by Em Petrova
She appraised him. “You seem like a smart guy—do they ever just retreat?”
A ghost of a grin crossed Sullivan’s face. “We’ll take action when we get the call.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you know something I don’t?”
She nodded. “I’ve got intel that there’s a flash drive containing enough information to find every man and every weapon they have on its way into the United States—and where to find it. But it means breaching a rather precarious and heavily guarded position.”
“At that time, you can give me the information and we’ll handle it.”
She shook her head before the words were completely out of his mouth. “My direct order is to get the flash drive into my hand. You get me in, and I retrieve it.”
He gave a stiff nod. “Like I said, we’ll take action when we get the call. I’ll let you know when the time comes. But be warned—what we do ain’t for the faint of heart.”
She drew up. She’d been facing the thinking that a woman couldn’t achieve or stomach the same things as men all her life, and so far, she’d shown she could hold her own.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught Linc taking a step closer. Her stomach tensed. Or maybe that was much lower. Ugh, here she was arguing that she was strong enough to hang with the guys while lusting over one.
But maybe that didn’t make her weak or the wrong sex to do the job—it just made her human.
Linc focused on her. “Honey, take the night off—we are.”
She gaped at the man, more audacious—and dammit, more handsome—than he had been in the hospital. Coming off his current mission, he was rugged, decked out in camo and with streaks of paint across his face to disguise himself in the night.
He also wore a thunderous look that made her want to kick him in the balls.
“Look, Linc—”
“I need to debrief and then shower. You can join me—but we won’t be doin’ much talking.”
What. A. Fucker.
Calling her out in front of the other men she wanted to respect her? Acting as if he was God’s gift to womankind?
She gave him her best glare, one that usually made grown men look away.
“Man, that was a little harsh,” Sullivan was saying to Linc.
She spun back to the car that had brought her here. Fury ricocheted through her body, along with something darker, more disturbing.
That something was lust.
She was turned on, and damn if she’d let him see how hard her nipples were through her top.
She yanked open the car door and slipped in.
Sullivan put a hand on the door, preventing her from closing it. “I’m sorry for my teammate. He’s an asshole sometimes.”
She looked past him to Linc and said, “I need your assistance in this matter, but I refuse to work in these conditions.”
If there was any way around working with Ranger Ops, she needed to find it. If she never set eyes on Lincoln Reed again, she’d hire a bunch of parade floats to make a celebration of it.
“We’ll speak to you tomorrow. All of us,” Sullivan added, tossing a look over his shoulder at Linc. “Come to our base.” He recited an address and then closed the door for her. He tapped the side of the vehicle, and the man hired as her driver set the car in motion.
How was it possible that every time she thought of Linc, she was irritated—and at the same time turned on? He’d muddled the emotions in her mind with the elevator moment, but she was just as much to blame.
Her loss of judgment was going to haunt her every single time she looked at the man, and that was inevitable if they were combining forces.
* * * * *
Linc’s muscles were a little more tired than usual after a mission. Made sense, since he’d spent over a month being idle. But that wasn’t why he was wide awake at two in the morning.
Nealy was here in the city, and he couldn’t get her out of his head. Which was ridiculous, considering he didn’t even like her. Okay, so he liked some parts of her. Her mouth was just fine as long as she wasn’t using it to talk.
He grunted and rolled onto his side. It was heaven to be in his own bed, but sleep was far from him.
He knew exactly why she was here, and the Ranger Ops would accommodate her by joining ranks to deal with Operation X. They had the muscle and firepower while she had the backing of federal law. Together, they’d be unrivaled, and it was exactly what they needed to bring down those fuckers who’d held him in a crate.
Shifting his jaw, he scowled at the window. The blinds were drawn down, but through a crack, a streetlight glowed blue in the darkness. He couldn’t see the sky, and for a born and raised country boy, that was a problem.
His mind skipped from the present to his childhood. He and Lennon raised by a momma who worked so much just to keep them fed. Their days had been peaceful, living in a rural area where they could ride bikes to the creek to fish or swim in a farmer’s pond without him knowing. One time Lennon had left his socks on the bank of a pond, and the farmer had called their momma to tell her to keep her boys off his land. But she’d only told him boys would be boys and at least they were staying out of real trouble.
She always had their backs, and it had been a long time since Linc had visited her. As soon as he could break away, he’d go, spend some time just sitting in a field breathing in the scent of grasses and staring at the big Texas sky. Maybe horseback ride through a canyon.
Yeah, getting in touch with nature was just the thing he needed to calm his soul.
He flipped over onto his other side to stare into the darkness. After a bit, his eyelids grew heavier, and he was about to drop off to sleep when his phone buzzed.
Only one person would be calling at this hour—his captain.
Wide awake now, he took the call. In five minutes, he was decked out in cammies. When he got to the rallying point, six dark shapes stood by the SUV. He parked his car and got out, staring at the outlines in the darkness. He made out Lennon’s form easy, and Jess had his cowboy hat on.
