The Soldier's Mission (13 page)

The implication of that statement hit Paco with lightning swift clarity. “You're not thinking—”

Gerald Barton lifted a hand. “We have to consider every angle, Warrior. We could all very well be in danger, but we can't be sure at this point. But, son, it doesn't look good.”

Paco stood up. “You keep working on all the angles, but I'm going after Lawrence Henner. The man hired all of these people to do his dirty work—we have that connection, too, right?”

“You're right, bro,” Eli said. “Henner hired all three men to work at Central Security Network. And we have the other connection.”

“They all worked for CHAIM at one time or another,” Paco finished. “And failed.”

“And that's the sticking point,” Eli replied.

Shane pointed to the names. “Barrow, Rutherford and Booker were not CHAIM material. And let's be honest here, based on their clumsy attempts to harm Laura, they weren't trained operatives under CSN, either. So the big question is why would Lawrence Henner hire men he knew would fail?”

“And why did he come after Laura?” Paco asked, that question foremost in his mind. “She thinks he blames her for his son's death but it sounds like the man himself might be responsible.”

“We have a theory on that, too,” Shane replied. “We think he was watching Laura, maybe had someone on the inside keeping tabs on her work, her whereabouts. He was just waiting—”

“For her to come to me?” Paco asked, jumping up. “Warwick, are you saying all of this was to get to me?”

“We think maybe he waited to get to one of us, yes,” Shane said. “But there's more. As we said, we also believe he's not only targeting you and Laura. He wants to come after all of CHAIM, taking us out one by one. When Laura found you, he went into action.”

“But why?” Paco asked, his mind whirling.

Gerald Barton stood up and glanced around the room.

“We believe he's trying to form his own undercover team. But we also believe his team will be much different from ours. Lawrence Henner is forming a vigilante group.”

“For what purpose?” Paco asked, his heart aching with apprehension and concern. And rage.

“That's what we have to figure out,” Shane said. “And it will take all of us working together to do so.”

P
aco wasn't so sure about that together part. But he had promised Laura he'd ask for help. Could he do that?

Devon shifted in his chair. “You can't do this alone, Paco. We won't let you.”

“You won't let me?” Paco took his dear sweet time eyeing each of them. They'd all been together for years, so it was only natural that they could read each other so easily. “Is this some sort of intervention?”

Eli huffed a chuckle. “
Non,
bro. It's not like that. Listen to one who knows—this is bigger than you. Now, you can be a hotshot and take off like a lone wolf into the wild or you can let this team—
your team
—help you out.”

Paco sank down on a chair, his mind whirling with what he could do and what he should do. Were they right about this? Laura had seen this coming and she'd only known him a few days. These men knew his soul and his flaws. But did he dare reach out for help? Wasn't that a sign of weakness?

“There's no shame in having a team to back you,” Devon said. “Especially now when we could all be in danger.”

Paco looked up at Devon. “Do you think Henner will come after us here?”

“It could happen,” Devon said. “In spite of our precautions and our security measures, if someone wants to get to us badly enough, they can find a way. Especially someone who also runs a security company.”

Paco couldn't let that happen. “I brought Laura here to protect her. Maybe that's what Henner expected and wanted since we think he's in the vicinity.”

“That's all the more reason to do some recon, old boy,” Warwick said with an eloquent shrug.

But Paco saw the shade of worry in Warwick's cold-steel eyes. He couldn't let these men down. And he wouldn't put their loves ones—or Laura—in harm's way. Maybe if he hadn't been so determined to win at all costs on that mountainside in the Middle East, his men might be alive today. And maybe Laura was right. Maybe God did have one more mission in mind for Paco Martinez.

“All right,” he said, tapping his hands on the table. “I need help on this. Where do we start?”

Warwick nodded his approval, admiration in his eyes. “We start at the beginning, going back over everything. But first, we decide who goes out there with you and who stays here to protect everyone else.”

The founding members argued amongst themselves and finally all agreed they were too old to do field work, so they'd stay here and monitor the situation.

“With the women and children,” Gerald said with a cowboy twang. “Just like the good old days even if we can't go out into the fray.”

“Your wife would tell you she can handle that part,” Delton Carter said with a smile.

“She probably could,” Gerald agreed. “But I ain't going anywhere. Time for these young cowboys to take over.”

Shane looked at Devon. “Dev, you should stay here with Lydia.”

Paco watched Devon's face, saw the battle of duty toward CHAIM warring with duty toward his wife and unborn child. “I don't think—”

“Then I'll think for you, bro,” Eli said. “Do not leave her and that babe here alone. Trust me, it's not worth it.”

