Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6, Kathleen Brooks [great novels of all time TXT] 📗

you get any weird gut feeling. I’ve learned to listen to my gut over the years. Promise?”

“I promise. Paxton, be safe. I—” Paxton kissed her then. She looked so worried for him he couldn’t stand it. Whatever she was going to say was lost on his lips.

Tinsley became wild in his arms as she ripped off his towel. Her lips were just as demanding as her hips. Paxton smiled against her neck. She was assertive and went after what she wanted and he was happy to comply with her demands.

“Normally I love to hear you scream, but I might get shot if you do it today,” Paxton told her as he rested his forehead against hers.

Tinsley pulled a condom from her pocket and shrugged. “Eh, you’ve been shot before. You’ll live.”

“You’re perfect for me, Tinsley. I think you were made for me to love.”

Paxton saw her eyes shoot up at his. Love. He hadn’t meant to go there yet. He hadn’t even gone there in his mind yet, but when he lifted her onto the counter and she wrapped her legs around him, he admitted he was wrong. She wasn’t just made for him. He was meant for her, too. They were made for each other.

16

Atlanta, Georgia

Paxton looked down at the text message from Walker. “Next right. We’re going to meet his contact and then go meet with Mallory’s contact.”

Peter maneuvered the SUV down the street lined with hotels. A man in jeans, cowboy boots, a worn T-shirt, and mirrored sunglasses stood looking in their direction. His head was shaved, and as they drove closer Paxton noticed the man was a little older than Paxton had first thought. In fact, he looked to be old enough to be his father. Though Paxton didn’t know any fathers who looked like this scary-ass dude.

Dare snorted in the seat behind him. “I know our contact. You all thought we were badasses? That’s Harper’s Uncle Cy Davies.”

“That guy scares me,” Kord told them as they drove closer.

“I’m man enough to admit he scares me, too,” Granger said.

“Who is he?” Peter asked.

“A former spy. That’s all I’ve gotten from the few family things we’ve been to. He’s retired now and runs a farm, as well as training people at their military training center. I know his sons, Parker and Porter, better. Parker is a new US marshal and Porter is a top-ranked professional rodeo rider,” Dare told them as they approached.

“What does he know about gangs?” Paxton asked.

Dare shrugged. “I’ve stopped asking questions when it comes to the Davies uncles.”

Peter stopped the SUV and the man yanked open the front door and stared at Paxton. “You’re in my seat.”

Paxton instantly leaped from the SUV. The man’s voice demanded obedience. “Yes, sir.”

“I’m Cy. I’m here to help.” He dropped a duffle bag and his hands whipped out lightning fast as they grabbed Paxton’s shirt. “I know how to make a body disappear. You hurt Tinsley and you’ll never be found.”

“Yes, sir.” Those were the only words Paxton could get out. This man may be in his early sixties, but there was no question he could do everything he’d just threatened.

Cy let go and climbed into the front seat. “So, you have a gang problem. Just tell me where to go and what information you need.”

Paxton blinked. “You want to go undercover? That’s what Granger, Kord, and Dare are doing.”

Cy turned and looked them all over, but all Paxton could see was their reflections in Cy’s mirrored aviator sunglasses. “They’ll do, but you need someone a little more seasoned to do the talking. Also, you need someone not bound by the law. Dare, you’re my muscle. Kord, you’re my top seller. Granger, you’re my supplier. If any dirty work needs to be done, I’ll do it. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” rang out through the SUV.

“We checked out Mallory’s police contact and he’s good to go. He’s gotten us permission to operate in his jurisdiction. Well, you all have permission to be here with him to run this operation. I’m not here. Got it?” Cy told them.

“Yes, sir,” they chorused.

“If we need off-the-books backup, they’re forty-five minutes away by plane. So if you think things are going to be FUBAR, let me know. My brothers are looking forward to another guy’s trip,” Cy said.

“Guys’ trip?” Paxton asked. “To take down a gang?”

Cy turned in his seat and Paxton found himself looking into the mirrored glasses as a slow smirk appeared on the older man’s lips. “We do this shit for fun.”

Cy turned back around and they all rode in silence to the meeting location. Who the heck was Tinsley’s Kentucky family?

Paxton got out of the SUV at the hole-in-the-wall diner on the outskirts of Atlanta. They walked into the diner as a large group. The glass door slammed shut behind them and they had to let their eyes adjust to the dim light for a moment. A man in a worn but clean suit waved them over from where two tables had been pushed together. His cool umber face was shaved clean and the tightness around his brown eyes showed the amount of evil he’d seen in his life.

“You must be the guys from South Carolina that Mallory told me about. I’m Sergeant Connor Gibbs of the Targeted Enforcement Unit. We are the umbrella unit for the Gang Unit and Gun Reduction Task Force, and we work with the ATF. We all work together, so, Dare Reigns, I got you federal permission to operate with my team. Everyone should be covered.” Connor’s eyes moved to Cy. “Except you. I don’t know you.”

Cy just smirked but didn’t say anything.

“I’m Paxton Kendry, FBI. This is my boss, Peter Castle. Then that’s Dare with ATF. This is Granger Fox, sheriff of Shadows Landing and his deputy, Kordell King.”

Connor nodded and motioned with his head for everyone to sit. “Mallory filled me in a little. She didn’t know what she was allowed to share, but she asked that nothing went to the