“The Middle East does not have a reputation for liking Americans, as you said. The Brits, however, while they might have the best intentions in the world, from what we understand, might not be wanting to share everything on that stick.”
“Meaning they have secrets they don’t want everyone else to know. Fair enough. But something has been bothering me,” Luke admitted. “If this thing is the culmination of twenty years of intel, why is it suddenly a scramble now?”
“Because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut,” Edwin snapped.
Yep, there it was. The bitterness and resentment Edwin had been harboring all along, carefully concealed under a certain self-involved helpfulness. He was still playing the odds, thinking he could get that USB before the others. He’ll disappear when he does, Luke realized, feeling the burn in the pit of his stomach—seething anger that Dani would be disappointed in her father yet again, especially as she was just starting to trust him for the first time in years.
“Actually, yes. The FBI is interfering with the case, trying to leverage their association with the local police and their agency in Houston. My office is doing everything they can think of to keep them off your trail, but the push is coming from my level. Someone in Washington does NOT want that stick to come to light.”
Great. So that made a majority. Everyone in the helicopter blamed him for... well... everything. With the exception of the pilot, though it was still reasonably early. He was sure he had plenty of time to piss him off, too. Luke was starting to wish he’d gone to that damn wedding show after all. “So, because I reported to my superior, the way I am supposed to do, all this hits the fan and now I’m a what, a wanted man?”
“No.” William shook his head. “You’re the wanted man. You are not only rogue, but now you have quantified as a ‘domestic terrorist’. You and your fiancée both.”
“Dani?” Edwin reeled back in shock. “You’re saying she’s not safe?”
“Not as long as the stick is out there.”
Interesting. He wasn’t as heartless as he pretended. But Dani... Luke’s fingers beat a rhythm against his leg. The last thing he wanted was to be cooped up in some flying breadbox while the woman he loved was in danger, but she was also a trained professional who could handle herself. He was worried, even furious, but she should be okay. They’d stayed out of the way of the FBI thus far. They’d hardly likely be at some bridal expo. Her father should realize that.
He darted a glance at the other man. The man was distraught.
“Then why did you let her go to that... thing?” Edwin’s hands were bunched into fists. Ready to hit William because...
Damn it. He should have seen it sooner.
“Bait!” Luke yelled as the realization hit. He reached out and grabbed William by the collar. The only thing that kept him from dragging the man from the seat and sending him out the door of the helicopter was the fact that he was still strapped in. “You’re using her as bait, you bastard!”
“It’s not like that; I have people at the convention center! She won’t be alone for a moment.”
“MOM’S THERE, TOO!” Luke reminded him, shaking him hard, which wasn’t near as effective as he would have liked.
“SO IS MARIA!” Edwin roared from beside him, proving that he still had feelings for his ex after all.
William’s hand came up, hard, his wrist hitting Luke’s and breaking contact. He straightened his shirt and tie, and sat back, unruffled. “Exactly! See? She’s not alone!”
Luke stared at him in disbelief. “You son of a bitch! This is so you! You use people and leave them!”
“Do you have any idea what that woman did before you came to protect her? Do you? You think you had black ops? She could match you step for step. She’s been through tougher shit than you have, and suddenly you think she’s spun glass?”
“What are you saying?” Edwin’s eyes grew large. “In the military, she was classified as a computer programmer.”
Luke blinked. While it had been obvious that she’d had some damn fine training, hearing it from his father’s mouth was a little unsettling. That Edwin thought she was a computer programmer was even more so. Just how little had he kept track of his daughter?
“She was a Ranger,” William snapped, throwing his hands in the air. “The ones who parachute behind enemy lines for exercise and gather up bodies on their way out! Does no one ever speak to anyone anymore? You’re marrying her, after all!”
Luke opened and closed his mouth. This really wasn’t the time to explain that he’d only known Dani for a few weeks.
William rolled his eyes. “That’s who you want to protect like a baby in a barn fire? Boy, that girl would only find you slowing her down. As for your Maria, might I point out that she’s been underground for twenty years and spending all that time training in everything she could? Gentlemen, you call me names and think me callous, but let me point out to you that there are two women who. Do. Not. Need. Your. Help!”
“I suppose Mom is a trained assassin, too?” Luke snapped, crossing his arms and sitting back, because holding himself in tight was the only way he was going to keep from breaking the other man’s face right now.
“Of course not!” William scoffed. “She is an excellent shot, though. At least, she was. She’s won several trophies.”
Luke looked at Edwin, who looked like he’d just found out that the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus were all made up.
On the other hand, was he really any less shocked? Black ops. Ranger. Hell, just what kind of career path was she on?
And seriously, she was willing to settle for a buttoned-down fed like himself? “I... I need to time to take this all in.”
“Go ahead...Wait, time’s up, we’re here.” William pointed to the helipad in front of them. “Anything you can’t deal with is your problem now.”
William was out the door and running before the helicopter set down. Luke threw his door open and nearly pulled his head off as he jumped out, but the headphones popped off first. He was pulled back into the seat for a moment before he collected himself.
“We are in a hurry!” his father said when Luke reached the door to the roof.
Luke flexed his fingers, reminding himself that the best way to keep Dani and everyone else safe right now was finding that damned USB stick. Punching out his father was only going to delay things unnecessarily. “All right, all right!”
The three of them raced into a hallway where an elevator waited patiently for them. The ride down seemed a pointless waste of time as “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” played by a small orchestra piped through the speakers.
They stopped for passengers three times.
At the first floor they pushed through the crowd, apologizing, and ran through the doors into the street, Luke swearing under his breath and wondering why he hadn’t just followed his first instinct and taken the stairs.
Out on the street, things went to hell in an instant.