Mission: Impossible to Deny (The Impossible Mission Romantic Suspense Series Book 7), Jacki Delecki [polar express read aloud .TXT] 📗

have a soft cotton long sleeve shirt that will make you look more professional. Handling all these men, you have to be at your best. I wish it weren’t so, but that’s the reality of our world.”

Sophie wasn’t judging Darcy’s body but assessing how to make her more comfortable. Darcy flashed on how difficult it had been to pull her panties down to use the facility. Not that she wanted the women’s help.

Losing the braless t-shirt look was appealing. Eventually, she would be interacting with the FBI and local police, and it was difficult enough to assert her authority, being female and height challenged. Going braless wasn’t ideal when working with men.

“Don’t try to fight them, Darcy. You won’t win.” Lars’s intimate look at Danni was telling.

“You like it when you lose, Lars,” Danni countered with an infectious grin.

“We understand you have CIA business. Unless you have something to do right now, let Danni, and I give you a little sisterly TLC. We’re very good at that.” Sophie was encouraging and sweet.

“And we have a lot to share about Reeves. You want to hear everything, don’t you?” Danni raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

Darcy would like to get out of the bloody skirt and definitely would like to have a bra for taking down the Sureños. But it meant asking one of the women to help her. She needed to woman up. Utilizing available resources on a mission was part of adapting to the circumstances. And Danni and Sophie were concerned and caring resources.

 “Reeves is the son my father always wanted. He told us that Reeves was speechless upon meeting you. Reeves is never speechless.” Sophie’s blue eyes were like the crystalline mountain lakes in Pakistan’s Karakoram range. One of Darcy’s better memories during her deployment.

“Listening to all our stories will help distract you until there is news.” Danni took her arm to lead Darcy away. “And you’ll be doing us a favor. Helping you means we’re taking care of Reeves. And getting to talk about our dear friend will lessen our worry. You wouldn’t say no, would you? A woman who shut up Reeves must be very special.”

Darcy wanted to protest that Reeves wasn’t enthralled, but she didn’t get a chance.

“And we’re dying to tell you about Lily, his ex, who we all despised.”

And with the promise of information about Lily, Darcy was hooked. She was a CIA officer whose business was information. And Darcy should have known not to underestimate Danni. The gorgeous woman wasn’t the fluff she appeared to be. Not everyone graduated from MIT.

“Danni, Reeves won’t like you butting into his business, especially when he isn’t here to defend himself,” Lars said.

“Now, whose fault is it that Reeves isn’t here? It’s time for the Jenkins brothers to do their magic.”

“Never doubt it, honey. We’ll find him,” Lars said.

“Darcy needs to rest and eat. She was assaulted and T-boned in the last six hours. Cut the romance talk and get her to lie down,” Nick ordered.

“Of course, Nick,” Sophie intoned in the sweetest voice.

“Does that work with Finn?” Nick asked.

“Yes. He likes when I’m all agreeable.”

“You haven’t been agreeable since you were five years old.”

“Not for you, but for Finn, I am. Until I don’t want to be.” Sophie laughed over her shoulder.

Exhausted, Darcy couldn’t fight against the tide of two strong-willed women surrounding her. She allowed herself to be led down the hall and taken in by the teasing warmth of Reeves’s friends.

Chapter Sixteen

Reeves sprinted down the alley, keeping to the side, hiding in the shadows of the two-story buildings. He raced toward the fading sunlight, away from the busy thoroughfare. As he looked over his shoulder, his senses heightened, waiting for the gunshot. His heart was revving as his muscles pumped hard, pushing not to be an open target. He’d soon have the cover of darkness.

By now, Galina had probably alerted the gang. They would be combing the area, knowing he couldn’t get far in his overdosed state. He had to get out of the open.

He wasn’t going to last long at this pace. The adrenaline surge from his escape would only take him so far. His energy was lagging, his breathing choppy, and his legs were weakening. And his dress shoes were inhibiting his “run for your life” scenario. Under pressure, his focus jumped all over the place as he ran through mathematical outcomes based on different choices. Algorithms exploded in his brain.

He neared the far end of one of the rows of warehouses with still no one coming. Why hadn’t Muscle chased him? Nothing was stopping the guy, and he was fit.

He stared out at the street in front of him, a rundown residential area with small, dilapidated houses. He had no clue about his location. Nothing looked familiar—not one landmark that he recognized. And he was too far away to read the street sign.

To get to the residential area, he’d have to be out in the open too long, giving the Sureños time to spot him. To survive, he had to find a hideout in the industrial section until the Jenkins brothers and Darcy got there.

He had to cross the alley, which required that he come out of the shadows to get to the next row. He stopped at the corner. He felt the uptick in his heartbeat when he left the relative safety of the shadows. His roaring pulse resounded in his ears. His loud gasps blasted the eerie silence. It was difficult to switch from running as fast as you could in order to avoid a bullet to slow, quiet stealth. His body was in overdrive. His sympathetic nervous system dialed up to flight mode.

He took measured breaths as he crept to the next corner. He held his breath and peered around the corner, prepared to see the armed Sureños. A forklift was parked halfway into the doorway on the opposite side as if the operator were on a break. He waited and watched, trying to ease his thumping heart rate