated to the United States and remarked upon his bravery.
This crowd had no idea how brave.
When she finished and took her seat, the imam completed the service with some prayers and an invitation to partake of some food and drink on the other side of the gazebo.
The memorial ended and that was it. He was gone.
Sophia covered her face with both hands and sobbed as Morgan patted her back. “I’m so sorry, Sophia. Do you want to grab a bite to eat?”
“You two go. I’ll join you in a minute.” She dug in her purse for a tissue and wiped the mascara from beneath her eyes. Why’d she bother putting on makeup? She’d known the service would end in tears.
“Sophia? I hope you don’t mind that I showed up.”
She looked up into Tyler’s dark eyes. “I—I’m just surprised to see you here.”
“I don’t want to intrude on your grief, but I felt like I almost knew Dr. Fazal from your description of him. I wasn’t sure if you’d be alone, and I just thought—” he spread his hands “—you might need some company. No pressure. No date. Just a friend.”
“That’s so kind of you, and I apologize for skipping out on our date.” She mustered a weak smile.
“I have to admit, I was crushed and felt a little foolish sitting in that bar waiting for you, especially after our first and only date. I thought we’d hit it off.”
“I thought so, too.”
He took her hand. “Of course, when I figured out what happened, I felt really stupid.”
“How could you know? I would’ve assumed that you’d stood me up, too.”
“Do you want to get something to eat?” He jerked his head over his shoulder. “I was back there when they were bringing the food—looks good.”
“I…” She swiveled her head around. The gazebo had cleared out, but she could see people gathering on the other side. “Maybe just a bite. I really have to leave. I’m sorry. In a week or so, I’ll text you. Things are crazy right now.”
Crazy in that since her Spark date with Tyler, she’d fallen head over heels for a navy SEAL with a very big gun.
“Yeah, crazy.” He slipped his other hand from his pocket and rested it on her thigh.
A second later, she felt a sharp pinprick on her leg. “Ouch. I think you…”
She glanced at Tyler’s face, but she couldn’t focus. She blinked her eyes as his features blurred into a puddle. “Whaassappening?”
Her tongue felt too thick for her mouth, and she struggled to remain upright as her bones became cooked spaghetti.
Tyler lifted her in his arms and whispered, “Sorry, Sophia. You’re coming with me.”
* * *
AUSTIN ADJUSTED HIS SCOPE, sweeping it across the people gathering for the food set out on the picnic tables, and then tracking back to Sophia still sitting in the gazebo. He spit into the dirt below his perch in the tree. The guys out front had been taking pictures of the mourners as they arrived and checking license plates. No guests had raised any red flags…yet.
At least Sophia had finished her speech without incident, although he hadn’t been able to hear it. Now she just needed to get out of the park and head for the limo, and he’d be able to breathe.
Her friend, the nurse, got up, leaving Sophia with her face in her hands. From his lookout, he muttered, “Go with her, Sophia.”
Instead a man approached her and Austin’s senses clicked into high gear. He took a deep breath when he saw Sophia’s reaction to him. She obviously knew him. Was that a smile?
The guy took her hand, and Austin’s feelings went a few notches beyond protectiveness. She wasn’t pulling away from him either. He could be anyone. Sophia hadn’t talked much about her friends, but he figured she didn’t have a boyfriend since she was on that dating app…and she’d slept with him twice.
Austin’s heart slammed against his rib cage. Sophia’s friend had her in his arms. She was slumped against him.
Austin did a quick survey of the grounds. The FBI guys were all out front watching people, but none of them was watching Sophia. The rest of the mourners were on the other side of the gazebo, stuffing their faces. Nobody could see Sophia—except him.
He tracked back to the gazebo, where the man had swept Sophia up in his arms. He climbed over the low railing around the gazebo with Sophia flung over his shoulder like a rag doll. He was heading toward the copse of trees—right toward his hiding place—a gun dangling at his side. Austin’s trigger finger twitched.
The agents wouldn’t be able to get to her fast enough if he called them in now, and he had no idea where this guy’s getaway car was or how many people were waiting to receive Sophia.
He had to act now, and he had to shoot to kill. He wouldn’t risk Sophia’s life trying to bring this man in. He wouldn’t talk, anyway.
A deep calm settled over him. He took aim. He fired.
<
As Austin jumped from the tree, his weapon slung over his back, he called in the agents from the front. He took off full speed toward the fallen man and Sophia.
When he reached them, the ground beneath the man’s head was already soaked with blood, but he nudged the gun away from his hand, anyway. Sophia had rolled from his body and lay beside him, her own head inches from the dark stain in the dirt.
He gathered her in his arms as two FBI agents came charging across the park. Austin kicked dirt at the dead man. “He drugged her. He was taking her away and had a gun on her. Get rid of him and call that limo to the other side of the park, so I can take her out of here.”
The agents got on their phones immediately, and Austin moved through the trees with his gun on his back and Sophia against his chest.
As the winding road through the park came into view, Austin spotted the limo creeping at a slow pace. He emerged from the trees and waved it down. Before it even stopped, Austin had the door open.
He placed Sophia across the seat, tossed his gun on the floor and pulled the door closed, banging on the divider screen. The limo lurched forward and sped through the park.
Austin grabbed a bottle of water from the minifridge and leaned over Sophia, pulling up one eyelid. She’d been drugged, but her breathing was regular and her skin tone normal.
Scooping an arm behind her neck he hoisted her up to a sitting position. “Sophia! Sophia, wake up.”
He cracked open the bottle of water and held it to her lips, tipping some liquid into her mouth. “Drink this.”
She sputtered and her lashes fluttered.
“That’s right. I’m going to pour some more of this down your throat.”
He tapped the bottle, releasing more water into her mouth.
She coughed and most of the water ran down her neck, but he’d gotten a response out of her.
“Keep going.” He dumped some water into his palm and splashed her face.