“Ana! My word, honey, you had me worried.” His long legs ate up the ground between them. His eyes flicked to Julio and back to Ana, only concern highlighting his features.
As he wrapped his arms around her, she gave him a half hug, easing into his comfort. Her other arm remained draped over her son, unwilling to let him go now that they had to be in public to get help.
Griffin abruptly turned, assessing the gear she wore with an odd look, and clasped her free hand to pull her along behind him. “I was frantic after I got home and found the bodies. I called the police and left to search for you when you wouldn’t answer your phone.”
Ana had to trot to keep up with the much taller Griffin. Ana was only five-two and struggled to keep up with Griffin’s long strides over the bumpy ground. From the tugging on her hand, it was apparent Julio was having difficulty, too.
As they neared the parking area, Ana craned her neck around Griffin’s back to check out who, if anyone, was there. “Wait, Griffin, let’s slow down. What if there’s more bad guys out there and they followed you.”
Stumbling into the gravel lot, Griffin pulled them along, ignoring her concern.
Ana yanked her hand free, growing alarmed. “Griffin, stop!”
There were two other vehicles next to Griffin’s car. Both were black with dark windows and made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
“Dad!” At Julio’s jubilant exclamation, Ana jerked her gaze away from the cars to a figure strolling out from between the two dark vehicles.
Time slowed. Then stopped. Ana’s heart damn near stopped with it. Standing tall, holding a gun trained on Griffin, wearing all black and more weapons than she could identify, was a shockingly gorgeous, menacing version of her dead husband.
Fuck.
Just fuck.
His conspiracy theory was spot on. “You heard the lady, Griffin. Stop.”
Griffin’s cultured face pulled back into a sneer. “Agent E. How nice of you to look after your wife and kid. Did you get to see me banging her?”
E’s jaw clenched, refusing to react to the bastard. He heard Ana’s sharp inhale and in his periphery, she looked extremely pale and utterly shocked. Well, it wasn’t every day a dead husband appeared, alive and well.
“Let me guess, asswipe. Agent G?”
A slow grin spread across Griffin’s face and it was all E could do to not shoot him where he stood. But not in front of Julio. Besides, he needed information.
Griffin raised his arms out to the side. “The one and only. Madame G doesn’t completely trust you. She thought having someone close and personal with your wife, someone who could alert her to any interference from you, would behoove her. And what do you know?” Again with the smug grin.
“No, I don’t know.” E’s gaze didn’t move off of Griffin, but with his sharp eyesight he could see Ana hadn’t moved, only held Julio close to her side.
“I didn’t want the kid around after I married Ana,” Griffin said flatly. “Except he came back from his dip in the river completely fine, then I found him looking at old photos of dear old dad. I put in a call to the madam, and she wants both of them. Now.” Agent G gave a little shrug. “Too bad. I would’ve liked another night like last night. Isn’t that right, darling?”
E wanted to rip the sneer off Agent G’s face and tear the gleam out of those fathomless eyes when he leered back at Ana. She paled even further, swallowing hard, and glanced back and forth between the two Agents.
Agent G turned his arrogance back on E. “I have two Agents with weapons trained on her and the kid as we speak.”
Holding his gun steady, E stared down the Agent. “No you don’t. Their bodies are stuffed in the trunk of their car.”
Shock widened the male’s eyes before he turned into a blur. Shit, he was on the move. E had enough time to bring his weapon down and move his hands into a defensive position before impact.
A slash seared across his side as Agent G attacked. Instead of knocking the Agent’s force back, E hugged the male closer before he could use his unnatural speed to jump away. He brought his knee up in two quick thrusts, then slammed his elbow down onto Agent G’s spine. Grunts of pain rewarded E’s efforts, and with one more elbow jab, E shoved the Agent to the ground, took aim, and emptied his clip into the body.
Agent G went still; everything went still. E knew he’d have to deal with the body soon, but he forced himself to look at Ana.
Soft brown eyes wide, Julio’s faced buried in her shoulder, she stood shaking, starting from the devastation of her fiancé to E.
