by Katie Reus
This one had no numbers programmed into it, but he had the necessary number memorized.
“Hello?” His contact picked up on the second ring, his voice cautious.
“It’s me. Have you located the woman?” Mihails had been positive the other man could, but at this point he was having doubts.
“Yes, I managed to put a tracker on her at the funeral. She’s been to a few places since then, including the hotel.” Mihails noticed that he didn’t use the word “Opulen,” probably because the government was monitoring the airwaves for mentions of certain keywords.
Surprise shot through him as his heart rate picked up. “She was there?”
“According to my map, she was in the vicinity, during the time of . . .” He trailed off and Mihails understood why. He cleared his throat. “Afterward, she went to a doctor’s office and now she’s at a residence. I’ve tried searching but can’t find out who the owner is.”
“What’s the address?”
A pause. “Why?”
He gritted his teeth. Explaining himself was not something he was accustomed to. “I have different resources and will see if I can discover the owner. In the meantime, track her down, but do not eliminate the problem. We need her alive.”
Another pause. “I will try.”
His words weren’t convincing, but Mihails didn’t respond as the man continued. “I’m on the other side of town but should be there in half an hour. I’ll do reconnaissance but won’t move in until about three this morning.”
“Good.” Dawn and the hours directly before were the smartest time to conduct any operation. It would give them the element of surprise.
After he gave Mihails the address, they disconnected. Mihails glanced at Oto as he slid Janis’s weighted body over the side of the boat. It made a soft splash that seemed overpronounced in the quiet canal. A twinge settled in his chest. He would send Janis’s mother compensation once this op was over. “He has outlived his usefulness,” he said, referring to the man they’d been using.
Oto nodded as he hefted the other body up and over.
Decision made, Mihails texted Fedor with the address and ordered him to kill their problem and bring the woman in alive. She might be protected, but now that they had an address, he was confident in his man’s ability to bring her in. No more screwups. Once he received the reply that it would be done, he tucked the phone into his pocket and savored the small bit of relief coursing through him.
The hotel strike might not have gone off as planned, but he and Oto were still alive and could be very effective even with a limited team. The bastards he was hunting would never know what hit them.
• • •
Burkhart slid into the backseat of the waiting SUV. After hours of dealing with the Opulen blast site, he still had more shit to deal with and not enough hours in the day. If only he could clone himself. It still wouldn’t be enough, though. Not with all the crazy going on.
His driver, a trained agent, maneuvered his way toward the bridge that was their only exit off the island, while Burkhart opened his slim laptop. He didn’t even have time to drive himself because of all the reports he needed to scan. Most of the time his analysts or his assistant just gave him a rundown of key points, but he still had to follow up.
As he pulled up the most updated file on Clay Ervin, his cell buzzed. He didn’t bother to look at the caller ID as he tapped his earpiece on. Right now everything was important and he’d missed a shitload of calls the past couple of hours.
“Ervin is dead,” Captain Nieto said, not bothering with any greeting.
Shit. “How? Where?” Ervin was supposed to have been in holding. That was who Burkhart was on his way to see.
“When he found out his attorney was dead, he asked to make a phone call for another attorney. His new attorney made it clear that if we weren’t going to charge him with anything, he was a free man. Thirty minutes later, he was released from holding.”
Shit, shit, shit. “Who was his attorney?”
“Piers Tennyson the Fourth.” Nieto’s voice was dry.
“That sounds familiar.” Burkhart pulled up another file on his computer, one filled with a list of names. He recognized the name because it just sounded pretentious.
“He’s a high-priced attorney who represents a lot wealthy people in South Florida. Including the owners of the Opulen. . . . I heard about what happened today. Any injuries or deaths?”
“We didn’t lose anyone.” Thank God.
“Good.”
“Where was Ervin found and how was he killed?” Burkhart’s mind was racing as he asked the question. Tennyson was the attorney to the owners of the Opulen. That’s why he recognized the name. He was also on the list of guests who had been scheduled to attend the Westwood party but never made it. Those were some interesting ties. It could mean nothing, but Burkhart wanted to know more about the man immediately.
“Shot twice in the back of the head, close range. He was dumped in an alley in an abandoned neighborhood. We wouldn’t even have known about it, but the DEA had a bust and the body was discovered in the cleanup.”
“Thanks for the info. By the way, did Ervin call anyone else other than his attorney while he was there?”
“Hold on.” Burkhart could hear Nieto talking to someone in the background. A minute later he was back on the line. “Got the call log and he didn’t actually call his attorney. He called the cell number for a man named Paul Hill. He’s—”
“One of the owners of the Opulen.” Burkhart frowned.
“That’s interesting.”
“Yeah.” There had to be a connection somewhere. He just wasn’t seeing it. But he would. “Thanks for the call.”
“No problem. If you need help with anything, let me know.”
