by Katie Reus
She didn’t want to die. God, the thought of never seeing Nathan again, of never getting to tell him that she loved him, had pretty much never stopped . . .
“Drop your weapon! All your people are in custody and you have nowhere to go,” a male voice said from the right of her.
Moving lightning quick, the doctor grabbed her arm and shoved her in front of him so that she was facing the armed man who looked as if he’d stepped off the cover of Soldiers-R-Us. “You drop your weapon or I shoot her in the back!” As if to prove his point, he dug the gun into her spine.
Sweat trickled down the sides of her face even though she was icy-cold with terror.
The other man didn’t flinch. “Don’t be stupid. You have no exit, nowhere to go. If you kill her, we’ll kill you.”
“Put your fucking gun down!” The gun dug tighter against her spine.
She barely felt it, though. There was no way the armed man would do it—
“All right, I’m putting my weapon down. We can talk about this.” He held up one gloved hand, his other one still around the big gun as he started to crouch down with it.
Amelia didn’t want him to put his gun down. She didn’t want to freaking die.
“On the floor. Now!” the doctor shouted in her ear.
She automatically winced as she watched the man gently set his weapon on the floor. If he was here, he had to be working with Nathan. Or she assumed so. Oh God, where was Nathan? Another burst of hope bloomed inside her. Maybe that was why this guy was giving up his weapon.
The doctor wavered as the man started to slowly stand up; she could feel it. He was more relaxed now that a gun wasn’t trained on him. But what if he’d rather die than go to prison? Anything could go wrong, and her rescuer had just given up his gun. Fear slid through her veins, making her even more numb. No way was this going to end well for her.
Suddenly the gun fell away from her back. Before terror could gain even more footing inside her, she fell forward, as if the doctor had shoved her. On instinct she dove for the floor and covered her head. She tensed, waiting for a gunshot to rip through her, when the doctor screamed in pain behind her. A shot blasted through the room, echoing loudly as one of the chairs toppled over from the impact. Before she could react, the gun skittered across the floor. She rolled over.
Nathan!
He had the doctor on his back and was pummeling him in the face, over and over. The middle-aged man was no match for Nathan. The way he looked right now, no one was.
She jumped up and moved to him. “Nathan, stop!” What if he killed an unarmed man? She stepped forward to stop him, but had barely moved. Then the other armed man flew past her.
He grabbed Nathan’s arm, stilling him from beating the unconscious doctor anymore. “Don’t do this. He’s not worth it.”
Nathan looked up at the guy before his eyes locked on hers. Too many emotions swirled inside them as he stood. She’d never seen him look truly angry before. Not like this. As if he could truly kill the man on the floor and not regret it.
She was barely aware of moving until she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own around him as she buried her face in his neck. “You came for me,” she said on a sob, the words broken and desperate sounding.
His grip on her was solid, the most reassuring thing she’d ever felt. “Amelia.” Just her name, a shuddered declaration.
“I should have trusted you.” The words tore from her throat. “Seventeen or not, I should have trusted you.” Everything seemed so clear now.
He just murmured soothing sounds as he rubbed a hand up and down her back. “Get this piece of garbage out of here,” he murmured to the other man.
She didn’t look up as his teammate dragged the doctor away. With tears stinging her eyes, she pulled back so she could look at him. She cupped his face, needing to touch him. “It was Collette. I killed her and—”
“I know. You’re safe, though. That’s all that matters.” He reached up and tapped something on his earpiece, turning it off, she guessed. His lips skated over hers, the gesture a reassurance she needed. “I don’t care about the past, Amelia. Just tell me there’s a future with us.”
She tightened her fingers behind his neck. “I love you, Nathan. And I’m not letting you go. I don’t care who you work for or anything else, just that you come home to me every night.”
He didn’t say a word, just crushed his mouth over hers with an intensity she felt all the way to her core.
They still had a lot of stuff to work out and she had plenty of questions about how he’d found her and how all the other women were doing, but right now all she cared about was that the man she loved had come for her and wanted a future together.
Nothing else mattered.
Chapter 22
Black operations: covert ops not assigned to the organization performing them.
Two days later
Stretched out on her couch, Amelia smiled lazily as Nathan lifted her legs and propped them on his lap as he settled next to her.
“Have you gotten off this couch since I left this morning?” His lips twitched slightly.
“Unfortunately yes. A few friends stopped by to drop off food, which is pretty awesome. The fridge is stocked if you’re hungry. And a bunch of people from both restaurants came by too.”
Nathan frowned, but she shook her head. She knew he hadn’t wanted her to let anyone in while he was gone, but she couldn’t live her life like that. “The threat has passed. I can’t just ignore everyone in my life.” It had been pretty stunning how many calls and drop-ins she’d received once the news broke this morning. Yesterday she’d filled out tons of fun paperwork for the Miami PD and answered a bunch of questions about what had happened.
The state’s attorney wasn’t going to press charges for her killing Collette—obviously—but knowing it for sure eased any residual tension. Unfortunately she’d been bombarded with phone calls from reporters requesting interviews, but she was ignoring all of them. Her name shouldn’t even have been leaked, but shit happened and there was nothing she could do about it now.
