Dangerously Taken
Aegis Group Lepta Team 1
Sidney Bristol
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Dangerously Taken
Aegis Group Lepta Team #1
The mission: Rescue an executive translator being held hostage in Iraq without falling in love.
Erin Lopez never thought her life would be more dangerous as a civilian. She hoped she'd put her days dodging bullets behind her. Now, her only salvation is in the arms of a slow-talking man who makes her heart remember what it's like to love again.
Retired Army Ranger Riley Smith knows what it's like to fight the past every time he closes his eyes. Erin's dark, haunted eyes only tell a fraction of her story, and when she reaches for comfort, he can't tell her no. She makes this broken man want to be whole again.
The closer Erin and Riley get to the truth behind Erin's kidnapping the more dangerous their path becomes. Someone wants Erin silenced at any price. Riley can’t let that happen, but keeping her alive means facing that their no strings attached arrangement is a lie.
Explore the whole Aegis world in these series...
It all began with the Aegis Group.
Dangerous Attraction
Dangerous in Training
Dangerous Games
Dangerous Assignment
Dangerous Protector
Dangerous Heat (coming 2018)
In Dangerous Games it continued with the Gone Geek girls.
Beauty and the Geek
Mr. Purr-fect and the Geek
The Jock and the Geek
The Gamer and the Geek
The Adorkable Girl and the Geek
The Fake Boyfriend and the Geek
When the Seattle office of Aegis Group opened the Twisted Royals took the stage.
The Origin Story
Alpha Prince
Her Prince
Bad Boy Prince
Noble Prince
Within Aegis Group, special teams take on special jobs, beginning with the Alpha Team.
Dangerous in Love
Dangerous in Action
Dangerous in Transit
Dangerous in Motion
Dangerous in Charge (coming 2018)
Other specialized teams exist under the Aegis Group umbrella, including Lepta Team.
Dangerously Taken
Dangerously Involved (2018)
Dangerously Deceived (2018)
Dangerously Broken (2019)
Dangerously Entwined (2019)
Stay tuned for the appearance of the Troy Team and Omega Team.
For short reads, tune in this December for the Body of Danger novella series kick-off.
Heart for Danger
Mind for Danger (2018)
Soul for Danger (2019)
Coming in 2018, Texas SWAT: A Small Town Suspense Series.
Fighting Redemption (2018)
Stolen Redemption (2018)
Mom
<3
I hope you never, ever read this.
Sometimes, someone comes into your life, so unexpectedly, takes your heart by surprise, and changes your life forever.
―UNKNOWN
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Epilogue.
1.
WEDNESDAY. AEGIS GROUP Egypt Office, Cairo, Egypt.
Riley Smith strode across the courtyard toward the command center for the Aegis Group’s Egypt offices. These days it seemed like Riley spent more time here than he did at his apartment in Seattle. A fact that his mother was not letting him forget.
His phone vibrated again. It was either a secondary notification calling him to the briefing, or Mom texting him pictures of his brothers getting ready to bale hay. He’d never promised to help, just said he’d try. It wasn’t his fault a top priority job was canceling his travel plans home. His brothers knew what they were doing. They’d been running the ranch since high school. Deep down he knew the messages had nothing to do with baling. He hadn’t been home since Christmas, something Mom thought was unforgiveable. Usually she aimed the weight of her guilt trip on Riley’s youngest brother down in Texas, but lately her focus was on Riley instead. She loved reminding him he wasn’t getting younger, and that she felt he owed her at least one grandbaby.
“Hold the door?” a woman called out.
Riley turned toward the van parked by the gates leading out onto the street. The team’s Client Liaison hauled her laptop out of the backseat, juggling two other bags. He clearly wasn’t the only one ready to get out of here.
“Need a hand?” he asked
Melody ignored his question and stepped through the doors ahead of him.
He wasn’t sure what to make of Melody. Zain, their immediate boss, had informed Lepta Team that because of their unique nature dealing with companies as clients and the high dollar they commanded, the team needed a go-between. Riley didn’t care one way or another. As the team’s second, his focus was logistics. Getting them from point A to B in one piece. The less he had to bother with informing clients about their activities the more prepared he could be. That said, Melody and their Team Leader got along about as well as wet cats.
“Here, let me help you with that.” He picked up her heavy laptop case and carried it up the stairs to the second floor. “What’d Grant say this time to piss you off?”
“What?” Melody glanced up at him, blinking rapidly.
“You seem tense. Grant say something?”
“Oh. No. Long call with the client.” She blew out a breath and climbed the stairs, matching his pace. She was different when the clients were around versus just the team.
“Is the job that bad?”
Melody grimaced.
They reached the second-floor landing. From the sound of it, they were the last to arrive. Melody hesitated in the hall, deep lines of worry bracketing her mouth.
“You ever have a bad feeling about something?” She eyed the hand-carved double doors leading into the command room.
“Yeah...” Great. Just what Riley wanted. Another complicated job.
“The asset makes sense, it’s just... You’ll see.” Melody jerked her head toward doors.
Riley followed Melody into what had no doubt been intended as some sort of grant dining room. Their team used it for the planning and oversight of their work in the Middle East. The other four members of their team were present and seated around the table with the projector on.
“Thanks for joining us.” Grant turned toward the wall. “We’re short on time, so this needs to be brief.”
Melody set her things down by the door and remained standing opposite Grant, who continued to ignore her.
This was going to be fun. How long until Zain made those two kiss and make-up?
Riley just wanted the job to start. Once they all knew their role things seemed to work out.
Grant clicked the remote on the projector.
An image of a woman stretched across the wall.
Riley swallowed. He stared at her eyes, his soul seemingly sucked out of his body. He blinked a few times, trying to shake off the
