by Janie Crouch
Grace Parker, Omega psychiatrist: murdered in cold blood.
And those were just the worst of the worst.
Especially Grace. Damn it. Lillian forced herself to push away the grief that threatened to suck her under at the thought of losing the other woman and the close friend she had become.
She switched with Roman and held the bag as he went through a series of kicks and punches, at a slower speed and with less force because of his recent injuries. As soon as the new guy came in, they’d be doing some training with him. Running the SWAT obstacle course, some sparring, throwing him immediately into the mix.
“Hopefully this new guy won’t crush on you like Saul,” Roman said between punches.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I don’t think Saul understands that I don’t date work people.”
“You don’t date anyone.”
This was an old argument. “I do date. I just don’t announce it around here like all you lovesick fools. There’s enough swooning going on around here without adding me to the mix.”
“I’d like to meet a boyfriend of yours just once.”
Lillian took her turn at the bag. “Fine. I’ll bring the next one around for approval, okay?”
She wouldn’t. Roman was right, she didn’t have boyfriends. She had sex with random guys, probably too often, but she tended to check out mentally in the middle of the act itself. Then immediately left afterward. Not being able to remember any part of the sexual act did not lend itself toward building a relationship.
She and Grace Parker had been working on some of Lillian’s issues before Grace had died. Lillian’s triggers. The fact that she’d never been able to have sex and remember it clearly afterward.
Disassociation due to acute sexual trauma. That was what Grace had told Lillian was the clinical term for it. And that it was treatable. That they would continue to work together so that Lillian’s mind didn’t try to escape every time she became intimate with someone. They’d made progress over the last year.
And now Grace was dead.
Lillian attacked the punching bag with renewed vigor. “I just want SWAT to be ready for when we get the call to go take out Freihof. I’ll even date the new guy if he can help us be ready for that.”
Roman chuckled. “Hell, I’ll date the new guy if he can help with that.”
“I’m sure Keira won’t mind, considering Freihof nearly got her killed.”
“If Steve vouches for this guy, then that’s all I need to know,” Roman said.
Lillian trusted Steve completely also. “Yeah, me, too. What’s the guy’s name? I promise I’ll make an effort at learning it.”
“Jace Eakin.”
Lillian’s head snapped up and she glared at Roman, about to make him repeat the name.
Roman gestured to the door. “Here he is.”
It could not possibly be. There was no way. She turned, slowly. No. Way.
Yes way.
“Jace. Jace Eakin,” she whispered.
“You know him?”
“I did. A long, long time ago.”
She felt like her heart had completely stopped beating. Jace was the new guy? Part of her wasn’t surprised that he was qualified. He’d been strong, fast and smart when she knew him twelve years ago. Evidently the army had turned him into someone even more dangerous.
And he was particularly dangerous for her. He knew every secret she’d gone to such lengths to keep hidden from the team. He knew how she used to steal and run illegal items all over town for the gang they’d both been in. She’d been fast, trustworthy and had looked innocent. She’d never once gotten caught.
Jace Eakin knew every secret she’d made sure no one else at Omega Sector knew.
Except one. And he would never know that one.
She kept him in her peripheral vision as she returned to her assault on the punching bag.
“If you know him, don’t you want to go talk to him?” Roman asked, grabbing the bag.
She shook her head. It was all she could do to not run from the room. And Lillian was known for not running from anything.
She saw Jace put his bag on the floor and talk to Derek. A few minutes later he was headed toward the locker room.
Fifteen minutes after that Derek was calling the entire team together, including Jace.
“Everybody, this is Jace Eakin. Eakin, the team.” Derek looked around at everyone. “They’ll all introduce themselves individually.”
So far Jace had avoided looking at her directly, but Lillian had no doubt he was aware of her presence. She could almost feel his awareness of her.
The same way she was aware of him.
“Jace is coming in to help us with the Law Enforcement Systems and Services Summit next week in Denver,” Derek continued. “The LESS Summit, as everyone knows, is going to bring in the bigwigs from all over the country. Our job is to provide internal protection for that event.”
Ashton Fitzgerald, team sharpshooter and general smart-ass, spoke up. “LESS is more.”
Everybody echoed Ashton’s statement, the slogan for LESS, as they always did. LESS was a system that would link together law-enforcement-agency computers all over the country, providing valuable instant connectivity and the ability to share data.
“Denver is also expecting a number of demonstrators and protesters, so if needed, we’ll help out with that. Everybody knows we’re a little undermanned right now. Roman and Lillian are both coming off injuries. Jace is joining us as temporary replacement for Liam. Saul is also going to be joining us as a full member for the LESS Summit.”
Everyone was quiet at those words. Building the cohesion needed for the team to run smoothly in just a week wasn’t going to be easy. Lillian shifted restlessly. She wasn’t the only one.
Derek looked at each one of them. “You’re angry at Damien Freihof. All of us are angry after what happened to Grace Parker, not to mention our team. We all want to get our hands on Freihof and make him pay. And that time is coming. But our focus right now is on the LESS Summit. It’s about keeping those attending safe. So I want everyone to stay frosty and focused. We have a job to do.”
