by Trish Loye
“Do it.”
He called Lexi and let her know what was going on. “Where is Wallis now?”
“You’ll never guess.” Her voice betrayed her confusion.
“That’s why I have you,” he said. “So I don’t have to guess.”
“He’s at the Russian Embassy.”
Fuck. They couldn’t access him while he was in the embassy. “What the fuck is he doing there?”
Sutton stirred and he hugged her closer, but her eyes had opened and she sat up. “The Russian Embassy?” she asked.
“What’s going on?”
“Tony is seeking sanctuary from the Russians. He’s trading the list for it at some party tonight.” She pointed at the phone and Ryan put it on speaker. “Lexi,” she said. “Is the embassy having a party or something tonight?”
They waited while Lexi did her thing.
“The Russians are hosting a reception tonight for Vadim Petrenko,” she told them, “a high-ranking FSB official. He’s flying in from Russia on an early evening flight. That must be who Tony is giving the information to.”
“We need to stop that trade,” Ryan said.
Sutton smiled even though her body ached. “Looks like we’ll be crashing a party.”
Less than an hour later, Sutton grimaced at herself in the mirror as she looked at the back of the black dress she wore. It had a plunging V in the front and a matching one in the back. The slit up her thigh was almost worse, but she could move. It had long sleeves so at least it covered the bandage and bruises on her arms. They’d used makeup to cover the rest.
They were in Dante’s hotel room. Mack had brought the dress—her own, she’d said—and then left to help Ryan procure a suit. Dante stood outside the hotel door. She studied herself. Mack was shorter and curvier than her, but all in all it wasn’t a bad fit. Though the front of the dress was a touch loose, which made the deep V seem deeper.
“What about a gun?” Lexi asked her.
Sutton shook her head. “There’ll be a metal detector at the entrance. The point of the dress is to look helpless. But I have my knives.” She pulled the slit aside to show one of them strapped to her thigh. “Ceramic.”
“Excellent choice of accessories.” Lexi grinned.
“Also, each of the security staff will be carrying. If I need a gun, I’ll be able to get one.”
Lexi’s eyes widened just slightly, but Sutton wasn’t too worried. She’d been in a lot of tight spots in her life. The thing that worried her the most was having Ryan there. Her worry for him distracted her and that wasn’t a good thing in situations where their lives hung in the balance.
Lexi held up her hand. A small earbud rested there. “Put this in your bra until you get past security. Then switch it on and do a radio check. I’ll be listening.”
Sutton nodded and tucked it away.
Lexi stood in front of her, clutching her hands together. “Stick to the plan.”
Sutton tilted her head. “We’ll be okay.”
“How can you say that?” she asked. “You’re going into the Russian Embassy. Basically unarmed. If they catch you, they can—”
“We’ll be fine,” she repeated. And then, just to bug the other woman: “Just as long as you hacked the invitation list.”
Lexi stepped back, almost indignant. “I told you I did.”
Sutton hid her smile. She found the hacker had grown on her and Sutton actually liked her. Lexi could be a bit prickly about her skill set, but overall she was a competent operator and a nice person, if a bit odd at times. “I’m just double-checking,” she reassured her. “Why don’t you make sure the hotel has card stock to print the invite out on.”
“Good idea. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She grabbed her ever-present laptop and left.
Sutton had only just checked the parking lot from the window when the door opened again. Ryan entered with a garment bag thrown over one shoulder. He stopped. Stared.
He didn’t say anything, just continued to look. She touched a hand to her hair. She’d left it loose and draped over one shoulder.
“Maybe I should put it up?” Why was her voice so uncertain?
“No. It’s perfect.” He set the suit on the bed and moved toward her, his voice low. “You look perfect, Sunshine.”
All of her aches, her worries, and her fears melted away under his gaze. How could this man make her forget everything with just a look and a whispered nickname?
He stopped in front of her, so close that if she breathed deep their chests would touch. His hand traced her jaw and tilted her face up to his. “You are so fucking gorgeous. When this is over, I want you to wear this dress for me again.”
That implied he wanted to see her again. But was it for more than a weekend? “I thought the deal was just a weekend at your beach house.”
“Fuck the deal,” he snarled, stepping back. “I want you for more than just a fucking weekend.”
Those words blew her apart. She sucked in a breath, trying to steady herself. Did he really want more? “But—”
He held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I got your message loud and clear. There’s nothing between us.” He turned away. “I need to get changed.” He stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
She blew out a shaky breath. Where had all that come from? If he wanted her for more than a weekend, then how long did he want her for? She wasn’t sure her heart would survive a weekend with him, let alone anything longer.
Just try.
Lexi came back into the room, followed by Dante and Mack. “I just heard word from the hospital. Edworthy is heading into surgery. He’s in critical condition, but they give him a good chance of survival. I’ll keep you updated.”
Ryan came out of the bathroom, adjusting his tie. His suit fit him perfectly and only emphasized the width of his shoulders and narrowness of his waist. It made her mouth water, and her hands ache to touch him. But his grim expression focused on the others and warned her off coming close. She’d closed that door and he’d locked it tight.
