USA Today Bestselling Author
Jen Talty
In the game of espionage,
trust is the ultimate weapon.
In the aftermath of a botched mission, Gretta, once a dedicated MI6 agent, finds herself cast out and blamed for the failure that claimed the life of an undercover colleague. Feeling betrayed by her sister Blair, who remained loyal to MI6’s brass, Gretta seeks solace in the quiet expanse of West Yellowstone. But when Gretta receives a cryptic message from her sister, she’s not only thrust back into the world of espionage, but she’s also forced to turn to her current boyfriend and the Brotherhood Protectors for help.
Corbin River is coming to terms with an injury that ended his military career, the only thing in life he’s ever wanted. The last thing he needs is a woman in his life, but Gretta isn’t someone he can give up easily. She’s intelligent, sexy and totally unexpected. She’s also keeping a secret and Corbin knows it. When her past collides with his world, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe because that’s what he was trained to do. And because it’s what his heart tells him he must do.
As Gretta and Corbin dive deeper, they uncover a sinister plot orchestrated by corrupt officials within MI6, with a terrorist organization at its core. Determined to clear her name and protect her sister, they must navigate a perilous journey to thwart the impending attack, all while facing the ghosts of her past and the betrayal that tore her family apart.
Corbin Rivers has just started with the Brotherhood Protectors in Yellowstone. His Team will be Eagle, while he has passed the testing there are some stipulations since he is still experiencing pain. He’s a sniper, weapons expert and watcher who was once Delta Force, but he also scored really high in cyber related things. Those he avoided in the Army, but it looks like he won’t be able to here. He’s been assigned to Wyatt since their scores are very similar, but Wyatt isn’t a sniper. It’s their first official team meeting and we meet Walker Pierce a helicopter pilot and Corbin’s best friend, and Colton Henderson. Ty Quigley, and Knox Preston round out the team.
It’s noted that Corbin has been seen with Gretta Hughes the local gun shop and range owner and gun ‘nut’ with an impressive collection. She’s not easy to get to know, and Corbin finds himself more often than not sharing his River family stories especially the ones involving his grandmother The Weezer.
Things change when Gretta gets a text from her sister, we know what she’s hiding but Corbin and the Brotherhood Protectors don’t know all of it. Gretta is concerned about her sister’s safety and asks Corbin to see if they can find where she is and what she’s working on. They are meeting with Wyatt, but Darius is the only one with the skills and Stone’s approval would be needed.
In the meantime, she gets a second text from her sister, this one has her even more concerned.
This is a favorite scene.
“If I share something with you, are you willing to keep it from Wyatt for the time being?” She dug out her cell from her bag and tapped the screen.
“That depends on what it is.” Corbin cocked his head. “Honestly, Gretta, I don’t understand the secrecy. If you want help, you need to tell us what and why we’re doing it.”
She handed Corbin her phone. “I got this second text from my sister a little bit ago. Truthfully, I didn’t expect to hear from her for a few days. The fact this came so quickly is nerve-racking to say the least.”
“I was walking down Baker Street, near that old cinema Mom used to take us to. The one where we saw The Third Man. Remember that? The fog here that day was so thick, I could barely see across the street. Almost made me feel as if I walked right into the movie. As if the shadows from the script were lurking around the street corner. Anyway, I’ll be in touch in a couple of days. As soon as things calm down at work. Looking forward to taking a trip down memory lane. In the meantime, let’s stay out of the spotlight,” Corbin said. “Break this down for me.”
“The Third Man refers to an op that went bad. The fog and shadows refer to the idea that she feels like there are eyes on her because of it. She doesn’t want me to reach out to her, but she does want to talk.”
“I take it she wants you to lay low until then,” Corbin said.
Gretta nodded.
“Then why do you want Wyatt to go digging?” Corbin asked. “It seems to me you’re being a bit premature, especially considering what Blair does for a living.”
“If I had been speaking to my sister on a regular basis, I’d agree. But since we haven’t spoken since I moved here, outside of me telling her where I was, I’m worried she’s in trouble. She could be hiding out. Or on her way here if things are really bad. She’s the only one from my past life who knows where I am outside of my immediate boss and the director, so she might see this as a safe place to land. I want to be prepared for anything.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Or maybe this isn’t even her, which is frightening for different reasons.”
“Agreed, but let’s go on the idea it’s Blair. How involved were you in her last op?” Corbin asked with a disapproving glare. “You told me your case interfered with hers, but I’m getting the feeling that it’s something entirely different.”
Fuck. She tugged at her pant leg. Thank God Wyatt wasn’t in the room. But she still didn’t like being cornered by her boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
When the hell had she let this man worm his way into her world. Into her heart. The intention had never been to care. It started off as a good time. A roll in the hay. She thought she’d be able to walk away, but he was like a drug. From the first dose, she’d been hooked and she wanted more.
Hell, she wanted the whole bottle and she wasn’t willing to share it with a single soul.
“Is Wyatt going to help me or not?” she asked.
