Glitter and Gunfire by Cynthia Eden Page A

the way that the man talked to his daughter?
    “I should have waited,” Mercer continued. “But I needed to see you with my own eyes. I had to make sure.” His lips twisted. “Well, I’m sure now. You’re all right. I’m starting to realize you’re a whole lot stronger than I believed.”
    Yes, she is.
    Cassidy turned for the door. So did Cale. But Mercer stopped him, calling out, “I’m going to need you to stay a few minutes longer, Agent Lane.”
    Ah, so he wasn’t out of the woods just yet.
    Cassidy stepped toward Cale. He caught her hand. “Wait for me. We need to...talk.”
    The leather of Mercer’s chair squeaked.
    Cassidy nodded; then she slipped soundlessly from the room.
    As soon as she was gone, Cale knew that the gloves would be coming off.
    “Agent Lane.” Now Mercer was back to his growling, fierce self. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing with my daughter?”
    Cale kept his hands at his sides. “You’re the one who sent me to down Rio. If you didn’t want me near her—”
    “I wanted you close because you’re a damn good agent. I thought you’d do your job and keep her safe.”
    “The case is over.” They should be clear on this. “But my involvement with Cassidy isn’t. ”
    Mercer rose. “An involvement isn’t going to happen.”
    He hadn’t been asking for permission.
    “The EOD is the most dangerous thing in Cassidy’s life. Being my daughter puts a target on her that you can’t imagine.”
    He could imagine plenty.
    “What the hell do you think would happen if our enemies found out that Cassidy was both my daughter and that she was involved with an EOD agent? They’d use her against us. They would hurt her. They’d—”
    “No one hurts Cassidy on my watch.” The words were quiet, cold. Lethal.
    Mercer stared at him with a measuring gaze. “That better be a promise, Lane.”
    It was a guarantee.
    * * *
    “R EADY ?”
    Cassidy whirled at Cale’s warm voice. He strolled out of Mercer’s office looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.
    Most people looked terrified after having closed-door meetings with her father.
    But Cale almost seemed happy as he reached for her hand and led her into the elevator.
    When the doors closed, when they had a precious minute of privacy, she had to know. “Just what happened in there?”
    “Mercer and I got a few things straight.”
    Oh, had they?
    “The mission is over.”
    Did that mean another agent would be coming to protect her? Always another agent lurking in the back of her life, skimming the shadows.
    “I’ve got some time coming my way,” Cale continued. “And I...I want to spend that time with you.”
    Hope—real happiness—began to unfurl within her. “You do?”
    He nodded and closed in on her. His fingers slid around her, flattening on the walls of the elevator and caging her in.
    She rather liked being caged in with him.
    “This isn’t about a case. It’s about us.” His eyes searched hers. “I want you, Cassidy Sherridan.”
    He knew who her father was—he knew her most closely guarded secret. He wasn’t running. He wasn’t intimidated.
    He...
    Wants me?
    “I want you,” she whispered back.
    He smiled at her. Her breath caught. The man had a killer smile.
    She thought he would kiss her. He didn’t. He eased back right before the elevator glided to a stop. But his fingers laced with hers as he led her through the lobby.
    She’d always been nervous, scared, when she’d been in that building before. But Cassidy didn’t feel scared then. She was with Cale.
    He made her feel safe.
    They brushed by the guards and headed out into the night.
    She caught sight of Gunner and Logan. They were outside, probably returning to their own homes. A completed mission. They could all—
    The crack of a gunshot broke the night. Even as the sound filled her ears, Cale was pushing Cassidy to the ground and covering her with his body. She hit the pavement with an impact that rattled her bones.
    Again?