Sunday. Tabby Grissler's Home, Washington, DC.TABBY CHECKED HER PHONE again. Days like today she really missed her best friend. Yvonne had a whole life and exhausting days being a mother now. Tabby couldn't fault her friend for not answering every text or call immediately.She armed her security system and dropped her purse on the table by the front door.While her best friend might be otherwise occupied, Tabby's mother was not.She stared at the missed call, dread sitting in her stomach like a twenty pound weight.Better to just get it over with.Tabby hit dial on the missed call and headed for the stairs."Teddy bear, darling.""Hi, Mom." Tabby relaxed a tiny bit at the warm greeting."Where were you this morning? We missed you at church."She bit the inside of her mouth. Tabby had gradually managed to back off attending her family's church. These days she was expected to attend once a month and she was running out of Sundays."Yeah, I was going to come, but
Sunday. Liberty Bar, Washington, DC.JAMIE SAT STARING AT his phone in a back booth of the Liberty Bar.He had no idea why she was forcing his hand. Maybe she didn't like owing anything? If that were the case, he'd probably just screwed himself over with the order. Whatever her reason was, he was curious and nervous about seeing her again in a casual setting.His phone chimed with a single word text: Here.Jamie placed his phone face down on the furthest edge of the table and watched the front doors of the trendy bar for her familiar red hair.Sure enough, a moment later the entry lights glinted off that messy bun.Jamie stood, catching her eye from across the bar.Damn, he couldn't decide if he were lucky or cursed.She'd changed from her business clothes into a loose fitting blue dress belted at the waist. It had some kind of little print on it he couldn't make out.Tabby's smile was different. Stiff."What's wrong?" he asked as she got closer.Her brows rose
Sunday. Liberty Bar, Washington, DC.TABBY WASN'T DRUNK, BUT the ground was doing this pitching side-to-side thing that made her want to sit down. Only she wasn't going to plop down on the sidewalk.A strong arm wrapped around her waist. "Easy there."Jamie.She leaned her head against his shoulder and said a little thank you to that big fishbowl. Right now she needed to stay on her path, but she really wanted to feel Jamie's arms around her one more time. Getting extremely tipsy was the perfect compromise between the two, but he didn't have to know that."You sure you want to walk?" His voice rumbled in his chest."I'm just around the corner." And walking gave him the most excellent excuse to touch her.She was so going to keep crushing on him. Two hours of nothing but laughing, talking and drinking only confirmed that Jamie was so the kind of guy she'd normally go for. Only he seemed better somehow.It had to be the forbidden fruit angle.Hell, he hadn't even tri
At this rate Tabby would be surprised if they made it to the living room much less her bedroom.Jamie's fingers hooked under her panties, tugging at the thin band of material over her hip. She shifted and nipped his lip. Typically she was a fan of foreplay, but right now she just wanted him. Everything else was superfluous."God, you're sexy," he muttered against her mouth."Back at ya." She slid her hands under his jacket."Tabby?""Shut up." She kissed the corner of his mouth.He let go of her panties and grasped her arms, forcing them up over her head. A thrill went through her. Too many guys just didn't have it in them for a power move like this.Jamie bent his head, but not close enough for her to kiss."You're used to getting your way, aren't you?" His gaze narrowed.Why lie? "Yes.""We have to talk. Before this goes further.""Why?" That one word was made from pure whine.Lines creased his brow and he got that hot and angry look that only revved her engin
Tabby caught it and tore the packet, but her attention was mostly on him, watching his fingers unfasten the button and lower his zipper. Gray boxer briefs cradled him from view, but not for long. Jamie hooked his thumbs in his underwear and pushed the last of his clothes down his hips and off.Holy. Hell.The man was hung.She didn't know if she should be excited or nervous.Jamie planted on knee on the sofa between her calves, staring at her with a knowing smirk."What's wrong?" he asked.She held up the condom. "Not a damn thing."Tabby watched in fascination as he rolled the latex over himself. Given his attention to her details she couldn't see him being a selfish lover.He glanced at her, their gazes snagging and she couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement.From the moment she'd met him she'd wanted this, and it was finally happening.Tabby reached for him, hooking her fingers in his and pulled him down on top of her. His weight pressed her into the cushi
Monday. Washington, DC.DALTON SAT IN THE back of the SUV. According to Skilton's last message, Tabby would be vulnerable. Soon.It was crazy to Dalton that this was happening. He still didn't understand why, nor did he have to. All that mattered to him was that his Congressional candidacy depended on him pulling off the abduction and murder of his ex-girlfriend.Well, actually, all Dalton had to do was sit here and watch. The men he'd hired would do the rest.It was a matter of time now.***Monday. Tabby Grissler's Home, Washington, DC.JAMIE SAT STRAIGHT UP, his mind clawing to consciousness.He knew that sound, but why was it so loud?"Move." A small hand shoved at his shoulder. "That's both our phones. Jamie."He scrambled off the bed along with Tabby to where the two phones sat on the dressing table charging.Hers read Zora Clark.His read Logan Muller.Fuck.Jamie unplugged his phone and hit answer as he strode out to the hallway."Yeah?
