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When his wife was murdered two years ago, Special Agent Levi Lazaro turned his back on everything he cared about. Ever since, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. Now he's finally uncovered the identities of those who killed his wife—and he's ready to destroy them at any cost. He won’t let anything stand in his way—not even a beautiful NSA agent on a mission of her own.
Special Agent Selene Wolfe prides herself on being the best. Her fearlessness and quick-thinking make her the perfect person to take down a deadly terrorist cell. But she needs Levi’s help, and the moment he shows up, Selene knows her objectivity—and her heart—are in trouble.
As the two strike an uneasy alliance, Levi finds himself tormented by his desire for Selene—a feeling he thought long dead. But when their mission takes an unexpected turn, he finds himself at a crossroads. Can he put aside his need for revenge to save the woman who’s reawakened his soul?
That grip tightened again but this time he started rubbing
his first two fingers against her neck in a soft little rhythm. The action was
almost erotic. Or maybe that was just the effect he was having on her. She
could feel his gentle stroking all the way to the pulsing point between her
legs. Maybe she had mental issues that this man was turning her on.
He leaned closer, skimming his mouth against her jawline
and she froze. Just completely, utterly froze. “Are you meeting Tasev?” he
whispered.
She’d told herself to be prepared for this question, to
keep her reaction under wraps, but he came to his own conclusion if his savage
curse was anything to go by. Damn it, Wesley was going to be pissed at her, but
Levi had been right. She had operational latitude right now and she needed to
keep Levi close. They needed to know what he knew and what he was planning.
Trying to shut him out now, when he was at the party specifically to meet the
German, would be stupid. Levi had stayed off their radar for two years because
he was good. Of course Wesley hadn’t exactly sent out a worldwide manhunt for
him either. About a year ago he’d decided to more or less let him go.
Now . . . “I met with the German earlier
tonight. He squeezed me in before some of his other meetings.”
Levi snorted, his gaze dipping to her lips once more, that
hungry look in place again. It was so raw and in her face it was hard to ignore
that kind of desire and what it was doing to her. “I can understand why.”
Even though Levi didn’t ask she decided to use the latitude
she had and bring him in on this. They had similar goals. She needed to bring
Tasev down and rescue a very important scientist—if he was even the man who’d
sent out an emergency message to Meghan/Wesley—but that didn’t mean she
couldn’t let Levi have Tasev once she’d gotten what she needed. “I’m meeting
with Tasev tomorrow night.”
At her words every muscle in Levi’s lean, fit body stilled.
Before he could respond, she continued, “I’ll make you a
deal. You can come with me to the meeting—if we can work out an agreeable
plan—but you don’t kill him until I get what I want. I have less than a week.
Can you live with that time line?” She was allowed to bring one person with her
to the meeting so it would be Levi—if he could be a professional and if Wesley
went for it. And of course, if Tasev did. They had a lot to discuss before she
was on board one hundred percent, but bringing along a seasoned agent—former
agent—like Levi could be beneficial.
Levi watched her carefully again, his gaze roaming over her
face, as if he was trying to see into her mind. “You’re not lying. Why are you
doing this?”
“Because if I try to shut you out you’ll cause me more
problems than I want to deal with. And I don’t want to kill you.”
Those dark eyes narrowed a fraction with just a hint of
amusement—as if he knew she couldn’t take him on physically. “And?”
“And . . . I owe you.” Selene didn’t explain
because she knew he’d think she was referring to when Meghan saved her life.
That was fine with her. Telling him exactly how she owed him would strip her
open too bare and she wasn’t willing to let anyone see that vulnerable side of
her.
“Telling the truth again.” He frowned now, true confusion
in his gaze. Whether from her words or the fact that she was letting him in on
this op. “You plan to try to bring me in after the op?”
“No.” That was actually the truth. Wesley, however, was a
different story. But she refused to let her mind go there, knowing Levi would
pick up on it.
Levi started to respond when a burst of gunfire from the
pool area made them both turn at the noise. Selene automatically moved off the
bench, crouching down behind it and to her surprise Levi moved in front of her,
blocking her even though they were too far away to be in any danger from what
she could hear.
“This is what happens when you get a bunch of criminals
under the same roof,” he muttered.
She snorted in agreement. “I’m leaving using the beach.
You’re free to join me.” There hadn’t been any more gunfire so likely the
guards had the situation under control but she wasn’t heading back up there.
She’d already had her meeting so she had no reason to return.
Now he snorted as he turned to face her, still crouching
low. He slid his long, callused hands down her bare arms. This time she
couldn’t hide the shiver. “Oh, I’m joining you,” he murmured, a seductive note
in his voice.
But the timing was all wrong. For once she wished she
understood the opposite sex more. What was he doing? She’d already told him he
could come on the op with her. Her nipples tightened and her body hummed with a
strange anticipation as he lightly held her wrists in both hands, his thumbs
rubbing her inner wrist in small circles. She started to pull back and he let
go of one of her wrists. As she pushed out a sigh of relief, the feel of cold
steel skimmed her skin just as the soft snick of handcuffs clicked into place.
Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom's stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it. However, she didn't always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense.
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