“Whatever secrets you have, they are safe with the Brotherhood Protectors— and with me,” Corbin said in a low, calming voice. “I’ve already learned one.” He leaned forward, lifting a folder off the coffee table. “Wyatt has no problem calling in a few favors and quietly asking around about where your sister is. That’s the easy part. But to find out more, he has to have Darius do some wizardry with his hacking skills and that puts us, Blair, and possibly you at risk.” Corbin tapped his fingers on the folder. “This is your background check. It’s not a deep dive. Only gives the basics. Tell me what we’d find if Wyatt went probing around in your past.”
She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. She blinked. “Before I do that, I want to know what you did learn.”
“You served in the British Army.” He cocked a brow.
“It surprises me that you know that. My government doesn’t give that up easily. However, given the Brotherhood Protectors’ reach, I shouldn’t be.”
“Unfortunately.” Corbin flipped open the folder, pulling out a sheet of paper. “When they looked into you, it flagged your sister, who also comes up as a private investigator, but we both know that’s not true, which leads me to believe that you weren’t either.”
She jumped to her feet. Her lungs deflated and when she tried sucking in a breath, she thought she might suffocate. “I don’t like being ambushed.”
“That’s not what’s happening here.”
“Oh, really? What happens when Wyatt joins us? Are the two of you going to start playing good cop-bad cop? Mom and Dad? Am I going to be sent to my room without any dessert?”
Corbin laughed.
“It’s not fucking funny.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “All I asked you to do was get a read on my sister. That’s one of the things you guys do. I thought you could do me a solid as your…” She waved her hand over the file. “Instead, I get a background check tossed in my face.”
He raked a hand across the top of his head. “For the record, I’m not tossing anything in your face. But you lied to me and that lie ended up putting me in a hell of an awkward position with my boss, which in turn puts him between a rock and a hard place. We want to help you, but if we do, we need a little honesty. It’s not too much to ask.”
One thing she’d learned working for MI6 was not to give up more than requested when fishing for intel. It was a walk on a tightrope. Too much, she’d fall to her death. Not enough, same outcome. “All right. What do you want to know?”
“How long were you in the British Army?”
“Four years.”
“Says here you were sixteen when you joined,” Corbin said. “And that both you and your sister went right into being private investigators.” He arched a brow. “But that’s not what Blair did, is it? Which begs the question, is your background the product of MI6 making your employment with them go away?”
“Is that a question or an accusation?”
He stood and meandered across the room. “Did you join MI6 with your sister?”
“How many times did you lie about being in Delta Force?”
“Dozens and before you go asking me if also lied to anyone I shared a bed with, of course I did. But I never slept with anyone in the military. Or a cop. Or someone who was remotely in a similar position, except once. But when I asked her to do me a favor, she knew exactly who I was and what I did for a living.”
“This is different.”
“How?”
“Because not only did I leave London on bad terms with my sister, but this op she’s referring to essentially ended my career and our relationship. And not in a good way.” She poked Corbin in the chest. “And as I stated before, these messages might not be coming from Blair. That’s why I need to know where she is and what’s she’s doing.”
Corbin squeezed her biceps. His touch was soft, tender, and way too sweet. “Is there anything that indicates it’s not from her? Does the language feel off? The movie reference not quite right?”
“That’s just it. Everything points to it being Blair. The word choice. The movie. The imagery. All of it. But we both know phones can be cloned. Someone could be holding her hostage. There any number of scenarios and given the fact this is her first contact, my untrusting brain is going in a million different directions.”
“We’ll figure it out.” He lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “But I’m going to need an answer to my question. Wyatt’s not going to be able to get Stone to agree to using our resources without it.”
“Stone? He needs to be read in too?”
“If you want Darius and Wyatt to work their special brand of magic, then Stone has to sign off.” He pursed his lips. “What’s it going to be?”
“Why do I have to actually say the words?”
“Because I need to know you can be honest with me about the things you think aren’t important, but really are.”
“Fine.” She lifted her arms, then slapped her hands against her thighs. “For twelve years I worked for MI6.”
“In what capacity?”
“Seriously?” She glared.
He nodded.
“Jesus, you’re a pain in the ass,” she muttered. “I was an agent. I worked counterterrorism.”
“And? What about the op?”
“It was my mission that went sideways,” she choked out.
He cupped her cheeks. “Was that so hard?”
“You have no idea.”
His mouth covered hers in a kiss that had no place happening in Wyatt’s office, much less on the grounds of the Brotherhood Protectors. She should push him away, but his kisses were too electrifying.
Jen Talty. Corbins Mission – Jen Talty (Kindle Locations 946-1026). Kindle Edition.
Things heat up from here in more ways than one. A third text causes much more concern and an interesting approach is found to get Gretta’s sister to call, and so much more that is at stake.
It’s fun watching Corbin and Gretta navigate their feelings for each other as they investigate the cause of Gretta’s fears.
I will be reading more of this Team. I do love the Brotherhood Protectors.
5 Contented Purrs for Jen!
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Team Eagle
Jen Talty
Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.
I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.
I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.
Carol Kittie Reviews 