Shattered Duty
Katie Reus
PRAISE FOR
THE DEADLY OPS SERIES
Bound to Danger
“Reus follows Targeted with a fast-paced, high-stakes romantic thriller. . . . Strong characterization and steadily mounting tension are powerful weapons in this talented author’s arsenal.” —Publishers Weekly
“Katie Reus has the amazing ability of pulling the reader onto the front lines of the action and drama. Bound to Danger is a fast-paced, intelligent, and spirited story of suspense, mystery, intrigue, and murder. . . . It is a story of heartbreak and grief; friendship and love; betrayal and revenge.” —The Reading Cafe
“Bound to Danger is both romantic and suspenseful, a fast-paced, sexy book full of high-stakes action.” —Heroes and Heartbreakers
“Loved. This. Book. Bound to Danger by Katie Reus is why I read romantic suspense. It is an emotional ride that will have you on the edge of your seat during the action scenes and your heart melting during the passionate ones. The plot engages you from the beginning and has you turning pages quickly.” —Magical Musings
Targeted
“Fast-paced romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat!” —New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden
“Sexy suspense at its finest.” —New York Times bestselling author Laura Wright
“Reus strikes just the right balance of steamy sexual tension and nail-biting action. . . . This romantic thriller reliably hits every note that fans of the genre will expect.” —Publishers Weekly
“Nonstop action, a solid plot, good pacing, and riveting suspense.” —RT Book Reviews
“Katie Reus pulls the reader into a story line of second chances, betrayal, and the truth about forgotten lives and hidden pasts.” —The Reading Cafe
“If you are looking for a really good, new military romance series, pick up Targeted! The new Deadly Ops series stands to be a passionate and action-riddled read.” —That’s What I’m Talking About
continued . . .
PRAISE FOR
THE MOON SHIFTER SERIES
Mating Instinct
“Katie Reus creates a vivid world filled with sexy shifters, explosive danger, and enough sexual tension to set the pages on fire. A fabulous paranormal romance!” —New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Ivy
“Mating Instinct’s romance is taut and passionate. Add to that a fast-paced suspense plot and a deftly built paranormal world, and Katie Reus’s newest installment in her Moon Shifter series will leave readers breathless!” —New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Tyler
“I could not put this book down. . . . Let me be clear that I am not saying that this was a good book for a paranormal genre; it was an excellent romance read, period.” —All About Romance
“A sexy, well-crafted paranormal romance that succeeds with smart characters and creative world building.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This series keeps getting better and better.” —Joyfully Reviewed
Primal Possession
“Reus has definitely hit a home run with this series. . . . This book has mystery, suspense, and a heart-pounding romance that will leave you wanting more.” —Nocturne Romance Reads
“Reus’s world building is incredibly powerful as she seamlessly blends various elements of legend and myth. . . . But the romance between a shifter and human is the real highlight—it’s lusty, heartfelt, and shows love can conquer all.” —RT Book Reviews
“[Primal Possession] has all the right ingredients: a hot couple, evil villains, and a killer action-filled plot. . . . [The] Moon Shifter series is what I call Grade-A entertainment!” —Joyfully Reviewed
“If you like your romance hot with plenty of buildup and a plot that sucks you right in, Primal Possession is simply a must read.” —A Book Obsession
“Impossible to put down. . . . Ms. Reus bangs out a top-quality story.” —Fresh Fiction
Alpha Instinct
“Reus has an instinct for what wows in this perfect blend of shifter, suspense, and sexiness. Sexy alphas, kick-ass heroines, and twisted villains will keep you turning the pages in this new shifter series. Alpha Instinct is a winner.” —New York Times bestselling author Caridad Piñeiro
“A wild, hot ride for readers. The story grabs you and doesn’t let go.” —New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden
“Reus crafts a fast-paced action story. . . . Alpha Instinct is awesome: an engrossing page-turner that I enjoyed in one sitting. Reus offers all the ingredients I love in a paranormal romance.” —Book Lovers Inc.
