Page 2 of Gray

She slid her designer purse higher on her shoulder, moving toward the stairwell leading down to the basement. Her boss, Jett Hutchinson, was the owner and head of Shadow Security. As his personal assistant, Lena ran errands for him, booked flights and coordinated his schedule, and helped occasionally at his large home. With Jett’s recent marriage to Anna and their new baby, Lena found herself coordinating with their nanny as often as she dealt with Jett’s multiple business contacts. She was efficient and organized, however, keeping her busy boss on task.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she pulled it free, almost relieved someone was calling her. The silence surrounding her somehow almost felt ominous.

She shook her head, glancing down at her phone. She was being silly. Shadow Security was one of the safest places to be.

“I’m almost there,” she told Jett after she’d swiped the screen to answer.

“Perfect. Let me know how much high-caliber ammo we have. One of my shipments was delayed in transit. Anna has been good at tracking our inventory since she came onboard, but with the baby and her newest pregnancy—”

“She doesn’t have the current figures. It’s fine,” Lena assured him. “I’ll update you on what we have. Anna’s got her hands full with the baby—no doubt with you, too,” she deadpanned.

“Very funny,” Jett muttered. “Just let me know when you’ve got the numbers. Some of the guys are moving out soon, and I’ve been distracted as of late. I want to make sure they’re fully equipped for their op. I keep saying we need to bring on more men—”

“And it hasn’t happened yet,” Lena finished. “We could put up job postings. You may have brought on men you know for the Shadow Ops Team, but you’ve got connections. I have no doubt you could easily bring in more quality team members. We can post listings on the classified jobs sites.”

“I know, I know,” he grumbled. “It’ll happen at some point. I’ve got enough going on at the moment, however, to worry about screening new personnel. Call me back with the numbers. I’ve got another call coming in.”

“Will do,” Lena said, the phone line going dead.

Gruff and intimidating, Jett was a force to be reckoned with. Lena knew most people wouldn’t joke with him the way she occasionally did. Lena, however, had seen it all. She and Jett went way back, and when he’d formed his own security firm and asked her to come onboard, she couldn’t say no. She did everything. Picked up his drycleaning. Scheduled the housecleaners. She dropped off lingerie and condoms at his home with the same finesse she used when booking travel forthe team or making reservations at a swanky restaurant for Jett’s meetings with government contacts.

Besides all that, the work Jett and his team did was important, crucial to national security. Lena might not have the same clearances he did, but she saw no issue with his men ridding the world of the evil that lurked in the shadows. All former Special Forces soldiers, the team took on jobs the Feds couldn’t or wouldn’t do. Jett was a man who got shit done, and Lena was often behind the scenes, keeping his life and operation running smoothly.

Of course, she’d ended up right in the thick of things with Kaylee. Nick’s old flame had witnessed a leak of classified information and been on the run from several men impersonating federal agents. Nick had brought Kaylee back to New York to keep her safe. They’d found her anyway, kidnapping Lena along with their target. After the team had located them, Jarid Cronin and Kyle Levins had been taken out in the rescue operation.

Lena shuddered, thinking about the third man who’d escaped. She’d returned to work after a couple of weeks recuperating, but that didn’t stop her from looking over her shoulder, wondering if he’d track her down. According to Jett, Ivan Rogers headed a large North American sex-trafficking ring. He’d taken a particular interest in Lena, claiming he was going to keep her all for himself.

She’d been lucky as hell to get away from him.

The Feds had raided the property after the incident, but he was already gone. Out there somewhere. Always on her mind.

Pulling open the heavy door, Lena descended the stairs. The basement of headquarters housed the armory, gun range, and fully-equipped gym. The men on the Shadow Ops Team wereoften down there training and preparing for missions. They were both silent and deadly, and she was thankful men like them were on their side. The good guys.

Clearly, none of the Shadow Ops Team members were here tonight. Jett would’ve asked one of his team to check numbers in the armory if that were the case, not send her over. The men were probably out with their women or cozy at home, content with their lives. Lena didn’t date anymore, which suited her just fine. Relationships hadn’t gone so well in the past. The only man on the team still single anyway was Gray, and he had demons just like her. Secrets. A past he wanted to forget. She could admit that Gray was attractive in a dark and dangerous type of way. He might not hurt her, but it was still best that she kept her distance all the same.

Lena shook her head once more, clearing her thoughts.

Her heels clicked as she moved down the empty stairwell. This wasn’t the first time she’d been here alone late in the evening and no doubt it wouldn’t be the last. She slowed her steps, listening for what, she wasn’t sure. The building was inside a secure compound, surrounded by a gated fence, cameras, and security staff. Everyone inside was cleared. Employees needed to badge in to enter the front door and the various secure areas within the building. It wasn’t like someone could just walk in off the streets and hurt her.

Inexplicably, she shivered.

Lena hurried the rest of the way down, moving into the basement hall. The lights were on, but it still felt secluded. Glancing left and right, she strode toward the armory. Lena quickly swiped her badge and typed in the code, breathing a sigh of relief when she was inside the secure space. The heavy door clicked shut behind her.

It was silly for her to feel rattled. She was safer here than most anywhere else.

Moving quickly toward the area Jett had instructed her, she scanned the labels, looking for the correct boxes. Lena tallied the types of ammo he’d needed numbers on, taking a couple of photos and notes on her phone. She almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. One day she was buying flowers or pretty lingerie for her boss’s wife, maybe even helping them to research daycares and back-up nannies, and the next, counting bullets. Life was weird.

She scanned over the numbers she’d saved once more. Lena would shoot him a text as soon as she had cell reception again. The armory was a secure space with thick, metal walls. There was a secure line available to use, but a cell wouldn’t work. She’d call Jett before she left headquarters to make sure that was all he needed. It had already been a long day, and she didn’t want to come back again even later if she’d gotten the wrong information.

Giving the boxes of ammo one last cursory glance, she slid her phone into her handbag. Lena crossed the large space and opened the heavy door. Lena made sure it locked behind her, double-checking that it was secure, then shrieked in surprise as a man she didn’t recognize came out of the gym across the hall.

“Whoa, easy there,” the guy said with a grin, not bothering to slow his step as he approached her. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I saw you head into the armory earlier.”

“Oh,” she said, taking a step back without thought, her heart racing. She was now almost pressed against the armory door, and her gaze inadvertently darted to the stairwell. She thought the man was one of the new IT guys, but why he was here in thegym so late, she didn’t have an answer for. Was anyone else even downstairs right now?

“I’ve seen you around,” he continued, not seeming to even notice her fear. “I wanted to introduce myself.” His gaze slid to her hand. “I don’t see a ring on your finger. Tell me you’re single,” he said with a lazy grin, edging slightly closer. Lena didn’t miss the way his eyes flared with interest as he appreciatively looked her over. The guy still hadn’t even told her his name.

“No. I’m not married, but I don’t date. Jett’s expecting my call, so I need to get going.” She pushed away from the door, trying not to brush against him since he stood so close to her, then yelped in surprise as the guy’s big hand landed on her arm, his fingers closing around her flesh.

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