Undercover Captor (Shadow Agents 5)

She’d been managing to keep the asthma in check. She’d handled the motorcycle ride just fine. Tina had thought she could keep controlling the asthma. Until the plane had exploded. Until the smoke had choked her. Until— “Has Pierce been recovered?”

Drew shook his head. “There’s...not going to be much left to recover.”

Right. Her eyes closed for an instant. That last little bit of hope left her.

“Tina?”

Her eyes opened. “How did Devast know I was getting on that plane?” The EOD had made arrangements for her flight out of Texas. She should have been safe.

“I slipped into his network,” Drew said quietly, his gaze watchful on her face. “And it looks like he managed to slip someone into ours.”

Her heart seemed to ache with each beat. From past experience, she knew the soreness would last for a while. “You’re saying we have some kind of double agent in the EOD?”

He nodded. “It looks that way.”

“Who?”

“That’s what we have to find out. And we will find out.”

“Before,” she demanded because it was too much, “or after I’m dead?”

His hands rose and curled around her shoulders. “I’m not letting you die.”

Didn’t he get it? “You saw me.” She pressed her lips together so they wouldn’t tremble. Shame burned in her, but she pushed past it. “When an attack hits me, there is nothing I can do. I’m too vulnerable. If there’s a double agent in the EOD, he can find out my secret.” If he doesn’t already know. “I’m easy to kill.” The paper gown scraped across her knees as she shifted uncomfortably. “Too easy.”

“I’m not letting you die,” he said again, voice rougher.

“You can’t save everyone, you know.” That was a lesson she’d been taught long ago. Sometimes you couldn’t even save the ones who mattered to you the most.

“You aren’t everyone.” A muscle jerked in his jaw. “You aren’t dying.” His head bent toward her. “You scared me.”

She didn’t think anything scared him.

His lips brushed against hers. “You were dying in my arms. There was nothing I could do.”

Tears stung her eyes. Her father had died in her arms.

“Come back to me.”

Those harsh, rumbling words had her blinking.

And getting lost in the gold of his gaze.

“You think I don’t know,” Drew began as he eased ever closer to her, “when you leave me? I can tell when you slip into your mind, into the past that has left those scars inside you.” His lips thinned. “I don’t like it. Don’t focus on whatever the hell happened to you. Focus on now. On me.”

He kissed her again. Harder. This wasn’t a kiss of comfort. This was a kiss of pure, wild need.

His mouth didn’t hesitate—it took. He was demanding a response from her and, raw and vulnerable from all that had happened, Tina had no barriers to protect herself from him.

So she just...let go.

Her mouth met his. Hungry. Desperate.

Her hands came up and locked around his shoulders. She pulled him against her. She needed him as close as she could get him.

Her heart pounded. Ached.

When he kissed her, she didn’t feel weak. She felt sensual, powerful, alive.