Iron Willed Warrior (Last Refuge Protectors #5)

9. Brynn

CHAPTER NINE

Brynn

“How do you not have a hangover?” Keira asked.

“Marines don’t get hangovers.” I poured her a cup of coffee and passed it across the island to her.

“That’s what Dean says too,” she grumbled, then tipped back the mug to take a hefty swallow. “I thought I would be making you a big breakfast to absorb all the alcohol you and Cole drank last night. I was surprised you could walk out of the bar at all.”

“It’s a talent of mine.”

Keira rubbed her face and yawned. “Any chance you could make breakfast for me then? Because I’m still half asleep.”

I laughed and started searching for an omelet pan. I’d already spotted some eggs and bacon in the fridge. “Have no fear. You’ll be eating well in no time.”

Despite getting to bed late, I’d woken up bright and early and well rested. I preferred sleeping in the nude, sheets right up against my skin, and I had to give credit to Keira’s mom and sister. They’d picked out guest bed linens with an amazing thread count.

I’d pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts, no bra, and I’d left my hair down instead of pulling it up. Since it was just us girls this morning.

Obviously, Cole and I had gone our separate ways last night after agreeing to work together as equals. When I had gotten home last night, Keira had grilled me. I’d assured her that Cole and I were good. Aside from his ideas about playing my boyfriend. That, I didn’t want to think about right now.

I had been very low key about that stunt he’d pulled. Demanding to arm wrestle, only to put me into a submission hold. I probably should’ve been more pissed off than I had been. But to be honest, when he’d had his arms and a leg snaked around me, I hadn’t minded the sensation. He’d been close enough that he could’ve kissed me. Just leaned in and brushed his lips against mine.

I hadn’t minded that thought either. Which was ridiculous.

But it didn’t matter that I found the man slightly charming despite his constant grumping and his hot-headed temper. He’d agreed to be my partner for this mission, and that was what I needed. Nothing more.

Whenever I fully let down my guard around an attractive man, I lived to regret it. No way was I going down that road again.

Keira wandered off to start a load of laundry. While the bacon sizzled, I went to the guest room to grab my phone. I had a couple of messages from Charlotte, and I assured my best friend that we were back on track.

Then I remembered my other phone. The burner.

Crap, I hadn’t written Stanford last night with an update. And given his dad-like tendencies, he was probably annoyed. Sure enough, I had three texts waiting on the burner. He’d entered his number under the initial “S.” I typed out a quick response.

S:

How goes it?

Update, B?

Hope I don’t need to drive to Hart County. Marie won’t be happy.

Me:

Sorry Dad, busy night. My arrival started out bumpy, but getting better.

S:

Bumpy how? Is it your partner?

Me:

Partner won’t be an issue.

S:

He’d better not be.

I laughed quietly to myself. If I told Stanford everything that had happened yesterday with Cole, he would hit the roof.

Me:

I’ve got this. It would help if you’d trust me.

S:

It’s the others you’re working with who I don’t trust.

Me:

Are you ready for retirement, old man? You’re repeating yourself.

S:

And you’re living dangerously. I don’t recommend it.

Me:

Ha. More later. Bye.

S:

Hold on, task force just gathered some new intel on the target for his profile. It’s concerning. Sending to you to read and consider.

Me:

Wilco.

S:

Stay vigilant.

Me:

Always do.

I set the phone aside, rolling my eyes. Why did I have to deal with so many grumpy men on a daily basis? Almost made me want to spend more time with River. Almost . At least he smiled and joked around while he was annoying the crap out of me.

Did I trust Cole after our night of bonding? Not completely. But I didn’t dis trust him either. We had come to an understanding. For now, that was enough.

The scent of burning bacon reached my nose, and I cursed. I’d forgotten it.

I ran to the kitchen only to find Cole by the stove, leaning casually against the counter. He was dressed down this morning in gray sweats and a hoodie. The rectangular outline of his pack of cigarettes stood out in his front pocket.

“Forgot you were cooking?” he asked.

“Got distracted.” I nudged him aside with my hip to put the well-done bacon on a plate. “What’re you doing here?”

“Dean and I stopped by a bakery for cinnamon rolls.”

