Rolling onto his back, Ethan scissored his legs, catching the prick’s calves between his. A twist and the dickhead was on the floor, shouting in surprise, arms flailing.

Jack lunged for the second man, ploughing his shoulder into the quiet DSO’s gut, lifting him off his feet and propelling him backwards into the wall beside the door. The man was so startled he didn’t defend himself when Jack pulled back and punched him. Grabbing his shoulders, Jack slammed his knee into the DSO’s groin, then, stepping back, brought the man’s face down to meet his knee in another hard blow. Nose squashed, blood splattered across his face, the fake DSO crumpled to the floor. Jack spun to help Ethan.

It wasn’t required. The other DSO was on his back, pinned down by Ethan straddling his chest, knees locking the man’s arms to his sides. Ethan roughly pulled the man’s head up by a fistful of hair, said, “You really shouldn’t have,” and slammed it back down. With a faint grunt, the man went limp. Calm as you please, Ethan fished his sunglasses out of the downed man’s pocket and slipped them on.

Harry had charged past them both and was holding his own against the two door guards, but if it went on much longer, chances were one would get away and alert the rest of the enemy. Jack threw himself into the fight, diverting one of the DSOs and in short order, Harry’s opponent was down, followed quickly by Jack’s.

While Harry and Keri secured the imposters with their own cuffs, Jack motioned Ethan away from the others.

“Didn’t I tell you to abort?” He tried for stern but missed wide, unable to deny the fact that Ethan’s appearance was just what they’d needed. Unable, as well, to not be happy that Ethan hadn’t fled the country at the first chance.

“And miss all this fun? Did you truly expect me to stay away?” The tone was light but had undertones of seriousness.

Suddenly aching to hold him, Jack shook his head. “No.”

“Good.” Ethan smiled, then winced and touched his nose gingerly. “That lug wasn’t particularly effective with his ‘punishment,’ but he did manage to land that punch well.”

Jack tilted Ethan’s head back. “Is it broken?” His nose had stopped bleeding but would probably swell to a nice size.

“No, just a bit pummelled.”

“Ah hem.”

Jack looked over at Harry. “Yes?”

“Jack, that’s Ethan Blade,” Harry said carefully.

Keri snapped around to focus on Ethan as well, the name being rather well known to most people who worked in the Office.

Ignoring the “oh shit” expressions, Jack said, “Well spotted. King, meet Ace.”

“Ace?” Harry’s eyes darted over Ethan quickly, then back to Jack. After a moment, his sceptical expression changed into a furious frown. “He’s the source, isn’t he? I knew it! You two planned this all along!”

“Not exactly,” Ethan murmured.

“Yes, he’s the source, and no, we didn’t plan this,” Jack told Harry as he gave Ethan a withering look.

Ethan snorted, then sucked in a sharp breath, a hand hovering over his nose.

“Is he working for us?” Keri asked warily.

“No,” Ethan said, as if she had asked him if he enjoyed having his nut-sack waxed.

“Sort of,” Jack amended. “Subcontracting.”

“Does this mean I’ll get paid?” Ethan asked.

“We’ll discuss that later. Did you get much of a look around before you were ‘caught’?”

Ethan went to the DSOs who had brought him in and retrieved his two Desert Eagles, a Glock 17 and several knives. “I managed a quick recon. It appears as if the staff are all being held in rooms like this, on the inner side of the structure, all in this wing. For now, they seem secure enough. There are at least a dozen more armed soldiers like these.”

Jack accepted an M4A5 carbine from Ethan, checking the mag swiftly.

“And the bomb?” Harry stepped up to take a weapon as well.

Ethan’s eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “Bomb?”

“There has to be a bomb.” Harry’s tone was tinged with condescension. “Khun Sein will need to cover up why he was here, so a bomb to destroy evidence of what he was after, and a terror suspect to blame it on.” He carefully didn’t look at Hasan, but the kid wasn’t dumb.

