Iron Willed Warrior (Last Refuge Protectors #5)

30. Brynn

CHAPTER THIRTY

Brynn

The next few hours blurred together. I drove the truck until we reached a hotel parking lot in a random small town to switch vehicles and change up license plates.

Cole also took the opportunity to call River. Incredibly, Cole still had the phone he had been using as part of his cover. My Brianna Waverley phone was gone, and I assumed my FBI burner was long gone as well.

Honestly, I would’ve been tempted to call Michael Stanford for an FBI team to swoop in and clean up what we’d left behind. No such luck. I didn’t have the energy to discuss that topic with Cole anyway. Not yet.

I was just so glad to have him here with me. Alive. We were both alive. For now, it was enough to have Cole beside me. To hold his hand or feel his fingers massaging my shoulder or my thigh. Just knowing he was close.

At a gas station, Cole bought me a pair of flip-flops so I wasn’t bare-footed anymore. I dozed during the next part of the trip, while Cole drove. When I woke up, the sun had just risen, its bright rays shining through my window. I realized I didn’t even know our destination. River was supposed to give us the address of a safe house to bring Westwick to .

“Where are we headed?” I asked groggily.

“River gave me an address just north of the New Mexico border. We’ll be there in a couple hours or so.”

I cracked a water bottle and took a long drink. “I don’t even know how you got away from Ryker’s men.”

The corner of Cole’s mouth lifted. “Manning and O’Hanlon drove me out into the desert. That hotel clerk, Lance, was helping them. They had a fancy plan for framing me for your murder, and that was their mistake.”

“ Lance . That piece of trash helped them kidnap me.”

“I know. I shot him in the leg and left him. One of those loose ends.” Cole reached for my hand. “If he survives, I can still track him down, if that’s what you prefer. Did he do anything else?”

I settled against the head rest, looking at the sky. “Lance didn’t touch me. He was just a jerk who took Stillwater’s money, and it’s possible Ryker didn’t give him a choice.” Like Josiah. He’d helped Stillwater set up their online marketplace, but more out of fear than a conscious desire to do evil. Now he was dead, and Westwick was still alive. Was that fair?

“I used the flash drive,” I added.

“I figured you had. Well done, B. Thanks to you, we accomplished everything we set out to do. Including securing our prisoner.” Cole’s fingers smoothed through my limp, messy hair. “We’re almost finished.”

What happens for us next ? I almost asked. But deeper thoughts escaped me. Despite my short nap, I was exhausted. Had I ever been this bone-tired? Maybe during boot camp. Or that really sadistic training at Quantico. Who the heck knew.

A couple hours and one pitstop for breakfast later, we pulled into the driveway of a rundown, one-story home. We had just passed the border into Colorado. The safe house had a light on the porch, a car in the driveway. But otherwise, it looked lonely. Secluded from any nosy neighbors or highway traffic, since we were down a quiet, windy road.

A thump came from the trunk of our car.

“And here I thought he was asleep,” Cole said.

“Guess the drugs wore off.” I rubbed my eyes, summoning my remaining energy. At least out here, nobody would care how much noise Westwick made. He was about to find out how screwed he was.

A large figure stepped out of the house onto the porch, and I barked a laugh. Westwick was not going to enjoy meeting him .

Trace Novo raised a hand to wave at us. I waved back. “I didn’t realize T was going to be here,” I said. Cole and I had already agreed to go by initials if Westwick could be listening. No need for him to know any names. He would never be a free man again, but it was still a wise precaution.

“Guess he drew the short straw,” Cole said.

“Or more likely, the long one. I have to think several of our friends would be excited to meet the head of Stillwater, face to face.” All of the Protectors wanted Westwick’s blood.

Cole chuckled. “Yeah, now that you mention it.”

Thump, thump .

I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go say hi to our host. We can unload the prisoner later, once we find out where we’re storing him.”

More thumps from the trunk. Westwick must’ve heard. Giving me a tired smile, Cole winked and got out of the car. He stopped briefly by the trunk, opened it, and checked Westwick’s restraints. The man wasn’t going anywhere.

Then we met Trace by the front door, far enough from the car that we’d be out of Westwick’s earshot. I was dead on my feet, but Cole’s hand on my lower back steadied me.

“Good to see you both,” Trace said. He clapped Cole on the shoulder, then me. “Charlotte has been messaging us constantly for updates. River was very happy to report to her that you’d called in.”

