"I'm here to earn my invitation into the group."
"The group?" asked Owen, forcing the question to sound mild.
Brian's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "The Swarm."
Owen slapped the back of Brian's head with his free hand, making Brian yelp in pain. "Never say that name again,"
ordered Owen.
Brian moved his arm like he was going to rub the spot but wisely stopped himself. "I got it, man. We're cool."
Cool. The child clearly had no concept of who Owen was within the organization—practically Mr. Lark's right hand. If Owen had the luxury of time and a soundproof room, he would have enjoyed showing Brian the specialized skills he brought to the Swarm. "What are your orders?"
"Same as yours. Kill the man. Bring the woman in alive along with all her work."
"And you think you're a better man for the job?"
Brian hesitated, and Owen encouraged him to answer the question by pressing the barrel of his pistol more firmly against the boy's skull.
"He said you might be competition."
"Competition? You think you're in a class to compete with me?"
"Guess we'll see." It was a challenge. The cocky boy was actually issuing him a challenge.
The easy thing to do would be just to pull the trigger and have the matter settled. One less fool in the world. But that would have been loud and messy and Owen didn't have the patience for cleaning up that kind of mess tonight.
Brian's presence was a problem, but maybe it was also a blessing in disguise. A gift from Mr. Lark for his years of faithful service.
Owen's mind began to churn with ideas of how he could put the boy to good use. His youth was a definite asset.
Young bait was always best—it tugged at all those parental instincts he knew so many people had.
"Perhaps we should work together," Owen offered.
"Isn't that against the rules or something? I mean, if you help me, then I haven't really earned the invitation into the Sw- uh, group, have I?"
"I assure you that Mr. Lark doesn't care how the work gets done as long as it does."
"So it won't ruin my chances of getting in?"
Trusting idiot. It was a wonder the boy had lived this long. "No. In fact, Mr. Lark will see you as clever for getting me to partner up with you."
"You'd let him think it was my idea?" asked Brian far too eagerly.
"Why not? I've already earned my place."
"For real? You ain't shittin' me?"
Owen rolled his eyes, glad he was standing behind Brian so the kid couldn't see his disgust. If Brian was this gullible, Owen was doing the world a favor by getting rid of him.
Owen lowered his gun and stepped into the firelight letting the boy see his scars. Brian flinched. "Holy shit! That's harsh."
Owen's trigger finger twitched, but he kept himself in control. "You have no idea. Now put out that fire before David sees it and you get us both killed."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Noelle let out a sigh of relief as soon as she was sure David was asleep. She'd been unable to concentrate with him watching her across the room, even when he was pretending not to.
He was beautiful with the faint light painting shadows over his strong jaw and muscular shoulders. He looked confident and capable, even in sleep, and had a presence that could fill a lecture hall. In the tiny cabin, Noelle was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Especially after that kiss. She desperately needed to finish her work so they could get out of this place.
And go where?
Noelle let herself think about what she would do after—after she solved this puzzle, after she was safe and sound, after David had gone on his merry—or perhaps not so merry—way.
That thought made her breath freeze in her lungs. After having spent so much time with David, she realized that she didn't want him to leave. As large as his presence was, it was a comfort knowing be was around. She might not have felt safe from his pull on her, but she certainly felt safe from everyone else.
He'd already told her she couldn't go back to her normal life. When she did go back, would she still have to worry about someone breaking into her home at night? Would she have to worry about armed terrorists seeking her aid?
Would she have to worry about all those things without David around to make it okay?
The thought was too much for her to deal with and still get her work done, so she boxed it up and shoved it into the deepest part of her brain—the one reserved for student loan payments and the death of the career she'd worked so hard to attain.
Noelle poured herself a cup of coffee that was thick with caffeine and blessedly hot. The food in her stomach kept the black stuff from burning a hole in her gut. She'd eaten what David had put in front of her, and she felt stronger for it. Of course, a full tummy made her sleepy, but that was something she could handle. Too many late-night cram sessions had ensured that skill was in her repertoire.
Usually, she didn't take many notes while she was working on a problem. Then again, usually, she had plenty of time to let the solution come to her, and she wasn't under quite so much pressure. Since her mind had begun to rebel at keeping in all the thoughts necessary to solve such a complex code, she'd begun taking copious notes in order to remember every thought that passed through her head.
She'd nearly filled a notebook with scribbles, and every time one of her ideas didn't pan out, she went back to those notes for a new possible solution. Unfortunately, the notes she needed to recall now were the ones she'i scrawled over David's arms earlier that day.
With a silent scream of frustration, Noelle slid out of her warm cocoon and padded in triple-socked feet to where David slept.
