Protecting the Enemy

Protecting

the Enemy

Christy Newton

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© 2014 Christy Newton

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13:
978-1500965983
ISBN-10: 1500965987
 

Cover designed by DoElle Designs

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either a product of the autho
r’
s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

For Mike, my light in the darkness.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank God for giving me the courage to continue my passion even when it may not be the easiest choice. A special thanks to:  Danielle Doolittle, Leslie Trimble, Tanya Vought, Beth Edwards, Andrea Huseman, Crystal Holloway, and members of Christy’s Crew.

PRAISE FOR CHRISTY
NEWTON BOOKS

“
Newton['s] . . . knack for developing a strong hero and heroine whose love story, with its mild romantic scenes, quickly immerses the reader.” —Library Journal

“A sweet and em
otionally heartwarming read.” —Harlequin Junkie

“Intrigue, suspense, mystery, fast paced action, love, deceit, acceptance and more!”
—The Book Obsessed Momma Review

“The author takes you on a journey of love and losses and all you can do is hold on for the ride. It is a very emotional book that has you really feeling for these characters as you follow along in
the chapters of their lives.” —Books and Beyond Fifty Shades Review

“
Newton weaves a quick story with lots of excitement and action.” —Michelle Frost, IndianapolisPublic Library Libraria
n

Chapter 1

S
h
e
stared not at the flat screen, which was a never ending stream of game shows and soaps, but at the peach colored wall slightly scuffed from hospital equipment ramming into it at one time or another. Only when her eyes blurred did she blink. Her heart was beating, pumping life through her, but still, it was as though she were dead inside. She was no one. Just a woman without a name or long-term memories who, come to find out, didn’t care for gelatin… but the cookies they gave her on Fridays were the highlight of her week. Her likes and dislikes were becoming apparent, but the important bits were locked up tight somewhere deep in her subconscious.

According to her brain, her past was only three weeks long. Every time she’d tried to remember, the only thing she saw was darkness. The doctor called her condition Repressed Memory Syndrome, brought on by a traumatic experience. She’d been in an explosion caused by an arsonist, at least that’s what the nurses had told her. Day after day she sat and stared at her surroundings until she felt separated from her body as if she were outside of herself looking in.

And what a pitiful sight is was.

With a heavy sigh, she turned her head toward the door as a middle-aged man with an easy smile and striking blue eyes walked into the room. He didn’t have a chart in his hands. No stethoscope hung from his neck. A spark of hope awakened her from what had been a continuous void from the day she opened her eyes. She’d never had a visitor.

Maybe he was her father or an older brother. Had someone come to claim her? To give her a glimpse of who she once was? She held her breath.

The man dressed in a navy blue suit walked closer to the bed. “Hi. I’m here to take you home.”

As she exhaled, her icy fingers started to tingle. She rubbed them over the thick, white sheet covering her legs. “Who are you?”

“I’m Brandon Voss,” he stated as a fact, not an explanation.

Her face warmed—embarrassed not because she didn’t know this man, but because she was sure he could see her body tremble beneath the thin gown. “Do I… did I know you?”

He placed a bag down on the end of the bed. “No, but I know you. You will do great things. You’ll be someone very important to a lot of people. You’re not Jane Doe anymore—you are now Julianna Fox.” He motioned to the bag. “Get dressed and meet me in the hall in five minutes.” He stood tall and very sure of himself, which reassured her. Without waiting for her to answer, he left the small room, closing the door behind him.

Should she leave the hospital with this stranger? Her eyes moved from the vinyl covered chair to the empty windowsill. Not even a single flower, any cards or balloons to wish her well and make her feel loved or missed. The doctor had released her thirty minutes ago, but here she sat. Without any money or a name, where would she go?

