Dangerous

by Jacquelyn Frank

Genres: General Fiction; Romance; Suspense

Synopsis

Devon Candler is nothing like the helpless, vulnerable woman Liam expected when he agreed to provide security for her secluded Catskill Mountain estate. Yet her life is at risk. Her enemies monsters. Her secrets devastating.



Liam Nash is a trained killer who takes no prisoners, fears no man. But to him this woman is seductively, devastatingly . . . dangerous.

Release date: November 14, 2013

Publisher: Zebra Books

Print pages: 320

Sample

“Why do I get the feeling I’m about to have a really bad day?”

“Dunno. Did you look in the mirror when you woke up again?” Inez queried with earnest concern, even going so far as to blink the lashes of her bold blue eyes a couple of times in affected worry.

Kellen crabbily reached out and smacked her in the back of her head, Inez’s helmet protecting her from all but the impetus and the sound of the strike.

“Hey!” she complained, grinning good-naturedly as she whacked him right back, a little harder than he had done.

“If you two are done?” came the dry query over their headsets.

“Sorry, Leader,” Kellen apologized for them both as he exchanged knowing humor with Inez using eyes alone. Inez made a low hand signal near her hips that indicated what she felt their Field Leader needed in order to snap him out of his present bad mood. Kellen had to cover the thin microphone near the corner of his lips to keep his laughter from bursting out over the open channel.

“Inez, you are going to have a real hard time hitting your targets if I snap that smart-assed hand off at the wrist.”

There was an instantaneous end to all horsing around when the boss made threats in that tone of voice. They both sobered up quickly as Inez gave him a contrite, “I read you, Leader.” She covered her mic as well and whispered, “I swear that man has X-ray vision.”

Kellen raised his brows and nodded in sympathy.

“Alpha Team, prepare.”

Kellen and Inez became instantly serious, each disconnecting their sidearms from their holsters, nimbly checking their ammunition status both by digital readouts and by examining their chambers and clips. They holstered with precise movements so closely synchronized, it looked like the sequence had been practiced a thousand times.

It had been practiced well beyond that.

Both took a single-knee stance, side by side, each reaching to smack the front of a fist against the other’s, a ready signal of team connectivity. Then they simply crouched and waited.

Liam Nash watched them, feet braced hard apart and arms folded over his broad chest as he kept his face completely unreadable. He didn’t want any of the other occupants of the observation booth getting the slightest impression of restlessness from him, so he kept very still, his breathing steady. It wasn’t that he was anxious. He knew his teams. He knew each one was going to perform up to expectation and beyond.

What he didn’t care for was going through this horse and pony show in the first place. The only thing this ridiculous display proved, he thought with disgust, was that his crew could hit targets while on the move. The local police training grounds were romper rooms compared to the facilities he trained his people in.

However, under no circumstances would he allow civilians into the NHK complex. He sure as hell wasn’t about to let them see the specifics of how they trained. Fortunately, the reputable name Nash, Harper and Klein alone was usually proof enough of capability, and stunts like this weren’t required. Unfortunately, Carter Spencer, the jackass intent on hiring them, had an enormous bug up his ass and had insisted on an exhibition.

Liam understood why Inez and Kellen were screwing around. He couldn’t blame them, really. It was one thing for them to execute observed maneuvers to try to meet his knowledgeable standards, or even those of a guest from one of the specialized forces communities, but to perform like tots in a kindergarten play for the clueless approval of a certified asshole? It was degrading for soldiers of their renown and skill to be put through their paces for an ignorant civilian.

Spencer had been sent by one Devon Candler to evaluate and gather an opinion on their outfit. To be fair to Candler, Liam could respect sending out a forerunner to gather a report before wasting valuable time interviewing potential fly-by-night operations. Also, if Candler was in a situation where NHK’s services were needed, it was probably safer all around to send out someone else.

