Edge of Control: An Edge Security Novel (Edge Security Series Book 1) (5 page)

This woman was a fighter. Her stomach rippled with muscles as she whipped her leg out in a roundhouse to the man’s head. He leapt back, but she followed with a jab-cross combination that kept the man moving. Jake approved not just of her tactics, but of her smooth control. She was fast and fierce. Something about her compelled him and he moved closer to watch.

The man changed his stance and swept her latest kick aside, leaping at her with a powerful combination of punches and kicks. She blocked and evaded, never losing her calm control.

She deflected one brutal kick with her leg and spun into a back kick, catching the man in his stomach. He stumbled back. A coach on the far side of the ring called a halt.

“Jesus, Dani,” the man said, rubbing his stomach. “What’s up with you today?”

Dani? The dowdy computer hacker from E.D.G.E.?

The woman took off her headgear and confirmed his guess. “Sorry,” she said. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

She begged off a rematch and slid between the ropes, hopping to the ground in front of Jake. He sucked in a silent breath. He’d known she was more than she appeared, but who’d have thought such a body lived beneath the baggy suit? And why in the hell had she hidden it?

The woman obviously had a reason, and no matter how interesting a puzzle Dani posed, it was probably better for Jake just to let her keep hiding. Especially since he didn’t plan on being here long.

She didn’t move from where she’d landed, her gaze roaming over his chest and arms. His body heated as if she physically caressed him, and he caught her gaze with his. Her eyes widened and her lips parted. She wasn’t immune to him and he smiled slightly at the thought, even as lust flashed through him.

A small, ridged scar, white with age, stood out near her shoulder. There was another on her stomach. They looked like knife wounds. He stepped closer, intrigued.

Who was this woman?

She moved back. “You want something?”

His curiosity and something darker drove him even closer to her. “A hacker and an MMA fighter?” he asked softly.

She stared at him, and he wanted to delve deeper into her green-eyed gaze.

She nodded her head slightly and stepped back again. “Yes,” she said, her face turning away. “Not that it’s any of your…business.”

The pause had come because she’d seen his leg scar, and like so many others, tried to do the oh-so-fucking polite thing by ignoring it.

His lips compressed. Message received. The lady wasn’t interested. She probably only dated pretty boys. And he certainly wasn’t pretty. Not anymore.

“Sorry,” he said, giving her space. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your workout.” He turned away to look for the gym manager to get set up.

“Jake,” she said, a heavy sigh in her voice.

He looked over his shoulder, and then steeled himself against the soft look in her eyes. Was that worry creasing her brow?

“Look, I’m sorry,” she said. She ran a hand over her braid. “I wasn’t trying to be rude. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

He turned to face her, unable to help himself, his instinct to protect kicking in. “Anything I can do?”

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then her eyes shuttered and she shook her head. “I’m good.”

He stepped back without comment, letting her pass as she strode to the women’s changing room.

Off-limits, he reminded himself.

Dani shook off her unnerving reaction to Jake and hit the showers. She needed to stay away from him, no matter how well he filled out a t-shirt, or how much his heated eyes turned her insides to jelly.

The twisting scar on his leg looked painful and red. It must have happened recently. What had caused that type of injury? It didn’t matter, she reminded herself. It wasn’t like she was going to get to know him.

She figured being a Navy SEAL meant women threw themselves at Jake all the time. Well, no matter how many muscles he had, she wasn’t throwing anything at him.

Except maybe a pair of sunglasses to hide those eyes of his. And a large hoodie to hide those shoulders. Or maybe just a giant snowsuit to cover all of him up.

She grimaced while she dried her hair. Lieutenant Jake Harrison was a distraction she could do without. The last time she’d been so distracted by a man it had left her bleeding and running for her life. She’d vowed to never let anyone else do that to her again. It’s why she trained so hard to be able to defend herself.

After she finished dressing, she checked her phone again. No calls.

Tassia wasn’t answering her phone, neither her office nor her cell. She could be in a meeting, but some instinct made Dani call her friend’s cell once more. It went straight to voicemail.

“Tass, you’re going to make me dinner for a week for not picking up your phone. Just call and let me know you’re okay.”

