Running On Empty: An LCR Elite Novel

by Christy Reece

  RUNNING ON EMPTY

  An LCR Elite Novel

  BY

  CHRISTY REECE

  Published by Christy Reece

  Cover Art by Patricia Schmitt/Pickyme

  Copyright 2014 by Christy Reece

  ISBN: 978-0-9916584-2-8

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at Christy@christyreece.com.

  Prologue

  Paris, France

  Sabrina Fox stood at the window of her apartment and looked down at the bustling street below. Since she lived on the thirty-sixth floor, recognizing anyone from this distance should be almost impossible. But she would know him…she would recognize him from any distance. From the moment she had met Declan Steele, she had known him.

  Not that it had been love at first sight. A smile tugged at her mouth as she thought about those early days. She had hated Declan with a passion unrivaled since the fury she had known as a kid. He had infuriated her, challenged her…made her see things in ways she had never considered before. She had wanted to succeed in everything he taught her, but at the same time had resisted him with every fiber of her being. Even then she had realized her hatred for him was different. He had been her trainer and harder on her than anyone else in the class, but even in their darkest moments with each other, she’d felt as if an invisible force had been drawing her to him.

  Still, there were many days she’d left her training sessions plotting his excruciatingly painful death. Dangerous, since he had been teaching her how to kill.

  Having been born into the very definition of a dysfunctional family, she had endured a childhood of sheer hell. She had been rescued from that hell by Albert Marks, who had offered her a job, bringing her into the dangerous world of covert ops. The job had saved her life.

  The Agency, EDJE (Eagle Defense Justice Enforcers), was known to only a few, including the president and his closet advisers. When assassinating terrorists and dictators, the fewer people who knew about such things, the better.

  When Albert had told her about the Agency, she’d laughed in his face, sure that it was just another gimmick or trick. In her world, adults did one of three things—lied to you, abused you, or drugged you. They didn’t offer you an escape.

  Albert’s patience, sincerity, and sheer determination had convinced her. She would always be grateful to him, not only for saving her life but also for introducing her to Declan.

  Because of Albert and the Agency, she had learned to believe in herself, to realize there was more to Sabrina Fox than being a victim to beat, demean, or rape. She had worth.

  And Declan? He had taught her many things, but the most important was that she deserved to be loved.

  Leaving EDJE hadn’t been an easy decision to make. She still believed that what she had done for them was right and just. She admired what the Agency stood for. But it had taken its toll. With each new assignment, she had felt as if she lost a little part of her soul. She would have hung on, doing the job even as it destroyed her, but Declan had seen the damage, too. He had been the one to introduce her to Jordan Montgomery, who had left the Agency years ago to become an operative for Last Chance Rescue.

  Even though she’d known about LCR, Sabrina had never encountered any of their operatives. Jordan had met with her, told her a little about the organization and then arranged a meeting with Noah McCall, LCR’s leader. From that first meeting, she had been hooked. Rescuing victims as opposed to killing? Doing good without taking lives? The chance to work for LCR had felt like a gift from heaven. So she’d joined the Last Chance Rescue team and never regretted it for a second.

  The emerald and diamond band on her left hand captured the sunlight, creating a colorful prism on the window. It felt strange to be wearing it. Unless she was on an undercover assignment, she rarely wore jewelry. No one at LCR, other than her boss, knew she was married. She kept her personal life private for many reasons, but one of the biggest was her concern for Declan. As one of EDJE’s top agents, his life was in constant danger—she refused to add to it by revealing her connection to him.

  Just over a year ago, she and Declan had exchanged vows in the sanctuary of a small church. Other than the minister and his wife, there had been no witnesses. Then, for five glorious days and even more glorious nights, Declan had been hers and no one else’s. No calls, texts, or email warnings of dire events and impending doom.

  Breath caught in her throat. There he was, getting out of a cab. As if he knew she would be watching, he looked up. She couldn’t see his face from here, but his image was etched in her memory. Square chin, stubborn and implacable, but the hint of a dimple in the center gave it a slight softening. His cheekbones, as if carved from stone, were the kind a camera would love to capture. Unfortunately, with his job, photos of any kind weren’t possible. He had a high, intelligent forehead and a slash of thick black brows that he often arched when he was expressing himself passionately about something. And beneath those expressive brows were startling, deep-blue eyes that could glint like a sapphire flame when he was angry or sparkle like jewels when he was amused. His nose was a noble blade that she had once teased him would look perfect on a Roman coin. And his mouth…oh, Declan’s mouth would make angels weep. Full, sensuous, delectable. Firm and hard when he was in a mood, but soft and delicious when he was kissing her.

  If that wasn’t enough, all of that masculine beauty was surrounded by ink black hair so thick that it took a strong wind to even ruffle a strand. And his body—six feet, five inches of masculine perfection. Broad shoulders, muscular arms, a sprinkling of hair on his well-defined chest led down to granite-hard abs. Long, powerfully built legs that could run for hours without tiring. To make it doubly unfair, he possessed a keen, intelligent mind, a quick wit, and a good heart. When God had been passing out special favors, Declan had been standing at the front of the line.

