Homeland Security (Defenders of Love Book 2) (7 page)

"Katie?" He picked up her hand in his and rubbed the back of it with his thumb in hopes of calming her a little. "This is very important. How exactly did you meet Nathan?"

She looked at him, sorrow in her hazel eyes. "I told you, I met him online. I was in a dry spell and feeling a little lonely. One of the girls at work dared me to make a profile on one of those dating sites. So I did."

"Did you tell him what you did for a living right away?"

"It was on my profile."

Kaiden looked up at Hunter who now stood beside Katie, arms folded across his chest and his expression serious. "He made her a mark the instant he knew what she did for a living."

His boss nodded agreement.

"I'm sorry to put you through this, Katie. I just have a few more questions."

"How long were you seeing each other before he suggested you move to the beach?"

"Only a couple of months. It was all so exciting. Moving, planning a wedding—oh, what was I thinking?"

Kaiden rose to a standing position and placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt the overwhelming need to maintain physical contact despite the disapproving look his boss shot at him.

"Katie and I were going to head over to the hospital today. Someone lifted her ID and access card from her apartment last night. She needs to let them know so they can be on the lookout. Will you let me know what the medical examiner says about Ms. Howe?"

Hunter studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he replied. "You want me to put someone else on this case?"

Kaiden narrowed his eyes at his boss. "No, why?"

"I'm not sure you can remain, what was the word you used? A professional."

"I am always a professional. I know the rules, boss. I would do anything for the sake of my job, remember?" Kaiden snapped, anger boiling in his gut. He had sacrificed his marriage for the sake of the United States Government. How could Hunter doubt his integrity now?

Because when he got here that integrity had disappeared. Because if he hadn't interrupted, that professionalism would be tangled up in hotel sheets right about now.

"All right, James. Do your job. I'll be in touch." Without another word, he strode to the hotel room door and disappeared into the hall. The door closed with a hard slam that made Kaiden flinch.

He got the feeling Hunter had just laid down the gauntlet. Do his job right—and without any interference from his hormones—or find another job.

***

Katie watched Kaiden's boss leave the room without so much as a glance in her direction. The man had given her the creeps. He looked at her like he knew exactly what she and Kaiden had been doing when he pounded on the door. He worked as an investigator for one of the country's most secretive agencies. He probably had x-ray vision and had seen her straddling Kaiden right through the steel door.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Katie asked.

"What? Oh, no. Hunter likes to throw his weight around a little. Makes him feel good about himself." Kaiden laughed but it didn't make Katie feel any better about the situation.

"I'm sorry."

Kaiden stopped rummaging in his bag and turned to look at her. "Sorry? For what?"

"For—I don't know—everything, I guess."

He went over to where she sat and took her hand. Katie let him pull her to her feet and wrap his arms around her. "My job is demanding and there are rules, yes, but I didn't do anything I didn't want to—still want to do—and as soon as this case is over, you and I are going to go about things the proper way. I never should have left that hospital without taking your number and I hate that we found each other again under such awful circumstances."

"I don't."

"Don't what?" Kaiden leaned back and looked down at her.

"I don't hate that we found each other again, despite the circumstances."

Kaiden's blue eyes smoldered as he studied her. Her body warmed as she felt the pure strength radiating from the arms that held her. She wanted nothing more than to explore the fantasies she herself had created, not to mention find out what exactly Kaiden had been dreaming about, but she knew she had to wait now. The run in with Hunter had been like a neon sign reminding her that they needed to focus on clearing her name and stopping Nathan from whatever he had planned.

He leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead and then stepped back, his arms dropping from around her. "What do you say we get out of here and go see the powers that be over at the hospital?"

"Okay. As long as we can grab something to eat on the way. My stomach is trying to digest itself, I'm so hungry."

Kaiden laughed. "I know what you mean."

As he turned away to grab a long sleeved tee from the back of a chair, Katie admired the lean, hard muscle of his back and shoulders. A few minutes ago, all of that would have been hers if Kaiden's boss hadn't shown up.