On the other hand, Candler shouldn’t have sent out a moron like Spencer who, in this instance, had decided to get into a dick-swinging contest with Nash. Liam’s normal instincts would have included a lot less tolerance and a lot more anger toward such idiocy. However, Micah Harper, the business-minded partner of their triad, had made him promise not to do anything to purposely lose NHK’s chance at this valuable client. Since Micah wasn’t there to court their prospective client’s representative with his usual charm and endless patience, Liam was forced to take on a diplomatic role while Carter Spencer lorded it over those he knew were twenty times the man he would ever be.

And that was just Inez, Victoria, and Marnie, Liam thought with a grin.

He kept his eyes on the field below, not needing to look to his right to see Spencer. The other man’s smug face was reflected quite clearly in the observation booth glass. He was currently making low-voiced disparagements to his two flunkies, pathetically puffing himself up as superior even though he stood eight inches and at least 100 pounds shy of the man next to him, who could squash him like the little insect he was.

Liam took in a slow breath, cooling his temper as he forced himself to devote 100 percent of his focus to Alpha Team.

“Alpha, ready?”

“Ready,” came the sharp reply over the cutting-edge headsets. Liam raised his stopwatch, not willing to depend on the field clock’s accuracy. He nodded to the control chief.

“Alpha, execute,” he commanded sharply.

“Is this a team with a female?” Spencer asked, sliding his hands into the pockets of a suit that had to have cost an arm and a leg. Still might cost him an arm and a leg if he kept mouthing off, Liam thought with a feral internal smile. “I see no wisdom in using a sex proven to be physically inferior in strength, size, and speed, equal opportunity be damned. You shouldn’t kowtow to the feminists or any other affirmative action group because you fear legal reprisal, Nash. Your reputation might suffer.”

Liam just stood quietly and watched Inez Flores and Kellen Gordon enter the field. Inez took point as usual, her movements like lightning even in heavy armor. Once the first round was fired, the rest, as they say, was history. They tore the hell out of the course in record time.

“Jesus,” the chief exclaimed, tapping his chronometer as if something had to be wrong with it. “They beat the SWAT record.”

Liam already knew that. He had made it his business to know what that record was. He didn’t say anything; he just let a small curl touch his lips in one corner and said, “Beta, you’re up. Alpha, stand down.”

Inez whipped off her helmet, the sunlight briefly gleaming off the laser-etched hologram of her little boy on the protective gear’s forehead. She claimed he was her guardian angel and the sole reason why she’d never been seriously injured in the line of duty. Her partner watched her shake out a ream of ebony hair, grinning as he thought it more likely had to do with the fact that Inez was the fastest moving thing on two legs. Kellen took off his own helmet, tucking it under his arm as he started to unsnap the locks on his body armor.

“Tsk. You were low on the last two, champ,” he taunted her.

She flipped him off, making Kellen laugh, and then she reached to help him with the rear shoulder catches of his chest plate. He could do it himself, but it was easier to let his partner do it.

“Better too low than too high,” she said cheekily. “Which I will deny saying if you repeat it to Liam. You know Nash has no sense of humor when it comes to performance.”

“Nez . . . I’ve worked under the man for ten years. You think I don’t know that by now? Turn.” Inez turned so he could hit her clasps. “And by the look of him, I’d say he could boil water in his bare hands at the moment.”

Inez followed Kellen’s gaze up to the observation booth. “Yeah, well, we haven’t had to show off our skills to a potential client in a long time. Liam’s rightly insulted. What does a civilian know about what we’re doing down here? I mean, he has no military background. Not so much as a merit badge from the Boy Scouts. What does that pendejo think he’s looking at?”

“He’s looking at Nash to see if he can push his buttons. That either makes him really smart or really stupid.” Kellen and Inez shrugged out of their armor in tandem, the same way they did just about everything else.

“I’m going to vote really smart,” Inez speculated as they shouldered their torso armor and walked toward the three Hummers parked imposingly along the Academy drive. “From what little I’ve heard, Devon Candler doesn’t strike me as the sort to hire idiots. Especially not for a personal secretary. I bet Spencer has direct orders to yank the boss’s chain. Like you said, to see what riles him and how quick he is to lose his temper.”

