Dangerous Pursuit (OSI Dark Ops #3)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lucas followed the river inland for about thirty minutes, keeping a close watch on the bank of dark clouds tumbling toward them in the distance. As often happened here, the storm had progressed at a faster rate than anticipated, leaving them only about forty-five minutes before they would be forced to turn back.

A familiar bend in the river appeared up ahead.

“We’re coming up on the area where Sammy lost sight of the boat.” Lucas tilted the cyclic between his knees, the helo banked to the left, then he dropped down and leveled off when the treetops were about a hundred feet below them.

He handed Calliope a pair of high-powered infrared binoculars, and she began scanning the jungle below. Eddie did the same from the back.

“You weren’t kidding about it being thick through here.” She twisted to look to the right, and her dress slid up her thigh, revealing smooth-looking, tanned skin. “I’m seeing a few infrared signals, but so far, they’re all of the four-legged variety.”

“There have been some jaguar sightings reported in this area.” Lucas had read about them in the local newspaper.

“Great. As if piranhas, poisonous dart frogs, and black caiman aren’t enough to deal with.” Eddie was from a very dry part of Mexico—Ciudad Juarez—near the border with Texas. He could operate in a jungle environment, but it wasn’t his first choice.

“Jaguars rarely attack humans, Eddie.” Calliope glanced at her teammate over her shoulder. “And don’t you worry about those mean old black caimans. I’ll protect you.”

“That’s right, you grew up in the swamp,” Lucas said. “Jonathan mentioned that earlier.”

“If I have to be in the jungle, Calliope is the one I’d want with me.” Eddie continued surveying the area below.

“Me or Hawk. Right, Eddie?” She smiled behind her binoculars.

“Yeah, he’s pretty handy to have around, too,” Eddie joked.

“There!” Calliope adjusted the sight and leaned closer to the window. “I’m picking up a smattering of infrared signatures over there.” She pointed off to the right.

“I’ve got ’em, too.” Eddie’s camera shutter clicked rapidly as he captured photos of the area.

Lucas adjusted the infrared camera mounted beneath the helo and banked to the right .

“About two hundred yards and we’ll be right over them,” Calliope said.

They closed the distance, and a mass of red and yellow blobs—heat signatures—appeared on the screen in front of Lucas. From the shape, they appeared to be human.

“There are two others, about fifty feet away on either side of the group, moving slowly back and forth,” Eddie said.

“Sentries.” Lucas could probably name them, since Triano didn’t have that many men left. “Let me see if I can get us a closer look.”

He tilted the helo’s nose forward and dropped down close enough to blow the high branches around.

“There’s a structure down there.” Calliope pointed.

Lucas adjusted the cyclic to bring the nose around to give Eddie a better view.

“Perfect!” His camera shutter clicked in quick succession.

“Lucas, the heat signatures for those sentries are moving closer to the building at a fast rate.” Calliope’s voice was calm.

“I think I’ve got enough shots.” Eddie sat back with a smile.

“Excellent.” Lucas marked the coordinates in the navigation system. He pulled up hard on the collective to gain elevation, made a hard turn to the right, and headed away from them .

“Wait!” Calliope spun toward him. “What are you doing?”

“We need to head back before that catches up with us.” He pointed toward the clouds, which were much closer now and had begun buffeting the helo with gusts of wind. “Don’t worry, Sunshine, I’ve got the coordinates in the nav system.”

“Our mission today was just to locate them, Calliope.” Eddie reached up and laid his hand on her shoulder. “Now that we have, we can plan how we’re going to get them the hell out of there safely.”

“I know you want to rush in there and save them, but we have to be smart about it.” Lucas understood better than most the urge to seek, save, then destroy those responsible. “I promise, we’ll get them out of there.”

Her throat moved up and down on a swallow. She nodded her head, then returned her attention to the jungle below.

Calliope wanted everyone to think she was tough, just one of the guys, but Lucas knew otherwise. He saw through that fa?ade. She cared about people, deeply. He saw it in her eyes as she looked down, knowing those girls were so close, and in the way she was with her teammates.

Small woman, huge heart.

The sky opened up just as the skids touched the ground in front of the hangar. Heat rays danced up from the runway, and the oily smell of hot asphalt being cooled by rain was powerful.

Calliope and Eddie got a little wet as they dashed from the helo to the building. By the time Lucas wrestled the helo into its spot inside the hangar, his clothes were soaked to his skin.

“Let’s wait until this crap passes, then we’ll head back to the house.” Lucas noticed Calliope was shivering because of the air-conditioning in his office.

