So this is the sequel to Under Attack I never thought I'd write, but here we are lol. Give the other story a read if you haven't yet or a reread if you need a refresher. Otherwise, happy reading :)

P.S. Trigger warning activated for this story for some action and scenes of violence (nothing too graphic).

P.P.S. Leave me some feedback if you want me to continue :)


2022

Kate Macer held her mug of coffee in her hands as she looked out her apartment window. She'd moved once again, needing to get as far away from the past tragedy as she could. Reggie didn't blame her for it, but she did miss working with him every day. Daily texting, phone calls, and video chats only did so much.

She sighed, looking at the clock. She was running behind for work, and if she was honest, she was dreading it. She had a level of fear each time she stepped into the FBI satellite office in Los Angeles, and despite all her counselling and efforts to move on from the massacre at her last office, she couldn't shake that anxiety that it would happen again.

The drive was awful as usual. She couldn't get over the traffic. Where were all these people coming from and going to? It blew her mind. It made her feel small, like she could easily disappear in this big world and no one would even care.

As she waited at a traffic light, she ran a finger across her lips slowly and allowed herself to get lost in a daydream, something she limited herself to doing only twice a day now...well, sometimes three.

"If you want me, I'm all yours."

"I definitely want you."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

She closed her eyes, drifting into the memory of what it was like to be with Deckard Shaw...how it felt to be kissed and touched by him...to have him say he could love her if things were different. She went further into her daydream, imagining specific details that made her heart race and hands grip the wheel tight, when a loud horn honking snapped her out of it.

"Alright!" she exclaimed, moving ahead and catching someone's middle finger waving at her from the car behind. She rolled her eyes. Honestly, all that fuss for a car and a half length advance. Big deal. She drummed her fingers on the wheel, edging her mind back to her fantasy, but then she shut it down. Thinking about Deckard just made her end up feeling sad and lonely. She wondered if he thought about her as much and where he was right now—if he'd managed to find the head of Eteon and destroy them and the entire damn thing. That was what was keeping them apart.

When she finally got to work, she was even more tired and wanted to just turn around and go back home. She went to her desk, dropping her backpack on the floor next to it with a loud thud. Groaning, she sat down and shook her desktop monitor awake. Once logged in, she sat with her face pressed into her hand and checked emails.

"Macer," Cade said, startling her at how loud his voice was. She turned to see him standing in her doorway, dark hair disheveled and blue eyes filled with urgency.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm doing a transfer today, and my main guy is sick...puking his guts out sick," Cade advised. "I need you to cover for him."

"Okay..."

"It's straightforward," he went on, "you're escorting two kids from one safe house to another."

Two kids? Kate frowned. "What's the story?"

"Someone is trying to kidnap them," Cade replied.

"Oh." She frowned deeper. "Why?"

"They saw something they shouldn't have."

Well, that made Kate's skin tingle. Those poor kids. She hated when rotten bastards went after kids. She reached for her gun on the desk and stood up.

"I'll go," she confirmed.

"Thanks."

"Will they be going into WITSEC?" she asked as they walked down the hallway together. She turned sideways to avoid being plowed into by a harried looking admin running the other way.

"Possibly."

Kate felt even worse for those kids. Their lives were just uprooted and changed in a matter of seconds.

"What did they see?"

"A murder."

"How old are they?"

"Twelve."

"Both of them?"

Cade reached to open the door and looked at her. "They're twins."

Kate digested this information as she went through the doorway first with Cade behind her. She'd known a pair of twins once in high school. They'd been able to feel the other's pain, finish each other's sentences, and had a strong bond with each other that left her feeling jealous and wishing her own siblings loved her like that. She pulled her attention back to the present as Cade walked her down to where a black SUV was waiting.

"This is your partner for the day: Agent Murano," Cade introduced. Murano waved. His brown hair was buzzed short, and his green eyes were friendly. He looked European to Kate—as did Cade.

"Good morning," Kate said, waving back.

"You let me know when they're at the new safe house," Cade stated, handing her a set of keys and a folded up paper with the address on it.

"Who is staying with them?"

"Murano to start. Then my guy will rotate out once he's got his head out of the toilet."

