Mettle: (Spartan Riders #2)
Tucker tipped his head. “Just wanted to make sure you understood that. We’ve got your back.”
No further words needed to be spoken. Every member of the Spartans took an oath to support one another, to watch each other’s back, and to do it without question. In a way, it was kind of like a marriage. From day one, they made a pact to take care of each other, through good times and bad. Right now, it looked as if they were headed for the bad, but no doubt, good times were sure to follow.
With that thought foremost in his mind, Tucker kicked his bike into gear and hit the road. If they were headed to war, then he wanted to go out like a soldier: one last hurrah with a naked woman in his bed.
***
The last thing Talia expected to hear was a knock on her door so late in the evening. After not hearing from Tuck all day, she just assumed she’d be spending the night alone. It seemed she was wrong.
Smiling ear to ear, she sashayed her way across the living room to answer the door. “So you finally decided to crawl out from whatever rock you were un—Uh, what the hell are you doing here?” Talia’s scowl was just as fierce as the woman’s who stared back at her.
Bambi. For a moment, she had flashbacks of growing up watching the Disney classic and a not-so-very-small part of her considered how good it would feel to be in the hunter’s shoes.
She didn’t think she’d be crying over the loss, that was for sure.
“Hope you don’t mind, but I was in the neighborhood. Mind if I come in. Thanks.” Bambi shoved her way inside, knocking Talia back.
“Excuse the hell out of you. Yes, I mind!” Holding the door open, she waved her hand through the negative space. “Get the hell out.”
Bambi, in fact, did not get the hell out. Rather, she strolled casually through her personal space, taking stock of it all. “Nice pad for someone who writes books all day. Or do you? You know,” she said, tapping a finger to her chin, “I tried looking you up, looked everywhere I could think, but I couldn’t find a single mention of you anywhere.”
“That’s probably because I haven’t released my book yet.” Idiot.
“Yeah, I thought of that too. Which brings me back to this place. How do you afford something so…lavish?” She ran her fingers over the back of Talia’s couch, admiring the pristine white fabric.
“My finances are none of your business,” Talia gritted out.
“That’s true. I don’t really give a flying fuck what you do or how you do it, but you know who would?”
Talia’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t have to be psychic to know where she was going with this. “Get to the point,” she said, affecting a bored tone. “You obviously want something, so what is it?”
Bambi took her sweet time sharing, choosing instead to test out the durability and comfort of her furniture by sitting down and settling in. “I bet this place is awesome at sunrise. All bright and cheerful. The sunlight probably streams right on through that window, doesn’t it?”
Folding her arms over her chest, Talia kicked out a hip and stared her down.
“You wanna know what I want?” Bambi sat forward, suddenly all business. “For you to disappear. Country is mine. I’ve been working him for weeks, then you swooped in and stole the show, ruined everything.”
Talia’s brows knit together. “Stole the show? Honey, I can’t steal what you never had.”
“I had him all right. He was settling down, confiding in me. All I needed was a little more time, but you people had to go and fuck it all up, didn’t you. Bureaucratic bullshit,” she muttered bitterly.
Dropping her arms, Talia moved several steps closer, her blood pumping hard. “I’m not following here. What, exactly, are you talking about?”
Bambi rolled her eyes. “Did you really think you could just waltz in and take over and I wouldn’t see what was going on? Honey, you might have pulled the wool over everyone else’s eyes, but it’s going to take a helluva lot more than some cheap clothes and doe eyes to fool me.”
Relaxing back again, she crossed her legs and eyed Talia critically. “You’re undercover. Agent for the FBI, right?”
Talia’s blood froze solid at the accusation. There was no way in hell she could have just guessed that. Who was Bambi, and how did she know who she was? Had she slipped up somewhere? If she had, there was no telling how many others had her figured out. She’d have to abort immediately.
