Chapter Twenty One
Johnnie
I wait until Cash goes outside after he gets off the phone. If I’m going to be part of this team, then doesn’t that mean I should be privy to every job these guys are doing? That is all I need to convince myself to go and take a peek in his office. They’re hiding something from me and I’m going to find out what it is.
I sneak into his office and shuffle through the notes on top of his desk. There’s a piece of paper that has a couple of women’s names written on it. That doesn’t strike me as odd until I see the name of the hospital where my sister died written down with them.
“Looking for something?”
Fuck! I jump when I hear Cash’s voice. I back away from the desk and watch as he locks the door, never taking his eyes off me. There is something very dangerous about those coal black eyes right now.
“Where are you going? Hmm?”
“I’m getting the fuck away from you,” I say as I back away from him.
In one agile move, he has me by the throat. I swear I see a fleeting glimpse of amusement when he witnesses my fear. I know what I’m feeling right now is showing in my eyes, revealing all my secrets to a man I can’t hide from.
“Get your fucking ass back over to that desk, now!” he growls from somewhere deep in his chest cavity, scaring the shit out of me.
He gives me no time to move on my own. He just grabs me by the arm and half drags me over to the desk, roughly bending my body over at the waist. He wiggles the long cotton shirt I’m wearing up and slides my panties down, kicking at my bare feet with his high dollar shoe.
He leans down to my eye level and looks me full in the face. My head is turned to the side and I look down, trying to avoid eye contact; he’s too intense. I open my mouth to begin defending myself but a slight shake of his head lets me know he has no interest in hearing it.
“I know you’re scared because the terror in your eyes is a dead giveaway. What I want to know is if that sweet, little pussy of yours is wet. If it is then that’s going to tell me a hell of a lot about you.”
I groan as feather light flicks of his finger make their way up and down my slit. He bends over my back and begins whispering into my ear. Though the tone of his voice is low, his intent is no less sinister.
“You’re kinky, girl, and it damn sure works for me. You’re scared shitless right now and, yet, you’re so turned on, your pussy is twitching.”
He stands up and strikes my bare ass. “You know better than to be digging around on my desk. What are you looking for?”
“Nothing!” I scream out in defiance.
He leans the full weight of his body over me and whispers in my ear, “Liar, liar, your ass is on fire.” With that, he stands again and slams his hand on my ass once more.
“That fucking hurts,” I scream out. I try to rise but he clamps his large hand around the back of my neck and stops me.
“You’re not going anywhere because I’m fucking you senseless, you nosey little girl. I’m giving you the opportunity to see what’s on my desk, up close and personal.
I hear him unzip his pants and I know he’s pulling out his cock. I also know he’s rock hard because he gets off on dominating me.
“Oh, you want that don’t you?” he taunts me, rubbing his cock up and down my slit.
I dig my fingers into the desk and push back on him. “Fuck yes, I want it. I want all of it.”
“That’s a good girl. Ride that cock.” His fingers trail up and down my spine as my thrusts become more urgent.
“Ride it, baby. Push back on it. That’s it. Take every single inch of that cock that’s meant for you.”
I purposely roll my hips in little circles as I push back on him.
“Don’t fucking play with me, girl.” He grabs my hips, digging his fingers into them, and his thrusts become violent. “Play with yourself. Get those fingers down on that clit.” My whole body shakes as an orgasm rages through me as soon as my finger makes contact.
I collapse down onto the desk as he furiously pumps in and out of me until he unloads. Damn, this man is bringing out a side of me I have never experienced with any other man. Before, I couldn’t stand to be with men sexually and now, I can’t seem to get enough. His voice cuts through my euphoric, post-orgasm bliss.
“Are you ready to tell me what the fuck you’re looking for, or do I need to bust that ass again? Think before you answer because, this time, I’ll use my belt.”
Cash
Damn, this girl is going to be the death of me. I open a drawer and grab some baby wipes to clean us up. I sit in my office chair and put her on my lap. “It’s time to talk, girl.”
“What are you hiding from me?”
“How do you know I’m hiding something from you?”
“You’re not the only perceptive one in this relationship. Does it have anything to do with my sister?”
“Yes, but I didn’t want to bring it up until I was sure.”
“What? What, Cash? Just tell me.”
“I’m not convinced she’s dead.”
“I just can’t believe she would go four years without a word if she wasn’t. It isn’t like my sister to just give up all contact. She spent her whole life protecting and watching over me.”
“I don’t want you to get excited but if he has something to hold over her head, it could be the reason she’s stayed with him and it could also be the reason she stopped contacting you.”
“Why would he go through all that just to keep her there with him? Staging her death is a pretty drastic measure.”
“Why did I go through all I did to keep you here? It could be as simple as that he is obsessed with her. You have to remember that he has a lot to lose. She knows the ins and outs of his operation. If she threatened to leave him, he would only have two choices: kill her, or hold her there against her will. If he loved her, he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to kill her. He could, however, hold her hostage.”
