Mission: Her Justice

by Anna Hackett

  But he didn’t.

  He was her willing captive.

  Leaning over him, she kissed down his chest, her hair draping over his skin.

  Jonah groaned. She nipped one of his stiff nipples, one hand scraping the ridges of his abdomen.

  She was drenching all his senses in her. The tips of her breasts grazed his chest, and he groaned. Through the net, he looked at her face. She was biting her lip, focused on the task of tormenting him.

  She slid down his body and her hand cupped his cock and balls.

  “Evan,” he said through gritted teeth.

  She stroked him. “All mine.”

  Jonah’s heart hammered, blood a hot roar in his ears. She peppered kisses across his abs and every muscle in his body drew taut. Fuck. Need was a brutal, vicious pound in his veins.

  Evan moved lower.

  Her tongue flicked the head of his cock, then she sucked him deep.

  His groan echoed off the walls. God. Her mouth was hot, wet, and felt so good.

  She made a sound that he felt in his gut, sucking him hard and savoring the taste of him. She moaned, and helplessly, his hips bucked upward. She took him, her cheeks hollowing as she sucked him deeper.

  “Fuck, Evan.” Jonah was all sensation.

  It was too much. Not enough. He snapped.

  He yanked the bindings apart, freeing his hands. He sat up and shoved the mosquito net away.

  She gasped, his cock sliding free of her mouth. He wrapped an arm around her and yanked her to him so she straddled him.

  There was no seduction or patience this time.

  Jonah grabbed a condom from the bedside table, dealt with it, then positioned his cock. He gripped her hips, and with one strong thrust, buried himself inside her.

  Evan cried out, her back arching.

  “Ride me,” he growled.

  A sexy light ignited in her eyes. He grabbed the belt he’d torn off his hands and wrapped it around her wrists behind her back.

  Being bound didn’t stop her. She was strong and fit. She rose up and down on him, husky cries coming from her every time she took his cock deep.

  Jonah let his hot gaze run over her—the tangle of red hair, her bobbing breasts, her flexing stomach.

  He ran a hand down her body, his thumb finding her clit.

  “Yes, God, please.” She moved faster.

  “I want you to come for me, Evan.”

  Like she’d been waiting for his command, she splintered apart. She screamed his name, her inner muscles clamping on his cock. He thrust deeper, holding her tight as she rode through her pleasure.

  Then his own release blindsided him. He pulled her down, groaning through the intense rush of pleasure. His fingers bit into her skin.

  “Shit…Evan.” He kissed her and kept thrusting. She cried out again and he felt her second orgasm hit her.

  His heart pounded as he slowed, and finally stilled, with his cock still inside her.

  “You won’t get hurt on this mission, Evan.” He tipped her chin up.

  Her lips were swollen, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes heavy.

  “You won’t take unnecessary risks. And I’ll do everything to keep you safe.”

  “Jonah—”

  “This isn’t a negotiation. Just say yes.”

  Her eyes sparked. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to stop Brennan.”

  Dammit. Jonah gripped her hips hard.

  “And to keep you safe,” she added. “This goes both ways, Grayson.”

  He cupped her cheek. “You’re mine to protect.”

  She pressed her face to his neck. “Right back at you.”

  He closed his arms around her. No one had protected him since his mother had died.

  Now, there was this strong, courageous woman in his life.

  Jonah held her tighter. Very soon he’d have to watch her wade into danger.

  Chapter Twelve

  Evan strode into the large kitchen of the villa. The scent of toast and eggs hit her senses.

  Seth stood at the stove stirring something in a frypan. A few people sat at the counter, while the rest of the team and the Treasure Hunter Security guys sat at a large wooden table.

  Blair looked at Evan and ran her tongue over her teeth. The woman grinned and fist-bumped Callie. “The boss got laid.”

  Around her, all of Team 52 clapped and smiled.

  Evan rolled her eyes and headed for the coffee pot, grinning to herself. She didn’t mind the teasing. She sort of liked it, in fact.

  A moment later, Jonah came in, looking far too pressed and stylish. He wore khaki cargo pants, with a black T-shirt. Sunglasses hung at his neckline.

