His mind had no more than formed the question when the door swung open. His heart stopped in his chest at the sight of her. She wore a fitted blue suit jacket and a skirt that fell conservatively to her knee. Her calves were slender and beautiful, and the sight of them reminded him of things he was definitely better off not remembering at a time like this. Her blond hair was swept into a roll at her nape. Her lipstick was the color of a cherry Popsicle. She wore tiny spectacles, but not even glasses could hide the magnificence of her eyes.
She looked nervous and so lovely it took a good bit of discipline not to go to her and throw his arms around her.
Martin Wolfe rose and extended his hand. “Mattie Logan, it’s nice to finally meet you in person. I’m Martin Wolfe.”
Her smile lit up the room as she accepted his hand. “Thank you for trusting me and letting me follow through with my plan.”
“The MIDNIGHT Agency appreciates your courage and the sacrifice you made to help us apprehend The Jaguar.”
“I had a vested interest.”
“A grand jury will convene in your absence next week. At that point all charges will be officially expunged from your record. You will be compensated for any lost wages.” Wolfe paused. “Today you will receive an official apology from the federal prosecutor’s office and the Department of Corrections.”
But her eyes were no longer on the agency head. Cutter felt it like a physical touch when her gaze landed on him. For a moment it was as if they were the only two people in the room. Memories swept through him. Their life-and-death struggle through the mountains. The first time he’d touched her. The first time he’d kissed her. The first time they’d made love.
“Cutter?”
He jolted at the sound of his name. He looked around, realized with some embarrassment that all eyes in the room were on him. He’d been staring at Mattie and didn’t have a clue what had been said.
Four days had passed since their terrible ordeal at The Jaguar’s compound in Alberta. Both Mattie and Cutter had been flown back to Chicago where they’d been thoroughly examined by the agency physicians and debriefed. It had killed Cutter to see Mattie transported to a holding cell. Though all involved knew Daniel Savage had framed her and she was innocent, no one had had the authority to release her that first night.
Cutter hadn’t slept for worrying about her.
“Your report?” Wolfe said.
Clearing his throat, Cutter rose. He hadn’t prepared anything in writing. Most of his work was fieldwork; he wasn’t very good at this sort of thing. But Mattie Logan wasn’t the only one with a vested interest in this case. He had one, too. A big one.
“I just want to say that Mattie Logan was instrumental in the apprehension and arrest of the terrorist kingpin known only as The Jaguar.” Cutter’s gaze swept to the federal prosecutor. “This government at the very least owes her an apology.”
His gaze locked with hers. “She put her life on the line multiple times. When I sustained a bullet wound, she administered first aid. She had many opportunities to escape. Instead she chose to risk her life to do the right thing. That included hatching a plan that ultimately led to the capture of a vicious terrorist. Without Mattie Logan’s heroics I believe The Jaguar would still be a free man.”
He stared at her, unable to look away. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t make a sound. Even from fifteen feet away he could see that she was trembling. “I owe my life to her,” he said. But his voice was little more than a whisper.
The room went silent. Before he realized he was going to move, he’d rounded the table. Mattie’s eyes widened as he drew near. Upon reaching her, he took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet.
Then she was standing so close he could discern the sweet scent of her perfume. He could feel the warmth emanating from her body to tantalize his. The sexual tension rising between them.
“I want you to know, I didn’t plan on using you or putting you in danger. I sure as hell didn’t plan on falling in love with you.” Raising his hand, he thumbed a tear from her cheek. “But I did.”
Tilting her head, Mattie pressed her face into his palm. She hadn’t known what to expect of this formal meeting, but this was not it. “Cutter, I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything,” he answered, and pulled her into his arms.
“We’ve got an audience,” she whispered.
“I don’t care.”
His heart pounded against hers. She reveled in the sensation of being in his arms.
Though Mattie was conscious of the other men rising and shuffling from the room, her attention remained focused on the man holding her in his arms
Martin Wolfe cleared his throat noisily. Cutter pulled back and smiled down at her. Together they looked at the agency head.
Wolfe frowned, but Mattie saw the smile in his eyes. “This meeting is adjourned.” He looked at Mattie. “A representative from the Department of Defense will be in contact with you. If you want your job back, it’s yours for the taking. They can use all the talent they can get.”
She hadn’t yet decided how to handle getting her career back on track, but a phone call from her superiors was a good start. “Thank you.”
“Now you two get out of here.” Wolfe looked at Cutter. “You’ve got the next two weeks off. I suggest you make good use of it,” he said, and left them alone in the conference room.
Grinning, Cutter looked into her eyes. “You’re a free woman, Mattie.”
“Where does this leave us?” she asked.
“Together.”
“That’s a good place to be.”
“What do you say we check out the beach somewhere in the Caribbean for the next week or so?” Leaning close he brushed a kiss to her mouth. “I hear the water’s nice this time of year.”
Mattie closed her eyes and held him close. “I thought you’d never ask,” she said and kissed him back.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-2541-1
OPERATION: MIDNIGHT GUARDIAN
Copyright © 2006 by Linda Castillo
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Table of Contents
About the Author
Books by Linda Castillo
Cast of Characters
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Copyright
Linda Castillo, Operation: Midnight Guardian
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