“Oh, don’t look so shocked. No one else knows. I’ll admit, you had me fooled for a minute there, but I didn’t get this far without learning some things. Namely, how to spot one of my own.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Were her eyes bulging? Because Talia felt like they might be.
Standing, Bambi moved around the coffee table that separated them and held out her hand. “Agent Bambi White.”
On autopilot, Talia took her hand and shook it. “Agent Talia McKinnon. You’re the agent that my boss was talking about, the one who went dark.”
“Not dark. They just got impatient when I missed my regular check-ins. The thing is, and you’ll learn soon enough, is that you can’t always do both. Sometimes, these things just don’t allow for it.”
“You looked pretty cozy to me,” Talia said, not bothering to hide her suspicions.
“Did I fool you?”
Yeah, she had. Talia looked away, unwilling to answer. Her reaction said enough.
“That’s why. I had to immerse myself in the club in order to gain their trust. Believe it or not, they’re a tough bunch of cookies to crack.”
Talia snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
Bambi made a sound of agreement. “I take it you’re not having much luck with Tucker either.”
“Like you said, tough cookies.” But if what everything Bambi was saying was true—which holy shit! She’d never seen that one coming—then it looked like Talia could be traveling down the same path. Zero results meant more time, and more time could lead Talia right down the same road as Bambi, and if the Bureau reacted the same toward her, then the cycle would repeat itself. It would be like the snake eating its own tail. Meanwhile, the bad guys would continue on unmolested.
She couldn’t let that happen. Determination turned to fire in her veins. She needed to take a heavier approach if she wanted to change the course she was on, otherwise she’d spend the rest of her life trying to get something from Tuck that he’d likely never give.
“Well, I hope you have something solid in mind,” Bambi told her. “But between you and me, I think we’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“Oh yeah? Why do you say that?”
“I’ve been monitoring those men for months, and I haven’t seen a damn thing that indicates they’re doing anything more or less than the rest of the population. They go to work, they have families, and they hang out at the club when they want to chill. Does that scream human trafficking to you?”
If Talia had been suspicious of her story before, the mention of her mission nixed it. She was the real deal. Go figure. What were the chances that she’d end up working the same man as the previous agent.
“I’ve been asking myself that same question, but some more women went missing, and Tucker wasn’t with me. How do you account for that?”
“Yeah, I know all about it. The guys are all messed up over it, which is just one reason I know it’s got nothing to do with them.”
“What’s your other reason?”
“My other reason is that Tucker was on a run that night. I don’t know the details of it, but if he had something to do with those women, he wouldn’t have looked like someone’d run over his dog, you know? Besides, I’ve been doing this long enough to recognize when someone is guilty, and while those men might not be Catholic school boys, they aren’t the ones we should be looking for.”
“If you have your fingers on the pulse of this operation, then tell me, who should we be looking for then?”
“Come on, Talia, you know as well as I do that those guys are like a bunch of Jews with a dollar when
it comes to information. Especially with us women. Unless you’re in that room with them when they hold church, you don’t get to know what’s going on.”
Talia huffed. “We’ve come all this way as women only to get the door slammed shut in our faces by some old world mentality bullshit.”
“It is what it is. If I wasn’t in the need to know, though, I’d have to say that it isn’t so bad. There’s something to be said about taking a step back and letting your man lead. It’s kinda hot.”
Instantly, Talia thought of Tuck and his take charge attitude. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She smiled. “I guess I can see the appeal.”
Bambi was smiling too, but it quickly faded. “Look, I need to know that this stays between you and me.”
“Of course. I would never sell out of one my own.”
“Good, and goes for me. And listen, while I’m glad to have this whole mystery thing between us sorted, and I respect your position in all of this, I need to make myself clear. This meeting of the minds? It doesn’t make us friends.”
Stunned by yet another sudden and unexpected turn of events, Talia had to focus in order to continue standing her ground. It was quickly becoming evident that Bambi was a touch unpredictable. “That’s fair, I suppose.”
