Page 5

CHAPTER 4

Slade opened the door to his boss’s office and waited to the side as Shadow stepped into the private space. He followed her in, shutting the door behind him.

“Glad to see you both made it back in one piece,” Rafe Owens’ English accent was thick as he stepped out from behind his large mahogany desk.

The former British Intelligence operative walked over to where Slade stood, and the two men shook hands.

“For a minute, there, I wasn’t sure that was going to happen.” Slade shifted his stare to the woman on his right. Sensing the thick tension between father and daughter, he felt compelled to let the man know, “She handled herself pretty well, all things considered.”

“She never should have been there in the first place.”

The man was in his mid-fifties, but aside from the generous amount of gray hair mixed with brown, and a few etched lines in his seasoned, face, you’d never know it. Owens was tall, built like a brick shithouse, and still as capable of taking out the bad guys as any other man on their team.

“Uh…hello…” Shadow waved a hand in the air. “ She is standing right here.”

Trust me, princess. I know exactly where you are.

And though she didn’t know it yet, Slade had no intentions of letting her out of his sight again.

Owens turned his attention to his daughter, though he didn’t move in any closer. “From what I understand, you’re only here because Mr. Garrison was lucky enough to have arrived at your motel room in the nick of time.”

“I would have gotten myself out if he hadn’t.”

“Perhaps.” Owens nodded. “Lucky for you, you didn’t have to find out.”

“This time.”

The woman’s under-the-breath comment pissed Slade off far more than it should have.

“There won’t be a next time,” Slade informed her briskly.

Shadow’s blue eyes turned his way, her mesmerizing stare filled with overt curiosity. “No?” She gave a slight tilt of her head. “And what makes you think that?”

“Because I’m going to make damn sure that doesn’t happen.”

Their gazes remained locked for several intense seconds, and he tried like hell to figure out what she was thinking. But then the infuriating woman blinked it away, and just like that, it was gone.

“Careful, big guy.” Shadow gave a slight click of her tongue. “You shouldn’t go around making promises you can’t keep.”

Oh, I intend to keep it, all right. Whether you like it or not.

But before he could tell her that, Owens decided to step back in.

“Sweetheart, I understand that you’re used to taking care of yourself, and normally I’m prone to fully agree.” His boss seamlessly shifted from Tac-Ops owner to father. “But since you chose to start this war, I have no choice but to take control of the situation.”

Shadow eyed the powerful man with suspicion. “What does that mean, you’re taking control?”

“As of this moment, I’m assigning Slade as your personal bodyguard for the foreseeable future.”

“I don’t need a?—”

“You were damn near shot to bloody hell less than twenty-four hours ago,” Owens came close to losing his carefully controlled temper. “So yes, you do need a bodyguard, and I can think of no one else more capable than this man right here.”

Slade’s chest tightened at the sentiment. As far as atta boys went, that was a pretty damn good one. Especially considering they were talking about protecting the man’s only daughter.

“I take it I don’t have a say in the matter?”

“You lost your say when you chose to go off half-cocked after a man you had no business pursuing.”

“Pursuing?” Shadow snorted. “You make it sound like I was trying to date the guy.”

“I know exactly what you were trying to do.” Owens retorted. “And that little plan of yours was going to do nothing but wind up getting you killed.”

“He shot her dead while she was sleeping, Dad. Don’t you want him to pay for taking her away from us?”

“Of course, I do. And if your memories from that night are to be trusted, then I promise you, the man will pay.”

“Memories are all I have left,” she reminded him. “And you’re right. Someone did try to kill me last night. Which, by the way, wouldn’t have happened if I weren’t on the right track.”

The woman did have a point.

Feeling compelled to back up her assumption, Slade told his boss, “She’s right. Stanton must have recognized her at some point and got spooked.” He glanced back over at Shadow with a shrug. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“I was careful,” she rebutted. “I never let myself get too close or?—”

“Doesn’t matter.” He cut her off. “Either he or one of his protection detail had to have noticed you watching him. And if you think your memories from that night are clear, I’m willing to bet his are, too.”