Eli should know, Paco thought. He'd gone on a mission only to return to find his pregnant wife had been taken. He believed she'd died but she'd survived in a coma long enough for her child to be born. And Devon had protected that child from everyone, even an unstable Eli, up until a year or so ago.

Devon shot Eli a long look. “You're right. Gena won't like it if you go and I stay, but I can watch over Scotty for you if I stay behind.”

“Just as you did before,” Eli reminded him.

Brice stepped forward. “I'm more than willing to go out with you, Paco.”

Delton Carter shook his head. “Brice, I'd feel better if you stayed here to help Kissie with the technical details. And besides, you're good with hostage situations and interrogation.”

Brice frowned then nodded. “Just in case?”

“Just in case,” Delton replied, his expression grim.

Warwick glanced around the room. “So it's settled. Paco, Eli and I will try to track down Lawrence Henner, first to observe and report, then to get proof of what we think he's trying to do. If we find proof, we call in the
authorities and make sure we stop this before anyone else gets hurt.”

Paco got up. “That just leaves one detail. Who's going to tell the women about this?”

 

Laura had expected him to come back. She looked up when Paco walked through the door to her room, her heart jolting her pulse into a heavy cadence she could feel beating against her temple.

“Hi,” she said, trying to smile.

“Hi,” he replied back, without a smile.

“You're going after him, aren't you?”

He didn't even seem surprised at her words. “I have to. We've connected some of the dots and—”

“And Lawrence Henner has several people working for him, people who tried to or either became CHAIM agents but wound up being my patients, not to mention my stalker ex-boyfriend, who also works for Henner. And Mr. Henner is bitter about his son's suicide. Something else I was involved in. Did I miss any of the dots?”

He almost smiled at that. “No. You've pretty much put it all together. But, we also hit on something else, sweetheart. Something you said early on.”

She shifted, grimaced with pain. “What?”

“Me,” he replied. “We're beginning to think he used you to get to me, somehow. If he wanted either of us dead, we'd be gone by now. But he knew I'd protect you.”

She shook her head. “That can't be. Henner had no idea you'd call me that night or that I'd go out and try to find you.”

“But he could have pinned his hopes on you becoming
my counselor sooner or later. We gave him the sooner the night I called you. He could have been waiting for a CHAIM operative to call for help. And I guess I got the short straw.”

“Do you think he tapped the hotline?”

“Wouldn't put it past him. Especially if he wanted to monitor the whereabouts of what people consider an unstable CHAIM agent. He obviously did his homework on that one.”

Realization colored her expression. “It does seem each CSN person he sent after us was unstable, doesn't it? Surely he doesn't think you'd turn on CHAIM and join up with him?”

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “Hard to rationalize a madman's plan. Everyone thinks I'm on the brink. Why not Henner, too?”

“You're not like those men, Paco.”

He stood there, looking down at her for a long minute then he reached out and took her hand, his gaze dancing around the room. “I talked to you last night. I told you everything.”

“I know,” she said, watching for his reaction.

His gaze slammed into hers. “You heard me?”

“I heard most of it.” She smiled. “I heard what God wanted me to hear, I think.”

He let go of her hand and backed away. “I thought—”

“You thought no one was listening.” Laura reached out for him again. “Paco, you have to remember something about God and me. When it comes to you, we're both willing to listen.”

His expression went from hard-edged and unyielding
to open-faced disbelief and finally, a quiet awe. “Why me, Laura?”

“Why not you, Paco?” She held tightly to the edge of her blanket. “Maybe the only way you could truly confide in someone was exactly the way it happened, while you thought no one was listening. But I heard you and I'm telling you, we can get you through this. You have to forgive yourself and you have to let go. But that's easier said than done. I should listen to my own advice.”

He took her hand back in his. “You amaze me, you know.”

Laura felt the heat of that gentle praise warming her all the way to her toes. “I take my job very seriously,” she said to hide that heat.

“So do I,” he retorted. “And I want the world—your world—to be safe again.”

That shattered the delicate emotions floating like crystal inside her head. “So you have to finish this, right?”

“Right. Henner's either after me or he wants to bring down CHAIM.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Power, vengeance, greed. Your guess is as good as mine, sweetheart.” He leaned down close. “But I intend to find out.”

Laura stared up at him, her heart hammering so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. “Could you do me one favor before you leave me?”

He leaned in a little farther, his dark eyes burning with a brilliant fire. “Anything.”

“Kiss me goodbye.”

The look on his face wasn't very encouraging. Laura's
warmth turned to an outright blush of shame. She turned her head away, mortified. “I'm sorry. Just go.”