“The thing is, all work aside, I was dead serious before when I told you Country is mine. He’s a good man, and despite coming from two different worlds, we connected. I’m not going to just walk away from that.”
Hackles rising, Talia fixed her with a hard stare. For whatever reason, she felt the need to dig in and, if need be, fight back. “Noted. But just so you know, neither will I.”
“You will, right after you’re done picking him apart and realize he’s got nothing to offer you. Then you’ll be on your way, but I’ll still be here. I’m not giving up on him until he convinces me that’s what he wants.”
“It’s dangerous to count your chickens before they hatch.” Leaning in, Talia lowered her voice and said, “You’re going to want to stand back if you don’t want to get stepped on.”
“Is this a bitch fight? Because if it is, hold that thought while I pop some popcorn.”
Tucker’s voice broke the women apart faster than a bomb detonating. They whirled around, seeing the man of the hour standing in the open doorway looking both amused and highly curious.
“What are you doing here?” Talia asked him. It seemed that was the question of the day.
“Thought I’d stop by for a little visit,” he said casually. Always observant, Tucker surveyed the women and picked up on the tension in the room. “Wayne downstairs told me that you had a little visitor. So what’s going on here?”
“Oh, um,” Talia scrambled for a plausible excuse. “Bambi was just…”
Bambi, rolling her eyes and tossing her hair, huffed in annoyance. “I was just dropping by to inform Talia here that this little fling you two have going on has an expiration date. And don’t worry, sweetie, I won’t hold it against you.”
“Hold what against me?” Tucker asked, his tone caustic.
“That you’re sleeping together,” she replied. “Since we’re on break, you’re free to do whatever and whomever you please. I know where your heart lies though.”
“And I thought I made that perfectly clear. It’s not with you.”
Ouch. Talia almost flinched on Bambi’s behalf. After that little speech, she couldn’t imagine how much it must sting to be on the receiving end of such a frosty rejection. For what it was worth, though, it was good entertainment from where she was standing.
“But, Tuck.” Bambi’s nose scrunched up, and she went right up to him, her hands out as if prepared to touch him. She didn’t get that far.
Grabbing her wrists, Tucker held her at arm’s length. A muscle in his jaw flexed, his irritation palpable. “Don’t call me that again. I’m Country to you. No, scratch that, I’m nothing to you.”
“How can you say that? We’re so good together,” Bambi cried.
“We had a moment,” Tucker stressed. “It lasted longer than it should have, but that’s all it was. You scratched an itch, babe. I’m sorry if that hurts you to hear, but it is what it is, and now it’s time to move on.”
Yanking her hand free, Bambi’s arm pulled back and within the span of a second, she sent her palm cracking across his face. “Scratch that!” she screamed. Whatever that meant.
Shocked by the outburst, Talia and Tucker watched Bambi storm out the door, listening to her flip-flops pat the ground followed by the squealing of tires moments later.
After that, the apartment fell into an eerie silence.
“Well,” Tucker said, rubbing his cheek where an angry red handprint was beginning to form, “that was interesting. You okay, sugar?”
Blinking, Talia approached him, gingerly touching the injured part of his face. It was hot to the touch. “I’m not the one who was assaulted.”
“Eh. Nothing that hasn’t happened before.”
Talia shot him a disapproving look. “Not what I want to hear right now. I’ll go get you a med pack.”
She spun away only to be pulled back. Tucker’s gaze was intent on hers as he looked down at her. “I’m sorry. Would it make it any better if I told you it was the last time?”
That shouldn’t make anything better, yet somehow, it did. Talia’s breath grew labored as she considered his meaning…and the possibilities.
I can use this, she thought. Yes, it was opportunistic of her, but what choice did she really have? Drawing free of his hold, Talia started for the kitchen, throwing over her shoulder, “How about you start with telling me about how you became a Spartan, and I’ll let you know.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Tucker accepted the ice pack Talia fashioned for him out of a sandwich bag full of ice and a hand towel with a light scowl.
