Special Agent: Austin (12 page)

“Don’t let him fool you,” Hope Powers said, as she walked into the room with Jaydan. “I’ve saved Jaydan’s cute rear a time or two.”

Jaydan smiled down at her as they stopped by the bed. “You think I have a cute rear?”

Leaning up on her toes, she kissed him. “The cutest.”

Belle smiled at them. The two were so in love she
felt
it. The idea made her sad, knowing her remaining sisters would never know it.

Unless the Madam and the Mathesons were stopped once and for all.

“Monica Montgomery…”

She smiled up at Austin. It was time she used her real name and started living in the real world.

“I want you to meet my overbearing brother’s fiancée, Hope Powers.”

Smiling at Luke Powers’ daughter, Belle couldn’t believe how much she looked like her mother, Kimberly. Belle had seen Kimberly DePaul Powers a few times at Clay Matheson’s lab in the nineteen forties.

“Hope,” she said, “I could argue and say Austin had the cutest rear, but I wouldn’t want it to go to his head. It’s already expanded quite a bit since he made D.I.R.E.”

Austin’s smile disintegrated as his gaze shot to Jaydan. Guilt radiated off him like a space heater, his dark eyes guarded beneath lowered brows.

Jaydan crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, Monica, I still can’t decide if your rescue was damned brave or the most reckless thing he could’ve done.”

Her voice carried in unison with Hope’s. “Reckless.”

Austin scowled, his shoulders stiff with resentment. “The three of you can go to hell.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “And for the record, I’d do it again, in a heartbeat.”

“You may have to,” she said, knowing they would hear from the Madam again – and soon.

He gave his head a firm shake. “I’m ready.”

Giving him a brief onceover, she studied his determined gaze. “You don’t look ready. You’re in a hospital gown, with bullet holes in your body and pain etched in your face. She’ll strike while you’re vulnerable.”

“He isn’t in this fight alone, Monica,” Jaydan said, giving his brother a round-eyed nod. “We’re a team – the best in the world.”

Monica’s hand fisted in Austin’s grip. How could she make them understand the strength of the Madam’s force? The potent antipathy she felt for the agency and the obsessive drive she had to retrieve Cyrus and see her plans come to light?

Not to mention the revenge she would seek against her and Austin.

“A team she knows is exposed this week. You’d better be prepared.”

“We’re always prepared.” Jaydan gave her a crooked grin. “This is our life. It’s what we do.” Turning to Austin, he shook his hand. “Do you two need anything? I’m going to be slammed over the next two days since I’m in charge of the bachelor party.” He nodded toward Hope and winked.

She cocked a well-manicured brow. “Keep talking, super agent. You know I’m helping Keegan with the bachelorette party.”

The teasing light vanished in Jaydan’s eyes.

Austin laughed and shook his head. “No, I think we’re good.”

Taking Hope’s hand, Jaydan headed for the door. “Okay, I’ll check in with you later. Right now, I need to go set this woman straight.”

“Set
me
straight?” Hope said, “I don’t
think
-“ The door swished shut behind them.

Still staring at the door, Monica said, “I thought I could trust you, Austin.”

Sitting beside her on the bed, he winced. “Sweetpea,” he said, taking her hand. “I came to San Diego to join the agency. You just happened to give me an opportunity to prove myself.” Kissing her wrist, he said, “I was under orders not to tell you anything.”

Any anger lingering inside her, disappeared. She understood following orders. She also understood the drive to make something happen. How could she fault him when he’d risked his life to save her?

He said, “A lot has happened in the last couple of days. I need to be in the best possible position to protect you, and D.I.R.E. is it.”

Protect her? No,
he
needed protection, not her.

Shaking her head, she threw back the covers. “We have to get you out of here…”

Clutching her uninjured shoulder, he sat her back against the pillows with gentle hands. “Hold up, Luke Skywalker. As soon as you and I are able, we’re moving to the D.I.R.E. medical facility at headquarters where I’m going to persuade you to join the agency and help us bring her down.”

She clutched his forearm. “
Nowhere
is safe, Austin. And now that you’ve killed Robin, the Madam will have my sisters out for vengeance.”

His jaw locked, his chocolate gaze boring into hers. “So am I, Sweetpea. No one messes with a D.I.R.E. agent’s woman and lives to tell about it.”

Taken aback, she said, “Your woman?”

He gave her a crooked smile. “Well, you
are
mine, Monica Montgomery.”

Her heart soared, elation rising inside her like the morning sun. Never, in a million years would she have expected to ever hear those words. Or, like them.

Running her fingers through the dark hair on his jaw, she stared at his gorgeous mouth. “And, you’re mine.”

Clutching the back of her head, he gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “You’re damned straight.” Softening his voice, he said, “It’s crazy but… I love you, Sweetpea.”

She took in his handsome face and beautiful smile before pouring her heart into another kiss. “I love you, too, Honey Dumpling.”

A knock sounded on the door. A blond man stuck his head around the corner. His round eyes took her in, before a smile creased his lined face.

“Austin, I just wanted to let you know I was here.”

“Come on in.” Rising from the bed, Austin shook the man’s hand before gingerly dropping into a wheelchair she hadn’t noticed before. “I can use the backup. I need a pain refill.” He grinned up at the man before taking her hand and kissing it. “I’ll be back.” He wheeled to the door.

Her gaze went to the man staring at her with… wonder in his eyes?

“Wait, you’re just going to leave me…” She glanced up at him again before looking back at Austin. “Alone?”

