by Dawn Ryder
“A city that has been hit hard by military downsizing. Perfect location for you to announce your partnership with the high-speed rail project that all those planet-loving voters are in favor of.”
Carl’s expression darkened. “That’s Dunn Bateson’s little gem. A high-speed train to Las Vegas. The oil companies will eat me alive.”
“They’re energy companies now. Have a few closed-door meetings to assure them they will be supplying the energy. Remind them that the Internet has made sure information flows freely, so they’d better get busy maintaining good images. Green energy is trendy, and the casinos will enjoy knowing they have a steady flow of customers who can drink right up until they depart,” Tyler said. “California will be yours in the polls, and Nevada will follow. Most importantly, it’s out of the way enough for Marc to be tempted to make a try for the witness because he’ll think he’s close enough to Mexico airspace to outrun the law.”
Carl was thinking it through. He suddenly nodded. “You’ve got a good head on those shoulders Martin.”
“I’ll deal with Kagan.”
Surprise flickered in Carl’s eyes. “Doesn’t he want you dead?”
“A lot of people do, but Kagan wants his Shadow opps more. By helping you get elected, I ensure that you can make sure Kagan gets what he wants most.”
“I’ve already made that clear to him,” Carl said.
“So it’s time for me to make a visit to the man and make sure he knows you and I are a team, and that I am there to collect your payment or warn him to start getting his retirement portfolio in order.”
Understanding dawned on Carl. “Right. Let me know what to expect for when his job no longer exists due to a presidential order.”
Tyler nodded before turning and moving out of the room. There had been a time when he had reported to Kagan and enjoyed the idea of serving his country. It had twisted his guts to discover just how little justice there was in the world, but he’d wised up because the alternative was to live like Saxon Hale. Working mission after mission for a salary that would never get him what Carl Davis enjoyed.
Tyler wanted more, and he’d made sure he was going to get it.
* * *
“You’re awake.”
Saxon was playing with her hair. It was quiet all around them, the fire nothing but embers. But the moon had come out, a huge full moon that cast a beautiful yellow light on them. Saxon had pushed the top sleeping bag down from their faces and was watching her as he combed his fingers through her hair.
“You need sleep,” she said softly.
She felt him tense before he leaned down and inhaled against her hair. “I think I need this … even more, Gin.”
She shuddered. He felt it, noticing the details as he always did, but tonight she didn’t feel exposed. No, all she felt was cherished. “I know the feeling.”
His embrace tightened, telling her without words that he needed her. Was it just what she wanted to hear? Maybe. But at the moment he was there, stroking her, holding her, so she rolled over and straddled him, lifting her hips so that his cock could spring up between them. She lowered herself onto his length.
“I need this…” she muttered.
He held the sleeping bag over them, his face showing her that he was frustrated by the need to keep his hands on something other than her. She smiled at him, riding him with a slow motion that sent pleasure rolling through her like waves at twilight.
“Now who’s feeling controlling?” he asked.
“What’s good for the goose…” She lowered herself onto him, taking all of his length before she tightened her muscles around him and listened to him gasp.
“Is good for the gander…” he grunted out.
“So nice that we agree.”
And they did. In that moment they were in perfect harmony, moving together with a fluid grace that was as beautiful as it was thrilling. The passion built, reaching a crescendo, and when it was over, she landed beside him, looking up at the night sky while they both caught their breath.
He didn’t let her sleep, though. He turned and came up behind her when she rolled, closing his arms around her as though separation was unbearable.
“Do you want kids?”
Ginger had been half-asleep, floating away on the cloud of bliss produced by their lovemaking. “Yeah. I mean, family is the best. You and your brother share a bond.”
“We do.”
“That’s the stuff…” She made a little sound of contentment. “The stuff life is made of.”
He choked against her hair. But he thrust his hips forward, against her bottom. “You’re a dreamer, Gin.”
