Kennedy stepped into the hallway outside her apartment. The smell of new carpet and fresh paint reminded her the building was only weeks old, even though it already felt more like home than anyplace she’d lived before. She scanned her fingerprint and retina to lock the door behind her, then bumped into her neighbors doing the same outside their units. Marcus, looking finer than ever, was toweling off his chiseled torso and abs down to the waistband of his shorts. Diamond stud earrings glinted in the LED lighting along with the droplets he was swiping from his chest. Barefoot, it was clear he had settled in to the Shields headquarters as quickly as she had.
He grinned when he noticed she couldn’t keep her appraising stare from traveling over his defined pecs and flat stomach to the trail of black hair, which dead ended at soft cotton. The remaining water danced with rainbows enhanced by the backdrop of his dark skin. By comparison, it made her very aware she couldn’t so much as get a tan with her pasty complexion.
“Come on you two. You can flirt later,” Sola called from the elevator bank where Aarav was holding the door open for her to enter. It would be easy to mistake him for a standup guy instead of a sniper when dressed in crisp black pants and a burgundy polo, his collar-length dark hair combed back, obscuring the usual waves in it, and his thick beard recently trimmed.
Sola, one of Kennedy’s best friends and also her coworker, lived at the other end of the hall, next door to Aarav. The four of them worked closely together, and now they lived that way too. For people who did…what they did…cohesiveness could mean life or death in the field. It was also nice to have friends who wouldn’t judge Kennedy for the twisted moral code she lived by since they did also.
Sola snapped her fingers, urging them to hurry. “Jordan sounded like he wasn’t fucking around. It’s not like him to get his briefs in a twist. Let’s go.”
Marcus’s mouth flattened into a pinched line that couldn’t detract from the lushness of his lips. “I’m hurrying. I was in the middle of showering after my workout. Trust me, I did you all a favor by slapping on some soap before getting out.”
Despite the fact that he killed people for a living—they all did—he gestured for Kennedy to precede him as if he were a gentleman instead of an assassin. Or maybe he simply wanted to check out her ass.
Kennedy glanced over her shoulder. Yup, he was staring.
Truth be told, she didn’t mind. Marcus had a way of making her feel desirable, even if she could never act on the attraction between them. They’d had their one oopsy, tipsy kiss last month during the grand opening of the Shields’ new headquarters and the living areas perched on top of their work spaces and gym. She’d made it clear it could never happen again.
Despite how much she wished that wasn’t so.
Marcus was a dangerous man. Lethal and kind. Worst of all, he gave her the illusion of safety, and the intense stares he often leveled at her never left a shred of doubt that their attraction was very mutual.
Tension zinged between the four of them on the ride to the ground floor, where their command center was nestled at the back of the unassuming security services office, which was a front for their more furtive operations.
When they entered the heart of the headquarters in downtown Middletown, James—their team manager—had already displayed a map, several bios, and a summary of their next case on the wrap-around screens that descended from the ceiling. Images of white bricks and an arsenal of guns made it pretty clear what they were dealing with.
Kennedy shuddered. Drugs. She hated these kinds of assignments. But on the other hand, as a doctor, she’d seen firsthand what that shit could do to people. Good people. Caring people. People she would have sworn loved her, even if it wasn’t enough to keep them from chasing their next high.
Damn it.
“You okay?” Marcus asked, his head tipped slightly so she could see the wave pattern shaved into the sides of his hair. The number of times she’d imagined tracing those marks with the tip of her finger or maybe her tongue was obscene.
She focused on that instead of the nightmarish memories threatening to distract her when she could least afford it. “Of course.”
Kennedy crossed her arms and took a seat at the colossal, glossy boardroom table, sinking into the buttery leather of whatever ergonomic chairs James had ordered for them. Jordan had spared no expense on their headquarters. Why should he? Being super spies willing to teeter on the edge of legality and take enormous risks paid incredibly well.
Marcus grabbed the place next to her. Sola plopped down on her other side, and Aarav sat beside Sola. Across from them were Nolan, James, Ransom, Levi, and two new guys who’d only been around a few weeks and were currently bunking together in one of the guest suites they’d incorporated into their facility. Plenty of room for the team to grow or for them to stash witnesses when they were on babysitting missions.
Liam, the blond walking refrigerator with an impeccably manicured beard, couldn’t have been more different from his partner. A permanent five o’clock shadow hugged Ace’s angular jaw and his jet-black hair had probably never seen a comb. Black-and-gray tattoos smothered every inch of his warm ivory skin. He practically vibrated with energy where Liam seemed calm enough that Kennedy might have to take his pulse to make sure he was still conscious.
Both men stuck close to Ruby. Kennedy wasn’t sure if the woman was called that because it was her given name, because her hair was dyed a deep, unnatural red, or because the computer language moniker was a nod to her coding and hacking skills. The quirky geek girl had taken over all things cyber from her mentor, JRad, and quickly become a key member of their team. Not surprising when she came so highly recommended.
