Soldier For Hire. Kimberly Meter Van
motel in Tulsa. It’s a good defensible space but the accommodations are worse than that hotel in Basra.”
“That bad?” Zak asked, shuddering. “I must be getting old because that no longer sounds like an adventure to me.”
“Same.” Scarlett was going to miss her bed but she just had to keep reminding herself she’d slept in worse. “Xander wants to meet up with a local journalist to find dirt on McQuarry. He thinks that might be the best way to find out who’s framing him.”
“Not bad. Journalists always have the dirt. Even if they can’t print it, they know it.”
“It’s risky, though.”
“No argument there but this gig isn’t going to be a cakewalk no matter how you slice it. Risk is part of the detail.”
“You’re right. So here’s what I need you to do. I need you to make contact with Special Agent Conrad Griggs over in the Washington, DC, FBI office. He’s the one keeping the heat off Red Wolf while we figure this out. I need to know if there’s anything he can send to me about this case that might not be common knowledge. Seeing as this is the FBI’s case, they should have more intel than we do.”
“And you think he’s just going to hand it over, nice and sweet?”
“Conrad is a good guy. He and I go way back. He’ll help if he can.”
“All right, if you trust him...” Scarlett heard the question in Zak’s voice but he moved on. “How’s Xander holding up?”
“He’s fine.” Damn man acts like he’s on vacay, not fighting for his life. “Nothing gets under Xander’s skin for too long. Remember, don’t use my regular cell for anything related to Xander. Also, go ahead and give Conrad my burner number. I have my personal laptop so he can send any files he’s got to my Dropbox.”
“Be careful, TL. Assuming Xander is innocent—which I’m sure he is—the fact that someone is willing to go to such lengths to frame him means they won’t stop at killing to get what they want. Don’t step into the crossfire.”
“Head on a swivel,” Scarlett assured Zak. “In the meantime, keep me in the loop but watch your surroundings. You never know who could be watching and listening.”
“Paranoia is my favorite pastime,” Zak drawled, coaxing a smile from Scarlett. “Don’t let Xander do anything stupid.”
At that, Scarlett laughed. “That’s like asking the wind to stop blowing during a hurricane.”
“True, but if anyone can stop him, it’s you.”
Scarlett’s smile remained even as she clicked off. Xander showed up five minutes later, no longer scowling, holding two bags of fast food.
“Sorry for being a dick,” he said, tossing a bag her way. “You’re right. We need to keep things professional.”
“Glad you see things my way.” She opened the bag. A giant bacon cheeseburger. Her favorite. “Loaded?” she asked with a hopeful grin, to which Xander nodded. Scarlett lifted the burger out, inhaling the aroma of grease and fries with delight. She tried not to put too much store in the fact that he remembered how she liked her burger, but she wouldn’t deny the warm spot beneath her breastbone. Focusing her attention on her food, she said, “You’re forgiven,” and tucked into the heart-attack special.
Xander chuckled, unwrapping his own burger to say, “It’s probably a good thing we’re not smashing. There are enough onions on that burger to kill a moose. Your breath will be epic.”
“You’re one to talk about bad breath. You go days without brushing your teeth. You’ve probably got fungus in your mouth from when you were a kid.”
“Brushing isn’t so much important as flossing and I always floss,” Xander said, tossing back a French fry. “A dentist told me that.”
“Your dentist was a quack.”
“Possible. He only took cash and had a lot of stories about the Mexican mafia. I’m not sure he has a license to practice any longer, but he always gave me a good discount.”
“You’re lucky you still have teeth in your head,” Scarlett returned around a big bite. “If we get out of this situation alive, do yourself a favor and see a real dentist before your teeth fall out and you’re left with the need for dentures. Trust me, chicks don’t dig toothless guys.”
Xander waggled his eyebrows. “I don’t know... Could be fun. Imagine what I could do...”
Scarlett threw a fry at him with a laugh. “You’re disgusting,” she said, leaning back in the chair, enjoying the simple pleasure of delicious, greasy food and the company of a fellow soldier.
Tomorrow would happen soon enough and anything could change within a few hours.
So yeah, she’d enjoy a burger and leave everything else at the door.
A beat of companionable silence followed as they finished their dinner. Scarlett changed into something more comfortable to sleep in—cotton shorts and a soft long-sleeved top—and climbed into the bed while Xander spent some time surfing the net, looking for information.
Xander would probably still be boyishly handsome when he was an old geezer—chasing the ladies in his wheelchair and winking as he gummed his applesauce in the old folks’ home—because that’s just who Xander was and always would be.
If Scarlett were to draw her complete opposite, Xander’s face would be the one she drew.
And if she were being honest...she liked that about him.
Xander yawned and finally closed his laptop to disappear into the bathroom. When he reappeared, he was only in his boxer briefs.
She wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it—she’d seen him in less—but her body flushed and she turned on her side away from him as he climbed into the bed.
Closing her eyes, she willed sleep to come but complete silence had always been her enemy. Too much quiet made for easy listening to the noise in her head.
Plus, she wasn’t accustomed to sharing a bed with anyone.
Irritated, she flopped onto her back, trying to find a comfortable position.
“Are you going to do that all night?” Xander asked.
“Sorry. I’m not used to having company in my bed,” she groused. “And you take up more than your share.”
“I promise I don’t have cooties.”
“I know that.”
He chuckled. “Then relax.”
“It’s not that...” She risked a glance toward him. “It’s because...there’s history between us.”
“One time does not history make,” Xander said. “Or so I’m told.”
She wasn’t going to argue the point. Exhaling, she deliberately closed her eyes and rolled to her side, plumping up her pillow and settling once again.
A long beat of silence followed until Xander said, “Do you really regret that much what happened between us?”
That was a loaded question—one she didn’t want to answer. She regretted being messed up in the head, which made it impossible to trust, which in turn made her a nightmare to be in a relationship with. Not that she wanted anything real with Xander.
Or anyone.
Her silence seemed an answer in itself. “I guess so,” Xander replied with a sigh. “That’s an ego-buster.”
Scarlett turned to glare at him. “Did you ever think maybe it has nothing to do with you?” she said, unable to just let him think whatever he liked. For some reason, it mattered with Xander. “Look, aside from the fact that I’m your boss...I’m just not the type to form