Chapter Nine

I nda aimed at the boat following them and fired her last bullet. Dammit. They needed to outrun the bastards chasing them, and that meant driving the boat herself. Tossing the empty weapon aside, she stalked over to Lucas.

“A for effort, Cipher, but move.”

Lucas looked over at her, his dark hair blowing wildly, and licked his lips. She could almost taste the salt on them. After a brief hesitation, he must’ve realized she was right. “Yeah, okay.”

He stepped aside and she felt his gaze move up and down her body as she brushed past him and took the wheel.

“Stick to hacking,” she advised.

“I don’t think I was doing that bad,” he argued.

“How about you sit down before you accidentally fall overboard?”

She didn’t give him time to comply before she increased the speed and yanked the wheel to the side. Lucas lost his balance, grabbing onto the edge of the console so he wouldn’t hit the deck.

“Are you trying to toss me over the side?” he demanded with a scowl.

“Maybe,” she admitted with a smirk. Even though they were in danger, and seemed to have at least one common enemy, she was still pissed at him and trusted him about as much as she trusted a politician spewing his latest promises. She had a good idea the feeling was mutual.

There weren’t a lot of other boats on the water because it was getting dark out fast, and Inda squinted into the distance as they roared beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Her gaze landed on the Sutro Baths. She hadn’t visited there since they’d taken up residence in San Fran, and it was on her list of things to do. Hmm. Maybe they could swing it. Now seemed as good of a time as any—as long as they could lose their pursuers.

“Sheridan!” she yelled over the wind. “Get back over here and drive!”

Lucas moved up beside her and arched a brow. “You sure about that?”

She pulled back on the throttle and the boat immediately slowed down.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lucas demanded, head spinning around to see the rapidly approaching bad guys.

“Taking care of business. I’m an assassin. Remember?” He’d reminded her twice, and it had bothered her both times. Yes, it was her job to eliminate scum, but that didn’t make her a bad person. Did it?

“You’re out of bullets.”

“I don’t need bullets.” She tossed him a cocky smile. “Just keep the boat slow and steady.”

Moving to the stern, Inda grabbed the mooring line. She had about ten to fifteen feet to work with, plus there was a nice metal pendant on the end she could whip around. Swinging it, she practiced a few snaps. Yeah, not perfect, but it would do. Channeling her inner Ghost Rider meets Indiana Jones, she measured out what was needed then hopped up onto the rear seat. Stepping up onto the boat’s back section, she waited for the other craft to get closer.

“Are you fucking crazy?” Lucas yelled.

Ignoring him, she dropped to her knees, staying low, and easily avoided two shots that went high and wide. Clearly, the idiot with the gun didn’t know how to shoot, and the wake from their boat created enough bounce to make a solid shot impossible. And that’s exactly what she was counting on.

Leaping onto the other boat’s hull, spinning the thick rope, she whipped it out with a snap of her wrist. Because of the metal pendant, she was able to lasso it around the tango’s hand then she gave it a good yank. He released his pistol with a surprised cry. Relying on her Krav Maga and nunchuck skills, she wielded the mooring line with precision and accuracy. After the gun dropped, she moved in and tossed the rope around his neck, tightening it with a well-placed twist. The man gasped and clawed at the rope cutting off his oxygen, but Inda didn’t let up. Her job was to eliminate the enemy and she squeezed until his body went slack.

Her attention shifted to the boat’s driver. “You’re dead,” he growled and fired off his last two shots.

Inda used the tango wrapped in rope as a shield, and the bullets buried themselves in his body. When the driver tossed his empty weapon, Inda released the dead man and charged.

Launching off the deck and spinning, she executed a perfect back kick, her foot making contact with the man’s jaw. His head snapped to the side and she kept up her vicious assault with an array of well-placed, powerful strikes. The guy was a hired thug with no skills. He was much bigger than her but didn’t know how to use it to his advantage. He threw a couple of punches, but she anticipated his desperate attempts, and his swings went wide.

After a sharp kick to his gut, Inda rolled sideways and grabbed the rope. She yanked up a section of it, getting ready to attack. Her opponent looked from the mooring line to his dead partner and made a quick decision. Before she could strike, the coward jumped overboard.

Well, that was easy. Releasing a breath, Inda dropped the rope and watched as the thug swam away.

“Ho-ly shit.”

She turned and met Lucas’ wide gaze, full of amazement. Maybe a hint of appreciation, too? Dragging the slack mooring line back with her, she climbed up onto the boat’s side and leaped back in with Lucas.

“That was some impressive shit,” he said, eyeing her with newfound respect. “Where’d you learn all those tricks?”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” she said in a flat voice, maneuvering around him and returning to the helm. “We’re going to make a pit stop.”

“Where?”

She pointed to the shore. The Baths were now nothing more than a rough collection of pools of salt water, crumbling walls and rusting pieces of iron. A perfect place to lay low until things cooled off. Tourists flocked there during the day, but it was getting dark now and should be fairly quiet.

“Sutro Baths?” He frowned. “Why?”

“First, because it’s a great spot to lay low. And, second, I’ve been wanting to visit.” She gave him a little shrug.