Lillian raised her hand halfway. “What about the rumor that there’s a mole inside Omega providing Freihof intel?”
She wanted to nail that traitor bastard just as much as she wanted to nail Freihof.
“I know a mole is suspected,” Derek responded. “But to date, no official evidence has been found to support that rumor. We all know Freihof loves to play head games. Getting us to turn on each other, go on witch hunts, is exactly what he wants. So we’re not going to do that. If you see anything suspicious, you report it to me, but we don’t go around accusing each other of anything.”
Lillian nodded. She glanced over and found Jace openly studying her. Their eyes met and she was determined not to look away first. Jace, damn his still gorgeous blue eyes, seemed to have the same determination.
Derek saved them both from their battle of wills.
“We’re going to get into training immediately to get us working as a team. And this week we’re going to put in long, team-building hours.” Derek turned to Jace, who had changed into workout clothes from the khakis and collared shirt he’d arrived in. “Eakin, although you come recommended from a man we all highly respect, if you don’t mind, we’d like to see what you’re capable of.”
Jace nodded. “You’d be a fool not to.”
Lillian froze at the sound of Jace’s voice. The deep timbre still did something to her. Nudged at parts of her that had been sleeping so long she’d thought they were dead. The most feminine parts of her. For a moment she couldn’t breathe as her mind attempted to figure out what she was feeling.
Desire.
It had been so long—twelve years, in fact—since she’d felt clear, untainted desire for a man.
And
she was feeling it for the man who, with just a sentence or two about her past, could destroy the rapport she’d taken years to build with her team and probably cost her her job.
Omega Sector generally frowned upon employing people who were once part of an unofficial gang in the streets of Tulsa. While their gang hadn’t had turf wars and drive-bys, she’d definitely broken the law multiple times throughout her teenage years.
“We’ll hit the team obstacle course this afternoon,” Derek continued. “But I thought we’d begin with some sparring.”
“Sounds good to me.” That deep voice again.
“Who would you like to start with?”
Jace’s full lips were turned up at one corner as if he knew some private joke. “Why don’t you just pair me with your best close-quarters fighter and I’ll go from there.”
Everybody chuckled at the new guy’s guts.
Even Derek smiled. “Even better, why don’t you tell me who you think our best close-quarters fighter is?”
Surely Jace would pick Roman or Derek. Both of them were big—over six feet tall with biceps the size of tree trunks.
Lillian could take down both of them. Had done so, in fact. She was pretty damn fast, stronger than she looked, and had spent the last twelve years making sure no man—no matter what his size—would be able to force her to do something she didn’t want to do.
Never again.
“Sure.” Jace looked at everyone around the circle, as people started stretching and warming up while listening. “There’s a number of people who I think could give me a run for my money. But if I had to guess who’s most capable of kicking someone’s ass, I think it would be this one.”
He pointed straight at Lillian.
She could hear the soft chuckles of her teammates, and felt Roman pat her on the shoulder. They didn’t know why Jace had chosen her. Because he really thought she was the best close-quarters fighter? Because he thought she’d be easy to take down? She wasn’t.
Damn it, she didn’t want this. Didn’t want to touch Jace Eakin in any way. But she’d never been one to back down from a fight.
She wasn’t going to start now.
Stretching her shoulders, she put on the sparring mask and gloves and met Jace in the sparring ring. They gave each other a brief nod and then began.
They spent the first couple of minutes dancing around each other, throwing a jab here and a few kicks there. Lillian felt herself loosening up. She excelled at close-quarters combat. Her body knew what to do from muscle memory.
Jace got a little more serious, sending a spinning back kick in the direction of her head. She dropped low and hooked the back of her leg behind his, bringing him to the mat with a thud.
For just a moment they were face-to-face near the floor.
“I taught you that move,” he whispered.
She leaped up to her feet and he followed, pushing off from his shoulder and straight onto his feet.
Lillian didn’t let him get resituated. She used her greatest advantage—her speed—and flew at him with a series of punches and kicks. Jace was forced to go on the defensive, and did a damn good job of it.
She stepped back as he nearly backed out of bounds, ending her attack. “You didn’t teach me that.”
He grinned. “I sure as hell didn’t. Impressive.” Without warning he came at her, forcing her to go on the defensive this time.
All in all, they were pretty evenly matched. Derek eventually called the match to a halt when it became apparent neither of them was going to win easily. “Let’s save some energy for the rest of today’s training. There’s a lot of hours still left.”
Jace took off his gloves and held his hand out to shake hers. “Nice job, Tiger Lily. Although I’m not surprised.”
You could’ve heard a grasshopper karate-chop a fly. Tiger Lily. Nobody ever called her Lily, not if they expected to live to see the next sunrise. And no one had ever called her Tiger Lily—the beautiful and exotic flower—but Jace. Hearing the words did something to her she couldn’t explain and didn’t want to delve into too closely.
