Cold Spite (Cold Justice: Most Wanted #5)

Chapter 52

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

C as cracked an eyelid and checked the clock. Four forty-five on a Saturday morning. He could hear the shower going, so hopefully Delilah hadn’t snuck out when he’d been asleep. He wouldn’t put it past her.

He sat up and realized it was a text ping that had woken him.

He checked the screen. Shit. He needed to go in. Looked like Gold Team were getting called out on an op. Was it related to the bombing on Wednesday? Or was it picking up some high value target from some trouble hot spot thousands of miles away?

He swore while climbing out of bed, digging for fresh underwear out of his bag.

Delilah came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head and a smile on her beautiful face. “Oh, you’re awake. I hope I didn’t wake you. I couldn’t sleep.”

“I have to go in. Emergency team briefing.”

Her expression fell, so maybe he was rubbing off on her—or perhaps she was just enjoying the incredible sex.

The thought depressed him more than it should.

“I don’t know how long I’m going to be. It could be an hour. It could be a month.” This facet of his work had never bothered him before. Right now, he hated it .

“Oh.” She crossed her arms over her towel-clad chest. “I understand, of course, I do.” She looked around a little lost. “I’m not sure I’ll still be here when you get back though.”

That was not what he wanted to hear.

He pulled on his pants. “Savage said you could stay here until the end of the month. He’s taking leave for his honeymoon.” He found his keys and slipped one off the ring. “If you need somewhere else after that, here’s the key to my apartment. I’ll text you the address if this is going to take more than the day.” He pressed it into her palm. “Stay as long as you want.”

He held her gaze. Stay forever .

He was too cowardly to say it though. What if she said no?

He’d already pushed her a lot. He didn’t want her to balk now by pushing too hard.

“Scanlon is unlikely to be watching my place right now, but keep your awareness up. You should be safe enough considering how many eyeballs are on him, especially as we can now monitor the aircraft, which is probably how he’s getting around the country. And we have a good idea of the people he’s likely working with.”

She stared at the key like she didn’t know what it meant.

It should have been a ring. A big fucking ruby or emerald because a diamond wasn’t unique enough for this woman. Even if she threw it back in his face at least she’d know he was committed this time.

Willing to stick.

Desperate to stick.

He found a shirt and pulled it on. Grabbed his gear.

He quickly used the bathroom, and when he came out, he caught her hand. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

She squeezed his fingers. “How much trouble can I get in between here and Alex Parker’s office?”

“I’m not hearing the words, Delilah.”

“I’ll be careful.” Her jaw firmed. “Now your turn. ”

“I promise I’ll be very careful. I have something important to come back to now. I love you, Delilah Quinn. I never stopped.”

He watched her throat convulse as she swallowed. He held his breath, hoping she might give him the words she’d used to say every time they parted. He’d never taken it for granted, not even back then.

She remained silent but her eyes were a different story entirely. He told himself it was enough. It had to be enough.

“Hopefully, I’ll be back in an hour with breakfast.”

She nodded.

“I have to go.”

She nodded again. “I know.”

He forced himself to walk out the door.

Cas rolled up to the HRT compound surprised to see Ryan Sullivan, Sebastian Black, Damian Crow, Seth Hopper, Aaron Nash, JJ Hersh, Ford Cadell with his K9 Hugo, and Grady Steel, waiting for him outside, despite the hour and the rain.

“What’s up?” He hunched his shoulders against the rain as he strode toward them. “Is it Grace?”

Aaron Nash shook his head, and they turned as one to enter the building, heading to the briefing room. “Grace is fine. Scan went well on Wednesday. We got DNA results back from the incendiary device from the bombing.”

Cas’s gaze shot to his friend’s. “And?”

“Matched a Navy SEAL down in Little Creek who I believe you interviewed?”

Cas nodded.

“The DOJ requested we escort Petty Officer Holtz up to DC for questioning.” Nash’s eyes gleamed darkly.

“NCIS are letting the feds have him?”

“For possible criminal prosecution regarding the bombing. They want their own piece of him for any military crimes, but obviously there’s been some serious horse-trading going on in the upper echelons of power because the Bureau is getting first crack at him.”

“Just Holtz’s DNA?” asked Cas cautiously.

“Yeah.” Nash gave him a look. “Who else were you hoping for?”

Cas slicked the rain off his forehead. He looked around at the guys and decided it was time to come clean with the rest of the team who didn’t know all the facts about the case. “We suspect a guy called Joseph Scanlon who’s a former Navy SEAL and good friend of Holtz’s of setting the bomb. Task force is looking into him, but he has an alibi for the bombing.”

Nash whistled. “I remember the case. I’d just gone through New Agent Training and watched the trial with interest. You were undercover on that one?”

Cas nodded.

“That was a hell of a bust. And the other undercover was the agent murdered on Monday night in San Diego?”

Cas thought of Delilah all soft and warm back at the house. “She survived. The killer accidentally murdered a friend of hers who was staying with her. This information is still need-to-know only.” He looked around at his teammates to make sure they understood. “Once Scanlon figures out Delilah is alive, he’s gonna lose his shit. Director ordered news of Delilah’s survival to remain confidential even from her colleagues in San Diego.”

The faces of the men around the table who hadn’t already known looked appropriately surprised.

“You say this Scanlon guy has an alibi?” Sebastian Black crossed his arms.

Cas nodded. “He has an identical twin. The two of them have made themselves basically indistinguishable from one another down to matching scars and tattoos.”

Aaron Nash lifted his chin. “That’s going to be a challenge. Any image data might be called into question—plus eyewitness testimony is a bust… Fingerprints will differ though. And a deep dive into epigenetic profiles will likely show genetic differences, but they won’t turn up on your standard DNA profiles and will cost big money—assuming we can find DNA samples to compare against.”

“And that’s why we call you The Professor,” Ryan joked. “Smarter than the average bear.”

“Everyone’s smarter than you.” Grady Steel cuffed Ryan on the back of the head. Good natured teasing rather than last month’s drama. Cas was glad to see things getting back to normal.

Grady winced as he rubbed his leg, reminding Cas he’d been shot not that long ago.

“What’s the plan?” Cas asked Nash.

“You tell me. Ackers put you in charge of this one.” Aaron shifted his weight. “FNGs are on their way in. Half the rest of the team are in DC, for Savage’s wedding.”

FNGs were the Fucking New Guys and included the first-ever female to make it through HRT selection.

“My wedding invitation must have been lost in the mail,” Ryan joked.

Cas thought about how to play it. “Let’s take three armored SUVs. Hopper and Hersh with me and the suspect. Cowboy take point with the FNGs. Everyone else follow in the third car.” He patted the Belgian Malinois then checked his watch. He didn’t want to leave Delilah alone for any longer than necessary. “We leave in ten minutes with or without the FNGs.”