The Edge of Obsession

by Diana Muñoz Stewart

  “There was no way to tell—”

  “Bullshit. You missed it. Geraldo set you up. He gave Juan the coordinates, right? That’s what you said.”

  She leaned forward, lifting her head and shoulders enough that the pillow slipped down, wedged against her lower back. “Yes. It appears he tried to kill Juan and me.”

  “Appears? Geraldo led you in there, set off the explosion. Figures he’ll wait a couple days for you two to be noticed missing. And then boo-hoo to the cops about how he’d given Juan some directions, because good ol’ Juan was looking into the disappearance of his fiancée. Geraldo couldn’t have asked for a better scenario. He gets you and Juan out of the way, exposes the tomb, which gets rid of Armand, then takes control of Oaxaca, and is cleared for the tragic disappearance of his fiancée.”

  “It’s a mistake anyone could have made. I did a thousand things right, and I won’t have you harp on my one mistake.”

  Tony dragged a hand down his face. “All it takes is one, D. That’s it. One. You and Justice are going to be the death of me.”

  “I’m not like Justice.”

  Tony exhaled, and rolled his head around on his neck. “You’re more like her than you think. If you weren’t, you’d leave. We’ve done everything you asked. We took that woman you were concerned about, Rosa, and flew her and her son Carlos to relatives in Canada. You did good. Let us put someone from another unit out here.”

  “No. I’m here until this is done.”

  Tony’s eyelids lowered with suspicion. “Is this about your informant, this Juan guy?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Tony snorted. “First, he looks nothing like a Juan.”

  Dada shook her head. “Trust me when I tell you no one in this town uses their own name.”

  “Second, I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

  Dada wasn’t going anywhere near that minefield. Fishing her pillow out, she placed it behind her head, leaned back, and hoped Tony didn’t notice her ignoring that question.

  But Tony wasn’t one for tiptoeing past a subject. “He looks at you like you’re sleeping together. And he’d give his right ball to see that kept happening.”

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  “Fuck. You kiddin’ me, D?”

  “I’m handling this.”

  “I’m pulling you.”

  No. No way. A lifetime for her and Sion started now. “No. You aren’t.”

  “The hell—

  “You need me. More importantly you need Juan. He still has an in with Walid.”

  That stopped him. He waited a beat. “An in how?”

  “He supplies the man with…” she shrugged, “physical entertainers.”

  “What, like jugglers.”

  “Like men more than willing to hurt each other and have sex in front of Walid while they do it.”

  Tony’s winced. “Momma won’t approve this.”

  “So don’t tell her.”

  “D—”

  “Juan is doing this for us, and I’m not using or manipulating him. He is doing this for me, for these women, so we will help him find Sophia.”

  Tony stood, strode across the room, and punched the stone wall. “Fuck.”

  He shook out his hand and turned to her. “This is the last near-death experience you get. Next time, I pull you.”

  Dada did not envy him his position as team leader on this mission. She put her arms out for him. He came over and embraced her.

  “Just be careful. I don’t want to lose you,” he said into her hair.

  “You won’t. No one is going to die on this mission.”

  “Oh yeah? We’re that good?”

  “Yes. We are. And I’m just that lucky.”

  Chapter 24

  Darkness soaked into Sion’s bones and sweet exhaustion weighted his legs. He longed for a few more moments holding Dada, but knew she wanted to help more in the soup kitchen—especially now that she spent so many nights with him.

  He ran a hand over her arm. “Give me a minute.” He pulled her closer. “You in my arms… It’s precious. Not to be rushed. One more breath, one more inhale of your sweet skin, before you have to leave. That’s what I need.”

  He meant it. Things had gotten better after finding Rosa, but it wasn’t over. It wouldn’t be until Justice, Dada’s sister, was able to put an end to Walid. So once Dada got out of bed, the threats out there, the danger, the pressure of dealing with Walid and his new man, sifting through Armand’s files to locate Sophia, all of that returned. “A minute, luv, a minute more.”

  She sighed and rolled closer to him. “I have to go. And with barely two hours’ sleep.”

