Her Shield (The Uncut Series Book 1)

Jordan Black, Sean Jackson and Ray Parker sat in Jordan’s office located high atop the Black Diamond Building. The three handsome, successful men also formed an elite force that was both dangerous and unstoppable.

For over ten years, the trio handled business protecting those who could not protect themselves. Now, all three men were married and expecting children with plans to retire from their activities. However, before they can step aside, a new force needed to be recruited and trained.

Ray looked at his two friends, the two men he would give his life for and vice versa.

“We have the young gods, but they need a lot of training,” he told them.

Jordan sighed. “How much training…because I’m not walking through no more damn jungles,” he said referring to their last mission.

Ray laughed. “They’re Uncut, Jay…they’re rough and unpolished. We have our work cut out for us with these damn kids because they’re young, in heat and unpredictable.”

“But they have great potential,” Sean added, always being the focused one in the group.

“They’re going to make mistakes.” Ray looked at the two men. “And probably a lot of them.”

He focused on Jordan. “Just like you.”

Jordan frowned. “I’m the reason this entire operation works.” He stared across his desk. “Who’s the billionaire?”

Sean shook his head. “Okay Jordan.” Turning to Ray he continued, “Is Marc ready?”

Ray sat back in his chair. “We’ll find out…”

Chapter 1

Special Agent Marcus Graham looked at the file on his desk labeled M. Martin. His promotion to Special Agent had come due to his recent work in Colombia, South America where he had rescued a group of women being trafficked from the United States. His present mission was busting one Milton Martin and seeing him rot in prison.

Milton Martin was a businessman by trade and a thief, liar, murderer and hustler otherwise. Milton had tried to ruin his daughter’s best friends business, in conjunction with their mothers. He had also joined forces with a Colombian kingpin to have those same friends killed. Now he was suspected in the murder of one of his colleagues. Milton Martin was a dirty dude all around. His only saving grace was that he had three incredibly beautiful daughters, two of which Marc knew personally. He'd been told that the oldest one, Shana had inherited all of Milton's dirty traits.

The middle daughter, Isabelle had married Marc's close friend, mentor and boss…Ray Parker. Currently they were in wedded bliss and expecting their first child. The youngest daughter, now she was fire…and against his will, he found himself attracted to the flames.

Isis Martin. He flipped open the file to her picture. To say she was beautiful was an understatement, five-feet seven inches of smooth clover honey skin, big dark brown eyes and long, luxurious mahogany hair. To say that she was off limits was a given. Marc made it a practice never to mix business and pleasure. That’s how people got hurt and missions went awry. As he stared at the photograph, his cell phone rang. He smiled and answered promptly.

“Well if it isn’t the gorgeous Khayla Lewis,” he said silkily.

“Hello Marcus. How are you?”

He smiled. “After hearing that voice, how could I be anything but good?”

“You’re something else…and you know it too,” she told him.

Marcus closed the file on his desk. “What I do know is that my time in Detroit was too short.” Marc had recently been in Detroit working on another project for Rion Shaw, the first black owner of a major league baseball team. He’d met Khayla and there had been an instant attraction.

“Too short for what?” she asked.

He pictured her face and then her fabulous body. “Too short for me to get to know you the way I would like to.”

Khayla laughed. “I think we got to know each other pretty well.”

“Then I’d like to know you some more,” he said quietly.

Before she could respond, his cell phone indicated another call just as there was a knock on his office door. Marc looked up as the door opened.

“Hostage situation!” the visitor announced quickly.

Marc nodded then saw that Ray Parker was the caller on the other line.

“Khayla, sweetheart I need to call you back,” he said getting to his feet.

“Sure, is everything ok?” she inquired.

He began walking to the door. “Duty calls,” he announced before they ended the call and he switched over to Ray.

“Yeah Ray,” he answered.

“I need you now!” Ray told him.

Marc looked at his watch. “I’ve got a situation right now. Can I call you later?”

“No you can’t,” Ray barked. “It’s Isis!”

Marcus slowed. “What about her?”

“I need you to go get her,” Ray directed.

