"With all due respect sir, adding a new member to this team will only slow us down." "On the contrary, if anything your team will slow her down." *** She's the ghost story you tell around a camp fire. The monster that hides in your closet. The nightmare that wakes you from your sleep. She's the definition of the word 'deadly'. She never smiles, never shows any emotion other than a blank stare. Unless, she's pissed, then it shows. She doesn't trust any of the other agents, only the chief. She doesn't play nice with others. She's a solo agent, always works alone, but that's about to change. Respect her and she'll take a bullet for you. Mistreat her and she'll put a bullet in you...if you're lucky. She's Agent 13... ***Book 1***
To all you rereaders, you need not spoil anything. Please try to refrain from mentioning anything that happens later in this book or in any of the next ones. Please don't spoil things for the other readers.
Thank-you and Enjoy!
Zero's POV
"Sir if I may speak to you about your decision."
"The decision has already been made Agent 53 there is nothing to discuss." I address him calmly.
"Agent 13 is hardly-"
"My decision is final and that is that."
"She's wild, she's reckless, her tactics are, are barbaric!"
"She gets the job done."
"She's a loose cannon."
"She's also, the best agent we've ever had."
"I understand that, really I do, " he responds "but do you really believe this is a good idea? Throwing her into a team of agents? She hasn't worked with anyone in over two years. You of all people know how she can get with other agents, she doesn't trust them, and throwing her into a group of complete strangers is not going to end well. Somebody's going to get hurt and it's not going to be her!"
"I am aware."
"Then why not just send her on the mission alone? You said so yourself she gets the job done."
I say nothing in reply as I hand him the mission file, giving him time to read over it before speaking again.
"Normally, yes I would send her on this mission alone but as you pointed out, I do know her, and I know how she can get. She is the only one capable of completing this mission but I'm not going to risk sending her on it alone. I need other agents to keep an eye on her and report back if she begins taking things too far. She knows these people better than anyone, regretfully, and she can help the team just as much as they can help her. Who knows this might just be the chance to get her back on a team, permanently."
"You know she'll never agree to this." He responds, glancing up from the file.
"Actually, she already has."
Cody's POV
I slam my fist into the punching bag yet again and watch as it shakes and protests against the chains.
"Hit that thing any harder and you'll break it."
I turn to face a smirking Devin leaning on the wall across from me.
"Like I care." I retort. He opens his mouth to make a smart arse reply but is cut off as Chase walks up.
"Devin quit bothering Cody."
"Me!?" shouts Devin "I didn't even do anything!"
"Yet" Jason interjects as he sits down on the benches. I shoot Devin a smug look causing him to curse under his breath and flip me the bird.
"That's enough" Chase snaps.
"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Mumbles Jason earning snickers from me and Devin as well as a glare from Chase. He holds his hands up in surrender.
"Just saying" he states as Chase continues to glare. Suddenly the PA speakers blast to life.
"Delta team 2 please report to chief Zero's office for mission briefing."
"The chief's office?" Jason questions
"It must be pretty important if he wants to speak to us directly." Chase muses. Though what he said makes sense. The chief never calls field agents to his office unless it's important. He usually just has another high ranking agent brief us on our missions.
"Well let me be the first to say...Let's not piss him off and stand around all day!" Devin shouts before turning and booking it out of here. Devin has a...interesting personality...we think he's bipolar, he disagrees.
We follow out of the training room, just not as quickly, proceeding to walk through a series of hallways and rooms, occasionally bumping into other agents. We finally make it to the door labeled, Zero, only to see Devin waiting outside.
"What took you so long?" he demands, we...ignore him.
Chase knocks politely on the door and steps aside as it is opened by Agent 53.
"Sir." Chase addresses him politely. He nods back in response before stepping to the side and motioning for us to enter. The chief is a man in his early forties with light brown hair and matching brown eyes. He sat at his desk wearing a black suit and matching bow tie.
"Sit" he commands motioning with his hand at the four empty chairs resting in front of his desk.
"Leave us" he orders Agent 53, who turns and leaves, shutting the door silently behind him. We all turn our full attention to him as he hands us each a copy of the same file.
"The target is Tony Martin, he's a drug lord who recently happened to get his hands on some of our tech." I raise my eyebrows, somebody give the guy a gold medal.