Regardless, the new recruits seemed to have formed some sort of bond, even if Ruby was doing her best to ignore the way Liam and Ace edged closer to her at every opportunity.
Welcome to our world, kid. Kennedy exchanged a wry glance with Sola, who hid a smirk behind her hand before her gaze wandered to Aarav. Damn, they were all in trouble. This wasn’t some silly reality show. They couldn’t afford distractions.
Kennedy wondered what it was about their profession that seemed to lure in hordes of confident, capable, sexy men…and women. It might have been their willingness to put their lives on the line and do morally gray shit in order to make the world a better place in the big picture that attracted her to them.
Unconsciously, she peeked at Marcus. He peered a bit too casually straight ahead, making her certain he was watching her in his peripheral vision like he always seemed to do.
Before she could tell him to quit it, Jordan strode into the room. Dressed in black cargo pants and a matching turtleneck that hugged his lean, muscled torso, he took his place at the head of the table. Everyone sat a bit straighter when he glanced around at them, counting silently to make sure they were all in attendance before he began his briefing.
Satisfied, he started talking without wasting a second on pleasantries. “We’ve got a lead on a key informant from the Vipers and a narrow window to try to make contact with him.”
“The Vipers?” Marcus asked. “As in one of the nastiest drug cartels on the planet?”
Jordan gave a single curt nod.
“I hope whoever tagged us on this is paying us extra.” Ransom pinched the bridge of his nose. “I met plenty of those bastards when I was locked up. They don’t take kindly to people meddling in their business. None of the people we hunt do, but Vipers are next level.”
Kennedy now understood Jordan’s urgency and the heightened tension radiating from him. To anyone else, he’d seem unflappable. But each of the Shields on his team was trained to observe even the slightest change in demeanor and body language. Even though she was their medic, she had picked up plenty of tricks along the way. Their fearless leader was a bit too stiff when he rested his ankle on his opposite knee and knit his hands over his six-pack.
“They are.” Jordan never revealed his sources, likely to try to protect his team. As a former government agent, he had plenty of customers who needed them to cut through red tape. “Think ten times our normal fee. It seems we’ve got a special connection to their guy. The agency who’s hiring us to take care of this for them is hoping we’ll be willing to exploit it. If we don’t act fast, this chance will be eliminated and lost forever. They don’t have time to run it through ten thousand channels or the proper incentive to get the mark to cooperate, I think.”
Kennedy’s eyes narrowed when Jordan flicked his gaze to her. As the team’s medical support, her job was usually to hang back and patch up bullet wounds after the rest of their ragtag band of assassins did their thing. Maybe they were expecting to find a bunch of strung out victims for her to treat. She shuddered thinking of one of their prior assignments, which had left her administering Narcan as if she were passing out candy at Halloween.
Before Jordan could clarify what exactly he meant, he began rattling off details. Kennedy silenced her mind to focus on the information he shared. It could save someone’s life, or cost it, when she needed to make split-second decisions in the field.
“One of our DEA liaisons tipped us off that there’s a leak in the Vipers’ organization.” Jordan cleared his throat. “Someone told them where the next major shipment would be transiting.”
“And you really think that’s not a trap?” Nolan snorted.
“It already went down. Last night. And it wasn’t bullshit.” Jordan crossed his arms. “It was valid info. They shut it down and got critical leads on distributors as well as manufacturing locations.”
“How much are they giving the rat?” Aarav wondered, his Bengali accent morphing the R into a purr. “Whatever it is, it isn’t worth it.”
“That’s the thing. My contact doesn’t get why he tipped them off. They didn’t pay him. And it certainly isn’t out of the kindness of his heart. But it’s too good of an opportunity to waste, whatever his motive is.”
“If the Vipers figure out who he is, that bastard is going to regret his life decisions.” Marcus shook his head. “Idiot. Those kinds of risks are only worth it for enough money to be set for life, and only if you have a damn good hiding place to hunker down in and never show your face again. I’m surprised they didn’t slaughter the entire gang to make sure they fixed the problem permanently.”
None of the Shields could argue with that. After all, Jordan paid each of them a fortune to be sitting there right then, and to be doing…whatever it was he was about to ask of them later.
Kennedy couldn’t help the dread coating her guts like a bad infestation of clostridium difficile. Was it her imagination, or did Jordan keep peering in her direction disproportionally to the rest of the team? What the hell?
Marcus shifted, edging his chair closer to her. As much as Kennedy hated to admit it, she didn’t mind his nearness or the instincts that scooted him slightly in front of her. They’d plunged themselves into plenty of hazardous situations together and he’d always taken care of both of them, protecting her as she tended to the wounded.
Kennedy had come to trust him, at least in the field. And for her, that was kind of a miracle.
“You said this Viper is connected to us…how?” Levi asked. “It’s not someone Ransom knew in jail, is it?” His fingers twitched on the arm of his chair. For a Shield, especially a former undercover agent like Levi, that was about as drastic a tell as if he’d thrown himself around his partner and lover. The man he shared with their wife, Sevan.
