Lexi Blake - Dungeon Royale

His vision blurred as he fell forward. His gun bit into the muscles of his gut. He could already feel the blood pooling.

He was right back there again with blood and death all around him. The first time he nearly died, vengeance had kept him alive.

The vision he had this time was quite different.

“I told you. If I can’t have you, no one can.” Baz kicked him hard, rolling him over.

One chance. His whole body shook but he had one last thing to do. He forced his finger to pull the trigger.

Baz stared down at him as red splashed across his belly. A dumb look came over his eyes and he started to aim again.

Another crash hit Damon’s ears and a hole was suddenly where Baz’s heart should have been.

His greatest enemy was dead and the only reason Damon cared at all was because Penelope would be safe.

He let his hand fall to the side, staring up at that brilliant sky. So blue. Like Penelope’s eyes.

“No you don’t, you bastard.” Taggart shoved his gun into the holster, and Damon groaned in pain as Taggart hauled him up. “You hold on, you son of a bitch, because I can’t take this slow. They’re coming up on us fast. Do you have the package?”

“In my pocket,” he managed. “Do you trust Ten?”

Someone was shouting behind them in German. The police had arrived, and they seemed to be after Taggart.

The man didn’t hesitate. Even with Damon’s weight, Taggart sprinted. “It’s going to be fine.”

And Damon endured. Pain wracked his system, but he held on.

Damon forced his head up. They were clear of the memorial and the large buildings that surrounded it. He could see the police running, but they were losing ground.

“Damon!” Penelope’s voice rang out.

Damon suddenly found himself in the cool of a building.

“Motherfucker’s heavy.” Taggart eased him onto what felt like a couch. “He took at least two. We need to dig them out.”

A warm hand was suddenly in his, and Penelope’s face loomed in his vision.

“Damn it. I thought y’all were going to avoid an international incident,” a man with a slow Southern accent said. “I’ll go try to find a doctor. I swear if you two hadn’t managed to bring in the package, there would likely be hell to pay.”

Damon’s brain was muddled. There were so many faces around him. “The package…”

He had the package. Something about the package.

Tennessee Smith looked straight down at him, his face deeply serious. “Your girl brought it to me. Well, she gave it to Jake who brought it to me. I gave it to the head of the Agency who came here himself, you understand? That’s how important it was. We’re grateful, of course.”

Ten stared down at him, his eyes saying everything he couldn’t because they were all being watched. Damon understood that much. Don’t give it away. Keep your mouth shut.

“Of course.”

Ten nodded. “I’ll be back with a doc, and we’ll see what we can do to smooth things over with the Germans.”

“I think you’ll find Walter Bennett is dead in the square.” They had a shot at Bennett having a life if Ten would just go along.

Ten frowned, his voice going low. “Really? That’s the way we’re going? Tag, get Miles on it and fast because they’ll be looking. I’d tell you to use Chelsea, but she’s still asleep.”

“Everyone all right?” God, he didn’t know what happened. Pain was wracking his system, but he wanted to know what happened to his team.

Penelope was crying, her tears hitting his chest. “Everyone’s fine. Stop worrying about that.” She turned to Ten. “He needs a doctor. He needs to go to hospital.”

She was so pretty when she cried. He held her hand. The last thing he felt as the darkness took him was Taggart pulling the actual package free.

He would destroy it. Damon had no doubt. He knew he should. He’d never trusted anyone. Another thing Penelope had given him. Taggart would take care of things.

Damn, but it was bloody good to have friends. The darkness took him again.

London, England

One week later

Penelope threaded her hands together as she took her seat in Nigel’s office. “You asked to see me?”

Nigel stared at her across the desk. “Yes, I did. I need to understand what happened in Germany.”

She managed not to wince. She’d been dreading this meeting ever since they’d made it home to London. They were all back at The Garden, recuperating. The McKay-Taggart team had only left a day before. “You read my report.”

Nigel nodded shortly, his hand touching a folder on his desk. “Your report was almost word for word the same as Agent Knight’s.”

“It’s the truth.” Well, the truth as she more or less knew it.

“Miss Cash, are you aware of what was on the thumb drive Jacob Dean handed over to the CIA? We were told that you gave it to him. According to his report, you took the drive off Knight and brought it to him.” Nigel’s eyes narrowed.

This was where things got sketchy. Once everything had gone to hell, Jacob had opted to improvise. The moment he’d seen her, he’d caught her in his arms and told her what they were doing. Damon was coming in with the police at his back. There might not be time to change the drives. She’d looked over his shoulder and several men in suits had been watching them. She’d nodded and pretended to put something in Jake’s hands. He’d turned and introduced her to the bloody director of the CIA, who only cared about one thing—that thumb drive and the information he thought was on it. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure how much Nigel knew. “Well, I obviously didn’t have time to boot up a computer and check it out. I simply did what I was told.”

No lies there.

“It was the complete works of some American author named Steve Berry. He writes thrillers about a former secret agent who saves the world on a regular basis. There was a note. It basically said this is what happens when the wrong people get the right information.”

She winced a little. They could have been a bit more subtle. “That doesn’t seem right.”

A smile suddenly broke over Nigel’s face. “Oh, I think it seems exactly right.” He laughed and leaned back in his chair. “If anyone asks, I gave you a stern talking to. You’re terrified and properly chastened.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Absolutely, sir.”

