Good God. She’d lost her mind. “Have you survived Scorpius?” he asked, keeping his tone mild. He’d just crossed states with a crazy woman.
Her smile touched something in him. “Hold on, Ace.” Then she pressed the red alarm button.
The elevator dropped suddenly, and he grabbed the wall. “Ellie?” His breath quickened.
She chuckled. They descended rapidly and then…stopped. The door opened.
He moved before she could, instinctively protecting her and stepping out, keeping her behind him. Two armed marines stood guard in front of what looked like a steel door set into a steel wall. His shoulders relaxed. “This is interesting.”
Ellie shoved past him and handed her ID to the guy on the left. “Used to be a CIA compound.” The guard returned her credentials and opened the steel door.
In Missouri? He gave the soldiers a nod and then followed her down another long hallway that led to a round control room with screens on every wall. Several people worked away at consoles, not bothering to look up at them. He whistled. “Impressive.”
“This way.” She led him around the consoles to a smaller control room with a long conference room type table.
He walked inside and paused.
Two people, a man and a woman, sat at the table eating what looked like burgers. They wore casual jeans, boots, and T-shirts. The man stood, all six-foot-four of him, and held out a hand. He had dark brown hair, intense green eyes, and a scar down his neck. “Hugh. Thanks for coming.” The Scottish brogue was a surprise.
Hugh shook his hand. “Somebody had better start explaining.”
The woman stood to about five-foot-seven, with dark eyes and curly brown hair. She also held out a hand. “I’m Nora Medina, and this is Deacan McDougall. Welcome to the Brigade.” Her voice was cultured and her eyes spirited. She gestured to the other side of the table and retook her seat.
“McDougall,” Deacan said easily, pulling fries out of a bag. “Nora McDougall.”
Nora blinked and then nodded. “That’s right. I’d forgotten.”
McDougall eyed his wife. “Apparently, I’ll have to remind you later.”
Ellie sighed. “Newlyweds,” she whispered to Hugh. “Please. Have a seat.”
Hugh cut Ellie a look and crossed around to sit.
McDougall shoved a greasy-looking bag toward him and retook his seat. “Can’t vouch for the cholesterol content, but the burgers are excellent.”
Hugh nudged the bag toward Ellie. “I’m here for one more minute if somebody doesn’t explain.” While he kept his voice level, the hair was rising on the back of his neck. He was a simple guy, and this espionage bullshit just pissed him off. “Fifty seconds.”
McDougall grinned. “I have two armed marines guarding the elevator. Think you can go through both of them?”
“If I have to,” Hugh said easily. He might not be in the military, but he’d learned how to fight at a young age. With two brothers, it was impossible not to know how to take and throw a punch. He missed them already. At least Milo had promised to fetch the dog and take him to the lake. Heisenberg loved chasing the gulls. “I guess I could start with you.”
McDougall’s smile widened. The guy wasn’t put off in the slightest. “I like you already, Johnson.”
Wonderful. “Being liked has never been one of my goals,” Hugh said smoothly. Except by Ellie. At the moment, he’d freakin’ love it if she liked him. Especially enough to get naked. It had been way too long.
“Gentlemen,” Nora said in the way women had been sighing the words through history—like all men were morons. “Let’s get down to business.” She drew a remote control out from under the table and pointed it at the screen on the far wall. “We’ve downloaded your records from work, Hugh.” His computer screen took shape.
He sat back. “Did you, now?” he asked mildly, his ears starting to itch.
“Eleanor did,” Nora said absently, clicking a file open.
He slowly turned his head to face the blushing blonde. “You hacked my system, Ellie?”
* * * *
Ellie barely kept from fidgeting in her chair when faced with Hugh’s calm stare. Anybody who didn’t know him would think he was mildly curious. But she did know him—better than she’d thought. His eyes burned a deep blue. The guy was pissed. “We thought it expedient to have your records here for you,” she said, sounding like a prim schoolmarm with a stick up her butt. She held back a wince. “You’re welcome.”
His gaze remained on her face for a few heated beats. “You work for the government as a computer scientist?”
