The Spy Switch, page 16
“That’s because I don’t want you to have any preconceived ideas about her.” This part was the truth. She and Laney needed to get to know each other in real time. “Plus, she and I were simply partners.”
She gave him the side-eye. “Surely you must have shared some personal information working undercover for two years.”
“That’s just it.” He made his tone as gentle as he could. “We took great pains to keep things as professional as possible between us. It’s a slippery slope when two federal agents bring personal emotions into the mix.”
She looked down at that, and he knew he’d hurt her.
“What are you saying?” she asked. “That we made a mistake, you and I?”
“If we weren’t in the middle of this operation, I’d say no way. But I’ll be honest, Jennifer. You distract the hell out of me,” he admitted with a small smile. “I think we need to cool it for now.”
“For now,” she repeated.
He braced himself for her to ask about the future, but instead she nodded. “One day at a time, Micah Spokane. One day at a time. For now, we catch the bad guys. Then we’ll see.”
Damned if he’d ever wanted to kiss her more. Since he couldn’t, he settled on offering her a glass of wine. To his relief, she accepted.
“What’s next, do you think?”
Considering her question, he shrugged. “Best-case scenario, this goes down without a hitch, Igor and his crew are arrested, and we’re done.”
“That sounds perfect.” She took a sip of wine. “I hate to ask, but is there a worst-case scenario?”
“There always is.” He grimaced, then shook his head. “But I don’t want to jinx it. As long as you stay far away from Carmen, I think we’ll be good.”
“Easier said than done,” she reminded him. He couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. “That woman is a force of nature.”
“So are you. We got this, you know. We’re just about to cross the finish line.”
She finished her wine and set the glass down. “No more for me,” she told him when he lifted the bottle with the intention of giving her a refill. “I’m going to go take a nice bubble bath and turn in early.” A hint of sadness lingered in her eyes as she told him good-night.
It took every ounce of common sense he possessed not to follow her.
Chapter 11
Alone in her bubble bath, Jennifer wished she’d taken Micah up on a second glass of wine. She would have enjoyed sipping it while soaking. Still, he’d given her a lot to think about.
All her life, Jennifer had never been a particularly impetuous person. She considered herself a methodical planner, and routine was her friend. Part of the reason she took such care to stay on the straight and narrow was due to her knowledge of being adopted as an infant, and the fact that she knew nothing about her birth parents. She loved her adoptive parents and, not wanting to hurt them, she’d never made much more than a token effort to find out anything about her life prior to adoption. Even that small effort had been blocked by bureaucratic red tape, and she’d given up, perhaps too easily.
And now, because of a chance encounter in a sporting goods store, she found herself not only embroiled in a dangerous undercover operation but having steamy sex with a ruggedly handsome ATF agent. On top of that, she’d learned she had a twin sister and soon would be meeting her.
If, a few months ago, someone had told her this would happen, she never would have believed it.
Carmen and her weird fixation on Lania had the potential to seriously mess everything up.
While in her mind Jennifer knew Micah was right and she should stay far, far away from Carmen and her human trafficking operation, in her heart she couldn’t stand the thought of so many young women and teens being held captive and treated as if they weren’t even human.
But then again, what could she do? Even if she went with Carmen and saw the facilities with her own eyes, what then? In the end, she’d still have no choice but to step back and let law enforcement handle things. Why torture herself needlessly?
But what to tell Carmen? Both Igor and Carmen expected her to take part in learning the operation. Micah wanted her to stall as long as she could, and she would. But she also suspected Carmen would be persistent.
She wasn’t wrong. Carmen called the next morning before Lania had even gotten her first cup of coffee. “Be ready in one hour,” Carmen ordered. “I’m sending a car to pick you up.”
“Wait,” Jennifer began. But Carmen had already ended the call. “Dang nab it.” Shaking her head, she went to find Micah.
“Did she say why?” Micah appeared genuinely worried.
“No, but you know why. What do you suppose would happen if I just didn’t show up?”
“Nothing good.” He thought for a moment. “Call her back. Tell her you’re sick. Make it sound bad. Vomiting, fever, the whole nine yards.”
“She won’t care, even if she does pick up.” Still, she tried anyway. As she’d expected, Carmen let the call go to voice mail. Nerves had begun to set in, and to her absolute horror she realized her hands were shaking.
“I’m not sure I can do this,” she admitted.
Micah pulled her in for a quick hug. “I don’t want you to, but right now Carmen doesn’t appear to be allowing you a choice.”
Lania. She had to channel Lania. Only then would she stop being so darn afraid.
One deep breath, and then two. She stepped back, out of his arms, squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’ve got this,” she said. “I’ll be fine. Now, please excuse me. I need to go get ready.” She sailed off without waiting for him to reply.
After a quick shower, she blow-dried her hair and did her makeup before heading to her closet for something to wear. Since there were several expensive pantsuits, she chose one of those, along with a pair of kitten heels for easier walking. Costume jewelry instead of diamonds, and she made it to the kitchen with the intention of snagging some coffee with five minutes to spare.