“She’s been taken hostage,” he finished.

Marc frowned and stopped walking. “What did you say?” His voice was deadly.

“She’s being held at her apartment,” Ray explained. “It has something to do with a vendetta against Milton.”

“Damn!” Marc barked.

“You can’t go in as a shield. You’ll need a cover,” Ray told him. “And I want you to tell your men to back off because you need to handle this one alone.”

“I’ve got it. I’m on my way,” Marc said ending the call.

He walked into a room full of agents and they all turned toward him. “What do we got?” he asked.

“The guy is barricaded inside the woman’s apartment. Apparently he disguised himself as a maintenance worker and she let him inside,” one explained.

“Who called this in?” Marcus asked.

“The gunman had the woman call her father. He apparently has some sort of beef against him. The father then called Ray Parker’s wife.”

Marc frowned. “Police involved?”

One agent shook his head. “No, Ray said he wanted you to handle it. He wants you to go inside.”

“I know.” Marc looked around the room. “Stand down until I give the word.”

They all nodded before he turned and walked out the door with them quickly following.

*********

Isis Martin sat on her sofa in terror. One minute she was allowing the maintenance man to check her smoke detectors and the next she had a gun pointed in her face. She looked at the man taking in his work clothes along with the large dark weapon in his hand. She didn’t know how long she’d been sitting here but she knew she had to do something.

She took a deep breath. “Why are you doing this?”

He turned to her. “Because your daddy is a coward ass punk, and he’d better get his ass over here before he has one less daughter.”

Isis frowned. “You want to hurt my father?” she asked confused.

He smirked. “Nah sexy, I don’t want to hurt your daddy. I want to kill his ass.”

Isis felt a chill go down her back both from his threat and from the way he’d called her sexy.

“My father hasn’t hurt anyone…”

“Shut up with that! Your daddy is a lying ass murderer.”

Her eyes widened. “Who do you think my father killed?”

“I don’t think. I know!” he shouted and she jumped.

“Please, you can just leave now and I won’t say anything,” she promised.

He stared at her looking over her body then up to fearful dark brown eyes. “If your daddy doesn’t get here soon, I’m going to take my revenge out on his daughter.”

Isis folded her arms and held herself. She wasn’t sure if she wanted her father to come or not. On the one hand she wanted him to rescue her from this maniac, on the other she knew this man really intended to hurt her father and she never wanted that.

There was a knock on the door and they both looked in that direction. “I hope that’s your daddy or else a lot of people are going to die today.”

He lifted the gun. “Get up and answer it. If it’s the police you’d better warn me or I’m going to shoot you in the back. Understand?”

Isis nodded slowly with her heart beating. She stood and walked to the door and he stood behind her. She looked through the peephole and saw Agent Marcus Graham at the door.

“Who is it?” the gunman whispered.

Isis tried to breathe. “It’s…my friend.”

The gunman looked through the hole and saw Marc on the landing.

“What’s he doing here?”

“I…I don’t know. He’s come to visit me, I guess.”

He stared down at her. “He’s your boyfriend?” he demanded.

Isis didn’t know what was going to happen next but she had to think quickly. “Yes.” She knew she couldn’t' say he was an FBI agent, so she just went with the flow.

His eyes narrowed. “See what he wants and get rid of him.” He nudged her with the gun. “Don’t try anything stupid because I’m watching and I will shoot both of you.” He walked into the bathroom that faced the front then nodded for her to open the door.

Isis opened the door and looked into platinum colored eyes. Usually Agent Graham wore dark sunglasses all the time but now he was without them. He was also normally decked out in a designer suit and tie but now he wore just his dress shirt and slacks.

Quickly Marc sprang into action stepping inside, closing the door while pinning her against it and shielding her with his body. He stared down into her startled eyes and kissed her in order to silence anything she might say. He then moved to her ear.

“Do not panic,” he whispered before kissing her cheek.

He lifted his head and in a normal voice said, “Hey sweetheart, I missed you.”

Isis stood in shock at the touch of his lips and the strong, six-foot three-inch body pressed against her. When she didn’t respond, he lowered his head again, this time to her neck. “Play along with me,” he said softly. “I know you’re an actress.”

