Page 1 of Vicious Temptation

Prologue

Thiago

Most people assume a phone call in the middle of the night means someone is dead. Sometimes they're right.

Tonight, the call sends me to a warehouse on the outskirts of Philadelphia. I park beside a black SUV, kill the engine, and look up at the unmarked building. Not a single light shines through the blacked-out windows.

I've spent the last year carrying out Helios assignments under Houston's command. Tonight is my first briefing since the transfer. Elena Duvall hadn't offered an explanation, only an address and a time. She's the handler assigned to my precinct. Three months ago, she stepped into the role of commander, and as far as the department is concerned, that's all she is.

Climbing out of my truck, I move across the rain-slicked concrete toward the front entrance. The double doors, illuminated by a dim yellow lamp, swing open the moment I touch them.

I step cautiously into an empty lobby.

“Hello,” I call out into the silence.

Nothing.

Under different circumstances, I’d turn around and walk right back out, but I know Helios doesn’t operate like a police department. It works in the spaces where paperwork, warrants, and jurisdiction become obstacles. In other words, red tape has no place here.

My phone vibrates.

UNKNOWN: Room 8B. Second floor.

As if whoever sent the message is watching me, the elevator across the lobby chimes and its doors slide open. I step inside and roll my shoulders once as they close behind me. The quiet ride to the second floor gives me just enough time to wonder why Elena wanted to meet here instead of the precinct.

The elevator opens onto a narrow hallway lined with identical slate-gray doors. I step out and follow the numbers until I find Room 8B near the end. Wrapping my hand around the metal handle, I pull the door open, stopping cold at the sight of a young woman with striking blue eyes, dressed in all black, standing at the far end of the room.

She isn’t who I expected because, from what I know, Elena is at least two decades older.

The woman uncrosses her arms the moment she sees me, looking just as confused as I am.

"Who the hell are you?" she asks, looking me up and down.

"I'm here to meet somebody." I keep my eyes on her. "You?"

She doesn't answer, just stares at me for a long moment, her shoulders visibly tense.

"Who are you with?"

"Ninth precinct."

Her gaze narrows before drifting past me to the open doorway.

"That's impossible," she mutters, more to herself than me. "There's only one transfer to the Ninth."

She's right.

There was only supposed to be one transfer, so I don't know what to make of it. She's clearly Helios, and there's no reason to assign two agents to the same operation. It creates unnecessary risk.

So why are we both here?

My mind lands on the only explanation that makes sense. One of us is in the wrong room.

It's a mildly irritating thought, but I spent half of yesterday unpacking boxes, hanging clothes, and trying to make my apartment feel like a place I might actually live for the next several weeks or months. If I end up being reassigned before I even get started, I’ll be pissed.

"Maybe you should call your handler," she says, taking a cautious step closer.

It's the logical next move. Even so, I don't reach for my phone. I was transferred here for a reason, and until someone tells me otherwise, I'm not walking away from the assignment.