Alpha One (Shadow Agents 1)

Logan stepped back, half turned and caught the man in a fierce grip.

“Wrong move.” The whisper came from right beside Juliana. She jerked, but Guerrero already had her. He grabbed her, his arms wrapping around her from behind.

“Juliana!”

She didn’t waste time looking at Logan. She hunched her shoulders and dropped instantly from Guerrero’s grasp, just like Logan had taught her. Then she drove her elbow back into Guerrero’s groin. He groaned and stumbled back.

Not such easy prey, am I? Not this time, she wasn’t.

Logan rushed past her and crashed into Guerrero. They both hit the ground, rolling in a ball of fists and fury.

The second guard...he was still moving, trying to crawl for the discarded knife.

Thunder echoed outside.

Juliana grabbed the chair that Logan had been tied to. She lifted it as high as she could and slammed it down onto the guard’s back.

He stopped moving then.

Juliana spun back around. Guerrero had a blade in his hand. A blade he was driving right at Logan’s throat.

Juliana screamed and ran forward.

Logan grabbed Guerrero’s hand, twisted it back and shoved the blade of the knife into Guerrero’s throat.

A choked gurgle broke from Guerrero’s lips.

“Told you,” Logan growled, “you never should have brought me in alive.”

Guerrero’s body shuddered. He tried to speak, couldn’t.

And as she watched, as Logan rose to his feet, El Diablo died. He was crying when he died. The tears leaked down his face even as the blood poured from his neck.

Her breath heaved out of her lungs. Juliana looked down and realized that she was dripping blood. She’d forgotten her wounds. She’d been too worried about Logan. But now...

Now she hurt.

He turned toward her. “Julie...”

Footsteps raced outside the room. Logan swore. He grabbed the knife and yanked it from Guerrero’s throat. Then he pushed Juliana against the wall, sheltering her beside his body as he waited for the next wave of guards to come into the room.

A man raced in, a gun in his hands.

Logan kicked the gun away and put his knife at the man’s throat in a lightning-fast move.

“Don’t!”

Not Juliana’s cry. Sydney’s. Juliana saw the woman rush through the door. Her eyes were wide and worried and locked on Logan—Logan and Jasper.

“Here to...save you...” Jasper wheezed.

Logan lowered his arm. “Little late, buddy. Little late...”

Sydney and Jasper glanced at the bodies on the floor. “Yes, it looks that way.”

Logan used the knife to cut away the last of the ropes that dangled from his wrists. She’d barely even noticed them during the fury of the fight. “Are we clear outside?” Logan demanded.

Sydney nodded. “I don’t think Guerrero was expecting us to come so soon.” Sydney edged closer to the body. “Only a handful of men waited outside.”