Free Titanium Security Series 4 - Extinguished by Cross Kaylea Page A

the downtown core and took a circuitous route around the city. When they were sure no one was tailing them, Gage led them to the northeastern part of the city, past an industrial district, and pulled through a gate where two well-armed Caucasian men wearing body armor stood guard.
    “Home sweet home?” Dunphy deduced from beside Blake.
    “Guess so.” Blake drove into the open bay garage door and parked next to the other SUV. It was a big space, filled with several motorbikes, a couple ATVs and a beat up piece of shit car that looked like it had fallen down a mountain or two.
    Alex slammed his door shut and rounded the hood toward them. “This is where you’re going to be working part time,” he said to Jordyn. “There’re rooms big enough to act as barracks on the upper floor. We’ll outfit it so you, Claire and Zahra have one side and the rest of us will take the other.” He glanced Blake and Dunphy’s way. “Let’s get the bunks made up.”
    So much for the promise of hot showers.
    Lang and Wright showed up with Claire and Zahra about thirty minutes into their efforts to make the space liveable for everyone. Wasn’t ideal, but it would work for now, until they found better and more secure accommodations. Not that Blake or the other guys would be around much once the intel started rolling in.
    By the time they’d brought in bunks for everyone and separated the upper floor in half with two rolling hospital screens to act as a partition, they were all ready to sprawl face first onto their uncomfortable cots and call it a night. Even though it was only two in the afternoon, local time.
    Blake found Jordyn down in the garage familiarizing herself with the tools and equipment there. She glanced up from where she’d been organizing a series of socket wrenches and went still when she realized they were alone. She’d taken the shawl off, and he thought again how the short cap of her dark hair made her eyes seem even bigger, bluer.
    A pang hit him in the chest at the sight she made there in the midst of that grungy environment. Sexy as hell with those lean feminine lines and curves, her smooth golden skin and soft mouth. He hated that his mind kept going there. Dammit, it shouldn’t be this hard to keep his conflicted feelings for her locked down. As he faced her, he barely resisted the urge to rub a hand over the back of his neck. It was too late to say he was sorry for dragging her into this.
    Glancing around the garage, he finally found his balls and looked back at her. “You okay with this?”
    “Yeah, I’m fine.”
    Not much of a conversation starter, but then he shouldn’t be surprised. She hadn’t said a word to him about all the attacks on the team, or about this latest incident that might or might not be connected to them. “Alex’ll find us a more secure location in the next few days, but this is a good spot for now. Low key, out of the way.” Made it easier for them to stay out of sight for a while.
    She nodded.
    Damn, what else was he supposed to say? “You need anything?”
    Something moved in her eyes, a softness, then she pushed to her feet and crossed toward him, wiping her hands on a rag she’d tucked into her hip pocket. He could tell she was tired, no matter how she tried to hide it. Averting her gaze, she looked down at her hands as she spoke. “Look, I’m not mad at you, okay?”
    That was good to know, but it didn’t ease his conscience completely. He’d never meant to hurt her—would never hurt her intentionally. “Okay.”
    Her head came up. She met his eyes for a second then looked away again, as though she couldn’t hold his gaze. “I’m not. Seriously, let’s just get past this, okay? I’m moving on, promise.”
    Wait, moving on? “You mean, from the other day, or…?”
    She huffed out an annoyed sound. “From everything. The night of the funeral, you, me. Us. Whatever. It’s done.” She waved a hand dismissively, her cheeks staining bright pink.
    Us?
    As he