“I’m keeping you, Ellie Mae.” He pushed her back and flattened his big body over her, covering her with heat and muscle.
She widened her thighs, wanting more of him. “I’m keeping you,” she whispered.
He pushed inside her. “There’s no going back.”
Who the hell would want to? She scored her nails down his back, digging them into his hard ass. He pulled out and pushed back in, the muscles in his arms bunching near her head.
Sparks and fire and undefinable need filled her, taking over every nerve. She grabbed his arms for balance and tried to meet his thrusts.
He powered harder into her, going deeper than she would’ve thought possible.
A quaking started deep inside her, sweeping out and stealing her breath. She arched and exploded, waves rippling through her with a primal orgasm.
He dropped his head to the crook of her neck and came, his entire body shuddering.
She swallowed. Whoa. Okay. Wow.
Slowly, he levered up and smiled, satisfaction glimmering in his eyes. “Now that was a good start, Ellie Mae.”
Chapter Eleven
It’s too late to just grab Ellie and head for the hills. Now we have to save the world, one threat at a time. Damn. It just figures the apocalypse would mess with my plans.
—Hugh Johnson, Brigade Notes
Hugh strode back into the motel room and tossed a bag of breakfast burritos toward Ellie, who sat on the bed, mumbling to herself as she typed away on the laptop. “Deke and I found an open fast-food joint.” There weren’t many left at the moment, unfortunately.
She nodded and set the laptop to the side. “My program finally found the time the computers were searched. While you were gone, I compared the time with the security feed, and found the guy who’d messed with the computer. I’m pretty sure.” She reached for the bag of food. “He isn’t one of the employees of the plant. I’ve been through all of their pictures and employee files.”
Man, she was smart. And nicely glowing after their marathon the previous night. He leaned over and kissed her, taking his time. She tasted like sweetness and hope.
A pretty blush covered her face.
“I meant every word last night.” It was only fair to make sure she fully understood that.
She lifted an eyebrow. “I’m well aware.”
That was true. They did know each other. He grinned and took the laptop, flipping it around to see the screen. A bomb dropped into his gut. “This is the guy?”
She paused in unwrapping a burrito, her eyebrows raising. “Yeah. Why? Recognize him?”
“Yeah.” Hugh wiped a hand across his eyes. Yusef had grown a longer beard, but his angled features were familiar, as were his dark eyes. He looked shorter with the thick boots and dark pants than Hugh remembered. “I’ve been watching him for a while.” Hugh grimaced. “Call Deke and Connor. If this guy somehow got inside, we have a bigger problem than we thought.”
Ellie grabbed her phone and quickly texted. Within seconds, Deke and Connor walked inside, both still munching on burritos. “Hugh knows the name of the guy I have on video working on the computer,” she said.
Connor dropped into a chair at the table, and Deke leaned back against the door.
“Where is he now?” Deke asked grimly.
Ellie shook her head. “No clue, but I emailed his picture to Nora and Ivan. Ivan is going through all the traffic cams and security cameras in the area around the power plant. He’ll report in if he sees this guy at any point.”
Hugh blew out air. “The guy’s name is Yusef Masih. He’s around twenty-five and was here on a student visa a year ago to study computer science in graduate school.” Hugh tried to remember the details. “But he went back to Saudi Arabia and was taken off my radar.”
“Why was he on your radar initially?” Deke asked.
“Alleged association—based on a street informant and not any emails, texts, or personal contact—with one of the suicide bombers at the Bellevue marathon two years ago,” Hugh said. Three people had died in that attack. “But neither Homeland nor the FBI could tie him close enough to the perpetrator, who was a Seattle born man named Franklin Belamy.”
Deke nodded. “I know the case. But somehow this guy is back in the states and has now basically walked into a nuclear power plant and used the computer.”
