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But what he was dealing with now?

When had his life become such a nightmare?

He grimaced at his inane mental questioning. He knew exactly when. When the FBI had discovered vampires. When the FBI had assured vampire leaders it would keep their existence a secret. When the FBI had conspired against those leaders by recruiting vampire traitors to work for them in the Turning Program. And most of all, when those traitors—Rogues—had decided to fuck over the Bureau by going out on their own, forcibly turning humans, including several FBI agents, and wreaking havoc in general.

Hallifax was freaking. He was afraid all the work he’d put into the FBI’s Turning Program was going to be ruined or, even worse, that the Rogues would reveal the existence of vampires to U.S. citizens. He wanted Mahone and Carly and the rest of the Belladonna team to eliminate that threat. And he wanted it done before
anyone, including the Vampire Queen, found out the truth.

According to Carly, the way to accomplish that was by recruiting four human females to help them. Mahone wasn’t so sure. Not for the first time, he voiced his concerns.

“Maybe we should think this through again, Carly, before it’s too late. We’re talking about four women with no common connection except one tragic night. Three of them with no law enforcement experience whatsoever. Let’s not get them killed. Could make our mission even more difficult.”

“Skip the sarcasm, Mahone. Hallifax expects us—Ty, Peter, you, and me—to accomplish miracles with very little support. You’re my only link to the Bureau. We can’t do this on our own. We need people in the field that we can trust, who
need
what we can give them.”

Mahone rolled his eyes. Not like Carly could see him.

“And these four women?” she continued. “They need. More important, they deserve. The FBI—no,
I
—screwed up their lives by failing to stop that gang shooting seven years ago,” Carly said softly. “They were all negatively affected by it—”

“Which is why,” he interrupted her, “if they knew the truth, they’d just as soon fuck the FBI over rather than help it—”

“But they
don’t
know the truth,” Carly insisted. “And they don’t
need
to know the truth about the FBI’s involvement in that shooting. Not the full truth, anyway. But
I
know the truth. All that matters is I have a chance to make things right for them. Starting with the one woman who can help get us into Salvation’s Crossing.”

“Ana.”

“Yes,” Carly confirmed.

Salvation’s Crossing was a Hispanic rights organization. But according to Hallifax, under the surface it was
actually a militarized cult with ties to the Rogues. Hallifax suspected the cult was helping the Rogues victimize humans, including buying and trading illegal immigrants as blood sources for other vampires.

Given her background, Ana would absolutely be of use to Belladonna in infiltrating the cult. “But the others—”

“Have unique skills we can hone,” Carly said. “And even if they didn’t, they’re beautiful and they’re human. We can capitalize on both those things.”

“And you really think you can convince them to join us? You think you can trust them even after they find out the truth?”

“I do. I’ve been watching these women for a long time. The FBI took things from them. Ana spent two years in prison and lost all contact with her sister. Barrett Miles and Justine Maverick lost loved ones. And Collette Parker seems to be paying the highest price of all—her life.”

“We’re all dying,” Mahone said, but only because he was used to playing devil’s advocate. Everything Carly said was true. The four women had all been unnecessary victims of a gang shooting the FBI could have stopped but hadn’t. The Bureau had been more concerned with gaining favor with the Devil’s Crew gang—which ironically turned out to include several born vampires—than with protecting the innocent.

Now Carly thought the four women could help the Bureau take down the Rogues. Big question mark as far as Mahone was concerned.

It seemed risky. It seemed unnecessary. It seemed … wrong.

But in the end, what choice did he have? Carly was right—she couldn’t bring down the Rogues on her own. And Ty and Peter might have unique strengths as vampires, but they also had undeniable limitations.

“You said you’d trust my instincts, Mahone. Have you changed your mind?” Carly asked.

He
wanted
to change his mind. Didn’t want to support the recruitment of four human females who had no idea what they’d be up against. But that’s why they needed them. Because no one, not even the women themselves, would suspect what they were going to use them for.

