Wicked Games: The Extended Edition (Steele Security #1)

by A. D. Justice

  As they rounded the corner of a tent, Brianna’s feet halted involuntarily as her eyes drank in the sight of the men directly in front of her. One man sat in a folding chair, wearing his government issued hat, Oakley sunglasses, no shirt, and his fatigue pants rolled up to his knees. He was evidently working on his tan, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from his chiseled chest, the muscles in his shoulders, his arms and…oh wow, his six-pack abs. She was glad she was wearing her sunglasses because she had no doubt that her eyes were as big as saucers.

  His thighs were obviously just as cut as the top half of him from the form of his pants. Her eyes drifted up to his face and she instantly turned an even deeper shade of red than she already was from the heat of the scorching sun. From his mega-watt smile, she knew she had been busted practically drooling over the man.

  “Are you our new recruit?” There was a smile in his deep voice, teasing her, and clearly pleased that she liked what she saw.

  “Umm…I’m…uh…Brianna.” There wasn’t a coherent thought in her mind. She had no idea how she even strung those words together.

  He continued smiling as he stood. She couldn’t hide her shock as she drew in a sharp breath. The man was huge. He had muscles bulging everywhere, and he towered over her five-foot-six-inch frame. She knew he had to be at least six-foot-four and every inch of him was rock solid.

  He had short black hair, a strong, square jawline, and high cheekbones. Even though she couldn’t see his eyes, she could feel them piercing through her. She knew she must look like an idiot just standing and staring at him, but she had literally never seen anyone like him in real life.

  So much for making a good first impression, she ruefully thought to herself.

  “Well, Brianna,” he continued, still smiling, “good to meet you. I’m Reaper. Meet the rest of the team.” He gestured to the other men sitting in the ragged chairs strewn around the outside of the tent. “This is Rebel. This here’s Bull. That one is Shadow–watch out for him, and this is Judge.”

  Each man nodded and smiled, as she said hello after Reaper introduced each of them.

  Looking around the group, she smiled. “No real names. Got it.”

  “Maybe we can keep this one, Reap,” the one called Shadow replied. “Be nice if you didn’t have to hide another body today.”

  “The day is still young. He may have to help me hide your body before long,” Brianna retorted with a playful smile.

  “Oh yeah, we’re keeping her all right,” Rebel replied with a laugh. “Already putting Shadow in his place. I love it.”

  Sharing a laugh, the ice seemed to break quickly with all of them, except one. Bull was the quietest man of the group and didn’t smile at all. Sensing that she’d have a hard time cracking his exterior shell, she resolved to win his trust and get him to talk to her before she left this secret camp.

  As she looked around at the men surrounding her, she realized that every one of them was built like a linebacker. Every inch of them was covered in muscles. Every man was tall, had a thick, muscular body, and seemed to be completely at home in these harsh surroundings.

  She quickly realized these specially trained operators were able to assimilate anywhere they went because of the rigorous training they had to complete. They all also obviously took exercise and staying healthy very seriously, judging from the looks of these men.

  The private cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still waiting with her belongings. Instantly feeling bad over forgetting about him, Brianna quickly finished her own introduction. “Like I said, I’m Brianna Tate. I’m here on assignment to interview you and shed light on what you do for your country, why you do it, what your life out here is like, and to promote support for you to the general public.

  “I’ll get unpacked and we can get started, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Sounds great,” Reaper replied. After Reaper gave the private a quick nod, Brianna noticed that he turned and quickly deposited her luggage in her tent without a verbal command.

  Her assignment would take the entire six weeks, and she planned to spend the majority of that time asking a lot of questions and generally getting to know each soldier. They seemed to understand her assignment and that she genuinely wanted to give them credit for the work they were doing.

  Thirty minutes later, she walked back to the area where she left them and found everyone still there, except for Bull.

  “So, who wants to go first?” she asked with a smile.

  “I will,” Reaper replied, removing his sunglasses and flashing his perfect smile. “Let’s go over here so we can be more comfortable.”

  Brianna and Reaper moved to a picnic-style table in a shaded area of the camp. It was far enough away from the others that she could comfortably ask probing questions without making anyone uncomfortable. She hoped it would also ensure more in-depth answers from her participants.

  “So, Reaper, huh? How’d you get that nickname?” she asked as they took a seat.

  “My squadron’s nicknames come from our personalities and things we’re good at,” he answered evasively.

  “They also keep your identity secret, especially between assignments, right?” Brianna asked.

  “That’s right,” Reaper replied.

  “Am I going to have a difficult time getting to know you?” Brianna asked, trying to throw him off guard.

  No such luck.

  His smile slowly crawled across his face. His white teeth sparkled even in the shade, along with the mirth dancing in his blue eyes. “Most likely.”

  “I assume you’re the leader of this squadron?”

  “I am,” he confirmed. “We’re all officers, but I’m the ranking officer. If you tell anyone, I’ll deny it and then kill you in your sleep.”

  “Your secret is safe with me,” Brianna crossed her heart. “No need to get all scary on me.”

