Dangerous in Love (Aegis Group Alpha Team, #1)

by Sidney Bristol

  “I want them charged—or whatever—for what they did to me. And others.” Lacey’s intense tone made the hair on Shane’s arms raise.

  “And?” Kyle asked.

  “I need to send a copy to my videographer. There’s still footage he can use for my vlogs—that’s not about my captivity—and I’d like him to get to work on it. Every week I’m not online decreases my income, and at this point, I’m probably making nothing.”

  “If we can establish a solid connection, I believe we can do that,” Kyle said slowly.

  “They were American, so this is going to be an FBI matter. They’ll pay,” Shane said.

  He had every intention of seeing to it that these kinds of people were stopped. If he were to be put out of a job, so be it. He’d prefer that world.

  “All right, then, Lacey, Isaac is going to get you set up with a link to get that video uploaded. Shane, I need you to get our surveillance running. The rest of you, get some rest. We’ll take watch in shifts. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” the men around the room said in unison.

  “Dismissed.”

  Shane didn’t move from his seat. He watched Isaac approach Lacey out of the corner of his eye, noted the stiff way she moved. The crossed arms. She was battening down her hatches, but she’d made a tactical mistake. She’d let him see her unguarded self.

  The woman had secrets, and he intended to find out what they were.

  It took Lacey almost two hours to get the footage off her camera and uploaded to the server for her videographer to access. The poor camera was pretty beat up, but it had survived. Like her. With any luck, Josh would see it and her email in the morning, then go to town. While much of it had been transmitted at her last Wi-Fi hook-up, he didn’t have anything from her time in Jamaica.

  Those first few days where everything had gone according to plan had been magical. The people inhabiting the island were wonderful. The views were breathtaking. She’d been enjoying the idea of a two-week trek from one side to the other, hitting all the major landmarks and sights, but she’d only made it to Negril.

  And that was where her life changed.

  Lacey stared at her bedroom door, so ready to go to sleep without wondering if it was a bad idea or what might happen when she wasn’t ready. But she couldn’t rest. Not yet.

  Shane had disappeared from the command room, as Isaac called it, not long after she’d gotten set up with the link for her camera upload.

  She owed him her life. If he hadn’t come back for her or did what he did...

  Yeah, the least she could do was say a proper thank you to tall, dark, and deadly.

  If there was one thing Lacey believed in, it was thank you. She’d experienced kindness the world over that couldn’t be repaid, but she could at least say thanks.

  She turned her back on the room that Isaac had said was hers while they were here and paced down the hall. Other, similar doors were shut, and no sound emanated from within.

  Last she’d seen Shane, he’d been outside walking in the rain. The best place to get a bird’s eye view of the place was upstairs. She climbed to the third floor, the double doors leading out onto a wide, open balcony.

  She knew that backside.

  Shane stood at the railing, rain pelting him, not moving a muscle.

  She walked toward him, passing through the double doors.

  What was he doing? What did he see out there?

  Lacey hung back under the roof, puzzling over this man.

  Whatever Aegis Group was, she was sure as hell indebted to them, but mostly to Shane. Something about him bugged her. What, she didn’t quite know. Maybe some sleep would knock her thoughts loose, or maybe it didn’t actually matter.

  Shane turned, his gaze going straight to her, their eyes locking.

  She felt the chill of the rain in that look.

  Lacey wrapped her arms around herself and shifted her weight from foot to foot.

  Perhaps this was a bad idea...

  Shane let go of the railing and walked toward her.

  Even without the tactical gear he was still...dangerous. Maybe even to her, but that didn’t make sense.

  Shane was... Like out of a movie. Typecast. The stoic soldier. The rule follower. The stick in the mud. Maybe that was what bothered her—he fit a mold, and she never had.

  She tipped her chin up, refusing to be the first one to flinch.

  He stopped a polite distance away, and yet he still seemed to take up more than his fair share of the balcony.

