by Kells, India
Hidden Obsession
An Alliance Agency Novel: Book 2
Maddie Wade
India Kells
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
Sneak Peek: Deadly Alliance
Sneak Peek: Knight Watch
Thank You
About the Authors
Preface
Hidden Obsession
An Alliance Agency Novel: Book 2
Authors: Maddie Wade and India Kells
Published by Maddie Wade
Copyright © November 2019 Maddie Wade Ltd and India Kells
Cover: Envy Designs
Editing: https://www.blackopalediting.com
Formatting: https://www.blackopalediting.com
This is a work of fiction. Names characters places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as fact. Any resemblance to actual events organizations or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook onscreen. Except for use in reviews, promotional posts or similar uses no part of this text may be reproduced transmitted downloaded decompiled reverse-engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical now known or hereafter invented without the express written permission of the author.
First edition October © 2019 Maddie Wade Ltd and India Kells
Created with Vellum
Hidden Obsession Blurb
Cleo Darwin and Mason Bentley
On the hot streets of Miami, someone is watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike at a team member of the Alliance Agency.
Cleo Darwin is the stunning violet-haired office manager of the Alliance Agency. She is capable, controlled and respected by the people she works with. But the woman who has such complete control has a secret. Her past is anything but pretty; it is messy and cruel and why she strives to live her life with no room for surprises.
Until she meets Mason Bentley, the clean-cut suit wearing operative that makes her body hum and her heart wants more. She tries to fight the attraction they share but he is slowly breaking down her defenses and showing the life she could have with him—a future.
Mason Bentley has spent his life protecting the rich and famous, from politicians to royalty, and never has he been tempted to change the rigid control he has on his life until her. Cleo walked into his life and made him yearn for a future filled with bright colors and love.
Now, a stalker is hunting Cleo, and as the threats escalate and the stakes become perilous, will Mason be able to protect the woman he has given his heart to, from the person who wants her dead?
The stakes have never been higher and the danger never so real, but not all is as it seems as secrets and past lives crash into the present
Chapter One
The crick in her neck was getting worse, and it didn’t improve her temper as Cleo Darwin tried to make sense of the papers on her desk. Since she had become Alliance Agency’s official caretaker, secretary, paymaster, and overall miracle worker, she had her work cut out for her trying to keep track of everyone and everything.
The trouble with secret agents, former soldiers, ex-cops, and the like was they were big babies. They didn’t think about paying their rent, forgot to take care of their taxes, and all the other simple tasks required for everyday life when they were entrenched in a mission. Maybe it was better not to be concerned with mundane things when your life was on the line, but that meant someone had to do it and that someone was her.
Their unsigned forms and half-completed requests were hers to deal with. As well as anything or everything related to the Agency or its team members. Along with the occasional unusual—or impossible—request thrown in for good measure.
Shane Rhodes and his fiancée Emme Wallace had founded the Agency and assembled the team less than a year prior. Much had happened during that time.
The team was made up of a mish-mash of different characters, all skilled and dedicated, even quirky and most definitely likable, but they all had one thing in common—they were loyal and their commitment to the Alliance Agency was absolute.
Mason Bentley’s face formed in her tired mind. One of the quietest members of the Agency, the former secret service agent and bodyguard was the opposite of the others. Calm, organized, straight as an arrow. She never had to chase after him to sign paperwork or file a report. His paperwork was always perfectly presented and on her desk when she needed it. While Mason kept to himself he was still a fierce team member and leader of men when needed.
She was attracted to him, God help her, and that was the worst possible idea ever. The fact he had been stabbed not long ago and had almost died during surgery was messing with her mind, causing her to confuse compassion for attraction. At least that’s what she constantly told herself.
He always wore a suit that fit his body like it was made for him—which it probably was. With shiny shoes, and his hair perfectly in place, Mason epitomized the James Bond look. Conforming, polite, and always by the book, he was her opposite in every way compared with her edgy look, purple hair, and outgoing attitude. He didn’t flirt with her like some of the others did, but he occupied her thoughts more than he should.
Shaking her head, Cleo chased the intruding thoughts away. The fact she was thinking about Mason like that meant she needed either a one-night stand or a fresh set of batteries. One of those solutions should take her mind off her sexy co-worker.
As she had now lost all focus for her work, there was no point in staying any longer. She glanced at the clock and was shocked to see it was almost nine. The Agency had been deserted for hours now. Time to call it a night and head home.
