Night Shade Read online

  Matt set the wheels in motion, utilizing the members of his team to the best of their abilities. It had been a long night filled with danger and combat. It looked like it would be an even longer day spent tracking down tangos and paper trails. Thank goodness he had a strong team that could handle all facets of this mission. They’d just gotten a lot closer to their goal of shutting down the bastards who were attempting to sell the zombie contagion technology to the highest bidder.

  It would be a good day—no matter how exhausted he was.

  “Admiral Chester was apprehended on the tarmac as he attempted to board a charter flight out of Dulles,” Eileen reported. She’d taken over on comms that morning to interface with the MPs that had been ordered to catch Chester if at all possible.

  Damn, it was good to see her. It had only been a few hours, but he needed his Eileen fix in the worst possible way. Even with everything that was going on, he needed a minute just to touch her hand and smile.

  “How are you doing, sweetheart?”

  “I’m tired, but otherwise okay. There’s too much going on to sleep now.” Her bright eyes filled with enthusiasm, reminding him of why he’d come down here. “I figure when this is all over, I might hibernate for a month or two to catch up on all the sleep I’m losing, but it’s a small price to pay.”

  The communications console was set up in what Matt had come to think of as the War Room in their new building. It was the large, open office area that led to his new private office. He had assigned positions around the big, open space to every member of the noncombat portions of the team and had state-of-the-art equipment installed.

  The communications console had been the first thing up and running. The monitoring station for all the sensors they’d installed around the base perimeter was located here, too. All information needed by the team filtered through this room, and the boards were always manned, which made it one of the safest places in the new headquarters. A good place for Eileen while he went out to take care of business.

  She was probably out of danger now that Rodriguez had been captured, but he wasn’t taking any more chances with her safety. She was his now. She’d agreed to be his wife. That was something special. He wouldn’t let her come to harm, not while he lived. She would just have to get used to his overprotective nature. He figured they had the next forty years or so to work on that. Thank God.

  “So where is Chester now?” he asked, trying to focus on the task at hand.

  “The MPs in Washington put him on a plane bound for Fort Bragg. He’ll be arriving shortly. Some of our guys are going out to meet the plane and escort him back here.”

  “Perfect.” Matt felt an immense sense of satisfaction. At least they’d managed to get Chester. That was a coup in Matt’s book. Now they had to build the case that would sink him for good. Chester couldn’t be allowed to wriggle out of this one.

  “You haven’t heard the best part yet.” Eileen’s eyes shone with excitement.

  “Tell me,” Matt smiled; her mood was contagious. Or maybe he just felt this happy sensation anytime he was near her. He’d heard love could do that kind of thing, though he’d never experienced it himself before.

  “He had a briefcase full of incriminating documents and a change of clothes in his overnight bag…alongside about a hundred thousand in cash and forged identity papers.”

  Oh, Matt liked the sound of that. Apparently, Chester had made a big part of their case for them. The admiral wouldn’t be going free anytime soon. Not if Matt had anything to say about it.

  Their mission at Fort Bragg was nearing completion. With the capture of Rodriguez, there was a good chance they’d effectively ended the zombie problem that had plagued the base for so long. Of course, the threat still existed of the technology being sold to a foreign power. If Rodriguez was to be believed, there was someone else pulling the strings, orchestrating the show from afar.

  Matt knew he’d have to track that person down and end this once and for all before his mission was complete. They had a lot of investigative work ahead of them to pick up the trail and find the puppeteer who was running this farce, whoever he or she turned out to be. The immediate danger of zombies at Bragg was probably over, which meant they could, and most likely would, relocate to wherever the clues led.

  Matt’s mood was one of immense satisfaction, tinged with renewed conviction. He would track down everyone involved in this sinister plot. He’d taken on this mission and had every intention of seeing it through to the end. Only now, he’d be doing so with Eileen by his side.

  Something he couldn’t have foreseen when he’d first taken on the job, Eileen had become a beautiful complication in his life. One he wouldn’t trade for the world. She completed him in the most basic of ways.

  He grabbed her and hugged her close, laying a kiss on her that held all his joy and triumph. She returned it with love.

  His heart melted all over again. Would he never get enough of this beautiful, sensitive, adventurous woman? She was his match in every way. The perfect mate to his independent spirit. He knew they didn’t have time for more and backed away, letting her go by slow degrees.

  “Have I told you how much I love you today, Eileen?”

  “I believe you just did.” She grinned up at him, her eyes still a little dazed from their kiss.

  He loved that look. He’d keep it on her face at all times, if he had to spend the rest of his life perfecting the skill.

  “Let’s blow this popcorn stand. I want to be alone with you.”

  “Can we do that?” She looked around the room in surprise. “I mean, there’s a lot to do.”