  He grinned, remembering how she’d coaxed him from sleep two hours ago. He’d woken, moaning and throbbing, to find she had his dick in her mouth. “Hottest thing I’ve ever awaken to.”

  She laughed, pushed away with a regretful sigh, and stepped fully out of bed.

  He watched her cross the room. Beautiful. “You’ve perfected walking away, luv.” She shook her bottom, and he flat out died. “You’re torturing me.”

  Laughing evilly, the sexy witch, she closed the bathroom door.

  He relaxed into the pillow and drifted off thinking of her, the best wake-up call of his life.

  Dada screamed. Bloodcurdling. He threw himself out of bed and charged into the bathroom to find her perched on the edge of the tub. She pointed down.

  What the bloody hell—

  He started to laugh. “Really, luv? It’s a spider.”

  “A spider the size of my foot. I’ve incapacitated it. Take it outside.”

  Incapacitated? The spider, if that’s what it was, didn’t move. Ach, she’d hit it with his shaving gel. Not dead but, as she said, but woozy.

  He bent down. It definitely wasn’t average size. Opening the cabinet, he pulled out a piece of cardboard from a shoebox and slid it under the spider’s heavy body.

  He maneuvered the monstrosity out of the bathroom, through the room, and onto the fire escape. He shut the window. Locked it. Could never be too certain.

  Returning, he found his woman still holding the shower curtain rod. Had to admit that was exactly where he’d wanted her. He shut the door behind him.

  “There’s a lovely.” He crooked his finger at her. “Need some comforting?”

  With as much class as he’d come to expect from her, she climbed down from the tub, walked forward, and slammed into him. Fast and hard.

  Which made him hard. Fast.

  He wrapped his arms around her as she began to kiss his chest and rub him with hands that shook. Nothing got the motor going quicker than a near-death experience.

  His body responded in a way that was all about keeping her safe and taking her here and now. His hands grasped her arse with a grip that intended to do both. Kissing her with as much reassurance as he could convey, he lifted her onto the sink.

  Her soft lips clung to his. Her hands dragged at him. Her legs wrapped around him so tightly, she pushed him toward her opening. Wet, soaked, and ready.

  He thrust into her softness, and she moaned and mewled, a soft needful sound. She was doing him in with those sounds.

  He pumped into her, took her with every bit of need and want, the power of his thrust speaking for his heart.

  She cried out, whimpering and moaning, writhing and rocking, and then biting his shoulder as she came. He rode into her, ignoring the bang, bang, bang of his knees against the cabinet doors, toppling over the edge with her.

  Spent, he buried his head in her shoulder. “I love you.”

  She brought her mouth to his ear. “I love you more.”

  Epilogue

  Dressed in heels and a dress that clung to her in a way she knew would please Sion, Dada climbed the stairs to his new apartment.

  Dada detested the time away from Sion, her man, but as a member of the League of Warrior Women, she was required to go home, make reports, and allow herself to take part in the final arr
angements for taking out Walid and his brother Aamir.

  Things were progressing nicely. Well, except for her sister’s insistence on killing both the men at the same time. That was foolish, but Momma had approved of Justice’s plan, and who was Dada to say anything?

  It wasn’t much longer now. Mere weeks. Soon, she and Sion would be free to live wherever they wanted.

  She climbed the steps to Sion’s apartment, happy to be home. And not sure when she’d begun to think of him as home. But that’s the way it was. It wasn’t his apartment—though they had been living together now for nearly a year—it was him.

  The smell of dinner seeped under the door as she placed her key in the door. He had music on. A salsa. And was dancing at the stove with an apron wrapped around him. His body swayed as he added a pinch of spice to what smelled like pozole. Yum. She was ravenous.

  And not just for food. She was ravenous—starved—for him. The moment he began to twerk at the stove, she knew he was aware of her.

  Smiling, she put her bags down and walked across the room. Her hot hands slid under the thin material of his apron to his toned, hard abs. He didn’t stop moving his hips, only bumped them back against her, sending desire flying through her.

  She bit his ear. “Take this off. I need you.”

