Caught in the Crosshair by Barb Han Page B

amateur? Then again, his agency had been putting quite a bit of heat on the cartels, especially since Tim.
    There had to be more to the story. With South Americans involved, he’d be willing to bet on it. No one else was going to die on his watch. Keeping Lauren safe until this ordeal was over became his number one priority.
    She’s an asset.
He told himself that was the only reason he cared and not because she stirred feelings inside he didn’t want to acknowledge. Couldn’t acknowledge. If he acknowledged those, she’d be dead too. Jaden had no plans to tempt fate again.
    Nursing his sore shoulder, Jaden slipped off the couch and moved to the window as rain pounded the pane. Thunder cracked overhead sounding like it was literally ripping the earth in two. If he were lucky, this would be the worst of the storm, but luck wasn’t something experience had taught him to depend on.
    He flipped on the kitchen switch. The electricity worked. Light was good. Then again, he could think of a few intriguing ideas involving the woman on the couch and a dark room. He smiled to himself. It might be even more fun with the lights on. He shook off the thought and refocused.
    Gregory was set up in the secondary bedroom monitoring the weather situation.
    Crossing to the bathroom, Jaden peeled off both his wetsuit and jockeys. His new cell rang. He answered it, hoping like hell it was Gunner.
    “What’s the plan?” Her voice was undeniable.
    “Helena, I told you we’ve got this. I have Gregory right here if I need backup.” She must’ve leaned on all her contacts to figure out where he was. She was smart. How the hell was he going to keep her out of this fight?
    “You already know how I feel about letting others fight my battles.”
    He didn’t like the sound in her voice. He wished he’d been able to see her, check on her for himself after the funeral. She had every right to be upset. He hadn’t been there for her in the way he should. He’d been shot and agency protocol required he be tucked away. He hated the way it felt like he’d turned his back on her when she needed his support most. Support? He stifled a laugh. Helena would see support as charity. She accepted charity from no one. “You heard from Gunner?”
    “No.”
    He paused. “We’ll get the guy who killed Tim.”
    “No, I will.”
    “How’d you know I was here?”
    “I didn’t.”
    Click.
    She must’ve hacked into the system and started calling random cell numbers until she located him. She was determined, and he couldn’t blame her. On a primal level, he totally understood her need for revenge.
    He checked his wounds. They amounted to a handful of scrapes and bruises, except for the golf ball sitting on top of his shoulder from the dislocation. He rotated his arm and shoulder outward slowly and steadily. He gripped the sink basin. With a primal grunt, he pushed up on his feet until his muscles and tendons stretched enough for the joint to slide into his shoulder socket.
    Relief came instantly. He moved to the shower. The warm splash eased his weather-torn body. Closing his eyes, he let heat from warm water penetrate his sore muscles. Jaden faced another harsh reality; a storm like this would probably get worse. A lot worse. Hadn’t Bryce said something about a hurricane?
    Bryce.
Someone from the agency would have to tell his girlfriend. Thinking about him tightened the muscles in Jaden’s chest. His fists clenched involuntarily.
    If he could get Lauren and himself to the primary checkpoint safely, sophisticated communication equipment would be there. He could guarantee her safety. But when? How? The weather sure as hell wasn’t cooperating.
    This was far better than being somewhere out there dodging bullets. He could protect Lauren in the condo. An image of the two of them, swimsuit clad, vacationing at the condo popped into his mind. And kids.
Yeah, dude, that makes about as much sense as Frosty the Snowman moving to Fiji.
    Losing his friends