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him. Eagerly, she kissed him back, the intimacy easy and natural between them. Panting hard, she pulled away. She laid a hand, palm down, over the thick ridge straining against the seam of his jeans.
    “We have to go catch the bad guy,” she murmured. He made an inarticulate sound that sounded something like a frustrated moan.
    “Maybe if you’re very good, once we’ve fried Jennings’ arse and discovered the name of his contact within the Agency, I’ll give you free access to my derrière. You can do anything you want to it and me, whatever you please.”
    Garth wrapped a hand around the base of her head, threading his fingers through her hair as he dragged her back for another devastatingly potent kiss. With a jerk, he pulled away. Her mind took a moment to focus again, the cloudy haze of arousal threatening to melt her brain entirely.
    “You’ll let me do anything I please to that luscious arse of yours anyway,” he replied with fierce pride and a hungry smile. He patted her cheek again, this time in an arrogant, masculine way.
    “But never let it be said I didn’t rise to the promise of a sweet reward. You’re on, sweetheart. Frying the bastard and locking him in a cage, discovering the rogue mole ruining the Agency and in return anything I desire, including unrestricted access to your body.”
    Katherine beamed.
    “Deal.”
    “Well then, Agent Hitchens, lead the way.”
    Katherine patted herself down, going through her mental checklist as they walked towards the door. She checked her holster, her gun, the spare clip and her identification. She picked up her keys from the bowl by the door and jangled them at Garth.
    “My car, I’m driving,” she challenged. With a wry smirk, he nodded as she led the way outside.
     

Chapter Four
     
     
     
    Katherine and Garth walked up the street, each carrying a steaming takeout mug of coffee. Their free hands were linked and, in the early morning light, they looked like a couple on their way to the start of a shift. They both smiled at each other and kept a close watch of their surroundings—this wasn’t the type of area one would wander at night—but no one would recognise how carefully they surveyed the business park they passed.
    When they were well out of sight and earshot, they paused beneath a lamppost and sipped their coffee. They’d swung by an early-opening food chain, grabbed a sausage and egg roll each and the coffee. Katherine had inhaled her roll but they had kept the coffee.
    “What do you think?” she asked.
    “Lights were on inside,” he replied.
    “Half a dozen cars parked in their bays, too. There must be at least a few people inside.”
    “The buildings on either side of our target were still dark, no cars. I think it’s safe to assume the neighbours aren’t home just now.”
    Katherine paused before replying.
    “If we wait, call for back-up and the others to assist us there’s a strong chance more people will arrive. Regardless of whether they’re innocent or knowing conspirators, more bodies mean more potential casualties and a harder task keeping everyone under control.”
    “Agreed,” Garth said as he sipped his coffee. “Whereas right now, with just the two of us, if we go back, walk in like we’re starting a new shift and take charge there’d be a dozen people there tops. We know a short time ago someone was trying to decrypt that hard drive. If we wait and play it safe we might miss our window of opportunity.”
    Despite his words Garth watched her and remained silent. His opinion was clear to her, but he didn’t push her either way. She smiled at him and felt a warmth unfurl in her chest, pleased that he let her make her own decision and didn’t try to bully her.
    “If the two of us can’t handle a half dozen people—likely techs and civilians—then we don’t deserve to hold this job,” Katherine said before she drained her coffee cup. Retaining the empty cup, she shrugged her shoulders to loosen her muscles and