Jordan let Levi off the hook. “No.”
Levi swallowed and avoided Ransom’s glare, the one that promised they’d be having a discussion later about being able to handle themselves and how their relationship couldn’t interfere with work. It was one Kennedy had heard them have before, sometimes with raised voices. Yet another reason she could never do all the things to Marcus while she was awake that she’d dreamed of doing to him while she slept.
It would be far too complicated. Too messy. Not worth it.
She peeked at his strong jaw and his gorgeous brown eyes, flecked with gold.
“This is going to be a task that’s handled best with a gentle touch…” Jordan cleared his throat and everyone shifted their attention to Sola, who twirled one long strand of her dark hair around her finger and grinned.
“Who am I sleeping with this time? Is he hot at least?” She made a hell of a seductress, and never seemed to mind the role, either. It was a highly effective persuasion and distraction technique. They didn’t use it often, but when it was most expedient and reduced the risk to the other agents, she never hesitated to employ whatever skills she had to get the job done.
Aarav on the other hand, glowered.
“Not you.” Jordan shook his head. “Not this time.”
“Ah, damn. Is our Viper into guys?” Sola sighed dramatically. “I have a strap-on. I could wear a disguise.”
“I told you, Jordan… Now that I’m with Laurel and Jace, I can’t work those sorts of jobs anymore. I would never cheat on them or risk their health. Especially not with their history. Intimacy is something we only share with each other.” Nolan winced. He’d done nearly as well as Sola when they needed super-spy peen as bait instead of pussy.
“Not you either.” Jordan waved off Nolan’s objections. He winged his laser stare to Kennedy and said, “You’re the best candidate for this position.”
“Me?” she squeaked at the same time Marcus grumbled, “No way.”
Which of course made Kennedy swallow any objections she might have had in favor of shooting daggers at her neighbor. “Why the hell not? Maybe he’s into blondes. He wouldn’t be the only guy I know who is.”
Marcus snapped his mouth closed. Neither of them could deny the passion with which he’d kissed her in this very room not so long ago. Not that he’d admit it in front of their boss and co-workers. Damn straight.
“I believe you know our target.” Jordan cleared his throat then nodded to James, who displayed a picture on the giant screen.
Kennedy’s breath left her lungs in a whoosh and she doubled over as if someone had punched her in the stomach. The hardened face, the tattoos, the broad shoulders and cut muscles—those were all new. But those eyes. She would never forget those eyes as long as she lived.
“Knox?” Her response sounded strangled even to herself. She couldn’t believe she’d uttered his name nearly ten years after swearing to forget it. Forget him. Forget the wounds he’d inflicted that had long since scarred over.
Then suddenly she was laughing, maybe a bit hysterically. She swiped a tear from the corner of one eye, hoping her teammates thought it was from her cackling and not the bittersweet memories that rushed her at the sight of his world-weary expression.
Sola leaned in. She put her hand on Kennedy’s shoulder and murmured, “You don’t have to do this. It’s not as easy as I make it seem sometimes. Especially if you have a history with this dude.”
Kennedy winged a glance at Marcus, who stewed.
It was the dead last thing she should do in the world, but she found herself saying, “I don’t know why you think this is going to work, Jordan. Knox left me without a look back. He loves drugs more than anything and I can’t imagine that’s gotten any better hanging around the Vipers for the past ten years.”
Marcus snarled under his breath, “Fucking dumbass.”
“He’s sick.” Kennedy whipped her stare to him. The problem had been that she hadn’t been able to cure him. Not then and she wouldn’t be able to now no matter how much training she had. That wasn’t what they were asking of her, though. They were only requesting she help keep him alive long enough so he could in turn provide information that would save hundreds or thousands of others.
Son of a bitch.
“I understand,” Jordan’s quiet compassion was almost harder to bear than Marcus’s righteous anger. “But you’re our best shot. And Ransom is right—these guys don’t fuck around. He’s on borrowed time. Try to persuade him, however necessary, to come here with you and cooperate with us. If all else fails, we need you to distract him long enough that we can take him into protective custody and go from there.”
So it was either seduce him and risk breaking herself, or don’t and watch him die.
It was no choice at all. Hell, she’d regretted nearly half her life not being able to save him the first time around. Maybe she could at least have a second chance at that. There wasn’t a single waver left in her voice when she confirmed, loud enough for everyone in the room to clearly hear, “I’m in.”
“Thank you.” Jordan relaxed ever so slightly. “And if you change your mind, tell me. We’ll figure something else out.”
Marcus stared at her, but she shook her head. She wasn’t going to back out. Not because she felt pressured, but because a part of her she didn’t want to acknowledge was more excited than it should be about her latest assignment.
She hated Knox. But she loved him too. Even after all this time and how thoroughly he’d shattered her heart.