But the smaller figure…
With a jolt, he realized exactly who it was. He remembered the lines of that body in darkness like no other.
Fucking hell—Nealy wasn’t serious about imposing herself on this trip, was she?
His second thought as he strode across the parking lot was where the hell she’d fit in the vehicle. The back was crowded with Cav and Jess, and he and Lennon took up the middle row.
That left her crunched between them—or in Linc’s lap.
He growled as he drew to a stop, his glare on Nealy. She was dressed in black cargo pants and a black T-shirt, both of which showed off more of her figure than he’d ever seen. Even in the darkness, he made out the curve of her breasts he remembered so well, and his dick hardened.
Dammit.
He swung his head toward Sully. “You invite her?”
The captain gave a small shake of his head in response, probably sensing Linc was about to blow.
“Actually, you’re all with me. I have direct orders to go into this place.” Nealy’s voice drilled into Linc’s psyche.
“Jesus. Are you kidding me?”
“Not a bit.”
“Does your superior want you killed? Because that’s what you’re facing if you’re with us.” He eyed her.
She didn’t even pale at his words as most women would. Instead, she drew up taller. “I’ve got access to things you don’t, and I know things about this group.”
Compressing his lips, he gritted out, “Woman, anything you know can be passed on to us. Let us do our jobs. Go back to your hotel and your bed.”
She set her hands on her hips and faced him. Even in the dark, he saw the anger on her face. “I am highly trained in investigating violations to federal laws relating to firearms and explosives, both of which we’ll be dealing with if you ever stop dragging your feet and get into the damn SUV.”
“Woman, you cross too many lines as it is. The last thing we need is—”
“Linc.” Sully’s heavy hand came down on his shoulder, cutting off his words. “She’s got a valid tactical layout for us. Easy in, take control, easy out.”
He ground his molars against anything more he wanted to say. His captain’s word was the final one, and he’d just have to live with it.
“Fine.” He grabbed the door and yanked it open, launching inside and fastening his seatbelt.
Sully came to the door and stared at him. “You good, man?”
Linc leveled his gaze at him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You just came back and haven’t had rest—”
“As long as I can hold a weapon and crawl, I’m good.” He reached for the door handle, and Sully stepped back so he could slam the door.
A second later, a tight little body slid onto the seat beside him. Linc glanced down at the small gap of an inch between their legs, aware of the scent of her shampoo. The best thing he’d ever smelled in this vehicle full of dirty, sweaty men who shared a love of burritos.
He let out the breath he realized he was holding and turned his head to the window, looking through tinted glass to the black of night.
When Lennon crowded in the other side, taking over much of the seat, Linc felt Nealy’s thigh brush his.
She moved it, but that left her knees crunched together. She’d be cramped by the time she got out at their destination, but it served her right.
During the entire ride, he remained silent, unwilling to add to the conversation taking place about who had a better bowling handicap. Nealy was equally as quiet, her arms folded over her chest. Once in a while, he saw her fingers pluck at the fabric of her T-shirt, and he took it as a sign of her nerves. Though on the surface, she appeared as composed as any of the Ranger Ops.
Damn ballsy of her, to be coming along with them. He didn’t care if it was an order that came directly from Colonel Downs. Linc knew her training gave her enough ability to handle herself in a chase, in a shootout and probably provided enough physical prowess to take down a man much larger than her. That didn’t mean she was prepared for the shit they were about to do.
They were headed to Chihuahua, Mexico, and that wasn’t easy terrain even without being laden down with gear.
Judging by the landscape, they were about to employ their training in cliff climbing. At the top of a cliff was a glimmer of light from the multimillion-dollar mansion that was their destination.
“Damn, these people got the money and brains to position their house in a place nobody can breech without climbing gear,” Shaw said.
“That’s the plan. Two at a time until we reach the top.”
Linc, prepared for the physical challenge, moved to the back and began pulling gear out. The equipment took longer to rig up than reaching the top would.
He sliced a look at Nealy. “Ever done this before?”
She nodded. “For recreation, but I’m confident I’ll be fine.”
Looking over her head, he said to Sully, “She’s with me.”
She opened her mouth to retort, but Linc caught her eye, and she snapped it shut.
He was just feeling like he might have won that battle, when she said, “Once we reach the top, though, I’m going in.”
“You,” he said flatly, clipping the carabiners into place.
“We aren’t only going in after men, Linc. Your team can take care of the threat while I search for the flash drive.”
“Where exactly is this flash drive? How do you locate it in that place, when it probably has nineteen bedrooms?”
She fiddled with her own rigging, tugging to ensure it was tight. He watched her do this, making sure she was outfitted properly and wouldn’t be breaking her pretty neck.
She flicked a glance at him.
“Where?” he demanded.
“My source says it’s plastered into a wall.”
“And you’re going to find it how?”
Her focus moved from her ropes to Linc. “I was given information on what to look for.”
“And when you do find it? How are you getting it out of the drywall? Are you going to shoot up the drywall so you can reach in and extract it?”
“I’ll figure it out when I see it,” she said.
