Page 37 of Raven's Claw
He chuckled.“Glad you’ve still got your sense of humor.Just remember… We’re all friends, here.The guys can get a bitintensewhen they’re talking shop.But it’s because they care.”
She scrunched her face as if she thought he was crazy.Or maybe it was disbelief that he’d said his buddies cared.That she was worth risking their lives for.Especially after she’d admitted that no one had ever told her they loved her.Not that he was truly surprised, but it had cut deep.Had highlighted how much trust and faith she’d already placed in him.What it had taken to give him that decryption drive.And he wasn’t going to let her down.
A throat cleared behind him, and Kash glanced over his shoulder, nodding at Foster.The guy was still their unofficial leader, and it appeared as if he was ready to get down to business.
Jordan nudged him.“Guess your buddies are done waiting.”
“Remember what I said.”
“Right.All those gruff expressions come from a place of caring.”
Kash sighed, then turned.He thought about venturing back to where he’d been standing but couldn’t get the signals through.Instead, he gave her a hint of space, then whistled for Nyx.The dog trotted across the floor — settled between him and Jordan.As if she was showing her loyalty, too.
Jordan leaned over and gave Nyx a scratch.“At least Nyx doesn’t look as if she’s about to have a stroke.”
Foster chuckled.“We’d be less uptight if we hadn’t needed to swoop in and grab you two amidst a firefight.”He gave her a pointed look.“And there’s the part where you lost a liter of blood in the back of the chopper.”
“Technically, the only person shooting at that moment was Zain.And I’m still breathing so…” She held up her hand.“But that’s not the takeaway.”
Jordan drew a breath, then straightened, and it was as if she’d flicked a switch.Just shifted into Ember in front of Kash’s eyes.The way she stood, how she gazed around the room… It all seemed instantly different.Colder, maybe.Definitely more calculated.As if she’d lifted off the mask she’d been wearing.
Kash reminded himself it didn’t matter what vibe she gave off.That under all the training and missions, she was still the woman he’d fallen for.That it was her form of body armor.
His teammates obviously noticed it, too.They responded in kind, standing taller, any hint of amusement gone.
Jordan looked at him, then at everyone else.“Before I lift the veil and let you see the other side, you need to be one hundred percent sure this is what you want.Because once I lay it all out, you’ll be in the crosshairs, too.And there’s only one way this ends with us still breathing.If we fail…”
She shoved her fingers through her hair, wincing when it obviously pulled on her side, before she blew out a rough breath.“We’re either dead or on the run.And there’s no corner of this Earth that’s safe.No jungle hut or mountain cabin he can’t find.So, be very certain you want to jump on this train because there’s no getting off until we either burn them or die in the fire.”
Foster stared at her for a few moments, then gazed at Zain, Chase, Bodie — finally ending with Kash.“I’m pretty sure we’re already in the crosshairs.If our assumptions are correct, they’ve already been to the house.And it won’t take a covert agency long to figure out who was flying the chopper, so… No one’s getting off the train, Jordan.And we sure as hell don’t plan on losing.So, tell us what we need to know to bring these fuckers down.”
Jordan stared at Foster.The man seemed genuine.His eyes weren’t shifting off to one side, and he hadn’t looked at any of his teammates, or even Bodie, as if he was worried they’d overrule him.Sure, she knew Kash was onboard, but the rest of his team didn’t owe her anything.Could write off the rescue to saving Kash’s ass, with hers just being a lucky by-product.Yet, they all stood there, shoulders back, chins high.And she knew this was simply who they were.Men who’d spent their lives in the fray and who weren’t afraid to jump back in.
She pushed down the riotous roil of her stomach — the ghostly echo of Rook’s voice telling her she wasn’t worthy of their devotion.That she’d never be anything other than Ember — the woman who’d sold her soul without question.“I think you’re all a little south of normal to voluntarily jump in, but I could definitely use some of that.”
She took a breath.This was it.A reckoning of sorts with her past on display, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the truth would change their minds.“What do you know about Shadow Ops?”
Zain chuckled.“Damn, I hate when Kash is right.”
She snapped her focus to Kash and inhaled at the hint of a smile beneath the stoic facade.He’d thought she was Shadow Ops all along?And he’d still asked her out?Taken her to bed?Said he loved her?
Kash leaned over.“Breathe, sweetheart.”
She jolted back from her thoughts, sucked in an embarrassingly loud breath.
Zain grinned, and she had the urge to smack the guy up the backside of his head.“We know the basics.Deep underground.Highly secretive.Missions that skirt the line between what’s legal and what’s necessary, though, I suspect they lean far more toward the latter.”
Jordan nodded.“The division I worked for operates beyond standard intelligence channels.It specializes in missions that require surgical precision, zero oversight and complete deniability.Its operatives are considered assets, not people.Once they enter the program, their previous identities cease to exist.They’re given new code names, new mandates and very few restrictions.Failure isn’t tolerated on any scale, and if they make a mess or become too visible, they’re disavowed and put on a termination list.”
“How long were you with this agency?”
“Twenty years.”
“Twenty?”Kash nearly choked the word out.“But you’re thirty-two.That means you were recruited when you were twelve.”
“From that group home you heard me telling Zain about.”
Zain shook his head.“How the hell did this agency find you at a group home?”