He frowned a bit. “My agents aren’t soldiers, Miss Cash. They aren’t simply around to follow orders. Oh, I know the higher-ups would love to believe so, but the people who run the world, well, most of them don’t have to live in it. It’s a sad fact of our lives. Whatever Damon did out there, I’ll back him because it was for the best. There is some knowledge that should never see the light of day, that shouldn’t be trusted to any government no matter how friendly. For now, the story is that Bennett was trying to sell something he didn’t actually have. The records have all been changed and even Agro is going along with it. They don’t want the bad publicity any more than we do. As far as anyone knows, Basil Champion was Walter Bennett and the matter is closed. I identified Bennett’s body myself. The Germans and the Americans both believe Bennett is dead. Mr. Smith and I have decided to keep our mouths shut about anything we know or suspect we know. Do you have any idea where the real Bennett is?”

Somewhere in Australia, last she’d heard. Brody had called in to let them know Bennett was safe and they were both looking for new jobs. Ian Taggart had immediately groaned and said something about more strays.

“I think we don’t have to worry about him anymore. I believe Mr. Taggart has a plan on how to keep him in the fold, so to speak.” She leaned forward. “Is it true that Candice was killed in a car accident?”

The German police reports stated that she’d attempted to evade them and driven recklessly, plowing the van into an oncoming vehicle. Though she’d turned out to be a traitor, Penny still regretted her death.

“Yes, I’m afraid that’s true as well. Her boyfriend has been brought in for questioning in relation to the incident. I don’t think we have to worry about him. The chap urinated on himself.” Nigel shuddered a bit. “On to happier things—how is Damon recovering?”

He was a bear, her Master. He was cranky and crabby and gloriously alive. “He’s doing well.” She forced a smile on her face. “He should be ready to work again very soon.”

It was the one thing about her future she didn’t like to think about.

“As to that, Mr. Knight’s health is exactly why I called you in,” Nigel said. “I told you I wanted a report on his fitness for duty. You haven’t sent it yet.”

Because she didn’t want to. Because she wanted him safe. Because she couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. And yet, she couldn’t betray him. “I will have it on your desk in the morning.”

“And what will it say?”

She took a deep breath. She’d made her decision about this a long time ago. “That Agent Knight is ready for fieldwork.”

“Oh, darling, that is such a lie,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

She turned and Damon stood in the doorway, looking gorgeous and polished in his tailored suit. He didn’t look like a man who had almost died. He looked every inch the seductive, deadly agent. “Damon?”

His lips curled up. “I followed you, love. I couldn’t let you do this alone. And as for her report to you, Nigel, she’s going to tell you the truth.”

Nigel smiled slightly. “And what is that?”

“I’m utterly unfit for service, sir. My lungs were damaged, my heart as well. I shouldn’t ever run past a moderate jog, and I tend to lose consciousness when my heart rate gets too high. The lucky thing is I’m perfectly fit in bed.”

“Damon!” He didn’t have to mention that.

“Well, you seem ready to send me into the field, but you treat me like an invalid when we’re in bed together. She’s held me off for days.” He sank into the seat beside her. “It has to stop. It’s all madness.”

Nigel didn’t bother to cover his laugh. “Well, should I get a desk ready for you?”

Damon shuddered. “Absolutely not. I’ll have my resignation to you as soon as possible. Nigel, I can’t thank you enough. You’ve been damn good to me over the years. I intend to give you a slight discount on my services in the future. I’m opening the London office of McKay-Taggart.”

That was news to her. “I thought he wanted you in New York.”

“I told him to bite my arse,” Damon said with an arrogant grin. “It was London or I’d compete against him. He made the right call, although he’s tough when he’s bargaining. We already have our first two employees. I hope you can translate Australian.”

Brody and Walter. It looked like Walt was going to work his second life to its fullest. She smiled. “I think I can manage it.”

He was quitting. He would never be completely safe, but if he was running the office, he could mitigate the risks. Tears sparked in her eyes.

He was hers.

“Nige? Could we have a minute alone?” Damon asked.

Her boss rolled his eyes but stood. “I suppose so. I’m losing Penelope, as well, I suspect. Good luck to you both. And I’ll expect a twenty-percent discount, damn it. Contractors.”

The door closed behind him.

“I’m not giving him more than fifteen,” Damon said. “I love you, Penelope.”

He said it all the time now. He didn’t hesitate. Neither did she. “I love you, too. Oh, Damon, do you think you can be happy?”

He took her hand in his, warmth spreading across her skin. “Do you know I’ve almost died twice?”

Oh, she would never forget that. “Yes.”

“What they say is true. Your life passes before you, except the second time, it wasn’t the life I’d lived that passed in front of me. It was the one I could have. It was a life with you. I saw what we could have, Penelope. We could have a home and children and a right brilliant old age. We could have love. I want that life. I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

He got to one knee and she gasped. She’d expected him to ask her to live with him. She’d known he would want her to take his collar.

She hadn’t expected this.

He pulled out a ring. “This is all I have left of my mum. My granddad gave it to me before he died. I used to hide it in my socks. Even at boarding school, I kept it close. I was so afraid of losing it.” He pressed it into her palm. “It’s yours. Even if you tell me no, it’s yours. This ring belonged to the only other woman who ever loved me, and I want to give it to you.”