Close to the Edge

by Dawn Ryder

  Warning …

  Oh yeah, she heard the red alert sounding through her brain even as her body was ignoring it in favor of responding to Dare.

  She just wished he wasn’t so bloody good at it.

  The game that was.

  He held the car door open for her and slid into the driver’s seat beside her. While Sam and Paul piled in the backseat.

  She noticed way too much about him but decided to enjoy it. After all, she’d wanted to indulge in being more than a bench warmer.

  Looked like life was taking her challenge.

  That made her smile, even if the man sitting next to her kept her pulse going faster than normal. There was a buzz to it, she wouldn’t deny that. In fact, it was sort of fun.

  You’re playing with fire …

  His words and very, very true.

  The problem was, fire was fascinating. Oh so tantalizing. Just like Dare Servant. Was it his real name? She found herself pondering that question as he pulled up to the Cliffside restaurant and the valet opened her door.

  It would be nice to think she knew something about him.

  Dangerous, too.

  Yeah, well, bench warmers never were the life of the party.

  Paul and Sam moved ahead to talk to the host.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “You wanted to see if you had my attention,” Dare replied.

  He’d eased close, playing his part perfectly. It was a tad disappointing because there was part of her that didn’t want him to be fake. He noticed, too, and looked like he read her thoughts right off her face.

  Maybe he did, it wasn’t like she had a whole lot of experience in playing cloak-and-dagger games.

  He did though.

  Dare recovered in a flash, gently settling his hand on the small of her back as he guided her toward the table.

  Her heart rate tripled.

  She likely should have been offended over how easily he touched her. There was just one tiny problem with that.

  She liked it.

  Sure, there were a few unflattering things that might be said about her in response, but she’d always been a realist. One plus one equaled two and she found the guy hot. Overbearing men had never struck her that way before, but Dare, well, her hormones were having a field day at her expense.

  He even smelled good.

  She caught the hint of his scent as he settled down next to her. Sam was already signaling the waiter.

  “We need wine,” Sam declared in a jovial tone. “Really good wine.”

  And she needed a prayer, because divine intervention was really the only thing she might count on to shield her from Dare’s effect.

  But the wine was a pretty good alternative.

  It left her more relaxed as the evening progressed. Sure, she was more susceptible to his charm but there was a point in every great adventure where you just grabbed hold and hung on while you enjoyed the ride.

  By the time they made it home, she was sure restlessness wouldn’t be a problem tonight. Sam and Paul hightailed it to their car with very poorly disguised intent to leave her alone with Dare. The smiles her friends’ faces sent her behind Dare’s back were more than suggestive. They were almost a shove toward him.

  Under different circumstances, embracing her impulses might have been an option.

  But hard reality cut through the wine, leaving her facing a man who had spent the evening with her with the sole intention of intimidating her and undermining her sense of security.

  That sucked.

  She really didn’t like to think about him like that. Jenna turned and unlocked her door. She left it open behind her as she went into her living room.

  “Not finished pressing me beneath your thumb special agent?” she asked when he followed her inside. “I rather hoped you were. It’s disappointing, but you have my attention. So say what you think you need to.”

  Jenna tossed her purse down and faced him squarely. She wasn’t sure if it was her wording or the sound of her voice that gave him pause. Something did though. He’d closed the door and turned to face her, his expression warning her he was making ready to try to squish her.

  It wasn’t that she doubted he could. The night spent in his custody had proved it to her. He froze though, fixing her with his dark stare as he contemplated her with eyes she had no doubt saw a whole lot more than most men did.

  The guy was just off the scale in every department.

  “Disappointing?” he asked. “Why does my behavior matter to you?”

  He sounded sincere, and she shrugged, uncertain how to proceed.

  A conversation.

  A sincere conversation, now that was something she hadn’t seen coming. She didn’t have a plan for dealing with this part of his personality, but she realized she felt privileged to glimpse it.

  “Call me old-fashioned, but I still actually believe men who earn badges want to be good guys.”

  He liked what she said. There was a flash of approval in his eyes that he covered pretty quick.

  “Well, do whatever floats your boat, just don’t…” She ended up biting her lip as she contemplated whether or not to finish her thought. She lost the battle though because no matter how exposing it might be for her, part of her really wanted him to hear what she had to say.

  “That was for all intents and purposes my family you just inserted yourself into. Don’t be a dick,” she said and looked him straight in the eye as she spoke. She didn’t think she’d meant something so much in her life.

  Or wanted someone to not disappoint her so much.

  He didn’t brush her words off either. For a moment, she watched him absorb them, like her opinion actually mattered. “I don’t work with the run of the mill bad guys, Jenna. Being a dick keeps me alive. It also helps me hold a line that ensures you get to have the life you do.”

  A strange little shiver went across her skin, like she was getting a rare glimpse at his personal nature.

  “There’s a difference and you know it.” She opened her hands up wide. “Right here, it’s just you and me. Fine, you came over here to make a point, one you feel justified in making for my own good. I get it. I’m never going to know just what motivates you, and I’m better off understanding that ignorance is bliss.”

