“I know you do.” Just like I am positive I want to be that gun on your leg. “But you’re going in without backup. I have to check.”

  “You do what you have to.” She plucked her black fur coat from the back of a couch and slid it on, hiding her form from his ogling stare. “I’m heading off. It’s been real, boss, see you back in the States.”

  With a toss of her head, she walked out of the door, the tap of her heels fading the farther she got.

  Masters hated this. He wanted to be in there with her, just in case. But that was not how this worked. She had her part to play and he had his. She was going to pick up the intel and send it along to Theta Corps so they could work on removing this most recent threat.

  He didn’t need to be seen as following her around, so he was leaving today ahead of her. According to Mino, Anabelle Lee had a flight the next day so she would be home soon after him.

  It didn’t take him long to get his things ready to go and he was sliding into the back of the taxi he’d requested. The driver barely looked at him, just drove him to the train station where Masters waited two hours for his train.

  Have I said how little I like this? No? Not in the last five goddamn minutes, so let me say it again. I don’t like it. At all. I should have stayed with her and made sure everything went smoothly. She’s got no fucking backup there.

  His unease stayed with him during his trip home and he had no doubt it wouldn’t leave until he laid eyes on Anabelle Lee once more.

  Chapter Six

  #xa0;

  “What the hell do you mean, Mino?” Anabelle Lee wanted nothing more than to get home and take a long hot shower.

  “I’m just the messenger, don’t take it out on me. He wants you on that plane and off to Chile.”

  Anger spiked, Anabelle Lee kept it contained. It wasn’t Mino’s fault her boss was being a pussy. She didn’t deserve getting her ass chewed by a pissed-off Anabelle Lee.

  “Fine. Did you expect me to go with tight dresses from Russia? I could but I like some of those outfits.” Especially the fit they gave Masters.

  “Of course not,” she said. “I got your green go bag from your closet. It’s on the plane waiting for you.”

  She scanned the grounds as if it would allow her to find Masters hiding around a corner or something like that. Nothing. Mino waited before her, a blue windbreaker hanging down to her knees. Behind her, a black Cadillac Escalade waited, idling. Warm.

  “Go,” Anabelle Lee ordered. “I’ll get on the plane. I’m going to assume there is a dossier or two waiting for me.”

  “Everything you need to be caught up. For what it’s worth, welcome home.” Mino waved and jogged to the back of the vehicle and slipped inside.

  “Right. Welcome home.” The words fell from her lips, drenched in sarcasm. So instead of heading home where she would be welcomed by her shower, she was now heading to Chile.

  At least it will be warm there. All I know is when I get back, Masters and I are having one hell of a talk.

  She climbed into the G5 and claimed a seat while the door closed behind her. Immobile until they reached cruising altitude, she rose and made her way to the bar. Opening the cabinet, she sneered at what she found. Leaving it alone, she spun before going farther to the back and digging into some of Masters’ private stash. She headed back up with a bottle of his Laphroaig Triple Wood firmly in hand. She opened it and poured herself a healthy amount before reclaiming seat to peruse the files waiting for her.

  She read and slept on the flight and had showered, changed and been rejuvenated by the time she climbed off the plane at the small airport in Chile. A jeep drove up as she stood there and she smiled when her cousin’s familiar John Deere cap came into view.

  “Hello, gorgeous, can I give you a lift?” he asked, drawing to a halt beside her.

  “It’s been so long since I’ve been picked up along the side of the road, so yes.” She batted her eyes. “I do so love to depend on the kindness of strangers.” With an eyeroll, she tossed her bag in the back and vaulted up into the passenger seat. “Take me somewhere nice.”

  “Oh, you’ll love it, darling. Dirt hut, wiping with a leaf, it’ll be the time of your life.”

  She snorted and reached for a bottled water resting between them. Uncapping it, she sighed then took a long swig. “I think my contribution to the party will be a bit out of place.”

