steady gaze didn’t waver. “My boat is safe, if you have no objections to being isolated on it with me.”
She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or honored that he’d asked. If he assumed she had been raped during her captivity, then his consideration was noble. If he assumed she feared him, then it was insulting to her operative skills. Unable to decipher his intentions, she elected to give him the benefit of the doubt and let the matter slide. “I have no objections.”
Her lack of hesitation surprised him. “You’re pretty trusting for a seasoned S.A.S.S. operative. Anyone can put on a uniform, Amanda. I haven’t proven who I am to you.”
Questioning her abilities. How typical. “You look exactly as you do in your dossier photo, Captain Cross. And you don’t have to prove who you are, I know.” Her temper rose just enough for her to want to knock him down a notch. “You were with Delta Force, pulling Black World operations, transferred out when you went missing for three months and your security clearance was lowered. You’ve won two Purple Hearts—one in Afghanistan and one in the second war with Iraq—and you’ve got a total of sixteen bronze stars. You’ve been at Providence Air Force Base for over a year, trying to find out what happened to you during your three-month absence and finally using that law degree you picked up somewhere along the way to prove two men in your unit are innocent of murder. You believe them. No one else does—the evidence is overwhelming, which in my mind brings the reliability of your judgment into question. You like to boat, to saltwater fish, and you listen to country music—station 105.5 mostly. You’ve never been married, you’re thirty-two, heterosexual, you don’t smoke, drink only socially, and you date heavily, though you never see the same woman more than six times—which in my mind also brings the reliability of your judgment into question.”
She popped on her sunglasses and turned to look at him. “I don’t trust at all, Captain Cross.”
“Apparently, I misjudged you.”
Damn right. “Allowing underestimation is an extremely effective weapon.”
“We’re on the same team.”
“That’s yet to be decided, and frankly I’m not eager to take you on.”
“Why not?”
“You’re high liability.” Glancing over, she frowned into theside-view mirror. “You’ve misjudged your shadows, too. That’s three judgment errors, Captain, and the third is about to cost us both a great deal.” She nodded behind them, where two cars were parked side-by-side. “They’re edgy, and if you don’t get out of this parking slot in the next few seconds, they’re going to shoot us.”
He darted his gaze to the rearview mirror, saw the men she’d been watching raise their guns. “Damn.”
She expected him to reach for his gun. He didn’t. “You know you’re being followed, and you’re not even armed? What moron trained you, Cross?” She sighed. “Keep your head down and I’ll take care of it. When I signal, cut around and pick me up on the street.”
Amanda checked her weapon, got out of the car and walked straight toward the sedan. The driver tossed a look of surprise at the Lexus’s driver, clearly unsure of what to do in a direct confrontation. She didn’t recognize either of them. Just before reaching the black sedan, she veered out of reach, passed the passenger window, and then kept walking, pretending not to notice them. When she cleared the car and gained the protection of the Jeep parked one row over, she turned and fired, shooting out the sedan’s back tires. The driver dived for the floorboard, and the black Lexus returned fire then screamed out of the parking lot, leaving half his tires on the asphalt.
Hearing another set of tires squeal, Amanda turned and ran for the street, hugging the parked cars for protection. Moments later, Mark skidded to a stop, flung open the passenger door.
Three shots fired. A bullet grazed
She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or honored that he’d asked. If he assumed she had been raped during her captivity, then his consideration was noble. If he assumed she feared him, then it was insulting to her operative skills. Unable to decipher his intentions, she elected to give him the benefit of the doubt and let the matter slide. “I have no objections.”
Her lack of hesitation surprised him. “You’re pretty trusting for a seasoned S.A.S.S. operative. Anyone can put on a uniform, Amanda. I haven’t proven who I am to you.”
Questioning her abilities. How typical. “You look exactly as you do in your dossier photo, Captain Cross. And you don’t have to prove who you are, I know.” Her temper rose just enough for her to want to knock him down a notch. “You were with Delta Force, pulling Black World operations, transferred out when you went missing for three months and your security clearance was lowered. You’ve won two Purple Hearts—one in Afghanistan and one in the second war with Iraq—and you’ve got a total of sixteen bronze stars. You’ve been at Providence Air Force Base for over a year, trying to find out what happened to you during your three-month absence and finally using that law degree you picked up somewhere along the way to prove two men in your unit are innocent of murder. You believe them. No one else does—the evidence is overwhelming, which in my mind brings the reliability of your judgment into question. You like to boat, to saltwater fish, and you listen to country music—station 105.5 mostly. You’ve never been married, you’re thirty-two, heterosexual, you don’t smoke, drink only socially, and you date heavily, though you never see the same woman more than six times—which in my mind also brings the reliability of your judgment into question.”
She popped on her sunglasses and turned to look at him. “I don’t trust at all, Captain Cross.”
“Apparently, I misjudged you.”
Damn right. “Allowing underestimation is an extremely effective weapon.”
“We’re on the same team.”
“That’s yet to be decided, and frankly I’m not eager to take you on.”
“Why not?”
“You’re high liability.” Glancing over, she frowned into theside-view mirror. “You’ve misjudged your shadows, too. That’s three judgment errors, Captain, and the third is about to cost us both a great deal.” She nodded behind them, where two cars were parked side-by-side. “They’re edgy, and if you don’t get out of this parking slot in the next few seconds, they’re going to shoot us.”
He darted his gaze to the rearview mirror, saw the men she’d been watching raise their guns. “Damn.”
She expected him to reach for his gun. He didn’t. “You know you’re being followed, and you’re not even armed? What moron trained you, Cross?” She sighed. “Keep your head down and I’ll take care of it. When I signal, cut around and pick me up on the street.”
Amanda checked her weapon, got out of the car and walked straight toward the sedan. The driver tossed a look of surprise at the Lexus’s driver, clearly unsure of what to do in a direct confrontation. She didn’t recognize either of them. Just before reaching the black sedan, she veered out of reach, passed the passenger window, and then kept walking, pretending not to notice them. When she cleared the car and gained the protection of the Jeep parked one row over, she turned and fired, shooting out the sedan’s back tires. The driver dived for the floorboard, and the black Lexus returned fire then screamed out of the parking lot, leaving half his tires on the asphalt.
Hearing another set of tires squeal, Amanda turned and ran for the street, hugging the parked cars for protection. Moments later, Mark skidded to a stop, flung open the passenger door.
Three shots fired. A bullet grazed
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