Thrill Ride (Black Knights Inc. #4)(14)

Oh, no. Bad idea. Because if there was one thing guaranteed to scar a man for life, it was seeing his little sister in flagrante delicto with the giant, hairy guy who happened to be his brother-in-law and boss.

She grabbed Billy’s wrist before he could finish turning the knob and—

Warm.

His skin was always so warm. That was one of the things she remembered about him. The heat he generated. And even though more than a decade had passed since she’d been in his arms, the mere touch of him brought back the memories as if it was only yesterday…

The way his wide mouth had curved in a smile as the wind blew his shiny brown hair every which way that day they’d sailed her little skiff on Lake Michigan. The way his warm eyes had sparkled that night she finally let him unbutton her blouse in the backseat of his car. The way heartbreak had contorted his young, handsome face that fateful morning he told her he was leaving…

That last one—and the deep ache that always accompanied it—brought her slamming back to the present. “You don’t want to do that,” she told him.

He shot her a hard look that had her lungs clenching. But she was trying very hard to grow a pair, so she held her ground. “Just yell it through the door. They’ll hear you.”

For a split second he seemed to hesitate, his expression softening, his dark-chocolate-colored eyes searching her face as if maybe…

But just when she thought he might say something, oh, she didn’t know, nice to her—like, perhaps, thank you for keeping me from seeing something that would require me to bleach my brain—he turned and bellowed into the dark wood. “We’ve got a problem! Get dressed and get your asses out here!”

Whispered curses could be heard inside the room, followed by the squeak of the mattress and the muffled shuffle of footsteps. Eve wasn’t aware she was still holding Billy’s wrist until he glanced down at her hand and back up at her face.

Heat climbed into her cheeks before she had the wherewithal to release him.

It’d been this way ever since they’d been reintroduced six months ago. The stilted conversation and wary looks. The subtle jibes. The…electricity.

Geez Louise.

Of course, she’d managed to mitigate much of that by avoiding him at all costs. And a smart woman would’ve continued to uphold that status quo. Unfortunately, despite what her professors might say to the contrary, she was discovering she wasn’t a very smart woman at all. Because when Becky had called and asked to borrow the San Jose house for a little celebration of her recent nuptials—and as a cover for an operation—Eve jumped at the chance to tag along. To see how it was all done.

Growing a pair indeed. Her defense instructor would be so proud.

Of course, at the time, she hadn’t been aware how much being in the same room with Billy Reichert was going to wreak havoc on her nervous system and—

The door to the bedroom flew open, interrupting her thoughts. Boss and Becky stood on the threshold, both wearing fuzzy white robes and sporting hairdos that looked like they’d survived a hurricane.

To Eve’s utter chagrin, her blush deepened.

“What is it?” Boss demanded, running a hand over his stubbled jaw.

“Ozzie just intercepted a CIA scramble directive for a couple of stealth choppers over Monteverde Cloud Forest,” Billy informed him.

“Fuck me.” Boss grabbed the door frame with enough force to crack the wood.

“And Vanessa?” Becky asked.

“She’s turned off the signal…just in case.” Billy tilted his phone from side-to-side, indicating it was useless as a means of communication.

“Options?” Boss inquired, the big muscle in his jaw beating out a too-fast rhythm.

“There are none,” Billy admitted, his expression sickly. “We just have to wait and see if Rock is as resourceful as we all think he is. In the meantime, I think we’d better call in the cavalry. Something tells me we’re going to need all boots on the ground here.”

“Roger that,” Boss said, turning back into the room to grab his phone from the nightstand. He immediately began punching in numbers.

“How many?” Becky’s expression was tense as she peered into Billy’s face, and even Eve knew what she was after. The odds. Just how many CIA agents was Rock Babineaux going to be up against?

“Eight,” Billy replied, and Becky’s face relaxed.

“That’s not so bad. He and Vanessa can hold their own against—”

“On each team,” Billy interrupted. “There are two teams.”

“Oh shit,” Becky breathed, and Eve experienced a disconcerting sense of déjà vu.





Chapter Four


“What is it?”

The look on Rock’s face was enough to have the ceviche in Vanessa’s stomach going rancid.

“They’re here,” he whispered.

She had a brief flashback to a scene in Poltergeist a split second before he grabbed her around the waist and lunged for the open doorway. No sooner had they cleared the threshold than all hell broke loose. A flashbang detonated inside the tree house, momentarily blinding Vanessa and causing her ears to ring.

Of course, she was glad her eyesight wasn’t working when Rock yelled, “Hang on!” and looped her arms around his neck.