"I told him not to eat that meat last night," Murano advised, wincing a little.

"Any questions?" Cade asked, looking at Kate.

"Nope."

"Good. Have fun." He walked away, and Kate mulled over in her mind what scenarios might take place today. It almost felt too easy.

"You'll like them," Murano said, opening the driver side door and getting in. "They're cute as hell and funny."

Kate smiled, getting in next to him. She looked out the window as they drove, not interested in making small talk. Murano seemed okay with this. She just wasn't up for getting close to her colleagues anymore, not after losing so many in the past. She pushed thoughts of Deckard away, needing to stay focused. Instead, she pondered on what the twins had witnessed and how scared they must be feeling right now. She hoped this would be over for them soon.

They pulled up to the curb at their first destination, and they both got out. Kate waited while Murano spoke into the receiver on the wall, identifying himself. The door opened, and they both stepped inside. Kate saw two backpacks and two duffle bags waiting in the foyer.

"Macer, this is Santiago," Murano said, and Kate smiled and nodded to the petite blonde, who looked like a sweetheart but Kate just knew she'd unleash holy hell if she had to.

"Pleasure," Santiago said, and Kate caught a bit of a Portuguese accent.

"We ready to go?" Murano asked, and Santiago nodded.

"Kids!" she called. "Your ride is here!"

Murano picked up the two duffel bags after slinging one backpack over his shoulder. Kate picked up the last backpack, hanging it over her left arm. The twins came into view a moment later. They were gangly like pre-teens, up to Kate's shoulder for height, and looked...happy. This took Kate by surprise.

"Hello!" the girl twin said. "I'm Bethany. Beth for short."

"And I'm Marcus, or Marc," the boy twin said. "You'll be our chauffer then?"

The British accents on both caught Kate off guard completely, and her ache for Deckard pummeled at her chest.

"Yes," she answered. "We will be."

"Wicked," Marcus said with a grin. Murano went out first, looking around carefully, and headed for the SUV. Kate and Santiago brought up the rear.

"What happened to their parents?" Kate asked, and Santiago looked sad.

"Both dead," she said with a sigh. "Poor things have bounced around foster homes for a while. Then this happened."

"Who's going to look after them if they go to WITSEC?"

"We'll assign an agent until the danger is over. Then I guess we look for folks who want to adopt them."

"How sad." Kate couldn't imagine how they felt, but they seemed awfully positive for kids whose lives are upended and being hunted by a killer.

Beth and Marc cracked some jokes now that made Murano laugh out loud. Kate pursed her lips into a smile as she registered the joke herself. Santiago chuckled.

"Have fun. They're a blast," she said. "Probably the most resilient kids I know." Kate nodded, stowing the backpack into the hatch with the rest of the luggage. Beth hugged Santiago goodbye before getting into the back with Marc bumping her fist with his and following suit. Kate hopped into the passenger seat, hoping they got to the other safe house in one piece. She kept quiet, scanning the scenery through her window for anything suspicious as the twins continued sharing jokes and fun facts. Kate smiled, looking forward to spending more time with them. They were not quite halfway to their destination when, out of nowhere, they were rammed into.

Beth screamed and Marc shouted. Kate couldn't say anything. They spun wildly, and she braced herself as well as she could. Near the end of the spin, the car flipped and rolled a couple times. Once landed upside down, she tried to catch her breath, but her chest constricted at the sight of two armed men in masks, one tall and one short. They were charging the SUV, and Kate drew her gun.

The short man aimed his machine gun at them while the tall man went around to get the twins.

"Move and you die!" Short Man shouted.

"Murano," Kate said loudly, but he just groaned. She tried to draw her gun, but her movement made Short Man whip his gun towards her. She stopped moving. She knew he was serious.

The back door opened, and she twisted to see Tall Man reach in to pull out Marc first. He was obviously petrified, having not made a sound. Beth was crying.

