Caught in the Crosshair by Barb Han Page A

took the weapon and cell, nodding his acknowledgment. “How long?”
    “Spotters think we have an hour, maybe more before the big stuff hits. Cell coverage is unreliable. A tower is most likely down.”
    “Who knows we’re here?”
    “Other than headquarters? No one. I called in your location while you were outside. I’m waiting for clearance or extraction orders.”
    “Max was kidnapped.”
    “By who?” Gregory’s eyes shifted from Lauren to Jaden.
    Jaden’s shoulders rolled. “My guess? Menendez’s guys. My asset brought money to the beach to buy him back. Get the word out.”
    Gregory excused himself and disappeared down the hall.
    Lauren glanced out the wall of windows. It looked as if someone were standing above, just out of sight, pouring buckets of water down that ran sideways and cut across. She couldn’t see past the panes.
    “Lie down with me,” she said, patting the couch.
    A strong arm wrapped around her waist, shifting her enough that when she settled back down she found herself nestled against a solid but surprisingly soft chest. His breath heated the nape of her neck.

Chapter Six
    A loud crack shocked Jaden awake. He rubbed his eyes, trying to orient himself. The condo. He’d fallen asleep? No way.
    He needed to get his bearings.
    Gregory had said he called in their arrival. That meant headquarters and anyone else monitoring the networks knew. Since the cartel pinned his location on the boat, they might have been able to tap into other communications. The storm would slow them down. But he had to consider the possibility they’d upgraded their technology. The news that Gunner had been diverted before disappearing sat hard on his chest.
    An unsettled feeling crept over him. How long had he been out?
    His watch said not more than twenty minutes. Still. It wasn’t like Jaden to let his guard down around an asset.
    No matter that protecting Lauren felt completely different from any other mission he’d been on. The others had been work. This was personal. There was something warm and comforting about her, drawing him toward her. He found himself wanting to know more than he could find in a manila folder … like where she grew up and what she did on Friday nights.
Where the hell did that come from?
    He mentally slapped himself. Distraction could get them both killed.
    They were safe
for now
. He tried reaching Gunner again. Nothing. Wasn’t like him to go off the grid like that. Damn. Jaden hoped like hell he was all right.
    His body ached, but not as much as before.
    Lauren was snuggled up to him, her face against his chest. There was a slight pout to her lips, and his body instantly reacted to her. He was growing hard nestled this close.
    This was not the time for rogue hormones.
    Besides, he had enough rest to think clearly. His second thought? Bryce. The third operative to be killed in a month.
    At first blush, Jaden had figured the situation blew up back at the beach because he’d been spotted. If that were true, shouldn’t Jaden be dead and not his buddy? Unless Bryce accidently stepped in the way of a bullet marked for Jaden. Guilt knifed his chest. If Bryce was killed because of Jaden’s actions, he’d never forgive himself.
You don’t know that for sure. Stick to the facts.
    Lauren had brought serious cash to the beach.
    The cartel had shown up ready and armed to stage war. Brought serious metal, AR-15s, and enough ammo to wipe out a small island.
Why?
    Why did they risk trying to kidnap Lauren so publicly? Did she give them a choice? She was smart. She would’ve insisted on being out in the open.
    Still, why not take the money and run? She weighed all of a hundred and twenty pounds. They could have easily taken the damn overnight bag and disappeared.
    Or, had kidnapping her been the plan all along? Which made even less sense. Why would they want her in the first place? There was no family money to extort.
    When he really thought about it, why bring a five-man team to take down an