by Dawn Ryder
Her door closed with a whisper, but she would have sworn she still felt Dunn.
He was only a few feet away.
Alone, she could take a moment to really contemplate her feelings. What she discovered didn’t please her at all.
She was restless.
A state she didn’t allow herself to reach very often. A seasoned agent never took the chance of having sexual energy undermine their thinking.
She should have taken up the offer from the guy at the pool, she thought again.
An ugly idea?
Not really. More of a necessary one in her world. It would have dampened her urges at least, even if she’d found the experience less than completely satisfying. Dunn was too captivating a target when she’d allowed herself to go so long without any sexual contact.
At least she had her own suite.
There was a soft click and beep. Thais turned in a flash as the door came open. She leveled her gun at Dunn as he strode inside without a hint of remorse and tossed a keycard down on the dining room table while the door closed behind him.
“Shoot me or put the gun down, Agent Sinclair,” he informed her bluntly. “Just don’t think I’m going to put up with your little stunt of following me and hiding behind the door of this suite.”
Thais was slipping the gun into her waist band. “Using your influence with the owner of this hotel to gain a keycard to my suite?”
Dunn shrugged. “Why not? Won’t it make it a lot easier for you to perform your job of keeping tabs on me?”
Disgust edged his tone. Something very unexpected went through her in response. A sense of misgiving that Thais hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Almost as though she’d disappointed him and it mattered to her.
She couldn’t go there …
Being a bitch while working protected her sanity. Even if there was a large part of her that desperately wanted to be free of the need to be a bitch. As an operative, she used it as an enticement. Bored, rich men liked to think they’d succeeded in breaking through a hard shell. And then there was her husband, who’d seen her as a toy, something to amuse him, even if part of the entertainment was fighting with her.
All of it was such a waste. All the while she was screaming, hoping someone would see past her shell and notice she didn’t want to be any sort of hardened creature.
But in the real world, life was hard, so she had to be as well.
“My job is more than slipping between the sheets of my targets.” It was an impulse to defend herself. “And I love my job, even when the expectations are high. Shadow Ops isn’t for those without barriers between their personal choices and the ones they make in the line of duty.”
Dunn’s eyes narrowed. She caught the signs of his expression tightening until his jaw was clenched and his chin tucked.
“Your superiors use your gender a little too freely for my taste,” he said.
He was digging in.
And she really shouldn’t have found it heartwarming. He was chipping away at her shell, the one she’d built herself to shelter her from the disillusionment that had shattered her world.
“I don’t need you to approve of me, Dunn Bateson.” It was another impulsive retort. A comment she would have normally felt 100 percent confident in, and yet, there was something about the way Dunn was watching her that undermined her peace of mind. “Or to protect me.”
Made her feel soft and feminine …
Thais stiffened. “Leave.”
Dunn shook his head. The corners of his mouth twitched up into an arrogant little grin that she should have hated, and she did, in one corner of her mind, but there was a whole other part of her brain focused on the fact that he was every inch the alpha.
He wouldn’t leave her unsatisfied …
“Won’t Kagan insist on you keeping an eye on me?” Dunn asked slowly. He was closing the distance between them. “Since you claim to be so devoted to your badge, my being here is just what you should want.”
He was challenging her. It wasn’t that she was surprised by his head-on approach; she expected boldness from Dunn. What had her hesitating was the rush of approval moving through her.
It was far too personal an effect. He was a target. She needed to get her thinking straight.
“My assignment was to make sure you knew you were being watched,” she retorted. “You know. Consider yourself forewarned about taking any action against your mother’s attacker. We’re finished now.”
She really hated the way she felt about telling him this. Like she was hiding behind her badge.
Using the law to deny him justice for a wrong done to his own blood.
It was the way it had to be …
Dunn was close now. It was a calculated risk, allowing him to get within touching distance. She’d used the tactic before, to lure in a subject and allow them to think she trusted them.
Thais realized she hadn’t employed any thought process this time to allow Dunn to close the distance between them. No, she’d flatly been mesmerized by him. Stuck in place by the impulse to have him come to her.
“We’ve only just begun, Thais,” Dunn promised her, his tone sending a ripple of anticipation down her spine.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Bateson,” she answered, relieved to have her poise respond even if her wits were scattering. “I’m only here because I was sent.”
It was a cutting remark, one she’d practiced. Today though, she was less than pleased with the way his eyes narrowed in response.
“Oh, aye, I believe you.” He tilted his head to one side, his lips parting to flash his teeth at her. “You’ve done a good job of making sure our paths don’t cross. Still, I can’t help but notice that you’re blushing. Again.”
There was a flash of promise in his eyes before he reached out and stroked the surface of her cheek. She gasped, jerking back out of his reach, and all the while insanely aware of the sensation of his skin against hers.
How long had it been since she’d felt such a connection?
“You’re having trouble separating mission goals from personal ones when it comes to me,” he muttered, stepping toward her.
