Rogue (Gladiator Series #2)

by E. L. Todd

  My stomach rumbled again. “This town is so cute.”

  “Everything in France is cute.” Ben walked into a tiny restaurant and requested a table. We were led to a small table in the corner, a white tablecloth on top with a low-burning candle on the surface. Menus were passed to us before the waitress disappeared.

  I looked at the menu but didn’t understand anything. “Do you see anything on here that has a lot of cheese?”

  Ben chuckled. “I’ll order you something good. Don’t worry about it.” He ordered a bottle of wine for the table and poured two glasses. It was a white wine from a local vineyard. As soon as I tasted it, I realized it was much better than anything I’d ever had at home.

  “Thanks for taking me out. I haven’t done anything fun since…I can’t even remember.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Wilder was a huge bore the whole time, huh?”

  “I wouldn’t say he’s boring. Just a little guarded.”

  “Yeah, he’s a drama queen.” Ben dipped his bread in olive oil before he popped the piece into his mouth. He had a nice jaw, strong and defined. “That guy is my brother, but he can be a real pain in the ass.”

  Wilder was constantly intense and distant, but I’d gotten used to it over the past few months. “How long have you been with RB12?”

  “Six years. I joined after I left the French army. Wilder recruited me.”

  “How did you meet him?”

  “Funny story.” He looked even more handsome every time he smiled. “I came home from work, and he was sitting in my living room. The damn stalker…”

  “That’s not creepy,” I said with a laugh.

  “He’s always been a creepy guy. But he offered me a great opportunity that included great pay and benefits, not to mention meaningful work. I took his offer immediately and have been grateful ever since.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “The rest of the team is great too. I’m happy here, and I think you’ll be happy too.”

  “I’m sure I will.” I was in a new place, but I didn’t miss home. I didn’t miss going to class and being accused of plagiarizing. Despite knowing the truth about my father, I still wondered about him. Were all our family pictures still sitting in the house exactly where we left them? Or did he clean the place out before he took off?

  “Wilder said you’ve got a lot of potential.”

  “That was nice of him.” He was usually too busy insulting me to say anything nice.

  “And you’re a great shot. Like, sniper status.”

  “I’m not bad,” I admitted. “My dad taught me a lot of things as I was growing up.” I didn’t even feel comfortable referring to him as my father anymore. I was tempted to call him by his first name. If he really killed my mother, I had no allegiance to him whatsoever.

  “No wonder why you’re good. That guy is ruthless.”

  It was strange to talk about my father so nonchalantly. Ben seemed to know everything about me without asking any questions, so Wilder did more than just mention me. He had a whole profile on me. “So I hear.”

  “When we took a vote to recruit you, it was unanimous. We all wanted you on the team.”

  “A vote?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Since you have a special circumstance, it had to be decided as a group,” he explained. “But everyone liked what you brought to the table, especially your intel on your father.”

  Unfortunately, I really didn’t know much. “I didn’t realize that’s how it happened.”

  “Yeah. Wilder gave a quick presentation of your skills and capabilities before he brought you here.”

  I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Wilder did a lot of things without my knowledge. “I’m glad I’ve been welcomed with open arms.”

  “We’re good to each other,” he said. “We always have each other’s backs. That’s just how we roll.”

  “Nice camaraderie.”

  He nodded then took a drink of his wine. The waiter approached our table, and Ben ordered our food in French.

  “Are you fluent?”

  “Yep. I’ve lived here most of my life.”

  “That’s cool. Do you speak anything else?”

  “Italian, Latin, Mandarin, German…am I forgetting any?” He rubbed his chin as he continued to search his brain. “Oh yeah, and Russian.”

  “You speak that many languages?” I asked incredulously.

  “Yeah, but keep in mind that Germany and Italy are so close together that I’ve always been exposed to those languages.”

  “Russia is a bit away.”

