Toxic Vengeance

by Kaylea Cross

  “Yes.”

  He didn’t know if she was being honest or not, but that honey-brown gaze was damn near hypnotic. If he wasn’t careful she could easily pull him back under her spell. The impact of her mere presence was a jolt to all his senses, and sitting this close had him itching to touch her. Grab her and take her face between his hands, make her tell him the truth. She smelled incredible, a mix of vanilla and musk he wanted to breathe in.

  Shit. He was every bit as attracted to her as he had been the first time they’d met. His whole body was amped. “Why are you here?”

  “Because we have questions.”

  “We?”

  “Rycroft and I.”

  Was this a setup? If Rycroft had been here Zack would have been less suspicious.

  He leaned back and folded his arms, not giving a shit if it broadcast his defensiveness, though the abrupt shift straight to business was almost a relief rather than talking about their past and her ditching him. “Such as?”

  “A good friend of mine was killed yesterday in Vermont.”

  The pain and anger in her eyes bothered him. He wanted to wipe it away, fix everything and make things the way they had been before. “Sorry to hear that.”

  Her wary expression didn’t change as she pulled out a small photograph from her jacket pocket and slid it facedown across the table. “We found the hitter dead in his car nearby a few minutes later. Apparently he did contract work for the same people as you. You know him?”

  He took the photo and flipped it over. Shock punched through him when he saw the face of the dead man slumped behind the wheel, followed immediately by a sharp pain in the center of his chest.

  Yeah, Zack knew him.

  He turned the picture facedown, stared at the back of it as he absorbed the blow, unable to get the image of John’s bloody face out of his mind. “When was this taken?”

  “Yesterday morning.”

  Why hadn’t Zack received word that John had been killed? John’s parents had Zack’s cell number. God, what an agonizing loss this would be for them. As to who had killed John… The woman across the table was more than capable of it.

  He collected himself before looking up at Eden again, fighting back his anger. “Did you do it?”

  Surprise and a flash of indignation flared in her eyes, then was gone. “No. But he killed my friend and tried to kill me as well. I wounded him in the back of his right shoulder before he got away.”

  Her answer seemed honest. She might be a consummate actress, but Zack believed her, and relaxed a little. She’d been defending herself. If she’d killed John, this would have been way harder than it already was.

  Eden studied him, cool and remote. A virtual stranger compared to the woman he’d known. “Who is he?”

  “A friend of mine.”

  “How good a friend?”

  “Good enough.” Enough that this news hurt like a bitch. He and John had worked together off and on for a couple years. He knew John’s family. Had spent some time with them, sat at the parents’ kitchen table at Thanksgiving.

  “Did you send him after me?”

  “No,” he said, adamant. So who had?

  Eden set her jaw, anger now visibly bubbling beneath her calm surface. “Why did he target my friend and me?”

  “Who was your friend?”

  She was silent a moment. “My former handler.”

  Zack covered his surprise. John always obeyed the rules. So if he’d gone after Eden and her handler, it was because he’d been following orders.

  A long, taut silence built as he and Eden stared at each other, suspicion and mistrust filling the space between them. And he hated it. Couldn’t stand it another moment.

  He broke eye contact to glance around the place, assuming they were being watched, but didn’t spot anyone who stood out. Decision made, he met her gaze once more. “Can we talk somewhere more private?” There was so much he wanted to say and ask, but not here, not in public and not while her shields were up. She had to be wearing a wire or whatever. He didn’t want anyone else overhearing the conversation he had in mind.

  Eden debated it for a few seconds, then relented with a nod. “Fine, follow me.”

  She was up and out of her chair before he could move, left him staring after her as she made her way to the door. He followed, watching for signs of someone tailing him, but this whole area was too crowded so it was hard to know for sure.

  She didn’t slow or look back, making it clear she wasn’t going to wait and didn’t want to be close to him. If they were being tailed, he couldn’t tell.

  He stayed within fifty feet of her as she walked to the tube station, then boarded the same car as her heading east on the Piccadilly Line while she completely ignored him.

  Wherever she was taking him, he intended to get some sort of closure. Find out exactly who she was, who she worked for, and then why she’d left him so abruptly.

  They’d take care of business first. Then he was getting answers and walking away for good, no matter how much he still wanted her.

  ****

  Having Zack so close and yet out of reach was a subtle form of torture.

  Eden was hyper aware of everything about him as he followed her into the hotel room twenty minutes after leaving Covent Garden. She was keyed up, on edge about being alone with him. He might still try to capture her and turn her over to the CIA, but it was their history that made Eden so nervous now.

  As a precaution, Trinity had tailed her to the café and back, wearing a disguise. Eden had told her to stand down via her earpiece before entering the hotel. The other Valkyrie was now outside in the hallway, ready to step in if anything went wrong. But Eden was almost certain Zack wasn’t going to hurt her, and if he tried to drug her and carry her out of here, Trinity would intervene the moment they stepped out of the room.

