Intercepted Risk Read online

  Intercepted Risk

  Aegis Group Task Force #5

  Sidney Bristol

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  Inked Press

  Intercepted Risk

  Aegis Group Task Force #5

  Logan Muller shouldn't be here. On the cusp of retiring from Aegis Group, his team is hand-selected for a once-in-a-lifetime gig working with the US Government on a joint task force. But the new job comes with its own problems. Namely a five-foot-tall woman with soulful dark eyes and a voice he can't get out of his head. Logan has always put his job and the team first, but she makes him want something for himself.

  Kelsey Young believes in living for the moment. After all, as an undercover FBI agent, she's never guaranteed tomorrow. Logan's hard stares make Kelsey wonder what it might be like to not be alone. To have someone to spend those tomorrows with and not just a partner for the night. But what would a girl from a broken home know about healthy relationships?

  When an undercover operation throws Logan and Kelsey together they must figure out how to navigate their scorching chemistry. He wants forever. She wants today. And someone close to both of them wants the unlikely couple dead.

  Explore the whole Aegis world in these series...

  It all began with the Aegis Group.

  Dangerous Attraction

  Dangerous in Training

  Dangerous Games

  Dangerous Assignment

  Dangerous Protector

  Dangerous Secrets

  Dangerous Betrayal

  Dangerous Heat

  Dangerous Connections

  Dangerous Exposure (TBA)

  More Coming Soon!

  Within Aegis Group, special teams take on special jobs, beginning with the Alpha Team.

  Dangerous in Love

  Dangerous in Action

  Dangerous in Transit

  Dangerous in Motion

  Dangerous in Charge

  Other specialized teams exist under the Aegis Group umbrella, including Lepta Team.

  Dangerously Taken

  Dangerously Involved

  Dangerously Deceived

  Dangerously Broken

  Dangerously Entwined

  Troy Team has signed on to work an ultra-secret case in the Aegis Group Task Force series.

  (prequel) First Risk: a newsletter exclusive serial

  Stolen Risk

  Forged Risk

  Technical Risk

  Necessary Risk

  Intercepted Risk

  Targeted Risk (TBA)

  Hard Risk (TBA)

  Burned Risk (TBA)

  Final Risk (TBA)

  You’ve heard about them and got your first glimpse in Necessary Risk, but now the Dangerous Ladies are here to play!

  Just Business

  Just Friends (TBA)

  Just Casual (TBA)

  Stay tuned for the appearance of the Omega Team.

  In Dangerous Games it continued with the Gone Geek girls.

  Beauty and the Geek

  Mr. Purr-fect and the Geek

  The Jock and the Geek

  The Gamer and the Geek

  The Adorkable Girl and the Geek

  The Fake Boyfriend and the Geek

  When the Seattle office of Aegis Group opened the Twisted Royals took the stage.

  The Origin Story

  Alpha Prince

  Her Prince

  Bad Boy Prince

  Noble Prince

  For short reads, tune in this December for the Body of Danger novella series kick-off.

  Heart of Danger

  Spirit of Danger

  Mind of Danger

  The other Smith brother takes us to the Texas SWAT series, a small town suspense series.

  Fighting Redemption

  Stolen Redemption

  Forbidden Redemption

  Reckless Redemption (TBA)

  Thanks to the SWAT team, Ransom, Texas enjoys a slower pace of life beginning in The Love Barn.

  Give Me Back My Man

  Summer of Love

  Party out of Bounds

  Table of Contents

  Prologue.

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4.

  5.

  6.

  7.

  8.

  9.

  10.

  11.

  12.

  13.

  14.

  15.

  16.

  17.

  18.

  19.

  20.

  21.

  22.

  23.

  24.

  25.

  26.

  Epilogue.

  For the doctor who liberated me from debilitating pain, Dr. Allen, I really hope you never read this.

  I'm amazed when I look at you. Not just because of your looks, but because of the fact that everything I've ever wanted is right in front of me.

  ―UNKNOWN

  Prologue.

  Monday. Aegis Group Offices, Seattle, Washington.

  Logan Muller pressed his hand against his side. The stiff envelop crinkled in his sport coat pocket. It felt like he had a hundred pounds of led in there instead of the single piece of folded paper.

  This was the right thing to do.

  Wasn’t it?

  He could sense a weight slowly being lowered. It wasn’t resting on him. Not yet. But as soon as he turned in his notice, that weight would be firmly on his shoulders.

  His parents would never ask him to come home. That wasn’t who they were. They’d both left the reservation where they’d been born when to blaze their own path. Do what they were passionate about.

  Passion had never factored into Logan’s decisions. He’d made the logical choice for himself when he’d been eighteen to enlist and then join the SEALs. He’d been methodical about it, preparing his body and mind for the tasks ahead. Due to cutbacks on the military, his career had ended before he was ready. But even then his path had been clear. Zain Lloyd had seemingly swooped out of nowhere to offer Logan a job that sounded too good to be true. Quite frankly, the money working for Aegis Group wasn’t something Logan could afford to pass up. Especially since he knew the days of earning money off his physical abilities were limited. He might have to live off his savings for a long time.

