Page 1 of Spy With Me
Chapter One
Zach Reed loved The Hideout. At first he’d come to the BDSMclub because it was part of his job.
Scratch that. He was trying to be honest with himself sincehe couldn’t be honest with anyone else. He’d come because he wanted to knowwhat made Cooper McKay tick.
His brother.
He was with his brother. The brother he hadn’t known existedfor the longest time. The brother he never intended to do more than look up,make sure he was doing okay. Hedefinitely hadn’tmeant to become his brother’s military liaison on a CIA team. Hadn’t meant tohang with him at a sex club. Nope. Not on his life plan.
He liked it. It helped that his brother wasfairly privateabout his play.
“Well, I’m surprised Kala’s standing after that kick tothe…” Dare Nash settled the vest over his chest and gave hisaforementionedbrothera pat on the shoulder. “Does she have a piercing there? That’sthe rumor. Has anyone checked to make sure she’s okay? You know. Down there.”
Cooper snorted. “She’s fine. Trust me. It’s not the firsttime she’s taken a hit downstairs. My baby likes to get into fights. Also,maybe don’t tell her I call her my baby. She would take offense.”
His brother was madly in love with Kala Taggart, the singledeadliest operative he’d ever worked with. He wouldn’t cross her if he didn’thave to.
He’d started to wonder if they ever needed to know thetruth. He’d managed to hide working with Tristan Miles to bring down theinfamous Jester.
Who he’dactually killedfirst, andfor his own reasons. He’d sent in an asshole for Tristan to murder and let himthink he was in control. Yeah, they didn’t need to know that either.
“At some point you have to make a move, right?” Dare asked.“I can’t imagine being close to Tash and never making a move.”
Oh, Zach could. He’d been rather enchanted by the lovelyTasha Taggart since the minute he met her, but she was on his team andhonestly, he never felt like it was the right time to see if she wasinterested. First she’d had a fiancé, and then she’d needed space. Then she metDare, and he no longer had any kind of a shot.
He’d come to believe it wasn’t love. It was more likewanting to belong. He might have started all this because his bosses at the CIAwanted shit on Ian Taggart and his unique team, but the truth was Taggart was abetter man and better operative and ran a better team than any of thoseassholes ever could.
Would they cut him loose if he didn’t come through withsomething? Anything? Would they decide he was on the wrong side now and shiphim straight back to the military where he wouldn’t be part of this family hefound himself in?
He had to give them something or he was going to get cut,and right as he was finally getting close to his younger brother.
His brother was saying something about Kala needing time,but Zach’s head was on all the balls he was juggling.
Lying about why he was on the team. Lying about who hismother was—well, he hadn’t truly. He simply hadn’t mentioned that she was theelusive bombmaker everyone was hunting. Lying about who Cooper was to him.Lying about what he knew about Huisman.
That was the one he was least proud of. He could give themgood intel, but it would mean blowing his cover.
“I think Zach is distracted,” Cooper said with a chuckle.
He needed his head in the game. He hated that. Hated that hecouldn’t simply relax because the game never took a break. It was waiting toexpose him. He shook his head and stood, stretching. “Zach is tired because hewas on a red eye from DC this morning after someone’s dad pulled strings andforced me to leave my hermit house.”
Cooper shut his locker and leaned back against it. “I’m surethat was fun for you. Did Adam call, or Jake? Is it true that they boundTristan in plastic wrapin order toforce him toattend a family brunch?”
That plastic had been surprisingly effective. Also,Tristan’s mom, Serena, made a hell of a Bloody Mary. “Yeah, I got to witnesspart of that come to Jesus. They did not hold back. There were tears andeverything. Those were from Serena and Bri. Adam used logic. Jake growled alot. Does that dude talk?”
“I don’t think he has to. Adam talks enough forboth of them,” Cooper explained. “And I’m happy someonefinally knocked some sense into Tris. He’s been in love with Carys forever. IfAidan and Carys got married without him, he would regret it.”
Dare put up his hands as though ceding the fight. “I live inthis world now. This world where it’s perfectly normal for two dudes to decideto marry one girl. I do not get it, but they seem happy. Adam and Serena andJake, that is. Tris, Carys, and Aidan are a mess.”
“I don’t see why it’s weird,” Coop admitted.
Dare gave Zach a shake of his dark head. “Because you grewup around it. Zach and I didn’t.”
Zach shrugged. “Dude, I grew up in a trailer park. Let metell you there’s a lot of drama in a trailer park. Honestly, I think therewould have been way less if Suzy Nelson hadn’t cheated behind her husband,Gorge’s, back. Not a nickname. The dude was legally named Gorge. If she’dwalked to old Gorge and told him she wanted to screw Bubba Ham, maybe theywould have tag teamed her instead of trying to shoot each other with BB guns.Also, Bubbawasa nickname, but where I come from if you have severalsiblings, your momma looks around and decides one of the males is Bubba. He’susually the one who says ‘hold my beer’ a lot. There’s always a Bubba, and ifyou don’t know which one it is, it’s probably you.”
Cooper grinned. “I love trailer park stories.”
“It wasn’t all bad,” Zach admitted. Cooper never had to knowthat when he told those stories, he was doing it so Cooper knew a little aboutthe childhood that was almost his, too. His mom was awesome when she wasaround. She was smart and funny. She also happened to be a wanted criminal. “Itwas good to have a roof over my head and food in my belly, so I can’tcomplain.”
