Tyler (Blue Halo Book 6)

Tyler watched the array of emotions flicker across Emerson’s face. She was hiding something. What, exactly, he wasn’t sure. But there were secrets behind those pretty amber eyes. Every time he asked a question, she didn’t fully answer. He could almost see her carefully crafting her response in her head before giving him anything.

In case she gave away too much? In case she said something she shouldn’t?

The guys on his team would be alarmed by that because it was suspicious as hell. And yeah, he also wanted straight answers, especially because she’d admitted her stepbrother was tangled up with Project Arma. But he was also intrigued. And something told him if he pushed too hard, too fast, she’d leave. And he didn’t want her to leave. So he had to be smarter. Softer.

He leaned forward again, not missing the small hitch in her breath. A smile played at his lips. She felt it too. The pull. The heat that danced in his gut when he got close to her. It had been there last night, and it hadn’t died with the light of day.

“I’d like to set up a meeting with my team and discuss strategy. Because our target is a Project Arma man, we’ll have to approach this a little differently than how we normally would.”

She gave a quick nod and continued to pick at a thread from her jeans. A nervous gesture?

What are you hiding, Amber Eyes?

“I’d also like to get assistance from the Feds.”

That had her eyes bulging and her fingers pausing. “The FBI?”

“We have a contact in the Intelligence department with whom we work regularly. We actually have a meeting with him after I’m finished here. I might ask him to extend the call so we can all talk strategy.”

Her eyes darted between his, fingers now wrapped around the seat of the chair, knuckles almost white.

The idea of involving more people made her nervous. Why?

“Are you sure that’s necessary?” she finally asked, voice quiet.

“It would certainly help.”

The woman gave a slow nod. Her hesitancy made him want to reach out and comfort her. With a touch of the hand. A graze on the arm.

He shook it off. “Do you mind hanging around for half an hour?”

“Of course not. I really appreciate anything you can do. Thank you.”

Relief. It threaded through her voice and shone in her eyes. She was nervous, but also relieved they were helping.

“You’re welcome.” He stood. “I’ll get Cassie to make you some coffee while you wait.”

She stood too. At almost six-four, he towered over the woman. She wet her lips again. Fuck. He needed her to stop doing that. She had full, rosy-colored lips that made his dick twitch just looking at them.

As he led her to the reception area, her citrus scent hung in the air, toying with him. Cassie smiled at them when they stepped into the room.

“Could you make Emerson a coffee, Cass? I’ll be back to get her in about twenty minutes.”

She nodded. “Of course.”

He flashed the woman a final smile, his eyes catching on Emerson’s one last time before moving down the hall.

Here at Blue Halo, the team members weren’t just private and corporate protection agents. They also did off-the-books jobs for the government through their FBI contact, Steve. Usually, jobs that couldn’t be completed by ordinary people. Today, Steve had requested a meeting because he was stuck with a case and needed more brains on it.

When he reached the conference room, he stepped inside to see Aidan, Callum, Liam, and Flynn already sitting around the long table.

He clamped a hand on Aidan’s shoulder before sitting beside him. “Cassie’s doing well out there. You must be happy to have her close.”

Aidan blew out a breath, leaning back in his seat. “After everything that went down over the last month, I want her as close as possible at all times.”

Tyler didn’t blame him. Cassie had almost been killed by a crazy cult and its leader. Aidan and the team had only just made it in time to save her.

“How’d the appointment go?” Flynn asked from across the table.

Tyler opened his mouth to tell them about Levi, but the video call came through before he got a word out. A second later, Steve was on the large screen hanging on the wall.

The older FBI agent shuffled in his seat. “Hey, guys.” As usual, he looked tired. He always seemed to have too much shit on his plate.

“What do you have for us, Steve?” Flynn asked.

He ran a hand through his hair. “This is a strange one. We’ve got next to nothing. No suspects. No motive.”

“Tell us,” Liam said.

