Page 10 of Lost (Powertools: The Shields 2)

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Marcus shook his hand out, hoping like hell that Knox’s jaw hurt at least as bad as his knuckles did when that bastard woke up. He’d played Kennedy, getting a quickie out of things when he’d known all along what she was up to. Okay, so she hadn’t been upfront either, but Marcus only cared about her in this equation.

And if he was jealous as fuck—like the time his best friend in high school had asked Marcus’s secret crush to the prom before he’d gotten up the nerve to do it himself, but a million times worse—well, that might have fueled his aggression just a little.

“Get yourselves together. Focus,” Jordan snapped. “Liam, Ace, take that shit and load it into our vehicles. We’ll get it handed over to the DEA to be disposed of properly.”

Their two new recruits sprang into action, lugging the bricks out of the cabin into their waiting fleet. Probably best to do it while Knox was too out of it to object. The guy was a scrapper, his chiseled body dotted with scars and junk tattoos that attested to some hard living. When combined with his ginger hair and skin nearly as light as Kennedy’s, dotted with a freckle here and there, it made for an interesting aesthetic. One that Marcus was shocked he didn’t find entirely distasteful.

He scrubbed his still-throbbing hands over his face. This assignment was screwing with his head. Or maybe it was the fact that he’d set a personal record for longest gap between lays since Kennedy had taken up residence in his obsessions. He must be hard up if the man who’d just screwed the woman he’d been lusting after for months and who’d wounded her profoundly, enough to scare her away from even the hint of a relationship, was looking fine to him.

Marcus stood guard—over Kennedy or Knox, he couldn’t say, maybe both—as Liam and Ace made short work of the drugs. Sola, Ransom, and Levi disassembled the monitoring gear while Aarav manned his sniper post somewhere out in the distance.

If nothing else, they’d kept a crap ton of that hybrid super-drug from hitting the streets. The last batch that had been distributed had been responsible for fifty-seven overdoses in Middletown in a single night. Whether Marcus liked it or not, Knox was valuable. The guy could help save a lot of lives, if he was sincere about his change of heart.

Marcus barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes at that. Especially when the dude groaned and wrestled his eyes open. Kennedy, her clothes mostly in order again even if the pretty rosy flush on her cheeks was still blatant, scooted between Knox and Marcus.

“Thanks.” Knox flashed her a lopsided grin. “Your bodyguard here has a heck of a right hook.”

“I should let him hit you again.” Kennedy crossed her arms and glared at Knox.

“Oh, come on. It’s pretty obvious we still have plenty of chemistry,” Knox murmured.

“You know what else has chemistry?” Kennedy asked as she bent over and took care of disposing his condom, yanking his jeans up, and tucking his half-hard cock back into his pants before zipping them without nearly enough caution. When the guy didn’t screech, Marcus figured she hadn’t snagged his cock. “Drugs. But those aren’t good for you either. I’ve kicked the habit I formed for you, Knox.”

The bastard smirked while Kennedy handled his dick, even if it was with the detached, professional demeanor she used when she examined patients in the field. “Didn’t seem like it when you were wringing that thing dry.”

“Do I have to knock your ass out again?” Marcus growled as he hovered over Kennedy’s shoulder protectively. Kennedy jerked as if she’d forgotten he was there. Did she and Knox always have this tunnel vision thing going on when they were together or was she intentionally trying to block Marcus out because she was ashamed he’d heard her getting off with her ex?

Marcus was going to have to have a discussion to unpack that with her later. He didn’t want any emotional bullshit getting between them and making things awkward. Not in their personal life and definitely not on the job, when their lives so often depended on each other’s clear thinking.

He was certain now that this admittedly hot asswipe tied to the bed in front of him was the man who’d screwed him out of the amazing relationship he knew he could have had with Kennedy if she hadn’t been too gun-shy to let him in.

Marcus was honest enough with himself to admit that frustration had been a big part of why he’d let the guy have a taste of his fist a minute ago. Because after the single kiss he’d shared with Kennedy not too long ago, he had no doubts about how incredible it would be if they were partners both on and off the job, and now he was even more certain than ever that she would never let him in.

Knox still had a death grip on her heart. Motherfucker.

“You know what? You’re not any better than him. Hovering. Acting like a cave man. You don’t have any claim on me.” Kennedy didn’t really need to remind Marcus of the obvious.

“I was trying to protect you.” He held his hands up, palms out, and retreated the small step across the rough plank floor that the confined space permitted. “You’ve made it abundantly clear you’re not into me like that.”

Kennedy winced. “This isn’t the time or place…”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Marcus forced his jaw to relax, then said, “Later.”

She nodded once, curtly.

Knox was staring between them, reclining with his ankles crossed and his head pillowed on his folded wrists as if he’d chosen to languish there, tied up before them. Marcus should be careful not to give away too much, though it was probably obvious to everyone—their boss included—by now that he had a pretty constant hard-on for their team’s medic.

Great.

“So where exactly are you taking me?” Knox wondered.

“You don’t need to know the details.” Marcus angled himself away, then spoke to their coordinator. “James, are you ready for us to load him in with the rest of the cargo?”

“Slight change of plans, folks. I hate to break up this lovely reunion, but you’re about to have company…” James’s warning had them all standing straight and whipping their stares toward the door and the tiny gravel road that wound through the woods to the cabin. If someone approached, they would be boxed in. “Three black SUVs are speeding in from the west. You have less than a minute.”

“Son of a bitch!” Ace snarled before bolting to the vehicles and the additional stash of weapons and ammunition they kept in them.

Though Knox couldn’t hear James’s warning, the Shields’ collective call to attention must have told him what was happening clearly enough.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Knox struggled against the restraints holding his hands over his head. He stared up at Kennedy, who still refused to meet his gaze, her face flushed and her eyes bright despite her anger. “Let me loose or I’ll be a sitting duck.”

“Aren’t they your friends? What makes you think they’re coming for you and not us for fucking with you and stealing their shit?” Marcus asked Knox.

“We both know why.” Knox’s cheeks turned maroon as he wrenched his arms, unsuccessful in wriggling from the leather strap holding him tight. Kennedy had done a hell of a job lashing him to the headboard. “Because I’m not on their team anymore.”

“Well, you’re sure as hell not on ours.” Marcus drew two guns from their holsters and flicked the safeties off. “Sit tight and we’ll load you up to take you to our safe house after we exterminate these snakes.”

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