Forged Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  Diha jabbed at the keyboard harder than necessary.

  A mole.

  On her team.

  Someone she’d investigated and cleared.

  She made herself pause and draw in a deep breath.

  It was early still. No need to start the day in a state of stress.

  Deep breath in. Hold it. Exhale.

  As she was drawing in another deep breath, the door opened signaling the end of her morning alone time.

  Weird.

  No one showed up this early except her.

  She glanced toward the door and froze.

  Evan was pushing the lab door closed, his hand clasped with Felecia’s.

  Diha stared at them, or more accurately Felecia. She was much prettier in person, especially now that the bruising had begun to fade.

  “Felecia! Evan!” Diha stepped away from the keyboard and circled the standing desk, grinning at the two. “I didn’t know you were back yet.”

  “Officially we aren’t yet,” Evan said.

  Felecia gave Diha a shy smile. Over the last two weeks they’d talked at least once a day. While it had begun about work and transitioning Felecia to being American and working with the team, they’d also bonded as friends. Something Diha didn’t have many of.

  “It’s nice to meet you in person,” Felecia said in that slow, purposeful way of hers.

  Diha felt like she’d found a sister in Felecia. The woman was smart. She didn’t sugar coat her words like some people. She didn’t shrink from some of the men who thought they knew better. Secretly Diha wanted to take a few notes from the younger woman.

  She came to a stop, rocking forward on the balls of her feet, unsure if she should shake hands, hug or do nothing.

  Evan let go of Felecia and for a moment none of them seemed to know what to do with their hands.

  “Can I give you a hug?” Diha blurted out.

  Felecia grinned at her. “Yes, please.”

  They embraced, holding each other tight.

  At first Diha hadn’t known what to make of Felecia. She’d been suspicious, wanting to peel back layers, find data. But in the end the best way to know Felecia was talking to her. Diha felt like she’d found one of those rare gems, a friend she wanted to keep for the rest of her life.

  “How was the drive?” She finally let go of Felecia and backed up, putting a proper amount of space between them.

  Rather than fly straight back to DC, Evan and Felecia had chosen to make it into a road trip. Diha thought it sounded nice, but they’d been totally cut off from the rest of the world for hours at a time.

  She could not do that.

  Felecia grinned. “Good.”

  Evan thumbed at her and winked. “If you ever want a road trip partner, this is your girl.”

  She flushed. “It was fun. I liked driving.”

  “You’ll have to tell me all about it.” Diha glanced between them. “Want to tell me why you’re here at the crack of dawn?”

  Felecia glanced at her, then Evan and finally the floor.

  Evan was doing a poor job of not smiling.

  God, Diha wanted a man who would look at her like that. Just once.

  “Felecia and I got married,” Evan said.

  “What?” Diha gaped, wide-eyed, heart in her throat. She was shocked though not all that surprised. She hadn’t wanted in on the betting pool about how long it would take Felecia and Evan to move forward with things. His whole team had done nothing but talk about it since getting back.

  “It made logical sense,” Felecia said, tipping her chin up.

  Now why did Diha think logic had nothing to do with the decision?

  She didn’t say that and smothered a chuckle.

  Evan picked up the explanation. “Seeing as how Felecia has no relatives, if something happened to her, I want to be able to look after her. It also means avoiding paperwork later on if we just go ahead and set her up as Felecia Ivanov now.”

  “Felecia Ivanov. How very sensible.” Diha managed to get that out without grinning. “I’m happy for the two of you.”

  “Thanks,” Evan said.

  There was a change in him. He’d always been soft spoken and kind. He didn’t overpower a room with his presence like some of the men he worked with. He just seemed more at ease. Happier.

  “Don’t think this means I’m not going to steal your bride away for a little pampering.” Diha narrowed her gaze at Evan.

  He held his hands up. “Sounds like a great idea to me.”

  The door behind them opened and Zora stepped in.

  “Zora, morning,” Diha said, watching the two women closely.

