A Covert Affair (Deadly Ops #5)(20)

“We’re heading straight there—just wanted to check. Listen . . .” He cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to broach the subject without sounding as if he cared for personal reasons. When Burkhart had called Nathan back after listening to Amelia’s conversation—after what felt like a fucking eternity—his boss informed them that Amelia had called a local detective. Burkhart was now convinced she wasn’t involved with kidnapping the women, but unfortunately she’d brought someone else into this whole thing. Which meant low-level damage control. So now Burkhart had called in a favor and was on his way to the detective’s house along with a captain in the Miami PD.

While Burkhart was handling that, Nathan and Cade needed to pull Amelia into the loop and stop that flow of information before she told anyone else. If the wrong people got wind that a government agency was sniffing around for intel about the missing women, shit could go wrong fast. He’d seen it too many times.

“What did the conversation between Amelia and that detective sound like?” he continued. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cade glance at him. He ignored his friend, stayed focused on the laptop. The dot that indicated Amelia’s phone was moving along at thirty-five miles per hour not far from where he was. He wished he was with her right now. Knowing someone had rammed her earlier—twice—tied him in knots. It didn’t matter that he’d never gotten the answers he wanted from her, not even after putting his pride aside and basically begging her to talk to him; the thought of someone trying to hurt her shredded him.

“Friendly enough. Possibly flirty, but they sounded like they’re friends more than anything. She was definitely concerned about the whole situation.”

“Thanks.” Even though it made him feel stalkerish, he was going to listen to the recording later. For the op, he told himself, unable to believe the lie for a second. After years of compartmentalizing his thoughts of her, now he felt consumed to know everything about her. And not for work reasons.

“This is it,” Cade murmured, turning down a dead-end street. “How do you want to do this?”

This wasn’t part of their original op. Hell, even talking to Amelia tonight hadn’t been part of their plan, so right now they were making decisions on the fly. “Stop a few houses down from her place. I’ll get out, wait for her at her house while you park a street over.” He’d wait on the porch, not break in. Though he could if he wanted. B & E skills were something he’d gained long before joining the NSA. Amelia had been his teacher.

But he didn’t want to piss her off any more than this early-morning visit was sure to do. He remembered what a temper Amelia had and figured when she found out he’d been at Bayside at the same time she was there and was part of an operation that originally suspected her involvement in kidnapping and possible sex trafficking, she’d be pissed. He slid his earpiece in. “I’ll keep my recorder on the whole time,” he continued when Cade didn’t respond.

Satisfied, his partner nodded.

The street was upper middle class, the houses mostly two-story, with actual space between the yards. From the financials he’d read on Amelia, she did well for herself, though it had taken years to get where she was and to afford her home. She’d always sworn she’d make something of herself, vowing to never end up like her mother.

It made him so fucking happy she’d done just that. No matter how things had ended between them, that she’d pretty much ripped his heart out, he couldn’t help being proud of her. The restaurant industry had one of the highest failure rates, so her success was even more impressive.

Shelving those thoughts, he slid from the vehicle, quiet as a ghost, as soon as Cade stopped the SUV. They couldn’t account for everything, like nosy neighbors, but at this early hour, most people were locked in tight for the evening. Especially in a neighborhood like this.

Moving down the sidewalk quickly, he stuck to the shadows. He’d changed out of his tux and was wearing black cargo pants and a black long-sleeved T-shirt. He was armed, as he usually was, but his weapon was holstered and tucked away.

“Looks like she’s almost here,” Cade said through his earpiece. “Should be turning down her street in less than a minute. I’m pulling out now. There’s a park two blocks over I’m going to wait at.”

“Sounds good,” Nathan said quietly. He didn’t need backup for Amelia and the truth was, he wanted time alone with her. Even if it wasn’t technically private, considering that Elliott and Cade would be able to hear their conversation. God, he just wanted to see her again. Seeing her and holding her after so long was a combination of heaven and torture.

When he reached her house, he strode up the stone walkway to her front door. A white slatted enclosure wrapped around the porch. There were two rocking chairs on it with a small table in between.

“She’s turning now.” Cade’s voice was quiet.

“I see her,” Nathan said as the flash of headlights illuminated her street. He backed against one of the walls of the porch, using a giant potted plant as part of his cover. When they talked he was going to tell her that she needed sensor-activated lights. Anyone could just wait in the dark here, lurking and ready to attack. Kind of like him, except he wouldn’t be attacking her. Even the thought made him ill.

The purr of her engine was soft as she pulled into the driveway. From his angle against the far wall, he couldn’t see her, but he heard the garage door opening. Once he heard her pull forward, he stepped out from his hiding spot and strode back down the walkway, stopping at the back of her vehicle. He immediately noted the damage to her Jeep and planned to ask her who she thought could have done this. Whoever it was, they weren’t going to get away with it.