[Ryan]

I hate contacts. Every time I blink it feels like gravel in my eyes. Emma claims it’s the price I have to pay to play in the big league, or some other weird saying that makes no sense. She’s already gone back to her dorm to get ready for class. I have to get to work anyway.

I smile as I grab my computer bag and sling it over my shoulder. This has to be one of the best mornings I’ve ever had. A beautiful woman came home with me. While we didn’t have sex, we did have a hell of a lot of fun, both last night and then again in the shower this morning. I can’t wait to see what she plans to show me in her next lesson.

Before I make it to my front door, it opens and in walks Bailey McKoy, followed by three large men. They all stare at me and none of them look happy about it. Oh, shit. Am I about to get jumped?

“What do you want?” I drop my bag to keep my hands free, like that will make a difference. These guys look like they can crush bone with their bare hands.

“Relax.” Bailey walks into the kitchen and helps herself to a cup of coffee. “We’re here to help you.”

“With what?” I force my shoulders steady as one of the men approaches.

“With not making us look bad. All TREX agents should have serious game.” He breaks into a wide grin and grabs my hand, shaking it. “Dude, you need our help.”

“Uh…” I have no idea what’s going on and am in too much of a state of shock to make sense of what he just said. When it clicks, I point out, “I’m not a TREX agent.” I don’t even know what a TREX agent is.

“Yet,” he corrects.

“Jason,” Bailey groans. “Stand down.”

“What?” Jason shrugs and chuckles as he joins her, stealing her cup and sipping at the contents. It doesn’t take an expert in relationships to pick up there’s something between them. They’re standing so close their shoulders touch. She didn’t even protest when he helped himself to her coffee.

“Jackson Banks.” The next man offers his hand. I accept and match the strength of his shake, something my dad taught me. As much as I hate most of the lessons he’s given me in life, that’s one he got right. “You’ve got yourself a strong grip. That’s a good sign.”

“Of what?”

“Of being able to rope cattle or whatever shit he does when he’s not on the clock.” The last man approaches. He’s older than the other two, maybe by ten years or so. The gray in his temples and lines around his eyes only makes him all that more intimidating. “Special Agent in Charge, David Snyder.”

“Are you their boss?” It comes out before I can stop it. Why it matters, I have no idea.

“You bet your ass.”

Jackson growls, “You just love rubbing that in, don’t you, Snyder?”

“You know it. That’s SAC Snyder to you on this mission.” He laughs, deepening the lines on his face, as he nods at Jackson. “He’s from Montana.”

“So are you,” Jackson fires back.

David ignores his jibe and regards me. “Bailey tells me you passed the first test.”

I did? “You mean the tic-tac-toe game?” When David nods, I go on, anxious to understand why I have four strangers in my mod, drinking my coffee and claiming I’ve passed some test. “I wrote that program when I was still in high school. How’d you get your hands on it?”

“Why’d you stop before the next IP?” Bailey counters, taking her coffee back from Jason before leaning forward on the kitchen counter. She doesn’t look away so neither do I.

“It was four in the morning.”

“So?”

“So, I was tired.”

“And the dude had a chick in his bed.” Jason walks out of the kitchen and into the living room. He lifts his hand to high five Jackson, who just looks at him. He then turns to David before dropping his hand.

Bailey rolls her eyes. “You’re such a child.”

He laughs. He reminds me of Brad, the president of my frat. They both have that attitude like every woman is a conquest, and they both say dude a lot. I don’t like Brad. The jury is still out on Jason.

“Have a seat, Ryan.” David nods at one of the stools at the island.

“I have to get to work.” I don’t miss how he calls me by the name Emma gave me just last night and know better than to ask why. Something tells me they know a lot more than they’re letting on.

David lifts his brow. Jesus, that’s one intimidating look. I immediately take a seat. “Thank you. Now, Bailey here tells me you took a girl home last night, a girl you’ve liked for a while.”

I admit nothing. There are two cups in the sink, two plates with two sets of bagel remnants. Bailey was there last night and urged me to go back inside. It isn’t that hard of a logical leap. Still, I refuse to acknowledge it. I don’t want them pulling Emma into whatever this is. I refuse to put her in any type of danger.

“Is she still here?”

“No.” The fact they seem more interested in my love life than whatever these tests are that Bailey keeps referring to has my suspicions edging higher.

“Ten bucks says it stopped at sloppy kissing,” Jackson offers to Jason.

Jason points at him. “Twenty says it moved on to awkward petting.”

After eyeing me, Jackson nods. “You’re on.”

“Hey.” I drop my jaw, insulted yet embarrassed at how easily they hit the nail on the head. Dear God, please don’t let any of them mention the preemie spit up, as Emma refers to it. I close my eyes, just in case.

“Ignore them,” David snaps and stares each of them down. They exchange glances, clearly holding back grins. Assholes. “I only ask about Emma to make sure you’re alone for this.”

Something tells me he already knew that. “For what?”

“The next test.” Bailey’s comment draws my attention. “If you pass, each agent has agreed to let you in on one of their secrets.”

