The Mission

by Fiona Palmer

  The Mission

  Fiona Palmer

  www.escapepublishing.com.au

  The Mission

  Fiona Palmer

  From bestselling Fiona Palmer comes the second in a YA/NA crossover series about sexy spies, a super secret agency and the work they do to save the world.

  Recruited into the secretive, shrouded MTG Agency, Jaz dives headfirst into her training, regretting nothing about her decision to help save the world at the age of 17. Now she’s ready and anxious for her first mission, to prove she has what it takes, and to start making a difference.

  The only thing that stands in her way is Ryan, the dangerous and sexy agent who first recruited her, and is now guiding her. He doesn’t want Jaz to sink too deeply too quickly into his world of secrets and lies, but his inability to trust her to know her own mind only makes Jaz furious.

  When a job comes along that only Jaz can do, Ryan has to let go, and Jaz soon learns that she can swim with sharks, but she’ll come away with scars.

  About the Author

  Fiona has been writing rural stories for Penguin for years and is now indulging in her love of YA. It’s not a big change, considering she already writes about strong women who fight for what they want. She is a full-time writer and mum from rural Western Australia. Her two kids remind her often that she’s not seventeen anymore, but writing at least lets her relive it again.

  Acknowledgements

  Once again, I have Jim to thank for his amazing input. Also to my friends and family who read my work. To my writing buddies Rachael Johns, Cathryn Hein and Margareta Osborn, such wonderful ladies, thanks for being just an email away. As always, my own little family are so supportive: thank you Darryl, Mackenzie and Blake. And as always, the readers. Thank you.

  For Jim Jim.

  Contents

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  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

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Bestselling Titles by Escape Publishing…

  Chapter 1

  ‘I’m going to kill him,’ said Ryan through gritted teeth.

  If Jaz hadn’t felt Ryan’s muscles stiffen under her hand and looked up at his handsome face to see him say those words, she probably wouldn’t have heard him. The noise in the Burswood Casino was loud but Jaz had begun to teach herself how to lip-read after Ryan’s encouragement. Now she wished she hadn’t picked it up so well.

  Jaz held his arm firmly, making sure he wouldn’t take off to kill whoever had upset him. Upset was maybe a too soft a word. Pissed off and ready to kill fit so much better. She could see the pain and anger churning through his hate-filled gaze. She flicked her long silky black hair over her shoulder as she turned to see the man Ryan Fletcher wanted dead. He was across the room, past the blackjack tables and a row of pokie machines. He was standing by a doorway, which Ryan had told her led to the high stakes games. The man was laughing with the bouncer guarding the door, his hair dark and his skin a smooth light coffee colour. Apart from his expensive taste in suits, Jaz couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. He just seemed like any other cashed up gambler in this room.

  ‘Him? The one in the nice suit and big gold watch?’ she asked, turning back to Ryan.

  His sharp jerks indicated she had found the source of his fury. Poor Ryan was breathing hard, it must be taking all his effort not to cross the room and knock the guy out.

  ‘Ryan, do we need to go back outside for a moment? Maybe get you a drink until you’ve cooled down?’ Jaz put her hand on his chest and could feel the heat pulsing through his white dress shirt. She rubbed her fingers across his racing heart to get his attention. ‘Ryan?’ Man, she didn’t need him going ballistic and blowing their cover. Jaz needed him to be calm and in control because she was out of her league right now and needed him. She could not do missions on her own. She’d only just joined the MTG Agency, which was a cover for the secret operations to bring down bad people. By bad people she meant killers, drug dealers and traffickers. Basically they were an unknown group who did what was needed to keep Australia safer.

  Ryan’s dark brown eyes finally shifted to her. ‘A drink, yes, now. Over here,’ he said, firing out each word like an automatic rifle. He nodded to the nearby bar, which had a raised floor. No doubt he wanted to use the vantage point to watch over the guy who had freaked him out so much.

  Jaz got them both a club soda and they sat at a small table. Ryan’s gaze never strayed far from its target.

