“The hardest part of this job is not being able to save everyone, Johnnie. It’s the first thing you’re going to have to come to terms with if you’re going to make it in this line of work. I have a confession to make,” he playfully splashes at the water, forcing a laugh from me even in my depressed state.
“Oh yeah? And what would that be?”
“I’ve been reading your journal.”
I turn, eying him with suspicion. “How in the hell did you get that?”
His boyish demeanor doesn’t fool me one bit as he answers, “I broke into your apartment back when I was stalking you.”
“Was stalking me? You’re still stalking me.”
“I always will be. I have a proposition for you. How about we take down the son of a bitch who killed your sister.”
“Now that is a proposition I would be interested in pursuing.”
I turn so that I can sit on his lap and face him. I run my hands over his five o’ clock shadow that only adds to his good looks. I can see the dark circles under his eyes that I know are there because he was so worried about me. I am adding another dimension to his work that I am certain he hadn’t taken under consideration—the stress of worrying about my safety on the job.
“You didn’t take into consideration that I was going to add to your stress level, did you?”
“We don’t always foresee the issues that will come up with the decisions we make in life. It would be much harder to be without you than it is to make sure you’re taken care of and kept safe.”
“I don’t need to be taken care of, Cash.”
“The fuck you don’t. You’re part of this team now.”
He pulls me towards him with his hand at the back of my neck and presses his lips into mine, nibbling at my bottom lip. I can immediately feel the heat build between my legs from needing him. There is no doubt I’ve missed him. I rise up enough to lower myself down onto his hard cock. Water splashes as he forcefully pushes up into me. A growl from somewhere deep in his chest resonates.
“Touch yourself, baby. Forget all the stress and strain and come for me.”
My hand makes its way down between my legs, circling over my swollen clit, as he takes one of my nipples between his teeth and bites down just hard enough to send me over the edge. A wave of pleasure courses through me and carries away all the terror, fear, and ugliness of the job in its wake. It leaves my body, floating away and out into the water surrounding me. It confirms to me that it is time for me to let go of the last job and begin the next one of exacting revenge on the man who took my sister from me. It has been years since he needlessly killed her and he would never suspect me coming for him. He would be leisurely living his life as if nothing had happened and Cash and I will be able to pounce when he least expects it. We will be successful where so many others fail when getting revenge because we have waited so long that he believes her death is a thing of the past and long forgotten. I haven’t forgiven and I damn sure haven’t forgotten.
Chapter Fifteen
Cash
I put the coffee down in front of her where she sits, reading the information Hunter and I gathered on our next mark.
Name: Steven Taggart
Age: 38
Residence: Miami, Florida
Occupation: Drug dealer
Marital Status: Widowed
“Widowed, my ass. That motherfucker killed my sister in cold blood.”
“I don’t doubt that. Do you know why he did it?”
“I think she probably threatened to leave him and she knew too much.”
“I would have just chained you to the bed if you threatened to leave me,” I tease, nuzzling her neck and smelling the scent of lavender and sex from the intimate bath we just shared.
“I’d probably just let you at this point.”
“I’m shocked! Are you saying that the woman, unable to bond, has bonded with me?”
“No… I’m just addicted to the sex.”
“That works for me. I’m good with whatever keeps you around, girl.” I sit down ready to get serious about this next job. “This guy is no joke. He is neck deep in organized crime and, as you already know, he is a killer.”
“I won’t be satisfied until I put a bullet between his eyes to avenge the death of my sister,” she responds vehemently.
“I’m going to be the man to put you in that position—your real live hero.”
“You’re already my hero and my partner in crime.”
“Yes I am, love. Now, let’s look at what we’re dealing with. As badly as I hate to admit it, this guy is quite the criminal entrepreneur. He came up with one hell of a way to get drugs into the country. The son of a bitch owns a string of successful car lots. He has the drugs placed in the cars when they are being manufactured and when you buy a car from him, you get the drugs.”
“That is a good idea. It looks like you’re going car shopping, Cash. He knows what I look like so I can’t do it. The next time he sees my face will be when I’m putting a bullet between his eyes.”
Chapter Sixteen
Johnnie
I look up to see Hunter walking into the room. He reminds me of a handsome college frat boy. His tousled, dark blonde hair and smiling blue eyes are deceiving because underneath those boyish good looks, is one of the most proficient computer hackers in the nation. Anything that needs to be tracked down online, he is able to find. It is why they call him Hunter; there is no escaping his all seeing, cyberspace eyes. If he gets you in his sights, he can find out anything he wants to know. He is indispensable to the team.
I get up and make my way over to him, tousling his free flowing curls. "I owe you a thank you.” I bend down to hug him and giggle as he waggles his eyebrows at Cash, taunting him.
“Hey,” Cash growls, “that’s long enough.”
I chuckle and make my way back over to Cash to sit on his lap. “Don’t worry; my heart is safe with you. Remember, I can’t bond.”
“Bullshit, you’re bonded with me.”
