You Only Love Twice by Lexi Blake Page A

cooked. I think he did that tenderloin bruschetta thing. I swear I gain a
pound just walking into the man’s house. I’m so glad you took Phoebe out of bondage
for the party. You can do the questioning thing after Eve opens the presents.
Oh, and I happen to know Li here plans on spiking the punch. A little whiskey
might make the whole interrogation easier.”
    “Get the kids and take cover.” He didn’t have time for
explanations.
    Li went from relaxed to predatory in an instant. “Avery, get
the women and the kids into the back room. Now, love.”
    She took off running.
    “How long do we have?” Li asked.
    “Three minutes at most. They’re coming from the roof.” Jesse
hurried after Li.
    “What the fuck is going on? Erin!” Li jogged down the hall.
    Erin’s office door opened. “What?” She frowned Phoebe’s way.
“What the hell is she still doing here? Don’t we have a shallow grave for her
or something? I thought she’d be fertilizing Big Tag’s trees by now.”
    Phoebe ignored her. “You have to let me go. He won’t play
around.”
    “Who?” His arms tightened around her. “Tell me who the hell
is about to burst in those doors, Phoebe.”
    “You have to let me go.”
    But he didn’t. He had zero intention of allowing her to go
anywhere until he had his answers. He sure as fuck wasn’t giving her up to some
Agency search and rescue that didn’t even have the damn authority to work on US
soil. No way, no how.
    “Erin, can you lock her in?” Erin’s office was the closest.
He would prefer to tie her up, but it looked like their time was about to be up
and he needed to be able to fight.
    “Of course. Throw the princess in there. I promise she’ll
have nowhere to go,” Erin said, opening the door wide.
    “Don’t do this, Jesse. Please let me talk to him.” Phoebe
was starting to struggle. He hated leaving her. It was obvious she needed rest
and food, and the desire to provide for her was riding him hard, but he
couldn’t do a damn thing if they took her away.
    He set her down on the couch and walked away, locking the
door behind him.
    “What the fuck is going on?” Li asked.
    “I think the Agency is about to attack the office,” Jesse
explained.
    Li’s jaw dropped. “The bloody Agency? Are you telling me
that a Special Forces unit working for the CIA is about to walk into the
office?”
    “I’m afraid they aren’t going to walk in. I think they’re
going to try to take Phoebe without giving themselves away, and I won’t let it
happen.” He pulled his SIG from his holster.
    Erin shook her head. “Dude, we can’t attack an American
military unit.”
    “I’m not attacking. I’m defending.” They didn’t get to walk
into his home and take his shit. And yes, Phoebe would likely protest that she
wasn’t his shit, but she didn’t get a say-so. Until he was satisfied and done
with her, she belonged to him. Then the fucking Agency could do what they
wanted to him.
    “Get the doors locked,” he yelled. It might buy them some
time.
    Li started to move for the office doors just as someone
kicked them open.
    Damn it. They hadn’t even had time to lock the doors.
    He caught a glimpse of a group of black clad men and then
watched as a familiar looking cylinder rolled into the office.
    “Bloody fucking hell!” Li yelled as the flashbang rolled in.
He pivoted on his heels and leapt toward Erin.
    Jesse turned as fast as he could as the world blasted with
smoke. He protected his eyes before the flare flashed, but his ears rang.
    In the distance, he could sense men moving in. He managed to
stay on his feet, managed to keep moving. It wasn’t the first time he’d been
hit with one of those fuckers.
    He turned briefly and there was already fighting. Li was on
the ground, having taken the full brunt of the flashbang by covering Erin’s
body with his own. She was already on her feet, kicking out against a man who
moved into the room.
    He caught sight of eight men moving in, their