Love & Deception (Agents in Love - Book 1)

by Chantel Rhondeau

  Barely catching the back of her shirt when Shelley attempted to storm from the room, Carlie yanked her back. “Calm down. It wasn’t Nick.”

  “Fine.” Shelley put her hands on her hips, jerking her head to toss long black hair over her shoulder. “Who do I need to kill?”

  Unable to help herself, Carlie smiled. It felt good to have people care about her. “No one. Nick took care of that—almost literally from what I remember. This won’t happen again.”

  “It was Stephen, wasn’t it?” Shelley’s upper lip curled and she crossed the room to flop inelegantly onto the couch. “What’s that asshole’s problem? Couldn’t handle it when you ditched him for a real man?”

  “Something like that.” Carlie nodded. It would be best to change the subject before Shelley got too curious. “So, you talked to Muhammad? I thought you hated him.”

  Shelley waved her hand through the air. “I don’t hate him. I hate that he takes advantage of you, and you let him get away with it.” She shrugged. “When you didn’t answer your phone, I went to Compassion For All to see if he’d heard from you.”

  Carlie sat on the couch, overwhelmed with guilt at worrying Shelley. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. It’s been a rough couple days.”

  “I imagine it has.” Shelley hugged her gently. “That explains why you never called and told me how the date went. I thought I’d hear from you yesterday, and I’ve been curious.”

  “As far as the date, dinner was nice.” Carlie tried hard not to think about what Shelley interrupted on her couch and how much ‘nicer’ things would have become, given more time. “We went to a Chinese restaurant Nick’s invested in, and we danced in the dining room. It was romantic.”

  “And did you guys...” She arched a perfectly-shaped eyebrow.

  “Kiss?” Carlie strived to keep an innocent look on her face and think about nothing but their first kiss when he tucked her into bed.

  Shelley pouted her lips out and cocked her head to the side. “My, my, my. On the first date? I can’t believe you, Carlie. I said flirt not fu—”

  “I didn’t say I did that!”

  “Oh, your face told me.” She winked. “You wouldn’t even kiss Stephen, and you’ve known him for months. Nick must be special.”

  “Well...” Carlie gestured to her face. “Turns out I was right about Stephen.”

  She grimaced. “Of course. Jerk. How bad do you hurt?”

  “Actually, I feel better than I thought I would.”

  Shelley glanced toward the hallway and smirked. “A little of that man’s medicine must go a long way.”

  “You’re horrible.” Even if she was right.

  “You already knew that.” She laughed and Carlie joined in.

  “It was pretty intense, for a first date. I think it must count as more than just one.”

  Shelley shrugged. “I’ve heard other girls say no sex until the third date.”

  Which was probably three hours together at the most each time. Nick spent a lot more time than that with her, not to mention being in the life and death situation together and him saving her. “I think we put in the time for more than three dates.”

  “I never follow that rule anyway. Life’s too short to wait.” Shelley smoothed her hands against her hair, a small grin around her lips. “Ah, there’s nothing like first lust.”

  Carlie couldn’t help but be a little offended. “I hope it’s more than simple lust.”

  “One can always hope, I suppose.” Shelley patted her leg. “Tell me what happened. Start when I left the shop, and don’t leave anything out.”

  Carlie was more than happy to fill her friend in on the events of the last few days. However, she’d skip the details of what they’d been doing when Shelley knocked on the door.

  ***

  Nick finally regained control of his hormones. Holy shit. He’d never wanted someone so bad and been denied like that, but he reminded himself Shelley was Carlie’s best friend. If it was anyone else, he’d march back out there—erection and all—and demand she get the hell out until they were finished.

  His only consolation was Carlie promised to make it up to him. Plus, he did get the satisfaction of pleasing her. He grinned at himself in the mirror. Carlie’s husband sounded like a selfish asshole. He only married her out of duty and probably never did anything to make her eyes roll into the back of her head. Nick felt it was up to him to teach Carlie the spicier side of lovemaking.

