Jace sat in the shadows of the bar of Rocky Rhodes Pub, nursing the same beer he’d ordered an hour and a half ago. Across the room, alone in a secluded corner booth, sat Kevin Quinn being just as paranoid and boring as Jace remembered. Seemed his dislike of the guy hadn’t abated in all these years, and given what Felicity suspected Quinn was guilty of, that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon.

God, how does Vann do this shit all day?

Jace was ready to gouge his eyes out with a dull spoon from sheer tedium.

“Can I get you anything else?” the bartender asked, jarring him from his thoughts.

“Nah, man. I’m good, thanks.”

A bell jangled above the door and he swiveled on his stool to see whom came in. That’s when his evening went from dull to interesting. Agent Felicity Belasko, the gentle sway of her hips in those tight black pants giving him all sorts of wicked ideas as she made her way to the bar.

He took a long swig of beer then raised a speculative brow. “You lost?”

“No.” She perched primly on the edge of the stool beside him and ordered a seltzer water, glancing over to where Kevin Quinn sat in the opposite corner of the room.

“I’ll buy you a real drink, if you want,” he said, unable to stop watching her. Behind the buttoned-up persona, he suspected a true firebrand lurked. It was evident to him in the spark of her eyes, the slight quirk of her full, lush lips, the defiant tilt of her chin. Man, oh man, what he wouldn’t give to be there when her inner vixen was unleashed.

Could be the alcohol talking…

Jace narrowed his gaze on his half-full beer then laughed. Nah. Back in the good old days, after completing a mission in Afghanistan, he’d drank every guy on his team under the table and still walked away stone-cold sober. Some said it was due to his unusual lineage—Irish, German, English, Eskimo, even a little Chinese thrown in for flavor. Honestly, he didn’t care why he could hold his drink like he could. All that mattered was that he could, and damn if he didn’t win lots of bets because of it.

“I don’t drink,” Felicity said, thanking the bartender for her water. “Not alcohol anyway.”

“Why am I not surprised by that at all?” Jace straightened and faced the bar, resting his elbows atop it. “Still on duty?”

She exhaled slow, staring at the TV in the corner. “The Bureau’s closing their case on Quinn for now. Budget issues.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. Ted’s back at the hotel packing up to head back to Virginia tonight.”

“But you’re not?”

She looked back at him, those dark green eyes of hers pinning him to the spot. “No. I’ve decided to stay in the area and use up some of my vacation time to continue the investigation on my own.”

Jace found himself a bit stunned by her statement. “You believe in this case that much?”

“I do.” She squared her shoulders. “Do you?”

He looked over at Kevin Quinn, saw the guy still hunched over his phone, scowling. If she was serious about taking this guy down, then she’d need help. No way in hell he’d let her end up dead like his friend Trevor or the other unfortunate SEALs who had crossed paths with Quinn. His honor, and something deeper he wasn’t prepared to contemplate further yet, demanded he protect Felicity and aid her in any way he could. He cocked his head toward a small table for two nearby. “Want to move over there? Might give us a bit more privacy and a better view of our man.”

She nodded and they picked up their drinks. Once they were settled again, Felicity shook her head. “Not going to lie. I don’t approve of what you’re doing at Brothers In Arms.”

“What?” He scrunched his nose. “We teach people to be prepared and protect themselves.”

“Some say you train civilians to be vigilantes.”

Frowning, Jace sat forward. “Nah, you got it all backward. There’s nothing wrong with learning how to fight, learning how to carry and fire a weapon properly.”

“In my line of work, maybe. Or yours, as a former soldier. But in my job I see far too much of the extreme effects of what training like yours can cause. Aren’t you afraid you could be breeding potential homegrown terrorists in that compound of yours?”

“Fuck no,” Jace said, taken aback. “Mark screens everyone thoroughly before enrollment. No way some sicko’s getting through our doors.”

She gave him a look that all but screamed she was unconvinced.

“Seriously, don’t take my word for it. Why don’t you come out yourself tomorrow? You can watch some of my classes, see exactly what it is we do and how we teach.”

“Maybe.” Felicity shrugged. “I still need to keep an eye on our friend over there.”

Jace snorted. “Piece of cake. He hasn’t moved since he came in. Guy’s about as exciting as mud. Are you sure he’s the killer, cause the only weapon he seems to deploy with deadly force is boredom.”

She chuckled. “Nice. You’ve been tailing him too?”

“Too?”

“Yeah. Ted and I went to talk with Kim Rigsdale and after we left, she came speeding past us headed for Quinn’s trailer park. We followed her there, then tracked Quinn here after they left. Pretty sure they’re sleeping together.”

“Huh. Well, she always did have shitty taste in men.” He took another swallow of his beer. “Kind of surprised she hooked up that fast though. Her husband’s not even been dead a year yet and after her stint in rehab….”

“She was in rehab?”

“Oh, yeah. Started drinking a lot after Tim died right in front of her. Bunch of tourists found her passed out behind the wheel of her Ferrari near one of the beach access points along the highway and called it in to 9-1-1. The hospital docs wouldn’t release her until she agreed to enter rehab for a couple months. She got out maybe four or five weeks ago.”

“Interesting.” Felicity took a long drink of her water, her gaze narrowed. “She was drinking wine during our interview today, her glass was nearly empty when we got there and she was unsteady on her feet.”

“Huh.” Jace peered over at Kevin once more. Caught the guy’s eye this time and looked away fast, trying to seem casual. “I don’t like him. From his appearance, though, I’d say he looks more like a librarian than a murderer.”

“Those are the ones who get you every time.”

“Apparently.” Jace sat back and watched Felicity some more, just because it was so damned enjoyable. “So, what do you say? Come join me at Brothers In Arms tomorrow. You can bring me up to speed on your case.”

She smiled and he felt it all the way to his groin. Finally, she nodded, then lowered her voice so only he could hear. “We’ll see. I plan to stay in the area for about a month, maybe a bit more. From what I’ve seen, whoever’s killing these SEALs is following a pattern. The first staged suicides took place six months ago. Since that time, a new body turns up every four weeks.”

He frowned. “Trevor died two weeks ago.”

“Yep. Which means, if I’m right, there should be another murder in two weeks.”