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“What do you know about The Agency?”
“Nothing. Never even heard of it until you mentioned them earlier.”
Inda studied him closely, trying to determine whether or not he was telling her the truth. He held her gaze unwaveringly. Still, she had to remain unbiased when it came to Lucas and his stupid dimples. “Carlisle is associated with them and they’re determined to eliminate my team.”
“Who I’ve been told are terrorists.”
“That’s a lie,” she said softly.
He hesitated. “Did your team kill Lester Tillman? Boris Orlov? Camille and Julien Mercier?”
“No. Not all of them, anyway. The Agency took out Tillman and Orlov. They’re notorious for turning on their own.”
“What about the Merciers?”
“They were French assassins who came after us. It was kill or be killed. Kind of like what happened earlier. Those guys who tried to kill us—you better believe they have ties to The Agency. Maybe they only wanted me, but don’t fool yourself into thinking they wouldn’t have killed you, too. The Agency is ruthless.”
He arched a dark brow, but didn’t comment.
She sighed. “Look, I want to tell you more, but this isn’t just about me.”
Maybe it was crazy, but an idea began to form. If they could convince Lucas her team was on the right side, maybe he would join forces with them. It was a win-win—they’d have access to his formidable hacking skills, and if he continued working for Carlisle, he could use his position to funnel intel to them. Plus, she could pursue something more with Lucas, guilt-free.
“You don’t trust me and I don’t exactly trust you. So now what?” He sounded as frustrated as she felt.
“I want you to meet my team,” she stated, and surprise flickered through his light blue eyes. “I need you to know the truth.”
For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. Then he slowly nodded. “You aren’t going to kill me, right?”
“Me? No.”
“And your team?” he pressed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,” she promised, her mouth edging up.
???
Her promise didn’t give him any sense of comfort, and Lucas was nervous as hell to face the men he’d been cyber-tracking and attacking. He and Inda took an Uber over to the Northeast Waterfront Historic District that boasted warehouses used during the California Gold Rush. The renovated structures had been mostly converted to office and retail spaces over the years.
The driver stopped in front of a large, unmarked warehouse and Lucas sucked in a steadying breath as they got out.Here goes nothing.If she was leading him into a trap, he was as good as dead. But, he supposed she could’ve killed him any number of times before. Like with that rope when they were out on the water. Inda definitely had the skill and knowledge to wipe him off the face of the earth.
Even though it was before she’d known his true identity, he clung to a very thin strand of hope that maybe the Inda he spent time with on their date—the one he’d shared an ice cream sundae with and exchanged quite a few kisses with—was still in there behind the fierce warrior. And just maybe she could eventually trust him. Because he really wanted them to be working on the same side. If that meant facing an angry group of former military men, then so be it.
Inda was worth it.
The thought caught him by surprise, but so did the truth behind it. He had a feeling the two of them would work really well together. In more ways than one.
The moment they stepped into the large, open-plan common area, Lucas felt that hope fizzle as he got his first lookat her team in the flesh. He knew their names, even had pictures, but nothing prepared him for seeing the badass group in person. They were an intimidating crew, and he stuck close to Inda, hoping she’d make good on her promise to not allow them to kill him. Especially after they discovered his true identity.
“Where the hell have you been?” A man stalked over and crossed his large, ink covered arms. Dressed in head-to-toe black, the sleeves of his shirt working overtime to contain bulging muscles, he looked capable of serious damage. Lucas noticed the cigarette tucked behind his ear and smirked inwardly at the cliche of it all. Saint, AKA Nikolai Vasilevsky AKA Nik Valentine. The former Russian Intelligence officer went by a lot of names, and Lucas seriously doubted any of them were real. Saint had worked for the FSS—Federal Security Service—and spent time in a Russian prison back in the day.
A tall man with a slim, yet powerful build, was right on Saint’s heels. He possessed cool, assessing gray eyes, which he narrowed as he sized up the situation. An air of confidence surrounded him. “Everything okay?” Pharaoh—better known as Braxton Graves, their fearless leader—asked.
Wow, these guys were protective.
“I’m fine,” Inda assured them.
“Why didn’t you call or text?” another male voice boomed. Dark-rimmed glasses covered a pair of intelligent, deep blue eyes, and the third man came rushing over with a laptop in his hands, looking a little frazzled. Lucas tensed coming face to face with the man known as Zane “Banshee” Hawkins, their computer expert and his nemesis. “Do you know how fucking worried I was when—”
