Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 419(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125700 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 419(@300wpm)
She’d thrown herself in front of him. Anything could have happened. He’d realized the weapon in Drake Radcliffe’s hand had been a taser. It was practically a toy in their world. It was what they used when they wanted to make a point but not actually hurt the target.
And yes, on some out-of-control Saturday nights there were dumbasses who played with them. He wasn’t one of those men.
But Maddie had thought it was a gun. She’d thought he was about to be shot, and she’d thrown her body over his.
She’d nearly given him a heart attack, but he knew exactly who to take all his stress out on.
She pulled at his hand as they entered the hallway leading to her great room. “What is going on?”
Deke took a deep breath. None of this was her fault, and he wasn’t about to take his anger at the Agency out on her. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sorry. My adrenaline’s up. Help me calm down.”
She softened immediately, hugging him and rubbing her head against his chest. “Of course. It’s okay. I was scared, too. I didn’t know he carried around a taser. I thought he worked in biotech. He’s supposed to be a research scientist not a spy. I guess that’s why he was so willing to listen to my work stories.”
She’d been running on instinct, and her instinct had been to protect him. He needed to train her to protect herself instead since he was the one with all those skills, but damn it had felt good.
He’d been pissed as hell at Drake, but Maddie had risked her life for him.
If that wasn’t a shot, he didn’t know what was.
“His name is Drake Radcliffe. He works for the CIA, and he’s been with them since he was barely out of diapers.”
“I heard that, Murphy,” a loud voice called from the kitchen. “How about we keep classified information classified.”
“If you wanted to keep your identity on the down low, you shouldn’t have tried to take advantage of her.” He kissed the top of her head and lowered his voice since it seemed Drake had superhearing. “Do not trust him. We might have to work together, but you need to understand he’s got an agenda.”
“I’m not going to trust that man. He lied to me and went totally against the terms of service for the dating app. It clearly states that you have to use your own name,” she replied.
He smoothed a hand over her back and felt her starting to relax. “I assure you that when they go to block his profile, it will already be gone. He’ll have protocols in place to clean up any hint that Dan Gray had ever been on the app. Maybe you shouldn’t try to find love online.”
She huffed and took a step back. “Well, I wasn’t finding it anywhere else.” She frowned and glanced down the hall. “Is he the one who was watching my door?”
It was a pretty good bet, but at least now they could know for sure. He reached for her hand again, happy when she let him entwine their fingers. He tugged her close. “We’ll ask him, but it would be a good idea to let him believe we’re together. I don’t want him thinking he can drive a wedge between us and use you the way he planned to.”
Drake would still try to find a way, but he needed to keep Maddie as close as he possibly could. He’d wanted to give her more time, but Drake showing up meant time was something they didn’t have. It also meant that there was no question something bad was happening on her project. Drake’s involvement proved she’d been right.
“Okay,” she replied.
She was right back to nervous again. He squeezed her hand. “Let me handle this. It’s going to be all right. This is exactly what I’m here to do. I’m here to protect you and handle all the crappy security stuff. I’ll deal with him.”
She sniffled and seemed to find her footing again. “Good. I think I’m going to open a bottle of wine while you deal with the spy guy.”
He led her into the hallway and down to her kitchen where Drake was sitting at the bar. Kyle stood at the refrigerator, the freezer door open.
“Well, I guess you don’t work in biotech.” Maddie frowned Drake’s way.
Drake’s expression softened. “No. I don’t. I’m sorry, Madeline. I needed to figure out what’s going on at Byrne with the satellite project.”
“How about asking her?” Deke did not understand the spy’s need for subterfuge.
“Because she could have been in on it.” Kyle pulled an ice pack from the freezer and handed it to Drake. “He doesn’t have years of history with her, man. You know how the Agency works.”
They worked in the shadows and didn’t care who they hurt. “So you tried to get in her bed? You know what that makes you?”