He arched a dark, thick brow, but didn’t comment. Just as well. Inda didn’t want to hear any more of his pretty lies. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that her boss, who claimed he was computer illiterate, was really Cipher—one of the best, most elusive hackers on the web.

As they approached Land’s End, Inda felt drawn to the wild and beautiful area located on the edge of the city. She guided the boat past a couple of large rocks, went as shallow as possible and tossed the anchor. They hopped out, the water soaking their feet, and walked up to the beach.

“Wow,” she murmured, turning to look out at the setting sun. The water glimmered and Lucas stopped beside her. Not far out, a large rock broke through the ocean surface and she couldn’t help but notice it had a heart-shaped cutout.

“Beautiful,” he said, voice low.

It took her a moment to realize he was looking at her, but she pretended not to notice. Turning away from the sinking sun, she started walking toward the ruins. The place had a mysterious, unkempt feel that she instantly loved. A mystical energy seemed to fill the air, and when they reached the old baths, she climbed up onto the ledge of one of the abandoned pools. Her boot slipped on some loose stones and she swayed slightly.

“Careful,” Lucas said, stepping up beside her, reaching for her elbow.

Inda snatched her arm away. “You don’t need to look out for me,” she snapped tartly. “I can take care of myself. Always have.”

She didn’t mean to be so short-tempered, but even though they’d escaped danger together, Lucas was the enemy. An important fact she had to keep reminding herself. The last thing she needed to do was slip up—again—and put her team in danger. They were her first priority.

His heady cologne caught on the breeze, wafting over, and infused her senses with musk and pine. Damn him, he was getting under her skin. A temptation she couldn’t afford. Her best option was to freeze him out and steer clear. Otherwise, she had no doubt he would flip on her in a heartbeat and feed her to the wolves.

◆◆◆

The sun finished setting and the wind swept over the ruins, cooling the air. Inda turned chilly, too. Lucas couldn’t blame her. She’d discovered his true identity, and she obviously wasn’t amused, impressed, or happy. If they were smart, they would distance themselves from each other now that the truth was out.

Normally, Lucas considered himself a pretty smart guy. But when it came to the feisty Latina beauty beside him, his resolve weakened. She fascinated him in a way no other woman ever had. It was a little maddening because while he knew he should keep his distance, he was inexplicably drawn to her. Whatever magnetic pull had him in its hold, it made it impossible for him to ignore the feeling there was something between them. A connection. But he’d be a fool to pursue it. Wouldn’t he?

Maybe there was more to her story and her team. Important things Carlisle had left out and intel that couldn’t be found on the Dark Web. Didn’t he owe it to himself to find out? A huge part of him wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Christ, you are a fool, Sheridan. He scrubbed a hand over his face and decided to ignore the logical voice in his head. Something he rarely, if ever, did.

“So where’d you learn to wield a rope like that?” he asked, unable to hide the admiration in his tone.

“Where’d you learn to hack?” she fired right back without missing a beat.

He couldn’t help but grin. Damn, she was a badass and it was turning him on big-time.

“Let’s make a deal. You can ask me a question then I get to ask you a question. Complete honesty.”

Her dark eyes seemed to flash with momentary consideration before she spun away on her heel. “No deal.”

Dammit. “Inda, wait!”

She ignored him, hopping off the edge of the pool and making her way down several large boulders. He followed her over to a remote section of beach and caught up easily, his legs much longer than hers.

Grabbing her arm, he spun her around to face him. “We need to talk.”

“Maybe I don’t want to talk,” she said, tilting her chin up.

Defiant as hell.

Without thinking, he slid a hand through her hair, grasped her neck and forced her head back. He knew she could pull one of her martial arts moves and lay him out flat on his back, especially when he yanked her head back and lowered his face to within an inch of hers. But she didn’t.

Suddenly, they were both breathing hard, both too stubborn and unwilling to compromise.

“If you don’t want to talk,” he growled, “then we can put that mouth of yours to better use.” Before she could reply, he slammed his mouth against hers. A part of him expected her to fight and shove him away. She briefly tensed, then melted, opening her mouth and welcoming his hard kiss. Giving back just as good as she got.

There on the beach, beneath the moonlight, they punished each other with teeth, tongues and lips. Nothing about the kisses they exchanged was sweet or gentle. They were dominant, unforgiving and wild as the surf crashing against the shoreline.

After several long, infuriating moments, she tore her mouth away and stared up at him. “I should hate you,” she rasped.

His fingers tightened in her hair, pulling at her scalp as he looked down at her. His entire body was bent over hers and his arms were the only thing holding her up. “But you don’t,” he said boldly. Roughly. “Do you?”

Her chest rose and fell with each fast breath she took. “Shut up and kiss me, Sheridan.”

She hadn’t called him Cipher, so he was taking that as a good sign. Hauling her up, he lifted her right off the sand and she eagerly jumped up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. Their mouths met again, but this time it wasn’t so feral and aggressive. It was sensual and deep, all tongue, and Lucas felt every one of his nerve endings explode. A bolt of pleasure surged through his body and his dick turned to steel.

Inda might be his enemy, but he wanted her more than his next breath.

You are so fucked, Sheridan.