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I took lasses off so I could rub my eyes I was a few steps away from my front door and just a couple irl She’d stopped by the station a couple of ti the ram, and she was the one who had tracked down their locations using their check-ins and photos on social reat tea for, but I hadn’t had enough alone time with her, hadn’t been able to taste her or feel her the way I wanted When I didn’t have enough of her, the chill that she chased away found its way back inside of s inside of me she’d worked so hard to thaw out Without her, I was frozen, covered in frost and ice With her, I was human, a man who ran hot and fast She made my emotions wild and I loved that I couldn’t control them or her The way she made me feel was a problem I never wanted to solve because I’d had years of isolation, no check onfor the front door when a throat was cleared loudly behind ood their training was that I hadn’t heard their approach

Thetheht the They still wore the same severe suits they’d had on when they took ed, but then again, so had I It was clear the current state of the world wasn’t easy on whatever no naovernment they worked They looked as tired as I felt and possibly defeated

"Gentleman" I kept my voice steady and calm I wanted to throw the door open and hide behind it I wanted to run away fro a visit There was no covering up the fact I was up towith a broken mind I was back, which meant they wantedbrother and disenchanted son But when I was a e, they couldn’t show up on h

"You’ve been busy, Mr Stark All kinds of stories of your escapades floating around the Internet We’ve been watching" That was said by the shorter of the two, the one who threatened to throw rief over losing Savina

I lifted an eyebrow "Figured you would be"

The taller of the tatchedback his jacket and showing the gun and badge clipped onto his belt He was trying to remind me that they called the shots, but they were on my turf This was my city, I was the one with the upper hand here "We have a classified project ant you to come on board for What do you know about EMPs?"

I snorted "Electronetic pulses? I know that paranoid end-of-the-world-preppers and conspiracy theorists think that an EMP can bring about the collapse of our society I know that, theoretically, a pulse can turn a developed country into a third-world nation I know there isn’t enough known about the long-tery, but you’ve never cared about the implications ed a look I wasn’t the scared,their puppet anyenda wasn’t er

"It’s in your best interest to come with us, Mr Stark If you don’t, we can uilty of hacking into a secure government mainframe That is a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act We can throw you in prison" That was a threat that used to scare me, but not now

I crossed my arms over my chest and leveled theovernment ive you what you wanted? I went looking for those answers and never found the into the places you want to keep uys made sure I was trained to be the best I can find the truth I can drag that inforht, ry for proof that our systems are flawed"

The taller one started to look uneasy as the shorter one puffed up his chest and warned, "We can one Just like last ti Last time, my sister missed me so much she died and this tio without a fight The door behindopen and suddenly a slanced down at Noe as she wrapped her arers around her upper arone The cop he’s been working ould notice The guy who has this entire town in his pocket would notice His friends would notice" She narrowed her eyes at the rowled, "His father would notice if he stopped visiting, and I’er stopping by to put flowers on her grave She sure as shit felt it when you pulled hiers curled into the fabric of my shirt and she pressed even ent scoffed and pointed a finger at her "We knoho you are, Ms Lee, forht You aren’tbetween us and ant"

She looked up at ht sky overhead Her lips were pursed in a sour look so I couldn’t resist a chuckle as I bent down to touch the with

She had never been Alyssa Cartwright That girl never got a choice, never got a say That wasn’t who she was She’d put that girl behind her She never wanted to hear that naain Those two belonged in a deep, dark hole that would never see the light of day She was Noe Lee and she was a force to be reckoned with She wasn’t afraid of the men who had taken ht by her side These idiots should be very, very worried

She pulled away fro her spine stiff She was stunning, all that fight and defiance that had first attracted ent Franklin You aren’t ency knows you’re gay, because you’re right, that knowledge would more than likely slow your fast-track to the top No one in your agency knows that you’ve been trying to adopt a child from Russia, but I do I know all about it If your superiors had that infor they don’t want any of their agents to have any ties to Russia at the ine how the media would twist that story Spy sells State secrets in exchange for a no-questions-asked adoption"

The low in the dark He swayed on his feet and refused to look at his partner as now blustering and walking toward Noe

"Ms Lee, I suggest you keep your mouth shut" He reached for her but before his hands landed, I was between the two of them, a hand on the center of his chest as I pushed hient Gri debt We know about the first wife you beat and put in the hospital even though your buddies in the agency covered it up We know about theyour last tour in Afghanistan, o to fund schools and infrastructure Money that was supposed to be used to rebuild the villages we destroyed Money you pocketed We know about the second hoin Australia The DoD covered that up as well I’her up than you, ave hi back into his lanky partner "While you’ve been watching ave her," I hooked a thumb in Noe’s direction She bared her teeth in a feral smile that would make even the brassiest of balls draw up in fear "All the ti anywhere, and if you think you can fuck withthe curtain back Not just on you, but on how this all started I know your people were responsible for what happened toit before, you won’t stop me now I’ll start a scandal before you step off this porch No one is ever impressed by the wizard They love Oz, but no one ever wants to see who’s actually behind the curtain"

The agents exchanged a look The tall one orried The short one was ie at me, but he knew I could kick his ass We had the sa, but I was three times his size and had years of built-up resentment "This isn’t over Stark You owe your country"