“Would the two of you like a room?”
“Maybe we should postpone this mission until you both figure out what the sexual score is you’ve got going on over there.”
The voices of Jordan and Brock Carter, Jared’s second in command, cackled over their earpieces.
“Shut up,” Paxton and Jared replied in unison, both highly annoyed that the sexual tension between them had been noticed by their respective teams.
“Silence! Down,” Jared ordered but didn’t move from the protective hunch over Paxton. He pushed the night vision goggles back over his eyes. “Tanner, report the body positions on the heat scanner. Can you identify if there’s a child in the house?”
“I detect four large bodies on the ground floor— sleeping from their positions. Based on the size of a fifth signal from the top floor, it’s definitely a small child,” Tanner’s hushed voice echoed in Jared’s ear.
“We’re not waiting for that warrant. There’s enough here for reasonable cause. Holding a child against his or her will is a crime. With the arrival of the three who just pitched up, their guard is down. We need to move now if we want to extract the little girl with the minimum amount of disturbance.”
“How the devil do you know about her?” Paxton snapped.
Jared didn’t respond. He was furious at Senator Wilson for tasking civilians in a case that involved a criminal mob. Jared knew Paxton and her team were in danger. It was serendipitous that he had arrived in time to keep them from going in half-cocked to extract the girl.
“Alpha and Bravo teams, we move on my Go. Brock and Tanner, move left. Cruz you’re with me to the right. In, one, two... GO,” Jared ordered.
The next moment, Paxton felt the heat of his body disappear. She squinted to watch as they descended on the house.
“How the hell is it that they always pitch up at the last minute on our gigs?” she muttered. Her voice vibrated with anger. “Knox. Report.”
“They’re a bunch of assholes, but Christ, can they move like ghosts,” Knox said in awe. “Shit, they’re already bringing out cuffed people.”
“Really? They just moved two minutes ago,” Kezlin said. “Goddammit, we missed out on some action again,” she complained loudly.
“You know very well we aren’t here to extract, Kezlin, just to find and report,” Paxton said.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t yearn for some serious ass-kicking,” Kezlin lamented.
“You can come out now, kitties,” Cruz Powers called from the other side of the shrubs from where they were surveilling.
“I’m tired of hearing you call us kitties,” Knox growled in his ear.
“Impressive, kitten,” Cruz drawled, not having heard her approach from the side. “What, no quick riposte? You’re slipping, kitty,” he taunted. “Oh, no, you don’t,” he said, catching the stiletto boot she aimed toward his crotch. He wiggled his eyebrows at her and with a yank, pulled the other foot from under her. She hit the ground with a loud grunt. “Next time you attack me, little kitten, I’ll take it as an invitation to fuck you. Don’t say you weren’t warned.”
“In your fucking dreams, asshole and even then I’ll tear your nut sack off with my bare hands and stuff it up your chauvinistic ass!” Knox responded angrily as she dusted herself off and stomped away with his rumbling laughter chasing after her.
“Enough, you two. This is a serious matter. Leave your personal shit for later,” Paxton snapped. The two of them had been at loggerheads from their first meeting three months ago. She tapped Cruz on his shoulder as she walked past him. “I’d swallow that laugh if I were you. She doesn’t make idle threats,”
The heels of her Jimmy Choo ankle boots clipped out every angry step in the direction of the house. Her target— the self-righteous commander ordering everyone around.
She regarded him through hooded eyes. Just looking at him caused her breathing to become labored. There was much to be said for a charismatic man she found herself struggling to ignore. Standing over six feet, he dwarfed her. His eyes narrowed as he watched her approach. His wide, sensual mouth relaxed as their eyes met. The tip of her tongue flicked over her lips as she visualized what it would feel like to be kissed by him. She shuddered at the thought of his strong arms, wrapped around her, holding her against his hard torso. The thought evoked a ripple of excitement inside her throbbing loins.
Good lord, Paxton! Focus!
His amused expression refreshed her ire as she stopped in front of him. No doubt he already knew how his hot body affected her. He probably had the pick of any amount of booty he wanted.
“We need to talk, Bates.” The sharp edge to her voice cut through the air as she neared the Cobra team members gathered on the front porch of the mansion. The vellus hair on the nape of her neck bristled as she noticed the mocking gesture of his raised eyebrows along with the smug amusement that glinted in his eyes. He was about to learn she wasn’t a woman to be toyed with.
Dammit! Why do I only now notice his eyes are the color of honey?She blinked to hide her fascination with the different shades of gold enhanced by the porch light reflected in them. Warm and oh, so addictive— just like melted chocolate.Get a grip, Paxton. You’re pissed at him and it’s utterly inappropriate to be drowning in those mesmerizing orbs!
“If it’s about anything other than securing the perimeter, it’ll have to wait.” His eyes darkened as she pursed her lips. “The successful recovery of the little girl takes priority, Miss Lee. Cruz verified that some of the kidnappers we expected to be here, aren’t in the house. We need to stay vigilant.”
“How would you know who should be present?” She glanced at the impressive mansion. They’d acted immediately upon knowing that a six-year-old girl was inside and followed the transmitter hidden in her bracelet. Paxton had no idea who it belonged to but it made her wonder why someone, who was obviously wealthy, would kidnap a senator’s daughter.
Jared’s attention was drawn to Brock walking toward them with a little girl clinging to his neck, crying. He looked incapable of calming her down. He cast a distraught look at Jared who took the three risers of the staircase in one languid stretch.