Selena Malone sat huddled in a corner, a gun between her knees, ready to protect herself and her team. She needed time to think. Exhaustion had set in from the emotions toiling throughout her mind. Her body needed a release from the pent-up energy of what was to come.
What needed to be done.
She’d seen the warning signs and ignored them. His touch, his smell, his whispered words were so good in a time of darkness. When had she allowed a traitor inside her heart? She didn’t have to look at her watch to know she had moments before she would have to run. Her team was in danger, because she had allowed him into heart. And her bed.
When had he turned?
Why had he turned?
Had their love meant anything?
“Selena?”
Damn. She wasn’t ready for a lover’s lies or confrontations. But she’d learned life did not always give you the time you needed in dealing with the challenges it gave you.
She lifted her head, her hair still covering her face. If he had seen her expression, he would’ve seen the motto their agents were known for. “Dean.”
He was boyishly handsome.
She caught a glimpse of the coolness in his blue eyes, his stance too casual. When he tried too hard to be nonchalant, he was ready to kill.
“Where’s your backup?” he asked.
“Does it matter?”
He smiled a lover’s smile. “I want my woman protected.”
I bet, she thought. “Tell me it’s not true.”
“What?”
“Dammit, Dean, don’t play with me. It’s not the day or time,” she said, leaning forward, her hair covering the gun and her hands.
He laughed. “Ahhhh … we can take care of that right here.”
First rule of thumb … Don’t patronize a woman.
“They say you’re a turncoat,” she said, moving her thumb in place.
“I would never turn on my team.”
Second rule of thumb … Don’t lie to a woman.
“How else would Donovan’s men have known about Sean and Adam? They were undercover for three years, wanting Donovan stopped before any more lives were destroyed. They were within a week of taking Donovan out and he never suspected.”
Dean’s mouth curved into a lover’s smile. “I lost my wife to this job. She didn’t like it when I disappeared all the time.”
The third, and most important, rule of thumb … Don’t ever use a girl to create a cat fight.
Selena stood up with one jump, her gun at her leg. She approached him with a smile that made promises burn out of control. “What was the last straw in turning?”
She advanced and when she was a kiss away, she stood on her toes, waiting.
“You were the deciding factor.”
Her lips touched his. “How?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He smiled into the kiss.
She kissed him for old time’s sake, feeling nothing but a lover’s betrayal. “Not really.” She tucked her arm into his chest. “A part of me will miss you, though.”
“Miss me? You can’t get rid of me. I’ve been prom — ”
He reeled back and blood poured from his head as he went down. It wasn’t her shot. She looked around, seeing nothing, hearing nothing. Silencer. The men had promised her she had this one all alone. Who had taken the head shot?
It was time to leave this scene. She needed laughter, a little sunshine, and just plain good folks. Some sense of a normal life before it was too late.
And a decent cup of coffee.