Big Guns Out of Uniform by Nicole Camden Read Free Book Online Page A

made certain this place was safe from any intruders.”
    Marianne sighed as she lay in the shelter of his arms.
    Kyle ran his hand over her soft skin as he savored the feel of her breath on his naked skin. He’d always loved the sensation of feminine flesh against his, but never more than he did at this moment.
    How strange that he’d been honest with her, when he’d never told any woman before what he really did for a living. BAD had been set up as a covert, ghost agency. The government, even those who had commissioned their bureau, denied all knowledge of its existence.
    The BAD agents answered directly to Joe, who only answered to the president, and not even the president would acknowledge their mandate. Each and every member of BAD was an orphan who had been recruited to lie, steal, cheat, and/or die or kill for their country. Whatever it took to secure their objective, they would do without anything as cumbersome as morals or ethics getting in their way.
    They were the modern-day Spartans who either returned with their shield or upon it.
    There was no such thing as family for them. The agency was the family.
    In this world they only had each other, and up until now that had been fine with Kyle. But his last bout with terrorists that had almost cost him his life had got him to thinking….
    He had been trained zealously to guard his country. But what was he really fighting for?
    It wasn’t until Marianne smiled up at him that he’d remembered.
    He fought for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.
    â€œKyle?” Marianne paused as she traced one of the smaller scars along his ribs. “What is this from?”
    He glanced at it and the two similar ones below it. “A bullet.”
    Marianne frowned at his words. From the sincerity of his eyes, she could tell he was being truthful. “It looks recent.”
    â€œAbout a month ago.”
    Her jaw went slack. “And these?”
    â€œSame.”
    She leaned up to study his chest. Now that she was closer, she saw even more of them, and no, they weren’t makeup. The scars were real. “How many times have you been shot?”
    â€œWhat are you asking? How many total bullet wounds or how many times has someone shot me up?”
    There was a difference? She was aghast at his nonchalance. “Both.”
    He actually had to pause to think. “I’ve had a total of twenty-two bullet holes. Though we’re still debating one of them. The doc said she thought it was a bullet that passed clean through, but I think the wound was caused by some shrapnel that hit me when the grenade went off. As for assholes who’ve taken shots at me, I’m at the unlucky thirteen mark.”
    Marianne’s jaw opened even more. “Are you serious?”
    He nodded, then turned his head and showed her a scar behind his ear.
    â€œThat was the first one,” he said, placing his finger over the small round scar. “I was only seventeen and it was a drive-by from a rival gang. They took out my best friend Angelo as we came out of his house, headed for a movie. I got caught in the cross fire.” He shook his head. “It’s what got me out of the gang and made me want to do something with my life other than be target practice. Little did I know it would lead me into a field where drive-bys are even more likely than they were in New York.”
    She didn’t know what to say. Part of her believed him and part of her found it hard to swallow. It was too close to what she would expect from a Rachel Fire hero and too alien to the sheltered world she’d known growing up.
    She couldn’t imagine being shot.
    â€œYou really, truly—swear to the Lord above—are a federal agent?”
    He made an X over the center of his chest. “Cross my heart. And hope not to die on my next mission.”
    She sat back on her heels. “How long have you been an agent?”
    â€œThe last two