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Chapter 54: Feel the power.
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Aegis Group Chapter 55: Christmas festivities.
BLISS WAS READY TO hurl her fancy wine glass full of punch in Wendy's neighbor's face.The entire neighborhood was crammed into the house. At some point between being rescued and their convoy arriving home, Mom had begun cooking all the Christmas food they hadn't consumed during her abduction. There was easily enough to feed everyone and then some.And where the hell was Travis?She made another noncommittal sound to whatever the neighbor was saying and glanced around for the shadow-shaped man sticking to the edge of the room. It hadn't taken more than a minute to realize how uncomfortable the large gathering made him. Travis had an amazing ability to belong in any high-stakes situation, but stick him in a social group, and he was immediately lost.There he was. Chatting with Jade in the corner with the curtains about to swallow them up. They both looked ready to bolt. She chuckled and sipped her drink.Travis caught her eye. She lifted her eyebrows and canted her head toward
Aegis Group Chapter 56: Christman Genipperteinga.
"JADE. TRAVIS."Travis glanced up from his phone. Ryan jerked his head. The tense set of his lips, the one clenched fist...they didn't bode well. What other bad news could they get? Did Daniel Campbell have a sick, twisted twin brother? Or a partner they didn't know about?Both Jade and Travis followed Ryan through the throng of people into the office. It was still decked out with all their information from trying to catch Daniel. Now, would they be after another ghost?Dmitri closed the door behind them and leaned against the wall."What is it?" Jade asked."Lali has made her initial pass through Daniel's files," Ryan said."And?""We know he was in contact with the person called Black Widow. The same one we think TBKiller was taking orders from."Travis' stomach dropped. It was the connection he'd been asked to look into. To see if these murders matched up with other copy cats, if the feds had a case to add to the potential list of Killer Club members."There appear
Aegis Group Chapter 57: Few words, good actions.
BLISS SMILED AND SQUEEZED Travis' hand.Man of few words.He made her heart beat too fast, her head want things she hadn't realized she wanted, and her body, well, she'd never had a man set her insides on fire like Travis did. She loved him. And he'd told her he loved her. It was a curious place to be, confident and nervous all at once. Things between them were still new, and yet the more time she was around him, the more it felt as though he'd always been there. A silent, ever-present shadow watching over her.They spent the rest of the drive to her apartment in silence. It was nice to be free of the expectation to smile and say thank you to all the well wishes for living through the holiday nightmare. She could just-be. Travis didn't need her to put on an act. He'd see through that anyway."We're here." Travis killed the engine.She stretched and pushed her door open."Is it safe?" She stood and blinked at her apartment."Yeah. Cops went over it twice."Bliss followed
Aegis Group Chapter 58: Who needs a fancy wedding?
TRAVIS SWIPED THE FANCY handkerchief over his brow. Shit, this was almost as bad as being in the sandbox. The tux was a little tight across the shoulders and every time he took a breath he was sure the thing was trying to suffocate him, but Bliss had assured him he didn't look like an ass before disappearing with her sister to go do...bridal things. Whatever the hell that meant.His phone vibrated against his thigh. He dug it out of the impossibly deep pockets.Ethan."Hey, man." Travis glanced over his shoulder into the foyer. People were starting to arrive, most of them with a slightly befuddled expression on their faces.He didn't blame them. It was pretty damn surreal to him, too."You're doing this?""Yeah." Unless Ethan had a good reason why he shouldn't. Nah. Even then, Bliss was worth it. But maybe he should have taken her up on her midnight wedding idea instead of waiting until ten the next morning."Well shit. They're about to roll me into the common room. I gue
Aegis Group Chapter 59: Epilogue
Six months later.TRAVIS JOGGED UP THE porch stairs, keeping on the balls of his feet and avoiding the squeaky board. Bliss wasn't expecting him home until tomorrow morning. These moments, coming back to the little two-bedroom house they shared, were the best. Second only to the hours of lovemaking that followed. Things weren't perfect, but they were making the best out of what they had. And it was a hell of a lot more than he'd ever expected.He disabled the security through his phone app and let himself in the front door. For a second, he stood on the little rug and listened. Music played softly from the spare-room-turned-office, and over that he could hear her humming.There wasn't an aspect of his life Bliss hadn't touched. From redecorating the boring house to his taste in food and music, she'd changed him. For the better. His life wasn't just work anymore. And though the long hours, days, and sometimes weeks apart sucked, he always got to come home to this.His home. With
Aegis Group Chapter 60: When she needs help she comes to me.
Volume 2: Dangerous in TrainingMason Clark hefted his workout bag from the back seat of his pickup truck and headed into the land of temptation. He blinked and rubbed a bit of the grit from his eye. After a two-week gig playing bodyguard with the Aegis Group team to the sandbox and back, he was ready to slip back into his Central Standard Time habits. Which always started the same.Up early to the gym, where he would spend an hour thinking of ways to keep to himself and not talk to her.Hannah Stevens. His former physical therapist. The woman with the magical laughter. And the one woman he had to stay away from per his commanding officer's orders, who also happened to be Hannah's over-protective father.Mason checked in at the front desk, stashed his stuff in the locker room, and hit the elliptical for a short warm-up. The morning news played a reel of hopped-up bullshit that didn't matter to a handful of people who didn't care.His joints were stiff after back-to-back fl
Aegis Group Chapter 61: There's just something about him.