His mention of my best friend set off a pang of longing in my chest. I had no idea when I would see Charlotte again, but hopefully it would be soon. “Good to see you too,” I said to Trace. “I was expecting River, though. Since he was our Protectors liaison for this mission.”

Trace nodded. “I was already at River’s apartment when Cole called in. You uploaded the virus. Nice work. Riv woke me up the minute his computer started dinging with notifications, and I left him back in Hartley to do his hacker thing.”

“That was all Brynn,” Cole said. “She barely needed me there at all.”

I shook my head, smirking.

“What kind of shape is our prisoner in?” Trace asked.

Cole squinted at the car. “We’ve treated him better than most human trafficking victims get. He’s not bleeding, and he has no broken bones that I’m aware of. Aside from the fact that he’s breathing, I don’t have much to say about it.”

“Is this a Protectors safe house?” I asked.

“Ah, no.” Trace scrubbed a large palm over his beard. “It was provided by a mutual associate. Someone who’s waiting anxiously inside to see you, Brynn.”

“Me?” It couldn’t be Charlotte. There was no way the lieutenant governor would risk coming here.

But the moment I walked in and saw his face, I realized I should’ve known.

“ Michael ? What are you doing here?”

Stanford stood in the entryway, arms crossed over his button-down and blazer. He frowned like I was late for a debrief. “Surprised to see me? What did you expect after cutting off all communication during a dangerous mission? You thought I would just shrug and not call the Protectors demanding to know what happened to my agent? You’re lucky I didn’t drive down to Arizona my damn self.”

“It got complicated.”

“No doubt. Now, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to give me a hug? I know it’s not our style to get sappy, but I was about scared to death for you, Brynn.” He opened his arms, and I let him wrap me in a hug. “I took some personal time and made a quiet vacation down here to southern Colorado,” Stanford said. “Hell of a relief when I heard your partner finally called in. You’re all right?”

“Good enough. I’m sorry.”

Stanford patted me on the back. I pulled away just as it was starting to get awkward.

Then I realized Cole was standing behind me, still in the doorway. An unreadable expression on his handsome face. “ His agent?” Cole asked slowly.

Shit. This was the worst possible way for Cole to find out. “It’s not how it seems. I?—”

Trace chose that moment to come inside, stepping between me and Cole. “When Agent Stanford offered his resources, we weren’t sure at first. But last night, it became clear that your op had gotten a lot bigger than we’d expected. Stanford was already at this safe house waiting for word on your whereabouts, Brynn. It made sense.”

“The minute I learned about Stillwater’s solar plant in Arizona and what you found there, I assembled a strike team of agents,” Stanford said. “They’re already on their way to the location. On the surface, they’re responding to an anonymous tip about a kidnapping. But they’ll also be cleaning up the mess you left behind.”

“What about the prisoner we brought with us?” I asked, an incredulous laugh bubbling from my chest. I was too tired. Too frustrated to sugarcoat anything. “Cole and I have no intention of turning Westwick over to the FBI. I told Cole this was a Protectors mission, and yes, I was supposed to send reports to you, but I’ll be damned if I let the Bureau take over now and wind up setting Westwick free. Not after everything the man has done.”

At that, Cole turned and walked away, heading down a hallway deeper into the house. A door closed softly. I almost followed him, but Stanford put a hand gently on my arm, making me stay.

“Trace and I already came to an agreement,” Stanford said. “This is still under the purview of the FBI task force, and I have a blank check from on high to make our Stillwater problems go away. As far as I’m concerned, that includes letting the Protectors handle any prisoner who may or may not be here.”

I looked to Trace for confirmation. “What about the part River is working on?” River’s virus would deliver an untold amount of intel about Stillwater. The FBI would want it. Stanford would want it. I admired my former boss, not just as an agent, but as someone who’d treated me like family. But it wasn’t like him to turn over that kind of control to a vigilante group. Stanford himself had told me not to trust the Protectors. Had so much changed?

Trace nodded. “Given last night’s events, Michael and I have come to an agreement. I know how unhappy Cole is about working with a federal agency. River told me. But Riv and I were CIA. Trust me, we can handle the Bureau. Wouldn’t be our first time in shark-infested waters.” He smiled at my former boss. “No offense meant, special agent in charge.”

“None taken whatsoever.” Stanford snorted a laugh. He turned to me. “Am I to understand you bonded with your partner during the course of the mission? That’s what it sounds like. Perhaps you bonded a bit too much. ”

I gave him a warning glare. “You’re not my boss anymore. Or my father.”

