Grabbing the ladder from across the room, Lexie moved it below the shelf, then climbed up. Once she was eye level with the box, she began to shuffle it backward when the window to the side caught her gaze. The small window was near the roof, so anyone standing on the ground wouldn’t be able to see through it.
Noticing Asher immediately, Lexie’s heart stuttered. He was wearing another one of his skintight shirts that was two sizes too small. He had what looked like a grease stains across his biceps.
Holy moly, the guy was sex on a stick.
Eden and Luca stood with him, and they all surrounded Shylah’s car. Lexie was pretty sure a licensed mechanic would have been the better choice if something was in fact wrong with the engine, but it was Shylah’s car, so her choice.
As Lexie’s eyes remained trained on Asher, she frowned when he crouched, reaching for the bottom of the car’s front bumper.
What the heck is he planning to do?
In the next moment, Asher did something that had Lexie grabbing at the shelf so she didn’t topple to the ground in shock.
Asher lifted the car.
Holy shit.
That car had to weigh at least a ton, and Asher was lifting one end like it was a sack of potatoes. The guy didn’t even look like it was straining his muscles.
Breaths coming out shorter, Lexie shut her eyes for a moment. Maybe her tired pregnant brain was playing tricks on her. Were hallucinations a symptom of pregnancy?
Lexie opened her eyes again, and her breath hitched. Nope. No hallucination. Asher still held the car in his hands, laughing, but now Luca and Eden stood under the hood, inspecting the engine.
Luca said something that made Asher laugh again, but Eden appeared angry. In the next moment, Eden tried to shove Luca, only to have him move away.
Only he didn’t move at the pace of a normal person. Luca moved so fast that he was a blur.
Taking a quick step down the ladder, Lexie grabbed at her head as the room whirled around her. Leaning against the ladder, she took a couple of deep breaths.
Okay, so Asher is strong. She knew he was strong, just not lift-a-car, hulk-type strong.
And Luca was fast. She knew they called him Rocket, so she should expect him to be fast. But not like that.
Opening her eyes, the room was still moving around her.
“Lexie?”
Lexie squinted at the doorway. There were two Shylahs standing there.
Oh no, she was going to pass out.
Not able to keep her hold on the ladder any longer, Lexie slipped, falling to the ground with a thud. The sound of Shylah’s quick steps moving toward her echoed through the room.
“Lexie? Can you hear me? Are you okay?”
Scrunching her eyes shut, Lexie quickly reopened them to glance up at Shylah. Blinking a couple of times, she made herself focus.
Shylah had Lexie’s wrist in her hand and seemed to be counting the beats.
Pulling away from her friend, Lexie began to push herself into a sitting position. “I’m fine, Shylah.”
“What the hell?”
Ah, crap. That was Asher.
Both Lexie’s and Shylah’s eyes shot up to see him standing in the doorway, with Eden and Luca close behind.
At least she was only seeing one of everybody now.
Rushing forward, Asher kneeled beside her. “What happened?”
Shylah opened her mouth to speak, but Lexie quickly cut in. “I was halfway up the ladder when my foot caught. I fell.”
Lexie could feel Shylah’s eyes boring into her but was grateful when the other woman didn’t say anything.
Asher frowned. Damn, she’d forgotten he was a human lie detector.
Wait—was that connected to how strong he was? How fast Luca was?
“Lexie…” Asher began, warning in his tone.
“I’m okay.” Standing up, Lexie ignored the fuzzy haze that still clouded her vision. Asher moved to one side to support her as Shylah went to the other. “I’m going to go back out to the desk.”
“Lexie.” Asher’s voice firmed as he held her biceps, preventing her from moving. He could probably prevent an elephant from moving with the strength he had.
Lexie looked at his hand for a moment before trailing her gaze up to his face. She had so many questions. But she also felt like some of the weight on her chest had finally lifted—because she knew one of his secrets.
