by Katie Reus
Tonight was just an excuse for Shah to make contacts and show off some of his newly acquired art. He’d be watching everyone as much as they watched one another.
“Have you been to Shah’s place before?” he asked Allison as he steered up to the gated neighborhood.
He gave the guard his alias, Isaiah Moore, then waited for him to check the list of guests. The gate opened and let them through, but he knew they’d be searched before being allowed entrance. Standard procedure.
“No, but I’ve heard it’s stunning.”
“How do you want me to introduce you tonight?” he asked, shooting her a quick glance. Even though she’d told him that she was done with the escort business she hadn’t given him any more details about what her plans were or how she’d be assimilating back into a normal life. Or if she even planned to. He hadn’t wanted to pry.
“Jasmine to everyone else but Allison to Alexander,” she said softly.
“You’re going to break that man’s heart,” Levi murmured as he pulled behind a luxury sedan slowly turning into Shah’s long driveway.
She laughed, the sound delicate and feminine as she shook her head. “I doubt it. The man . . . I don’t even know why I’m attracted to him. He’s so gaudy and brash but I like the way he looks at me.”
“There’s no explanation for attraction.” If it was something that could be forced or made sense of, he’d be attracted to her instead of feeling this deadness inside.
He hated it and that rage was the only thing that reminded him he was actually alive. He couldn’t even jerk off without losing his erection. He’d think of what had happened to Meghan and lose it. For two fucking years he’d been living in this fucked-up state and couldn’t shake it no matter how hard he tried. Because the only thing that would make a difference was his vengeance.
“You all right?” Allison asked, her voice soft, a slight trace of concern lacing her words.
He realized he was gripping the wheel tight and his expression probably matched his black mood. “I’m good.” He tried to smile, though he was pretty sure he failed when she didn’t seem any more at ease. Then he felt like a douche for making her feel uncomfortable. She’d probably gotten good at reading people over the years, especially in her former profession, and an angry client could be a bad thing. “Sorry—just have a lot on my mind. Stick close to me tonight. I need Alexander to introduce me to someone. Then I’m leaving.”
She nodded.
After being scanned with a metal-detecting wand, then walking under an actual metal detector, they were both allowed access to the party. Levi didn’t mind not having a standard weapon for tonight because anything could be deadly. He could use the broken-off stem of a champagne glass or even one of Allison’s stilettos to stab someone. Or if necessary he could use his hands.
“You might want to smile or something. You look like a rabid beast about to attack anyone. Even the servers are avoiding us,” Allison murmured next to him, her arm loosely linked with his, her fingers resting lightly on his forearm.
They’d already lapped the interior of the main room that Levi knew was Shah’s living room, but he’d cleared out all the furniture so that it looked like an art gallery. Hell, he could fit a house in this room. Female servers walked around carrying trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. They wore black and silver belly dancer costumes and they were indeed cutting a wide berth for him and Allison. He tried to force himself to relax. He needed to tone down his mood and get it together. Considering how close he was to meeting the man who could introduce him to Tasev he couldn’t afford to lose it now.
He looked around at the well-dressed people—most criminals, but some not—talking and laughing under the sparkling chandeliers. The marble floors were polished and many guests were admiring the priceless art on the walls and in display cases.
Levi didn’t care about any of that. The tension and anticipation slamming through him was almost too much to contain. But he knew better than to get his hopes up. He’d been hunting for two long years. This could be another dead end. Still, a small thread of hope spooled through him, telling him that this was it. “Let’s head to the pool area.”
He scanned faces as they went, looking for Alexander or the German. He didn’t think Alexander would bail on Shah’s party but as they stepped outside and he still didn’t see him, another surge of irrational annoyance started to rise. Even though Levi knew the arms dealer would be here, impatience was making him edgy.
“Alexander’s there,” Allison said, a strange note in her voice.
He followed her line of sight and spotted Alexander striding outside with a woman on his arm. They were about fifteen feet away, in one of the open glass doorways.
But she wasn’t arm candy. This woman wasn’t some piece of fluff. Tall, sleek, strong, she was an operator. No doubt about it, just from the way she moved. She scanned the enormous pool area, looking at faces and taking mental notes. He could see it in every tight line of that hot body.
She was drop-dead gorgeous, though that description fell way too short of reality. She had to be at least five feet ten, but it was hard to tell with her heels. Her white blond hair had been pulled into a twist type of thing, falling over one of her breasts like a long rope. Her dark blue dress was long and fitted but not skintight and the asymmetrical one-shoulder look was sexy as hell. Since when had shoulders become sexy? The dress accentuated all her curves, making his mouth water. The reaction stunned him as much as it pissed him off. Unlike practically everyone here tonight wearing black her dress was blue. He wondered if it matched her eyes. Immediately he hated himself for his curiosity. He didn’t give a shit about some woman Alexander had arrived with.
Liar.
