My Temptation (Elite Securities #4)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

MILA

Drumming my short nails against the steering wheel, I stared at the door located only a short distance from where I parked in the parking garage. I shook my head in disgust when I realized I stalled because I was nervous. I didn’t get nervous. As an agent with the FBI, I was trained never to be nervous.

Except I was no longer with the FBI.

I’d made that decision about a minute after my last assignment ended and resigned immediately. It had felt like giving up at the time, but after all I’d been through, I knew I had to for my own sanity. I was losing a part of myself working as an agent, especially an agent under my father whose entire mission seemed to be proving women didn’t have a place working beside him.

Including myself.

It hadn’t been long after I’d joined the FBI until the mask he wore fell away, and the man I’d once admired and respected became someone I resented.

Staring at the door in front of me, I hesitated. The building had no marking to indicate what was inside, but I knew. While undercover, I’d heard the chatter about a group of men who worked cases the police department either couldn’t or wouldn’t, and I’d been interested. When I could walk away from the assignment that essentially ended my career, I’d researched Elite Securities and called the owners.

Two brothers with military backgrounds had opened and were running this very successful business that seemed to be growing by the day. I’ll never forget the flutters of excitement I’d felt when Jax Dimarco took my call, and that was when I knew I’d made the right decision.

I’d gotten lucky that they were hiring, and he agreed to give me a trial run. He explained that I would be the only female next to the office manager and asked if I felt comfortable. That didn’t bother me. My entire career thus far had been proving myself to my male counterparts, but I needed to be sure they’d accept me as a part of their team. I refused to join another team who treated me as anything other than an equal.

Shutting off my car's engine, I pushed open my door and stepped out. I shoved my keys in the pocket of my jeans as well as my phone and slammed the door closed. Squaring my shoulders, I headed for the door, only pausing one more time before I pulled it open and headed up the stairs. I pulled open another door and walked inside, my eyes immediately scanning my surroundings.

It was a small front office, occupied only by a few chairs in a waiting area and a desk near the wall by the hallway.

The woman at the desk looked up and smiled. “Good morning, Mila. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Leah, the office manager.”

Tilting my head to the side, I was surprised when she greeted me by my first name. I’d met both Jax and his brother Brody, who was the other half of Elite Securities, but it had been off-site, so I’d never met the office manager, yet she apparently knew me.

I crossed the room just as she stood, stepped around her desk, and held out her hand. “I can see you’re confused. Jax likes to provide me a photograph of who we’re expecting so I can alert him if someone unexpected shows up.” She dropped my hand after we shook and shrugged. “Just a safety precaution, considering the work done here isn’t always popular.”

“But I walked right in,” I pointed out, questioning the security of the building itself.

She smiled. “You didn’t, actually. As soon as you opened the bottom door, I received an alert, as did Brody. If I recognize the person entering, I push a button to unlock the door to the actual office.” She pointed at the glass door. “The glass on that door is reinforced and bulletproof as an extra precaution.”

“Wow,” I muttered, impressed with the steps they’d taken to ensure every person in this office was safe.

She returned to her seat. “Brody is always tinkering with the system and adding new or improved features. It takes a little getting used to.” She gestured toward the hallway. “I’ll let them know you’re here. You can go back. Second door on the right.”

“Thanks, Leah.”

I started past her desk but stopped when she spoke again. “Absolutely. If you need anything or just a reprieve from the boys, I’m always around.” She grinned. “It’s nice to have another female around here.”

Surprised by the welcoming, I nodded because I hadn’t had that in a very long time and was unsure how to respond. “Thanks again, Leah.”

She returned my nod and picked up her phone. “Mila Kavanaugh is here.”

I made my way down the hallway and stopped outside the door. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly before lifting my hand and knocking.

“Come in,” someone called out, and with one more deep breath, I pushed open the door.

I walked into the room and closed the door behind me just as Jax stood and moved to stand beside me. “Guys, this is Mila Kavanaugh.” He gestured toward Brody. “You know Brody.”

I turned to Brody and smiled. “Hi, Brody.”

