Riding The Edge (KTS Book 1)

by Elise Faber

  Olive fussed over her new cast, the other having been cut off and replaced when X-rays showed that Ava’s ankle was a little worse for wear after her field shenanigans.

  I turned to Laila and Ryker, who were parked on my other side. “Any sign of Daniel?”

  Laila shook her head. “No. Blood on the ground, but no body.”

  “Fucker’s got nine lives,” Ryker said, derision in every syllable.

  “Unfortunately, that’s true.”

  We all sat in silence for a heartbeat, and I for one, was wondering when in the hell we’d finally be rid of Daniel. He was the proverbial thorn in our side—no, more than that. He was dangerous, and every minute he lived meant KTS agents were in danger.

  Laila clapped me lightly on the shoulder. “I’ll save those two from snapping at each other.” A squeeze. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  I covered her hand. “No bullets for a while. Promise.”

  Her lips turned up. “Better keep that one,” she said and walked over to Olive, slipping her hand through the other woman’s arm and all but dragging her from the room.

  Ryker shook my hand. “Glad you’re good, brother.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  Then he was gone, following Laila and Olive out the door, looping Linc into conversation, and leaving me and Ava alone.

  She wheeled herself over to the bed. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

  I snorted, laughter bubbling up, before I groaned and held a hand over my bandage. “Too soon for laughing.”

  “Sorry.” She lifted herself up and out of the chair, sat on the bed. “You okay?”

  “Fine, sweet cheeks.” I touched her temple lightly, noted a bruise spreading out on the delicate skin surrounding her eye. “You okay?”

  She made a face. “Not sweet cheeks,” she said then pointed at her foot, scowl growing darker. “And it’s okay so much as I’ve got six more weeks in this fucking piece of fiberglass.”

  “Funny that,” I said. “Olive just ordered me off for six weeks.”

  Her eyes brightened. “Yeah?”

  “Yup.” I tugged a strand of her hair. “More lazy summer days with whiskey and peaches and lemonade?”

  She shuddered. “God no,” she said. “As much as I’ve enjoyed our time there, I think that cabin is cursed.”

  Since she had a point, I simply nodded. “So, what are two agents to do with all this time off?” I asked, rubbing the piece of her hair between thumb and forefinger, soaking in the fruity smell, so fucking glad she was okay, that I was alive and able to just be with this woman.

  “Six weeks is a really long time.”

  “An eternity.”

  Her eyes met mine, a little shy and a lot hopeful. “The start of a future.”

  “No,” I murmured. “The continuation of a future. Because,” I said when her brows drew down, confusion filling her expression, “start implies an end, and I don’t ever want there to be an end with you, Ava. I love you so fiercely, it’s engraved on my soul.”

  Lips parting, breath catching, she shook her head. “Had to get me with the pretty words, didn’t you?”

  “Every once in a while,” I said lightly.

  She wiped her eye and laughed, held up her finger, glittering with the moisture of her tears. “This is your fault,” she said. “You know that, right? Reducing a respectable agent to a blubbering mess.”

  “Come here,” I said, extending a hand and helping her crawl up next to me.

  And then because we were both hurting, I kissed her gently.

  And then because Ava was my undoing in nearly every way, I kissed her as fiercely as that love in my heart, my soul.

  Eventually, she pulled back, touched my cheek, and said, “I love you. I never thought it was possible and never hoped to have someone as wonderful as you.” A brush of her fingers. “Thank you for tearing down my walls and helping me see that happiness can come, even if I didn’t think I was deserving.”

  I kissed her forehead, tugged her close. “And you say I have the pretty words.”

  A light laugh, arms wrapping around me.

  I held the woman I loved as our pulses slowed, as our breathing steadied, as sleep crept forward.

  “We didn’t decide where to go on our six weeks,” she murmured just as I was about to succumb to oblivion.

  “Mmm,” I said, pulling her closer. “You choose this time.”