“We need to talk.”
The serious note in Nathan’s voice made her sit up. “That sounds ominous.”
“It’s not. I just . . . I need to tell you who I work for and what I do for a living. The truth. I had to get permission first.”
“Okay.” She reached for his hand and linked her fingers through his. After the last two days she didn’t want to let go of him.
“I work for the NSA, usually in an undercover capacity. Black ops. We . . . are not honest about some of the things we do, but it’s for the right reasons. When my boss got a tip about the missing women, he wanted to cut through the red tape and find them. It’s why I told you I was with the FBI. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong or asking you to agree with what I do. I’m just saying I sleep fine at night and I’m okay with what I do. If that changes, I’ll find a new profession. I’m going to be cutting back on undercover work and I’ve asked for a transfer to the Miami office. I’ll still travel for work, but it won’t be as much as I used to. And there will be some things I simply can’t tell you. If—when—we get married, I’ll be able to tell you more, but some things will always be a matter of national security. And you’d prefer not to know most of the time anyway, trust me.” He finished in a rush, as if he’d practiced his speech.
Which, knowing Nathan, he had. She loved that about him. “Are you done?”
He nodded, his body language rigid, as if he expected her to what . . . disapprove? She nearly snorted at that.
“Well, first, I guessed who you worked for. Originally I thought it must be the CIA when I realized you weren’t with the FBI, but the night of . . . the other night after the Miami PD got called in by your boss and started clearing out all the women, I recognized him from that awful Westwood bombing. Second, I’m glad you’re transferring to Miami, but I would have moved anywhere you were. Just for the record. And third, when we get married? That�
�s a lame proposal if I ever heard one and I expect better.”
He blinked, as if in surprise. Seriously, did he think he’d told her anything to get mad about? Or maybe he was just as freaking nervous about everything as she was. Things had gotten serious with them pretty fast. Or at least things were serious for her. With Nathan in her life, there would never be anyone else. It was as simple as that.
“I’ll do better, then. You don’t care about what I do for a living?” He squeezed her hand once as he watched her.
“You saved not only my life, but dozens of other women.” Including Tessa and Danita. Tessa was luckier than most since she hadn’t been in captivity long. And Danita would be staying with a friend, her former landlord, as long as she needed. Amelia couldn’t even think about the nightmare some of them were going through right now. Most were pregnant and having to figure out what to do with their lives. Thankfully Maria’s father was setting up a fund to help them all get on their feet and start fresh. The donations already pouring in were staggering. She cleared her throat, suddenly feeling nervous. “Where are you going to live when you move to Miami?”
“Here.”
“Good answer.” A smile tugged at her lips, but just as quickly dimmed. She needed to get on the full-disclosure honesty train too.
“What is it?” He tugged her closer, pulling her into his lap.
She loved that he wouldn’t allow any barriers between them. “I’d planned to tell you this and I guess now’s as good a time as any.” She took a deep breath, feeling ashamed about some of the things she’d done to get started. “When I first started my restaurant I got in a little over my head. I learned quickly what I was doing wrong, but . . . I had some debt. Not a lot, but enough that it made my first year really hard. I turned to a loan shark for a quick loan to cover some of it, and in return he wanted me to do some favors for him. Nothing huge, but . . . I occasionally let him set up meets in my place for drops. Not drugs or weapons,” she said quickly when he didn’t respond.
“It was mainly jewelry and other stolen goods. I know because I looked in his packages a couple times. I was up-front with him in the beginning that he could never use my place to run drugs, but I checked just to make sure.” Amelia narrowed her gaze at Nathan. “And you’re not even surprised by this. You knew?”
His lips twitched. “Yeah. I was hoping you’d trust me enough to tell me. I’m glad you did.”
She brushed her lips over his, wanting to turn it into something deeper, but she pulled back before she jumped him. “What’s going to happen with Iker? It didn’t sound like he was involved, but what if he figures out you aren’t who you say you were? Or that I killed his daughter?” So far that hadn’t leaked to the media. The only thing they knew was that Amelia had been kidnapped. She gnawed on her bottom lip, not liking the thought of any of that.
“Don’t worry about him.”
“Kinda hard not to.” Because she knew that even if Nathan wasn’t going to be doing as much undercover work, it would be impossible not to worry.
“Let’s just say he’s got his hands full right now. After Collette’s many crimes came to light, he’s being scrutinized by almost every law enforcement agency. DEA, FBI, some I don’t even want to think about. I think he’ll try to run or flip on some of the people he does business with. He won’t ever find out you killed his daughter. We . . . tweaked the final reports. He’s not a problem for either of us.”
Relief and pure happiness slid through her veins. She shifted and straddled him. “Good.”
His expression went white hot. “I used to think I’d built up what we had in my mind, but now I realize that the life we’re going to make together is even better. I love you, Amelia.”
“I love you too.” More than she’d ever thought possible. And this time when she kissed him, she didn’t stop.
