“I’m all right. But I need your help.”
“Good, you’re alive. The guys at the office are talking about some asshole who stupidly sneaked into Vlad’s compound to save a girl just so he could get laid. Please tell me that wasn’t you.”
I felt my insides tense up at the last statement. Carly was much more than just a quick lay. She was everything.
“I needed to save Carly.” I heard Adam let out a heavy sigh from the other end of the line. While Adam enjoyed the bachelor life, I was more of a sucker when it came to love and relationships, as in I wanted a warm, willing woman to come home to. I wanted to get married, have a couple kids, get a damn dog. I never wanted that shit before Carly, but now it was all I could think about.
The first night we met, I wanted to put my baby in her and claim her in a very permanent way. It would be nice to come home to someone after a long, stressful day or week, and I wanted Carly to be that someone.
“And the mission? Are you asking to be fired from your job?”
Adam was working on a different mission, but we ran in the same circles. In this state, there were three main drug rings that ruled and exercised power. Vlad was the leader of one; Adam was undercover for the second, and the third was the most difficult to crack. I had no doubt that once Adam and I completed our current missions, we’d work together on taking down the third group. Either that, or the power void left by the loss of Vlad and the second group would start a war on the streets. But it was better to keep the groups small and unorganized. Cold-blooded, analytical billionaires like Vlad caused a fuck-ton more problems than idiot street kids who thought they were big time because they could afford to roll in a luxury SUV.
“That’s why I need your help.”
“So, you want to get me fired, too.” He whistled, but I knew he was in. He was my brother in every way that counted. “All right, but she better be worth the trouble.”
“She is. She’s mine, man. I’m not giving her up.”
“Fuck, Jace. All right. Talk to me.”
I took a deep breath and glanced at the closed door to our hotel room. “I have a plan, but it’s dangerous.”
“Jace…”
“She doesn’t know I’m an agent working undercover. She still thinks I’m one of them.” I felt my jaw tighten and I had to focus to release the tension from my neck and shoulders. Drug smugglers were scum. I hated being associated with that world, but it was part of the job. “She can’t know the truth and play her part.”
“I don’t like where this is going, Jace.”
“Shut up and listen. Here’s where you come in.”
I then proceeded to tell Adam of Carly’s kidnapping and the background behind it. I told him that Vlad killed Carly’s parents because he wanted to get one of her properties. It wasn’t just some random piece of real estate that they thought could turn into another secured base. No. It just so happened the property could literally spell the difference between a multi-million-dollar deal or nothing.
And then I told Adam my plan.
“You’re insane. You do know that, right?” Adam asked.
“I’m in love.”
“You’re doomed.” Adam laughed.
Before the conversation could end, I quickly added, “When we meet, she can’t know we’re working together or that I’m an undercover agent. As much as I love and trust her, the success of my plan depends on her not knowing anything. She isn’t trained like us. She wouldn’t be able to act and lie under intense pressure, and I don’t want to risk the mission by telling her the truth about my job and her not being able to play her part.”
“Good to know you’ve still got your head in the game. See you soon, man. I can’t wait to meet the woman who’s got you so fucking whipped.”
After that, I hung up and put the phone back in my jean pocket. I entered the hotel and went up to the room where Carly was waiting patiently. The moment the door opened, she looked away from the TV and smiled at me.
“Everything all right?”
I nodded my head. “Everything’s almost perfect.”
“But?”
“Do you trust me?”
Her answer came automatically. “Of course. Why are you asking that?”
“Because we need to go to the police.” Before she could get a word in, I proceeded to tell her my line of reasoning. “Vlad and his men are out to get me. Knowing Vlad, he’ll take me dead or alive. We need police protection. You need to tell them what you just told me—that Vlad has been threatening you and wants to get his hands on your property.”
“B-but…” She knew what I was thinking. “Okay. Fine. But I’ll go alone. I won’t tell them about you.”
I shook my head. “It won’t work. They’ll think you’re lying and then they’ll never believe you.”
“No. I’ll just…” her voice faded as she chewed on her bottom lip.
“How did you escape?”
“I…”
“And if you didn’t escape, then they didn’t kidnap you. That significantly decreases the threat.”
“But, will they listen to us? If we go to them, won’t they just lock you up? Even if you saved me, you’re still one of them. You helped Vlad smuggle drugs and I don’t want to know what else. Will they listen if I tell them that you risked your life to protect me? I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
I swore I was falling more in love with this woman by the minute. Despite her life being on the line, she was still looking out for me and making sure nothing bad was going to happen to me.
“I don’t know.” A large part of me hated the fact that I was lying to her face, but this needed to be done. I’d tell her the whole truth once this all blew over, and I was sure we were all finally safe from Vlad. “But it’s the only option we have. We have to take it and at least try.”
She knew I was right, and she didn’t try to argue after that.
Carly
I watched as the policeman walked over to us. We’d just come from the bank where I kept the deed in a safety deposit box. I’d no plans of taking it out anytime soon because that way Vlad and his men would never get their hands on it, but Jace assured me this was the best plan, the only plan, actually.
