Page 79 of Killer Secrets (Tempting SEALs 5)

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Twenty-one

SHE WAS CALLED THE CHAMELEON in the covert underground she had operated within since her twenties, but that night, Kira had to admit that when it came to hiding who and what they were beneath layers of personality shifts, Ian had her beat.

From the moment he had walked out of the study earlier that day, she had sensed the carefully banked fury just beneath the surface. A fury fueled by the emotions roiling in his liquor-colored eyes. Somehow, Diego had managed to get to him this time in ways he hadn't before.

Throughout the day, Ian had managed to hide it. He was patronizingly patient with Diego, laughing with his bodyguards, and playing the role of the heir to a major drug cartel to the hilt. But Kira could sense the tension rising inside him and it wasn't rising from the mission alone. There was something else, something dark, something angry that she couldn't put her finger on.

His mood continued well into the evening, and as the sun finally began to set, Kira moved to the wide balcony doors that led from the bedroom rather than the sitting room. From here, she could see the upper story of the villa she had leased and the glow of lights in the bedroom Daniel had taken.

This wasn't the first mission she had taken that her bodyguard wasn't directly involved. Actually, it would have been odd had he been involved rather than watching from the sidelines, ready to lend assistance should the danger become more than she could handle herself.

As she leaned against the heavy roof support and stared out at the villa, a frown worked at her brow. She could have sworn she glimpsed an additional shadow moving in the room.

She blew out a rough breath and pushed her hand into the pocket of the silk capris she wore, her fingers running over the slender cell phone she carried. She knew Durango team was over there, knew something was brewing, and it was driving her crazy.

Ian refused, point-blank, to meet with his former team, determined to handle this mission as he had begun it. Alone. Except for her.

She had to admit she was a bit surprised that he hadn't attempted to have her kidnapped and stashed in a safe location until it was over. Or until he was dead.

Dead would be a possibility if the snatches of information she had overheard were true. Ian's plan was to send a team in to capture Ascarti, the one man suspected of knowing Sorrell's true identity. Even DHS and the various law enforcement agencies around the world had kept their hands off him. They tried to place agents in close to him, tried to trail him, track him, and eavesdrop on him, but they hadn't attempted to take him because the fury Sorrell would unleash was just too dangerous. Whoever held Ascarti would feel the full force of the terrorist's fury. Unless they managed to get Sorrell at the same time.

But who would care if that fury came down on a drug cartel and a deserter from the U.S. Navy? She closed her eyes and swallowed back the nervousness rising inside her. Ian had been steadily pushing Sorrell, challenging him indirectly by the sheer fact that he had managed to derail every attempt the terrorist made against the cartel.

But Ian had gone from defensive to offensive this week when he snatched the two men responsible for firing the missile at the limo. And he had killed them.

Logically, Kira knew he'd had no other choice. Once he snatched the men, he had to send Sorrell a message. That he wasn't playing. That he meant to protect his own territory. But she had to admit, she hadn't believed he would do it. How she thought he would handle it, she wasn't certain, but she saw he was harder, more determined than she had ever believed possible. Determined enough that the risk to Diego Fuentes's life by his son was greater than she had imagined.

She needed to report that, at least to Daniel. It was her job to ensure that Fuentes lived to fulfill his agreement with the U.S. To send DHS the vital information he obtained regarding terrorists and rumored strikes, while he maintained his hold on the drug business.

DHS wouldn't arrest him, detain him, or otherwise strike directly against his main base of operations, and neither would the Colombian government. The Fuentes cartel was handled with kid gloves until the drugs left the processing labs; after that, it was fair game.

It was a dirty deal. Ian would never forgive her or his own government once he learned the truth.

She crossed her arms protectively over her breasts and lowered her head, trying to hold back her own guilt and feelings of helplessness.

Hell, Ian had a right to his fury, to his need for blood. He'd had no childhood because of Diego's bitch of a wife, Carmelita. And Nathan. God, what Fuentes had done to Nathan was nothing short of evil. An evil the United States government was protecting.

Did the end justify the means? She didn't know anymore. She knew this mission had changed Ian. It had made him harder, made him colder.

"You're thinking too hard."

She swung around at the sound of Ian's quiet voice from the open doorway, her heart tripping in her chest at the softened tone.

She had believed him hard, but she heard something more in his voice now. Almost regret. His expression was in shadow, but she could feel the tension radiating from him.

/> "Enjoying the night," she countered with a smile as he moved toward her. "It's beautiful here."

"And deadly." His arms came around her, his hands gripping her hips and turning her once again, until she faced the villa. "Daniel hasn't left."

"He won't leave." She leaned into him, almost closing her eyes at the warmth and strength that surrounded her. "You knew he wouldn't."

"Neither will they," he murmured at her ear. "Durango team is over there with him, Kira. You and I both know they are. They're going to get themselves killed if they don't head out."

"And you know they won't," she said just as softly. "No more than you would if it were one of them involved. You have to meet with them. Work with them."

She felt his lips against her neck as one hand pulled her hair back from her shoulder.

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