by Dawn Ryder
It was textbook perfect.
And field-proven effective.
She didn’t have time to question where he’d gotten his training. But she knew it when she saw it. Getting up, Thais ignored the smell of her own blood as she followed. Pain was screaming through her arm but she held tight to her gun as she made it to the back door.
A body was slumped along the outside of the house. Dunn was on his knee next to it, pressing his fingers into the neck of whoever it was.
“Dead.” Dunn told her what the stillness of the form already had.
The gun the guy had used was lying in the dirt a few feet from his hand. Dunn pulled something from the guy’s pocket. Outside, the street lamps illuminated the scene enough for Thais to see the picture of herself.
“A hit?” she asked. “How did he find me?”
There was a crinkle of paper as Dunn pulled something else from the guy’s pocket. A Post-it Note with an address written on it.
Thais was powering up her cell phone, punching in a code as she contemplated the note. With her phone off, her location should have been secure.
“How did you find me?” The answer to her question burst into her mind as she looked at Dunn.
He pushed back to his feet, his expression grim. “I used the Lynx.”
Her mind played the evening back as she recalled looking at the text conversation before going to sleep.
“Someone hacked it,” Dunn stated the obvious. “And the list is short.”
Sirens started blaring in the distance. Dunn cussed as he pushed his gun into a chest harness holster. It was a polished motion, one as practiced as any member of her team.
“Where did you train, Dunn?” she asked quietly.
He pulled her gun from her grip in reply as he lifted her hand up to inspect the wound on her arm.
“I don’t know you at all.” It was an emotional observation. One she really shouldn’t have allowed to slip past her lips.
He’d pulled his tie loose and was wrapping it around the wound.
“You know the important parts,” he offered as the sirens pulled around the corner and stopped on the other side of the house. “You know I will come for you, Thais.”
The backyard lit up as the local police arrived. Dunn was turning around, his badge in hand.
“Federal agents!” he yelled above the shouts for them to put their hands up. “My partner needs medical attention.”
The confidence he applied to his business empire was something he’d been trained in. Thais was surrounded by it constantly and knew how to spot it in a crowd. There were just some things that were never unlearned. The way a man walked once he’d been trained in combat.
Another reason you can’t dismiss him …
She respected him. It was a blunt fact. The guy from the pool surfaced for a brief moment as she realized how lacking he was compared to Dunn.
No, an alpha didn’t wait for the right moment.
He made his own.
“Thais?”
She’d sunk down into her thoughts. Dunn pulled her back into reality as he caught her shoulder.
Shock.
She was slipping into its grip as her blood ran down her arm and across the back of her hand, dripping off her fingertips. The metallic scent was suddenly strong, nauseating her as she tried to decide what to say.
Instead she heard Dunn curse as his grip tightened on her.
* * *
Eric Geyer had information at his fingertips.
Of course, he was normally interested in FBI and CIA intel over the civilian law enforcement branches.
Today though, he searched through the reports of the night before, tapping on a shooting in a section of town where it wasn’t an uncommon happening.
One dead.
Female.
He looked through the pictures, nodding as he recognized Thais Sinclair. Eric logged out before going in to speak with Carl.
* * *
Hospitals had levels.
Unknown to most civilians was the prison one. Thais waited only long enough for the nurse to complete her treatment before she was out of bed and getting dressed. The cameras reported her motions, bringing her team into the area where only a curtain was afforded to her for modesty.
Thais didn’t care, her team had seen more of her. But Dunn came in with Saxon and Vitus.
He’s seen more, too …
Her damned cheeks heated in response, making her yank a sweatshirt down too fast. Pain went shooting through her injured arm. She blinked as her vision started to go blurry, pulling in a deep breath to keep herself conscious.
Pain lets you know you’re still alive …
“Bateson, you’re attached to Sinclair.” Kagan came around the curtain and swept her from head to toe. “Protection detail.”
Thais finished pulling the sweatshirt down and sent her section leader a solid glance. “I’m more than able-bodied.”
“Don’t argue, Sinclair,” Kagan ordered, raising his voice.
Oh, it wasn’t much above the normal husky tone he used but the increase in volume gained plenty of attention because of how rare an occurrence it was.
“The facts are clear,” her section leader explained. “There’s a hit out on you, so you’re going to have a shadow.”
“He”—Thais pointed at Dunn—“left his man in his position when he came after me.”
Kagan offered her a half nod. “I like a man who knows how to use his resources. What you need to see in this situation is that I chose him because he doesn’t perform the way my agents do. What this case needs is an element of surprise. That’s Bateson.”
Thais was left trying to form another valid argument. Her section leader sent her a warning look not to argue further. She settled for ripping the hospital bracelet off her arm. Bandaged and pumped full of antibiotics, Thais wanted out of the place before her head started pounding when the pain medications wore off.
Kagan looked at Dunn. “For the moment, she’s dead. Keep her off grid.”
“It will be my pleasure,” Dunn responded.