Hannah wrapped Mason's hoodie around her, soaking up his smell, the warmth still clinging to the soft cotton. She could still remember the first day she met him, grumpy and ready to bite someone's head off. Despite his grumbling he worked hard to get the mobility back after his ACL surgery. They'd been friends-or something like it. Granted, she'd never wanted to be friends with Mason.There was something about him...Why did it have to be Mason?Why couldn't she have developed a thing for someone else?Hannah had considered the very real possibility that she was broken. That maybe she just wasn't equipped for romantic relationships. And then she met him, and her body had woken up with a vengeance."What have you been up to lately?" he said, as though he knew she was thinking about him."Not a lot. Working mostly. You?" She twisted to face him, taking sick pleasure in the opportunity to just look at him. Mason Clark was a bear of a man, big and muscular. Yeah, he could be gr
Aegis Group Chapter 62: Building walls.
Mason slung two garbage bags of what he suspected were clothes over his shoulder and pushed the truck's door shut.This was the last of it.Six hours, four vehicles loaded to bursting, and buckets of sweat later-Hannah was safe.He trudged up the stairs to her new rental, a two-story condo in the better part of town, and let himself in through the front door. Zain, Travis and Ethan had taken off, leaving Mason on his own to finish unloading. From their long, hard looks, he knew he was in for it. Once Mr. Stevens got back, Mason would be lucky to come out of this with just a new asshole. There wasn't a single one of the guys willing to cover for him, not that he expected them to. No, he'd pay for this little stunt all on his own, because it was better for Mason to get chewed out than for Mr. Stevens to put another brick in the wall he was building between himself and Hannah.He could still smell the sweet mint gum Stevens had chewed that first day Mason was going through his int
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Aegis Group Chapter 490: Epilogue.
Two months later. Ekko's Apartment, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.EKKO STARED AT THE table with the spread of food laid out.Was there enough? Did she need more? Would Coco and Paxton like it?She reached out and adjusted the tray of cheese so it was at more of an angle instead of perfectly aligned to everything else.It looked too neat."Stop." Silas took her hand and spun her toward him, capturing her against his chest with strong arms around her waist."It looks like I'm trying too hard." She smoothed her hands up and over his shoulders."Stop. It's just Paxton and Coco.""Your best friend and his fiancé, who I haven't met yet.""What?" Silas' face scrunched up. "You've talked to her dozens of times.""In the background of you and Paxton talking. That doesn't count." She pulled away from him and proceeded to turn dishes a little this way and that."You do realize Coco spends most days digging in elephant shit and stuff, right?""Silas." She scowled at him."What?" He gr
Aegis Group Chapter 489: Thursday. New York Hospital, New York.
IT FELT LIKE THE weight Silas had been carrying around in his gut had now attached itself to his eyelids. He floated in darkness, no longer asleep but not yet awake. Someone had called this twilight once, though he couldn't recall who. Something wouldn't let him go back to sleep. There was something he needed to do. It was urgent.What the hell was it?That nagging question hounded him as he ever so slowly gathered his strength.He wasn't aware of time or how long it took to wrestle one eyelid open, but at long last he peered out of his darkness into...more darkness.Well that was just dandy. What the fuck?He blinked that one eye again, letting his vision adjust. He was in a room and there was a light on, it just didn't do much.Machines beeped and whirled around him.That was a sound he could never mistake and it told him the first piece of his puzzle. From there the others fell into place, one after another.He was still in the hospital.He'd been hurt.There was a fight.
Aegis Group Chapter 488: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
EKKO CLUNG TO THE stretcher bearing Silas out to the parking lot.She hadn't realized how bad his injuries were. He was barely keeping his eyes open. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she kept pace with the two paramedics. Silas covered her hand with his as they came to a stop at the bumper of an ambulance.Paxton, Brett and Vito were sitting inside. They were worse for wear and grim, but seemed okay.All around them police were marching uninjured people they'd arrested to sit in a line next to a chain-link fence blocking the sidewalk. The night was lit up with swirling lights that made her head spin."Where's Chayan?" she asked. Her heart was tearing in two, aching for both men.A little distance away an ambulance took off, sirens blaring. She hoped it was the one with Pasley in it."Ma'am, I need to look at that wound," a paramedic said to her.She held tight to Silas' hand. "What about Chayan? Older man, little taller than me? Salt and pepper hair?"Silas had said he was fine.
Aegis Group Chapter 487: Wednesday. New York City, New York.