“Secrets to what?” I eye each of them and don’t like the way they’re all smiling back, like they know something I don’t.

“Pass the test and find out.”

“What about you?”

She smiles, sending her cobalt gaze into a glimmer, and repeats, “Pass the test and find out.”

Fine. Whatever it takes to get my stalker and her band of merry men out of my mod so I can get to work. If the next test is anything close to the first, I’ll blow through it faster than the first. I grab my phone and pull up the text with the IP. After setting up my laptop and entering the array at the command prompt, I wait.

And wait. And wait. Finally, the ping times out, telling me the IP doesn’t resolve to an actual address. When I see why, I chuckle. I should have caught that. “You just tried to hack my system.”

She says nothing. Is this part of the test? Not knowing what else to do, I default to what I know—geek talk. “You sent me an external IP, but it didn’t show as incoming when I pinged it. It showed outgoing, which tells me it’s been spoofed. I have my router set up to block anomalies like this so I don’t get hacked. That’s why it didn’t resolve.” When Bailey doesn’t say anything, I glance at the men. They all exchange looks. It’s clear they have no idea what I just said.

I shouldn’t feel bad for beating her test, but I do, for whatever reason. “I’m a computer engineer major. This is kind of my thing.”

Finally, Bailey smiles and nods. She swings her gaze around the room. “I’d say that’s a solid pass.”

“Good,” Jason says before I can process the fact I just passed the second test. I still don’t know what TREX is or why I care about passing any of their tests. “Cuz, dude. I’ve got some seriously awesome advice to offer. Like, seriously.”

“Like, seriously stop talking like you’re from a bad 80s movie.” David glares at him before dismissing him altogether with a quick shake of his head. The senior agent doesn’t care much for Jason. The way David watches over Bailey, like a big brother would protect his little sister, makes me wonder what connection he has to her.

“Moving on,” Bailey sings, redirecting the conversation. Thank God. I thought women were catty. “Congratulations, Ryan. One more test and you’re in.”

“In what?” While I love kicking ass on a test, I’m not willing to take another until I get more information as to why I’m doing any of this. “What’s TREX and why should I want in?”

She looks to David, who gives her a single nod. She closes my laptop and takes a seat next to me. “TREX stands for Tactical Retrieval Experts.”

I process that. “You find things? What, are you like a secret government agency?”

“You already asked me that.”

“And you didn’t answer.”

“Secret, yes. Government, no.”

“We’re privately funded,” David clarifies. He joins us at the kitchen island. I only have two stools, so he stands behind Bailey. “We find anything, and with guaranteed confidentiality.”

“No matter the circumstances,” Jason and Jackson recite in unison as they both take seats on the couch. “No matter the danger.”

“Call on TREX,” the rest join in. “We find what’s been lost.”

It must be the agency’s mission statement. I wait for one of them to go on. When no one speaks up to explain more, I blurt out, “What’s any of this got to do with me?”

“You, along with a select group of your peers, have been chosen to be part of a new internship program within the agency.” Bailey smiles. “We’re looking for the best of the best.”

The best of the best? Me? They have the wrong person. I’m not the best of anything. “I think there’s been some mistake. Maybe you meant to hit up one of my brothers in the main house.”

“Do you think any of those meatheads would have known how to block a potential hack? Deltas aren’t exactly known for their smarts.”

“Hey!” Jason shoots to his feet. “I was a Delta.”

“Way to prove her point.” David rolls his eyes. Jason sinks to the couch, a scowl on his face. Yep, David really doesn’t like that guy. Bailey glares, irritated by David’s comment.

“Do you have to be so mean?” She narrows in on him.

“Until he stops making you cry,” he counters without missing a beat. “Yes, I do.”

“Dude, that was like forever ago.”

“Call me dude one more time.” David faces him in challenge. Jason stands and puffs out his chest, challenging him right back.

“Stand down, Snyder.” Bailey jumps between them. “You too, Bowman. I’m not about to let you guys go at it again.” She returns her glare to David. “You could have killed him last time.”

“But I didn’t,” he growls. “You’re welcome.”

That surprises me. Jason clearly has the advantage. He’s bigger and has age on his side. How’d David get the upper hand? I want to know but am not about to ask. I steal a glance at Jackson, who’s cleaning his nails with a pocketknife. He doesn’t seem the least bit interested in David and Jason’s near brawl.

Bailey returns to the stool and offers me a smile. “Sorry about that. The testosterone runs pretty thick among the agents. You should have seen it at Christmas. Anyway, let’s deliver on our promise so we can be on our way.”

“Your promise?”

“To let you in on a secret. Jason, you first.”

He tosses a quick glance at David before cautiously stepping around him to approach the counter, stopping next to me. I tense, not sure I want in on any secrets. What if someone dangerous wanted answers? Would being a member of TREX require training on how to counter torture techniques? If the torturer pulled out a needle, I’d tell him everything. And then I’d pass out.

