Toxic Vengeance Read online

  TOXIC VENGEANCE

  Vengeance Series

  Kaylea Cross

  TOXIC VENGEANCE

  Copyright © 2020 Kaylea Cross

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  Cover Art: Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs

  Developmental edits: Deborah Nemeth

  Line Edits: Joan Nichols

  Digital Formatting: LK Campbell

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  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-928044-36-9

  Table Of Contents

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  DEDICATION

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Dear reader,

  Beautiful Vengeance

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COMPLETE BOOKLIST

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  A past poisoned by lies.

  Toxins expert Eden Foster was trained never to get close to anyone. She’s only broken that rule twice, and each time it ended in heartbreak. Her mentor was murdered in front of her, and now the man she was forced to deceive and leave behind has suddenly become a threat. She wants justice, but the only way she’ll get it is by joining forces with the only man to pose a threat to her guarded heart—the CIA contractor tasked with capturing and turning her in.

  Risking a second chance could cost them everything.

  Zack Maguire has spent his entire adult life serving his country, but this time, he’s torn between duty and his heart. Eden might not be the woman he thought she was, but he refuses to accept that everything between them was a lie. If she’s being hunted, he’s all in. He won’t sit back and do nothing when her life is on the line. As the danger mounts, he’ll do anything to protect her. And when their enemies close in, the only way they’ll live long enough to have a second chance is to let go of the past and learn to trust each other.

  DEDICATION

  For all my fellow gardening enthusiasts out there. I bet you’ve got a bit of a poison garden too, even if you never realized it before!

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  When first brainstorming ideas about my Valkyrie characters, I came up with a list of specialties for them. One of them was toxins, and I thought Eden’s personality fit that expertise perfectly. Get ready for more thrills and action with this badass cast of female characters!

  Up next—Marcus and Kiyomi’s story to cap off the series.

  Happy reading,

  Kaylea

  Prologue

  Eden finished writing the note on the hotel stationery, then hesitated, her gaze straying across the room to the king-size bed. The man in it was sprawled on his stomach in the rumpled bedding, his dark head turned toward her, his expression peaceful in sleep.

  The room service cart from last night sat against the wall near him, filled with their empty plates and glasses from the late dinner they’d shared. As her eyes caught on the tumbler that had held his scotch on the rocks, she pushed aside the unwelcome stab of guilt. This wasn’t the first time she’d snuck out on a man in the middle of the night.

  But it was the first time ever that she didn’t want to go.

  She should be halfway to Amsterdam by now. She should just get up and walk out the door without making this any harder. But she couldn’t.

  Needing to touch him one last time, instead she crossed to the bed and sat on the edge of it near his hip, unworried about waking him. The dosage she’d given him would keep him under for the next hour at least. Then he’d wake alone and wonder what the hell had happened to her.

  Until he saw the note.

  At least she wouldn’t be here to see his reaction. Imagining it was hard enough.

  Shoving down the emotions welling up inside her, she reached out to brush a lock of dark hair away from his forehead. The deeply buried part of her that she’d been trained to ignore wished he would open those storm-gray eyes and give her that sleepy smile she loved.

  From out of nowhere a bolt of pain tore through her chest, taking her off guard and stealing her breath. Blinking against the unfamiliar sting of tears, she snatched her hand back.

  Just get it over with. You know you have to.

  Pushing to her feet, she expelled a shaky breath. This whole affair had been a mistake. She should never have let things go this far, or for this long. But she’d always done what she was ordered to. What she’d been trained to do, even if she hadn’t liked it. Just this once, she’d wanted something for herself. Something no one could take away from her.

  Steeling herself, she bent to kiss his bristly cheek. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, then straightened and set the note on the table beside the flower arrangement she’d made. A pink camellia floating in a glass, surrounded by a ring of dead leaves. He wouldn’t understand the symbolism of it. That was okay. It was enough that she did.

  Guilt pricked her with sharp needles as she headed for the door, but she kept walking. This was the only way. She wasn’t free to do what she wanted. Wasn’t free to offer her heart to anyone, and if she’d stayed with him any longer, she was afraid she might have been tempted to do just that.

  At the door she made the mistake of pausing. Losing the battle with herself, she looked back at him one last time.

  He was safe here, but everything about this still felt wrong. The lying. Drugging him. Sneaking out on him. She wanted to stay, no matter how dangerous it was for both of them. Wanted to slide back under the covers beside him, wake him up with soft kisses and caresses to lose herself in the magic they had together.

  It wasn’t real. He doesn’t even know who or what you are.

