Chapter 2

CHAPTER

TWO

JACK

Cal’s head bounced as the Jeep that had been waiting for us on the tarmac beyond Reuben’s compound bumped over the uneven terrain. Reuben’s property was nestled in a remote part of the Australian Outback in the far corner of Queensland where it met up with South Australia and New South Wales. The rear of his property bordered Sturt National Park. To say it was remote was an understatement. It was certainly a far cry from where I’d grown up, where I could see the sea from my bedroom window.

There was no water anywhere near where Reuben had settled.

Just being here made my skin feel like it was too tight, like I was drying out from the inside, like my blood couldn’t pump right this far from the ocean.

Cal fidgeted with the neck of his T-shirt, and I wondered if he felt the same way. He’d grown up in the Pacific Northwest where it was cool and wet all the time. At least I’d grown up close enough to where we were to at least be used to the heat. I knew Cal had done time in the desert when he was in the US military, but there was something about the beautiful but desolate landscape that was the Outback that just hit different.

Instead of showing Cal how much I hated being this far from water, I did everything I could to relax and appear unaffected, casually throwing an arm over the Jeep’s frame and leaning back into my seat. There was no way in hell I was going to let down my guard and let him see me vulnerable again. It had been bad enough on the plane, and I hated that he’d come to my rescue even as I loved the fact that my shirt still smelled like him from where he’d fallen asleep on my shoulder.

“It’s hot as fuck.” Cal’s voice was strained, and he tugged at his shirt collar again.

“Really?” I shrugged. “Guess I’m used to it.”

“What? How?” Cal squeaked.

Sticking with my casual act, I kept my attention focused on the road in front of us as the driver expertly navigated the barely paved road. “I grew up here.”

“You did not. You grew up in Tasmania.”

My gaze swung his way. “Oh, ho. Been looking into me, huh?” Cal didn’t react, which was his tell that I’d hit my mark. “Nah, it wasn’t you. You’re not good enough with a computer. Did you have Julius hack me?”

Again, Cal sat stock-still, a bead of sweat running down his cheek.

And fuck if I didn’t want to lick it off.

There was no denying the chemistry that arced between us every time we were in the same space at the same time, and I alternated between loathing and loving the fact that we’d ended up going after the same target in Colombia.

I’d known who he was the second I saw him sitting at the hotel bar, his reputation preceding him. He’d been wearing a dark dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of jeans, and even though I couldn’t see his face, there was something about him I couldn’t resist, that drew me to him like a moth to a flame.

That made me fuck him almost through the mattress when I’d found out our interests in the bedroom were very much aligned.

That made me get up early to zip-tie him to the bed—even though I knew he’d hate me for it—and save his life by finishing the job when I found out he’d been made and targeted by the men we were competing to take out. Not that he knew that. Not that he ever would.

That same weird tug behind my navel that had drawn me toward Cal that first night had made me follow him around the world twice, watching his back even when I wasn’t working a job anywhere near him.

Had made me cause a landslide that saved his life—again—during his last op working for that asshole Alex.

The op he’d been working while I’d been meeting with Reuben after bringing Amanda Vanderkaamp to his compound and agreeing to go check up on Juno Hunter and her family.

All he’d had to say was Cal’s grandmother’s name and I was all in because I knew it would mean coming face-to-face with Cal again with a legit reason to be in his orbit, and if I stopped off in Walla Walla before showing up on the Hunters’ doorstep, that was my business.

Not that Cal knew I had anything to do with the landslide or that the enemy had their crosshairs on the back of his head the second before the outcropping of rock he’d been perched on dissolved underneath him. Thank God I’d had a single small charge and some detcord. He didn’t need to know I’d pulled the cartel member that had a sniper scope trained on Cal out of his hiding spot and taken him out with his own gun.

Nope. Those were secrets I would take to my grave.

That and the fact that that night in Colombia, and every time I’d been with Cal since, lived rent-free in my head, taunting my dreams, and making me hate the idiot next to me if only because he was out of reach. He would never be mine.

Not the way I wanted him, not when it was clear Cal seemed to want everyone but me unless I happened to show up where he was, then a few stolen hours fucking around were all I got. The second we parted ways, I was out of sight, out of mind.

Which sucked because all I wanted was for him to be mine. Only mine.

Which wasn’t on the menu.

So I was content to hate him up close and love him from afar.

Because it’s what I needed to do.

Cal continued trying to get air moving between his body and shirt, and I laughed, knowing it wouldn’t help.