"Murano!" Kate said again, louder. He turned his head to look at Short Man, and he reached for his gun. Bullets flew, making Kate scream as Murano got hit multiple times. His hand went slack, dropping his gun, and he slumped forward. Short Man was on the move now; Tall Man was yelling at him about something. Kate was feeling stunned and sick, but she slowly got her wits about her as she unclipped her belt and kicked the door open. She couldn't help Murano, but she could still help the twins. She could see the two masked men leading the twins away to a waiting van, and she felt her rage boil up and take over. She fell out of the SUV, landing on her hands and knees. Grunting in pain from the pavement meeting skin, she pushed herself up and began to run. She tackled Short Man, and he went down with a yelp. Tall man looked but kept on going with the kids. Kate began to beat on this one, knocking his gun away and unleashing her fury. He began to fight back, managing to knock her off and onto her back on the pavement, but not before she caught hold of his mask and yanked it off as she fell. He looked horrified as they stared at each other, his puffy eyes and toad like face burning into her memory forever. He pulled out a second gun and aimed it at her. Kate knew this was the end, but she didn't cry. She just stared and waited.

"No!" Tall Man said, knocking the first's hand away. The gun went off; the bullet whizzing past and hitting the bench across the road.

"She's seen my face!" he argued. "She's gotta go!"

Tall Man picked up the mask and yanked it back down over his head. "There. Problem solved."

"But...!"

Kate let out a slight whimper now as Tall Man came for her and hauled her to her feet. He corralled her to the waiting van, Short Man grumbling and swearing behind them.

"Just let them go," Kate said, trying to barter. "You can have me as a hostage. The kids didn't do anything wrong..."

"Shut up," Tall Man growled. He cuffed her hands behind her back with her own pair from her belt, took the key, and pushed her into the back of the van where she landed on her side.

"Kate!" Beth cried.

"It'll be alright," Kate promised, not knowing why she was saying this. She had no idea. She just wanted to keep them both calm. She calculated how she could get out of this as they drove roughly. She banged around, gritting her teeth and finally managing to wedge herself so she wouldn't go flying anymore. They finally parked somewhere in a warehouse, and both men got out. Kate evened her breathing, thinking how she could win an attack as the back doors of the van opened and Tall Man reached to grab her ankle and drag her forward towards him. She kicked at his face with her other foot, and he caught that ankle, too, slamming them both down and leaning on them tightly to keep her still.

"Don't," he said to her, and something in his tone made her freeze. She stared, feeling quite odd inside suddenly, and he moved her to sit on the edge of the van when another dark SUV came roaring into view. It parked, and doors opened and slammed.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" a woman's voice shouted. "Are you mental?! Shooting a fed was not a part of the plan! Neither was damn near killing the kids! You hit that vehicle too hard!"

She came into view, and Kate saw short blonde hair, slim body, and furious looking eyes. Then she stopped short, catching sight of Kate and looking both shocked and afraid.

"You think what I did was bad? He did even worse!" Short Man, now dubbed Toad Man, shouted, stalking over to her and stopping to face Kate and Tall Man.

"Oh my God," the woman said. By this time, the passenger of that SUV was in sight, and Kate thought she might die from shock.

"He brought a bloody fed into the safe house!" Toad Man shouted, waving his hands.

"He was gonna murder her," Tall Man said. Kate watched as Deckard Shaw basted Toad Man hard in the face, making him cry out and stumble. Kate's breath was shaky as Deckard then walked over to her, taking her face into his hands.

"You alright?" he asked, searching her for injuries.

"I'm fine," she answered. He turned to Tall Man.

"Key," he ordered. Tall Man handed it over, and Deckard uncuffed her as she twisted to give him access. He handed her both back, and she attached it to her belt again.

"What the hell is this?" Toad Man demanded, holding his hand on his lip where he was bleeding.

"This is Rio Girl, isn't it?" Tall Man asked, and Deckard looked at him.

"Owen, you might as well show yourself," the woman said. Kate watched as Owen removed his mask, and she felt her stomach clench. He met her eyes briefly before turning to open the side door of the van.

"What are you doing here?" Deckard asked her.

"I should ask you the same thing," she countered. "Why did you just kidnap two kids?"

"DAD!" Beth and Marc hollered, rushing Deckard a second later and throwing their arms around him. He hugged them back, giving Kate a look that implied she should have her answer by now. She felt floored. He had children? That was not something he'd disclosed to her. Why hadn't he told her?

