Every man in the room jumped when the gun fired. Ricardo's head exploded, painting the small overhang with blood, skull, and brains. From the angle of the helmet cam, they could see flashing lights bouncing down the driveway. The killer side-stepped Ricardo's body and left as silently as he'd come.
"Jewell, tell me you can get a facial recognition on that man." Alpha snapped at his sister who was pounding the keyboard like it had offended her.
"No, in order to get a facial recognition, you need to see a face." She overlaid a grid onto a playback of the video. "Five-feet-five inches, if we use Asp's six-feet-five inches as a reference in this shot.
"So most likely Colombian? A local?"
"I couldn't say. The only thing I know for a fact is that guy is five-feet-five inches tall and is carrying a big ass weapon."
"Desert Eagle, forty-five caliber." Bengal nodded as he looked at the still of the weapon.
"An American weapon," Archangel mused.
Alpha waved that comment off. "Doesn't mean anything. They are highly sought after."
"But would a local have access to a weapon that expensive?" Jared stared at the gun. "That is not a Saturday Night Special or a Russian cast off."
"We know it isn't any of our assets. Our teams are out. Our Shadows are clear. Jewell, where did you cut off the video to the District Commander?"
She clicked on the file. "Here. When Asp drove away."
Archangel leaned back in his seat. "Pull the file."
Keystrokes sounded in rapid succession. "It's pulled."
"Delete it. All of it. We know Asp didn't violate protocol. We tried to play it on the up and up." Alpha interjected.
"Cutting off a man's balls is on the up and up?" Jared turned to his brother when he asked.
"Imagine if Christian's family...okay, wrong example, sorry. Imagine what I would do if someone killed Frank and Mom and went after Tori."
"You'd obliterate the bastard."
"I would. Asp didn't. Did he exact his pound of flesh?"
"More like a quarter pound." Jewell's unexpected sarcasm caused Alpha to blink. He held up a hand to her silencing her snark and continued to speak, "He notified us of what he'd found. He tracked down the evidence. We witnessed him leaving the man, alive. Granted, he was a bit worse for wear, but the son of a bitch was alive. Asp even fucking called emergency services in from the village. No, we are putting this in a can and sealing it. Whoever had a grudge against Ricardo killed that man. Not our monkey, not our zoo."
Archangel stood and took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I concur. That wasn't a Guardian asset. Shit can the video." He nodded at Bengal. "Tell me the second Asp touches American airspace. He's to stay at the ranch, and I want him evaluated." He placed his glasses back on his face and slid his hands into his slacks. "The man fucking cut the balls off another man." He gave a shudder and turned on his heel. "Tell Doc Wheeler I'm worried about this one."
Alpha acknowledged his older brother. When the door closed, he looked at Bengal. "I would have gutted the son of a bitch. I don't know how he restrained himself."
Bengal shrugged and shook his head. "I guess he's a better man than either of us."
Chapter 25
"Are you sure?" Lyric looked at the large tray of food that Miss Amanda set on the small counter of the cottage. "I don't think I can fit the platter in the refrigerator." Miss Amanda was the third person to drop off food. Lyric was happy to have visitors because the clock had been running backward ever since Kaeden had found her this morning and told her Isaac was on his way home. She was excited and scared at the same time. She didn't know which feeling to embrace and tried hard not to look at either. She pulled another deep breath in and let it out. Isaac would be here soon, and everything would be alright. She believed it. Almost.
"Honey, all of this can sit on the counter. Nothing needs to be refrigerated, and you won't have to take time away from welcoming him back to cook." Miss Amanda gave her a wide-eyed wink and laughed as Lyric choked in surprise.
"I'm old, honey, not dead."
Morbid embarrassment swamped Lyric. "Oh, no! I mean...it’s just that..." Lyric dropped her head into her hands and groaned.
"What is it?" Miss Amanda put her hand on Lyric's shoulder and rubbed a small circle.
Lyric lifted her eyes to the matriarch of the ranch. She was such a kind woman. It wouldn't be fair to dump her fears and concerns on her. She smiled and shook her head. "Nothing, it's really nothing."