“I was six, Digger.”

“Again, it doesn’t matter. A man kills someone—especially someone who had, at one time, been close to him—they aren’t likely to forget the only eyewitness to the crime. Six or Sixty, I’d bet you’ve never been far from Stanton’s mind. And with him in the running for the most powerful political position in the world…”

“He isn’t about to let you ruin his chances at the White House.” Owens picked up right where his trailing words left off. “Which is why you must have round-the-clock protection until we can figure out a way to bring the bastard down. In the meantime?—”

“Mr. Owens?” Their office manager’s voice came through the landline on the man’s desk. “The rest of the team is here, and they’re all waiting in the conference room.”

“Thank you, Ashley,” his boss responded in kind. “Please tell them we’ll be in shortly.”

“Yes, sir.” A soft click let them know the well-vetted woman had ended the call.

Uncertainty stole the spark from her previously challenging demeanor, and before he could keep from it, Slade heard himself saying, “It’s going to be okay.”

Shadow looked over at him, her search for assurance obvious in those vibrant blue eyes he could get lost in forever. “Do they know I’m here?”

“Not yet,” Owens answered for him. “All I told them was that I needed them to come to the office as soon as possible.”

“They’re going to be pissed.” She gave a nervous lick of her lips.

“I doubt it,” Slade offered his opinion. “They’re just going to be glad you’re still upright and breathing.”

Owens quickly backed him up. “He’s right. The team was worried sick about you while you were gone. As was I.”

“I’m sorry,” Shadow apologized to her father for the first time since they’d arrived. “I shouldn’t have left the way I did.”

“No. You shouldn’t have,” his boss agreed. “But what’s done is done, and there’s no erasing the past. The only thing we can do now is move forward, and I think the best place to start is for you to finally meet the rest of your team.”

Her gaze slid back to Slade’s as if she needed him to confirm what her father had just said. With a single dip of his chin, he let her know she was going to be okay.

“All right, then.” She blew out a breath and headed for the door. “The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can start discussing the next steps in our plan.”

Owens watched as his daughter opened the door before sliding his gaze to Slade’s. The two men shared a look that spoke volumes, each silently vowing to do whatever it took to make sure Shadow remained safe.

But as he followed her out of the office and down the hallway toward the Tac-Ops conference room, his gut filled with a sense of impending doom unlike any he’d felt before. Not for the conversation that was minutes away from transpiring, but rather for the danger that very well may follow.

Someone in Senator Stanton’s close circle not only knew Shadow’s true identity, but they also wanted the too-smart-for-her-own-good woman permanently silenced. And since she clearly had no plans of backing down from this war she’d already started, Slade and the others would need to be on high alert until a winner was finally declared.

And if he’d learned anything in his dealings with politicians over the years, it was that they’d do just about anything to ensure they didn’t lose.

Shadow stopped outside the conference room door, her shoulders rising and falling with a deep, steadying breath. Without thinking, Slade placed a gentle hand against her lower back, the ends of her long, blonde waves tickling his skin.

“Nothing to be scared of, princess.” He spoke quietly in her ear. “Just go in there and tell them your story. Trust me, these guys are going to understand.”

Appreciation shone in the blues of her incredible stare before she reached for the knob and opened the door. Slade followed her into where his teammates awaited, the murmurs of conversations between the others halting the second they walked into the room.

Owens addressed the team as a whole on his way to his place at the front of the table. “I’d like to introduce you to Alic. Or, as you like to call her…Shadow.”

* * *

Shadow’s heart thumped nervously as the three men sitting around the large, oval table stared back at her with matching holy shit expressions. It was like one of those dreams where you were caught standing in front of a group of people wearing nothing more than your underwear and a smile.

This would be the part where you say hi.

“H-Hi.” She suddenly wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. But since that wasn’t an option… “It’s nice to finally meet you all in person.”

“You’re Shadow?” The man she recognized as Beckett “Bones” Stone arched his brows up high. “As in… our Shadow?”

