Page 50 of Seeking Vengeance
“I can’t let you do this,” Sean said, wrapping his hand around Nicki’s wrist. He didn’t know what she was planning to do, but there was no mistaking the anticipation surrounding them, like that of a team preparing for a mission.
He expected her to resist; she didn’t.
If he hadn’t been so blinded by the need to keep her close and with him, he might have listened to the warning bells going off in his head.
* * *
Nicki lethim draw her into his arms, curling against him one last time, hoping the feel of his hard body, his warmth, and his scent would be enough to carry her through for a while.
“I know,” she said quietly, tilting her head up to his.
She allowed his lips to brush hers for a moment before reaching up to cup his head. His eyes widened a split second later when she pressed the tiny needle into his neck.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes filled with unshed tears as her two partners stepped up to ease Sean to the ground.
“Jesus, he’s a big one, Nix,” grunted Fisher beneath Sean’s dead weight.
“Be careful with him,” she told them. “He’s one of the good guys.”
Brookes snorted. “He’s a fucking Mack truck, Nix. I don’t think a little tumble’s going to do him much damage. Nice use of the stinger, by the way.”
Nicki put a blanket over Sean and then knelt beside him on the floor. His eyes were open, and she knew he could see and hear everything. Her heart nearly broke with the shock and betrayal she saw in those beautifully expressive eyes.
“It won’t last long,” she said, tucking a pillow beneath his head. “It’s a paralytic but a mild one. You might feel a bit stiff for a couple of hours. Drink lots of nonalcoholic fluids, and you’ll get through it faster.” She spoke quickly, hating that it had come to this, knowing there was no other way. “I know you don’t understand,” she said as a tear fell from her eye and onto his cheek. She wiped it away, repeating the motion with the pads of her fingers, wanting just one more touch. “But I have to go. It’s for the best.”
She leaned over and added quietly in his ear, “Take care of Nick, okay? He thinks the world of you; you’re the only one he’ll listen to. And tell him I love him.” Nicki brushed one last kiss over his lips and then forced herself away.
She set the lock and pulled the door tightly behind her, following the others down the stairs.
“You’ve got my gear?” she asked, her voice stronger as she hastily wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.
“Is shecrying?” Fisher asked in disbelief. “You know, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.”
“Fucktard,” she rumbled. “Give me my shit.”
“Now, that’s the Nix I know.” Brookes grinned as he tossed her a badge and her piece. “For a minute there, I thought we’d rescued the wrong girl.”
Nicki snorted in response. “You didn’t rescue anyone. I had the situation under control.”
“Yeah, that was obvious.” The taller of the two shot her a questioning look. “So, what’s up, Nix?”
“What the hell are you guys doing here anyway?” she asked, blatantly ignoring his question.
“Looking for you.”
“Why?”
“Because we miss your smiling face and loving arms, darlin’.” Brookes allowed his native Southern drawl to color his words. He did it solely to annoy her; he knew the sound was like nails on a blackboard to her because she told him so every damn time.
“Fuck you.”
Fisher chuckled. “You say the sweetest things. Relax, Nix. We know what’s going on. The boss man dispatched us the minute word came through about your mom. Your leave is officially rescinded, effective immediately. Just in the nick of time, too, by the looks of it.”
She snorted. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She knew the rules as well as they did. They weren’t allowed to have familyorrelationships. In agreeing to join them, she had given up all ties to her former life to become a spook. She’d broken those rules in coming to Pine Ridge by caring for her mother, staying with her brother, and hooking up with Sean.
She’d been stupid to think she’d get away with it. They’d probably been using the tag embedded in her tat to monitor her activities all along. They all had them; it was how they remained accessible anywhere, anytime, without any actual trail. Between assignments, they were allowed to disappear as long as they heeded the call to return when it came.