  Mom and Dad had moved back onto the reservation for their retirement to be closer to family. They had money to live off and a home they’d built. But they didn’t get around very well. He feared what they needed most was him, but they wouldn’t come out and say such a thing.

  When Logan had drafted his notice, he’d felt as though he’d finally come to the right decision. So why was his gut about to revolt?

  Was it his team? Because they’d understand. They all had family. Someone else would take his place. Logan even had a few names in mind for who might be a good fit. Normally in a situation like this, the team’s second in command would step up. But with his second, Tucker, Logan didn’t think the other man was ready. Hell, Tucker probably didn’t even want the job.

  Then there was Evan. And Jamie and Harper.

  The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open on the third floor of the building.

  When Aegis Group had opened the Seattle office, it had comprised one floor. And they’d had to spread out a lot to take up that much room. Now they had two floors with eyes on a small suite on another floor. The way things were going, they’d take over the whole office building in another year or so.

  Logan nodded at the Office Manager, Merida, on his way back to Zain’s office. She lifted a hand in greeting, but never missed a beat when it came to the call she was on.

  Seeing as how Zain was expecting Logan, he headed ba
ck to the boss’ office.

  He wasn’t sure when he’d give Zain his notice. Whatever job had brought them together in the early evening on a Monday had to be an emergency. Normally, most jobs held until the next day when a team could be assembled and sent off with all the proper paperwork and gear. It would be an exceptional case that sent them off tonight.

  Maybe he’d hold off giving notice?

  The idea of leaving this task until later didn’t sit well with Logan, but he knew what a disaster distractions could be to the team. If the job was that dire, he could wait. It wasn’t like he had a plan for what he’d do afterward.

  Logan tapped on his boss’ door.

  Zain sat behind the U-shaped desk in the same office he’d occupied since moving into the suite. There were bigger office available, yet Zain preferred to remain where he was, as close to the action as he got these days what with the command room across the hall.

  “Logan. Hey, man. Have a seat?” Zain gestured with his right hand, a gray prosthetic with what looked like red running lights going up the side and disappearing under the rolled-up shirt sleeves.

  Logan didn’t know how Zain had lost the arm. Logan had never asked and honestly, the way Zain worked, Logan never really thought about it. Zain was just—Zain. A technically inclined genius, Logan preferred on their side. During Logan’s application process, Zain had uncovered some secrets even Logan hadn’t known about. If there was one person whose good side he wanted to be on, it was Zain’s.

  “What’s going on?” Logan nudged the door shut before easing down onto one of the leather chairs across from Zain’s desk.

  “A lot.” Zain flipped a binder shut, tapped a key on his keyboard, then turned his monitor around. “You want a drink or anything before we start?”

  Logan blinked, taking in the serious way Zain regarded him. There was no pause for chatting. No asking after family or the team. Just let’s get started.

  How bad was this job?

  “Let’s jump right in,” Logan said.

  Zain nodded. “This is not a normal job. I want you to know right now I’ve been...struggling with it. This is me telling you, not the team. This job has potential to be great for us-the-company, but... I don’t know, man.”

  “What is it?”

  Zain tapped another key and his monitor displayed an email. “This is from Zora Clark. She’s with the NSA and is helping head up a joint task force. You can skim what she’s saying here, which is a lot of nothing. Come work for us. Here’s a contract. We promise to pay your guys well. That’s it.”

  Logan skimmed the email. “Why us? Does she ever say?”

  “I asked her that. We had a very brief phone call. By brief, I mean maybe a minute and a half. All she said was that they needed the best, and we’re it.”

  “What’s the joint task force for? Any idea?”

  Zain shook his head.

  “Hm.” Logan propped his elbow on the arm rest and read the email slower.

  The offer was a good one. Government contracts were a solid way to build the business and reputation. They didn’t have to vet and verify things as much when working with them either, not like private sector work.

  His gaze hung up on one of the last lines.

  What the hell?

  Logan gaped. “They want a decision tomorrow? And for everyone to move?”

  “Yeah.”

  He stared at the screen without reading it again.

  Zain wasn’t saying no to the job. If he were to do that, Logan would have never heard about the offer to begin with. That meant Zain was seriously considering it to the point that the rest of the guys were going to be looped in.

  Zain couldn’t order them to take the job and move. Which meant he was leaving it up to the team to decide. The ball was in Logan’s court. And Tucker’s. And Evan’s. And Jamie’s. And Harper’s.

  In that moment, Logan knew one thing for certain.

  If the majority of the guys wanted to take this job, he couldn’t leave them.

  He pressed his elbow against his side, just enough to feel the paper crinkle.

  They were a team. They wouldn’t be the best if they weren’t together.