“In that case, shouldn’t you be running for the door? I know your style, Dunn: women on your terms, no negotiation. No personal involvement.” She needed to stand in place. Wanted to make it clear she wouldn’t back down from him.
But her poise joined her wits, deserting her as Dunn’s all-too-impressive form closed in on her.
“True,” he answered, following her as they started weaving a slow trail through the dining area of the suite and toward the plush sofa that overlooked the city. “You have the same set of rules though … Sounds like it could be an interesting match-up between us. An even playing field.”
Thais narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought you just said you didn’t like the way my gender came into play as often as it does on cases. Are you planning to play the hypocrite by wanting to enjoy me since I’m here?”
He drew in a stiff breath.
“I’m sure there are a couple of candidates in the bar who can deal with your restlessness. You and I might see each other again, and I know how much you enjoy a clean getaway,” Thais added.
There was a flash of something in his eyes that hinted at an unspoken agreement. His complexion darkened, almost as if he wasn’t too pleased with the blunt truth.
Well, there was something they had in common.
Thais allowed herself to savor the moment; it was a rare one after all. She wasn’t immune to the desire for love and deeper emotions, just wise to the realities of what could happen to those who made a try at grabbing a life full of those wonderful feelings.
After all, she’d been one. For a moment she felt the sting of having her young heart smashed to bits by her husband a few months after their wedding when she’d discovered him in her best friend’s bed. He’d enjoyed knowing she’d thought him in love with her, laughed at the love in her eyes.
Thais jerked
her attention back to the moment.
It was far safer to seal her heart against letting loose her inner longings.
“I’m not asking you to change, Dunn,” Thais muttered as she walked past him and opened the door of her suite. “Consider me kicking you out as a little gift. I’m sure you’ll appreciate it in the morning, when you’re all finished feeling protective.”
And she would, too. Or at least she’d spare herself another round of misgivings over giving in to her impulses.
No matter how tempting they were.
He contemplated her for a long moment with those emerald eyes of his. There was a battle raging between them, one that fascinated her just as much as it frustrated her.
The intensity was off the scale.
Or at least the scale she was used to living within the confines of.
“You might be right,” Dunn said in a low tone. “But I’m not quite in the mood to thank you for your gift.”
He turned and offered her a look at his wide back as he left.
Just what you asked him to do …
Yes, well, wisdom and logic might be traits prized throughout the world, but no one said they came without a high cost.
A very high one indeed.
* * *
Dunn caught sight of his security man the moment he crossed into the hallway.
Kent was watching for him, every bit as attentive as Dunn expected the man to be for the sum he paid him.
Dunn checked himself. Kent wasn’t the right target for his temper. His security team didn’t have a life because they had to travel with him, which meant Kent was entitled to every cent he was paid. Because the man earned it with dedication.
“I’m in for the night, Kent,” Dunn muttered. “Thank you.”
“Mr. Bateson.”
Dunn normally found Kent’s formal address a reason for a grin. Tonight, Dunn ducked into the penthouse before his man noticed the way he was drawn tight.
But Dunn ended up chuckling.
Thais pushed his buttons.
Alone in the penthouse suite, Dunn loosened his tie before pulling the length of silk free and leaving it draped over a chair at the dining table. With no one else around, he indulged in a moment of blunt honesty.
Thais Sinclair fascinated him.
It was a strange little anomaly in his very organized life. She’d called it right on the nose when she’d said he liked his women in the place he’d defined for them. But there was part of him that almost wanted to defend himself to her.
She was right, he was thankful she’d kicked him out before he’d exposed himself by telling her he only kept women out of his personal life as a defense. It was a shame, really, he wasn’t actually ice-cold at his core. He’d love to meet an honest woman who wasn’t just playing a very well-rehearsed game to get attached to his money. He just wasn’t willing to stick his neck out at the moment. He had plenty of scars.
She’d call you a coward.
Well, he’d be able to use her pot-calling-the-kettle-black remark on her.
He chuckled softly. They were a pair alright. Both drawn to each other, both jaded and too damned chicken to step up and give whatever was between them a chance.
And neither of them would like knowing they were being cowards.
He’d rather be in her bed at that precise moment.
He drew in a deep breath and poured a measure of whiskey into a glass at the bar. Then, carrying the neat and well-aged drink, he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and contemplated the city view.
She wasn’t as right as she thought, however, because there was part of him feeling a very strong sense of regret for the fact that she’d kicked him out.
But his father’s face surfaced from his memory.
Love was more trouble than it was worth. Thais was right about how he dealt with women. Dunn wasn’t planning on making the same mistakes his parents did.
He lifted his glass in the direction of the wall between him and Thais. “Thank you, Thais.”
* * *
Scrubs were wonderful camouflage.
Thais grabbed a set of light green surgery ones and pulled them on. Dunn would be back to see Miranda and she would be in position to make sure she kept an eye on him. She twisted her hair up into a knot and used a few pins to secure it before pulling a disposable cap over her hair and tucking every last strand beneath the elastic edge. Vitus Hale was somewhere nearby and it would be good practice to slip beneath his notice.
