Targeted Risk (R.I.S.C. Book 7)

by Anna Blakely

  Mike shrugged. “Sometimes they never leave, ya know?”

  “Yeah.” Jake glanced over at his wife. “I do, actually.”

  Mike looked over at Olivia and Lillian again. It still broke his heart to think of what his sister had been put through while he was still under cover and that he hadn’t been here to save her from being kidnapped and tortured. Thankfully, Jake had been.

  “I think I’m gonna head home,” he told Jake somberly.

  His friend looked at his watch. “Already?”

  “It’s been a long week.”

  Rather than laugh or make some sort of smartass comment, Jake stared back at him with an assessing gaze. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, Mom. I’m fine.” Despite his sarcastic words, doubt began to seep in as he glanced over at the guys again. “Why? Has someone complained about my performance on the team or something?”

  “What?” Jake swung his gaze to the table and back to Mike. “Hell no, they haven’t said anything. Nothing bad, anyway. In fact, Mac told me the other day that it felt as if you’d been part of the team from the beginning.”

  The Mac Jake was referring to was McKenna Kelley, the only female member of Alpha Team. Like Coop, who was also her fiancé, Mac had been an Army Ranger prior to joining R.I.S.C. Also like Coop, the woman was one hell of a sniper.

  “Speaking of Mac...” Mike decided to change the subject. “How come she never plays cards with us?”

  “Because I work too damn hard for my money.”

  Speak of the devil.

  Both men turned to see the woman in question approaching them. Standing all of five-five with long, blonde hair and big blue eyes, Mac looked nothing like the deadly operative Mike now knew her to be.

  “One of those for me?” She eyed the bottles of beer on the counter.

  “Sure.” Mike handed her one, then went to the fridge to get a replacement. “And I only asked about you not playing cards because I noticed none of the women do.” He glanced over to where two other wives were still hanging out and talking by the fire. “Didn’t want you thinking y’all weren’t welcome at the table with the guys.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, brother.” Jake took a swig from his bottle. “Mac knows we’re an equal opportunity team, here. Don’t ya, Mac?”

  “Yep.” The adorable government-licensed killer grabbed the bottle opener from Mike’s hand. “These guys all know I could pick them off in their sleep from a hundred yards away if they ever pulled any of that male chauvinist bullshit with me or any of the other girls. But I prefer to spend my money on tangible things like shoes and handbags, rather than line the pockets of my oh-so-endearing teammates.”

  The sugary-sweet smile she gave them made Mike snicker. “Shoes and handbags?”

  Mac grinned. “I keep forgetting that your new-ish. Jake? Maybe you should fill him in. I have to go get more Lilly cuddles before my poker-impaired fiancé over there loses his share of our monthly freebie allowance.”

  Jake nearly spit out his beer. “You put Coop on an allowance?”

  “We both agreed to cut back on our frivolous spending. Weddings are expensive as hell.”

  “Not if we had it here!” Coop hollered across the room. Thanks to the open floor plan, the young sniper had obviously overheard the conversation.

  It still floored Mike that the teams two snipers were engaged. Most teams like theirs would separate couples if they became romantically involved. Too much of a risk for personal issues at home affecting their performance and concentration on the job. But somehow, Coop and Mac made it work, so Jake allowed it.

  “That’s right.” Jake nodded. “Liv loved the ceremony we had out back. And Grant and Bryn had theirs here, too. It’s like a R.I.S.C. tradition, now.”

  “The Bravo Team guys have all done their own thing,” Mac pointed out with a grin.

  A little over a year ago, Jake decided to expand the business and hired on a second team of guys to help with the overload of ops being thrown their way. Mike hadn’t spent much time around those guys, but from what he knew of them, they were as solid a team as the one he was now a part of.

  “Okay, fine.” Jake stood corrected. “It’s an Alpha Team tradition, then. Either way, there’s more than enough room, and more importantly, it would be free.”

  “He’s right.” Olivia walked into the kitchen area with Lilly propped up on her hip. “We’d love to host the ceremony. But only if that’s what you want. It’s your wedding, after all.”

