Way of the Shadows

“I want you.”

“We’re partners—”

“It’s a temporary assignment, and we both know it. Mercer doesn’t plan to keep you in the field. He wants you in the EOD main office, working up your profiles. This is a one-shot mission for us.” So the normal rules weren’t applying. When it came to Noelle, Thomas had no rules. “I want you,” he said again, “and unless I’m mistaken, you want me, too.”

She didn’t speak.

His jaw locked. He’d felt her desire, tasted it. He knew—

“I do,” Noelle said, the words so quiet he had to strain in order to hear them.

His heart seemed to stop at that admission.

“But I know better than to take everything I want. Especially when what I want can be dangerous to me.”

“You can trust me,” he growled. He wasn’t a threat to her. Damn it, yes, he knew the stories that circulated about him at the EOD. That the Dragon was a cold-blooded killer with ice in his veins and that he killed without remorse. That isn’t me. He needed Noelle to see him for the man he truly was.

Her body tensed. “I can’t trust myself.”

He didn’t even know what that meant.

But before he could question her more, he heard the faint roar of—an engine?

He saw Noelle’s head whip toward the door, and he knew she’d heard the sound, too. He grabbed for the rest of his clothes and dressed as quickly as he could. Noelle was scrambling to her feet and pulling on her still-wet clothing.

His fingers curled around his gun. Was that a rescuer coming to find them, someone who’d been alerted by the smoke rising from the old chimney? Or was it the maniac in the truck, coming back to finish them off? Thomas had known the fire would pose risks for him and Noelle. The smoke would give away their location, but staying warm had been a priority.

The roar of the approaching engine grew louder.

Noelle hurried to Thomas’s side. “Stay behind me,” he told her with a firm glare. “Until we find out just who is coming this way.”

“You’re the one with the gun,” she said with a shrug as she lifted her hands. “Letting you take the lead is more than fine by me.”

He cracked open the front door. He could see the bright glint of headlights coming toward the cabin. That roar—it was from what looked like a snowplow. Thomas could just make out its bulk.

He inched onto the sagging porch, keeping his gun at his side. A quick count showed him three vehicles were coming his way, and none of those vehicles looked like the truck that had run them off the road. Actually one of those vehicles—

A siren screamed on. Blue lights flashed.

Right. One of those vehicles looked like a deputy’s car.

More bright lights flooded the scene, illuminating Thomas and Noelle on the porch. Thomas wisely kept his weapon hidden.

Noelle’s arm brushed against Thomas’s side. “We’re FBI!” Noelle called out as she moved forward. They were both supposed to keep using that cover, no matter what.

Doors slammed. Two men ran toward them. “We were hoping it was you,” one of the man huffed out. “I’m Sheriff Glen Hodges. Your FBI boss has been calling our office for hours because you missed some sort of check-in.”

Ah, that boss would be Mercer, and yes, they had missed their check-in. Thomas was actually surprised Mercer hadn’t sent the National Guard after them. When it came to protecting his agents, Mercer was as fierce as any lion.

“We saw the smoke,” the man beside Sheriff Hodges said, as he rocked forward onto the balls of his feet. “No one has been using Brian Lakely’s place in years, so we thought it might be you.”

Thomas advanced toward the men.

“Did you have car trouble?” Hodges asked, shaking his head. “How the heck did you wind up out here?”

“We had car trouble,” Thomas agreed softly. “And the trouble started when some bozo ran us off the road and left us for dead.”

“What?” The shocked exclamation came as the sheriff shot back a good two feet. “But we don’t have trouble like that out here in Camden—”

“Well,” Thomas drawled, “it looks like you do now. Because someone out there just tried to kill two federal agents.” Thomas planned to get his hands on that someone very soon.

Senator Duncan, I’m coming for you.

Chapter Three (#ud2c811f4-6a9e-56a3-bc19-ac165c737609)

“Uh, are you real sure you want to do this?” Sheriff Hodges asked as he slammed his car door and turned toward Noelle and Thomas. The snow was still falling.

They were outside the senator’s home. She and Thomas had insisted they be brought straight over. Noelle wanted to look into the senator’s eyes and see his reaction to their survival. If he was the guy who’d just tried to send them to an icy grave, his reaction would tell her everything she needed to know.

“Senator Duncan...” The sheriff’s voice was cautious. “He has a lot of power around here.”

“We’re not worried about his power.” Noelle brushed past the sheriff and headed for the gate that led to the senator’s property. It was ajar, so she just kept marching right up to the front door. She was wearing a thick coat about two sizes too big, a spare that Hodges kept in his trunk. Gloves covered her fingers, and a big woolen cap swallowed her hair. Thomas followed right on her heels. After what they’d been through, there was no way they’d allow the senator to slip through their fingers that night.

“Maybe you two should go to the local doc’s place,” the sheriff said as he rushed after them. “Make sure you’re not suffering from some kind of trauma.”

Noelle wasn’t concerned about trauma. Before she could slam her fist against the door, Thomas beat her to it. He pounded hard enough to shake the facade.

Lights flooded on from the interior of the house.

“I’m gonna be in so much trouble,” Hodges muttered.

The man needed to grow a backbone.

Eyes narrowed, Noelle focused on the door. When it swung open a few minutes later, a disheveled Paula Quill stood in the doorway.

“Agents?” Paula shoved back her hair. “What are you doing here?”

Noelle advanced and Paula fell back. Noelle figured that counted as an invitation to enter the place. “We’re here to see the senator, now.”

“But it’s the middle of the night!” Paula’s hands tightly gripped the front of her robe. “You can’t just barge in here—”

That was exactly what they’d just done. Noelle glanced to the left and saw a light was on in the senator’s study, and its door was slightly open. Just like the gate. The senator should really watch that tendency to keep inviting folks in.

“The senator is sleeping,” Paula snapped as she moved to stand directly in front of Noelle. “You’ll have to come back in the morning if you want another appointment with him.”

Noelle simply walked around the other woman and headed for the study.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Thomas murmured to Paula, “but this appointment can’t wait.”