  His lips twitched, curving up into a grin. It warmed her insides, and that was a fact.

  She savored it. Letting it burn away the tension that had kept her in its grasp most of the evening. Of course, that just left her prey to the flood of hormones she’d been attempting to ignore. She indulged in a long look at him, knowing it was going to be her last.

  Like everything else, he noticed.

  She watched the way his keen stare picked up the fact that she was looking at him, his eyes narrowing as his complexion darkened. A twist of sensation went through her insides and she realized it was anticipation.

  Of what?

  Hell if she knew, but she was breathless.

  That word had never really held any true meaning to her before. Now? Dare Servant somehow managed to embody it.

  Tall, dark, dangerous …

  Everything a girl dreamed about in those hours after midnight and before dawn when reality arrived to make her realize the sensible guy sleeping next to her was the best choice. Like he’d said, he didn’t work with the run-of-the-mill bad guys, and work followed everyone home from time to time.

  “Ignorance is bliss, darling…” He moved toward her, freezing the breath in her chest. “I don’t suffer ignorance very well though … always have needed to try things myself … like you … I want to know what you taste like, Jenna Henson…”

  He caught her nape with a grip that was soft enough to spare her pain but strong enough to remind her he could hold her.

  He was going to kiss her.

  She recognized that fact a moment before he angled his head and pressed his mouth to hers. There was a hint of wine on his lips as he pressed his against hers, insisting on more than just a compressi
on. He took her mouth, and she opened hers out of sheer need to taste more of him.

  Insanity …

  Another word she was learning the true meaning of with the help of Dare Servant.

  Reality melted away as she reached for him, pushing her fingers into his hair as she kissed him back. She needed more of his taste, more of his scent, more of his skin. It was a frantic urge, beating at her from some place deep inside her that she’d never really realized yearned for freedom.

  But he pulled back. Muttering a soft word of profanity beneath his breath.

  “You’re right…” his voice was a mere rasp. “I shouldn’t be a dick, but I’m not sorry I kissed you.”

  He was gone a moment later, leaving her alone as he covered the distance to his car with strides that showed her how powerful he was. He didn’t do anything like the men she’d known in her life. Nope. Nothing. There was a rawness about him, which captivated her. An ease with the darkness, which was hypnotic.

  Jenna watched him go. Her entire body was tingling long after he’d cleared out of her driveway.

  There’s your lesson, girl …

  A man like Dare Servant wasn’t going to stick around.

  Yeah? Well in that case, she was glad she’d kissed him back.

  Life wasn’t meant to be a spectator sport.

  * * *

  Mack knew how to go unnoticed.

  He melted back into the kitchen, listening to the conversation between Dare and Jenna.

  When they started kissing, he shook his head but turned and slipped through the open back door before he was discovered.

  He knew special agent Dare Servant.

  Or at least he’d seen pictures of the man and knew what he was.

  A Shadow Ops agent wouldn’t go down easily. Mack wasn’t going to make the mistake of trying to drop him alone.

  Or without permission from his boss.

  So he moved through the tiny backyard and jumped the fence to avoid the motion-detecting security light Jenna had on the side of her garage.

  At least they were busy getting naked. That was the sort of distraction he needed. Just enough time to call for a couple of back-up buddies if Kirkland decided to go for a kill.

  Mack wasn’t a killer.

  No, he was a man who did his job, which happened to include getting rid of people Kirkland wanted to disappear.

  It was nothing personal.

  Mack dug a burner phone out of his pocket and looked around to make sure no one was listening. Kirkland answered after a few rings.

  “Our problem is big,” he informed his boss. “Agent Dare Servant is on the case.”

  Kirkland cussed.

  Mack listened to him, letting his information sink in.

  “And the girl?” Kirkland continued. “Does she know anything of value?”

  “Looks like he’s dumped her back into her life with a warning to keep her mouth shut,” Mack responded.

  “Good,” Kirkland bit out. “She’d be buried in witness protection if she’d seen anything of value while she was here.”

  “What she saw was Servant and his team bugging the house,” Mack replied. “I have eyes on them. What do you want me to do?”

  Kirkland was silent for a long moment.

  “Wait for help,” he said at last. “Take both of them down to the docks. I don’t want there to be any evidence for Servant’s shadow team to find. We’ll ship them out in a container. Dump the remains far out at sea.”

  Kirkland ended the call. Mack cocked his neck to one side and heard it pop. It was time to work.

  But it was nothing personal.

  * * *

  He’d given in to an impulse.

  Dare hit the accelerator and went around slower traffic.

  He was heading away from what he wanted.

  Hard to admit, yet true. There was one essential component to every Shadow Ops agent.

  Honesty.

  Or maybe it would be a little more precise to say that an agent had to know himself, accept who he was, or there were going to be times when it just might get him killed because reactions were honest.

  He’d wanted to kiss her.

  Hell, the throbbing in his cock made it clear he wanted to do more than swap spit with her.

  Blunt …

  And a tad of a misrepresentation. It had been a kiss. In fact, Jenna had met him right there in the middle, taking as good as she got.