  “Well, that took some time to learn,” he said with a chuckle. “But it’s pretty essential to have in my arsenal. You know what they say. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

  I wondered about all the things Ben had seen, all the missions he’d completed. I wanted to ask, but I suspected that was too personal of a question when I didn’t know him very well.

  “So you were in college when you took off with Wilder?”

  “Yeah, but school wasn’t for me.”

  “Then why were you there?”

  “I didn’t know what else to do with my time,” I said honestly. “My friends went to college, so I did the same thing. And if I didn’t, I wouldn’t know how to begin a career. I’ve never been interested in opening a business or anything more ambitious.”

  “It looks like you found your calling in the end. Or better yet, it found you.”

  “It seems that way.”

  He swirled his wine before he sipped it. His broad shoulders looked nice in his t-shirt, and his sexiness was heightened by his kindness. He was so opposite from Wilder it was difficult to believe they had the same job.

  “So…Maxine is interesting.” I wanted to know more about her and Wilder, but I didn’t want to come out and ask.

  “What do you mean?”

  “She seems confident. Is she one of the people in charge?”

  “Not really. Wilder is officially the lead, but he doesn’t really tell us what to do. We all work together with complete autonomy. But she’s a really strong agent. She’s done a lot of good around here.”

  “She seems pretty capable.” I was hoping to learn more about Maxine and Wilder, but it didn’t seem like I was closer to discovering my answers. Ben didn’t know anything about it, or he didn’t know that’s where my questions were going. “She and Wilder seem close.”

  He cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. “Is this thing you have for Wilder serious?”

  Perhaps he was more observant than I gave him credit for. I didn’t want to beat around the bush. Honesty seemed to be the best policy, especially with an agent with phenomenal skills. “I’ve developed feelings from staying with Wilder over the past few months. But it’s become obvious that he and I will never be anything. I thought I saw something between him and Maxine. If my suspicion was correct, I thought it would help me forget about him. If he’s got women all over the place, there’s no way he’ll ever be interested in me monogamously.” That’s probably not what Ben wanted to hear, but he had a right to know the truth.

  He didn’t seem disappointed with my answer. “Wilder is a player. Has been and always will be.”

  I thought those words would hurt, but they didn’t. Now that I’d heard the whole truth, I could probably move on and focus on the more important things in life. I thought my attraction to Wilder was more than physical, but maybe it wasn’t. “I kinda picked up on that.” I grabbed a piece of bread and took a bite.

  “You don’t want to be one of many, huh?”

  “I guess not. Relationships don’t need to end with a happily ever after. But I don’t want to be involved with someone if I know it’ll never go anywhere. I need some kind of connection, some meaning to really invest my time. I know that’s probably cliché—”

  “No, I get it.” He wasn’t nearly as harsh as Wilder. He had a smile when Wilder had a frown. And he was far more understanding even though he seemed just as manly. “I
’m with you. I like to be with a woman for a while, even if it doesn’t last forever. I think it makes the sex better. One day, you go your separate ways, but at least you enjoyed one another while you were together.”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly how I feel.”

  “Wilder is dead inside,” he said with a laugh. “Everything is business with him—even his personal life.”

  “Why is he like that?” Wilder never really opened up to me. Sometimes he was more vulnerable than he was at other times, but he was still calloused like a construction worker’s hands.

  His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “If you don’t know, he must not want you to know.”

  Maybe Wilder would tell me someday, but I obviously wasn’t going to learn his secret today. “He doesn’t share a lot with me.”

  “He’s lost a lot of people. All he cares about at this point is revenge, which isn’t too different than the rest of us.”

  I slowly nodded, wondering if Ben felt that way himself. Had he lost someone he cared about? Perhaps Wilder is too far gone for something meaningful. He did warn me of that in the beginning. I should have taken him more seriously. “Wilder says my father is a traitor, a murderer, and a criminal…it’s been hard.”

  “I can’t even imagine,” he said sympathetically. “You think you know someone, and then everything changes.”

