But she knew Morgan’s face. Every last inch of it.
“What happened to the plane?” She hadn’t thought to ask before, but now it occurred to her that she had no clue whether their pilot was even okay.
Morgan’s expression was bleak as he leaned forward to put out his cigarette. “It exploded in a clearing about a hundred miles east of San José.” Sorrow flickered in his eyes. “Giovanni didn’t manage to land his bird, after all.”
Her heart squeezed. “I’m sorry. Was he a good friend of yours?”
“Not really. He’d only flown us a couple times.” His features hardened. “But Sergio...I thought he was a friend.”
“The man who owns the airport?”
Her father nodded. “He sold us out. I don’t know to whom, but clearly he told someone I would be on board. The bastard removed the emergency gear and let someone plant a bomb in the tail.”
“Betrayal sucks, huh?”
His gaze softened. “Does that mean you’re finally going to tell me what got you so spooked that you decided to run away from your grandfather?”
Cate’s fingers tightened around her braid. “He killed Gabriel.”
“Your friend...?” Morgan hesitated. “The one who drove you to the Eiffel Tower?”
She nodded. “It was my fault. I gave Gabriel the file on you so Nik and Grandpa wouldn’t find it on me, and they killed him for it. They thought he hadn’t told me about it yet.” She bit her lip. “They didn’t realize I was the one who gave it to him.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Her throat tightened. “Gabriel was a good friend. He was a really good friend.”
Neither of them spoke for a moment, but that didn’t mean there was silence. Cate was surprised by the amount of noise coming from the jungle. Screeching and squawking, a monkey’s high-pitched howl, the flapping of wings and the drone of insects.
“Is it always so loud here?” she asked.
“Yeah, but you get used to it.”
She hesitated. “There are so many people living in this house. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“You’ll get used to that too. But don’t worry. It’s not always so packed. Kane just wrapped up a job in Ecuador. He flew back this morning.” He paused. “Did you meet Abby?”
“The redhead, right?”
“Yeah. She’s married to Kane.” Another pause. “They’re good people.” His voice went gruff. “You’ll like it here.”
“And if I don’t?” she felt compelled to ask.
“Then we’ll go somewhere else,” he said simply. “We’ll go wherever you want, Cate.”
Warmth infused her heart, but it was accompanied by a trickle of uneasiness. “How is this...any of this...going to work? I mean, you’re my father, but...I don’t know you.”
His dark blue eyes took on a gleam of intensity. “You’ll get to know me.”
“Will I? Because you don’t seem like much of a talker.”
Now he chuckled. “I’m not. But for you, I’ll make an exception.”
“Fine. Then I’ll call your bluff. Tell me how you met my mother.”
Morgan’s face grew pained. “That’s not a very pretty story, I’m afraid.”
“I don’t care.”
“You might hate me after you hear it,” he warned her.
Cate set her jaw and said, “Try me.”
• • •
Morgan felt utterly drained when he returned to his bedroom just before dawn. He’d spent hours on the terrace with Cate, doing more talking than he’d ever done in his life. He’d told her about the botched mission in Berlin, about Walther’s criminal activities, Ariana’s seduction. He hadn’t even held back the details regarding Cate’s conception, and although she’d frowned when he confessed how Ariana had sabotaged their contraceptives, she hadn’t commented on her mother’s deceitful behavior.
Once he’d finished talking, it had been Cate’s turn. She’d told him about her life, how sheltered she’d been, the restrictions Dietrich had placed on her.
Morgan had been startled to learn that Nikolaus Bauer had been a constant presence since the day Cate was born. Bauer had never married, and he’d come to live with them in Athens about a year after Morgan stopped keeping tabs on him. When he’d discovered that, he’d cursed himself for calling off his surveillance on Bauer. If he hadn’t, he might have found Cate sooner.
But she was here now, and he couldn’t deny he was downright smitten with the girl. She was smart, funny, and so damn strong it made his chest swell with pride. He’d watched her jump out of a plane today without an ounce of fear, and she’d orchestrated her own escape from Dietrich and Bauer without batting an eye. He’d honestly never felt prouder of anyone in his entire life.
It had been such an astonishing, cathartic night, but even as he basked in the joy of bonding with his daughter, he had to wonder, how long would this wonderful reunion last?
When he’d checked in with Sullivan this morning, his soldier had informed him that both Dietrich and Bauer were still at the country estate. Sullivan and Liam were sticking around to monitor the situation, but so far there were no signs of trouble. No movement whatsoever. Which was troubling, because Cate’s grandfather must have figured out she was gone by now.
So why wasn’t he making a move to come after her?
A knock on the door interrupted Morgan’s train of thought, and he answered with a brisk, “Yeah?”
Abby poked her head into his room. “Got a sec?”
He furrowed his brow, surprised that she was up so early. “You realize it’s five in the morning, right?”
The redhead shrugged as she entered the suite. “I’m an early riser. I saw the light under your door, so I figured this would be a good time to discuss that message you left for me.”
