“New agents?” Liam asked, furrowing his brow.
He wasn’t sure why he asked. It wasn’t like it really mattered to him who was watching him, so long as they were good enough at their jobs to keep him alive long enough to testify. After that, all bets were off.
“Yeah, Special Agents Delgado and Sincero, although why they’d pick a woman to protect someone like you, I’ll never know.”
Liam glared at the agent as he pulled back the covers and got out of bed. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did they think he couldn’t be trusted around a woman? What the fuck? He opened his mouth to give the agent a piece of his mind but snapped it shut again with a shake of his head and turned his back on the man before reaching down to grab his jeans from where he’d abandoned them on the floor last night. No surprise the man thought he was a predator. He’d run with the worst of the worst predators for years. But dammit, he wasn’t like them, and he was risking his life right now to prove it. Didn’t he deserve the benefit of the doubt?
He yanked his jeans on. Why did it matter what the agent thought of him, anyway? He’d probably never see him again after today. But itdidmatter to him. He hated people treating him like he was scum, even if he only had himself to blame. There were so many different paths he could have taken in his life, paths he’d started to walk down, but hadn’t gone far enough, until he’d backtracked and taken the easy way out, falling in with Silas. He’d chosen the life of a criminal. Now, he had to deal with the consequences of that choice.
But a woman agent? That was asking for trouble—and not for the reasons Jack thought. When the Vipers came for him—and it was only a matter of time until they did—they’d go straight through her. And that wasn’t any macho bullshit. It didn’t matter how well trained she was, the Vipers would see her as a weak point, and they’d single her out and go after her. And it would be one more thing on his conscience.
Liam sighed as he buttoned up his jeans. Some of the Vipers he knew would eat a woman for breakfast.
Let me out. I’ll keep us safe.
Liam ignored the voice and went into the living room to await the new agents.
Chapter Three
Eve
Eve stood her suitcase on the sidewalk as she and Hawk unloaded the grocery bags from the trunk of his escalade. They’d bought enough food to last for a week and anything else they needed would have to be brought to them by another agent. Her heart sank as she glanced at the house. She still didn’t know how she was going to deal with being that close to a Viper, but she’d accepted her fate and all that was left to do was get on with it. She’d chosen to join the FBI, and she’d known there were going to be difficult days. Of course, she hadn’t known she’d be spending some of those days protecting the scum she’d vowed to send down…
Hawk closed the trunk then turned to her. “You ready to do this?”
“What if I said no?”
He grinned. “Nice try. That was a rhetorical question. Let’s go.”
Eve rolled her eyes as she followed him up the path to the house. The property was in a quiet neighborhood and wasn’t overlooked—both essential requirements for a safehouse. Hawk rang the bell, and when the door opened, it wafted the house’s stagnant air in their direction. And on that air was the sweetest scent Eve had ever had the pleasure of smelling. It slammed into her like an assault on her senses, so strong it blasted every thought from her head, and seemed to make the air around her buzz and twirl. She swayed to the side, her arm brushing against the rough brickwork, and the grocery bags slipped in her arms. She shook her head, trying to clear it, and jiggled the bags in her arms until they were less in danger of crashing to the ground—which was more than could be said for her.
Hawk greeted the special agent that opened the door and immediately fell into easy conversation with him, so Eve didn’t get the chance to ask about the scent. As she stepped over the threshold and into the hallway, the smell grew stronger, so powerful her legs began to shake, and she worried they might not keep her upright.
Great. Just what she needed. As if she didn’t take enough flak from the other agents, who tended to look at her and wonder how she could possibly be strong enough, resilient enough,goodenough to hold a position on a SWAT team that hundreds of guys would kill for. If she collapsed to the floor in a heap on a damn protection detail? Yeah, there would be no living that down.
They were introduced to the second special agent who had been guarding the Viper, and he joined in the conversation with Hawk, but Eve didn’t hear a word any of them said. Her senses were filled with that magnificent scent and inside, her panther paced and preened, and it was all she could do to keep her eyes and teeth from shifting into her panther form. She clamped her jaws shut tightly, trying to quash the rumbling purr that threatened to emanate from her chest.
A door swung open from one of the rooms, and another man stepped through, this one tall and lithe, with a day’s stubble lining his square jaw, and the air whooshed out of Eve’s lungs like she’d been sucker punched, leaving her staring at the stranger, mouth agape.
He was the most handsome man she’d ever had the good fortune to see up close. His hair was jet black hair, and just long enough that it curled a little on top, and beneath it, his lightly tanned face was striking in its perfection. Thick brows framed eyes that were almost as black as the man’s hair. A long straight nose led down to full, fleshly lips that formed a perfect cupid’s bow. His cheekbones were high and his jaw strong. And his body… Eve tried not to stare, but she couldn’t prevent her gaze from roaming the length of him. His body, though lithe, was muscular and powerful, and he held himself with surprising grace.
Eve snapped her mouth closed and then opened it again to try to form words, but none were forthcoming. How could there be any words when all of her mind was filled with this living Adonis?
Her panther began to purr. It tried to push her closer to the man and she had to use all her strength and willpower to prevent the partial shift and to stop the purr from being audible to anyone but her.
Her cat, however, would not be denied.
It writhed and paced, and a warm, pleasant sensation started in the pit of Eve’s stomach and grew and strengthened until it encompassed her entire body. Euphoria was the only word that would have done it justice. Eve felt euphoric.
Mine!Her cat said, the word as clear in her mind as any the creature had ever spoken to her before.Mate!
Oh, dear God, no.
“Eve!” Hawk said, his voice as loud as a clap of thunder, and it tore her out of her thoughts and brought her crashing back to the present. She shook her head as if to clear it, then turned to her SWAT team partner.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Hawk cocked his head slightly and regarded her curiously. “I said Agent Foster was just introducing us to Liam Marshall.”