Light from the lantern was low but seemed bright in the dim corners on this side of the cabin. She could clearly see the angular line of his cheek and jaw, shadowed by a new growth of whiskers. His dark hair shone with splinters of silver, concentrated at the temples. He was lying on his side on top of his sleeping bag, his pistol in easy reach. The position made his wide shoulders seem even larger when compared to the narrow span of his hips. Even while in the deep relaxation of sleep, he looked powerful. Dangerous.
Noelle stifled a small shiver of female longing. If only he hadn't stopped kissing her, she might have known what it was like to experience a man like mat up close and personal.
Very personal.
Being careful not to move him more than necessary, Noelle unbuttoned his sleeve and moved his arm into her lap, where she could read her notes in the faint lantern-light. She had to work to get the flannel over the muscular girth of his forearm. It wasn't an easy task, struggling with the deadweight of his arm, but she managed to get him into a position where she could lean over her lap and read the notes she'd made.
She was surprised that she hadn't woken him up. Maybe he was more tired than he'd let on.
She ran one finger lightly over her writing, recalling now what her train of thought had been when inspiration had struck. She was right, this wasn't a code—at least not exactly, it was more of a system mat could be used to create a ciphertext that could then be decrypted. Both the text and the key to unraveling it were hidden within that single page.
The text on the paper was a series of simultaneous equations strung together, but where one stopped and the next began, she couldn't be sure. Without that, there was no hope of figuring out the solution.
Nbelle bit her lip, deep in concentration. If this theory was right—and instincts told her it was—she was zeroing in on her goal.
All she had to do now was keep her mind on her work and off David's well-muscled, sleeping body.
David watched Noelle through a tiny slit of his eyelids. He prayed that if she thought he was asleep, she'd finish touching him and go away before he got stupid and started kissing her again. If he started, he didn't think he'd be able to stop this time.
He knew how to feign sleep and he did so now with every ounce of skill he possessed. It was easy to keep his breathing deep and even. His heartbeat was another matter entirely. It was all he could do to lie still as she caressed his skin with a single, slender finger, sliding it lovingly over the sensitive underside of his arm as she followed the scrawling line of her notes.
All kinds of stray thoughts passed through his mind about just how it would feel for her to touch him so gently in other, more sensitive places. He would, of course, return the favor in kind. He was a gentleman, after all.
No, no, no. He was not going to think about touching her. He wasn't going to think about what her slim body would look like naked, laid out before him like some sort of delicious dessert—a mixture of strawberry pink and sweet, creamy white. He was not going to think about how her skin would feel under his questing fingers, all warm curves and soft planes. He was not going to think about whether or not she'd shiver as he touched her or moan softly in the back of her throat. Maybe both.
The fire surging through David's veins increased its pace as his unwelcome thoughts made his heart pound harder. It hadn't been difficult at all to go without a woman for two years. Why was it now suddenly so impossible to even pull in a breath without wanting to have hard, hot sex with Noelle?
Her bottom lip was between her teeth and he wanted to kiss that look of concentration from her face so bad that it made his guts ache just resisting the urge.
The lanternlight burnished her curls to a fiery copper and bathed her skin with golden highlights. She was beautiful by firelight. The flaws of fatigue and strain were washed away by the gentle glow, leaving behind only her natural beauty. This is what she must look like when there weren't people out to kill her. When she didn't have the lives of countless others in her hands.
She frowned in thought and reached for his other arm, which was pinned under his head as a pillow. She must have realized that she couldn't free his arm without moving his head, because she hesitated, then gently stroked the side of his face.
"David? Can you roll over?"
Her cool fingers caressed his cheek from temple to jaw, over and over. He pretended to sleep just so he could enjoy being petted, even though there was not one part of him that was not completely and widely awake.
Her lingers strayed to his hair, where she played with the short strands as if enjoying the texture. "David?" she whispered.
Noelle bent down and he could smell the subtle scent of her skin and feel the warmth of her body near his. His eyes were closed completely again, and he had only the warning of one warm breath against his neck before he realized what she was doing.
Her lips met his skin just below his ear in a soft kiss. It was one of his own personal erogenous zones, and the feel of her mouth pushed his lust past the point of being bearable. His jeans became painfully tight, restraining his raging erection. He was a man, not a saint, and Noelle had just found his limit.
He grabbed her body and dragged her up to his mouth, swallowing her startled gasp in the midst of a demanding kiss. She opened her mouth to him, eager and melting within seconds.
He no longer cared that he was breaking rules or taking, risks. He'd done everything he knew to do to resist her and none of it had worked.
He wrenched his mouth away from her and with a powerful thrust of his hips, pinned her beneath him on the sleeping bag. He could feel the feral expression on his face, but there was nothing he could do to help it.