IGNEY PACED IN A circle, looking down each hall in turn.Where were they? Had he miscalculated? Were they willing to lose the woman so long as they got the man?His orders were clear. Get both the man and the woman.The woman was a symbol. Too many young people had taken to the streets because they listened to others like her.The man though, he knew things.Killing the woman was personal. Chasing her had cast him in a bad light. But the man was more important in the grand scheme of things."Fuck," Igney muttered. He glanced at a pair of men striding for the doors. "You. Come here."The men never glanced at him. Because they didn't understand him?He whirled to face Alban. "Where are the others?""I don't know where Delem and Michil are." He grimaced. "I haven't heard from them since we split up to search the building."That wasn't good.Igney had heard a lot of gunfire. Was it possible the other men he'd brought with him were dead?If both Chayan and Pasley escaped, leavin
Aegis Group Chapter 486: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
EKKO'S ONE OFFENSIVE ATTEMPT was an utter failure. Her head spun and she was going to be sick.This wasn't good.She felt like a ragdoll being drug around, first by Igney then another man she didn't recognize. He spoke Daurian though which could only mean one thing.He was London DSS.Her body chilled. Was that from fear or the blows to the head? She didn't know anymore."Come find me, Pasley, or your little bird dies," Igney cackled into the radio.She tasted bile.Pasley had called her little bird back in the park.Igney cackled like a bad movie villain. The man was enjoying this. He was getting off on torturing them all.What about Silas?Pasley was with him.If Pasley told Silas, if he knew, they would come for her. Silas was determined to bring them all home and to keep her safe. But if he did, if he came to her rescue, Igney would kill them. Igney needed her and Chayan. Which meant he couldn't kill her here and now. It was an empty threat. Wasn't it? Did she dare belie
Aegis Group Chapter 485: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
SILAS PUSHED HIS GROUP hard as they traversed the second floor. The sun had fully set, plunging them into complete darkness where there weren't windows or other lights.This building was a damn maze, and every turn they needed was blocked by too many people to fight their way through.There had to be more than the fifteen or so they'd estimated. More like thirty.This wasn't good.What about Ekko? Where had the others gone to?He'd hoped getting down here meant they would find her and Paxton, but so far all they'd found were a few bodies. At least they knew Paxton and Brett were eliminating the other side. But no one had taken the ammo or guns. Why? When resources were this precious, why not take them?Could they have gotten free? Did he dare hope?Something thumped in the darkness. Like a heavy footfall.Silas cursed himself as he skidded to a stop. He didn't see anything, but his gut screamed at him. He pivoted and threw himself at Chayan, shoving the other man aside. Silas w
Aegis Group Chapter 484: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
THE DARKNESS FELT AS if it were swallowing her.Ekko clung to the back of Paxton's shirt like he'd directed. She couldn't shake the sensation that there were hands out there reaching for her. That Igney or one of the others were biding their time and waiting for the chance to kill her.Where was Silas? What about Chayan and the others?They'd been separated before she realized what was going on.Behind them a burst of gunfire spurred her on, shattering the silence.She knew it was Brett. Was he trading gunfire with someone? Those shots all sounded the same to her. She hoped he was safe. He was only one man and they had no idea how many were behind them."Stay close." Paxton reached back and pressed her hand to his back.Her head pounded with each and every step. It hurt so bad, but she didn't want to say anything. Her pain was minimal compared to what could happen."Will you cut that out?" Paxton yelled behind them.He side stepped and sort of skipped through a narrow gap betw
Aegis Group Chapter 483: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
SILAS GRIT HIS TEETH to keep from telling Paxton to hurry the fuck up. It wasn't like Paxton was slow. The knife on his belt tool was small and no doubt dulled after cutting through several sets of thick, plastic restraints.Sitting like this it felt as though there was a ten pound weight sitting on his guts. He didn't know what the knife had cut, but Silas knew from the woozy feeling and blood making his jeans sticky it wasn't good. He had to get the others out of here before his clock ran out."Which way did they bring you up?" Silas asked Brett instead of chafing at how long getting free was taking.Brett stood by the door, a discarded piece of wood held as a weapon. "We came in some doors, up a stair to our right then a long walk down here. You?""Different way." Silas grimaced. "Do we retrace our path, or avoid it? How many people were with you?"Brett grimaced. They'd been hooded when they arrived. "Hard to say.""Let's assume at least the three that came in here plus one o
Aegis Group Chapter 482: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
EKKO STARED IN SHOCK, her head spinning as the men left the room again."S-Silas?" she whispered so softly she barely heard herself.He slumped sideways groaning.Had that man-that monster-just stabbed Silas?"Man, Silas, dude, talk to us." Paxton had scooted forward, his arms extended behind him, attention on Silas."I'm fine." Silas' voice was strained. "Brett, Vito, how are you two?""Alive," Brett groaned."Vito? Man?" Silas shook his head and sat up straighter."Fine."This was it.Ekko swallowed.They'd done everything and in the end, they were outplayed.The DSS would kill them. She wasn't sure why they hadn't already, but she didn't doubt that death was the final move. All of these people, they were going to die because she'd been arrogant. She'd thought she knew what she was doing, when in fact she hadn't a clue.A sob tore out of Ekko making her already aching head pound harder."Ekko?" Silas called out. "Ekko, listen to me, this is going to be okay. Pax?"A ch