  “Isaac get you sorted?” he asked.

  “He did. I just wanted to say thank you.”

  “You already did.”

  “Well, it doesn’t hurt to say it again.” She forced herself to uncross her arms and shoved her hands into her pockets instead.

  “Not a problem, ma’am. Just doing what we do best.” He gave her a curt nod. She could almost imagine him wearing a hat and tipping the brim at her.

  “And what is it you do? I’m still not quite clear on that.”

  “We negotiate the safe return of missing family members.” He said it like he was reading a line.

  “Negotiate? Is that what you call tossing a flash grenade into a room? I think my ears are still ringing.” She chuckled, but he didn’t so much as crack a smile. Tough crowd.

  “In hostile situations, it’s best to act first and talk later.”

  “I see.” Lacey rocked back onto her heels.

  Her thanks was delivered and Shane didn’t seem to want to invite further conversation. It was probably her impish nature that made her stand there and keep talking at him.

  “You know, maybe when this is over I could interview you?” She’d done it a few times with people of interest. The response was always mixed. But a rescue story? People loved that. And he was easy on the eyes.

  “I’d have to pass,” Shane said.

  “Oh, come on. I bet my viewers would love hearing your take on what happened.”

  “Putting our faces out there makes us easier to recognize and tips off our targets. Makes us less effective.”

  “It could be one of those interviews where you don’t see the person’s face and their voices are distorted.”

  “I’m no good on camera, ma’am.”

  “You’re determined to tell me no, aren’t you?”

  “Not necessarily.”

  Lacey threw her head back and laughed. He wouldn’t even say yes to a question she knew to be true.

  “Did they teach you this kind of question and answer technique in army school? Boot camp, sorry.”

  “I wasn’t in the army, ma’am. I thought you did travel shows?”

  “I do, but I also talk about the people I meet and the things they do. I try to show a real, live version of what people are going through, not just the places I’ve been.”

  “And you got to doing this...by researching reptiles?” Shane’s brow wrinkled and his frown deepened.

  “Yeah, actually.” Lacey chuckled. “Life is funny that way.”

  “You can say that again.” He shook his head.

  “What are you doing out here, besides getting a shower?”

  “Setting up surveillance. Getting the lay of the land before the sun sets.” He peered out at the gray skies.

  “Are we safe here?” She stared at the trees and could all too easily imagine Marcos and his goons striding down that road.

  “Hey?” Shane stepped into her line of sight.

  Lacey shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself.

  “Where’d you go?” He was closer now, his big body shielding her from the balcony, from whatever shadows were prowling around in the darkness.

  “Nowhere. I’m here.” She smiled.

  “What happened? What’d he do to you?” Shane’s voice was quiet, the menacing rumble not for her. For all his cookie-cutter soldier tendencies, she knew at her core Shane was of no danger to her. He exuded protector and safe like few other people she’d met in her life. Maybe that w
as why she’d sought him out. She didn’t feel at ease in her own head anymore.

  “Nothing.” Lacey’s throat tightened around the lie.

  “Your face says otherwise. You glanced down when you said ‘nothing.’ You’re biting your lip. Your pupils—”

  “Shane.”

  “Should I ask the others? Will they know?”

  “No, please—”

  “Then what’s wrong? What did he do?”

  Lacey wrapped her arms tighter around herself, tears prickling her eyes. Guilt gnawed at her, stealing away her relief at being free.

  “Lacey?”

  “Marcos made me help, okay?” Lacey turned her head, staring at a spot on the railing.

  “Help? How?” Shane sidestepped into her line of sight.

  “He just did.” Lacey turned.

  Shane grabbed her hand, the heat soaking into her chilled flesh. Her fingers curled around his palm, holding tight to the man who’d come back for her. She needed someone to confess to. He might as well know what she was.

  “Marcos would bring them to the villa and he said as long as I talked the hostages into doing what they were told, I’d be okay.” Her throat tightened further and she blinked back tears. Fear had made her complicit.