Jace waited in a dark, narrow alley while I got the deed. We didn’t want anyone seeing him and informing Vlad of his whereabouts. After the banker handed me the land title after taking safety and precautionary measures to ensure I was indeed the sole owner of the property, I left the bank as quickly as I could and met Jace in the alleyway. Now, we stood standing and waiting, and my heart was about to explode out of my chest.
Before the bank, we called the police. I told them the exact words Jace told me to say, that Vlad, one of the three most notorious drug lords in the city, was threatening me and that one of his men, Jace, saved me. He also made sure that I got the authorities to promise that no harm would come our way. I made them promise that they weren’t going to lock up Jace despite him working for Vlad. I believed I made a good enough case when I told them Jace almost died trying to save me.
After that, they told me to give them a meeting place and time, so I could give them the land title for safe-keeping, and my testimony as well as Jace’s in exchange for our protection. Jace had betrayed a very powerful man, and he needed the protection of the authorities to make sure he’d live to see another day. Now here we were waiting, and the moment a figure appeared from the other end of the alleyway, I felt Jace wrap his arm around my waist and pull me closer to his side.
“Carly?” asked the man walking towards us. He had a half-smile on his face. I wondered why, but now was not the time to ask. “I’m Adam, the agent you spoke to on the phone.”
I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. I stepped forward and shook his hand.
“This is Jace, the one I was telling you about,” I introduced the them and they shook hands, mumbling greetings like men sometimes do. Rolling my eyes, I handed the envelope to Adam. “Here’s the title. No matt
er what happens, I don’t want Vlad to get his hands on it.”
Adam nodded his head. “Of course not. I’ve also talked to my superiors, and I’ve been given permission to provide you with a security detail until Vlad and his men are locked up behind bars.”
“Just me?” The worry surfaced and was obvious in my tone of voice. “What about Jace?” There was no way I was letting Adam go with the title without him holding up his end of the bargain. I wouldn’t tell them anything. I wouldn’t testify in court. Nothing without Jace. The deal was to offer protection to both me and Jace. I wasn’t going to take anything less than that.
“We can actually use him.” Now there was a full-on smirk on Adam’s lips. “So, you’re working for Vlad?” Jace and I both nodded our heads. “We’d been trying to track him down for years. If you help us with his arrest,” he began, looking at Jace. “We can offer you not only protection, but your freedom as well. You’ll be cleared of all past charges, and you’ll have no criminal record. That is, if we succeed.”
I could feel a smile threatening to surface on my lips. Adam’s words were music to my ears. Jace and my protection and our freedom were much more than we could ever ask and hope for. There was no way we wouldn’t take the deal. It would not only give us a present together, but a long future where we wouldn’t have to worry about always being on the run and our lives being on the line.
“You have to take it, Jace,” I nudged him. I tipped my head upwards to look at him and noticed how serious he looked, like he was deep in thought.
“I’ll take it,” he said after a few seconds, but it honestly felt much longer than that. “What do you want me to do?”
“Give Vlad a call. Tell him you had no idea who Carly was, that she was a target but that you’d fallen in love with her before you even knew he wanted her. Vlad will probably ask you to surrender Carly to him or get killed, but tell him you love her and that you’re not letting him get anywhere near her. Reason with him and tell him that he only wants Carly so he can get his hands on the property and that there’s no need to threaten her.”
Throughout this, Jace and Adam never looked away from one another. I was honestly scared about the plan. This sounded dangerous. I’d spoken to Vlad a few times before and met him twice. He always had his henchmen doing his dirty work for him. Just by those rare occurrences, I instantly knew the drug lord was sly and conniving. Could Jace and Adam beat him at his own game? I shivered at the thought. It seemed like this was the only way to get our freedom. Before my mind could wander down this dangerous road, Adam continued to tell Jace of his plan.
“Tell him that you’ve talked to Carly, and that in exchange for her and your freedom, she’s willing to sell the property to him. Let him know it’s the best deal he can get. What’s a few million to give to Carly if he can earn billions once the property is his? Of course, he’ll never get his hands on the property. Set up a meeting with him, and me and my guys will be watching. We’ll step in before any harm can come to either of you.”
When Adam finished speaking, I looked at Jace. This whole plan depended on him.
After what felt like an eternity, Jace tipped his head into a nod. “I’ll do it.”
Chapter 5
Jace
“You look gorgeous,” I breathed deeply, unable to look away from the goddess right before me.
Carly was in a long evening gown that fit her upper torso like a corset and fanned out past her knees. From under the hemline of the cream pink satin, I could see pointed and strappy high heels that probably took a lot of skill to walk in, and she did it effortlessly. She glided across the marble floor like she had not a care in the world, as if we weren’t about to face one of the most dangerous men in the country. If we screwed this plan up, one or both of us could be dead by the end of the night.
“Thank you,” came her quick response. I could see a blush threatening to surface on her cheeks.
“Nod your head if you can hear me,” Adam spoke, the miniscule listening device wired in my ear. I did as he said and he responded with, “Good. Vlad said you’d meet in fifteen minutes?” I tipped my head again. I glanced at Carly, and she was looking at me half-curious and half-worried. She was wired to Adam too. “You two will be fine,” he then attempted to ease our nerves. “We’ve gone through the plan countless times.”