  “Sleep well, boss-man?” Axel asked with a wide smile.

  Jonah shot his team a look.

  There were more grins.

  He looked at her and she winked. His shirt covered him, but she knew she’d left some decent scratch marks on his back.

  His lips quirked. She poured him a coffee and held it out.

  At the table, Callie tapped on a tablet. “Seth and I had a lovely drink at the Sofitel last night. We set Brooks’ bug drone loose.”

  Sipping her coffee, Evan moved over and looked at the screen.

  It showed a suite, and several, tough-looking men lounging around on couches. At a quick glance, she could tell they were all ex-military. A few looked pale-faced and not very well.

  She knew the type. Ones who were fine working for an asshole. They didn’t care what the job was, or who they killed, as long as they got paid.

  A second later, Brennan strode through a doorway.

  Evan’s shoulders tensed. He waved his arm at the mercs, his mouth moving.

  “Do we have audio?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but the range is limited.” Callie touched the screen.

  Evan heard faint murmurs come through the tablet. Damn. “It’s not clear enough.”

  “Let’s see if we can get closer.” Seth picked up the tablet, touching the controls. The image on the screen shifted as the bug skittered forward.

  Evan’s pulse leaped. If the mercs spotted the drone, Brennan would know that they were on to him.

  The small machine stealthily inched closer, and darted under the couch. They had a perfect view of someone’s boot.

  Evan held her breath. One wrong move, and someone could step on the damn thing.

  “I don’t care if they’re dying of Ebola.” Brennan’s clipped voice came through audibly. “We’ve wasted enough time.”

  His voice speared through Evan and she closed her eyes. He’d been her boss, her mentor…hell, her friend.

  She’d trusted him, and in her world, she hadn’t trusted many people. Then he’d stabbed her in the back. She’d been so busy being angry, that she hadn’t considered how hurt she was.

  A strong hand landed on the back of her neck and squeezed.

  She opened her eyes and saw Jonah watching her with patience and understanding.

  “Okay?” Jonah asked quietly.

  She nodded and blew out a breath. Funny how one small touch and one word could make such a difference.

  Brennan was still talking. “Everyone be ready to leave for Abydos in two hours. Take puke bags, if you need to.”

  Curses sounded around the suite. Another man spoke in a tough, gritty voice. “You’re the boss.”

  “Yes, I am,” Brennan replied. “Everyone be in the SUVs, ready to go, or no one gets paid.”

  Evan dragged in a breath. “It’s go time.”

  She was ready, but she was now risking not only her own life, but Team 52’s and their friends’ as well.

  And Jonah’s.

  She fought back a shiver. It was so rare for her to feel fear like this. But she’d learned a lot about Jonah over the last few days—he was a lot tougher than his sleek exterior showed. They’d both been to hell and back more than once.

  “All right.” Jonah raised his voice. “We need to get prepped, and then head to Abydos.”

 
“It’s about a three-hour drive,” Layne said. “The road hugs the curve of the Nile.”

  “We need to stop Brennan and his team from getting their hands on whatever they’re after at the Osirion,” Evan said.

  “Tourists?” Lachlan asked.

  “Abydos is less touristy than Luxor,” Layne said. “The tours that do go up there usually travel with a police escort in convoy, to discourage anyone from attacking lone tourists.”

  “I assume they go in the morning?” Jonah said. “To avoid the heat.”

  The archeologist nodded. “And the main focus is Seti’s temple, not the Osirion.”

  “Okay, get prepped.” Jonah nodded. “We’ll leave in thirty minutes, and get into position before Brennan arrives.”

  Almost as one, the team moved. It was clear they’d done this many times before, and soon, they were all loading into the SUVs.

  Smith and Lachlan sat in front, Smith behind the wheel. Behind them, Jonah and Evan sat with Callie.

  Dec and Layne were in the very back seats of the Jeep. The rest of the team was in the other vehicles.

  They left Luxor behind, following the curving line of the Nile. Evan spotted the temple of Karnak rising up out of the desert—majestic and breathtaking.