“Tell me we won’t be here for long,” he begged.

“I can’t. That’s up to Reuben.”

“Fine. Hopefully, he’ll send us off in two different directions. I work better alone.”

Cal’s words hit my heart with the force of a sledgehammer breaking through Sheetrock, and I schooled my features, trying not to show him how much I’d actually hate that. “Me too. Much better alone.”

“Yeah. And we can cover more ground if he really thinks looking into more of the names in that FBI file is worthwhile.”

I swallowed hard. “Right. Assuming you can handle refined surveillance work.”

He scowled. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Playing up my nonchalance again, I met his eyes. “You’re more of a blunt instrument than a precision tool.”

“You don’t think I can do spy work?”

I laughed. “You forget I was in Budapest. Your cover would have been blown in an hour had I not shown up.”

“Oh, you mean when you stole my op. Again.”

“Not my fault you couldn’t get it done.”

Cal growled in frustration, the low rumble going straight to my dick. “I would have been just fine.”

“Maybe.”

“Fuck you, Jack. Reuben better split us up because I might forget my goal on this mission isn’t to kill you.”

“You really shouldn’t lie to yourself like that, Cal.”

Angry red crept up his neck and stained his cheeks, his next words coming out between clenched teeth. “What are you talking about? How am I lying to myself?”

“You could never get the drop on me. So you’re lying to yourself if you think you’d ever be able to take me out.”

“You want to put money on that?”

Reuben’s massive, low, ranch-style mansion appeared on the horizon, and ignoring Cal’s question, I nodded toward it. “We’re here.”

When I’d visited Reuben before taking the job to deliver Amanda to the compound, I’d been surprised by the modern, low, brick-red stucco and glass building. It almost blended into the landscape. When I’d met Reuben, the cognitive dissonance between the man and his house was startling. It wasn’t until I got to know him better and realized how deeply his paranoia ran that his sprawling single-story mansion in the middle of one of the most desolate places in the world started to make sense.

Cal didn’t say anything as he climbed out of the Jeep. Fine red dust clung to his dark, windswept hair, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen him look hotter.

Okay, that was a lie.

Cal naked and zip-tied to the bed in Colombia, his olive skin a stark contrast to the pure white sheets tangled around his legs, while he yelled at me to untie him was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. It was the image of him cursing my name as I walked out the door to finish his op that I jerked off to on my loneliest nights. And maybe that said more about me than it did about him.

“Jack!” Reuben’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I turned my attention to where he was standing near the wide front door.

I’d scoured the internet trying to find photos of Reuben before I’d agreed to take the job finding Amanda, but in every one, his face was turned away or hidden, so I had no clue what to expect when I’d first shown up on his doorstep.

Given the location of his home, I half expected a Crocodile Dundee look-alike crossed with the creepy poacher guy with the pet lizard from that animated movie with the mice, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Reuben waved us closer, the long arms of his sheer floral caftan billowing. His chest was bare, and he was wearing a vintage-inspired swimsuit that left little to the imagination and leather slides. Silver and turquoise rings sparkled on his fingers. His salt-and-pepper hair was also reminiscent of a bygone era, and his entire vibe reminded me of old Hollywood.

He held a hand out to Cal, who shuffled his duffel bag higher on his shoulder and took it.

“Caligula Hunter! It’s been too long. You look just like your father.” Reuben totally missed Cal’s wince as he dropped his full name and shook Cal’s hand enthusiastically.

“It’s good to see you again, Reuben. Wish it was under different circumstances.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, smudging the dirt there. “Also, I go by Cal now.”

Reuben dropped Cal’s hand and took a half step back to take him in from head to toe, lingering for a heartbeat too long on his groin. “Yes, I can imagine Caligula is quite the mouthful.”

My mind immediately fell into the gutter, and I coughed to cover a laugh. I’d learned on my first visit to Reuben’s that he was an unapologetic flirt, and the whole moment was made even funnier because Cal didn’t seem to know what to do about Reuben’s appraisal or the not-so-subtle innuendo.

Luckily, our host didn’t give Cal time to recover. He turned on his heel, expecting us to follow, and walked into the house.

“What the fuck was that?” Cal whispered low as we approached the threshold.

I shrugged. “That’s Reuben.”

“I don’t remember him being like that the last time I met him. I mean, I remember him being, uh, friendly, but… did he just flirt with me?”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll keep you safe. And I already know you’re a mouthful.” Winking, I slapped him on the back and left him stunned on the doorstep as I walked into the blissfully cool, air-conditioned house.

