Dutch, page 17
She heard the door to the cottage open, and she stood.
“Hey,” Dutch said, coming around the corner. “If you need me to go back out, I can.”
Malin walked over and put her arms around his neck. “That’s the last thing I want.”
Dutch put his hands on her hips and brought her body closer to his. “You sure about that?”
Malin reached up and brought her lips to his. “More than I’ve been sure of anything in a long time.”
Dutch took her hands from around his neck. “Believe me, there is nothing I’d like more than to sweep you off your feet, carry you upstairs, and find out exactly how sure you are, but, baby, I gotta ask where this is coming from. Not less than an hour ago, you needed to be alone. Now—”
She rested two fingers on his lips and then put her arms back around his neck. “That’s just it. I’m not alone. For the first time in over a year, I’m not, and I have you to thank for that.”
“What’s changed, Malin?” he moved her arms again and walked far enough away that she couldn’t touch him.
“I was thinking about meeting with Ghafor, and it dawned on me that I wasn’t afraid. Whatever happens, I know I’m not alone. I know that even if I don’t get what we need to bring Montgomery down, that won’t be the end. You’ll help me figure out what I need to do next.”
“I thought that was exactly what you didn’t want.”
“It wasn’t, or that’s what I told myself. Until I realized what was behind my bravado, and that’s you.”
“You could handle this all on your own, baby. In fact, you did.”
“And the whole time I second-guessed myself. I let Ghafor push me around. I let him demand I hand you over to Safi. I let him force me to kidnap Alegria. I let him. I didn’t stand up to him, because I was afraid.”
Dutch shook his head. “No. You did what you knew you needed to do.”
“I don’t want to argue with you. What I want you to know is that I’m done pushing you out of my way when I know damn well that you’re the reason I’m here to begin with.”
—:—
Dutch laughed to himself thinking about how he and Malin spent so much damn time dancing around each other. They’d worked so seamlessly when they were both at the agency, why couldn’t they again?
“Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Fair enough. How much time have you got?”
“Give or take three hours.”
“Let’s get at it, then.”
19
“Ready?” Dutch asked.
“I am, how about you?”
“Sure enough.”
In the last three hours, they’d decided that Abdul Ghafor no longer called the shots and they needed to stop treating him like he did. Malin would meet with him, but it wouldn’t be out in a damn vineyard. It would be inside the winery where Dutch and Doc would be close, along with as many others of the K19 team she decided she wanted to be visible.
Ghafor wasn’t armed, because that same team had taken away his weapons. There was no reason why any of them needed to be armed.
“We need to brief Doc.”
“You’re sure he’ll go along with it?”
Dutch laughed. “Oh, yeah. He’s probably struggling as much as I am to stay out of it.”
* * *
When they walked into the winery, Malin saw that Razor, Gunner, and Onyx were waiting with Doc.
“Ranger, Diesel, and Striker will be on their way as soon as we give the word,” Doc told her.
She nodded, looking around the room. “Thank you all for being here.”
“Tell us what you want us to do, Starling,” said Gunner, winking.
She felt Dutch stiffen behind her and looked over her shoulder. “Consider the source,” she murmured. “Thank you, Gunner,” she said, looking him in the eye and seeing respect mirrored back at her.
Malin outlined everything she and Dutch had discussed. “The plan is to get Ghafor to agree to testify in exchange for exile, if that’s what he’s looking for. If he wants to return to the Middle East, we’ll make that happen instead.”
“The one thing we haven’t talked about is what state his organization is in presently,” said Doc.
Malin nodded. “He’s kidnapping former CIA agents, asking for hundred-million-dollar ransoms, and recruiting women as soldiers for Allah.”
“He’s done,” said Gunner.
“He won’t choose to go back,” agreed Malin.
“Rumors of his demise, then, aren’t premature.”
Malin nodded, feeling as though Gunner was reading her mind.
“Where are we stashing him?” he asked Doc.
“We’ll find a place where it’s hotter than hell most of the year.”
“South America somewhere,” said Razor, looking at something on his laptop. “McTiernan says Montgomery is headed in to see him,” he added, raising his head.
“We ready?” asked Doc.
“We are,” she answered, looking at Dutch, who nodded.
“Let’s get him here.”
“How far out is he?” asked Onyx.
“He’s at the Harmony safe house, which gives us about thirty minutes.” Doc turned from him to Malin. “You have time to rework this if you’ve changed your mind about any part of it.”
“There’s nothing I want to change.”
Doc nodded. “Let’s move,” he said to the rest of the men in the room.
“Where’s Merrigan?” she asked once only she, Dutch, and Doc were left in the room.
“Back in Montecito along with my parents, where they’ll stay until this is finished.”