“Three incidents. In each one, two people kidnapped. They’re kidnapped separately—first one and then the other, just hours apart—but are connected in their personal lives. Usually related, but one incident involved best friends. They both turn up dead together.”

“Dead how?” Tyler asked.

“Both are found in a burning house, but autopsies reveal victim one always has a stab wound, with no smoke in the lungs.”

Aidan frowned. “So victim one is killed prior to the fire.”

“Yes. While victim two dies in the fire beside their loved one. The front door to the burning house is always open, it’s always a two-story structure, and the two bodies are found upstairs.”

What the hell? “If the door’s open, why doesn’t victim two leave?” Tyler asked.

“Our thoughts exactly. Our best guess is victim two runs in to try to save victim one and gets trapped when the fire spreads.”

Jesus.

“Are the homeowners connected?” Liam asked.

“No. We’ve ruled all of them out. The owners are always away from the home, often for an extended period of time, when someone breaks in and sets the fire.”

Steve ran a hand through his hair. “We’re really struggling with this one. There seems to be no gender preference. No sexual assault. Although, I should mention, victim one is always either a convicted criminal or accused of a felony. The last incident involved a man who’d been charged with the murder of three people but got off because there wasn’t enough evidence to hold him.”

Tyler frowned. “Maybe some sort of Robin Hood?”

“That would make sense if the second person was suspected of wrongdoing, but none of them have been. In fact, one of the people who died by fire was a doctor.”

“Where are these deaths taking place?” Aidan asked.

“Maine, Philadelphia, and Kansas.”

“And no connection between the pairs of victims?” Callum asked.

“None.”

Shit. That didn’t leave them with much.

“I’m gonna send the case files,” Steve said, shuffling some papers in front of him. “We’d appreciate it if you could look them over. See if there’s anything we’ve missed. We’d also like your team to question some of the victims’ loved ones. Listen to see if they’re lying or hiding something.”

“You got it,” Flynn said.

“His pattern has been to kill every two weeks.”

Liam frowned. “When’s the next two weeks up?”

“In three days.”

Shit.

“All right. I’ll send those files over within the hour.”

Before Steve could click out, Tyler cleared his throat. “I actually have a case I’d like your help on, Steve.”

The agent stopped, then nodded. If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. The team hadn’t asked much of him since they’d been working together.

“I’ve just had a new client ask our team to catch and subdue her stepbrother.” He felt his team’s eyes on him. “The man was part of Project Arma, and he’s a security risk.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Why does he need to be caught and subdued?” Liam finally asked.

“His mental health is declining. Emerson believes he suffers from delusions and, therefore, won’t accept the help he needs. He’s also former Special Forces.”

Flynn cursed softly under his breath. Yeah, they all knew how dangerous that made him.

“I’m happy to help in any way I can,” Steve said.

He nodded. “I’ll go get the client.”

As he moved down the hall, he could hear Cassie talking about the town, telling Emerson that she’d just moved here.

He entered the foyer to see Emerson looking just as nervous as when he’d left her. He tried for an easy smile. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

Even if he couldn’t detect a lie, the woman had answered too quickly for that to be true.

When she reached him, he lightly touched a hand to the small of her back, and he was almost sure he felt her lean into him just a bit. But it wasn’t until they stepped into the conference room that he felt her go almost rigid. The guys could be a pretty intimidating sight. Even though everyone was sitting, there was no mistaking their sizes.

“Emerson, this is Liam, Aidan, Callum, and Flynn. And on the screen is Steve,” Tyler said, introducing everyone.

She smiled at each man before Tyler ushered her into a seat at the table.

His gaze moved to Steve as he spoke.

“Hi, Emerson. Tyler’s filled us in a bit. Your stepbrother has declining mental health and has advanced speed and strength. Is that correct?”

“Yes. He needs psychiatric help.”

She’d said the same to Tyler. Like she wanted to emphasize that part. Did she think they wouldn’t help him otherwise?