“Asher, please remove your hand.”
Asher and Lexie shared a moment where their gazes held. It was almost a competition of wills. But eventually Asher removed his hand.
Walking out of the room, she didn’t spare anyone a glance. She had a secret of her own to hide, and too many thoughts racing through her head on what she’d just seen.
Moving behind the counter, Lexie felt Asher hot on her tail.
“You also passed out on me a couple months ago.”
Crap, Lexie had all but forgotten about that incident out in the parking lot. It happened a week before she found out she was pregnant. “That was a long time ago, Asher, and I told you it was because I hadn’t eaten anything. And I didn’t pass out just now, I lost my footing.”
“I know that you’re lying.”
Turning to face him, Lexie tipped her head back to look at him. “And how exactly do you know that, Asher?”
Asher’s face hardened and he remained silent.
Of course the man didn’t say anything. He could lift a damn car, was a human lie detector, and he could hear things a mile away, but why was any of that important information for Lexie?
“I need to get back to work.” She was already turning toward the desk as the words left her mouth.
“I’m not leaving your side, Lex. Next time, you’ll hit your head on something and do some real damage.”
She opened up a folder on the computer, all but dismissing him. “There won’t be a next time.”
“Why are you so stubborn, woman?”
“Why are you?” This time, Lexie did look at Asher. Their gazes locked. “Tell me your secrets, Asher. Tell me the parts of your life that you keep locked away from me.”
She prayed the man would say something. Anything. Anything real about his life.
A moment passed…and he didn’t utter a thing. Not a single word. The silence was broken by the sound of his phone ringing.
He released a growl before pulling the phone to his ear. “I’m busy—”
Asher went still as he listened to whoever was on the phone. His eyes darted to the front door.
Here he goes again, Lexie thought, trying to fight her disappointment, already knowing what was about to happen.
“Leaving now.” Hanging up the phone, Asher turned back to her. “Lex—”
“Secret duties call.”
He remained where he was for a moment longer. Lexie thought he was going to turn away, when his hand suddenly lifted to cup her cheek.
“Don’t go climbing any ladders while I’m gone. You’re too damn important for me to lose.”
Then he was out the door.
His simple touch, that was so rare in public, heated Lexie. Then Asher’s words sank in and warmed her further.
Quickly, Lexie shook her head. No. If they didn’t have trust, they didn’t have anything.
Now that she knew one of his secrets, it brought up a hundred more questions for her. Questions that she would get answers to—regardless of whether Asher wanted her to have them or not.
6
Goddammit.
Asher swallowed his frustration as he raced to his car. The timing couldn’t be worse for the team to have a lead on Project Arma.
Asher needed time with Lexie. Time to figure out what was going on. Because he sure as hell knew there was something.
But not going after this lead wasn’t an option. Not going after any lead on Project Arma was never an option.
Oliver and Kye had been on assignment since dawn, researching a suspicious license plate from out of town. It was suspiciou
s because the driver had only arrived yesterday, yet he’d already been spotted lurking around Marble Protection multiple times.
The team had discovered that the car was a hire car. And whoever the driver was had used a fake license so there was no way to identify them.
Asher knew it didn’t necessarily mean the guy was connected to Project Arma. But it was suspicious. And they were going to make damn sure they confirmed one way or the other. No stone unturned.
Oliver and Kye had tracked him across town. When the perp had caught on to the fact he was being followed, he’d taken off, speeding around town, driving through red lights.
Kye and Oliver had reported that the driver was good. So good that they’d lost him. That was why they’d called Asher, Luca, and Bodie. Each man had a different part of Marble Falls they were responsible for searching.
Jumping into his sports car, he wasted no time pressing his foot on the accelerator. Black Toyota Prius. That was the car he needed to find.
He drove around for exactly three minutes before he spotted the asshole.
Gotcha.