“Thanks for noticing,” she muttered. “It’s not bad to see hope in the world. Why else do you put your life at risk?”
“You see more of me than most, Gin,” he muttered. “Not too bad.” There was a note in his voice that warmed her heart. A touch of hope that might actually have been whimsical. She decided it suited the moonlight perfectly.
“In that case”—she had to stop for a yawn—“I’ll claim this was all a dream in the morning.”
It was after all. A dream. One of those that fit into the category of unreachable because she knew it would take more than just her love to hold him. Saxon hadn’t said anything about affection but she refused to dwell on it. Instead, she enjoyed the way he cupped her breast and settled into sleeping at her back.
A dream or maybe moon madness.
Whatever it was, she decided it felt absolutely perfect.
* * *
“What’s wrong?” Ginger had waited until Saxon finished his call. She didn’t remember the phone ringing, but she’d noticed when he’d crawled out of their sleeping bag haven. “Your expression tells me reality is just as much of a bitch as ever.”
She got a little twitch from the corners of his lips for her sarcasm effort. Ginger rubbed her eyes and went over to the tailgate of the truck. A small camping stove was sitting there and she struck a match to light the burner.
Coffee …
Saxon came close, leaning against the side of the truck as she measured out the grounds and set the little pot over the flame.
“Someone made an attempt on the cabin.”
She bit back the comment that sprang to her lips because she didn’t want to stop him from sharing more information. His gaze lowered to where her teeth were set, making her snort.
“I didn’t want to jinx the moment,” she offered in explanation. “But, since my cover is blown, is your brother okay?”
Saxon tilted his head to the side. “This is our job.”
“He’s your brother.”
Saxon nodded. “Vitus is fine, but it means someone managed to track the helicopter to the cabin.”
“The world isn’t as big as it once was.” Ginger didn’t care for how vulnerable that made her feel, and she realized it was because she knew Saxon would protect her with his life. She just couldn’t bear the idea of it.
“No, it isn’t,” Saxon agreed with her.
“So, maybe we need to go on the offensive,” she decided in an attempt to fend off the wave of horror trying to knock her off her feet. “Stop all this hiding. Stand up to this guy and let the press fry his ass.”
For a moment, a glint appeared in Saxon’s eyes. “As much as I enjoy a straight-out fight, it’s too dangerous.”
“So is waiting around and playing hide-and-seek. If I wanted to be a prepper, I’d have married one. Trust me, there were offers,” she exclaimed in frustration.
“You married me.”
And he didn’t want to let her have a chance to argue the point. He shot her a look that warned her not to debate the topic.
Ginger grinned at him. His eyes narrowed, and she watched him battle the urge to ask her why she was amused.
“I did marry you,” she offered. “Slept with you, too.”
That earned her a grunt before he moved over to their bedding and started rolling it.
Ginger turned around and peek
ed at the coffee even though she knew it wasn’t ready because she had a huge, stupid smile plastered across her face.
So much for moon madness. The sun was shining bright, and she was still besotted.
* * *
Kagan still knew how to make Tyler wait and worry over what he was thinking. Tyler’s former section leader was built like a linebacker, and the comparison didn’t end there. Tyler had noticed the first time he met the man that Kagan had it in him to take out what was in front of him if he decided to do it. As a Section Leader, Kagan had always weighed the options better than others, which accounted for the number of years that he’d held the position. Hot heads didn’t last long. They might enjoy a flash of popularity because they charged in when the moment called for it, but they tended to disappear when those they crossed got even through their friends.
No, the way the world was now, the men at the top liked a nice marching band, one that performed on cue. Tyler knew it, accepted it, and had crossed over the line to join them because he wanted a slice of the good life. Kagan clung to his worn-out desk, putting duct tape on his budget because he was still a lone wolf at the center of his soul.
That was what had Tyler waiting. Even a wolf learned to run with the pack when survival was on the line. Kagan knew that hard fact of life. He’d do what he had to in order to keep his teams.