  After he turned off the burner, he spun in her arms. And without a word, he was kissing her, claiming her, welcoming her home.

  Her heart felt whole again as the blood began to pound through her body. And she realized, she’d do anything to keep him safe.

  So she told him, whispering in soft Spanish, “Querido, eres mi mundo.”

  His lips covered hers, silencing her, telling her with his body what she’d said with her words. She was his world, too.

  She let herself sink into the feeling. For now, all was as it should be.

  #

  Good food, good sex, and now the promise of this mission finally coming to an end.

  A few weeks left, and her family would take out the men who were holding thousands of women around the world, including Sophia, captive.

  It was as good a day as any day he was with her. Now, he sat in a striped chair on the balcony with his woman half-dressed in his lap, afraid to hope what she’d just told him was real.

  Sophia’s alive. She’s safe.

  “Say it again, luv. Please.”

  Dada squirmed in his lap, turned to face him. Behind her, the city glowed pink with the sunset. “She’s alive, my love. She’s safe. Rescued from a slaver.”

  “Sophia’s alive?”

  “Yes. We couldn’t find her because the trafficker had called her by a different name. Cookie.”

  “When can I see her?”

  Dada smiled, put her hands on his face. “You can head to the States—to safety—tomorrow.”

  Sion’s mouth set into a grim line. This wasn’t the first time she’d tried to get him to give up this mission and leave it to her. “No, luv. I’m in this with you. If she’s safe, I will see her again.” And he would. He longed to see Sophia, see for himself that the child—no longer so young or innocent—was safe. But he trusted Dada and her family. If they had her, she was safe.

  “But—”

  This woman. “I leave here when this mission is done.” He placed his hand on her stomach and rubbed. “I leave here when you and our son leave here. Not a moment sooner.”

  She smiled against his lips and kissed him. “Not much longer, my love. And until then, we have glorious Mexican sunsets, good friends, and hot nights to enjoy.”

  Speaking of hot nights… He stood, lifting her into his arms.

  She cried out, laughing. “Your leg! You can’t possibly carry me!”

  Oh yes he could. And would. “My wife and son are always safe in my arms, luv. Trust me.”

  She quieted and whispered, “Forever, my love. Forever.”

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to thank my editor and one of my dearest friends, Terri-Lynn DeFino. Your incredible talent and insights helped transform this manuscript, making it so much more than it would have been without you. More than that, I want to thank you for being here for me as I venture into this world of self-publishing. Your love of this project, your support and belief in it, not only transformed this work, it has helped to shape and transform me into a better writer.

  I’d like to thank Daniel Ladinsky for allowing me to use part of his translation of St. Catherine’s poem from his marvelous book Love Poems From God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West.

  And thanks, as always, to my agent Michelle Grajkowski for her encouragement, help, and support.

  A huge Thank You to my copy editor and production editor, Judi Fennell. I sincerely appreciate all of your hard work and advice as I’ve navigated this self-publishing process.

  To my incredible cover designer, Richard Lamb, I can’t thank you enough for your incredible artistic talent. You managed to create a gorgeous cover that captured my story and my heart.

  Finally, a big thank you to all the hard-working and supportive people at Sourcebooks. It is thanks to you that the Black Ops Confidential series is out in the world, and I couldn’t appreciate and love you more.

  About the Author

  Diana Muñoz Stewart is the award-winning romantic suspense author of the upcoming Bad Legacy series and the current Black Ops Confidential series, which includes I Am Justice, The Price of Grace, and The Cost of Honor (Sourcebooks). She lives in eastern Pennsylvania in an often chaotic and always welcoming home that—depending on the day—can include a husband, kids, extended family, friends, and a canine or two.

  When not writing, Diana can be found kayaking, doing sprints up her long driveway—harder than it sounds—practicing yoga on her deck, or hiking with the man who’s had her heart since they were teens.

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  The Edge of Obsession, copyright 2019, Diana Muñoz Stewart

  Published by Diana Muñoz Stewart

  Cover by Richard Lamb

  Layout: www.formatting4U.com

  All rights reserved. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author. This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.