If she picked up her pace in the hall, it had nothing to do with the shame and embarrassment writing inside of her, or the blush creeping up her neck.
Logan was just so infuriating.
She ducked into the lab. The calming, quiet space was usually good for hiding from the male population. Most of them stayed out of Diha’s domain.
“Hey,” Cat, the lab assistant said brightly. Her cheer dimmed as she met Kelsey’s gaze. “Wow. What happened?”
Diha and Felecia glanced up from whatever they were both working on.
“Nothing.” Kelsey stalked across the room, then doubled back to a stool and plopped down. “I can’t get Ivy to answer the phone and I’m-always-right-Logan still won’t admit I was the better choice for the job.”
She pretended to ignore the look that Diha shared with Felecia and Cat.
“How about I do a little remote checking in on Ivy?” Diha suggested.
“That would be great,” Kelsey mumbled.
“You know it wasn’t just Logan who said you were too old for that job,” Felecia said thoughtfully.
Kelsey knew that fact very well. Her age was the big reason they’d all discarded her suggestion for putting herself in. But it was Logan who’d said it the first time.
“Felecia, sh,” Cat whispered.
“Huh.” Diha frowned at her computer.
“What? What is it?” Kelsey stood.
“Ivy’s in the Bahamas.”
Kelsey circled the table to look at Diha’s screen. “That’s not right. She told me yesterday she was staying close to home.”
Sure enough, Diha had traced Ivy’s phone to a spot likely just on the beach.
Why would Ivy hide that?
“She really took that undercover agent’s death hard,” Felecia said softly.
“I know. Do you think they were involved?” Cat asked.
Kelsey glanced at Diha, who wasn’t saying anything.
Was it possible Piers Killam wasn’t dead?
They’d never found his body.
Kelsey crossed her arms over her chest.
Ivy refusing to answer her phone. Never wanting to talk. Was it because she was hiding out with Killam on a sandy beach somewhere?
Diha caught her eye and smiled.
Kelsey shrugged. A cell signal didn’t tell them everything.
Diha’s fingers flew on the keys.
Another dot appeared on the screen in close proximity to Ivy’s phone. Diha tapped the little banner of information.
The line was secure. Very few people needed a secure line.
It wasn’t hard evidence, but if Ivy was with Killam, chances were the rest of them would never know.
Kelsey said a silent prayer that Ivy was getting the ending she wanted. She didn’t know Piers Killam all that well, but she hoped the man recognized what he had in Ivy. Then Kelsey mentally released her worry. Now if only the pain in her ass was as easy to get rid of.
FRIDAY. PRIVATE LOCATION. Bahamas.
Ivy tucked her phone back into the tote.
“Kelsey again?” Killam passed her a new drink.
She sighed. “Yes.”
He settled on the cabana lounge beside her and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“You could just tell her,” he said.
“I can’t do that.” She wanted to, but reality was she couldn’t.
He was quiet for a moment.
Piers Killam was dead.
She couldn’t tell Kelsey the truth. It would break that story, and then what would happen?
“Have you made any decisions?” Ivy asked.
Killam shifted onto his side, facing her. He lifted his hand and tucked her hair behind her ear His bruises had begun to heal. His side was going to take longer, but they had time.
“What does dark chocolate and raspberries mean?” he countered.
Ivy opened and closed her mouth.
Last night he’d fed her a chocolate cheesecake with raspberries on top. The week before, he’d grabbed some fancy imported bar of chocolate in the airport. Always raspberries.
He hadn’t forgotten and knowing him, he wasn’t going to.
She took a sip of her drink to buy herself some time.
Killam hadn’t said he loved her since that first night in her apartment, and she hadn’t said it to him either. It was as if they’d both backed off, giving themselves time and space this last two weeks. Things hadn’t been perfect. He wasn’t used to being with someone and she was half afraid of her own feelings. But every day solidified the fact that her heart wanted more from him.
Ivy traced lines on his forearm. “So, Merida?”
“Okay.” He knew her friends by name now and most of their stories, though not their secrets. She did still believe in girl code.
“She has this silly classification system. Everyone’s a candy. She asked me at the airport what kind you were and I answered dark chocolate with a raspberry center. That’s kind of anticlimactic, isn’t it?”
“Hm.” His mouth wrinkled as he considered her words. “Raspberry though?”
“You’re kind of tart and surprisingly sweet.” And she was hopelessly in love with him. “You’ve also got a hard outer shell.”
“Bitter, obviously.”
She chuckled and leaned toward him. “It’s an acquired taste.”
“Hm, is it, now?”
Her lips brushed his as she answered with a simple, “Yes.”
Killam kissed her, pulling her closer to him. Her toes curled and she fought the urge to simply melt into it.
Two weeks.
They were here.
And neither of them had mentioned moving on.
“Killam?”
“Hm?”
“I love you.”
He froze, his whole body tensing. Then he ever so slowly pushed his sunglasses up.
The words were right. He was right for her. All of this was just right. And she didn’t want to give it up. Even if that meant joining him in this crazy underworld of his where the good guys were harder to pick out, but no less important.
He ducked his head and pushed his sunglasses up.