So she kept her cool.
“Welcome to the team, Jace. And it’s Lillian. Just Lillian, nothing else.”
Chapter Four
“Lily, hold up.”
He smiled as he saw her shoulders stiffen at the name. Her curt instructions on the sparring mat not to call her anything but Lillian had just spurred his desire to call her by her old nickname.
But it was her whispered words as they had left the sparring area that had really caught his attention.
Don’t say anything about who we were.
Jace wasn’t sure if that meant their personal history or the gang-related activities they’d participated in during their youth. She might not have ever told anyone about that, especially the latter. Since she had never been arrested, nor had he, it wasn’t in either of their permanent records. She didn’t have to worry about him spilling her secret. Not that one anyway.
Working with her today, fighting with her, seeing how everyone else interacted with her... Jace couldn’t help being impressed. She had taken all the natural physical skills she’d had as a teenager—speed, flexibility, sheer grit—and had formed herself into nothing short of a warrior.
He’d known it from the first punch she’d thrown in the sparring ring. She’d always been feisty, but now she was deadly. Small but fierce.
She’d been the only woman in the room or on the field, and that hadn’t seemed to bother her at all. The men hadn’t treated her any differently than they treated each other. Even with their limitations because of injuries, the team members had relied on and functioned around each other’s strengths.
No point in Lillian being the one on the bottom hoisting her teammates up the fifteen-foot wall that was part of the obstacle course. Could she have done it if she needed to? Jace had no doubt. But it wasn’t her specialty, so instead the team had sent her up and over first. Nobody in this close-knit group played politics: you weren’t given an assignment just because you were a man or a woman, you were given an assignment because of your strengths and talents.
Part of the course had also involved an underground tube, which there was no way in hell Jace was ever going to fit through. Neither were most of the men on the team. But Lillian had no problem. So she was sent.
Again, nothing to do with gender, everything to do with what was best for the team.
The men respected her, she respected them. Even the outsiders, the couple of guys besides Jace who obviously weren’t regular members of the team, respected her.
And Jace would bet his next paycheck that everything Steve Drackett had said was true. Lillian had not been intimate with any of these men. There was no flash of recognition, no secret smiles...
No nicknames that had been only for them twelve years before. Like Jace had just said to her again.
“I told you, it’s Lillian now. Not Lily. Nobody ever called me that but you anyway. And definitely not Tiger Lily.”
He jogged the rest of the way to catch up with her. “Old habits. You know how it is.”
“It’s not like you’ve been saying my name very often in the past twelve years, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to make the change.”
“I’ll do my best.” He held his hand up with his fingers open in Mr. Spock’s Vulcan V symbol. “Scout’s honor.”
She thawed minutely. “Jackass.” She shook her head. “You were never a Boy Scout or a Vulcan.”
And he wasn’t going to stop calling her Lily, either.
They reached her car, a gray Honda Civic. About as unflashy a vehicle that was made. She opened the trunk and set her duffel bag inside. Then turned to him.
“Why are you here, Jace?”
Giving her as much truth as he could was probably his best option. “Ren McClement asked me. He an
d I served in the army together for a few years. You know him?”
She shrugged. “Not personally. But everyone knows of him. He’s pretty much an Omega Sector legend.”
“Steve Drackett and Ren said the team needed someone with experience who could jump right in. To help with this LESS Summit thing.” Jace looked over to where some of the others were coming out of the building. “No offense, but your team is a little shaky right now. And the two new guys are not exactly anything to write home about.”
Lillian rubbed her fingers against her forehead. “That’s for damn sure.”
“Carnell doesn’t play well with anyone. And that guy Saul Poniard is a little too flippant for my taste. That could be disastrous in a lot of situations.”
“I agree. Steve recognizes it, too, but right now we don’t have a lot of options.”
He took a slight step closer to her, unable to stop himself. “Exactly. Ren knows me and knows he can trust me. And you guys needed someone with my skill set.”
Talking coming from the parking lot caught their attention and Jace took a step back. They both waved to the other members of the team as they got in their vehicles one by one.
“And did you know I would be here when you said yes to Ren?” Lillian finally asked as her teammates drove away.
This was a much trickier question to answer. He knew he shouldn’t have any qualms about lying to her. After all, she had been the completely dishonest one all those years ago. But he found the thought of telling her lies to be more difficult than he expected.
“Ren mentioned there was someone else here from Tulsa. A Lillian. But I couldn’t be one-hundred-percent sure that it was you. You were impressive out there today, Tiger Lily.”
She glared at him but didn’t press the nickname issue. “Thanks.”
“Seriously. You can handle yourself. I mean, you’ve always been able to handle yourself, but this was so much more than that.”
Lillian leaned back against her car but didn’t meet his eyes. “Thanks. You, too. Of course, I’m not surprised or anything. You were always built like a military man. Physically and mentally. I guess you just honed that over the years. So you got out?”