“Why do you want to know about that?”
Her tone was light and playful. “I can’t ask the guy I’ve been having sex with about his past? I literally know nothing about you.”
Canting his head, Tucker cocked a brow and said, “I beg to differ.”
Talia pursed her lips, failing to hide her amusement. Whether she admitted it or not, he knew she liked him regardless of what she did or didn’t know about him. He was of the mind that the less she knew, the better.
“What I know about you could fill a thimble,” Talia returned. “And after two run-ins with your ex-girlfriend, I think you owe me that much.”
“Look, Talia,” Tucker said, his tone firm, “my life, past, present, or otherwise, isn’t on the table for discussion. I like what we have goin’ on here, so why don’t we just continue with that.”
He saw the answer in her eyes immediately. Pulling her shoulders back, Talia looked him straight in the eye, all business. “You see, I have a problem with that, and the problem is, while it’s cool to have fun and hang out and have sex—”
“Great sex.”
“—we’re past that stage,” she steamrolled over top of him. “I think you know that we’ve reached a point in our relationship that we either go for more depth, or we part ways. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Is that what this is?” Tucker asked, his mind stuck on one word in particular. “A relationship?” Everything Blake had ever said to him and his own mind had questioned came flooding back with startling clarity. Was that what he wanted?
One hand flattened on the counter, Talia’s bright expression slipped. “I mean, isn’t it? We hang out almost every day, we share meals together, we laugh over stupid shit, and we have great chemistry. I just assumed…”
Out of sheer habit, Tucker’s hackles rose. That was the problem. Everyone just assumed. When had he ever led her to believe that they were heading someplace more? “Right from the start, I made it clear that this was just for fun,” he reproached. “I’m sorry if I somehow made you think anything different.”
Talia didn’t say anything, and for some reason, the silence was deafening. Within it, Tucker
watched her with an almost anxious feeling stirring in his gut while waiting for an answer that didn’t appear forthcoming.
After long moments, Talia sucked in a breath, held it, and blew it out slowly. “Wow, this is awkward, huh?”
Her voice was shaky, making Tucker feel like the biggest piece of shit. Which was puzzling, because he couldn’t recall a time when he’d ever really felt anything for the opposite sex aside from attraction, admiration, and respect. So why did he suddenly feel like taking back every single word he’d spoken? Why couldn’t this just be simple? And why the hell was he fighting this thing with her so hard?
She wiped a thumb surreptitiously under her eye. “You know, it’s getting late. We should probably call it a night and all that good stuff. I’ll walk you out.”
He’d never seen her cry before. “Talia.”
Instead of falling into his arms, she started for the door, ignoring him completely. For a single heartbeat, Tucker stared down at the countertop, catching his reflection in the glossy surface. Stern, fierce, unrelenting were all things he saw and prided himself on being. But tonight, he saw something else in there too: cowardice. Was he really going to let this woman walk away from him, allow himself to walk out that door and let this thing end without a fight? And for what? Because he’d spent so much time telling himself that he would never be in a committed relationship. That he wasn’t the kind of guy to settle. He wasn’t just blowing smoke all those times he’d said it. In fact, he had been adamant. But now…
“Hold up.” Reaching out, Tucker caught her by the arm and swung her back around. Her eyes, wide and glossy, made his stomach sink.
The words formed a ball in his throat, turning them into a tangled mess. Tucker chewed the inside of his cheek, searching for his voice. Christ, she was beautiful. A real knockout with all that long, copper hair and sun-kissed skin. She wore very little makeup, allowing her natural beauty to shine through, and he loved it. Everything about her was a breath of fresh air, from her caring nature, her adaptability, the fact that she liked and accepted his friends without judgment, and the way she handled him. She never asked anything of him, and she gave so much back. Sure, they spent the majority of their time naked together, but he was a firm believer that sex stripped a person down to their roots, baring their deepest secrets, fears, insecurities, leaving nothing but their very nature to shine through.