  Things hadn’t started out on the right foot there. Zora gave Felecia a slightly warm smile. Tepid was a good word for it. Still, it was friendlier than she got with most people.

  “Congratulations,” Zora said.

  “Thanks.” Evan reached out and took Felecia’s hand.

  Diha released a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. So Zora knew. Good.

  “Are you going to allow us to throw you a party, or are you going to keep this all under wraps?” Zora seemed to relax further.

  Evan glanced at Felecia. “We don’t know yet.”

  “I think a party is in order.” Zora sipped her coffee then smiled. Actually smiled. With teeth and little crinkles around her eyes.

  “We’ll think about it,” Felecia said smoothly.

  “You do that.” Zora winked at her. “If you have time I’d like to talk with you later. Right now I need to speak with Diha.”

  “Sure.” Evan reached for the door. “We’ll get out of your way.”

  “Bye.” Felecia wiggled her fingers at Diha as they exited the lab.

  Zora and Diha stood there a moment, watching the door slowly shut in their wake.

  “Did you see that coming?” Zora muttered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Getting married that fast.” She whirled, eyes wide. “Did you know?”

  Diha chuckled. “They just told me.”

  “Oh, good.” Zora laid a hand to her brow. “I’m starting to get crossed on who knows what. That’s not good, Diha.”

  “Is that what’s bothering you?”

  “No.” Zora shook her head. Her lips set in a grim line and she gestured for Diha to walk further into the lab before speaking. “We need to talk about the Valentino problem.”

  Diha’s stomach knotted up. The Task Force had two people in custody and they were finally beginning to give some of the same information. Diha just wished that intel didn’t lead to one of the most notorious hackers in the modern day.

  Zora crossed her arms over her chest. “I’d like for you to talk to Miles Green. It will raise less suspicion if word gets out you’re talking to him than me.”

  Oh no.

  No, please no.

  Not Miles Green.

  Diha managed to keep her smile in place. “Yup. Sure. I can do that.”

  On the inside she was dying.

  Miles Green.

  The man she’d had a hopeless crush on, and he’d never once noticed her. Then again why should a super-hot British spy notice a lab rat like her?

  The world just wasn’t fair.

  STAY UP TO DATE WITH the whole Aegis Group Task Force in Stolen Risk, Technical Risk and Necessary Risk! Stay tuned.

  Sign up for the New Release Newsletter at www.SidneyBristol.com to get inside scoops and free books.

  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, be
ginning 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.

  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.

  Necessary Risk

  Aegis Group Task Force #4

  Ivy Ashley is striking out. Fired from her gig as a live-in bodyguard, she's at the end of her rope when she is asked to join a special task force for a one-off undercover job. It's easy. All she has to do is infiltrate a harem. She even has back-up in the form of a lone-wolf spy with the sexiest lips she's ever kissed.

  Piers Killam does not play well with others. Least of all an ill-prepared Army veteran in over her head with an undercover op who makes him remember why he started doing this job. Every day with Ivy revives his long-dead heart.

  The race to locate the missing pieces of information for their team is on, and it's Ivy's life they're gambling with. Piers doesn't intend to share Ivy, not even with the prince she's contracted to. But when they find the digital time bomb the whole game changes. Piers will have to decide who to save and who to let go.

  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 relat
ionship 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.

  The hunters become the hunted in this tale of serial killers and SEALs for hire. One broken man must unpack his baggage, a woman has make a leap of faith and a sister chooses to live in this new, romantic suspense serial by NYT & USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Bristol.

  Warning: Hold onto your panties, because nothing is safe.

  Dangerous in Love

  Aegis Group Alpha Team 1

  He follows orders.

  A good SEAL, Shane York values chain of command. Following the rules means staying alive. All of that is wrecked when his team is sent to Jamaica on a hostage rescue. She’s not the mission, but they leave no one behind.

  She breaks the rules.

  Travel blogger Lacey Miles lives for today. Thanks to her unexpected rescue from certain death, she has a shot at tomorrow. She wants her mercenary captors to pay, and she has the evidence to ensure it—if she lives long enough to deliver it.