Piper
I kept my temper under control until we were safely inside my dorm room. I spun around, ready to give Cade a piece of my mind, until I realized Jolie was sitting on the bed, her eyes wide. Dammit! I forgot it was the day she was moving in.
“Sorry.” I muttered the words hurriedly while pushing Cade out into the hall and down to his room. It seemed he was just as anxious for a fight as I was. When I closed the door, I whirled around, ready to give Cade a piece of my mind for treating me like a little girl, someone who wasn’t his equal, someone who needed to be babysat. I opened my mouth to say what was on my mind, when Cade took two steps and scooped me into his arms, his mouth landing hard against mine.
The kiss wasn’t sweet or tentative. It was hard and punishing, filled with angst and frustration. I fisted handfuls of his hair as I kissed him back, my tongue tangling with his, the taste of desperation hot and needy.
Cade lifted me in his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist as he pressed me against the door. His hands cupped my face as he held my head exactly where he wanted it. His mouth moved down my neck to my collarbone, teeth dragging across my skin, nipping and tasting me. His tongue would follow the same path, soothing away the sting of his love bites.
I couldn’t think of any of the reasons I was angry, my mind cloudy with a desire-filled haze. I gave myself up to his ministrations, enjoying every bite and pull of his mouth and tongue, wanting to feel more of his skin. A growl started low in Cade’s belly, before he let it out and took a step back, slowly letting me drop to the ground.
My head was fuzzy as I blinked several times, trying to clear away the fog that had descended over me the minute Cade’s lips had found mine.
“What?” I started, not able to string together a coherent sentence.
“When I heard your voice and saw you standing there tonight, my whole world stopped turning. I’ve never felt such fear and utter terror as I did when I saw you standing in the line of fire. You made yourself a target tonight. Do you understand?”
I did understand. And I felt properly chastised. But he wasn’t the only one with something to lose in this game.
“When I heard the gunfire erupt and I knew that you and Levi were in there alone, I couldn’t help myself. Oscar couldn’t use the drone without risking injury to you and Levi or Chavez and Rubio, and Cruz didn’t have a shot. I was the only one free to help.”
“Your job was to stay in the van.”
“My job is to be a member of this team, Cade. And if you can’t accept that and treat me like any other team member, then maybe I shouldn’t be here.”
“Of course I can’t treat you like any other team member.” Cade’s voice had risen louder than I’d ever heard him. He seldom raised his voice when we were younger, knowing that it made me uncomfortable. It was one of the many things I’d overcome in the years since we’d been kids.
“You’re going to have to start!” I met his volume, and his eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting me to yell back.
“No! I won’t. You’re not just some team member, Piper. You’re the woman I love. The woman I’ve always loved, and the woman I’ll love until my last breath. So, you’re going to have to get used to that!”
Shock ricocheted through my body, my stomach clenching and my knees buckling. Cade caught me around the waist and pulled me closer to him. He lowered his voice as he gazed into my eyes.
“You’re not just some girl. Some female team member we’ve hired. You’re mine. And the sooner you realize that and let go of the past, the sooner we can start our lives together.”
I pushed Cade’s hands away, struggling against his hold. Hurt filled his eyes, but he lifted his chin in defiance, just as I had done to him minutes ago in the car.
“Cade, I’m not—I can’t—I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “I don’t need your apology. I don’t need you to say anything. I know how you feel. It’s in the way you ran out of that van to my rescue. It’s in your kisses when you let yourself forget. It’s in the way you look at me when you think I’m not looking.” Cade took my hands in his and placed a gentle kiss to my knuckles. “I’ll wait. As long as it takes. I’ll wait.”
My head shook from side to side, the thoughts in my mind jumbling up and crowding my judgment. “No. You can’t. I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking. I’m telling you. There is no one else for me, Piper.”
I shook my head violently, still trying to clear my warring thoughts, to regain some semblance of control.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t—”
Cade wrapped his big arms around me, pulling me into an embrace that melted me from the inside out. I relaxed against him, and for a moment I was selfish and took the comfort he offered. It wasn’t fair to him. I was broken, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to be put back together again. And most importantly, I couldn’t stomach the thought of ever losing him.