"How?" Devin asks.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you." I stare at him dumbstruck. We need any and all information we can get.
"Why?" I question, my tone coming out slightly accusing. He turns his icy glare to me.
"It is being taken care of." His voice deadly calm. "I expect you all to be packed within the next hour and waiting at the airfield. Further information as well as instructions will be given on the flight, you are dismissed."
Jason's the first to stand and start towards the door with the rest of us in tow.
"Oh I almost forgot." Zero's voice stopped us in our tracks. "There will be another agent joining you on this mission."
"Excuse me?!" I all but shout. There was no way in hell I was going to let that happen. We had worked together from the beginning and I'll be damned if I was going to allow another agent to join without a fight.
"You heard me." He starts calmly, "She's in need of a new team, and quite frankly no other team is as, well...capable of dealing with her."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Asks Devin.
"It means, she refused to work with any other team." Zero responds calmly though I swear I see his lip twitch in the tiniest bit as if he's enjoying our little freak out. "But also no other team is as fit to handle her and her, temper." A groan escapes my lips before I can stop it. Just great a girl with attitude problems, that's exactly what we need on our team. Note sarcasm.
"She would only be on your team for this mission unless she'd be willing as well as the rest of you of course, to stay on your team for good." Two words old man, HELL NO!
"With all due respect sir, adding a new member to this team will only slow us down." Chase responds, finally speaking up.
"On the contrary, if anything your team will slow her down." He smiles at us in way that makes me uneasy. What does he know that we don't?
***
"What does he mean we'll slow her down?" I ask as I angrily shove yet another shirt into the already full suitcase resting on my bed. "We are the best agents this agency has ever had and he thinks we need another member, uh no thanks." I growl out.
"Hey we're all pissed about it but taking it out on your suitcase isn't going to solve anything."
"Never thought I'd say this but Devin's right Cody, just calm down." Replies Chase.
"Alright, alright" Jason interrupts, "I am the only one thinking about the actual agent or are we all too busy moping over the fact we got stuck with not only another agent but a girl at that?"
"What are you on about?" I snap back at him.
"Did none of you even realize he didn't give us a name or number? I mean I'm a little curious as to who she is. After all she'd have to be a good agent or he wouldn't have assigned her to our team."
"I have never met, seen, or heard of any agent what-so-ever that is as good as any one of us." I retort.
"What about Agent 13?" Devin questions quietly.
"Oh please, we all know Zero made that one up. He just wanted other agents to become more motivated to get better. Agent 13 is a myth, a damn ghost story." Chase comments, his tone one of annoyance.
"Besides, " Jason chimes in, "Zero doesn't allow solo agents anyway. You have to be on a team no matter what."
"Which means she just lost her team." All eyes turn to Devin, "Think about, " he continues "If she's joining our team, that means she doesn't have one, and you can't join another team unless your previous one is...gone."
"Great we're going to have a broken, unstable, emotional, lost freaking puppy looking for a new home." I grumble in annoyance, but what Devin said makes sense and it is true, there is no switching or joining another team unless yours is, well extinct.
Chase was right to begin with, she is only going to slow us down. Well I hope she can hold her own in a fight cause first chance I get I'm leaving her on the enemy's door step...she'd make a good distraction...and if she ended up getting herself killed well, all our problems would be solved. No one comments back on my statement though I have a feeling they're thinking the same thing.
I grab four more shirts from the closet stuff them, more gently this time, into my suitcase and zip it shut.
"Everybody ready?" Chase asks us, as he too zips his suitcase closed.
"Yep"
"Yeah"
"Sure?"
"Then let's go." Chase leads the way this time as we walk yet again through the complicated series of hallways, each of with a suitcase in hand and a backpack on. We step through a set of bulletproof glass doors and into the massive air hanger which holds six jets, nine airplanes, thirty-two war planes, and twenty-six small drones. Its large doors were open which gave us a view of the long air strip and the jet waiting just outside the doors.
"Delta 2" Zero addresses us
"Chief Zero" responds Chase politely. I roll my eyes.
"Agent 76 will take your bags for you." he gestures to the man in his late twenties standing on his right. He motions for us to follow him as he walks towards the jet.