"Hullo, you two," he said as Beth started to cry. "It's alright. I've got you now."

"Why did he kill the other agent?" Marc asked, looking at Toad Man.

"Because Darryl doesn't listen to orders," Deckard replied, glaring at Darryl fiercely. "You're out of here. Now."

"My cut..." Darryl started, but Owen lunged towards him.

"Is that you're lucky I don't literally cut you into pieces and stuff you somewhere no one would ever find you!" Owen exclaimed, trying to grab Darryl, who leaped back away from him. "Get out of here!" Darryl ran for it with Owen making sure he didn't come back.

"Seriously, what do we do?" the woman asked.

"It's alright, Hat," Deckard replied. "We'll figure it out. I sent medics to check on the agent. He might have made it."

Kate wasn't sure, but she was glad he thought to do that. She felt bad for Murano being left alone.

"Aunt Hattie!" Beth cried now, rushing to hug her.

"Oh, hello, sweetheart!" Hattie replied, hugging and kissing her firmly on the head. "You've grown!"

"Where's Grandma?" Marc asked.

"Around," Deckard answered. He shared a look with Owen, who had returned by this point. Kate was feeling very overwhelmed...to the point she felt like she might throw up.

"Whoa!" Marc exclaimed when she did just that. Kate coughed, and Deckard's hand was on her back a moment later, smoothing circles. She felt so embarrassed and pressed her hands over her eyes for a moment while trying to get her bearings.

"Come on," he said, tugging her. "Let's sit you down." She let him, trying to calm herself as they went. Once inside the small office, she sat down and looked at him standing there.

"You're a father?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Yea," he answered. "My ex...she didn't want me around, but I snuck in visits when I could. I lost track of them for a bit until I heard about what happened. I had no idea that she'd died and they went to foster care. I just couldn't find them, but I've got them now. No offense, but I'd rather them be in my care than the FBI's."

"Fair enough," she murmured. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"The less who knew about them the safer they were," Deckard answered, "but I should have told you because I could trust you. Force of habit, I guess. I'm sorry." He looked genuinely apologetic.

"It's okay. I get it. I'm just...surprised."

"Sometimes, I am too," he admitted, looking over at the twins briefly. She could see he was feeling some different emotions about them being in this mess. She could tell he was a devoted father.

"Who are they? The others?"

"My siblings," Deckard answered with a wry smile. "Darryl was one of Owen's contacts...clearly a wanker and never should have been on this team." He let out a bit of a growl at this.

"I see."

"You don't have to be a part of this," he said softly now. "I don't expect you to be."

"They were assigned to me, so I will see this through," she replied. She noticed he looked relieved.

"I'd love to have your help," he said. She smiled, and he stepped in to kiss her lightly. She cringed inside, hoping she didn't taste like vomit.

"Just sit tight and get your bearings," he said after, smoothing her cheek. "Someone else is meeting us shortly."

"Okay."

He smiled and left her sitting there. It wasn't long before Owen found her, and she'd wondered how long that would take. She looked at him as he looked at her, his eyes traveling over her before meeting her eyes.

"Does he know?" he asked.

"No." She shook her head.

"I won't tell him then," he advised. There was a pause as they kept looking at each other.

"It was a long time ago, Owen," she finally said.

"It was," he agreed. Kate didn't know how to interpret the way he was looking at her. She remembered their goodbye—it had been angry and left her feeling betrayed. Finding out he was a criminal had really messed her up.

"Owen! Come on! Hobbs is almost here," Hattie called. Kate sat there as Owen reached to touch her cheek lightly, still holding her gaze.

"Good to see you again, Kate," he said, taking his hand back and moving to leave. Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. How was it that he was Deckard's brother? That just made everything so much more complicated. She'd never put it together because he'd used a different last name when she'd known him. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe. When she finally got some deep breaths in, she stood up and went to join the others. She had no idea what was going to happen, but at least she was with Deckard.

After all, that's all she'd ever wanted since the day she'd met him.

