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.
Monday. Hotel, New York City, NY.TABBY PACED THE SMALL hotel room. Everyone else had gone straight to where the photos of Gazi with the crates had been taken while she had a conference call with two CIA agents who wouldn't give her their names and asked a series of weird questions about the morning.Someone had tried to kidnap her.It was surreal.She wished she was with Jamie and the others. She knew there was nothing for her to do there. It made sense for her to go to the hotel rather than tag along with everyone else. And yet she wanted to be there. Because Jamie made her feel safe. He'd faced off against men to save her, and she wasn't quite ready to be on her own yet.She pressed her hand to her chest, as if she could force her racing heart to calm the fuck down.Harper's good natured joking around on the plane was revealing, but she wasn't sure what it told her. It was clear to Tabby that Jamie was good with women. He'd charmed her in minutes. She wouldn't be surp
Tabby stepped back to allow Zora into her room. "It was so good to hear from you. I miss you.""You've got to come visit the next chance you get," Yvonne said.Tabby shut the door. "Maybe we work it out so I'm there right before Nolan leaves then a bit while he's gone?""That sounds perfect. Have a good meeting. I promise I'll text more.""Do what you can, Vee." Tabby hung up the phone before turning to address her guest. "Sorry about that.""No, it's fine." Zora held up her hands. "Thank you for dropping everything to come with us. And this morning...""Did they find out anything? Do you know?" Tabby still felt like that whole thing had happened to someone else. Someone who wasn't her."No, nothing yet. There's just no evidence. Even the casings, they're not giving us any leads."Tabby set her phone down. Wouldn't it be nice if Zora was here to say it was all wrapped up? "What about here? Did you find anything?""Nothing, really. It looks like Gazi crashed in one of
Monday. New York City, NY.JAMIE ADJUSTED HIS VEST. The new gear hung slightly to his left, throwing off his sense of balance. It was a constant reminder that this job was different. There was no way to prepare for the unknown because they had such a limited view of what the hell it was they were doing.He and the rest of the team were packed into the back of a van waiting for the go signal.They hadn't even gotten to see where the bust was going down."Am I the only one having a hard time with all this?" Evan asked, voicing Jamie's thoughts."Hell no," he replied."Nope," Harper muttered.Tucker blew out a breath. "This is what we signed up for, boys.""Yeah, I just thought we'd get a little more operational information." Jamie shifted his weapon and glanced at the back doors. "What the fuck are we even doing?"Logan didn't glance away from the spot on the floor he was staring at. "Zain told us this job would be different.""What do we know?" Jamie asked. "A shi
Monday. FBI Offices, New York City, NY.TABBY DIDN'T KNOW IF she should be pissed off or relieved."What the hell is going on?" She glanced at Zora keeping pace with her as they strode toward the front doors of an unmarked office building.Zora didn't reply. She kept looking straight ahead, her expression unreadable.Getting blood out of a rock would be easier than cracking that woman.At least Jamie was okay. But what the hell had happened out there?Tabby was a little surprised Zora was allowing Tabby to tag along. So far Tabby had mostly been kept in the role of consultant, given very little information and expected to pull off a miracle. If it wasn't for Jamie, being a sponge when it came to learning she'd have been worried.The front doors of the building opened, held by Jamie and Harper. Tabby knew they'd agreed to hold off during this op, but damn she wanted to hug him. Tonight might have been perfectly safe, but they hadn't known that going in."Where are we?
Monday. Home of the Light, New York.ABNER WATCHED THE CELL phone video of the tactical team head into darkness.They were about twelve hours too late. Too close for Abner's taste.Normally he wouldn't have gone near a deal this hot. He had rules in place to preserve his existence and way of life. That was how his family had grown, safely away from the prying eyes of Big Brother.But the opportunity to get his hands on the first commercially produced HiTech Sentinel Series drone was just too much to pass up. And for a steal.Gazi Polat had no idea what the drones were truly worth. Otherwise he'd have laughed at what Abner had paid for them.And speaking of Gazi...Abner tapped his phone activating the video call."Yes, Father?" The boy's face was in shadow and further obscured by a hoodie."Are you still keeping tabs on our man?" Abner asked."Yes. He hasn't moved all day."Abner resisted the urge to express his thoughts on that matter. The man was an idiot. A
Jamie glanced up and down the hall, ensuring they were alone before following her inside. He set his ice bucket down on the top shelf of the open closet."What are you going to do? You and the team, I mean?" Tabby sat on the edge of the bed and unzipped her boots."I hope we'll be able to help the FBI, but we're obligated to go and do what Zora tells us. I fucking hate it. One of the things I've liked about working for Aegis Group is that we get to be the good guys. We do the good shit. If we do what Zora tells us, it doesn't feel like we're being the good guys.""She does have a point though." Tabby placed her hands on her knees and grimaced. "There's always some great destruction just on the horizon that most don't know about."Jamie leaned against the wall watching her stare at a spot on the carpet.He hadn't really understood how different this job would be. They were always off to another op every week. The action kept coming. But working with the task force meant that w
"Take your shirt off," Jamie said.Tabby placed her hands on her stomach and slid the loose fabric of her shirt up just enough to glimpse her stomach. "If I do that, are you going to give me an orgasm?""Only if you're nice.""I can be very, very nice." The fabric inched up with each word.Tabby grasped the bottom of the shirt and with all the elegance of a cat stretched her arms up over her head, taking the garment off as she went. He vaguely remembered the creamy satin bra from that morning, but he was far more acquainted with her breasts.He lifted a hand, cupping one mound, teasing her nipple through the fabric. The memories of her showing him just how rough she liked him to be with her breasts were burned into his mind for all time.Jamie locked gazes with her then slid his fingers past her bra. Her nipple was a tight nub of flesh. He grasped it between his fingers, rubbing it between them. She tipped her head back and let the wall support her. Slowly he applied more p
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