Her eyes darted toward the hall. Brandon Voss had given her a name. Without further contemplation, she reached for the bag of clothes. After untying the cotton gown, she removed the stylish, classy clothes. She pulled on the skinny jeans, then the red off-the-shoulder top over her head which happened to fit just right. Wearing only hospital attire for three weeks, the different fabrics were odd sensations on her skin. After slipping her feet into crimson heels she stepped into the hall to start living again, ready or not.

***

Six months later.

With her face void of emotion as she listened to his instructions, Julianna stood in front of the man she knew as Boss. Light brown hair and hazel eyes were her only clue to the identity of the man behind the neoprene, black mask. The first time she met Boss, the plain mask that covered his entire face had kind of freaked her out. He’d explained the mask was necessary for his own protection.

As a member of ETE 7 or
Erasing The Enemy
, a classified operation not even the CIA was aware of, she knew what was expected of her. They eliminated concentrated threats that the CIA couldn’t or wouldn’t. ETE 7 was her only priority. After Brandon had signed her out of Mercy hospital, he’d turned her over to Boss. ETE 7 was her family.

He pushed a photo to the edge of the folding table. “You understand your assignment?”

“Yes.” As effortless as picking up her dry cleaning bill, she took the picture of her next mark from the temporary desk Boss sat behind. She turned the photo and read the name Reid Castleton written on the back. “Consider it taken care of.”

“Ms. Fox, you’ve never disappointed me.” The way he said it was different this time, more like a threat than a compliment.

With a quick nod, she turned to walk out of the empty, dimly lit warehouse, not far from the inner harbor. Her three-inch heels clicked and clacked over the concrete floor as she headed toward the exit. Every time she met with Boss, their meeting was in a different place, but always inside some abandoned building. Kind of creepy, but she was a woman who dealt with some of the creepiest people for a living. After the job was completed, she’d have a long uneventful break and then she’d get a text with the next location to meet him.

Without a backward glance, she walked outside to her red Jaguar convertible, a gift from ETE 7. Gravel grinded beneath her open-toed Jimmy Choo’s. The sun made its descent behind the beautiful
Baltimore skyline leaving a yellow halo around the peaks of the buildings. She’d come to like the city and felt a strong sense of duty to protect it and the people who lived there. Before opening her car door, Julianna drew in a breath of cool air.

This was her first mission since she’d transferred from
New Jersey. There was a lot of downtime in between jobs, so she was more than ready for the cocktail party where she’d find her target. She’d been molded by the best and spent the last six months proving herself. The training had come easy to her. Sometimes she felt as though deep inside, she was meant to become the woman ETE 7 had made her into.

***

Reid Castleton surveyed the large room. Evening gowns and suits surrounded him. People he didn’t know or care to know. There was only one reason he had crashed this cocktail party. Excitement built inside his chest as he looked for her. He’d waited so long for this moment, but never dreamed it would come to this. Would she recognize him? The job would be hard, but not impossible. He could put things aside for the greater good. After all, everything was about the greater good.

His mouth was dry. He tried to swallow. She wasn’t the same woman she’d been when she disappeared. He had to remember that. Regardless of the rules, he took a glass of champagne and downed it hoping it would numb at least some of what he was feeling. Tonight he wasn’t comfortable in his own skin, let alone the tight Gucci jacket.

A beautiful brunette approached him. He turned away from her to look out the window at the evening sky.

“Lovely party. Are you here alone?” The seduction in her voice told him that he could leave with her on his arm tonight if he so chose.

“No. I’m not.” Reid didn’t even glance her way. He kept is gaze straight ahead. Normally he wouldn’t have been so rude, but tonight things were different. The sound of the woman’s heels told him she’d given up and walked away. His hands shook, so he shoved them into his pockets.

Maybe his
date
wouldn’t show. A part of him, the part he had to keep hidden, hoped she wouldn’t.

***

The party was well underway when Julianna arrived. She stayed in the back of the room next to a bookcase where she’d have the best view of the guests. With steady manicured fingers, she twisted the tube and re-applied the ruby red to her pursed lips. She rubbed her lips together as she tucked the compact and lipstick back into her petite beaded purse.

