“You’re late.”
A slow, shit-eating grin crossed Xaden’s face.“Sorry, boss.I was just saying good morning to our lovely receptionist.”
Cooper crossed his arms, flashing his buddy a knowing look.“It is a good morning, isn’t it?”he razzed.“A pretty woman.Xaden’s dick needing a little action.What could go wrong with some office nookie?”
“Keep it in your pants, Wilkerson,” Holt barked as the rest of the men guffawed.
Xaden licked his lips, looking amused.“I wouldn’t dream of causing trouble, boss.”
“I doubt that,” Holt countered.He eyed the team as he stood.“Jett and two of his Shadow Ops guys may be stopping by later.They’re returning from a separate incident in the Pacific that the U.S.government required some assistance on.”
“Seems unusual for Jett to deploy with the team,” Boone mused.
“It is.He wanted to see the new office up and running.He’s also meeting his wife for a getaway at their cabin here in Seattle.”
Boone smirked.That sounded about right.Anna was a firecracker, pregnant with their second child.During the brief amount of time he’d seen them, they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other.
The rest of the team continued razzing Xaden as Holt clicked on the laptop, pulling up the slides.
Knox eyed the rest of them, not commenting.The quietest guy on the team, nothing seemed to faze him.He kept to himself, but Boone didn’t doubt that he heard every single word.Knox paid attention to every detail, his mind always working.
Holt cleared his throat, getting their attention again, and Boone’s gaze swept to the front of the room.“I asked Boone to do a scouting mission with Radley later this morning.She was planning to head to a site alone for some reconnaissance work, but it appears she had some threats made to her.”
Boone frowned.He’d never even met the woman, but the brief glance he’d had yesterday had certainly piqued his interest.They all had a history thanks to their former careers, and it appeared that hers was already causing problems.
“What type of threats, boss?”Cooper asked, sitting up straighter.
Holt pressed a button on his laptop, and suddenly Radley’s face appeared on the massive screen.Boone blinked in surprise.He’d only gotten a sneak peek yesterday, but God damn she was a looker.Stunning green eyes shone from the picture, and that dark, silky hair he’d noted yesterday framed her face.She had full lips that were practically begging to be kissed.High cheekbones.Fair skin.And shit—he’d already decided he’d never date a coworker.If he’d met her while out at a bar or something, however, Boone never would’ve been able to stay away.
“Radley Moore.Former operative for the U.S.government and Shadow Security’s newest hire.The rest of you will meet her tomorrow.”Holt clicked a button, and a man’s photograph appeared beside hers.“This is David Schultz, currently serving twenty years in prison for assault, rape, false imprisonment, and leaking classified information.”
Boone’s fist clenched.He could already see where this was going, and it wasn’t good.While Radley’s photo made her look completely harmless, Shultz had a smirk on his face and arrogance in his expression.Boone knew the type.And he already hated that Radley had to deal with a man like him.
Holt clicked to another slide.“Radley and Schultz worked on the same team for the agency.After Radley went to the higher ups, accusing Schultz of sexual assault, he leaked Radley’s name while they were operating overseas.Her cover was blown, and Radley was immediately flown back to the States.Long story short, Schultz was found guilty and is currently serving twenty years.He was ordered not to contact her, yet Radley started receiving anonymous text messages yesterday—threatening messages.Someone was tracking her movements the entire day and wanted to make damn sure she knew it.”
“On her first day on the job?”Gage asked in disbelief.
“Affirmative.The timing is concerning.Someone’s been watching her, and I don’t believe for a minute that it was a coincidence that she received the texts yesterday.They were waiting for the right moment to strike—to scare her.”
Xaden let out a low whistle.“You think it’s this asshole?”
Holt’s gaze hardened.“I don’t think he’s texting her from prison, but I do believe it’s someone he knows.The circles we travel in are small.Radley left the government after her cover was blown and the agency tried to cover up Schultz’s crimes.There are other players with stakes in this as well.No doubt other careers were derailed in the fallout.Radley and her twin sister Riley have worked undercover for years since separating from the government.Something drew Schultz’s attention back to her.”
“He discovered that she was in Seattle,” Boone said.
Holt nodded.“She recently purchased a home—a condominium in the city.Home sales are all public record.Schultz could’ve had people looking for her all this time.He found out that she was living in Seattle after buying real estate here.I’m willing to bet that given his former career, he also has suspicions or insider knowledge about Shadow Security’s true purpose.”
“Well fuck,” Xaden muttered.“He heard about Shadow Security’s office in Seattle, discovered Radley was here in town, and decided to start sending threats?”Anger crossed his face, the same that was currently brewing within Boone.While he and his teammates had no trouble taking out the enemy when needed, none of them tolerated violence or aggression toward women.Schultz was the worst kind of man, preying on someone weaker than him, someone he should’ve been protecting instead.
“When the agency finally began investigating Schultz, he’d disappeared while on an extended vacation,” Holt continued.“Radley and her sister tracked him down, which means he’s got a grudge against them both.”
“He assaulted Radley when they worked together,” Boone said, anger coursing through him.
Holt met his gaze and gave one sharp nod.
Boone noted that she was probably wary as hell around strange men.Then again, Schultz hadn’t been a stranger.She’d been attacked by a man she knew—someone who was on her own damn team.Boone hadn’t even met the woman yet but wanted to beat the shit out of the man who’d hurt her.
“What’s the plan for this morning, boss?”he asked, suddenly more alert.