  Meanwhile, Jaz gulped down her cool drink and wondered how it was possible that just eight hours earlier she was still at school trying to get through a mock exam. Now she was in the Perth Burswood Casino dressed up in black pumps, a skin-tight red dress that she’d stolen from her mum’s cupboard and enough make-up to look twenty-five, not seventeen. At least that’s what Ryan had said when he first saw her. Jaz could tell by the glint in his eyes that he’d approved, even if he hadn’t told her so.

  What was even stranger is that the last time they’d been together they had shared a kiss, actually quite a few, at her ball, just before he left for a mission. She’d been attracted to Ryan from the moment he walked into her gym. Well, it was actually Pax’s gym, called The Ring, but to Jaz it was her place. She grew up in that gym and could fight as well as the guys who trained there.

  This was one of the reasons Ryan had been so interested in her. Yep, he had dropped the bombshell that he belonged to a secret agency that worked on bringing down the bad guys, and then he’d recruited her. Just like that. The weird thing was that Pax, the guy who was like her grandfather, the one who owned The Ring, he was also apart of this MTG Agency. Pax, who she’d known her whole life, had kept this secret. The same secret which she was now involved in and keeping from her two best friends and family. If Jaz wasn’t sitting across from Ryan now, she’d almost believe she’d dreamt up the whole thing. Seriously. But Ryan had shown up after school earlier today, proving just how real he was.

  A month had gone by since she’d last seen Ryan, since their kiss and since she’d agreed to join the Agency. In that month, she’d thought of nothing else.

  The first thing he’d said when she finally saw him again was, ‘Do you still want to be a part of this?’

  ‘Of course I do,’ she’d replied, when really she’d just wanted to jump into his arms and kiss him. But he’d been cold, wearing an emotionless mask, and kept his distance from her. She’d never felt so rejected. It was a rude awakening from the dream reunion she’d imagined.

  Jaz slid her palm across the table and held his hand. His body jerked with her touch and he pulled his hand away.

  ‘Jaz…’

  ‘Can we talk while you work? He’s gone now,’ she said, as the man stepped through the door. ‘Who was he to you anyway?’

  Ryan cleared his throat. His eyes still shining from his ferocity, but his lean body had calmed, muscles relaxing as his tension rolled away. ‘That was Sal. You remember the guy I was telling you about.’ Ryan pointed to his arm, where his tattoo was hidden under his long-sleeved dress shirt.

&n
bsp; Jaz nodded. The word Forever was etched there, and she also knew there was more to that tattoo that met the eye. Under a black light, angel wings appeared down the length of his arm, along with the initials C.C. 2013. Jaz shuddered at the memory of the night she’d first seen it. She’d been alone with Ryan in his bathroom, she was wet, he was shirtless, she was bleeding and he was sewing up her knife wound. She’d never forget that night.

  Jaz pushed the memory aside. ‘Your friend, Chris?’ she managed to squeak out. ‘That man was the one who — ’ She glanced around, ‘hurt Chris?’ And by hurt she meant shot in the head point-blank.

  ‘Yep. He’s the one. No one has seen him do the deeds firsthand, mind you, it’s always one of his henchmen. But I don’t care. He’s the one I’m going to take down. He’s the top man behind it all.’

  ‘Did you know he would be here tonight?’

  ‘No. Actually, we’re just supposed to be watching out for Nicko Serveyous. We have been working on information that he’s been running a drug operation in Pakistan and importing it here. Now I’m starting to think these two could be linked together more than we thought. Sal is big time fish, his connections are Australia-wide and international.’

  ‘So is that where you’ve been for the last four weeks, in Pakistan?’ she whispered.

  Ryan’s nod was minimal but she knew his body language. She had it completely memorised. After all, she’d dreamt about their kiss, dreamt of holding him and being together nearly every night since he’d been gone. But seeing him now, she knew she had fooled herself well. He didn’t want the same thing.

