“We’ve already been over it three ti—”
“We go over it again!” Jake snapped.
Rick sighed. “Whatever you say, partner.”
Jake carried his coffee to the table and sat down. His hand shook when he raised the cup to his lips.
“You got it bad for her, huh, Jake?”
Jake stared into his coffee. “If anything happens to her, I swear I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”
Rick looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. “I’ll be damned, Iron Jake, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”
Jake muttered a curse.
“Nothing’s going to happen to her. This is a clean plan. He thinks she’s here. He’ll come. He gets us instead.” Grinning, Rick patted the weapon strapped to his side. “He’ll have some firepower, but so do we. Everyone goes home except Rasmussen.”
Jake only hoped there wasn’t some loose end they hadn’t thought of.
LEIGH STOOD AT THE WINDOW watching dusk descend. An hour had passed since Jake and Rick had left, but it felt like a lifetime. She tried not to worry, but the thought of Jake facing off with Rasmussen made her realize just how much she’d come to care for him.
As hard as she’d tried not to, she’d fallen for Jake all over again. Fallen for him even harder than she had six years ago. Was he going to walk away and leave her life in tatters again? Was the job always going to come first? Once he got Rasmussen, would he still need her?
She knew in her heart that Jake was a good man. She knew he had the most honorable of intentions. But he was a warrior. Even though he was currently at odds with the MIDNIGHT Agency, Leigh knew Sean Cutter wouldn’t let him go. Jake was too good at what he did. She knew Jake would go back if asked. The question foremost in her mind was, where did that leave her?
She jumped when she heard movement behind her.
Mike Madrid smiled and shoved a mug of something hot and steaming at her. “It’s getting colder. I thought you might like some hot chocolate,” he said.
Leigh reached for the mug. “Thank you.”
He looked uncomfortable for a moment, cleared his throat. “I just want you to know I didn’t give up your location. Rasmussen is a techno freak. Likes to surround himself with a lot of high-tech equipment.”
She’d already figured that out. “Jake would never have left if he believed you had given us up.”
Madrid nodded. For the first time, Leigh noticed the rifle at his side. She caught a glimpse of a shoulder holster beneath his parka. “I scoped out the cabin and the property. The best place for me is on the roof.”
“It’s ten degrees out there,” Leigh said.
“I’m dressed for it. That’s where I’ll have the best view. I can see anything coming from all directions. I can use the chimney for cover.” He knocked on the Kevlar vest at his chest. “I’m pretty well protected.”
“Is there anything I should be doing?” she asked.
“Just stay aware. Be cautious. Don’t let anyone in.” He slid a tiny pistol from his jeans and passed it to her. “I don’t expect any problems, but if something does arise, I want you to shoot first and ask questions later.”
Her heart was beating hard and fast when she looked down at the piece of deadly steel in her hands.
“Keep it near you at all times. This should be over in the next couple of hours, but he could keep us waiting.”
He started to turn away, but Leigh reached out and touched his shoulder. He turned dark, surprised eyes on her. “Thank you,” she said.
“Thank me when this is over,” he said, and walked out the door.
Chapter Seventeen
Leigh paced the cabin like a trapped animal. She hadn’t heard from Mike Madrid since he’d gone up to the roof twenty minutes ago. She wanted to call Jake, but didn’t want to distract him during a potentially crucial moment. If anything happened, she assured herself, he would call her. She hadn’t let her cell phone out of her sight since he’d left.
She put another log on the fire even though it was already blazing. In the kitchen she made tea, but she didn’t want it. She couldn’t sit still, couldn’t stop pacing. She couldn’t stop thinking about Jake and all the things that could go wrong.
“Please be careful,” she whispered as she walked to the window and spread the curtains.
At some point the wind had picked up. Leigh could hear it howling around the cabin. Usually she didn’t mind being alone, but tonight she felt as if she were the only human being in the world. A world that was suddenly hostile and dangerous. It was going to be a very long night.