  “I can’t make this call,” Zain said. “I wanted to talk to you about it first, then the guys and let you make your own decision. I figure if three or four of you say yes...”

  If Logan put in his notice, it would throw the team into disarray. Even if Logan’s top pick to replace him said yes, it would be weeks—months—of working together before the team was ready for a job like this.

  Harper, Evan, Tucker—those three stood a good chance of saying yes. With Jamie it all depended on how close his current girlfriend was to dumping him what he’d say. Zain had likely made the same determination, only he had no idea Logan intended to leave.

  But not now.

  If the guys agreed to it, if they wanted to do this, Logan would do it with them. They were the best because of how they worked together. Not because of a company name or their equipment. It was the people that made all the difference.

  “Okay.” Logan blew out a breath then nodded as his decision took root. “Okay, let’s do this.”

  1.

  Six months later. Monday. Logan Muller’s Apartment, Washington, DC.

  Meeting planner wasn’t part of Logan’s job description, but it should be.

  This meeting should have happened last week. Logan had pushed for them to act immediately after Zora Clark had come to his office to show him some of the new intel they’d decrypted from the servers their team had hacked after the last operation.

  Fuck. It felt like these things were happening so quickly. How were they this far behind?

  Instead, Zora had given everyone a much needed long weekend for Thanksgiving. With any luck, however, they’d have all the details ironed out.

  Where the hell was everyone?

  He glanced at his watch, then the gurgling coffee maker. He’d had to upgrade when they started moving meetings to his apartment across the street from their headquarters. It wasn’t ideal, but they didn’t have any other option.

  There was someone on the task force that didn’t want them to succeed. That much was obvious after the last few months of working with the combined team. This mole was the reason they were having a secret briefing in his apartment with only those they knew they could trust at seven in the morning. Or should be meeting. No one else was there yet.

  Something thudded against his front door.

  Logan reached out and grasped the handle, swinging the door open.

  A petite woman stood on the other side carrying three white boxes. She’d let her short, dark hair grow out a bit and now the longest part brushed her jaw line. Her large, dark eyes sucked him in to the point his lungs ached for oxygen. She was maybe an inch over five feet, yet she could fill the whole building with her presence.

  Kelsey Young.

  His heart twinged in his chest.

  Why did it have to be her?

  “Morning.” He stepped back and mentally tightened his grip on his control. The last few times they’d spoken hadn’t been pleasant, to say the least. He always seemed to say the wrong thing to her, or she was looking for a fight.

  “I’m not going to bite. I come bearing gifts this morning,” she announced and stepped into the apartment.

  Logan kept his distance regardless of her promise.

  He might like her bite. That was his real fear.

  He peered out at the breezeway, wishing someone—anyone—else would appear, but it was just them. He let the door swing shut all the while his awareness was on the curvy woman with the spiky personality bearing donuts.

  “Did you have a good Thanksgiving?” he asked and prayed he didn’t say the wrong thing this time.

  He was always putting his foot in his mouth when it came to Kelsey.

  Why her?

  What was it about her that got under his skin in every possible way?

  “Oh, yeah. I went to the thi
ng at Diha’s.” She turned toward him. “The guys kept saying you might show up.”

  “Work.”

  Not technically a lie.

  Logan had worked every day for the last ten or so days.

  Kelsey arched a brow at him. “You were never going to show up, were you?”

  For a moment he waffled, then went with the truth.

  “No, I wasn’t,” he admitted.

  “I get it.” She shrugged. “We never really did the Thanksgiving thing growing up either.”

  He absorbed that fact like he’d soaked up everything else she’d mentioned about herself. And just like that, he had more questions. Why? Was it on account of her Polynesian roots? Or was it just not a big holiday for her?

  He wanted to know everything.

  The front door burst open.

  Logan flinched and his gaze snapped to the man in the doorway.

  “Good morning,” Jamie Silva bellowed.

  “Jesus.” Logan scowled.

  Jamie just grinned right back at him. Harper Wright and Evan Ivanov, two other men that made up Logan’s team, entered on Jamie’s heels. They all lived in the same apartment building maybe thirty yards from the secret Task Force headquarters in an average looking office building. It was an arrangement that was both convenient and annoying.

  “Where’s Felecia?” Kelsey asked with a frown.

  Evan thumbed over his shoulder. “She saw Diha and the other ladies headed this way.”

  Logan still found it odd to think that Evan was married. Out of all of them, Logan had assumed it would be Jamie that tied the knot first. He was the serial monogamist. Always in and out of love, though this time Jamie seemed to have finally found a woman that matched him in Tabby Grissler. Those two were peas in a pod. And yet, Evan had beaten them to the punch by getting hitched over a weekend and surprising them all.

  Life was interesting, to say the least.

  “Anyone seen Tucker this morning?” Logan asked.

  Jamie shook his head. “Nah, man.”

  The door opened again, admitting the women of the inner circle. They were led by Felecia, Evan’s wife, followed by two others. There was Diha that headed up their lab along with her assistant Cat.