I can see the hope in her eyes and it scares me. If I am wrong, it’ll be like losing her sister all over again. I don’t want to be responsible for that. If it hadn’t been for her nosing around my desk, I wouldn’t have told her at all.
“Cash, if we’re going to work together, you can’t hide things from me. I’m either in this all the way or not in it at all. You can’t pick and choose what you tell me.”
“Oh, you’re in. I can assure you of that.” I take her chin and force her to look at me. “I will never let you go. You can run to the ends of the earth and I’ll find you. I have the means, the resources, and the obsession to keep you right here where I want you. I will never let you go.”
Chapter Twenty Two
Rhonda
I’m standing upstairs at the third floor window and peering down on the parade of cars making their way into the estate. I ease back a little so that I can still see what’s going on but I can’t be seen from the outside. I can feel my heart racing as I view each car’s driver exit and open the doors for the men coming to see my husband.
I step back, even more out of the way, when one of the men looks up towards my window. A shiver runs down my spine as he unbuttons his suit jacket and reveals a holstered gun. I really hope he didn’t see me. I don’t want any of these men asking Steven about me or he’ll know I’ve been spying.
I know, from gut instinct, this meeting can’t be good. Normally, when my husband does business, it is just one man with a bodyguard visiting. This is a whole fucking parade of Colombian gangsters and I can feel my gut clenching in fear.
I hate this—always wondering when a barrage of bullets is going to shatter my world. The men my husband deals with are cold-blooded killers. It’s only a matter of time before my husband’s illegal activities catch up with him and we all have to pay the price.
I desperately want out of this lifestyle but I don’t see how it’s possible. It doesn’t matter how far I run. He will find me and if he does, he might actually follow through on his threat to ki
ll me. I can’t bear the thought of my daughter growing up without a mother, but I can’t allow her to grow up being a gangster’s daughter either. I know he’ll use my Talia, the only good thing in my life, against me. He has all the connections he needs to convince the courts I’m an unfit mother. He has police officers, judges, and even social workers on his payroll. It doesn’t matter that it’s not true; he would make it look that way.
I wait, giving the men time to get situated in his office, before I sneak around the corner and make my way down the hallway. I hear the click-clacking of the maid’s shoes as she walks towards my husband’s office to serve coffee.
I wait until after she serves them and leaves before I ease up close to the door to eavesdrop. I remain around a corner where I can be seen until they close the door. I am pushing the limit and my adrenalin surge has clearly kicked in. My heart is beating so loudly, I’m certain they can hear it from where they sit. The only thing that keeps me standing there is my determination to find out if my daughter and I are in danger.
“You fucked up when that cargo got stolen at sea. Millions of dollars were stolen. That was over ten million dollars street value of cocaine. See, the problem I have, Mr. Taggart, is that I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t an inside job.”
“Now just hold on a fucking minute!”
“No, Mr. Taggart, you hold on a fucking minute.”
I hear the unmistakable sound of a bullet entering the chamber of a gun. I have to get the fuck out of this house. Frozen in fear, I continue listening, half expecting to hear the blast of a gunshot.
“You have three days to get me my fucking money or get my dope back. I’m certain you don’t want to put that beautiful wife and daughter of yours in danger. Maybe I’ll just kill you and take your wife. I could use a woman who looks like that on my arm.”
I cover my mouth with my hand for fear of screaming and tiptoe my way back to the bedroom. I have three days to escape with my life and the life of my daughter. My husband is dangerous enough but the Colombian Cartel takes danger to a whole new level. There is no fucking way I am going to allow my husband’s enemies to take us hostage. I am desperate. When the Colombians say you have three days, they mean it. There will be no extensions granted and there will be no mercy.
Chapter Twenty Three
Cash
“Damn, dude, she’s hot.” Hunter flicks the picture of Rhonda between his fingers before reluctantly handing it back to me.
“We don’t know if she’s alive or not. It’s just that I’m not convinced that the body Steven had cremated was hers.”
“I hope she is alive.” There’s a hint of desire in Hunter’s voice that doesn’t sound like his normal lust for a good-looking woman.
“You are such a man-whore, Hunter.”
He sheepishly smiles, “I just haven’t found the right woman yet.”
“I didn’t know you were looking.”
“I didn’t either until you showed me that picture and told me she could still be alive.”
“Look…”
“I am,” Hunter waggles his brows and snags the picture out of my hand so he can look at Rhonda… again.
“Give me the picture so you can focus your fucking ADD brain on business.”
He moves to hand me the picture but jerks it back to take one more look as he melodramatically places his hand over his heart. “Oh, be still my heart. If you’re alive, I swear on my Undercover Elite patch, I will rescue you, my fair lady.”
“Give me the fucking pic, dumbass. We’re not a biker’s club. We don’t have patches.”
“Maybe we should get some.”
His mind is already going in a different direction. “Fuckin’ ADD, just like I said. Focus, dude.”
