ALEC SET THE BEACH chairs down and watched as Vara swept her bikini cover-up over her head. A week of this view and he still wasn't tired of it. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes, one side of her mouth hitching up."Want to take mine off, too?" He grinned at her and unfolded a chair for her."Shut up." Vara set the tote in her chair and draped the top over the back. She rolled her eyes and smiled, but it wasn't the reaction he was looking for.There was a wall there. He could feel it. She'd kiss him, suck him, fuck him, but there was this barrier that kept them slightly apart. Maybe he wouldn't notice it if he was just meeting her or if he hadn't known her better all those years ago, but he did. He'd been with a totally open and uninhibited Vara and this wasn't her.Whatever.He'd wear her down. This was a long campaign. Them clicking so fast was good, it meant he had to do less convincing her. He just needed to show her that this relationship didn't have an expiration date.
ALEC PLACED HIS HAND on the small of Vara's back, guiding her to the sidewalk. Instead of heading home to shower then off to a restaurant, they were simply moving from the beach to a waterfront bar with their newfound friends."These guys make me feel old." He chuckled."Please. You are not old." Vara peered up at him over the top of her sunglasses."Were you listening to them?""Okay, so maybe I do feel my age a little. We don't have to go, you know? We can bail." She slowed her pace."Nah. They need a little guidance. Someone to show them a better example.""And that's you? Right.""Okay, so maybe I want to see you drink them under the table.""You're ready to sacrifice my liver to get a laugh?" The corners of her mouth quirked up.Alec reached up and tugged on her ponytail. She tilted her chin up and he paused to kiss her lips. He kept it brief so as to avoid needing to leave. The guys weren't bad, and it was nice to be out with someone besides each other."I'd like it if
VARA TAPPED HER PHONE screen, but the device was sluggish. She needed to switch over to a new cell on an American network. It just hadn't been a priority. Now it seemed silly that she hadn't taken care of that already.Alec hauled himself out of the seat in the row ahead of her and wrangled their bags out of the overhead bins. They'd agreed that remaining in Miami seemed like a bad idea. Somehow they'd gotten home, packed and boarded the plane in an hour and a half. She didn't know where they were headed now or what Alec's plan was, but she was glad to be in another city.She pressed her phone to her ear and followed Alec down the aisle off the plane.Chad's phone rang. And rang. His voicemail picked up.Vara ended the call. She wasn't leaving him another message, not when she had nothing worthwhile to say.Once they were off the plane Alec offered her his hand."What's our plan now?" It was strange to ask someone else that question. For the last few years she was the one making
ALEC DIDN'T LIKE HOW quiet Vara had been while they tidied up from dinner. With the others around he wasn't going to press her to talk to him. She'd drawn into herself even more and he didn't know how to get through to her. It felt as though ever since they'd gotten to Florida she'd drawn farther and farther away from him. He was going out of his fucking mind.He grabbed their bags and led the way up the stairs to the tune of yet more silence. At least once they were alone he could tease some conversation out of her. Their time was literally ticking down. Tomorrow he was flying to Seattle. He needed her to agree to go with him. She had to stay with him.Alec picked one of the remaining rooms at random and opened the door for Vara.The room was large and comfortable with two queen beds and an attached bathroom. It was one of the suites that would be earmarked for the team's use on an op, saving the larger, more luxurious rooms for clients. He set their things on top of the dresser an
WYATT CHECKED THE PARKING lot. Again.Still no unusual activity.They'd found a pay by the hour motel and checked in. The aim was to regroup, make some calls and figure out where the hell they were going next.Vara didn't have the package.They'd searched the condo and rental car a few times through the week. The only place it could have been was Vara's tote bag, and all that had yielded was sand, sunscreen and granola bar wrappers.This job was going to hell fast.He glanced over his shoulder at Ivan who'd been glued to his phone for hours.If Wyatt wasn't careful, he'd end up a casualty in this drama, and if he died his mother and sisters would suffer. He didn't know what the damn package was, and he didn't care. Nothing was more important than his family's wellbeing. Whatever secured that was Wyatt's priority.Which was why his path was subject to Kolya's whim. Wyatt couldn't risk having a mob boss for an enemy. Not with his family vulnerable."Misha is taken care of," Ivan
ALEC TWISTED IN HIS seat to watch Vara walk back to the galley. She's done this on their other flights. Tight, confined spaces with no way out clearly weren't her thing. He'd try and distract her when she came back."Hey," Zain mumbled. He shifted to his left but didn't glance up."Yeah?" Alec leaned toward his boss and toyed with Vara's screen."Guy two rows back, aisle seat?""You noticed him, too?" Alec had tagged the guy as an odd duck the moment they got on the plane. He'd noticed the looks he tossed Vara's way enough that Alec had a habit of keeping the guy on the edge of his peripheral vision.The man was of average build with thick, black-rimmed glasses. He wore a polo shirt, jeans and a sport coat, but his shoes were dirty old sneakers. His sandy colored hair hadn't been washed lately either.Vara continued to nervous-pace, stretch and mutter to herself. It was cute. She was a creature of action, always needing an activity. She couldn't just sit and do nothing.He'd hav
VARA'S IMPRESSION OF ALEC'S ranch-style house was that it was large and had some nice trees around it. Anything else was hard to make out in the darkness with the ongoing drizzle.She was ready to be done with travel.Her hands burned, and she had a few blisters on her forehead, but other than that she was fine. The topical ointment made them barely noticeable. Still, another close call had her rattled and ready to hide. She wasn't that strong. She wasn't that much of a badass. She was just a woman with a big heart."Come on, I've got you." Alec wrapped his arm around her, lifting his jacket over her head to shield her.She wasn't worried about the rain, but she wanted to stay close to him. They darted up the drive and across the path to the front door.Music and laughter sounded from inside.Alec glanced down at her."You don't have to hang out. My room's down the hall on the left, second door on the right, okay?""I'm fine," she said.He bent and kissed the top of her head.
ALEC CURSED UNDER HIS breath. He'd hoped for a phone call, an easy explanation for the assassination attempt. If Zain was showing up in person, this wasn't good news."Have a seat?" Alec toed a chair away from the table."Thanks." Zain said and laid his tablet on the table.Paxton followed, but remained standing. Ryan stood at the end of the table, hands braced on the corners."Our dead guy from the plane is Russian. No surprise there." Zain brought up a New York driver's license, naming Vara's attacker as Igor Somethingshecouldntpronounce. "He was a chemist. Got bounced from several jobs due to a number of violations. He was on a couple watch lists and a suspected supplier. He wasn't an assassin. This was a lab rat.""But we know who he is and that he's connected to the Russian mob?" Alec reached over and placed his hand on Vara's knee. He wanted to hold her hands, but the chemical burns were still fresh."We do." Zain's frown deepened."What?" Alec didn't like that frown."Th