Iron Willed Warrior (Last Refuge Protectors #5)

17. Brynn

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Brynn

I woke up to an empty bed.

I kicked off the covers and felt the other side of the mattress where Cole had been sleeping. It wasn’t warm, which meant he’d been gone for a while. Worry swirled in my gut. Memories of what had happened last night with Westwick, then Ryker.

And Cole. Kissing him. Everything he’d said.

I jumped up, and that’s when I saw the note and a to-go coffee cup on the nightstand. The coffee cup had Brianna written on it. I picked it up and took a sip while I glanced over the note.

Went for a morning walk. Back soon. Cameron.

Cole had brought me a chai latte. Spice and sweetness burst across my tongue. It reminded me of the chai Keira had made us at her house almost a week ago. I’d ordered a latte just like this at the coffee shop in Silver Ridge, too. I hadn’t even realized Cole had noticed.

It was thoughtful. So like him.

Ugh , I was in trouble. I touched my lower lip, thinking of how hot and commanding his kisses had been last night .

But while he was gone, I had something to take care of. I’d failed to update Stanford yesterday. Taking another sip of my drink, I went to the drawer where I’d placed my socks, undies, and pajamas. The burner phone was stuck inside a wool hiking sock. Not the most devious hiding spot ever, but good enough. Cole wasn’t the type to go through my things.

I sat on the bed, unlocked my phone, then opened the messaging app. But as my thumbs hovered over the keyboard on the screen, I hesitated. I could report plenty of things that would raise Stanford’s concerns. Like Westwick’s early arrival, that phone call Westwick had received. Ryker’s suspicion of me and the confrontation with Cole. I’d meant to check in about the status of our double agents as well. But if the task force had news, Stanford would already have written me.

I glanced down at my shoulder. The marks had darkened slightly. Not much of a bruise, thankfully, but it was there. A reminder that the incident could’ve gone so much worse than it had.

So much had changed between Cole and me last night. And yet here I was, going behind his back to contact my former boss even though I had sworn I was done with the FBI.

I tipped my head back against the wall, letting out a groan of frustration.

This was why I should’ve kept my distance from Cole. Kept things strictly professional. Because as soon as I’d gotten close to him, started to really like him on an intimate, I’m-dying-to-kiss-you level, everything had gotten jumbled up in my head.

Before you know it, you ’ ll be in love with him . Remember how that turned out before? How pathetic would that be ?

But Cole was so different from what I’d expected. Every day, he showed me a little more of himself. I liked what I saw. Yet I didn’t know how to deal with his sheer… intensity . His need to care for me and protect me. My natural instinct was to resist, to declare I didn’t need it, but he seemed so genuine.

Somehow, he had figured out that I’d had my heart broken. He had seen that in me. Maybe seen too much.

I realized where I was sitting. On the side of the bed that Cole had slept in last night. Even though his body warmth had fled, it still smelled faintly like him. He’d taken care of me last night when so many men would’ve been selfish. He had actually held my hand until I’d fallen asleep. When was the last time I had slept so deeply and comfortably?

Did we want each other because of the fake relationship? Or did this mean something more? I had no idea.

But maybe Cole was everything he claimed to be. A good man who wouldn’t make promises he had no intention of keeping. The constriction in my chest told me how much I wanted that to be true.

I just didn’t know how to trust it.

I started typing out an update for Stanford. But I didn’t even know what I would write until the words popped up on the screen.

Me:

C and I arrived at the resort yesterday as planned. W is here and we’re proceeding. Can’t risk further daily updates at this time. I’ll be in touch when I can. Love to you and Marie. —B

With that, I switched off the screen and returned the burner to its hiding place.

I would do what I’d promised Cole. Treat this as a Protectors op, relying only on River and the Last Refuge crew for support. Stanford was going to be pissed, but he wasn’t my boss at the moment. Wasn’t my father either. He just had to deal with it. What was he going to do? Fire me?

I didn’t even know if I wanted to return to the FBI after this.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I went back into the room just as Cole was coming through the door. He had a sheen of sweat over his tanned skin. A smile when he saw me. He wore a tee and mesh running shorts, which revealed even more of his legs than his swimming trunks had yesterday. More than I’d seen last night when he’d had on those sweats. It was a good look on him.