“Don’t count on it.” As far as professional replies, her words lacked a lot. Vitus’s lips twitched before he tightened his composure, returning to the bland expression he’d been hiding behind the entire time Kagan had been talking.
Saxon at least offered Kagan a look that suggested her team leader wasn’t completely on board with the idea of releasing Thais to Dunn.
Kagan read the uncertainty on Saxon’s face.
“I need her buried,” Kagan explained. “And your team tracking down how a man got out of federal prison.”
“That’s a short list,” Thais answered.
“It is,” Kagan turned his full attention toward her. “The question you need to ask is, who was the target?”
Thais looked at Dunn. He offered only a shrug.
“Makes sense,” Saxon added. “Carl is still set on striking at Miranda.”
“So Dunn should be the one with a protection detail,” Thais concluded.
“Glad to hear you’re on board with leaving with me,” Dunn said, seizing his chance to trap her with her own words.
Thais shot him a scathing look. “I can handle you, Bateson. This”—she pointed at her bandaged arm—“is nothing.”
“It’s a through-and-through on your right arm,” Saxon said, interrupting. “The swelling is going to slow you down for a couple of weeks.”
Thais turned her attention to her team leader. Saxon didn’t back down. “Your specialty is hand-to-hand, Thais. You need to recognize your limitations for the benefit of the team.”
It was sound advice.
Logical.
Just a month ago, she would have had no difficulty at all immersing herself in the cold facts and letting them dictate her actions.
But with Dunn? Her emotions were still steamrolling right past things like her better judgment.
Kagan looked back at Saxon. “I’ve got an escort downstairs for the body. Get i
t out of here before anyone notices it isn’t Sinclair.”
Kagan’s word was acted on. Thais was no exception. She fell into line as her team did what was needed for the case. At least it was a familiar role. One where she could easily separate her personal feelings and lock them away while focused completely on the orders from her section leader.
Later, she’d deal with Dunn.
* * *
Two hours in a car and Thais was gritting her teeth.
Pulling up to an airport wasn’t exactly a relief but there was logic in flying out of the area. Thais climbed the steps up to the private jet and sat down for takeoff.
Dunn was watching her.
She felt his gaze on her but shock and pain medication took their toll. She never remembered taking off.
* * *
“If she kicks you,” Kent advised his boss, “I’m going to laugh.”
Dunn shot his man a look, but the fact that he was grinning sort of spoiled the intended reprimand.
Kent flashed him a grin in return before he crossed his arms over his chest and made it clear he was waiting to see if Dunn could manage to put the chair Thais was in back into a reclining position without getting his eye blackened.
Well, one of his favorite traits about the woman was her ability to keep him on his toes.
He eased the chair back, watching as Thais only shifted and curled up along one side. He heard a click behind him as Kent opened one of the overhead compartments to pull out a blanket.
Spreading it out over Thais was satisfying in a very unexpected way.
Dunn found himself thinking about it long after he’d gone into the office at the back of the plane. He should have been focused on business.
He wasn’t.
Part of him was frustrated by the distraction. The last few weeks of neglect had seen his inbox packed to the max with matters he needed to address.
Instead he was contemplating Thais and what the next step would be.
He wouldn’t deny how satisfying it was to know she was in his custody.
But he wanted more.
He rubbed at his forehead as he realized how much he longed to have her with him, because she’d chosen him.
It was a weakness he’d thought he’d banished.
He found himself dwelling on the word “weakness.” At the moment, he was torn between the way he’d trained himself to think about needing someone else to help him feel complete and the way he seemed willing to do anything to fit into a world where Thais would approve of him.
A month ago, he’d have sworn there wasn’t a woman alive who could reduce him to needing her.
Now? He was watching his profits decline as he took a position among Kagan’s Shadow Ops.
He could hide behind his mother.
And there was a partial truth to that reasoning. But he’d learned to scrutinize himself after Rhianna had blinded him so very completely.
He wanted to stay because of Thais. Wanted to push himself into her world and make sure she couldn’t shut him out of her mind.
Of course, the real question was, how much of himself did he want her to see? Because he had the distinct feeling Thais Sinclair wouldn’t settled for anything less than everything.
What bothered him was the knowledge that he just wasn’t sure if he could give it to her.
* * *
Kagan had more mystery about him than most men.
Of course, that was what made him such an effective Shadow Ops section leader. He knew the names and where the bodies were buried. He lived like a ghost as he went about performing his duty.
Saxon Hale had learned to respect him.
Even when Saxon disagreed with him.
“You don’t understand why I gave a badge to Bateson.” Kagan stated the question burning a hole in Saxon’s brain.
“You’d be disappointed in me if I didn’t question the situation,” Saxon replied.
Kagan offered a slight incline of his head.
“We’re playing a real live game of chicken here,” Kagan explained. He looked across to where Vitus was leaning against the doorway. “Carl started it with Damascus.”
“Funny how things work out sometimes,” Vitus responded. “Somehow, we both ended up with women involved.”