Then she turned fully toward him and all the breath left his lungs in one whoosh as their gazes collided. Something flared in her pale blue eyes. Something he couldn’t read as she looked him over from head to toe, unabashed in her perusal. He couldn’t tell if she was checking him out with sexual interest or sizing him up. Did she know who he was? Truly was . . . He wasn’t sure why the thought crossed his mind. He didn’t know all of Wesley’s operators but this woman was looking at him as if she knew him. Or maybe she just wanted to get to know him. Hell if he knew. It’d been too long since he’d paid attention to a woman and he hated that he couldn’t tell if that was feminine interest in her gaze.
And now, after two years, his cock decided wake up.
Fuck.
Striding forward he practically dragged Allison with him, ignoring her little yelp of surprise as he barreled toward them. By the time he’d reached Alexander and the woman, Alexander had pulled two champagne glasses from one of the passing server’s trays.
The arms dealer’s eyes widened a fraction as he turned to find Levi and Allison standing there. He completely ignored Levi and his date and smiled at Allison. He held out a glass to her, a hell of a lot more polite than Levi had been tonight. “I didn’t know you’d be here,” Alexander said, clearly pleased to see her.
“Thank you,” she murmured, taking it. “I like the beard. It suits you.”
“I remember what you said and thought I’d try it,” Alexander said, staring at Allison as if mesmerized. The blonde was still watching Levi.
Gritting his teeth, Levi cleared his throat. “Allison, you already know Alexander.” He turned to the man’s date then. “But we haven’t met.”
The blonde continued to watch him curiously as Alexander handed her the other glass. “Of course. Selene, this is Isaiah Moore, an associate. And this is the lovely Allison.”
The blonde nodded politely at Allison, then turned that pale gaze on Levi. “Isaiah?” Her voice was throaty, sexy, and sent another pulse of need to his cock. She seemed almost amused by his name. As if she didn’t believe it. And fuck it, he wanted to hear his real name on those lips. Damn it, what the hell was wrong with him? He resisted the urge to tug at his collar. It was cool outside but a slow-building heat had started deep inside him, making
him question his sanity.
Levi nodded. “Selene what?” He wanted to know her last name, wanted to know everything about her. Which just pissed him off. His skin felt too tight for his body as his gaze strayed to those bee-stung lips. A woman didn’t have a right to be so damn beautiful. And he shouldn’t want her. He shouldn’t want anyone. Something dark settled in his chest and for a moment he wanted to drag up the horrific images that lingered on the edges of his consciousness practically twenty-four/seven, but he shoved them back.
For once, he didn’t want to tumble into that deep abyss. He wanted to feel something other than the clawing pain, wearing down his insides every second of every day. That realization sent a sharp stab of guilt into his chest.
The woman started to answer but Alexander spoke. “My apologies, this is Selene Silva. She’s an old friend of mine,” he said, stressing the word “friend” as he looked at Allison.
It took Levi all of two seconds to register that name. Silva. Yeah, he recognized it and it pissed him off more than his attraction to the woman. “Alexander, will you please keep Allison company? I need to speak to your friend privately.”
Levi heard Alexander murmur his acquiescence as he and Allison stepped away. Without pause, Levi grabbed Selene’s elbow. Her eyes narrowed to slits at the unexpected touch. She started to pull away but he leaned in close so that their noses were almost touching. He wanted to see her eyes up close, to gauge if she was lying. “You’re working for Wesley? And don’t fucking lie. I know that name.”
She paused, but eventually nodded. “Yes.” He figured the only reason she was being honest was because she had no choice. Lying to him would serve no purpose.
“You think you can fucking take me down? Or maybe you thought I’d leave with you because of that hot body? I didn’t realize Wesley had gotten so desperate.” Levi glanced around, looking for other NSA agents, wondering how big of a team his old boss had sent in, as he mentally calculated his escape. He’d been beyond careful for so long but a few weeks ago he’d broken his own rules and reached out to Wesley because Levi had needed to give him the location of a terrorist group. Now he wanted to kick his own ass for his weakness. He’d probably led Wesley right to him.
To his surprise, the woman laughed, the throaty sound having the most annoying effect on his cock. He inwardly cursed himself as he met her gaze again. Those pale eyes filled with humor. “I’d heard you were arrogant. I didn’t know you’d be here and you’re the least of my worries,” she murmured as she pulled her elbow from his grasp.
“What?”
“I know who you are and I don’t care. Levi,” she whispered his name so low he barely heard. Then to his surprise, she turned and walked away, the sway of that tight ass making him positively stupid for a moment.
As his gaze trailed up and over her sleek lines his gaze narrowed on a tattoo peeking out at the top of her dress. It was just the tip of what looked like wings, but he couldn’t be sure. His fingers itched to pull it down, to expose what she was hiding, to trace his fingers over her soft skin.
Let her go, he ordered himself. She wasn’t important. Nothing but his mission was. But she could report him to Wesley. Hell, she’d probably do it as soon as she left the party. Shah didn’t allow any electronics in so it was unlikely she’d be able to contact Wesley now. But Levi needed to find out her endgame and why the hell she was in town. If it had anything to do with him or Tasev, there was no way in hell he’d let the NSA or anyone get in his way.