"Damn it," she muttered, the frustration radiating to parts of her body that had been left alone for far too long.

Kaiden turned to look at her, concern in his ethereal blue eyes. She really loved his eyes. Nathan's had been blue too but compared to Kaiden's his had been dull and lifeless. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied, offering up a small smile. "I was just thinking I forgot to brush my teeth."

He obviously didn't believe her but he grinned anyway. "You want to go ahead and I will get dressed out here?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks."

As she brushed her teeth, Katie thought about the last twenty four hours. One minute she was carrying around a broken heart and a bruised ego, the next her home was trashed, her job probably lost forever, and Kaiden James had walked back into her life.

Just like when they met in the hospital, her body experienced a whirlwind of sensations whenever he touched her. Katie found it harder and harder to trust herself with Kaiden nearby and as much as she longed to run back into that bedroom and throw him down on the bed, she had to get her head on straight. There could be no more of anything between them, not if she valued her sanity. When all of this was over, even if she didn't land herself in federal prison somewhere for letting Nathan ruin her life, Kaiden would ride off into the sunset again. She got the feeling a man like that only stayed attached to one thing and that was his job.

With a deep sigh and heavy heart, Katie rinsed her toothbrush. Some women weren't meant to find love.

Chapter Seven

Kaiden glanced over at Katie as he drove toward the hospital where she worked. It bothered him that she had returned to being silent and distant again. After their little rendezvous that morning he had been hopeful that they were on the way to starting something once this case was all wrapped up. Something he suspected had the potential to be pretty great.

So, why had she suddenly shut down on him again?

"Did I do something to upset you?" he finally asked when he couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"No."

"Are you sure? I mean, an hour ago…?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. I thought I should stay focused on this thing with Nathan first."

She looked out the window the entire time she spoke so he had no way of reading her expression. Kaiden resisted the urge to pull the truck over but he did reach for her hand. When he found it, she tried to pull her hand away but he resisted her attempts with his solid hold. "I'm sorry if Hunter made you feel uncomfortable."

"It's fine, really." Again, she attempted to pull her hand from his but Kaiden held on. "I think we should concentrate all our efforts on figuring out what Nathan is up to now so I can try to get my life back."

"The life you had before you met Nathan or…"

"The life I had twenty four hours ago before some government desk jockey thought I was a terrorist or an assistant terrorist or whatever."

This time when she tried to pull away, he let her. What she said had truth to it. The case had to be the primary objective, especially now that they might have a target. Or at least a target location.
The weekday traffic was light so they made it to the hospital in under ten minutes. Kaiden pulled his truck into the visitor's parking lot and found a spot under a tree he could back into.

Tactical parking is what Cara had called his need to be backed into any parking spot. Kaiden viewed it as an easy way to make a quick escape should the need arise. Cara thought it was just another one of his deficiencies in their marriage. Come to think of it, she mocked pretty much everything he did. Katie didn't say a word though as he drove up and down lanes of parking spaces looking for the right one.

"We have to enter through that door." Katie pointed to a detached building to the side of the main hospital building.

Kaiden double checked the locks on the truck and felt for the gun on his hip and the knife in his pocket. He did the same thing every time he exited his vehicle, no matter what vehicle he drove. More habits Cara had found repulsive.

Without thinking he reached for Katie's hand as they walked. She shot him a sideways glance as she withdrew her hand and started digging around in her pocketbook.

"Sorry," he mumbled, not sorry at all.

Katie didn't respond. She pulled her driver's license from her wallet and held it in her hand as they entered the building. An elderly gentleman dressed in a hospital security uniform rose from his seat behind a large desk to meet her.

"Miss Katie! They've been looking for you!"

"Who's been looking for her?" Kaiden asked before Katie even had a chance to answer.

"Who are you? You don't work here," the security officer demanded. "He with you, Miss Katie?"

"It's all right, Harold. He's a law enforcement officer."

"I don't see no badge." Harold scowled at Kaiden.

"Government agents don't have to answer to rent a cops," Kaiden snapped.