  ‘I’m so glad you’re back safe,’ she blurted out. She felt a blush burn under her skin, no doubt turning her the same colour as her dress.

  Ryan sat up awkwardly. ‘Jaz, about how we left things. I — ’ His hand ran down his face. ‘I shouldn’t have done…that. You understand we have to work together now. I can’t compromise our missions.’

  Jaz prickled over how he’d called their amazing kiss that, as if he’d accidently kicked down a door in a fit of rage. Was she the only one who thought the connection they had ran deep? She looked out towards the pokie machines to hide the humiliation she felt. It made all her dreams crumble away as reality stamped its foot.

  She had been hand-picked to join this secret team of do-gooders. And she had joined to help save the world — not to find a date.

  ‘Yep, I get it.’ She turned back to him with determination. ‘So tonight you needed me as cover?’

  ‘Yes. I would draw attention sitting alone watching a door but with you, we can chat and drink. We blend in more.’ He glanced at her dress. ‘Well, sort of,’ he mumbled before turning away.

  After a long stretch of silence, Jaz asked, ‘Can you tell me more about your trip?’ She thought she better not say ‘mission’ in case someone was listening.

  ‘Not here. And it’s probably better the less you know.’

  ‘But how am I supposed to learn?’

  ‘By being on the job and by watching me. There will be exercises for you to do to hone your skills, like following certain people. Jaz, they don’t want to risk your life doing the things I’m doing. It takes time to get to my stage.’

  ‘I understand. But I know how to fight. I know how to use a gun.’ She could thank her best friend Taylor for that skill. He was probably a better shot than Ryan too, but you get that when your dad’s a cop and you practically live at the firing range. ‘I can take care of myself,’ she said leaning forward, causing the table to groan.

  Ryan met her eyes, holding them with a scary, scary gaze. ‘Are you really ready to pull the trigger and kill someone, Jaz?’ His voice was almost a growl.

  She remained silent but shivered at the though of actually killing someone. She swallowed.

  Ryan let her free from his stare and checked the room again. ‘I didn’t think so.’ It wasn’t said arrogantly, more truthfully. ‘And until then, we won’t risk you in those positions.’

  Jaz sat back and watched Ryan. His strong jaw was clenched and his eyes carried so much weight, yet he was still gorgeous and attracted glances from women.

  ‘I’d like to think if it came to that I could do it.’

  When his eyes came back to her they weren’t as frightening; if anything, they seemed sad and heavy.

  ‘That’s just it, Jaz. It changes you. I don’t want that for you, at least not yet. You’re too young and innocent.’

  Blah, Jaz felt like groaning out loud. She didn’t like being protected as if she were a princess. He must have known she was ready to disagree as he continued quickly.

  ‘There are other things you can do.’ He glanced back to the door before continuing. ‘They want you to go into the Agency to go over that mission we talked about before I left.’

  ‘Where I have to befriend that guy with the dodgy parents?’

  ‘Yep. You have an appointment with James tomorrow morning at ten. Can you make it?’

  Jaz nodded. ‘Yep. Now that Pax knows I’m with the Agency, I can use him as an alibi. Mum doesn’t worry when I say I’m staying with him. Lordy, would she have a pink fit if she knew what either of us was up to.’

  ‘I know.’ Ryan finished his drink and stood up. ‘Time to move. Shall we go play?’

  She knew they weren’t thinking of the same games. ‘Really? While we are on watch?’

  ‘Yeah, we’ll just take turns at watching for Nicko.’

  ‘Alright, cool. I’ve never been inside the casino before. What do I do?’

  ‘Well,’ said Ryan with a smile, ‘I’ll go get some change if you watch the door, and then we’ll play those pokies. It should give us a good vantage point.’

  ‘So do I watch for Nicko or Sal?’

  For a moment, Ryan looked torn. He rubbed his jaw before replying. ‘Nicko is the one we want tonight, so if he comes out, follow him like I’ve shown you and call me straight away so I can catch up. Okay?’