Burkhart continued frowning after they disconnected and he pieced together what he’d just learned. Tennyson was supposed to have attended the Westwood party and he had a connection with at least a dozen of the attendees there, if his client list was up-to-date. He probably knew more attendees than that, though. Ervin’s own attorney had been killed, and once his new attorney got him free, Ervin had been killed also. But not tortured like Flowers or his friend Scott Mullen.
A quick hit. It had to mean something as important as the more gruesome deaths.
Burkhart rubbed the back of this neck. Hell. He had a headache just thinking about all the possible connections. Sighing, he dialed his assistant. He wanted to find out everything there was to know on the owners of the Opulen Hotel. She’d already been running checks for him, but this was going to take priority. If they had something to hide, they were going to be very sorry.
Chapter 16
Safe house: a house in a secret location, used by spies or criminals in hiding.
Maria knocked lightly on Cade’s bedroom door. When he didn’t answer, she opened it a fraction. “Cade?” Still no answer.
Even though she knew he was more capable than most of taking care of himself, a heavy dose of fear slid through her. And after everything that had happened over the past couple of days, she wasn’t worried about invading his privacy. She opened the door wider but stopped when she heard water running. Her relief was instantaneous. Of course. He was taking a shower. They’d had a long, tiring day and he’d only been able to clean off with wet wipes earlier. The man simply hadn’t had a break.
On their way back to the safe house, he’d ended up taking half a dozen calls and they’d barely spoken two words since he’d made sure the house was secure. He’d been as attentive as he could and had made sure she had dinner, but he’d been attached to his phone and laptop. She’d tried to wait to talk to him but had finally given up and gone to take a shower and change into her pajamas.
He wasn’t being rude; he was simply focused. She understood that this was his job. He might be tasked with protecting her, but he was s
till trying to bring to justice the monsters who had massacred so many innocent civilians, including her mother. She’d only come to see him now because she’d wanted to talk to him before going to bed.
Okay, maybe more than talk. After what they’d shared with each other and the way he’d started to open up, she wanted to know what was going on in his head and if he saw any sort of future between them. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she could just settle for something physical and brief, she knew that wasn’t true. That just wasn’t her. Maybe if this was someone else other than Cade, but she couldn’t settle for less than everything from him.
The timing was probably all wrong, but when would it be right? When this was over? When he’d moved on to the next assignment and wasn’t part of her life anymore? No, she wasn’t waiting to do this. When he’d cut contact with her before, she hadn’t pushed hard for answers from him. She’d been too damn hurt by his callous rejection of their relationship. Now, with eight years and more insight into Cade and who he’d become, she knew there was more to why he’d cut and run. More than he’d admitted. She planned to find out what it was.
She stepped inside the room, but nerves took hold deep inside her, fastening onto her insecurity with sharp talons. She couldn’t help wondering if she was stupid to put herself out there for him. The thought of sleeping alone was so damn depressing it brought on a fresh wave of tears. She angrily blinked them away.
But she didn’t want just anyone to hold her right now. She only wanted Cade.
Moving fully into the room, she shut the door behind her. Acting braver than she felt, she stripped off the light pajamas she’d put on earlier and headed for the attached bathroom.
Oh God, if he rejected her . . . The thought made her body go ice-cold, the flash streaking from her face all the way to her toes. Goose bumps skittered over her skin at how vulnerable she was making herself. But she shoved her doubts away. She knew he wanted her. Physically they didn’t seem to have any issues. She’d felt the proof of his desire more than once, and after the way he’d pleasured her, she wanted to give back to him tonight. To get lost in his arms and magnificent body so that she could forget everything—especially the heavy grief weighing on her chest—for just a little while.
The bathroom door was already cracked open a couple of inches, white steam billowing out from the small gap. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The layout was similar to the bathroom attached to her bedroom, only this one was slightly bigger. To her left there were two big sinks with a long rectangular mirror above them. To the right was a door to a linen closet.
And straight ahead was the shower. A wall made of thick glass blocks blurred out the big man behind it, but she could see Cade’s outline standing under the pulsing jet of the overhead shower. There was no shower door, just the enclosure. His head turned as she took another step inside.
She couldn’t make out much, but she wasn’t surprised by how alert he was. “It’s just me.”
A long pause. “Is everything okay?”
Feeling slightly braver, she took a couple more steps inside, the tile cool against her feet. It was a sharp contrast to the warmth of the steam pulsing through the room. She crossed her arms over her chest as she closed the distance to the shower. “Yes. I’d like to join you if that’s okay.” She swallowed hard, shocked she’d managed to say the words.
While she’d had a few lovers, she’d never been the aggressor. It just wasn’t in her nature. But now she wanted to grab onto Cade for as long as she could have him.
After what felt like an eternity but was really only a couple of seconds, he spoke. “Yes.”
The invisible band around her chest loosened, allowing her to breathe again. Nervousness for an entirely different reason settled in her stomach as she stepped forward. Her fingers skated over the cool ridges of the glass blocks. The sensation grounded her as she stepped over the small ledge and into the humid shower.