“Ana,” there was no sugarcoating anything, it was only going to get worse for her, “I need to decapitate this man, or he’ll keep trying to get you.” Incredulous terror, that’s what he would call her expression. “Then you and Julio need to come with me so I can take you to a safe place.” She didn’t say anything, just stayed unmoving as a statue. Julio glanced at where Agent G lay, then back up to E. “Okay? So just wait right there and don’t look.”
E hesitated a moment to see if Ana would do anything, or hell, move at all, but she didn’t. Julio didn’t glance away until E gave him a stern look. Bending down, he grabbed a leg and an arm, and hefted Agent G over to the car the Agent had arrived in. Finding the car keys, he popped the trunk and lifted the body in. Sliding his knife out of its holster, he sawed off the male’s head, then dug out his Zippo. He lit the Agent’s clothes on fire before opening the trunk of the car next to it, and lighting the clothes of the two Agents he’d surprised before Griffin had arrived. Beheading or burning would’ve been sufficient, but E didn’t want to chance a passerby putting out the fire before it did enough damage. Once all the bodies were burning adequately, he turned to his wife and kid.
She still hadn’t moved, except to cup Julio’s head to her shoulder so he wouldn’t witness any more carnage. Making a quick decision, E made his way toward the two people that were his only reason for surviving.
Ana stiffened, swallowing hard, watching him approach. He slowed the closer he got, until he stopped a foot away. “Ana, I need to get you two to safety.”
Gazing deep into the eyes he used to use to center his world, even his acute senses barely registered her hand rising, and he didn’t see the full-arm slap coming until his head was whipping to the side.
He looked like her husband. He sounded like her husband. He was as tall as Julio Senior had been. But what kind of bastard would let his wife think he was dead? What kind of asshole would leave a wife who was pregnant? Yes, her Julio hadn’t known they were expecting before he died, or supposedly died, but he obviously knew now.
When her not-so-dead husband brought his head back around and shook off her slap, he didn’t look pissed, he didn’t look irritated. He looked even sadder than before.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Ana. The man you were married to is dead. He was killed that night and turned into me. And you wouldn’t want the thing I am now.”
What. The fuck. Was he saying?
“Come on,” his voice barely above a whisper. “The smoke will attract attention soon. We need to go.”
What else could she do? Her fiancé sure sounded like he was a fraud, there were men after her and her son, and her formerly-dead husband claimed he could help them. Before she made a move to the remaining vehicle in the lot she assumed was, what did Griffin call him? Agent E’s, Julio jerked away from her and threw his arms around the man who was once the epic love of her life.
Shock flew over Agent E’s features before settling into complete stillness with his arms raised slightly above the boy’s shoulders, like he was unsure of what he should do.
“We need to go,” he repeated gruffly. Ana gently pulled Julio away, her heart breaking at the look of utter adoration on her son’s face. This Agent E was right. Whoever the man she married had been, this was no longer that man.
Julio Senior opened a door—Ana shook that thought clear. No, Agent E opened a door to the third car in the gravel lot, and she cl
imbed into the back with Julio, adjusting the armed belt around her waist. He’d better not ask for it back; she was keeping it.
He glanced down at it, recognition registering. “You promise not to shoot me?”
“No. But I won’t while you’re driving.”
He must’ve believed her because he closed the door and went around to the driver’s side. As they pulled away from the other two vehicles that had smoke billowing out of their trunks, she studied the man driving.
“Start talking.”
His jaw muscles clenched and flexed. “Everything I tell you is going to sound absurd, like some shit out of a movie. But it’s not. It’s all real. The sooner you believe it, the better you’ll be able to protect yourself and Julio.”
She had so many questions, but she forced herself to nod and stay quiet.
“All right. From the beginning, here it is. I went to a call that night. A warehouse fire. I rushed in, only it was a setup. See, there’s this secret organization called Sigma, and it’s led by this madwoman, she’s fuck—" He glanced back at Julio who was intently listening with his young ears. “Sorry. She’s evil. I mean, literally, evil. And somehow she saw me working and decided to take me.”