She swallowed.
He bent his head and kissed the corner of his mouth ever so gently.
“I...”
He kissed the opposite corner while his fingers curled into her hair..
“Love...”
He was smiling as she brushed her lips to his.
“You...”
FRIDAY. TASK FORCE Headquarters. Washington, DC.
Logan stalked into his office. He didn’t exactly slam the door shut, but the bang made him wince.
What was it about Kelsey that got under his skin? No matter how much he tried, one look at he just about wanted to strangle the woman.
He dropped into his chair and cradled his head in his hands.
She had him on one point though.
He hadn’t wanted her to do the undercover work. Not because she didn’t look the part of was considered too old. But because he wasn’t sure he could stomach the idea of that bastard Jabir al Saud putting his hands on her. In fact, Logan thought she’d do the job brilliantly, and that was ultimately his problem.
Instead he’d thrown Ivy to the wolves and that was something he’d have to live with. He’d been selfish and that wasn’t like himself. He didn’t like this person he was becoming.
He needed to do something about this infatuation with Kelsey before it impacted another job.
But what could he do?
The door opened without a knock.
“Jesus, can’t you...” His voice trailed off as he realized it wasn’t Jamie or another of the guys coming to give him hell.
Zora plopped a file down on his desk. “You’re never going to believe this. Obran just confirmed it.”
Logan flipped the file open and read the first few lines. “Holy shit...”
WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS next? Stay tuned for Intercepted Risk and read the whole Aegis Group Task For
ce in Stolen Risk, Forged Risk and Technical Risk!
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Explore the whole Aegis world in these series...
It all began with the Aegis Group.
Dangerous Attraction
Dangerous in Training
Dangerous Games
Dangerous Assignment
Dangerous Protector
Dangerous Secrets
Dangerous Betrayal
Dangerous Heat
Dangerous Connections
Dangerous Exposure (2020)
More Coming Soon!
Within Aegis Group, special teams take on special jobs, beginning with the Alpha Team.
Dangerous in Love
Dangerous in Action
Dangerous in Transit
Dangerous in Motion
Dangerous in Charge
Other specialized teams exist under the Aegis Group umbrella, including Lepta Team.
Dangerously Taken
Dangerously Involved
Dangerously Deceived
Dangerously Broken
Dangerously Entwined
Troy Team has signed on to work an ultra-secret case in the Aegis Group Task Force series.
(prequel) First Risk: a newsletter exclusive serial
Stolen Risk
Forged Risk
Technical Risk
Necessary Risk
Intercepted Risk (2020)
Targeted Risk (TBA)
Hard Risk (TBA)
Burned Risk (TBA)
Final Risk (TBA)
Stay tuned for the appearance of the Omega Team and Dangerous Ladies!
In Dangerous Games it continued with the Gone Geek girls.
Beauty and the Geek
Mr. Purr-fect and the Geek
The Jock and the Geek
The Gamer and the Geek
The Adorkable Girl and the Geek
The Fake Boyfriend and the Geek
When the Seattle office of Aegis Group opened the Twisted Royals took the stage.
The Origin Story
Alpha Prince
Her Prince
Bad Boy Prince
Noble Prince
For short reads, tune in this December for the Body of Danger novella series kick-off.
Heart of Danger
Spirit of Danger
Soul for Danger (2020)
The other Smith brother takes us to the Texas SWAT series, a small town suspense series.
Fighting Redemption
Stolen Redemption
Forbidden Redemption
Reckless Redemption (coming soon)
Thanks to the SWAT team, Ransom, Texas enjoys a slower pace of life beginning in The Love Barn.
Give Me Back My Man
Summer of Love
Party out of Bounds
Stolen Risk
Aegis Group Task Force #1
Jamie Silva helps lead a specialized team that works to tackle the difficult jobs. The ones the government can't be party to. When his team is recruited to join an off-the-books task force he knows the stakes are higher than ever before. He just didn't think the job would include seducing the CEO of a major tech company, or that he'd want her up against a wall, in bed or anywhere else.
Tabby Grissler is tired of waiting for Mr. Right, at least until tall, dark and handsome sits next to her at a charity event. He ticks all her boxes, except he's lying to her. Confronted with the reality that her dream guy is a government spy merely marks the beginning. Someone has stolen her tech with the intent to create a global blackout and in order to stop them, she'll have to work with Jamie. But she doesn't have to trust him.
Thrown together, Tabby and Jamie must put aside their differences and ignore their chemistry if they're going to get to the bottom of the international theft. But each clue leads them further down the rabbit hole and time is running out.
Forged Risk
Aegis Group Task Force #2
The only place Evan Ivanov has ever belonged is with his team. He takes it as a matter of pride when his team is recruited to join an off-the-books task force, but the job quickly becomes far more complicated than he could have imagined when he's sent back to his home city of Kiev. Instead of capturing an infamous criminal who makes bad guys disappear, he ends up releasing the criminal’s daughter, a beautiful young woman who has been a prisoner most of her life.
