Wraith

by Kathleen Kelly

  “We know. We didn’t expect you to be under this long. There’s a promotion and pay rise at the end of all this for you. You can probably name your post, but we need Petrov.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I take a swig of my beer and put my arm around Shannon.

  “Who’s this Wraith… this Felder?”

  “No idea. Run the girl, Ann, and see if anything pops. Apparently, he’s her father. He hurt the Harbingers, set them and the Russian mob back. You heard Petrov, he wants her back and him dead.”

  “Will do.” Neilson levels me with a gaze. “You in the right headspace to go back?”

  “Not tonight. Tonight I want to spend time with Shannon. I’ll be fine by morning.”

  “Can you be gone for that long?”

  “Told them I wasn’t feeling well. I should be gold if I leave in the early hours.”

  Neilson nods. “Thanks for the meal. I’ll leave you two alone. Be safe, Flint. You’re almost done.”

  I stand and pull Shannon up with me. “Gerald, I’m giving this six more months, and no matter what we’ve got, I’m done.”

  “You say that every time.”

  “Yeah, but this time…” I glance at Shannon, “… I mean it.”

  Neilson draws his eyebrows together and nods. “Fair enough. You two have a good night.”

  Arm in arm, we walk him back through the cabin and out the front door. I wait until his tail lights are in the distance before I maneuver Shannon back inside and close the door. She goes into the kitchen and turns on the tap, filling up the sink. I walk up behind her and place my hands either side of her on the countertop. She’s pulled her hair up into a ponytail, and I wrap her long hair around one fist and pull her head back.

  “Flint, I should do these dishes.”

  “I’ll do them before I go.”

  A giggle escapes her. “The last time you said that you threw them out. That’s not doing the dishes.”

  “I want you,” I say as I pull her hair harder and kiss her neck.

  “Flint,” Shannon says flatly.

  I force one hand down the front of her pants and into her panties. Shannon squirms but is unable to get away from me.

  “Flint, I’m not kidding around. Let me do the dishes.”

  “Uh-huh. You’re mine, Shannon, for the next few hours. The dishes can wait.”

  “Flint, you’re not listening to me.”

  “Babe, you’re wet. I don’t think your body is listening to you either.”

  Shannon twists and shoves. She’s FBI too, so I know if she wanted to get out of a stronghold, it wouldn’t be hard for her.

  I close the gap between us and pin her arms behind her. “Let me fuck you.”

  “No.”

  I release her and take two steps back. “You’re fucking serious? You want to do the dishes?” A tear runs down her face, and she nods. “Shan, come on. I don’t know when I’ll get to see you.”

  “Dishes,” she states firmly.

  I shake my head and move toward the bed. I take off all my clothes, pull the covers back and climb in. It takes her less than ten minutes to do the few dishes, and I watch her as she stands there, staring out the window.

  “Talk to me.”

  Shannon shakes her head slightly.

  “Shan, talk to me.”

  Slowly, she turns and takes off her holster and badge, placing both on the small dining table, then she sits on the end of the bed.

  “Did you mean it when you said you’re only going to do six more months, no more?”

  The truthful answer is no. I need to nail these guys, or my five years undercover will have been for nothing. “Yes.”

  “I’ve missed you so much.” Tears spill onto her cheeks, and she wipes at her face furiously.

  I move to sit near her and place an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t cry, babe. We can do six months. The time will fly.”

  She nods and begins to undo her shirt. I stand and pull her up, crushing her to my frame. Shannon’s hands are locked around my waist, and she lets them trail down to my ass, squeezing it slightly.

  I lean back and cup her breasts through the material of her blouse. Shannon moves closer and chastely kisses my lips. I grin at her and grip either side of her blouse, ripping it open, sending buttons everywhere.

  “Flint!”

  “Hush,” I say, pressing a finger to her lips.

  I drop to my knees and undo her belt and pants, peeling them and her underwear down. I can’t get them off as she still has on her boots. With my face near her crotch, I grip her ass and crush her to me. My tongue delves in deep, and I lick and lap at her.

