Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents #7)(25)
Author: Cynthia Eden

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“I’M LEAVING,” RACHEL SAID, her voice absolutely certain. She’d been in that hospital room for twenty-four hours—twenty-four!—and she was going stir-crazy.

A concussion. The doctors had been so worried because she’d passed out. Twice. They’d insisted that she stay put for observation.

She’d argued.

Dylan had told her to save her protests because she wasn’t going anywhere. Then Mercer had gotten involved, and Rachel found herself benched for twenty-four sickeningly boring hours.

But no more. She was dressed, and she was ready to bust out of that place.

Dylan stared at her. His wounds had been bandaged. She could see the edge of white tape around his arms. They’d both been so lucky. If they hadn’t moved fast enough—no. She slammed the door shut on that particular train of thought. She was not going there. She didn’t want to think of all the what-ifs that could have been.

Focus on the fact that you’re both safe.

She was also focusing on the fact that Dylan was finally back with her. After he’d gotten Mercer involved and they’d secured her at the hospital, Dylan had vanished.

“You’re the only reason I’m alive,” Dylan said as he came closer to her.

She rubbed her hands over her jeans-clad thighs. She’d already dressed because there was no way she was staying in that hospital any longer.

“How did he get access to the car?” Rachel asked. That had been worrying her.

“Thomas said there was a commotion last night and that he stepped away from guard duty for a few moments.” Dylan’s head inclined. “That’s when Jack must’ve set the bomb. Then he called me and lured me out.”

She paced toward him. Put her hand on his chest. “He doesn’t…he doesn’t usually go for attacks like that.” He’d always used a gun or a knife before. Up-close-and-personal kills.

Dylan’s lips twisted. “Guess I warranted special circumstances.”

Or she had. Her gaze searched his. “He wants you out of the way. He’s going to attack again.”

Dylan’s eyes held hers. “And he wants you alive.”

She was still trying to wrap her head around that. Jack had actually rushed to save her. Noelle was right. “I was so sure he wanted me dead.”

“I think we both know he wants a lot more than death from you.” He turned away. “But he’s not getting it.”

She followed him. The doctors had tried to tell her that she needed to be taken out in a wheelchair. She’d just glared back at them. The last thing she wanted was any extra attention being drawn to her. She’d go out just fine on her own two feet.

Dylan was at her side as they walked through the hospital corridor. A few nurses gave him long, lingering looks.

It was the bad-boy appeal at play again, she knew it.

Outside, Thomas was waiting near his SUV. When he saw her, he hurried forward. “I’m so sorry, Rachel.” Emotion was there, real emotion, shining in his golden eyes. “This attack is on me.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s on Jack.” Thomas hadn’t planted the bomb. “And I’m guessing there are no new leads on him?”

They climbed into the vehicle. Thomas was in the front. She and Dylan were in the back.

“No, no new leads.” Thomas sounded grim. Disgusted.

She felt the same way. “We know he’s watching us.”

“He’s watching you,” Dylan corrected. He wasn’t touching her. Odd. He actually hadn’t touched her, not since she’d gone to the hospital.

Maybe because he’d realized that wanting her could prove fatal?

Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat. Dylan had agreed to play the charade of lovers, but that had been before he came within seconds of dying in an explosion.

“Three years,” Rachel said, her brows furrowing. “That’s a long time for him to vanish from my life.”

“Who says that he has been gone that whole time?” This question came from Thomas as he steered them through the streets of D.C. “It could be that he was close by…and you only realized it now because he decided to make you aware of him.”

She’d had plenty of time to think in that hospital room. A guard had been at her door and Dylan—he’d been gone. He’d left her, heading back to the mission. Rachel knew the drill. The mission always came first. So she shouldn’t have been hurt.

But she had been.

“If he wants me,” she said, clearing her throat because she had a plan now, “then he can get me.”

Dylan’s head jerked toward her. His eyes looked like black fire. He gritted out, “The hell he can.”

But she nodded. “Jack proved that he doesn’t want me dead. We need to give him a chance to get close to me again. If he takes me—” the way he’d abducted her three years ago “—then you can track him.”

Every EOD agent had a small tracking device implanted beneath the skin. In case the agent was captured or in case the agent got lost in enemy territory, Mercer wanted a safety system in place for retrieving that agent.

Dr. Tina Jamison had put a new chip in for Rachel just a few months before. If Jack took her…then we’ve got you.

It was dark outside. So Rachel couldn’t see Dylan’s face clearly as he said, “That’s not an option.” No, she couldn’t see him, but she could hear the crack of fury in his words.

Thomas kept driving.

Dylan wasn’t being logical. “We can’t just let Jack run loose around the city. We don’t know when he’ll attack again.” And if Jack was using bombs now…talk about a whole new nightmare. Civilians could get caught in the flames. They’d been lucky that no one else had been injured when Dylan’s car exploded.

“We don’t know when, but we do know who he’s going after.”

Her heart squeezed at his words. “I don’t get to be the bait, but you do? That’s the plan?”

“That was always the plan. You know that.” His head turned away from her, and he gazed out the window. “I just need to make myself a target—”

She grabbed his arm. He might not be touching her, but she needed to touch him. “How many times do you think you can cheat death?”

He didn’t look at her. Whatever he saw out that window had to be fascinating.

“Dylan!”

“As many as it takes.”

The vehicle slowed. They pulled toward a parking garage. A familiar one. They were headed to the main EOD office.