  He tried to tell himself this was part of the job—he was getting close to Carlie as a S.A.T.O. agent, just following orders. It was a lie, though, and he knew it. Thinking back to the few women Nick had been with over the years, no one ever made him feel the way he did now.

  All he wanted was to keep her safe. To accomplish that, he had to find out what the President and S.A.T.O. had planned for her. He still wasn’t sure whether he believed Paul hadn’t known Carlie’s true identity. It seemed too coincidental for S.A.T.O. to decide she was a terrorist threat and investigate her. There had to be a reason they became interested in her.

  Pulling the phone from his pocket, he tapped on Paul’s number and opened the texting program.

  I’m living in the target’s house now. Awaiting further instructions after your meeting.

  At least Paul would know he acted the part of a good little agent. Depending how things went, at some point Nick might have to call his friend in California. Donovan Andrews had been a huge help when Paul sent the order to kill Jason Steele. Maybe he’d help again.

  For now, Nick needed to secure things here, teach Carlie new defenses, and take care of Stephen if the jerk came around again.

  He turned on the faucet and cupped cold water in his hands, splashing it over his face. Carlie had decorated the bathroom in blacks and yellows, and he grabbed a sunny hand towel and dried off before walking out to the living room.

  The girls sat together on the couch. Carlie appeared to be on death’s door. In comparison, Shelley had her hair and makeup perfectly done. She looked ready to hit the town for a night of Flamenco dancing, not like a woman on her way to work. They talked in hushed tones, but both looked up when he entered.

  Shelley rose from her seat and rushed him, shoving his shoulder hard. “Why didn’t you kill that asshole?”

  “Shelley,” Carlie protested, “it wasn’t Nick’s fault. He saved my life. Don’t attack him.”

  Nick leaned against the wall next to the entertainment center and folded his arms. “I nearly did. I wanted to. But Carlie needed me, and I doubt snapping someone’s neck is as easy as movies make it seem.”

  Shelley’s eyes widened and she looked a bit more respectful. “You actually thought about snapping his neck?”

  Carlie made an impatient sound. “It doesn’t matter, guys. What I really need is to learn better defenses. I couldn’t even figure out how to get him to stop choking me.” She rolled her eyes. “Clearly repeated punches to the gut don’t do the trick.”

  Shaking her head, Shelley turned back to Carlie. “You’re going for your black belt and you don’t know how to break a choke hold?”

  Looking dejected, Carlie shrugged. “I panicked and couldn’t remember what to do. I haven’t gone over that stuff very much. I’m an okay fighter, but he got the upper hand.” She looked at the ground, not meeting either of their eyes.

  Knowing her past, it made sense to Nick why she didn’t have all the necessary skills. If she had changed where she lived every six months, things likely slipped through the cracks. She probably learned the basic skills of each belt level, and none of her past instructors realized she had gaps in her education. Which must have been why Sensei Hideaki told her she wasn’t ready to test yet. He saw she was lacking.

  Nick crossed the room and caught Carlie’s hand in his. She glanced up and he stared into her hazel eyes, trying not to lose himself in the drug that was her gaze. “It’s not your fault, Carlie. I’m going to teach you properly and everything will be okay.”

  She bit her lip an
d shook her head slowly. “What if it isn’t?” She glanced Shelley’s direction and whispered, “I don’t want to run again.”

  Leaning down, he brushed a soft kiss against her lips. “We’re going to fix this. I promise.”

  He let go of her hand and stood upright, facing Shelley. Even though she was barely a black belt, Nick had trained with her for almost a month and knew she was a capable fighter. “I have to take care of a few things. Will you stay with Carlie?”

  Shelley nodded at the same time as Carlie asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to switch out the signs at Carlie’s Creations to let people know you’ll be closed again tomorrow, and I need to check in at my restaurant.”

  Carlie nodded. “I appreciate that. Make sure you’re clear that the shop will open Wednesday. I don’t hurt too much. If I use ice packs a lot, maybe I can get the bruising down enough to work without scaring the customers off.”

  “I’ll help too,” Shelley said. “We can cover a lot with makeup.”

