by Clark, T. C.
“Yuuto, we are doing this mission!” She yelled just before he left. Well, shit. He was going to be worse now. She collapsed back against the sheets and closed her eyes. She would deal with Yuuto later.
For the first time since she’d boarded this creepy shipping freight, her stomach calmed. She placed one hand over the gentle curve and prayed. She hadn’t spoken to God in years. There had been so much betrayal and pain in her life that she’d turned away from the act her father had worked so hard to instill in her.
But these were dire times, and she needed something more than just her instincts to rely on.
God, I’m trying to do the right thing here. I need your help. I’m not a hero, but someone has to stop these people. I can’t promise I’ll be different after. I still have to deal with Yuuto’s father, but with your help, I will protect millions of your people. Give me your protection and grant me the strength to see this through. Amen.
She opened her eyes and stared at the peeling ceiling for a long time. She let the feelings of peace and confidence wash over her. She could do this. She would see this through, and somehow she’d make sure they all survived.
* * *
Yuuto found Frank and asked him to watch their door. He needed time to think, and he wouldn’t be able to focus unless he knew someone was watching Rhea. When they got back to the room, he realized Rhea had fallen asleep.
Frank pulled up a chair with no questions asked and started reading through some of the research they’d compiled on Jorge.
“Thank you for watching her,” Yuuto said.
“Don’t thank me for looking out for Rhea. She is a sister to me. You just work through whatever has got you fucked up right now,” Frank said brusquely.
Yuuto was surprised that Frank had noticed his mood. He didn’t seem like the intuitive sort. He nodded and walked away. He needed to re-evaluate their plan and look for anything that could be detrimental to Rhea.
He lapped the shipping boat twice before he calmed down. He mastered himself as he’d learned to do so long ago. He needed to be present in the moment. They had a few more hours before they illegally entered Cuba and the real shit hit the fan.
The crew was starting to quiet down, and only one shot him the bird as he passed by. They were lucky they needed this ship. On another day, none of them when have made it to land alive. He’d never dealt with disrespect casually.
Right about now, Haruaki should be closing in on the doctor. He knew Haruaki would be successful in retrieving Aidan. His brother was a lot like him. When given a task, they never let up until they’d accomplished it. He hoped he could trust his brother; he didn’t want to have to kill another one.
He was lucky he still had some members of the Tanaka clan that were loyal to him. His aunt had secretly sent him a message to let him know Daishin was elected to take care of Rhea. His father was determined to kill her before the baby could be born.
Even through his pain, his heart had recognized the very real need to protect Rhea. He’d traveled to Japan to talk with Daishin. When his brother had agreed to meet him on neutral ground, he’d thought Daishin was willing to talk. He should have known better. Daishin was the right hand to their father. When he arrived at the location, he recognized it for the trap it was and he was forced to kill Daishin and his men.
It hadn’t been an easy kill. Blood was still blood, no matter how dirty it was. His instincts had forced him to act quickly. Daishin was as efficient as he was brutal. As talented as Rhea was, there was no way he could be sure that she would escape him. He’d made his decision that day, and his actions had created a very real threat on their lives.
His father’s hatred for him was now all-consuming. He’d killed his golden son for a woman who sought to imprison him. His family would not forgive this sin. No matter what his father did to them, they were trained to obey and endure. The head of the Tanaka clan would hunt Rhea until the day he died if only to satisfy his need for revenge against him.
Yuuto walked over to the side of the boat and watched the sea. He’d never been a fan of the ocean. It was too chaotic and uncontrollable. He liked calm things. He took in the salty sea air with a deep sigh.
He now had everything he’d wished for in his youth. Rhea loved him. She’d loved him even as he was tearing her apart with his harsh words. She wasn’t the kind of woman who would love lightly, and he thanked the universe for that. But with strength came courage. She wouldn’t walk away from this fight, and, unlike Sandy, he couldn’t force her to sit it out. Did that make him weak? Probably, but he knew no other way forward now.
He pulled out the sonogram picture and examined it. His baby was growing in Rhea, protected and nurtured by her strength. How could he keep them safe in the mayhem they were about to walk into?
His stomach dropped as he imagined the worst. He hated this vulnerability, this fear clawing at his chest. His father was right about one thing—once a man loved something, a visible target appeared on his back. It was as if the reality of the situation had finally hit him. He’d known that Rhea was pregnant, but seeing it with his own eyes had done something to his heart.