He breathed through his nose slowly to keep from grabbing her and hogtying her in the vehicle until he got back.
He’d be nice, though, and leave a window rolled down.
* * * * *
Nealy needed all the concentration she had to get up that cliff face. The climbing part wasn’t as difficult as it was to keep her eyes off the man in front of her. Linc went hand over hand like a wild beast, and it was difficult not to stare in awe at his physical prowess.
When she reached the top a short time after him, he stuck out a hand for her to take. She ignored it and heaved herself over the ledge. The place was dead quiet, and the only lights were a few low-watt security ones around the perimeter of the home.
Allegedly owned by one of the masterminds behind the weapons trade, this man was responsible for bringing hundreds of thousands of automatic weapons into the US. And she was going to be an integral part of stopping it from continuing.
She needed this on her resume.
Ahead of her, Linc flicked two fingers in a direction. She followed the gesture, watching as Ranger Ops dealt with two guards on a door. Then two of their team slipped into the home. Linc nodded and took off after them. In a crouched position with her weapon at the ready, she ran behind.
Her heart was drumming loudly in her ears, but she’d ignored her physical response to danger many, many times. In her ear, the comms unit she wore gave a staticky sound.
“Dammit, not again,” one of the guys said on a whisper of a breath.
She followed the group through an inner courtyard and to another door. She spotted the guard there a split second before Linc clamped onto a pressure point on his neck and the man collapsed.
One of the Ranger Ops men bound and gagged him with the swift precision that told her they’d done this a time or ten.
“Alexander, what’s the coordinates of the mark?” Linc’s voice filled her ear.
He wasn’t looking at her, and hearing his voice gave her an odd sense of intimacy, similar to what she’d felt in the dark elevator.
“You’re not going in without me.”
“Fine. Let’s go—now.”
She let him clear the way through the house, sneaking past a dining room with grand, contemporary furniture and polished silver, both gleaming in the low moonlight streaming through the windows. And another room, all modern angles and large art pieces.
Finally, she stopped him. “We’re getting close.” She glanced over the wall, searching for a small imperfection that would be hiding a cutout.
He moved with a slow, rolling stealth that reminded her that she wasn’t playing in the kiddie pool anymore. Ranger Ops was the real deal, and she was proud to be among them today.
They sidestepped into the room, Linc on high alert and her using her flashlight to scope out every inch of the wall.
“You never told me how the hell you got this information, Alexander,” he breathed out, barely audible.
“A team of agents dig up the intel, and my director feeds it to me.” When she’d gotten the call from Mark on her journey from DC to Texas, she’d committed every word to memory, locked into her mind.
“Here,” she said.
At that moment, a Ranger Ops man spoke into their comms. “Target is roaming.”
Her stomach knotted, and she jerked to look at the door, expecting an enemy to walk through it.
“I think it’s right here,” she whispered, poking a finger at a spot on the wall.
He stared hard. “I think you’re wrong.”
She glared. “I was told it’s a crescent-shaped divot in the wallpaper.”
His brows drew together as he shook his head.
Without warning, Linc cocked a fist and punched through the plaster—a different spot of plaster. The n
oise seemed deafeningly loud in the silent space. Nealy stared as he yanked his hand back out and uncurled his fingers to show her he had it. “Let’s go,” he rasped.
He led the way as they booked it out of the house. A shot fired. Then another.
“Shit’s gettin’ dirty.” The voice was so similar to Linc’s that it must be his twin’s.
Linc jerked his head for Nealy to follow. When she didn’t seem to be in the position he wanted her, he grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her down just as a hailstorm of bullets sprayed over them. He flattened his heavy body over hers, crushing the breath right out of her.
She managed to get her weapon hand free and take aim, but before she could squeeze off a shot, Linc unloaded. The explosion over her head would ensure she was wearing hearing aids by the time she hit thirty-five.
She was dragged to her feet. Everything blurred past her as they sprinted out of the house. Something stung the back of her leg, and she let out a hiss.
“Fuck, are you hit?” Linc tossed her a look and grabbed her. His hard latch on her hip and shoulder were nothing compared to her hitting the ground hard. She looked up to see a shield of foliage in front of her.
Linc hit the dirt beside her. “Cover your head. Cav’s blowin’ the place.”
She picked her head up to ask if they were at a safe enough distance, and he shoved her down, planting a hand over her head and holding her cheek to the ground. She shook him off enough to lock her hands over her head.
When the explosion hit, she was damn glad Linc had thrown her behind the shield of tall, thick bushes.
Her ears echoed with the reverberations.
Then male laughter flooded into her comms unit.
“Anybody got a marshmallow?” one guy asked.
“No, but we can put your dick on a stick and roast it, Jess.”
Deep laughter followed.
She raised her head and found Linc sitting up, grinning at her. She pushed upward, stunned that she could after the shock of the blow. Her mind didn’t catch up as quick.
Before she could think of what to do next, he wrapped a hand around her nape, yanked her in and planted a kiss square on her mouth.
