Page 68 of Shadow Undercover

“Probably. A chemical plant was hit in La Perla. Chlorine gas.”

“Nasty stuff.” Adam sighed. “All right. We’ll tap some of Vonnie’s informants, see if they’ve heard anything about the heist. If we come up with anything, we’ll call. Otherwise, we’ll coordinate our plan of attack on the jet.”

Trace’s eyebrow rose. “You’re going?”

“Backup is more useful if it’s close.”

Minutes later, Trace escorted Bridget from the Walker residence. Once she was in the passenger seat, he captured her mouth, giving in to the urge to kiss her that he’d been fighting since he’d seen her descending the staircase.

When he eased back, Bridget’s eyes were unfocused and her breathing rapid. Satisfaction zinged through his veins.

“Wow.” She touched the fingers of one hand to her lips. “Guess you do like me a little bit.” Then she smiled.

Trace dropped a hard, possessive kiss on her mouth and closed the door before climbing behind the wheel.

As he drove, Bridget asked, “Where are we going?”

“My house.” Grim determination filled him. “We have a lot of work to do and a deadline fast approaching.” Not only did he need to teach her self-defense tactics, they had to memorize and rehearse their fake backgrounds.

“Will I have enough time to prepare?”

Trace glanced at her before refocusing on the road. “We’ll make it work.” He had to. The alternative was unthinkable.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Bridget slumped on the mat, panting and sweating as though she’d run a marathon while Trace crouched beside her, amusement glinting in his gorgeous brown eyes. The rat wasn’t even breathing hard much less breaking a sweat. “Don’t say it.”

His eyebrows rose. “Say what?”

“That I’m out of shape.”

He chuckled. “I’m not stupid.”

She snorted.

“Besides, you’re a researcher, not an operative. I didn’t expect you to do as well as you have. It’s obvious you’re not a couch potato.”

“Yoga and walking are not in the same league with what you do. You’re not winded at all.”

“I shouldn’t be. When we’re not on missions, we train eight to ten hours a day.”

Good grief. No wonder Trace didn’t have an ounce of fat on him. “Why train so long?”

“To keep our edge. We have to be in better shape than the terrorists we fight. Although we give Nico grief about the rigid training schedule, it saved our hides more times than we can count over the past five years.”

“You and your teammates are far more dedicated to your gym time than I have ever been.” Or ever would be. Bridget wasn’t willing to sacrifice as much time and energy.

“What about your sister? You said she works out to keep in shape.”

“Two or three hours a day when she’s not on a photo shoot.” She shook her head. “That’s not for me. I have a few extra pounds because of it, but I won’t apologize for it, either.” She lifted her chin, feeling defensive. She’d never been self-conscious about her body. Must be all the super fit people she’d been hanging around with recently.

“You’re perfect as you are.” He tugged Bridget to her feet. “Break time’s over. Let’s see what you’ve learned.”

When she fumbled a couple moves, Trace stopped and corrected the movements, then encouraged her to try again. By the time he stopped the training session two hours later, Bridget didn’t have to think about the defense tactics. They almost seemed automatic.

“Perfect.” Trace grinned. “The key is muscle memory. Don’t stop and think about where to place your feet or your hands. React. Do what has to be done to protect yourself and run.”

“What if you need help?”

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