“Nash would rather wear nothing but women’s lingerie in Times Square than let anyone purposely make him lose it,” Kellen noted. “Spencer’s in for a huge disappointment. C’mon. Let’s ditch this stuff and see if we get back in time for Charlie team to go through. I have a bet with Victoria that we’d kick their asses time-wise.”

“Easy money,” Inez laughed, shaking back her midnight hair so she could kiss the picture on her helmet.

Liam finished dismissing Delta squad and stripped off his headset. He angled a cold, calculated look at Spencer, who was trying to find something disparaging to say. Liam was on to the game by now, so he waited patiently for the useless B. S. to come. He turned his back to the field and leaned against the console, crossing his combat-booted ankles.

“That’s four squads, Spencer. The next four I bring out here will be more of the same,” he said evenly, “but I would prefer if I didn’t have to shame the local SWAT with four more record-breaking times. They’d start begging me to train their men; there’d be embarrassing groveling, and I might even be in danger of having my ass kissed. I’d rather spare myself the inconvenience.”

The control chief snorted out a loud laugh and nodded his head as if that was exactly what would happen. Since the location had been arranged entirely by Spencer, Liam couldn’t be accused of buying that reaction. It pleased and amused him.

“Well,” Spencer said, stopping to clear his throat loudly, his hands fishing in and out of his pockets twice. In Liam’s opinion, nothing looked more pathetic than a man who didn’t know where to put his hands. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Nash. I will discuss my observations with my employer. You will be notified—”

“Not so fast,” Liam barked, making the secretary freeze, including his agitated hands. “I want to meet Devon Candler. No decision can possibly be made when there has never been a meeting between the principal parties. Your job was to see if we were legit, and now you know we are. This is clearly a matter of life and death here, so let’s cut through the bullshit and get this done.”

“I think you should allow me to decide when and if it will be time for you to meet my employer,” Spencer said, almost as though he were lecturing a teenager in need of guidance. “Candler International has a certain way of doing things, Mr. Nash, and if you find that so difficult to adhere to just during the preliminaries . . .” He trailed off meaningfully.

“Then perhaps we aren’t suited to each other,” Liam finished for him, matching his contemplative tone. “You know, you may actually have something there.” He stood up straight, making certain his imposing 6’5” frame towered over the other man. “Nash, Harper, and Klein stands on its reputation, yet I have accommodated you today with patience and alacrity. Your employer came to us because there was a need, and we’re the best when it comes to satisfying that need. When you can respect what you’ve seen here today, and what everyone else in this line of work already knows, then we’ll be able to talk business. Until then, I have other clients and a training schedule to maintain.”

Liam leaned toward the glass, knowing someone had an eyes-on at all times, and whipped his hand around in a fast signal for them to wrap it up.

“Mr. Nash, this process is hardly over,” Spencer scoffed.

“Um,” Liam made as if he were contemplating that, “actually, Spencer, it’s as over as over gets.” Liam turned to the other men in the room. “Chief, Casey, Ryan, thanks for your assistance.”

Liam reached to shake hands with the three techs who had helped measure the field performances. He maintained good relationships with a lot of personnel in law enforcement all over the world, but in his hometown it was 100 percent first-name basis. It was crucial to cultivate associations so that the NHK compound didn’t clash with the local cops. Besides that, a lot of the SWAT and ESU team members for metro, county, and state came to NHK for consultations on everything from high-tech weaponry to the newly patented body armor he and Veronica Klein had developed. It was now the only thing on the market able to withstand piercing ammunition and the vicious attacks of the Morphates. It was also three times lighter than the hard-shell armor his troops were currently wearing to train in.

“Here’s how I see this, Spencer,” he said negligently. “Someone is gunning for your boss. I’ve got the equipment and the trained personnel you need to keep Candler alive. You don’t hire me, your boss dies . . . and you,” Liam tsked hard, “are out of a job. But until you hire NHK, it’s not my problem, so . . . good luck.”