A harmless enough game while on an assignment that wasn’t as tense as most.
She clipped a security badge to her chest and completed her disguise with a face mask. Her assignment was to keep tabs on Dunn, so she tucked her gun into her drawstring waist pants and ducked out into the hallway to get in position.
She didn’t go unnoticed. The security was high and more than one man checked her badge. But she made it through because hospitals had to be staffed. Even when there was an aspiring congresswoman in the ward. It was quieter in the hallway where Miranda was resting because the other rooms were empty as a security precaution. Thais listened to her footsteps, light as they were, as she heard the elevator behind her arrive with a soft ding.
Thais caught sight of Dunn as she turned and went into Miranda’s room. The man at her door started down the hallway toward Dunn, intent on checking his identification. And then she was moving into the room where Miranda was in the bed near the window.
The curtain was drawn between the bed and the door. Thais felt her muscles tighten.
It shouldn’t be drawn.
The man on protection detail at the door would have checked the small window and investigated if his sight had been blocked to his target.
Thais reached for the gun she had clipped to the back of her waistband but the curtain moved as someone shoved the empty bed into her. She rolled up and across it, unwilling to go down so easily but ended up in the fabric, fighting to be free of it.
She emerged but whoever was in the room caught her in a choke. It was a brutal one, applied perfectly and with all the skill of a practiced killer. Thais turned and tried to rotate enough to jab her elbow into the belly of her attacker but he dragged her back, using his greater height to keep her from using her feet.
He was squeezing the blood flow off from her brain. Three minutes was all it would take, her vision already starting to blur.
She dug in and shoved her feet against the floor, running the man into the wall. The impact was enough to shake his hold. Thais turned and jabbed with her elbow, feeling the impact with the soft spot under the man’s ribs. He released her, her knees buckling from the lack of oxygen.
“Fuck this,” he growled, before moving back toward Miranda. He yanked a plastic cap off a syringe, exposing the sharp needle, and started to push it into the port on the side of Miranda’s IV.
He’d underestimated her. Thais intended to make sure it was the last mistake he made. She surged off the floor, lunging at him. The IV stand went skidding across the floor, falling with a clatter as Thais yanked the syringe free.
“Bitch,” the man said as he watched Thais pull her gun and level it at him.
Thais watched panic move through his eyes. She laid the syringe down on the foot of Miranda’s bed, widening her stance in case the guy made a grab for her weapon.
Instead, he bolted for the door.
“Help!” he yelled outside the door. “There’s a woman … with a gun…”
Thais grunted, moving after the guy. She didn’t make it two paces past the door before she was tackled. Dressed as a nurse, the real attacker was ignored by Miranda’s security and believed.
“I’m a federal agent.” She raised her voice but the security detail wasn’t listening.
They were hyped on adrenaline, flipping her over so they could handcuff her. She fought to lift her face and look after her suspect.
She met Dunn’s furious green eyes. “He was in with your mother.”
Dunn didn’t disapp
oint her. He spun around and went tearing around the same corner the man had. At least Dunn could beat the truth out of the guy before any of the security team realized she wasn’t the threat.
* * *
Carl Davis looked at his head of security, Eric Geyer, and cussed.
“So your hitman made it even worse?” Carl demanded.
Eric shook his head. “Maybe he did even better than we might ever have hoped.”
Carl bit back another round of temper-infused profanity and made a get-going motion with his hand.
“The agent was Thais Sinclair, one of Saxon Hale’s team. She’s also hand-picked by Kagan out of the prison population. She’s a convicted killer, given a badge by Shadow Ops. Homeland has her, and we have some great footage from the hospital of her coming out of the room while a nurse screams for help.”
Carl was thinking. Eric watched the information filter through his brain as he started nodding. “If we leak that footage, the facts won’t matter … People believe anything they see on social media.”
“Not everyone does, but the damage will be enough to discredit the Shadow Ops teams,” Eric confirmed. “With the way Miranda has been showing up at your events, all you need to do is visit her and make a good show of doing everything in your power to bring this rogue agent to justice.”
Eric watched the way Carl started pacing. His boss had made a lot of noise about ending the Shadow Ops teams and Kagan had made it clear to Carl how unwise such a move would be. It was a power struggle at the highest levels. Carl was against the wall now: either he had to take his shot at Kagan or bow down to the section leader.
Eric could see the merit of both actions. But Carl would make his choice.
Carl suddenly stopped and pegged Eric with a determined look. “Release the footage and tell the press downstairs that I’m going to make an announcement.”
Eric didn’t let Carl’s choice rattle him. Unlike his predecessor, Tyler Martin, Eric had a plan for escaping if Carl went down in flames. In the meantime, Eric planned to ride it out with Carl and hopefully land next to the man in the White House. Eric wasn’t a fool though; he expected to get his hands dirty along the way. Kagan and his Shadow Ops wouldn’t be the first network to fall to a new regime and they wouldn’t be the last.
