Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents 7)

Dylan glared at him. “I told you to stand down. Maybe next time you’ll follow orders.”

Rachel’s feet padded away from him. The bedroom door closed. Good. She was getting dressed. Thomas wouldn’t be able to ogle her legs.

The way I was doing.

“Come on now,” Thomas said as he shut the door behind him. “We both know what really happened. You thought I’d hurt Rachel, and you went a little...over the edge.”

Dylan felt a muscle jerk in his jaw. “Why are you here?”

Thomas shrugged. “Mercer’s afraid you might have another one of those little over the edge moments since this particular case is so personal. Since your usual backup—Cooper Marshall—is out of town on his honeymoon, the big boss sent me to keep watch on you and Rachel.”

Great. Just what he needed. Thomas already seemed a little too interested in Rachel as it was.

Thomas lifted his hands in the air. “Consider me part of your team from here on out.”

Not what he wanted. Thomas had a reputation within the EOD. The guy was a martial arts expert, and that expertise had earned him the moniker of Dragon. His particular skill set made him the perfect killing machine—and Thomas had killed plenty of times. His specialty was hand-to-hand combat. He could kill an enemy instantly, and his prey never would have the chance to so much as whisper for help.

Thomas had been captured behind enemy lines a year ago. By the time Dylan and his team had gotten in to free the man, Thomas had already killed all of his captors.

And the man hadn’t even had a weapon.

But Thomas had been injured. Grievously so. It had been touch and go on the chopper ride out of that place. Rachel had stayed with Thomas every moment. She’d applied pressure to his wounds. She’d kept the man alive, talking to him, telling him that everything would be okay.

And Thomas had made it. He’d pulled through.

Only, now do you have too much of an interest in Rachel? Dylan sure thought so. “Another agent will probably work better,” he said, giving a decisive nod. “I’ll talk with Mercer when we go in to the office today. Thanks, Dragon, but your services aren’t—”

“You know that I owe her.” Thomas’s cool voice interrupted Dylan’s words. “Let me repay the debt.”

The bedroom door opened behind them.

Dylan glanced at Rachel. She’d dressed in fresh jeans and a T-shirt. She’d picked up a small overnight bag last night, right before he’d hustled her out of her place. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She looked younger. Vulnerable.

But the truth was that Rachel Mancini really was far from defenseless or delicate. She’d been a marine, then a Marine Corps Judge Advocate. In the courtroom, she’d been a powerhouse. Then, when she’d joined the EOD, Rachel had proven herself time and again. She put her life on the line. She fought to protect her teammates.

Now they would protect her.

Sorry, Rachel, for what’s coming. But I won’t keep risking you. He’d created his own plan last night when he’d tossed and turned on that lumpy couch.

“Thomas is our backup on this mission,” Dylan said.

“The mission?” Rachel repeated.

“Apprehending and containing the assassin known as Jack.” As Mercer had said, that was priority. He inclined his head toward Thomas. “Welcome to the team.” And if you mess up, if you put her in any jeopardy, you’ll answer to me.

Thomas nodded back to him. Dylan knew that his message had been received. Loud and clear.

Good. The Dragon’s reputation didn’t scare Dylan. If Thomas did anything to endanger Rachel, Dylan wouldn’t stop until he’d destroyed the other man.

* * *

JACK STARED THROUGH his scope as the three EOD agents filed out of Dylan Foxx’s building.

The scope focused on them, one at a time. The man in front was new—dark hair, tall, muscled. He walked with the same too-aware tenseness that Dylan Foxx did. Ex-military. At the EOD, they pretty much all were.

That didn’t give them an advantage.

I’m ex-military, too. Only they didn’t know that because they didn’t know anything about him. To the EOD agents, he was a ghost.