Liam swung his gear bag up onto his shoulder, sliding on a pair of sunglasses, but not before he turned his back on Spencer and winked at the three cops running the control room. He walked out amidst their amused chortles.

He made it all the way to the line of Hummers in the drive before Spencer came huffing up in his wake.

All eight of Liam’s recently displayed crewmembers lounged lazily outside of the vehicles, leaning against steel wherever it was available. Inez was even sprawled along one of the hoods in a way that was only missing a revealing bikini. Instead, she was in her regulation blacks, the sleeveless tank and heavily pocketed pants covering all but her arms. Everyone wore identical outfits, right down to the sunglasses, combat boots, and dog tags.

Inez sat up alertly when Spencer came running up at Liam’s back. Liam had a thumb hooked under the strap of his gear bag on his shoulder, which allowed him to discreetly cut a finger across his throat, negating any action from his wary people. Everyone continued to lounge in place, though he knew eight pairs of eyes watched attentively.

“Nash! Wait!”

Liam took his time, reaching to stow his gear in the back of the lead Hummer. When he heard Carter Spencer reach the drive, he turned and leaned casually on the warm black metal of the truck.

“What is it, Spencer? I’ve a busy day and you already wasted my morning.”

“Well, I hope you have time free at three o’clock. Devon Candler would like to see you if you’re available.”

Spencer was all amiability and excitement, as if he were bestowing a great honor on Liam and his partners. In a way, he was. Devon Candler was a notorious recluse and personal interviews were rare. That would be useful to Liam if he eventually took on the security detail for Candler. It was harder for enemies to gun for someone when the target hardly ever exited their secured environments, gave away no personal information, and rarely allowed photographic images of themselves to be caught. On the other hand, it also made for a severely limited amount of information on his potential client. Liam didn’t like mysteries, especially when the lives of his people were a factor.

“Inez,” he called over his shoulder without looking away from Spencer, “tell Mr. Spencer if my three o’clock is available.”

Inez sat forward with a grin, pretended to consult her memory for all of an instant, and then said dutifully, “His three o’clock is already booked.” She smiled. “However, you are available for the next two or three hours, boss.”

“But I was told . . .” Spencer sputtered. “You can’t just—!”

“You’re the secretary. Isn’t it your job to move things around? Upload the directions to this number and tell your boss I’m on my way.” Liam reached for a card in his pocket, flicking it at Spencer, who barely caught it as he frantically pulled out a smart phone that no doubt had the exact details of Candler’s schedule on it. Liam frowned when Spencer accessed the device without so much as a password or thumbprint for security. That, he thought, will be the first thing to go. “Flores, Gordon, you’re with me.”

Inez and Kellen hopped into motion, swinging into the truck’s front seats. Liam climbed in the back after dismissing everyone else to their regular schedules back at the NHK compound. Inez started the truck while Kellen turned on the SatNav system that would take the directions Spencer was about to upload. The satellite navigation system would pinpoint the exact location of the address and the quickest way to get there, as well as tracking fuel stops, hospitals, local law enforcement, and dozens of other vital stats that always came in handy. However, thanks to Roni Klein’s inventive genius, they had the added bonus of having SatNav keep track of known and evolving Morphate clan locations, as well as other potential hotspots in the areas they would be passing through.

These types of clever programs, as well as inventions like the new body armor, earned NHK lucrative contracts. Between their facilities, private security services, and the research and development, NHK was a well-rounded success.

They could afford to indulge in tossing a little arrogance in Spencer’s face.

“Where to, Liam?” Inez asked cheerily.

“Head north, champ. I’m thinking the thruway,” Liam speculated. Inez knew enough to trust his instincts and she obeyed without hesitation.

“So, you think we’ll have any trouble getting an appointment?” Kellen asked with a grin as Liam pulled out his laptop and began to negotiate with the SatNav wireless system. It always took a while for Roni’s encryptions to engage, but it was also the only way of ensuring the highest level of privacy during transmission, allowing Liam to work freely without fear of being hacked.