TABBY WIGGLED UNCOMFORTABLY IN her seat. The way the car vibrated usually didn't register, but after last night she was all too sensitive. Not to mention that kiss.God, sleeping with Jamie was a terrible idea. And yet, she didn't regret it. What she regretted was the inevitable heartache that would come her way."Get your head in the game," she muttered at herself.They were about to board a plane to do some kind of super spy crazy stuff and she was thinking about a man. A really sexy man, but a man nonetheless. She was better than this.A car turned behind Tabby with its bright lights on."Come on." She groaned and slid farther down in her seat so the reflection in the rearview mirror didn't blind her.The vehicle sped up, only causing the high beams to assault her from either side thanks to all the mirrors in her car."Go around me," she snapped.A van zoomed out in front of her."Oh, God!" Tabby stomped on the brakes, downshifting the car as the van skidded to a s
JAMIE HUNCHED BEHIND HIS truck, listening to the slugs tear into the old vehicle. Down the street, Tabby's taillights turned out of sight.She was safe.When he'd driven up and seen those men dragging her out of the car, he'd seen red. It had taken him a few seconds to get his gun out from the locked case in his back seat, but once he was armed, he'd done his best to make her a risky target.It had worked. Maybe a little too well.An engine whined and tires screeched.Another bullet ripped into his truck causing Jamie to wince.He and this truck, they'd had a good run.Neither the SUV or van that had blocked Tabby in pursued her. Least not that Jamie saw.He straightened, peering around the truck, but the street was empty save for him, bullet casings and a pool of glass. There weren't any bodies, and he knew for a fact two of those guys had gone down never to get up again. People didn't come back from a headshot.It was almost as if the kidnapping had never happened.
A week later...QUENTIN WISHED HE COULD savor this moment. He slapped the cuffs on the pint-sized asshole who'd had Candi's life in the palm of his hand that fateful night. Was it just a week ago?This should be more satisfying.It was, in a way.Eleven perfectly timed arrests effectively cut off all the heads of Metis. According to Nadine's notes, there was still one unknown head of the organization out there. But they were not alone. Metis itself wouldn't be ordering the death of anyone else. But it didn't bring Nadine back. It didn't restore the time Quentin had lost with Candi. It did make the world a little better, and in the end that's what mattered. Nadine's final acts were all about sacrifice and justice.Quentin stepped back as the FBI agents continued doing their job.He'd been granted permission to be here. As CIA, he had no jurisdiction nor the ability to make an arrest. Still, putting those cuffs on the little asshole felt good.Nadine would be pleased.
Sunday. Clementine Baker's Home, Washington, DC.CANDI CLUTCHED Q'S HAND in both of hers. "Is this it?""Yeah," he whispered.They stared at the moderate sized home in a DC suburb. Now and wind pelted them. Her teeth chattered. And yet, it felt good. The bone chilling cold reminded her that she was alive."Are we going to knock?" she asked."No. Come on. The FBI lookouts know why we're here."Q led her through the yard and a side gate. A uniformed police officer sat at the first-floor window watching them. Q nodded. Candi lifted a hand, but let it drop to her side without actually waving."This way."Solar lights chased away the shadows, making it less ominous. In a few hours, the world would wake up to a blanket of new snow. A clean slate.Candi didn't know how to feel right now.On one hand, they'd found Nadine. They'd done what they'd set out to do.But, Nadine was dead. Her final act had been to save Q and give them the means with which to combat two threat
Small hands shoved Quentin sideways a second before bullets erupted into the night.Quentin yelled. It was mixed rage and fear. He staggered sideways, only for Nadine to shove at him again."Move, damn it," she barked.They dove behind the shelter of a single boulder. This side of the creek the ground was rockier.Quentin yanked his sidearm out of his holster and sucked down air.Unlike the men at their back, Quentin didn't have unlimited ammunition. Not unless he took theirs."Give me a gun," Nadine hissed.He still couldn't trust her. "No.""Damn you," she growled."Come out and it'll be quick," a voice called out.Nadine laid a finger across her lips and stared him down.He opened his mouth, but she spoke first."You can't think I'm that stupid," she said. With her other hand she pointed back down the way they'd come.She wanted him to go to the creek?"I think you know what your options are," the man called out.Quentin's head knew he couldn't trust Na
