Page 1 of Lost (Powertools: The Shields 2)

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Kennedy stepped into the hallway outside her apartment. The smell of new carpet and fresh paint reminded her the building was only weeks old, even though it already felt more like home than anyplace she’d lived before. She scanned her fingerprint and retina to lock the door behind her, then bumped into her neighbors doing the same outside their units. Marcus, looking finer than ever, was toweling off his chiseled torso and abs down to the waistband of his shorts. Diamond stud earrings glinted in the LED lighting along with the droplets he was swiping from his chest. Barefoot, it was clear he had settled in to the Shields headquarters as quickly as she had.

He grinned when he noticed she couldn’t keep her appraising stare from traveling over his defined pecs and flat stomach to the trail of black hair, which dead ended at soft cotton. The remaining water danced with rainbows enhanced by the backdrop of his dark skin. By comparison, it made her very aware she couldn’t so much as get a tan with her pasty complexion.

“Come on you two. You can flirt later,” Sola called from the elevator bank where Aarav was holding the door open for her to enter. It would be easy to mistake him for a standup guy instead of a sniper when dressed in crisp black pants and a burgundy polo, his collar-length dark hair combed back, obscuring the usual waves in it, and his thick beard recently trimmed.

Sola, one of Kennedy’s best friends and also her coworker, lived at the other end of the hall, next door to Aarav. The four of them worked closely together, and now they lived that way too. For people who did…what they did…cohesiveness could mean life or death in the field. It was also nice to have friends who wouldn’t judge Kennedy for the twisted moral code she lived by since they did also.

Sola snapped her fingers, urging them to hurry. “Jordan sounded like he wasn’t fucking around. It’s not like him to get his briefs in a twist. Let’s go.”

Marcus’s mouth flattened into a pinched line that couldn’t detract from the lushness of his lips. “I’m hurrying. I was in the middle of showering after my workout. Trust me, I did you all a favor by slapping on some soap before getting out.”

Despite the fact that he killed people for a living—they all did—he gestured for Kennedy to precede him as if he were a gentleman instead of an assassin. Or maybe he simply wanted to check out her ass.

Kennedy glanced over her shoulder. Yup, he was staring.

Truth be told, she didn’t mind. Marcus had a way of making her feel desirable, even if she could never act on the attraction between them. They’d had their one oopsy, tipsy kiss last month during the grand opening of the Shields’ new headquarters and the living areas perched on top of their work spaces and gym. She’d made it clear it could never happen again.

Despite how much she wished that wasn’t so.

Marcus was a dangerous man. Lethal and kind. Worst of all, he gave her the illusion of safety, and the intense stares he often leveled at her never left a shred of doubt that their attraction was very mutual.

Tension zinged between the four of them on the ride to the ground floor, where their command center was nestled at the back of the unassuming security services office, which was a front for their more furtive operations.

When they entered the heart of the headquarters in downtown Middletown, James—their team manager—had already displayed a map, several bios, and a summary of their next case on the wrap-around screens that descended from the ceiling. Images of white bricks and an arsenal of guns made it pretty clear what they were dealing with.

Kennedy shuddered. Drugs. She hated these kinds of assignments. But on the other hand, as a doctor, she’d seen firsthand what that shit could do to people. Good people. Caring people. People she would have sworn loved her, even if it wasn’t enough to keep them from chasing their next high.

Damn it.

“You okay?” Marcus asked, his head tipped slightly so she could see the wave pattern shaved into the sides of his hair. The number of times she’d imagined tracing those marks with the tip of her finger or maybe her tongue was obscene.

She focused on that instead of the nightmarish memories threatening to distract her when she could least afford it. “Of course.”

Kennedy crossed her arms and took a seat at the colossal, glossy boardroom table, sinking into the buttery leather of whatever ergonomic chairs James had ordered for them. Jordan had spared no expense on their headquarters. Why should he? Being super spies willing to teeter on the edge of legality and take enormous risks paid incredibly well.

Marcus grabbed the place next to her. Sola plopped down on her other side, and Aarav sat beside Sola. Across from them were Nolan, James, Ransom, Levi, and two new guys who’d only been around a few weeks and were currently bunking together in one of the guest suites they’d incorporated into their facility. Plenty of room for the team to grow or for them to stash witnesses when they were on babysitting missions.

Liam, the blond walking refrigerator with an impeccably manicured beard, couldn’t have been more different from his partner. A permanent five o’clock shadow hugged Ace’s angular jaw and his jet-black hair had probably never seen a comb. Black-and-gray tattoos smothered every inch of his warm ivory skin. He practically vibrated with energy where Liam seemed calm enough that Kennedy might have to take his pulse to make sure he was still conscious.

Both men stuck close to Ruby. Kennedy wasn’t sure if the woman was called that because it was her given name, because her hair was dyed a deep, unnatural red, or because the computer language moniker was a nod to her coding and hacking skills. The quirky geek girl had taken over all things cyber from her mentor, JRad, and quickly become a key member of their team. Not surprising when she came so highly recommended.

Regardless, the new recruits seemed to have formed some sort of bond, even if Ruby was doing her best to ignore the way Liam and Ace edged closer to her at every opportunity.

Welcome to our world, kid. Kennedy exchanged a wry glance with Sola, who hid a smirk behind her hand before her gaze wandered to Aarav. Damn, they were all in trouble. This wasn’t some silly reality show. They couldn’t afford distractions.

Kennedy wondered what it was about their profession that seemed to lure in hordes of confident, capable, sexy men…and women. It might have been their willingness to put their lives on the line and do morally gray shit in order to make the world a better place in the big picture that attracted her to them.

Unconsciously, she peeked at Marcus. He peered a bit too casually straight ahead, making her certain he was watching her in his peripheral vision like he always seemed to do.

Before she could tell him to quit it, Jordan strode into the room. Dressed in black cargo pants and a matching turtleneck that hugged his lean, muscled torso, he took his place at the head of the table. Everyone sat a bit straighter when he glanced around at them, counting silently to make sure they were all in attendance before he began his briefing.

Satisfied, he started talking without wasting a second on pleasantries. “We’ve got a lead on a key informant from the Vipers and a narrow window to try to make contact with him.”

“The Vipers?” Marcus asked. “As in one of the nastiest drug cartels on the planet?”

Jordan gave a single curt nod.

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