Chapter Ten

T he kiss they shared was the stuff of legends. Divine, epic, one in a million. Inda had never experienced such intense desire like she did with this man. She felt like she was playing Russian Roulette. Lucas presented a risk to absolutely everything—definitely to her team and their mission, but especially to her heart.

She should rip her mouth away and end it. Leave him standing on the sand alone. Instead, she sucked on his bottom lip then nipped it.

Confusion swept through her as she dove back in for another taste. She craved him like a drug, and he was the only one who could give her this high. But how could she be so attracted to a man who wanted to destroy her and her teammates? She couldn’t let that happen. Her first loyalty would always be to Ex Nihilo. They were her family. The only family she had. If it ever came down to it, she would fight for them like a tiger.

This can’t happen. She broke the kiss, panting hard, and loosened her hold on him. The air between them shifted, as though all the passion was sucked out, and he released her. Slowly, she slid down the length of his body, almost whimpering when she felt his huge, straining bulge.

“We need to talk,” she said, doing her best to sound all business when her insides were in emotional turmoil.

“I believe I mentioned that earlier and you said no.”

“I changed my mind.”

He let out a sigh, turned and discreetly adjusted himself.

Since no one was around, they could talk freely without fear of being overheard. She led him over to some large rocks and as soon as they sat down, she jumped in with a question before he could. “You said Chadwick Carlisle hired you to keep tabs on my team?”

“That’s right.”

“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 look at 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—”

His sapphire eyes collided with Lucas’ then turned to Inda.

“Why would you bring him here?” Zane asked her, ignoring Lucas.

“Everybody calm down,” Inda said, holding up her hands. “And please don’t be rude. I’m allowed to have guests.”

She sent a pointed look in Zane’s direction.

“I asked Lucas to come here so we could, ah, clear the air. There are some things we all need to discuss. Where are Rip and Demon?”

It wasn’t lost on Lucas that she was purposely using their codenames. Not that it mattered. He already had a dossier on each of them and it included their real names. But divulging his secret identity left Lucas feeling a little sick to his stomach. Shit, he hoped he hadn’t made a huge mistake. Even though Inda was a badass, there was only so much she could do to protect him if her team turned against him.

“I’ll get them,” Saint said after sending Lucas a cool look.

“C’mon.” Inda reached for his arm, guiding him over to one of the large couches, and he couldn’t miss the way Braxton and Zane exchanged a furtive look. As if they were ready to jump him and slice his throat at a moment’s notice. If they were all going to work together, Lucas would have to earn the team’s trust, and he had a sinking feeling that might prove to be impossible.

A minute later, Saint returned with the final two members of Ex Nihilo, and they were no less intimidating than the others. Ryland “Rip” Mills, bronzed and built, looked to be in peak physical condition. Like he could snap one neck after another quicker than a row of dominoes fell. And, hell, Grayson “Demon” Ellis looked like he ate nails for breakfast. The huge man with amber-colored eyes reminded Lucas of a lion.

Fucking hell. What possessed him to come here?

Once everyone was sitting, Inda addressed them, her voice steady and resolute. “As you know, I’ve been working over at C.C. Towers trying to uncover intel about The Agency.”

Braxton’s silver gaze snapped over to Lucas. “You know about The Agency?”

“Only what Inda has told me,” he answered carefully.

“What the fuck, Bruja?” Saint exclaimed.

“Why would you tell this guy anything?” Zane demanded.

“Excuse me, but didn’t you, Rip and Demon tell River, Harper and Aubrey everything after knowing them mere hours?”

“That’s completely different,” Ryland said.

“Well, so is this. And maybe even more so because Lucas is in a position to help us.”

“Help us how?” Braxton asked.

Inda pressed her lips together then let the cat out of the bag. “Because he’s Cipher.”

Lucas tried not to cringe when the men went into an uproar, everyone yelling over everyone else. All the commotion brought the women Inda mentioned hurrying in, and he steeled himself for the shit storm heading his way.

“What’s going on?” River demanded, Harper and Aubrey at her side.

Zane answered first. “RL, meet Lucas Sheridan. AKA Cipher.” River’s mouth dropped. “Yeah, exactly. I’m not sure if I should pound him into the ground or swap tricks. But, I’m leaning toward putting my fist in his face.”

“Everyone stop and let me explain!” Inda cried. Mouths shut and all attention landed on her, waiting expectantly. “I know I said no one was at the coffee shop, but that wasn’t exactly the truth. Lucas was there.”

“So you lied,” Saint stated, voice low and deadly. “Why?”

“Because I wanted to confront him first. By myself.”

“That was a dangerous move,” Braxton said.

“C’mon, Brax. Danger is my middle name.”

“You shouldn’t be using our real names.” Zane frowned.

“I already know your real names and backgrounds,” Lucas admitted. He looked at Inda and she nodded, encouraging him to continue. “Chadwick Carlisle hired me to keep tabs on your team and create a little chaos.”

“I wanna know how you hacked me,” Zane said grumpily.

“It was actually easier than I thought it would be,” Lucas responded then looked over at River. “Until she came along, anyway.”

“Because I set a trap and when you came sniffing around, it alerted us,” River said.

Lucas nodded. “Good move. Anyway, Carlisle told me your team was a threat to national security. That you were a group of assassins carrying out terrorist missions and needed to be stopped.”

“That’s a load of bullshit,” Ryland growled. “The real terrorist is The Agency.”

“He never mentioned anything about The Agency. I never heard that term until Inda asked me about them. I swear.”

“And we’re just supposed to believe you?” Zane asked, voice full of doubt.

“If this Agency is the real group of bad guys, I can help you bring them down. I’m done being lied to and used by Carlisle. If you’re the good guys like Inda claims, I’ll do whatever I can to tip the scales in your favor.”

For a long moment no one said anything. Then Braxton spoke up. “How about playing double agent?”

Lucas considered the question then slowly nodded. “If that’s what it takes, then yeah, count me in.”