Read Out of the Shadows (Falcon) for Free Online

ago.”
    Through the green tint of his night goggles, the mean snarl on her lips confirmed she wasn’t thrilled about a reunion. “Besides, I don’t plan to turn you over to him. You’re just a ploy to get his attention.”
    “You’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met.” She stood with her fists primed and ready to strike.
    “You’re safe,” he reassured her. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
    “You just don’t get it, do you?”
    “Get what? That you had a lover’s quarrel? You dumped him, and he’s been looking for you ever since. My guess is he wants to rekindle the love affair.” Brody shrugged.
    She growled.
    “I realize that’s not your plan. A snitch told me all he wanted was you. I take you to him, he releases my partner and we get out of there.”
    She pointed to herself. “What about me? How do you plan to get me out of there?”
    “You don’t need to worry about that. I’m actually pretty good at this stuff.”
    She stalked over to him and landed a punch to his jaw. Brody flinched and raised his arm to block her next move. “That man doesn’t love me,” she hissed. “We’re not sweethearts. He wants me dead. I’m the CIA agent who provided your team with a layout of Oscar’s compound.”
    Doubt made a command appearance.
    That wasn’t the intel he’d heard. But still, he didn’t plan to let Chavez near her. No, he wasn’t a man who would let a woman get hurt. All she had to do was cooperate. They’d be home in no time.
    “Nobody is going to die. Especially you.” He stepped closer, smiled , and gently touched her shoulder. Her feminine warmth traveled up his arm and washed over his heart like rain in the middle of a Texas drought.
    Brody dropped his arm and stepped back. He hadn’t expected that. From the beginning she’d been a means to get what he wanted. In the process he hadn’t noticed her appearance. Now, here in a foreign country, in the middle of the night, her beauty sidelined him in a way he never anticipated. 
    “I’ll take care of you. You can trust me.”
    “The last guy who said that to me got two men killed, and I barely escaped from Iraq.”
    T hat was a bitch. Probably worse for a woman. It didn’t matter that she was a CIA agent. Losing a team member hurt, and it left enough remorse to last a lifetime.
    “That guy wasn’t me. Nobody is going to die.”
    “So you keep saying.”
    “Yes I do, and I’m rarely wrong.”
    “Let’s hope this isn’t one of those rare times.”
    H e knew she’d been in Iraq. Hell, he’d memorized everything he could get his hands on about her. And with a few connections, that was a lot of information. But no one had told him she’d provided the intel for Falcon’s raid on Chavez. What else didn’t he know about Kate Stone? “Let’s go,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s not far.”
    “That’s going to be fun on my feet.”
    “You’re the one who ran.”
    She pulled back. He turned to face her. “I’m going to hate you for the rest of my life.”
    Brody hefted the backpack onto his shoulder. “This isn’t the Bachelorette and I’m not one of those sappy contestants. I didn’t bring you here to fall in love. You’re here because that mean son of a bitch has my friend and partner. We get him out, and I don’t care what happens after that.”
    “Oh, you’re going to care. Trust me. If I survive this, I’m going to make you care.”
    “Good luck,” he said.
    He looked down at her , and a twinge of self-disgust pulled his heart. The plan didn’t involve bringing her here in a T-shirt and lacy bikini panties. Besides being a distraction, her wardrobe probably embarrassed the hell out of her, and for good reason. There wasn’t a whole lot to imagine.
    He stole a look at her beautiful le gs. Heat scorched his cheeks and he scolded himself for looking. Angry that the circumstances had compelled him to be so thoughtless, he started walking.
    “The village is about two klicks