Glitter and Gunfire/Bulletproof (Shadow Agents 4)

Maybe.

Yes.

If they’d met in a different time. Different place.

Okay, maybe an entirely different life.

“You don’t have to dress on my account,” he told her. The hint of Texas was back in his voice, thickening the words.

“I’d better dress on my own account.” Because being mostly naked in front of the agent wasn’t a good plan.

Mercer would be furious.

So, what?

She held Cale’s gaze a moment longer, then scurried around him and headed for her closet. She fumbled quickly inside, grabbing her jeans and a T-shirt. “I’ll change in the bathroom and be right back.” She didn’t glance over her shoulder at him as she hurried into the relative safety of the bathroom.

She did turn the lock into place.

Snick.

Then she dressed as quickly as she could...before hurrying toward the window—and escape. She’d picked the hotel deliberately. She wasn’t staying there because of the five-star dining options or the perfect proximity to some of the main Carnival events.

She was in that hotel because it offered suites that were housed on the second floor—a floor full of balconies. And, so convenient for her, there was even an old-style lattice on the side of her building. Lattice that she could use in her bid for freedom.

Cassidy believed in the value of an escape plan. Because plans like that...they sure came in handy during situations exactly like this one.

* * *

THEY HADN’T GOTTEN their target. Ian Gagnon glared at the men around him. It should have been so simple. Those rich fools had been too afraid to fight back.

The plan had been perfect.

Slip into the party.

Grab the girl.

Get away.

They’d done the same routine a dozen times, all without any mistakes. But this time, with her, everything had gone to hell. They’d had to fight their way to safety.

Two of his men hadn’t made it out of that fire.

They’d fallen to gunfire.

Gunfire.

The party hadn’t just bee

n filled with helpless fools. The man who’d come so quickly to Cassidy Sherridan’s rescue—her possessive lover with the glittering gaze and the gun holstered under his tux—he was a threat that Ian had not anticipated.

But the man was a threat that could be eliminated.

He would study that mysterious gentleman. Learn his secrets and weaknesses. Everyone had weaknesses that could be exploited. Ian knew that well.

Cassidy’s lover hadn’t been alone in the ballroom. Another man had come to his aid, fighting, battling viciously. And a third person—a shooter, a sniper—had fired on Guan. The bullet had flown through the window and taken Guan’s life. Guan had been a valuable part of Ian’s crew. Strong, cruel, able to kill so easily—he’d been a key asset.

And he’d been caught unaware.