I had meant what I’d said last night. The man was incredibly sexy. And to me, the evidence on his body of his military service only added to it.

“Thanks for the latte.” I went onto my toes to kiss him. A peck that quickly turned to something sweeter and deeper. He tasted like salt and black coffee, not a bad combination. Every time I got near Cole, it was difficult to pull away. But seeing the happy grin he gave me afterward was worth it.

“I thought about getting you something more to eat, but I noticed you don’t usually have much breakfast.”

“You noticed, huh?”

He put an arm around my waist. He smelled of sweat, but also fresh air and sun. “I like paying attention to you,” he said. “I have no problem admitting it.”

“Are you also ready to admit you were checking me out within two seconds of us meeting?”

“Oh yeah. Totally checked you out by the side of the road. Guilty as charged.”

“I knew it.”

He looked me up and down, like I was dressed to the nines instead of in my rumpled PJs. “I’m checking you out right now.”

I laughed. “I’ve been checking you out too. Shamelessly. ”

This is good, isn ’ t it ? my heart said. See how easy this feels ? Before I could start actively swooning, I broke away from him and grabbed my latte. “So what were you up to this morning, aside from coffee?”

“Did a lap around the resort while you got your beauty sleep.” He winked.

“Is it going to be nonstop flirting from now on when we’re alone? I’ve created a monster.”

“I like flirting with you. It’s not something I do often. Goes against my grumpy reputation, which is well deserved.”

“Then why am I different?” I’d been kidding, but his face turned serious. He came toward me and cupped the back of my neck, drawing me closer.

“I dunno, B. You make me want to try for things.”

“You make me want that too,” I said softly. Even though I felt like I was letting him see too much of me again. With Cole, I couldn’t help it.

“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked.

“Like I want to make progress on the mission.” I took a reluctant step back. “We need to know how much of a problem last night’s confrontation with Ryker caused.” In fact, I was surprised I’d slept so well given that uncertainty.

“It just so happens I’ve been working on that. I think we’re okay.”

“Yeah?”

“I have intel to share. Among other things.” His hand slid down along my back to my waist, giving me a gentle pat on my hip. “Get dressed. I’ve got something to show you.”

We walked hand-in-hand down the hallway. I was glad when we didn’t run into Ryker or Westwick. I wanted more time to assess things before I saw the head of Stillwater again. With Westwick, it was all about strategy. A chess game. I had to consider the next move that would bring me closer to him, and how to do that without crossing Ryker.

Besides that, I was feeling a bit too warm toward Cole, and I was afraid Westwick would pick up on it. I was supposed to be having doubts about my boyfriend.

Yet the more this morning wore on, the fewer doubts I had about the man beside me. Even if I had no clue what we were doing.

We pushed through an exit door into the Arizona sunshine. The springtime weather was gorgeous. Blue skies, red rock hills, and dusky greens and browns in the desert beyond. Near the pool, we spotted Molly and her husband and stopped to chat with them because Brianna would have. Cole, playing Cameron, did an excellent job of acting annoyed.

Then we were moving again, skirting the walking path that wound through the resort. “What is it you wanted to show me?”

“We’re almost there.”

I realized we had made almost a full circle, coming back toward the main resort building but on the rear side with employee access. I figured Cole had a reason for taking the scenic way around.

Checking that we were alone, I asked, “What did you find out about Ryker?”

“This morning, I just happened to bump into Manning, Westwick’s bodyguard. Figured I might find him out and about, and I was right. Unlike Ryker, Manning seems to like me.”

“Since you bonded over motorcycles?” Cole had told me all about that conversation.

“Yep. I offered to buy him a coffee, and we got to talking. Manning had heard about the dust-up with Ryker. Apparently, Westwick was pissed about it. Told Ryker to back off. Manning even apologized to me. He didn’t come out and say it, but he clearly thinks Ryker is a paranoid dick.”

“That could be useful.”

“Exactly what I was thinking. Dissension in the ranks.”

“You don’t think he was stringing you along?”

“It’s possible. But I doubt it. Manning doesn’t have that kind of an edge to him. Ryker is suspicious of us, we can’t fix that, but Westwick doesn’t suspect us. Our cover is safe for now.”