“Well, I can’t bond with anyone else then.”
“Good girl,” he croons and hugs me to him as he and Hunter discuss the upcoming job.
“Well, Cash, it will have to be you going into the car lot to buy the car because my surfer boy good looks aren’t going to give off the smell of money like your blueblood does,” Hunter says.
“I know I can’t go. He knows what I look like.” I think out loud.
“Oh no, my dear, you are going in with me. You’ll just have to go in disguise. I’m going to put you in the position to savor this kill. You’re going to be able to see the confusion in his face when he asks if he knows you. You’re going to enjoy the pretense of making him think his eyes have deceived him and then you’re going to enjoy the ultimate deception of ripping that wig off right before you shoot him between his eyes. This job is going to be as much about the psychological as it is about the kill. I do love a good mind-fuck.”
“Damn, you are ruthless.”
“You, of all people, should know just how ruthless I am when it comes to you, love.”
“I’m flattered,” I murmur as I nuzzle in his neck. “You smell so fucking good.”
“Get a room, guys,” Hunter states.
“Nope, right now it’s time to get dressed and go meet a man about getting a car,” Cash answers. I can tell he is in work mode and Steven Taggart is the mark in his mind. Under normal circumstances, I might feel sorry for a man about to suffer Cash’s revenge, but not this time. This time, it’s about my revenge too.
I finish up the last touches on my make-up and the woman looking back at me in the mirror’s reflection isn’t me. It is my sister, Rhonda. I have purposely made myself look like her but even I am shocked at the final outcome and how close the resemblance is. Steven Taggart is going to be in for the master of all mind-fucks when he finds himself questioning whether the woman he had murdered has risen from the dead.
Cash struck a chord of mischievousness in me when he said t
his job is just as much about the psychological as it is the actual kill. I want to make my sister’s murderer suffer. I want to make that bastard feel like he’s going crazy and I want to watch as he starts to doubt everything he has come to know as truth about my sister’s death.
He took a piece of my soul the day he killed the only person in the world I was ever close to. I know that nothing I do will bring her back, but I can and will avenge her death. Her whole life was spent suffering a series of horrible events at the mercy of ruthless men. It started with the pedophile who robbed her of her innocence, and ended with her murderer who robbed her of her last breath. Rhonda was subjected to the cruelty of fate’s sadistic pranks time and time again. She was out of control but I’m going to make it up to her by getting it back. I am taking back the control she was never afforded in her short life on this earth.
I have no doubt that when the time comes, I will be able to look Steven Taggart right in the eye as I pull the trigger. I will watch his horrified look when he realizes who I am. He showed Rhonda no mercy and I will show him none in return. I have to do this. I know, in my heart of hearts, that if I don’t, I will never be able to move on with my life. Now is the perfect time. I have a partner who has the resources to help me. We will exact revenge and, with his help, we won’t get caught.
“Damn girl, you look good.”
I look up to see Cash standing in the doorway and licking his lips.
“Well, maybe I’ll be generous later and let you fuck a stranger.” I’m being sassy and assuming that’s what every man wants. It had most certainly been the mindset of the men I was associated with in the past. Though, I guess they weren’t the best examples in my life.
“I don’t want to fuck a stranger. I don’t want to fuck you in a wig and even give you the impression that I want another woman.”
I reach out to touch his cheek. He looks so sincere that it pulls at my heartstrings. There is no doubt about it; Cash is a good man.
“Are you ready to go see the look on a man’s face when he sees a ghost?” I ask.
“I’m ready and so looking forward to it.”
Oh, I’m looking forward to it too. Oddly enough, I’m not scared that he’ll recognize me. I owe him nothing. As far as I’m concerned, if I look him dead in the eye and lie to him and he knows I’m lying, I don’t give a shit. Let him wonder what’s going on, let him wonder what I’m up to, and let him wonder what course his life is about to take at the hands of another human being.
If working in strip clubs has taught me anything, it has taught me that men love control and they’ll do anything to gain and keep that control. The best way to throw someone, especially someone like Steven, off his game is to take the reins of control out of his hands.
Chapter Seventeen
Cash
There is one thing about my line of work that’s a constant; you don’t know how you’re going to react to killing someone until after the first kill. For me, it was a sense of relief because I had done it. There is so much build-up to the actual act of taking a life that the anxiety can be excruciating and I was just glad for it to finally be over. There is only one first and I had finally crossed that line. I had proven to myself that I was in the right line of work and could handle it. I felt a sense of satisfaction that I had killed a ruthless drug lord and, in the process, I had taken down a very dangerous organization.
Women are different, though, because they are so detail oriented and have to analyze everything. They don’t just want to know what happened; they want to know why it happened.
I can’t help but wonder how Johnnie will react to her first kill. I do believe the fact that she suffers with RAD will help her not feel guilty. In my line of work, guilt is an emotion that can potentially cause a lot of problems for our organization (Undercover Elite) because it isn’t just the person suffering from it who is affected; it’s the whole group. The last thing we need is a team member going to the authorities and spilling his guts in a moment of guilt-laden weakness.
