Iron Willed Warrior (Last Refuge Protectors #5)

5. Cole

CHAPTER FIVE

Cole

Brynn walked toward the house. River stepped out of her way to let her pass. Then he turned toward me, blocking my path. “I trust the talk was productive,” he said.

I was still standing there, my tongue not working well enough to speak.

A handshake with a potential teammate wasn’t supposed to set my blood pumping. But from her? Shit. The sensation of her slender fingers wrapped around my palm had banished all the sense from my brain.

When I’d touched her, an image had flashed unbidden through my mind. Me gripping that ponytail on top of her head and tugging to angle her mouth perfectly toward mine.

Nngh .

Beyond inappropriate. I’d told her by the side of the road earlier that she wasn’t my type, and that was complete bullshit.

Shake it off , I told myself. Her looks were irrelevant.

“Our talk was productive,” I said, remembering River’s question. “We established I’m not going around perving on random women. If that’s what you mean. It was a misunderstanding.”

He chuckled. “So we don’t have to lock up our wives, nieces, and daughters around you?”

I coughed, gut twisting with discomfort over the lusty thoughts I’d been having about Brynn not moments before. It wasn’t an issue. Regardless of any base-level attraction, I would never act on it.

I’d served with women. Worked with them. I was a professional. I didn’t let myself get distracted by something as common as a pretty face.

And that wasn’t even the problem here.

“Joke all you want, but I still don’t see this working out. You should’ve told me what I was getting into.” We were still standing in the open doorway. I glanced into the house, but Brynn had disappeared. “What the hell are the Protectors doing working with the FBI?”

“It’s a long story, and I planned to explain it all when you got here.”

“You didn’t think I’d want to know a detail like that beforehand ?”

“Oh, I knew you would,” River said breezily. “Trace and I figured you’d get your panties in a bunch. That’s why we decided to brief you when you arrived instead.”

I muttered a string of curses. “’Cause you knew it would be harder for me to say no. Asshole.”

He didn’t even have the courtesy to look sorry about it. I should’ve expected this kind of deception from River and Trace. They were ex-CIA.

But my buddy Aiden? Solo ?

I’d been tight with Aiden since our Army days. Neither of us were fun-loving, gregarious types, and we’d appreciated that about each other, even though our paths in the service had diverged. Aiden had gotten out as soon as possible, while I’d meant to stay in until retirement.

Obviously, that hadn’t happened. But after I’d been wounded, his mom and sisters had sent me care packages.

Then the previous spring, about a year ago, Aiden had asked me to come to Hartley and lend the Protectors my tracking ability. I’d been happy to help an old friend. Hell, I’d shown up for his girlfriend Jessi’s birthday to see them get engaged. This was how he repaid me?

“Did Aiden know about this clever plan of yours?” I asked.

“All of us agreed. I told you our timeline escalated. That was the truth. We had to get you here. If we could’ve come up with anyone else to represent the Protectors in this, we wouldn’t have asked you.”

“Jee, thanks.” I shook my head, glaring at the half-melted snow in the yard.

As a bounty hunter, I had to liaise with law enforcement often enough. But I tried to keep my interactions with US government types to a minimum. All those agencies with their alphabet names? I wanted nothing to do with them.

This was why I worked outside the United States. Fewer regulations. Fewer lies. Sure, plenty of officials in other countries were corrupt, but at least I knew what to expect. They didn’t pretend to be in my corner only to betray that faith in the worst way.

I glanced down at my left leg, though my prosthesis was hidden again by my jeans. The phantom limb pains didn’t bother me much now after years of desensitizing and retraining my brain. But I still felt it at times. The awful, gut-wrenching sting of something that wasn’t even there.

“Do the Feds have dirt on you and the Protectors?” I asked. “Is that why you’re cooperating with them?”

“The FBI offered to scrub the files they have on us. Yeah. But if Agent Somerton hadn’t brought us the proposal, we would’ve told them to shove it. Brynn is my wife’s best friend. Plus, I worked closely with her when Stillwater targeted Charlie last summer. Brynn is smart, and she’s capable. A Marine before she was a Fed.”

“Jarhead, huh?” Didn’t necessarily change my mind, but it was something. Also explained the way she’d handled the football player guy when he’d grabbed her wrist. “I’m still not sure.”

“Lynx, you know the kind of bullshit Stillwater is responsible for.”

“Of course I do,” I said gruffly. This fight was personal for River, Owen, Trace, and Aiden. But in the last several months, it had become personal for me too. River knew that. He also should’ve known I didn’t want to discuss that particular topic.

Luciana . The woman I had failed to save.

“We’ve all dealt blows to Stillwater in the past,” River continued. “You and Brynn can be the ones to finish it.”

I exhaled. Fucking CIA spies with their manipulation. Of course I wanted the chance to end Stillwater, once and for all. Exactly the reason I was here. River had played me from minute one, and honestly, I couldn’t even blame him.

