Her Covert Protector (Rogue Protectors Book 4)

It felt like a long day—and John was used to long days, used to waiting for more information, biding his time to make a move. Fourteen hours since the crash this morning, and they were still at CTTF HQ. But he was also impatient. He could compartmentalize, but at that moment, everything in his brain was focused on the woman he was watching through the transparent glass of the CTTF lab that was Nadia’s domain.

She’d been assisting Cal Traffic run some tests to protect their infrastructure from the recent hack. Nadia was halfway through deciphering the source code. These latest attacks on the traffic network as well as financial institutions had been picked up by major news channels. That brought increased scrutiny from the mayor and from federal agencies. Nadia had transferred her data on the bank fraud to the Secret Service.

Bristow, meanwhile, was doing his best taking down videos on the internet of John. So far, only two had shown a clear capture of his face. It was still two too many. Exposure of this kind sounded the death knell for an operative’s career, and he wondered what made him throw all caution aside and rush headlong into the fray to help people.

That was something Jacob Mason would do.

His gaze focused on Nadia again, and he checked his watch.

Kelso exited the lab, spotted him, and headed his way. “I told Nadia to go home. She should be done in a few.”

John nodded.

“Thanks for your help today and with the DHS,” the detective continued. “Nadia would be heartbroken if they’d taken this case away from her. No matter what an asshole Huxley turned out to be, he was still her friend.”

“I just cut through the bureaucracy, ego, and bullshit,” John replied. It also helped that he reported directly to Admiral Porter. “To send this to DHS would only have us starting from square one. Nadia’s prior friendship with Huxley is an advantage.”

“Yeah,” Kelso agreed. “She put out feelers on the dark web for information. There are several white hats eager to help she said.”

His phone buzzed. Levi had been monitoring travel into LA. “I have to get this.”

The detective gestured for him to go ahead and walked back into Nadia’s lab.

John swiped the screen. “What do you have for me?”

“He’s a no show,” Levi said.

His muscles locked. “What?”

“The plane’s manifest just updated and put him as a no-show. I’ve accessed the surveillance at the gate the aircraft deplaned and he wasn’t on it.”

“The fucker knows we’re watching him,” John said. “How about our contact in Kiev?”

“He assured me he saw Dmitry clear the security gates.”

“Follow up with him and see if he’s somehow evaded surveillance and returned to any of his residences.”

“Already did.”

“Also crosscheck his aliases on any flights, from any destination in the U.S. If you don’t get a hit, expand your search to Canada and south of the border.”

“My search is running now. It’s going to take a while.”

“Damn. You’re beginning to think like me,” John said. “Want my job?”

“Not a chance.” Levi chuckled then hung up.

He tucked away his phone just in time to see Nadia exiting her lab in brisk strides. She was practically bouncing. He sighed. Kelso had been plying her with caffeine much to John’s annoyance. Still, he wasn’t about to stand in the way of how she interacted with her colleagues … yet. He understood what was needed.

“Ready when you are,” she chirped as she took a sip from the latest caramel macchiato Kelso had served her.

John gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “You look wired.”

She raised the sixteen-ounce cup and grinned. That was her third one of the day from what he’d counted and that didn’t include the coffee he handed her this morning.

“Obviously.” His gaze past her shoulder and spied Kelso locking up Nadia’s lab and leaving with a guy from their tactical team named Henderson.

He asked Kelso, “Where’s Woodward?”

“You didn’t see her sneak out?” the detective asked. “You’re losing your touch, Garrison. Declan ordered his wife home.”

John raised a brow. “Ordered. Now that I find hard to believe.”

“Don’t ask,” Kelso grumbled. “I don’t want to understand or attempt to understand the dynamics of their marriage.”

“Good point.” He turned back to Nadia and looped her backpack off her shoulder and slung it on his.

“You’re that guy from Homeland, aren’t you?” Henderson asked, his gaze scrutinizing.

“Yep,” John acknowledged the man briefly before addressing Kelso. “Well, I guess I better take our prized analyst home.”