I know I’m taking a big risk by bringing a new member into the fold. I have discussed bringing a woman on board for a while because I thought it would add to our surveillance capabilities. A woman can be a great distraction and if that woman can be trained to kill and work right alongside us, then that takes things to a whole new level. Since the idea of bringing a woman on board was basically my idea, what my little trainee does and how successful she is doing it, is going to reflect on me. The outcome of this mission will determine whether she will remain a permanent fixture with Undercover Elite.
“Are you ready?” her voice cuts through my thought processes.
I make my way over and look down on her. Even at six feet tall in heels, I still have two inches on her. “Killing someone is serious business, Johnnie.”
“Look… I know where you’re headed with this and you have nothing to worry about. Steven Taggart didn’t just kill my sister. The drugs he brings into the country have taken countless lives, I’m sure. I’m doing society a favor by getting rid of this dirt bag.”
“You’re right, but thinking about killing someone and actually doing it are two different things.”
“I’ll be fine. You even said that you have been thinking about bringing a woman into the organization. Wouldn’t you rather bring one in who’s fucked-up rather than some sappy little girl prone to tears and guilt ridden emotional outbursts?”
“I’d rather bring you in. Let’s go.”
I tell her the truth. I want her working alongside me. I don’t just want any woman; I want her, specifically her. There are so many facets of my life that she has touched and transformed already. It isn’t easy to date when you have the job of a mercenary. Not many women are going to believe that you’re going into work when you leave at two am. Going out of town at a moment’s notice and not being able to tell them where you’re going doesn’t sit well with most ladies. Women think you’re fucking around on them when you can’t be straight up about your life and your job. I have to be secretive with the general public about my job and I don’t want to have to be sneaky with the woman I’m sleeping with.
The general public knows that my family has worked in media for years. I’ve worked alongside my father with some of Hollywood’s most well known stars. I choose to remain in Louisville, Kentucky because the horseracing here draws in some of the most elite society has to offer and that definitely goes for the media industry as well. One of the things I do is buy and sell film plots and book rights to make movies. It is a broad description and doesn’t nail me down as far as people being curious about the details of my job. It’s very easy to say that you can’t talk about what you’re doing while movie plots are under negotiation. It’s the perfect cover because it allows me the ability to maintain my privacy. It’s mandatory I have the condition of secrecy in my public life but I refuse to be forced to have it in my personal life. Up until now, I’ve fucked the women I want, when I want, and it has been nothing more than that. Johnnie changed all of that without even knowing she had.
Little by little, as I watched and protected her without her knowledge, I slowly bonded with her. I’m not a man who is accustomed to hearing ‘no’ and when it comes to her, the word isn’t even going to enter the equation. It’s simply not an option. I crossed all sorts of moral boundaries to get her and I’ll damn sure cross them to keep her.
Johnnie
The ride into St. Matthews is one I’m very familiar with because, ironically enough, I grew up going to church there. I look over at the cobblestone church as we venture down Frankfurt Avenue and wonder what my pastor would think if he found out I’ve grown up to be a killer.
I pull the mirror down to take one last look at myself and, once again, the realization of how much I look like Rhonda hits me. I tug at the wig one last time.
“You look fine and, yes, it looks real.”
“How did you know I was going to ask that?”
“I’ve spent the last six months tracking yo
ur every move, studying every nuance. I know what you’re thinking before you think it, girl.”
I watch as he reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a ring box. “Give me your finger.”
I look down to see him placing a huge wedding set on my hand. “I can’t wear this. It costs more than I make in a year.”
“You work for me now, Mrs. Kensington.” He arches one eyebrow and speaks in a voice that’s more sinister than sexy, “You can wear it and you will wear it, even after this job. I won’t have people hitting on my woman.”
I roll my eyes. “You are unlike anyone I have ever met, Cash Kensington.”
“Okay, your undercover name is Katy Kensington.”
“I hate it.”
“I knew you would,” he chuckles.
“Well, it won’t be hard to remember.”
“That’s why I chose it. Pestering you with a girly name was just icing on the cake. Shall we, Mrs. Kensington?” he asks as he reaches for the door to get out.
“It’s now or never,” I answer, taking his lead.
We barely make it out on the lot before a salesman accosts us.
“We’d like to take a moment to look around and if you could get Steven Taggart to assist us, it would be greatly appreciated.” The poor guy looks forlorn when he looks at Cash’s Armani suit and my wedding ring. I’m sure that’s one of the reasons he insisted I wear it, though I’m sure it’s more about me not getting hit on by other men if they think I’m married.
“Very well,” the salesman answers, making his way around the corner to get his boss.
I walk over to a bright yellow Hummer and immediately Cash shakes his head. “It’s too flashy. You can have it in black; it will work for when we’re doing jobs in Mexico.”
Shattered Pieces (Undercover Elite Book 1) Page 8
