He was too busy looking ahead—and planning for Tina Jamison’s death.
Chapter Six
Tina wasn’t looking at him. She hadn’t looked Drew directly in the eyes since Lee Slater’s death.
They were at the airport; a small strip that was used just for government operations. A plane waited behind Tina.
This was the moment he was supposed to let her go. Why won’t she look me in the eyes?
“Thank you,” Tina said. Her voice didn’t sound right. Too stilted. Too polite. “I can’t ever repay what you did for me.”
He didn’t care that they had an audience. Drew took her hand in his. Her skin was incredibly soft—he’d never get used to that silken feel beneath his rough fingers. “I want you to watch your back.”
Her eyelashes flickered. “Rachel is going to D.C. with me. I’ll be perfectly—”
“You won’t be safe, not until we have Anton Devast in custody.” She’d heard the name already, when he’d been trying to force a last-ditch confession from Lee, so he wasn’t breaking any clearance by telling her. Hell, after all she’d been through, the woman deserved to know who was after her.
He didn’t care about Mercer’s rules right then. Not with her life on the line.
Tina glanced at him. Wet her lips. “Do I want to know...the things that he’s done?”
No. Drew didn’t even want to know. The tortures. The murders. Anton’s network stretched halfway across the world. Getting to the man, eliminating him, had been a goal of the EOD for years.
But Anton Devast was a hard man to kill. Getting close to him was practically impossible.
I was almost there. One more day. I would have been up close and personal with the man.
But Tina had come first. His hold tightened on her. “He’s not just going to walk away from you. He’s convinced that you’re Mercer’s daughter. Stay alert.”
“And you stay alive.” She gave him a sad smile. One that made his chest ache. “I’ve grown rather fond of you, Agent Lancaster. I know there’s more than just ice running through your veins.”
For her, there was fire.
She looked back at the plane that waited. The pilot stood outside, his hands on his hips.
“We need to go, miss!”
Drew just didn’t want to let her go.
It’s not about what I want.
If he had his way, he’d be the one sticking to her like glue. But Mercer’s orders had come down. This flight was Tina’s safe passage back to D.C.
Drew’s job wasn’t finished. He was to head back to the Devast base. He was supposed to start picking up the pieces of this mission and track the HAVOC ringleader once more.
What he wanted... He wanted to kiss Tina. To taste her again.
Not here.
Drew cleared his throat. “Remember what I promised you we’d have?”
Naked, tangled together.
Her pupils widened. Her lips parted.
“I keep my promises.”
He let her hand go.