“It’s me, isn’t it. That’s why I’m here,” Hasan whispered. “That’s why she said we were all going to die.” His gaze flicked to Keri.

“Don’t worry,” Harry said to him. “We cleared you of anything suspicious. You’re not going to die and so long as you keep out of trouble, you’re not going to prison.”

“We should move very soon.” Ethan checked over his Eagles. “The others will miss these ones shortly.”

“Right. With the jamming in place, the bad guys won’t be able to communicate too quickly. If we move fast enough, we can take them by surprise.” Jack turned to Keri. “Someone needs to check on the other hostages, make sure they’re all okay and ready to evac if required.”

“Why can’t we start evacuating them now?” Keri asked.

“We don’t want to alert the enemy too soon and, frankly, they’re safer where they are. The less people in the corridors that we have to worry about, the better.”

The unit leader accepted that with a nod, then along with Harry, lead her family and Hasan out of the room.

Once they were alone, Jack caught Ethan’s arm and pulled him close.

“Crazy bastard,” he murmured into his hair.

“Half right, Jack.” Ethan pressed against him for a moment, then pulled away. “How angry are you with me?”

“Right now, not very. I do, however, reserve the right to chew you out for interfering again when we’re all safe and away from here.”

A little quirk of Ethan’s lips. “I look forward to it.” Seriously, he added, “You understand that I had to, don’t you?”

Jack’s anger spiked for a moment, giving voice to a little growl. “Yeah, I do, but I told you not to do this anymore and you agreed.”

“I don’t recall actually saying I wouldn’t—”

“Ethan!”

With a visible effort, Ethan relaxed his shoulders. “You can ask me all you wish to not interfere with your job, Jack, but you cannot ask me to not care about you. If I know you’re walking into a dangerous situation, I will not stand back and let you get hurt.”

Jack swallowed to ease the sudden ache in his throat. “Yeah. I get that. I would do the same for you.”

“Then is this argument over?”

Rubbing a hand over his face, Jack nodded. “I guess. Just, in future, don’t play games like this, okay? If you have something that could help, just tell me.”

Ethan sighed. “Jack, I would, but . . .”

Stomach sinking, Jack prompted. “But what?”

“But I fear if I openly offer you intelligence or my help, it will only give Director Tan more to hold over you than he already does. I’m the reason you made the agreement with him in the first place, Jack, and I don’t wish to make it any worse.” Ethan ducked his head.

Jack bit back a sigh. “I don’t regret making that agreement. Be it McIntosh or Tan telling me where to go and what to do, it’s all the same.” For now. Jack would probably have something different to say if Tan decided he needed Jack in India. But even then, he wouldn’t want to change the agreement. “If I wasn’t here in this mess right now, I’d probably be in another one, and facing worse odds because you wouldn’t be there.”

Ethan lifted his face to look at Jack. “So, you’re glad I’m interfering.”

Mouth opening and closing a couple of times, Jack scrambled for something that would save him. Before he could find it, Ethan chuckled and, throwing one arm around Jack’s neck, pulled him in for a lingering kiss on his cheek.

“It’s all right, Jack. I understand.”

“Glad one of us does.”

Harry stood in the doorway, expression disbelieving. And horrified. Jack and Ethan sprang apart like a pair of teenagers caught together behind the toilet block at school.

Stomach falling to his knees, Jack took a step toward him, hand up in a soothing gesture. He didn’t get a chance to say anything, though.

“The Sings and Hasan are secured and Keri’s talking with the other hostages,” Harry ground out, glaring at Jack and completely ignoring Ethan who’d moved further away and was meticulously checking his weapons with snappy, tight motions.

Great, Harry had sparked a compulsion. “King,” Jack began.

“I think we really should get going.” Harry barrelled right over the top of him. “Wait too long and the bad guys are going to get suspicious. I was hoping you were busy coming up with a plan, but I see that was wrong. Unless this,” he waved between Jack and Ethan, “is the plan. Is it?”

