Jacob Read online

  Jacob pinned his harsh gaze to Lee, paralyzing him. Instead of shock, which would be the logical feeling he should have coursing through his system, it was a mixture of something else entirely. Curiosity. Caution. And, oddly enough, a stir of arousal.

  The air crackled between them, charged with an energy that thickened the tension in the room. Jacob examined his every move. It was intimidating. This man was intimidating.

  “Burns,” Walsh cut in, standing and blocking him from taking another step into the room. “Out.”

  And, just like that, the spell between them lifted and brought them both back to reality. Lee blinked when the man turned and stormed off.

  Walsh closed the door and turned to Lee. “Is that the man who broke into your server room?”

  Not able to verbalize his lie and still too shocked to come up with another story, Lee nodded. He then thought about the statement he’d given the police, of the intruder being small and dressed in a black bodysuit. The man he’d just seen had an amazing body with enormous shoulders. The intruder last night had shoulders that barely registered.

  Walsh let out an audible sigh accompanied by a groan as he fell back in his seat. “And I thought he’d turned his life around. Shit.”

  “What do you mean?” Lee rejoined him at the table but kept his eye on the door.

  “He’s a good man,” Walsh answered with a shake of his head. “He’s just a little misguided. Son of a bitch. I had such hope for him.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I have no choice, Mr. Lamont. If Burns broke into your office, I’m going to have to turn him over to the authorities.”

  Lee dropped his jaw. He couldn’t have Jacob go to jail for something he didn’t do. “Walsh, listen. Please, don’t do this.”

  “Do what? We found the man who broke into your server room. He fits the description perfectly. We’ll be sure to get back the prototype he’s stolen and return it to you before he’s sent to prison.” He shook his head and dropped his shoulders, like the decision took everything out of him. “Damn, it really is a shame.”

  “He didn’t do it,” he declared and hung his head.

  “Come again?”

  Should he come clean and tell Walsh the truth? Would it matter at this point? He had to at least try. If he let Walsh take Jacob away, Lee would never forgive himself for sending an innocent man to prison.

  “He wasn’t the one who broke in,” he admitted, feeling like a fool for coming here at all. Of all his stupid ideas. What was he thinking, using a lie to hire an agency like TREX? These guys specialized in finding things—including the truth. God, he was such an idiot.

  Walsh stilled and narrowed his gaze. “How, exactly, do you know Jacob Burns? And don’t lie to me, boy. You described him to a T, all the way down to the way he wears a permanent scowl.”

  “It happened a year ago.”

  “A year ago, you say?” He sat up and leaned in. “What exactly happened a year ago?”

  “That’s when I met him.” And kissed him. And nearly died.

  “You’ve spent this past year looking for a guy you met only once?”

  Lee shook his head. “It’s not like that.”

  “Care to explain yourself?”

  He gave up the ghost. “I made a mistake coming here.”

  “Your mistake,” Walsh countered, “was accusing an innocent man of a crime he didn’t commit.”

  He swallowed hard and debated whether to make a break for it or stay and deal with Walsh’s scrutinizing glare. Knowing running was never the answer, he conceded. “I’m sorry.”

  “Mr. Lamont, I consider myself a patient man, so I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps that lump on your head has confused you.”

  Lee nodded quickly. “Yes, exactly.”

  “And you really did not come here today to ask for our help tracking down a man who had nothing to do with the break-in.”

  “Of course not.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “Last night I was just about to—”

  “I’m not interested in last night,” Walsh cut him off. “That’s a matter for the police. Tell me what happened one year ago. What’s it got to do with him? It’s more than trying to find the one that got away. What’s he to you?”

  “One year ago, I was attacked and left for dead. That’s when I got this.” He motioned to the line along his jaw.

  “Did he give you that scar?”

  “No.”

  “Then why pair him with the reason you have that scar?”