Trace coughed. “Brynn, you and Cole have both earned a rest before we debrief. Michael and I will escort the prisoner somewhere quiet. Someplace more conducive to…getting acquainted.”

I shivered. Trace was scary when he grinned like that.

“That okay by you?” Stanford asked. “You’ll be fine here with Bailey?”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with Cole,” I snapped. “You can save the rest of your opinions though, because I know what I’m doing.”

“Did I say anything?”

“You’ve said plenty.” I was being grumpy and petulant. Like a teenager talking to her dad. But I didn’t have the patience to do otherwise.

“Just let me know if you need me.” He patted my arm on his way out. Trace promised to lock up and said they’d return later on.

After the door had closed, I went looking for Cole.

In the hallway, doors led into a bathroom and several bedrooms. Cole was in the second bedroom, sitting on the made bed. I opened the door but paused there, leaning against the frame.

“Hey,” I said. “Is it okay if I come in?”

He looked up. “Sure hope so.”

That was a good sign. I came further into the room. “Cole, I’m sorry.”

“You lied to me,” he said evenly. Matter of fact. Yet his lack of anger made me feel that much worse.

I opened my mouth, ready with excuses and justifications. But he was right. “I should’ve told you that I was communicating with Stanford. I had a burner phone for giving him updates, and I hid it from you. I told myself I wasn’t really answering to him, and he wasn’t giving me orders, so it was okay. That burner phone was just an insurance policy, if we had no choice but to ask Stanford for help. But I should’ve been honest. I did cut off contact a couple days ago. Before you and I…got intimate.”

“Why?”

“Because hiding it felt wrong. I wanted to trust you. Be your partner. Everything we said about the two of us, being in it together, that was real for me. Please believe that.”

“C’mere,” he whispered.

“What? Why?”

“Because I need to touch you, B,” he said softly. “And it’s killing me not to.”

I swallowed around the thickness in my throat. “It’s killing me too.”

“Then come over here.”

I crossed the room. Cole pulled me into his lap. I straddled him. He pressed kisses to my collarbone and neck, his arms going tight around my waist. Holding me close enough that I couldn’t fill my lungs all the way. But I wouldn’t pull away for anything.

“A week ago, I would’ve been furious to hear you were still updating your FBI boss,” he said. “I’ll give you that. I might have gotten a bit… feisty when I learned you were an FBI agent in the first place.”

“A bit feisty?”

I felt the shape of his smile as he kissed my cheek. “But after all the shit we’ve been through in the last couple days. That you’ve been through.” A shudder ran through him. “I don’t care about the FBI. Just tell me what you need. Tell me what happened while we were separated.”

He’d asked that same question in various ways since we’d reunited at the solar plant. Just now, he’d said it with so much care and tenderness that it made my eyes sting .

“It wasn’t as bad as you’re thinking.”

“What I think isn’t the issue.” Cole looked at me with equal measures of protectiveness and righteous fury. “I swear, if Westwick hurt you when he had you prisoner, and you give me the go ahead, then I don’t care about the Protectors or the FBI or any damn thing but you . I am going to make that animal suffer for it. Regardless of the consequences.”

I rubbed my fingers against the short strands of his hair. He relaxed by degrees under my soothing touch. I brought my hand to Cole’s face, and he turned into it, his eyes drifting closed.

“Westwick kidnapped me so I could spy on Eric Masterson for him. Other men, too. Westwick wanted me to sleep with them and pass their secrets back to him. But first, he wanted me to ‘impress’ him.”

Cole cursed, blinking his eyes open. But I kept stroking my fingers through his hair.

“The minute Westwick came close enough to me, I got him in a submission hold. Choked him out and tied him up. Then I killed the guard outside the door. That’s how I got away. I was scared. But more than anything, I was thinking of you. Ryker had told me his men killed you.”

Hot tears ran down my cheeks, surprising me. Cole kissed them away. “But here I am.”

“Here you are.”

I rested my head on his shoulder for a while. Both our hearts were beating hard, but they eventually slowed.

I often had a feeling of emptiness after a mission, even a successful one. Today, that feeling was profound. But with every minute he held me, Cole was bringing me back to life.

After a while, Cole said, “I walked out of the room earlier so I wouldn’t say something stupid in the heat of the moment. I wasn’t thrilled to find your former FBI boss here, don’t get me wrong, but that pales in comparison to how relieved I am that you’re okay.”

“Same here. I truly am sorry I kept things from you, Cole.”

“We can talk about it more later. If needed. But I told you I’d take care of you. So right now, that’s what I’m going to do.”