“I’ll listen to what Agent Somerton has to say.” But I wasn’t making any promises.

When we returned to the living room, Brynn and Keira were whispering quietly, heads bent together. They looked up as we entered.

“We’re ready to get started,” River said. “Brynn, I assume you want to do the honors. Lynx is eager to find out what’s going on. ”

Keira touched Brynn on the shoulder. “In that case, I’ll get going. I’m needed at the station.” She smiled and nodded at me on her way out. At least I wasn’t on Deputy Marsh’s shit list too.

Brynn stood in front of the fireplace and clasped her hands behind her back. All business.

“Are we expecting anyone else?” I asked.

River dropped onto the couch, the cushion bouncing beneath him. “Nope. Just the three of us. More discreet this way, and I’m the most up-to-date on Stillwater anyway.” He glanced at me. “I’ve been continuing my own investigation, as well as keeping in close contact with Brynn about the FBI’s. Anything you need to know, Brynn or I should be able to tell you.”

“I have plenty of questions. For starters, I want to know why this op is suddenly so urgent. You must’ve learned something big.”

Missions like this lived and died based on intel. Everything depended on it. That told me that either the Protectors or the FBI had new intelligence on Stillwater, and it was significant.

But if the FBI was really in charge here, that was a dealbreaker for me. I was not sticking my neck out just for the Bureau to sharpen its axe should anything go wrong.

“We’ll get to that,” Brynn said. “But it’ll make more sense if I explain how we got to this point.”

“Then I’m listening.” I took up a post behind the couch, bracing my hands on the back of it. I might’ve been tempted to sit down, but I’d already spent too many hours in a seated position. When I finally relaxed at the end of this frustrating day, I planned to kick back and not get up again until tomorrow.

Would I be heading back to Denver for the soonest flight to Mexico City? That remained to be seen .

I still had on my coat, so I unzipped it and took it off, tossing it on the back of the couch. Beneath, I’d worn my favorite gray T-shirt over well-worn jeans. Brynn’s eyes traced my movements, lingering on the tattoos on my forearms, before quickly lifting.

It took a lot of willpower not to let my own eyes wander over her in a similar assessment. That wouldn’t do me an ounce of good.

“So,” she said. “Stillwater. I’m not sure how much you know.”

“I know the business Stillwater is in.” The organization was ultra-secretive. Operated from the shadows of the dark web. It offered services to smaller criminal gangs, like a twisted sort of consulting. Looking to expand your Oxy distribution channels without running afoul of the major cartels? Salivating to get into the human trafficking business? Not to mention hiring killers and paying off officials. Yeah, Stillwater could help you with all of that.

“I also heard about their attack on the lieutenant governor last year.” I tipped my head at River, since I was referring to his now-wife. “River mentioned afterward that he and Charlotte discovered some actionable intel.”

Brynn nodded. “Charlotte and River got access to an encrypted list of all of Stillwater’s moles in the state and federal government. Traitors .”

Chills ran down my skin. Actionable intel indeed. “Then why haven’t I heard of this before? Sounds like the kind of thing that should be made public.”

“We decided not to go that route,” Brynn said. “After River decrypted it, the Protectors agreed to share the list with my boss Michael Stanford at the Bureau.”

I shot a glare at River. “You turned over intel of that value to the very government that allowed traitors into its ranks in the first place? ”

“It allowed us to create a secret task force within the FBI,” Brynn replied, though I hadn’t been talking to her. “My boss, myself, and a handful of others were the only ones who knew. We flipped some of Stillwater’s moles back to our side. In the months since, those individuals have been working for us as double agents. They’ve turned over essential information to help us understand Stillwater’s operations and hierarchy.”

I tightened my grip on the back of the couch.“You mean, you let Stillwater’s agents continue to work. To keep causing damage and screwing over innocent people. As if those lives don’t matter.”

Like Luciana and her daughter. More casualties of a system they’d had no chance against. Dammit. I pushed away from the couch, pacing across the room. Fury made my pulse race.

Yet Brynn responded with typical government callousness. “It was necessary to get us to the position we’re in now.”

“Sure, it’s always necessary to step on someone if you want to make progress. Collateral damage. Cost of war. Right ?”

These were the excuses those in power used to justify their actions. That kind of bullshit was extremely personal to me. It was the very reason I’d lost part of my leg and nearly lost my life. Some of the others in my unit hadn’t been so lucky.

“I don’t like the secrecy either,” Brynn said softly. “But we had to do it.”

River cut in. “When Brynn first proposed this partnership to the Protectors, we knew keeping the list secret was part of the deal. Every one of us signed off on it, including Trace.”

“I didn’t ,” I growled. “You could’ve told me about this before. You chose not to.” I tried to get my heart rate under control, but my body wasn’t listening. Aiden and Trace had asked me to become an official Protector last year, and I’d declined. But that seemed beside the point right now.