  But soon, it was just the Nile on one side, and sandy, barren desert to the West.

  “God, I love Egypt,” Layne murmured.

  Evan shook her head with a smile. Archeologists.

  Conversation was muted on the trip, anticipation ratcheting up each mile they got closer to Abydos. Evan always felt alive prior to a mission. Like electricity was running in her veins.

  Jonah’s thigh brushed hers. She stared at his handsome profile. Having him with her added another dimension to this.

  Finally, they drove into the town of Abydos. It was mostly simple buildings and palm trees. Then ahead, she caught sight of Seti’s temple complex.

  It was impressive. A single-story temple with a row of imposing, rectangular pillars. In front of it was a field of ruins. Tourists with wide hats and cameras wandered around.

  They parked the Jeeps out of view, near a mosque. They separated the vehicles to avoid raising suspicion. Their weapons, equipped with suppressors, were all tucked under their shirts, and Smith and Axel hefted duffel bags that contained rifles, in case they needed them.

  Hopefully, they wouldn’t.

  “The Osirion is behind the main temple,” Layne said. “This way.” She led the way in her scarred, well-worn boots.

  They passed Seti’s main temple. The impressive regular façade was covered in engraved hieroglyphs.

  “Welcome to the Temple of Seti I, also known as the Great Temple of Abydos,” Layne said. “It’s a fascinating place, built mainly from limestone. There’s graffiti from visiting Phoenicians. But it’s most famous for the Abydos King list, that lists all the pharaohs in Egypt’s history. Or at least, one version. And of course, it’s also known for the infamous helicopter hieroglyphs.”

  “The what?” Smith grunted.

  “Glyphs that look like a helicopter, a submarine, and a plane.” She arched a brow. “Maybe thanks to those flood survivors you know so much about. There are loads of conspiracy theories where people speculate that the ancient Egyptians had the technology to build vehicles like that.”

  They circled around the temple, and Layne paused, hands on her hips.

  “There’s the Osirion.”

  Evan stepped forward. The Osirion temple was set far lower than the main temple, dug into the ground itself.

  “Well shit,” Logan muttered, the big man crossing his brawny arms over his chest. “I hate getting my boots wet.”

  The temple was filled with a foot of greenish water. Someone had erected a modern ramp with railings, down into the temple.

  “We need to spread out.” Lachlan scanned the temple and surroundings. “Find good vantage points.”

  “Guys.” Brooks’ voice came through their earpieces. “You have company. Brennan and his mercs made good time. They just pulled up at Seti’s temple.”

  Jonah muttered under his breath. “I thought we’d have more time. Thanks, Brooks.”

  Evan flexed her hands. This was it.

  Brennan was here and she would stop him, no matter what.

  Jonah crouched behind a huge stone block, the sun hot on his back. He watched the group of mercenaries come into view.

  He got his first good look at Brennan. The man was older, with gray at his temples and in his short goatee. He was fit. His cargo pants and T-shirt showed a trim man, still in fighting form.

  He was pointing and waving his hands as he gave orders to his team. One of the mercs leaned over and vomited. Hmm, still not well.

  Despite their condition, the mercs moved forward. One tall man with shaggy hair leaped down into the Osirion with a splash.

  The others followed. Their grumbles echoed off the rocks as they moved deeper into the temple.

  “There’s Sprouse,” Evan whispered. She was crouched beside Jonah, her gaze like a laser on Brennan and his men.

  Jonah eyed the slim, younger man. He recognized the blond, curly hair. Sprouse was picking his way through the Osirion behind Brennan, a grimace on his face.

  Jonah turned back to Evan. She glared at Brennan, a look in her eyes that made Jonah’s chest tight.

  She wouldn’t stop until Brennan was down…or until the rogue CIA agent killed her.

  No.

  Jonah’s body violently rejected that thought. Team 52 would stop the man and his plans. Jonah would keep Evan safe and breathing.

  He touched her arm and she blinked. She looked deep into his eyes, and he yanked her forward for a quick kiss.

  To remind her that she had more to live for than just revenge.

  “Let’s move,” he murmured.

