Page 10 of Braxton

And she couldn’t do it. He’d been attractive, nice, a decent kisser…and all she could do was compare him to Brax.

There had been no comparison.

Sighing, Quinn reluctantly admired the former love of her life. From the slicked-back waves on his head, past his angular jaw covered in stubble, down his firm chest, slim waist, muscular thighs and long legs.

Damn him. She wished she could erase him from her mind forever and never waste another thought on him again. Because when she’d needed her husband the most, he’d abandoned her. And she’d never been able to forgive him for that.

Hiding in the bushes grew tiresome fast. The ground was cold and hard, and the branches kept scraping her arms every time she moved. But watching Brax nourished a part of her soul that she thought died a long time ago.

“So serious,” she murmured, remembering how she used to love seeing his smile. It was big and bright and made his eyes crinkle at the edges.

He wasn’t smiling now.

She couldn’t help but wonder how many women had been able to coax that smile from him since they’d been apart. A zap of jealousy struck and she scowled. Most of the time, at least when he’d been working, the man was serious as a heart attack. But she could still hear the deep rumble of his laughter, still feel the way his lips had curved up in a smile against hers while dropping kisses on her face.

Quinn squeezed her eyes shut, cursing her life. Maybe she should walk away right now and never look back. Her emotions were getting the best of her and that was dangerous. She couldn’t afford to slip up because one wrong decision could prove fatal.

Battling her inner turmoil, she leaned back against the warehouse and debated over her options. And she kept coming back to the same thing—corner Brax alone, preferably vulnerable, and interrogate him point blank about The Agency and why they wanted him dead.

He would tell her the truth because he was no-bullshit that way. And, more than anything, Quinn needed the truth.

Okay, decision made. She instantly felt better and settled in. Her plan involved watching the warehouse day and night, using her small drone and keen observation skills to gain intel on every single person inside. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a pen and notebook and began jotting down information.

By six o’clock the next morning, Quinn realized everyone inside was coupled up…except Braxton. And, oddly, that made her feel better.

“You are not still hung up on your ex-husband,” she muttered under her breath then finished the coffee in her thermos. It was getting lighter outside and she needed a newhiding spot. Hanging out in the bushes probably wasn’t the greatest idea once it was fully daylight.

Grabbing her bag, she stood up, stretched and darted back to her Explorer parked down the street. She’d continue her recon from there. The tinted windows would help conceal her and she could make a quick getaway if necessary. Most importantly, though, she wanted to keep tabs on people’s comings and goings.

All day, Quinn hunkered down in her SUV and kept a close watch on the warehouse while taking meticulous notes and munching on trail mix and other assorted snacks. Another fly-by with her drone had provided insight on the room where they were holding Zaitsev, so she made sure to keep track of that space as well, and she drew out a rough map of the warehouse’s interior layout.

As she gathered intel, she forced herself to remain indifferent to the glimpses of Brax she got throughout the day. Told herself to ignore how mouthwatering he looked in a pair of gray sweatpants and a fitted T-shirt. And she was probably just imagining how he seemed a little sad and a lot alone, despite being surrounded by his team and their significant others.

Well, there was a cute cat who followed him around. But other than that…

Quinn gave her head a hard shake, telling herself she didn’t care. Good, she hoped he was alone and miserable and full of regrets. He deserved it.

At six o’clock that evening, Quinn was finishing a box of Junior Mints when the warehouse front door opened and a parade of couples streamed out. By now, she’d identified the other men and lone woman on his team based on the dossierprovided by The Agency. Well, she’d made conclusions based on the intel and felt pretty confident. She’d pegged the biggest guy with unusual amber-colored eyes as Grayson “Demon” Ellis; the sun-bronzed Ken doll always laughing as Ryland “Rip” Mills; the dark-haired one who wore glasses and always had his nose in a laptop as Zane “Banshee” Hawkins; the gorgeous badass twirling a pair of nunchucks as Inda “Bruja” Diaz; and the ink-covered man constantly holding and kissing a blonde could only be Nik “Saint” Valentine.

And they, along with their significant others, just waltzed out the door and were casually heading up the block, probably going to grab dinner and drinks at the corner restaurant/bar.

There was no sign of Braxton. She couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.

Time to strike.

Chapter Five

After a quick flyby with her drone, Quinn determined the alarm system wasn’t set after spotting the security panel through a nearby window. The current display status didn’t read “armed.” Most likely because it was still early and they had security cams running. Or, maybe because they were cocky enough to think they were untouchable. Because who in their right mind would break into a place that housed six former assassins?

Me, she thought with a smirk, quickly tapping into the feed and looping the security footage. Easy peasy.

She weighed the two options in front of her: spirit Zaitsev out of there with no one the wiser, or confront Brax and then steal the scientist. Maybe it was reckless, but she wanted a word with her ex. He’d be pissed about the whole her-trying-to-kill-him incident, but he’d have to get over that so they could have a rational conversation.

Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst—she was, after all, a realist—Quinn checked her Glock, then carefully concealed it in the holster beneath her black leather jacket. After grabbing a few key items from her duffel bag and stuffing them in her small backpack, she let out a low breath, mentally preparing herself.

Showtime.

She opened the door, slid out of the SUV and crept over to the warehouse, ducking back into the shrubs beneath the second-floor balcony. Her plan was to sneak inside there and confront Brax. Catch him by surprise and not give him the opportunity to slam a door in her face.

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