The Agent's Surrender

by Kimberly Van Meter

  “Too bad for you,” she teased as she wiggled on top of him, taunting him with her body. “Now it’s your turn. Whaddya got for me?”

  His playful demeanor changed, and with a growl he rolled her onto her back so he towered over her. She knew that look and it thrilled her senseless. She felt stripped bare, as if he could see into her very soul, and although it was a foreign sensation, with Holden she wasn’t afraid. “You shouldn’t throw down gauntlets like that, sweet girl,” he warned in a silky tone as he plucked at a puckered nipple with his lips. She shuddered and grinned. He was such a tease. “Now there will be no mercy.”

  “Bring it on,” she dared, lifting her chin with a smile. “I can take whatever you can dish out.”

  One dark brow lifted as a slow, sexy smile formed on his lips, making her shiver in anticipation as he said, “Challenge accepted,” right before sealing his mouth to hers in a mind-altering kiss.

  As Holden moved between her legs, she clamped a hand over her eyes as she lost herself in pure pleasure and realized it was official—she was addicted to Holden Archangelo.

  And just like all good addictions, he had the power to trash everything she’d worked so hard for in her life.

  * * *

  Holden awoke to the feel of Jane trying to stealthily climb from his bed. “Where are you going?” he asked groggily, rubbing his mouth and trying to focus his vision.

  “Home.”

  The one-word answer made him roll his eyes. He was too tired to argue with her even though he thought she was being ridiculous. If she wanted to bail, sneaking out the door like a one-night stand, so be it. He wasn’t going to stop her.

  Yeah, that lasted about a minute. He jumped from the bed and followed her to the living room, where she was trying to collect her strewn clothing. “What are you doing, aside from being irritatingly stubborn?”

  She straightened, and even in the moonlight he could see the flash in her eyes at his insult. “I never told you I would stay. I don’t do that.”

  “Well, newsflash, I don’t, either. Consider it an honor I want you to stay.”

  “Can you hear yourself? An honor? Get over yourself, Holden. Maybe it isn’t about you. Ever think of that? I knew this was a mistake and I never should’ve let my emotions make the call.” She pulled her sweater over her head and jerked on her jeans. “But trust me, it won’t happen again. I’m not your partner with benefits. Got it?”

  “Loud and clear, honey.”

  “Good. Then we won’t have to ever revisit this conversation.” She grabbed her purse, and seconds later she was gone.

  Like a bullet exiting the chamber.

  He swore under his breath and padded back to his bedroom, shutting the door and climbing back into bed. Women—they were all crazy.

  Even ones who look stable.

  * * *

  Jane’s fingers shook as she slipped her key into her front door. What was wrong with her? Had she no self-will? Holden was like a secret weapon, able to destroy a woman’s defenses with one charming twist of his lips, and that wasn’t even talking about once he had her on her back.

  She walked into her living room and headed straight for her answering machine. Even though it was two in the morning, she couldn’t ignore the blinking light of a waiting message. She yawned and pressed play. The nasally voice of a telemarketer followed and she quickly hit Delete. The second message started to play, but she heard nothing but dead air. She frowned and deleted. “No more messages” was the green light giving her permission to find her bed. She started to pull off her sweater and toss it into the laundry basket when something caught her eye. Just as she bent to investigate what turned out to be a coin on the carpet, the sharp tinkle of busting glass startled the drowsiness out of her and she dropped to the floor, her heart pounding. Broken glass littered the floor and cold, outside air seeped in from the small, bullet-shaped hole in her master bedroom window. Someone had been waiting for her. If she hadn’t seen the penny on the floor, she’d be sporting metal in the back of her skull. She swallowed and closed her eyes, willing her heart rate to slow down. They might still be out there. She rolled away and slowly stood, her back hugging the wall as she grabbed her gun from the nightstand and crept to the window. She made a quick, peripheral scan and saw nothing but the usual cars parked in her neighborhood. She pulled her cell and quickly dialed Holden. He answered on the second ring. “Calling to apologize?”

  “Someone just shot at me through my bedroom window,” she whispered.

  “Stay where you are,” he said, all jocularity gone from his voice. “I’m coming.”

  “I’m capable of handling myself,” she reminded him, and he groaned.

  “Damn it, Janey, this isn’t some macho attempt at treating you like a little lady who can’t handle a crisis. This is about waiting for freaking backup so you don’t end up getting killed.”

  She nodded, realizing he was right. Why else would she have called Holden, right? “Be careful,” she said. “There could be more than one shooter out there.”

  “I’m calling it in. In the meantime, find a defensible spot and stay there.”

  “I will.”

  He clicked off and Jane tucked her phone into her pocket before going to her bedroom closet and shutting herself inside. She had a clear view of her bedroom door from the slats, and if anyone tried to follow up on that shot, she’d unload her clip in his or her face. That was a sniper shot, she realized, studying the damage with a critical eye. Chances were they knew they’d missed their mark, and snipers weren’t usually the ones charging in for hand-to-hand combat. She double-checked her ammunition and waited, eyes adjusted to the darkness, waiting for anyone who didn’t belong there to come busting through her bedroom door. Go ahead, asshole. Make my day.