  “Well,” he paused and drew in several breaths, his frustration mounting. “Because I think maybe he was there. Or maybe it was a hallucination. Maybe I conjured up his image in the hopes he’d come rushing in to save me like some hero.”

  “That bump on your head has your brain all kinds of scrambled. You ain’t making any sense.”

  “I know.” He shook his head, throwing in the towel. “Forget it. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

  “Not so fast.” Walsh stopped him from standing. “I have a few more questions. That boy is about as tight-lipped as they come. I just got more out of you about that night than he’s ever told me.”

  “He hasn’t talked to you about it?”

  “He hasn’t talked to anyone about the night they brought him to me.”

  “They?”

  He shook his head again. “The who isn’t important. The why is.”

  “Then it’s him you need to ask, not me.”

  “Why protect him? Ten minutes ago you were ready to lie your way into having us track him down. Now you suddenly find your moral compass? What direction is it pointing? Self by self-centered?”

  He deserved that one. “I can tell you the facts. The fact he got close to me faster than anyone ever has. The fact he defended me—defended us—when some guy butted his nose in where it didn’t belong. The fact I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since first meeting him.”

  Seconds ticked by before Walsh spoke. “Interesting. None of those things have anything to do with the way you reacted when he walked in, like he was a rabid dog. Why is it when given the chance to explain, you base everything on how he made you feel instead of what he did to earn that reaction?”

  “Don’t put the way I reacted on him. It’s not his fault I’m scared of shadows.” His admission shocked him. No way was he that quick to defend Jacob, not after the year Lee had had. One look, one exchange of words had him questioning everything driving him since the attack. He was pissed and wanted someone to pay for the scars he now had. “I was just surprised. If he walked back through that door, I’d…” he trailed off, unsure of the answer.

  “You’d what? Mr. Lamont, what was your intention when you called TREX?”

  His heart skipped as he released a nervous breath. “I just wanted my prototype back. I figured you guys could find it. That’s it. I swear.”

  “You didn’t come here today to ask us to track down Jacob Burns?”

  “I never thought I’d see Jacob again. I have no idea why I gave those two agents his description.”

  “Now that you’ve seen him again, does that change the reason you’re here?”

  “No,” he answered quickly. “I still want my prototype back.”

  “Is that all you want?”

  “I also want to punch Jacob in the nose,” he admitted, again shocking himself. Seeing Jacob again after all this time flooded Lee with regret, of thoughts of what they’d never have, all because he just couldn’t do it.

  Walsh chuckled and gave him a once over. “Something tells me you won’t come out ahead on that one.”

  “I’ve been taking classes.”

  “On how to beat a man trained in hand-to-hand combat? He’s spec ops. Before that, he served in the military, on things even above my clearance. He’s had years of extensive training. Do you really think a few classes will give you the upper hand?”

  Jesus. He knew the man had to have some so
rt of specialist background, but had no idea how much. With a square of his shoulders, he gave Walsh a curt nod.

  The man shook his head in return. He did that a lot. “Okay, then. Why don’t you wait here. I’ll go get him.”

  “Now?” He jumped to his feet, his pulse racing.

  “Yes now. Why not? You’ve had a year of classes. Better to get it over with now before your training gets stale.”

  “But, um…”

  “Is there a problem, Mr. Lamont?” Walsh slowly rose.

  “No. I just need… I need air.” He stumbled to the door, throwing it open and sucking in a breath at the shock. “Jacob.”

  His eyes were wide, eager, as they searched Lee’s. When he parted his lips, Lee licked his in return. “Lee.”

  “I—” He glanced over his shoulder at Walsh, who seemed to be enjoying this way too much. Unable to think straight, Lee pushed past Jacob and hurried out the way he came, not slowing until he stood on the front porch. He drew in several long, deep breaths.

  Now what?

  9

  “He what?” Jacob needed to put his fist through something.

  “He wants to punch you in the nose,” Walsh answered, an amused hint in his voice.

  “That ain’t gonna happen.”