  “Ahem, isn’t it our wedding?” Coop butted into the conversation again before tossing down his cards with a scowl. “Damn it.”

  “Free location or not, there won’t be a wedding at all if you lose every time you come here.”

  “Not true.” Coop stood and headed their way. “One, I’m still within the limits of my budgeted spending, and two”—he snaked an arm around Mac’s tiny waste and pulled her to him—“there ain’t nothing gonna stop me from marrying you.”

  The room groaned in unison as their teammates shared a kiss.

  Mike chuckled, but inwardly he was filled with an unfair resentment toward the young couple. “Think that’s my cue to leave.” He grinned. “But first, I’m going to go say goodbye to my adorable niece.”

  Taking the baby from his sister’s arms, he relished in the little girl’s soft, sweet warmth. His lips pressed against the smooth skin on her rosy cheeks, the smell of baby lotion filling his nostrils as he held her close to his chest.

  “She loves you so much.” Olivia beamed up at him. “So do I.”

  “What’s not to love?” Mike downplayed his sister’s sentimental comments, but then he locked his gaze with the beautiful bundle in his arms.

  Lilly’s round, brown eyes—ones that matched her mother’s to a T—lit up. She squealed and flailed her chubby little arms about as she reached toward his face. Before she could dig her tiny but sharp nails into his chin, Mike gently turned her small wrist in order to kiss Lilly’s palm.

  “Uncle Mikey loves you, too, Bug.”

  Growing up, he’d called Olivia Junebug. First as a joke due to her aversion to the brown, crunchy creatures but then as a term of true endearment. When Lilly was born, he could instantly see she was the mini version of her mother, so he decided to give the baby the shortened version of the same nickname.

  With another squeal, he kissed Lilly’s forehead before handing her back over to her mother.

  “I think this bug needs a bath before bedtime.” Olivia smiled up at him. “Wanna do the honors, Uncle Mikey?”

  “Actually, I think I’m gonna head out.”

  “Already?”

  Jake laughed. “That’s what I said. I think your brother may have lost his edge in his old age.”

  “Old age, my ass.” Mike scowled playfully at his friend. “I could still whip you.”

  “Still?” Jake raised a dark brow. “Funny. I don’t recall you having whipped me any other time.”

  “Hmm...” Mike pretended to act concerned. “Maybe my sister should be more concerned about your memory loss than my edge.”

  The group laughed as the two men continued bantering back and forth for a good minute before Mike finally called it a night.

  “Come on.” Jake slapped Mike on the back. “I’ll walk you out.”

  Giving his sister one last hug, Mike said his goodbyes and followed his brother-in-law to the front door. Still giving a polite nod and a wave, he did his best to ignore the scene playing out at the table to his right.

  Poker game momentarily forgotten, the other R.I.S.C. wives in attendance had left their spots by the fireplace to join their husbands, Trevor and Grant.

  Lexi, Trevor’s wife, was sitting on his lap and laughing while Brynnon, Grant’s very pregnant wife, was smiling as her husband ran his big hand over her swollen belly.

  The entire scene looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell postcard. One Mike wished he and Juliet could be painted into.

  Enough, already! Christ, m
an. You’re like a pathetic broken record.

  The voice was right. He needed to move on. Needed to forget all about Juliet Farrow and their make-believe love story. What they had was long gone. She was long gone, and everything they’d shared had been based on nothing but lies.

  Not all of it was a lie.

  No, what Mike felt for the sweet interior decorator was the most real thing he’d ever felt in his life. And what sucked huge ass donkey balls was Mike was sure she was on the same page as him.

  “Okay, spill it. What’s going on with you?” Jake asked the second they stepped out onto his covered porch. “Is this all too much too soon?”

  “What? No.” He shook his head then blew out a breath. “Sorry.”

  “Quit fucking telling me you’re sorry, and talk to me.”

