Page 10 of Near Miss

His best mate threw his head back and laughed. When his gaze met Lachlan’s again, amusement warmed his icy eyes. “I know you. I’d be wasting my breath.” Nathan grinned. “Need any help? Of course, if we went in, took out Khan, and actually made it out alive, our governments would throw us in the hoosegow.”

Lachlan had been around Nathan long enough to know “hoosegow” was his friend’s peculiar Texas slang for prison. He allowed himself a brief smile. “Aye, but if we still were active duty, it could be a sanctioned mission.”

Nathan sobered. “But we aren’t active duty anymore, are we.”

The reminder of why had them both going quiet for a moment.

Nathan cleared his throat. “How’s your boy working out?”

“Ryder? It was a stroke of luck he let me know he was getting out of the military right after you turned down my very generous offer of employment.”

Nathan’s massive shoulders lifted and fell in a shrug that Lachlan recognized as an attempt to deflect deeper feelings. “I think I’ll stick to protecting information.”

Lachlan had no response. The two stood there without speaking amidst the din of discharging weapons until the range monitor signaled their time was up.

Nathan nodded in acknowledgment to the trim, middle-aged woman before turning back to Lachlan. “Seriously, let me know how I can help.”

The bands around Lachlan’s lungs constricted again, this time for a different reason. As alone as he felt most of the time, he knew Nathan and Ryder had his back. “I need information on munitions cargo to Afghanistan in the past year. They have to be shipped by air, but, depending upon the size of the shipment, they may travel by sea to a Persian Gulf port before being flown in. We also can’t discount the idea that someone is diverting weapons brought in directly by the Coalition to arm the Afghan military and police—that might be harder to track.”

“I’ll see what I can dig up.” Nathan stowed his gun in its case and shoved it into his backpack along with his ear and eye protection.

“That will solve one of my problems at least,” Lachlan muttered.

His friend’s brows flew up. “You got another problem?”

“No,” he snapped and immediately realized his mistake.

Nathan’s grin widened. “Now you gotta spill.”

Lachlan heaved a sigh. Nathan was like a dog with a bone when his curiosity was triggered. He’d pester Lachlan until he gave in.

“I have a new colleague,” Lachlan gritted out. “She annoys me, and I’m not sure she can be trusted. She seems a wee bit too good to be true.”

Nathan stared at him long enough for his neck to itch. “She annoys you or intrigues you, and that’s what annoys you?”

The former SEAL was too perceptive for his own good. Lachlan snapped his gun case shut with a violent thud. “She’s a distraction I don’t need and don’t want.”

He and Nathan pushed through the double set of doors separating the range from the lobby area and headed for the parking lot. The temperature had gone down with the sun, and a cool breeze ruffled Lachlan’s hair. They’d grabbed dinner before heading to the range and flipped a coin to see who would drive. Nathan lost. They climbed into the cab of Nathan’s black Ford F-150 pickup, and he headed south toward his Fairfax Station home, where Lachlan had left his car.

“Not every woman is like Nadia.” Nathan’s voice was quiet. He kept his gaze on the road.

“Maybe not,” Lachlan finally allowed, “but I don’t trust myself to know the difference.”

Chapter Six

Timeisoftheessence.

Sophia bit her lip, shoulders knotting at the cryptic text from Admiral Dane she’d received on the way into work this morning. She needed to step up her efforts to find evidence—if there was any—that Lachlan Mackay was selling weapons to the Taliban. The thought of it made her queasy.

Sweeping into her office, she came to an abrupt halt, staring over the peace lily in her hands at the sight of a small brown paper bag and Styrofoam cup sitting on her desk. Next to the cup were two single-serving containers of creamer. A warm fizz of delight stretched her cheeks, Admiral Dane’s buzzkill reminder shoved to the back of her brain.

She placed her new plant on the credenza, along with her purse and briefcase, hung up her coat, then turned back to examine the unexpected bounty. When she pried the lid off the cup, steam tendrils drifted upward, the aroma of hot, black coffee a good morning wake-up call. She added one of the creamers and took a cautious sip. The toasty burnt caramel of her favorite dark roast bathed her tongue.

Diving into the bag, she withdrew a warm, paper-wrapped bagel, plain, toasted, with cream cheese. Just the way she liked. Her stomach gurgled at the yeasty smell and her mouth watered. She took a bite and savored the creamy, chewy goodness.

“That’s what you like, right?” Fred’s voice from the threshold of her open door made her jump.

He stepped further into her office. His gaze moved over her new décor, resting briefly on her diplomas before returning to meet her face. “That’s what Penny said, at least.”

---