  * * *

  Holden broke about four traffic laws as he nearly topped the speed barrier to get to Jane’s. All the while, weaving in and out of traffic, he was on the phone to Reed.

  “Someone shot at Jane,” he said. “I’m on my way to her place now. Send backup. I don’t know how many shooters there are or if they’ve compromised her house in any other way.”

  Even though Reed was in his sixties and had likely been fast asleep in dreamland, he snapped to action like a man half his age. “I’ll send in a team. Don’t worry—it’s a team I trust.”

  “Thanks, Chief.”

  “Is Jane okay?” he asked.

  “She’s fine. But this takes it to a whole new level, wouldn’t you say? Jane gets shot at after we start poking around in Miko’s case?”

  “Could be,” Reed agreed. “We’ll debrief later. Right now, get to Jane. I want you both in a safe place for the rest of the night.”

  “I’ll take her back to my place,” he said. “It’s constructed with reinforced steel and bulletproof glass. Ain’t nothing getting through that place. I can guarantee it.”

  “Sounds good. I want a full report at 0800 hours.”

  Reed clicked off and Holden tossed his phone onto the passenger seat. Within ten minutes, he was at Jane’s, and within another ten of his arrival, the cavalry arrived.

  A quick but thorough perimeter sweep revealed the shooter had bailed, which didn’t surprise Holden. It did fill him with impotent rage—he’d wanted to beat him or her to a bloody pulp. He texted Jane that he was coming to the front door, and she met him there. She hadn’t changed from when she left his house, and though he had no doubt she could take care of herself, she still looked a bit shaken.

  While the team collected forensics, Holden took Jane into the living room. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  “There’s not much to tell. I came home, I listened to messages and then I went to my bedroom to change for bed. I saw a penny on the floor and bent to retrieve it. That’s when the bullet came through the window. Honestly, if the penny hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. That sniper was waiting for me.”

  Not much to go on. But then if a sniper had been hired to
take Jane out, he or she wasn’t going to leave tracks for anyone to follow. “Chief said you’re to come home with me,” he said, expecting and halting her protests with a firm shake of his head. “Your place is compromised and we don’t have time to set up a safe house. No arguments—you’re coming home with me.”

  She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut with an almost weary expression and nodded. “Fine. Whatever. I’m exhausted and I need sleep. Your couch is as good as any.”

  As if. If she wanted to pretend she was going to crash on the couch, so be it. But that wasn’t going to happen. He wanted her right beside him. And that was nonnegotiable.

  Chapter 18

  Jane opened her eyes to the milky morning dawn and listened to Holden’s steady breathing. Somehow she’d known she’d end up here, in his bed, but she’d tried to hold out only to cave when he’d simply steered her to the bedroom and started gently removing her clothing. And when he’d simply tucked her in and then climbed in beside her, pulling her to him and holding her tightly, her heart had melted a little. There’d been something so protective, so sweet, about the way he’d known what she had needed, even if she wasn’t willing to admit it. She’d slept hard even though she’d only gotten four hours of shut-eye. Someone had tried to kill her. Someone had been lying in wait to end her life. A delicate shudder zinged through her. It’d been a long time since she’d seen active combat, and she’d forgotten how vulnerable it felt to have your life compromised at the drop of a hat.

  “Why are you awake?” he asked in a voice husky with sleep. He nuzzled her neck and settled more firmly against her. “You should be sleeping.”

  “I can’t sleep anymore. My mind is racing.” At her answer, she sensed that he awoke more fully. She smiled as his breath tickled the back of her neck. “A penny saved my life. What are the odds of that?”

  “Pretty damn spectacular. Talk about your lucky penny. I’d hold on to that one.”

  She nodded, chuckling. “Makes me think I ought to go play the slots or something to take advantage of this lucky streak.”

  “Now, there’s an idea.” Holden moved until he was covering her, settling his body along hers, pushing the hair from her eyes and meeting her gaze. “Listen, we’re going to find the son of a bitch who tried to kill you, and then we’re going to make them wish they’d never been born. Got it?”

  She nodded, smiling up at him, loving the feel of his solid body pressing hers. She wrapped her arms around his torso. “I like it when you go all John Wayne,” she teased.

  “There’s plenty more where that came from, missy, whuha,” he drawled in a terrible John Wayne imitation, then bending to tease her neck in small, nipping kisses and tickling her until she squealed. “Now how about I show you how a real man wakes up his woman....”

  And because he began doing things that made her eyes roll up into her head with insane pleasure, she forgave him the term his woman. But a tiny part of her loved being his woman, even if only for this moment.

  * * *

  “I’m just saying,” she teased. “I didn’t know guys actually enjoyed foofy coffeehouse drinks.” She laughed as they walked into the office, both carrying their respective drinks.

  “There’s nothing foofy about a chai tea latte,” Holden insisted. “Besides, you can laugh all you like. You know you want a taste of my sweet, carefully brewed tea that has been perfectly infused with a splash of vanilla and plenty of fresh whipped cream.”

