Guardian Ranger (Shadow Agents #2)(2)

“No,” she barely whispered.

She could tell by the heavy-lidded look in his eyes that Jasper had something more physical in mind. But even though she’d had a crush on him for more years than she wanted to confess, Veronica straightened her spine and said, “What I really want...”

He leaned in close to her. His heady scent—male, soap, the crisp outdoors—swept around her.

“What I really want...” She eased out a slow breath. “Is your help.”

Judging by the expression on Jasper’s handsome face, that was the last request he’d expected.

Jasper Adams. Ex-ranger. Lethal killing machine. Heartbreaker. Okay, those were the words whispered about him. She wasn’t sure all of the rumors that she’d heard about him were true, and, right now, she didn’t care.

One thing she did know...ex-ranger was the most important part to her. “I’m Veronica Lane.” She said her name in case he’d forgotten, which he obviously had. “A few years ago, you were in a unit with my brother, Cale.”

His eyelids flickered. Then he was pulling her deeper into the shadows. Pushing her toward a small wooden table that sat against the back of the bar. Privacy. A tiny bit of it, anyway.

“Do you remember him?” Veronica pressed.

Jasper rubbed his chin, studied her and nodded.

Her breath expelled in a relieved rush. “Good. He...he always spoke highly of you.” Spoke. She’d used the past tense. That wasn’t what she’d meant to do. Veronica blinked away the stupid tears that wanted to fill her eyes. “He said that you were one of the best trackers he knew.”

“Is that all he said?” His voice, with the faintest hint of a Texas drawl, rolled over her.

“He said you were deadly. That I should...” This part was embarrassing, but she wouldn’t lie to him, so she finished, “He said that I should stay far away from a man like you.”

Another slow nod. “Sounds about right.” One golden brow rose. The man’s face was almost perfect. Too gorgeous. High cheekbones. Square jaw. Firm lips. A slightly hawkish nose, but it just made his other features look even stronger. And his eyes...

A woman could easily be tempted by eyes like that. Tempted to do just about anything.

The jukebox started to play another tune. A slower song. The dance-with-me kind of song.

“If your brother warned you away, then why are you here, Ms. Veronica Lane?”

“Because I have to be.” She perched on the edge of her chair. The chair’s legs were uneven and wobbled a bit beneath her. “I need your help.”

His fingertips drummed on the scarred tabletop. “And you think I’ll help you because...?”

“Because I can pay you.” She fumbled and opened her purse. “I even brought some cash in with me—”

He swore and grabbed her hands, closing the purse and trapping her fingers beneath his own. His skin was rough, the tips of his fingers and his palms calloused. “Lady, don’t you know better than to flash a wad of cash in a bar like this?”

Her heart raced so fast that her chest hurt. “I’m desperate.”

Very slowly, he released her. “Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, “I am getting that impression.”

“I heard...” Rumors, whispers, some of what she’d picked up from her brother over the years and some that she’d learned on her own. Clearing her throat, she said, “I heard that you would be willing to take on certain jobs if the money was right.” She leaned forward. Her chair teetered. “I can make the money right for you, okay? Please.” She wasn’t above begging. Because I am that desperate. “Say you’ll help me.”

His eyes gave no clue to his thoughts. They were just a cold green shield. “What do you want me to do?” He waited a beat. “You trying to get me to kill someone for you?” His voice was silky soft, deadly.

She shook her head. “No, of course not!”

He just stared back at her. Veronica swallowed the lump in her throat. She realized that the “of course” probably didn’t apply to him. He was ex-military, a man who often sold his lethal skills out to the highest bidder. Dealing out death...maybe that was common for him.

It wasn’t so common for her.

Her fingers clenched around her purse strap. The better to hide the trembling of her hands. “I want you to find someone for me.”

She caught the faintest expression of surprise in his gaze. A very, very fleeting expression.

“Who?” Jasper demanded.

“My brother. Cale’s missing.” Missing and, she feared, dead. Because Cale had been gone for six months. There’d been no contact at all from him during that time. Cale would never leave her for that long without a word. Even when he’d been working as an army ranger, he’d still found ways to check up on her. To let her know that he was alive.

Her brother knew how much she needed him. He wouldn’t just leave her.

But Jasper leaned back in his chair and waved a dismissive hand. “Cale’s a big boy. If any man knows how to take care of himself, it’s him.”

Why? Because her brother was a killer? A mercenary? Yes, she knew all the dark parts of Cale’s life. It didn’t make her love him less. Her chin lifted. “It’s been six months. No calls. No letters. No texts or emails.”