“That’s thoughtful.”

“His idea, not mine. I think it was an excuse for him and Keira to check on our progress. Did you just wake up?”

“Actually, I’ve been up for hours. Bright and early. You? ”

“I’m always up early. Hopped to Dean’s kitchenette for a cup of coffee.”

“Hopped?”

“I don’t always feel like putting on my leg first thing. Prefer to shower without it. I have excellent balance. You have no idea.” Cole slapped his stomach over his hoodie. “All in the core.”

“I would’ve liked to see you in action.”

“On this mission, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. So you probably will.”

I glanced at him and found him smirking back.

“Last night did the trick, huh?” Dean asked.

We both turned. Dean was setting down a paper bag on the kitchen table. Keira stood beside him. “And you didn’t even have to lock them in a room,” Dean said to her.

I grabbed the bowl of scrambled eggs, which I’d left warming in the oven, and brought that and the bacon to the table. “Nope, Cole demanded we arm wrestle. And the rest is history.”

Dean and Keira went quiet, trying to figure that one out, and all I could do was laugh.

“It made more sense in the moment,” Cole said defensively.

“But who won?” Dean asked.

“I did.”

I pointed a finger at Cole. “Because you cheated .”

“You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first.”

“Have no doubt, I’ll get my revenge.” But we were grinning at each other, which took the bite out of my words.

“Actually, now I’m back to worried,” Keira quipped. “You two are not acting normal. Either you’re suddenly best buddies, or you’re plotting to kill each other.”

Cole pulled up a chair at the table. “Only time will tell.”

After breakfast, Cole and I convinced Keira and Dean we didn’t need a babysitter. We were getting along just fine. We had a huge amount of work to do to get ready for this op, and only a week to do it.

Nope, no pressure. None at all .

Leaving Cole in the living room, I went to my room to change into jeans and a sweatshirt. My short shorts felt a touch too casual for mission planning. When I came out, I had my hair sleeked back into its usual ponytail.

Cole was sitting on the couch. I sat right beside him. We were partners in this, and we had to count on each other. And that meant not being squeamish about being near the man. It had nothing to do with his suggestion from last night about playing my boyfriend. He hadn’t mentioned that again, so I assumed the subject was officially dropped.

“I thought we’d work on our cover stories today.” I put the manila envelope that Stanford had given me on the coffee table. Our fake identity papers spilled out when I tipped the envelope.

Cole picked up my new driver’s license. “Brianna Waverley,” he read. “She’s a blond?”

“I’m wearing a wig in the photo, but I’ll actually be blond by the time we head to Arizona. Between the hair and makeup, I’ll be unrecognizable.”

“Yeah, I agree. Picture barely looks like you.”

“Plus, Westwick prefers blonds, so there’s that.”

Cole grumbled something inaudible under his breath, tossing the ID onto the coffee table. “What else do I need to know about her?”

“As I mentioned last night, I’m playing a social media influencer who’s developing her own lifestyle brand. Brianna is eager to grow her business and learn from the little seminar Westwick is putting on.” On my phone, I pulled up the fake Instagram profile. “Here she is, in all her hash-tagged glory.”

Cole thumbed through Brianna’s Instagram grid. It was full of posts and reels about wellness, interior design, plants, and skin products. Stuff I liked, honestly, so I didn’t have to fake my enthusiasm in the videos. The account was sleek enough to look professional, but not distinct enough to draw too much attention.

“This is elaborate,” Cole said. “How long were you working on this again? These posts go back months with tons of likes and comments.”

“All fake, thanks to River and his hacker network. They made the account look like it’s grown over months instead of weeks. This is enough to back up my cover story if Westwick decides he’s curious.”

“What about facial recognition? If he does a reverse photo look-up?”

“I asked River the same thing. He said he would take care of it. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“And where will the real Brynn Somerton be during the op in Arizona? Have you figured that out?”

Did he think I’d forget a detail like that? “I’ll be camping in a remote location and considering my life choices after leaving the Bureau.” Keira would park my car at a backpacking trailhead. That way, if anyone inquired, I would officially be nowhere near Arizona. Full deniability for the FBI. And for the Protectors.

