I’m the target.
Whoever had been screwing with her had stepped up their game in a big, terrifying way. They’d escalated from leaving her harmless little “gifts” to full-blown attempted murder.
To hell with that, and to hell with the chickenshit bastard behind this morning’s attack. No matter what it took, she would find the son of a bitch.
Natalia left Jagger’s room with a silent vow not to stop until she did.
14
Homeland Security SafeHouse
Alexandria, Virginia
Two days later…
“I still don’t likethe idea of leaving you here so soon after what happened.”
Warmth spread through Jagger’s chest as he stared back at a visibly worried Talia. The surprising woman had been hovering over him like a sexy mother hen ever since he’d nearly been blown to bits.
But hey, at least now he knew she cared.
“I’ve been tellin’ you for the past two days that I’m fine.” He sent her a reassuring grin. “Besides, it’s not as if you’re leaving me completely unsupervised. Liam texted a few minutes ago, and he’s already on his way here.”
From the look on her gorgeous face, Talia was anything but convinced.
“The two of you are planning to just hang out here while I’m gone…right?” There went those brows of hers arching high again. “I mean, the whole reason Ryker arranged for us to stay in this apartment was so we’d have a place to lay low until we can figure out who set that bomb.”
“Lay low.” Jagger gave her a two-fingered salute. “Copy that.”
“I’m serious, Jagger.”
“So am I,” he lied.
The deception was a regrettable necessity for what had to be done.
“You were nearly killed forty-eight hours ago.” Talia’s golden brown eyes searched his. “If something happened to you again, and I wasn’t here to stop it…” Her softened voice trailed.
Sliding his hands to her hips, Jagger pulled her body flush with his. “I hate to point out the obvious, darlin’, but you were feet away from me the last time, and there wasn’t a damn thing you could’ve done to change anything about what happened.”
“I almost lost you,” Talia said in the softest of whispers. Her eyes shimmered beneath the apartment’s canned lights. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if?—”
“Hey.” Jagger leaned in for a soft, sweet kiss. “You didn’t lose anything. I’m right here, remember?”
Though she appeared as if she wanted to say more, the hesitant woman blinked while clearing her throat instead. “Yeah, well, you’d better still be right here when I get back.” She poked his chest before adding, “And you’d better still be in one piece.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed. “I promise to stay safe while you’re gone. Speaking of which”—he glanced at his watch—“don’t you have a smuggler to interrogate soon?”
Talia’s office had called less than an hour before to let her know the man who’d previously been willing to give up Sanchez was wavering. Because of this, she’d been ordered to report toHomeland ASAP for what looked to be her last chance at getting the prick to talk.
Any other time, Jagger would have insisted he escort her there. But as much as he dreaded the idea of letting her out of his sight for even a minute, there was somewhere else he needed to be.
In order for his plan to work, however, Talia needed to be nowhere within his vicinity. Because what Jagger had planned was a tad questionable, ethically speaking. The last thing he wanted was to sully her reputation or put her career in danger.
“I just need to know you’re going to be okay while I’m gone, that’s all.”
His smile widened as he pressed his lips to her forehead. “Careful, Tal. You keep talkin’ like that, I’m gonna start to think you care.”
He already knew she did, of course. Question was…did Talia know?
