Special Agent: Austin (2 page)

Thank God the Madam hadn’t loaded technology to read her mind. She would be punished for even thinking about a man, for indulging in her desire for the opposite sex.

Why do you need something weaker than you?

The Madam’s mantra sprang up in her head like a jack in the box. If the Madam ever found out she wanted a man, more or less, slept with one, she wouldn’t only kill Belle. She’d punish her sisters first. One by one. Deliberately.

Those that jeopardized the Madam’s mission were taken out with haste. Usually, by her, or one of her sisters. The shackles in the barn were left dangling as a reminder to the farm’s inhabitants, the tools left lying on a nearby table, cleaned and ready for use.

The Madam knew her weakness. It was the same for all of her sisters.

Each other.

God, she hated her life.

Ding
. Rousing from her thoughts, Belle ran back to the desk. The Madam had sent a message.

Don’t screw up, Mason. You know the consequences.

Gritting her teeth, her fingers flew over the keys.
Yes, ma’am
.

Slamming shut the laptop, she rose from the desk and walked to the bathroom, leaving a trail of under things along the way. Time to get to work. The fate of her sisters, and the new world, was in her hands. If she didn’t bring down D.I.R.E., they would never see it come to fruition. Belle lived for the day when she and her sisters wouldn’t have to kill any longer. When she could rest in peace.

That was more important than her unexpected desire for a certain cowboy.

If she blew this, she blew it for everyone. That was guaranteed.

H
e did not want to face Jaydan. Did not want to see the disappointment in his eyes, hear the what-the-hell-are-you-doing in his voice. The Austin Jaydan knew was easygoing, a man that let most things roll off his back.

He wasn’t that Austin anymore. Hadn’t been for a while now.

Lifelong lies change a man. So does the realization that he doesn’t really like what he sees in the mirror any longer.

“Austin.”

At the sound of his brother’s voice, he squeezed his eyes shut. Shit. This was not the way he wanted this to go down.

Sighing, he turned around. Jaydan stood in the police station hallway, Austin’s duffle bag in his hand. His stoic face was uncharacteristic of the Jaydan he now knew. Since his brother had become engaged to Hope Powers, he usually wore a wide smile on his mug.

Not today.

The officer unlocked the holding cell. Austin rose from the cot, his body sore from the admittedly-not-bad beating the other guy gave him.

“Hey, bro.” Austin gave a short nod. “Thanks for coming.”

Jaydan shook his hand before tugging him into a brief bear hug. Pulling away, he gave Austin a quick onceover and handed him his hat, before leading the way into the lobby. With a wave at one of the officers, he preceded Austin out the front door.

Walking out to the parking lot, Jaydan said, “The last thing I expected to do today was bail you out of a San Diego jail. What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to town?” He stared at Austin over the bed of his pickup. “What the hell happened?”

Austin climbed into the passenger side of Jaydan’s four-wheel drive pickup. It smelled like his brother and apples, Jaydan’s favorite carbohydrate to maintain his D.I.R.E. strength enhancement.

“I knew you were going to be in town for the wedding and I wanted to…” He swallowed hard. “…talk about some things.”

Jaydan gave him a brief glance as he backed out of the parking slot. “Some things.”

Here we go
… “Yes.”

The quiet stretched on. Austin knew many people couldn’t wait out thick silence. They felt the need to fill it.

Not him. He could wait all damned day until he was ready to talk. Now was not the time to tell Jaydan he wanted to work with him at D.I.R.E. He’d laugh him back to Texas.

“You get in fights often?”

Austin looked out the window at the busy streets of San Diego, so different from the family ranch back in the Texas hill country. “Enough.”

“Based on the looks of the other guy, you do it more than enough.” Humor lit Jaydan’s voice.

Austin lifted a corner of his mouth. Even that small movement hurt his face. “He pissed me off.”

“How?”

He turned to Jaydan, knowing his brother would understand. “He was harassing a woman in the bar.”

Jaydan said, “A woman that left the scene right before the officers arrived.”

The condescending tone of his voice grated on Austin’s nerves. His brother had every right to use it, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. “Yes.”

“His name is Grayson Donner, former Delta Force. He’s looking for his sister who went missing when he was a kid.”