As if he could read my thoughts, he bent his head next to my ear. He kissed my temple, and then whispered, “I’m not Jake. I’m not going to leave you. I promise.”
Something inside me snapped, ugly and mean and cruel, and I lashed out, pushing away from Cade with all the strength I had left in my body.
“You can’t promise that!” My throat felt raw as the words tore out of me. “Stop making promises you can’t keep! I can’t do this, Cade! I can’t!”
The sobs started then, wracking my entire body. Cade stepped forward to comfort me, but I put my hands out. If he held me now, I’d never be able to walk away from him. I couldn’t do this. I just couldn’t. I shook my head and backed away, my hand finding the doorknob.
“I’m sorry.” The tears flowed freely down my face as I allowed the emotions I’d held in all week to finally take purchase in my soul.
I took off running, out of the living area and through the gym. There was no one there at this hour, so I fled to the women’s locker room. I looked around, trying to figure out what to do with myself, where to go, how to push these thoughts out of my head. I saw the room labeled jacuzzi and opened the door.
A hot tub sat in the middle of the room, and I didn’t even think twice. I stripped down to nothing but my panties and slid into the hot water. It was like a balm to my weary heart.
Thoughts whirled in my head, spinning like a tornado bound for destruction. I closed my eyes against the tirade and slowed my breathing. Calm started to wash over me as my muscles relaxed, and my mind grew quieter. After several minutes, there were no more thoughts of Jake and his death, of drug lords or gang members; no thoughts of Cade and his kisses that made my knees melt. It was just peaceful oblivion.
***
Soft lips pressed against my forehead as I was lifted from the water. I blinked my eyes open in surprise and stared into Cade’s worried expression.
“I couldn’t find you. I looked for two hours. You’re burning up, Piper.” The cool air against my overheated flesh caused goosebumps to erupt over my skin. I shivered, and Cade picked up a towel from the ladies’ locker room, placing it around me as he cradled me in his arms. He sat down on the bench to better wrap me in the towel.
“What were you thinking?”
“I must have fallen asleep.”
Cade shook his head, his eyes dipping momentarily to my chest, and I realized he must have gotten an eyeful when he pulled me out of the hot tub. I yanked on the edges of the towel, pulling it tighter across my breasts.
“I tried not to look.”
I was shocked at the laugh that sprung out of me, clapping my hand over my mouth in surprise. Cade’s eyes crinkled with his smile, and he pulled me closer to his chest.
“What am I going to do with you?” His breath was warm against my skin.
“I don’t know.” It was the truth. I wasn’t even sure what to do with me.
“It’s three in the morning. I’m taking you to my room.”
I started to protest, and I felt Cade’s head shake against my own. “Jolie will be asleep. You don’t want to wake her, do you?”
I’d forgotten again about Jolie sharing my room. My mind really was messed-up. Besides, even if I didn’t want to admit to it myself, there was no other place I’d rather be than in Cade’s arms.
“Okay.” I went to stand, but Cade scooped me up in his arms and stood. “I can walk.”
My protests fell on deaf ears. “Yeah, I know. I like holding you.”
It was too late to argue, and I was much too tired to even find the words. So, I relaxed against his chest, snuggling my head under his chin. I let out a contented sigh as Cade walked through the gym with me. He’d propped the door to the dorms open, and he kicked away the doorstopper as he walked through, letting it fall shut behind us.
When we got to his room, he pulled back the covers with one hand, and then gently laid me down onto his bed. I watched as he went to his dresser and pulled out a T-shirt. He handed it to me, and I pulled it over my head quickly. It smelled like his detergent and the faint smell of his cologne. I inhaled deeply, remembering his scent from all those years ago.
Cade flipped the lights off and crawled into bed behind me. His arm went around my waist as he pulled me closer. As I was drifting off to sleep, it dawned on me that this was the second night in a row I’d fallen asleep in Cade’s arms.
If I wasn’t careful, I was going to get used to it.