Emme wouldn’t be happy that she was alone, but since they were in a quiet neighborhood, there was nothing to worry about. And she had a couple of tricks up her sleeve if some dumbass wanted to test her patience.
After making sure all the lights were off, Cleo turned the alarm on and locked the door.
The night air was fresh, but the menacing clouds above signaled an impending downpour.
The empty parking lot was lit enough to verify she was alone as she walked toward her bicycle chained to a bike rack around the corner from the entrance. Shane had insisted the entire building have no dark spots, the safety of his staff a top priority. The building looked out onto a quiet road with palm trees on the pavements that still gave Cleo a kick when she saw them. The back of the large urban building was more rural though, facing flat land where the training grounds had been established.
Cleo couldn’t stop the curse that formed when she noticed one of her tires was flat. She could take the bike inside and repair it, but at this time of night, it would take too long, and
she didn’t have the patience. All she wanted now was food and a warm bath.
Walking toward the street, she took out her cell phone and opened the Uber app to call a car. After seeing the wait time for the nearest driver, she realized it would be quicker to walk to her apartment. Less than five minutes into her walk, the first raindrop plopped on her face.
She could call one of the Agency’s members that lived nearby, but she felt terrible bothering them this time of night. What to do?
Her inner debate was cut off as her cell rang. She wasn’t surprised to see Emme’s ID on the screen. “Hey, Emme. What’s up?”
“Are you for real? It’s past nine and you just left the office. What have I told you about working late? You really need to get a life.”
Cleo rolled her eyes. “So says the woman who checks the alarm system’s log. Shouldn’t you be doing dirty things with Shane at this hour instead of checking on your employees?”
The laughter on the other end of the line was a clear indication she had hit the mark with her reply. “I’m letting him recover before having another go at him in a minute. And you haven’t answered my question. Why are you leaving the office so late?”
“Because your employees are lazy and make my life difficult. I’m about to turn mean and not bring coffee in the mornings if they don’t start behaving.”
A metallic clink sounded behind her, and Cleo turned but didn’t see anything. The street looked empty, but instinct churned in her belly. Usually, her instincts were on point, but maybe she was just tired.
“Be careful on that bike at night. Cars can’t see you that well.”
“Well, even my bike is against me. Flat tire. I’m walking home. And if I’m lucky, the rain will hold off for a bit longer until I get home.”
A faint banging sound behind her made Cleo turn again, and this time, she noticed a fleeting shadow and cursed under her breath.
“What? What’s going on?”
Ignoring Emme’s outburst, Cleo reached into her bag to retrieve her mace. “I think I’m being followed.”
On the other end of the line, Cleo heard shuffling before her boss spoke again. “I’m sending you someone, leave your phone on, it helps with the tracker.”
“Emme, don’t. I’ll just wait until he gets closer and spray him.”
“Cleo, that won’t work if he has a gun. I’m sending someone. It’s not negotiable.”
The rain started to intensify and promised to be an intense downpour of biblical proportions. Accelerating, Cleo looked back and saw the person following her—a tall figure wearing a hoodie. That was so cliched, she would have laughed if she wasn’t so pissed and more than a little scared. Keeping her head was her priority, so she crossed the empty street. Maybe her imagination was playing tricks on her. Perhaps he wouldn’t follow.
“Cleo, talk to me.”
She looked back again, and the hooded man was still following her. With the rain soaking through to her skin, her mace wouldn’t work. “I’m definitely being followed, and whoever is following me is getting closer. I may have to stop talking for a while. I’ll need my breath for running.”
Emme said something, but Cleo decided to pocket her phone and put her bag over her neck to free her hands. Whoever Emme had called may not arrive in time, so she was on her own. As always.
At this time of night, most of the stores and factories were closed, so she tried to bring up a map of the surroundings in her mind and debated whether to head toward a business that might still be open, or head toward the residential area.
A car passed by, but she didn’t have time to flag him down. She made another quick turn at the end of the street, and from the corner of her eye, saw that the man had picked up the pace, now almost jogging. He was massive, and she wondered if she had any chance of defending herself if he were to attack.
She started to run hoping all those times she’d jogged in the last few years would now pay off. Grateful for her flats, Cleo started sprinting around the corner and darted between a couple of buildings hoping her memory served her well, and there was a bar and a convenience store a couple of streets down.
