by Desiree Holt
“Yes. I heard that’s where you hold your meetings and I’m good with that. Tell me where to meet you and how soon we can do it. Every minute counts here.”
Now a tiny thread of fear wriggled through him. Damn it! Had Mallory gone and got herself into another situation like they’d rescued her from? They’d just finished a tense and difficult hostage negotiation and everyone needed a breather. Still, he could at least hear what the woman had to say.
He glanced at his watch.
“Give me a couple of hours then meet me at the address I’m going to text you.”
He could almost feel her relief over the phone. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“See you soon.”
“So I take it we’ve got a new client?” Blaze said as soon as Rocket cut the connection to the senator.
He texted her the information then speed-dialed Saint. Jed ‘Saint’ Francis was the fifth partner in Galaxy, whose primary function was flying and handling maintenance for their agency plane.
“Don’t tell me,” Saint answered. “We’ve got a new job. Jesus, Rocket, I haven’t even changed clothes from the last one.”
“I know.” Rocket sighed. “But it turns out this one is…important. Can you be at the hangar in two hours?”
“Yeah, I can. But mostly because I can hear the desperation in your voice.”
“Desperation?” He looked at his cell. “Let’s call it urgency, okay? I’m meeting our new client there in two hours. This is just the first meeting, so hopefully it won’t take more than an hour.”
Because if it did, it meant things were really, really fucked up.
“Okay. See you when you get there.”
Rocket thumbed off the call, closed his eyes and centered himself. Well, that wasn’t a big help. The first thing that popped into his mind was an image of Mallory, naked, her face flushed with desire, her rosy nipples wet from his mouth and her legs spread wide to welcome his cock. At once, said cock swelled and pressed hard against the fly of his jeans. He shifted slightly, hoping his movement wasn’t catching Blaze’s attention.
“So am I turning around?” Blaze asked.
“No, not necessary. We’re almost at my place. Just drop me off and I’ll head back to the hangar. I’ll call everyone after I meet with the senator.”
He had no idea if the senator knew what had happened between him and Mallory, but he wasn’t taking a chance. If they took the case, at some point he’d have to let his partners know, but first he needed details. And a decision on what to do.
“Well, you know we’re here and ready if you need us.”
“I do, and thanks.”
“Okay, here we are.” Blaze pulled up to the iron fence surrounding Rocket’s South Tampa home. Like all the partners, he was seriously obsessive about security.
Because of the private work they did, they were obvious targets for a lot of people who’d like to get rid of them. But they all had access to each other’s homes, so Blaze punched the security code in, the gate swung open and he drove in and up to the front door.
“Thanks for driving.” Rocket grabbed his go-bag, which was sitting on the floor at his feet.
“No problem. Call as soon as you know anything.”
“Absolutely.”
He thought about the call while he showered and changed, all kinds of wild scenarios running through his head. He’d followed Mallory’s career for the past five years, both admiring her for the bestsellers she wrote about dangerous events and pissed off that she kept putting herself in those situations. Was she writing a new book and as usual had stepped on the wrong toes? Had she gotten herself mixed up in something, like the Taliban, that she couldn’t control? Did he finally have to admit that she had a self-destructive streak and either find a way to fix it or wipe her from his mind completely?
As if that’s possible.
By the time he reached the hangar, his questions had questions and he forced himself to shut off his mind until he talked to Senator Kane. Saint was just finishing his preflight check when a black SUV with tinted windows turned into the driveway and pulled onto the concrete apron. The driver’s door opened and a tall man in a suit climbed out and began to look around. A man also exited the passenger side and did the same thing. Rocket didn’t think they were sightseeing.
As the driver started toward him, the rear passenger door opened and a woman in dark slacks and a sweater exited and headed toward them.
“Senator,” the driver said, “I told you to let us check this out first.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Daniel,” Alicia Kane snapped. “I appreciate your concern, but there’s no danger here.”
“You don’t know that,” he protested. “It’s our job to keep you safe.”
“And you do, but Galaxy comes with the highest recommendations. Plus, John Hardin rescued my sister five years ago. I’m fine. Please.”
“But—”
She just shook her head and kept walking. Rocket met her halfway to the open hangar.
“Senator Kane?”
“Alicia, please.” She held out her hand. “Today I’m not a United States senator. I’m here as Mallory Kane’s sister. And I thank you for agreeing to meet me.”
He shook her hand then gestured toward the plane. “We’re all set for our meeting. Follow me, please.”
They started toward the hangar, but the two men from the SUV were right behind them.
“Sorry.” Rocket held up a hand. “Only the client is allowed in this meeting.”
One of the men, Daniel, stepped up close to Rocket. The expression on his face was a mask, but irritation flashed in his eyes.
“Where the senator goes, we go,” he insisted. “She’s our responsibility.”
“Understood, but that doesn’t change things. And I assure you, nothing will happen to her while she’s with me.”