“You need to loosen up, bro.” He squeezes my shoulder. Hard. I wince and dip my shoulder in reflex. “Girls hate uptight guys.” He flicks a glance at David before returning his attention to me. “It’s okay to ask her questions, to find out what she likes. There’s nothing wrong with being the less-experienced one in the relationship. Let her show you what she wants.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Jackson finally stands and joins the conversation. “It’s all about taking charge. You already know what she wants. Show her. Prove to her and everyone else in the room that you’re the alpha. Observe.” He takes Bailey’s hand and holds her in his gaze. “When was the last time you cried over a man?”

“I, uh…” Her cheeks color as she darts a look David’s way.

Jackson curls his finger and gently holds it to her chin to redirect her attention. “I made a beautiful woman cry once. It destroyed me knowing I’d caused those tears.” He makes a fist and taps his chest, his attention riveted to her. He runs his thumb along her cheek and leans in. “Make sure the man you cry for is worthy of your tears.” He kisses her nose. “Worthy of your cries, at the very least.” He then brushes his lips across hers.

“Wow,” she whispers and blinks when Jackson steps back. “You make a good point.”

“That’s enough,” Jason barks and breaks between them, facing Jackson and staring him down. He then turns to Bailey. “Babe? Are you okay?”

She shrugs off his touch. “We’ll talk about this later.”

“You asshole,” he barks at Jackson, who simply shrugs and backs away. Wow is right. He put Jason to shame with that display and definitely established himself as the alpha—at least between the two of them.

“My turn.” David rocks his head from side to side as if loosening his neck. “Okay, kid. Here’s the deal. Bowman may be able to tap into his inner-douche. Banks may own the whole Dom thing. Neither one of them have the ability to read their opponent.”

“The hell you say,” Jason growls.

“Prove it,” Jackson says, talking over Jason.

David flashes a cocky grin. He regards Bailey, who puts up her hands like a traffic cop. “No way. I’m not your guys’ guinea pig. I will end your ability to have more kids. I love my nephews, but if you try what Banks just did, I’ll call my sister and rat you out.”

That explains the connection. David must be her brother-in-law. No wonder he felt the need to protect her. He grins and shrugs, favoring his right shoulder. He catches me studying him, so I quickly look away.

“You really care for Emma, don’t you?”

His question draws my attention. I’m immediately on-guard, ready to protect anything and everything about her. He’d better not say a single word against her. No doubt, he can kick my ass. That won’t stop me from protecting her at any cost.

“At ease, kid. My advice to you? It’s all about making her stand out in a crowd. She’s fighting battles you’re not even aware of.”

“Like what?”

“That’s for her to tell you. I’m just saying, let her know it’s not even a competition with you. She’s the center of your universe, the only one you see. Be uptight. Let her have the control. It doesn’t matter.” He regarded the other men as he made each point. “She matters. Make sure she knows it. The rest will fall in line.”

I sit there, unsure what to do. When they promised secrets, I had no idea that translated into dating advice. I thought it meant national secrets, like where the bodies are buried and whatnot. I don’t know what to do with all the information I just had thrown at me.

“My turn.” Bailey turns on the stool to fully face me. “Be yourself. Emma came home with you. Not these guys, but you.”

I stare at my shoes as I contemplate whether to tell them or keep a secret of my own. Since it’s their job to find things anyway, it’s only a matter of time before they find out the truth. “She only came home with me—”

“Because of the deal you made?” she finishes, drawing my gaze. “If you believe that, you’re as crazy as you are cute.”

“How’d you know about the deal?”

“It’s our job.” David slaps my back. “Now, are you ready to do this?”

I don’t know if he’s talking about taking the last test or putting their advice on women into practice. I decide it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to do either one. As much as my curiosity is pushing me to take that last test and see what exactly a tactical retrieval expert does, I can barely keep my head above water with my current class schedule while holding down a job. No way can I take on something like this on top of everything else. “Sorry, between school and work, I don’t have time for anything else.”

“Did I mention it’s a paid internship?” Bailey points out.

That snags my attention. “What would I be doing?”

“Training, mostly. When you’re ready, we’ll ease you into the role by assisting on finds until you’re ready to take the lead on one of your own.”

“You’d pay me to train me?” It sounds too good to be true. My guard is immediately up. As if I didn’t have enough reason to question their motives. “Would I have to leave school?”

“No. That’s the beauty of the program. You’ll remain here at BU, in your same major, and graduate with the rest of your class. Your training will be incorporated into your existing classes.”

Now it really sounds too good to be true. “You’re going to pay me to do exactly what I’m already doing?”

“More or less.”

It’s the more part that has me worried. “What’s the final test?”

“You’ll know it when it happens.” She walks to the door. Jason reaches for her hand. She eyes it before shaking her head. Uh oh. Jackson’s words got to her. I don’t envy Jason for the groveling he’ll have to do to make up for it. It sucks. He didn’t even do anything wrong.

I follow them, irritated they dangle something like this in front of me all to leave before I can finish the final test. “That’s it?”

“For now.”

“What do I do until then?”

“Whatever it is you do here.” David opens the door and ushers them all outside before nodding at me. “Your best cover is to do what you know. The more you deviate, the more likely you’ll mess up.”

My chest tightens. Now I need a cover? Before I can ask why, they disappear, leaving me wondering what the hell I just agreed to.