Cole crossed his arms over his broad chest. “And do you have anyone back home who will be worrying about where you are?”

I switched my phone screen off and set it on the coffee table. “Are you asking if I have a significant other?”

“Or brother or nosy neighbor or whatever. Just getting a sense of possible weaknesses in your cover. Anyone who might ask questions about you being MIA.”

“Then the answer is no, I don’t have a boyfriend. Or a husband or sister or anyone who’s going to be checking up on me. As for you, we’ll set up a similar kind of alibi. You can be out fishing or something. Colorado is great for disappearing into the wilderness.”

Cole ran his fingers through the short chestnut strands of his hair. “Nah, I think another reason River chose me is that very few people are concerned about where I am.”

“I know how that is.” Aside from Charlotte and Stanford, who knew all about this plan, I didn’t really have anybody.

There was an awkward pause, when both of us shifted on the couch, waiting for the other to ask a prying question.

“Anyway.” I grabbed his fake driver’s license from the pile. “You’ll be Cameron Clay. My manager from San Diego.”

Cole grumbled again. “I don’t know a single thing about Southern California.”

“Isn’t that where Aiden is from? He’s supposed to be your friend. Ask him. Also, there’s this amazing thing called YouTube.”

He glared.

“Like I said yesterday, you’ll be there for support. The less you say to anyone, probably the better. I’ll be doing all the talking.”

“What about security? Does Westwick have bodyguards?”

“A man named Donovan Ryker heads Westwick’s security detail, with a rotating roster of other guards depending on the situation. We expect Westwick will have no more than two at the resort, plus Ryker himself.”

I pulled up a photo of Ryker. The man had a military-style haircut, thick neck, hardened features. Like many of Stillwater’s henchmen, Ryker was a mercenary. Rumors tied him to multiple foreign wars and international incidents before he’d taken on a personal security role for Westwick. Ryker was the type to handle dirty work and make problems disappear.

The FBI had its eye on him, but evidence and witnesses against Ryker had a tendency to evaporate. Cole could read all about it in the report the task force had put together.

“You’ll help me get around Ryker so I can cozy up to Westwick,” I said. “According to the profile we’ve put together on him, he’s partial to younger women. That’s why I’ll be playing younger too. Twenty-five and naively optimistic.” Not like my cynical thirty-three-year-old self at all, but I’d taken acting classes in college. I’d also been practicing makeup techniques to smooth out the fine lines around my eyes. I could pull this off.

Cole glowered, his expression turning downright scary. “ Really not a fan of this. You sure I can’t grab Westwick and drive him out to the desert? So much easier.”

I gave Cole a stern look. We’d already gone over this last night. But I assumed he was just venting. Hearing about this stuff made me furious too. “That reminds me. I got a message this morning about some new info. Something that’s relevant to Westwick’s profile.”

“New info from who? The FBI task force? I thought they weren’t involved anymore.”

“It’s just an update they sent me through secure channels. Relax.” Never mind that I’d been texting with SAC Stanford that morning.

On my laptop, I accessed my secure drop box. There was a new document. I opened it, edging closer to Cole so we could read the screen together.

“Looks like the task force just discovered a former nanny of the Westwicks,” I said. “One of the few people who’s directly reported anything negative about him.” Since the man kept his reputation squeaky-clean, this was significant.

The nanny, a young woman named Petra, had come to the United States through an agency after being matched with Garon and his wife. She was hired to care for the Westwicks’ daughters while the girls were in middle school. But quickly, the ideal job she had been promised turned into something far darker.

As we read, Cole muttered curses, and I clenched my teeth.

Westwick and his wife had docked Petra’s pay for the slightest infraction. Eventually stopped paying her at all. Even forbade her from leaving the home. But far worse, Garon had been relentless about making advances. He’d made it clear that if Petra didn’t submit to him, she would be punished. He also used his head of security, Donovan Ryker, to threaten and intimidate her, making her terrified for her life.

“She ran,” Cole read aloud. “Reported the Westwicks to the police. Then Westwick used his connections to hush it all up. She got deported back to Finland.”

When the whole ordeal had begun, she’d only been nineteen years old.

