Page 11 of Fear No Evil

Oh, so that bothered her, did it? Good. “My commander briefed me on this assignment two days ago. He mentioned you were the CIA’s top pick.” Jake had even agreed Lena was the perfect candidate until he’d seen her in person that afternoon and realized she wasn’t ready yet.

She cut a frown at him while running with an effortlessness he envied.

“I can tell you have questions. Go ahead and ask them.” This was exactly what Charles wanted them to do‍—to clear the air.

“Okay. How long have you been a SEAL?”

“Five years. I worked for the Peace Corps first.”

She nodded as if knowing that much.

“When I saw innocent people tormented by narcotraffickers, I decided I could help more if I was a special operator.” Hisdecision had as much to do with wanting to be part of Lena’s world, but he wouldn’t tell her that‍—not yet, anyway.

Her gaze slid over him. “How’d you do at BUD/S training? You weren’t very athletic when I knew you.”

He could always count on Lena to be truthful. “Well, I got myself in shape first, but it still took me two attempts.”

“Two is still impressive. And when did you request to be a SOG?”

“A year before I recovered you from Venezuela.”

Another nod. She kept her gaze averted. “You disappeared on me pretty fast after that… and after Morocco, too.”

Her disgruntled observation made him smile on the inside. “Not my call.” Walking away from her, not once but twice, had gutted him. He’d worked so hard to put himself into the same theater as her, only to be ordered elsewhere the instant he got her to safety.

“And Paris?” Finally, she looked at him, allowing him to glimpse the pain in her expression. “Why’d you leave without saying goodbye?”

He blinked, confused by the question. “What do you mean? My parents came and took me away before I could catch you. I explained all that in my texts after I got a new phone.” His old one had been useless after the blast; hers, too, probably.

Maggie was frowning at him. “You never sent me any texts.”

He jabbed the down arrow to slow his pace. Was she lying? What would be the point? “I texted you for months afterward, wanting to stay connected. I knew I had the right number because I called your house to check with your mother. After that, I figured you must have blocked me.”

Her puzzled expression appeared genuine. “I had no idea you had texted me.” She sounded dazed.

Chewing on Lena’s assertion, Jake decided she was telling the truth. He thought immediately of someone who had botha means and a motive for blocking his number. “Could your father have blocked me?” A section chief for the FBI, Drake Ellis had had big dreams for his daughter, none of which included marriage to her college sweetheart.

“I don’t know.” Her edgy tone told him she didn’t want to live in the past. “It’s water under the bridge now, isn’t it?”

Given her reply, Jake doubted his texts would have changed the course of her future anyway. Rather than dwell on his hurt, he changed the topic. “So, you’re running a lot these days.”

That earned him a defensive glance. “So?”

“Like fifty miles a week or more.”

“How would you know that?”

He knew way more than she realized, having befriended her half-brother while swearing Miles to secrecy. “Been keeping tabs on you.”

“Why?”

Why? She was the love of his life, his muse, the woman he was going to grow old with, provided he kept her alive long enough. “Just curious.” World’s biggest understatement. “Sorry I offended you after the briefing today. I’m just…I’m worried this assignment isn’t right for you.”

It was Maggie’s turn to slap the emergency STOP button. As her treadmill ground to a halt, she whirled to face him, her body rigid, her beautiful eyes burning with emotion he could only wonder at. Her bosom, supported by a black jogging bra, rose and fell above her flat abdomen. He could see her hip bones through the Spandex of her running shorts.

“Please, don’t say another word to me about walking away from this assignment. Mike Howitz and Jay Barnes were my friends, my colleagues. Would you leave your teammates to die in captivity?”

Jake firmed his lips. Of course not.