  “Come on, son. Just give him this. I knew the minute he walked in he wasn’t telling me the whole story. This guy has something wrong with his noggin. He talked about some prototype or some shit, but that was just bullshit.”

  “That’s not bullshit. That was the job. Sergio wanted the prototype. I refused to give it to him.”

  “And Lamont?”

  “He wanted him dead.” Jacob’s mood slipped even lower. He’d had trouble sleeping before that night. After that, he couldn’t sleep at all, not without his friend benzodiazepine washed down with a shot of Jack.

  He’d been hired to kill Lee Lamont. The thought of Sergio knowing he’d failed to follow through didn’t bother him nearly as much as that look in Lee’s eyes right before the first shot rang out.

  “Yet he shows up on my doorstep a year later. It’s not like you to fail your missions, son.”

  “This one was different.” This one had a good heart. A kind soul. He didn’t deserve to be in Sergio’s crosshairs.

  “What happened to the prototype?”

  “I don’t know. When I called Spencer Allen that night, I was really out of it. If TREX found the briefcase when they cleaned the scene, they never told me.”

  “That’s the night Allen dropped you here. It wasn’t just to recover.”

  Jacob looked at him. “No, it wasn’t. It was to hide me from Sergio.”

  “It’s been a year. There’s been no chatter connecting you to your former employer.”

  “I’m sure that’s because the agency put the word out that I died that night. It’s TREX’s MO when an agent is wounded in the field and discovered because of it.”

  “TREX covered your ass on this one.”

  “They didn’t do it to cover my ass,” he fired back. “They did it to cover theirs. I’m still associated with the agency. I’m the one who called 9-1-1. That alone connected TREX to the scene.”

  “Regardless whose ass got covered, they did you a favor, son. Now I’m asking you to do one for Lamont.”

  “I won’t do it.” If he had to go one-on-one with Lee, he could kill him. Jacob would never be able to forgive himself if that happened. Hell, he couldn’t forgive himself for what had already happened.

  “Jacob, think about this.”

  “There’s nothing to think about. He nearly died. We both did. I spend every day trying to forget what happened that night. Don’t do this to me, Walsh. Don’t put me in this position. Don’t make me go back to being the monster I was when I ran with Sergio.”

  Walsh’s expression softened as he rested his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “Son, if I didn’t think you could do it, I wouldn’t ask. You aren’t the same man you were a year ago.”

  He closed his eyes and turned out of Walsh’s reach. Goddamn him for asking Jacob to do this. How dare he have faith in someone so untrustworthy. He used to be a professional hitter for Christ’s sake. Why the hell would he put his trust in someone like that?

  “For the record,” Maria said as she walked into the room, “I don’t think you can do it.”

  “That’s comforting.” Jacob snarled at her.

  “I’m just stating a fact. You’re too much of a hothead.”

  “No one asked you.”

  “You’ll lose it under the pressure. You always do.”

  “Shut up.” Heat whispered across his neck, tugging at his hairs as his control cracked.

  “You’re better off tossing Lamont into a cage full of starving lions with raw meat strapped around his neck. He’d stand a better chance.”

  He lunged at her. She laughed as she easily took a step out of his reach.

  “Told you. Loser.” She smiled triumphantly and left the room after proving her point. Damn her.

  Jacob turned to Walsh. “I won’t do it.”

  “The difference between Maria and Mr. Lamont is that you really do want to kill her. You don’t want to kill him. It’s your concern for him that gives me faith.”

  God how he wished he had that same confidence. “What if you’re wrong?”

  “I’m not.”

  “Damn it, Walsh. This is a man’s life we’re talking about. He can get hurt. He can die.”

  “So can you.”

  Jacob grit his teeth. Why wouldn’t the man listen to reason? “I’ll end up hurting him.”

  “Tell you what,” Walsh said. “Mr. Lamont is sitting outside right now. Why not at least talk to him?”

  “It’s raining.”