Morgan tensed. Shit, he’d forgotten about that. He’d left Abby the message days ago, after his conversation with Bailey back in Paris, but so much had happened since then that it had totally slipped his mind.
He held his breath. “Did you look into what I asked?”
She nodded.
“And?”
He could tell from her expression that she wasn’t going to tell him what he wanted to hear.
Sighing, she shook her head and said, “There was nothing in any of Jeremy’s safe-deposit boxes. My lawyer found about three dozen flash drives full of data, but nothing related to what you were asking about. Sorry, Jim.”
Aside from Noelle, Abby was one of the only people who called him that, probably because her foster father had done the same. Morgan remembered being shocked when he’d learned that his commanding officer had adopted a teenage girl with a troubled past, but Jeremy Thomas had always been full of surprises. And once Morgan met Abby, he’d realized why Jeremy had been so ardent about rescuing her.
Abby Sinclair was tough as nails, a shrewd, resourceful woman who could survive anything life threw at her. She reminded him a lot of Noelle, except he’d never felt the same burning desire for Abby as he did Noelle.
At the thought of her, he suddenly realized he hadn’t seen Noelle since they’d gotten here. For all he knew, she was already on her way back to Paris.
“She’s in the blue room,” Abby said, as if reading his mind. “But she’s planning on leaving today.”
He swallowed. Yeah, he’d figured she’d cut and run the second they wrapped up the job. Noelle didn’t like to linger.
“I like your kid, by the way. I just ran into her in the kitchen. Told her I’d teach her how to shoot later.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
“Because she said she wanted to learn.” Abby grinned, which was a damn rare occurrence. “Oh shit, are you gonna go all Papa Bear on us? Because word to the wise: overprotective parents breed rebellious children.”
“You never rebelled against J
eremy,” he pointed out.
“Jeremy wasn’t my father. He was just the prickly black-ops soldier who decided to adopt a fucked-up kid like me.” Her voice softened. “He was my hero.”
“Mine too,” Morgan admitted, his thoughts once again drifting to his former commanding officer. “He was a good man.”
Abby hesitated.
“What?” he said roughly.
“So are you, you know. I mean, you’re a total bastard at times, but you are a good man, Jim.”
He shifted in discomfort.
“Okay, I can see you getting all squeamish about this heart-to-heart. Don’t worry. I am too.”
He had to chuckle. “Yeah?”
“Definitely. You know I’m not into all that emotion crap.” She gently ran a hand over the small bump at her belly, the gesture effectively contradicting what she’d just said. Then, with another grin, she headed for the door. “Come to the range in an hour and watch your daughter shoot. I bet you she’ll be a natural.”
Yeah, he’d make that bet too. And he couldn’t wait to see Cate shoot. Hell, he’d be happy to just sit there and watch her read a frickin’ book for ten hours, as long as it meant spending time with her.
But first, he had something else to take care of.
• • •
Noelle was on the balcony when she sensed Jim’s presence behind her. She always knew when he was close by—her body hummed every time, like an early alarm system for impending tension.
She kept her gaze on the gorgeous sunrise beyond the railing, admiring the incredible view. She hadn’t watched a sunrise in years, and she was surprised that she was still able to find beauty in something. Brilliant pinks, yellows, and oranges filled the sky as the sun soared upward, casting a halo over the jagged mountain peaks dotting the horizon.
“You were up all night,” she remarked without turning around.
Jim came up beside her and swiped her coffee cup right out of her hands. “I was with Cate,” he admitted after he’d taken a quick sip.
“I figured.”
He handed the cup back and rested both hands on the rail, his blue eyes somber as he focused them on the horizon.
“So serious,” she murmured. “What’s going on?”
“Abby says you’re leaving today.”
“Yep. You know I don’t like to overstay my welcome.”
He let go of the railing and shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting his feet awkwardly. She could feel his gaze on her now, but he didn’t say a word. He just watched her, his expression flickering with hesitation.
“What’s on your mind, Jim?” she said with a sigh.
“I want to talk to you about your father.”
When Noelle stiffened, he quickly held up his palm. “Wait. Before you go into street-fighter mode, just hear me out, okay?”
She shot him a terse look. “Fine. Say your piece.”
“I called Abby the other day. I, uh, asked her to check Jeremy Thomas’s safe-deposit boxes. It was just a shot in the dark—I mean, I didn’t expect to find anything, but I know that Jeremy used to keep backups of certain mission files for his personal records. He also made copies of interrogation tapes.”
Noelle froze.
“I was hoping he might have a copy of your father’s, but Abby didn’t find anything. If there was ever a record of Douglas’s interrogation, Jeremy didn’t have a copy of it. Or maybe it was destroyed when the unit was disbanded. I don’t know.” His deep voice cracked. “I’m trying to give you proof that Douglas sold out his country. But I can’t. I don’t have a tape to show you, or a file for you to read. All I have is my word.”
“I don’t need your word, Jim.” She exhaled slowly. “I have the tape.”
Surprise filled his eyes. “What?”