Epilogue
Two months later
“I’m never going to remember all these people,” Amelia murmured to Nathan under her breath during a break in the receiving line.
“Yeah, you will,” he said just as quietly as Dax and Hannah approached. Nathan watched as Amelia’s face lit up when she saw Hannah.
The two women had become friends over the past two months, with Hannah giving advice on planning a quickie wedding. Amelia had wanted to wait a year, but Nathan had been insistent on one thing. He’d wanted his ring on her finger and wanted her to have his last name as soon as possible. Partially for completely caveman reasons, but he’d also wanted to be able to tell her more about what he did when off on assignments. Married couples had more freedom.
“You look stunning,” Hannah said, grasping Amelia’s hands in hers.
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but I know. The stylist you recommended is amazing.”
The stylist had nothing to do with it, but Nathan bit his tongue. His wife—would he ever get used to that?—looked damn amazing. Her long white dress was simple and formfitting and he couldn’t wait to take it off her.
“How’s it feel to be married?” Dax asked, drawing Nathan’s attention to him. With a glass of champagne in hand and his tie already loosened at his collar, he looked relaxed.
“Kinda the same.” As he said it, the answer surprised him. He’d expected to feel different, but they’d already been living together and had figured out a schedule that worked for them. He loved her even more each day. The ring just made everything official—something he needed.
Dax laughed. “I know what you mean.” He gently took Hannah’s elbow and started guiding her away. “I know you’ve still got a lot of people to greet. We’ll see you guys out on the dance floor.”
The rest of the day was a blur of talking to people, eating, toasting, and dancing. Neither of them had any immediate family, but they ended up having about a hundred friends at the wedding. Some of whom he’d fought and bled with.
It was the happiest day of his life.
“What are you thinking about?” Amelia’s fingers were linked behind his neck as they slowly danced. Couples surrounded them as the night wound down, but he only had eyes for her.
He leaned down, his mouth skimming her ear. “That I can’t wait until you’re naked.”
She snorted. “You’re such a guy.”
“I’m glad you realize that.”
Amelia snickered, slightly tipsy from the champagne, and leaned closer into his embrace. “I can’t wait to get you naked either.”
She wasn’t as quiet as she clearly thought she was, because over his wife’s head he saw one of his old friends, Jack Stone, and his pregnant wife, Sophie, grin at him before turning away.
The most primitive part of Nathan couldn’t wait to see Amelia pregnant with his child. But for a while, at least, he planned to simply enjoy being married to the woman who’d stolen his heart when he was a seventeen-year-old kid. They had a lot of years to catch up on, and he was going to make every second count.
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Chapter 1
Black Death 9 Agent: member of an elite group of men and women employed by the NSA for covert, off-the-books operations. A member’s purpose is to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gather information or evidence by any means necessary.
Jack Stone opened and quietly shut the door behind him as he slipped into the conference room. A few analysts and field agents were already seated around the long rectangular table. One empty chair remained.
A few of the new guys looked up as he entered, but the NSA’s security was tighter than Langley’s. Since he was the only one missing from this meeting, the senior members pored over the briefs in front of them without even giving him a cursory glance.
Wesley Burkhart, his boss, handler, and recruiter all rolled into one, stuck his head in the room just as Jack started to sit. “Jack, my office. Now.”
He inwardly cringed because he knew that tone well. At least his bags were still packed. Once h
e was out in the hall, heading toward Wesley’s office, his boss briefly clapped him on the back. “Sorry to drag you out of there, but I’ve got something bigger for you. Have you had a chance to relax since you’ve been back?”
Jack shrugged, knowing his boss didn’t expect an answer. After working two years undercover to bring down a human trafficking ring that had also been linked to a terrorist group in Southern California, he was still decompressing. He’d been back only a week, and the majority of his time had been spent debriefing. It would take longer than a few days to wash the grime and memories off him. If he ever did. “You’ve got another mission for me already?”
Wesley nodded as he opened the door to his office. “I hate sending you back into the field so soon, but once you read the report, you’ll understand why I don’t want anyone else.”
As the door closed behind them, Jack took a seat in front of his boss’s oversized solid oak desk. “Lay it on me.”
“Two of our senior analysts have been hearing a lot chatter lately linking the Vargas cartel and Abu al-Ramaan’s terrorist faction. At this point, the only solid connection we have is South Beach Medical Supply.”
“SBMS is involved?” The medical company delivered supplies and much-needed drugs to third-world countries across the globe. Ronald Weller, the owner, was such a straight arrow it didn’t seem possible.
“Looks that way.” His boss handed him an inch-thick manila folder.
Jack picked up the packet and looked over the first document. As he skimmed the report, his chest tightened painfully as long-buried memories clawed at him with razor-sharp talons. After reading the key sections, he looked up. “Is there a chance Sophie is involved?” Her name rolled off his tongue so naturally, as if he’d spoken to her yesterday and not thirteen years ago. As if saying it was no big deal. As if he didn’t dream about her all the damn time.