  Shit. Rubbing a hand over his smooth jaw—something he still wasn’t quite used to having—Mike walked over to the edge of the porch. Resting his hands on the railing, he looked out over the impressive piece of land his friend owned.

  “You’ve really built something special here, Jake.”

  “Thanks. From what you’ve said, you have damn near all of your CIA paychecks stored away in the bank. You could have something like this, too.”

  “I’m not just talking about the house.” He turned his head toward his friend. “I mean all of it. The house and the land are great. But you’ve also got Liv and Lillian to share it with. Hell, you’ve got the whole package, man.”

  “You could have that, too, if you’d...I don’t know...maybe try going on a date sometime.”

  Mike couldn’t help but smile. “I’m good but thanks.”

  “You’re a shitty liar.”

  “A decade of successful undercover work says otherwise.”

  “Okay, fine. You’re a shitty liar when you’re trying to lie to me.” Jake leaned a shoulder on the nearest porch pole and crossed his arms at his chest. “Seriously, Mike. Things are going great with the team and everything, but when we’re not on an op, you seem...I don’t know. Down or something. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Liv’s worried about you, too.”

  “My sister has always worried about me. Even more so since I’ve come back from the dead.”

  “Because she loves you.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Mike looked up at the darkening sky. He hesitated a half a second longer, and then sighed. “Fine. You want to know the truth, here it is. I met someone.”

  “What?” Jake stood erect again. “That’s great! When? Who is she?”

  Mike held up a hand. “Ease up on the twenty-questions, dude. It’s not like that. At least...not anymore, it’s not.”

  “What do you mean?

  “I mean, I met her when I was under.”

  “Okay...” Jake let his voice trail. After a slight pause, his brows rose, and a look of understanding crossed his face. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Oh.”

  “So, she has no idea who you really are,” Jake surmised.

  “She couldn’t.” Mike shrugged. “I was still ‘dead’, remember?”

  “Okay, but what about after?”

  Another shrug. “I left Vegas. So did she.”

  “And you never told her? Not even then?”

  Mike shook his head. “I couldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s...complicated.”

  And you’re full of shit.

  The look Jake was giving him now said he thought the same thing. “I’m a pretty smart guy, Mike. I’m sure I can keep up.”

  Damn. He should’ve known Jake wouldn’t let this one go.

  Mike swallowed past his innate desire to keep things close to the vest. An occupational hazard a lot of undercover operatives have to learn to overcome once their covert time is complete.

  They had to re-train their brains to allow for trust again. Not an easy task after a decade of not being able to trust anyone.

  Every day since coming back home, Mike had to remind himself he wasn’t alone. That Jake and the others were his friends. His new team. His family.

  No time like the present.

  “Fine. Do you remember the day Olivia found me with you in the barn?”

  Jake snorted. “You mean the day my wife discovered the brother she thought she buried ten years before was alive...and I knew and didn’t tell her?” He gave him a sarcastic stare.

  “Guess it would be hard to forget a day like that, huh?” Mike shoved his hands into his pockets. “We talked that day about my last case I was working. The one involving—”

  “Alexandar Volkov,” Jake finished for him. “I remember. You were trying to turn one of his sons.”

  “Mikhail.” He nodded. “Yeah. It worked, too. Mikhail’s testimony put both his father and his older brother away for life.”

  “That’s good, but what does any of this have to do with whatever shit you’ve got going on up in there?” Jake pointed toward Mike’s head.

  This is Jake. It’s not like he’s going to judge you. Just tell him, already.

  “Volkov has a daughter.”

  Okay, so that was more of a blurt than he’d intended.

  Jake closed his eyes and hung his head. “Ah, hell, Mike. Please tell me you weren’t dumb enough to get involved with her.”

  “Told you it was complicated.”

  “Trigonometry is complicated. Fucking a Russian mob boss’s daughter while you’re trying to put the guy away is...shit.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t even know. Suicidal maybe?”

  “I didn’t mean for it to happen, okay?” Mike jumped to his own defense. “When I found out he had another kid, I thought maybe I could use her, too. Just in case my angle with Mikhail didn’t pan out.”

