Chapter Eighteen

L ucas tossed and turned, unable to sleep after Inda pushed him away. How had he fucked things up so royally? By being too honest with her? He respected her too damn much to play games with her, though.

Fuck me, he thought, throwing an arm over his face. I’m falling in love with a woman who doesn’t want me.

It sucked ass.

At some point he managed to doze off, but his rest was short-lived. Around four in the morning, a loud beeping sound filled the room. They both jumped awake, startled from their sleep.

“What is that?” Inda asked, instantly alert and her Glock already in her hand. Damn, how had she reached it so fast? Had she slept with it under her pillow?

It took him a hot second to realize the sound was the alarm he’d set up on his laptop. Sliding out of bed, he padded over and looked down at the illuminated screen.

“Lucas?”

He glanced up and smirked. “Looks like I just caught a rat.”

Gathering the sheet around her, she quickly came over, looking over his shoulder. When he felt her brush against him, his body immediately reacted. He grabbed his shorts off the nearby chair and slid them on before he embarrassed himself further.

“It’s a message between Carlisle and Zaitsev,” he said, forcing himself to ignore her cinnamon scent and the way it found its way into his pores. “They’re not planning on stealing anything. See this list of chemicals?”

She nodded.

“I think they’re going to make a batch of Novichok there.”

“We need to tell Brax and get back to San Francisco,” she said, and he nodded.

Although he wanted to stay in Utah a little longer, try to set things right with her before they jumped back into the fray of operational chaos, at least he didn’t have to worry about any more rock climbing. It was the one silver lining to the otherwise gloomy cloud hanging over his head.

◆◆◆

The flight back to San Francisco happened almost immediately. Lucas learned that Hunter was always on stand-by, ready to go at a moment’s notice. One second Inda was calling Braxton and the next they were checking out of the hotel at the crack of dawn and boarding the private jet. Her team could move at a moment’s notice and it reminded him they were a well-oiled machine, a highly competent crew who were efficient and well-trained.

It also worried him that she put herself in that kind of danger.

Inda pulled on her headphones, curled up in the chair across the aisle and closed her eyes. Lucas was willing to bet she wasn’t really sleeping, just avoiding him. If that’s the game she wanted to play, then so be it. He’d back off for now, but if she thought he was giving up, she was sorely mistaken.

Because he’d decided Inda Diaz was worth fighting for, whether she believed so or not.

After landing, they returned to the warehouse building near the docks and the team gathered together. It was still early and they guzzled coffee while planning and strategizing their next move.

The Orion Chemical Plant was located a little over thirty miles east of San Francisco near Mt. Diablo. Further research revealed they not only created and stored chemicals, but also had a testing facility. New email communication disclosed a meeting would be taking place later that afternoon with Dr. Zaitsev.

“Great,” Lucas muttered under his breath. “More mountains.”

Beside him, Inda stiffened, but she didn’t comment. She’d been keeping him at arm’s length since last night and he didn’t like it. Not one fucking bit. One thing at a time, though. First, they had a lab to infiltrate, and how that would end up going was anyone’s guess. But one thing he knew, the more distracted they were, the higher the likelihood something would go wrong. One thing at a time, he reminded himself. Mission first, Inda forever.

“Any particular reason it’s named after the devil?” Gray asked. Funny question for a man nicknamed Demon, but Lucas didn’t comment and quickly pulled up the answer on his laptop at exactly the same time Zane did. They both began speaking then abruptly stopped and glared at each other.

“Whoa, competitive much?” Ryland chuckled.

“The name came from Spanish soldiers when the indigenous people they were transporting escaped toward the mountain,” Zane said.

“It was night and the soldiers claimed the Native Americans were aided through the thicket by mysterious lights,” Lucas continued.

“By 1824, the region north of the mountain came to be known as Monte del Diablo or—”

“Devil’s Thicket,” Lucas finished. “Many indigenous Californians believe it’s sacred and the point of creation.” He couldn’t help but notice the amused look on River’s face. But when he glanced over at Inda, her expression was carefully blank.

“Thank you for that very in-depth explanation, Professors,” Ryland said with a smirk and Saint rolled his eyes.

“He asked!” Zane pointed at Gray then sent a scowl in Lucas’ direction.

“Is that the mountain we can see from here?” Gray asked.

“Oh, for chrissakes,” Saint grumbled. “Save the geography lesson for later.”

“Yes,” both Lucas and Zane responded to Gray at the same time.

Everyone laughed, aware of their competitive natures, and how Lucas had been able to hack into their network—something Zane refused to forgive or forget.

“Let’s get back on track,” Braxton interrupted.

The plan seemed straightforward enough. Zane and River would stay put and run ops from their war room, AKA the warehouse’s common area. After studying the map of the plant that Lucas found online, they decided to divide themselves into three teams of two. Ryland and Saint would keep eyes on the northern side of the building, while Braxton and Gray would watch the eastern side. Inda and Lucas would monitor the rear southwest corner of the lab which mainly consisted of a small loading dock where deliveries were made. Lucas was also tasked with taking the security cameras offline and making sure they stayed that way if the team decided to go inside.

“Keep a lookout for Carlisle and then we’ll determine if an infil should be attempted,” Braxton said.

“I have a better idea,” Saint said. “How about a kidnapping?”

Braxton narrowed his gray eyes. “Too reckless.”

“I’m sick of tiptoeing around these assholes. I say we grab the money man and use him as leverage.” Saint crossed his large, inked arms, reminding Lucas of a stubborn bull, head down and pawing at the ground with smoke coming out of his ears. Or, in Saint’s case, his mouth since the man smoked like a fiend.