  Still, it took everything Eden had to keep her face impassive and mask her body’s reaction to his nearness as she stepped inside the room. She shut and locked the door, then faced him and folded her arms. He stood less than ten feet away, looking around the room, the woodsy scent of his cologne filling her nose, tormenting her with memories of the way it had been between them. Making her yearn to erase the invisible divide keeping them apart now, and feel that hard body up against hers again.

  “Okay, we’re alone, as requested,” she said, all business. The sooner they got this over with and he left, the better.

  He faced her, those storm-gray eyes full of suspicion and a heat that threatened to make her toes curl in her boots. “Are we?”

  “Yes.”

  “No cameras?”

  Just her earpiece, transmitting everything to Trinity and Rycroft. “Does it matter?”

  “Yes.” His closed expression bothered her. There had been a time when he’d been so natural and easy with her. Then she’d had to walk away.

  He was definitely going to ask her about why she’d left. She didn’t want anyone else overhearing any of that. It was private, and no one else’s business.

  Reaching up, she removed the earpiece, switched it off, then tossed it onto the dresser beside her. “There. Now what about you?”

  “Just my phone. No comms or wires.” He pulled it out so she could look at it, then held his arms wide, his expression mocking. “You wanna search me anyway?”

  “No.” She wasn’t touching him. And enough with the pleasantries—she wanted intel. “Do you have any idea who might have hired your friend to kill my handler?”

  “Back up. Who are you working for? The NSA? CIA? Rycroft?”

  She owed him that much. “When I met you in St. Petersburg that last time, myself. Now I’m part of a team.”

  “What team?”

  She sidestepped the question. “I want to find out who killed my handler and who’s targeting me and the others.”

  “What others?” Frustration burned in his gaze.

  Eden eyed him, trying to read his expression and wondering what was going on in his head. He’d
been in touch with his CIA contacts. Had doubtless told his handler about this supposed meeting with Rycroft. What was he after? What was his angle?

  He gave a hard exhalation. “Look, you blew two of my missions, and I lost a good friend yesterday. In both St. Petersburg and Sevastopol my team was working on something way bigger than Terzi, and each time you killed off the only men who could give me the intel I needed.”

  She wasn’t sorry. “First, your friend killed my handler and tried to kill me. Second…I had my reasons for those kills.”

  His expression hardened, turning him into a remote stranger, reminding her that she’d never known the real him. “Enlighten me.”

  Being alone together in this intimate space was starting to get to her. She couldn’t read what was going on in his head, but she was thinking about being in other hotel rooms just like this one together, and the things they’d done to each other.

  Like him pinning her to the shower wall or the bed with his big, hard body. Reducing her to quivering helplessness with his touch, his kisses. The way he’d held her, woken every nerve ending with his hands and mouth before satisfying the molten desire inside her.

  It shook her even now, how far she’d let him in.

  He was the only man she’d ever lowered her guard for. And dammit, it hurt to have this cold wedge of suspicion and hurt between them now. She wished things could have been different back then. That she’d been a different woman with a normal life, free to follow her heart.

  But wishing for that was like wishing for the sun to suddenly rise in the west, and though she had regrets, there had been no other option but to leave him behind. She’d done what she’d had to in order to survive.

  Maintaining an impassive expression, she held firm. “No. Tell me about your friend.”

  “John rarely ever did hits, and he had a specific moral code, so if he did this—”

  “He did. I saw him.”

  Zack inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Then he was following orders.”

  “Maybe he got an offer he couldn’t refuse and did it for the money.” People did bad shit all the time when the right circumstances were in play, moral code or not.

  Zack shook his head, adamant. “No way. He was told to go after you both. The order either came from someone high up in the intel community, or he was fed false information.”

  “Why are you so sure of that?”

  “Because we worked security contracting jobs together after we got out of the military. I spent almost three years with him on and off. I knew his family. He knew mine. We were close. So if someone set him up, then I want them brought down hard.”

  She understood that need for vengeance perfectly. “I know exactly how you feel.”

  His expression softened and his posture relaxed. “Did you see who killed him?”

  “No. And just to reiterate, it wasn’t me.” She paused, watching him. This was why she was here. To get answers, feel him out, and then see if he was open to being recruited to their cause.

  Their history didn’t matter now. Only the mission did, so if Zack could help them, Eden had to try to bring him on board, even if she didn’t trust his motives now. “Believe it or not, I really do know how you feel right now. My team is trying to find out who’s responsible for all of this.”

  He frowned. “What kind of team?”

  “How much did Rycroft tell you?” she countered.

  “Not much, other than mentioning you and setting up the meeting at the café.” He paused, watching her. “What are you, Eden? A spy? You owe me that much.”

  She bristled at his wording, a retort springing to the tip of her tongue. I don’t owe you anything.

  Except she did. What they’d had together was the closest thing to real she’d ever allowed herself to experience. He also hadn’t hurt her in Sevastopol when he’d suspected she was the killer. He hadn’t hurt her now. And she had ruined two of his missions.

  Given everything that had happened, at this point there was no harm in telling him the truth. “I’m a Valkyrie.”