“No,” he said. “Bring Ana Martin in. Debrief her. And keep me posted.”

CHAPTER
FOUR

As Ty walked behind the counter and retrieved his gun
, Ana got to her feet and sat at one of the larger tables. It took her a moment to catch her breath, far longer than that to stop shaking. She wanted him gone. Now. But by fighting him for his gun, she’d tacitly agreed to his terms, so she’d do what she agreed to. She’d hear what he had to say. Then she’d kick him out and make sure she never saw him again.

Even as she kept her gaze averted, she tried to wipe her mind clean of the memory of his touch. His kiss. When he stood next to her, however, she had no choice but to look at him. For a second, she swore his gaze dropped to her mouth and her lips actually tingled. She automatically licked them in an effort to drive the sensation away, but all she got for her trouble was the faint taste of him on her tongue. Although she managed to stifle a moan, the darkening of his eyes suggested he knew she’d had to do so. But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he extracted a business card from a small polished case that he slipped out of his pocket and held it out to her.

Slowly, she took it.

All it had on it was an agency name and phone number. “I’m Ty Duncan. As you can see from that card, I work for an organization called Belladonna.”

She couldn’t deny how intrigued she was, any more
than she could deny her body’s visceral response to his. “Go on.”

“Belladonna is Italian for ‘beautiful lady.’ It is also a plant whose berry juice was used in Italy to enlarge the pupils of women, giving them a striking appearance. Not a good idea, since the juice can be poisonous.”

“Thanks for the history lesson.”

He sighed. “I’m trying to explain why I want to hire you, specifically. Someone who is both beautiful and deadly.”

She stared at him with her mouth open, then snorted. Right. Like he found her beautiful. Kissing her to distract her was one thing, but she’d bet the women he slept with spent serious money on clothes, wore silk lingerie to bed, and sipped tea out of antique porcelain cups in the morning. Plus they probably used endearments like “dahling” or “poopsie.”

“Belladonna is a private intelligence agency,” he continued. “Not listed anywhere. We maintain the strictest confidentiality, for both our clients and our employees. We also mainly employ women.”

Surprise tickled the back of her spine. Whatever she’d been expecting him to say, it hadn’t been this. The only private intelligence agencies she’d heard of dealt in intellectual property—corporate secrets, not national security. Nonetheless, she told herself to play along. To find out exactly what connection this man had to Gloria.

“Why women?” She was relieved that her voice sounded steady, even a little bored.

“Specializing in female agents allows us to maintain a variety of covers. To go where the government can’t.”

“What kind of intelligence, specifically?”

“Intelligence that bad guys don’t want us to have.”

Her mouth twisted and she nodded. “Ah,
por supuesto
. You’re one of the good guys. Saving the world
from criminals and bureaucratic bullshit all at the same time.”

He grinned and stretched, raising his arms high above his head as if working out the leftover kinks from their tussle. His sleeves strained to contain bulging biceps and his shirttail lifted, revealing just the slightest glimpse of a ridged, rock-hard stomach.

Oh, God, she silently moaned.

What’s wrong with me? I’ve never been this attracted to a man before
.

And it wasn’t just her body that was reacting to him. It was almost as if he’d inserted himself in her mind …

But then, she’d never met a man like him before. He was a novelty, that was all. Dragging her gaze away and up, she narrowed her eyes at the twinkle in his.

He quirked his lips, then lowered his arms and shrugged. “Does it really matter to you whether we’re the good guys?”

She hesitated. “Let’s assume for a minute it does.”

“In that case, good or bad is a relative term, but yes, I believe what we’re trying to do is for the common good.”

“Good for the world and good for you,” she said.

When he raised a questioning brow, she said, “I’m assuming you get paid well for what you do?”

He tilted his head, his expression almost chiding. “You have a problem with compensation for a job well done?”

She looked away and pressed her lips together, suddenly feeling foolish. Even so, she could still hear the prosecutor’s words from seven years ago, echoing in her head as if he was standing right next to her.