Micah had already gotten a cup ready for her. All she needed to do was start the coffee maker. When he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, she realized he’d dressed to go out. He wore a crisp cotton button-down shirt, khakis instead of jeans and a pair of what looked like Italian leather loafers.
“Where are you off to?” she asked, eyeing him while sipping coffee.
“I’m going with you,” he stated, checking his watch. “No way am I letting you go into that viper’s nest alone.”
Though secretly relieved, she frowned. “Carmen’s not going to like that.”
“I don’t give a damn if she likes it or not. We’re a team, and I will tell her that if she questions my presence. Are you ready? That car should be pulling up in front of the building any moment now.”
“Yes.” She got to her feet. “I still don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Maybe not, but if you insist on going, I insist on accompanying you. I’m the one who got you into this to begin with. I’m not about to abandon you now.”
Pushing away the warm, fuzzy glow she got at his words, she nodded. “Then let’s do this.” She squared her shoulders and marched over to the front door.
A sleek black SUV sat at the curb. When the driver spotted them, he jumped out and opened the back door. Lania got in first. When Mike moved to follow her, the driver caught hold of his arm. “I’m sorry, sir, but my instructions are only to pick up her.”
Mike flashed a very intimidating glare. “Then your plans are going to have to change. I go with her, or she doesn’t go at all.” Without waiting for permission, he climbed into the back seat next to Lania. She grabbed his hand and held on tight, suddenly nervous.
The driver shot them a worried look before getting out his phone to make a call. A moment later he got into the driver’s seat and passed the phone back to Lania. “She wants to speak with you,” he said. There was no doubt whom she might be.
Lania accepted the phone and put it up to her ear. “Hello, Carmen.” Proud of how cool and collected she sounded, she continued. “As you can see, there’s been a slight change in plans.”
“This is not part of our agreement.” The ice in Carmen’s tone sliced through any hope Lania might have had of getting Carmen to accept Mike’s presence without a fight.
“It’s part of my conditions,” Lania replied. “Mike and I work as a team or not at all.”
“Then you’re a fool,” Carmen snarled. “You’re also out. Hand the phone back to my driver and I’ll instruct him to return you to your condo.”
“Since we haven’t left the condo, that won’t be necessary,” Lania said. “By the way, this is your loss.” She handed the phone back to the driver. “We can get out now,” she told Mike. “She’s not fond of the idea of us being a package deal. I’m out.”
Mike heaved a sigh that could only have been relief. He squeezed her hand, clearly unwilling to say anything until they were alone, and opened the door. Once they’d both gotten out and slammed the door closed, the SUV sped away.
“I gather she’s pretty pissed?” Mike asked.
Grimacing, she nodded. “Furious. I’m not sure how this is going to play out.”
He took her arm. “The only one we need to worry about keeping happy right now is Igor.”
“I know, but...”
“Come on, let’s get inside. I feel way too exposed standing out here in the open. Especially with the possibility that Carmen might go on a vendetta.”
The idea made her blanch and hurry inside. “I’m sure going to be glad when all this is over,” she said while they waited for the elevator, which she’d decided she’d force herself to use.
For one heart-stopping second, she thought he might kiss her. But then the elevator doors opened and he looked away, gesturing for her to precede him.
Wondering at the huge sense of loss she felt, she did. At first, she intended to stand as far away from him as she could. But the instant the elevator lurched and moved, she grabbed hold of his arm and stood as close as possible.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m trying to be,” she replied.
Luckily, it didn’t take long to get to the ninth floor. The instant the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, she rushed out, feeling slightly foolish.
Micah didn’t comment; in fact, he acted as if he didn’t even notice. Instead, he led the way down the hall to their unit and unlocked the door, stepping aside so that she could go past him.
She headed for the kitchen, intending to grab a water and hoping he’d follow her. Instead, his phone rang. He answered, retreating into his bedroom and closing the door.
Anticlimactic didn’t even begin to describe the feeling right now. Clearly, she’d made a powerful enemy in Carmen. Though Micah felt Igor would protect them, Jennifer knew a woman like Carmen wouldn’t easily forgive such a slight. She’d offered to make Lania—someone she viewed as subservient and weak—into a woman of power. To have Lania reject her offer and, as the ultimate insult, involve a man, would be a vicious twist of the knife.
No doubt Carmen would figure out a way to make her pay. And even once the ATF moved in on Igor and his group, unless Carmen got caught in the net, she’d still be out there, waiting.
Would Jennifer still have to worry about her once she went back to her normal life? She needed to get clarification from Micah on that one.
Pushing the troubling thought from her mind, Jennifer grabbed a water and carried it over to the bar to sit down and drink it. From here, she could look out the floor-to-ceiling windows at Denver and try to come to a place of peace with everything that was going on. The thought made her chuckle. Was such a thing even possible?