Unlike what she’d expected, the handsome medic didn’t look mad or upset by her presence. With the plan to pull him aside later to apologize for her absence during his fiancée’s harrowing rescue, Shadow focused on the here and now.

“That’s me.” She smiled. “Last I checked, anyway.”

“Oh, yeah.” Garrett “Falcon” Morgan grinned with a nod of his head. “I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Well, hot damn!” Bones shot up from his chair and marched her way. “It’s so good to finally meet you in 3D.”

Before Shadow knew what was happening, she felt herself being wrapped up tight in the former Marine’s arms. A tiny squeal escaped the back of her throat when she was hoisted up off her feet in the biggest bear hug she’d ever received.

“Good to meet you, too, Bones.” She hugged him back. Despite her plan to tell him later, she heard herself whispering, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to help with?—”

“It’s all good.” He didn’t even let her finish. “Evie’s okay, and you’re back, so as far as I’m concerned, all is right in the Tac-Ops world.”

Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away. Next, she came face-to-face with Falcon, and another tight hug ensued.

“Come here, you.” The man who served as Tac-Ops’ top sniper pulled her into his muscular arms. “Damn, girl. I never thought this day would come.”

“Me, eeither.” Ethan “Apollo” McAllister was next in line. The dark-haired former SEAL surprised her when he, too, brought her in for a friendly embrace. “I thought we got called in for another job.”

“You did.” Her father’s deep response brought an end to the celebration.

Apollo released his hold and took a step back, his almost black eyes sliding to the man standing to Shadow’s left.

“Must be a big one to bring our girl to us in person.”

“It is,” their boss confirmed. “And I brought Shadow in to meet you all because she is the job.”

“Boss?” Bones frowned, his confusion obvious to her and everyone else in the room.

When her dad shot her an uncharacteristically hesitant glance, Shadow took it upon herself to explain.

“Why don’t you boys have a seat while I tell you a little story?”

“Storytime, huh?” Falcon smirked as he returned to his chair. “This should be interesting.

Interesting.

That was one way to put it.

“Shadow, I can?—”

“It’s okay.” She cut her father’s offer short. “I’ve got this.”

Shadow waited for the men to sit before she began. Standing a few inches back and to her right, Digger remained in place with no obvious signs of moving.

Suit yourself, big guy.

After a quick clearing of her throat, she decided to dive right in. “I’m sure the intricate details will come later, but for now, I’ll save you all some time and give you the short and sweet version.”

And that’s exactly what she did. Over the course of the next few minutes, Shadow went through the bullet points of her life up to this point.

Witnessing her mother’s murder. Check. Growing up never knowing the killer’s identity or motive. Check. Her recent dream and the revelation that had followed. Check. Check.

And when she shared her deep seated suspicion that Senator Stanton was the man she believed to have shot her mother in cold blood, several under-the-breath curses created a dull rumble throughout the entire room.

“There’s something Shadow isn’t saying.” Her father regained control of the group as he glanced over at her with a guarded smile. “It’s a secret that’s been kept for reasons that will be obvious by the time we’re finished here today. But since I trust you all with her life, I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you the full truth. And that truth is, this woman isn’t merely your team’s overwatch or my employee.” He cleared his throat before looking back over the team and telling them, “Her name is Alice Owens, and she’s… my daughter.”

The room grew silent. It was as if the world’s volume had been turned off as Shadow stood between her father and Digger. She waited with bated breath for the team’s response, and when it came, it was pretty much exactly what she’d envisioned.

“Shadow’s your…daughter?” Falcon’s eyes grew even wider than they had when she’d first been introduced.

Apollo’s dark gaze bounced between her and his boss as he ran a hand over the dark scruff covering his jaw. “Wow. I did not see that one coming.”

“Me, either.” Bones shook his head in surprise. “All this time. I mean, it’s your business, of course, but why keep it a secret?”

Shadow took it upon herself to answer, purposely letting her next words trail. “Murdered mother, former MI6 father… I’m guessing you boys are smart enough to understand the need to keep my existence a secret from, well, everyone.”