Saturday. Harper's Ferry, VA.QUENTIN KEPT AN ARM right around Nadine and held to the broken stub of a branch. The ground beneath them had started to crumble. He wasn't convinced that they'd keep their perch if he let go.Damn it.Every time they made a move someone was in their path. And it wasn't always the same pair.Were all six circling him and Nadine? Did that mean they'd captured Candi? Or had she gotten away?He'd heard a couple of shots off in the distance. Could it be...?No.He had to keep his mind here and now.Quentin strained to hear anything. A leaf on the wind. The crunch of a boot. Something.To Nadine's credit, even her breathing was soundless.Could he trust her to not turn on him?He didn't think so.She leaned toward him until she could whisper ever so faintly in his ear. "Now."He understood her meaning. They were both watching and waiting for an opening. Words were unnecessary risks.One thing was certain, he could trust Nadine to h
Candi's heart raced as she watched the man kneel by the bag and yank the zipper.She lunged left, behind a tree and drew her weapon.Overhead, there was no mistaking the whining whirl of helicopter blades. It might not be anyone friendly, but DC was about a half hour away by air. They'd called Q's contacts about forty-five minutes ago.Could that be help? More enemies? Something else?She didn't know, but she had to hope. She had to believe this wasn't how it was going to end."Hey!" the man barked. "Get back out here.""Keep the cash and let me go, no one has to know." She clicked the safety off the gun.Candi had mostly blocked out the fact that she'd shot and killed someone after being kidnapped. Now, it was on repeat in her mind.Could she do it again?If she got to tell Q she loved him-again-she'd pull the trigger.Her hands shook.The leaves rustled underfoot, allowing her to track the man's movements. She shifted around the tree, keeping it between them.
Saturday. Harper's Ferry, VA.CANDI CROUCHED BETWEEN THE rotted out remnants of a tree and a dense holly bush. This was as close as she could get to the house without being seen.Where had Q and Nadine gotten to?Candi had run out of the house, unable to hear anything beyond the blood pumping in her ears. She'd pushed ahead, convinced those men were right behind her. The only thought in her head was that she couldn't lag behind or else Q would have to leave her.Only, it had happened the other way around.She didn't know when or how Q got separated from her, but when she'd paused to turn around and look, he was gone.Her teeth chattered together. Had something been on the news about a cold front? The winter had been awfully mild so far. It would be their luck for snow to settle in today.Please, no...Where were they?She cautiously peered out through the branches.All but one of the men who'd arrived at the house had gone into the woods.Was this a bad idea?
Friday. Harper's Ferry, VA.THIS WAS A DISASTER of her making.The stitch in Nadine's side felt like a knife was being plunged into her. That, or her scar tissue was warning her about the turning weather. The warm spell was most certainly over."This way," Quentin whispered.Her heart twinged.This was her fault.She was going to get this boy killed. And for what?Over the years, she'd lost her focus. She'd become a leaf, being blown about with no respite. She'd done things to stay afloat, things she regretted.Like involving Quentin.He didn't know it yet, but she wasn't leaving this forest alive."Shit," Quentin muttered."What-?"She never got the question out. Her foot slipped on the underbrush then she tripped on a root. Only, the ground wasn't where she thought it should be. She pitched forward and just kept going. Her shoulder hit the steep incline first, then the rest of her. Limbs tore at her clothing. Rocks scraped her skin. Something rubbery smacke
Friday. Safe House, Unknown, VA.QUENTIN HELD TIGHT TO Candi's hand. He kept glancing at her to make sure she was really there and he hadn't imagined her dramatic return. He had the urge to leave Nadine here and run away with Candi, somewhere it would be just the two of them forever.Instead, he secured the front door then stood in the entry staring at her."And here I thought you'd finally grown a brain," Nadine said dryly.Candi held up her other hand, extending just her middle finger in Nadine's direction.Quentin's phone buzzed. He knew before he pulled it out that it was Wesley. Quentin turned the screen toward Candi. She shrugged and didn't offer any insight into what he should say or do.He clicked the answer button and put it on speaker."Wesley, hey.""Is she there?" Wesley's voice was flat, emotionless.Quentin glanced at Candi. "Yeah."Wesley sighed heavily. "Damn it.""You're on speaker," Candi said."Do you have any idea what I sacrificed to help
Friday.CANDI SLUMPED DOWN A bit more. Wesley gripped the steering wheel like he was on a race course. From where she sat, she could see the speed wavering between five and ten over the speed limit.He couldn't wait to get away from Q.Her heart nearly seized up just thinking that.She wrapped her arms around her more tightly, as if she could hold herself together with strength alone.It felt like history repeating itself.She had to leave because of Nadine for her own good.While Q remained where he was.Candi understood his resolve to carry through with his job. She really did. But her heart couldn't help but feel abandoned. Again.Q had chosen Nadine once over her, and now it was happening again.Yes, Candi knew it was different. This was about doing the right thing and protecting themselves."You're awfully quiet," Wesley finally said."Know your audience," she mumbled.He glanced at her. His sunglasses hid his eyes and made it impossible to guess at wh