"Where's the girl?" Jason whispers to me.
"Probably still trying to get all her heels and hair products to fit in her suitcase." I snicker in response to which he just laughs quietly.
"Agent 91 will accompany you on your flight and finish briefing you on your mission." Zero says just as we reach the metal set of stairs leading into the jet. The soft thudding of footsteps brings everyone's attention to the girl around nineteen descending the staircase.
She's wearing no make-up, black combat boots, tight fitting black jeans, and a black v-neck shirt that hugs her body nicely. Her straight black hair is pulled up into a high ponytail, swaying with every step she takes. She stands at around 5'7, her hazel shifting back and forth between all of us like a wild animal on the hunt.
"We're ready on this end." She says to Zero, completely ignoring us.
"Good." He replies, "Gentlemen I would like to introduce your new team member-"
"Temporarily"
"As well as your pilot." Zero continues, as he ignores her interruption.
"She got a name?" Chase asks, his tone showing complete boredom.
"She is right here." Her voice drenched in venom. Zero ignores all of us as he continues to speak.
"Ye-" he starts, only to be interrupted by none other than the wicked witch herself. Her answer leaving us in shock as one word or rather number escapes her lips.
"Thirteen."
"What makes you think we can trust this Agent 1 guy?" "I-uh, I knew him before he was an agent...he's trustworthy...to an extent." "And I already told you I corrupted him. It's all good." "We're all going to die." *** Devin's hurt. Jason's missing. Lily's alive. The team finally has what they need to take down Garrett...but now they're short one agent. Lily can fill in for Jason but they still can't count on Devin till he's completely healed. So they decide to rely on a new ally...or maybe just an old enemy. When they need help who better to turn to than a new agent? As Lily's pointed out before, new agents are always easy to corrupt... But Agent 1 never really needed to be corrupted to begin with...this isn't going to end well. ***Book 3***
"She was my best friend. Someone I trusted far more than anyone else." "What was she like?" "She was worse than Devin if you can believe that." *** When the team goes on the hunt for Agent 77, aka Garrett, they discover some key information in finding him...Only one problem, the last person who had it was Agent 57. While they retrace her last steps, they run into Eliane, a civilian who gets caught in the cross fire. When they are put in charge of protecting her till the mission's over, they learn exactly how much Thirteen hates other girls. But when Eliane starts getting closer and closer to Cody, Thirteen begins to revert back to her cold self. While Chase and Devin blame it on jealousy, Jason tries to look at it more closely, coming to the conclusion that while Thirteen seems to not be able to stand this Eliane girl, there is something more to it that's fueling her anger. While Thirteen struggles to prove that there's more to Elaine than they can see, she gets a blast from the past. Thirteen's a closed off and secretive person, so how will the team react when they find out exactly how open she can be around the right people? And what will they do when they have some questions that only she can answer? Thirteen's always known more about the case than she's let on. But when she refuses to answer their questions they need find some one who can. Unfortunately the only other person with answers, is Garrett... ***Book 2***
Madison had always believed that she would marry Colten. She spent her youth admiring him from afar, dreaming of their future life together. But Colten was always indifferent to her, and when he abandoned her at a time when she needed him most, she finally realized that he never loved her. With renewed resolve and a thirst for revenge, Madison left. Endless possibilities lay ahead, but Colten was no longer part of her plans. Colten rushed to her place in a panic. "Madison, please come back to me. I’ll give you everything!" It was his powerful uncle who answered the door. "She's my woman now."
"You're my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours." Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them. Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman, unlike any he had known. She surprised and delighted him. But will Daisy take him back? Can their son keep them together? Can the rift between them be healed? Pick this one up and find out!
Elin spent twenty years deeply loving her husband, finally marrying him just as she'd always dreamed. But reality shattered her illusions—he wasn't the man she believed. Instead, he callously destroyed her family, crushing her heart beyond repair. At her lowest point, Ruben, equally betrayed that night, approached her steadily. "Marry me, Elin. I'll help you take revenge." Yet, after their wedding, she quickly discovered he was dangerously unpredictable. "I made a mistake. Let's divorce..." Ruben slid his arm possessively around her waist, whispering a chilling promise, "Only in death."
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.