The car turned onto Lacy Drive. Overtaking a vehicle, he knew he was exceeding the speed limit. Way exceeding it. But there was no way he was going to let this lead slip. Not a chance.
Taking the corner sharply, Asher drew closer to the other driver.
Asher stomped his foot harder on the accelerator, and his tires squealed as he sped closer to the car. He knew the exact moment the driver noticed him. The Toyota immediately sped up, taking a sharp turn that almost flipped the car on the spot.
Asher took the turn easily, keeping the black car in his sights. The guy was headed for the highway, no doubt trying to hightail it as far from town as possible.
Not gonna happen, buddy.
Asher’s car was easily faster than the Toyota. Designed for speed, his Nissan made the sharp corners with much more ease than the Toyota.
The other driver had good skills, but not as good as Asher’s. And certainly not good enough to get away.
Hitting the highway, Asher took the long stretch of road as his opportunity to speed up. Swerving into the other lane, Asher kept pace next to the car, getting a good look at the driver. Dark hair and a clean-shaven jaw.
It wasn’t much, but Asher stored the details in his memory on the off chance the asshole got away. Not that Asher would let that happen.
When the driver turned his head, his eyes widened. Fear. Cold, stark fear. That was all Asher could see.
Good. So he knew exactly who he was dealing with and how this would all pan out.
Accelerating, Asher waited until he was a nose in front of the other car. Then he swerved toward it before pulling back. His intention was to give the illusion that his vehicle was going to hit the other.
Yeah right, like Asher would risk his sweet ride for this jerk.
The other car swerved immediately, just as Asher had anticipated. Losing control, his car hit the dirt on the shoulder and spun—and kept spinning before colliding with a tree.
Slowing the Nissan, Asher pulled over in front of the crashed vehicle. Smoke leaked from the hood of the other car, telling him that the driver wasn’t going anywhere.
Pulling out his phone, Asher sent Kye a quick text to tell him he had the driver and included his location.
Jumping out, he went straight for the crushed driver’s door. Making sure the road beside him was empty, Asher pulled the entire door off the car, throwing it to the side. Bending down, he took a close look at the driver.
Blood dripped from his head as he sat hunched over the wheel. Most would wonder if he was alive, but Asher could hear his heart beating in his chest. Alive. For now.
Reaching over, Asher snapped off his seat belt before he began to pull the body out of the car.
As he was partway out, the other man’s eyes popped open—and he lifted a spray can.
Before Asher could react, a chemical was sprayed into his eyes.
Pain immediately bombarded his face as he fell back onto the ground.
“Motherfucker,” Asher cursed, eyes scrunching shut.
What the hell was that? He’d been sprayed with pepper spray before, but this felt worse.
The jerk was going to pay for that one.
It took Asher a moment to recover, but when he did, rage pounded through his body. Jumping to his feet, he took off in the direction of the trees, where the guy had gone.
The man was no soldier. His movements were too slow and clumsy. The asshole either wasn’t trying to be quiet or didn’t know how. Asher suspected the latter.
Sprinting in the direction of the heavy footsteps, it took Asher less than thirty seconds to have the man in his sights. The man’s injuries from the crash were probably contributing to his sluggish movements, making his job easy.
Speeding up, Asher jumped onto the man’s back and they both crashed to the ground. Flipping him over immediately, Asher was about to deliver a punch when the man whimpered and covered his face.
What kind of a villain is this?
“Please don’t hurt me! I’m—I’m sorry I sprayed that shit into your eyes.” His voice trembled along with his body as he spoke.
Asher immediately smelled the stench of urine.
“Who the fuck are you and why did you run?”
The man opened and closed his mouth multiple times before any words came out. “My name’s John. John Roberts. They made me do it. They told me you’d notice I was from out of town, and that you’d follow me. I was just told to make you follow!”
“Who’s they?”
“I don’t know.”
Asher’s eyes turned to slits and he firmed his grip on the man. John wailed beneath him.
