Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents 2)

But she was trying to follow another one of Cale’s rules. Never break in front of the enemy. Never show your pain. Others will just use that pain against you.

Jasper had sure caused her plenty of pain.

“They’re not FBI, you know that, right?” Veronica said to Wyatt. He’d been with her, pretty much from the moment since the agents had taken her brother into custody. At the crash scene, he’d appeared with Logan Quinn. Wyatt’s face had looked grim, the faint lines around his face much deeper.

“Not FBI,” Wyatt agreed quietly, “but they’ve got high clearance.”

“How high?” Veronica asked. She wasn’t staring Jasper in the eye. She couldn’t. And he was just staring at her.

“High enough that the governor called and told me to do whatever Logan Quinn said.”

When the governor said jump...

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She’d been a fool, and now she had to pay a price for her blind trust.

Talk to Jasper. Because he was still just staring at her, waiting. “You’re not a mercenary,” she said, and risked the briefest of stares into his eyes.

“No, ma’am.”

She flinched at that drawl. Her gaze dropped to his chin.

His jaw clenched.

“What are you?” she asked him.

“I’m a federal agent.”

“You’re not with the FBI.”

“No, ma’am.”

Her eyes slit as they lifted back to meet his gaze. “What’s the EOD?”

He glanced at the sheriff. Yes, she knew that Wyatt could tell her, especially since it seemed that he, Logan and the governor were all suddenly tight, but she wanted to hear this information straight from Jasper. It would be interesting to see what the truth sounded like from him.

“It’s the Elite Operations Division. We’re a hybrid group, mostly ex-military.”

Like her brother. “Why were you hunting Cale?”

He reached for her. She flinched back. He was bleeding. There was blood on his forehead, and she’d noticed that his shoulder looked padded—probably because of a bandage under his shirt.

His hand dropped.

“Why?” she repeated.

“Because Cale is wanted in connection with the murders of three EOD agents.”

She shook her head instantly. “He wouldn’t do that,” she whispered, but she cleared her throat and spoke again, her voice stronger. “Cale rescues people. He doesn’t kill them. He doesn’t—”

“We also think he’s tied to the fire and explosion at the police station, and the murder of the two men who were shot outside the station—the men who attempted to abduct you.” A clipped voice.

She wanted to rage at him, but her voice stayed controlled. Mostly. “I was outside that station. Do you seriously think my brother was trying to kill me, too?”

“No, ma’am.”

Veronica hated that drawling “ma’am” bit.

“I think your brother is one fine shot,” Jasper continued quietly. “Actually, I know he is. That’s why you weren’t hurt that day. He took out his targets, just like this morning, when he aimed only at me, not you.”