Page 19 of Raven's Claw
She placed her hand over his heart, counting each strong beat, when the door creaked as Nyx bounded in, leaping onto the bed then jumping over to them.She licked and yipped, tail swishing as she stood over them, looking as if she was trying to figure out the best way to squeeze between them.
“Nyx—”
“It’s fine.”Jordan gave the pooch a scratch, smiling when the canine finally circled, then curled up at the foot of the bed.“I assume she usually sleeps with you?”
“She does, but?—”
“No buts.Besides, it’s kind of nice knowing she’s there keeping watch.”
“Nothing can get within fifty feet of this place without her knowing.Promise.Which reminds me… Will you do me a favor?”
She glanced up at him.
He looked her in the eyes.“If all those voices in your head get too much and you bolt, take my truck.The keys are in a bowl by the door.I can grab it later at the café.And the alarm code’s one, one, seven, three.So, you don’t have the rest of my team racing over thinking we’re being infiltrated when it sends out a blanket nine-one-one.”
“You want me to take your truck if I bolt?”
“The roads are shit, so yeah.”
She was so screwed.
“I won’t leave.I might have to do a perimeter check.”She sighed.“To quiet those voices.”
“I can live with that.And take Nyx if you do.”
“I’m not a handler let alone hers.”
“That’s okay.She’s very adaptable.And it’s not like it’s a mission or anything.She can do a lap around the house without needing me at her side or losing her shit.”
“Do you tell that to all the women who’ve stayed over?”
He just smiled.“Haven’t had any besides you, here.Sleep.I’ve got plans for breakfast.”
Jordan relaxed against him, letting the quiet whisper of his breath soothe her to sleep.She’d worry about how to leave in the morning.But for now, she’d bleed out every second of being in Kash’s arms because she knew, the moment she let herself believe she had a chance at a future, the past would come for her.
ChapterFive
You’re either with us, or you’re dead.
Jordan opened her eyes, Rook’s voice lingering in the air.She bolted upright, searching the shadows, planning how she’d dive across the bed — use whatever was on Kash’s nightstand as a weapon.Hell, the guy was ex-special forces.He probably had a gun or three shoved into the drawer.
Silence filled the room, nothing but bad memories staring back at her from the darkness.She waited, muscles primed, senses alert, until the uneasiness passed.Nyx lifted her head, tilting it left and right — clearly confused as to why Jordan sat there, ready to pounce.
Jordan glanced at Kash when he stirred, rolling toward her and laying his arm across her waist before drifting back to sleep.She studied his face, noting the way his mouth twitched in his sleep.Or how peaceful he looked cuddled up to her.
Her chest tightened, that lump from earlier nearly choking her, and she found herself slipping out of the bed — heading for the main living area.She snagged the sweats and socks off the floor where Kash had left them in a heap along with his clothes, tugging on everything.He must have had the lights on a timer because the room was dark, just the distant glow from Beckett’s place brightening the shadows through the windows.
She walked over to the bookshelves on the far wall, smiling at the collection of photos.Mostly him and his teammates, uniforms caked in dirt.Looking as if they’d faced hell and won.Which, they probably had, based on the various locations.Most she recognized, others… Yeah, she’d been to those kinds of places, too.The ones not easily found on a map.That came with kill orders and a lifetime’s worth of ugly memories.
She lifted one near the end, running her finger across the faces.She picked out Foster, Chase and Zain instantly, wondering who the other two men were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kash.Grinning like they’d won the lottery.It looked fairly recent, the lines on their faces still the same.
Ghosts, she assumed.Like her.
She placed it back on the shelf then made her way over to the kitchen, grabbing a medium-sized knife from the drawer.She tested out the weight, getting a sense of where she’d have to hold it if she had to toss it at an asset, before making her way back to the door.She’d already donned her boots and jacket when claws clicked across the floor.Nyx stopped a few feet away, gaze focused.Looking up at Jordan, then at the door.Making it clear Jordan wasn’t getting outside without the dog tagging along.
Jordan chuckled to herself as she tapped the code into the unit next to the entrance, waiting until it blinked twice before turning the handle and easing the wooden slab open.
Cold, damp air spilled through the doorway as thick clouds covered the sky.It wasn’t actively raining, though she knew that could change in a heartbeat.Nyx followed her out, staying close as Jordan closed the door, giving her eyes a few minutes to adjust before moving over to the edge of the house.Tall trees swayed in the wind, the black silhouettes like monoliths against the sky.She scanned the tree line, narrowing in on a dense section over toward one of the other buildings — either Chase’s or Zain’s homes she assumed — the hairs along her neck prickling.
