Alpha One (Shadow Agents 1)

And they’d talked for so many hours. Her heart slammed into her chest.

“You weren’t talking to another hostage in that hellhole.” Logan exhaled on a low sigh. “My team believes you were talking to the number-one weapons dealer in Mexico—the man his enemies call El Diablo because he never, ever leaves anyone alive who can ID him.”

Goose bumps rose on her arms.

“That man with you? The one you were so desperate to save? That was Diego Guerrero.”

Oh, hell. “Logan...”

A fist pounded on the door.

Logan didn’t move but she jumped. “I need you to trust me,” he told her. “Whatever happens, you have to stay with me, do you understand? Guerrero’s tracked you. He’ll use anything and anyone he can in order to get to you.”

The door shook again. There was only one entrance and exit to that room. Unless they were going to crawl out that tiny window in the bathroom...

“I can keep you alive,” Logan promised, eyes intense. “It’s what I do.”

Her father had told her that he was an assassin. That for years Logan’s job had been to kill.

But he’d saved her life twice already.

“This is the police!” a voice shouted. “Miss James, you need to come out! We’re here to help you.”

Logan’s smile was grim. “It’s not the police. When we open that door, it might look like them—”

Nightmare. This is a—

“—but it won’t be them. They’ll either kill you outright or deliver you to Guerrero.” His voice was low, hard with intensity. “I’m your best bet. You might hate me—”

No, she didn’t. Never had. Just

one of their problems...

“—but you know no matter what you have to face on the other side of that door—”

Cops? Maybe more killers?

“—I’ll keep you safe.”

“We’re comin’ in!” the voice shouted. “We’re comin’—”

Gunfire exploded. Juliana didn’t scream, not this time. She clamped her mouth closed, choked back the scream that rose in her throat and dived for cover.

Logan jumped for the window. He knocked out the glass, took aim and—

Smiled.

From her position on the floor, Juliana watched that cold grin slip over his face. She expected him to start firing, but...

But she heard the sound of a car racing away. Tires squealed.

And Logan stalked to the door. He yanked it open.

The man he’d called Gunner stood on the other side.

Juliana scrambled to her feet. “The cops?”

“Those trigger-happy idiots weren’t cops.” Gunner shrugged. “A few shots sent them running fast enough, but I’m betting those same shots will have the real cops coming our way soon enough.” His eyes, so dark they were almost black, swept over her. “There’s a hit on you. A very, very high price on that pretty head. So unless you want the next funeral to be your own...”