“I’ll pull Hale in with the girl,” Kagan spoke at last but he shot Tyler a hard look. “Fact is, you shouldn’t thank me for that.”
Tyler heard the warning loud and clear, but he didn’t care. Quite the opposite really, because he thrived in the world of shadows and secrets, always had. It was all a game. Knowing lives hung in the balance just intensified the rush.
“But not until I see something public on Carl Davis’s part to prove he’s intent on taking down the Raven.” He leveled a solid look at Tyler. “It’s a horse trade and my filly is top grade, so he better bring something worth letting her go. You’re not the only one who knows how to get paid.”
Kagan walked away from him, into the people walking through the park. He didn’t blend very well with the moms and their strollers or the trophy wives in their expensive jogging attire. Another little detail that supported Tyler’s dedication to Carl Davis. When the buzz faded after the first few assignments with the Shadow opps teams, an agent was often left with the bitter realization of just how easy it was to wipe one of their number off the face of the earth. Pledging himself to powerful men like Jeb Ryland and Carl Davis would ensure his survival. It was nothing personal, and Ginger Boyce was just collateral damage.
Or she would be soon. Even Kagan was embracing the fact that she was nothing more than a means to an end. There was a certain satisfaction in knowing that Kagan recognized the logic of playing in the big leagues with men who didn’t have trouble dealing in lives. It meant Tyler wasn’t the monster he sometimes wondered he was. No, it was reality, and he was just smart enough to ensure that he didn’t end up one of the sacrificed.
* * *
Saxon’s phone buzzed. Ginger was still hovering over the brewing coffee as she snuck a look at him. He tossed one of the rolled sleeping bags into the back of the truck before taking the call. She moved toward the remaining one, taking over the chore while he walked a few paces away. She didn’t hear very many full words, but the sound of his grunts made it clear he wasn’t happy.
He cussed when he ended the call, and she discovered him looking straight at her. She picked up the rolled sleeping bag and walked toward him.
“So?” she asked as she placed the bundle next to its counterpart in the bed of the truck.
“We need to join the team.”
The journey was quiet but for a much different reason. Saxon was thinking. It hit her far differently than it had before. It was very personal now. He was thinking of her as his wife, not a witness. Not that impersonal creature that he’d been so ready to pass off to another team. She felt the difference.
Which just made her feel like she was on a cliff. One with a very long drop on either side with nothing but the jagged points of reality to land on.
* * *
“What the fuck?” Marc Grog demanded as his hidden office door was opened with the aid of a kick. A line of white powder was laid out in front of him as four men entered.
“Federal warrant,” one of them announced as he held up the paperwork.
“The fuck you say!” Marc exclaimed.
“Call your lawyer,” the deputy informed him as he flattened the warrant on top of the line of cocaine. “You’re going to need him.” The guy was enjoying himself and flashed Marc a grin. “Welcome back from the dead. A whole lot of people are going to enjoy knowing you’re alive.”
There were shouts coming in from all over the office. Profanity-laced statements of surprise came as over a hundred Federal agents began tearing the place apart. Marc shook his head, wondering if it was the coke, but finally recognizing that the agent hadn’t bothered to bag the small amount of cocaine for evidence. Which only meant they felt they had much bigger fish to fry.
Fuck Carl Davis!
Marc was forced to collapse back in his chair and listen to his empire being pillaged and he absorbed the reality of knowing he had a lot of warrants in his name.
Yeah, fuck him. Marc started dialing his lawyer because he wasn’t going down without making sure Carl Davis paid the price for turning on him.
* * *
The team was tense when Saxon and Ginger joined back up with them. Ginger felt it rippling across her skin as Saxon took her into a house that looked and smelled like it hadn’t been used in a decade. There was the scent of stale air peppered with thick dust that swirled around as they all moved across the carpet. A small puff of it rose into the air when Bram Magnus sat down on a chair.