Turning around the wheelchair, he said, “Your daddy’s got you now. You’re in good hands.”

Gasping, she turned to the man beside her bed. He held himself in a tall, proud - almost arrogant – stance, though his tears proved otherwise. His dark, blond curls were cut short against his head, fine lines etched in the skin around his familiar, hazel eyes.

“Hi, Little One.” Pulling a plastic grocery bag from behind his back, he held it out to her.

She stared at the bag, her heart pumping in anticipation. Taking it from him, she untied the loose knot and looked inside.

Memories flooded her mind as she stared at the white horse. Pulling it from the bag, she held it in front of her and smiled. With blue eyes and a mane of long, blonde curls, it had seen better days. The white coat was dirty and worn in spots, one hoof missing a shoe. She’d slept with it every night, and dragged it around at her mother’s swim practices, the park, and day school.

“I always wanted a real one.” She glanced up at him.

He sat on the bed, facing her. “I’ll get you one. We live on a ranch outside of Santa Fe and have a few horses now. We have plenty of room for one more.”

Confusion swirled with elation in her mind. “You want me to live with you?”

With a slight grin, he nodded back at the door. “Well, that one might have different plans, but you always have a home at the ranch.”

With hesitation, he covered her hand with his large palm. Warmth seeped through her system like hot coffee. Turning over her hand, she held his in a tight grip. An instant sense of security claimed her.

He beamed at her. “You’re our daughter, Monica. We’ve never stopped loving you.”

A sob caught in her chest. She heaved for breath, trying to hold it in…

Dropping her chin, she covered her eyes with her free hand. He folded her into his arms, the scents of canvas and spice eliciting a familiar sense of comfort.

“Your mother doesn’t know about you, yet. I don’t want to say anything until we get past this op. But, be prepared to get smothered.”

A smile escaped, worry in it’s wake. She’d told her sisters about her family. The Madam would waste no time finding them.

Pulling away, she said, “We have to get her to a safe place.”

He held out a hand to calm her. “I’m a former Special Forces Colonel. I got it covered.”

“You do?”

Nodding, he gave her a reassuring smile. “Yes, that’s why Austin called me to help him in Texas. D.I.R.E. was short on manpower. They sent him out with one agent and a pilot.”

He was in Texas?
Austin went out with one agent and a pilot
? She’d kill him herself.

“Thank you,” she said, worry and relief warring inside her. “He’s new to all of this and a complete idiot for going down there in the first place.”

His voice softened. “You couldn’t have stopped him. He’s a man in love. You had no control over what happened to you, Monica. Don’t give into the blame. I’ve been where you are and know how it feels. We’ll talk when this is all over.” He clutched her bicep. “Right now, you need to concentrate on getting well and telling us everything you know. We need every possible weapon at our disposal.”

She nodded, deep in thought. For the first time
ever
, a sense of hope washed over her. Maybe they
could
do this. With D.I.R.E., and her father’s connections, they had quite an arsenal on their side. Maybe there
was
a chance of her sisters finding happiness, a chance of happiness for her and Austin.

“Her vision is to change the entire world.”

Her father dismissed the statement with a wave of his hand. “If I had a dime for every time I encountered someone that wanted to take over the world, I’d be a rich man.”

The hope inside her blossomed into confidence. With her father and Austin on her side, she didn’t have to do this alone. She had help. Backup.

Love.

“What do you think are the keys to her plans?”

Monica gave her head an assured shake. “She needs Teague Hamilton and Cyrus Matheson. Both are in D.I.R.E.’s custody. But, really, she’s out for vengeance against the entire agency, so anyone associated with them isn’t safe.” She held up a finger. “But, my gut tells me there’s one wild card in all of this.”

“Who?”

“Keegan Meeks. Her decisions will decide the fate of everyone.”

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed
Special Agent: Austin
! Look for the epic series finale,
Agent U7: Keegan
, coming soon!

If you’d like to receive the latest news on The D.I.R.E. Agency and any future series, make sure to sign up for my
eNewsletter
. You can also contact me on my
website
with your comments, questions, ideas, etc. I’d love to hear from you!

Finally, if you’d be so inclined, I’d love a review of this book on the site where you made the purchase. In this ever-changing world of book publication, the success of any book is in the hands of readers. Your feedback is important! If you have a few minutes to leave your thoughts, I’d truly appreciate it.

Thanks for your support!

Joni Hahn

By day, Joni Hahn keeps her secret decoder ring hidden while she works as a mild-mannered contemporary romance author. She believes the world can never have too many superheroes, and anxiously waits for the call when one will need help saving the world… or getting into his costume. Joni was born with a hopelessly tender heart and believes there is nothing on earth more exhilarating than falling in love. A native Texan, she thinks cowboys are the epitome of masculinity, and that country music is the
other
soul music.

Joni is a member of The Authors Guild, the Romance Writers of America, and its Published Authors Network. She is a member of several, local RWA chapters and has served in numerous board positions with the San Antonio Romance Authors. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, going to movies and concerts, and spending time with family and friends.

You can find Joni online at:
www.jonihahn.com
.

Currently available in
The D.I.R.E. Agency Series
:

Book 1: 
Agent I1: Tristan

Book 2: 
Agent E2: Aidan

Book 3: 
Agent T3: d’Artagnan

Book 4: 
Agent M4: Riordan

Book 5: 
Agent S5: Jaydan

Book 6: 
Agent N6: Dylan

Special Agent: Austin

Book 7: Agent U7: Keegan