***
The conference room was filled with every team member, including Jolie, when I walked in the next day. I’d woken to an empty bed, remembering Cade’s challenge to Ryder. When I’d glanced at the clock, it was already past nine thirty, so I’d hurried to put clothes on and rushed to the ring to try to stop Cade from beating the life out of Ryder.
I shouldn’t have worried, though. These guys loved each other like brothers, and by the time I’d arrived, Oscar had assured me they’d worked out their frustrations and were now enjoying a friendly spar.
Blood was running from Ryder’s nose, and Cade seemed to be sporting a nice shiner, but otherwise they seemed unharmed. Assured that they weren’t going to kill each other, I went to my room to get a shower.
Jolie was already up and chatty. She’d asked where I’d spent the night, but I didn’t want to give her the wrong idea about me and Cade, so I’d just told her I’d stayed in the hot tub until late and didn’t want to wake her up.
I glanced around the table and took in everyone’s faces. They didn’t look defeated exactly, but there was a distinct feeling of frustration present.
“Morning.” Cade offered a small smile with the words, and I sat down in the chair closest to the door and next to Jolie.
Levi cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair.
“Okay everyone, in case you haven’t met her, this is Jolie Phillips. She’s going to be our admin and has been brought up to speed about everything we do.”
Jolie waved, her medium-length, rainbow-colored bob swishing from side to side as her friendly smile lit up her face. “Thanks so much for the warm welcome. I’m so excited to get started.”
Jolie held a sparkly pen poised over a pink-paged notebook. I wondered how well she’d do among these tough guys. She seemed so feminine and frilly. How had she managed to find Shadow Force? It seemed a hair salon might be a better fit for her, or some cutesy boutique.
I knew it was unfair to judge people by their appearance, though, so I kept the thoughts to myself and decided to withhold judgment until I’d gotten to know her better.
“Now that’s out of the way, last night didn’t exactly go as planned.” Levi stated the obvious while glancing around the table. “Piper, let’s start with you.”
I sighed. I’d known I’d have to make an account for my actions the night before, but I’d hoped I’d have a little time to get my thoughts in order. No such luck.
“I’d heard the gunshots, and Ryder drove us closer, just outside the gates. I saw the DEA agents surrounding the building. Ryder explained that they weren’t supposed to go in until money had swapped hands and our guys were out of there. We made the decision to send me in as backup.” Ryder nodded his agreement with my story. “Ryder called Cruz and Oscar and found that Cruz had no line of sight to take any shots, nor were we clear to do that, since they’re federal agents. Oscar couldn’t use his surprises either, since it could injure everyone in the room including you and Cade. So, I was the only one available.”
Levi nodded. “That doesn’t explain why you announced your arrival.”
Oh, that. Geez, how embarrassing. “I’m sorry, sir. I was overcome when I saw Cade move into the fire to cover Chavez while he got away. I lost my composure. It won’t happen again.”
Levi smirked at my sidestepping the real reason I blew my cover. Had it been Oscar, Cruz, or Levi out there, I’d still have gone in. But it was only for Cade that I’d forgotten myself and called out his name.
“It happens. Just try to keep your cool a little better next time.”
He said next time. I relaxed the muscles I hadn’t realized were so tense. I’d had no reason to believe that Levi would let me back into the field after I’d blown my first mission. I was grateful for a second chance.
“Cade?”
Cade cleared his throat. “First, what did Kennedy say? Has he figured out who the mole was?”
“No. The call was made to look as if it came from his office to dispatch. Whoever did this covered their tracks.”
“Still, it has to be someone in Kennedy’s office. Someone who worked closely with you and me while we were there.”
“I agree. And we both know we share the same suspicions.
Cade nodded vigorously. “Yep. Randy Burton, Jerry Tiner.”
“Ryan Reynolds,” the men finished at the same time.
“And who’s your first choice?” Levi asked, one side of his mouth quirking in a smirk.
“I went back and looked at the cases that were blown to hell, and from what I can remember, Reynolds was on for each of those.”
“So were the other guys.”
“True. Call it a hunch.”
“Our hunch does us no good without proof, though.” Levi let the reminder float out there. “Which leads us to what do we do now? Chavez has no trust in us and neither does Rubio. It’s going to take something drastic to rebuild that relationship.”
