Katie Reus: Targeted

Always.

Except with her. Seemed now was no different. He’d only lived under the same roof with Sophie for six months, and once they’d crossed that line into more than friends he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her. But he’d been seventeen. He shouldn’t still be reacting the same way to her. His attraction should be dulled and he should damn well be able to control his thoughts. But Sophie had always been his one soft spot and he hated that his boss was using that against him.

Jack was only a month older than her, so he’d signed up to go to boot camp until she could move out on her own—at her insistence. They’d graduated from high school, but she’d still had a month left in the system because of her age. So he’d been gone when she was attacked, brutalized. He hadn’t been there to protect her. Her last words to him, shouted in anger, haunted him to this day. “I hate you and I never want to see you again.” She’d been a hurting, terrorized girl and on one level he knew she’d said them in the heat of the moment, but those words had buried themselves deep in his psyche and latched on with eagle talons. And she’d never tried to get in contact with him after that. Had never returned any of his letters. Eventually he’d lost track of her—until he’d been recruited by the NSA. Then he’d found out everything there was to know about her current life. Like a masochist.

“So, what about you? I didn’t realize Paul Keane had a partner.” Sophie’s soft voice brought him back to the present.

Game face on, he ordered himself. Jack wasn’t some rookie, and if he didn’t get his shit together, this entire op could fail. That was unacceptable. Biological weapons were the wave of the future, and the fallout was terrifying. Hospitals, religious centers, schools—terrorists had no problem hitting innocent civilians. In fact, they thrived on those targets. And Vargas had no conscience; the man would strike where he could hurt the most. Translation: the most innocent victims, which would likely be children. The monster had done just that in his own region to instill fear and to keep locals in line.

Thankful for the mental reminder of what was on the line, Jack recited the cover story he’d gone over half a dozen times in the past couple of days. “I gave him the start-up for Keane Flight. Until now I’ve never had any interest in his company, but when he got in that accident, I stepped in to take over things for a while.”

“So, what did you do before this? Or what do you do?” There was a definite note of anxiety in her voice.

He risked a quick glance at her. Sophie’s face was impassive, but she was twirling a strand of dark hair. Why was she nervous? The information he had didn’t suggest she was involved, but until now he hadn’t realized how loyal she was to her boss. Maybe she wasn’t nervous because of that. If it was because she was attracted to him—no, he shut that thought down. It didn’t matter. “I own a few restaurants, and I’ve been fortunate enough to make wise investments over the years.” This was all part of his cover, but he didn’t divulge too much information.

She nodded and glanced away. As he pulled up to La Marea at the Tides Hotel, she tugged at her skirt almost self-consciously, and when one of the valet guys opened the door for her, she jumped. It was subtle, but enough for him to notice.

Jack’s hands clenched around the steering wheel, but he forced himself to get out. He rarely used a valet—didn’t ever like giving up control of his keys—but for the role he was playing, it only made sense.

“Is the terrace okay?” he asked as he held open the front door to the restaurant for her.

“That sounds great.” The smile she gave him was tight and brittle, but it didn’t detract from her full lips and he couldn’t help staring at them.

All he wanted to do was nibble, tease, and stroke them. The urge to lean forward and do just that was startlingly real. He sighed. Being so close to Sophie again was going to put him in an early grave.

From the file Wesley had given him, he knew this was her favorite place, so he hoped to soften her up while he subtly grilled her. Once they were seated and the hostess had taken their drink orders, he jumped right in to professional mode. “Ronald tells me you’re like his right hand.”

She blushed and damn if his cock didn’t jump to attention. Again. It gave her a deliciously innocent quality that made him ache. She was quick to brush away his compliment. “I don’t know about that.”

A light breeze blew up, ruffling the open table umbrella sheltering them. He instinctively glanced around. The terrace was blocked by thick hedges, giving them a decent amount of privacy, but his senses had been on high alert since they’d left SBMS. At first he thought it was because he was around Sophie, but his gut told him otherwise. A familiar tingle spread across the back of his neck, as if someone was watching him. He’d been in the crosshairs of a sniper scope before, and the sensation he had now was damn familiar. Jack started to respond when a reflection from the hedges caught his eye. It danced and flickered for a second and raw adrenaline kicked in.

There wasn’t time to make any other decision. Even though there was a slim chance he was making a mistake, it would be worth the embarrassment. He shoved the iron and glass table on its side and tackled Sophie. The last thing he saw as he flew at her was her wide brown eyes. He attempted to soften the blow as he fell over her by rolling the chair, but a few cuts and bruises or even a broken arm would be nothing compared to a bullet in her chest.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sophie yelled, and struggled underneath.

A huge potted plant exploded behind them, followed by screams and shouts from the other patrons. She immediately stilled, her mouth falling open.

“There’s a shooter. We have to get out of here.” He shifted and grabbed one of the iron table legs, pulling it around so they had more cover.

Face pale and eyes wide, she nodded likely because the word “shooter” sank in.

The glass tabletop exploded, showering them with shards. Which told him the shooter had suitable visibility. At least he had lousy aim. Jack kept his body over Sophie.

“Get ready to run. Stay low,” he ordered.

Still shielding her, he grabbed her arm and they sprinted for the open glass doors to the interior of the restaurant. Luckily there were other patrons doing the very same thing, inadvertently giving them cover. Once inside, he scanned the area for a backup shooter. Patrons, servers, and other staff of the hotel were all running around in a blind panic, so if there was a backup shooter, he would be the only calm person. Jack didn’t spot anyone like that and at least now they were inside. Short of being hit with a missile, they had cover for the moment.

Keep moving, keep moving . Moving targets were a hell of a lot harder to hit. As a veteran sniper, he had firsthand experience.

He glanced at Sophie as they continued running through the restaurant. “You okay?”

She nodded shakily, her face pale. “Yeah.”

Jack still held on to her arm. And he didn’t plan to let go anytime soon. “I promise we’ll get out of here.”

Jack had been in far worse situations, but always during missions and usually in foreign countries. Everyone he worked with knew the risks associated with their chosen profession. Not Sophie. She was just a civilian and hadn’t asked for this.

He continued through the restaurant, dodging shouting men and women and jerking Sophie along with him. Once they neared the sliding glass doors on the other side of the hotel, he tugged her to the side of the entrance. “Stay here.”