Okay, it was starting to get weird. “So, some evil woman faked your death so she could keep you?” Where was she and how quickly could Ana kill her? Jealously curdled her gut. Had he been with a woman this whole time?
“I can sense your anger. Just listen. There’s two other species in this world besides humans: people who can shift into wolves and vampires.”
“What?” Yes, he said to just listen, but she couldn’t help it.
“Cool.” This from Julio.
“Some can be, kid. But like humans, there are some who are completely evil. Sigma wants to control shifters, or wipe them out, depending on who you’re following. A lot of vampires are at the head of Sigma and one of the worst is Madame G. She wants full control; I think of both species. So she faked my death, pumped me full of a special cocktail that turned me into sort of a vampire and shifter-like creature, and forced me to work for her. Otherwise, she’d hurt you or Julio.”
“I buried you.”
“You buried the burnt up bones of some poor homeless guy.”
“They tested the blood at the scene as yours,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, I lost a lot that night, fighting them. But they eventually knocked me out, put my gear and clothing on that other guy, and let him burn.”
She’d been crying at someone else’s grave every year? “And at no point could you get away?” She couldn’t help the scorn that slipped out. Didn’t he know what she’d been through?
Silence. More jaw flexing. “After I woke up the first time, I was…” His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel, and she couldn’t help but notice biceps flexing that were way bigger than his muscular frame from almost eleven years ago. “It was…I was…out of my mind. With lust.” Ana’s stomach bottomed out, dreading the rest. “Madame G prefers to dominate the mind through the body, and she knew I wouldn’t return to you. Not after what I did, who I did.”
He kept his eyes on the road, not chancing meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror. “After all the drugs wore off and my enhancements settled in, she told me that if I didn’t become a loyal Agent of Sigma and follow her, she would capture you. Turn you into one of the…” Again he looked back at Julio. “There are some unfortunate women at the compound. Then she told me you were pregnant. And I knew my old life was over and I had to do whatever I could to protect you two.”
Tears welled up in Ana’s eyes. He sounded so…so empty. Here they sat, reunited after more than ten years of thinking that the other was completely lost to them, only to be reminded how true that was.
“So now you’re Agent E?” He gave a curt nod. “And what do you do?”
“I hunt shifters mostly. And some vampires that go against Sigma’s ideals.”
“And you kill them?” She couldn’t get out of her mind how quickly he’d put down Griffin. She saw her fiancé, rather ex-fiancé, disappear, and then he was on the ground, dead before she could blink.
“Yes.”
“Are they innocents?”
The jaw muscle started ticking again. This was a new habit he’d developed, just another sign that he was a different man than Julio Senior. “Sometimes.” This time he met her eyes in the rearview mirror, then glanced down to Julio. “I try not to hurt people who don’t deserve it.”
“Why did you…” How could Ana phrase it with a ten-year-old boy in the car? “…do what you did to Griffin?”
“Griffin was an Agent. Our identities are wiped and we are only an assigned letter. As you could probably tell, he was enhanced like me, with unnatural speed, acute senses, extra strength. It also means rapid healing. We become similar to the other species. Burning is best, but I like to make sure they can’t save themselves from the fire.”
“I heard the men who attacked us in my house groan after I shot them. I could’ve sworn I’d killed them.” This was unreal. Not only did she kill two men today, but they weren’t dead anymore. Just like her husband.
“Your fiancé,” he spit out the word, “took care of them. I found them shortly after he did, and I followed him. He went back to our compound and when he came out he was beat to hell, and I continued following him. Knew he’d be looking for you.”
“Where was he going to take us? Back to that compound you keep mentioning?”
“Yes.”
“So where are you taking us?”
Chapter Six
Let’s do this. “I know you’re out there.”
Ana pulled Julio in closer to her as the boy was looking all around him in awe. Yeah, it was pretty, even in the fading light. E had never been this up close and personal. He could have gotten close anytime, but the Guardians didn’t need to know that.