  “Don’t I know it. But I think we can steal a few minutes for ourselves. We deserve it. And hell, I’m the boss. RHIP, sweetheart. Rank, most definitely, has its privileges.”

  He tugged her by the waist, moving her toward the door at the end of the open office area. It led to his new private office. The one with that memorable leather wing chair and the over-stuffed couch.

  She gasped when she realized where he was leading her, but didn’t protest too loudly.

  “Tell me something, doc. Do you make house calls?” He tilted his head and looked speculatively toward the open door to his private domain. “Or in this case, office calls?”

  The grin on her face was all the answer he needed, but she leaned in and kissed him for good measure. She then stepped out of his arms to precede him into the room with a slight sway in her hips that was clear invitation.

  “You know I do, Commander.” The saucy wink she sent him over her shoulder made his heart race in anticipation.

  He followed her into the office and kicked the door closed.

  They had a lot to do, but it could wait. Loving his woman would come first, last, always…and forever.

  *

  Thank you for reading Night Shade. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. The next book in this series is called Shadow Play. A short excerpt follows.

  A complete list of all of my books, separated by series, follows. You can also check out my website at WWW.BIANCADARC.COM. Or you can sign up for my new release list to be alerted when new books are released.

  Excerpt from Shadow Play

  ©2018 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights Reserved.

  Chapter One

  “Got that new pilot coming in today, Em. My friend at Hobby Airport says he’s sharp.” As the head mechanic for Praxis Air and an old family friend, Buddy Hollister treated Emily Parkington more like a daughter than one of the senior pilots and part-owners of the charter airline.

  Buddy was a pilot turned mechanic who was gifted when it came to keeping jets in good working order. He was a key member of the Praxis Air team and Emily thought of him as part of the family.

  “I’m glad to hear it. That last guy was awful. I hate firing people.” She shivered in memory, making Buddy laugh, as she’d intended.

  Opening the refrigerator in the small break room off the main repair hangar in Wichita, she grabbed a co
ld soda and popped the top, drinking deeply. It was hot in the huge building today.

  The outer door opened and a man walked in. She could see him through the large window that separated the break room from the main area of the hangar. The temperature spiked higher as she got her first good look at the new pilot. The guy was smoking hot. Muscles filled out his tall frame to perfection and he had that confident pilot swagger down pat.

  A grin revealed pearly whites as he strode across the room toward the office that was directly next door to the break room.

  “I bet that’s him,” Buddy observed. “You better go rescue him from Sissy.” The old mechanic cackled as he left the break room and headed for his kingdom—the repair bays where he was in charge of maintaining the Praxis Air fleet.

  Sissy was the receptionist. She was divorcing husband number four at the moment and had been chasing all the single pilots and a few of the not-so-single ones too. No doubt she’d have her polished red hooks in the new guy the moment she laid eyes on him. It was only charitable to go save him.

  Emily shook her head in disgust as she pushed through the adjoining door into the small office. There it was. Sissy had her hand on the new guy’s arm as he filled out some forms. A counter separated them but that didn’t stop Sissy the Merciless. Eyelashes batted and giggles abounded as she flirted for all she was worth. It was a little sad, actually.

  God help her if Emily ever got so desperate to catch a man’s attention. Of course, Emily’s love life was nothing to crow about. A never-married workaholic was almost as pathetic to Emily’s way of thinking, so who was she to cast stones?

  Shrugging off her depressing thoughts, she decided to save the new guy before Sissy either scared him off or led him into the broom closet. Emily moved into the room and cleared her throat.

  “Hi. I’m Emily Parkington. You’re Sam Archer, right?” She walked up to the counter and held out her hand.

  The new guy turned and that bright white smile dazed her for a brief moment. Whew. The man was even more potent at close range. Blond, blue eyed, and rugged, he was definitely easy on the eyes. He clasped her hand in his and the warmth of his callused grip made her weak in the knees.

  “Pleased to meet you, Captain Parkington.”

  Oh, she liked the respect in his tone. She didn’t often get that kind of response from the men she worked with. At least not until they knew who she was and that she owned a not-inconsiderable stake in the company. They treated her with more respect once they realized she could hire and fire them.

  “Please, call me Emily.” She remembered to smile as she regained possession of her tingling hand.

  Damn. She was going to have to share a tiny cockpit with this mountain of a man. She’d have to get her inconvenient attraction to him under control.

  “I’m Sam. Good to meet you.”

  “Sissy squared away most of your paperwork yesterday and Buddy said you did great on your check ride.” She looked for a way to get him into the cockpit without making him feel like she was testing him. She was, but she didn’t want him to know it.

  Emily liked to do all the check rides for new pilots personally but every once in a while last minute charters interfered. When that happened, Buddy or one of the other long-time pilot employees filled in, but she still took the new pilots up on their first day to be certain they had the chops.