Sutton took a deep, cleansing breath. She needed to get rid of all excess emotions. This was why she couldn’t work with Ryan. If she went into this op distracted, she could end up killing them both. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, searching desperately for a Zen state. She tried to push her emotions into a box and store them away. If they survived, she’d pull them out later and force Ryan to talk to her.
But she wasn’t sure how successful she’d been, because when she opened her eyes, her gaze met Ryan’s and her heart slammed in her ribcage as if it’d been hit with a bullet. A bullet he’d fired.
Keep standing. Keep it together. Keep it locked away.
She would get through this.
Ryan passed his gaze onto everyone else. “The party is supposed to start in thirty minutes and Petrenko’s plane lands at about the same time. Once he gets to the party and the exchange is made, then we’ll lose the chance to get that list of names. We’re on a tight time frame, but a doable one. Let’s keep our comms open and be ready to adapt.”
Sutton moved forward. “Let’s do this.”
They had hashed out a basic plan on the car ride to the hotel and they continued to put as many details and backups into it as they could while Dante drove them to the embassy in yet another stolen car. This one a luxurious Mercedes. Lexi and Mack drove a few blocks behind in a communications van Mack had lifted from the DHS garage.
Dante would drop them off at the embassy and then ditch the car before returning to wait a block away, just outside the security perimeter, but close enough to come to their aid if they made it to the street. The women would park the van and monitor the situation from the same distance. Lexi had also found a handheld drone that could help with surveillance.
Sooner than she wanted, Dante pulled up behind another limo in front of a majestic stone mansion with a wrought-iron fence surrounding it. It didn’t look that secure except for the men in black tactical gear with German shepherds p
atrolling the lawn. An expensively dressed couple exited the limo in front of them and were met by two guards at the gate. After a check and a radio comm, the couple preceded to walk up the front steps, where they’d meet more security inside.
Dante pulled up and then it was their turn.
Ryan didn’t say anything as Dante got out and came around to open her door. He held out his hand to assist her from the car. An urge to quell the tension overcame her. She couldn’t go into this op with so many words left unspoken. She didn’t take Dante’s hand.
“Sutton?” Ryan asked, a world of questions in her name.
She looked back at him. “I...I also want to spend more than a weekend with you.”
He made some kind of noise in his throat, but she wasn’t sure what it meant and didn’t stay to find out. She took Dante’s hand and slid out of the car. Dante gave her hand a squeeze, and his eyes searched hers. Whatever he saw there must have reassured him, because he gave her a quick nod and went back to the driver’s seat.
Ryan shut the door behind himself. He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “We’re going to have a long talk when this is over, Sunshine. And then I’m going to have you naked in my bed for a week.”
She shivered at the blatant look of lust in his eyes. It heated things that had been cold for too long. But beyond that, something inside her settled and relaxed, as if the world suddenly seemed more balanced than just a moment ago.
A discreet cough nearby brought her back to reality. Damn. Ryan had done it again. Her face warmed when she realized she’d been caught making eyes at him. The only benefit was that it helped with their cover of husband and wife.
“Mr. and Ms. Ivanov,” she said in Russian. “Here is our invitation.” She handed over the paper that Lexi had created based on the information she’d hacked into.
The guard nodded as he consulted his list. “Please go inside.” He waved them in.
First obstacle down. She held onto Ryan’s arm as they walked up the steps. A cold, calculating calm settled over her. The op had started and she would do everything in her power to make sure it succeeded and that Ryan survived. She glanced at him and saw an answering hard look in his eyes.
They were as ready as they could be and they entered the house together.
She spoke Russian to the guards and waited patiently while her small purse was scanned and she and Ryan walked through the metal detector. Their comm devices were too small to set off any alarms. She once again took Ryan’s arm after they’d made it through.
Once past security, they were directed into a ballroom with glittering chandeliers, brocade wallpaper, and lots of windows overlooking the lawns. A waiter carrying glasses of champagne came up to them immediately. They both took one and pretended to sip while they strolled toward the far corner of the room.
“Two cameras. Northeast and southwest corners,” she said in a low voice, smiling at Ryan.
“Guards stationed at each entrance. No sign of the target.”
She took that moment with her back to the cameras and Ryan covering her front to slip her hand into her dress and remove the earbud of the comm device. She put it in her ear under the cover of adjusting her hair over her shoulder.
“Alpha zero, this is alpha one, radio check, over.”
“Alpha one, this is zero. Five by five. Over.” Lexi’s voice came through clearly in her ear. Ryan nodded at her. His comms worked as well.
“Divide and conquer?” she murmured to him. If they split up, they’d be able to track down Tony quicker.
Something stormy passed through Ryan’s gaze, before it calmed, and he nodded. He didn’t like her plan, but he’d go along with it apparently.
“I’ll take the back half of the building,” he said. According to the blueprints Lexi had found online, the back half were some offices, but also the kitchens and dining rooms. It would be well-trafficked with staff, and a random guest would have a harder time blending it. It made it the most dangerous. The front half were mainly offices and most likely unused at this point in the evening. She should be able to clear them quickly.