  Abruptly she turned away, her right hand automatically going to the grip of her pistol hidden in her waistband as she hit a mental switch and forced herself back into operator mode. She’d been lucky to have this stolen time with him. Now she had to put it all behind her and face the hard, dangerous reality waiting outside this door.

  The hurt would fade in time eventually, she told herself as she strode down the hall.

  It had to.

  Chapter One

  Nine months later

  Sevastopol, Crimea

  Serving platter in hand, Eden paused by the kitchen doorway to survey the elegant dining room beyond the threshold. The place was unbelievable.

  Over the course of her career she’d conducted all kinds of missions in various places, but none of them as over-the-top as this. It was ostentatious. The cutlery was gold plated, and the enormous crystal chandeliers hanging over the thirty-foot-long mahogany table each cost as much as a high-end luxury sports car.

  At the middle of the table, a peacock preening in the midst of the dinner guests, sat the man she was here for.
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  Target acquired.

  Notorious Turkish arms dealer Serkan Terzi. He was the guest of honor tonight, wined and dined in the utmost luxury by a Russian admirer he sometimes did business with. Mostly he dealt in weapons and drugs, but sometimes people—vulnerable women and girls.

  She had crossed paths with him before, when he’d been on the perimeter of her radar during previous ops. Through her handler, the U.S. government had sent Eden to eliminate various targets, men who posed a risk to national security. But never Terzi himself.

  Since he bought U.S. weapons and materiel, and the government wanted the business bad enough to overlook him, he’d been left alone. Even though he sold those same weapons to criminal groups and terrorist organizations in Syria because it fed his bank account, posing a direct risk to American interests and personnel there. Because money meant everything to those in power.

  But the rules were about to change.

  The Valkyrie Program had been scrapped, and the handler she’d kept infrequent contact with since had gone silent several weeks ago. Eden wasn’t sure if Chris was dead or not. Either way, she was on her own now. And that meant she no longer had to stay within the parameters imposed on her for so long. It was incredibly freeing to do things her way.

  Terzi had been allowed to live for far too long already, by too many powerful people willing to overlook his evil deeds. Eden was here to change that. Not only was he a threat to global security, but recent intel she’d gathered confirmed he was a direct threat to her and her kind. Several months ago he’d been involved in the death of at least one Valkyrie. Rumor was he was currently on the hunt for others, to reap the bounty being offered by a wealthy source Eden hadn’t been able to locate yet.

  For her the stakes had never been higher. Coming here was a huge risk considering he and his people might have information on her, but she had to take him out before he got any closer to her and the others. Wherever they were.

  “Sonya, are you finished serving the prawns?” a woman asked in clipped Russian.

  Staying in character, she turned to the head of the catering company hired for this event and put on a smile. “Yes, I was just headed back into the kitchen to get the next platter.”

  The woman gave her a stern look and strode off to check on another server. Eden bustled back into the kitchen to get another silver tray of hors d’oeuvres. She’d set up a fake ID for this background weeks ago before applying to the catering company, because the host was every bit as cagey as Terzi, and had his security vet each catering employee’s credentials before granting them access to the estate. Luckily her credentials were impeccable, thanks to prior help from her former handler.

  For all his brash arrogance and illusions of being untouchable, Terzi had proved frustratingly difficult to isolate. She’d been trying to get to him for almost three months now, and tonight was the best shot she was going to have.

  Out in the dining room she circulated among the guests, keeping careful watch of who was here and where everyone was positioned. Her light-brown complexion and eyes made her stand out somewhat amongst the crowd, so she needed to otherwise make herself as unnoticeable as possible in her black uniform. Terzi was still at the table, now sipping on a flute of champagne, all smug and feeling invincible.

  Eden would make sure he found out otherwise tonight.

  His chief bodyguard was positioned in the far corner of the room, keeping watch. Two weapons were hidden in shoulder holsters beneath his custom-tailored suit jacket, and another in an ankle holster made visible by the slight bulge every time he took a step. The host’s security was more discreet, stationed throughout the house and dressed in formal wear. Eden had memorized their placements earlier, as well as their schedule during previous recon of the estate over the past two days.

  She wasn’t worried about the tight security. She’d killed in front of an audience before and no one had ever been the wiser. All she had to do was deliver the fatal dose and disappear before they sealed off the mansion to question the staff. Once she did that her ID would be burned, but it didn’t matter.

  She had several points going in her favor tonight. The number of guests and staff would make it easier for her to slip out unnoticed in the ensuing chaos. And Terzi had a fondness for marzipan she was about to exploit to the fullest.

  She stayed as invisible as possible throughout the first three courses. After the main meal was served, while everyone relaxed around the table with another round of drinks, she got busy in the kitchen gathering the tools of her trade.