“I don’t see why not,” Liam mused a little absently, scrolling through screens quickly while he waited for his connection. He drew up the NHK schedule and began thinking about how much personnel, time, and equipment was going to be needed to guard Devon Candler.

He would personally be in charge of this operation. Leo White Crow and Kadian Corelli, the other two Field Leaders in this region, were involved in other assignments. He was fine with that. He’d just returned from a training seminar at Langley, and his team was itching to get back into the field. They trained hard while he was away, but his people needed the adrenaline of real action and reaction. They were just hardwired that way.

“So, what work are you two looking for?”

“Initial,” they chorused.

“That’s a 24/7 haul the first week, Inez. What about your boy?” Liam asked.

“He’s staying in San Francisco with my folks for the next two weeks. I am free, free, free as a bird.”

“Translated: She’s bored, bored, bored out of her ever-loving skull without him,” Kellen chuckled. “Put us on days,” her partner requested for them, “both for initial and afterward for when the little man comes home.” Liam made note of it, knowing that Kellen knew everything Inez required, and that the reverse was also true. The pair was the best-meshed team he’d ever worked with, and they were best friends besides.

“Did we get that upload yet, Kell?”

“Yeah. You were right about the thruway. It’ll take us about an hour more to get there. How’d you figure Candler was north of us?” Kellen asked him.

“Candler’s reputation for seclusion. The far edge of the Catskills is ideally suited for privacy and anonymity, and yet within easy travel to the resources at the leading edge of the mountains and New Manhattan. Spencer also dropped some clues earlier.”

“What’re you expecting?” Kellen wondered.

“Honestly?” Liam shrugged a large shoulder negligently. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the property gave the NHK compound a run for its money.”

Inez snorted at that likelihood. “We never get that lucky. I’m betting on a modern showplace with enormous windows and brilliant interior lighting. Not to mention a whining, wealthy brat to help create a security nightmare. Did you catch the dork and the fancy smart phone? The thing comes with powerful pass protection imbedded and he doesn’t even use it.”

“Yeah,” Liam said grimly, even more annoyed with that safety hazard now that Inez had also noted it. “But Spencer is one thing and Candler another. Just because Carter Spencer is a pompous ass doesn’t mean his boss will be.”

“Let’s hope not,” Kellen muttered, not sounding at all hopeful.

“I should have put money on it,” Liam mused as they drove slowly up the winding drive to Devon Candler’s mansion. There were extremely high brick walls surrounding the entire property, he was already counting security cameras, and they’d come through a security gate that actually lived up to its name for a change.

“I don’t get it. What are we needed for, exactly?” Kellen asked in perplexity.

“Physical equipment isn’t everything,” Liam reminded him as Inez parked the Hummer. “C’mon, let’s find some answers. Keep your opinions, speculations, and conversation to yourself from this point on, okay?” Without knowing what they were getting into, Liam didn’t want them spewing information. Of course, he didn’t think his people would do that, but it never hurt to speak reminders out loud.

“Got it,” Inez agreed for them both.

Liam led the way. Each watched their surroundings warily as they were led through an enormous foyer and into a room at the front of the mansion.

“Well, the butler just let three heavily armed people into the house without so much as physically checking our identification.” Liam turned to cock a wise brow at Kellen. “Whether we’re expected or not, that’s an unforgivable lapse. Beginning to see why we’re needed?” Kellen nodded, his hand absently resting on the butt of his main pistol.

Liam was prepared to wait a while, considering their precipitous arrival, but a servant entered the room within only a few minutes. It actually pleased Nash to know Candler wasn’t going to play games with them, like Spencer had tried to do, by making them wait.

“You may have an audience alone, Mr. Nash, and your companions may make themselves comfortable until they’re needed,” the butler instructed carefully.

Liam nodded shortly in acknowledgment and he looked back at his team. He touched his watch and silently made a sign meaning “fifteen minutes.” They would make contact one way or another by then; comprehension was in their eyes.

