“Silva is dangerous, Haylee,” he growled, leaning in close. “Don’t bait that tiger. It’s not worth the risk.”
“Once more, your opinion isn’t required. You had your chance. We spent a night together. You decided that was enough for you—and you know what, it was enough for me as well. I don’t need to beg a man for his attention, no matter how much fun we might have had. It’s over and done and I have nothing left to say to you.” She got to her feet, pulse throbbing, and even though she was wearing heels, she still had to crane her neck back to look up at him. “It you will excuse me.”
She took a step, intending to march away—and probably out the door and into the lobby where she’d call an Uber—but his fingers wrapped around her elbow and pressed just enough to halt her progress.
She spun on him and hissed, “Let me go.”
“No.”
Wolf held her arm firmly but not too tightly. Haylee was spitting mad. Not that he blamed her for it, but he couldn’t let her put herself in danger by leaving with Oscar Silva.
“No? Since when do you get to tell me what to do?”
Wolf gripped her arm tighter as memories of the two of them in bed together assailed him. Even without that, she was making him crazy. He’d walked into the ballroom, his gaze instantly finding her. He hadn’t even had to search for her. She’d simply been there, her gorgeous body encased in a white dress that clung to her curves, her black hair sleek and gorgeous as it flowed down her back, her legs long and silky, ending in a sky-high black shoe with a tiny strap that wrapped around her ankle. He was obsessed with that strap. Wanted to undo it with his teeth.
Ridiculous.
“Told you what to do in the jungle. You listened.”
Her dark eyes snapped fire. “That was the jungle, Neanderthal. We’re back in civilization now, and you are not the boss of me.”
“I was,” he said heatedly, his meaning unmistakable. He knew she got it because she swallowed visibly.
“No. I did what you told me to do because you were saving me.” She purposely misunderstood him.
He snorted. “Not what I was talking about and you know it.”
Her cheeks went red beneath the creamy caramel of her skin. “What do you want, Dean? I’m busy here.”
He propelled her away from the table she’d been sitting at with Silva and toward the door he’d recently come through. “I want to talk to you, Haylee. Just you and me.”
She didn’t fight him as he guided her through the crowd. When he reached the door, he scanned the room until he saw Gem. Then he nodded once. Gem nodded back. Wolf opened the door and Haylee hesitated only a moment before she walked through. He let her go, then closed it behind him and turned to face her. She folded her arms beneath her breasts and glared.
So pretty.
“All right. I’m listening. What did you want to say so badly?”
What did he want to say? Everything. Nothing. “Stay away from Oscar Silva, Haylee. He’s dangerous and you aren’t equipped to handle him.”
Her delicate nostrils flared. She was angry. “Do you let your girlfriends tell you how to conduct your job?”
He blinked. “I don’t have any girlfriends.”
She rolled her eyes. “But if you did. Would you let them dictate how you did your job?”
“No.”
She snapped her fingers in his face. “Bingo, hotshot. You don’t tell me how to do my job and I won’t tell you how to do yours.”
He wanted to kiss her. He didn’t think that would go over very well. “I’m just trying to keep you safe. Silva is a criminal.”
“Then why isn’t he locked up?”
“Because he’s rich and he’s got people in his back pocket, that’s why. You know the same rules don’t apply to rich people that apply to us. The man donates millions to political candidates through PACs, probably has a judge or two in his back pocket, a few sheriffs. There are people who literally get away with murder in this country because they’re rich enough to grease their paths—and they aren’t the ones who get their hands dirty.”
She frowned. “I’ve heard that he’s connected to the Juarez Cartel. He knows about the pills—how they get in, where they go, where the material comes from in the first place.”
A chill slid down his spine. “Haylee—what the fuck are you planning? To ask him about his involvement? To demand he stop funding drug runners? What can you possibly do to stop him?”
“I don’t know,” she said softly. “But I have to do something.”