  “I know Wilder isn’t lying, but it’s so difficult to believe it. My father has always been there for me… He called me unicorn.”

  Ben reached across the table and patted my hand. “It’ll get easier in time. Usually does.”

  His hand was warm to the touch and felt comfortable on mine. I’d just met Ben that afternoon, and I already felt close to him. He was naturally kind and had a good heart. I could tell from our first interaction. “Thanks. I’m sure you’re right.”

  When he let his hand linger too long, he pulled it away. “So, does that mean I have to compete with Wilder for your attention.”

  “You don’t need to compete with anyone for attention,” I blurted. “I mean, look at you.”

  He grinned from ear to ear, his ego inflated. “Why, thank you.”

  “I just mean, you could have anyone you wanted. Why would you want to work to get my attention when you can have anyone else’s?”

  He considered my question before he spoke. “I’m not sure. I just know I like you.”

  “I’m not that interesting.”

  “I doubt that. Wilder spoke really highly of you.”

  “Well, Wilder was just being nice.”

  He shook his head as he smiled. “Wilder is never nice. If he gives you a compliment, it’s not a compliment. It’s just a fact.”

  I already knew that was true. Wilder always got right to the point.

  “So, can I get to know you better? See if you’re more interesting than you let on?”

  He was so charming I could hardly believe it. “Sure, as long I can get to know you too.”

  “Sounds perfect to me. I just hope I’m interesting enough to get a kiss at the end of this date.”

  With his innate charm, he’d already earned it. “Your chances are pretty good.”

  “Awesome,” he said. “So, you like to cook?”

  Cooking wasn’t my weakest trait, but he was bound to find out anyway. “Well, I’m more of a frozen cheese stick and burrito kind of gal.”

  “Really?” he asked with a chuckle. “All of that is gonna change really quick.”

  “You think so?”

  “Trust me. When you’re in a beautiful place like this, the center of the culinary arts, you finally learn what amazing food really tastes like. And you’re gonna find out what real men taste like too.”

  ***

  When he pulled into the garage and closed the door behind him, he stayed put. As the door closed, less light crept inside the car. Once it was shut, he hit the button next to the steering wheel and turned off the engine. “I’m gonna kiss you here.” He announced his decision like I didn’t have a say in the matter. “Don’t want an audience for my performance.” He unbuckled his safety belt then turned to me in the car, that handsome smile gone from his face. He leaned toward me then slid his hand to my cheek, cupping my face with a fluid motion. Then his lips landed on mine, warm and soft.

  He was a great kisser.

  My fingers wrapped around his wrist, and I felt more heat than I expected to. Like when I kissed Wilder, I felt something for this man I’d just met. My mouth moved with his, and his affection was satisfying. The kiss started off innocent but quickly developed into something more. Once he felt my arousal developing, he moved his tongue against mine and inserted his fingers into my hair.

  It was nice.

  His hand trailed down my body and to my thigh. He held it tightly as he gripped me harder, breathing into my mouth with the same excitement I felt.

  My hand moved of its own accord and slid up his chest to his shoulder. His muscles were hard and defined underneath his t-shirt. It’d been a long time since I’d been with a man, and now I was trying to find a reason why I’d deprived myself of such a luxury for so long.

  Ben was the first one to pull away, his eyes greedy for more of me. “I should stop…before I get carried away.”

  Good thing he did because the idea of pulling away didn’t cross my mind. It wasn’t exactly a professional way to start a relationship with a colleague. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  “But trust me.” He squeezed my thigh. “I didn’t want to stop.”

  “Me neither,” I whispered.

  His eyes grew dark with intensity, similar to the way Wilder’s did. “You’re driving me crazy, woman.”

  We got out of the car and walked into the beautiful chateau that seemed too perfect to be real. It didn’t exactly seem like the headquarters to an underground rogue operation. We walked up the stairs to the level with the bedrooms. Daniel was exactly where I left him with Shane working on her laptop at the table in the corner.