“Please, I really don’t know! I owed the wrong people money and they turned me over to this group of doctors and scientists. They threatened to kill me if I didn’t do this.”
“Why? Why did they want us to follow you?”
“I was a distraction.”
A distraction?
Asher opened his mouth to ask his next question but before he could speak, a bullet hit the man between the eyes.
John’s body fell still.
Rolling away from the dead man, Asher dropped behind the nearest tree.
Fuck. How had a shooter snuck up on him? Asher wanted to kick his own ass.
The bullet had come from higher up. Peeking his head out, he just caught sight of a retreating figure. They were moving quick. Real quick.
Leaving the shelter of the tree, Asher chased after the shooter. It was another man. Maybe six-two or -three, two hundred fifty pounds.
Asher sped through the trees, ignoring the sting of branches whipping against his skin and the howling of the wind. His focus remained on the figure in front of him.
Just then, the man swung his arm back and shot at him.
Swearing under his breath, Asher dove behind a tree. Leaves and dirt flew up from where the bullet hit the earth.
Dammit, he needed a gun. Any form of weapon.
When he jumped back out from behind the tree, the shooter was gone. Silence echoed through the woods.
Breathing through his nose, he let the fury inside him settle. Not only had he allowed a man who had answers about Project Arma to be shot right in front of him, he had also lost sight of the shooter. All leads were gone.
Clenching his jaw, Asher pushed down the cold, raw anger in his chest.
He had been so close. So fucking close to getting some answers. He had so many questions. Where were the people from Project Arma hiding? What was the end goal of the program? It was taking too damn long.
Turning around, Asher headed back to the body, not surprised when he saw Kye and Oliver were already waiting.
“When we said we wanted you to catch the guy, we meant alive, Striker,” Kye said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Asher bent down and began to search the dead guy. “Someone snuck up on me and shot him.”
“You let someone sne
ak up on you?” Oliver asked.
“Let is not quite the way I would describe it.”
Asher found what he was looking for inside the man’s jacket pocket. He tossed the phone to Kye. “That should have a tracking device on it. Pretty certain that’s how the shooter knew our location. Not that it will be much use. Probably a tracker phone with no leads.”
“I’ll take it to Jobs to get checked.” Kye pocketed the phone. “It doesn’t appear that you caught the shooter. I assume that means—”
“Someone with altered DNA? Yes. That’s how he snuck up on me and that’s how he was able to get away. That, and the damn gun that he had. I need to remember to carry mine.”
Asher knew exactly why he wasn’t armed. Her name was Lexie.
When he began seeing her more frequently, he started leaving his weapon at home. The possibility of her finding it would raise questions. Questions he didn’t want to answer. After all, why would a retired SEAL, in the small town of Marble Falls, need to carry a loaded gun all day?
“We’ll get Jobs or Evie to run a facial-recognition check on him,” Oliver said, studying the dead man. “We’ll see if we can work out who he is. Did you get anything from him before he was shot?”
“He said his name was John Roberts. Sounded like the truth. He also said he was a distraction.”
Both Kye and Oliver went still.
“A distraction for what?” Oliver questioned, muscles in his arms visibly tensing.
Shrugging his shoulders, Asher looked into the trees in the direction the shooter ran. “No idea. He was shot before he could tell me. The shooter was probably watching and listening. Waiting for the guy to say something he shouldn’t so he could shoot.”
“He didn’t shoot you, though,” Oliver commented, also glancing out at the trees.
No, he hadn’t. Asher hadn’t been his target. He knew well that a good soldier always followed orders.
Kye pulled out his phone. “After your text we called Rocket and Red off the search. We need to let everyone know what’s happened here. We all need to be on watch. If something is going on in Marble Falls, we need to figure out what, and fast.”
As Kye walked toward the trees, Oliver pulled a bottle out of his pocket. “This was by the car on the side of the road. Know what it is?”
Asher: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 3) Page 5