Beside him, Ryland raised a brow. “It could work.”

“Unless they don’t care about Carlisle,” Inda added wisely. “Just like they didn’t care about Tillman.”

“She has a point.” Gray sat back, eyeing the group. “The Agency is probably using Carlisle’s billions to fund whatever nefarious shit they’re doing. They cut Tillman’s throat, so why would Carlisle be any different? We know they’ve got Salinger, too. There’s always another money man somewhere.”

“As much as I love fucking up The Agency’s plans, first we need to figure out what exactly those plans are. Don’t you think?” Zane asked.

“He’s right,” River said, backing her man up. “Find out exactly what they’re doing and then go in and stop it.”

Everyone looked at Saint, who threw his arms up in frustration. He grumbled something under his breath about wasting time, but they all knew the smartest decision was to be careful and get the answers they needed before acting recklessly.

“Plus, we have no idea what their security is going to be like,” Braxton stated. “This will most likely only be recon. Once we know what we’re up against, we can return tonight, break in and destroy whatever it is they’re attempting to create with that list of chemicals.”

Everyone except Saint seemed to be on the same page. Lucas watched the big man covered in black tattoos get up and stomp out onto the balcony, lighting up a cigarette and inhaling deeply.

“What’s up with him?” Lucas asked Inda under his breath.

“Saint is just…Saint.”

That didn’t really explain anything, but he could feel the other man’s impatience and irritation.

“How long have you been chasing after The Agency?” Lucas turned his full attention toward Inda, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her.

“I don’t know. Months. It feels like forever.”

“I hope we get a break soon,” he murmured, giving her a half-smile.

◆◆◆

We . It was nice to have Lucas working with them rather than against them, but it also made Inda nervous. He was a hacker, not a trained assassin like the rest of her team. A part of her wanted him to stay there at the warehouse with Zane and River, but she knew they might need his tech skills at the laboratory.

After gearing up—which meant holstering her Glock, clipping her nunchucks to her belt and sheathing her knife in her boot—Inda followed the rest of the team down to the Suburban and climbed inside. Lucas sat down next to her and she tried not to breathe his tempting scent in too deeply or pay any attention to the way his thigh touched hers every time the SUV turned.

Their conversation was minimal during the trip. Whenever Lucas tried to speak to her, she kept her answers clipped. Even though she felt bad, it needed to be done. They had to end whatever was happening between them. But the moment she snapped at him for no good reason, guilt washed through her at the hurt that flashed over his face before he turned away and looked out the opposite window.

You’re such a bitch, she berated herself. Squeezing her eyes shut, she dropped her head back against the seat and realized the problem was she wasn’t. If she were truly a cold and uncaring bitch, she wouldn’t feel so bad. She’d be able to cut him loose without a second thought.

But, she couldn’t do that. As much as she wanted to pretend she was ruthless and merciless, the truth was she had a heart. A traitorous heart that yearned to be loved.

So damn inconvenient, she thought in annoyance.

Saint got them to the chemical plant in under an hour. The location at the base of Mt. Diablo was desolate and surrounded by trees. The good news was they could easily hide the Suburban and use the forest as cover while they hiked over to the facility. The bad news was mosquitoes buzzed in her ear the entire trek, dining on her exposed skin.

Once they reached the building, the teams of two separated, keeping in touch through the tiny comms unit in their ears. Inda and Lucas stealthily made their way to the rear southwest corner and hunkered down behind a large tree. Her gaze swept the small loading dock and quickly counted two cameras and one exit.

The teams all checked in and reported the same thing—nothing unusual and all quiet. They settled in, watching and waiting, occasionally swatting away a mosquito.

“So are you just going to ignore me now?” Lucas asked quietly.

Inda swallowed hard, trying not to let the guilt consume her. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m working. This isn’t about you.”

“It sure feels like it.”

Frustration exploded like molten lava and she turned to pin him with a glare. She was pissed that he was bringing this up now when they should be focused. But, for the first time, her head wasn’t completely in the op. All because of the insufferable man beside her who was trying to force her to face her feelings.

“Drop it, Lucas,” she seethed. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything and her shoulders relaxed slightly. Shifting, she moved into a better, slightly more comfortable position, and kept her attention focused on the exit. At some point, someone would have to come out or go in.

“I have one more thing to say,” he murmured and she sighed heavily, but didn’t comment. “You might not think you’re worthy, but I do. Just so you know, I’m not giving up on you. Okay, back to the mission.”

He began typing away on the laptop and Inda shook her head. Really? He was going to drop that bomb on her and she was just supposed to do what? Forget it? How the hell could she focus on this mission when Lucas distracted her in every possible way. He shouldn’t have come. He was getting into her head and—

An SUV with dark tinted windows appeared out of nowhere and Inda squinted, realizing there was a half-camouflaged road she hadn’t seen. Probably because she’d been too busy thinking about Lucas. Ugh. She touched the comms unit in her ear and reported, “I have a visual on an SUV pulling up to the rear loading dock.”

“Roger,” Braxton said. “Is it Carlisle?”

The doors to the car opened and Inda leaned forward, holding her breath, waiting to get a glimpse of its occupants. Nathan “Cross” Mills slid out of the driver’s seat and Selma Santiago appeared on the passenger’s side.

“Oh, shit.” she murmured. “It’s Cross and Selma.”

Eyes narrowing on the devious couple, she knew one thing for certain—she was going in after them.