  Shannon falls backward onto the bed. “Think I need my boots off.”

  I chuckle and pull them off along with her pants and panties. I kiss my way up her body, holding my weight above hers on locked arms. Lowering myself, I kiss her lightly on the lips. Shannon tries to deepen it, but I pull back.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I miss you. Every decision I make at home, I try to keep you in mind. Would you like it? Would you put it there? I want us to make decisions together and not have a fuck every few months or so. I want my husband back, my partner in life.”

  I fall on the bed beside her and raise up on one elbow. “I want it, too.”

  Shannon sighs. “I know, babe. Now, kiss me like you mean it.”

  “Come here.”

  Shannon straddles me, and I cusp her head in my hands and kiss her slowly, deliberately, letting the passion burn through us. Her hips grind against my cock, and I know she’s becoming impatient. She’s wet and ready for me. I plant a foot on the bed and flip us. We both bounce, and I thrust up inside her.

  “Flint,” cries Shannon.

  I never get sick of hearing her say my name when I’m buried inside her. I set a slow pace in and out, enjoying the feel of her tight, slick pussy.

  “Faster.”

  I shake my head. “Don’t know when I’m going to see you again. I want this to last.”

  “Six months. Faster,” demands my Amazon goddess.

  Knowing my time away could be longer, I give in and allow her to have what she wants. Shannon’s nails dig into my back as she locks eyes with me. There are tears forming in them, and I kiss her while I increase my speed. Her tongue touches mine, and I suck at it, taking it into my mouth. This kiss rapidly turns into a teeth-gnashing, can’t-get-enough-of-each-other fuck fest.

  Shannon twists her head from mine and moans as the first of her orgasm washes through her. Her pussy contracts around my cock, milking me. Sinking my teeth into her shoulder, I pump in and out harder and faster as a familiar electric sensation fills my balls, and I come hard, yelling her name.

  There’s blood in my mouth, and I realize I’ve broken the skin. I kiss the spot and raise up on my elbows as I continue to move in and out of my woman. Her hair is splayed across the bed, the tears are flowing freely, but she’s smiling.

  “Sorry.”

  “What for?”

  “Bit you hard.”

  Shannon shrugs. “Didn’t feel it.”

  “Broke the skin.”

  “Didn’t feel it.” Shannon looks down between us, where we’re joined, and sucks in her bottom lip. When she eventually looks back at me, more tears flow freely.

  I pull out of her, put a pillow under her head, and lie down next to her, tracing lines across her stomach.

  “What’s wrong, Shan?”

  “I promise I wouldn’t have done it if you weren’t coming home.”

  “Done what?”

  Shannon moves away from me and sits at the head of the bed with her knees drawn up, hair falling across her beautiful face as she hangs her head.

  “I-I stopped taking the pill.”

  “The pill? As in contraceptive?”

  Shannon nods, and her shoulders shake as more tears fall. I’m stunned. Clearly, she wasn’t going to say anything to me, but because she thinks I might be coming home soon, she’s told the truth.

&n
bsp; Fuck.

  A kid isn’t something I want right now.

  I thought if I did get to come home, I’d have her to myself for a while, and we could get to know each other again.

  I love Shannon.

  I pull her into my lap and stroke her hair until she stops crying, then I lay us both down and hold her. We don’t speak, and I know this is the moment I need to man up. I’m doing all this for her. I’m going through all this for her, and even if I’m broken and used up, she still wants me to be the father of her children.

  I kiss the top her head. “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part.” I kiss her again. “I meant those vows. I’ll be honest and tell you I’m terrified, but Shannon, I chose you. I will always choose you.”

  Shannon raises up on one elbow and with red-rimmed eyes, she smiles at me. “You mean it?”

  “Yeah, babe. Do I wish we’d had a conversation about it first? Yes. But what’s done is done. If you’re pregnant, I’m taking time off, and I’m staying home for a good long while. I want to get to know you and our baby.”

  Her face creases up and more tears flow.

