Agent T3: d'Artagnan (Superhero Romance) (The D.I.R.E. Agency) (17 page)

“I’m fine.” Jocelyn’s hand visibly shook where she brushed the hair from her face. She dropped the gun to her side. “Are you all right?”

With a curt nod, he jumped to his feet. Pulling her up, he held her in a tight embrace
.

“I’m so sorry, Aidan.” Jocelyn’s voice trembled. “I had to protect Dar.”

Aidan cleared his throat. “You had to do it, Jocelyn.”

Tristan clapped him on the back. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, Monroe.”

“Yeah.” His voice a despondent tone. “Me, too.”

“I assume the compound is secure?” Dar hated to do it but, he had to ask.

“Yeah, Rose and his team are rounding up the double-agents.”

Kissing Jocelyn on top of the head, he said, “Let’s go, baby. I’m ready to get this all behind us.”

Jocelyn reclined on a lounger under the shade of a huge palm tree on Tristan’s private beach.

Time had flown in the three weeks since the D.I.R.E. compound takeover. Things had gotten intense when Dar threatened to take her and time travel somewhere if Mitchell didn’t agree to let her stay. However, when Robinson insisted she join his science team, Mitchell finally relented
.

They’d held a service for her father in modern-day Princeton and threw his ashes into Lake Carnegie. That day, Jocelyn had vowed the death would stop. She would use her position at D.I.R.E. to fight evil in the world and shower peace wherever she went
.

Kate and Robert’s service had taken place on Grand Lake. The majesty of the Rocky Mountains proved a perfect backdrop for such a big change in Dar’s life. Robert’s death had freed Dar from the oppression of his hatred to reveal a ridiculously witty and personable side. He now wore a perpetual grin and exuded confidence. Never had she laughed as much as she did with him
.

She stared at him now, standing beside Aidan and Tristan at the water’s edge. Their copper and gold armbands glistened in the bright sun, their D.I.R.E. tattoos a tad less prominent against their increasingly tanned skin
.

The six of them had been at the beach for three days now and decided they just weren’t going back. Living in swimsuits and bare feet meant less laundry - and a lot less to peel off when opportunity knocked.

“Because I’m the only one here that can say this without sounding awkward, have you
ever
seen a finer lineup of men in your life?”

Cassandra lowered her sunglasses down her nose. “Mmm, not even close.”

Rachel chuckled as she stretched her arms over her head and sighed. “I think we outdid ourselves, ladies.”

“You’ve all become a bunch of beach bums.”

Whipping around, Jocelyn watched Mitchell walk down Tristan’s patio steps, Angela in tow. They made a handsome couple, especially with the permanent smiles on their faces. Mitchell still recovered from a broken jaw, his face showing little sign of the beating he’d taken at Robert’s hand. However, the jaw didn’t prevent him from grinning or kissing his wife.

“Damn straight, Mitchell,” Aidan said, as the guys walked over to the shade. Sitting down on Cassandra’s lounger, he leaned over and gave her a kiss. “We’ve decided to quit the Agency.”

Mitchell harrumphed as he placed Angela in a lounger and sat at her feet. “Like hell you will.”

Angela smiled as she looked around. “Actually, honey, I think we need to come here when they go back to Nevada.”

The relationship between Angela and her children remained strained. However, her devotion to Mitchell during the beating and subsequent recovery had earned her new respect in her children’s eyes. Jocelyn felt confident they would all come around.

“Now
that
is a good idea.” Mitchell rubbed her bare calf below the hem of her sundress.

“What are you doing here, Mitchell?” Dar stood by Jocelyn’s chair, hands on hips.

Gazing up at his nearly naked form in black swim trunks, Jocelyn rubbed the back of Dar’s leg. The man’s bare chest and mountain of muscles did something to her insides.

Would it be rude to excuse herself and take him to the house for a nap?

Dar plopped down and pulled her on his lap.

“I thought you’d want to know that Kate’s house and her belongings were all donated to charity, as you requested.”

Tristan held Rachel’s hand where he stood behind her chair.

She said, “I still can’t believe I never caught on to her. Now, I understand why Jim never shared his money with her.”

Mitchell held Angela’s hand in a tight grip. “The first time she came home with a diamond bracelet, Jim shut down. He decided then and there that he’d take my advice and set up his business under an assumed name so she couldn’t get her hands on the money.”

“Why didn’t he just divorce her?” Tristan rubbed Rachel’s shoulders.