Once Dani made it into work with no word from Tass, she called the Public Prosecution’s office and was told that Tassia hadn’t come in yet. Her heart sank with the news. She went straight down the hall to Chuck’s office and rapped on his door.

“What’s up, Dani?” he asked. He cradled a mug of coffee in his hands.

“Tassia’s missing.” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that.

He set the mug down. “Tell me everything.”

After she had, he sat in the chair with his brows raised. “Let me get this straight. She’s twenty-seven years old. She had a hot date last night and she hasn’t made it into work yet. Have I got everything?”

Her face heated. “I know it’s not much, but my gut tells me something’s not right.”

“Okay, Tassia is pretty reliable and it’s not like her to miss work. What’s this guy’s name?”

“Vadim Levkov. I’ve tried searching for him, but…” She stopped when she saw him scrub a hand over his face. “It’s not just because he’s Russian that I’m worried, Chuck.”

“Remember when you were worried about Tassia because she dated that academic from—”

“He was Russian. He could have been connected to
them
.”

Chuck took a deep breath and studied her for a moment. “I’ll see what I can do, but tell me something. When was the last time you went on a date, Dani?”

She blinked. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“How long?” he asked gently. “A year? Two?”

She scowled. “I don’t see the point in dating when I can’t tell anyone who I really am.”

He shook his head. “You can. There are people out there you can trust besides me.”

“And what happens if Vladimir finds me?”

Chuck’s face hardened. “We’ll deal with him. We got you away from him before. And the people you work with now? They can help you, if you’d trust them.”

What he was asking was too much. She raised her hands as if to block his words. “This isn’t about me. It’s about Tassia.”

“That’s just it, kid,” Chuck said. “This
is
about you. You don’t even know what a fun time is. I’m not sure you’ve ever known. Your friend is out living the normal life of a young woman. You should try it sometime.”

She slumped back into her seat. “You think I should have a one-night stand?”

It was Chuck’s turn to hold up his hands. “This conversation is fast moving into territory that I do not want to set foot in.” He leaned back in his chair. “But, Dani…you do need to get a life.”

Dani spent the rest of the morning fuming over Chuck’s words, even as her worry increased when she still couldn’t reach her friend. She realized that while she may need a life, she also knew when to listen to her gut. It had saved her too often to ignore it. And right now, her gut screamed at her to find Tassia.

She was picking up her cellphone again when her desk phone rang.

Mike was on the line. “Sorry I couldn’t be there today. Did you get the stuff I left for you?”

She nodded even though he couldn’t see it. “I finished the protocols you asked me to do and I’m up to speed on all the admin duties.” Boring, easy, and boring. She hoped all the jobs weren’t like this.

“Fast work. Good. Then I’ve got your first assignment,” Mike said. “We’ve got a couple of newbies I need you to set up on the network.”

“Can do,” Dani said. “I’ve got admin access.”

“They’re the new field operators. They’re waiting for you up on six.” He hung up without saying goodbye.

Dani grabbed the case containing the gear she’d need and went up to the sixth floor where the operators worked. She hadn’t had a chance to try out her new passkey yet, and should have been excited to see into the vaulted interior workings of the sixth floor, but her mind was focused on how she could track down Tassia. Better yet, maybe she should try tracking down the mysterious Vadim.

Her thoughts left her friend as she entered the field operators’ domain. An admin desk guarded the lair. A red-haired woman with gray at the temples manned it, her hatchet nose raised as she regarded Dani with suspicion.

“ID,” she said.

Dani raised her badge and an eyebrow at the unsmiling woman. “I’m here to set up the two new operators on the network.”

“Go on in,” she said, and buzzed the interior door open.

Dani swung into the next room, where about ten desks, each housing a monitor and keyboard, lined the room. Maps decorated the wall opposite the full-length windows overlooking the busy street below. Oddly, the room was empty.

At the far end of the room was an open door. She walked forward and heard voices coming from beyond it. One voice in particular, actually. It was Mr. Knight’s.

“…trafficking and suspected terrorist connections.”

