Lucy Monroe - Satisfaction Guaranteed

“We’ve gotten off topic,” she said a little primly.

She was running again, but he was a natural-born predator. When prey ran, predators followed. Though sometimes, they bided their time, which was what he planned to do. For now. Beth was cagey and she had a lot of hang-ups about their relationship; he had to tread carefully. But he liked knowing that she’d noticed more than his great body for the past two years.

“Have we?” he asked.

She bit her lower lip and nodded, looking wary. “Yes.”

He drew her into his arms. “What were we talking about?”

“The fact that I got a listening device into Prescott’s office.” She sounded really pleased with herself.

And she had every right to be. “I’m proud of how well you think on your feet, baby, I really am, but I still want to knock the toad’s teeth in.”

She patted his chest, her small hand settling right over his heart. “Maybe you’ll get the chance when we move in for the kill.”

“There is no we about the collar. You are not an agent and will be far from the scene when we go to arrest him.”

“Whatever you say.”

He tried to read her expression, but couldn’t find any evidence of subterfuge. “You make me nervous when you get agreeable like this.”

“I don’t know why. I’m not an agent and I don’t want to risk the operation by being where I’m not needed. I used we strictly in a generalized sense.”

“I should feel reassured.”

“But you don’t?”

“No.”

“You need to trust me, Ethan.”

“I do.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I’m not stupid, you know?”

“I do know.”

“Then you should know I would never risk you or the case.”

He sighed. “I’m being overprotective, aren’t I?”

“Considering the fact that I agree with you, um…yes.”

“I’m not internalizing projected feelings,” he admitted, wishing the psychological phenomenon she’d mentioned the day before could explain his behavior. “I have this caveman-like need to make sure you’re safe at all times.”

“And here I thought you were the epitome of the modern sophisticated male.”

“I did too,” he acknowledged wryly.

She laughed, rubbing his chest in what was no doubt supposed to be a soothing gesture, but which turned him on. Everything about her excited him. “Don’t let it upset you. I’m learning stuff about myself I didn’t know either.”

“Like what?”

“I like the adrenaline rush of fieldwork.” She said it like she was admitting a deep, dark sin.

His heart stuttered as his head swam with images of Beth taking risks he’d approved for other female agents. “I’m not sure my heart can take that, but it’s not a crime, sweetheart.”

“I know. It violates what I believed about myself though.”

“Does it bother you that your dad might be right?”

“That I’d make a good agent?”

“Yes.”

“A little, but mostly it just throws my view of the world and my place in it off-kilter.”

“Maybe the job change you need when we get back to D.C. is to take more extensive agent training instead of leaving the city looking for a place you fit better.”

“You might be right.”

As much as he hated the thought of her ever being in danger, he felt nothing but relief at her willingness to consider staying in D.C. and continuing to work for The Goddard Project. Maybe she would rethink her views on long-term commitments with agents as well.

They hit pay dirt with the bug in Prescott’s office two days later.

“He’s planning an auction at the end of the month for controlled technology classified as unexportable,” Ethan told Beth. “He’s bringing the potential buyers back for a video demonstration of a UGCV along with specs. The auction will happen two days later, but so far we don’t have a line on how he intends to pass the plans on.”

“You know, I think the man is arrogant enough to store the plans at his house. The security there is tight.” She kitty-combed Beethoven’s fur while the growing kitten lounged in her lap on the sofa.

“I agree, but I’ve been over the house plans until I can see them with my eyes shut and there are just too many places he could have a hidey-hole. Going in with a warrant wouldn’t necessarily net the goods.”

“My guess is that he’s got the plans stored on a media device, maybe even his computer. He thinks its foolproof.”

“His security is better than most. I’ve been trying to hack his system and there are so many layers of ICE that my fingers are getting frostbite from the keyboard.”

“Ouch.”

“You’re telling me. The intrusion countermeasure engineering Prescott’s invested in is the best. There are several signatures, as if he’s got graduating as well as same-level layers of security from different sources.”

“You’ll get through.”

“Maybe we should call Bennett in on this. This is really his thing.”

“But you’re no slouch at it, Ethan. Besides, he’s on assignment in the Middle East. He left three days ago.” The cat jumped off her lap and Beth dropped the special brush down on the coffee table.

“You been checking up on the other agents, Beth?”

“I can’t help myself. Maude and I talk daily.”

“She handling things okay?”

“Of course. The woman is a miracle worker.”

“We all feel that way about you.”

Beth smiled, clearly pleased. “I’ll remind you of that the next time you give me a hard time about turning in your expense reports.”

“I never forget it, baby, but I still don’t like doing expense reports. I think miracle workers should be able to generate them without any help.”

She launched herself toward him as the phone rang.

Ethan grabbed it and her at the same time. He pressed the button to talk while pulling Beth into his lap. “Ethan here.”

She gave him a friendly elbow to the ribs before settling against his chest.

“Ethan, it’s Hotwire.”

“Any word for me?”

“Officially? No. But ten months ago, a young woman in Oregon killed herself. She was attending a community college not far from Prescott’s home when they met. They started dating and she stopped attending classes. She’d lost her job for not showing up and had a miscarriage due to drug usage and possible sexual trauma the week before she killed herself.”

Ethan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I didn’t find anything about this during my investigation into him.”

“Your perp did a good job of hushing his connection to the girl up.”

“But you found it.” It irked Ethan that he hadn’t.

“Her parents died when she was fifteen. Her older sister finished raising her and was helping her through college. The sister is a DEA agent by the name of Rachel Gannon. She confided her fears for her sister and then about the suicide to a friend of mine.”

“And let me guess, the DEA agent has taken a leave of absence, her whereabouts unknown.”

“Yes. My friend’s worried about her, but he hasn’t said a thing to their superiors. She’s a hell of a sniper and she’s more lethal with a knife than Wolf.”

“This doesn’t feel good.”

“I concur.”

“Damn. You think Rachel Gannon is planning personal revenge.”

“If you can stop her, you’ll be saving a life worth preserving.” They both knew Hotwire didn’t mean Prescott.

“She could have killed him at the party the other night.”

“If she was the one who was there. Yes. I’ll send you a picture for verification of her identity. But personal revenge plans aside…she’s still her country’s servant.”

“You think she wants to stop the plans for the UGCV getting into enemy hands before she offs Prescott.”