Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents 2)

I was falling for you, and now I think everything was a lie. “I don’t get close to people easily. I—I can’t.” She’d always held back, was too shy, too cautious. “With you, everything seemed easy.” She’d been too trusting. So ridiculously grateful to have someone finally on her side.

“It can be that way again,” he growled. “Veronica...”

“Are you still working me?”

He frowned at her.

“Because I think you are. I think you and the other agents... I think you’re about to take me in there to see my brother, and you’re going to try and use me to get a confession from him.”

She might be trusting, might be too naive, but she wasn’t stupid.

And Jasper wasn’t denying her charge.

“There’s you and me,” she said, pushing his words back at him, “and there’s my brother. There’s his case. It’s all mixed together, and no matter what we might both want...” Because she did wish things were different. “They can’t ever be separate.”

Because touching him burned through her ice, she pulled her hand away from him. “Now, if you aren’t taking me to see my brother, then I’ll go find someone else who will.”

He growled. No other word for it.

Fine. She started walking for the door.

“This isn’t over,” he warned.

Veronica didn’t look back at him, but she did say, “You’re right. It’s not over. It won’t be over until I prove my brother’s innocence.”

The floor creaked behind her. Then he was there, pulling open the door, leaning toward her. His lips brushed over the curve of her ear as he whispered, “I meant between us. You and I aren’t close to being done.”

The words were a threat. Swallowing, she lifted her chin and forced herself to walk slowly, calmly, down the hallway and toward her brother’s holding room.

* * *

“I’M GUESSING THAT didn’t go so well,” Logan muttered as Jasper followed Veronica out of the room. Logan offered Jasper a white cloth. “For the blood,” Logan said, giving a nod of his head.

Jasper swiped the blood away.

“Focus on the case,” Logan said. “Then go after the girl.”

Because of the case, he was losing the girl. He tossed the cloth into the garbage and followed Veronica down the hallway. She’d stopped in front of Gunner. He was still guarding the door to Cale’s room.

“Is he in there?” Veronica asked Gunner.

Jasper hated the flat tone of her voice. That wasn’t Veronica. There was always emotion bubbling in her voice and eyes.

Not now.

Gunner glanced over at Jasper. He nodded. They had to do this. Logan wouldn’t follow them in this time. He’d hang back, and Jasper knew he would be entering the surveillance room that Sydney had set up. The better to watch and see what was happening. The better to record any confessions that Cale might make.

Jasper saw Veronica suck in a deep breath right before Gunner opened the door and waved her inside.

“Ronnie!” Cale was instantly on his feet.

Veronica ran toward him with her arms open.

Jasper grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her waist and hauling her back. It was protocol, especially after Cale’s attack on him. No touching. But when Veronica started twisting and fighting in his arms, she broke his heart.

Since when do I have one of those?

“Let her go!” Cale snarled. But he wasn’t advancing on Jasper. Probably because an armed Gunner was blocking his path.