  She turned at the sound of the door opening, and there he stood, looking even more wonderful than she remembered. He barely took one step inside before she was across the room. The door closed behind him, his luggage dropped with a thud, and then she was in his arms.

  “I’ve missed you.” She spoke against his neck and inhaled, loving the fragrance of her man. He smelled of the aftershave she’d given him the last time they were together and clean male musk. Pulling slightly away from him, she gazed up into those deep-blue eyes and her insides melted.

  “I missed you, too, Little Fox.”

  Little fox. She smiled at the nickname he had given her when he’d first started training her. At first it had infuriated her. She’d come from a family who called her derogatory names more often then they’d used her given name. She had been sure it was an insult. And her? Little? Okay, she was smaller than Declan, but at five feet, eleven inches in her bare feet, she was far from little. She was sure he had meant to demean her. But then, after she had come to know him better, she had heard the affection behind the name.

  Her fingers traced a slight crease beside his mouth, one she swore hadn’t been there the last time they were together. “You’re well? No new bumps, bruises, abrasions?”

  “Nothing to speak of. And you?�
�

  “Not a scratch.”

  The relief in his eyes was a reflection of her own feelings. This was the life they’d chosen but that didn’t lessen the worry.

  “And now that you’re in my arms, I’m perfect.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” she said softly.

  Lowering his head, his smiling mouth covered hers and time disappeared. His taste deliciously familiar, heady, sexy, rocketed her from simmering need straight to full arousal. Declan’s big hands, callused and urgent, roamed over her body. She was so immersed in him, lost in her desire, it took a moment or two to register cool air washing over her.

  Pulling away slightly, she laughed breathlessly against his lips.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You’re the only man I know who can strip a woman without any effort.”

  He looked down at her black skirt and aqua blue cashmere sweater lying on the floor. A lacy black bra and bikini panties lay several feet away as if flung by impatient hands.

  His grin was wicked. “Be warned, this is how I intend to have you all weekend.”

  “You’ll get no complaints from me, but how about you?” She took a step back. “Think you can undress yourself as quickly as you did me?”

  In seconds, he showed her how he could be even faster. Ripping his shirt open, they both ignored the buttons that fell to the floor. He toed his shoes off and pulled his pants, underwear and socks down in one determined move. And he stood before her, gloriously aroused, gloriously hers.

  He pulled her back into his arms and growled, “Ready, wife?”

  “Always,” she answered softly. Melting into his embrace, she allowed him to possess her body, just as he possessed her heart. Everything she had, everything she was, belonged to him. Her husband, her lover, her life.

  Hours later, Declan stood beside their bed and gazed down at his sleeping wife—the woman who had become the beat of his heart. She was everything he’d ever dreamed of having in a mate and was the biggest reason he fought against the shit he faced daily. How she had become so vital for his survival still surprised him.

  Having lost his entire family years ago, he had never planned on loving or having deep feelings for anyone again. And now here he was today, incredibly, undeniably, and fiercely in love. Every ounce of tender emotion he possessed was tied up with this beautiful, intelligent, courageous woman.

  Everything else in his life was duty, but Sabrina was his purpose, his reason to exist.

  Holding back a heavy sigh, he strode over to the reading chair across the room and dropped into it with an uncharacteristic lack of grace.

  All the plans he’d had were now shot to hell. Would she hate him when she learned the truth or would she understand? She had been in the game a long time, too. She knew better than anyone that you did the job no matter how objectionable. If you let emotions get in the way, people died.

  The ache in his chest might be shame. It had been a long time since he’d felt this way, so he wasn’t sure he would recognize the emotion. Didn’t matter. He had a job to do and would do it to the best of his ability.

  When the assignment was over, he would tell her everything. Didn’t mean she wouldn’t be hurt or royally pissed. When they married, he had recited vows—ones he had written himself. At that time, he had meant every single one. In those vows, he had promised to never willingly hurt her. What a stupid, idiotic thing to have said. In one way or another, he’d been hurting people all of his life. Why would he think Sabrina was any different?

  He had known from the beginning that their marriage wouldn’t be like others. His job as a top commander of EDJE didn’t allow for normal. Maybe if he were still just an agent, still in the field, it could have been semi-normal. But when his pay grade had been upped, the danger had increased, and semi-normal had gone to hell.

  Regretting his decisions would do no good. He believed in what he did, what EDJE stood for. Protecting his adopted country, one that he loved as much as he loved his homeland of Scotland, meant sacrifice. He just damn well hated certain parts of it.

  “For a man who recently gave his wife ten orgasms, you’re looking awfully serious.”

  Throwing aside his dire thoughts for the moment, he glanced over at her. “You’re keeping count?”