  “Aw, fuck, Anabelle Lee, did you rob his stash again?”

  “Hey, it was on the plane I was on. I wanted a drink and it was there.”

  She always took from the stuff he put on for himself when Masters flew. It was fair in her mind. They were the ones out there sleeping under the open sky and risking their lives. Not him.

  “One day, little cuz, you’re going to push him too far.”

  Talk between them turned to the assignment as they careened along narrow roads. Her body began to hum with excitement. She loved her work and wouldn’t change it for the world.

  Her cousin hadn’t lied. It was a hut and she groaned.

  Beau glanced over to her. “Problem?”

  “I came from sleeping in a king-size bed on satin sheets and now I have to sleep on dirt. All without my bed between them.”

  “Sucks to be you. I came here from my big-ass bed, but I’ve been on the dirt for a few nights now. Stop being a diva.”

  She didn’t even waste her time flipping him off, well aware that was part of his goal, to get under her skin. “Why haven’t you moved in?”

  “Waiting on you.”

  “Aren’t y’all always?”

  He slammed the brakes, snapping her forward and spilling the water on her shirt.

  “Asshole,” she snapped, wiping it away best she could.

  They climbed out and she reached for her bag then followed her cousin to the first hut. Along the walls were maps and weapons. She spied modern technology as well, but for the most part, it was hard to get readings through the thick foliage of the jungle, so while satellite photos were there they weren’t as complete as local maps tended to be. Many of the trails seen were false ones.

  Anabelle Lee dropped her bag and strapped on her weapons then strode to the small group gathered around the table in the middle of the hut. As they reviewed their information, she braided her hair.

  Beau tossed her the stocking cap at his side and she tugged the olive-green wicking wear on. Hands resting on the butts of her side arms, she stared at what they were looking at.

  “Game plan a capture, or has that changed?”

  “We’ve not heard different, so we go with capture. This fuck we’re hoping can help tie in something with The Watchers.”

  She nodded. “I read the file and I remember them. Where’s Valentino?”

  Beau crossed his arms. “He’s got the kids. And Jaydee is off somewhere doing something so secret not even Masters knows. So Giovanni has their children.”

  She never looked away from the papers scattered on the table before her. “Did you ask Mino?”

  Beau sketched a brow. “Why would I ask her?”

  Anabelle Lee moved to his side and patted him on the shoulder. “Haven’t you figured her out yet? She knows all that Masters does and more. She’s all of our confidant. And she likes Jaydee. That woman could run Theta Corps if she wished.”

  Beau grunted. “I don’t care, though. I’m not the one who asked.”

  She rolled her eyes. “True. Just food for thought in the future when you’re trying to get Mino to find some information for you.”

  “She always tells me she’s not helping me.”

  Anabelle Lee walked around the table and pointed at the map’s edge closer to the side she was on now. “That’s because you’re a playboy, jerk, and an ass. I wouldn’t help you, either, if I were her and you treated me how you do her. Where’s this spot? Looks like a great place for an ambush. It’s a bottleneck. We could secure him there, hopefully without any extra loss of life.” She allowed her fingers to drift over the area she spoke about.

  “No,” one of the locals spoke up. “They are aware of that area and never go without sending through an advance team.”

  She shrugged and met his dark gaze, not at all perturbed by the sound of the defiance in his tone. “So what? We let the advance team move through untouched and unbothered. We can be quiet enough so they don’t know we’re there. Then when the target comes through, we take him.”

  “I’m with Anabelle Lee,” Beau said. “We need to nab him where we have the most control of the surroundings. Plus, he doesn’t know we’re onto him. Unless there’s a leak and someone informed him.”

  “My men are loyal, sir.”

  “See they stay that way,” Anabelle Lee said. If she hurt someone’s feelings, she didn’t give a damn. This wasn’t a hand-holding adventure—they were out to capture and potentially kill targets. She would do whatever was necessary to keep her group safe.

