Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents 2)

“You know how important Veronica is to me,” Cale continued, his voice flat, totally emotionless, “and you knew she was always off-limits. She wasn’t part of our world.”

The world of battles and death. Blood and bullets.

Jasper leaned forward and felt the pull of his stitches. “You made her a part of that world when you started hunting EOD agents. You brought us right to her door.” Or they would have gone to her door...

But she came looking for me in that bar. Walked up to me with fear and determination mixed in her gaze, and she asked for my help.

“You’ve got the wrong man.” Cale gave him a smile that a tiger would have envied as he leaned back in his chair. “I haven’t killed any EOD agents.”

“That’s not what the evidence says.” Jasper kept his voice just as flat as Cale’s. He wasn’t giving the guy the upper hand.

Logan watched in silence from his position against the right wall. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his gaze was locked on Cale.

But Cale shook his head and seemed to ignore Logan. A trick, of course, because Jasper knew that Cale was aware of every move that the other agent made. Still staring right at Jasper, Cale said, “Evidence can lie. Especially if it’s planted evidence.”

“So someone’s setting you up?” Jasper let the doubt drip from his words.

“If you weren’t so busy screwing my sister, you would have realized that sooner.”

Jasper hadn’t expected the knife stab to come so fast. He took the jab and tilted his head to better study Cale. “You’ve been watching us.”

Cale’s eyes darkened with fury. He didn’t know. Hell. He was just guessing. Just tossing out—

Cale leaped to his feet and slammed his head into Jasper’s. Jasper punched him back, but not before Cale managed to connect hard with the fresh wound on Jasper’s forehead.

Cale had never minded playing dirty.

Logan rushed forward and shoved Cale back into his seat. Then he took out his gun and aimed it right at Cale. “Go at my agent again, and you’ll be a dead man. We won’t care about hearing your side of the story. We won’t care about—”

Cale’s laughter cut through his words.

Jasper swiped away the blood that had dripped down f

rom his forehead.

“You think I don’t know this scene?” Cale asked, still grinning. “If you’re questioning me, then you want something. Something you think only I can give you.”

True enough. So why play any more games? “We want to know who hired you to kill the agents.”

Cale’s grin was chilling.

“You’re a mercenary, right?” Logan pushed. “You kill for the right cash.”

Cale’s gaze slowly slid from Logan to Jasper. “I figure every man in this room has plenty of blood on his hands.”

Jasper looked down at his hands. He’d washed blood away less than an hour before. Still looking at his hands, he said, “You were paid to kill three EOD agents. Marcus Holloway.” He glanced up, waiting for a reaction. “Julian Forrest and Ben King.”

Cale gave no reaction. “I didn’t kill them.”

“You knew them all,” Jasper said. “That’s why it was so easy to get close to them. Hell, what did they do? Just open their doors when they saw you? Told you to come on in? Then you attacked when they turned their backs?”

“That’s not the way I attack.”

“We found shoe impressions that you left at a scene. Clay that matched up to the exact same kind that you’ve got on your ranch.” He heaved out a breath. “I guess you didn’t clean up after yourself well enough at those scenes.”

Cale stared back at him. “I don’t kill men on my side.”

“But they weren’t on your side.” This came from Logan. “They were on the EOD’s side, and the EOD didn’t want you.”