Agent Red Boxset 4-6 E-Book

Ava S. King

• Herausgeber: 304 Publishing Company
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Teagan Stone Series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 365

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

This three-book series will keep you on a gripping thrill ride.

Agent Red: Fatal Justice Teagan Stone Book 4
Teagan Stone is out of options and quickly running out of time. She must find the creator of America’s most sought-after device to save America from a potential attack. But devious Russian forces with deep pockets are impenetrable.

The seasoned spy will stop at nothing to find the creator, bring his kidnappers to justice, and prevent a bombing—even if it means she has to risk her life.

She refuses to let evildoers take innocent lives. Not on her watch.

Agent Red: Fatal Enemy Teagan Stone Book 5
Enemies come in all forms, and Teagan Stone is ready for battle, not thinking of the consequences for going to war with her ultimate rival. Can she turn back the clock or will this lead her to nally leave The Firm before it destroys her from within?
Agent Red: Fatal Death Teagan Stone Book 6
Teagan Stone has walked a fine line between life and death. This time, she’s come across an enemy that doesn’t care if she’s the most trained killer or not. They only want one thing, and that’s to see Agent Red brought to her knees. In a race against time, she will have to make the ultimate decision. Will she be able to save someone close to her or put the country she gave the oath to protect before her happiness?

Leseprobe

Agent Red Boxset 4-6

Teagan Stone Series

Ava S. King

304 Publishing Company

I want to dedicate this book to my family and friends.

You are always with me, no matter where I go, and everything you’ve taught me has made me a better person.

Contents

Latest Releases: Ava S. King

Disclaimer

Introduction

Part I

Agent Red (Fatal Justice)

Synopsis

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Part II

Agent Red: Fatal Enemy

Synopsis

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Part III

Agent Red (Fatal Death)

Synopsis

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Sneak Peek: Mirror of Danger Book 3

Reading Order of Mirror Series

Reading Order Teagan Stone Series

About the Author

What’s Next?

Acknowledgments

Copyright © 2023 by Ava S. King

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

For questions and comments about this book, please contact 304 Publishing at [email protected]. Visit the official website at www.authoravasking.com

Created with Vellum

Latest Releases: Ava S. King

Agent Red Fatal Memory Teagan Stone Book 1

Agent Red Fatal Target Teagan Stone Book 2 

Agent Red Fatal Crime Teagan Stone Book 3 

Agent Red Fatal Justice Teagan Stone Book 4

Agent Red Fatal Enemy Teagan Stone Book 5

Mirror of Lies - A Jessica Smith Book 1

Agent Red Fatal Death Teagan Stone Book 6

Mirror of Lust - A Jessica Smith Book 2

Ruined: Andi Easton Book 1

Agent Red Fatal Revenge Teagan Stone Book 7

Agent Red Fatal Pursuit Teagan Stone Book 8

Upcoming Releases (2024)

Restore: Andi Easton Book 2

Christina Harris Mystery/Thriller Series

Agent Red Fatal Attack Teagan Stone Book 9

Agent Red Fatal Mission Teagan Stone Book 10

Disclaimer

This work of fiction contains strong language and explicit content and is only intended for mature readers. The story may contain unconventional situations, language, and sexual encounters that may offend some readers. This book is for mature readers (18+).

Introduction

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www.authoravasking.com

PartOne

Agent Red (Fatal Justice)

By

Ava S. King

Synopsis

Teagan Stone is out of options and quickly running out of time. She must find the creator of America’s most sought-after device to save America from a potential attack. But devious Russian forces with deep pockets are impenetrable.

The seasoned spy will stop at nothing to find the creator, bring his kidnappers to justice, and prevent a bombing—even if it means she has to risk her life.

She refuses to let evildoers take innocent lives. Not on her watch.

ChapterOne

The alarm blared, and the team secured their masks and guns within five minutes to save the hostages from a terrorist attack. Teagan stood behind the two-way mirror and watched the clock run down with top members of the president’s cabinet as Spider, Daughtrey, Gregory, and a few other seasoned team members rushed through. After climbing in from each side of the plane simulation, her breathing stayed elevated. Seeing Gregory lift the bottom shaft of the plane near the rear door, dressed in all black, he signaled to Spider that he would take the right side of the aisle. Spider strolled down the walkway with his gun ready to claim a terrorist. Soon as he hit the second row of seats, a man jumped up in camouflage, reaching for a hostage. When Spider raised his gun and shot at his chest, the red dye exploded.

“One down, two to go,” Spider whispered through his headpiece.

“I got first-class secure,” Daughtrey muttered back, opening the door of the bathroom.

Teagan gleaned at the clock, and it read two minutes left.

“Keep it moving,” Teagan mumbled to herself.