"Uh huh. Sweetheart, I've raised three girls, and I have three daughters-in-law and one more in the chute. I know when nothing isn't nothing. Let’s sit down. Honestly, you can tell me anything. It goes no farther than this room. I promise." Amanda led her to the loveseat.
Lyric looked down at her entwined fingers. "I love Isaac with all my heart. It is a desperate kind of love, one that scares me because of the...I don't know, the magnitude of my feelings?" She shrugged, still looking down. "What if he doesn't feel that way? What if he doesn't love me the way I love him?" She glanced at Miss Amanda, swiping a tear away when it fell.
"Oh, honey. Have you told Isaac how you feel?" Amanda reached out and held her hand in hers.
Lyric nodded. "I have."
"And he told you that he loved you, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And he sent you up here, to the one place he knew you'd be safe?"
Lyric nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"And he's called you and told you why it was taking so long to come home?"
"He called." Lyric whispered in acknowledgement.
"Did he tell you he loved you on the call?"
"Yes, ma'am." She shook her head. "I'm just scared that he won't need me. That he won't feel what he felt for me now that we aren't in..." She glanced up at Miss Amanda and checked her words, "...the situation we were in."
"Don't borrow trouble, dear. You can 'what if ' yourself to death, and it won't change a single thing that is happening now. He said he loves you. Has he ever lied to you?"
"No, ma'am, he's always been honest." Lyric drew a deeper breath. "I'm stupid, aren't I?"
"Stupid? No. I think you're reacting the way anyone in your circumstances would react. You've been apart from the man you love for a while now. You're scared."
Lyric nodded. She was scared. It wasn't like her to be this way. She was a take the bull by the horns type of girl. Her dad always said...she stopped the thought when grief welled up inside her. She glanced at Miss Amanda and asked, "Do you think he could have the same kind of questions?"
Amanda smiled as she spoke, "Ah...well, I can't speak for Isaac, but I know the men that work here on the ranch and at the complex. To a person when they fall in love, they can become complete idiots." A surprised laugh burst from Lyric at Amanda's words. "Seriously! They are the best at what they do. Specialists, every one of them. They are elite, but when it comes to love, they're just like you and me. They don't have all the answers. These men are a special breed. They have demanding jobs that require the skill sets that most don't have. They think they know it all, but for the most part, they have no idea what we ladies need. So, we teach them."
"Thank you, for taking the time to talk with me and for bringing me more food than we can eat in a week."
Amanda laughed, slapped her hands against her thighs and stood up. "Girl, you are in for a rude awakening. Cooking for your man could be a full-time job. My sons can put some food away, but I have never seen anyone eat the way your Isaac does."
"That's what everyone says, but seriously, he barely ate when I was with him. We lived off of protein bars and fruit."
Amanda blinked at her and then smiled in a way that told Lyric she was wrong, but Miss Amanda wasn't going to call her on it. "I should be going. I believe..." Amanda opened the door and nodded outside..."Yep, right on time."
"What?" Lyric glanced out the door. A truck was pulling up the long driveway.
"Kaeden called me when the plane was on approach. I came down to
keep you distracted. Your man's home."
Lyric jolted at Miss Amanda's words. She stepped out of the door and watched as the black truck stopped by the big house across the clearing. The windows were tinted so she couldn't see inside the vehicle. The door opened and... yes! "Isaac!" Lyric shouted and launched herself at a dead run toward the man who exited the passenger side door. Somehow, she was in his arms and kissing him. He held her tight, so tight, and his arms felt like home.
"Shhh, babe. It's okay. I'm home." His words registered at the same time as she felt the tears on her cheeks. He lifted her, so her legs wrapped around his waist and he carried her into Drover’s Cottage. Lyric folded around him, pulling herself so tightly against him that there was no space for air.
"I love you. I love you, so much." She repeated the words against his neck, still crying, but the tears were from happiness, not sorrow. He kicked the door to the cottage shut and squeezed her against him. His massive, rock-hard body, stood unwavering as he easily held her weight. He lifted her chin from his neck and smiled at her. "My beautiful Lyric. I love you."