Her gaze caught Cade’s the moment she entered the enclosure, his green eyes practically electric as they took in her nakedness. Water sprayed all around him, his big body deflecting it, but she barely noticed the wetness hitting her skin.
She’d never felt as vulnerable in her life as she did then, waiting for him to say something. He devoured every single inch of her bare body with a hunger so clear she couldn’t stop a tremble from rolling through her.
As he looked, she did the same. So far she’d always seen him partially clothed, but now . . . The top part of one arm was a complete sleeve of interwoven Celtic designs that were so beautiful and intricate she could only imagine how long it had taken the artist to tattoo them. On his lower forearm was a Celtic cross with a circle around it and what looked like names scripted parallel to the circle. She’d noticed part of it before but hadn’t wanted to stare at him. Now she was looking her fill. On his other upper arm he had the Marine Corps eagle, globe and anchor.
His arm muscles were taut, the tendons pulled tight as he clenched his hands into fists. His chest and abs were muscular planes of perfection. Seriously, a man should not be able to look that good. And . . . She sucked in a breath as her gaze landed on his hard length. He was absolutely magnificent. Long and thick, and all she could think about was how he would feel as he pumped into her. Would he be sweet and gentle? Every fiber of her being told her absolutely not. And she hoped not. She didn’t want that now. Imagining the sensation of him inside her made her grow even wetter. Just staring at his naked body was like looking at a piece of art. The man was simply breathtaking.
“Maria.” His voice was strained, her name coming out shaky.
She didn’t look him in the eye, knew if she did she’d lose her nerve. That wasn’t going to happen. Stepping closer to him, she slid her palms down his defined arms as she skimmed her mouth over the middle of his chest. He was all hard muscles, his strength palpable and a little overwhelming. Kissing him ever so lightly, she took pure pleasure when his giant body shuddered. She loved that she’d dragged that reaction from him.
One big hand reached out and landed lightly on her bare hip. His fingers flexed and for a panicked moment she thought he’d push her away. But he didn’t. Instead his hips rolled once, his cock pulsing against her abdomen.
She could smell whatever body wash he’d used and inhaled the fresh, clean scent as she moved lower down to the ripped planes of his abdomen. There wasn’t a bit of fat on the man. He was all beautiful, hard lines and striations.
True perfection.
The tattoos could have taken away from all that stark beauty, but they just made him that much sexier. Lord, she was so lost over this man, who had not only protected her with his body but put his job on the line for her. How could she not be falling for him? Deep down she was afraid to hope for more than a short affair with him. It would be hot and intense and in the end possibly rip her heart out. Maybe not, but she was simply terrified to think this could be more than just sex. Okay, she hoped it could be more but had no clue what he was thinking.
She continued sliding her hands down his arms as she bent lower, blazing a trail of kisses along his body. He made a rough, raspy sound when she reached his lower abdomen, and his fists clenched.
“Maria.” There he went again with her name, that deep timbre reverberating through her and making her absolutely crazy. His hands were now on her shoulders, those long fingers flexing. Again, she thought he might push her away, but when she took the top part of his cock between her lips, he just clenched tighter.
Kneeling on the tile, she felt more powerful than she ever had as she took him fully in her mouth. In past relationships, this had been part of bedroom play, but not something she craved. With Cade she found that she desperately wanted to taste him. The thought of giving him as much pleasure as he’d given her was a powerful aphrodisiac. It was damn near addicting.
Water rolled over t
hem, the splashing sounds fading into the background as she took him in her mouth, over and over. Each time she took him deep, he made strangled, gasping sounds. He removed his hands from her shoulders and she felt immediately bereft, but when she heard two hard slaps, she realized he’d slammed his palms against the tile and glass walls.
Oh yeah, she was pushing him past his point of control. His entire body was trembling, that show of desperation so out of character it made her nipples pebble even tighter.
When she reached around his body and dug her fingers into the hard flesh of his backside, he moved so fast she barely had a chance to catch her breath as he pulled her up against his body. He buried one hand in her hair and wrapped the other around her back, his hold dominating and impenetrable.
His mouth crushed over hers, ravenous as he devoured her. His kisses weren’t sweet or gentle, but hard and demanding. Exactly what she wanted. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts up against his chest, and he just gripped her tighter. The friction of their bodies sent spirals of pleasure through her.
Dragging his hand from her hair, he fisted her hips and hoisted her up. Without pause she wrapped her legs around him. The skin-to-skin contact was pushing her into sensory overload. She’d fantasized about Cade way too many times in the past. To be with him now was almost too much.
The cool tile hit her back, the sensation doing nothing to dim the scorching heat that had overtaken her. When he tore his mouth from hers, she started to protest, but he dipped his head to her neck, kissing and nipping her skin in erotic little strokes with his tongue and teeth.
She arched against him, wanting more—she was desperate for him. It was as if she could crawl out of her skin right now. Her entire body hummed with a pent-up need and he hadn’t even touched her most sensitive areas yet. The way he made her feel was insane.