Again, before Jack could open his mouth, he was cut off.

“Jack, I will scout this floor of the wing. I’ll meet you at the bottom of the stairwell.” Ethan jerked his weapons harness into precise alignment and, ignoring Harry, stalked out of the room.

“Jesus, King,” Jack snapped when Ethan was gone. “What the fuck?”

Hands on hips, Harry shook his head slowly. “You don’t get to ‘what the fuck’ me after what I just saw.”

“You never had a problem with the gay before.”

Harry spluttered for a moment, then burst out with, “I don’t care about that. I do care that you’re doing it with . . . with . . .”

“With?” Jack prompted with a growl.

“With a paid killer. He kills people for money!”

“So do we.” It came out low and cold.

“That’s different.”

Almost laughing at the replay of an argument he and Ethan had had in the desert, Jack said, in a more modulated voice, “Not as different as you want to believe. Trust me, that’s something you’re going to have accept if you plan to make a career of this.”

Harry turned away, hands raking back his hair. “It’s just that . . . I mean working with him is fine, I guess. But, but . . . anything more is—”

“None of your business,” Jack finished for him.

“Really? So this . . . thing hasn’t ever interfered in your work?” Harry’s tone was bitter. “Because, Jack, your work is my work, and therefore, it is my business. You’re my partner!”

Christ! Harry had obviously been in the doorway for longer than Jack thought.

“You’re my second, not my partner,” he snapped, harsher than he’d intended.

And nothing else he’d ever said to Harry, including the jab that had nearly seen him punched, had left him with such an expression of betrayal.

“Fuck,” Jack hissed. Before he could do any more damage, he said, “You’re right. We need to keep going. Ace should be done with the recce by now.” He picked up his M4A5 and two of the Glocks the enemy carried and when he faced Harry again, the betrayal was hidden behind a stony mask.

“Let’s go,” Harry muttered, accepting one of the Glocks before moving out.

It had finally happened. Someone from work had found out about him and Ethan. Specifically, that Jack’s ongoing contact with the wanted assassin was much more than professional. His fear of this day had been a constant niggle in the back of his head. Jack could cover his arse with the agreement he had with Tan, but only so long as the shady bastard didn’t backtrack on his part in it. Even then, he didn’t think a verbal, “Keep Blade happy,” would be enough to change Harry’s perception of what he saw.

And it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

Jack threw that unpleasant little aside in the filing cabinet and concentrated on the immediate. They had a job to do and he trusted Harry to get it done. The aftermath could wait.

They made their way along the hallway fast, covering each other, aware that Ethan had already been through. He was waiting at the door to the stairwell, Desert Eagle held to his side, ear pressed to the door, listening intently.

“There’s movement on the stairs,” he whispered when they reached him. “We’ll have to fight our way upwards.”

Jack grimaced. “Ace, you and King go first. I’ll cover you to the landing.”

Harry’s lips tightened at the command. “And then?” he asked, tone cold.

“Wherever the bomb is, they’ll have it guarded,” Ethan said. “Which means it’s not on this floor.”

“We’re pretty sure they’re here for information and that means they’ll want to cover their digital footprint,” Jack said. “They’ll need to make sure the servers are taken out in the explosion. The server room is on the first floor, at the rear of the building. When we get up there, our first job is to disarm the device. King, since you’ve had the most recent training, job’s yours.”

“Fine.” The shuttered look Harry gave him held all sorts of accusations. “And what will you two do?”

“Find Porsche and whoever she’s working for, and deal with them.”

“Porsche?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah. Named her myself. The assassin who picked up the ticket on you at the Gold Coast.”

Eyes going wide, Harry snapped, “That’s what that was all about? Him? And you didn’t tell me.”

“Need to know, King.”

“I think I need—”

“Gentlemen,” Ethan interrupted. “Later, perhaps?”

Both of them agreed grudgingly.

“On three?” Ethan asked.

“On three.” Jack grabbed the door handle. “One, two . . .”