Free Rogue Renegades (Rogue Trilogy) by Jade Dean Page A

but he had no grounds to keep her in Rio. “I sincerely apologize for any harm that you sustained during your visit. If you would like, I can escort you to the airport.”
    “We’d like that,” Cecelia said firmly before either Abby or Gary refused the offer. She was still shaken by Abby’s sudden disappearance and she wasn’t about to suffer through another attempted kidnapping.
    It only took Abby a few minutes to pack and to join the rest of her group in the lobby. Everyone was ecstatic that she’d returned unharmed, but they didn’t have much time to celebrate before heading for the lineup of taxis. Abby and Cecelia climbed into the back of the first cab while Gary took the front seat. Rodrigues led the procession in his squad car during the trip to the airport. Staying in his car, he waved at the group of Americans as they disappeared inside the building.
    E verything ran smoothly right up until they were about to head for the metal detectors. Remembering the knife in her bag, Abby ducked out of the line with a word to Cecelia that she had to go to the bathroom. Standing in the cubicle, she used toilet paper to wipe the blade clean of her prints then flushed and made her way to the basins. Waiting for the only other female in the room to leave, she took the knife out of her purse and dropped it into the bin. She’d left no prints or DNA to tie the weapon to her.
    Gary and Cecelia were waiting for her when she returned and took up a place at the back of the line. They were afraid to let her out of their sight for longer than a few minutes. Making their way through the metal detectors, they found their gate and waited for their turn to be called to board.
    Abby took her seat in the middle of the plane and was amongst strangers. Gary and Cecelia were in first class and the closest person from her tourist group was several rows away. She was glad not to be pestered with questions about her ordeal. To avoid conversation with her fellow passengers, she pretended to read during the long trip home.
    Landing in LA, she only had time to say a brief goodbye to the judge and his wife before she had to rush to catch her flight to Washington. This trip was much shorter and she sank into the back seat of a taxi wearily. She’d only been gone for just over a week, but it had felt much longer than that.
    It was late and traffic was light enough that she made it home quickly. Unlocking her door, she pushed it all the way open to make sure no one was hiding behind it out of long habit. At long last, she was back in her spacious yet Spartan apartment. She’d been living here for just under a year now and the place still didn’t really feel like home. Unused to staying in one place for long, she’d never taken up the habit of home decorating. Her job as a special ops agent had her travelling all over the world and assuming dozens of identities over the past decade. Now she was out of the death business and was hiding in the last city her boss would think to look for her, right under his nose.
    Her apartment had an open plan with a combined living and dining area. Both had polished wooden floors. The kitchen was only moderately sized, but she didn’t need a lot of room to cook for one. She had three bedrooms, two of which were empty and she hadn’t bothered to fill with beds. Her furniture consisted of a black leather couch, a glass topped coffee table, a long, sleek black entertainment unit for the TV and a small dining table with four chairs. Her bed was large enough for three people, but she’d never shared it with anyone.
    Taking a long, hot shower, Abby dressed in a white singlet and panties, her usual bedroom attire. She felt strangely lonely when she lay down to sleep. In just a few short nights, she’d almost gotten used to sharing a bed with another person. She pictured Ryan as soon as she closed her eyes and shivered at the memory of his hands and mouth on her body. Forcing the images away, she wouldn’t let herself