He knew he couldn’t safely keep Rhea out of this now. They were in too deep. Even if he paid the crew, he didn’t trust them to return her safely home. He’d seen the way the men watched her when she walked by. Their bloodshot eyes followed her figure with open lust.
No, it was time to get to work. If he couldn’t keep Rhea out of this, then he would see them through it. First, he would get her safely into Cuba. Then he would find and eliminate the Linguist as quickly as possible. And finally, he would deal with his family.
Once again, he would have to be the best. He’d been trained from birth to do so. Killing had come easy to him, even in his youth. He would blame it on his family. He had a feeling blades were in his blood. He’d earned his codename “the Surgeon” because of his skill with knives. He would use that skill to get this job done, and then he would turn his attention back to his family.
When he got back to the room, Frank yawned and packed up his things. The tall blond man looked down at him with a frown. “Did you figure your shit out?”
“I did,” Yuuto said quietly. He looked around Frank into the darkened room. Rhea was still fast asleep. He smiled. She was exhausted. She’d been sick as soon as the ship started to move.
“Are you good then?”
“Yes, Frank. I need you to keep a close eye on the crew. They’ve gone quiet, and I don’t trust it.”
“I agree with you. I’ve been getting some weird vibes from the men on board, and you know what I like to say?” Frank raised a bushy eyebrow at him.
Yuuto sighed, “You say we need to trust in our stomachs.”
Frank laughed at his dry tone, “No, I said we got to trust our guts.”
“That is exactly what I said.”
Frank gave him a wide smile and patted him on the back. “I like you, Yuuto. You’re weird for Rhea. But who am I to judge? I’ll watch the crew, and you keep an eye on Rhea. Keep your things packed in case we need to make a quick exit.”
“Frank, I need to know that you will protect Rhea even over the mission. She has to come first.”
“I’ve already lost two ladies I’ve loved. I will not lose her,” Frank promised. He walked away before Yuuto could say anything else. There was a purpose in his stride. For the first time since they’d met, he sensed the steel behind his words. Between all of them, they would see this through. He didn’t know what the Linguist was doing, but his time was up.
Five
Chapter 5
* * *
The Linguist sipped his lukewarm scotch with the best fake smile he could muster. When he’d chosen Jorge to act as his protector during this auction, he hadn’t expected much. But even this was beneath him.
Naked women danced around the courtyard at the front of his home. If he closed his eyes he could hear faint moans and screams of ecstasy or pain. He’d made a bad choice. He knew why he’d
done it. Jorge was excellent in bed. Men who pretended to be straight typically were. He’d let his dick run the show, and it had landed him in Cuban Hell.
Some of this was the Chemist’s fault as well. The asshole had made it clear that none of them were allowed to use the NICON resources to protect them. He wanted them to keep the company name clean because of all of the government contracts they’d received. He would only send in members of NICON as an absolute last resort.
This was easy for the others. The Chemist and the Magician had small armies behind them that they could rely on. But he was a solo assassin. His type of killing required a type of finesse that only he had. His weapons were people. As basic as Jorge was, he had an army, and his allegiance was to him. Even now, he kept glancing over at him with hunger in his eyes.
Lorenzo rolled his eyes. No one was going to believe that they weren’t sleeping together if he kept looking at him like that. When one of the ladies made their way over to refill his drink, he shook his head. He only had to get through the next few weeks and he would literally control the world.
He wondered how the others were faring. This would only work if all of them played their parts. He shook his head. Who the fuck cared? If someone chose to take the others out that would mean NICON would be his.
He’d seduced one of the guards into letting him into the lab the engineer used to make the weapon. If anyone failed, he would just kidnap another engineer and remake the fucking thing. How hard could it be? Nerds were a dime a dozen. He deserved a great life after all that he’d endured to get here. By this time next week, he’d be sipping mojitos in Eastern Europe.
For a second, his mask slipped, and his true intentions flashed across his pretty face. Jorge paused and looked at him with concern. Oh, the poor man, he had no idea what kind of man he really was. This was his time now. He’d always served others. People loved to exploit him and use him for their own gain. It was time to show the world what Lorenzo Vellum was made of and claim his part of history.
* * *
Rhea watched Yuuto undress from the depths of the bed. He’d been quiet since he’d come back to the room. He was obviously trying not to disturb her. He’d quietly moved their stuff to the side of the bed and laid out an assortment of knives on the side table.
She was silent as he moved around because she didn’t know what to say to him. He had no idea that she knew about him killing his brother to protect her even before he knew the baby was his. He didn’t know how that made her feel.