“Everyone?” Falcon frowned. “Who’s everyone?”

“Uh…pretty much the entire world,” she informed him.

“After her mother’s murder, I moved us from Ohio to Charlotte,” her father explained. “Anyone doing even a deep dive into me will find exactly what I want them to find. A man who worked his way up to the top of the insurance ladder, eventually opening what is known to the world as Travel Assurance Coverage Operations.” A name given to correspond with the team’s actual Tac-Ops nomenclature. “The leader in private travel insurance, as well as the other private policies you are all very familiar with.”

“But underneath, as you also know, is the truth,” Shadow jumped back in. “That the insurance company is a front for your team, making it possible for you to do what you do without media attention or political backlash.”

“Don’t you mean what we do?” Bones shot her a knowing glance. “You’re as much a part of this team as we are, darlin’. Don’t ever forget that.”

Warmth spread within her chest, and damn if she wasn’t fighting back another unexpected rush of tears. Lucky for her, her father regained control of the conversation, wrapping up the remaining pertinent facts.

“What Shadow is saying is that I chose to keep the fact that I have a daughter a secret because I felt the need to protect her from both the man who killed her mother and those who might wish her harm as a way of getting back at me.”

“How?” Apollo asked. “Wouldn’t a quick search show you once had a kid?”

“It would,” Shadow once again answered for her father. “It would also reveal that same child’s death a couple of years later.”

A deep growl sounded from behind her, drawing her attention to the man responsible. Her breath caught when she met Digger’s cold, hard stare. He looked angry, though she wasn’t sure why.

The poor man’s been shot at, forced to sleep on an uncomfortable hotel room pull-out, and now he’s been assigned as your twenty-four-hour babysitter. It’s no wonder he’s mad.

But there was something more in his dark brown gaze. It was a protector’s glare, and though the man looked far from happy, his expression—and mere presence—instantly made her feel safe.

“Between my father’s contacts within MI6 and the alphabet agencies”—she continued—“as well as my knowledge of computers and awesome hacking skills, we all but erased any trace of my existence after the age of eight.”

“Okay, I have to ask…” Bones sat up a bit straighter. “How’d you fake die?”

Another disapproving sound reached her ears, but Shadow ignored the surly team leader’s displeasure and answered the other man’s question. “Accidental drowning.”

Simple. Believable. And they had the falsified documentation to prove it.

Apollo’s broad shoulders huffed with a breathy chuckle. “Was there a funeral?”

“On paper, yes.” She nodded. “I even have my very own headstone in a small cemetery across town.”

She’d gone there once, a couple of years ago. The day had been rainy, the sky gray with a thick layer of clouds.

For obvious reasons, most people avoided visiting the cemetery in the rain. Which was precisely why she’d gone there that day. Less chance of being seen.

Shadow wasn’t sure what she’d expected to feel, seeing her name etched in the small stone like that. Truth be told, it was all very surreal.

“What about where you live?” Falcon asked next. “I’m assuming there’s a mortgage or lease with someone’s name that isn’t yours.”

“The lease to my apartment is under a well-vetted alias, as are my cell phone, bank account, and the few credit cards I own. I paid for my car in cash, so that’s a non-issue, and according to the IRS, I’m an independent contractor who does computer troubleshooting for several companies that don’t actually exist.”

“Damn.” Apollo dipped his chin with approval. “Sounds like you’ve covered all your bases and then some.”

“That’s what we thought, too,” her father chimed back in. “But then my headstrong daughter got the idea to traipse off on a solo path of vengeance, and while she was busy stalking Senator Stanton in Columbus, her cover was blown.”

“Blown?” Falcon looked to her, then Digger, before returning his attention to the man who signed their paychecks. “You sure?”

“Someone shot up her motel room last night,” Digger finally spoke for the first time since coming into the room. “So yeah. We’re pretty damn sure.”