Felecia seizes on the opportunity to get away from her father. Though she tells herself not to trust Evan, he's there for her at every turn. But this rescue comes at a price. She must help the team even when that means putting herself in danger. The more she reveals, the closer she becomes to Evan and the harder it gets for her to want to be free of the team. Falling for her white knight isn't possible. Not when she has enemies circling.
Evan struggles to balance his relationship with Felecia with his duty to his team and finds them at odds. She must learn to go on trust and follow her heart as they follow her father's clues, only someone's hunting them.
Technical Risk
Aegis Group Task Force #3
Diha Balakrishnan knows she should be focused on the task force's latest objective, hunting down a notorious hacker. Ever since joining the team her career has been as exciting as she dreamed, but it's also lonely. Which is why she has a secret goal, one only her closest friend knows about. She wants to catch the eye of the sexy British spy.
Miles Green's career is on the ropes and he's not thrilled about being tapped to work with an American team. The chance to catch the hacker responsible for derailing two commuter trains is too good to pass up. But then he sees her. The woman with the sultry eyes, and Miles begins to wonder if she's what his life has been missing. He's always been a work first man, but she makes him want more.
After half the team is falsely arrested, it's up to Diha and Miles to work together and bring the hacker down. It's a job that requires them to work closely together, which makes ignoring the sparks that much more difficult. But while the flames burn hot between them another threat looms.
Dangerously Taken
Aegis Group Lepta Team #1
The mission: Rescue an executive translator being held hostage in Iraq without falling in love.
Erin Lopez never thought her life would be more dangerous as a civilian. She hoped she'd put her days dodging bullets behind her. Now, her only salvation is in the arms of a slow-talking man who makes her heart remember what it's like to love again.
Retired Army Ranger Riley Smith knows what it's like to fight the past every time he closes his eyes. Erin's dark, haunted eyes only tell a fraction of her story, and when she reaches for comfort, he can't tell her no. She makes this broken man want to be whole again.
The closer Erin and Riley get to the truth behind Erin's kidnapping the more dangerous their path becomes. Someone wants Erin silenced at any price. Riley can’t let that happen, but keeping her alive means facing that their no strings attached arrangement is a lie.
Dangerously Involved
Aegis Group Lepta Team #2
The mission: Protect his one-night stand from being kidnapped and tortured.
Nolan Thompson doesn't mix business with pleasure. Too bad his latest job has him protecting the sweetest body he's ever touched. There's nothing about the cool, calculated business woman that makes him think of the sensual, shy sex kitten he met in Vegas. It shouldn't be difficult to keep his hands to himself when she's sending him "get lost" signals, but the rules change when her brother is kidnapped.
Yvonne Krieger is hiding a ticking-time-bomb of a secret with a nine-month fuse. Her unforgettable Vegas night left her with a lot more than pleasure and a memorable walk of shame with only one shoe. The very man who charmed her into bed is now the man charged with keeping her body safe and getting her troublesome little brother home. Under the growing pressure from her family to help cover up the kidnapping, Yvonne finds that the only person she can trust is
Nolan.
In the face of danger, Yvonne and Nolan become unlikely allies as they attempt to piece together the mystery surrounding her brother's kidnapping. Every step brings their walls crumbling down until the line between their work and private lives is blurred. Nolan knows Yvonne is holding out on him, and he's determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and capture Yvonne's heart.
Dangerously Deceived
Aegis Group Lepta Team #3
The mission: Keep a hot-headed woman from getting them all killed.
Navy SEAL Vaughn Fernandez believes in maximizing every moment, and when it comes to the instant attraction between him and a maid, he's all in. Except the curvy beauty isn't a maid at all. She's the client's girlfriend, and that's a line he's never crossed.
Carla White lives a picture-perfect life. To the world, she is a rags-to-riches story on the coattails of her high school sweetheart. In private, it's a different story. Her relationship is fake, but her feelings for the tall, dark and handsome bodyguard are very real. She might not have the chance at a happy ending, but she can live in the moment.
A jet setting dash across the globe kicks off Vaughn and Carla's secret love affair as they race to rescue their target. However, sooner they complete their mission the shorter their time together is.
Dangerous Attraction
Aegis Group 1
Ex-Navy SEAL Travis Ration is an expert hunter. Whether his prey is criminal or victim, he always gets his mark. He's no hero, just a man doing his job. It’s all he has after a felony conviction after a bad judgment call. When the FBI call in a favor and ask him to look into a serial killer over the holiday break, he jumps at the opportunity to fill the long, cold days with something besides regret and bad movies. In Las Vegas, he's on the hunt for a prolific serial killer no one wants to admit exists. The leads are dry and the evidence gone, until she walks into his life. Bliss Giles—curvy, sassy and everything he can't have.
What’s worse, Travis knows Bliss’ sister is the killer's latest victim. She fits the profile. Time is running out and the fastest way to retrace the killer's path is with Bliss at Travis' side. In the seat of danger. He vows to keep Bliss safe and his hands to himself, after all, a nice girl like her doesn't need a guy like him in her life. Too bad no one told Bliss Travis was off-limits. She tests his boundaries and pushes his control every minute they're together until he can't remember why wanting her is a bad idea.
Necessary Risk (Aegis Group Task Force Book 4) Page 30