Chapter Twelve
Haylee gazed up at Wolf and tried very hard not to let her lip quiver. She was overwhelmed and pretending not to be. After two months of thinking about him and slowly realizing he wasn’t ever coming around, it was a lot to be standing here in an elegant hallway in the Ritz, talking to him as if he was involved in her life. As if he cared about her.
He didn’t. Or, strike that, he didn’t care about her in any meaningful way. Of course he cared whether or not she was putting herself in danger, because that’s what he did, but she could be anybody walking into the lion’s den that was Oscar Silva’s life and he’d be trying to stop her.
Except she really wasn’t that stupid and she’d already decided she needed another way. She couldn’t ask Silva any further questions. She damned sure couldn’t be alone with him. She could poke around on the periphery of his orbit, but she wasn’t getting pulled in any closer. The man had dead eyes—and that was something she couldn’t pretend not to see.
Wolf frowned down at her. Hard. “Didn’t you learn a goddamn thing in the jungle? Those people don’t care, Haylee. They’d have killed you if they hadn’t thought they could get someone to pay a ransom for your return. If he’s working with them, he’s the kind of guy who can have you eliminated. The only questions anybody’ll be asking will be on a missing person’s poster—have you seen this woman?”
“Look,” she said, taking a step closer to him and then immediately regretting it. He was too close. His body too big and warm and hard. She could smell his scent, that combination of man and danger that had turned her on so much that night in El Salvador. The night she’d lain beneath him and felt the power of his body as it moved inside hers.
Stop thinking about it.
Haylee pressed on, poking a finger against his chest—and not at all surprised when the iron hard muscle didn’t give way. “I’m not an idiot, Wolf—and I’m not getting involved with that man. Or asking him any questions. For your information, I was planning on finding my date”—okay, so Tony totally wasn’t a date but she wasn’t admitting that to Wolf—“and telling him I was leaving. Then I was going home to dig as deeply as I can into Oscar Silva’s connections. I know people, and I’ve heard things. And I plan to find out how he’s involved. Without putting myself in danger, believe it or not.”
Wolf growled as he gripped her wrist and prevented her from moving away. And then, before she could stop him, he tugged her in close. Intimately close. Their bodies pressed together from breast to hip to thigh. A powerful shudder rolled through her as his heat seeped into her skin, her bones. He didn’t move his hips, but she knew he was growing hard. Her body started to melt from the inside out, liquid heat flooding her, readying her for a night of hot sex with this man.
Sorry, body. Ain’t happening.
“You think because you’re walking away that you won’t be in danger? If you dig too deeply, probe too much—if it reaches his ears—the effect is the same as if you went back in there and asked him point blank if he’s funneling illegal drugs over the border. Be careful, Haylee.”
Her breath grew shallow. She wanted to wrap herself around him. Purr. Get naked beneath him again. And judging by the thickness pressing into her abdomen, he wanted it too.
“You think I should let it go? That if I just wait, karma will catch up to these evil men and they’ll pay for what they did to Nicole and those like her? Is that how you work, Wolf? Just let karma take care of it for you? Or do you cha
rge in there and kill people before they can hurt anyone else?”
His nostrils flared. His gaze hardened. His jaw flexed. “Goddammit, Haylee. It’s not the same thing.”
Magnificent man. Beautiful man. Dangerous man.
“Literally, no. But it is the same. You don’t let bad people get away with their crimes. That’s all I want. I want the bad guys to pay.”
Her phone rang, startling her. She jumped and scrambled for her evening bag. Wolf let her go and she fumbled the flap open and took out her phone. It was Tony. “Hi, Tony. What’s up?”
“I couldn’t find you. Did you leave?”
Haylee’s heart throbbed as she gazed at Wolf. He was still frowning. Still looking delicious and unattainable and that made her belly ache with longing and even a soft fury for the past two wasted months. “No, I didn’t leave. Are you done with the senator?”
“For the moment, yes.”