All eyes were on them, and if they wanted to continue The Firm, they needed to show it was worth paying over five hundred million dollars a year to keep them running.

“It’s a waste of money,” Duncan Brooks, Deputy Secretary of Defense, said. The blond blue-eyed, skinny, cocky, five-eleven, preppy boy was a pain in everyone’s ass. He crossed his arms and shook his head. For his entire career in politics, Duncan had taken every chance he’d gotten to shut down the agency. A few of the guys chuckled at his comment when he announced another call that a second guy was taken down. With forty seconds left, every breath was held in the room as Duncan and Teagan exchanged a look. Accomplishing this task of securing more funding, eventually picking someone to take over as director would help Teagan get closer to finally head into retirement officially. She was still grappling with some of her memories. Life had gotten only more complicated after the death of Abe Price. Sandra Gregg made it her mission to make Teagan aware that she was on to what The Firm did with killing, kidnapping, and brutalizing enemies of the United States.

“Time,” Teagan called out, releasing her hand from the buzzer. Clapping in accomplishing her goal, Teagan smirked, seeing Duncan roll his eyes and gaining the needed funding for another five years.

Duncan cleared his throat and extended his hand for a shake.

“Good job, Stone.”

Teagan looked down at his hand and backed up to Duncan.

“Thanks.” She reached out and clasped his hand, then turned toward the door and headed to the room with her crew.

Spider removed the headset, wiping the sweat off his brow.

“What did they say?” Spider removed his gloves.

“Nothing yet.” Teagan motioned at the two-way mirror.

“Funny how the guys in suits determine if we get to do our jobs, one they’re too scared to do,” Gregory complained, shaking his head.

Teagan thought the same thing as the email came in yesterday morning while working on a fresh case. Before she could call the president to discuss the budget renewal, grumblings throughout Congress put them in Duncan’s crosshairs.

“I’m starving; how long do we have to wait?” Daughtrey pointed at the window as the door opened, and Duncan, followed by the other top aides, came back into the room.

“Gentleman and lady, you’ve shown your skills, and the president, as you know, is fond of whatever it is you do here.” Duncan waved his hand around.

“You mean saving lives?” Gregory’s brow lifted in confusion.

Spider and Daughtrey chuckled as Duncan cleared his throat.

“If that’s what you want to call it. If it were up to me, I would shut this entire organization down.” Duncan shrugged, sliding his hands in his pocket. All eyes looked around the room, then back at him in surprise.

“Are we free to go or not?” Daughtrey crossed his arms over his chest. Teagan put her hand on his chest, stepping in front of him and facing Duncan.

“What’s your problem?” Teagan asked.

“My problem is people like you come in and use up resources that could be used for actual work to get done,” Duncan argued, pointing his finger in her face. Teagan held a harsh glare, picking up on every little detail of Duncan’s face and demeanor. Something about the crust wedged in the corner of his eyes let her know he wasn’t getting enough sleep. The wrinkled grey coat that was two sizes too big hung from his tall, thin, lanky frame. The yellow color of his teeth, unshaven beard, and dirty nails screamed the lack of detail to his hygiene and appearance of a man either going through a divorce or about to lose his job.

“When did she serve you papers?” Teagan questioned.

He looked her up and down, nose flared.

“What did you say?”

“I asked when did your wife serve you papers for a divorce?” Teagan repeated, not backing down. The guys sneaked behind her.

“My private life has nothing to do with this shitstorm of a team. Do you know how many times we’ve gotten calls about a corporation or unlawful detainment?” Duncan blurted out.

“Either we get the budget, or we don’t. You have too much on your plate at the moment. The president will reach out when he needs us,” Teagan replied, walking off and nodding for the guys to follow as she went around Duncan toward the front entrance and pushed it open.

“Agent Stone?” Duncan called out. Teagan stood face forward with her back to him. “Don’t get too comfortable.” Duncan left through the other side of the office. Teagan headed to the truck, opening the door as Spider came up beside her.

“You playing dirty now, Teagan?” Spider removed his vest and helmet and passed them to the cleanup detail of the facility, loading up the truck as the driver started the car. Gregory and Daughtrey followed.

“Spider, you know me better than anyone. Duncan is the one playing dirty.”

“That doesn’t mean we stoop to his level.” Spider sighed, buckling his seatbelt.

“Are we going to eat? I’m still hungry from breakfast.” Daughtrey stood at the second SUV, waiting to get in the driver’s side. He hated being driven around like the rest of the team, even though Teagan constantly fussed about them getting more and more notices.

“Keeping my eyes open. Let’s go so we can feed this big baby,” Teagan kidded, smiling at Daughtrey. Until she learned something different, Duncan would be on her list of people who might become a problem.