Westwick pretended to be an upstanding family man on the outside. But inside, he was exactly the type of scum who’d start an organization like Stillwater.

“I’m telling you, we can just abandon him with no phone and no water a hundred miles from civilization,” Cole said. “The elements and vultures will take care of the rest.”

“I’m tempted. Believe me. I already suspected Westwick had done this kind of thing. This is the most detailed account we’ve found because Petra was brave enough to try speaking out about it.” And Westwick had pulled strings to silence her.

Cole pushed up to standing and walked over to the fireplace. Turned around and faced me, his large hands on his hips. “You plan to draw this asshole’s attention. It’s pretty clear what he’ll try to do to you once you’re alone.”

I huffed. “You think I’m not aware of that? Please. That’s the entire plan. To use his predatory tendencies against him. Don’t even think about telling me we need a new approach, because it’s not going to happen.”

“And I’ll be—what? Chilling by the pool while this is going on?”

“You’ll be running interference. Giving me room to work. I’ll have a way to contact you, some means to send a signal if things truly get dire. But they won’t. I’m more than capable of handling this.”

“But I’m not capable of sitting and twiddling my thumbs the way you’re asking. You’re using yourself as bait. And it’s beyond obvious that you’ll resist asking for help even if you need it. You’ll take foolish risks just because you want to prove you can do it.”

I stood and marched over to him. “Careful. I will not let you talk down to me like I’m some junior agent who’s never run an op before.”

“And I won’t let you relegate me to a support role when I’m supposed to be your partner.”

He took a step toward me, and I reacted, pressing my palm flat against his chest. Then Cole used my arm to spin me around, putting my back to the fireplace. He planted his hands on the mantle to either side of me. He’d caged me in, his bulky frame leaving only a centimeter of space between us.

“Is this your new technique every time we have an argument? Pinning me? I might have to resort to defensive measures. Like kneeing you in the balls.”

“Save that for Westwick.”

“I’m trying, but you keep testing me.”

Cole leaned even closer. Lowered his voice. “Brynn. There’s a better way to get this done. You’d be safer if I can stay close.” Cole’s heat surrounded me, his determination rolling off of him in waves like a heady scent. Not to mention his actual scent, warm spices with hints of cigarette smoke, which had no right to be such a perfect combination.

“You want to play my boyfriend.”

“It could make you even more enticing to Westwick if you’re already taken. A man like him has everything. A wife, family, career. Yet he wants to lie and steal and cheat to get more. He craves power and secrecy. He’ll love the idea of stealing you from me.”

Huh. I wished I’d thought of that myself. “For a guy who claimed I’m not your type, you keep trying to get your hands on me, Bailey,” I joked.

“I’ll be playing a role. Nothing more than that.”

“Yet we struggle to get along for ten minutes straight. Now we’re supposed to be in a relationship? I just have my doubts we can pull this off.”

He fixed me with an intense look. That fiery gaze started moving down my body.

Cole had subtly checked me out before, even though he’d denied it. But this time, there was a different glint in his eyes. A shameless, open hunger, layered with possessiveness. Like he’d destroy anyone and anything that stood between us.

Cole’s eyes lifted to meet mine, and the breath whooshed out of my lungs.

He finally pushed back from the fireplace, taking several steps away from me. “Still skeptical?”

I swallowed. My mouth had gone dry, and my skin was damp with sweat. “That was…a good start.”

“Suppose we’ll need some practice to perfect it.” His voice was rough.

I studied him, biting my lip. “Meet me at the bar where Dean works. Eight tonight. In the meantime, I’ll give you access to my secure files. So you can read up on everything else we’ve gathered on Westwick.”

“Roger that.”

We both stood there another moment. That same intensity still thick in the air.

“See you tonight,” he finally said.

When Cole had left, I slumped onto the couch, my head falling back. I needed a cold shower.

But tonight, we’d be at it again. Practicing this fake relationship of ours. And at the resort, we’d be inseparable. We would have to convince everyone there, including Westwick, that we were in love. Okay, maybe not in love , but sleeping together.

Given the way Cole had just looked at me, I was on my way to believing it.

What had I gotten myself into?