He pulled the soft blanket off of the back of the couch, the one he used when he crashed in his office on the nights he couldn’t handle sleeping at home.

“Here, use this.” He held it out to her.

“Thanks.” She wrapped it around her shoulders.

He’d half-expected her to refuse his offer in lieu of toughing it out.

Lucas grabbed a change of clothes from a footlocker behind his desk.

“I’m going to put on some dry clothes.” He pulled his shirt away from his torso and headed toward the bathroom connected to his office.

Lucas stripped out of his soggy clothes and draped them over the shower curtain rod. He rubbed a towel over his head, body, and legs, then got dressed. He hung the towel on a hook on the back of the door, looked in the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair to slick it back from his face. He opened the door and saw Calliope standing by the large window, her eyes closed, her nose buried in his blanket.

“Where’s Eddie?” he asked.

She quickly acted like she was rubbing her nose and blurted, “He’s in the hangar, calling his sister.”

“Everything okay?”

“She’s pregnant, and her baby is due any day now.” She pulled the blanket together in the front. “It’s his youngest sister, and it’s her first, so he’s kinda worried.”

Memories of a very pregnant Norah plowed through Lucas’s mind like a bull through a china shop. He reached for a chair and basically fell into it. He propped his elbows on the table, speared his fingers through his hair, and squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught of memories.

Fuck, he hated when they snuck up on him like that.

“Lucas, are you okay?” The concern in Calliope’s voice helped ground him.

He took a deep breath, lowered his hands to the table, and sat back. When he finally looked at her, she’d closed some distance between them.

Could he share with her, tell her about Norah and what happened to her and his son?

“It’s nothing.” No, he couldn’t talk about it. It was too personal, too painful. “I’m fine.”

“You’re right.” Calliope moved back to her spot by the window. “Sorry. It’s none of my business. ”

She returned her attention to the rain coming down outside. Her delicate profile with that perky little nose belied the warrior hidden beneath all of that innocent beauty. A few minutes passed of him staring at her as the storm hammered down on them, then she broke the silence.

“Reminds me of home.” Her long blond hair hung wet down the middle of her back. “I would sit out on our porch and watch the birds take refuge beneath the broad leaves of the arrowhead plants. They’d let loose with a bunch of indignant chirps and shake out their wings every few minutes.” A gentle smile appeared on her face. “Frogs loved it, though. They’d perch on the water lilies and croak back and forth to each other across the swamp. When it got dark, I’d head inside, lay in bed, and close my eyes.” Her eyelids lowered shut, and her chin rose the tiniest bit. “There is nothing quite like falling asleep to the sound of the rain on an old metal roof.”

“Sounds great.” Lucas was relieved she was talking about herself and not pressing him for answers.

Her eyes slowly opened. She gave him a quick sideways glance and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. “Yeah, it was.”

The quiet intimacy of the moment was palpable between them.

“So, how did you end up at OSI?” He had so many questions for her.

“According to Beck, he and Jonathan heard about some girl who was outshooting men twice her age and who could navigate her way through some pretty tough terrain.” She walked over and sat in a chair as far from him as she possibly could, yet still remain at the same table.

“If you don’t learn your way around the swamp, you die. Anway, they decided to see what all the fuss was about and showed up at one of my rifle competitions near where I lived. After the match ended, these two big, intense-looking dudes approached me and said they were there to talk to me about a job. I’ll admit, I was a bit suspicious at first.” She shook her hair back from her face. “They told me they’d checked me out and come across an old newspaper article. It was about an eleven-year-old girl who shot a man in the dark, in the swamp, while he was holding a small child he’d kidnapped. I guess they were impressed by my composure.”

Lucas sat forward. “You were only eleven the first time you—”

“Yep, but he was a very bad person.” She paused, “Anyway, they went on to explain what I’d be doing if I came to work for them. I knew as sure as I’m sitting here, it was exactly what I wanted to do. What I was meant to do.” She spoke with such passion about her work. “I told them I needed to discuss it with my dad and granddad, and I thought for sure they’d change their mind or say they’d come back some other time.” She chuffed a quick laugh. “ Boy, was I wrong. Beck was like, ‘We’ve got time now,’ and damned if they didn’t follow me home.” Her gaze lifted to him from across the table. “You O’Hallerans are a persistent bunch.”

“We can be when we want something badly enough.” And he found himself wanting this woman more with each moment he spent with her.

Forbidden territory, for sure.