“Varga.” I’d said his name before I realized I’d even opened my mouth. Cade’s eyes narrowed, but Ryder was nodding along with me. It seemed I had an ally on this team.
“We need to find Varga and turn him over to Chavez.”
“I thought you were against our methods of turning Varga over to Chavez.” Cade spat the words laced with sarcasm and anger.
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. I wasn’t at all comfortable with the idea of turning over a life to be tortured and murdered, no matter how badly I wanted Varga to pay. But my plans of payment came through the form of our justice system, not vigilante-style punishment that held its own rules and moralities in highest regard. Plus, I wanted my ten minutes with Varga to find out exactly why he’d killed Jake.
I lifted my chin. “Sometimes hard decisions have to be made.”
“It seems like you’re all for those hard decisions if in the end you get what you want. How do we know you didn’t screw things up royally last night just so you’d get your way and find your man?”
The shock of hearing those words from Cade’s mouth shot through my body. I was hurt that he’d think so little of me, but I’d be damned before I let him see that. I steeled my spine and met his gaze.
“Are you accusing me of something, Montgomery? If not, then I suggest you take those words back. Either I’m a member of this team or not. If I am, I deserve your trust. I haven’t done anything to betray it so far.”
Cade’s hard glare bore into mine as we stared at each other, neither of us flinching.
“All right, you two. Cut it out. Cade, Piper’s right. You’ve got no right accusing her of that. Ryder, find me Varga’s location. As close as you can.”
“Roger that, boss.”
“We may also need to look at an undercover option. Cruz, look into Chavez’s family and acquaintances. Let’s see if we can find an in with someone close to him.”
“Got it.”
“What about me?” Oscar turned his eager smile to Levi. Levi chuckled and shook his head.
“Oscar, you do what you do best and work on those surprises for next time.”
Like a kid anxious to see his gifts on Christmas morning, Oscar jumped up from his seat and rushed from the room.
“If only all of us were that eager to do our jobs—right?” Levi grinned. “You’re dismissed. Ryder, let us know as soon as you find a lead.”
I didn’t waste any time jumping up from my seat, and darted out the door, Cade hot on my heels calling my name.
“Piper! Piper, stop!”
I kept walking, taking care to look as non-pissed-off as I could while I was making my way across the lobby of the gym. It wasn’t busy, but there were still a few members around.
Opening the glass doors to the dorm area, I reached the security door and placed my palm on the scanner. Cade’s gentle touch caressed my elbow.
“Stop running from me, please.”
I turned around, leveling him with an angry stare. “I have nothing to say to you right now.”
“Then let me do the talking. You don’t have to say anything.”
I swung the door open and went to the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. I opened it and took a healthy swallow before returning my eyes to his.
“Fine. Talk.”
Crossing my arms across my chest, I waited for Cade to say something. He pushed his hair back from his face, tucking the long strands behind his ear.
“I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to make that accusation. You just refuse to share anything with me. I lashed out and questioned your loyalty to the team. That was wrong.”
“Thank you. You’re right. It was wrong.”
I turned to walk to my room, when Cade grabbed my elbow, turning me to face him.
I tried to ignore his gaze, but his smile was just so damn hot. I kept my face impassive, trying not to smile back at him.
“Do you forgive me?” He pulled me a little closer.
I shook my head no.
“Please? Please forgive me.” His arms wrapped around my waist.
I shrugged my shoulders, keeping my eyes averted.
“Piper, I’m really sorry.” The seriousness of his voice caught my attention. There was no longer any playfulness there, just sincere regret.
I sighed and laid my head on his chest. “You’re forgiven.”
His hand brushed my hair, as his lips met my forehead. I stole from his strength, enjoying the warmth of his embrace more than I should. I gave myself a few seconds more, before I pulled away.
“Thanks.” I looked down at the floor, shy all of a sudden in his presence. I’d depended on him too much the last few days, and it was going to be hard to get back to living a life of lone existence when this was all over.
“For what?”
His phone beeped in his pocket, and he pulled it out, glancing down at the message. With a quick jerk of his head, he met my gaze, joy clear on his face.
“We found Varga.”