  Reaper laughed and relaxed a little. “Occupational hazard.”

  “I literally can’t imagine. That’s why I’m here. There are obviously things you can’t tell me, but I’d love to tell others about you and the rest of the team to make them understand your sacrifices,” Brianna replied earnestly.

  Reaper carefully watched Brianna, taking in every detail of her face, posture, and body language. His training and field experience in counterterrorism, counter-surveillance, and reading micro-expressions taught him how to read and decipher a person in record time. From his assessment, she was a trusting, honest, and naïve young lady, who sincerely wanted to do a good job with her first assignment.

  Plus, he’d already received a detailed background report on her before she ever boarded the plane in Atlanta. He already knew every detail of her life and anyone remotely acquainted with her. Too much was on the line for circumstances to be any different. Lives were at stake, his best friends’ lives, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to risk them any more than absolutely necessary.

  “Okay, Brianna, fair enough. I’m sure you’ve been briefed on what we won’t discuss, but we’ll help you as much as we can with your article. I’ll make sure the other guys in my squadron actively participate, too. We get to read and approve it before it goes to print, though.”

  “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me,” she gushed before smiling brightly at him.

  When Brianna’s eyes met his, Reaper’s response was completely foreign to him. He remained calm and collected when an enemy fired a high-powered rifle at him. He could single-handedly take out multiple terrorists in a hostage situation without batting an eye or harming one hostage in the process.

  But when Brianna gave him her most sincere, appreciative smile, he couldn’t catch his breath. His heart sped up, skipped beats, and fluttered wildly in his chest. The warmth spread throughout his body and his senses tingled strangely. She was definitely different than anyone he’d ever met.

  “I’m looking forward to getting to know you much better over the next several weeks, Miss Tate,” Reaper stated, crossing his mu
scular arms across his body.

  Her eyes followed their movement, mesmerized by both the size and fluidity of his muscles. Darting her tongue out to wet her lips as her eyes slowly rose first to his mouth then met his gaze, she inhaled sharply when she felt his gaze physically touch her.

  “I thought I was doing the interviewing here,” she uttered, barely above a whisper.

  “We’ll just have to see about that. Won’t we?”

  Chapter Two

  The first week in the desert was the roughest week of Brianna’s life. The intense heat in the triple digits during the day barely dropped below ninety degrees at night. Acclimating to the harshness was a slow process for her. She developed yet another new level of appreciation for the men and women who didn’t have the luxury of time for their bodies to accept the changes.

  She’d spent the majority of the week being Reaper’s personal shadow. She followed him around the base, took notes of his actions, behaviors, and reactions, and she tried to build a character profile of him. She knew she wouldn’t be allowed to use his nickname in her article, but she could give him a fake name and accurately describe him for her readers.

  He was well liked by everyone they encountered. Other than occasionally wearing BDUs, he was never in full uniform. After several days of watching his non-conformity to routine Army regulations, she finally garnered the nerve to ask him about it.

  “Reaper, why do you not wear the standard issued uniform?”

  “My job doesn’t require it. We have more lax rules than the average soldier because of the duties we’re expected to perform. If I had to leave quickly to handle an issue in a large city, I have to be able to get in and out without giving away my real identity,” he explains with a shrug.

  “So what other regulations are you allowed to break?” she asked, intrigued.

  Reaper cut his eyes to meet hers, considered what he should say, before finally answering. “Most all of them. Whatever it takes to get the job done.”

  She already knew Reaper was the leader of the squadron, since he’d already confirmed as much. She thought she’d caught a lucky break when she overheard another soldier refer to him as Captain. Unfortunately, the private didn’t follow up with a last name and Reaper quickly shut him down from referring to him with that title again.

  “I thought I was about to get lucky,” Brianna blurted out.

  Reaper titled his head, humor alight in his eyes, and wore a smirk as he contemplated his reply. “I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be my line.”

  Her face burned with embarrassment as she gasped and buried her face in her hands. “You know what I mean,” she insisted. “I thought he was about to give away your name,” she clarified, raising her eyes to meet his.

  Reaper chuckled and nodded. “You may be right. But I guess it’s not time for your turn yet,” he grinned.

  Brianna stared at him for as long as she could suppress her laugh. “Fine. You win this round. I’ll have my turn, though.”

  “One can hope,” Reaper smiled broadly.

  “Yep. You’re trouble. No doubt about it.” Brianna shook her head but returned his smile. He was more than charming and witty, and she already knew she was getting in over her head with him.

  “It’s sexy when you blush. Especially when I’m the one who made you do it."

  She blushed again and tucked her chin to her chest in an attempt to hide her smile. His chuckle rumbled through his chest and forced her to close her eyes as it rippled through her body. Reaper didn’t have to be a telepathic to know what images flashed through her mind.

  “Come on. You can go with me today,” Reaper offered.

  “Really? Where are we going?” Brianna perked up. Her eyes widened, her lips slightly parted, and her smile engulfed her face.