“Okay, okay, you think she’s alive. So, we’ll do some Intel and find out. It’s simple.”
“Nothing in our line of work is ever simple,” I state. I have been at this job long enough to know that anything could happen.
“You go and dig up some information on that high dollar computer in that immaculately decorated office I set up for you and don’t come back until you have some good news.” He gets up and makes his way to the door, whistling as he walks. I get his attention again before he leaves. “Hunter, I don’t want to give Johnnie false hope.”
He turns and looks at me seriously. “Dude, I can assure you that I’m not going to do anything to hurt that girl. She’s part of the team now. She’s one of the guys, you know?”
“That’s what I like about you, Hunter. You know when to get serious and when to goof off. Now, go find me something to make my girl’s day.”
“I hope I can. I really hope I can.”
I watch as he walks out the door and I know that if anybody can find a chink in Steven Taggart’s armor, it’s Hunter. If that guy has fucked up any paperwork, Hunter will find it. He is the worst enemy a person can have in cyberspace. The guy has the ability to ruin a person’s life with just a few keystrokes. The funny thing about it is that he has never even been to school for computer science. Everything the guy knows has been self-taught. He is an invaluable part of the team and, as immature as he behaves sometimes, he is exactly the kind of man I want on my side. When I tease him about being ADD, it is the truth and he even uses that to his advantage. He doesn’t use medication for it and the guy’s mind is all over the place. It makes hiding from him online nigh on impossible. There is no stone left unturned when he gets behind a keyboard. It amazes me how the guy’s brain works. It would drive me crazy being all over the place in my thought processes. He has a filing system that only works for him. The information he has on people can’t be infiltrated because no one else can figure out how to find it. I quit trying to figure him out years ago.
Rhonda
I cringe as I hear him open the bedroom door. It’s like every time he comes into a room, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I don’t even need to see him to know he’s there. His voice cuts through the silence and immediately puts me on the defensive.
“I don’t want Talia outside for the next few days.”
“But she enjoys swimming outside so much.”
“She can use the indoor pool. It’s why we have it.”
I take a deep breath and set the brush I’d been using down on my make-up table. I brace myself, trying to muster up the courage I need. Steven is so volatile that I never know what might set him off.
“What’s going on, Steven? Who have you pissed off this time?”
“It’s business, dear. It has nothing to do with you.”
“It became my fucking business when you put my daughter’s life in jeopardy! Now, what’s going on, Steven?”
“Your daughter? My daughter would be a more appropriate term.”
“What have you done? Just tell me so I’m not caught off guard when some fucking crazy ass mobster comes in and kills you.”
“I don’t think it’s my death that needs to concern you. It would be very easy for you to fall victim to some accident. Hell, everyone already thinks you’re dead so it isn’t like I’d go to prison or anything.”
I look at the man threatening me and I know the first step to escaping the monster holding me captive needs to be letting someone I know that I’m not dead.
“Just keep her in the fucking house and quit being so melodramatic, Rhonda. I’m going to work.”
He walks out abruptly and I go to the window. I watch as he gets in the car with his chauffer behind the wheel, acting as both his driver and bodyguard.
I wish somebody would kill the bastard, I think to myself as I boot up my computer. The problem with someone killing him is that I don’t want my daughter and I to get caught in the line of fire.
My fingers fly over the keys, doing a search on Undercover Elite, the name I found on my husband’s desk. I know if they have any kind of contact with my baby sister, then they’re friends of mine and enemies of my husband.
The site is set up to pitch Undercover Elite as something
between a private investigator and a mercenary group. It shows pictures of six different men. There’s Cash, who has dark hair with striking black eyes and looks like he stepped off the cover of a high fashion men’s magazine. Hunter looks like a mischievous college frat boy with his tousled, dishwater blonde hair and blue eyes that glint like he’s always up to something. Thorn looks scruffy, but sexy as hell because he owns it. He has dark brown hair, a five o’ clock shadow, and a nose that looks like it was broken once upon a time but it just adds to his dangerous good looks. There’s a guy named Harley, who looks like a biker, a guy named Sniper that the site shows on a shooting range with a sniper’s rifle, and the last guy’s name is Axle. It’s evident they all go by nicknames. When I delve deeper and go to their personal profiles, it shows more about their credentials and backgrounds. One thing I notice is that they have all served in the military at some point in their lives.
Each profile shows the guys in a more personal light and it is easy to see how they all got their names, though they did reveal why in a small write-up. Cash is a blueblood, Hunter is known for being able to track anyone down, and Thorn is known for being the kind of man who just tells it like it is. ‘Prickly’ is the word used to describe him. Harley, well, he is known for riding a Harley and has a lot of biker connections. Axle is a car buff. He restores cars and has a reputation for being able to take them apart and put them back together again. Sniper was a sniper in the military and earned his nickname there.
Shattered Pieces (Undercover Elite Book 1) Page 10