“Tell me where to meet you.” It hurt to say those words because she really wanted to leave the party. With the man standing in front of her, but it wasn’t what he wanted. She didn’t even have to ask him to know.
“How about by the stage?”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you in a couple of minutes.” She ended the call and slipped her phone back into her bag.
“Was that Silva?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s my date. Tony is an attorney for Senator Watson. He was called away, which is how I ended up talking to Silva. But he’s done now, and I need to go and join him.”
“Guess this is goodbye then.”
“Guess so.”
“It was good to see you again.”
Anger twisted inside her. “No it wasn’t. It would have been good if you’d wanted to see me—but you didn’t. We both know it, so don’t lie to make me feel better.”
His expression clouded. “Haylee, it’s not you. It was never you. You’re terrific.”
“I am terrific,” she said, because his words hurt and she was angry. She turned to go, then spun back to him one more time. “Forget the money, Wolf. Send it to your parents. Did they get custody yet?”
He shook his head. “Soon. We hope.”
“I hope so too. And I hope your sister gets better. Some people beat it and I really do hope she’s one of them.”
“I know you do. Thank you.” He took his phone from his pocket when she started to leave him again. “Give me your number,” he said.
She gaped at him. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to text you, that’s why. So you’ll have my number if you need it.”
“Why would I need it?”
“I don’t know. But if you ever do… Just give it to me, Haylee.”
She didn’t know why she did it, but she recited her number. A few seconds later, she felt a ping as he sent her a text. He put his phone away. “There. If you need me, I’ll answer.”
Haylee nodded. Then she marched over to the door they’d come through and yanked it open with blurry eyes. She strode through without looking back, her heart pounding the entire way.
Wolf cussed himself out for a good five minutes while he stood outside the ballroom. He was also waiting for his dick to calm the fuck down. Being pressed against her like that, even for a few moments, was almost more than he could take. Why did she had to be so soft in all the right places? Why did she have to smell so damned good and make him want things he couldn’t have right now?
With a last snarl to himself for being such a fucking idiot, he headed back inside the ballroom and took up station near the stage where the senator was supposed to give a speech in about ten minutes. Gem was there too, and he lifted a brow in question. Wolf shook his head. Gem shrugged.
The crowd parted and Haylee stood nearby, talking to a tall, athletically built man with dark hair and wire-rimmed glasses. He looked smart and studious. Definitely a lawyer. He was smiling down at her and Wolf swallowed the urge to go over and wrap his arm around Haylee’s shoulders and claim her for his.
So fucking pretty. She made his sternum ache just looking at her. An odd reaction for him, sure. But he liked her and he wished he’d gone about this whole damned thing differently.
He had her number, but he wasn’t going to use it. He didn’t know why he’d done it, but he’d been acting on impulse. And now he had a way to contact her even though he wouldn’t.
She looked up, almost as if she felt his gaze on her, and their eyes met. His gut tightened. Her date said something else and then she turned away, hooked her arm in his, and let him lead her to a table. Senator Watson came out and made his speech and people clapped and cheered as he hit upon points they liked. When he finished, he headed out into the crowd to press hands and talk to his donors. Oscar Silva sat at a different table from Haylee, but his gaze kept straying to her whenever there was a lull in the conversation. Finally, he bent toward one man and said something in his ear. The man leaned forward, looked at Haylee, and then nodded.
Wolf stood his ground as the man approached her and made gestures to Silva’s table. The man with Haylee—Tony, she’d called him—frowned at her, but eventually they both got up and went over to join Silva and his followers.
Easy sidled up to Wolf. “Man, you look like you could bite a railroad spike in two. What’s eating you?”
“Her,” he said, jerking his chin toward Haylee.
“Oh damn. Yeah, saw her earlier. You talk to her yet?”
“Yeah, we talked.”
“Dude, not for nothing, but you haven’t been quite the same since you banged her.”