  Beau kicked her under the table and she grunted. Okay, so it may not have been the best thing to say but, damn it, she was tired. So damn tired and wanting a vacation, not to be here sweating in the jungle about to get into yet another fire fight.

  Not much later, they left the hut to vanish into the thick foliage. They moved in relative silence, not speaking, not joking. That night, after they stopped, they made a fire for protection against the animals roaming the darkness.

  Anabelle Lee made her bed against a tree trunk, her automatic weapon laid across her lap. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep—sleep was grabbed when available. That was a fact she’d learned as a rookie in this business. Some times there wasn’t sleep for days, so when the chance was presented, operatives always took it.

  Beau tapped her the moment she was up for watch and she went to the stump he’d been on and settled in for her time. Many people didn’t like being on watch, but she didn’t mind at all—it was her time to think, to run over the plan, make sure nothing had been missed.

  She had everything ready by the time the others woke. That was what they endured for five days as they humped over the landscape to approach from the north. On the final day, she brought up the rear and kept an eye on those with them. Two men from the area and two others from Theta Corps.

  They all took their positions and settled in to wait. I hope to hell this man didn’t change his route. That night there was no fire—it couldn’t be risked that their targets would smell the smoke in the area before they passed through.

  She lay against a thick branch, feeling very serpentine as she waited for the advance party to get through the pass. Eye to the scope, she waited. So many people thought their jobs were always full of action, but the truth was that most of the time it was a waiting game. Wait to get to the location, wait for the target, wait for the exfil.

  She didn’t mind however—she loved this job. No one moved and she lined up for her shot when their target approached.

  Anabelle Lee waited for Beau to make the first move—this was his op. His shot cracked the stillness and everything happened at once after that. The sounds of automatic gunfire exploded as the men with the target fired blind into the landscape around them, trying to protect the one they were supposed to protect.

  Not going to happen, guys. She took them down one at a time as the three guys with her did what they did in eliminating threats and securing the man they were after. A man in dark clothing raised the muzzle and pointed at her cousin, or she thought it was a man.

  Not seeing the person with it, she calculated as if they were crouched and with swift adjustments, dropped her weapon to hit them lower and fired. Once. Twice. Lowered the rifle again and shot twice more on the off chance they’d flattened themselves out when she’d first fired.

  Back on the ground, she made eye contact with Beau, who sent her a nod. Grateful he was fine, she wiped the sweat and dirt off her cheek as she moved from body to body checking them to see what they could pull.

  After walking into another small section, she froze. With a gasp, she looked back to where she knew she’d been lying in wait. This was her kill. A child lay there, not much more than ten.

  “You okay?” Beau called out.

  Hell no, I just killed a child. “Fine.” Bile rose in her throat and she gulped it back before reaching out to close his eyelids. “Rest in peace,” she murmured. Standing straight, she walked away saying a prayer for him.

  They headed for their exfil and Beau was beside her. The two others had control of the prisoner.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “What the fuck happened back there, Anabelle Lee?” His tone had turned to the overprotective older cousin in a heartbeat.

  She wasn’t going to talk about it. “Nothing. We did our job.” The nausea returned and she reached for her water, took a small sip and held it in her mouth to rinse it out.

  “Beau,” Hamilton called for him.

  “This isn’t done,” Beau said to her prior to jogging off to meet Hamilton.

  “Yes, it is,” she vowed. Another nightmare to add to my ever-growing list. She sent the stream of water down to the ground before swiping her hand across the back of her mouth.

  She kept to herself more so than usual as they returned with him to the States. She waited until after the debrief then strode down the hall to the office of the man she had to see. Although the time neared midnight, she had no doubt he was still there.

  Entering without knocking, she strode up to the desk. Masters looked at her as he put his pencil down.

  “Knocking is a practice many use, Anabelle Lee.”