“Did you get any more intelligence on Maksim?” Spider inquired, loosening the seatbelt over his chest and checking his messages. Teagan looked back at him through the rearview mirror, raising a brow.

“No, have any of your contacts turned up?” Teagan thought, tapping her fingers on her thigh. The last known contact after Maksim getting away after the shootout was months ago, and Russian intel dried up, so Teagan focused on other open cases of potential threats to the country.

“Soon as I get back to the office, I’ll put in some calls.” Spider stretched out with his arm on the back of the seat.

* * *

Seeing the stack of papers on the Petrov crime family, Teagan flipped through files and reports the FBI tried to keep hidden. Most of the details were blacked out in Sharpie or classified but pinpointing the death counts amassed with his family getting away made her heart pump faster.

“Bastard.”

Maksim was last known in Russia, and not having any guidance from their government on turning him over would make the task of getting him stateside even worse. Grabbing her cup of iced latte from Starlights Cafe from the local café, Teagan sipped on her drink, staring at photos of Maksim talking with another man in front of a car.

“Where are you?”

Gritting her teeth, Teagan sat back in her seat, studying the photos for any hint that would give her something to go on. Her first case a year ago was Diablo, moving right into stopping an assassination attempt, to being accused of killing a reporter, and now handling a corrupt gun ring in New York. Taking her skills to the streets and talking with local gangs and police officers might benefit from getting Maksim in custody faster. His facial expression looked stark, determined, and ready for war. Knocking at her door, she turned in her seat. The door opened with Broderick progressing inside.

“Yeah.”

“I think we’ve walked on eggshells, and I wanted to come to some agreement.”

She motioned for him to take a seat in front of her desk.

“Speak.” Teagan put the photos down on her desk.

“You probably have an idea about me being some corrupt asshole.”

“Pretty much.”

“Noted, but you have to understand after you left, they put me in charge.”

“Are you telling me you didn’t enjoy having the responsibility to call the shots?”

“I regret some choices and believe Stanton was one of them.”

“He played everyone. Then sleeping with Leah caused me to look the other way.” Broderick clasped his hands together in his lap. Broderick was clever and careful with his words. Teagan would keep watch on how Broderick moved forward but let him take on more responsibility unless he made another move on her family.

“We’ll never be friends, Broderick. You broke that trust.” Her phone ringing interrupted the conversation.

“Director Stone.”

“Am I speaking with someone from The Firm?” a whisper-soft voice said over the phone.

Teagan’s brow rose in confusion.

“You’re on with Director Stone. How can I help you?”

Broderick stood to leave, but she waved him to stay and put the call on speakerphone.

“I can’t talk long, or they’ll know it’s me,” she responded.

“Who is this?” Teagan picked up her pen and paper to take notes.

“I know who’s helping Maksim Petrov.”

Broderick and Teagan’s eyes locked in sync at the statement.

“What’s your name?” Teagan questioned.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you that,” the voice whispered slowly.

“What can you tell me?”

“All I can say is he can’t be trusted. My brother got into something stupid, and now I’m worried about him,” the girl said.

“Who is your brother?” Teagan rose out of her seat, hovering over the phone.

“He doesn’t understand that the money comes with loyalty to the Petrov family.”

“Tell me your name,” Teagan replied. Broderick crossed his arms over his chest. Her door opened again, and Spider walked in with Tony behind him.

“I need to go,” she said, rushing off the phone. Teagan’s eyes closed shut, her head lowered in frustration.

“Interrupting something?” Spider asked.

“You want me to trace the call?” Broderick inquired.

“Please and make sure you keep it under wraps until we know for sure who’s behind this call. It could be a setup.”

Broderick picked up her phone and called Gregory. For a second, Teagan estimated the person had to have known her schedule. Often, her lunch break would be right around this time. Broderick ended the call, holding a piece of paper.

“It’s untraceable,” Broderick said, and Teagan cursed under her breath.

Spider started to speak, and Teagan raised her hand, cutting him off.

“I just got a call from some woman who said she knows about the Maksim Petrov family.”

“She didn’t give a name.” Spider’s face wore a scowl.

Broderick shook his head.

“By the time Teagan tried to get them to give a name, they hung up, and we didn’t have time to set up any tracing capabilities,” Broderick said.

Teagan moved toward the stack of files and passed over half of what she was working on toward Spider. Until they called again, it’d be back to the simple task of reading and studying what they knew so far of Petrov and reports from her contacts in the city.

“Broderick set up a meeting with Malcolm Holmes of the Third Street gang,” Teagan explained, writing something on a piece of paper.

“Are we ordering lunch in?” Spider questioned.