“Look,” River said, “we brought you in because Stillwater knows the rest of us. Me, Trace, Aiden, Owen. Stillwater’s watching for us to make a move. We needed an outsider. Someone we can trust with this. And that is you . We’ve confirmed through the FBI’s sources that you’re not on their radar.”

“And what about her?” I lifted my chin toward Brynn. “You said she’s best friends with Charlotte. And she’s an agent. How is it possible Stillwater won’t see her coming a mile away?”

She huffed. “I’ll be in disguise as part of my cover story. But Stillwater isn’t watching me, anyway. To them, I’m a washed-up agent who just resigned. They’ll underestimate me. Same thing you’re doing.”

My jaw was clenched tight. I stopped and leaned against a wall, my fingers itching for a cigarette. “So your secret FBI task force has been working with this intel. Why’s this coming to a head now? What’s the rest of it?”

Brynn licked her lips and went on. “One of our double agents shared new intelligence. Something that the typical Stillwater operative or lieutenant doesn’t even know. We found out who’s really in charge. The man at the very top of their hierarchy.”

I blinked at her, letting that info sink into my head.

Stillwater conducted its business in the shadows, relying on a decentralized organization to shield those truly in power. If Brynn’s task force had discovered its real leader, then it was no wonder that news had changed everything.

And…maybe it was slightly more understandable that the Protectors had chosen to go along with this. The chance to go after the head of Stillwater . That wasn’t something I could just walk away from with no regrets. As River had definitely known.

“You’re sure?” I asked.

“Positive. Not only that, we know where he’ll be a week from now. A secluded resort in Arizona. This is our best shot at getting access to him, and we have to take it.”

I rounded the couch and walked toward her. “I need to know who I would be working for. Who’s in charge of this op? Is it the Protectors? Or do you still answer to the FBI?”

Brynn lifted her chin and crossed her arms as I neared. “Only the FBI task force knows my real objective. And I told you I resigned from the Bureau as of this morning. We’re making our own calls.”

“Who is we ?”

“Me and the Protectors. And you, assuming you’re a part of this.”

“But do you report to the FBI? Yes or no.”

“I’ve already answered that.”

She was talking around something, refusing to be pinned down. I knew those tricks. I’d seen them every time I’d dealt with a Fed. “See, I don’t like how vague you’re being. I don’t believe in happy partnerships where everyone’s equal and gets along great. Ultimately, someone’s going to have to come out on top. This is either an FBI op, or a Protectors one. So I’ll repeat my question. Do you report to anyone inside the FBI? Yes or no .”

My blood was up. From the flush in her cheeks, so was hers. We were less than a foot apart. I caught the sweet scent of her, and it warmed my chest. Making me want to lean in even more.

Brynn tilted her head and gave me a hard stare. The look of a pissed-off soldier who’d been backed into a corner. Sorry, make that Marine. Jarheads hated being called soldiers. Would she keep fighting me, or would she finally answer the damn question?

Then, she exhaled.

“No,” she said. “I do not.”

“So this is a Protectors op? We’ll be working for and answering to them? Only them?”

“Yes. But as far as this op is concerned, I am the commanding officer.”

“I’m not ready to agree to that.” Was I just imagining it, or had we edged even closer? Still staring each other down.

“I’ve spent months learning everything I can about Stillwater,” she said. “Between the two of us, I should take the lead. I have no doubt River and Trace would agree.”

River coughed. I’d forgotten he was even in the room. I forced myself to take a step back to clear my head. Getting angry was not going to help.

“We can work out the details later,” River said. “Just say you’re in, Lynx. We need you for this.”

Brynn glared at me a few seconds longer with those dark brown eyes.

“I want to be in. I’m considering it. But I can’t go into a mission with someone, especially undercover, unless I know for sure she’ll have my back.” I thought I’d said that in a calm, rational tone. But Brynn scoffed and threw her hands up.

“I’ve been standing here trying to explain everything, trying to be the reasonable one, but you barely listened after you heard FBI . I won’t let this mission be jeopardized by somebody with an axe to grind.”

“I’m supposed to pretend the Bureau won’t knife me first if this goes south? You were an agent until, what, five minutes ago? Why should I expect more loyalty from you?”

“You know what?” Brynn said. “I could do this without you. I’ll go undercover by myself. The Protectors can provide support and emergency backup.”

I barked a laugh. “That would be incredibly foolish.”

“Better than dealing with you .”

“Guess what, honey, I’m not feeling too keen on you either.”

Her nostrils flared. I inhaled at the same time. I could smell her fury layered over that sweeter scent, and I could definitely see it. Her pupils were dilated, tiny beads of sweat appearing at her temples.

“If you call me honey one more time,” she murmured, “you’re going to find yourself missing the other leg.”

Brynn turned and walked out of the room, heading for some other part of the house. A door slammed.

River sighed and closed his eyes. “Even I’m not dumb enough to call a Marine honey .”

Perhaps that hadn’t been the best call. I had a problem filtering my words when my temper flared.

Fuck. Now I was the asshole.