A Dangerous Tryst (The Inheritance Book 3) Read online

  Cole wouldn’t let his guard down until they were thirty-five thousand feet in the air. He glanced over his shoulder as he led Madalina across the grass, giving the playground a wide berth. He aimed for a car the agents had provided at the private airstrip, then snapped a look sideways at Damon when the message came in. “I’m afraid to know.”

  Damon dialed Thaddeus and put the phone to his ear.

  Cole picked up the pace, forcing Madalina to take longer steps to keep up. Pushing his body to extremes, ignoring exhaustion, weakness, and lightheadedness, he had one goal: to get Madalina safely inside the car. Damon grunted, murmured, then hung up.

  “What now?” Brandon said. “Did Lance bust out again?”

  “No, no. Thaddeus just got word that the skirmish in the Islands is about to amp up another few notches.” Damon paused.

  Cole didn’t like the pause. He stared across at Damon, waiting for his brother to go on. Damon slowed his steps and stopped.

  Cole halted at the same time as Brandon, hand still clasped tight to Madalina’s. He might have squeezed a little too hard. It wasn’t like Damon to stall or hesitate. “What is it?”

  This was more serious than Lance breaking out.

  Damon stared toward the car parked against the curb, then pushed his hands into his pockets. He glanced back to Cole a moment later. “I’m going to be staying behind.”

  Cole frowned. He took a step forward. “Why? What aren’t you saying?”

  “Thaddeus has a job for me,” Damon said.

  “Just you?” Cole’s frown deepened.

  “Yes. Just me,” Damon said.

  “Okay, this is crap. What the hell is going on? The skirmish is about to get worse, you said, so it has to do with that. Does he want you to go back to the Islands and provide some kind of security or whatever for someone?” Brandon asked in his blunt manner. He reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and pointedly scrolled through the screen as if to say, I didn’t get any 911 message.

  “No.” Damon cast a look at the city skyline.

  “Don’t make me shake it out of you,” Cole said. Inner alarm bells were beginning to clang a clear warning. Whatever Thaddeus had asked Damon to do must be serious—and dangerous. Cole had been on too many missions to not recognize the signs.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. Whatever the job is, I’m going with you,” Brandon announced decisively. He shoved his phone back into his pockets, then pushed his sleeves to his elbows.

  “Me, too. I’ll put Madalina on the jet and—”

  “Oh no, you won’t,” Madalina said, drawing herself up as if preparing for battle.

  Cole knew she was digging in for an argument. They hadn’t even gotten off Chinese soil, and already they were being called upon to work.

  That figured.

  “You’re all getting on the plane,” Damon said, meeting each of his brothers’ eyes. “It’s less dangerous for me to do this alone. And don’t even try to convince me that you’re capable of any kind of fighting, Cole. You should be in a hospital. Period.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. All I need is some stitches or . . . something . . . and I’ll be good as new.” If it was dangerous, adrenaline would provide him all the energy he needed. He wouldn’t allow Damon to go alone.

  “The only place you’re going is home, Cole. I’m staying, and we’ll get this done,” Brandon said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “I want to know what the job is,” Cole insisted. “I’m not going anywhere until I get an explanation.”

  “Someone high up contacted Dad, Cole,” Damon said. “They need intel about Chinese intentions in the Islands. And I’m going to be the one to get that information for them. Off the books, of course. It’s all politics and posturing; you know how it is.”

  “So in essence this is a spy mission. You’re going to have to infiltrate pretty deep to get that kind of information.” Cole studied Brandon, then Damon. This job wasn’t entirely unusual in their line of work, but they didn’t do it often. Infiltrating the ranks of the politically powerful came with different risks than merely lifting sensitive documents.

  “It’ll be a walk in the park, brother.” Damon smiled, clapped Cole on his good shoulder, then said, “You take Madalina back to the States. We’ll catch up soon.”

