If he even knew how to do that.
The back ramp lowered, the gaping hole revealing the runway. Familiar stretches of pale concrete and stark utilitarian outbuildings glowed with the orangey haze of the setting sun. Only the sea air and an occasional palm tree differentiated it from other landing strips.
A small greeting party waited in a roped-off area, led by General Ted Sullivan along with Captain Bernard from the OSI. Wind rippled the captain’s uniform as he stood flanked by a half dozen security cops toting M16s. As if that weren’t enough firepower, four Humvees were parked behind them, each equipped with a turret with a SAW—squad automatic weapon—mounted on top. Given Sylvia’s assurance things were being kept low-key, Liam did not have a good feeling about this.
His battle-honed instincts went on alert. They were either being highly protected—or were about to be taken into custody.
***
“Divide and conquer,” Rachel said, bracing a hand on the dash of the Humvee as General Sullivan sped down the flight line, dusk closing in like a fading camera shot.
>She arched an eyebrow at him again and he would have been pissed, except he noticed her hands shaking. She wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted to pretend. Sylvia scooped her leather purse from the floor and before the door clicked closed behind her, he saw her dip her hand inside for her leather cigarette case.
Her sign of nerves.
Damn right, she wasn’t unaffected. He’d gotten to her. As much as she tried to play it cool, she wanted him. Sure, he was sixteen years her senior. And even though he kept in shape, he didn’t suffer any delusions that he looked like some thirty-year-old kid.
He had something far more valuable than youth. He had power, and that turned women on.
It had turned Sylvia on within a month of his setting foot on this base.
She was a good lay, more adventurous than most in the sack and didn’t have a problem at all dropping to her knees for him, but he wasn’t going to do something insane like leave his wife for her. Kelly was the perfect spouse for him, one who made no demands. And as long as he stayed married to her, he had an instant barrier against committing to another woman.
A knock on the door snapped him back into the moment. Maybe Sylvia had come back after all. He smiled at the thought of her begging for more.
He opened the door to… Captain Bernard, Sylvia’s active-duty counterpart in the OSI. And serious suck-up, always trying to kiss ass to get ahead. As if everyone couldn’t see what he was about.
“What?” Sullivan barked. “This isn’t a good time.”
“Sir, I’m here for the briefing on bringing in Lieutenant Harris. Agent Cramer’s secretary said she’d been called to your office, and I know what a personal interest you’ve taken in lending your assistance with the investigation into Brandon Harris.”
Ted blinked. What the hell was the captain talking about?
One thing was certain. He wouldn’t find out standing here in the hall. “Yes, come in. Agent Cramer had to step out for a moment, but we can get started without her and catch her up when she returns.”
Bernard stepped into the office, apparently all but pissing himself to have a private moment alone to speak with a general. “Lucky thing, Harris calling in on his own and sending the data he’d collected. Once it’s decoded… holy crap, sir. The air force owes Major McCabe a huge debt of thanks for pulling this one off.”
Ted placed his hand on the edge of his desk, right over the spot where Sylvia had leaned minutes ago, writhing against him and panting about plans for tonight, all the while knowing she was about to betray him. Of course she hadn’t been able to turn him down when he called her. That would have stirred suspicion.
So Special Agent Cramer knew Harris had been found and she hadn’t said a word. If she had Harris and hadn’t told him, then she must have accessed the information he’d worked like a madman to bury—the data on the exchange with the Chinese coming up this weekend. And as much as she’d claimed to agree with him ideologically, she’d apparently gone squeamish when confronted with how far he was willing to go.
Then she’d used her body and talk of sex games to distract him from learning the truth. Rage boiled so deep in his belly he wanted to storm out the door and put his hands around her neck.
The bitch had played him.
But she’d also overestimated herself and she’d underestimated him. Sure, his career here was finished once the incriminating data was decoded. He’d accepted that possibility from the start and made contingency plans. He was smarter than them in the end. He would survive and come out on top.
Sylvia Cramer was the one who’d lost this game. It may have been years since he’d seen combat, but he hadn’t forgotten how to coolly, effectively eliminate his enemies.
And then make a clean escape.
Chapter 18
Sylvia had certainly delivered a top-notch ride.
Liam adjusted his headset attached to the main feed in the CV-22 that had been sent to escort them from the Everglades back to Patrick Air Force Base. He was losing himself in routine, doing his damndest not to think about how his fight with Rachel had split him wide open inside. Damn it, he couldn’t even look at her sitting across from him, but he felt her eyes on him, her hurt and her anger radiating.
He focused on work the way he’d done in the past to get through the pain of a breakup. Gauging by the ache in his chest, that plan wasn’t going as well for him this time.