“Prepare yourself for the start of a great new series! . . . I’m excited about reading more about this great group of characters.” —Fresh Fiction
“A strong book full of mystery, intrigue, and a new world to explore.” —Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind
“If you’re looking for a new shifter romance to sink your teeth in, then look no further. Alpha Instinct is action-packed with a solid romance that will keep the reader on the edge of [her] toes! . . . Highly recommended for fans of Rachel Vincent’s Werecat series.” —Nocturne Romance Reads
“A well-plotted, excellently delivered emotional and sensual ride that grabs hold and doesn’t let go! . . . Ms. Reus delivers mystery, suspense, and a romance nothing short of heart pounding!” —Night Owl Reviews
ALSO BY KATIE REUS
The Deadly Ops Novels
Targeted
Bound to Danger
Chasing Danger
(A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse)
The Moon Shifter Novels
Alpha Instinct
Lover’s Instinct
(A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse)
Primal Possession
Mating Instinct
His Untamed Desire
(A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse)
Avenger’s Heat
Hunter Reborn
Enemy Mine
(A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse)
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by the Penguin Group
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penguin.com
A Penguin Random House Company
First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC
First Printing, June 2015
Copyright © Katie Reus, 2015
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
ISBN 978-1-101-61775-5
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Contents
PRAISE FOR THE DEADLY OPS SERIES
PRAISE FOR THE MOON SHIFTER SERIES
ALSO BY KATIE REUS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Preview for EDGE OF DANGER
For my wonderful husband. Thank you for helping me brainstorm and for being so patient when I pepper you with a dozen seemingly random questions at once. You keep me sane.
Prologue
Tango: NATO Phonetic Alphabet representation of the letter T. In military and law enforcement operations, tango often means target/terrorist.
Seven years ago
Levi hated the fucking jungle. Give him the desert or mountains any day of the week over the wet, muddy, dangerous jungle. He eased out onto one of the branches of the tree he was currently hiding in, careful to ensure there weren’t any snakes waiting to strike.
Nature in this Colombian hellhole was just as deadly as the men he was about to kill. Venomous snakes, insects the size of your face, deranged flying termites—which weren’t actually deadly, just annoying as shit—and poisonous tree frogs were the tip of the spear for what he had to look out for. In addition to gun-toting assholes.
The branch was thick, sturdy, and because of Diego Jimenez’s stupidity in not trimming the foliage around his mansion, it was the perfect way to gain entrance into the piece of garbage’s house. Levi had very specific orders and for one of the few times in his career in the Marine Corps, he had authorization to kill on sight. Didn’t have to worry about being fired on first or other rules of engagement. Every single person in this house and on the grounds was the enemy.
Since Levi knew Jimenez was into the skin trade, he didn’t feel an ounce of guilt. Anyone working for the guy should die. No one had a right to own another human being, much less rape and degrade them.
It was close to three in the morning and even though there were guards on the twenty-acre property, Jimenez kept only a total of five outside and right around the exterior of the house. Since the skin trader had a secured wall around his property he thought he was safe. His arrogance would be one of the things that got him killed.
Somehow this guy had pissed off someone in the CIA; it was why Levi was here. All he knew at this point was that Jimenez had taken a teenage girl and was keeping her captive. No details about what she looked like or why she was important. Just that she was an asset to national security and he must retrieve her at all costs, killing whoever got in his way. A teenage girl was important to national security? He wasn’t sure he bought that—more likely she was the daughter of someone important—but he didn’t need a reason to help a female.
Below him one of the guards strolled by with an AK-47 held loosely at his side as he puffed on a cigarette. His laziness was offensive, making Levi want to drop down and kill the guy right now on principle.
Once the man had passed under him and rounded the corner of the home, Levi continued inching his way along the branch until he hovered five feet above a small stone balustrade balcony. After another visual sweep of the surrounding land, he dropped down, his boots making a soft thud barely audible over the sound of monkeys and birds. Still, he crouched low, peering through the opening of the stone columns, waiting to see if he’d been discovered. There was a video camera by the top corner of the French door of the balcony, pointing right at him.
Jimenez had security cameras all over the compound and Levi had avoided most of them. It had been impossible to remain completely invisible though. He wasn’t a ghost. He waited thirty seconds, counting down in anticipation of an alarm sounding.
Nothing.
Somehow, he was still undetected. He and the rest of his six-man team waiting in the jungle had been told that he’d have twenty minutes where the video feeds would fail. Until now he hadn’t been positive it was true, but there was no way he’d have made it this far without those things being disabled.
It was go time.
Turning toward the doors, he quickly jimmied the lock and slipped inside. Again, no alarm, as promised. He’d also been given instructions and a crude map for how to rescue the principal. The French doors were the entry point in what appeared to be an unused guest room. He wouldn’t be going out this way though. Hell, no. He’d be going right out the front gate.
Normally he had his M-4 carbine rifle for any mission, but not this one. It was too bulky for the close quarters and likely hand-to-hand combat he’d be facing. He was coming in with his silenced MP5 submachine gun, a KA-BAR knife for up close kills, grenades in case he had a hot exit, and enough Semtex to blow this place to the ground.
This job was too last minute and they didn’t have enough intel. Less than twenty-four hours ago he’d been at Camp Pendleton, debriefing his commander on his most recent mission and dreaming about a cold beer when two men in black suits—like a fucking cliché—walked in and ordered him out. Barely a half hour later he was gearing up again and headed out on an unmarked cargo plane to a vague destination with a team of guys just as in the dark as he was about the mission.