“Just like home,” he muttered. “Afghanistan,” he offered when Ginger looked at him in confusion.
Saxon made eye contact with his man before he disappeared to call in. What followed was the longest five minutes of her life.
But what weighed on her the most was the fact that it just might be some of the few moments she had left.
* * *
“I don’t like it any more than you do, Hale,” Kagan said.
Kagan’s words were echoing inside his skull.
“Bring her in.”
“Without something concrete from Carl?” Saxon asked.
“I’ll work on that, but don’t forget who is in the power position, Hale. You can stay out, sure, and Carl can cut the cord to all of us. We have to deal with him. It’s not giving me the warm fuzzies either, but stay out and he’ll get you by undermining the entire department, which will leave your ass flapping in the breeze for the Raven to find. We need Carl to push the case through or all our teams risk exposure. It is the only option with any hint of success. Carl can block any attempt I make to convene a judge and hearing,” Kagan replied.
Saxon cut the line, but his action didn’t put him in the clear. Vitus was watching him, his expression dark because his brother knew his body language.
“Kagan has ordered me in. He wants to work a deal with Carl Davis.”
“When pigs fly,” Vitus snarled.
“Or when they are a stone’s throw from getting into the White House,” Saxon replied in disgust. “Marc Grog represents a lot of votes through his son Pulse. Seems if they aren’t going to support Carl, Marc’s going to discover that Carl will use him as a scapegoat and get the votes by bringing in a crime boss.”
“Take credit for our work you mean,” Bram grunted. “Damned fat cat.”
“A leopard never changes his spots,” Thais added, too much knowledge in her tone. “His kind knows no other way.”
Ginger felt a chill go down her spine, Reality was delivering the punches with all the force Ginger had expected. She gripped her shirt sleeves to keep from rushing into Saxon’s embrace. Reality was unfolding like a giant spider in front of them.
“I’m not going in.” Saxon’s to
ne was hard and determined. It sliced her to the bone because she’d never had someone willing to lay themselves out for her.
Well, until you met Saxon Hale and fell in love.
Yeah. She savored that thought for a moment, trying to let it sink in deep enough so that it would always be with her.
“It will cost you your shield and maybe your life.” Vitus offered the information softly. The rest of the team seemed in agreement, looking at their leader like he’d lost his mind. “I think it’s shit, too, but Carl Davis is ahead in the polls. As President, he could shut down the Shadow opps teams. Kagan is covering our butts and the rest of his men. Without resources, it would only be a matter of time.”
Vitus was disgusted. He shook his head and cussed as Bram Magnus joined him.
“The game,” Thais stated softly. “It can always be relied upon to be unfair when you need it to be the opposite.” There was a sickening sound of first-hand knowledge in her tone, the frustration of missions gone to hell in her past.
Ginger found Dare Servant looking at her, his eyes bright with the need to fight. “I’ll go with you,” he said firmly. “They can have my fucking shield if it doesn’t stand for what I thought it did anymore.”
“Take me in.” She couldn’t have held the words back if she’d tried. Saxon turned to her with a look that was designed to make her bend to his will, but she straightened up and shot him a hard look. “It’s the only move.”
“You don’t know Davis. I do. I wouldn’t give him any witness, and I’m sure as hell not handing over my wife.”
There was a note in his voice that made her mouth go dry. She thought she’d seen him being dead serious before, but she hadn’t, not truly. She was staring at it now and just in case she missed the severity of the situation, shifting her gaze just a smidge to the side allowed her to see the look on Vitus’s face, and it was stone hard with the knowledge that Saxon wasn’t blowing anything out of proportion.
Something shifted inside her. The last bit of insecurity she’d harbored crumbled as she realized she had what it took to step up and be his match. “Don’t ask me to give less than you do. It would make me your pet, and in the long haul, you would never be satisfied by that sort of a woman. Don’t ask me to stand by while I could do something to protect you.”