“Take care of her.”

John wrapped an arm securely around Nadia. “Count on it.”

“I feel so special.” She grinned up at him.

Definitely wired.

When they arrived at the garage where he parked the Escalade, Nadia said, “Henderson’s been asking questions about you.”

John had asked Bristow to take him back to Nadia’s apartment to pick up his vehicle. Thank fuck it wasn’t his SUV that was involved in the pileup. He had a lot of upgrades in his including bulletproof tires and windows which would be useless in a wreck.

“And?” he prodded.

“I told him to mind his own business.”

“Sassy, are you?” He kissed the top of her head before letting her into the vehicle.

When he got in beside her and started the engine, she continued, “He’s a good tac lead … well, second to Kelso when he’s not leading. He’s also very observant. You show up every time we face a real terrorist threat in LA. First with Raul Ortega, second with the Ebola bioweapon mutations, and now this. He said if you were truly Homeland Security, you’d be throwing your weight around, but you always stay in the background.” She paused for effect. “He said that’s what spooks do. That you’re a spook. There’s no other explanation.”

He drove the SUV out of the LAPD parking lot, getting on Third to head to the 101.

Fuck, he knew this. If he hung around Nadia while she was working this big case, too many people would start to notice. The first time, he let Roarke take the lead. And the second? He remained in the background until the FBI tried to take the case from Gabby, and John had to step in. And now? It was personal as well, very personal, but he was all in.

After his actions earlier today, his CIA career hung in the balance. But what struck him after his weeks of conflict was he suddenly attained clarity.

He cared for Nadia. A lot.

He did want to build something meaningful with her, but he refused to put a label on it yet.

“Let him stew over it,” he said.

“Ha! That’s what I’m doing. And he knows better than to piss me off because … ” She wiggled her fingers. “I hold the Key.”

“You’re too straight-laced to do anything illegal.”

“Ha! Is that why you’ve been hell-bent on getting me to do illegal stuff?”

“When did I make you do something illegal?”

“No. You call it something fancier like ‘rogue operations’.”

“Nadia,” John said, biting back a smile. “What exactly is in your coffee?”

She laughed before slurping to the end of her fancy-ass concoction. “Probably too much sugar and caffeine. I can’t metabolize alcohol well, which is why caffeine is my drug of choice.”

They were both skirting the elephant in the room, or rather, in the SUV. Not one word was mentioned about “the situation” since the pileup this morning.

“You’ll have trouble sleeping tonight.”

“Oh, I’ll crash. Don’t worry. If anything, I’ll keep you company with season two of Hodgetown.”

John debated on what to say, but he seemed content to let her chatter on about the several leads she acquired on the dark web. He was fascinated by her passion. Usually, he got irritated with techs trying to show off their expertise, but not Nadia. There was something about her. He probably didn’t understand half of what she explained, but John hadn’t felt this passion in a long time.

He learned a skill because it was what was needed for the job. His initial passion was to serve his country. But as the years rolled by and he had to deal with the scum of the earth, sometimes having to make deals with them just to preserve the greater good, he grew more detached because that was the only way he could stomach what needed to be done.

To preserve the greater good.

His stomach soured at the thought.

“John? Are you even listening?” Nadia jolted him out of his thoughts.

He glanced at her. “You said you had a lead on the dark web.”

She huffed a breath. “I’ve said a lot since then. You just zoned out ninety percent of what I said.”

Shit. John guessed it was important for her that he understood her too, but he had a knack for storing information in compartments to access later. Claims of notoriety. That’s what she said. “There are people who are claiming responsibility.”

That seemed to satisfy her. “Can you believe that? We’ve had at least twenty come in. I need to narrow it down. Maybe tonight. But we have a more urgent matter.”

“What?”

“I need to pee.”

Nadia raced into the apartment. John was right behind her and shut the door, muffling the protests from Clyde and Dugal who followed them.