The next thing she knew, Paco was lifting her head back around, his hands pulling through her tangled hair as he lowered his head to hers. The kiss started out as a fast and furious peck and ended up as a slow and caressing, very real kiss.

This is how it is with us, Laura thought as her mind filled with the essence of Paco Martinez. This is how it will be with us. This guessing, wishing, needing, finding.

She didn't want it to end.

But he pulled away just as quickly as he'd come close.

“You didn't have to give me a mercy kiss,” she said, tears forming in her eyes in spite of her intake of breath.

He touched a hand back to her hair, his eyes locking with hers. “Sweetheart, that was not a mercy kiss. That was a promise that I don't have the right to make to you.”

Hope lifted her. “What kind of promise, Paco?”

He kissed her again, his lips feathering over her tears. “A promise that I will be back. For you.”

And then, he was gone, just like that, the imprint of his hard-edged touch and his hard-fought promise lingering like a distant mountain vista just beyond her mind.

 

Paco did one last check of the wing where Laura was recovering, making sure Andre was standing guard and Devon and Brice would take shifts, too. Selena had assured him all of Laura's vitals were good and she had
no signs of fever or infection. Dr. Haines was scheduled to return later to check on her again, but Paco trusted Selena until then.

Brice met him outside the secure wing. “Things are about as tight as we can get them, Warrior. You have my word I'll take care of everyone here.”

“Laura,” Paco replied, the memories of her satin-sweet touch lingering in his mind. “I need you to protect Laura.”

“Granted,” Brice replied, his expression questioning.

Paco wasn't ready to answer any questions right now. These new feelings were too bittersweet with their intensity and too raw and fresh for him to make any kind of declarations. He'd get through this task and then he'd step back and examine these new sensations rushing through him like a gully-wash over a dry creek bed.

“You okay, friend?” Brice asked as they headed back toward the war room.

“As okay as a man can be,” Paco replied.

Kissie and Eli met them at the door. “I've isolated the signal from Laura's laptop,” Kissie said.

“Where?” Paco asked.

“Just as we thought,” Eli replied. “The laptop is at Lawrence Henner's estate about an hour outside of Austin.”

She gave them the coordinates. “He doesn't know we're onto him.”

“Or he wants us to find him,” Eli warned.

“Either way, I'm gonna pay the man a visit,” Paco retorted.

“And Shane and I are going with you,” Eli countered.

Paco saw Shane coming up the hall. “Gear's all packed. Ready, gentlemen?”

Eli nodded. “I've explained to Gena and she's good. Well, as good as Gena can be—stubborn woman that she is. And Scotty's mad he can't go with us.”

Shane's grin didn't reach his eyes. “Same here. Katherine is with her mother, putting on a brave front. No, that's not quite true. She is brave, very brave.” He frowned. “Too brave. I'll have to remind Brice of that.”

They both looked at Paco. “How's Laura?” Shane asked.

“Laura knew this was coming,” Paco said, rather than getting all sappy like these two lovesick cods. “Let's get out of here.”

He saw the lift of Kissie's dark eyebrows but thankfully, she didn't say anything. Except her call as they went down the hallway.

“Stay safe. You have my prayers.”

They all needed that, Paco decided. And inside his head, no, inside his heart, he felt that same tug that his buddies must be feeling. He didn't want to leave Laura.

But he had to do this in order to come back to her, whole and healed and ready to kiss her one more time.

 

Laura had visitors in the hours after Paco, Eli and Shane left. She figured these strong, supportive women were not only trying to distract and comfort her, but were also trying to keep themselves centered and calm, too. They had to be used to this kind of scene where their loved ones left to save the world, but she sure wasn't.

Now several women huddled around her bedchamber, some sitting on the edge of her bed and some settled into the comfortable chairs that had appeared in her room.

“This reminds me of that scene in
Gone With the Wind,
” Lydia, a Georgia girl, said with a drawl. “You know when the men go out to protect Scarlett's honor after she was accosted near her mill by Shantytown. They're all sitting around knitting and stitching, their nerves on edge, while their men are out there about to get in a big fight.”

“I've never seen that movie,” dark-haired Gena Malone Trudeau said. “And I don't knit. I'm sure my nerves will be shot before this is over. At least Brice is entertaining Scotty for me.”

“You should read the book,” Selena, also born and raised in Georgia, replied as she filled Laura's water glass. “It's better than the movie. Brice has read it several times to ‘understand the southern female mindset,' or so he tells me. That's my Irish poet, always trying to maintain his sensitive side.”