Katie placed a hand on Kaiden's arm as she turned to the security officer. "He's okay, Harold, really. He has been protecting me since last night."

Harold shot Kaiden a suspicious glance. "I could protect you, Miss Katie. You dump the dead weight there and let me take over. What do you need protectin' from anyway?"

"Right now, probably the people looking for me."

"You better get up there and tell them you didn't do it." The older man completely turned his back on Kaiden

"Do what, Harold?" Katie asked, smiling sweetly at the old man.

Kaiden found himself experiencing an attack of jealousy. Squashing the old green eyed monster, he stepped around Katie putting himself in the guard's sightline again.

"Don't say anything else to him, Katie. For all we know, he's in on it." Taking Katie by the elbow, Kaiden steered her around the front desk and toward a hall with a large sign pointing toward an elevator.

"I ain't in on nothin'!" Harold called after them even as he grabbed the receiver of the phone.

"Right now he is calling up to your unit," Kaiden said as he pressed the up button by the elevator. "Who is he going to reach? Is there anything I need to know before we get out of this elevator again?"

"Harold is a harmless old man who works here part time to supplement his social security. Why did you have to be so rude?" Katie demanded.

"Rude? You think
I
was the rude one? Seriously? Were you not standing there? That old man was probably planning six ways to murder me where I stood."

"Next you are probably going to insist that Harold is in on it with Nathan too."

"It's possible." Kaiden shrugged.

"You heard him, he doesn't know anything."

"Perhaps. Now tell me, who was he calling?" Kaiden asked.

"Most likely my supervisor. The floor is under lock and key and Harold doesn't like you."

The elevator doors slid open and Kaiden followed Katie inside. After pushing the button for the fourth floor, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall. Her eyes watched the doors grimly.

Great job, James. Now she won't even look at you.

Kaiden figured the best plan for the moment was to remain quiet. It didn't matter to him that the unit was under lock and key. One good thing about working for the feds—doors opened for him.

When they reached the fourth floor, Katie led the way to the infectious disease department. The hospital was unusual in that it appeared to have a research facility right there in the medical treatment area. He imagined that might be necessary for some of the more obscure ailments and diseases that could potentially crop up.

What could they have in there that Nathan Marks might find useful in a terrorist attack?

"Do you all store things here like anthrax?" Katie shot him a look that asked him if he was stupid or something.

"No. This isn't a government facility. We just deal with infectious diseases people get in the real world. Like staph, MRSA and Legionnaires' disease."

"Legionnaires' disease?" Kaiden had never heard of that one.

"It sort of presents like pneumonia or the flu but worsens quickly. After two or three days of symptoms the person will have chest pain, cough up blood, have nausea or vomiting and experience mental confusion."

"Do people die from it?"

"Legionnaires' is sporadic. It's not really the first thing someone thinks of when their patient presents with pneumonia or flu-like symptoms. A doctor has to think to look for it. If not diagnosed properly it can lead to septic shock, respiratory or kidney failure."

"So, it's pretty much a death sentence?"

Katie shrugged. "It doesn't have to be. The disease is very treatable, as long as it's diagnosed properly. If nothing else, it will catch someone's attention. It just takes a lot to diagnose it."

They were standing outside the door of the unit. Katie pressed a buzzer and peered through the window.

Kaiden could see from over her shoulder that the floor was deserted. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know." Katie pushed the buzzer button again. A full minute later a woman dressed in a black business suit approached the door, her lips set in a thin line.

"That's my boss."

"Why isn't she wearing scrubs or something?"

"No, not my floor supervisor. The big boss. Eileen is an administrator and is married to one of the members of the board of directors."

"Well, she doesn't look too happy."

"I know."

Eileen stepped up to a desk and pushed a button. When the buzzer sounded, Katie pulled open the door to the unit and they stepped in.

"Ms. McCoy." Eileen nodded curtly.

Kaiden stepped forward, badge in hand. "Good morning, Ma'am. I'm Agent James."

Eileen looked him up and down before turning her back and walking away. "Follow me."