“Money. A few measly dollars. That’s why she did what she did, ladies and gentlemen. It’s why she stole. Sold drugs. Preyed on the weak and elderly. For cold, hard cash. Don’t let this young woman’s face fool you,” he’d said with disgust. “She’s a mercenary through and through.”

“Ana,” the man prompted softly.

She shot to her feet. “Don’t you know
el dinero es la raíz de toda mal
?”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Money isn’t the root of all evil. Humans and other monsters have that covered all on their own. Money is just money.”

She ignored the latter part of his statement. “You speak Spanish quite well. I assume you learned in Europe. And your accent is British. So why aren’t you busy protecting England’s soil?”

“I’m half American on my father’s side. As to why I’m not in England? Because the monsters I’m hunting are here, not there.”

“What monsters?”

“Let’s just say that’s on a need-to-know basis. And until you agree to join the agency, you don’t need to know.”

“You know I’m not going to,” she said softly. “Stop playing games and tell me the information you have about Gloria. Where is she?”

Because Ana had no idea. Despite her sister’s clear instructions that she wanted to be left alone after the gang shooting so long ago, Ana had still needed to make sure her sister was okay. She’d worked hard in prison to earn computer privileges, and whenever she got the chance, she’d used her time to search online for Gloria. She’d even put up with one guard’s filthy innuendos and wandering hands for a time, just to make sure she didn’t lose computer access.

She’d combed through hospital records. Property records. Newspapers and gossip rags. Aside from the news stories that had covered the gang shooting itself, she’d found nothing. It was as if Gloria Garcia had simply vanished off the face of the earth. Ana had been forced
to accept the truth. Gloria hadn’t just wanted to break ties with Ana—she’d wanted to
vanish
. Somehow, she’d made sure that no one, including Ana, could ever find her.

Just like always, the thought filled her with pain. Now, however, the pain was slightly muted, simply because the man in front of her required her total attention. He took up so much space, mentally and physically. It didn’t help that he still looked like he wanted to drag her under him and do all kinds of wicked things to her.

She felt her heart racing, in fear and in anticipation. Finally, his lips tightened and he banked the fire in his eyes. Silently, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Accept our offer,” he urged.

“And if I did, my tasks would be … what?”

“You’ll work missions, but you’ll also train other women.”

She couldn’t help it. Her eyes bugged out. The idea of her training women to be super agents was ludicrous. He’d shocked the hell out of her and she didn’t care if he knew. “What makes you think I have anything to teach anyone?”

He looked at her steadily. “The information we gather isn’t the sort people give out willingly. In fact, it’s the kind people kill for in order to protect.”

“So you kill them before they can kill you?” She’d never sign up for something like that. Gang life had been about protection and survival, not war. Not premeditated murder.

Whoa. Scratch that last thought.
She
had never committed murder, planned or unplanned. She’d never wanted to look too closely, but she’d always known how dangerous some of her fellow gang members could be—even to each other.

“Wrong. We avoid using force, and we avoid doing anything that would unnecessarily call attention to the
agency. At the same time, our agents need to be prepared for any eventuality. They need the skills to blend in. To talk themselves out of trouble. And yes, if it’s absolutely necessary, to fight violence with violence.”

“What makes you think I’d risk breaking a nail, let alone my life, for some agency I never even knew existed?”

“Because I know more about you than you think. I know you’d do just about anything to see your sister again. Why not work for the right cause in the process?”

She shook her head. She didn’t believe in causes. Didn’t waste her time with volunteer work and trying to make the world a better place. The world was a minefield. You looked out for yourself or you got blown to kingdom come.

“Even if that’s true—and I’m not saying it is,” Ana said, “I’m not an expert in any of the things you just talked about.”

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’ve assumed a new identity, quite successfully, I might add. And you managed to make me hurt—and bleed—more than once,” he pointed out.

True, but still … he’d already proven quite thoroughly that anything she’d done to him was probably the result of him having
let
her do it. She chewed her lip, considering him. Considering what he offered. He seemed like he was on the up-and-up—crazy but legitimate.