  “Sounds like you used her, all right.”

  Pushing off the railing, Mike faced his friend directly. “Fuck you. It wasn’t like that.”

  “No? What was it like, then? Because you just said—”

  “I know what I said, and I know what my intentions were with Juliet.” He drew in a deep breath and forced himself to calm his shit. “Look. It was no secret the Feds were closing in on Alexandar. I convinced Mikhail his sister could be a target simply because she was Volkov’s daughter. He contacted her. The guy kept my cover and talked her into letting me hang around to protect her.”

  “And he had no idea he was setting her up to be investigated, too?”

  Mike shook his head. “No. My plan was to get close enough to her to find out if she knew anything about her father’s business. Just in case Mikhail decided to turn tail and run or some shit. That’s it. But then I met her, and...I don’t know. The more I got to know her, the more we just sort of clicked. You know?”

  “Yeah.” Jake glanced toward his living room window. “I know.”

  Following his gaze, Mike saw what his friend was staring at. Both men had a clear view of the girls all standing around talking and laughing, but he knew Jake’s eyes were focused solely on Olivia and their daughter.

  “Then you also understand what it’s like to care for someone so badly, you’ll do whatever you can to protect them. Even if it means protecting them from yourself.”

  Jake brought his gaze back to Mikes. “Damn. It’s like that?”

  “It was. Yeah.”

  Exhaling slowly, the other man rubbed a hand over his scruffy jaw. “Okay, but all that shit’s behind you, now.”

  “So?”

  “So...you could go to her. Tell her the truth about everything without risking your job or letting some piece of shit skin trader go loose.”

  “Right. That would be a great conversation to have. I can see it, now. ‘Hey, honey. I’m back. Oh, and by the way, my name’s not really Jay Reynolds. It’s Mike Bradshaw. And I’m not really a friend of your brother’s. I’m a former undercover CIA officer who used him and tried to use you to put your father and your other brother behind bars for the rest of their lives. What’s for dinner?’”

  “Okay, smart ass. Obviously, you’d
approach it a little more delicately than that.”

  “You’re not listening. I can’t approach it at all.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’d never forgive me.”

  “I thought the same thing about your sister, remember? And look at how that turned out.”

  “That’s different.”

  “How?”

  “You lied to Olivia to protect her. I lied to Jules because I was using her.”

  “At first, maybe. But I’m sure there was some truth to what you said about her father’s business possibly making her a target.”

  “I could justify my lies all damn day, Jake. Doesn’t change the fact that they were lies.”

  “Did you lie to her about how you felt?”

  “No. I never...we never said...”

  “You never told her you loved her?”

  Mike sighed. “No. Because I knew there was no point. Just like there’s no point in having this conversation.”

  “There is if you still love her.”

  “Love isn’t the issue.” Mike glanced out over the front yard again. “Hell, I don’t even know where she lives, now. Last time I saw her, the Feds were dragging her out of her house. My CIA handler told me she was going into protective custody until they put her dad away.”

  “They use her, too?”

  “Didn’t have to. Mikhail testified. But they were worried someone would come after her. Use her to intimidate her brother into backing down.”

  “You’ve never looked her up? Never tried to find out where she went?”

  Mike shoved his hands into his pockets again. “No point. Trust was everything to Juliet. She’d never forgive me.”

  “Don’t you think she should be the one to get to decide that?” When he didn’t answer, Jake said, “You know. I happen to know a guy who’s really good at finding people who don’t necessarily want to be found.”

  He’s talking about Derek.

  Pulling his keys from his pocket, Mike gave his friend’s shoulder a squeeze as he walked past. “Thanks, Jake. But I’m good.”

  He was halfway down steps before Jake hollered behind him, “Like I said, man. You’re a terrible liar.”

  Two hours later, while Mike lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, he’d begun to reconsider. Even if D did find Jules, that didn’t mean he had to do anything about it. After two years of being apart, she was probably married. Maybe had a baby on the way or some shit.