Lungs burning, she pushed her violet hair out of her face, trying to clear her vision from the rain. As she passed another building, Cleo caught sight of a bunch of metal rods beside a dumpster.
When she turned to head in that direction, a body rammed into her from behind, causing her to fly into the metal side of the dumpster.
Her shoulder and arm took the brunt of the impact, and her knees scraped along the pavement.
A shadow came over her and grabbed her by the vest, swinging her into the dumpster again.
Screaming even though nobody could hear her, Cleo tried to get her bearings, willing her body not to let fear consume her so she could reach the rods. Maybe then she’d have a chance to take the fucker down.
When her attacker reached down, she rolled out of his grasp managing to kick his chin in the process. The angry growl from her assailant was definitely male.
Her hands reached blindly for anything she could get to throw at him. A piece of brick at first, followed by several blocks of wood that were too light to do much damage.
A cold hand captured her ankle and pulled before she could react. Her fingers scraped the pavement, but there was nothing to hang on to.
As he picked her up with his hand around her throat, Cleo tried to kick and punch, not wanting to believe it was the end.
“Leave her alone. Now!”
She recognized the familiar English accent just as her attacker turned, using her body as a shield, and she saw Mason with his gun out, standing in the pouring rain. The injured idiot was trying to save her. She’d never been so relieved to see someone in all her life.
He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and she had never seen him in such a relaxed outfit unless he was working out. It was so unlike him and yet he still had an aura of menacing command that made her want to strip him naked and make him lose control.
The three of them were so close she could feel her attacker’s warm breath against her neck and Mason stood less than six feet away.
Everything happened blindingly fast. Cleo didn’t have a chance to blink before she was thrown toward Mason. Closing her eyes, she braced for the fall, but a strong, hard body caught her instead as her attacker’s footsteps retreated.
“Cleo, look at me. Are you all right?”
Shivering from the cold and shock, she looked up at his handsome face but could only nod. She was a strong woman, but she felt shaken, and tears pricked her eyes as she fought to blink them away, thankful for the rain that hid them.
Mason ran his hand gently along her face, pushing her drenched hair out of the way. He was breathing hard, his blue eyes looking deep into her soul. She guessed he was trying to decide if he believed her.
He was so close she could feel his breath against her lips and Cleo thought he would kiss her. Instead, he helped her back on her feet. Looking her up and down, before scanning the area, he kept his gun ready while guiding her back toward the road.
His car was at the curb, and he whisked her quickly inside. He must have noticed she was shaking as he reached out to turn the heat up even though it wasn’t truly cold.
Mason pushed a button on his steering wheel, and his phone started to ring. She wasn’t surprised to hear Emme’s voice on the other end when it was answered.
Mason shot her a quick glance before speaking. “Emme, you’re on speaker. I’ve got Cleo. We’re on our way to the hospital.”
That pulled her out of her stupor. “No. I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital for a scraped knee. A warm shower and a band-aid will sort me out.”
Emme sighed. “Cleo, you were attacked. You need to report it to the police.”
“What good would it do? I can’t identify the man. I don’t have enemies, it’s a one-off incident. I’m fine. There’s no need to make a fuss.”
“Mason, talk some sense into her please?”<
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“Not sure that’s possible, but I’ll try.” Mason disconnected the call and took a deep breath. “I think you should report it and get checked out but it’s your call. You’re an adult and I can’t make you. What do you want to do?”
Bless the man. “Drive me home, Mason. I’ll be fine.”
He was clearly against the idea but had the good sense not to say anything.
The five minutes it took to drive to her apartment was enough to steady her and shake the fear that clung to her like slime. She couldn’t wait to have a hot shower to scrub the memory of the cold hands from her skin once and for all.
Mason parked in front of her building and got out before she could stop him. She exhaled, annoyed at the relief she felt. Of course, he would go all white knight on her. That was who he was. She saw how he looked around as he rounded the car, his hand on the gun tucked in the back of his jeans. He looked stern and fierce and sexy as hell. It helped to reassure her, not that she would ever admit it.
Finally, he opened her door and offered his hand. Any other time, she would have scoffed, but it was a sweet move, and she needed to touch him, so she indulged herself. Mason’s presence steadied her—not that she wanted to explore the reasons why right now.
They reached her front door and she was about to let his hand go, and thank him for rescuing her, when she noticed a yellow post-it on her door.
