CHAPTER ONE
"Have you lost your mind?"
Olivia Bachman grinned. She expected this reaction. The truth was she relished it. There were two reasons she never allowed anyone close enough to gauge her reactions. The first – it kept her alive, and the second – it kept the walls she built around heart in place.
She looked at the man taking up most of the room in the passenger seat of her Bugatti Veyron. His six foot three frame of solid muscle was folded in the compact vehicle at an awkward angle.
He was miserable, and he was worried.
"Olivia." He tapped the report she'd given him earlier. "I don't like this. I don't like it at all."
She watched as he rubbed the stubble on his chin and wondered how long it been since he slept – or shaved. In their business, most of the time, both were considered a luxury. The majority of their assignments had them covered in mud, blood and camouflage face paint.
"Mark." She replied, teasing her CO and friend by using the same tone he did. Formality in their unit was only for the brass. Here, they were family and so much more. Anyone in her unit would die to save the other. That kind of bond allowed the military formality to slip and in its place a reverence that transcended friendship.
The somberness of her voice and the scowl on her face achieved the desired effect.
He smiled and shifted in his seat. "You know for a car that cost 1.2 million, this is the most uncomfortable thing I've ever been in!"
Olivia laughed. "Come on man," she teased, "it's not built so much for comfort as it is speed."
She listened to him as he grumbled beneath his breath.
"Ya wanna test it? We could go for a spin. I think it clocks out at around 253 mph."
Mark stared at her and for a long time neither of them spoke. The clouds in the distance rumbled and the apple blossoms of the trees lining the street bathed the area in a shower of pink flowers.
"I don't even want to know how you know that," he said with a laugh.
She focused on the mailbox of the home she'd been sent to watch.
D. Rossi.
A light went on across the street and their playfulness ended.
"He's on the move." Mark announced.
Olivia sat up. This was her assignment?
There was only one word to describe a man like him.
Damn.
He walked with a confidence that was genuine. His dark blue shirt accented the deep brown skin tone of his Italian ancestry. This was David Rossi? Olivia did a mental check list of what she knew about him. Married three times, multi-published author and millionaire; decorated Marine, and an impeccable record at the FBI.
"So that's the David Rossi?" It was more a statement than a question.
Mark tapped the folder again, "Olivia this isn't some terrorist or spy. David Rossi is the best at what he does. He's…"
Olivia turned to look at her companion. She rarely heard this much respect in his voice. This agent was different, and if her boss admired him so much, she better pay attention.
She watched as her target picked up his morning paper.
The neighborhood reeked of money. Her sports car went virtually unnoticed here. Fortunately for her, last night one of Rossi's neighbors had a very loud and very long party. Olivia simply pulled up alongside the other imported vehicles and waited.
She watched as Rossi pulled out of the drive and headed to the interstate for Quantico. She waited until he stopped at the street sign and signaled, then turned the ignition. She loved the feel of the engine as it roared to life. She'd catch him in less than fifteen minutes.
"I get it Mark. Kid gloves – Rossi is on the A-list."
Mark opened the door and unfolded his frame from the car. He turned and ducked his head back in just as the rain began to beat against the windshield.
"I'm telling you Olivia, screw this up and there'll be hell to pay."
"Understood," she answered watching her assignment leave in the early pre-dawn. She reached under her shoulder and pulled the Barretta from its harness. She checked the clip, and chambered a bullet.
Mark slapped the folder against the seat, snapping her attention back to him.
"Olivia, be careful. You're the best operative I have, but David Rossi might just give you a run for your money."