A week later...QUENTIN WISHED HE COULD savor this moment. He slapped the cuffs on the pint-sized asshole who'd had Candi's life in the palm of his hand that fateful night. Was it just a week ago?This should be more satisfying.It was, in a way.Eleven perfectly timed arrests effectively cut off all the heads of Metis. According to Nadine's notes, there was still one unknown head of the organization out there. But they were not alone. Metis itself wouldn't be ordering the death of anyone else. But it didn't bring Nadine back. It didn't restore the time Quentin had lost with Candi. It did make the world a little better, and in the end that's what mattered. Nadine's final acts were all about sacrifice and justice.Quentin stepped back as the FBI agents continued doing their job.He'd been granted permission to be here. As CIA, he had no jurisdiction nor the ability to make an arrest. Still, putting those cuffs on the little asshole felt good.Nadine would be pleased.
Volume 1: Stolen RiskMonday. Aegis Group Offices, Seattle, Washington.DAYS LIKE TODAY JAMIE Silva was glad he lived across the country from his family. He took the stairs two at a time while his oldest sister regaled him with his brother's indiscretions at family dinner. Mainly, their little brother had the nerve to be anything but a Cowboys fan.There were worse crimes in Jamie's book, but he wasn't about to tell his sister that. She'd switched to Spanish, which was never a good thing."Hey? Hey, I've got to go into the office." He smothered a chuckle. "I'll call him and we'll work this out."More like Jamie would call their brother and convince him to lay off the shit talk. It was football, not World War III."You do that. When are you coming home? And when are we meeting this latest girlfriend of yours?" his sister demanded."Soon, I hope." Jamie had a good feeling about this one. Maybe she was the one?They ended the call as he reached the floor that compris
Two weeks later. Wednesday. Washington, DC.JAMIE SWIPED A RAG across his brow in an attempt to mop up some of the sweat. A whole damn week of twiddling his thumbs and the day he decided to go for a mid-afternoon run the Team Leader summoned him to the Task Force Headquarters. There wasn't even time for a shower or a change of clothes based on how terse the phone call had been.Whoever had planned out this whole operation had been thorough.A new set of apartments sat directly beside a small business complex that outwardly appeared to be limping along. On the inside, however, it was a state-of-the art black site. Jamie and the other Aegis Group guys lived in the building closest to the site, their apartments paid for and furnished.Jamie swiped his key card at the side entrance and stepped into the frigid building, shivering as his body temperature dropped. He paused by the bathroom to wash up as best he could before heading toward the Assistant Director's office."Silva,"
Wednesday. Fundraiser, Washington, DC.TABBY GRISSLER GLANCED AT the empty seat next to her and sighed. Days like today were when she missed the presence of her best friend the most. They'd often made the charity circuit together. As executives of large companies, someone had to do it and if they had each other, well, they'd often made a night out of these things. But now Tabby's best friend and partner in crime had a new life, a fiancé, a baby. Everything Tabby had always wanted.She reached for her glass of water. It wouldn't fill that void inside of her, but it would keep her from ordering something stronger. Without her best friend around Tabby didn't enjoy these events as much. The less she drank, the earlier she would go home and get to video chat with her adorable goddaughter. Not that the baby did much besides sleep these days. Looking at that little human with its ten little fingers and ten little toes filled Tabby with equal parts joy and misery.The sleepy baby was
Tabby knew his question was simple on the outside. It was just a drink with a good looking man. But on the inside it was a much deeper question. If she accepted this drink, she was staying. That meant leaving herself open to wanting something she might never have with this man, because under her corporate polish she was a hopeless romantic. It had taken her best friend finding the forever kind of love to wake Tabby up to that realization.Javier held up his hands. "Is that question too hard? Should I have started with something easier?""No. Sorry, it's been a very long day. A white wine would be lovely, thank you.""I'll be right back."He got up and strode toward the bar closer to the front of the room where the line was shortest. A tightness she hadn't been aware of released her ribs and she sucked down a deep breath.What the hell was she doing?Tabby had no answer for herself. All she knew was that maybe tonight might have a better ending than its beginning.She watc
Wednesday. Pool Hall, Washington, DC.JAMIE WAS GOING TO hell on an express bus and there was no way to change his ticket.Tabby had her long red locks twisted up using nothing more than a pen she'd taken out of her clutch. She rocked the simple black sheath dress, filling it out in all the right ways."Okay, red ball, corner pocket," she announced.He eyed the shot. Easy enough.Unlike most women he'd taught to play pool, Tabby was actually soaking up the lesson. The woman had a competitive streak a mile wide on top of being a wet dream come to life with those flirty smiles and adorable freckles.What the hell was he doing?Jamie squeezed his eyes shut and heard the crack of ball on ball.There'd been a moment before leaving the fundraiser when he could have slipped her phone and been done with it. But then he'd gotten lost looking at her and the chance was gone."I did it," Tabby cheered.Jamie pasted on his smile and closed in on his very tipsy competition. Ye
TABBY BRACED A HAND on the sink, giving her reflection a once over. She was slightly past tipsy, but she chalked that up to nerves. Javier flustered her in the best ways. God, her panties were soaked and the man had simply been a gentleman all night. He hadn't kissed her-yet. His touch had never lingered inappropriately or drifted. He'd been attentive, funny, kind all evening.She let her head hang forward. When they'd left the dinner she'd anticipated foreplay in the form of pool. Now she was beginning to wonder if he was playing the slow game.Wouldn't that be a nice change?A guy who didn't want to get her in bed on their first date?Did tonight even count as a date?She really needed some water.Tabby straightened, smoothing her dress down. Regardless of what happened between them tonight, she was looking forward to seeing Javier again. And who knew? Maybe him sitting in her best friend's seat was kismet? What if this was the start of her forever happy?She wouldn't k
Thursday. Task Force Headquarters, Washington, DC.JAMIE SAT IN LOGAN'S office, the lights out, the evening playing in his head.Tabby had given him a dozen opportunities to make his move and complete his objective. Instead of doing what he was sent here to do, Jamie had allowed himself to get lost in playing his part, in the getting close to her stage of things, he hadn't realized just how far he allowed it to go until it was too late.Sitting here in the dark it was easy for Jamie to see how things would have gone if he didn't have the task of bugging Tabby's phone. Their chemistry had brought them together, but it was her inclination to laugh, to see the good in things that had kept conversation rolling. He'd been interested in her, what she said. And yeah, the packaging was hot as hell.If it were just up to him, he'd have taken her back to his place or gone to hers. He'd have called into work and done everything in his power to woo her into giving him a chance. Things w