Page 28 of Near Miss

After verifying the license plate and name of the driver, she jumped into the back of the vehicle. A fat drop of rain splattered against the windshield, then another. She glanced back at the station then up at a flash of lightning as the driver pulled into traffic.

Lachlan poured himself the last dregs of coffee and took a sip, grimacing at the burnt, ashy taste. He dumped the rest in the sink and glanced at the clock over the break room door. Too late to bother with a fresh pot.

Thoughts of Sophia had hounded him all weekend. He’d dreamed of her the night of the gallery reception after he exhausted himself circling the sixty-four-mile Beltway. Twice. Hot, steamy scenes of him licking her until she came hard, then thrusting into her until he found his own release and shattered the nightmares that usually haunted his sleep.

It was the first time in two years he hadn’t dreamed of death.

Kissing her had been a mistake. He’d let his guard down. He had no right to want more, at least until he finished this business with Khan.

As if he’d conjured her, Sophia appeared in the doorway. Her frantic gaze met his. “There you are.”

The anxiety in her voice and rigid set of her shoulders jacked every muscle in his body to attention. He straightened and took a step away from the sink, toward her. “What’s wrong?”

“A man followed me today on the Metro. He’s been following me.”

“What man?” Lachlan’s hands fisted. “Do you know his name?”

Her face was too pale. Was some cheeky twat harassing her because she’d refused his advances? Lachlan would have a talk with him. He’d be pissing his pants by the time Lachlan got done telling him in explicit detail what he’d do if the wank ever came near Sophia again.

“Some British guy. And he had a message for you. He said to tell you your day was coming.”

The roar in his ears muffled her voice, but there was no mistaking her round eyes or the palms slapped against his chest. Lachlan blinked. When had he crossed the room? His gaze dropped to where his hands gripped her upper arms.

“Lachlan?” The tremble in her voice was a slap to his face. Spots of red colored her cheeks. “What is wrong with you?” She gave him a shove.

He released her at once, spearing trembling fingers through his hair to keep from touching her.Fuck.He wasn’t a brute, at least not with women, but the thought of her alone, defenseless— “Did he hurt you?”

She flinched at the whip of fury in his voice. “No. He—“

“Come with me.” The intensity of his reaction put him in unfamiliar emotional territory. He needed to regain control. He tamped his emotions and tried again, extending his palm. “Please.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she gave him her hand. His legs ate up the distance to his office, pulling her with him. He didn’t give a damn who saw. He wasn’t letting her go.

Someone had used Sophia to get to him. Given his previous career in special operations, the list of potential enemies was long.

They sat at the same table where they’d been working together only days before. He released her hand to trace her jaw, his rougher, tanned fingers a contrast to her delicate beauty. “Tell me everything. From the first moment you realized this man was following you.”

She chewed at her lip, clearly marshaling her thoughts. “This morning, a silver BMW was behind me in traffic—one I’ve seen a lot the past few days,” she added. “When I walked to the Metro earlier, I noticed a man following me. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. He gave off a creepy vibe, so when he got off at the same station as me, I tried to lose him in the crowd.”

“And?” Lachlan tried to contain his impatience and let her get out her story.

“Well, I did lose him, or he didn’t follow me. I thought maybe I’d imagined the whole thing. I went to my meetings on Capitol Hill and took the Metro back.” Fear darkened the brown in her eyes to a deep chocolate, muting the green. “He was waiting in the subway and followed me back to King Street. That’s when I realized where I recognized him from. The BMW. He delivered his message for you and then disappeared.”

“What did he look like?”

Creases appeared between her neatly groomed brows. “Black hair. Tanned skin. Average height—definitely shorter than you. His features were kind of Middle Eastern.”

She paused, her gaze focused inward. “He had unusual blue eyes.”

Lachlan eased back in his chair and forced his muscles to relax to hide the fury that flowed like lava through his veins.

Ryder was right. Roshan Haider had come to DC. But why target Sophia? She had no ties to him or his life before he came to LAI.

Haider must have seen them together Friday night. Which meant Haider had been followinghim.

A sharp pain stabbed behind Lachlan’s eyes. He’d been careless, let down his guard, and now this. He should have stayed away from Sophia.

“Do you know him?” She searched his face, worry and a hint of suspicion in her expression. “What are you involved in? Are you in danger?”

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