  She pictured going on a special operation with him. One where she was hidden behind a thick, armored car and was safe from any harm, and it provided her with a bird’s eye view of the action. Realistically, she knew that would never happen, but an aspiring journalist can dream.

  “To the shooting range.”

  “On a first date? That’s a little forward, don’t you think?” Brianna joked. “I bet you take all the girls there.”

  “Nope. Only the ones that I’m fairly certain won’t use me as the target,” he deadpanned.

  “Oh, so you trust me with a gun?”

  “Have you ever shot one?” Reaper raised one eyebrow as his all-seeing eyes assessed her.

  “Only a BB gun when I was a kid,” she admitted.

  “That’s why I’m fairly certain you won’t shoot me. I don’t think you could hit me.”

  “Oh, you! Every time I think you’re being a nice guy, you have to talk more and totally ruin it.” She laughed as she playfully hit his arm.

  “Come on. I’ll teach you how to shoot so you can protect yourself,” he said as he hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her with him.

  The simple fact was Brianna enjoyed the time she spent with Reaper. He had an outgoing personality that made him easy to get along with, but she’d also seen the dominant, take-no-prisoners side of him. She felt sorry for anyone who had to face that part of him in a dark alley, because only one would walk away in one piece. She was positive that would be Reaper.

  “Wait here.” Reaper released his hold on her just outside the door of the command tent. “I’ll grab the keys and be right back.”

  When he returned with the keys, he also had a long, black cloth to use as a blindfold for Brianna.

  “Really? You still don’t trust me?” Her face fell and she quickly tried to recover. From the knowing glance he gave her, she realized she didn’t quite hide the disappointment evident in her voice.

  Reaper gave her a small, understanding smile. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Brianna. But if you fell into the enemy’s hands, they would get the location of this camp out of you. Then every life here would be in jeopardy. I have to do everything I can to help protect the integrity of this base.”

  “I understand,” she conceded. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for putting anyone else in danger.”

  “That’s my girl,” Reaper smiled. “Hop in and I’ll blindfold you.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

  “Such a sweet talker,” she mumbled as she climbed into the Humvee.

  Reaper stood in her door and secured the blindfold around her eyes. “That’s not too tight, is it?”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “Okay, let’s go then.”

  Brianna felt the movement of the Humvee as Reaper drove them to the shooting range. She had the distinct feeling there were unnecessary turns and stops along the way. She had no doubt it was a tactic to throw her sense of direction off. She decided to just keep it to herself that he was wasting his time. She was simply glad to spend time with him and wasn’t really paying too much attention to the direction they were heading.

  When the vehicle finally came to a stop, Reaper killed the engine and helped Brianna to get out. Removing her blindfold, she finally got a good look at her surroundings. The rock ledges that encircled them were covered in sand but gave them some shade and natural cover. A small, makeshift shooting range had been erected with the targets clearly marked at intervals between fifteen and fifty yards.

  After he removed his handgun from the holster, Reaper gave Brianna instructions on how to hold it, how to chamber a round, and how to squeeze the trigger while holding her aim on the target. After she’d spent several rounds, Brianna learned that she was a natural at sharpshooting.

  “We may have to sign you up,” Reaper praised her.

  “This part is fun. I’m not sure I’d make it through the rest of basic training,” Brianna chuckled.

  “I’ll bet you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.” Reaper’s normally teasing tone had disappeared, replaced with sincerity.

  The chemistry between Brianna and Reaper became a living, breathing being. Accidental touches that would norm
ally be dismissed with someone else suddenly became cause for sparks to fly. While showing her how to stand and hold the gun, Reaper had to wrap his arms around her and adjust her body stance with his hands.

  If I were teaching a man, I’d find a different way to show him, Reaper thought to himself. The fact that he knew he gave himself permission to touch her didn’t help his resolve to keep it professional. Her personality and beauty quickly got under his skin.

  “So, tell me about Reaper,” Brianna asked when they took a break.

  “What do you want to know?” Reaper drew up to his full height, his muscles tensed, and his eyes narrowed at her.

  “For starters, where are you from?”

  “The vicinity of Miami.” His eyes scanned the horizon as he shrugged nonchalantly.

  “Do you have family there?”

  “Yes. But I don’t have a relationship with them anymore,” he admitted. He didn’t speak of his family with anyone and he wasn’t sure why he even confided that to Brianna.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. It must be hard on you.” She unconsciously placed her hand on his arm as she spoke.

  “I’ve gotten used to it. What about you?” he asked, ready to be the interviewer and not the one interviewed.

  “Atlanta.” She tilted her head and gave him a small smile. “And yes, my family is there. I’m close to my mom, dad, and my three sisters, Missy, Jessie and Ashley. I’m the oldest of the four. Missy is less than two years younger than me, so we’ve always been very close.”

  “What do they think about you traveling half-way around the world to come hang out with me?”

  “They worry but they’re supportive. My dad actually helped me get this assignment. Your squadron isn’t exactly the easiest to find,” she smiled.

  “No, I guess we’re not. I’m glad you did, though.”