The Unseen Enemy Series

Chapter 204

“Uh, sure.”

“Nothing’s going on with Sean that needs you to stay close?”

She shook her head, touched as always that Dallas thought about her son. He had a brain tumor, and she was a single mother, and Dallas never forgot any of that even for one second. She’d started working for Dallas almost eight months earlier, and it was the best decision she’d ever made.

“No treatments this month,” she said quietly. “And he’s doing OK. Mom can take care of him for me, if you need me to leave town.”

Sully looked at her sitting there, so strong and fragile, and as always, his heart squeezed a little bit. Cordelia was the toughest, kindest person he knew, and the fact that she cared for a sick child and kicked ass at a full-time job never ceased to amaze him. He felt himself softening towards her now, and his irritation at being stuck with an untrained civilian lessened as he looked into her warm brown eyes.

“OK, then,” Dallas said. “I’m going to need you to accompany Sully to Oregon. As his wife.”

“I’m sorry?” she said.

As Dallas explained the plan to her, Cordelia felt her eyes get wider and wider. The thought of being alone with Hunter Sullivan – as his wife! – scared the living hell out of her. Everything about the man scared her, if she was being honest with herself.

Not that he had ever done anything remotely awful or aggressive towards her, though he did scowl quite a lot. It was just that every time she saw his large, muscular frame, his cropped dark hair, his dark eyes, she wanted to bolt in the opposite direction. He said little, but she knew that he saw everything; sometimes she looked up to see those eyes resting on her, somehow both contemplative and piercing, and she felt like he was stripping her flesh right off her bones. Looking right on through her, seeing right into her.

Being around those eyes and those arms all the time? All alone? God help me.

“So what do you think?” Dallas was asking her now.

She pulled herself together. She was a professional, for heaven’s sake. OK, not a professional operative, that was true, but she was certainly smart and capable enough to be helpful. Her lack of hard skills also explained Hunter’s visible annoyance when she had first come into the room. Cordelia would lay money that he thought of her as a nuisance, as dead weight, but she knew she was neither of those things.

Now prove it, woman. Help Dallas’ friend. Keep an eye on this abusive creep for her.

She adopted her crispest tone. “I think it all sounds fine, Dallas.”

Sully raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

She turned her bright gaze on him. “Yes.”

“Great.” Dallas was hugely relieved. “So you’ll be flying out first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll e-mail you all the flight details and your cover story, OK?”

“Fine, thank you.” She got to her feet. “Could I leave a bit early today, to organize things for Sean? I’ll finish all my work before I go.”

“Of course,” Dallas said.

“Thank you.” She nodded at Sully. “I guess I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow, Hunter. We’ll get our stories straight then?”

Astonished, he nodded mutely. The two men watched her sweep out of the room.

Dallas turned to Sully and grinned. “Oh, man. You have your hands full.”

“Uh-huh.” Sully fought down the image of him grabbing handfuls of Cordelia’s long, dark hair, pulling that curvy body up to his, tasting those full lips. “I’d say that I do.”