  A pause and I swear I felt her smile where her head was pressed to my chest. Or maybe it was just some sixth sense telling me mischief was in the air.

  “I’m thinking about that old quote,” she said. “You know, the coldest winter I’ve ever had is a summer in—”

  “Ava.”

  “—In San Francisco, one.”

  “Ava.”

  “Because I think it’s time your sister sees those three new holes you’re sporting, don’t you?”

  I leaned back, bopped her on the nose. “You’re evil.”

  Her face sobered, and I started to apologize, thinking she’d taken that as a comment on her family, but then she spoke, and her words touched me more than anything else could have.

  “Your sister is important to you,” she said. “I’d like to meet her as . . . me.” Teeth nibbling on her lip, but her chin lifting. “Like the woman who loves you.”

  See?

  All the pretty words.

  I kissed her, long and with every big feeling this woman invoked in me.

  I kissed her, like the continuation of that future we’d talked about.

  Then I held her close, ordered her to sleep, and said,

  “I guess we’re going to San Francisco.”

  Epilogue

  Part Two

  KTS Satellite Base

  Western Georgia

  16:22hrs

  Olive

  I strode down the hall.

  Okay, maybe I stomped down the hall.

  Mostly because of the man at my back.

  He was absolutely infuriating.

  Case in point, him coming up behind me, grabbing my arm, and turning me to face him. I could have jerked away, could have knocked him on his ass, but my biggest weakness as an agent was one that was my best as a doctor.

  I didn’t like hurting people.

  Even when they wanted to hurt me. I would do it if necessary. I could do it if the circumstances required—if my life or the life of my fellow agents or the life of an innocent were threatened.

  But I really hated it.

  Which is why I simply glared up at Linc as he growled, “Those stitches were perfect, and you know it.”

  They were perfect.

  Which was even more infuriating.

  But I was used to being infuriated by Linc. Since the moment I’d been recruited to KTS—going from M.D. to field medic to secret agent—he’d made it a point to piss me off.

  First, as the man who I’d shadowed to learn the ropes at KTS.

  Then as a fellow doctor on the committee I worked on in my non-mission time to write policies and procedures, to authorize and vet new treatments and . . . who questioned my every decision. Who pushed and prodded and was generally frustrating, even as I respected his attention to details.

  And now, as the annoyance of all annoyances, treating my teammates.

  “They were perfectly adequate,” I said, shaking him off and moving back down the hall.

  “Perfectly ad—” He broke off, shook his head.

  If I hurried, I could make it to the airport in time to catch the plane back to England, and be back, reviewing my policies and procedures, before the clock struck midnight.

  Like some pathetic version of Cinderella.

  Except instead of the pumpkin coach, I had my files.

  I pushed through the door that led into the underground garage, punched in my pin code on the panel near the entrance. It slid open to reveal several sets of keys, each would work on the community cars that were parked here and available for KTS use.

  This satell
ite base wasn’t large, and it didn’t have a built-in airstrip like headquarters, but it wasn’t far.

  Since the key fobs were interchangeable, I would drive to the airport, park the car and keep the set with me.

  Another agent would pick the car up and use it when they flew in.

  Like those scooter rentals littering the sidewalk.

  Only these were with much nicer—and wholly bulletproof—cars.

  And I was thinking about cars and scooters and interchangeable key fobs because I was desperately trying to not think about Linc—and the fact that he was behind me, trailing very close, his spicy scent teasing my nose, his heat at my spine.

  Or maybe that was my imagination.

  Because there was one additional reason why this man drove me crazy.

  I wanted him.

  So fucking bad.

  But . . . I’d given it a shot. I’d worked up my courage. I’d asked him to go on a date with me.

  And he’d turned me down.

  Flatly. Coldly. Without hesitation.

  “No, Olive,” he’d snapped when I’d invited him to dinner. His gray eyes stormy and filled with frost. His lush mouth pressed flat. “Not now. Not ever.”