Teagan glanced at the clock on the wall. She had promised a family dinner tonight. Burying herself deep in work lately, she would make it up to them with pizza and a movie.

“I can’t today. I promised the kids pizza and a movie.” Teagan lifted her jacket off the coatrack and picked up her purse and some files to leave for the rest of the day.

“Should we expect you tomorrow?” Spider asked.

“You can handle one day in charge. Call me if you need me.” Teagan patted him on the chest and strolled out of her office.

“Tony, let’s go,” Teagan called over her shoulder.

ChapterTwo

An hour later, Teagan slid her key in the door of the quiet house and tossed her purse on the couch, releasing a breath over the long day. Heading to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, she heard laughter coming from the backyard. The kids were playing with Christian on the swing set. Grabbing the cordless phone off the charger, she went out to the backyard and chuckled at Tatum, screaming at how high she was on the swing.

“Mommy.” Cole ran toward Teagan and hugged her legs.

She lifted him up in her arms and kissed his cheek.

“How’s my baby doing?”

“Good,” Cole replied and kissed her cheek, and she put him down on his feet.

“You’re home early,” Christian observed.

“Yep, pizza and movie tonight.” Teagan raised the cordless phone in the air. All the kids screamed in excitement.

“Who wants pepperoni and cheese pizza?” Teagan asked, dialing the local pizza shop.

“Me! Me!” Cole and Tatum jumped up and down.

Teagan leaned over to cup Tatum’s chin and inhaled her baby girl’s sweet vanilla scent from her hair shampoo. Christian stretched his arm around her neck when she stood and pulled her into his arms, kissing her behind her ear.

“How was your day?” Teagan tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and followed the kids into the house. Christian shut and locked the back door, turning to Teagan.

“Mostly researching potential clients I could bring with me if I start my own company.”

He released her from his hold and opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

“Do you want anything specific on your pizza?”

“Meat lovers and hot wings.” Christian leaned against the counter. Tatum ran back into the kitchen, reaching her arms out for him to pick her up.

“Make it two large pizzas and hot wings.”

“Mommy, can you do my hair tonight?” Tatum asked.

“Yes, baby. Just let Mommy finish her work first.”

Heading back into the living room, CJ and Cole were searching through the stack of movies. Teagan was proud to see her family content and happy that she was home with them.

“The pizza will be here soon.” Teagan sat on the couch with CJ laying in her lap, stroking his head.

“Mommy, are you a cop?” CJ questioned, eyeing her.

“No, why would you ask that?”

Cole turned on Spiderman and sat in front of the coffee table next to Tatum. The doorbell rang, and he popped up, running to beat Christian to the door.

“Pizza!”

“You know better than to answer the door,” Christian said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. Taking the pizza from the driver, he let Cole handle the bag of hot wings.

“Set it on the table, and I’ll grab some plates.” Christian placed the pizza boxes down on the coffee table, ignoring the conversation between Teagan and CJ.

“Some of the kids at my school talked about seeing you in the news,” CJ explained, rising from her lap and scooting close to the pizza.

“Ignore those kids. I have a job that’s important and protects you.”

“So, something like a cop?”

“Eat your pizza.”

“Who’s ready to eat?” Christian came back in with a gallon of lemonade.

“Don’t get any grease on the table, you guys.” Teagan helped to plate their food with equal slices of pizza and wings. The kids giggled as Teagan sat back on the couch, eating a piece of pizza. She cuddled up next to Christian again just as the house phone rang.

“I’ll get it,” Christian said, reaching around her and grabbing the phone off the end table.

“She’s right here. Hold on,” Christian’s low voice hissed in annoyance as he passed her the phone.

“Who is it?”

“Work.”

Teagan caught the hint of annoyance in Christian’s response and rose off the couch, heading toward her office.

* * *

“Hello.”

“Sorry to bug you, Teagan, but I thought you’d want to know what’s happening,” Gregory said. Teagan locked her office door once inside, taking a seat behind her desk. Turning her computer on, she logged into the database of The Firm.

“What do you have?”

“The call wasn’t traceable, but we have other information from Malcolm,” Gregory answered.

“How did that conversation go?”

“He wasn’t on board at first, but after a little persuasion and threatening to lock his people up, he agreed,” Gregory hinted.

“So, is he dealing with Maksim?”

“He told him he wasn’t, but I don’t fully trust him.”

Teagan opened her desk drawer, removing the black binder with every contact with criminals she’d come across in her line of work. She wanted to check her files on Malcolm from the last time they’d spoken.

“Malcolm’s still running illegal gambling rings.” Teagan clicked on the photos of Malcolm talking with other men surrounded by women in skimpy lingerie. The images brought back memories of her time with Diablo in Spain. The amount of attention he poured on her that night made her heart swell in the thought that he was really in love with her and wanted a future, but she knew it was all make believe for a mission.