Kaiden watched her, reluctant to go anywhere with the angry looking Eileen but Katie seemed relatively unconcerned. Maybe the woman simply lacked personality.

And basic manners.

After passing through a short hallway, Eileen stopped in front of a conference room. Inside stood a woman dressed in a lab coat, a second woman wearing scrubs and white nursing shoes, and a man in a suit. The man looked completely out of place to Kaiden.

The man in the suit eyed Kaiden suspiciously but didn't say anything. Both of the women smiled brightly. James men had that effect on women. Kaiden found it to be both a blessing and curse in his line of work.

"Is this your attorney?" The woman in the scrubs asked, nodding toward Kaiden.

"Do I need an attorney?"

"Have you done something wrong?" Eileen asked.

"No."

Kaiden stepped forward again and introduced himself to the rest of the group. "Agent James."

"Of what agency?" the man in the suit asked.

"Homeland Security."

The room fell so silent you could have heard a pin drop. Kaiden looked from one curious face to the next before settling himself in one of the desk chairs arranged around the oval table. Katie followed, sitting on the edge of the chair next to him. He couldn't blame her for looking so uncomfortable. Eileen looked like an executioner standing over her firing squad of hospital administrators.

The man in the suit rose and extended his hand to Kaiden. "Name's Bill Murphy, CEO of the hospital. That's Sandra Wells in the lab coat and Sally Mays, one of the shift supervisors. You have already met Eileen Danske."

Kaiden shook the man's hand and offered a nod to the women. "What exactly is going on here? Ms. McCoy came in to report a lost ID badge yet you all seem to be expecting her."

"Why would she bring an agent of Homeland Security to report a lost ID badge?" Bill asked shooting a look at Katie.

Kaiden answered before Katie could. "Ms. McCoy was the victim of a crime last night in which her ID was stolen from her home. We believe there might be a connection to an open case."

Sandra sucked in a breath.

"Do you know something, Ms. Wells?" Kaiden asked.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Maybe?" Kaiden asked, getting annoyed.

"Well, someone broke into the lab early this morning with Katie's card. Several samples used for research were stolen."

"You keep research samples in a hospital lab?"

"Just things we use to help treat the patients—for testing antibiotics and antivirals and things like that."

"Sandra, what was missing?" Sally asked.

"Two vials containing Legionnaires' bacteria."

The same bug they were discussing in the elevator. Kaiden shot a sideways look at Katie. She looked really surprised.

"I really don't understand, why Legionnaires'?" Eileen asked.

"Now that is the question, isn't it?" Bill replied.

"Are you sure that is all that is missing?" Kaiden asked.

"I checked twice. We don't really have anything too life threatening in this particular lab. No anthrax or anything like that. I don't understand what anyone would want with it," Sandra answered, smiling at him. She looked at him like she wanted to throw him over the conference table and do him right there. He rose from the chair and pulled Katie up after him. "Thank you all for your time."

"Where exactly are you going?" Eileen demanded.

Her attitude got on his nerves. He preferred Sandra's 'do me' eyes over Eileen's go screw attitude and he didn't really have time for either. "Did you need something else from Ms. McCoy? She came here to report her missing ID but you already knew about it."

"Someone broke into the lab. How do we know it
wasn't
her?" Eileen motioned toward Katie.

"Why would I steal Legionnaires'?" Katie demanded, speaking for the first time.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell us?"

"Now, Eileen. We don't know she did it," Bill said.

"Please." Eileen threw her hands on her hips. "Who breaks into someone's house to steal hospital ID and then chooses something as innocuous as Legionnaires' disease to rip off from a lab?"

"Eileen, you don't really think Katie had anything to do with that?" Sally asked. "She hasn't even worked here long enough to know where to find the stuff."

"Exactly why I think it's her. She skipped the entire hiring process because she was friends with the Marks family. Why our hospital? Why this unit?"

"How dare you!" Katie exclaimed. "I got this job because I am a damned good nurse and I wanted to live near my fiancé. Mr. Marks just got me the interview."