“But—”
Alicia shook her head. “Daniel, I explained this to you ahead of time. I was explicitly told only the client is allowed in these meetings. I appreciate your dedication to duty, but I’m the only one getting on this plane. You and Jay are perfectly welcome to wait here until we get back.” She looked at Rocket. “That’s okay, right?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Then let’s do this. We’re losing precious time.”
He had to swallow a smile at the look on Daniel’s face. He got the idea that protecting Senator Alicia Kane wasn’t a very easy job.
“This way.”
In less than five minutes, they were in the plane’s cabin and he ushered her into one of the very comfortable chairs.
“I’ll get the coffee ready,” he told her, “and we can have some as soon as we reach cruising altitude.”
“Fine. Thank you. I want to explain this to you as soon as possible.”
“Understood.”
Over the intercom, he let Saint know they were ready. The plane’s powerful engines turned over and the plane began to move out of the hangar. Rocket knew the pilot was closing the hangar door with a remote and notifying the control tower at Tampa International Airport that he was ready for departure. He watched the senator as they rolled down the private runway, then as they lifted off. She sat rigidly in her seat, hands gripped together in her lap and not saying a word. The tension she was riding was visible in every inch of her body.
Rocket unfastened his seat belt and stood. “How do you take your coffee?”
“Black. Please. And thank you.”
In less than five minutes, he was back with two cups of the hot liquid. He handed Alicia’s to her then cradled his as he sat on the couch facing her.
“First things first. Just out of curiosity, how did you happen to contact us? And how did you get our number? We don’t advertise anywhere.”
She huffed a laugh. “No kidding. Well, I contacted you because Mallory never stopped talking about how you rescued her five years ago. I didn’t even know Galaxy existed when I started my search for you. All I got from the Navy was that you were no long
er on active duty.”
“I see.”
“Well, anyway, I wasn’t getting much of anywhere, but then suddenly Senator Alston Franz, who I sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee with, invited me to lunch. I was curious when we ended up at a very out-of-the-way place. I mean, no one would question us having lunch together, but he said we needed to be somewhere that absolutely no one could overhear us if I was looking for Galaxy. I guess you all are more secret than the CIA.”
Rocket allowed himself a smile. “We try to be. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”
“Turns out, when I asked the Secretary of the Navy where I could find you, although he ducked the answer, he passed the question along to Franz. Who of course knew all about you and Galaxy, because his friend Peyton West is engaged to your partner, Scott Hamilton.”
“Yes, she is.”
“He told me enough about Galaxy to let me know you are the only ones who can help me. So here I am.” She studied his face.
“Okay, Senator. What’s Mallory jumped into this time? Off on the trail of a hot news story? Writing another blockbuster about places she has no business being? And why me?”
Alicia took a slow sip of her coffee, as if gathering her thoughts.
“Mallory has always been a strong, independent person,” she began. “She’s had great success because of it, both as a reporter and as an author. But she’s also gotten herself into trouble too many times.”
He wanted to say No kidding but decided keeping his mouth shut was a better decision. “Yes, by diving into dangerous situations and writing bestselling books about them.”
Alicia Kane snorted a laugh. “I see you’ve been following her career. Or checked up on her.”
Rocket nodded. “Enough to know she takes chances, which is probably the reason none of her publicity or book jackets feature her photo.”
“You’re correct. About that and the fact that nothing’s changed. She’s currently in Santa Marita. Do you know where it is?
“Vaguely.” He frowned. “Aren’t they having a revolution of some kind?”
“Worse than that.” She nodded. “The Barrera cartel has fought its way to power and created a new organization. General Felix Barrera has built his own organization and has taken over the entire country. No one breathes unless he says so. Her friend who lives there told her the situation is really desperate.”
“I can’t argue with that.” He took a swallow of his own coffee. “Especially where drug cartels are concerned. Meddling in elections is right up their alley. It gives them that much more control and they don’t care how much blood they shed on the way.”
“That’s her theory, and she’s determined to write a book about this.”
Rocket lifted an eyebrow. “So she’s still digging into foreign regimes and power struggles? It’s a wonder she hasn’t gotten herself killed before now.”
And that’s the fucking truth. Idiot woman.
Alicia huffed a sigh. “I keep trying to tell her that.”
“And she’s down in Santa Marita now?”
“Yes.” Alicia leaned forward, giving him a hard, intense look. “She’s being hidden by a friend of hers, an emergency room nurse who reached out to her about researching and writing a book in the situation in Santa Marita.”
Rocket snorted. “Some friend.”
“This is her homeland and she’s worried about it.”
Rocket frowned. “Where did Mallory hook up with her?”
“They went to college together and kept in touch. Inez also worked as an emergency room nurse in Houston where Mallory lived for a while. The friendship has obviously lasted. According to what Mal told me, Inez felt she needed to go home to Santa Marita when things went to hell there. Nurses were needed.”
“But?” Rocket prompted her.
“But when she discovered what was really going on there,” Alicia Kane went on, “she reached out to Mal. The media was basically barred from the country and the whole story wasn’t getting out. She figured a book would be the best way to draw attention to the situation.”