  “Hell yeah. If I don’t, how will I know when you’re slipping?”

  “So is ten better or worse than the last time?”

  “Better.” She beamed at him. “Thank you very much!”

  He chuckled and shook his head. Only Sabrina could pull him from the darkness. “I ordered a meal for us…that little Italian place down the street you like so much. Should be here in about twenty minutes.”

  Her movements graceful as a dancer, she rose from the bed. “Just enough time for me to shower.” Her naked body seductive, enticing, she held out her hand. “Join me?”

  Declan followed her into the bathroom. All the worrying in the world wouldn’t stop the inevitable, but for a few hours more he could hold back the sense of impending doom that shadowed his every step. Reality would come soon enough.

  Placing her fork onto her empty plate, Sabrina leaned back in her chair with a satisfied sigh. Nothing like incredible, mind-blowing sex to increase her appetite. “That was wonderful.”

  “More wine?”

  “No, thanks. Good choice, though. It was fabulous with the risotto.”

  “I was surprised the restaurant had a bottle. It’s sometimes hard to get.”

  What she knew about wine or the finer things of life, she had learned from Declan and her Agency training. Odd that knowing such things as the correct wine or proper fork were important, but when infiltrating certain organizations to get close to the leader, that knowledge could be paramount. Men and women who perpetrated some of the most heinous acts on mankind often cloaked their evil ways behind wealth and privilege. Blending in had been vital to her success.

  Working for LCR was a refreshing change in many ways, but more than once she’d had cause to be grateful for her earlier training. Though she now rescued kidnap victims instead of assassinating evil leaders, she occasionally went deep cover. Her skills had come in handy.

  She eyed the beautiful man across from her. Though Declan could hide any emotion or thought behind a cool, implacable facade, she had known him for twelve years, loved him almost that long. Making a career of being someone else enabled him to hide behind a mask, but she knew every nuance and expression…something was bothering him.

  Their time together was so limited that neither of them liked to bring the outside world in, but she knew that was about to happen. And if it was bothering him, then she definitely wanted to know.

  “You want to talk about it now or do you want to wait till later?”

  She appreciated that he didn’t bother to pretend he didn’t know what she was talking about.

  He swallowed as if what he was about to say was difficult and gave an odd, twisted smile. “I’ve been giving a lot of thought to our marriage. What I want out of life.”

  She wanted to tease him and say she was glad he’d been thinking about her. The darkness in his eyes prevented that. “You want out?”

  He jerked slightly. “No…hell no.”

  Relief flooded through her. “Well, then…what? If you don’t tell me quickly, I’m going to imagine all sorts of terrible things.”

  “I want more than this…clandestine, too dangerous life. I want a family, a house with a yard, I want pets…maybe a kid or two.”

  Frozen in dismay, she could only stare. Never had he indicated that he wanted something like that. The nature of their careers made those things almost impossible to carry off. “I…uh…”

  He grinned. “Damn, I love seeing you speechless.”

  “But, Declan, the Agency is your life. You’ve been with them for years.”

  An intense light entered his eyes. “The Agency is not my life, Sabrina. You are. Never forget that.” Then, as if pulling himself back from the force of those wor
ds, his body relaxed and his expression cleared. “I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. But I want to be with you more than a few days out of the year. I was fooling myself thinking I could have both. I don’t want both. I only want you.”

  Happiness burst within her. To have him out of danger. To not worry while watching news of bombs exploding and people dying in war-torn countries if he was there in the midst of it all, trying to stop the chaos. To not worry about that middle-of-the-night phone call telling her he’d been killed or injured. Yes, yes, yes!

  “So you’re leaving the Agency? I mean, really, seriously leaving it?”

  “Yes. I talked to Albert about it already. He was surprised, to say the least, but he understands. I have just a couple of minor issues I need to rectify. Nothing major. Won’t take more than a month or so to finalize everything, and then I’m all yours.”

  “So…you want to, uh, like…get a regular job? Nine to five, the whole deal?”

  “I’ve got some money saved up, so I don’t have to make a decision right away.”

  She bit her lip. While she was thrilled that Declan would be out of the dark, gritty, and dangerous world of covert ops, she wasn’t sure how he felt about LCR. She loved her job, and though it was dangerous, often just as much as his was, she didn’t want to leave it.

  A thought flashed across her mind like a meteor. “I have an idea. How would you feel about working with me? I’m sure that No—”

  His fingers covered her mouth. “Let me get this out of the way, and then we’ll see. Okay?”

  Even though she was a little disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm for her suggestion, she told herself it was understandable. Here he was finally giving up a dangerous job, and she was asking him to jump right back into the fire.

  “So the things you’re finalizing. Is it an op or—”

  He leaned forward and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. “Don’t ask, darling, and I won’t have to say no.”

  Even though she understood, it still hurt. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust her—she knew without a doubt he did. His reticence to share was always about one thing—protecting her. And that scared her most of all.