  He nodded. “Great. For now, though, the focus has to be on getting you up to speed protecting yourself.” Nick couldn’t be with her every second. If she had assassins after her in addition to S.A.T.O.’s agents, Carlie had a lot to learn in a hurry.

  Shelley crossed to the couch and grabbed her purse. “Don’t worry about us for now. I’ll teach her while you’re gone.”

  “And what are you doing with the purse?” he asked.

  She unzipped it pulled out a shiny black handgun. “I’ve won every shooting competition I’ve entered for the last five years.” There was a hard glint in her eye. “If Stephen comes near her again, he won’t have time to wonder what hit him.”

  Though Nick was glad Shelley had plenty in her arsenal to help with Carlie’s protection, it worried him that she only knew about Stephen. “Or anyone else. It doesn’t have to be Stephen who hurts her.”

  Carlie narrowed her eyes, and Nick knew he overstepped the boundaries of what she would tolerate.

  “I’m not entirely helpless,” she said. “I’ve taken care of myself for a lot of years.”

  He sighed. “I know, but you’re giving up some control, remember?”

  “And so are you,” she shot back.

  “Which worked out so great this morning.”

  A grin lit her face, as he hoped it would. “I’m glad you both care about me,” she said, “but please don’t treat me like a wounded bird with no control over her destiny.”

  Shelley looked at Nick and shrugged before returning her attention to Carlie. “Of course we know you’re not, sweetie. We just want to keep you safe.”

  “Exactly,” he agreed, walking toward the door. “Take care of each other while I’m gone. I’ll be back soon.”

  He half hoped Carlie would rush over and kiss him goodbye, but she kept her place on the couch. Whether that was because she didn’t want to seem eager or because she was angry with him and Shelley for talking as though she weren’t in the room, he couldn’t tell.

  A part of him wanted to walk back to her and kiss her, claim her for his own. Laughing silently at his own foolishness, he opened the door and stepped outside without looking at her again.

  “Be safe,” she called, just as he closed the door.

  Unable to wipe the smile from his face, Nick crossed the yard to his car. He would definitely be careful. Even knowing there might be assassins in town besides the government agents after Carlie, she promised him some fun tonight. Nothing would get in the way of him returning to her and finishing what they started.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Carlie glanced at Shelley, surprised that she was so good with a gun. “I didn’t know you shoot competitively. How’d you get into that?”

  “We haven’t talked about much besides work stuff and guys.” Her friend shrugged. “My dad taught me to shoot almost before I could walk. It’s a big thing in my family.”

  Carlie never held a gun before. It would certainly be a more effective way to stop an assassin than a defense she couldn’t execute properly. “Could you teach me?”

  “I don’t know. It takes a long time to learn. If you don’t know what you’re doing, someone could take the gun away and use it on you.”

  Sighing, Carlie knew she should give up on that idea. She probably couldn’t open fire on someone anyway—not even Stephen. “It’s important I find ways to protect myself.”

  “I don’t entirely understand.” Shelley crossed the room and sat next to her. “Stephen wouldn’t come near you again, would he? I’m pretty sure having Nick around would stop him from trying anything else.”

  Carlie wondered if she should tell Shelley about her past. Shelley was in more danger than she realized staying at the house.

  “You didn’t explain what happened with Stephen,” Shelley said before Carlie decided what to tell her. “I got distracted by your date. Why did he attack?”

  “He...” Carlie looked down, picking at her fingernail. If Shelley knew the truth, she might not stick around.

  Shelley put her hand against Carlie’s arm and asked softly, “Did he try to rape you or something?”

  She wondered why everyone jumped to that conclusion—perhaps because Stephen was slime. “No. That’s not what happened. Thank goodness.” She met Shelley’s blue eyes, knowing she had to tell her. Carlie gave a condensed version of the story she told Nick and waited anxiously for her friend’s reaction.

  Shelley blew out a puff of air, wafting her bangs away from her face with the force of the wind. “That is...crazy.”