  Jane’s peal of laughter lit up his soul and almost made him forget that someone had tried to kill her last night, but the reminder crashed into his reality seconds later when he saw a stern older man pacing inside the chief’s office, obviously upset and demanding answers. Jane followed his gaze and suddenly her smile froze. “Guess who came to visit,” he said, just as unhappy at seeing The Major again as Jane was to know the man was likely giving the chief a ration of shit over last night’s event.

  She set her cup on her desk and straightened. “Stay here, please,” she instructed firmly, halting him in midstep. He wanted to follow, but he sensed that would only make things worse for Jane. The Major looked the same as Holden remembered, and he certainly hadn’t changed in his disposition, if his facial expression was anything to go on. He tried not to stare at the man through the glass panel of the chief’s office. He’d love to give Jane’s father a piece of his mind for being a jackass to his only daughter, but Jane wouldn’t appreciate his interference. If he learned anything from the last go-round, it was that Jane prickled when it came to defending her father. He glanced down at himself and immediately straightened his clothing and brushed at stray bits of snow clinging to his suit. Jane had said that The Major wouldn’t accept him as a match for his daughter. What a crock of crap. Holden suspected no one would be good enough for The Major’s daughter, and if the man weren’t such a controlling jackass, that might be an endearing thought by a concerned father. That was not where The Major’s motivation was grounded, though.

  Everything inside Holden told him to follow her, to not let her face her father alone. He sighed. He knew he was reacting to some primal need to protect when Jane was no weak-willed female. She could probably break something of his without popping a sweat. He grinned in spite of the odd train of his thoughts, but when his gaze returned to Jane and The Major, his smile faded. Whatever was going on in there did not bode well.

  He could feel it in his bones.

  * * *

  “My daughter will no longer be part of this investigation,” The Major declared, ignoring Jane’s gasp of outrage that he should think he had the power to snip careers and make life hell for anyone who dared to naysay him. Maybe he did, but Jane didn’t care. She wasn’t allowing anyone to push her off this case.

  “Stop it! You can’t control what cases I investigate.” She looked to the chief for backup.

  “Let’s just take a seat and breathe for a minute,” Chief Harris suggested, his gaze remaining shrewd. When The Major didn’t appear the least bit interested in taking a chill pill, the chief said, “I can appreciate your concern for your daughter given recent events, but Agent Fallon is a highly skilled investigator with combat training. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself.”

  “My daughter was almost killed last night,” The Major said in a hard tone. “This investigation is stirring up hornets’ nests that don’t need stirring.”

  Jane blinked. “Dad...do you know something? Do you know who’s behind all this?”

  The Major cast her a short glance with a curt, “No” before returning to the chief. “But I do know that whoever is pulling the strings is not going to stop until whoever is poking at things is compelled to quit. Last night was a warning.”

  She suppressed a shudder. “All the more reason why we can’t stop now,” she said, ignoring her dad’s building rage at being denied obedience. “Listen, I thought we’d found all the answers to this case when I originally closed it. I was wrong, and I aim to close it properly this time. I will find whoever is behind this corruption and I will carve it out with a dull spoon if I have to.”

  “Someone is going to carve you up if you’re not careful,” her dad countered.

  She took a page from Holden’s playbook. “They’d have to catch me first. They caught me off guard is all. It happened once. It won’t happen again. Besides, we have some new leads and we’re closing in—I can feel it.” Okay, so maybe that was a bit of an embellishment, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to admit to her father they’d fallen flat on their faces with their last lead and they were going on fumes. Nope. She’d rather eat a toenail than admit that to him. She had to bring home a win, otherwise her father would never see her as anything more than a weak female who always needed protection and couldn’t handle herself in a fight. She squared her shoulders and looked to the chief. “The attempt on my life only cements our theory that we are on to something. Someone is getting nervous.”

  “I have to agree,” the chief said, then addressed The Major. “
Agents Fallon and Archangelo are my two best investigators. If anyone can figure this out, it’s them. Let’s give them a chance.”

  The Major drew himself up. “Chief Harris, it seems to me this case is more suited to the FBI than the CIA. You’re muddying jurisdictional lines, don’t you think?”

  “Not at all. Miko Archangelo’s case landed in our jurisdiction due to the potential international threat to our country, as well as the military connection. This was, and still remains, a CIA case. We are well within our rights to hold on to this case.”

  Displeased, The Major pinned the chief with a wintry glare. “Do you have children, Chief Harris?”

  “Yes. A daughter.”

  The Major made a faintly aggrieved face. “Then you understand the limitations of the weaker sex. It’s not their fault—blame genetics. Jane is a fine agent, suitable for desk tasks, but for dangerous missions I would prefer you consider what you would do if it were your daughter facing certain death and then act accordingly.”

  Rage and despair at being humiliated in front her boss made something toxic burn at the back of Jane’s throat, and she fought to keep it down. How could he embarrass her like that? To openly call her weak in front of her superior? Heat seared her cheeks as she tried to keep her composure. “Your input is neither appreciated nor warranted,” she told her father, then she looked to the chief. “Excuse me, Chief Harris, but Holden and I have a new lead to chase down. Dad, I’m sure you can see yourself out.”