  She sneered. “I don’t give a fuck. Two things. You want me away because you can’t handle the fact you slept with me, at least have the goddamn guts to tell me to my face instead of sending Mino to do your dirty work. Second, I’m on vacation.”

  He expression didn’t move with her first statement but with the second one, his brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”

  “I’m taking myself off the roster. From this moment on, I’m unavailable.”

  Masters narrowed those dark eyes of his. “What brought this on and until when?”

  That boy’s sightless eyes stared at her, reminding her once more that there were certain aspects of her job she didn’t enjoy. “None of your business and until I come back and tell you my status has changed.” She pivoted on her heels and strode for the door.

  “Anabelle Lee.”

  She paused with her hand on the doorframe. “What?”

  “I didn’t agree to this. I have more things we need you for.”

  But not anything you, specifically, need me for. “I don’t give a damn. Find someone else.” She gazed back at him. “Either you give me the time off or I quit this damn company. Your choice. I don’t give a rat’s fuck, I’m leaving now. You decide and let me know.”

  She walked out and headed home.

  * * * *

  Masters stood at his desk waiting for Beau to show up. He stared over the city and sighed. He’d thought she was going to come back. He’d thought she was just blowing off steam, but she’d not answered calls from Theta Corps, nor had she returned to headquarters.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  “Come in and take a seat,” he said without turning around. He watched the man’s loose-limbed gait as he did as told in the reflection from the window.

  “I have nothing to tell you about Anabelle Lee, if that’s what this is about.”

  That got him to turn. Beau hadn’t sat, instead he stood behind the chair, arms crossed and legs braced apart appearing the ever-confident and dangerous man he had the ability to be.

  “Ethan told me you asked him yesterday about her.”

  Damn family. Can’t keep a fricking secret with them.

  “It is, but I have a different question for you. What the fuck happened in Chile?”

  “Nothing other than what was in all our reports.”

  That wasn’t right. She’d been through worse ops and hadn’t walked away from Theta Corps. From him. Masters took his seat and leaned back in the leather chair.

  “Something happened, Beau. You had to have noticed a difference in her behavior at some point.”

  “I know my cousin. I asked her, she said nothing was wrong. I took her at her word.” He canted his head to the side. “Something you used to do.”

  “And you believe her now?”

  “Fuck no. But she’s not going to tell us anything. We had to send in the big guns.”

  Understanding sank in and Masters nodded. “Mrs. Maybelle.”

  “Grams asks and we answer.” He shrugged. “Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you, Masters. She’s not taken a vacation before so maybe that’s all it is. She needed some time off.”

  “She threatened to quit if I didn’t give her the time off.”

  His brow rose. “Interesting, that I didn’t know. Did you not want to give her the time off?”

  “I need her here.” Where I can keep an eye on her and know what she’s doing.

  “Why?”

  Masters stared at Beau. That one word was lined in brotherly concern and a not-so-veiled warning.

  “Because she’s an asset to what we do here.”

  Anabelle Lee’s cousin gripped the back of the chair he stood behind. “You have plenty of people who work here that are capable.”

  Masters thought on what to say. Beau was a hell of a lot smarter than most people gave him credit for upon first seeing him. Many thought he wasn’t more than a dumb hillbilly, backwards hick, based on his slow southern drawl and the John Deere baseball cap, and they couldn’t have ever been more wrong.

  He had two doctorates, one in geothermal physics and the other in engineering. He may have more now. And if he wasn’t careful, he would say something to alert this man Masters had slept with his cousin. That would be dangerous for him. Of the life-threatening kind of threat. Those boys protected Anabelle Lee without fail.

  “Not like her.”

  “True, most of the people who work for you aren’t as foul-mouthed as my cousin. Still not answering why you need her here. Most people take vacations from their jobs, Masters. She’s not had one since starting here. If you told me no, I’d be pissed, as well. Give her the time off, let her work through whatever it is she needs to and move on from there.”