Gregory brought her out of her daze. “What are you thinking?”

“Make the call and get him to meet with me.”

“In public?”

“At the park.”

“Should I have Spider with you or—”

“Call Broderick.”

“All right.”

They hung up, and Teagan went through her updated emails from Spider about the budget numbers. She desperately wanted to hire more security and get training to add to the team for missions. In her vision, it would be best to have the top people recruited so she could officially step back and put someone else in charge. A knock at her door came, and she jumped up to open the door. Pushing the door wider, he stepped inside, passing her favorite lemon and honey tea toward her.

“What’s this?”

Christian leaned against the corner of the desk, watching Teagan drink her tea and closing the space between them. Staring into her eyes, Christian lifted her chin and ran a hand down her arm.

“I knew you’d be up all night working. We haven’t had a second to connect.”

“How is everything going?”

“Busy.”

“I know you’re building your business. Do you think it’s too much?”

“Not really; I have a few partners that I’m bringing on to invest.”

“Does this mean we’re going to have less time together? The kids are getting bigger.”

“Maybe a family vacation should happen.”

“CJ wants to go to the opening baseball game. Maybe we could do that first.”

“He’d love that, and Tatum wants to go to Disney World.”

Teagan placed the tea on the desk, reached up to hold the back of Christian’s neck, and pressed a kiss on his lips.

“Let’s go to bed.”

“Reconnect.” Christian tapped her on the nose.

“Mmmm… Big time.”

* * *

Two days later, Teagan stepped out of the dark-tinted van holding a cup of tea in her hand, wearing her black shades. She approached Malcolm sitting on top of the park bench, smoking a cigar with his security surrounding him. Malcolm Holmes was thirty-eight years old, five-ten, dark-brown skin, bushy brow, thin nose, and muscular build. He was known in the city as the Godfather for helping local kids get into school and donating money to local businesses to keep them afloat. People didn’t know he was the biggest ringleader over guns and gambling in the city. Crime was at an all-time high in New York, specifically Queens, and many times they’d arrested or buried people who had some affiliation with him.

“Mr. Holmes.” Teagan lifted her shades to the top of her head.

He grinned, stepping off the bench and puffing on the cigar as he extended his hand.

“Teagan Stone.”

“You know why I’m here.”

“Gregory told me.”

“So, are you going to help?”

They walked down the walkway toward the pond as the security followed them. The weather was cool and breezy with the sun streaming down. A few people were out playing, and mother groups exercised with their babies.

“You know Maksim and what he’s capable of doing.” Malcolm stopped moving and turned to face her with his hands in his pockets.

“We can protect you.” Teagan sipped on her tea.

“How long have you been married?” Malcolm questioned.

“Stick to why we’re here.”

“The loyalty you have with your husband is the same thing I have with my team.”

“Do you know why you’re able to run around right now?” He scoffed and ran a hand down his face.

“Does that make you feel good to threaten me?” Malcolm stepped in closer to her face.

“If you’re scared, say that.” Malcolm laughed, clapping his hands.

“Agent Stone, we’re done here.”

“We’re done when I say we’re done. You will help us, Mr. Holmes.”

“If I don’t?”

The unfortunate thing about her job was to threaten people she felt weren’t necessarily guilty, but she needed to show that she was in charge to get her point across.

“Teagan, everything all right?” She noticed the grimace across Malcolm’s face when Broderick came up beside her.

“He’s your backup?” Malcolm pointed at Broderick.

“Broderick is going to be your contact from now on. If Maksim so much as breathes, I want to know about it.”

“What am I getting out of this?”

“Staying out of jail,” Broderick said.

Malcolm’s security tried to lunge at Broderick, but Malcolm held a hand up to stop them.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to help you capture a Russian terrorist and not care about my safety.”

Even though he seemed confident in his words, she could tell Malcolm was scared shitless. Maksim was a more significant threat to him. He could wipe out his entire bloodline with one phone call.

“All we need is for you to tell us when he makes contact with you,” Broderick replied.

Malcolm glanced over at the group of moms holding their kids and dumped his cigar on the ground, stomping the fire out.

“I’m not wearing a wire,” Malcolm said.

“I want Broderick to be there with you, and he’ll wear the wire. Assume he’s one of your security guys,” Teagan explained.

“He’s going to know something’s up if he was on my security detail. He looks like the police,” Malcolm complained, throwing his hands up.

“Don’t worry about what I’m wearing. Just let everyone know I’m your new guard,” Broderick stated. The male ego between the two of them had Teagan shaking her head in disbelief. No matter what, men always wanted to be the top dog in any fight.