“You were shot at?” Bones immediately looked her up and down as if checking for possible injuries. “Shit, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Shadow gave Digger a sideways glance. “We went out the back, through the bathroom window, and into some trees. The shooter took off, and we got the hell out of there.”

“We?” Bones eyed them both closely before locking his gaze on Digger’s. “You were there, too? In Shadow’s hotel room?”

“He was there because he was ordered to find Shadow and bring her back home before she could get hurt,” her father answered. “Thankfully, he did.”

“I’m confused.” Apollo’s dark brows dipped inward. “How were you recognized if everyone thinks you’re dead?”

“That’s the million-dollar question.” Shadow met the man’s curious stare. “I was careful, left no money trail, used a burner phone when needed…” She sighed. “The truth is, I have no idea how anyone could have possibly figured out my true identity.”

But they had, and apparently, they were not at all pleased that she was still alive.

“Something else you should know about Senator Stanton.” Her father looked first at her, and then at the others. “He wasn’t simply a lawyer like it says on his lengthy and impressive resume. He’s former CIA.”

What the…

“You knew?” Shadow stared up at her father, surprised by his unexpected revelation. “I mean, I suspected, given his too-spotless record, as well as the manner in which Mom was killed. But I never could find any proof.”

“And you won’t.” He shook his salt-and-pepper head. “Someone did a damn good job at covering up his past, and the only people capable of accomplishing something that involved is the Agency. But to answer your question, yes. I knew. Just like I knew your mother was an agent, as well.”

A round of shockwaves filled her system as she processed the bomb her father had just dropped. “ Mom was CIA?”

Her mother’s involvement in the secretive agency made surprising sense, and yet, it left Shadow with even more questions than before. If she’d been working as a government spy, it could explain why someone had wanted her dead.

An enemy she and her team had been chasing could have decided to kill rather than be killed. Or perhaps someone connected to an op from her mother’s past tracked her down as a means of revenge.

The eyes Shadow had seen behind the mask that night hadn’t belonged to some unknown assailant. And since Stanton was the one who pulled that trigger…

“Mom knew too much.” Shadow looked back at her father. “She had to have seen something she shouldn’t have. Something Stanton thought was worth killing for in order to keep it quiet. Either that or she was working with?—”

“Your mother wasn’t dirty.” Her father seemed to read her mind, the mere thought shooting a fiery anger into his eyes. “She was one of the best, most loyal agents the CIA has ever had. Of that, I am utterly certain.”

Despite the sharp bite of his words, the conviction in her father’s tone gave Shadow a sense of relief and comfort. So she gave him a slight nod, letting him know she believed everything he’d just said.

“What happens next?” Bones looked to her for the answer.

But it was her father who responded with a plan of his own making.

“Once we’re done here, Digger will take Shadow to a secured location, where they will remain until the threat to my daughter has been eliminated.”

Shadow’s heart dropped, and her anger rose. “Excuse me?” She swung her widened gaze in her father’s direction. “No. I am not going into hiding while that murdering asshole roams around scot-free.”

“You started a war, my dear.” His expression was as serious as she’d ever seen it. “And I can promise you that man’s desire to see you truly dead is every bit as strong as your need for revenge.”

“He’s right,” Digger rumbled low. “Stanton has more to lose now than ever before. If he was the one behind last night’s shooting, then he’s already shown he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re stopped. Now, I didn’t get a good look at the shooter, but I’m pretty damn confident Stanton wasn’t the one pulling the trigger. That means, there’s at least one man still out there willing to do his dirty work for him, and as of right now, you’re?—”

“His number one target,” Shadow finished for the man who’d saved her life once already. “I’m not scared of Michael Stanton, Digger.”

She would have thought that was already abundantly clear.

But those brown eyes of his locked tightly with hers as he rumbled a deep, “You should be.”

The look on his handsomely rugged face sent shivers down her spine. Digger was one of the toughest, most capable men she knew. He’d proven himself countless times with his team, as well as last night, when he’d risked his own life to save hers.

And now, unless she could find a way to turn the tables back on Stanton, he may very well have to do it again.