  “Babe, stop. It’s all going to be okay. We’ll work it out.”

  “I-I wasn’t going to say anything. I’ve wanted a baby so badly, and this assignment is never-ending. Promise me you’ll get Alec Petrov. Promise me.”

  Staring into her eyes, I nod. And right in that moment, I believe I will get Alec Petrov, but there’s a small part of me which knows he’s smart. He doesn’t make mistakes, and a lot of people have tried to bring him down. The task force I’m in is small, very few know about it. Too many agents disappeared before I managed to get in with the Harbingers of Death. The whole team is cautious. Now, if Shannon is pregnant, I need to be more careful and pray Petrov slips up, so I can be done with this whole sordid mess.

  “Lay down. I want to hold you in my arms for a while and maybe get a little shut-eye.”

  Shannon tucks herself back into my side, and I play with her hair until I realize she’s sleeping. Her breathing is even and slow. Rubbing my eyes with the heel of my hand, I wonder what the hell the future holds.

  A wife.

  A child?

  And bringing down the Harbingers of Death and hopefully the Russian mob.

  WRAITH

  I’ve been out for a run. Even in the cold extremes of Switzerland, it’s important to keep fit. When I get back to the small apartment I’ve rented, my computer screen is flashing red, meaning someone is looking for me.

  I have a friend who created a program to detect if ‘unfriendlies’ had put my name into a search engine. I’m guessing all the money I spent on it is finally paying off. I type in my password to show me the IP address, then I feed this into another program, which turns out to be a branch of the FBI. Dragging over a chair, I sit and begin to delve into their computer. Within three minutes, a warning sign appears, and I know they’re tracking me, so I back out and end the connection.

  Slamming shut the laptop, I head for the shower. Time to call in some favors from some old friends.

  As the hot water warms me, my mind goes over who would be best to contact. I’ve made some powerful friends over the years, but all come with a cost or want me indebted to them in some way. Everyone wants something in return. One name keeps coming back to me, Suzannah Stone, but apart from a brief interlude with the Harbingers of Death MC, she’s not a good asset. Truth is, I care for her, and for me that’s dangerous—for both of us. I kept tabs on her after she fled. Suzannah was smart, she kept moving from place to place before she settled on a little seaside town. I’ve been sent surveillance photographs of her, and she looks happy.

  I get out of the shower and towel off. My cell is beside the bed, so I pick it up and go through the numbers stored on it. There’s only one person I need to call, and it’s my handler. He will have also been notified that someone was looking into me.

  It rings five times before a friendly voice says, “Ben’s Bakery, how may we help you?”

  “This is baker one-five-seven-alpha-beta-fifteen.”

  “Hello, baker, one-five-seven-alpha-beta-fifteen, according to our records you’re overdue for a delivery.”

  “I’m requesting a face to face with the chef.”

  “Hold, please.”

  It’s a ridiculous ruse, and I’m sure we aren’t fooling anyone, but the CIA is entrenched in tradition and protocols.

  “Your request has been granted. Geneva, St. Pierre Cathedral, one o’clock tomorrow. Don’t be late.”

  The line goes dead, and I smile to myself. They know I’m in Switzerland. I’m not as clever as I think I am. Well, no one has tried to kill me, so perhaps they realize I’m here on a mission to save my daughter.

  I dress for the short walk to the facility where Ann is located. As I step out onto the street, a van pulls up, and the side door slides open.

  “Jamison, old buddy, you’re not going to be difficult, are you?”

  It’s an old special ops buddy, and he has a Glock in one hand, pointed at me.

  “No, Billy, I won’t.” I climb into the van and sit next to him. “How long have you known where I was?”

  “From the beginning. We were worried with the whole Harbingers of Death thing that you’d gone off the rails, but when you landed here with Ann, well… let’s say… all was forgiven.”

  “Really?”

  Billy shakes his head. “Almost all.”

  “Is Tompkins still in charge.”

  Billy grins and shakes his head slightly. “Got promoted. You’re about to meet your new handler.”