“We’ll organize a person to be on you at all times,” Tyler said quietly, his fingers twitching to touch her. “That way, if he’s around, we can see and catch him.”

“We can also keep tranquilizers on us,” Liam suggested. “So we have a means to stop him without harming him.”

She seemed relieved by that. “That sounds good.”

“I can tap into our resources here to track any movement via street surveillance,” Steve offered.

Callum nodded. “I can do the same.”

“That all sounds great.” There was a but coming from Emerson, he felt it before she said it. “Although, I don’t have a lot of money. You guys are my last resort, which means my resources are already pretty drained. Detail during daytime hours should be enough. I normally feel him when I’m out in public anyway, which is usually during the day.”

Tyler tensed. He didn’t like that. Danger didn’t stop at night.

Like she sensed his disapproval, she hurried to continue. “He looks a bit different from his old military photos. He has a scar beside his right eye. His hair’s a bit longer. Shaggy and down to his ears.”

Tyler dipped his chin. “That’s helpful.”

“Is there anything else you can tell us that might help?” Flynn asked.

“Just that he’s confused and will probably mistake you for the enemy. So please be careful. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

Tyler almost reached out and touched her, again wanting to offer comfort. Instead, he softened his voice. “We can take care of ourselves.”

She looked at him like she wasn’t sure.

They spoke details and schedules for another ten minutes, then Tyler stood and led her from the room. When they passed his office, he ducked inside and grabbed his card before handing it to her. “This has my personal number on it. Call or text if you need anything.”

When she slipped the card from his hand, their fingers grazed, and he heard her pulse spike. So damn responsive to his touch, just like he was to hers.

When they reached the reception area, he opened the door for her, but she stopped and turned. “Thank you again. For listening to me and agreeing to help.”

He touched her arm, and that same shot of awareness ran through his body again like a damn spark of electricity. “It’s what we do. I look forward to helping you get your stepbrother back, Emerson.”

A flicker of emotion rolled over her face. Uncertainty. Maybe even fear?

It disappeared as quickly as it had come. She gave him a small smile before thanking Cassie, then leaving. He watched her head down the stairs. Just before she disappeared, she glanced back up at him. Their gazes caught. There was a small pause as her chest rose and fell, then she kept moving.

His smile grew. He looked forward to working with the woman. Learning more about her. But then, he’d known he would. It was exactly why, after meeting her in the bar last night, he’d rearranged her appointment to be with him.

When he looked up, it was to see Cassie watching him closely, a huge-ass grin on her face.

“She’s cute,” Cassie said with a raised brow.

She wasn’t just cute. She was fucking gorgeous. He wouldn’t be admitting that out loud just yet, though. He closed the door. “First morning going okay?”

She chuckled. Yeah, he was avoiding her statement, and she knew it.

“Yep. You guys were pretty organized, although I’m tidying up a few things in your system.”

He heard the footsteps from the hall before he saw his friend. A second later, Aidan was behind Cassie, kissing her neck.

Tyler smiled. His friend had just gotten Cassie back after years of separation. He was glad they were happy.

“Are you doing okay?” Aidan asked her.

Another of her huge smiles, this one all for Aidan. “Perfect.”

When Aidan spun her chair and kissed her, Tyler groaned. He was thrilled for the man, but he didn’t need front-row viewing. “That’s my cue to leave.”

He made it halfway down the hall before Aidan caught up with him.

“Hey.” Aidan paused briefly before asking, “Did you sense she was hiding something?”

He knew his team wouldn’t have missed it.

“Yes. And I’m interested to find out what it is when she’s ready to share.” No way was he pushing her into running. This was too important.

Something crossed Aidan’s face, and Tyler knew he wasn’t going to like what he said next, even before any words left his mouth. “Maybe someone else should take the lead on this. I know you wanted the job after meeting her in the bar last night, but—”

“I can remain professional.” Yes, he was attracted to her. But he also needed to know what she was hiding. There was no way he was handing over this job.