  “Keep in contact when you can. Good hunting.” Cole decided not to push it. Brandon was more than capable of filling in for him. The wound to his arm might not be fatal, but it hindered his ability to fight, to move like he needed to. Going along on this job might cost lives because he wasn’t firing on all cylinders. As much as it irritated him, he knew when to fold and go home.

  “Make sure he goes to the doctor when you get back,” Brandon said to Madalina with a quick, boyish grin. It vanished moments later when his expression turned serious and sober.

  “I will. Be careful,” Madalina said.

  Brandon and Damon retreated across the park, disappearing once they’d passed through the playground crowd.

  Cole watched them go, then glanced at Madalina. She looked thoughtful as she regarded the scene. “What?”

  “Would you really have gone with Damon if Brandon hadn’t been here to go instead?” she asked, switching her attention back to him.

  “Yes. I’m a liability like this, but I wouldn’t have let Damon go alone regardless. Thankfully, that didn’t have to happen,” he replied, turning Madalina toward the waiting car. Dusk was beginning to creep across the landscape; soon it would be dark.

  “You’re worried about them, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Of course. I don’t need to explain what the consequences are if they get caught.” He opened the passenger door, intending to help her in and then take the driver’s seat. Madalina swiveled her body and nudged him to sit instead.

  Cole didn’t fight or argue. He sank into the seat and let her close the door. Circling the vehicle, she climbed in and started the engine. He waited; this conversation wasn’t over yet.

  Gripping the wheel with both hands while the car idled in park, she glanced across the console and met his eyes. “I always suspected that what you did while on the job was risky, but I don’t think I realized just how risky until now. I mean—you’ve gotten me out of some serious scrapes. That was because we had no choice. This is different. You’re consciously putting yourselves in danger. Is this how it always is?”

  “Not always. Sometimes it’s simple reconnaissance. Sometimes it’s getting in and out of highly guarded places. And other times it’s finding top-secret papers. Then there are these times, when things get trickier. It’s no less important, though. Thaddeus wouldn’t have called us if this job wasn’t high priority. Damon and Brandon have done this before—we all have—so they know what they’re doing.” Cole regarded Madalina as she absorbed the details. Her eyes were lit with intrigue and curiosity, perhaps a tinge of wariness.

  “If the worst were to happen—hypothetically, of course—and your brothers got captured while spying, would the US send a team in to try and rescue them?” she asked, putting the car in gear.

  “It all depends on the situation. Most of the time—yes. Even if the US didn’t send a team in, I’d come back. It’s just a part of what we do.” Cole ignored the increasing pain in his shoulder to glance between Madalina and the road.

  “Would you ever take me on a job like this?” she asked.

  “No. You’re not trained in the same way we are. Which doesn’t mean you can’t help from a different location, though. Searching routes, studying blueprints, that kind of thing. Helping us get in and out safely. We’re only as good as our intel and our instincts, and you see how much we rely on Thaddeus to help us.” He attempted to assuage the sting she might feel at being left behind. “There are many other jobs I’d take you on, though.”

  “The less dangerous ones,” she said, as if it was a bygone conclusion.

  “The less dangerous ones,” he confirmed. “Are you rethinking your decision to join forces with us?”r />
  She scoffed, then slanted a smile his way. “Are you kidding? I can’t wait.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Cole! It’s time to change your bandages.” Madalina jogged up the staircase to the second floor of their home, a wad of gauze and sterile bandages in her hands. She snapped on lights as she went; night had fallen, dousing the home into darkness. Nine days had passed since arriving in the States—nine long days of doctor visits, phone calls to her parents, rearranging her schedule at the boutique, and monitoring Damon and Brandon’s progress. She’d shifted her responsibilities at Uptown Couture to a new supervisor, which allowed her to dedicate more time to this. To learning Cole’s routine with the firm, getting behind-the-scenes glimpses of how an operation worked, and doing a little consulting, for which she was now getting paid.

  To say she loved the mystery and intrigue was a wild understatement. The more she learned about Cole’s job, the more she loved it.