  He casually glanced at the window. “That it is.” He returned his attention to Jacob. “Good thing we have a whole mess of umbrellas in the mudroom.”

  “You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  Despite his want to walk away from this chaos, Jacob gave him a curt nod. “Fine, I’ll talk to him.”

  “He suffered a pretty nasty bump to the head last night so go easy on him.”

  “I’m not going to hit him,” Jacob growled and narrowed his eyes.

  Walsh chuckled, damn him. “At least try to make it a fair fight.”

  “How? By tying my hands to my feet?”

  “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

  He drew in several breaths and slowly made his way to the front deck. He didn’t like the rain, didn’t like getting wet. It chilled him to the core and made him shiver for hours. Still, the draw to spend time with Lee trumped everything else. With a final sigh, he ignored the stand of umbrellas and walked out into the rain.

  Chills raced up his spine when the man turned and straightened on the bench as he saw Jacob. He opened his mouth and waited for him to approach, his troubled gaze never leaving Jacob’s.

  “Hi,” Jacob said, feeling stupid but couldn’t think of anything else to say to break the ice.

  “Hi,” Lee shot back in a cool, curt tone.

  He sat on the bench, his knees pointing opposite of Lee’s so he faced the house. Lee turned, placing his back to the house. Jacob nodded and waited in silence, cursing the drizzle slowly seeping into his clothes and robbing him of body heat.

  Glancing Lee’s way, he caught sight of the man’s lips. His blue lips. “Why don’t you come inside?”

  “I’m fine,” he replied gruffly.

  “You’re fine,” he repeated in a grumble. “It’s forty degrees and raining.”

  “It’s just water.”

  He was not going to make this easy. And, honestly, he shouldn’t. Jacob had wronged him by leading him on just to get close. The man should never forgive him. The fact Lee even talked to him right now was more than Jacob would do if the roles were reversed.

  “Thirty-six days straight of rain.” When his comment earned a puzzled look from Lee, Jacob shrugged. “I w
atch the weather.”

  “On TV?”

  “No. Out the window.”

  Lee looked away.

  Damn it. He shivered from the cold and fought the urge to cross his arms. He’d been in conditions far worse than this. Jungles during the hottest part of the day as flies feasted on his flesh. Ice caps so cold frostbite hit in under two minutes. None of them were nearly as torturous as sitting here next to this man, waiting for him to say something.

  Time ticked by. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes turned to half an hour. When they came up on an hour, Jacob had finally had enough. If the man didn’t want to talk, he was going to listen. “Look, I—”

  “Are you here to hurt me?”

  Now that just pissed him off. If he’d wanted to hurt him, he’d had the past hour of ear-splitting silence to do it. “Hey, you came looking for me, not the other way around.”

  “I’ll give you that. I guess I’m here to teach you a lesson.”

  Jacob loved the man’s ignorant arrogance. “What lesson is that?”

  “To show you what happens when you hurt me.” Lee rose to his full height. With the rain-soaked clothes hugging to him, he couldn’t hide his physique.

  Dear God, he was magnificent.

  Six plus feet of sheer, toned muscle held his attention. The way the water beat down on his beautiful bald head, fogging up his glasses, beading up and streaming down his face, made Jacob thirsty. He wanted to drink up every last one of those drops.

  Reluctantly, he stood. “How’d I hurt you?”

  “You led me on, pretended to like me, all to get me into bed. Then when you snagged me in your little net, you chickened out.”

  “I wasn’t pretending.” If Lee only knew the truth. Hopefully, he’d never find out why Jacob had sought him out that day.

  He hesitated and wiped at the rain on his glasses. “You weren’t?”

  “No.”

  “That doesn’t change anything. You still need to be taught a lesson.” Lee rocked his head back and forth, like a loose neck would help him right now. Tight muscles were the least of his problems if things got physical.

  “This is a mistake.”

  “Why? You don’t believe I can take you?”

  “It won’t be a fair fight.”