UNDERCOVER TO MY HEART

GOHST'S DON'T BLEED

A ghost was holding my wrist, but the live threat was standing right behind him.

"Let go of me, you big creep!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I jerked my arm back with everything I had, making a huge scene. The entire dive bar went dead quiet. Heads turned. Glasses stopped halfway to mouths. Heavy leather cuts shifted as patched club members stared at us. I put on my best pissed-off face, glaring at Jack like he was just another rowdy drunk taking things too far.

"I just pour the drinks, guy!" I yelled, loud enough for the back booths to hear. "Keep your hands to yourself or get your own beer!"

Jack did not blink. He let my arm go slowly, stepping back with his hands up, playing right along with my act. His cold mask was back in place.

"You have got a mouth on you, bartender," a sharp female voice called out from the darkness.

High heel boots clicked hard against the sticky floorboards. A tall woman sauntered over to the counter, her dark eyes locking onto me with pure poison. She wore a fitted leather cut over a tank top, displaying full sleeve tattoos down both arms. Her name patch read Roxy.

She slid up right beside Jack, wrapping her arm tightly around his shoulder in a clear mark of ownership. Jack did not pull away, but his jaw clenched tight enough to pop a vein.

"Is this little girl giving you trouble, Jack?" Roxy asked, her voice dripping with fake concern.

"She does not know her place yet," Jack said, his tone flat and dry.

Roxy sneered at me, reaching across the wooden counter to grab a heavy glass mug. She lifted it high, looked me straight in the eyes, and simply let it drop.

The glass shattered against the floorboards right at my boots. Amber alcohol and sharp shards exploded everywhere, soaking my shoes.

"Clean it up," Roxy ordered, pointing a manicured finger at the mess. "Get down on your knees and sweep it up, bartender. Right now."

My blood boiled. My right hand twitched, itching to reach for the Glock tucked near my spine. I took a deep breath, forcing my federal training to suppress the urge to break her jaw.

"She is a sloppy mess," Jack cut in smoothly, stepping right between Roxy and me before I could react. He reached out, grabbed my upper jacket sleeve hard, and yanked me toward the kitchen doors. "I will teach the new girl how to clean up properly. Back alley. Now."

"Do not go easy on her, Sergeant!" Roxy called out with a cruel laugh.

Jack shoved through the swinging kitchen doors, dragging me past the greasy fryers and out into the dark back alley. The heavy steel door slammed shut behind us, cutting off the noise of the jukebox. The cool night air hit my face, smelling like wet asphalt and old garbage.

The second the latch clicked shut, the cold act dropped.

I whirled around and slammed both palms hard against Jack's chest, shoving him back against the red brick wall.

"What the hell are you doing, Jack?" I hissed in a furious whisper. "Who is that woman? And how are you even breathing?"

Jack did not fight my shove. He just stood against the wall, looking down at me with heavy eyes. "I told you to leave, Bella. You should have walked out the front door."

"I am not leaving!" I snapped, pulling back the top of my tank top just enough to reveal the black wire taped to my skin. "I am a federal agent, Jack. ATF. I have been on this human smuggling case for six months. I am here to put these bastards in cages."

Jack looked down at the wire, then let out a low, dark laugh. It was a cold sound, completely empty of joy.

"You think a wire makes you safe?" Jack asked. He reached into his leather vest, pulled out a pitch-black burner phone, and unlocked the screen with his thumb. He held it right in front of my face. "Look at this."

I blinked, looking at the glowing screen. It showed a live map with flashing red dots, detailed shipping manifests, and gate access codes for the city docks.

"What is this?" I asked, my voice dropping.

"It is the entire cartel pipeline," Jack whispered, leaning close so his shadow covered me. "I spent seven years climbing the ranks of the Iron Serpents to get this. I faked my death to keep my family's filth away from you, Bella. I came here to burn this ring to the ground from the inside out."

My mind spun. "You are working undercover? On your own?"

"I am not undercover," Jack said, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "Undercover implies there are cops coming to rescue me if I get caught. There is no backup for me. I am doing this for revenge, and I am finishing it alone."

"You are out of your mind," I breathed, taking a half step back. "My team is down the street. We can take them down together, the right way."

"Your team does not know how vicious these men are," Jack warned, his voice turning deadly serious. "You are way out of your depth, sweetheart. If Xavier Knight finds out what you are, he will not just kill you. He will make a show of it."

Before I could answer him, a loud siren shrieked through the alleyway.

A red strobe light mounted above the back door began to flash violently, painting the dark brick walls in blood-red light. Heavy boots hammered against the floor inside the kitchen.

Jack grabbed my shoulders, his grip tight and urgent. "That is the perimeter alarm. Somebody just burned the front gate."

"Is it my team?" I asked, my heart dropping.

"No," Jack growled, pulling a heavy black handgun from his waistband and racking the slide. "Your team plays by the rules. That alarm means the cartel is here."