Alpha One (Shadow Agents 1)

But he’d been fighting them back. He and Jasper had been holding their own against them all.

Until he’d lost his control. He’d seen the body and... “I thought it was you.” He’d never forget the fear. How could he? Echoes of it still burned in his bleeding gut.

“What was me?”

“When the body fell, for an instant...” He wished he could see her through the darkness. His eyes had adjusted, and he could make out the outline of her body, but that wasn’t good enough. He wanted to look into her eyes. To see her while he had the chance.

Time was all they needed. Hurry up, Syd.

His breath expelled in a rush. “I thought it was you, and I’ve never been so scared in my life.” Not even that horrible night when his father had destroyed three lives.

The night that was between them. Always would be.

His fear, that crack in his control, had cost them both. Guerrero never would have gotten the drop on him if he’d stayed focused.

But with Juliana, focus had never been his strength.

“Logan, I need to tell you...” Juliana began, her voice soft.

He wasn’t sure he could stand to hear what she had to tell him. He heard footsteps coming in the hallway, heading toward them.

“Lean toward me,” he told her.

He heard the rustle of her clothes. The creak of her chair. She was bound just like he was, but when they leaned forward, they were just close enough—

To kiss.

Logan’s mouth took hers. He kissed her with all the passion he felt. The need. The hunger. But he kept his control. He just wanted her taste on his lips. Wanted the memory to hold tight and to get him through the pain that would come.

His lips slipped from hers. “I always loved you.” He hadn’t meant for the confession to come out, but as soon as the words rumbled from him, Logan didn’t regret them. It was the truth, one he’d hidden, one he’d carried, and in case Syd didn’t get there fast enough, he wanted Juliana to know.

“What?”

“You deserved better than to be with a killer’s son.” No, he’d tell her everything. No more lies. “You deserved better than to be with a killer. That’s what I am. What I’ve always been, inside. My father, he knew. He saw it in me. Told me I’d be just like him, and when I got in the military...” It had all been too easy for him.

He pulled in a breath. Still tasted her. “You’re the one good thing that I’ve known in my life. I walked away from you because...hell, Julie, how could you not hate me knowing what happened? But I carried you with me every place I went. You were there.” She’d gotten him out of more hells than he could count.

Silence. Then “Logan...”

The footsteps were closer. Their time was up. “Just remember that, okay?” He wanted to touch her, so he kissed her again. “Remember.” No matter what came.

The door creaked open. Light poured onto them. He saw Juliana’s face then, pale, beautiful, but marked by dark bruises near her forehead and on the curve of her left cheek.

“You son of a bitch,” he snarled and turned his head. His gaze locked on the man advancing in that bright light. A man with dark hair, dark eyes and a grin the devil could wear.

“Hello, Mr. Quinn,” Diego Guerrero said, his voice calm and flat. “I was wondering how much longer you’d be out.”

Because he’d been drugged. Yeah, Logan had figured that out fast enough. He remembered the slice of knives, but he also remembered the prick of a needle that had taken him down during the battle. Guerrero had wanted a live hostage. So you could use me against Juliana.

Guerrero was a man who knew how to plan well. Just not well enough.

Logan smiled at him. “Tonight, your empire’s going down. You’re about to lose everything.”

Guerrero laughed at that. Two men followed him into the room. Men who already had knives in their hands.

“No, Mr. Quinn...or shall I just call you Logan? Logan, tonight, you’re the one who’s going to lose...” Guerrero walked over and stood behind Juliana. His hands wrapped around her throat. “You’re going to sit there and watch while you lose everything that matters to you.”

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