Rocket studied her. “And she needs a way out.” He kept his face expressionless, even though the first thought that came to him was, Déjà vu all over again. The second was, Fucking shit! Why did I let five years go by without contacting her? Anger surged through him for the time he’d wasted through his own stupidity, for his continued attempt to convince himself that being with a woman like Mallory Kane would be more trouble than she was worth.
How’d that work out for you, asshole?
“Okay, you’d better start from the beginning. What turned her onto this story?”
Alicia sat back with a sigh. “In college, Mallory majored in journalism and political science. A combination brewing trouble, if there ever was one. She saw it as her ‘calling’ to expose the criminal elements in political regimes everywhere.”
“I figured right from the start she had a habit of putting herself in danger,” Rocket said. That streak of daring, while risky, was what made her so successful with her books.
“She does. Yes.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Her friends and I keep trying to tell her she could write exciting books without taking a chance with her life, but…” She shrugged.
“Okay, I get it. But how did she end up with no exit strategy?”
“When Barrera killed President Alcante, chased all members of that regime out of the country and set himself up as the new president, they did everything they could to institute absolute control. That means they’re also in charge of the airport and the marinas. No one can get into the country or leave without them knowing every detail.”
He studied Alicia’s face. “Then how did she get in?”
“She has a passport and other identification in the name of Melinda Clayton and a fake background in case anyone tries to dig into it. She had a computer nerd friend set it up for her so it’s hackproof.”
Rocket held up a hand. “Let me interrupt for a moment. Absolutely nothing is completely hackproof, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking that it is. People who can access the dark web can find anything. And I mean anything.”
“But whoever she had create this for her did not enter any information whatsoever about Mallory,” Alicia protested, “so how would they connect it?”
“Did she email the person who set it up? Use any of her real information? How did they get a picture of her for documentation?”
Alicia Kane slumped in her chair. “I can’t answer those questions. I’m sorry. I should have thought to ask her, but she set this up so long ago.”
“I’m guessing her phony credentials were enough to get her into Santa Marita.”
“Yes. And Inez picked her up at the airport. To the average observer, they were just two friends getting together. They didn’t ring any negative bells.”
“That you know of.”
“Okay, yes. But you know Mal. She might think she’s been keeping a low profile, but I’d bet a year’s salary she poked her nose into one too many places one too many times and caught their unwanted attention. They know she’s been digging into the elections and corruption in the country and they’d love to get their hands on her. Make an example of her. Now she’s left without options.”
Rocket lifted an eyebrow. “An example of her?”
Alicia nodded. “The word we have from one of our sources is that when they catch her, they plan to parade her in the central square of the capital, strip her naked and behead her, as a warning to others.”
Jesus! Rocket nearly threw up his coffee, and it took a lot to make him that nauseated. “How reliable is your source and does he or she know where Mallory is?”
“Like I said, very reliable. She feels responsible for getting her there and now she’s petrified Mal will be killed because of her.”
“But she knows where she is?” Rocket persisted.
Alicia nodded. “She has Mallory hidden in the back of the little house she lives in. At great dang
er to herself, I might add.”
“We have a way to contact Mallory, I hope?”
“She has a burner phone with her at all times.”
“Smart woman,” Rocket mused. He rubbed his forehead. “Okay. Let’s start at the beginning and give me every single detail you have. Don’t leave out even the smallest one. Give me all the information, like how long she’s been in Santa Marita, the number of her cell phone. Everything.”
The tension in the senator’s body eased slightly. “Of course. Whatever you want to know.”
By the time she’d finished, the feelings swirling in Rocket were a cross between fear and rage. He wanted to get his hands on Mallory Kane and shake her until her teeth rattled. But then he wanted to strip off her clothes and fuck her stupid. He took notes on his tablet while Alicia talked, going over every little detail she had again and again until he was sure he had wrung it all from her brain.
“Thank you for doing this,” Alicia told him, leaning back in her chair, limp from the exhaustion of dredging up information.
He shrugged. “How could I not? The small amount of time I spent with her, she impressed the hell out of me.” In more ways than one. “I’ll call my partners as soon as we land. Please stay available because as we put this together, I’m sure I will have more questions.”
“Not a problem. That number you have for me? It’s my private, personal cell and I always have it with me. You can call me day or night. Truly.”
“Good. Excellent. One more question. Who else knows about this? Your security team? Mallory’s publishers? Anyone else you came into contact with?”
“No one. First, I trust my security people, but Washington leaks like a sieve. Who knows what they might inadvertently say? Second, her publisher has no idea she’s there in the middle of a revolution. Her contract is for a book on Mexican politics. She really had to keep her trip way under the radar for her protection…and also not to call down the wrath of the politicians.”
“Understood. Complicates the situation, but complication is our middle name.” He made some more notes. “It seems this whole operation, starting this minute, has to be under the radar. What did you tell your team about this meeting?”