Jax quickly moved on, and I could tell he wanted to get introductions out of the way. I’d had the impression when I met Jax that he wasn’t interested in chitchat but instead focused on work, so I wasn’t surprised at all when he moved on immediately.

“This is Pike. He’s a security specialist.” I shifted my smile to a man seated close to Brody’s empty chair, appreciating the openness in his tone when he spoke. “Welcome aboard, Mila.”

Before I had an opportunity to respond, Jax moved on. “Beside him is Striker. He’s our main tracker.”

My eyes continued to the man next to him, and I almost sighed out loud in disappointment. He immediately reminded me of the men I’d worked with at the FBI, but he wasn’t trying to hide his disdain.

When Striker only glared at me, Jax moved on, but his tone seemed annoyed. “Beside Striker is Kyle.”

I grinned when Kyle, who had been leaning his chair back, dropped it down and smirked. I immediately recognized him as the fun one of this group. “Hey, Mila. I heard you play in my neck of the woods.”

So this was the master of all things tech who Jax bragged about. We had that in common, considering my specialty had been surveillance before I was sent undercover. “I heard the same. Looks like we’ll be spending some time together.”

“Looking forward to it.”

When he winked, I shook my head, but I enjoyed the playful banter. He would make this switch easy for me, and I already looked forward to working with him.

“Kyle,” Jax barked beside me, but Kyle only wiggled his eyebrows, telling me he’s made it his entire mission to piss off his boss frequently.

I shifted my attention to the man on the other side of the table when Jax spoke again. “That’s Ethan. He builds and installs systems with Brody.”

“Hey, Mila,” Ethan said.

His deep voice slithered over my skin, surprising me when I felt a flutter low in my belly. For a moment, our eyes locked, and the force of my initial attraction slammed into me. I’d never experienced that before; I would’ve remembered it if I had. It was a powerful sensation, and I wondered if everyone around me felt the same heat. My eyes slowly traveled over his dark hair and eyes before landing on his full lips, and a shudder rolled through me. I’d never had a type, and after my experiences the past few years, I’d written off the idea of any man. Yet this man intrigued me. Not only had he gotten my attention but he’d also stirred something in me I hadn’t expected.

And couldn’t seem to ignore.

When the silence in the room became obvious, my mind jolted me back to where we were, and I realized Jax was waiting for me to respond to Ethan. “Nice to meet you, Ethan.”

I needed to look away, which became even more apparent when he didn’t. I was used to being ogled since I was usually the only woman in the room.

I’d always hated the ogling.

But I didn’t hate his stare.

In fact, that one moment made me feel more than I had in years.

“Next to Ethan is…”

I quickly shifted my attention, hoping that no one had noticed our eyes had lingered just a little too long. When my attention landed on a familiar face, I couldn’t contain my surprise. “Nick?”

He grinned. “Never thought we’d work together again.”

I shook my head, recognizing the man I’d worked closely with on my last assignment. The man who saved me from losing myself entirely in that brutal place. He’d disappeared after our assignment was complete, and I assumed that the friendship we’d built while undercover had ended. “I had no idea you were here. I thought you were still with the Bureau.”

“You know each other?” Brody asked, and we both nodded. “How?” He focused on Nick. “And why didn’t you mention that last week?”

“I didn’t know her real name was Mila.”

“He wouldn’t,” I jumped in to explain, recognizing the suspicion in Brody’s voice. It was easy to see he did not like surprises. “I didn’t reveal my real name to other agents because of who my father is. I didn’t want any special treatment.”

“Who’s your father?” Pike asked.

“Sam Kavanaugh?” Striker growled before I could answer, and I shifted my attention to him, not surprised when I saw the disdain had already grown into something even worse.

Hating I needed to explain anything to this man, a man who reminded me too much of my past, I continued but didn’t hide my disregard for him. “I went by my middle name and mother’s maiden name to eliminate any doubt about my abilities. Nick knew me as Elizabeth Warner.”

Striker scowled. “The people who hired you knew exactly who you were.”