  “The jet you passed on the way in was released from repair this morning. How about we take her up for a shakedown ride before we tackle the remainder of the paperwork?”

  His charming smile only deepened. “Love to.” He motioned for her to precede him out the door and into the hangar. The man had good manners, she’d give him that.

  “You’ve had some military experience, haven’t you?” A short stint in the Army was listed on his employment application and he definitely gave off the soldier vibe. Most of the guys she flew with who’d been in the service were Air Force or even former naval aviators. She didn’t have much experience with Army guys.

  “I was in for a couple of years,” he agreed. Like many of the ex-military men she worked with, Sam Archer appeared to be a man of few words.

  “I respect that. Thank you for serving.” And she meant it too. She’d always admired those who chose to serve in the military and probably would’ve joined herself, if not for extenuating family circumstances. The death of her mother, for one. Her pesky brother and his Air Force aspirations, for another.

  “My pleasure, ma’am.”

  She could tell he meant it. There was something in his voice that said more than his simple words.

  “You miss it? The Army, I mean.” She looked at him as they walked across the hangar. He was a tall man with long legs and normally she would’ve had to take two steps for every one of his but he was measuring his gait to accommodate her, which was extremely thoughtful.

  One of his eyebrows quirked upward as he returned her gaze. “I loved everything about the service. The adventure. The travel.”

  “The waking up at oh-dark-thirty to exercise in the rain,” she joked. “My brother is in the Air Force. He’s told me a lot about that kind of thing. Or should I say, he’s complained to me about it over and over again.”

  She chuckled at the memory and Sam grinned back at her. Time seemed to stand still as she gazed into his eyes.

  A dropped hammer clattered loudly somewhere on the concrete floor of the hangar, breaking the spell. Wow. She really had to get control of herself around this guy if they were going to be flying together.

  “I never mind physical training. PT is something I’d do anyway—drill sergeant pushing me harder or not.”

  She’d just bet he would. And probably did. The man had to be the most physically fit specimen she’d ever encountered in the flesh. Up close she could see the bulges of his muscles against the cotton of his shirt. When he raised his arms and those giant biceps flexed, she feared for his seams.

  “So be all that you can be isn’t just an ad slogan to you, eh?”

  He joined in her laughter as they approached the jet she was aiming for.

  “I’ve always liked a challenge. The Army gave me that. I think this job will too.” His answer was only the slightest bit cagey.

  She turned to look up at him suspiciously. She was getting mixed feelings about him. Usually a good judge of character, she trusted her instincts on new hires and people she met in her work, but she couldn’t read him well at all. Something about him set her radar off. It could be the all too feminine discomfort of being so close to a devastatingly attractive male. Or it could be something far more sinister. Too many odd things had been going on at Praxis Air of late.

  To read more, get your copy of Shadow Play by Bianca D’Arc.

  About the Author

  Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.

  Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Twitter (@BiancaDArc), Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or through the various links on her website.

  Other Books by Bianca D’Arc

  Paranormal Romance

  Brotherhood of Blood

  One & Only

  Rare Vintage

  Phantom Desires

  Sweeter Than Wine

  Forever Valentine

  Wolf Hills*

  Wolf Quest

  Tales of the Were

  Lords of the Were

  Inferno

  Tales of the Were ~ The Others

  Rocky

  Slade

  Tales of the Were ~ String of Fate

  Cat’s Cradle

  King’s Throne

  J
acob’s Ladder

  Her Warriors

  Tales of the Were ~ Redstone Clan

  The Purrfect Stranger

  Grif

  Red

  Magnus

  Bobcat

  Matt

  Tales of the Were ~ Grizzly Cove

  All About the Bear

  Mating Dance

  Night Shift

  Alpha Bear

  Saving Grace

  Bearliest Catch

  The Bear’s Healing Touch

  The Luck of the Shifters

  Badass Bear

  Loaded for Bear

  Crossroads: Bounty Hunter Bear

  Tales of the Were ~ Were-Fey

  Lone Wolf

  Snow Magic

  Midnight Kiss

  Tales of the Were ~ Howls Romance

  The Jaguar Tycoon

  The Jaguar Bodyguard

  Tales of the Were ~ Lick of Fire

  Phoenix Rising

  Guardians of the Dark

  Simon Says

  Once Bitten

  Smoke on the Water

  Night Shade

  Shadow Play

  Gifts of the Ancients: Warrior’s Heart

  Epic Fantasy Erotic Romance

  Dragon Knights ~ Daughters of the Dragon

  Maiden Flight*

  Border Lair

  The Ice Dragon**

  Prince of Spies***

  Dragon Knights ~ The Novellas

  The Dragon Healer

  Master at Arms

  Wings of Change