  When she got the cue from the head of the catering company, she picked up the tray and followed another server bearing a tray of cocktails into the dining room. Several others were already there pouring tea and coffee for the guests, along with serving different kinds of dessert.

  Eden kept her expression neutral as the server with the cocktails moved around the table and stopped at Terzi. He smiled up at her, taking the Amaretto Sour and saluting his host.

  Eden waited until he’d taken a large sip before offering the guest beside him an exquisite, handmade marzipan fruit from the plate she carried. Terzi’s gaze cut to the pretty little morsels, a smile spreading across his face.

  Certain of her mark, Eden lifted the tray to avoid another server passing by and quickly placed the laced marzipans in her clenched fist on the plate. Deftly turning it as she positioned herself beside Terzi again, satisfaction punched through her as he took four of them.

  The dosage was tricky. He needed to eat at least two of them for it to be fatal, and she didn’t want to make it too obvious that it was poison. Better if it seemed like food poisoning at first, or a reaction to his blood pressure and heartburn meds. The cocktail would help. It was fortunate that Terzi had a weakness for almond-flavored things, disguising the scent of the cyanide.

  Lifting the tray as she moved to the next guest, she “accidentally” knocked the final laced marzipan off the tray. As soon as it hit the floor another server swooped in to pluck it up and discard it, allowing Eden to move to the next guest without fear of poisoning them.

  A few minutes later as she made her way to the other side of the table, she cast a surreptitious glance at Terzi out of the corner of her eye. He’d only eaten one marzipan and already looked ill.

  He was sweating lightly, frowned as he put one hand on his protruding stomach. Dabbing at his face with his linen napkin, he reached for his Amaretto Sour and took another gulp. Then he picked up a second marzipan, paused to examine it, and popped it into his mouth.

  Excellent.

  She was headed through the kitchen doorway when she heard the first indication of alarm. At a sharp gasp and a cry, Eden ducked around the doorway into the kitchen.

  Hidden from view, she glanced back in time to see Terzi lurch from his chair. He made it two steps before doubling over and vomiting all over the priceless Persian rug beneath the dining table. People gasped and shoved from their seats as security moved in.

  Time to go.

  A thud sounded somewhere behind her as Terzi hit the floor in the other room. She pushed her way through the flurry of people moving around the busy kitchen. She didn’t have to see Terzi to know what was happening. He’d be convulsing now, helpless as his body struggled for oxygen it could no longer absorb, foaming at the mouth even.

  Good. Bastard deserved to die in terror.

  Three more servers were bringing fruit trays down the hallway when she got there. Security agents rushed past them, faces grim.

  Eden gave them blank looks and moved out of their way, staying in the periphery. As soon as they were past her, she rushed down the hall, heading for the powder room she planned to escape from.

  Ten feet from her goal a man stepped out of the doorway and stopped, blocking her way. Strong hands shot out to wrap around her upper arms.

  She wrenched free and reached for the weapon at the back of her pants, then froze when she looked up into his face. Shock blasted through her as she stared up into a pair of storm
y gray eyes she never thought she’d see again.

  WHAT THE HELL?

  For a moment Zack was too stunned to speak. He’d convinced himself it was his mind playing tricks on him again when he’d spotted her going into the kitchen earlier. Had convinced himself that it couldn’t be her. Because he’d been imagining seeing her everywhere for months and never found her—in hotels, train stations, airports…in his dreams.

  Yet here she was. Nina. Standing right in front of him after all this time.

  “What are you doing here?” he blurted, concerned and still struggling to process everything. Finding her here and now was way too damn suspicious under the circumstances. One of his teammates had just informed him that Terzi had been poisoned at the dinner table.

  Her expression closed up, and she looked at him like he was a stranger. “You need to get out of my way,” she said in a clipped voice, those unforgettable honey-brown eyes filled with resolve. That look said either he moved, or she’d make him.

  Before he could respond, more shouts came from the kitchen. Someone yelling for security to lock down the place. He had no doubt they wanted Nina. And that if they caught her, they would kill her.

  He focused back on her, the hard set of her features, and made a snap decision. It meant breaking his cover, but he was willing to pay the consequence to get Nina out of here. “If you want to live, come with me now.” Grabbing her arm, he turned them and began leading her down the hall.

  She was stiff at first, so stiff he tightened his grip, then she relented, jaw tense.

  He dragged her through one of the side doorways just as more security agents rushed in through another. Zack glanced around the brick courtyard. They were already locking the estate down. His car was parked out on the road but they’d already closed the main gate.