As trained, Julianna didn’t hesitate to use her beauty to distract her marks and take them out, clueless as to what hit them until their last breath. Her gun was a last resort, one she hadn’t had to use… yet. Bullets made things too messy and erasing the enemy in a tidy fashion was her specialty, what she’d been taught to do. She’d use her signature, poison cocktail. Simple, effective and untraceable. The fact that medical examiners couldn’t decipher the drug from natural causes was an additional benefit.

With confidence, she glanced across the crowded room at her mark. He hadn’t yet turned his head to face her, but what she’d seen so far was a man wearing a black tailored suit which showed off his assets. She tilted her head a bit to admire him. Nice and… unexpected. A man had never captured her attention this way before. His dark brown hair was the color of gourmet coffee and probably just as rich.

The blurry headshot she’d been given was no comparison to how handsome he was in person. When he turned toward her, even from afar, his chiseled face matched his amazing body. What a shame—most of her assignments hadn’t been so gorgeous. The poor guy would never know what hit him.

Her first assignment she’d felt sadness and remorse. The regret had even caused reoccurring nightmares which made her question if she was cut out for this kind of raw justice, but Boss quickly reminded her that marks were enemies and enemies had to be erased to protect the greater good. Once she’d convinced herself she was on the right side, she was able to sleep terror free again.

The low-cut black dress clung to her thighs as Julianna worked her curvaceous hips across the grand room. The aroma of champagne and caviar grew stronger as she walked past the waiters carrying round trays. She grabbed a glass of bubbly and dropped in a few drops of certain death with no one the wiser. Smiling at a chatty couple to her right, she nonchalantly swirled the liquids together in the flute. She stood next to him now, so close Julianna could smell his sandalwood cologne.

Earthy and clean and somehow familiar.

Julianna lightly touched his elbow and he turned around to face her. His warm brown eyes met her gray-blues and she was taken away to another place, another time when those same eyes looked into hers and she could feel herself smiling, happy inside. Her nerve endings sparked to life as a vivid image played in her mind. His naked, hot body glided with hers.

With a gasp, the wine glass slipped through her fingers and crashed to the marble floor beneath her feet. The sound bringing the party to a halt. Everyone in the room turned to look at Julianna and the wet, crushed shards of glass that surrounded her. Embarrassed she’d been caught off guard, her lips parted.

“Excuse me.” She rushed from the crowded area. Her strappy heels slapped against the tiled floor as she fled to the powder room. What was that? A cry escaped her red lips. She turned on the faucet and dabbed cold water onto the back of her neck. Slowing her breathing, she looked up into the mirror. Did she know him? It didn’t matter now, she’d blown it. Boss’ gruff voice echoed in her ears to never let feelings get in the way of the assignment. It had been one of the first things she was taught.

A sudden knock at the door made her jump. She grabbed the small, embroidered white towel from the hook to dry her hands. The knock came again and she glanced over to the window. She had to get out of there. Without a second thought, she slipped off her shoes and climbed out the window onto the back patio. The brisk autumn air stung her bare arms and legs. Julianna slid into her heels before the cold concrete numbed her feet. Evening bag clutched under her arm, she fled to her car.

***

Reid knocked again. With a frustrated huff, he removed a pick from his pocket and opened the door. Just as he’d thought, he found the room empty and the window still open a crack. He ran outside in time to see a red Jaguar pulling out from the driveway. Without hesitation, he jumped into his own black Jag to follow his mark.

When he’d looked into Julianna’s slate-blue eyes he could have sworn that he saw a spark of recognition. She had the most gorgeous eyes he’d even seen. How he missed gazing into those eyes, getting lost in their intense blue depths. Boss could have lied. He’d told Reid that she was dangerous, that she remembered nothing. That she was in bed with the enemy.