Nash turned and followed the manservant out of the room and up a sweeping staircase that was the centerpiece of the entryway. From the tumbled travertine marble beneath the fine indigo carpet protecting it, to the highly polished brass banisters, it spoke of art and style as much as function.

He took note of everything he passed, counting rooms and hallways, marking exposures and exits. It wasn’t much of an assessment because he was shortly led into a large room little different from the one he’d left Inez and Kellen in. It was another parlor of sorts with plainly upholstered furnishings in a very spartan style. There were minimal pieces, making the hung artwork the central focus. Liam noted a second set of doors at the opposite side of the long room and at once realized this was where his future client would enter.

He wasn’t disappointed. When he heard the click of a turning latch a few minutes later, he faced the approach with nothing between himself and the door. This left a long expanse of carpeting to act as a runway, and he would use the span to observe his prospective client. The doors opened with a burst of energy, a no-nonsense movement and confidence, and in walked Devon Candler.

Time suddenly ground to a halt for Liam. Every single muscle in his heavily powered body contracted abruptly with shock.

Devon Candler was a woman.

She entered the room with a display of powerful presence, blatant femininity, and the most mouth-watering curves Liam had ever laid eyes on. And just like that, in the breadth of a nanosecond, Devon Candler robbed Liam Nash of his peace of mind.

If there was one thing Nash prided himself on, it was his unwavering professionalism. Even when he was off duty he had to maintain a constant level of control. These were dangerous times and there was no telling what troubles could crop up unexpectedly. Considered a deadly weapon even if he were stripped naked, Liam had always taken his responsibility to exercise caution and discrimination very seriously.

His entire morning had been spent in high gear Field Leader mode. That meant that nothing, absolutely nothing, could distract him from his obligations and purpose. Devon Candler shouldn’t have made any impressions on him other than what was necessary for divining her intent in the coming transaction.

However, Liam’s reaction as she crossed the threshold to enter the room had nothing at all to do with professional focus. She floated in on a confectionary cloud of white silk and deep, dark sable hair. Her thick mane rippled down her back in long waves like ribbon candy, billowing around her elegant face and collarbone in a fall that exhibited its extraordinary body. Liam felt his fingers twitching as a rapid-fire fantasy of plunging his fingers into that rich drape of dark chocolate hair spat though his mind like a burning acid.

She drew his attention with ever-increasing focus as she began to move toward him, crossing the long span from the doorway just as he’d planned. Or perhaps it was her plan, a part of his analytical and distrusting brain tried to whisper to him. And yet he ignored himself. Didn’t even hear himself.

She wore a white dress, if it could even be called a dress. Its halter top caressed the back of her neck, falling over each breast with a neckline that plunged all the way to her navel, and then met up with an ankle-length skirt that fluttered like a banner against her hips and legs as she walked. She might as well have not been wearing anything at all. The material was so damn thin that he could see the dusky tips of outstanding breasts, the thrust of her nipples wickedly apparent even at such a distance. The white lines of her panties promised she wore nothing more than a thong. He could see every inch of her peach skin through the gauzy fabric, from her long graceful neck to her roundly curved hips and thighs. Her waist tucked in right where a decorative but perhaps unreliable scarf tie kept the sheer silk dress in place on her body, and strong, beautiful bare feet made alternating appearances as she strode toward him. She moved like a dancer, with precise and measured poise in every step.

Finding himself gawking at her body like a callow teenager, Liam quickly shifted his attention to her face. It didn’t help much. He wasn’t even sure if he could call her pretty at first. Elegant and sly, her features reminded him of a feline . . . or a vixen; a sweeping nose the center point, with the cheeks, chin, and brow all curved back and up toward her hairline in a way that was as graceful as it was unusual. She had a mobile mouth shaped for ready smiles.

But it was her translucent jade eyes that gripped him above all. The almond shape, the corners tilted up into the gliding lines of her bone structure, combined with dense, soot-black lashes to give her an exotic look. They stood out sharply, vividly, and boasted a keen intellect behind them that was as much a turn-on as everything else about her.

Yes. I. . .