His commander had demanded he be on point for this since he had more experience and more kills. Now he was about to put his skills to good use.
Scanning the plush room, he made his way to the far door. First, he placed a small brick of explosive under one of the dressers, pushing it up against a wall. It was undetectable to the eye in case anyone peeked in the room in the next few minutes. Once it was in place, he paused at the door and listened intently before slowly pulling it open.
One of his sidearms drawn, he swept out into the hall. Empty. His rubber-soled boots were silent as he hurried down the hall, mindful of the damn video cameras.
Even though they were turned off, their presence made him feel like he had a bull’s-eye on his forehead. At the designated door he found the keypad entry system just as he’d been told. Levi typed in the code he’d memorized, wincing at the soft beeps each press of a button made. The door opened with a barely discernible click. The CIA must have a seriously deep mole in Jimenez’s organization for this kind of intel.
His boots were silent as he descended the flight of stairs. According to his information there might or might not be a guard waiting. He slung his MP5 over his shoulder, then pulled out his KA-BAR as he reached the bottom stair.
The stairs opened up into another hallway with three doors. A guard was leaning against the wall next to the middle door—where Levi needed entrance—looking at his cell phone. Probably texting.
Without pause Levi hauled back and threw the blade at the man. It hit its mark, sinking into his throat.
Eyes wide, the guard’s phone fell from his fingers, clattering against the wooden floor as he reached up for his neck, making choking sounds. Before the man’s knees had even hit the ground, Levi had closed the distance between them. He withdrew the blade, then cut the man’s throat. Quick and efficient. Unfortunately there was a shitload of blood.
Shoving the body to the side, he easily picked the lock. Adrenaline pumping, he withdrew one of his backup pistols. The back of his neck was tingling, his gut telling him the shit was about to hit the fan.
His instinct was never wrong.
Pushing out a slow breath, he eased the door open, weapon at the ready.
There was only one piece of furniture in the small room: a twin bed. A slim, hooded female was lying on her side on it. Her arms were bound in front of her with flex cuffs and she wore thin shorts and a tank top. Her breathing kicked up the slightest notch when he stepped into the room, so he knew she wasn’t asleep, but she also wasn’t calling attention to herself. Smart. She was tall and thin but he couldn’t tell if she was the teenager or not. She was a little more developed than he expected a te
enager to be. Still, even if she wasn’t part of the mission he wasn’t leaving any woman here like this. He didn’t have the operational latitude to make that kind of decision but if the CIA didn’t like it, they could suck his dick. No one was getting left behind tonight and if he had to improvise, so be it.
“Scorpion?” he whispered, the only code word he had to give her.
At that she jolted upright. “Yes.” Her voice was raspy beneath the hood, as if she hadn’t used it lately.
There was a metallic collar around her neck, holding the hood in place. “I’m going to cut your hands free, so don’t move,” he whispered, moving to kneel in front of her. “Is the collar rigged?”
“No, but it’s impossible to take it off without tools. I can see well enough anyway. We need to leave,” she whispered as he sliced through the cuffs, her body shaking with tension.
“Do I need to carry you or can you really see with that thing?” It was a mesh material that looked breathable, just uncomfortable.
“I can see your face paint,” she said, standing. She reached out and touched his paint-covered cheek. She still sounded hoarse. He wondered if her throat had been injured but didn’t ask. First he needed to get her to safety.
He was surprised she’d touched him, but didn’t pull away. Poor kid, he hated imagining what she must have been through. He tapped his earpiece. “Scorpion acquired. Everyone in position?”
Once he received affirmations from the team, he pulled out another small explosive and placed it in a corner of the room. Then he nodded toward the door. “Your guard is dead. I’m going to carry you over him so you don’t step in blood.” There weren’t any shoes or clothes in the room, so she’d be leaving like this. “Whatever I say, you do it. Don’t question me and we’ll get out of here alive. Understood?”
“Yes. Can I have one of your guns?”
She surprised him again by the question but considering how scared she had to be, he figured she wanted a way to protect herself. “You won’t need it.” Without waiting for a response, he lifted her into his arms and hurried toward the door. He hadn’t heard anything, but he scanned the hallway before stepping over the body and back toward the stairs. At the foot of the stairs he placed her on her feet and glanced at his watch even though his internal clock told him how much time had passed since his infiltration. Keeping his voice low, he said, “We’ve got eleven minutes to get to the garage unseen. After that, we’re going to come under heavy fire, but that’s okay because we’ve got backup. You’re going to stay down and out of range. No matter what happens, you keep your head down. If something happens to me, my team will get you out of here.”
