Page 80 of Near Miss

Lachlan moved to stare out the window so Nathan wouldn’t see him tear up like a wee bairn. After everything that happened, Nathan and Ryder still had his back. Sophia had his back.

Just for a moment, he’d like to block out the nightmare his life had become.

Again.

He closed his eyes. An unwanted montage of images crept into his internal vision. The whine of bullets flying in the wrong direction. The screams of agony from the wounded, the silence of the dead, the weight of disbelief, the bitter taste of betrayal.

“Stop thinking about it.”

Nathan’s barked command jerked his lids up and had him whipping around to stare at his friend. “How do you know what I was thinking?”

“Hitched breath. Your back got so rigid you looked like a corpse in rigor. Wasn’t hard to guess.” Nathan’s eyes lost focus. “We all have our nightmares.”

Aye, they did. Lachlan breathed in, held it, breathed out, as he had in that sodding meditation class the counselor forced him into whilst rehabbing his leg. He’d done what he’d needed to get back to his troop.

He returned to the chair next to Nathan’s desk. This time, when he shut his eyes, he pictured Sophia the way she’d looked after they’d made love, her red hair spread out in waves over her pillow, the shocked pleasure in her eyes as she climaxed. His nostrils flared as if her scent was in the room. His muscles tightened for a different reason now.

“For fuck’s sake, I said think of something else, but if you start jacking off in front of me, I’m going to have to kill you.” Lachlan lifted his lids in time to catch Nathan’s smirk. “Thinking of a certain redhead?”

He acknowledged the truth of Nathan’s words with a tilt of his lips. “It’s a helluva lot better than looking at your ugly mug.”

Nathan slapped a big paw to his chest in mock indignation. “I have it on good authority from several women that my mug is quite pleasing, thank you very much.”

“No one likes a braggart, but I guess we can’t expect much from a SEAL.”

“We brag because we can, amigo.”

Their brief moment of banter was interrupted by a beep from Nathan’s computer signaling an incoming video transmission. A touch of a key from Nathan and Ryder’s face appeared on the monitor.

“Burkette left Afghanistan.” Ryder’s brilliant blue eyes betrayed a hint of frustration. “His work phone is still in Kabul, but his other phone pinged in the UK.”

“Bloody hell.” The back of Lachlan’s neck tingled. “He must be going to meet with Haider.”

“Locational data put him in east London last evening, Greenwich Mean Time. His last known location this morning was Heathrow.”

Nathan grunted. “He’s on the move again. I’ll find out where Haider’s cell phone pinged last night. If we can place Burkette and Haider in the same part of London, we can show a connection between them.”

“Search for his flight reservations. I want to know where he’s headed next.” Lachlan tilted his chin at the monitor. “Ryder, find out what Burkette’s team members know about him going AWOL. I still want you there when that weapons shipment releases from customs. We need to know who picks it up if it isn’t going to be Josh.”

Somewhere on Ryder’s side of the world, the sharp, military staccato of a knock sounded. Ryder’s head jerked toward something off-screen. “Right. I’ve got to go. I’ll let you know when Burkette’s new location pops up.” The screen went dark.

“We need to get into Landry’s computers. At LAI and his home.” Lachlan grabbed the laptop Nathan had loaned him. He opened Google Earth, typed in Jared’s address, and selected the 3D projection, zooming in on Landry’s spacious residence.

“I’m still waiting on a text from Sophia to see if she was able to install my back door into LAI’s network. As for Landry’s home computer, give me thirty minutes.” Nathan grinned. “Although it might be worth a peek inside his house to see what’s hiding in a filing cabinet. What’s a little B&E amongst friends?”

Lachlan shook his head. “There is nowe. You’ve already put yourself on the line sheltering me. This part, I do alone.”

“Come on.” A hint of excitement shone in Nathan’s eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve infiltrated an enemy stronghold.”

Lachlan suppressed a smile at Nathan’s enthusiasm. “This isn’t a government-sanctioned operation, pal. If we’re caught, you go down with me.”

Nathan shrugged, his demeanor sobering. “Then, you need to contact Lucas Caldwell.”

“Not until I have more proof I’ve been set up.”

Nathan’s face telegraphed disagreement, but he didn’t argue. Next to his keyboard, his mobile danced and hummed like a honeybee who’d just discovered a secret cache of pollen. Nathan picked it up and looked at the number. “Speak of the devil. It’s Lucas. Should I take the call?”

“Put him on speaker.”

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