Armed Response

“Trying to take out all your aggression on one poor defenseless piece of canvas?” He chuckled as he grabbed the bag more firmly.

“Too many new people, Roman. I don’t like change.”

“Oh, yeah? Try finding out you’re about to be a dad. Now, that’s change.”

Lillian grinned at him. “Yeah, every time that happens to me I swear it’s not gonna happen again.”

Despite his wounds from an explosion two months ago, she knew Roman couldn’t be happier about Keira being back in his life and the baby they had on the way. Hell, it seemed like just about everybody on the SWAT team had found romance-novel-type true love within the last year.

Lillian was thrilled for them, she really was. She liked each and every one of the women her teammates had fallen for. But love and marriage weren’t in the cards for her. She’d long since accepted that. Emotional attachment just wasn’t her thing.

But she had a career she savored and kicked ass at. That was enough.

“I hear this new guy is actually qualified to be on the team. An Army Ranger. Steve Drackett vouches for him personally,” Roman said.

Lillian punched the bag again. “I just wish Liam was back in action.” Their teammate had almost been killed by a biological weapon three weeks ago.

“He’s alive and going to recover. That’s what matters.”

Omega Sector’s casualty list at Damien Freihof’s hand was getting too damn long.

Liam Goetz, SWAT team member: seriously injured via chemical inhalation. Hospitalized two weeks.

Roman Weber, SWAT team member: seriously injured via explosion. In a coma for more than a week.

Tyrone Marcus, SWAT team member-in-training: killed in action via explosion.

Grace Parker, Omega psychiatrist: murdered in cold blood.

And those were just the worst of the worst.

Especially Grace. Damn it. Lillian forced herself to push away the grief that threatened to suck her under at the thought of losing the other woman and the close friend she had become.

She switched with Roman and held the bag as he went through a series of kicks and punches, at a slower speed and with less force because of his recent injuries. As soon as the new guy came in, they’d be doing some training with him. Running the SWAT obstacle course, some sparring, throwing him immediately into the mix.

“Hopefully this new guy won’t crush on you like Saul,” Roman said between punches.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I don’t think Saul understands that I don’t date work people.”

“You don’t date anyone.”

This was an old argument. “I do date. I just don’t announce it around here like all you lovesick fools. There’s enough swooning going on around here without adding me to the mix.”

“I’d like to meet a boyfriend of yours just once.”

Lillian took her turn at the bag. “Fine. I’ll bring the next one around for approval, okay?”

She wouldn’t. Roman was right, she didn’t have boyfriends. She had sex with random guys, probably too often, but she tended to check out mentally in the middle of the act itself. Then immediately left afterward. Not being able to remember any part of the sexual act did not lend itself toward building a relationship.

She and Grace Parker had been working on some of Lillian’s issues before Grace had died. Lillian’s triggers. The fact that she’d never been able to have sex and remember it clearly afterward.

Disassociation due to acute sexual trauma. That was what Grace had told Lillian was the clinical term for it. And that it was treatable. That they would continue to work together so that Lillian’s mind didn’t try to escape every time she became intimate with someone. They’d made progress over the last year.

And now Grace was dead.

Lillian attacked the punching bag with renewed vigor. “I just want SWAT to be ready for when we get the call to go take out Freihof. I’ll even date the new guy if he can help us be ready for that.”

Roman chuckled. “Hell, I’ll date the new guy if he can help with that.”

“I’m sure Keira won’t mind, considering Freihof nearly got her killed.”

“If Steve vouches for this guy, then that’s all I need to know,” Roman said.

Lillian trusted Steve completely also. “Yeah, me, too. What’s the guy’s name? I promise I’ll make an effort at learning it.”

“Jace Eakin.”

Lillian’s head snapped up and she glared at Roman, about to make him repeat the name.

Roman gestured to the door. “Here he is.”

It could not possibly be. There was no way. She turned, slowly. No. Way.

Yes way.

“Jace. Jace Eakin,” she whispered.

“You know him?”

“I did. A long, long time ago.”

She felt like her heart had completely stopped beating. Jace was the new guy? Part of her wasn’t surprised that he was qualified. He’d been strong, fast and smart when she knew him twelve years ago. Evidently the army had turned him into someone even more dangerous.

And he was particularly dangerous for her. He knew every secret she’d gone to such lengths to keep hidden from the team. He knew how she used to steal and run illegal items all over town for the gang they’d both been in. She’d been fast, trustworthy and had looked innocent. She’d never once gotten caught.

Jace Eakin knew every secret she’d made sure no one else at Omega Sector knew.

Except one. And he would never know that one.

She kept him in her peripheral vision as she returned to her assault on the punching bag.

“If you know him, don’t you want to go talk to him?” Roman asked, grabbing the bag.

She shook her head. It was all she could do to not run from the room. And Lillian was known for not running from anything.

She saw Jace put his bag on the floor and talk to Derek. A few minutes later he was headed toward the locker room.

Fifteen minutes after that Derek was calling the entire team together, including Jace.