—:—
Malin’s question and Doc’s answer reminded Dutch that this wasn’t the dangerous part of the mission. That would come later, as soon as they fed Deputy Director Montgomery enough to get him to act. Before he left, McTiernan assured them that from everything he’d learned, the man would work alone. Dutch didn’t have enough confidence in Kellen to believe he knew one way or another.
“You’re quiet,” she said when Doc excused himself.
Dutch nodded.
“Everything okay?”
“No. It isn’t.”
When Malin’s brow furrowed, Dutch smoothed the creases with his finger.
“Tell me you’re sure this is the way you want this to go down.”
“I’ve told you over and over again that it is.”
“I don’t want you to look back at this and feel as though you were pressured into handling it in a way you hadn’t originally intended to.”
“I’m sure what we’re doing is right, Dutch. Why are you second-guessing me now?”
He walked her backwards until her back was up against the stone wall of the room and grasped the back of her neck. He brought his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, knowing that this wasn’t the time to tell her how he felt—that he loved her more than he’d known he was capable of. To do so would not only be selfish, it would be dangerous. Instead, he kissed her, thrusting his tongue inside of her mouth while he held her still, forcing her to take what he gave. He couldn’t tell her with words, but this way he could.
“What is this about, Dutch?” she asked, pulling back to look in his eyes.
He couldn’t answer. If he spoke, he’d say everything he knew he shouldn’t. When he tried to pull away, she grabbed him.
“Don’t walk away from me,” she pleaded. “Talk to me.”
He shook his head. “I’m protecting you.”
“What does that really mean, Dutch?”
“You know what it means.”
“Tell me.”
“I can’t. Not now.”
“Yes, now. Please.”
Dutch closed his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “Malin…”
“Tell me, Dutch,” she whispered.
He looked into her eyes and cupped her cheek with his palm. “I love you, Malin. I hope you know how much.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Dutch.”
He studied her, wanting to ask a thousand questions, but none more than why she’d let him tell her now. With everything she had in front of her, why now? But he didn’t. Instead, he covered her lips with his, letting his mouth and tongue tell her again how he felt.
—:—
As hard as it was to do, Malin pulled away from Dutch when she heard people entering the winery.
“They’re through the gate,” Razor said when she turned to face him.
She sat at the table in the middle of the room and grasped Dutch’s hand when he sat beside her.
“I’ll be right over there,” he said, motioning with his head to the place they’d agreed he’d be positioned. “You’ve got this, baby.”
She nodded. “I do.”
Doc moved from where he stood talking to Gunner to his assigned spot.
Malin would be the only one who spoke to Ghafor, but the man would know that she had backup close enough to act or even intervene if necessary.
She heard the heavy door open and raised her head, looking directly into the man’s eyes.
“This is not what we agreed,” he said to Striker as they walked toward her.
“Special Agent Kilbourne made the rules,” he responded.
Ghafor’s eyes never left hers, and Malin didn’t blink.
“Let’s get right to it,” she said when he was seated.
Ghafor nodded.
“What did United Russia pay you to do?”
He smiled. “If you know United Russia was behind it, you don’t need any further information from me. You already have your answers.”
“I want to hear it from you. In detail.”
Ghafor looked around the room at the men she now considered her team. He had two choices. He could answer her, or he could face whatever his imagination had conjured up they’d do to him.
“Before we begin.” She placed a recording device in front of him and turned it on. “Go ahead.”
Ghafor leaned back in his chair. “Also, before I begin…”
“No, Abdul. Let’s see what you have for us before we promise to give you anything.”
—:—
“Think it’s enough?” Dutch asked Striker while Ranger and Diesel led Ghafor out of the winery and back into the SUV that would return him to the safe house.
“It’s more than I thought we’d have.”
“She’s good,” Dutch said, looking over at Malin.
“She’s okay,” answered Striker, walking away.
Malin was head-to-head with Doc, playing back everything Ghafor had said. In the end, they’d agreed to give him the protection he needed in exchange for his testimony before Congress—if it came to that. With everything he’d told them, Dutch could already see the heads rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue, beginning with the man now considered the leader of the free world.
When Doc left, Dutch walked over to her.
“Good job, Malin.”
She smiled up at him. “The best part is that he gave us the proof Orlov would’ve.” She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them and looked into his. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
Dutch put his fingers to her lips. “Shh. I know you didn’t.”
When she smiled again, he wanted to lift her up and spin her in the air, but they weren’t alone. Instead he leaned in as close to her as he could get.
“Do you have any idea how proud I am of you?”
“You are?”
“Damn right, I am.”
“Thank you for making me realize I needed your help.”
“You didn’t, but I’ll let you thank me anyway. Later, though.”
She brushed his lips with hers.
“We have work to do, Starling,” they both heard Gunner say as he walked up to the table.
“Stage two begins now.”
“Give her a minute to revel in her glory,” said Razor, walking up beside him. “Okay, minute’s up. Dutch, remove your hands from Special Agent Kilbourne so she can brief us on what she wants us to do next.”