  “Thanks for keeping an eye on him.” I ran my fingers through Daniel’s soft hair. The distraction wasn’t enough to pull him away from the Lego set he was creating.

  “Sure,” Shane said as she kept typing. “What were you two doing?”

  “Making out in the car,” Ben blurted.

  I shot him a glare.

  Ben shrugged with a fake look of guilt on his face.

  Shane stopped typing and looked up, not the least bit amused. “That’s an interesting first day…”

  “Don’t be jealous, sweetheart.” He squeezed her shoulder. “You’re still my number one girl.”

  Shane couldn’t hide the smile that formed on her lips.

  “No one gets me out of tough situations better than you do.” He patted her shoulder before he walked out. “I’m gonna take a shower—a cold one.”

  Chapter Two

  I went downstairs the next morning with Daniel in tow. He had a Gameboy in his hands to keep him company. He played it the entire time we rode the elevator down to the bottom floor. “When am I going to see my dad?”

  I didn’t have an answer for those types of questions. “Soon.”

  He kept hitting the buttons. “I miss him.”

  I ran my fingers through his hair, feeling pity in my heart. “He misses you too, sweetheart.”

  The elevator doors opened, and we walked into RB12, the official headquarters. People were manning the computers, coding and hacking—what they did best. I moved to the area where I met the agents yesterday. They were gathered around their stations, waiting for the meeting to begin.

  Wilder stood in the front, his two pistols in his holsters with a fiery look in his eyes. His arms were crossed over his massive chest, and he stared me down like he absolutely loathed me. Those brown eyes were now black. “You’re late.”

  I walked in with my hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Daniel had—”

  “When we have meetings, you better be here on time. It’s secret agent 101. You aren’t exactly making a good
impression on the rest of your colleagues by walking in ten minutes late. Don’t let it happen again.”

  I had no idea where this hostility was coming from. I didn’t even know we had a meeting until Shane told me when she was on her way. I would have gotten there just as quickly except Daniel wasn’t ready. “Daniel needed some help getting ready this morning. He wet—”

  Wilder raised his hand to silence me. “Nothing I hate more than excuses. Shit happens, alright? But as an agent, you gotta make it work. Saying your dog ate your homework isn’t gonna cut it in a place like this. Maybe you didn’t take your education seriously, but you need to take this seriously.”

  What the hell was his deal? I glanced at Ben and watched him roll his eyes. I turned back to Wilder then walked toward two open chairs. Fortunately, Daniel was too occupied with his game to really care about the way Wilder had just ripped into me. We took our seats, and I crossed my arms over my chest, staring Wilder down venomously.

  Wilder still looked pissed. “This is the part where you apologize.”

  “I’m not apologizing for anything.” I officially lost my temper. “You put me on babysitting duty, and that’s what I’ve been doing. No one even told me about the meeting today until Shane mentioned it two minutes ago. If you want me to have the same discipline as your other agents, you need to treat me like one.”

  Everyone glanced at me before they turned back to him, waiting for his response.

  Wilder looked absolutely menacing. “We’ll continue this conversation after the meeting.”

  What else was there to say?

  Wilder hit a button on a remote and pulled up an image of a screen behind him. “Just found out The Bone Doctor landed in Moscow forty-five minutes ago. We believe it’s his mission to intercept the electric pulse, and since he usually succeeds in his missions, I suspect that’s where he’s headed.”

  The quick way we dove into discussions of my father was a little unnerving. I expected to discuss something else, something less traumatizing, like rescuing Daniel’s father.

  “Clint Connor is undoubtedly being led there now to instruct his captors on how to use the device,” Wilder continued. “I suspect The Bone Doctor has either paid for the device or intends to steal it. It’s not quite clear. Clint is part of the exchange since he’s the only person who knows how to operate it. We’ve got to get two birds with one stone. Save Mr. Connor and destroy the pulse. All hands on deck for this one.”