  Together, they crept from block to block, keeping out of sight of the mercs below.

  Jonah saw them stop at a tall pillar at the end of the temple. The mercs fanned out, and Brennan and Sprouse stood close together, hands pressed to the rock.

  Like they were looking for something.

  What were they doing? There were no engravings in the mysterious temple. He saw Sprouse glance up at the sky.

  Jonah realized the man was looking at the sun.

  “He’s lining something up,” Jonah whispered. “Lachlan, you have eyes on them?”

  “Yeah. They’re searching the block for something.”

  Evan was vibrating, and he knew that she wanted to act.

  “I have a drone in the air,” Brooks said.

  They’d brought a small drone in the vehicle and Callie had deployed it.

  “Don’t let it get spotted,” Jonah warned.

  The tech expert snorted. “I’m staying high. The cameras are high-res.”

  “Look!” Evan said.

  Sprouse touched the pillar, then stepped back, clearly excited.

  Jonah watched as a square of rock in the pillar moved inward.

  Shit.

  Brennan stepped forward and lifted something in his hands.

  The Horus artifact.

  The CIA agent pressed the artifact into the newly created hole in the center of the pillar. A low, grinding rumble echoed through the entire temple. Evan and Jonah tensed.

  Two other pillars descended into the murky, green water, creating small whirlpools. The mercs stumbled back with curses.

  “Incredible.” Layne’s excited whisper came through their earpieces.

  Another larger pillar rose up out of the pool in the center of the Osirion, water sluicing from it.

  Brennan, Sprouse, and the team quickly moved toward it.

  “Oh, God,” Evan breathed.

  It wasn’t a pillar, it was a pedestal. It stopped at about waist level.

  There was something resting on it.

  Brennan lifted the object off the pedestal, a smile on his face. Sprouse stood beside him, talking and smiling.

  “Team 52,” Jonah murmured. “Let�
��s move in.”

  Brennan would not be leaving with whatever that new artifact was.

  “Acknowledged,” Lachlan replied.

  Jonah didn’t see his team, but he knew they were close, and closing in on the targets.

  Evan moved with him, pulling her SIG out. She’d equipped it with a suppressor—Ty’s special design to quieten the weapons. The handgun fit snugly in her hand.

  “Ready?” Jonah asked.

  “Hell, yes.”

  Brennan and the team started toward the ramp out of the Osirion.

  Then someone from Team 52 fired. It was a perfect shot, hitting one merc in the shoulder. He spun, blood spraying.

  Evan aimed and fired, too. Curses and shouts filled the air as Brennan and his team splashed through the water and dove for cover. Brennan threw himself behind a pillar.

  “You aren’t leaving here, Brennan,” Jonah called out.

  Another exchange of muffled gunfire. Brennan’s men were utilizing suppressors as well. No one wanted to bring the Egyptian authorities down on them.

  The Team 52 members spread out, weapons aimed into the temple.

  “Director Grayson, I presume,” Brennan called out. “I take it you’ve fallen for the pretty lies of my rogue agent. I’m guessing she used her charms to seduce you. She’s very good at that.”

  Jonah’s throat tightened. His gut burned in instant denial.

  “You aren’t the first man she’s lured into her bed,” Brennan continued.

  He turned and saw Evan gasp, color draining from her face. Then it rushed back in, leaving her cheeks red. “Jonah…he’s lying,” she whispered.

  Shit, Jonah knew that. He’d never met a woman as wary or as honest as Evan. He realized that Brennan was a master manipulator. He was good at poking where it would hurt, planting seeds of doubt.

  “Evan—”

  Before Jonah could tell her that he believed her, she jumped up and leaped into the Osirion. She hit the water with a bend of her knees, lifting her gun and firing at Brennan.

  Fuck. Jonah pulled out his own weapon and leaped after her.

  Gunfire lit up the temple. With his heart in his throat, Jonah watched Evan lunge behind a pillar.

  “This ends today, Brennan!” Evan yelled.

  Nearby, Lachlan and Seth crept closer. Farther down in the temple, Axel attacked a mercenary, yanking the man backward.