  “Marcos, which one was he?”

  “The redhead.”

  “So you’d—what? What did he make you do?”

  “He has this system after he kidnaps someone. He’d scare them, rattle their cage until they’re desperate to go home. Then he sent me in. I’d tell them that when they were allowed to speak to their families, if they did what they were told and paid Marcos, they would go home. And if they didn’t, they’d end up like me. I’m not proud of what I did, okay?” She swiped the back of her hand across her cheek, dashing the unwanted tears away. She hated that she’d been a party to anything Marcos did.

  “Lacey?” Shane took a step closer and bent his head. “There’s nothing wrong with what you did.”

  “Are you sure? Because my conscience...” She’d lain awake at night, for hours, hating herself for those moments.

  “Did everyone get home safe?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was anyone ever hurt?”

  “No.”

  “Did Marcos ever...”

  “No,” Lacey said sharply. There’d been a few times she’d been scared of Marco’s men, but the ginger bastard had been firm about what they did and did not do.

  Shane’s grip on her hand eased.

  They both seemed to take an easier breath after that.

  She pushed her hair off her face and forced herself to look at Shane and not just his chest. She’d rarely seen such pert, perky man nips and if she stared at them much longer she might start having other ideas to distract herself from the guilt.

  “You were a victim. Whatever Marcos did, whatever you were forced to do, it wasn’t your fault.”

  “Are you sure?” She studied his dark brown eyes, wanting so badly to absolve herself of guilt.

  “Yes.” There was no doubt in his voice. What would it be like to be that certain of things?

  “There should have been something I could have done, shouldn’t there?”

  “People like this guy? No. You stayed alive and unhurt. You did what you had to, you didn’t hurt anyone, you didn’t kill anyone. There’s no shame—or guilt—in that.”

  Lacey blew out a deep breath, some of the toxic weight she’d carried dissipating, leaving her a bit lightheaded. She wasn’t sure if she believed that or not quite yet, but she wanted to. In time it might become truth.

  “Do you...want a hug?” The look on Shane’s face was priceless, so uncomfortable and wooden.

  Lacey laughed and wiped more tears from her cheeks. The chapter of fear was over, and she could move on. Oh, she probably needed several therapy sessions after these weeks, but she’d be okay. One way or another. She always was.

  “Come here.” Shane tugged at her hand.

  She leaned into him, not minding one bit that he was soaking wet and his clothing chill to the touch. Underneath all that, he was warm and strong, the man who’d come back for her.

  Lacey rested her head against his shoulder, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and squeezed.

  Maybe he was more than what he appeared to be.

  Shane stood there, a bit stiff, but trying to comfort her.

  Lacey picked her head up and looked at him. From this angle, she had a great view of that strong jaw of his, the generous five o’ clock shadow.

  He dipped his chin, looking down at her with a perplexed expression. As though he didn’t quite know what to make of her. It was a look she was familiar with. People who didn’t understand her way of life looked at her like that. And that was fine. Lacey’s life was different and exciting. Few people got to see and do what she did. Part of her wanted to show him that, how it was out there, living in the moment. But that wasn’t the kind of guy Shane was. He had order practically stamped on his forehead.

  They were cut from different weaves of cloth.

  She lifted up, just the tiniest bit, and set her lips against his.

  It was a chaste, sweet kiss, and yet he jolted at the contact.

  She took a step back.

  Shane stared at her, eyes wide, lips parted as though he were going to say something.

  “Thanks for saving my life,” she said.

  Lacey turned and strode down the hall, the skin between her shoulder blades prickling. She didn’t need to look over her shoulder to know he was still staring at her.

  She knew without trying that things with a guy like Shane would never, in a million years, work out for her. But she could remember the kiss, the way his body had felt and remind herself that yes, she was alive.

  4.

  Friday, Jamaica.