Asp stared down at the woman in his arms. The flight home had been unusual for him. He couldn't stop his doubts from looping a narrative through his internal thinking. He knew Lyric was it for him, but she was young and so fucking beautiful. Her beauty shone from deep inside her as well the outside. Her radiance had become his guidepost in the darkness where he lived. He didn't have the right to have someone like her in his life, and that little fucker called doubt kept reminding him of that as he traveled home.
His worry was wiped away the second he opened the vehicle's door. Her expression told him everything. She hit him at a full-on run, and he absorbed her like the desert absorbs a raindrop. He managed to get them into the small cottage Anubis had told them they would be sharing until a permanent housing solution could be found. He didn't care if they lived in a tent. He just needed her.
She'd burrowed into him as he held her, and he fucking loved it. He smiled as he lifted her chin so he could see her face. Her whispered admissions of her love gave that fucker doubt a harsh kick in the ass. She loved him. She was in his arms and together they would figure out how to build a life. He smiled down at the perfection wrapped around his body. "My beautiful Lyric. I love you."
Something melted inside her. She relaxed and smiled at him before she pulled them down into a sweet kiss that quickly devolved into a need-filled, passionate, exchange. He pulled away to breathe and to find the bedroom...or bed. Damn the place was small, but it'd work. It only took four steps to rack his shins against the bed frame. He held her tight to his chest and laid them both on top of the feather soft mattress before he took possession of her lips again. He needed to devour her. He needed so damn much he was afraid to unleash the want and the desire.
Her hands gripped at his shirt. She broke free from the kiss. "Clothes off. Now."
Her wish was his command. He lost his shirt, boots, jeans, and briefs in the same time it took her to disrobe. He stood over her and admired the miles and miles of beautiful tan skin. Her dark hair fell over her breasts.
Asp dropped one knee onto the bed between her legs. He ran his fingers from her shin to her thigh. She shivered, and her skin prickled in anticipation of his touch. "What do you need from me?" He wanted her to lead. He was too hungry. He needed her to control his aggression, or he'd ravage her.
Her eyes traveled his chest, down his stomach to his cock. He'd circled his fist at the base and squeezed trying to control his desire, to harness the need.
"I need you to take that cock and fuck me. Hard. I want you to make me feel you. I want you to cum inside me, and I want it now. Don't make me wait and don't hold back." She trailed her finger to her sex and separated the folds, exposing herself to him. She dipped two fingers inside and slid them out, slick with her own juices. "See, I'm ready for you. I need you now, Isaac."
"I have condoms." Asp reached toward his pocket.
She reached out and stopped him. "No, I've taken care of that. I'm on the pill now. I want to feel you. Now, Isaac." Her hand reached for his cock and he lowered on top of her, took her lips with a possessive urgency that became as essential as breathing. He let her guide him home. Her legs circled his waist and tightened, urging him to go faster. He refused to hurt her. He slowly entered her and retreated, working his cock deeper. He paused once he was seated inside her. His lips slid from her mouth, down her jaw and onto her collarbone where he abused the sensitive skin, marking her as his.
"Take me. Isaac, for God's sake, stop teasing me," she panted and hit his shoulder. He lifted away from his mark and smiled at his efforts. A feeling of happiness washed over him when she cupped the back of his neck and made him look at her.
"You asked what I needed. I need you. Now. Don't make me beg you, Isaac." She arched her hips against him as he pushed forward. "Harder."
Isaac lifted to his knees and pushed her legs over his forearms. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You can't hurt me." Her hands slid over his shoulders. "Show me how much you love me."
Those words ruined what little control he had. He snapped his hips forward and watched the sway of her breasts as he withdrew and thrust forward again. Her eyes closed and her back arched. He watched, mesmerized as she cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples. His orgasm lanced down his spine and pooled in his balls. Her back arched and she clenched, her shouts of ecstasy echoed around him, and he crashed inside her. A complete, catastrophic, annihilation. He dropped to his hands, his arms out straight supporting his weight over her. His body shook with the aftershocks of the best fucking orgasm he'd ever experienced. He knew the reason why he was obliterated right now. Love. What they shared was more than just physical. The emotional connection, hell, it magnified the pleasure they shared.