We turned down a small maintenance path between the buildings. This was not the pretty, public side of the resort. There were a couple of dumpsters that already smelled unpleasant, despite the mild morning temperatures. Otherwise, the area was deserted.

Cole stopped at a door reading Roof Access with a length of chain wrapped around the handle. But the lock wasn’t secured. He opened it, gesturing for me to go ahead.

After climbing a steep set of stairs, we came out onto a flat roof.

“I found this spot yesterday,” Cole explained. “The restaurant employees sometimes come up for smoke breaks. One saw me having a cig myself, and he scurried off. But obviously didn’t report me, since the chain is still unlocked. The employees don’t want to lose their spot up here.”

I walked around, glancing over the short wall that bordered the roof. The parking lot was below. “Nice,” I said. “A fallback position?”

“That’s what I was thinking. In case things go south and we can’t make it to the car. We’ve got the high ground up here.”

My original plan had been to rely on deception to get close to Westwick and then sneak away, leaving him none the wiser that his devices had been compromised. But after what had happened with Ryker last night? This was a very good idea.

“Nice work.” I turned to face him. “Have you had your cigarette for the day?”

His gaze turned heated, and he sauntered closer. “I wanted to save it for later. Thought I might have a better occasion to enjoy a smoke.”

“Is that so?”

“Not making any assumptions.”

I smiled. “Of course not.” Later sounded good. Something to look forward to. Our main focus had to be on the mission. Neither of us could forget that. But in between, a little relaxation and pleasure wouldn’t hurt. All part of our cover story.

Cole dropped his mouth to mine, sucking gently on my lower lip, before stepping back again. “I learned a few more things. Another bodyguard arrived early this morning. Randall O’Hanlon.”

O’Hanlon had been on our list of Ryker’s security personnel. Another ex-cop. We’d seen his photo among those provided by the task force. I remembered bright red hair, a long nose, a hard scowl.

Cole opened his mouth to say something else. But then we heard loud voices below. Including a familiar one. Westwick . He was down in the parking lot.

Cole’s eyes flew to mine. He signaled in the direction of the voices. We both crossed the distance in a crouch and hid behind the short wall bordering the roof.

“—a pleasure to see you again,” Westwick was saying below. “Are you sure you don’t want to join me for breakfast? It must’ve been a long drive.”

I peeked over the side. Westwick was there, his ash-blond hair slicked back as it had been yesterday. This time he wore a pair of tailored pants and a sport coat, like he’d just stepped out of a country club. The man with him was around the same age as Westwick, but even more movie-star handsome. His broad shoulders filled out a red golf polo, and his leather loafers looked expensive. I felt a jolt of recognition, though I couldn’t say for sure where I had seen this man before. Not in person. On TV, maybe?

Slowly, I took my phone from my pocket and lifted it to snap a few photos.

The man clapped Westwick on the shoulder in a friendly but commanding way, like the two were vying for the alpha position while remaining collegial on the surface. “I’d rather see the facility before anything else.”

“Of course. Let’s do it.”

The two men walked toward an SUV with tinted windows. Ryker was already there, holding open the back door, and Westwick and his friend got in. Ryker slid into the driver’s seat, and I spotted Manning in the passenger side.

The SUV reversed. Cole and I ducked down, staying there until we heard the noise of the engine receding. “Last night, when Westwick was on the phone, he said something about an arrival this morning. Did you recognize his friend?”

Cole shook his head. “Never seen the guy before. Have you?”

“I don’t know. I thought so, but I’m not sure from when or where. I got some photos. I’ll send them to River. See if he can identify the man.”

Cole got up, then stretched out his hand to help me stand. We brushed off our clothes. “Makes me wonder if this is the reason Westwick moved up his schedule,” he said.

“I was thinking the same thing. This meeting was important.” Maybe the seminar at this resort had been an excuse all along. A convenient cover so the trip wouldn’t draw as much attention.

“Too bad I didn’t put a GPS tracker on Westwick’s car,” Cole said. “I’d love to know where they’re headed. ”

“Same here, but they’ll be back. We’ll just have to be ready.”

If I could get River’s virus planted, then we wouldn’t need to track him through the desert. We could crack open all his secrets and find out just what the head of Stillwater was hiding.