“Broderick will be fine. Keep us updated.” Teagan extended her hand out for a handshake.

He nodded, reaching out his palm to seal the deal, and grunted at Broderick as he walked off. She peered at Malcolm and his team as the car drove away, finishing off her drink.

“Are you up for this?” Teagan studied Broderick. The small scar over his brow still stood out even after five years. Why couldn’t she forgive and forget? They’d been at odds since she joined the team and believed all those years it was a true friendship, but the kidnapping of her family changed everything.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared for me.” Broderick glanced over, joking. Teagan smirked and strolled to her awaiting security detail. She lifted one leg into the car, turned to her right side, and watched Broderick grinning as he walked backward toward his red Range Rover. They’d been enemies for the longest time. His irresistible grin kept women falling at his feet. Not Teagan Stone. Behind the mask was a man who only wanted things his way, and in time, this case would show what his next moves were.

ChapterThree

A week later.

Malcolm sat in a room with his team surrounding him as Broderick stood to the side with a wire on him, capturing everything they talked about. One of the conditions he made after leaving the meeting with Teagan was that any discussions beyond Maksim weren’t used against him and his men. At first, Teagan wouldn’t agree, but Malcolm was adamant about not letting Broderick in on anything if his people got arrested. They even agreed to allow deals to go down and not interfere unless Maksim was a part of everything.

“Who’s this guy?” Ishmael, one of his lower-level dealers, motioned at Broderick.

Malcolm looked over his shoulder.

“This is Brody, one of my new security men.”

“Is something going on?” Ishmael’s brow dipped in concern.

“Nothing beside us moving in higher rank with some new clients.” Malcolm moseyed around the table of men. They were all inside the backroom of Sammy’s restaurant, a local cafe that Malcolm invested in when they went under. With the investment, he was allowed to use their back room anytime he wanted without argument. Now five of his top lieutenants sat waiting to get word on any updates. He cut his eyes toward Broderick, standing like a statue, not saying anything.

“How is the money looking on third and bankman?”

“I picked up a hundred thousand from Beans earlier today,” Ishmael replied, lifting the bag off the floor and throwing it on the table.

“What about you, Ralph?” Malcolm said, checking the bag of money.

Ralph was older. He recently got out of prison for drug trafficking after five years and came out wanting to make money again to take care of his family.

“We brought up two hundred thousand. I need more of the Glocks,” Ralph responded, passing over two duffel bags.

“Have Dorian load you up with some new pieces. I called you all here for a reason.”

“What’s up?” Ishmael called out.

“I got a phone call from Maksim Petrov.” Malcolm tapped his finger on the table, peering a look at Broderick.

“Isn’t he the Russian dude?” Ishmael said.

“He’s interested in doing business together.”

“How much is he paying?”

“He wants a cut on gambling and gun traffic.” Everyone in the room grumbled, talking all over each other.

“We run the gambling, and we’re not working for some Russian family,” Ishmael barked, jumping up out of his seat.

“For real, boss. We have the entire west and east on lock,” Declan said. He was one of his lower soldiers who stayed on top of his gambling business.

“Exactly, why bring more noise on us and put the DEA on our asses for fucking with Russians?” Ishmael argued, pacing back and forth.

“Do you trust me?” Malcolm questioned the entire room, staring at each man he brought on throughout the years. The community of kids looked up to him, but the older men and women knew Malcolm wasn’t any good, and he only continued to hurt the community with the influx of drugs, gambling, and guns.

Ralph cleared his throat.

“Who do we report to if he comes onboard?”

“Nothing changes. I’m still holding all the cards,” Malcolm explained.

Ishmael nodded, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

“Then let’s make this money,” Ishmael committed, eyeing Broderick closely.

* * *

Two hours after the meeting, Broderick sat in the front seat of Malcolm’s limo as the driver rode through the streets, heading to a local mom and pop restaurant. Broderick continued looking out the window as the car turned down a familiar street.

“My men don’t trust you.”

“Your job is to get them to trust me,” Broderick replied, expressionless and steadily looking forward.

Malcolm chuckled.

“This isn’t a bad area; the Bronx is home. We take care of each other.”

“Taking care means bringing guns and drugs around.”

“Touché.”

The driver stopped in front of Eloise’s. Everyone knew this was the clear zone; nothing happened when you stepped through those doors out of respect for the couple and the family that built the restaurant over fifty years ago. Currently run by the grandchildren and close friend of Malcolm, Jersey Hanson, a woman who was interested in more than a one-night stand. Broderick and Malcolm stepped out of the car, with more security following behind as they marched inside, nodding at the hostess and knowing who they came to meet. Broderick held his hand out, halting Malcolm’s steps.

“Remember we need Maksim to trust you.”

