Page 64 of Jack of Hearts
“Plane?” Alex cocked a brow.
Nate nodded. “Stand by. I need to call Rothmire.”
Rand Stevens leaned his head back on the sofa, closing his eyes on a sigh. “Long night, huh?”
“Truth.” And Alex was ready for it to be over. The other four agents around Nate’s living room seemed to be as tired as he was, if the way they slouched in their seats was any indication. Considering it was three in the morning, no surprise they were beat.
His gaze rested on Taylor, his curiosity caught by the way her eyes turned soft whenever she looked at Nate. She was a beautiful woman, one who, as far as he knew, had no man in her life. He caught the moment Nate met her gaze, and he could almost feel the electricity crackling between them. She blushed, suddenly seeming to find the arm of her chair fascinating. If Alex wasn’t mistaken, that was longing shimmering in his brother’s eyes, and wasn’t that interesting?
“SWAT got there about five minutes after we shot out the Lear’s tires,” Taylor said. “They had the plane surrounded and were trying to talk our suspects out when we left.”
Rand peeked open an eye. “Rothmire’s on the scene. He said he’d call when he had something to tell us.”
Just then, Nate’s phone buzzed. “Rothmire,” Nate said, eyeing the screen. They all fell silent, waiting to hear the news. He listened for a few minutes, then his gaze fell on Alex. “I’ll tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Alex said when Nate disconnected.
“That a commendation letter is going in your file. Because of your investigation, we just took down Anatoly Gorelova, a man the Russians call the Ghost. The Ghost is wanted by half the countries in the world, but no one knew who he was. There’s not much he’s not involved in, from drugs, to arms dealing, to assassinations.”
Stunned, Alex stared at Nate. “Holy shit.” Suddenly energized, he sat up. He was actually glad he hadn’t known who Mr.X was when the deal went down. While he’d like to think he could handle anything that came his way, dealing with one of the world’s most wanted on his first lead case might have tested his ability to stay cool. But damn, this would probably be the biggest arrest of his career, and he couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face.
Court reached over and slapped him on the back. “Way to go, baby brother. You’ll be a legend now.”
Not something he’d aspired to. He’d just been doing his job, but he’d never been more proud to be an FBI agent than he was this night. “I’m surprised he’s talking already.”
Nate shook his head. “He’s not. He lawyered up immediately. One of his men is talking in return for a deal.” He grinned. “Good job, Alex. Damn good job.”
The other agents in the room echoed Nate’s praise, but it was his big brother’s approval that meant the most.
“The bad guys better watch out for the Ghostbuster,” Court said, making everyone laugh.
When the conversation quieted, Nate glanced at Taylor. “One last thing we need to talk about before we can hit the sack. Update us on your interview with Michael Parker’s editor.”
She straightened in her seat. “The editor’s name is Jack Candor. He doesn’t know what Parker was working on, only that Parker told him the story would merit a front-page headline. Parker did make one comment that caused Candor to wonder if the story was hitting close to home. Parker said, and this is a direct quote from Candor, ‘I just hope when the story breaks that I don’t end up in divorce court.’”
From what Alex knew of Madison’s mother, there was only one thing that could refer to. “He was investigating the Alonzos. Madison mentioned that she’s worried about how close her mother is to her twin brother. If Jose or Ramon had anything to do with the hit-and-run, that’s going to crush her ... Angelina, I mean. I think Madison wouldn’t at all mind seeing handcuffs on those two.” That was his hope, anyway.
Court stood. “I need my bed. There’s some stuff I want to do a search on, but tomorrow when it doesn’t feel like I have a pound of sand in my eyes.” At the door, he gave a wave over his shoulder. “Night, Ghostbuster.”
“Night.” And what a night it had been. Alex was still reeling from the revelation that he’d accidently helped to take down one of the world’s most wanted.
Rand was the next to leave, and Alex followed him out. If it wasn’t so late, he’d go straight to Madison’s, but he doubted she’d appreciate him tapping on her window at this hour. Too bad, because he was now feeling like the Energizer Bunny, ready to go again and again.
As he walked out Nate’s door, he glanced back to see his brother put a hand on Taylor’s arm as she slipped her purse over her shoulder. Alex smiled to himself. He’d not seen that one coming. What was up with his brothers and the women they pretended not to care about?
CHAPTER TWENTY
Madison dropped her clothes in the hamper before stepping into the shower. She and Lauren had spent a few hours after closing reorganizing the stockroom, and she was dirty and sweaty. Alex had texted, saying he was on the way over. She poured shampoo into the palm of her hand and lathered her hair.
A soft knock sounded on the bathroom door right before it opened, and Alex poked his head around the doorframe. “Don’t scream, Mad. I’m coming in.”
She watched through the glass as he quickly stripped, then stepped into the shower with a wicked grin on his face. Her gaze roamed over his muscular body, finally understanding why women in romance novels licked their lips at the sight of their man naked.
“I missed you last night,” she said.
He put his hands on her waist and turned her. “Bet I missed you more, thus the reason I’m here in your shower with you.”
She moaned when he massaged her head. “That feels good. How’d you get in? Not that I’m complaining.”