Chapter 5
Clandestine operation: an intelligence operation intended to be secret.
Selene knew Levi would come after her. He’d be stupid not to. She needed to somehow gain the upper hand and regain her composure. He might not even be able to tell she was ruffled but right now her heart was racing out of control. He shouldn’t know that she worked for Wesley. Obviously it was because of her cover ID, but no one was supposed to know that that ID wasn’t legit. She’d contemplated denying it, but if she needed him, she hadn’t wanted to start off with a lie. It would have set the wrong tone immediately.
That wasn’t the only reason she was off her game. It was the man himself affecting her. She’d seen his pictures before and once she’d seen him in person. But that had been different. She’d certainly never been attracted to him. Now . . . well, now she was very aware of him as a man. A very desirable one. It was beyond jarring because she hadn’t expected the attraction to him.
And he’d felt it too. She was sure of it. She’d been on the receiving end of a lot of appreciative male and female looks, but the way he’d stared at her had been so raw, so . . . primal. And he’d seemed angry as he’d watched her. But that was before they’d been introduced so she didn’t understand the anger part of his reaction. Unless he’d already known who she was.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Alexander talking to the woman Levi had arrived with. Alexander had spotted them a few minutes before the other couple had gone outside and subtly tried to make his way to them—because he’d wanted to talk to the woman—and he’d told Selene the oddest thing about Levi. He hired escorts but didn’t sleep with them. The arms dealer had also made an offhand comment that Levi—whom Alexander knew as Isaiah Moore—had a meeting with the German tonight. That knowledge made all Selene’s alarm bells go off.
She’d barely taken three strides before Levi fell in step with her. Taking her by surprise, he placed his large hand at the small of her back. Even though she knew he meant nothing by it, it felt possessive. “Walk with me to the beach. We need privacy,” he said quietly, his voice a seductive whisper against her ear.
She knew he was trying to make it appear as if they were lovers looking for privacy. He wasn’t asking so much as ordering her and while she bristled at the command, she knew they needed to talk. She had questions and if she found out that Levi was interested in Tasev, then she had her orders to follow.
As they walked around the pool her heels clicked against the stone patio. The only thing she hated about getting dressed up was the footwear. Heels were impossible to run in and completely impractical. Give her boots any day. Or flip-flops. Also impractical but at least they were comfortable.
She spotted a half dozen guards in the shadows around Shah’s property as she and Levi made their way down the long stone walk to the private beach and dock. Shah had multiple boats including one worth over a million. And according to her file on him, he took it out only once a year. What a waste.
Instead of heading down the path that would take them to the beach, Levi guided her toward the dock. There weren’t any guards around here that she could see, but she was still cautious, scanning the water and secured boats. The dock spread out into a cross-shape with a couple of built-in benches.
Without waiting for him to tell her what to do, she sat on a bench and crossed her legs. As soon as she did, the split on the right side opened up, revealing skin all the way to her thigh. She’d used the sight of her body as a distraction before but she hadn’t meant to now. When his gaze raked over her, she felt as exposed as if she was sitting there naked.
Surprising her, he sat directly next to her, invading all her personal space. He had a warm, spicy masculine scent that made her think of the forest. She tried to pull back but he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, holding her in place.
His grip wasn’t hard and she was ninety percent sure he wouldn’t hurt her. Not the Levi she’d read about, anyway. He’d been a protector, a man dedicated to helping his country, not caring that he never received any public recognition. He’d been the best kind of warrior. But then his wife had died and Wesley said something inside him had broken. So there was a slim chance he could attempt to hurt her. But she hoped he hadn’t gone that far over the line. While she was trained, she wasn’t stupid enough to think she could take on a man like Levi one on one. She could defend herself enough to get away, but if it came down to a fight to the death, he had more training.
Selene hated what had happe
ned to him and his wife and while she knew it wasn’t technically her problem, she owed Levi. He didn’t know it, but she did. So when it came down to it she wasn’t even sure if she could pull off her complete mission. Taking down Tasev she knew she could do but the other thing . . . Levi’s thumb rubbed gently against her pulse point, his eyes a midnight black, so dark she could barely discern the iris.
She fought the shiver that slid through her, not wanting him to know he was affecting her. And she didn’t like that he actually was affecting her.
“So you know who I am,” he murmured, his gaze straying to her lips.
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, trying to find her voice and hating the way her nipples tightened as his gaze darkened with lust. “Yep. How did you figure out who I work for?” According to her intel there weren’t any listening devices on the dock—it would be a stupid place to keep them with all the water—but she didn’t want to come out and say Wesley or the NSA.
“The name Silva. I recognize it.”
“Bullshit.” Wesley and a small handful of people knew The Wolf was an NSA creation.
His jaw clenched, those eyes darkening, even if that seemed impossible. “I’m not lying.”
It struck her that there was a small chance he did know Selene Silva’s cover ID details. Meghan Lazaro had helped build the alias. It was against every regulation to tell her spouse or anyone else, but that didn’t mean the woman hadn’t. Married agents talked. Period. Selene eyed him cautiously. “Meghan told you.”