The giant log lodge they stood in front of was a work of art, rustic art, but beautiful nonetheless. Settled into the woods, like the trees carved it for themselves, it was visible only due to its size. Large, no doubt bulletproof windows, reflected the leafy growth back, giving the massive dwelling a natural camouflage.
“Look, I made it through all your damn hoodoo security measures. Let’s talk.” Silence answered E and he wanted to scream. He couldn’t blame them for playing the wait-and-see game, but dammit, not now. “I need your help.”
A derisive snort from the trees answered his admission. Turning to face the woods, he didn’t have to search the trees hard to find the snort. His wife and kid would never see them, but E could point to exactly where each Guardian was lurking.
Please don’t be in wolf form. He was already raw from years of watching Ana date and damn near get married. He didn’t need her presented with a bunch of quality male flesh when they transitioned back to their human form. Call him superficial.
“I know you don’t believe me, Bennett,” he aimed that toward the shifter who had scoffed, “but at least hear me out.”
Again, no movement. Fuckers were probably mind-speaking to each other about what to do. What a handy talent. E tried not to be jealous. Instead, he had a spendy phone plan so he and X could talk without Madame G tapping their line. Not that she couldn’t, but it’d be a given if he used a company phone. And besides, he liked his gaming apps.
“Why don’t you lay it all out there before we roll out the welcome mat?” This from Commander Rhys Fitzsimmons. It was a good sign, real good, that he was curious enough to hear E’s story. Their history together was peppered, usually with bullet holes.
“And put your hands up while you’re at it.” Bennett could be a real dick.
E raised his hands in a show of deference.
“All of you.”
E ground his jaw together and Ana pulled their son in tighter. “They’re innocent and unarmed.”
“’Scuse me if we don’t take your word for it.” Bennett strode into view, thankfully dressed in standard black tactical gear, strappe
d head to toe in weapons, gun in hand, but not aimed at his family. A moment of gratitude swept through E. Surely the commander, and the other three Guardians out there, had their sights set on the group of three, camping out on the lodge’s doorstep.
Leaning his head down, he murmured softly. “’Sall right.”
Ana slowly disengaged from her son and raised her hands only slightly, keeping them at the ready to grab Julio and run if necessary. His boy, on the other hand, shoved his hands in the air, looking over Bennett like he was the newest action figure to get all fan-boy over.
“Talk,” Bennett ordered, stopping several yards away.
A small gasp from Ana and a breathy “cooool” from Julio told E they saw Commander Fitzsimmons and Kaitlyn emerge from the trees, holding their weapons not quite at the ready, like Bennett.
“This is my wife and kid.”
“Bullshit.” Of course Bennett wouldn’t believe him.
“The fuck you say?” That one from Mercury who was still in the trees.
“Whaaaat?” Kaitlyn sounded intrigued.
Only the commander remained silent, interest barely highlighting his eyes.
“Was my wife.” E felt Ana’s eyes drop to the ground and close in regret. Yeah, baby, there’s a lot of regret to go around. “Madame G…picks…certain Agents. Hand-selects them and I was one of the lucky ones. She made it look like I died and turned me into her minion. Kept me compliant by threatening Ana, here, and Julio. I’ve been, uh, keeping tabs on them.” This brought Ana’s glare lasered in on him. “And we just found out tonight her fiancé was an Agent.”
“Bullshit.” Wasn’t Bennett going to believe anything?
“Duuude, that’s fucked up.” Thanks, Mercury.
“Whaaaat?” Kaitlyn looked like she wanted to hear more.
E didn’t know her well. She was relatively new, but she was an excellent fighter. He’d been glad he didn’t have to face her in hand-to-hand. Rumor had it, she rarely transitioned into her wolf, but no one at Sigma knew why.
E gave a little shrug, hands still raised. “Madame G wants her and the boy, so Agent G was ordered to bring both of them in. I think…” He scanned their surroundings. The compound was probably the most secure place where he could speak freely, but still, they were out in the open. “I think she suspects me of not being her good little pet. Now can we talk inside?”
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