Austin’s mouth dropped open of its own volition. A few months earlier, Jaydan had rescued a woman that went missing when she was a kid.

“You’re f-ing kidding me…?”

Jaydan shook his head. “He thinks the woman knows where she’s located.”

Hell. She’d played him like a pro. He’d never make D.I.R.E. if he couldn’t make sound judgment decisions. Once Jaydan knew his true motive for being in San Diego, he’d have enough going against him without adding his own failings.

His brother still thought of him as the calm, laid-back little brother Austin used to be. Jaydan had no idea how much he’d changed since his stepfather, Booker, confessed he was his and Gunner’s real father. The lies made all of Jaydan’s beatings, his arguments with Booker, their mother sending him away twelve years ago, all the more wrong. Jaydan was the one reminder of his parents’ deception against Jaydan’s father, Jonathan Rose. They’d disposed of it without looking back.

Austin stood by and let them.

He’d come to San Diego to change things, to change himself. No more would he be the pathetic, cowardly younger brother that wouldn’t stand up for Jaydan. He would have Jaydan’s back from here on out. Joining D.I.R.E. was the best way to do that. He had five days to convince Mitchell Jacobs to give him a shot before the D.I.R.E. chief left town after the wedding.

“Did you talk to him about your case?” Austin said.

Jaydan turned the corner, one hand on the steering wheel. “We’re supposed to talk after the wedding. He said making contact with me was worth getting his ass kicked.”

Austin shared a grin with him before lowering his gaze. “I know you have a lot going on this week since you’re the best man, but I need to talk to you at some point.”

Pulling up to what had to be a ten-star hotel, Jaydan opened the door to the valet and handed him the keys. Walking around the truck, he grabbed Austin’s bag out of the back and handed it to the bell boy. “I figured that.”

Hope rushed out the front door and into Jaydan’s embrace. Lifting her into his arms, he kissed her like he hadn’t seen her in years.

Austin grinned. It was good to see his brother happy. He deserved it.

Pulling away, Hope gave Austin a hug before stepping back against Jaydan’s side. “Sorry, I missed you at the airport.” She stared at him with lowered brows. “What happened?”

His shoulders slumped. Hell. He’d hoped to get his future sister-in-law on his side before he saw Jaydan. He shot that all to hell, too.

His brother’s eyes widened. “You called Hope?”

He’d wanted to at least see the California coastline before his brother sent him home packing. “I, uh, wanted to surprise you.”

“You surprised me, all right.” With a playful backhand on his chest, Jaydan said, “You owe me bail and a talk,
Tyson
.”

Austin frowned as he rubbed the area where Jaydan had just tapped him. “I need to find an ATM.”

Hooking an arm around Hope’s shoulders, Jaydan turned her toward the entrance. “You owe me more than you can get out of an ATM.”

Austin stared through the glass door at the massive chandeliers and contemporary, cherry wood furnishings that were
so
not Texas. “So, do you guys have a place where I can bunk down while you’re busy this week?”

Jaydan spoke over his shoulder as they walked through the front door. “You’re staying here at the hotel.”

Hope’s voice carried in the spacious lobby. “Yes, I have a tuxedo waiting for you in your room.”

He glanced at the scores of security agents crowded in the foyer. Every security agent on the West Coast had to be there. “Tuxedo?” He rushed to catch up to them. “I’m going to the wedding?”

Hope grinned back at him over her shoulder. “Yes, and every party leading up to it.”

Score
. He was sure to meet Mitchell Jacobs at some point during the week. Maybe he didn’t need Jaydan to get into the agency, after all.

***

Austin felt like he’d stepped into a James Bond film. Wearing a tuxedo, and surrounded by security agents and influential party guests, all he needed was a fancy car and a beautiful woman, and he was set.

Humming the movie theme, Austin straightened the cuffs of his jacket as he waited for the bartender to fill his drink order. His future sister-in-law had not only scored him a last minute hotel room, but an appointment with her father’s tailor -
and
got it on the house.

Money certainly did talk. So did a room full of politicians and businesspeople.

