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Prologue
Their new digs in San Francisco were epic. Thanks to Braxton—who claimed a friend of his owned the building and owed him a favor—the team, plus one feline named Neo, were now living in a three-story warehouse that had been converted into individual apartment units. They also had a common area where they set up and held their meetings. Or, just hung out.
But, now that half the team had coupled up, Inda found herself mostly hanging out with just Saint and Pharaoh. And, sometimes, those two weren’t nearly as fun or lighthearted as Rip and Banshee. And, God knew she needed some light after all the darkness she’d seen in her life. But she couldn’t hold it against them. It was merely who they were as a result of what they’d seen and done. Like her, both men had dark pasts, and she understood how that affected a person better than anyone.
Although she never pried either of them for information, she saw it in their eyes. The guilt from letting people down and not being able to save everyone. The unmistakable weight that resulted after taking so many lives. She’d lost count herself.
But, you never forget your first,she thought. And the first time Inda had killed someone, she’d only been seventeen years old. She didn’t like to think about that, though.
After sharing space with her teammates for so long, Inda enjoyed having a new apartment all to herself. But even more, she loved the gym with its rock climbing wall that took up the entire third floor. She liked being active and had a passion for rock climbing. It started as a way to challenge herself when she joined the military, and she quickly found out she had a knack for it. Since she was fast, agile and small, she could usually scale the wall faster than anyone else. Climbing consistently helped her develop skills, technique and strength. It also helped clear her head, work up a sweat and quell the demons. Granted, she knew they wouldn’t ever go away completely, but she could settle them down when she exerted herself on the wall.
After a shitty night’s sleep, all she wanted to do was climb. Forget the nightmare that woke her up in a pool of sweat.
Reaching down, she dipped her hand into the chalk bag around her waist, drying off the sweat so her hand wouldn’t slip. Keeping her weight on her feet, hip against the wall, Inda reached up and grasped the handhold above her. Then she pulled herself up and found a new foothold, trusting the rubber on her climbing shoes.
Eyeing the next handhold, judging the distance, she made the calculation then leaped. Her fingertips grabbed the boulder and she swung, breathing deeply and keeping her arms straight, giving her muscles a chance to relax as she searched for a new foothold.
“Pulling on plastic” was vastly different from climbing outdoors, but one of these days, Inda wanted to try her skill on a mountain or boulder out in the wilderness.One day…In the meantime, Ex Nihilo kept her busy killing bad guys and laying low.
“Where’s your bouldering pad?”
Inda smiled at the wall when she heard Zane’s voice behind her. As happy as she was that he and River had found their way back to each other, it meant that now she had less time with him. And the truth was she missed her buddy. Maybe she needed to find a man of her own.
Ha! Like that would ever happen.
“Don’t need one,” she retorted, ascending to the final hold and then pushing off the wall. Her harness caught her and she slowly dropped to the floor in a graceful landing. Turning to Zane, she gave him a curtsy. “Beat my fastest time.”
“Congratulations.”
Inda shrugged a shoulder. “I’d ask if you want to spar, but I don’t think River would appreciate that much. Seems a little inappropriate now that you have a fiancée.”
Zane chuckled. “No, I don’t think she’d care much for us rolling around on the mat together. Besides, you’re the Krav Maga expert and I really don’t feel like getting my ass handed to me.”
She chuckled. Even though she was small, she was mighty, and all the men on Ex Nihilo knew it. She’d flattened each one of them on the mat on more than one occasion. Even humongous Gray. And that takedown made her especially proud.
“What’s up? You don’t look like you came up here to work out.”
Zane glanced down at his T-shirt and jeans. “No. I came to tell you I found some new intel. Just gathering the troops so we can have a meeting.”
“What did you find out?” Inda didn’t like surprises and she’d never been very patient.
“At long last, our elusive Mr. Smith has an identity.”
“Anyone I might know?”
“The same guy who owns the plating company where we faced off with Camille Mercier, and the one in the picture with Benedict and Elizabeth Salinger—Chadwick Carlisle.”
“Really? So, Smith AKA Carlisle is based right here in San Francisco.”Hmm. Interesting.
“That’s right. And we’re about to do a little recon on his ass.”
“Let me grab a shower. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
After removing the harness, Inda stripped her sweaty clothes off and took a quick shower in the locker room. She’d always considered herself one of the boys, never lingering too long in the bathroom or in front of the mirror when it came time to get ready. Luckily, her genetics blessed her with a perfectly bronzed complexion, thick dark hair and an ass for days. Tits not so much, but her ass more than made up for a small chest. And, she’d certainly never gotten any complaints.
After soaping up and rinsing off, she quickly washed her long ebony hair.Done.She kept her routine simple and since there was no man in her life, she didn’t waste time shaving her legs. She also skipped any makeup and pulled on a sports bra, leggings and an oversized tee. It took her less than a minute to slick her wet hair back and knot it on top of her head. Then she headed down to their meeting room.
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