“Sinclair has served above and beyond,” Kagan stated. “Bateson has the resources to safeguard her.”
Saxon drew in a deep breath. His brother had stiffened, betraying how seriously Vitus took the statement from their section leader.
Kagan wasn’t a man to ever admit defeat.
But he always called it the way it was.
“Thais might not be too comfortable staying with Dunn,” Vitus offered.
“We’re on a collision course,” Kagan said. “There’s no way to avoid it now. If the only thing I could do for Bateson was make it so he could step up and defend his mother, well, I stand by my decision.”
“How did he earn your respect?” Saxon asked point-blank.
“MI-6 doesn’t work with idiots.”
Saxon shared a look with Vitus. Kagan’s crusty chuckle filled the room. Their section leader lifted a tumbler that had a shot of fine Scotch in it.
“I don’t give badges out,” Kagan expounded. “A Shadow Ops badge is earned.”
Saxon felt his opinion of his section leader harden. The tiny holes that doubt had managed to tear in it closed up. The badge clipped to his waist was his identity. Something he’d dedicated his life to and pledged his blood to if necessary. There was a reason their team was one of the best.
Kagan.
As their section leader, he set the example. One Saxon and every man and woman on his team did their best to measure up to. Sacrifice went along with the work.
They were on a collision course.
The three men contemplated their circumstances as they silently drained their tumblers.
Conversation wasn’t necessary. They were blood brothers. Comrades with a sense of loyalty most people just didn’t understand.
Bateson was one of them, too.
Saxon found the knowledge easing the last of his concerns over letting Thais go with him. In fact, he silently found himself hoping Dunn could break through the layers of shielding Thais had protected herself with in order to work on his team. She’d always pulled her weight. Tossed in just as completely as the rest of them. Never flinching away from the seedier needs of a case.
She deserved some happiness.
He hoped Dunn could find a way to give it to her.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. It would be epic to say the least. Thais would break his knee if she knew he was betting on Dunn.
At least she would until she realized just how complete love made a person.
* * *
Dunn didn’t crowd her.
Thais realized he knew her better than she’d allowed someone to know her in a long time.
Their destination was an exclusive coastal location known as Bodega Bay. The house had a sweeping view of the coast and was just minutes from a private airfield. The inhabitants were people seeking refuge from the rest of the world. Privacy brought them there and they were willing to pay the high prices to ensure they might enjoy their mansion homes without the paparazzi snapping a shot of them blowing their noses.
She walked along the huge floor-to-ceiling windows in her bedroom. She had a clear view of the surf crashing onto the sand as the sun set, turning the horizon a magnificent shade of orange and scarlet.
She was alone and yet she knew Dunn was waiting for her to settle in.
Anticipation was balling in her gut and she admitted she was enjoying it. At least she was admitting it to herself.
Dunn would be another matter.
He had to be.
Why does that bother you?
It was a very good question. One that she chewed on as she moved across the bedroom, her attention on the surf as her hair slowly dried.
She heard his steps but only because she was listening for them.
“I would have knocked,” he offered as she turned to look at him, “if the door wasn’t open.”
Dunn stepped into the suite. She felt awareness ripple across her skin.
“Kagan said you were assigned to me,” she replied. “I know what protection detail means.”
Dunn had showered, too. She realized he’d only buttoned half the buttons on his shirt and rolled up the sleeves after dressing.
“But you’re supposed to be armed,” she said in response to his lack of a chest harness.
He raised one dark eyebrow. “When have I ever struck you as a man who is obvious, Thais?”
She felt her lips twitching in response. “Fair enough.”
“The place is secure,” he assured her, coming closer.
It wasn’t the first time she’d been under protection.
Such things went with the job. Criminals didn’t like knowing she’d duped them, and it certainly wasn’t original for one of them to hire a hitman to take out a witness before they went to trial.
“Why does it matter that it’s me?” Dunn wasn’t going to let her stew in silence.
You mean shut him out …
He stepped right into her field of vision, too close to ignore.
“You know I’m up to the task, Thais. Even if you don’t know the details.”
The memory of him moving through the house, so confident in his actions popped up in her mind. The way he moved around the globe as well had the mark of a very calculated plan. He’d laid out his places of refuge and made certain he had the personnel to assist him. Kent wasn’t the average bodyguard for hire.
“Fine,” she admitted. “You’re right. I know the difference between a trained man and—”
“A spoiled rich man playing with expensive toys?” Dunn cut her off.
She nodded a single time. There was a confidence in his gaze that set her back because she’d been the one making assumptions about him.
She should have been annoyed to discover the lapse in awareness in herself, instead she encountered the sting of rejection. He’d kept the truest part of himself from her. Maybe she had no reason to expect him to open up but it stung like nothing she’d ever experienced.
“You don’t know very much about me, Thais,” he added.
“No, I don’t.” She steeled herself against the defensive tone of his voice. “And you’ve made very sure I don’t know you.”