Isis' brain finally clicked and she nervously wrapped her arms around his neck. “I missed you too…honey,” she said a little too loudly then winced.

Marc pressed closer. “It’s okay.” He pushed her hair from her neck and behind her ear before kissing the exposed spot. “When I say where he's hiding, I want to you to moan, okay?”

Isis was caught up in his touch and nodded very slowly. Her hands without her knowledge moved to caress his head softly as he continued nibbling at her ear and neck.

“Kitchen?” he whispered.

“Bedroom?” She didn’t respond and she felt his lips on her jaw.

“Bathroom?” Isis moaned loudly and the gunman smiled at the show he was watching. He planned to do the same thing to her later even though that wasn't the reason he was here.

Marc nodded and lifted his head to look down into her eyes. “Were you busy?” he asked watching her reaction. He knew the gunman had told her to get rid of him and hoped she would do as he’d requested.

“Uh…” Marc nodded slightly indicating for her to answer in the affirmative. “Yes, I was.”

Marc looked around slowly. “You want me to stay and chill with you or come back later?”

“You can come back later. I’m studying my lines.”

He moved back so they could open the door keeping Isis shielded with his body. When the door was opened enough to exit Marc whispered, “Run towards the street...” He pushed her out the door then shut it quickly before he dived to the floor. A shot rang out as Marc retrieved his weapon from around his ankle.

He jumped nimbly to his feet with his weapon ready and another shot was fired prompting him to move against the wall.

“You should give up now,” Marc called out. “FBI.”

When there was no response he called again, “FBI! You can do this the easy way or the hard way. It doesn't matter to me.”

“Where is Milton Martin?” the gunman called.

Marc rolled his eyes. “Clearly he's not coming and I don't have all damn day. Put the weapon down and come out with your hands up.”

He waited before moving closer. “Don't make me shoot up this pretty girl's apartment for no reason.”

Marc tried to keep him talking to pinpoint his exact location.

“Why are you trying to hurt her?” he asked.

“I want Milton Martin!” the gunman yelled.

Marc inched a little further. “Don't worry Milton is going to get his. He knows it.”

“Does he know that FBI agents like to feel up his daughter?”

Marc turned the corner and fired one shot that hit the gunman in the shoulder causing him to scream and drop his weapon. Before he could move, Marc was standing over him pressing an expensive John Lobb shoe against his chest with a silver gun pointed at his face.

“Don't move!” Marc commanded.

********

After Marc pushed her out the door, Isis followed his instructions and took off towards the street. Before she reached it, she was met by a barrage of agents who swiftly moved her to a waiting car. As she sat inside, she wondered what was going on in her apartment.

She'd heard shots as she had taken off running but hadn't stopped to look back. She hoped that Agent Graham was alright. She was amazed that he'd come to rescue her and still in awe at the way he'd done it.

Isis raised a hand to her neck and ear still tingling from the touch of his mouth. When he'd whispered in her ear, she'd had to concentrate to understand what he'd been saying. Add to that the way his body was pressed against hers left no questions in her mind of what he was packing underneath those designer suits.

She'd looked into those eyes and had been captivated even with her life at stake. She was also amazed at how cool he had been. Of course, she knew he was an FBI agent, but she hadn't known how good he really was or at least seemed to be.

An agent handed her a phone and she put it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Oh my god Isis, are you okay?” she heard her sister Isabelle ask in a frenzy.

“Isabelle he wanted to hurt daddy...and me,” she told her.

“I'm so thankful that Marcus was able to get you out safe. They're going to bring you here.”

Isis looked out the window. “What about Agent Graham? Is he alright?” she questioned.

The door opened and the object of her question slid inside the vehicle.

Gray eyes held hers. “Are you okay?” he asked and Isis let the phone down to her side.

“Yes, are you?” she asked.

He smiled at her. “I'm fine. I apologize for touching you that way.”

Isis smiled shyly. “You saved my life. It doesn't matter how you touched me.”

They both sat silently watching each other.