Page 23 of Dangerous Mission

Terri

The plane ridefrom Virginia to California was silent. Axel hadn’t said a word to Terri since he received a text from his commanding officer. She also hadn’t opened any news apps because she was worried the story would be everywhere. Terri had no clue what she wanted anymore. She’d thought helping those women was doing good, but Hex was gone, and she’d ruined Axel's career.

They arrived close to nine at night and drove straight to the military base. Her stomach rolled as she stared up at the three-story building. Terri had visited many military bases over the years. She went with her father to talk to troops and thank them for their hard work. Her security clearance allowed her access to most places. Axel grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the large building.

The lights were bright when they stepped into the main lobby. He gave her a slight smile, but his eyes were dim. When they were kids, she’d seen how his eyes went a light gray when his parents left with no word or when he lost a swimming match.

A tall man in a black suit came through the door and stopped next to them. When he ran a hand through his hair, a silver watch glistened in the fluorescent lighting. “You sure do know how to cause a stir-up.”

“Fuck off, Xavier,” Axel growled.

The tall man’s blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “All you had to do was get through a simple babysitting mission. My men can do that shit with their eyes closed. Except you were too chicken shit to tie her to the bed.”

“Hey, I’m right here.”

Xavier narrowed his eyes. “Yes. I know the blond shit they put on the news about you is false. You’re smart, and I could never figure out why your father didn’t use you more often, besides being the face of things. One thing to remember is you can’t have everything you want, and your stunt caused a lot of problems.”

“If Axel had told me days ago he was watching me, I might’ve stayed back.”

The man belted out a laugh. “I would have to disagree with you. Your old TikToks are still up. No, they don’t say his name, but they give enough away. You’re a scorned woman and strong. So I highly doubt you would’ve listened to a word he said.”

Axel threw his hands up. “TikTok. I’m really starting to hate that app, and I haven’t even spent time exploring what is on the platform.”

Fuck.She’d forgotten about the rant about men she’d gone on a year ago. She and Archer had started dating, and everything went great. She was close to inviting him to her place and even to meet her mother. Then she saw the text flash across his phone when he went to the bathroom. His buddy asked if he’d met the president yet. They wanted a government contract for a military gun prototype they had developed. Archer had told her he was an accountant. Everything he’d said was a lie, and instead of going off on a rant about Archer, all her feelings for Axel rushed back, and she made a ten-part video about asshole men. Axel starred as the main character.

“We can’t change the past or what is out in the media. I’ll do whatever Axel’s commander wants me to do,” she ground out.

Xavier nodded. “Come on. Let’s go talk to the principal. I want to know why the fuck I had to show up. I swear sometimes Commander North has no clue what it’s like to run a mercenary company.”

She’d expected a few people to be around, but the only sound was her heels clicking against the marble floor. When they reached the elevator, she tried to pull her hand from Axel’s, but he kept a tight grip. Her face turned red when Xavier nodded toward their hands, but Axel didn’t say a word. He just waited for the doors to open and pulled her out.

Two large office doors were cracked open, and a light shone through. Xavier walked directly into the office without a knock. Axel took a step toward the door, but Terri planted her feet. “I don’t think I should go in there.”

“Come on.”

She followed as Axel walked in and saluted his commanding officer.

“Richy,” the older gentleman said before he turned toward her. “And you must be Terri Fugate. I haven’t seen you in person since you were a kid. You look just like your mom.”

“Thank you.” She got the compliment all the time. Many times, the media had found old pictures of her mom and posted them next to hers. They were spitting images of each other.

Xavier slid his tall frame into a chair. “You know you’re not my boss, right? I’m not even sure you ever paid a single bill I sent here.”

“You make enough money off your other government contracts. And I get the friend discount.”

“My team has to find a missing man and figure out who filmed the video of Axel and Terri on the sidewalk. I do have other paying customers I need to help also.”

Commander North ran a hand through his hair. “I have an even bigger problem. Ginger broke his foot, and we go wheels up tomorrow night. This is an agreement with the US and another country. Richy’s done the mission before, so I need him. Which brings me to the reason you’re here, Xavier. I need your team to watch Terri for three days.”

“What about my face across the media?” Axel asked.

“I could’ve done without the media posting pictures of you, but Tex and Cy are both working to pull down every article. By morning, there won’t be a trace of you out there. Not sure how long it will last, but for now, we need you on the mission. It’s a simple training mission.”

Like she had for most of her life, Terri felt like a third wheel that needed to be babysat. “I can head back to DC.”

Three sets of eyes glared at her. “No,” they growled in unison.

She figured it wasn’t the best time to remind them about the charity event she planned to attend in two weeks. Terri didn’t plan to stay locked behind doors very long. The three men talked a while longer, and she studied the photo behind the commander’s desk. He had his arm wrapped around a lovely lady. She was only a few inches shorter than the commander and had brown hair. The way he gazed down at her with a tender expression made her swoon. She wondered what it would feel like to be loved unconditionally.

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