  The both of us fall into silence. I close my eyes and try to listen to the surroundings in case I have to find my way back. Billy chuckles beside me, and I crack open one eye to look at him.

  “Old habits die hard, hey?”

  “You know it. I was scheduled to meet tomorrow. Why’d you step up the meet?”

  “Don’t stress, J. She wants you thrown off guard to see how you’ll perform. We’re taking you to a public place. The new boss wants a sit-down, nothing more. She’s been waiting on you to make contact. If you don’t mind me saying, it took you long enough. I’ve been freezing my ass off here for far too long. I prefer sunnier regions.”

  “You know why I’m here.”

  “Yes, and it’s the only reason you’re alive. How’s Ann doing?”

  “Like you don’t know. Who’s the new boss?”

  Billy smiles and shakes his head. “All will be revealed. We’re only going as far as Orsieres. It should take us less than an hour.”

  “You’re not here to dispose of me?”

  Billy gives me his eyes, and although he’s smiling, there’s no emotion behind them. “Not yet. Day’s young, though.”

  It’s a certain breed of human being who gets chosen for black ops. We have the ability to turn on and off our emotions, or a better way to word it is to ‘compartmentalize.’ I have Ann, and my love for her buried deep within me. Perhaps not deep enough if the CIA can track us here.

  The car comes to halt in front of a tavern. I glance at Billy.

  “Time for you to get out. Go on in, you’ll recognize her when you see her.”

  I climb out and am surprised to see he still has his gun in his hand. Billy sees me staring at it.

  “Old habits die hard.”

  “Indeed,” I agree as I slam the door shut.

  The tavern has a few patrons as I casually stroll through, looking for a familiar face. When I get to the back of the building, I see her, Angelica Strauss. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her, her once long hair is cut short in a pixie style and dyed a light brown. A small smile plays on her lips, and she nods at me as I make my way toward her.

  Angelica started out in this organization as a specialist like me, but unlike me, she found out the secrets of those above her and obviously used it as leverage to move her way up. We did a few missions together�
��she was deadly with no remorse.

  “Angelica.” I slide into the booth opposite her.

  She already has a pitcher of beer and two glasses on the table.

  “Jamison, you look well.” I pour the beer into the glasses and take a sip. “How do you know I didn’t spike it?”

  “If you wanted me dead, I’d be dead. So, boss, what gives?”

  Angelica puts a file on the tabletop between us and slides it over.

  “This is for you. Clean up your mess and come back to work. You have three months.”

  I cock my head to the side. “You are giving me a green light for this?”

  Angelica shrugs. “I owe you for the Milan fiasco. I believe in repaying my debts.”

  “I wouldn’t use that little debacle against you. It’s not my style.”

  Angelica copies me and cocks her head to the side and then scoffs. “Honor among working colleagues. Who’d a thunk it?”

  “Now we’ve sorted that out… you owe me nothing. Do I still have a green light?”

  Angelica taps the file. “Alec Petrov is bad news. He’s not only running girls, but he’s got his fingers into gun-running, drugs, and as of recently, we believe he’s making a move to buy a dirty bomb. We need him and his organization gone.”

  Now, this all makes sense. I have insider information, I’m familiar with the target, it’s why I’m being given the okay.

  “What do you need?”

  “We need the name of the procurer he’s using for the bomb, and we’d like all the other affiliates of his organization brought down. Do you need a team?”

  “No,” I reply instantly.

  Angelica raises one delicate eyebrow at me. “I’m giving you carte blanche. It’s okay to ask for help.”

  “I don’t need it. In and out. Quiet. No fuss.”

  Angelica takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Don’t disappoint me, Jamison.”

  “Or?”

  Angelica smiles, it’s frosty with no warmth. “We know your weakness now.”

  Ann.

  She means Ann.

  This fucking bitch threatened my girl.

  I lean in closer to her. The smile on her face is frozen, much like her heart. “You know I said I’d never use your past against you? Threaten my girl again, and we’ll see how much the CIA and the Mossad like you.”