Page 79 of Every Last Breath

* * *

Gray Box Headquarters, Northern Virginia

5:30 p.m. EDT

In the bathroom, Maddox pressed a cold, wet paper towel to her eyes. Two minutes of this while taking deep breaths was the best quick refresher.

The door opened and closed. Based on the sound of the shoes—a quiet rubber sole—on the tile and the cadence of the step, it was Amanda. Instinct prodded her to look and find out for certain, but she had another minute to go.

“It’s just me,” Amanda said, entering a stall.

Her friend knew her well. “Thanks.”

Maddox let her shoulders relax and absorbed the cool sensation penetrating her eye sockets, clearing her mind.

An image of Cole popped into her brain—him lying on the hood of the truck like he owned the world. He was right. She did need to take a break, the physical kind with him, only not now. She blocked him out.

Amanda flushed and washed her hands.

Maddox tossed the paper towel away.

“You look stressed to the max,” Amanda said. “Are you pulling another all-nighter here?”

“If I have to, but…”

Thoughts of Cole boomeranged back. She always shared her sexual exploits with Amanda. The intimate details of making lo…what she’d shared…with Cole last night were private, but not saying anything to one of her closest friends was like having the juiciest secret tap-dancing on her tongue. If she didn’t drag it into the light, acknowledge it to someone else, did it really happen?

“But what?” Amanda asked.

Maddox shrugged. “I’m kind of hoping to get another workout in later.” She couldn’t hide the grin that stole across her lips. The tingle in her fingers and the stupid kick of her heart were confirmation: it had indeed happened.

“Another? With who?” Amanda eyed her speculatively. “The badass-looking hottie?”

Maddox’s grin spread to a deep smile.

“Omigod, you’ve already had sex with him?” Amanda gave her a playful nudge. “You work fast.”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it, over lots of wine, once this mission is done.”

“I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me. You know I have to live vicariously through you.” Amanda sighed. “I miss sex. Correction. I miss good, steamy sex. Especially the early morning kind, when you roll over, half asleep, and one touch leads to another until you’re both wide awake.” She tipped her head back and did a little shimmy.

Memories rolled in, threatening to carry Maddox to a place she wasn’t prepared to go, where lust and love inextricably entwined. She remembered how good it’d once felt to fall asleep curled in his arms, covered in the scent of him. In the twilight, how his touch could rouse her from the throes of slumber, loose a sigh, get her aching and wet when they were barely even awake.

“The ultimate stress reliever.” Amanda fluffed her hair and checked her face in the mirror. “If you’ve finally found a man you want to do the mambo with more than once, do not hesitate to lock down that totally lickable man. I bet early morning sex with him is hot.”

With her heart stuck in her throat, Maddox couldn’t respond.

They walked down the hall with Amanda chatting about how she sometimes missed her ex but was ready to find someone new who wouldn’t mind a ready-made family. She was lucky to have little Jackson—the cutest boy with a heart of gold. One day, the right guy would come along and fall for them both. If anyone deserved love and happiness, it was Amanda.

Maddox peeled off with a wave and went into the conference room. While she poured a cup of coffee, the demands of the job settled back on her shoulders.

She dropped into a chair and reviewed the compiled data on Novak and the freelance contractor jobs accredited to him. All high profile, tough shit to pull off. One job stood out. A hit on a female assassin in Prague. In fifty-plus contracts, only one had been a woman. No children. He seemed to have some sort of code.

Remember this mercy. Icy spiders crawled in her belly, and she shuddered.

No collateral damage was another trademark of Novak’s. Even the car bombing at a casino in Philadelphia—only Callahan and his guards had been killed. A less-skilled operator would’ve taken out innocent bystanders as well.

Over and over in his file. Complete control, one woman, no children. It meant something important about him, but what?