Trafficking and terrorism? What did that have to do with network security? She could see the end of a conference table, but no one was visible from her angle. She moved closer to the door, intending to knock and announce her presence, but she hesitated, her curiosity about E.D.G.E. leading her to listen a bit longer.

“What about local authorities?” That was Jake’s voice.

“So far they’re in the dark about this op.” Papers shuffled. “We need eyes on target. Koven and Gordon, you set up surveillance. Harrison and Lafayette, you’ll relieve them—”

“Sir?”

“Yes, Harrison?”

Jake appeared in the doorway. His head tilted and eyebrows rose as he looked at her. “Someone’s at the door.”

Merde
, she’d been caught eavesdropping. Dani swallowed and stepped forward. Six field operators sat around the conference table while Mr. Knight stood at the head. All looked at her and she wanted to hide from Mr. Knight’s direct gaze. But seriously, trafficking and terrorists? What was going on? Her questions about E.D.G.E. kept piling up.

Chuck sat at the table, disapproval heavy on his square face, and she wanted to shrink a little.

“Yes, Everett?” Knight asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

“Mike told me to set up the new people on the network.”

“That would be us.” Rhys popped up behind Jake. “We’re the FNGs.”

Dani frowned her question at Jake.

“Fucking new guys,” Jake stage whispered back. The operators behind him all laughed and the tension broke.

“Right,” Dani said.

“Everett?” Mr. Knight called before she could leave. “Don’t repeat anything you may or may not have heard in here.”

“Yes, sir.” She blew out a breath when Jake shut the door behind them, blocking out any further conversation. He gestured to a pair of desks against the wall, away from the windows. “We can use these.”

She nodded as Jake walked to the desk. Both he and Rhys had dressed down today, wearing t-shirts and jeans. Jake’s black tee stretched across his broad shoulders and his jeans molded to the contours of a very nice butt.

Rhys coughed and she saw the twinkle in his eye. Her cheeks heated. How unprofessional to be caught ogling someone.

She went to the unit at the first desk and entered the protocols E.D.G.E. demanded before any employee could have full access. She huffed a breath when she saw both Jake and Rhys rated full clearance even though they’d just started.

She did Rhys first, setting up passwords, fingerprints, and retinal scans. It didn’t take long, but both men kept silent and it weighed on her. “I really didn’t hear anything, beyond the setup of surveillance,” she said.

“I believe you,” Rhys said. His smile warmed Dani and her shoulders relaxed a little.

“I need your hand.” She took it and placed his index finger on the imprint pad. She tapped in a code.

“Jake and I noticed you fighting this morning,” Rhys said.

Jake stiffened where he stood leaning against the wall. Dani drew her eyes back to her screen. Had they been talking about her?

She nodded, but didn’t say anything. She hadn’t known Rhys was there, but then, she hadn’t seen much beyond Jake and his biceps when she’d gotten out of the ring.

“Where’d you learn to fight?” Rhys asked as she manipulated his hand to get his thumbprint next.

“I used to work at an MMA gym,” she said.

He smiled and nodded. “You looked like you could handle yourself. Ever been in a real fight?”

Dani busied herself with her laptop. She’d been in more fights than she could count and had the knife scars to prove it. That was the gang way of life. And Vladimir hadn’t minded her learning to fight, as long as she never fought
him
. Now she continued to train hard so she could fight anyone and survive.

“No,” she said finally.

Time to shut this conversation down. She dragged out the retinal scanner and positioned it on the desk, but she didn’t miss the eye contact between Rhys and Jake, or Jake’s frown.

“Place your chin here,” she said, pointing at the small strap. “Focus on the red light and don’t blink.”

Within seconds it was done.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Rhys said. “I’ve got to get to work now.” He went back to the conference room and left her alone with Jake.

She turned to Jake, keeping what she hoped was a professional smile on her face. “Your turn.”

His narrowed gaze studied her and her smile faltered. He took Rhys’s place at the desk and still didn’t say anything.

Fine. She could do cold and calculated with the best of them. He might be a high-and-mighty Navy SEAL, but she was battle-hardened in her own way. Maybe she didn’t have formal training, but his tough-guy glare wasn’t going to scare her.