“Obviously, I’m in this to make sure my people don’t get harmed,” Malcolm spat back, treading to the table of men sitting down.

“Keep it that way,” Broderick reminded, following toward the crowd of security standing around the table. During the afternoon hour, they closed the place down for private conversations between mafia families.

“Mr. Holmes, finally we’ve set something up,” Maksim’s second lieutenant said.

“Where’s Maksim?” Malcolm asked, staring at two men sitting with four bodyguards behind them; neither one looked like Maksim Petrov. It was eerily silent for a few minutes as all men wanted to come across as the top boss throughout the entire meeting, but Broderick studied each man and kept his shades on, while Gregory captured the camera footage back in the Agency.

“Maksim will make contact soon, but for now, we come with good news,” Saveli said, giving Broderick a long look.

“Do I know you?” Saveli chucked his chin up at Broderick.

“He doesn’t speak,” Malcolm said.

“You have them trained well.” Saveli grinned.

Broderick clenched his teeth in aggravation.

“I’m open to giving Maksim five percent of gambling business.”

“We were thinking fifty,” Saveli remarked, leaning back in the chair.

“That’ll never happen.” Malcolm started to rise out of his seat.

Saveli held his hand up, stopping him from leaving.

“Twenty percent?” Saveli asked.

“Five percent, and that’s me being generous. Before we start, let’s be clear. I run everything here. Won’t get out of hand, Saveli.” Malcolm leaned forward, peering into Saveli’s eyes.

Saveli’ held his hands up in surrender.

“No problem, that’s what you Americans say, right?” Saveli clenched his hands, leaning forward on the table.

“As long as we understand where things stand.”

“The guns?” Saveli inquired.

“What are your plans for the guns? I heard your boss has a lot of issues.”

“What issues?”

Malcolm shrugged.

“His name is on the streets over some agent getting shot,” Malcolm brought up.

“We’ve not heard of this before.” Saveli curled his lip up.

“So you have no clue about the police looking for your family?”

“None, but we know how your name is always run around here.”

“I can handle my business, but I’m not getting my people sucked into some international bullshit.” Malcolm narrowed in frustration.

“I’ll inform Maksim of your concerns, but we’d like to move forward.”

Malcolm nodded.

“Set up a meeting with Maksim, and I’ll see about agreeing.” Malcolm stood straight up, never leaving the Petrov family to stew if they’d have to make an example out of Malcolm Holmes. All the men stalked back to the car, heading back to the warehouse to reconvene. Malcolm didn’t ask any questions as they arrived back to their cars at the warehouse, and Broderick hurriedly jumped out. Watching as he got into his car, Malcolm was slightly impressed that Broderick wasn’t trying to demand any more information from the meeting and let him lead.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Broderick pulled up to the security garage in the back of the building, waiting to be approved for entrance. Something that had been playing over in his head made him think that Maksim was closer to them in the city, maybe even watching as they talked. Saveli kept his eyes focused on him rather than Malcolm, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. He rubbed a hand down his face as the garage door opened, allowing him to park in the usual spot. Climbing out, Broderick nodded at another soldier coming out of the elevator. He stepped on and hit the floor for his team. The low music of jazz playing kept his mind clear and intent on what needed to happen.

“I need a life,” Broderick mumbled to himself, stepping off the elevator a few minutes later.

Strolling down the hallway, Broderick appeared in front of Teagan’s door and knocked.

“Come in!” she called out.

Pushing the door open, he was waved in to sit down as the TV played in the background on CNN.

“Any updates?” Teagan sat back, crossing her legs, tapping her middle and index fingers on the desk.

“I had a meeting with Saveli.”

Teagan’s eyes rose in surprise.

“What about Maksim?”

“My guess is he’s either still out of the country or watching from a distance.”

“You suspect he was there, not showing his face?”

“Yeah, it just felt off, and Saveli specifically asked if he knew me.”

“What did Malcolm say?”

“He kept the conversation about the gambling fee and guns.”

“Is he signing off?” Teagan wondered.

“Yeah, but hesitant on guns.”

“We need him to be all in on this, Broderick. Remind him of our deal.”

“I will, and I got the footage for Gregory.”

“Good. I believe Maksim is coming hard, and we need to be prepared.”

“I agree. Are you going to meet with the president tomorrow?”

“Yeah, and I’m not looking forward to dealing with Duncan.” Teagan blew out a breath.

“When do you fly out?” Broderick questioned.

“Early morning.”

“Try not to get in the news again.” Broderick rose out of his seat.

“Depends on if someone pisses me off.”

ChapterFour

The next day, Teagan sat in the black Lincoln town car passing by the monuments she grew up hearing about. Now in her position, she had a bigger role to uphold the vision and principles of America that no one had the guts to do every day. She went out on missions never knowing if her husband and children would think this was the last moment of saying goodbye.