  Shane shoved his hand through his hair.

  Lacey’s laugh echoed off the tile, filling the command room with her infectious joy. In less than twenty-four hours, Isaac and Felix were circling her like she was in heat. Lacey had even managed to make Adam crack a smile, and he was easily the most stoic person Shane knew. Kyle took her constant questions in stride.

  He felt the room dim as she ducked out following breakfast.

  If he didn’t get some space from her soon...

  Everything had been fine, round pegs in round holes, until the moment her lips touched his.

  It wasn’t even a particularly good kiss, too quick, no heat, but it’d knocked him off balance. He’d lain awake so long last night he’d taken over Felix’s shift so he was at least do something of use.

  “What’s the forecast look like?” Kyle leaned over the table.

  Shane blinked at the tablet.

  Right.

  That’s what he was supposed to be doing, not counting how many times Lacey laughed.

  “Rain, rain and more rain.” Shane offered the tablet to Kyle. “Internet is cutting out every now and then. We should prepare to lose it entirely.”

  “Worst hasn’t hit us yet?”

  “Should happen sometime after lunch.”

  “What did our host say about boarding up windows?”

  “He’s got that covered.”

  “What’s the latest with our bonus rescue?”

  “Excuse me?” Shane blinked at Kyle. He’d avoided Lacey all morning, letting the others bask in her perpetual sunshine.

  “You pulled her out of there, she’s your responsibility.” Kyle handed the tablet back.

  “Nothing to report, sir.”

  “I can watch after Lacey, sir.” Isaac flashed a big, too-eager grin.

  “The hell you are.” Shane glared at the other man.

  The lights flickered, flashed then went out.

  “Shit.” Shane muttered. He tapped at the screen. “Internet’s out.”

  “I don’t have any cell signal,” Felix said.

  “This is going to be a fun day.” Kyle sighed. “Well, I guess we’ll ride the storm out and make plans later.”
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  “I know of one way to ride out the storm...” Isaac snickered.

  “Don’t you fucking dare.” Shane stood. His chair skidded back. He took a step and grabbed the front of Isaac’s shirt.

  “Dude, chill.” Isaac held up his hands.

  “It’s not funny.”

  “Learn to take a joke, York.” Isaac shot his hands up, breaking Shane’s hold on his shirt and shoving him back.

  “Knock it off,” Kyle barked. “We have at least one day cooped up in here together. Don’t make me send you to your rooms. Isaac, aren’t you supposed to be somewhere?”

  “Yes, sir.” Isaac turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

  Shane ducked out into the hall before he really lost his temper.

  Isaac was being a dick, but he was harmless. He might be the hopping-beds kind of person, but none of the women he’d been with had ever complained. Then again, Lacey might be into a devil-may-care kind of guy.

  Shane glanced at the stairs.

  Until they were back on American soil, Shane wasn’t about to allow the others to mess with Lacey. She’d been through enough. What she needed now was time to rest and heal. Her laughter and smiles hid the bruises her imprisonment had caused. She’d let him glimpse those last night and then fled.

  Come to think of it, she’d stuck to the other side of the room and hadn’t glanced his way.

  Avoidance? Or ignoring him?

  He needed to go check the road for washout, but when he came back, he was going to have a little chat with Lacey. They were stuck with each other, and Kyle was right. She was his problem and his responsibility. Isaac could back the fuck off.

  Lacey stared at the partially-open bedroom door. Their host had given up the master suite so the newlyweds might be more comfortable. As a result, Lacey had only glimpsed Aanya and Dev since arriving, which was fine by her.

  Until she’d lain awake last night, listening to the rain battering at the house, and thought about what Shane said to her.

  Maybe he was right and this wasn’t her fault, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she could have done more, fought back. Instead, she’d been complicit and that wasn’t the person she wanted to be.

  The only way to change that was to meet the issue head on, and while she couldn’t change the past, she could apologize. She could try to make things better.