Alpha One (Shadow Agents 1)

“How do you know about him?” Thomas had been her friend; then after Logan left, he’d been more. She’d just wanted to forget for a while. To feel wanted, loved by someone else.

“You were sleeping with him.”

There was anger, jealousy—rage—vibrating in his voice now. She almost wished for that emotionless mask.

“I couldn’t breathe without thinking of you, but you’d moved on. Gotten someone better.”

She and Thomas had broken up after a few months. He’d been a good guy, solid, dependable, but he hadn’t been...

Logan.

“You had what you needed. I had no right to come back in and screw up your life.”

He’d come back.

“So I stayed away.” His hand rose to his chest. Pressed over the scar that was a reminder of the battles he’d faced. “I did my job.”

* * *

SUSAN STARED UP into Gunner’s face. Not a handsome face. Too hard. Too rough. This wasn’t an easy man before her.

She let her head fall forward, so weary she could hardly stand it. “I never wanted things to be like this.”

His hands came up to her shoulders. “You’re safe.”

She wasn’t. “I grew up with nothing.” Nothing but the looks of pity others gave her. “I swore that one day I’d have everything.” But Aaron was dead. His daughter was still alive. The will gave Susan nothing.

Just what I’ve always had.

Unless Juliana died, Susan would just get scraps.

Now she had Guerrero out there, waiting in the shadows.

Her shoulders hunched as she leaned toward him. “This isn’t the way I wanted my story to end.”

“It’s not over,” he told her as his hands tightened around her shoulders. “You think I didn’t want to give in when they had me in that pit? Giving up is easy. Fighting to live is the hard part.”

Yes, it was, but... “I’m a fighter.” Always had been.

“Good, you should—” His words broke off, ending in a choked gurgle.

Susan didn’t look up at his face. Her eyes were on her hands—on the knife she’d just shoved into his stomach.

You should have searched me. Guerrero had been right. An injured woman could get past nearly any guard. Some men just had blind spots. I slipped right past yours, Gunner.

She twisted the knife. “I’m not going back to nothing.”

Another choked growl.

Susan looked up into his eyes. His hands had fallen from her. “Sorry, but this time, you need to give up. There’s no point in fighting.”

Because he wasn’t going to keep living.

He slumped over and hit the floor with a thud.

* * *

A FAINT THUD REACHED Juliana’s ears. She frowned and glanced back up the stairs.