Three Years Earlier

Rio

Kate wondered if she was crazy as she walked along the beach in her bare feet. The sand was warm between her toes, and the wind tugged at her see through wrap. She hadn't gone for a swim yet, but she was getting hot enough to.

Why was she even here? That was the million dollar question. A year after everything, Reggie and her boss had encouraged she take some time off and get a change of scenery. The first thing that had come to her mind was Rio, and while she knew it was a lost cause to think that she'd run into him here, she still came.

Deckard Shaw was nowhere to be found, though, which made her feel disappointed. Then again, how would he know that she was here? She hadn't told him, had no way of communicating with him, so unless he was psychic, he'd have no idea.

She closed her eyes as she faced the water, feeling the sun on her skin. She'd fallen hard for Deckard in such a short time, and she regretted not getting more time with him. She could tell she'd had the same effect on him, but he couldn't stay and be with her. He couldn't stay because he was being hunted, and he didn't want her in harm's way.

How she wished she'd just said she didn't care. She could handle herself. It was hard to meet someone you connected with so well; it was easy to protect herself from bad guys.

In the end, she forfeited the swim. She went back to her hotel room instead, content to just spend the rest of the day reading or walking around the shops. She shrugged out of her wrap and padded over to the chair to sling it over when someone knocked softly on her door. She looked at it, wondering who it could be at this time of day. Room service had come and gone already. She walked slowly to the door, peering through the peephole to see who it was.

Her heart almost stopped.

...

Deckard had taken a risk coming here. He'd known it was a shot in the dark, but he was willing to try. Something about Kate had made him want to see her again, and he'd had this hunch she'd be here on the anniversary of her agency's breakdown. It hadn't been hard to find out what room she was in.

When she opened the door, he could only stare at her with a loss for words. She'd clearly been to the beach but hadn't taken a swim since she was completely dry.

"Decks," she whispered.

"Hey," he said back, finding his voice finally.

"You're here," she said next, sounding shocked.

"I guess I just had to know," he replied.

"And?"

"Now I do."

He could see her trembling as he stepped into her room, taking her hand off the door and closing it behind him with his foot and latching it with his other hand. He reached to pull out her hair clip, releasing her brown hair to fall against her shoulders. He could see the goose flesh on her skin and caught her waist in his hands to pull her into him.

She released a soft moan in her throat when he caught her mouth with his. He slid a hand up her back, holding her flush against his chest. He left his other hand on her waist. Her hands were resting on his shoulders, her mouth opening against his to allow him access. She tasted of some alcoholic beverage she'd drank earlier as well as strawberries from her lip balm. He gripped the back of her neck, breaking the kiss for a moment.

"Decks," she said, voice wrangled slightly.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I should not have assumed you were single..."

She kissed him again, hands roaming over his chest and arms now. He slid his down to pull her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around him, and he fell back against the door slightly.

"I'll take that to mean you are single," he finished when she pulled back for air.

"Stop talking," she growled, nipping at his ear now. He let out a slight chuckle as he held her close, her mouth sliding down to his neck. He pushed off the door, walking to the couch where he sat down with her still on his lap. They paused making out for a moment, just looking at each other. Deckard could feel the strength of his feelings for her in that moment, and he knew he'd made the right choice to come here.

"I missed you," Kate whispered, her fingers tracing his cheek and jaw line. He could hear the vulnerability in that statement alone and not just in her voice, that she was braving telling him this.

"I thought about you every day," he confessed. "I missed you every day. Walking away from you was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life...and I've done a lot of hard things." He smoothed a hand up and down her back against her skin, holding her gaze. Their foreheads touched, her breath against his skin being the most intoxicating thing he'd experienced.

"So what is this?" she finally asked. "What we're doing here?"

"I have no idea." He was thinking maybe they should call it off because it would be too hard after when she kissed him softly again, fingers tugging up his shirt. He didn't argue because he didn't want to stop either. He held her against him as they continued to kiss, lowering her down underneath him and forgetting about anything else in the entire world except for his Kate right here and right now.

...

