Cinderella Undercover by KyAnn Waters

gone… and I suppose that is why I love you.” She cupped his cock, and Jaron groaned. “And I hate to see you suffering.”
    “Then put me out of my misery. Kill me or fuck me.”

    * * * *

    Victoria swallowed the lump in her throat. After learning how Frank had interfered with her relationship with Jaron, she wasn’t sure she was ready to face the man she considered her dad. She didn’t have a choice. She and Jaron had come straight from the airstrip to Echelon Shield headquarters for their debriefing. Apparently, for the last few hours, ES had been a whirlwind of activity. Jaron was at the center of it.
    Walking down the familiar white corridor didn’t give her the hum of anticipation she normally expected. Going to the director’s office usually meant an assignment or a homecoming, like now. “I think we should keep recent developments just between us.”
    He didn’t respond. She cast a quick glance in his direction. He stood several inches taller, his shoulders were stiff, and his eyes were unreadable. His ability to bank his emotions stemmed from his military training. She could never guess what went on his mind.
    “Do you have a problem with that? I would think under the circumstances you’d agree. Twenty-four hours ago, I swore I hated you. I want to make sure it’s not PTSD making me want to rip your clothes off and tackle you to the floor.”
    He gave a snort. “You don’t have posttraumatic stress disorder, but if you did, sex is an excellent treatment.”
    “I’ll wait for a medical diagnosis.”
    They approached the director’s door. “We can play doctor,” he stated as he rapped on the door.
    Victoria sank her teeth into her lower lip to keep from laughing. Serious meetings required a serious expression. “Behave.”
    “Of course.” Jaron winked and opened the door.
    He was incorrigible, she thought as she preceded him into the office.
    Frank stood from behind his desk. The past twenty-four hours showed on his face. Dark circles shadowed the wrinkled skin under his hooded eyes. Gray whiskers covered his weathered face. When he saw her, the tight line of his mouth softened. “Sweetheart.” His eyes sparkled with moisture. She stepped into his arms, and he held her as if he hadn’t just seen her yesterday—or that he might never see her again.
    “I’m fine,” she said, closing her eyes and breathing deeply of the familiar woodsy scents that clung to his wrinkled linen dress shirt and long wide tie. Emotions swelled in her chest. Moments like this reminded her how much he meant to her and how much he loved her.
    He pulled back. “I can see that.” Pointing to the chairs, he said, “Have a seat. We need to talk.”
    “Is it the assignment?” Jaron asked. “There were bugs in the programming.”
    Frank returned to his seat and rested his forearms on the desk. “That is one part of the assignment that seems to be working perfectly. We’ve been able to access Evenson’s inner network. Hopefully, it won’t take long to gather the information we need. We’ll get you out of this as soon as we can.” He sighed and leaned back. “I want you to watch each other’s back until we work this out. The alternative is unacceptable. So just stay low.”
    Jaron leaned forward, his elbows braced on his wide spread knees. “I don’t follow.”
    Frank glanced from Jaron to Victoria. “No one told you.”
    “Told us what?” she asked.
    “Oh, shit.” Frank raked his aged hands through his tufts of silver hair. “We’ve got problems. Federal problems. Seems that security guard you shot on the beach was FBI…dirty FBI. He is—was—in Evenson’s pocket. He’s dead. Whitt , you and Tory are at the top of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s top ten most wanted.”
    Jaron bolted from the chair. “Fuck me!”
    “No, fuck us.” Victoria stood and put her hand on his shoulder. “Calm down. Let’s figure this out.” She turned to Frank. “What do we do now?”
    Jaron paced the