  Rounding into the upstairs office, she found Cole intently studying one of several computer monitors. The screen flickered with satellite imagery, another glowed with a map of some kind, and still another resembled a Pac-Man game, the dots denoting movements of marked targets.

  Today, Damon and Brandon were going to make their escape and return to the States.

  “How is it going? Take off your shirt,” Madalina said as she set the items on the desk. Cole didn’t reply. He sat back, peeled the gray henley over his head, and shucked the garment distractedly to the side. A white bandage wrapped the upper part of his arm and shoulder, stark against his dark skin. Madalina couldn’t help but stare for a moment at the ripple of muscle across his chest and abdomen. It was always like this when she saw him unclothed. He just had that kind of body. The kind that made most women stop in their tracks.

  “Hold on.” He snatched up the phone from the desk and made a quick call.

  Madalina worked around his distractions, unwrapping the bandages and tossing them into the trash. The bleeding had long since stopped, but there was still enough seepage from the healing wound to discolor the gauze.

  “You’re sure everyone is where they need to be? We’re on schedule?” Cole was saying, staring at a different monitor.

  Madalina hurried to redress the injury and secure more gauze around his shoulder. Once she pinned the end, she went to wash her hands and came back to see him hang up the phone.

  “What’s happening? Did they get out okay?” she asked, pulling up a chair to sit next to him.

  “Almost,” he said, studying several monitors, with the phone sitting at his elbow.

  Madalina turned her attention to the screens. Shifting camera angles and the heat signature of bodies made it impossible for her to pinpoint what she was seeing. Heat signatures gave off colors, rather than facial details, so she couldn’t tell if she was looking at Damon and Brandon, Chinese agents, or Santa Claus. The last nine days had been fraught with tension regarding Damon and Brandon’s safety, although it appeared the brothers had gotten the needed intelligence. Cole had been relentless on his end—going without sleep, making calls, studying plans and blueprints. Even she had spent long hours in front of the computers, examining photographs and satellite images. Learning, too, that reconnaissance was an integral, important part of the job.

  Someone had to keep an eye on things from a distance.

  “Give me just a second.” Cole reached for a bottle of water and took a long drink before picking up his phone and tapping out a text message. A flurry of movement on the monitor failed to draw Cole’s gaze.

  “It’s no problem. I’m not in any hurry. And you know, I’m sure Damon and Brandon will be fine. They’ve done well over there so far.” Madalina had a new appreciation for Brandon’s and Damon’s ability—and for Cole’s—after playing witness to the brothers’ acquisition of sensitive intelligence. They seemed like seasoned pros in her eyes, men who worked together like a well-oiled machine.

  “Yeah, Thaddeus just let me know that Damon and Brandon are in the clear. Everything’s great.” Cole shot her a smile that faded quickly.

  “Excellent. This was a pretty intense job. I’m glad they’re done.” She leaned in to steal a kiss. Cole lingered, wrapping one hand around her neck to hold her close.

  “Thanks for being so supportive and helpful this week. I know I’ve been preoccupied,” he said.

  “I don’t mind. Honestly, I’ve been preoccupied with this myself. I’m getting a glimpse into what life will be like now that I have more access than I did before,” she said.

  Cole swiveled his chair until he faced Madalina. His knees were parted, boots spread on the floor. “You’re not experiencing any regret hiring that new girl to take over most of your hours? What does Lianne say?”

  Faded denim hugged his thighs in ways that made Madalina nearly forget the subject at hand. “No, no regrets. None at all. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I feel . . . lighter, if that makes sense. As if everything that has led me here was supposed to happen. Like the dragons were fate.” She paused to consider her coworker and co-owner. “Lianne understands. She misses me, of course, but I think she sees that this, the new direction I’m taking, has lit a fire inside me that wasn’t there before. Even if I don’t go into the field with you and your brothers, the thought of being able to investigate and solve puzzles to help you is still exciting and challenging in ways that the boutique isn’t. I’ll always love fashion and clothes—but there’s more, and now I get to experience it firsthand.”

