Page 4 of Alex

Chapter Two

The cold bitat his cheeks as sleet and rain pelted his skin and Alex welcomed it. The weather matched his mood. Valentine’s Day was coming up and as per usual his thoughts were on Evelyn. The difference was they weren’t on the Evelyn of his memories. No. His thoughts were on the sexy woman who had walked away from him on New Year’s Eve and hadn’t looked back.

He was still pissed he hadn’t known she was Zenobi. But it made a kind of poetic sense that the elusive Siren he’d heard about at previous meetings and associations with the female assassin group would be the woman he had loved. It was the final kick in the balls from her.

He hunched into his coat as he checked his watch when it beeped. A call from Jack at this time of night meant only one thing—a mission had come in and he thanked God for it. He needed the distraction despite the fact he had only just left a shit-storm in Syria. His body may be tired but his mind needed to keep busy so he wouldn’t give in to the anger and feelings pummelling him.

He diverted from his early morning walk that had become a regular thing now his insomnia had hit an all-time high. A few hours a night was all his body granted him before dreams of a woman screaming and haunted eyes merged and all he saw were visions of Evelyn, bruised and looking like a broken doll, swimming in front of him.

He had no clue what the dreams meant. He had never seen her in such a way but every time he woke, Alex couldn’t shake the feelings of grief and anger that he hadn’t saved her. Punching in the code at the front gate of Eidolon, Alex put his eye up to the scanner and walked through as the gate slid back allowing him entry.

At four-thirty in the morning the place was dark from the outside, but he knew Jack was in his office. The man practically lived there—not that he was judging, his life was just as sad these days. Not bothering to stop for coffee knowing Jack would have some ready, he made his way straight for his boss’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Alex opened the door and Jack looked up at him from his seat at the desk.

“That was quick,” Jack commented as Alex walked to the side table along the wall where Jack always kept the coffee pot.

“Yeah. I was out for a walk.”

“At four-thirty in the morning?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep. You know how it is.” He hoped Jack got the hint that he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Hmm.” After making the noncommittal sound, Jack pulled a file from his desk that had the Palace seal on the front. “I have a job for you. It’s highly sensitive and will involve a lot of finesse from a diplomatic standpoint. I also believe there has been a mistake and that’s why I’m trusting you with this.”

“What is the job?” Alex wasn’t fazed by Jack’s words. It wouldn’t be the first time Eidolon had handled such a mission.

“Before I tell you I need to know you have your head on straight. This is the first time I’m going to try and save the intended target rather than simply taking them out,” Jack said holding the file close.

Now Alex was intrigued. He sat back and rested his ankle on his knee as he watched Jack for a clue but got nothing. The man was the absolute master at hiding his feelings. With dark hair and blue eyes Jack was the poster boy for tall dark and brooding. His clipped British accent was cultured and self-assured giving him the impression of superiority which he wore like a general. “My head is on fine and I resent the implication,” he replied coldly not liking what Jack was suggesting.

“Keep your hair on. I have my reasons.” Jack pushed the file towards Alex but kept his hand on it. “This is the target. Your job is to protect and disprove the allegations made against them,” he said with a frown.

“Why would we do that?”

“Because I owe them a debt and this is me repaying that debt.” Jack let go of the file so Alex could open it.

Lifting the file Alex had the strangest sensation that opening it would alter the course of his life forever. Flipping it open he barely held back a gasp as he saw the face of the woman who had haunted his dreams for the last fifteen years—Evelyn Garcia was his target.

He looked up swiftly and caught the look of caution in Jack’s eyes. Jack had a way of reading people. It made him a good boss, a good friend, and the best damn operative Alex had ever worked with. All the Eidolon men were. Even Will—the owner of the company and Jack’s brother—had proven himself an asset in the field. Technically a computer geek and hacker second to none Will had made millions with his inventions. Keeping Jack in the dark he had secretly started Eidolon, then recruited Jack to lead and run it.

Now Jack was a partner, but things hadn’t changed at all. Will still worked for Fortis Security as their tech expert. A respected company owned by ex-SAS man Zack Cunningham, who was an old colleague of Jack’s from his SAS days. Eidolon did a lot of work with them and the teams got on well, even went drinking together on occasion. Although generally the Fortis jobs weren’t as dark as what Eidolon handled.

Eidolon had contracts with the Monarchy and the British Government that were buried so deep nobody would ever find a link. Jack even had the Palace on speed dial. No, the jobs Eidolon did were so black they blended into oblivion and the only other company like that was Zenobi, an all-female elite group of assassins for hire.

Zenobi was a major pain in their ass and had been for years. The competitiveness between them bordered on hostile although there had been a thaw of late facilitated in part by their links to Fortis Security. Being forced to work together had made both teams cease hostilities for now.

Alex glanced back at the file in his hands not for the first time wondering how he had never known Evelyn was Zenobi. How did I not know she was alive for fifteen fucking torturous years and working as a motherfucking assassin?

Years spent missing her, mourning her, aching for her. It made him furious to think how she must have known he was alive, and she’d never got in touch, not even to say she was okay. He felt himself grip the file so hard the ends curled as he fought to control his temper again. Exhaustion battered him. As he closed his eyes the vision of her instantly assailed him. Despite his fury and his anger, he still fucking wanted her. Still felt the need to run his fingers across her soft skin, curl his hand around her hair, hear her cry his name as she came on his cock.

That was lust. He could accept that to a degree. It was the ache he felt when he saw her walk away and had known he had hurt her that was the problem. How he wanted to drag her back into his arms after their exchange on New Year’s Eve and tell her he was sorry and would never hurt her again if only she would stay this time. But his pride would not allow that no matter what his heart wanted.

He stood watching the woman he had loved since she was six years old as she laughed and chatted with Zack and Ava. She had changed so much and yet hardly at all. She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever met, still had that dimple in her left cheek when she smiled, still quirked her head the way he loved when she was listening to someone, and yet she was not the same.

The woman he had loved had been soft and gentle and wouldn’t hurt a fly much less kill a man in cold blood and then walk away. Evelyn had disappeared a little under fifteen years ago, taken from their village on the same night he had proposed and had never been seen again.