“So, my granddad made his famous fried catfish and hush puppies, and Dad put together some kind of vegetable medley from our garden.” She leaned forward, stretched her arm across the table, and dragged her purse closer. After glimpsing inside, she set it in her lap. “They were both totally supportive and pretty much told me I had to take the job. That’s all I needed to hear, and I accepted Beck and Jonathan’s offer that night. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“What about your mom?” She hadn’t mentioned her yet. “What does she think of your chosen profession?”

There was a noticeable shift in her demeanor—her shoulders drew back, and her entire body stiffened. His question had definitely struck a nerve and made her very uncomfortable.

Lucas was ready to apologize and tell her to forget he asked, then she spoke.

“My mom left when I was two.” Calliope’s voice was an amalgamation of dismissal, anger, and hurt. “And before you ask, no, I don’t know why; no, I don’t know where she is now; and, no, I don’t care to find out.”

He wasn’t sure what to say. An apology seemed trite and dismissive of something so tragically heinous. What the hell kind of mother leaves their child behind? Lucas’s mom was the salt of the earth and loved her children enough to kill for them.

She spun her chair back to face the window. “Looks like the storm is letting up.”

In other words, subject closed .

The doorknob rattled, and Eddie stepped back into the room.

Calliope stood and walked over to him. “Any news?”

“No baby yet.” He tucked his phone away. “But everything’s looking good.”

“I think we can head back to the house now.” Calliope slid the blanket off her shoulders and folded it as she circled the table, then handed it to Lucas. “Thanks for letting me use it.”

“You bet.” He tossed it onto the couch, hating the emotional distance his question about her mother had caused.

“I can’t wait to change into my own clothes.” Calliope looped the purse strap over her shoulder and headed into the main bay of the hangar.

“Yeah, I can’t get used to you looking like a girl.” Eddie walked behind her .

Lucas shook his head at Eddie’s comment and flipped off his office lights. He secured the hangar and met them at his truck.

The storm had cranked the humidity up to high and left random puddles with rainbow sheens on the airstrip. Water dripped down from the edges of the carport, and one drop slipped down his back as he opened the door of the truck.

Calliope climbed in on the passenger side and slid part of the way across the seat. Eddie slid in next to her, and he hip-bumped her, forcing her to scoot closer to Lucas. They rolled their windows down to gain relief from the stifling heat trapped in the cab of the truck, then Lucas backed out of the carport and drove away, leaving the airfield behind.

During the drive back to the house, Eddie regaled them with funny stories of growing up as the only boy in a big family surrounded by seven sisters. Whether he’d sensed her somber mood and made her laugh intentionally or not, she’d returned to her usual animated self by the time they rolled into the driveway.

“Looks like the guys are still out.” Eddie shoved the door open and climbed out.

“I need a shower.” Calliope slid out and headed toward the front door. She tapped the code into the keypad to unlock the door and disappeared inside.

Eddie looked across the hood of the truck at Lucas. “Guess she’s in a hurry to change. ”

“Guess so.” He followed him up the stone path and into the house.

The shower was already running in the back bedroom. And, man, that conjured up some delicious imagery.

“She’s certainly unique, isn’t she?” Eddie followed his gaze toward the bedrooms.

“She is that.” Wait a minute . “You care about her, don’t you.”

“Calliope? Yeah, but not in the way I think you mean.” He clarified, “Nah, man. She’s like … well, another little sister.” He raised one brow. “Why? You interested?”

“I was just curious.” No should’ve been his answer, but it would’ve been a lie. “I’ve seen the way you two rib each other and thought it might be your weird way of flirting.”

“Nope. But if someone were interested in her, he’d have to be one hell of a confident guy. Patient, too.” Eddie cranked his neck to make sure Calliope wasn’t within earshot but lowered his voice, just in case. “Calliope’s a sweetheart wrapped in electrified barbed wire. Which, in my humble opinion, is more of an emotional self-preservation thing than because she was raised in the swamp by a couple of dudes.”

Lucas would wager it had something to do with her absentee mother. Unsure of how much Eddie knew about her personal life, he opted not to share his opinion .

“But since you’re not interested, you don’t have anything to worry about it.” Eddie threw him a knowing smirk. “Want something to drink?”

“Sure.” They moved into the expansive kitchen and grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge.

“You were able to record those infrared images you took from the helo, right?” Eddie twisted the cap off his bottle and took a long drink as he leaned his butt against the edge of the counter.

“Yeah, they’re automatically uploaded to a secured, online storage site Caleb created for this assignment.” Lucas’s cousin was a tech wizard, and he was deadly.

Caleb was the second oldest, behind Beck. He used to be a tactical K9 handler on the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team.