“Shall we head to the restaurant?” I then asked Carly, resting a hand on her hip and guiding her towards the far end of the hotel where the French restaurant had been built.
In the past months I’d been working undercover, I found out just how much control Vlad had over this city. He was a part-owner in countless businesses, including this restaurant where we were about to have dinner. He was even the one who made the reservation, and the joker in me wondered if Carly and I would even get to taste a meal in this upscale establishment. I was a thousand percent sure Vlad wanted me dead for betraying him for a woman. I doubted he was itching to spend money on us. He’d probably rather shoot a bullet through our heads and be done with us.
I exhaled deeply, noticing how tense I was feeling, and this wasn’t good. Carly was already nervous to the point that she’d barely spoken tonight. I didn’t want to worry her any more.
“Reservation under Viktor,” I said with zero hesitation. That was the name Vlad used to keep his identity safe and secret.
The waiter instantly beamed at us before he said, “Good evening Jace and Carly.” I wasn’t surprised when he called us by our first names. We were expected, of course. I could even see it from the two muscular men situated at the bar. I squinted my eyes and saw they had their fingers close to the belt loops of their jeans. One wrong move from us and a gun would be pulled out. I kept my calm. There was a hidden camera on me, so Adam and the rest of the police could see everything I did. We could do this.
“Have you been to this place before?” I then proceeded to talk to Carly when we were seated at our table. She hadn’t spoken a word, and she had a shell-shocked expression the whole time. This was why Adam and I decided not to let her know I was working undercover yet. As much as I loved the woman, I didn’t trust her acting abilities, and we couldn’t risk spoiling the plan and letting Vlad get away. This was the closest we’d ever been to catching him in the act. There was no way we could mess this up. “I heard their degustation menu is one of the best in the world.”
“I haven’t tried it here,” she responded, words coming out almost like a squeak. Before any more words could be spoken, a familiar figure sat at the only remaining seat and greeted us with a charming smile on his face.
I’d said it before, but only a handful of things scared me: one was getting Carly out of that building alive, and the second was sitting a couple feet away from Vlad tonight. A cold shiver ran up my spine at the sight of the drug lord. Just with the way he sat tall and proud, he knew he was the big guy; he was the shit. I was dying to knock the smug look off his face and arrest him.
I controlled myself. He had two men by the bar ready to shoot at any moment. I didn’t know who else among the staff held weapons and were playing dress-up to blend in. I turned to look at Carly, reached for her hand under the table and squeezed.
“Ah, love,” Vlad spoke. I guess there was no way to hide our intertwined fingers from him. If the guy had x-ray vision, I didn’t bother to know. Our lives were at risk tonight. I needed to focus on the mission and keep Carly safe. “It makes you do stupid things, doesn’t it?”
Clearing my throat, I couldn’t disagree. “Yes, it does.”
I felt Carly tense up, my hand still on hers. “You’re giving up the life I can give you for a woman who’ll soon be dead?”
My free hand balled into a fist, but I quickly opened the palm of my hand and shook my fingers. I needed to relax and play the apathetic part. I couldn’t let Vlad get to me. Him affecting me could spell the difference between this mission succeeding and failing. This was the closest we’d ever gotten to capturing him. There was no way I’d let this opportunity slip a
way. Adam and I would never hear the end of it from our superiors.
“There’s no need to threaten her. She’s agreed to sell the property to you, Vlad.”
A waiter stopped by with a short glass full of bourbon and Vlad took the drink, swirling the liquid around and around in a nearly hypnotic way. “So, you are going to sell me your land, young lady? Just like that?”
Carly straightened her spine and I was so proud of her. “Yes. Just like that, if you let Jace go. You have to give me your word you won’t hurt him.”
“And you would take my word?” Vlad raised his brow and sipped his drink.
“Honor among thieves, right?” She reached forward and sipped from a glass of white wine that was on the table. “Look, I don’t care about the property. You can have it. Just let us go.”
“All right. If the price is right.” Vlad agreed, just like that, and Carly was about to jump out of her seat.
“You’re buying the property from her at fair market value,” I responded, keeping my cool. I was the idiot criminal who had the balls to kidnap Carly right out from under his nose. I couldn’t act like a coward now. “You buy her land, I walk away and everyone is happy.”
I watched as Vlad furrowed his eyebrows together; he looked like he wanted to glare at me but didn’t want to show any emotion because that would mean he’d let me get under his skin. And that would be bad for business.
“Where’s the deed?” he then asked, moving his eyes from me to Carly.
I tipped my head to the side and watched and waited for her reaction. The copy of the deed Adam had gotten for us was in the purse in her hands, tightly snug in between her thighs. The server had offered to keep it for her for the entire length of dinner, but of course, there was no way she’d let that happen. If she did, then the mission would’ve failed before it’d even begun.
“Where’s the money?” she then asked. Vlad was about to speak when she cut him off. This time, my eyes widened into the size of golf balls at the words hastily leaving her mouth. “I should charge you double for killing my parents.”
Hero Undercover: 25 Breathtaking Bad Boys Page 114