Malin laughed and rolled her eyes. “You’re pretty good for my ego. I am a junior agent, you know.”
“Junior agent?” said Gunner. “I thought you were coming on board as a partner.”
Malin looked at Dutch who shook his head. “I didn’t suggest to anyone that you wanted to join K19.”
“Why the hell not?” asked Gunner.
“I’ll let Malin speak for herself.”
All eyes turned to her.
“Now probably wouldn’t be a good time for you to put her on the spot,” Dutch added.
“I repeat, why the hell not?” Gunner walked over to Malin so he was close enough that Dutch could see she was uncomfortable. “This is one of the biggest ops I’ve ever seen in my career,” he said to her. “Stay with the agency if you want to, but you can do a lot more good in the world if you don’t have your hands tied all the time.”
“I’m not sure I want to stay in intelligence,” she murmured.
Dutch was prepared to intervene if Gunner kept up his confrontation, but he didn’t. Instead he shook his head, walked to the other side of the table, and took a seat.
“Let’s get to work,” said Razor, sitting next to Gunner. “Out of everything Ghafor told you, which part do you think will make Montgomery act?”
—:—
After an hour of hashing it out, Malin was convinced they knew exactly what they needed to do.
“If McTiernan tells Montgomery I have evidence substantial enough that once the attorney general hears it, he’ll appoint a special prosecutor, it’ll be enough.”
“What about McTiernan?” asked Dutch.
“Going off the grid, at least as far as Monty’s access to him. He’s being pulled for an NSA mission. Copeland is out too,” said Razor.
“Not a lie,” added Gunner, chuckling. “That oughta make Monty crap his britches.”
“If there isn’t anything else for us to discuss…” Malin looked at each of the men in the room, all of whom seemed surprised that she was ready to end the meeting already. “I’d like to make some notes.”
Gunner nodded and motioned for Razor to follow him.
“What do you need, Malin?” Dutch asked when they were alone.
“A break.” She walked into his arms and rested her head on his chest. “I know you guys probably think I’m a wimp, but I need time to think.”
Dutch laughed. “There isn’t a person who’s met you who thinks you’re a wimp.”
Malin took Dutch’s hand and led him out of the winery and to the walkway that led to the cottage.
“What’s goin’ on, baby?” he asked when she walked up the stairs as soon as they were inside.
“If you follow me, you’ll find out.”
She laughed when Dutch took the stairs two at a time to catch up.
Malin walked straight into the bathroom and up to the bath’s control panel.
“I’m sure I could figure this out, but I think it would be quicker if you pushed whatever buttons fill the tub.”
“My pleasure,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and shifting her to the left.
Malin shed her clothes and stepped into the warm swirling water. When Dutch did the same and settled behind her, Malin relaxed into him.
“Mmm, I really needed this,” she moaned when he kneaded the muscles in her shoulders.
“You’re pretty tightly wound, baby.”
“How long do you think it will be before we hear something about Montgomery?”
Dutch kissed her neck right below her ear. “Long enough that we don’t need to think about it right now.” He ran the tip of his tongue down the side of her neck to her shoulder and moved his hands down the front of her body.
When Malin tried to move, he held her in place.
“Let me do this,” he said, trapping her arms under his.
“Dutch?”
“Mmm, hmm?”
“Did you mean it?”
“I never would’ve said it if I didn’t, Malin.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She felt his hardness twitch behind her and wiggled her bottom.
“You feel what hearing you tell me you love me did to me?”
“I did.”
Dutch moved his hand under her arm and cupped her sex. “Does it do the same thing to you, baby?”
“You know it does.”
Malin shifted away from him, stood, and turned around so she could straddle his body.
“I need you,” she said as she guided him inside her body. This would be the first time their bodies would join together since they both said “I love you.” Would it feel different between them?
Wrapping her arms around his neck and crushing her breasts against his chest, Malin waited until she couldn’t keep her body still another second. When she started to move, Dutch grabbed her hips, making her adjust to his rhythm.
Her fingernails dug into the skin on his back when he increased the pace of his thrusts and his breathing changed.
Malin put her hands on the side of his face, meeting his gaze.
“I love you,” she told him when she felt like her eyes would roll back in her head from the pleasure radiating from her core out as far as her fingers and toes.
Dutch thrust one more time. “Look at me,” he groaned as her eyes drifted closed. “I love you, Malin.”
She could feel him pulsing inside her.
“We aren’t finished,” he told her when they both stood in the tub. “Wait for me on the bed,” he said, wrapping one of the plush, warm towels around her
He dropped his towel and lay on the bed, next to her. Chill bumps covered her naked body as he ran his fingers over her skin.
“We need to talk, Malin.”
She opened her eyes and looked into his.
“I know the timing is terrible, but I can’t stand not knowing if you feel the same way I do.”