“I can’t believe they were waiting to ambush us on the second floor,” she groused. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Where are the pregnancy tests?”

“Can we do it tomorrow?” she cried when he grabbed her arm to stop her from entering the bathroom. “John!”

“We’re doing it now,” he dictated with a determination and fierceness she felt all the way between her legs. Oh God, she really needed to pee. That last macchiato seriously did her in.

“It’s on my vanity. In the bedroom.”

“Stay here,” he clipped. “Do not move. If you move—”

“John! Will you just freaking get it?”

She danced in place, her bladder about to explode. He came back with two boxes, already extracting the stick from one and giving it to her.

“Take two. If one fails, we have a back-up.” He unboxed the other and handed it to her.

“Whatever.” With sticks clutched, she ran into the bathroom, slamming the door.

The moment she sat on the toilet, immense relief flowed out from her.

Pounding came from the door. “Don’t forget!”

“Not sure I want you for a baby daddy with that bossiness!” she yelled, picking up one stick and doing as he ordered.

“Don’t jinx it.”

“You … what?” Her voice caught on that statement. Did he mean he wanted her to be positive?

“Don’t forget the second one.”

“Do you have X-ray vision?” she grumbled, her ire returning. She laid the first stick carefully on a few squares of toilet paper and picked up the second to do the same. When she was done, she got up and washed her hands, and then opened the door.

John was standing in front of the bathroom, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

“Five minutes.” His gaze went past her and zeroed in on the two sticks that could determine their future. Whatever that meant.

“Oh my God,” she mumbled, hands covering her face.

“Yeah,” he grinned, drawing her into his arms, one hand behind her head, resting her face on his chest.

She glanced up, and puffed a short laugh. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

His grin widened. “Believe it.”

“But…”

“No buts, babe, if you’re not pregnant, it doesn’t change what we’re trying to build here.”

“What are we trying to build here, John?”

“You and me,” he said seriously. “I like the kind of man I am with you.”

Her heart somersaulted upon hearing those words, and as much as she thrilled to hearing them, there was still a part of her that threw out all alarms.

A part of her that rationalized how John was all kinds of wrong for her because he was too complicated.

The girl in high school who was never popular and never attracted the attention of the jock.

The woman who overcame all that, who thought she was finally happy in her own skin, until this man barreled into her life and showed her she could have more.

She was teetering on the precipice of heady feelings, not to mention sex with this man was a mind-and-body-altering experience.

And Nadia was just greedy enough to take the leap. Or was she?

John’s eyes searched hers. “I know I’m not getting through to you yet.”

“I still need to understand what has changed from Mexico until now. You’ve been you for a long time. How can you suddenly change your nomadic and clandestine lifestyle?”

“Ask yourself that question.”

“I love being in one place.”

“Yes, it’s safe, isn’t it?”

Her mouth flattened.

“For years, I was comfortable with who I was,” he said. “The jackass who didn’t care much about anyone’s feelings, with the singular goal to get a job done. People I continue to work with understood that, and, to some extent, we shared the same values which made the detachment easy. Understood that men like me are needed so others won’t have to get their hands dirty.” He let out an extensive sigh. “But I wasn’t always this way. I cared, Nadia, but caring too much got people killed. But … today was eye opening.”

“Bristow sent me a video of you being badass while shirtless,” Nadia grinned.

John chuckled. “Yeah … today I realized I missed the man I used to be.”

“Is that man going to stay?” she asked.

“I hope so.”

Not a straight answer, but she didn’t expect him to promise anything. Everything was still new between them, even though they’d known each other for over a year.

“So,” she said as she turned to look at those sticks sitting on the bathroom counter.

His brows furrowed as he glanced at his watch. “They should be good. Come on.”

He tugged her along and together they entered the bathroom, stopping over the sticks that would define how they moved forward.

She stared at them and blinked.

John came around her, hugged her from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Hello, mama,” his voice rumbled.

Her breath swooshed out.

Two pink lines on one, and the other one said: “pregnant.”