"Is it always this good with you?" She ran her hands up and down his shaking arms.
"Only with you." He pulled out of her and rolled onto his side, pulling her with him. "I missed you."
She smiled and caressed his brow and cheek with her fingers. "I missed you, so much. Did you finish your work in Colombia?"
"I did." He knew they'd go back to bury her family, but he also knew they'd make a life away from the Andes foothills. "Did Kaeden take care of you here?"
She nodded and tucked up against his chest. "They're all very nice, but I'm glad you're home."
"You are my home." Isaac closed his eyes and let his fingers caress her skin. He was home. Here, entwined in her arms, he was home. The logistics of where they'd live and how'd they'd manage his profession were just that. Logistics. As long as she was waiting for him, he'd be able to find his way home because Lyric was his lodestar to navigate through the darkness. Where ever she was would always be his home.
Epilogue
Lycos sat in the corner booth of his favorite D.C. bar. He enjoyed the atmosphere. The crowd, as usual, was diverse. Men with men, men with women, women with women, the dancers didn't give a fuck, and neither did he. Right now, the only thing he cared about was making her way through the grinding bodies on the small dance floor. Her tight ocean blue dress clung to every enticing curve of her holy-fuck-stop-all-traffic-accident-causing body. Her thick black hair would have fallen to her shoulders if she hadn't twisted it up and skewered it with long ornamental pins. Ornamental his ass.
Lycos leaned back in his seat and let her see his intimate regard. He had a reputation, one he didn't discourage, but one that he hadn't earned either. They'd been exclusive for years, except when the job required them to perform, and, as far as they knew, nobody else was aware of their sporadic domestic bliss. Their relationship started as one of convenience and had become one of stability for both of them. Were they in love? No. They'd had that talk often. He wasn't sure either one of them was capable of that particular emotion. What they had...worked. When it no longer did, they'd walk away. He'd be sad to see the end of it, but the only constant in life was change.
He stood as she approached and
even in her four-inch heels, she barely reached his chin. She was his little China doll, although she wasn't fragile. In fact, Moriah was the deadliest woman on the face of the earth. He claimed her mouth as her arms circled his neck. If any of the bastards that were eye fucking her when she walked past them wanted her, they'd have to come through him first. Not that she needed him to protect her, but she allowed it, and that was some heady as fuck shit. She untangled herself from him with one last rub of her hips against his erection.
"Tease." He hissed as she slid into the booth.
"I don't think it’s a tease if I'm a sure thing." She picked up his tumbler of Grey Goose and took a drink. She set the glass down and turned to him, leaning into his side, laying her head on his chest. "What's wrong?"
"Why do you think something's wrong?"
"Grey Goose. Your go to when you're stressed."
"They have you on video."
Moriah shrugged as if his concerns were nothing. He rolled his eyes at her cavalier attitude. She glanced up and caught him in the act. She huffed, moved away from him and flopped onto the backrest of the booth. "Look, they saw nothing. I watched. I saw what Asp set up, and I examined it when he was inside the house waiting for that bastard. I stole the clothes I wore from a stall in Cartagena, and I put stacks in the heels of my boots. Too tall, no face. Dead man tell no tales, right?"
"Desert Eagle?"
"What? I like that gun. Not like they can trace it or the ammo to me or connect me to Colombia. I was in Egypt on assignment, remember?"
"You shouldn't have killed him. I wanted you there to back up Asp, not to take the Colombian fucker out. You should have left when Asp did." Lycos was livid when he'd learned that she'd popped a cap through that bastard’s brain. This wasn't the first time she'd taken justice into her own hands. He sometimes wondered if the people doing her evaluations saw more than her beautiful face. The woman had deep, dark scars. He'd been with her for years, and he only knew the smallest details about her past.
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