Her voice cracked too, just as badly as Jim’s had. “I’m not as naive as you think I am. The night he was arrested...he was acting so strange. I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but I knew there was something off about his behavior. An innocent man wouldn’t have acted like that.” She sighed. “I paid your CO a visit a couple years after you and I parted ways. You weren’t off base just now—Thomas did keep a copy of the interrogation. It’s in my safe at the Paris penthouse.”
Jim’s jaw went tighter than a drum. “So all these years...this whole time you knew I was telling the truth?”
She answered with a harsh laugh. “Do you really think that made a difference to me? So what if you had good reason to arrest him? You still used me. You fucked me, literally and figuratively, just so you could carry out your mission. And there’s nothing you could have said then, or say now, that will excuse what you did to me.”
He shook his head in frustration. “The other night when you went postal on me for bringing up your father...What’s your excuse, Noelle? Why fly into a rage if you already knew the truth?”
A spike of agony drove straight into her heart. For a moment it got hard to breathe, but she managed to draw another shaky breath into her lungs.
“That’s not what set me off, and you know it,” she said hoarsely. “What you said...that was something I didn’t know. Whether or not my father was a traitor didn’t matter to me. It didn’t affect me. But René...” She swallowed. “Did my father really admit to you that he knew what René was doing to me?”
Jim responded with a slow nod that brought another slice of pain to her heart.
“I didn’t know. I kept it a secret from him because I was certain that if he ever found out, he would kill René, and I was scared he might end up in jail for it. I was trying to protect my dad.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “And then to find out that he knew what was happening to me...and didn’t do anything to stop it...”
“He was a bastard, Noelle. He never deserved your loyalty.”
She pressed her lip together, afraid that if she opened her mouth, a sob might fly out of it. Her silence dragged on for so long that Jim finally slid his hands out of his pockets and took a step back.
“Anyway...” He cleared his throat. “That’s all I wanted to say.”
She trailed after him through the French doors and they stepped into the guest room she’d stayed in last night.
He halted near the bed and turned to look at her. “You know...” He shrugged. “You’re welcome to stay for as long as you like.”
His expression was so reluctant she almost laughed. Obviously he didn’t want her to stick around but felt obligated to make the offer, and knowing he didn’t care whether she left or not made her heart ache.
But what had she really been expecting? For him to get on his knees and beg her to stay?
Why would he? They weren’t a couple. They weren’t in love. They could fuck each other for the rest of their lives, and it still wouldn’t make their relationship any less complicated.
And “relationship” wasn’t even the right word to describe what they had. She and Jim, they simply...collided. They burst into each other’s lives every so often and then they went their separate ways.
Except this latest collision had been...different. First and foremost, there was the sex. But there had also been something more, something...different.
Way to articulate yourself there.
She stifled a groan, wishing she could put her doubts and confusion into words, but she couldn’t for the life of her make sense of what she was feeling at the moment.
She suddenly became aware of Jim’s soft breathing, and realized that he was still there, still standing in front of her, making no move to go.
“Is there anything else?” Noelle cocked her head expectantly.
Her breath hitched when he bridged the distance between them.
“Can I kiss you?” he murmured, dragging his callused fingertips over her cheek.
After a long moment of silence, she shook her head.
Disappointment flickered in his blue eyes. “You’re never going to trust me again, are you?”
When she didn’t answer, he released a heavy sigh, dropped his hand from her face, and headed for the door.
“What, not even a good-bye lay?” she called after him.
He spun around, the heat in his eyes telling her that he wasn’t the least bit insulted by the suggestion. “Is that what you really want?” he said roughly.
She responded by taking off her shirt.
With a soft chuckle, Jim locked the door and made his way back to her. “You know, you’re the most aggravating woman I’ve ever known.”
Yet despite his visible irritation, he wasn’t denying her, and she found that incredibly intriguing.
When she cupped the bulge in his pants, his head lolled to the side and a groan slipped out of his mouth. “Fuck. I love it when you touch me.”
The hoarse admission sent shivers of desire skimming up her spine. She stroked him over his pants for a moment, before dragging his zipper down and coaxing his erection into her hand. She gave it a squeeze, then wrapped her fingers around the shaft and pumped him slowly, rubbing her thumb on his tip with each upstroke, enjoying the husky sounds that left his throat.
When she quickened the pace, he groaned louder and stilled her hand. “I’m gonna come if you keep doing that.”
She smiled impishly. “I thought you were a master of endurance.”
“Not when the sexiest woman on the planet is jerking me off,” he grumbled, swatting her hand away and taking a step back.
He tugged his shirt over his head, providing her with an eyeful of his bare chest. God, that spectacular chest.
Noelle moved closer and pressed her mouth directly between his pecs, and his breath promptly hitched in surprise.
It wasn’t quite the same as kissing his lips, but this she was willing to do. As her pulse raced, she kissed every inch of his chest. When her tongue came out to tease a flat brown nipple, he shuddered, and she couldn’t help but reach down to grasp his erection again. She stood there in front him, her lips devouring his hot male flesh while her hand pumped his cock in a languid rhythm.