Spirit Warrior by S. E. Smith Page A

his suit jacket. Jacob’s eyes swiveled back to the man watching him. The bastard gazed back at him as if almost daring him to take the shot.
    Jacob glared a warning for the man to not push his luck. Personally, he didn’t give a damn who the man was or who he worked for. As far as Jacob was concerned, he had done a piss poor job of protecting Indy if her terror and the bruises on her face were any indication of his attempt.
    “He’s our inside man,” Trey responded in a low voice. “Agent Spencer Rodgers, FBI.”
    Jacob listened as Rodgers explained where the men responsible for Indy’s kidnapping were and what had happened. He still didn’t trust the bastard. He knew his brother was taking care of Indy and needed him to cover his back while he was distracted.
    He stepped between them and Rodgers when the man tried to step around him. The warning was clear in his eyes; stay away or die. They had done what they had come for, now it was time to get Indy the hell out of here.
    “I won’t hurt her,” Rodgers murmured, staring intently back into Jacob’s eyes.
    “You were one of the bastards who took Indy in the first place,” Jacob sneered as he stared back at Rodgers with a cold look of challenge. “Do you really think I would believe you?”
    Rodgers drew in a deep breath as his eyes moved to where Jonathan was cradling Indy. “This was personal. Hammond killed my sister. I did what needed to be done to get the bastard. I wouldn’t have let him harm Mrs. Tucker.”
    “Even if it meant losing the man who killed your sister?” Jacob asked in a low voice filled with skepticism.
    A muscle ticked in Rodgers’ cheek before he turned back to stare at Jacob with cold eyes filled with brutal, barely suppressed rage. Jacob could feel the icy determination in the man. Something told him that Rodgers was a modern man who lived by the code of the past.
    “I would never have lost him,” Rodgers replied.
    Jacob waited several seconds before he bowed his head in acknowledgement. Sliding his pistol back into the holster at his side, he turned to let Rodgers pass by him. His eyes followed the man as he walked to the elevator as it opened and half a dozen men and women poured out and rushed by them.
    His eyes lit on Allie as she stepped out of the small alcove he had pushed her into. A small smile tugged at his lips at the fierce, furious expression on her face. She walked up to him and smacked him hard in the chest. The amusement glittering in his eyes faded to desire when she suddenly reached up and framed his cheeks with her hands.
    A low moan escaped him as she pressed her lips against his in a fierce kiss that left him wanting more. He stumbled backwards when she suddenly pushed him away. He stared down at her in surprise when he saw the angry glitter of moisture in her eyes before she blinked them away.
    “If you ever - and I mean ever – do a stupid stunt like pushing me out of the way and putting yourself in danger again, I’ll bust you in the gut,” she snapped before turning on her heel and walking over to where Jonathan was cradling an unconscious Indy in his arms.
    “You know, she’ll do it too. I once saw her break a chair over a guy who thought he could beat his girlfriend at the local bar. She beat the shit out of the guy with it,” Trey commented nonchalantly.
    Jacob knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he couldn’t help it. There was a lot more in that kiss than Allie knew. She might not have realized it yet, but she was beginning to have feelings for him, strong feelings. Her eyes had held more than a little fear with the anger and her kiss had been filled with a desperate passion.
    He stared at where Allie was kneeling next to his brother and Indy. She was talking quietly to him as she brushed her fingers over Indy’s face. Her dark hair swung back and forth as she nodded and smiled tenderly down at Indy.
    Soon, Allie, Jacob thought as he watched them. We’ve got what we came for and when we