  So here we were. Annoyance.

  Snapping at him so I forgot to be hurt.

  “Olive—”

  He grabbed my arm again. I shook him off. Again. “Don’t touch me,” I hissed then forced myself to take a breath, to be kind and gracious, like my grandmother had taught me. “Thank you for your work on my teammates.”

  Gray eyes edged in storm clouds. That mouth not flat but rather plump and tempting. Linc stepped a little closer. “I don’t do this for thank yous.” A beat. “And I know you don’t either.”

  I didn’t. But that also didn’t matter.

  I shrugged, started to step away. “I wanted to talk to you—”

  Stopping, I met his eyes. “About what?”

  Now, regret slipped into his expression. “About that night. I want you to know that I didn’t mean to—”

  Oh lord, now he was going to give me some excuse for why he didn’t want to date me. How absolutely fucking pathetic. And miserable.

  That too.

  “It’s fine,” I told him, lifting the key fob and striding toward the nearest car. “It’s for the best anyway—”

  “Olive, I wanted—”

  “It wouldn’t have worked and—”

  “Or it wasn’t that I didn’t want you—”

  I clicked the button to unlock the car, unable to hear anything else. “I get it, Lincoln,” I told him. “Let’s just forget it happened.”

  I yanked open the door.

  And the world exploded.

  —Crossing The Line March 22nd, 2021

  Crossing The Line

  Olive and Linc’s story is coming March 22, 2021!

  Preorder your copy at www.books2read.com/crossingthelineef

  KTS

  ICE (Hurt Anthology) #0.5

  Riding The Edge #1

  Crossing The Line #2

  Also by Elise Faber

  Gold Hockey (all stand alone)

  Blocked

  Backhand

  Boarding

  Benched

  Breakaway

  Breakout

  Checked

  Coasting

  Centered

  Charging (December 28th, 2020)

  Caged (April 12th, 2021)

  Baltimore Breakers Hockey (all stand alone)

  Broken (May 24th, 2021)

  Billionaire’s Club (all stand alone)

  Bad Night Stand

  Bad Breakup

  Bad Husband

  Bad Hookup

  Bad Divorce

  Bad Fiancé

  Bad Boyfriend

  Bad Blind Date

  Bad Wedding

  Bad Engagement

  Bad Bridesmaid (March 1st, 2021)

  KTS Series

  ICE (Hurt Anthology, stand alone)

  Riding The Edge (December 7th, 2020)

  Crossing The Line (March 22nd, 2021)

  Love, Action, Camera (all stand alone)

  Dotted Line

  Action Shot

  Close-Up

  End Scene

  Meet Cute (April 5th, 2021)

  Love After Midnight (all stand alone)

  Rum and Notes

  Virgin Daiquiri

  On The Rocks

  Sex on the Seats (April 26, 2021)

  Life Sucks Series (all stand alone)

  Train Wreck

  Hot Mess

  Dumpster Fire (February 15th, 2021)

  Roosevelt Ranch Series (all stand alone, series complete)

  Disaster at Roosevelt Ranch

  Heartbreak at Roosevelt Ranch

  Collision at Roosevelt Ranch

  Regret at Roosevelt Ranch

  Desire at Roosevelt Ranch

  Phoenix Series (read in order)

  Phoenix Rising

  Dark Phoenix

  Phoenix Freed

  Phoenix: LexTal Chronicles (rereleasing soon, stand alone, Phoenix world)

  From Ashes

  In Flames (January 25th, 2021)

  To Smoke

  Stand Alones

  Someday, Maybe (YA)

  About the Author

  USA Today bestselling author, Elise Faber, loves chocolate, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team -- the Sharks! -- are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise changes her hair color more often than some people change their socks, loves sparkly things, and is the mom to two exuberant boys. She lives in Northern California. Connect with her in her Facebook group, the Fabinators or find more information about her books at www.elisefaber.com.