ChapterTwo
Xavier stared down at the woman he couldn’t get out of his head, the woman he’d ruthlessly wronged, and saw shock and terror in her eyes.
He wanted to rear back, pull her to her feet, and apologize for being rough with her, but through his earpiece, he heard Cohen say, “What’s the deal, Rivera? Is she here to stop the training?”
His focus snapped into place. He holstered the gun, which only fired paint-tipped rounds. She’d never been in any real danger from him, but he’d wanted to scare whoever was attempting to break into the basement.
From the look in her eyes, he’d succeeded. But Audrey Kendrick wasn’t a threat. He knew that much at least. He responded, “Gimme a minute.”
“We don’t have a minute. What’s going on?”
“Subject is in custody. I need to question her.”
He ignored Cohen’s reply.
He needed answers, fast. He met Audrey’s gaze again. Her fear had faded, replaced by anger. He deserved her anger, but if she’d come here to stop the training, then she’d earned his.
When he’d seen the woman in a thick raincoat skulking around the building, it hadn’t occurred to him it could be Audrey. He’d assumed she was an antimilitary activist who’d gotten wind of the exercise and shown up to cause trouble. Then he saw her go for the basement and figured she was there to do damage.
It had been a dick move to go around Audrey to get approval for the training, but he’d had no choice. She, however, did have a choice, and if she’d come here today to stop the trial run for the op, she’d find herself more than out of a job. He’d see to it she landed in jail. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “This place is restricted during the trainings. You know that.”
She startled. “Training? What?”
“If you’re here to stop the op—” He caught himself and added, “Exercise, then I can—and will—have you arrested.”
“I didn’t know one of your trainings was happening now.” She glanced around as if she expected to see a platoon of SEALs watching. Perhaps hoping for rescue. No such luck. The team wouldn’t arrive until after dark. They were on Whidbey Island right now, being briefed on their mission.
He’d been planning this op since October, and he’d be damned if he’d let Audrey ruin it because her ego was in a twist. He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Bull. Why else would you be here? Everyone who was involved in the permitting process was notified the lodge complex and surrounding parklands are off-limits this week.”
She glared at him. “You had me cut out of the permitting process. I wasn’t notified. I’m here because my cameras went out all at once and I’m afraid looters have hit the site again.”
He frowned. “You have cameras? Here?”
“They’re looking over the village site about a mile from here. Not far from Kaxo Falls.”
“Then what the hell were you doing trying to break into the basement?”
Her pretty hazel eyes narrowed, and her bottom lip overlapped the top in a classic glare that had him suppressing a smile. He had a flash of memory of a very different view of those eyes and that mouth. Damn, it had been a night to remember. She’d had a libido to match his and a joyful energy that had made their one night together nothing short of amazing.
In the weeks following that first, memorable meeting, he’d planned to ask her out again. But he had to wait until after she signed off on the Finding of No Significant Impact for the Environmental Assessment that had been a required part of the proposal. He’d known that to prevent any perceived bias, there could be no visible relationship between them while the proposal was under review. He’d hoped she’d never learn he’d been part of the proposed training at all. But then she’d refused to sign off on the FONSI, leaving him no choice but to find another way to get approval. Unfortunately, another way had meant throwing her under the bus.
“I wasn’t breaking in,” she said. “I have a key. You see, in spite of your best efforts, I am still park archaeologist for Olympic National Park.” She said the last with a bitter edge, triggering all the guilt she wanted him to feel.
He said nothing. What could he say? She was right. What he’d done to her was the worst thing he’d ever intentionally done to another person—outside an op, that is.
There were rules for one-night stands and rules for engaging with an enemy. Audrey was the former, but not the latter, and with her, ROE had been turned upside down. Because of Xavier, she’d become collateral damage in a war she didn’t even know the US military was fighting.
“The line that powers my cameras runs from the old blacksmith shop,” she said when he didn’t respond. “Shop power is controlled by an auxiliary panel in the basement of the lodge. There’s no point in hiking all the way out to the site if all I’ve got is a power problem, not a looting problem.”
Her excuse was reasonable. Even plausible. But he still had a hard time believing she didn’t know the training was starting today. Even though she’d objected to the project, she should have been notified along with inholding property owners.
Cohen interrupted before he could respond. “We need an update, Rivera. The team is on the jet and preparing for takeoff. Over.”
The SEALs were being flown in from NAS Whidbey. It was a short flight, but they needed altitude, so they still had time. Into the radio, he said, “She’s an NPS employee. The park archaeologist. Dr. Audrey Kendrick. Over.”
Audrey continued to glare. She couldn’t hear Cohen’s side of the conversation, and that probably made her uneasy.
“The one who objected? What the fuck is she doing in the restricted zone?”