  “I know.” She felt miserable. Not only was she drawing her new friends into her problems and putting them in danger, the story of her life was hard to believe. “If you don’t want to stay, I’ll totally understand.”

  “Why would I leave?” Shelley stood and pushed the coffee table against the wall. “You have to know how to break a choke hold. I can handle that part. When Nick gets home, he can teach more advanced moves.”

  Carlie stood, though emotion clenched down her chest and she was afraid a few more tears might fall. “You still want to help me?”

  “We’re friends, aren’t we? Believe it or not, I don’t have that many girlfriends.”

  Carlie laughed, knowing most women didn’t trust Shelley around their boyfriends. It wasn’t her fault she was beautiful. An accident of nature. She also couldn’t help the way men responded to her. “You scare other women. They can’t compete with you on the dating field.”

  Shelley sighed. “And yet, here I am, still waiting for Mister Right. I don’t even know if he’s out there.”

  Beauty didn’t guarantee happiness, and Carlie felt guilty for being jealous of Shelley’s looks in the past. “You’ve kissed your share of frogs, haven’t you?”

  “And toads and snakes,” she agreed. “Let’s get to work, though. We can talk about my love life later.” She made motions for Carlie to approach her. “Put your hands around my throat and let me show you what to do. The trick is to go after your assailant’s thumb and use your other hand to punch him in the face.”

  Carlie put her hands around Shelley’s neck, choking her lightly. Shelley moved in slow motion, cupping her left fingers into a stiff claw and plucking at Carlie’s right thumb to loosen her grip. At the same time, she twisted her body and punched Carlie’s face with her right hand.

  “You see?” she asked. “The twisting motion will break the hold further, and a punch to his nose with the heel of your hand might make him lose his grip entirely. Then, you’ve already turned away and can run.”

  “Stephen slammed my head against the wall. It stunned me. I sort of panicked.” Carlie sighed. “Show me again, and then let me try. I focused too much on attacks during training and glossed over defenses, thinking a good offense was the best defense.”

  Shelley nodded. “Lots of people do that, but I think your defensive moves are more important, actually. Even if your attacker is a lot bigger, you can break fingers, wrists, all manner of things.�
�� She grabbed Carlie’s hands and placed them back around her neck. “No one’s gonna mess with you again or they’ll be sorry.”

  ***

  Nick pulled the Porsche onto Carlie’s street, watching the red car tailing him. It had pulled out behind him when he left Carlie’s Creations. The angle of the sun reflecting off the windshield made it difficult to see who the driver was, but he had an idea.

  Stephen drove a red car.

  He turned into Carlie’s driveway, unsurprised when the red car pulled along the curb and stopped. Grabbing his pistol from the glove box, Nick tucked it into the back of his pants and got out of his vehicle.

  Walking slowly across the grass to the sidewalk, he forced in deep, calming breaths. It wouldn’t do any good to appear angry. No matter how he really felt, he found it more effective to be in complete control. That intimidated people more.

  The driver’s door opened on the street side and Nick stopped walking, waiting for the driver to come to him. The back of Stephen’s blond head appeared over the top of the car before he turned around. Dark sunglasses sat on his face and he sported crisscrossed tape over the bridge of his nose.

  Nick laughed. “My girl packs one hell of a wallop, doesn’t she?”

  “She’s not your girl.” Stephen shut the door and rounded the front of the vehicle, stopping just outside Nick’s kicking range. “We both know that. She’s your target.”

  The problem with Stephen knowing the truth was he could blow things. If Carlie found out why Nick was interested in her, she’d never believe his feelings were real. He had a hard time believing it himself.

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but you shouldn’t be here.”

  “You can’t hurt me,” Stephen whined. “Paul promised you wouldn’t.”

  There was no point pretending he didn’t know who Paul was.

  “Did he also tell you if you bother Carlie, I have permission to do whatever I want?” Nick cocked his head to the side and shrugged. “What I want is to kick your ass for touching her.”

  “Take it easy.” Stephen took a step back and held his hands up. “I came to apologize. We’re going to see each other at karate class, so I want to make it up to her.”