He was warm against her. Kate opened her eyes a while later, after they'd made that room look like a bomb had gone off, and smiled against his chest. His cheek was pressed into the top of her head, his arms around her. Her own was across his stomach, and one of her legs was hooked over one of his. The sun was still out, but evening was approaching.

This was what she'd spent an entire year pining over, and not just the sex but having him in her arms breathing against her. This was what she wanted every day when she woke up. She was thinking about what that would be like when he groaned softly and shifted, waking up.

"There he is," she said, lifting her head to look at him, and he chuckled a little.

"You wore me out, Kate Macer," he replied, smoothing a hand along her shoulder as she propped herself onto her arms on his chest. She felt her cheeks flush and ducked her head a little, her hair sliding forward to frame her face.

"I could go again," she teased, and he groaned again.

"I bet you could, but I'm not quite there yet," he admitted, sitting up slowly so he was leaning against the headboard. She moved to sit beside him, the sheet under her arms. He looked at her, and she looked back, her head resting against the cool wood of the headboard.

"I'm in love with you," he confessed, and her heart leaped and her stomach tumbled.

"You are?" she asked, almost breathless.

"I've spent my whole life in some kind of war, having meaningless moments along the way with women I liked but never loved. No one ever made me lose sleep the way you have in the time we were apart. I never thought about anyone as much I as think about you. I've never wanted to spend forever with someone the way I want to with you." He finished and chewed on his lip slightly.

"But," Kate said, knowing it was coming. Her heart sank.

"But," he sighed, "I'm still a magnet for danger, and I love you too much to put you in harm's way."

"Decks," she said, reaching to hold his arm. "I don't care about that."

"But I do," he insisted, moving to rest his free hand on her cheek. "You are too important to me to let you get hurt by someone coming after me."

"Then why are you here?" she asked, the hurt in her voice despite trying to hide it. "Why did we do this?"

"Because it physically hurts to be away from you," he shared, "and I let that take over instead of keeping true to what I know is the right thing to do, which is stay away from you. I'm sorry if I hurt you." She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and he looked pained. "It's not that I don't want you, Kate." His voice was soft and loving. "It's that I can't have you."

"I am making that choice," she said firmly, her voice slightly wobbling, "to be with you. I don't care about the rest. Life is too short to not be with the ones we love."

He wore a bit of a sad expression on his face, his thumb smoothing her cheek.

"If you were me," he said, "what would you do?"

She blinked back more tears, knowing what he was making her do here. Her throat tightened as she thought about her answer, which she knew he'd expect.

"I'd stay away to keep them safe," she whispered, "because I loved them that much." It broke her heart to say it, but it was true. "Decks, what are we gonna do?" He tucked her hair behind her ear, exhaling slowly.

"We are gonna make a deal," he said.

"What deal?"

"Every year, on this day, we meet back here," he advised. "We see if anything changes."

"What if it doesn't?"

"I'm not stopping you from moving on to someone else," Deckard stated. "If that's better, then don't let me hold you back."

"Decks," Kate said, her voice pained. "I don't want to move on from you..."

"I don't want to string you along for years either," he said. "I just can't think of anything else right now."

Kate was suddenly feeling cold and lost. She turned to face forward, hugging herself. How was it that after a year, they were still in this same position? She'd really wanted a different outcome.

"Hey," he said, his hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look at him again. "I really am sorry, Kate." She pressed her lips together.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have expected anything different. That's on me," she said.

"I'm not giving up on our someday," he stated firmly. "I promise."

"How long do we have?" she asked now, searching his eyes.

"I can stay til you head back home."

A week then. She'd take it. Maybe she was crazy for thinking one week out of fifty two was enough for her, but she'd never met anyone like Deckard Shaw, and she didn't want to even try.

"Okay," she said finally. "A week it is." She gave a slight smile, and he returned it. She could tell it was eating him up inside that he had to leave after it was over, and that brought her some comfort.

"C'mere," he said, pulling her to him. She sat on his lap, her knees on either side of him. His hand held the place on her shoulders just under her neck. She held his shoulders, kissing him because she didn't want to talk anymore.

She tried not to think about how quickly the week was going to go and how sad she was going to feel at the end of it.

Because thinking about being without Deckard was just too damn painful.