“That dude is brilliant,” Eddie said. “I’ve seen him work with Jake, and they’re an amazing team.”

Caleb had been partnered with Jake, a Czech shepherd, after his first K9 partner was shot and killed in an ambush. The same ambush that had almost gotten his cousin killed. Disillusioned by the levels of corruption within the people in power at the Bureau and having fallen in love with a gorgeous ER doc, he and Jake left and went to work for OSI.

“OSI is lucky to have them, that’s for sure.” Lucas heard the water turn off and thought about Calliope back there, toweling off that sweet little body of hers .

His dick actually jerked beneath the table, and he shifted in his chair. If she came out here and caught him sportin’ wood, he’d never hear the end of it. Though it was refreshing to know the old boy still had some life in him. It had been a while.

“Once we’re looking at the infrared images in high def, we should be able to get a better idea of how many people there are out there.” One of the reasons he’d selected this particular rental was that it came equipped with a state-of-the-art theater room with a massive smart TV they could use to view his images and Eddie’s photos.

“Speaking of which, I need to download those pics I took, too.” Eddie pushed off the counter and grabbed his camera off the big table. He waited until Lucas moved over next to him, then pressed a button to illuminate the small screen on the back of the camera. “Let’s see what we’ve got.” With the press of another button, images appeared.

“Are those the pictures you took?” Calliope hurried over, bringing the soft scent of lavender with her, and stood on the other side of Eddie.

She’d changed into ass-hugging yoga pants and a white tank top with a sports bra underneath. Calliope wasn’t intentionally trying to be sexy—he’d bet his life savings she didn’t play those kinds of games. No, her allure was natural and damn near impossible to ignore .

“That’s a good one.” She pointed at the small screen on the back of the camera. “It shows the entire roof, so we at least have an idea of the size of the structure.”

“It’s pretty damn small.” Eddie clicked a button repeatedly to zoom in on the image.

“It’s certainly bigger than a shipping container.” Lucas shared a look with Calliope.

“True dat.” Eddie turned the camera off, popped open the side, and removed the microSD card. “I’m going to upload these to the secure site.”

Lucas started to follow him, and she stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Lucas, um … about the way I reacted when you asked about my mom.” She took a deep breath and looked him square in the eyes. “It was rude, and I apologize.”

“No, I shouldn’t have—”

She stopped him with her fingers on his lips.

“You were just making conversation, and I snapped at you. That wasn’t fair, nor was it nice.” As if noticing for the first time where her fingers were, her eyes widened, and she jerked her hand away. “Sorry, but I needed to finish what had to be said.”

Lucas lifted her small hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. He felt the calluses all true marksmen sported on their fingers and palms.

“Look, Calliope.” He wanted to be very careful with what he said so as not to spook her. “I’m not going to pretend I know what it’s like not having your mom in your life. You are an amazing, funny, extremely gifted, sometimes aggravating person.” He grinned and was pleased when she did, too. “And it is her huge loss for not being in your orbit.”

“Thanks. That’s kinda what my granddad said, too.” A soft pink blush colored her cheeks, but she didn’t try to pull her hand free. “I never had the heart to ask my dad any questions about her, because she didn’t just leave me, she left him, too. When I was eleven or twelve, I guess Dad figured I was old enough, and he tried to bring up the subject. I shut him down quick, told him I didn’t care and that I never wanted to talk about her again.”

“That’s understandable. You were just a kid. Have you ever thought about tracking her down?” OSI’s tech folks could probably locate her in minutes.

“Sure, but something always stopped me.”

“What do you think it is that stopped you?” Lucas desperately wanted her to open up to him.

She chewed her lip and looked away.

“I think … I think a part of me is afraid to find out why she left.” When she turned her face back to him, her blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears. To see that in such a strong woman was agonizing. “What if it was because of me? What if I did something that made her want to leave?”

“You were two years old, Calliope.” Lucas wanted to reach out and wrap his arms around her more than he wanted his next breath.

“Shit.” She sniffled and blinked back her tears. “Sorry about that.”

“You don’t have to do that with me, ya know.”

“Do what?”

“Act tough, stow away your emotions.” Right before his eyes, she’d resumed her tough girl act.

The front door opened, and they could hear Cole and the rest of the team enter the house.

Calliope pulled her hand free and took a small step back.

“I’d really like to resume this conversation later,” he said.

“Yeah, but we don’t always get what we want, do we?” She smirked and left him standing there, trapped in a roiling stew of emotions churned up by what she’d shared with him.