Code Name: Nanny (SEAL and Code Name #5)(61)

He could almost see her muscles lock, refusing to form the words. She stared out at the horizon, where clouds piled up over broken layers of light. “Riley, my partner, had two kids. Nice kids.” Her jaw worked back and forth. “His wife was pregnant with another one.”

“It sucks, but I still don’t see—”

“I covered up for him,” she said tightly. “I said I screwed up and missed the men in the garage.” She rubbed her neck wearily. “A formal investigation would have wasted precious taxpayer money, thousands of dollars.”

“And blasted your pal Riley’s death benefits, too.” Gabe frowned. “So you took the fall for him.”

“Damn it, I’m alive and he’s not. It was the least I could do for his family. I can stand a little heat in return for knowing they’ll be well cared for. Even if . . .”

She made an angry sound and shook her head. “Why am I telling you this? I haven’t even told my sister or the staff shrink they sent me to afterward.”

“You’re telling me because I’m an outsider, a stranger who won’t take sides and won’t lie to you. Because I’m a stranger, I can say that what you’re doing is pretty damned brave, Summer. Stupid, but brave. So who’s giving you the heat?”

“Who said anything about—”

“It doesn’t take a shrink to see that you’re tied up in knots, guilty and angry by turns. Someone’s gunning for you. Who?”

She ground one toe in the gravel. “I don’t know. They leave nasty notes in my locker. Stupid stuff—old jockstraps, excrement.” She took a slow breath. “Occasional letters.”

Gabe made a harsh sound. “Threats?”

Summer turned away.

“Damn it, have they threatened you, Summer?”

“Yes,” she said. The whisper of sound was so focused and contained that it left Gabe chilled.

“I’ll kill them.” He jerked out his cell phone. “What’s your SAC’s number?”

“No.” She gripped Gabe’s arm, her hand trembling slightly. “He knows already.”

“The bastard knows and he’s doing nothing?”

“He’s looking into who’s behind this, but they’re not stupid. Plus, they know exactly what he’ll be watching for.”

“So they wear gloves and wipe any prints,” Gabe said flatly. “No licked stamps. Cheap, common paper that you can buy in any grocery store.”

“That’s about it.”

Was this the reason she never asked for help, Gabe wondered, because she couldn’t trust anyone around her? If so, it was a cold, brutal way to live.

Even as he fought the need to touch her, Gabe forced himself to stay very still, completely controlled. When had her emotions become so transparent to him? And what the hell had happened to his usual detachment?

Because the questions left him irritated, Gabe forced them out of his mind. “If they’re cocky, they’ll give themselves away. With a little help,” he added grimly.

“How?”

“Let me work on a few ideas.” He considered several scenarios to discuss with Izzy. Hell, there wasn’t any piece of recording or surveillance equipment that Teague couldn’t ramp up, hot-wire, or generally finesse into turning somersaults and backflips.

Which was exactly what Gabe had already put in place for Cara’s safety. Now they’d rig the same thing for Summer.

But when they cornered the bastards who were hounding Summer, Gabe would be certain they spent a little quality time together alone with him in a soundproof room.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“Nothing important.”

“Gabe, I don’t want your help.” Her shoulders squared. “I mean it. This is my job, my problem. I can handle it.”

“Sure you can. I’m just going to talk to someone who happens to be good at electronics.” Izzy would cut him off at the knees for such an underestimation of his amazing array of talents. “I’ll pass on whatever he says. You can’t object to that?”

“And you’ll stay out of it?”

“Absolutely.” Like hell, he would. “Satisfied?”

She gave an uncertain smile, which caught Gabe hard right at the middle of his chest, making him wonder when the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He cursed silently, aware that he’d just gone past simple sexual attraction.

Emotions were starting to get involved, and emotions always made things sticky. Worst of all, emotions had the potential to short-circuit his concentration.

Of course, he wouldn’t let that happen. Gabe had stopped being a tongue-tied, sweaty-palmed teenager a few decades ago, and these emotions were going right into the garbage can.

“Now you’re scowling,” Summer said quietly.

He looked at his watch and shrugged. “It’s getting late and we should go. I’ll load the luggage, then give you a tour of the new security equipment.”

“But your friend—”

“Izzy appears to have gotten tied up in town, and we only have fifteen minutes until we leave for the airport. I’ll do the short version now and fill in the rest later, after I catch up with you in Arizona.”

“What about the spent shell from Cara’s bedroom?”