Flashback.

Teagan was bent over the toilet, throwing up last night’s dinner that her parents cooked at her coming home party. She was one year back from her last mission, and CJ was just getting in the habit of talking. Cole was still a baby that Christian was raising while she was away. A knock on the bathroom door came, and she sat with her eyes closed, wondering how she would tell Christian she was going back out soon, and she was pregnant. Being happily married came with struggles, and one was fighting enemies who didn’t care if she had a husband and child. She put herself in certain situations Christian may not forgive or forget.

“Honey, it’s me, Mom.” Teagan crawled to the door and unlocked it, letting her mom come in and lock it behind her. Peering up, Teagan gave a brave smile.

“You have to go back.”

Teagan nodded.

“Where?”

“I can’t say.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.” Teagan adjusted to sit up against the counter.

“When you told me this was your plan of getting into the Navy, I was proud, but scared.”

“Me too.”

“You want to know what convinced me to be okay and not worry?”

“What?”

“You.” She motioned at her.

“Me,” Teagan said, surprised.

“Teagan, you’re more of your father’s temperament and presence, calm and focused. You never waver.”

“I always feel like I struggle. I’m the only girl sometimes.”

“Then take that thought and make it work for you. We all know what they think of women.”

“So use it to my advantage?” she queried.

“Use it to guide you in life, not only missions, but your marriage and being a mother. Calm and focused,” her mom reminded, running a hand down her cheek.

“Thanks.”

“I’m excited for the new baby.”

Teagan chuckled as her mom winked and left her to her thoughts.

Present.

“We’re here, ma’am,” Sean said, opening the passenger side door as Teagan got out wearing a long, black trench coat, covering a black Chanel pants suit and black heels with her hair hanging down in curls. Taking the same advice her mom told her years ago, she was calm and focused, knowing Duncan would try to rattle her.

“Thank you, Sean,” Teagan said, grabbing her briefcase and purse out of the backseat.

Going through security, Teagan raised her arms up as the wand went across her shoulders, under her arms, down to the sides. She already had an appointment scheduled, and everyone knew who she was from all the media hype of her past arrest.

“Free to go,” the security guard said.

“Thank you.”

Teagan met up with the chief of staff standing a few feet away at Noah Anderson, an ally of The Firm, and keeping the president updated at all times. Some people came and went, but Noah was the most loyal when she needed something from the president.

“Teagan, thanks for coming,” Noah said, holding his hand out for her to continue journeying.

“Thanks for setting this up.”

“Well, the minute your budget gets approved, the president wants to stay in touch.”

“Even though my face has been plastered all over the world?” she questioned.

“Yep.” Noah chuckled with his boyish looks. Not even hitting forty years old, he sat next to the most powerful man in the world. Noah’s six-three with low cut, smooth black hair, wide shoulders, grey eyes, and full nose.

“Before we go inside, I have to tell you Duncan is here.”

“I figured he’d make an appearance.”

“The president wants to make sure things run smoothly.”

“I have no plans of stooping to his level.”

“Another thing is that afterwards, reporters will come in for photos.”

“I didn’t know we’d have a photo shoot today.”

“The administration thought having you two together would signal all parties can work together.”

“I’m not a politician, Noah.”

“I agree, but you get more out of the situation and let Duncan fold under the pressure.” Noah pushed the door open. Strolling in, Teagan saw the president and Duncan sitting as she smiled with her hand held out for a handshake.

“Mr. President.” Teagan extended her palm, and he grasped it.

“Teagan, thank you for coming. I know it’s been awhile,” President Sanders remarked.

Teagan let out a low breath, turning toward Duncan as he stood to shake her hand.

“Duncan.”

“Agent Stone.” Duncan sat back on the individual chair as Teagan and Noah took a seat on the couch.

“I called this meeting because we need to align with the vision,” President Sanders stated.

“Yes, sir.”

“Did I not approve the budget?” Duncan remarked.

“As you did, it came with a little bit of a show,” Teagan reminded him.

“Well, I need the American people to know where their tax money is going.”

“Noah, do you want to talk?” President Sanders nudged him to dive into the conversation.

“As the president was saying, the current focus is on Maksim Petrov,” Noah said. Teagan quickly looked at Duncan for any hints of him working with Maksim.

“Being on the national security committee, we’ve run across his file,” Duncan called out.

Noah placed photos of Maksim on the table.

“What do we know so far?” Noah asked Teagan.

“He’s planning something. What? I don’t know. My team is working around the clock.”

“If you don’t have anything on him, why are we wasting money on a lost cause?” Duncan asked.