“After I finish, I’ll start on the second floor,” she said. “You catch up when you’re done.”
He smiled lovingly at her and her heart swelled until his words sank in. “You will wait for me before you head upstairs. This isn’t a lone ranger op. You wait for your teammate, whether you want them or not.”
Her smile wasn’t quite as loving. They definitely needed to talk when this was over.
“Agreed?” he asked when she didn’t say anything. “Or are you breaking the contract again?”
She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. “Fine. Agreed.”
His smiled turned genuine. “I will turn you into a team player yet.”
“It depends on the team.”
Their earbuds clicked. “As interesting as it is to hear you two flirt,” Lexi’s voice said. “Can we please get on with it?”
“Are you in their system?” Ryan asked.
“Roger. I’m accessing their security cameras now.”
Ryan leaned close to her ear without the earbud and his breath caused goose bumps to ripple up her back and a delicious shiver to follow. “Stay safe,” he whispered. “I’m looking forward to our time together.”
She swallowed hard against the pure need rising in her and stepped back. Time to cool down and focus. “I’ll see you soon.”
She turned and walked back toward the main entrance to the ballroom, where people continued to flow in and out. The ladies’ room was just beyond. Ryan would use one of the lesser used entrances. She had no doubt in his ability to blend in and didn’t worry about him clearing this first floor. The hard part would come upstairs where they suspected Tony awaited the arrival of Petrenko. Tony would be surrounded by security, and they would most likely have to do a frontal assault to get at him.
She made a quick stop in the ladies’ room to cover her exit from the ballroom. She touched up her lipstick and hair, and then followed three women speaking English from the room. The women spoke loudly and drew the gaze of the security guard stationed outside the door.
Sutton slipped to the side and walked sedately but with purpose down the main hall, as if she belonged there, just another diplomatic assistant attending the reception, conscious of both the guard at the entrance and the security camera that watched her. She turned right into the first hall.
“Alpha one, this is zero. You’re out of camera range.”
“Copy that, Zero.”
She dropped her sedate walk and strode to the first door. This hall should be filled with offices according to the blueprints, but it was necessary to check them all. She checked the six doors and each one was an almost exact replica of the one before: desk, bookshelves, and overflowing files on the desk. This hall definitely held paper-pushers and lower-level diplomats. She didn’t bother with more than a quick scan. There’d be nothing of interest to be found here.
At the end, she found a narrow hall full of windows as it ran along one side of the mansion. It showed the stone wall that encircled the rest of the property and the barbed wire atop it. Probably electrified. Much more secure than the wrought-iron gate at the front.
She walked past some windows and turned left into another hall of offices. These were a little larger and fancier than the previous ones. But still nothing.
She went back down the windowed hall and to the last office hallway. A quick peek showed a guard outside of one. She ducked back and listened hard. There was no sound and the guard had been facing the other way, so she thought she was safe. She went back a few steps and whispered into her mic. “Alpha two, this is one. I have a tango in front of a secure door. I’m going to breach. Over.”
“Alpha one, I’m en route,” Ryan said. “Wait out.”
“Not necessary, two,” she said. “Just a recon. Charlie Mike. Out.” She’d told Ryan to continue mission. She could easily access the room and figure out what was
going on without derailing Ryan’s clearing of the floor. For all they knew, this was just some high-level diplomat having a quiet meeting or tryst with someone. They needed more info.
“Alpha one, this is zero.” Lexi’s voice spoke next. “Location and sitrep.”
She almost turned off her comms in frustration. “Zero, currently on north side of building, third hallway in. Guard in front of room two doors down. Over.”
“Plan?” Lexi asked.
“Are you just giving alpha two time to locate me?” she asked, not hiding her exasperation.
“Roger that,” she said.
“We’re wasting time,” Sutton muttered.
“I heard that,” Ryan said.
“Children, proper comms, please,” Lexi said.
Sutton glanced at her watch. The FSB officer’s plane had landed thirty minutes ago, which meant he could show up any moment for the exchange. They needed to find Tony now and not waste any more time.
“This is alpha one. I’m on the move. Out.” She stepped into the hall, ignoring Ryan’s curses in her ear, and strode toward the room.
18
Sutton didn’t try to be quiet as she walked down the hall. The guard turned to her and scowled. He wore black combat pants, boots, and a long-sleeved black top. The only visible weapon was a Makarov holstered at his waist. He looked as though he should be holding an assault rifle.
“This area is restricted,” he said in accented English. And that confirmed someone important resided in the room behind him.
“Not to me,” she said in Russian, stopping in front of him, close enough to strike if she had to.
“To everyone,” he replied in Russian with an accompanying scowl and faced her more squarely. He placed a hand on his weapon, not releasing it from its holster, but letting her know that he wouldn’t hesitate to use it. The importance of the person behind the door escalated in her mind.
She took a chance. “Petrenko sent me. I need to speak with Wallis.”
