[Guardians 03] • Smoke and Shadows

When someone close to Viktor Baran becomes a target of an assassin, he vows a hellfire of a payback. But the enemy is cunning and avoids the trappings of the digital web, preferring to strike out from the shadows. Drawing on old-fashioned cloak and dagger methods to investigate the enemy’s hatred for the Guardians, he uncovers a link to a past he is reluctant to revisit.

Eight years ago, Marissa Cole walked away from the man she loved. New to CIA black ops then, she was overwhelmed by the intensity of the man who would stop at nothing, no matter how ruthless, to get the job done. "Don’t get involved with the person you work with" has become her motto ever since—until a series of events throws her back into Viktor Baran’s world.

Danger and mayhem are the perfect formula to reignite their passion, and Viktor has decided he's done fighting his attraction to Marissa. He is determined to make her his. However, their road to a happily ever after is a bumpy one. Years on the job have stripped Viktor of his humanity, and unless he can break down his walls enough to let Marissa into his heart, he could lose her again.

Friendships will be broken. Beliefs will be shaken, and their relationship will be tested. For the stakes are too high, and there is a growing threat, not only to AGS, but also to every government agency critical to the country's safety.

Is targeting the Guardians merely a distraction or is it the first step to a terrorist attack on the nation's capital?

* Strong sexual content and language. Some disturbing situations. Recommended 18-years old and above.