  His lack of reaction was telling. He’d already suspected. How? “That…explains a lot,” he said slowly. Then he narrowed his eyes, suspicion taking hold again. “Did you drug me that morning?”

  “Yes. I’m—we’re—being targeted, by the same person or people who had my handler and your friend killed yesterday. It has to be the CIA and it screams cover up.” And…

  I’m afraid.

  She’d never been truly afraid before. Not like this. Knowing someone with powerful connections and resources was systematically eliminating Valkyries and those close to them, was different than anything she’d faced before. And while she and Zack might not trust each other, Trinity and Rycroft were insistent that the team needed his help now, whether Eden liked it or not.

  Silence stretched out between them. “Are you going to try to turn me in?” she finally asked.

  His gray eyes never wavered from hers. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I believe you.”

  A measure of relief hit her, but she was still surprised. Just like that? After everything she’d done? He might be trying to reel her in. Make her drop her guard so he could spring a trap.

  “What do you want from me?” he finally asked, calm in spite of what she’d just told him. Solid, strong, ready to face whatever came at him.

  “You’re an intel expert with lots of contacts. You understand how the Agency operates. We want your help in finding the people behind this.” Well, Trinity and Rycroft did. Eden worried this was a disaster waiting to happen.

  He didn’t answer. God, her emotions were too close to the surface now. She was rattled and wanted to end this now before her resolve to stay detached from him crumbled. Every moment she spent here alone with him made her ache for what could have been.

  Zack didn’t move, just kept staring at her. “Why did you leave that day?” he finally asked.

  Here it was. The moment she’d been dreading most. She raised her chin. “Because I had to.”

  He gave a slow nod. “Was it all an act?”

  She drew a breath, done with this torturous conversation and not about to beg him to join the team. “I’ve told you everything you need to know about this. You need to decide whether you’re in or out. You’ve got twenty minutes. Text this number if you’re in.”

  She shoved a business card with the number scrawled on the reverse side and handed him back his phone. “If not, forget this meeting ever happened. Don’t ever try to contact me again, and stay out of our way.”

  He nodded, his eyes hardening like steel. “So it’s like that.”

  “Yeah, it’s like that.” She put her earpiece back in, opened the door and walked out, her throat tight and her whole chest aching.

  If this turned out to be the last time she ever saw Zack Maguire, at least he would remember her walking away with her spine straight and her head held high.

  Chapter Seven

  Trinity was waiting for her down the hallway when Eden came out of the room. “You good?”

  “Yeah.” A little queasy, if she was honest.

  The other woman nodded, her expression shrewd as they reached the door to the stairwell and stepped inside. “Weirdest thing happened earlier—I lost comms with you right after you went inside with him, and they resumed the moment you left.”

  Eden didn’t bother answering, just followed her down to the parking garage under the building. Reaching their vehicle, she slid into the passenger seat and shut the door. While she had the utmost respect for Trinity, Eden didn’t care if she and Rycroft were pissed at her for cutting comms. Seeing Zack in private was hard enough without having their past exposed to scrutiny and speculation.

  “So what did he say?” Trinity asked as she put on her seatbelt, thankfully letting the other matter drop.

  “He didn’t know about the hit, or that the hitter was dead. Apparently John was a good friend of his. Said he must have been following order
s.”

  “What about the rest of it. Did you tell him about you?”

  “Yes. He didn’t seem surprised by it, only about us being hunted.”

  “His handler might have tipped him off after Sevastopol.”

  “Could be.” She settled back in the seat, still uneasy about this whole thing. “Why do we need him specifically again?”

  “Why, do you have a problem with working with him?”

  Eden looked over at her. Trinity obviously suspected something had gone on between them. “You mean, other than his so-called ‘friend’ killing my handler and targeting me as well?”

  Trinity was silent for a moment, the quiet of the insulated parking garage settling around them. “Were you in love with him?”

  The sudden jump in topic tripped her up. Her past relationship with Zack had no bearing on their current mission, but Trinity clearly either saw or suspected there was something between them. “No, it was nothing, and it was after my mission was over.”

  The other Valkyrie’s expression remained unreadable. “He’s certainly been diligent in his digging about you since whatever happened in St. Petersburg. He’s been trying to find you ever since, first with his CIA contacts, then on his own. After Sevastopol he was tasked with tracking you down.”

  To know all of that, Amber and Rycroft’s team must have researched him—which, yeah, of course they would. “He didn’t suspect a thing when we were together, and he was just as surprised to see me in the Crimea as I was to see him. And if he’s been tapped to find and possibly capture me, why do we want him on the team when he poses a risk to us all?”

  “Because we can use him.”

  Despite Eden’s suspicion about Zack’s motives, her hackles rose at the implication there, automatically wanting to protect him. “Use him how?”

  “Not use him. I mean he’d be a good asset for us, because of his current involvement with the Agency. He’s got the most recent service with them, the most up to date contacts there, and he has easier access to their intel resources than the rest of us. Except for Amber, but every time she hacks something from them, it increases the risk they’ll be able to find us.”