“These two.” He pointed at Aidan and Rachel. “They loved living in Creekmore, just as he did. He knew if he filed for divorce, she’d take them away. By the time they grew up, he’d grown used to being alone and spent most of his time at the store.” Pulling a large, manila envelope from the chair, he opened the clasp. “Which brings me to why I’m here.”

He pulled out two legal documents, handing one to Aidan and one to Rachel. “As you know, Jim used the money he earned to start D.I.R.E. He never intended any of you to know that. Robinson broke a confidence he had no right to reveal.”

“He did it to save your life,” Jocelyn said.

Angela smiled at her husband. “And, I’m thankful he did.”

Mitchell said, “Jim also set up a trust account for each of you, with myself as trustee, payable at the time you marry.”

Aidan’s eyes bugged out as he read the document. “Are you shittin’ me?”

Mitchell laughed. “No. You’re going to be filthy rich, Monroe. And you, Rachel, well, your wealth is just obscene.”

Dar laughed. “Want me to go find a preacher, Monroe?”

Cass laid her hand on Aidan’s thigh. “We don’t need the money to be happy, do we, baby?”

Aidan’s eyes swirled with interest as he stared at her mouth. “No, we
do
not.”

Rachel cleared her throat. “Not that I want to sound greedy or anything but, who does the gold belong to – technically?”

Tristan’s voice held a hint of humor. “Damn, that’s right. We really can’t prove the barrels of gold on the ranch is the same gold Jocelyn brought forward.”

Mitchell said, “Since it’s sitting on Ben’s ranch, and you inherited the ranch, Rachel, it’s yours.”

Dar whistled low. “Damn Rachel, can you buy me an island like this one?”

“Naylor, you and Cass don’t need her money,” Mitchell said. “Your father’s assets are right up there with hers.”

Dar shook his head. “I don’t want his money.”

Jocelyn turned in his lap to shake him. “Are you mad? This is our opportunity to do something good with it. We could feed the poor and starving around the world. Provide medical supplies to third world countries…”

“Open an animal shelter,” Aidan chimed in.

Cass smiled at him. “Make that,
shelters
.”

“We could start an emergency disaster fund, or-“

Dar placed a hand over her mouth. “Okay, okay. I’ll take the money.”

Excitement coursed through her as she smacked him on the cheek
.

“It’ll be yours once we get married, anyway. You can decide what to do with it.”

Jocelyn stilled on his lap, her smile gone. Her heart pounded against her ribs. “What did you say?”

He cupped her chin in his big hand. “Marry me, Joce. I can’t do this without you.”

With a small whelp, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth. “Yes,
yes
. The answer is yes.”

The others laughed and congratulated them. Dar held her tight against him
.

“So, what about D.I.R.E., Mitchell?” Aidan said. “Now that you’ve flushed out the spies and the satellite offices have been cleared out, we’re running on a skeleton crew.”

“We’re rebuilding. Rose and St. James have both opted in. They’ll be strong additions to our team. And, with Jocelyn and Cassandra joining Robinson’s team, we’ll come back stronger than ever.”

“Which reminds me...” Mitchell motioned for all of them to come near. “Gather around.” Pulling out his phone, he brought up a video with a pretty, young news anchor sitting at a desk. Everyone stood behind him and peered over his shoulder
.

Last week, scientists at an Arctic Circle outpost uncovered what appears to be pieces of some type of nuclear-powered device. Discovered below water level, the pieces were found fused inside a huge ice cap near, what was thought to be, a natural deformation in the ice. However, evidence at the scene proves that what many thought to be global warming, is in fact, the result of a previously unknown nuclear meltdown that occurred several decades ago
.

Mitchell’s wide-eyed gaze went from Tristan, to Aidan and finally Dar, who shrugged. “Oops.”

By day, award-winning author, Joni Hahn keeps her secret decoder ring hidden while she works as a mild-mannered HR manager and accounting generalist. She believes the world can never have too many superheroes, and anxiously waits for the call when one will need help saving the world… or getting into his costume. Joni was born with a hopelessly tender heart and believes there is nothing on earth more exhilarating than falling in love (other than the rear shot of Chris Evans in The Avengers - that was pretty darn exhilarating). A native Texan, she thinks cowboys are the epitome of masculinity, and that country music is the
other
soul music.

You can find Joni online at:
http://www.jonihahn.com/
.

Currently available in The D.I.R.E. Agency Series:

Book 1:
Agent I1: Tristan

Book 2:
Agent E2: Aidan

The Agency is always recruiting.

Look for more hot, D.I.R.E. agents coming soon!

The D.I.R.E. Agency

Superheroes born with attitude, created with science.