“Jennifer?” Micah called. He came striding into the room, phone in hand. “I just got off the phone with Igor. It’s a go. Everything’s in place.” Excitement rang in his voice, nearly chasing away the shadows that haunted his blue-eyed gaze. “The trucking company will make the pickup tomorrow. I’ve—we’ve—got to go inspect all seven containers and seal them off. Once I’ve signed off on that, the trucks will hit the road. The containers will be brought to the shipping yard in Galveston, Texas, and should arrive in two to three days.”
Startled, she frowned. “Texas?”
“Samir’s shipping company uses that port as well as one out of New Orleans. He’s got more contacts there in Galveston, so that’s where they’ll be going.”
“I didn’t think that far ahead,” she admitted, more troubled than she’d thought she’d be. “Are we traveling to Galveston, then?”
“Igor hasn’t asked me to, but I’m going to try to get him to let us. I will definitely be placing tracking devices on each of the trucks, so we’ll know their location at all times.” He took a deep breath. “Even if I’m not there to personally watch everything be loaded on the ship, the ATF will have a team in place to sweep in and confiscate the containers full of weapons. There will also be agents here to pick up Igor, Samir, Ernie and Carmen.”
She froze. “Carmen? To be honest, I’ve been worried about her.”
“You’re right to be. That’s why I want to make sure she’s caught up in the sweep when the arrests are made.”
“While that will definitely be a good thing, I have to ask—if she’s arrested, what will happen to all her captives?”
“I don’t know. That’s one of the things the top brass is working on. In a perfect world, they’d sweep in there and make the arrests simultaneously, but since that kind of thing is outside the ATF’s jurisdiction, they can’t.”
“I hate red tape,” she responded fervently. “These are people we’re talking about here. Hopefully the bureaucrats will figure things out in time to save them.”
He nodded. “Hopefully so, but I wouldn’t count on it. Igor seemed unfazed when I told him what happened today with Carmen. Makes me wonder if he’s regretting his decision to involve her.” He took a deep breath. “Right now, we need to concentrate on the task at hand. We’ll do what Igor asks and then work on seeing if he’ll let us travel to Galveston to see the entire deal through.”
Since physically being there for the bust seemed more dangerous, she secretly hoped Igor would turn Mike down.
Right now, though, all she could think about was how badly she wanted to make love with Micah again. Being around him so much, her desire for him had become an obsession.
What on earth had happened to her? She considered herself a sensible, often enthusiastic lover, though judging by her past relationships, she’d definitely missed out on a lot, to put it mildly. But never had any other man affected her the way Micah did. One look from those sexy blue eyes turned her insides to mush. She found herself staring at his arms, aching to caress the corded muscle there, and wondering if her desire was as transparent and obvious to him as it felt.
Intellectually, she understood the need to avoid distractions, to focus on the case. But that knowledge didn’t help her late at night, when she lay in that huge king-size bed and longed for him. For the first time since this thing had started, she wondered what would happen once the operation had ended. Would Micah introduce her to her sister and then simply disappear from her life? She wondered how she’d survive the heartbreak if that happened.
Heartbreak? She froze, shocked despite already knowing somewhere deep inside. What the heck? When had she allowed her heart to become involved?
“Are you all right?” Micah asked, his expression concerned. “I’m not sure where you went just now, but judging from your expression, you were somewhere far away.”
She blinked. What would he do if she told him her thoughts? Of course, she wouldn’t. She might be naive and inexperienced, but she still had her pride.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “I was just woolgathering.”
“Woolgathering?” He laughed, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. “I love your choice of words sometimes.”
Even that, the brief touch and the husky laugh, had desire zinging through her veins. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and concentrated on not swaying toward him.
“Seriously, are you okay?” he asked. “Maybe you should go lie down for a little bit.”
“That’s a good idea,” she replied, jumping to her feet so quickly she startled him. All she knew was how badly she needed to get away from him before she did something foolish. As she closed her door, she shook her head. She couldn’t hide in her room forever. She simply needed to get a grip on herself and things would go back to normal. Or, she amended, what passed for normal these days.
* * *
Staring after Jennifer as she fled the room, Micah wondered what had gotten into her. Nerves, most likely, since they were so close to the end of this thing.
He needed to plan something for the rest of the day. Get her out of the condo, maybe make a shopping trip with a nice lunch. Or they could take in the Denver Zoo. Just getting out and doing ordinary things would do wonders to help calm her nerves.
And his, he admitted silently. This would be the largest weapons seizure of his career. But first, he needed to find out if he’d be going to Galveston to see the containers loaded on the ship.
Pulling out his phone, he called Igor. When he asked point-blank about heading to Galveston along with the trucking company, Igor laughed.
“Are you worried something will happen to one of those containers after you’ve signed off on it?”
“Yes.” Mike kept his tone clipped. “It’s my reputation on the line.”
“Then you’d better double-and triple-check your inspection before you seal things up. I have my own crew shadowing the trucking company. Several of my men have been working there for months. And I already have people in place at the Port of Galveston. I’ve got this completely under control.”
