“Well, I don’t like to brag”—Jagger rested his strong hands low on his hips—“but rumor has it, the agent in charge of this mission personally chose me to be her partner because…how did she put it?” He pretended to be deep in thought. “Oh, yeah!” A quick snap of his fingers. “She said she wanted the best.”
The man had an ego that lasted for days, but she found herself laughing with a shake of her head.
“I knew telling you that would come back to bite me in the ass.”
“Then why did you?” He took a slow step toward her. “Tell me, I mean?”
“You made it seem like I was only worried about protecting myself when we hit the port tomorrow.” She held his stare. “Just so we’re clear, nothing could be further from the truth.”
“I know.” A sideways smirk that drove her mad with need lifted one corner of his kissable mouth. “I just like givin’ you shit.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
She kept her focus locked on him a moment longer before opening her car door and sliding herself behind the wheel. “See you tomorrow, Brooks.”
“’Night, Agent Foster.” A slow dip of his head.
He turned as if to walk back to the house.
“Hey, Jagger!”
The mouthwatering operative stopped mid-stride, bringing his inquisitive stare back around her way. “Yeah?”
Ignoring the deep-seated urge to keep herself closed off from the world, Natalia said, “Call me Talia.”
A slow, sideways grin that made her want to climb out of the car and jump his bones formed on his ruggedly handsome face.
“All right, then.” Jagger lifted a hand in a lazy salute. “See you bright and early…Talia.”
Something fluttered inside her chest as the shortened version of her name slipped smoothly from his sensual lips. Her body’s reaction made zero sense, given that the guys on her Homeland team often called her Talia.
Yeah, but you don’t want to get naked with any of them.
No. No, she didn’t.
Moments later, as Natalia followed the long, private drive leading away from Christian and Megan’s house, it was all she could do not to check the rearview mirror. Because secretly, there in the privacy of her car, she herself believed that Jagger was still there.
Watching her drive away.
4
Illinois International PortDistrict
The following night…
Jagger satwith his back resting against the rough bark of a tree as he and the others waited in the wooded area adjacent to their targeted location. The shadows of the night helped to conceal their presence to those working a hundred yards from where they stood.
It didn’t hurt that they were dressed in head-to-toe black.
Their boots and cargo pants. The long-sleeve shirts and tactical vests. Even their plain, black ballcaps and black face paint matched.
Every detail of the mission had been meticulously ironed out by none other than Agent Foster. Oops, his bad.
Talia.
The woman had come to their early-morning meeting with the entire op planned out from start to finish. Everything from what they would wear down to their choice of weaponry and ammo had been specifically selected for this mission.