The hotel ballroom was a sea of sequins and tuxedos, the buzz of conversation boisterous. Security agents lined the perimeter of the room, with more stationed outside in the hallway. As the bride-to-be, Natalie Meeks practically glowed with happiness, while D.I.R.E. agent Riordan St. James beamed at her side. From what Jaydan had told him, the couple had been through more grief and tragedy than any two people deserved, and had more than earned this week of celebration. Austin felt honored to be there, albeit uninvited.

He handed Hope a glass of Merlot. “Sure is a lot of hot air in this room.”

Chuckling, she lifted the glass to her lips. “Yes, they should set up lie detectors after everyone’s had a few drinks. That would prove for lively entertainment.”

Austin gave her a lopsided grin. “Or, clear out the room.”

She hiked an arched brow. “More likely.”

A round of applause broke out. The two of them turned to the doorway. A striking, strawberry blonde stood beside Senator Meeks, a graceful vision of poise. Exotic and beautiful, she held herself with regal decorum - and edgy moxie. Several guests approached them, shaking hands and offering hugs.

“Who’s that?” he said, giving the woman a toe-to-head glance over the rim of his glass.

Hope leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Natalie’s sister, Keegan. The woman Jaydan rescued a few months ago - on the day of Gunner’s wedding.” She gave him a sly look. “Interested?”

He’d never been more proud of his brother than when he learned Jaydan had rescued a woman from a twenty-year captivity. He wanted to do that. To save people, make a difference, rid the world of people that manipulated it for their own gain.

His parents, her captor, it was all the same mentality: whatever they wanted, regardless of how it affected others.

“You couldn’t do better, Austin. She’s beautiful, inside and out.”

He gave a half-laugh. Getting involved with a woman was the last thing he needed right now. D.I.R.E. had to be his number one focus.

“Yes, she is, Hope,” he said, with an uh-yeah chuckle. “But, then again, every woman I met today was hot. The word’s taken on a whole new meaning since I met the D.I.R.E. women.”

Before the party, Austin had the pleasure of meeting four of the super agents and their significant others. Surrounded by copper and gold armbands and a shitload of confidence, he’d never felt so
in
significant in his life. To know his brother was a part of the elite squad made him proud. The idea of working with them made him want to join D.I.R.E. more than ever.

Looking out over the crowd, a flash of sky blue caught his eye. He did a double take.

It was
her
.

Wearing a long, flimsy dress that hugged her ample breasts and flowed to the floor in a pool of fluff, she stole the spotlight. The green tips had vanished from the the blonde ringlets now piled high on her head, her nails painted a soft pink. Her face looked pale and ethereal, her skin glowing in the dim, chandelier lights. The diamond stud at her nose twinkled, but not nearly as much as her round eyes which seemed to fade into the dress. She looked nothing like the tough, leather-bound smart-ass at the airport, but an exquisite, delicate woman.

A chameleon.

Who was she? Security was tight, with invitation-only admittance. Now was his chance to find out why she skipped out on him and possibly get more information for Jaydan and Grayson Donner.

He squeezed Hope’s elbow. “Excuse me a minute. I see someone I know.”

Making his way through the ocean of body heat and free-flowing drinks, he found her standing at a bar height table with two couples, a plate of food in front of her. The others ignored her while she dug into her extravagant fare.

“Sweetpea, fancy meeting you here.” He nodded at the others, a false smile pasted on his face.

A model of composure, she straightened her napkin on the table before turning to look at him. “Well, Honey Dump-”

She gave him a slow perusal, her eyes shining brighter the longer she looked. Heat climbed in his face and filtered through his body. That’s the second time he’d gotten hot and bothered around her. She was so…obvious about her attraction to him. It made him uncomfortable.

But, horny as hell.

Her voice barely carried over the buzz of conversation. “You take my breath away, Dumpling.”

Stick to business, Rose. Don’t let her distract you.

“What are you doing here?”

Picking up a cracker, she said, “Free food.” She scooped some caviar onto the cracker and took a bite.

God, the woman was a complete smart-ass. So, why in hell was he standing beside her, aroused, knowing she skipped out on him and could have information on a missing woman?

Dumb-ass, Rose.

“Who are you?”

She bit a cheese square off a toothpick and set it down on her plate. “Tinkerbelle Mason. My…friends call me Belle.” She held out her hand. “And, you?”