  ‘Yep. Got it.’ Jaz walked towards the pokies Ryan had pointed out, and tried to remember Nicko’s features from the photo Ryan had shown her before they got into the taxi. Bald, mid-fifties, likes expensive suits and has a burn mark under his left ear. Shouldn’t be so hard.

  As she was about to take a seat, she caught the back of a man walking near the door who was bald and in a suit. She quickly stepped to the end row of pokies and spotted the guy. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realised Nicko was older than this bloke. It wasn’t him. Back to watching the door. She spun around to make sure she hadn’t given time for the real Nicko to waltz out of the door when she collided with a man.

  ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ she said, looking up into the face of her victim.

  Her mouth dried up when she recognised the expensive suit and coffee-coloured skin. And he was holding her arm.

  ‘No, I’m sorry. It’s my fault, I wasn’t watching where I was going,’ he said apologetically. His voice as smooth as silk.

  Sal, the man Ryan wanted dead. Jaz was lost for words as she gazed at his piercing black eyes. How many kills had they seen? He was watching her intently and she realised she’d have to say something.

  ‘Well, that makes two of us then. Sorry, again.’ Jaz gently pulled her arm so he let it go. There was something weird about him, she wasn’t sure if she just felt funny because she knew he was this big scary bad man or the fact that he seemed so normal. He was being polite. He had a nice smile. She was so conflicted.

  ‘Can I buy you a drink? To apologise properly?’ He smiled again and she automatically smiled back.

  ‘No thanks, my partner is waiting for me. I’d better go.’ Jaz stepped past him and walked down the row of pokies. Her skin prickled and she knew he was watching her leave. When she got to the end of the row, she sat down and then very slowly checked to see if he was still watching. Gone. Relief flooded her just as a hand came down on her shoulder and she just about screamed. Swinging around, she saw Ryan. ‘Oh, it’s you, thank God.’ She breathed deeply, too many shocks at once.


  ‘What the bloody hell were you just doing?’ Ryan glanced at the door she was supposed to be checking. His face was flushed. ‘Shit, that’s Nicko. Come on.’ He pulled Jaz up off her seat and led her towards where he’d last seen Nicko. On the way, he passed the plastic container full of coins he was holding to an old lady with a short perm. ‘Here, next game’s on us,’ he said. They were gone before they could see the delight on the lady’s face.

  As they made it to the end of the aisle, past the pokie players, Ryan wrapped his arm around Jaz, pulling her in close as they walked. Just like a happy, loved up couple. She wished.

  ‘He’s up ahead, past the guy with the green shirt,’ said Ryan. It was a busy night and they had to squeeze together to pass the groups of people.

  ‘I’ve got him.’ Jaz was too afraid to blink in case Nicko vanished.

  ‘Good,’ he said before his voice dropped to a grumble. ‘Now tell me what you were doing talking with Sal? Did I not explain how dangerous he is? Christ, Jaz. What the hell were you thinking?’ His breath rushed against her ear with each word.

  Without taking her eyes off Nicko, who was making his way out of the casino, she talked through her teeth to Ryan. ‘I thought I saw Nicko, but it wasn’t him and as I turned around I ran into you know who. It was accidental. I didn’t plan it.’

  ‘He was touching you.’ His voice seethed.

  ‘I know. He was apologising.’ Jaz felt ridiculous saying that this awful killer was saying sorry. She felt like she was defending the man. ‘I got away as fast as I could without causing suspicion.’

  Ryan let out a breath as they headed outside into the cool night air. Nicko had stopped and was waiting for someone. Ryan pulled Jaz into him, circling his arms around her. He dropped his head on her shoulder as if they were about to kiss.

  Jaz’s heartbeat raced with anticipation, but she knew this was all for show.

  ‘What happens now?’ she said against his cheek.

  ‘We wait.’ Ryan pulled back and laughed aloud. Jaz went along and giggled. ‘Come here, beautiful,’ he said, before pulling her back into his arms. ‘He’s getting into a black car. One Foxtrot Echo Golf six five nine. Can you remember that?’