Cal hurried to catch up, the door sliding closed with a gentle whoosh behind him.

“I’ve made up two rooms near the pool. I figure you’d both appreciate a swim after being on a plane for fifteen hours and now in the middle of the desert.”

“Thank you, Reuben. A swim sounds great.” I actually couldn’t think of anything better.

“Only one downside to the rooms in that wing of the house.” Reuben fluttered a hand like it wasn’t a big deal.

“What’s that?” Cal asked.

“You’ll have to share a bathroom.” He paused and turned to face us. I wasn’t sure what expression was on my face, but he frowned. “If that’s an issue, I can make up other rooms.”

“No. That’s not a problem at all.” Hopefully, we wouldn’t be staying for long.

Cal rushed to assure Reuben that sharing some space would be fine, even though his frown told a different story. “Yeah, I’m just grateful to have somewhere to crash.”

Reuben looked between us, eyes narrowed, then shrugged and turned down a long hallway. As we walked deeper into the house, we’d dropped down a few feet. I knew part of Reuben’s estate was underground, and I watched Cal’s face as we went deeper into the house and deeper into the earth. Our host kept up a running commentary about the mansion, but Cal didn’t seem to be listening. It didn’t escape my notice that his attention snagged and held on every piece of art we passed.

“Here we are.” Reuben gestured to two flat panel doors set apart from each other by around ten feet. “I’ll let you duke it out over who gets which room.”

He turned to leave, but Cal stopped him. “When are we going to talk about the list and our next steps toward finding the missing painting?”

Reuben smiled and patted his arm. “All in good time. Rest and relax. I’ll have something to eat brought down by the pool. We can talk about the case tomorrow.” The older man turned his back to us and walked away while Cal mumbled something under his breath I couldn’t quite catch. Given the way he threw the door open behind him, I could guess where his head was.

If I’d found my grandmother’s name and a full dossier on her whole career as an art and antiquities thief in an FBI file, I’d probably be feeling a sense of urgency too.

The door clicked shut behind him, but it didn’t stop me from inviting him for a swim. “Meet me out here in ten minutes if you want to get in the pool. It’s hard to find.”

His words were muffled by the door when he replied. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Setting the timer on my watch, I pushed into my own room. The space was larger than I thought it would be from the hallway. A king-size bed was pushed up against the far wall, an abstract painting done in shades of gray hanging over the simple modern headboard. The matching nightstands, desk, and coffee table nestled between two low leather chairs in a small sitting area across from the bed were also modern in design, all light wood and sharp angles. The floor was polished concrete with soft area rugs striped with bright color situated around the bed and in the sitting area. We were more or less underground, but there were short windows set near the ceiling that let in just enough light to make the room feel welcoming and not like a cement box. On the right-hand wall were a set of pocket French doors that concealed a small walk-in closet and a single door that led to the shared bathroom.

I tried to resist, but I dropped my bag on the bed and quietly pulled open the bathroom door, checking to see if Cal had opened his door on the other side.

He hadn’t, so I shut mine again and turned back to my bag. Pulling my bathing suit out, I laid it on the bed and considered it for a long moment.

When Reuben said pool, what he really meant was a massive underground saltwater spring. Unlike some of the thermal hot springs in the country, this spring was consistently around seventy degrees and large enough to be perfect for swimming in any form.

At least for me.

Ducking back into the bathroom, I grabbed a large white towel and stripped down, throwing my clothes over one of the leather chairs. I wrapped the towel around my waist just as the alarm on my phone went off, telling me Cal’s ten minutes were up.

He was leaning on the wall between our rooms, his arms crossed over his chest. He’d changed into a tight black tank top and black-and-white striped board shorts, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking him in just like Reuben had. My gaze fell on the black skin at his neck, his saddle patch, that marked him as an orca shifter. I’d spent time running my tongue over the dark skin in Budapest, making Cal squirm as I teased the sensitive flesh. My dick twitched under the towel, and I quickly redirected my thoughts, looking up to meet his eyes.

Cal had been giving me a similar appraisal, and his eyes burned hot when they met mine.

“Forgot your suit?” he asked, his gaze on where I’d tucked the fabric in on itself to keep it from falling off my hips.

Mildly embarrassed at my miscalculation, I grinned through it. “Nah, just not in the mood to wear it.”

Instead of waiting for Cal to respond, I took off down the hall that led deeper underground to the saltwater spring, assuming Cal would pick his jaw up off the floor and follow me.

Eventually.

Hopefully.