  He studied her intently, his gaze dipping only once to her mouth. “Good. I’m glad you feel that way. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There is . . . a lot more. More you don’t know about yet, more to explore. It’s addicting. I’m proof of that.” Raking a hand through his hair, he added, “But there’s something else, too.”

  Madalina got lost in the picture Cole made, slouched in his seat, half-naked. He hadn’t shaved since they’d been home, leaving his jaw covered in dark whiskers. “Something else?” she asked distractedly.

  “Yes. Something that’s been on my mind for a month or more,” he said.

  Cole’s tone vaporized whatever lust had been building in her system. She darted a look from his chest to his eyes. He wasn’t looking at her, but away to a distant point on the wall. For the first time, her stomach flip-flopped with worry. Was he having doubts about them? Did he have concerns he hadn’t voiced? Would he have encouraged her to consult for his father’s firm if he meant to break it off with her? Madalina had known from the very first that Cole didn’t typically engage in long-term relationships. He didn’t engage in relationships at all—until she’d come along. Maybe domestic life was getting to him, wearing down his resolve to be monogamous and committed. He’d assured her time and again over the latter half of the year that he was happy, that what they had was what he wanted. What he needed. But what if doubts were surfacing now that she’d taken steps to be at home more, to intertwine her life so intimately with his? Talking about it and seeing change in action were two different things.

  He stood abruptly from the chair. “Tell you what. Let’s go out to dinner, hmm? I’m starving. Then we can talk.”

  “Cole, if it’s serio—” She quieted when he stepped up to her and put a finger gently against her lips.

  “Shh. Later.” He dragged his finger from her lips and departed the room.

  Madalina stared after him, stomach churning, palms sweaty. Leaving the office in his wake, she headed for the master bedroom to get ready.

  Attired in a bloodred dress that showed a bit more cleavage than she was used to, Madalina smoothed a hand over the snug fit of the material at her hips and descended to the foyer. Hair curled into loose waves, makeup applied just so, and heels that added several inches to her height, she was ready to face whatever came her way. It almost felt like the dress and the makeup were armor, a protective shield of false confidence she could rely upon should the conversation at dinner go south.

  Her ste
ps faltered on the stairs when she spotted Cole lingering near the front door. The breadth of his shoulders filled out the jacket of a black pin-striped suit, a suit offset by a sleek white vest and bloodred tie. It was as if he’d known what dress she would wear to dinner. He’d left the whiskers in place and appeared to have only finger-combed his hair, a lock falling roguishly across his forehead.

  He was devastating. The most handsome man she’d ever seen.

  That he was dressed so formally meant she hadn’t misjudged his casual request for dinner—either that, or he needed armor, too.

  Glancing up, he locked eyes with her. And he paused, too, as if he was as affected by her as she was him.

  Madalina arched a brow and continued down the steps until she reached the ground floor. She didn’t hurry across the foyer, preferring to take her time. Preferring to watch the way his eyes trailed from her hips to her slim ankles and back again.

  “It’s a good thing I decided to dress up for dinner,” she said first, hoping her voice didn’t shake.

  “You always do. Unless I say we’re going for tacos.” The corners of his mouth twitched. “You look incredible.”

  That’s a good sign. He wouldn’t break up with me or end the relationship beginning with compliments. “Thanks. So do you. Pinstripes suit you.”

  “And red suits you.” He offered her the crook of his elbow.

  The subtle scent of his cologne appealed to her senses. Masculine, sensual, it made her think of things that had nothing to do with dinner or food. Because Cole always insisted on paying for dinner, she’d decided not to bother with a purse. She did hand him her driver’s license in case she got carded for drinks. He accepted the card in his other hand and pocketed it like he usually did. Only then did she tuck her fingers under the corner of his elbow. If she hadn’t known he sported a bandaged wound under the suit, she wouldn’t have suspected he’d been shot a week and a half ago. His coloring had returned to normal, and his movements were as sleek and predatory as ever.