Wolf’s gut churned. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not? It’s true. You’ve been a lot quieter than usual.”
“I’m talking about saying I banged her. Don’t say that. It’s disrespectful.”
Easy studied him. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
“Then you haven’t been the same since you spent time with her. We’ve all noticed it.”
“I’ve had a lot going on in my life. It’s not her.”
Easy held up his hands. “Whatever you say, man. Though you just said it was her, by the way.”
He had said that by omission. Fuck. “Go away.”
“Sure thing.”
Easy strolled away and Wolf circled the crowd, doing the job he’d been hired to do, but always keeping an eye on Haylee. After about an hour, she got up with her date. Wolf stopped and watched Silva’s table as Haylee said her goodbyes. She put her hand in Silva’s. He kissed the back of it rather than shaking it, and Tony’s jaw tightened. So did Wolf’s. A few moments later and she was walking out of the ballroom with Tony on her heels. Wolf hated to see her go, but he was also damned thankful she wasn’t leaving with Silva. This Tony guy was bad enough, but not because he was dangerous.
Wolf didn’t start to breathe again until she’d been gone for about twenty minutes. Silva hadn’t moved. He was still holding court, laughing and drinking and eyeing beautiful women like they were his for the taking. Many of them were, but at least Haylee wasn’t. She’d left. Walked out with her date and Silva’s attention had moved on.
Thank God. Except that she’d also walked out with another man, and Wolf couldn’t stop thinking about that. About how Tony had held his fingers in the small of her back like a perfect gentleman, escorting her from the room. How her white dress clung to her curves as she walked and how Tony’s gaze must have surely been on her ass. Wolf’s had been. He knew what it was like to have his hands on that ass, knew how soft her skin was and how perfectly she fit beneath him.
Knew what she tasted like.
“Shit,” he muttered. “Stop. Just fucking stop.”
“Man, you know what they say when you talk to yourself.” Gem was standing beside him, eyebrow arched, grinning like an idiot.
Irritation shot through him. “No, what do they say?”
“That you aren’t getting laid enough.”
Wolf frowned at his teammate. Then he snorted. �
�They do not fucking say that. Nobody says that.”
Gem laughed. “No, but maybe they should.”
“Yeah, fine. Whatever.”
“So you want to head to Buddy’s when this is over? See who you can take home for the night?”
Wolf thought about it. He really did. He even thought about Haylee walking out the door with Tony on her heels. “Naw, man. I’m good. Just gonna go home and chill.”
Gem shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy.”
“Thanks for the invite anyway.”
“Sure thing.”
Trouble was, Wolf didn’t know what made him happy anymore.
Haylee woke around two a.m. She didn’t know what had made her wake, but her heart raced and she lay there listening in the darkness for any noise. Had there been a thump? A sound that jerked her awake?
Or had she been thinking about Wolf and the way his heat burned into her when they were pressed together outside the Ritz ballroom? If she slid her hand between her legs, she could take care of the ache that hadn’t gone away since the moment she’d felt the hardness between his legs pushing back against her.
Haylee threw the covers back with a growl and slipped her legs over the side. No way was she lying here alone and rubbing herself into orgasm just because she’d seen that blue-eyed devil again. She sat for a moment, then got up and ghosted through the house. Listening for noise. Hoping there was none but then also hoping she hadn’t simply awakened because her body ached for Wolf’s.
She stopped in the living room, listening to the darkness. There was nothing—and then there was. A thump outside her door. She squeaked and ran on silent feet to look out the peephole. Nobody was there. No shadow, no person. Nothing. The porch was bright and empty. The leaves on the trees rustled, but nothing moved besides that. Her heart raced and her breath rattled as she took a step back, frowning.
That was when she looked down. A white slip of paper lay halfway beneath the bottom of the door. She snatched it up and went over to the kitchen where she flipped on the light over the stove and held the paper up.
HOT Justice: A Hostile Operations Team - Book 14 Page 11