I watched him for a moment, his face morphing into the various faces of the men I’d worked with who’d doubted my abilities because of my gender, and anger washed over me. I pulled it back, used to having a tight leash on my emotions, but I had no doubt if anyone looked closely, they’d see it. “I was hired because of my qualifications.”

“I’m sure other candidates were just as qualified.” He threw back at me.

“I’m sure they were.” I stared at Striker a moment longer while disappointment overwhelmed me. I’d been excited about this opportunity, and even with the nerves I’d been experiencing, I knew I could get a fresh start here. I loved the idea of living in this little town in North Carolina permanently. The only good thing that had come from my last assignment was being sent to this town. New Hope. It just sounded like a place that could help me get back to who I’d been and someone I could be proud of again, but I wasn’t working with men like Striker anymore. I’d already given them too many years of my life.

I shifted until I could see Jax. “Thank you for this opportunity, but I left an office because I worked with a few jackasses who thought the same as Striker, and I’m not doing it again.”

I’d never been one to pull punches. I couldn’t in the field I’d chosen and hadn’t lost that part of myself. Hopefully, I’d find something else in this town, but I wasn’t bluffing when I said I wasn’t returning to what I’d left.

Turning toward the door, I stopped when Jax wrapped his hand gently around my forearm and stared at Striker. “You have a problem, you can walk, but what you won’t do is disrespect any member of our team.”

Shock hummed through my system when Jax defended me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Striker when he began to stand, and Brody spoke. “Sit down, brother.” Striker held Brody’s stare before he sank back down in his seat, and Brody continued, “Mila is here because she brings a lot of special skills to this company, skills that will benefit our clients. Get over your shit and move on.”

They were obviously close, considering he looked ready to walk before Brody spoke, and now he was seated again.

“You know how this will end.” He pointed at Brody. “You saw the same shit I did.”

“I did,” Brody agreed, “but different time, different place.”

I had no idea what they were talking about, but it was obviously something they’d gone through together that had impacted them both. Something that would stay with them forever.

I could understand that better than anyone.

After a minute, Striker nodded, and Brody sat down. Jax dropped his hand from my arm. “Give us another chance.”

I liked what I just saw, including how they’d worked together and that Jax had defended me. No one had snickered obnoxiously when Striker confronted me, which wasn’t something I was used to, but I still had a nagging suspicion that Striker could easily turn this into something I no longer wanted in my life. Hesitating, I met Nick’s eyes across the table. I trusted him. He’d never led me astray in our two years together.

When he nodded and grinned, I relaxed my shoulders. I didn’t want to walk away. I wanted to give this the chance it deserved, and having an ally felt like the best way to do that. The best way to start over.

I smiled softly at Jax. “Okay.”

Jax jerked up his chin and continued his introductions, pointing at the man beside Nick. “That’s Chris. He’s our brother”—he motioned between himself and Brody—“and he leads investigations.”

Another brother. I knew from my research on the company that two brothers owned the company, and another worked with them. I’d also learned they came from a large family of eight kids—seven boys and only one girl. I wondered how many more brothers I’d meet. “Hi, Chris.”

After I greeted Chris, Jax moved on quickly. “And beside him is Landon, who, just like you, started today. He’ll be training with Pike this week.”

I smiled at Landon when he grinned, easily recognizing the playboy of the group.

I had great instincts, and my mind immediately flashed back to my father who’d hated that I was better than some of his favorite agents. He’d tried to teach them to use their instincts and failed with several of them but would never admit that it was a strength I had that made me a successful agent. Instead, he resented me for proving that I belonged there as much, if not more, than the others. He didn’t want me in the FBI any more than he wanted any woman joining the institution he thought belonged to men.

“Nice to meet you, Mila.”

“That’s everyone,” Jax said and pointed at the seat beside Pike. I walked around the table and sat between Brody and Pike but looked across the table at Nick before allowing my eyes to shift down to the man who’d held my attention a few moments ago.

When our eyes locked and those damn flutters returned, I knew this could only end one of two ways.

And I had no doubt Jax had a rule about this exact thing to avoid any uncomfortable situations.

Too bad I’d never been one to follow the rules.