  Fuck, he liked that sort of thing in a woman.

  His cock was stiffening, making him grip the steering wheel harder.

  He wasn’t going back.

  Not a chance. She was part of a case, even if it was remotely.

  Now you’re being a dick. Just like she’d called you.

  He should be glad she was only slightly involved. It meant she could stay in her life. Jenna had no idea how easily her little mercy mission could shred her life and dump her in relocation. With the nice little restriction of never being able to return to her life.

  He sure as shit didn’t want to be the man to haul her into custody.

  Because you’d rather get into her bed …

  True, and he didn’t shy away from the thought. No, he knew the logic of his job. Jenna was alive, and he was still seeing the faces of the two girls from the morgue. He was just reaching for life.

  Bullshit …

  Dare grinned at himself but kept driving away from Jenna. He was no good for her. It had been reckless to show up at her place, a dick move on his part all the way. Truth was, he’d wanted to impress her with his … well … with something about him.

  He’d wanted to get personal.

  That admission took him by surprise.

  He should have quelled the urge. It had never been a problem before, which accounted for how long he was thinking about Jenna. He was enjoying the buzz of knowing she’d pushed his buttons. More of them than sweet Jenna Henson would ever know, because he was never going to see her again. Not in the flesh anyway. Jenna might be the sort he craved, but he was addicted to his job.

  One addictive habit was all any man could afford.

  * * *

  Dare Servant could kiss.

  Honestly, Jenna knew she was obsessing a bit, but she decided to let herself linger in the memory of the way Dare had … tasted her.

  Man oh man.… those were certainly the words to describe it alright.

  Made her wonder how good he’d be at tasting more of her.

  Okay … warning girl.…

  Jenna laughed at herself before taking a final pass with her toothbrush and turning off the bathroom light for the night.

  Yeah, she needed to keep her thoughts out of the … bedsheets or she was going to have another restless night. Somehow, she got the idea that B.O.B. was going to come up mighty short as a substitution for Dare Servant.

  Are you seriously saying you’d have let him sleep with you?

  Jenna settled back into her bed with a little huff. In the dark, it was sure a lot easier to be brutally honest with herself.

  The guy intoxicated her.

  Turned on was an understatement of the way he’d left her feeling.

  She was dwelling on it simply because it was so intense. Part of her was honest enough to admit she’d never encountered a man quite like him before.

  Well that’s the understatement of the year …

  Oh, was it ever. Maybe everything was more intense because she’d never been so frightened.

  Or so alive …

  That thought was a little unsettling. Like she’d been squandering her days, taking it for granted that the sun would rise in the morning and she’d be there to see it.

  She needed a date. And it wasn’t just because of the way Dare had kissed her.

  No, it was because she’d gotten so caught up in making sure her job was secure, she’d forgotten life was made up of the moments that took one’s breath away.

  It was time to get out and live.

  Jenna drew in a deep breath and let it ou
t. She shifted, finding her spot for the night. Her eyes drifted closed and something slammed down on her face.

  She fought, straining away from the hold on her, but whatever was on her mouth got shoved between her teeth. Her mouth was stuffed full of it, dry cloth of some sort.

  Stupid … scream!

  She drew in breath but whoever was there flipped her over, shoving a knee into her back as they tied something around her head so that the wad in her mouth stayed there to keep her from letting out the cry she’d ordered herself to make.

  Her own bedding was trapping her, making it too hard to fight. She was pinned and her wrists tied behind her back while she withered.

  “Get her feet already.”

  The guy on her back was grinding his knee into her spine. Pain went shooting down her body, but it didn’t stop her from kicking at whoever was trying to grip her ankles. More pain was her reward as he wrapped one ankle with a thick rope and used it to control her.

  She kept fighting.

  The pain was different, it was a reassurance that she was still alive.

  “Fuck … bitch is strong. Knock her on the head or something.”

  Action was instant. A hard blow landed on her skull. She felt like the pain was moving through her brain to the front of her forehead, and when it did, all she saw was a flash before she was lost in a black wave of unconsciousness.

  * * *

  Kirkland picked up his phone.

  Well, one of many. This was a burner phone, a prepaid one he’d trash as soon as he finished his business.

  “You get my order?” he asked.

  “Hot and bagged” was the reply.

  Kirkland ended the call before cracking the plastic case and pulling the SIM card out. He crushed it and tucked it into his pocket to be disposed of someplace where it couldn’t be traced back to him. Moving through his house, he passed through the living room. There were always a few women hanging around. They knew their place was to be ready when he was.

  “Rene,” he spoke on his way to the garage. There was a scamper of heels on the polished marble floor behind him as his choice followed. She slid into the passenger side of his car without a word. Primped and done up with style, she looked like a couple thousand bucks. Likely she’d spent that much of his money on herself over the last week.

  Kirkland didn’t sweat the small stuff. It was money well spent because they looked like they were heading out for a date. Image was key. He’d learned that from his father. Always fit the picture the public had of you and people wouldn’t question what you were up to.