When she’d first told him about the baby and he denied her, she thought, here we go again. Her whole life was filled with deceit and betrayal. She’d learned the hard way to only trust in herself.
From the first man she’d ever loved to her time with the CIA, most things she’d put her faith in had betrayed her. When Yuuto had done the same, she’d thought, of course, this is what you get when you trust in someone other than family.
She didn’t want to be the lone wolf anymore. It was a jarring realization. She wanted Yuuto. Their relationship had changed something integral inside of her. When he took off his shirt, her eyes followed the intricate tattoo across his back and hips. It was a tattoo of a green and black dragon, the symbol for the Tanaka clan.
This particular tattoo was put on Yuuto the old fashioned way with a Nomi and a set of needles. It was a painful process that everyone associated with the clan went through. His father even required the women to get them. She knew Yuuto had received his when he was sixteen. Haruaki had the exact same one on his body as well. Although he didn’t wear it quite like Yuuto.
Damn, he was a sexy man. He treated his body like a machine and kept it in the best possible shape. When they’d lived together, she’d often woken up to him working out which inevitably led to her distracting him with sex. She’d missed him. No one told her how hard it was to sleep alone after sleeping next to the man you love for so long.
“Are you going to keep pretending to be asleep?” Yuuto asked, turning to face her.
Rhea didn’t speak as her eyes took him in. She loved this man, apparently, for better or worse. Her feelings had remained the same, tucked away in her broken heart. Now that she knew the truth, she couldn’t hide her emotions anymore.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Yuuto said huskily. He stepped back from the bed as if the temptation to join her was too much. He was rock hard under his briefs. His body was stiff with the same need that reflected in her eyes.
“I’m serious, Rhea. I only have a small amount of self-control where you are concerned. You keep looking at me like that and I will be inside you soon,” Yuuto warned, his hand curled into a fist and his body flexed.
They’d only been apart for a few months, but it had felt like years. She pulled back the blanket and sat up. This wasn’t the time or the place for this, but her decision was already made. They both needed this moment to recommit themselves to each other, and she knew just how she wanted to do that. “Come here, Yuuto,” she commanded.
Yuuto tried to ignore the look in her eyes. He needed to control his desire for this woman. Yes, she belonged to him, but that didn’t mean she should dominate his thoughts. He needed to focus on her protection. They had plenty to do once they arrived in Cuba.
“Rhea, relax and go back to sleep. I’m going to go over the plan one more time.”
“Please, Yuuto,” Rhea whispered. That one word broke him. She never begged for anything. He didn’t give her a chance to say anything else. She’d left her thick black curly hair loose.
It fell in tangled waves across her back. The thin white cotton tank top and loose boy shirts did little to hide her figure. Her dark brown skin was a deep contrast against the white sheets.
He moved over her body with purpose, letting her feel the strength in his. She didn’t back down. Her hands came up and traced his face. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose and then both of his eyes. Butterfly kisses are what she called them.
When she kissed his lips, he took over, forcing his tongue deep into the cavern of her mouth. She opened for him with a sweetness that made his cock swell. She fell back against the sheets and pulled his body to her. He followed her as usual. He felt her nails digging into his back as he devoured her. God, he’d missed this. To feel her underneath him, needing was almost enough to push him over the edge.
But he held back. He wanted more. He needed her screaming his name as she went over the edge. He needed to remind her of who she was to him. He kissed his way down her neck and tugged her shirt down, exposing one chocolate-tipped nipple.
He sucked it into his mouth hard, drawing a gasp from Rhea. He pulled strongly while he pinched and massaged the other. Her hands tangled in his short hair and yanked. He growled and switched breasts.
He lifted her with one hand and removed her shirt. He pushed her back against the pillows so that he could look at her. He could just make out the gentle curve of her belly. He traced her stomach with his tongue, moving reverently over the tight skin. His child rested inside there. He needed to taste every inch of her.
He slipped off the tiny shorts and looked down at her supple body. This was the moment he always loved when they made love. That moment when he knew she was truly his. He kissed Rhea’s belly again and moved down her body to the center of her.
The black curls glistened with her need. He inhaled her scent before he set his tongue against her swollen clit. She moaned as he consumed her, and with each wicked flick of his strong tongue, she moved against him.
He could feel her legs starting to shake. She pulled at his hair but he continued his sensual assault. She’d denied him for too long for this to be quick. He held her to him as she came.
She struggled to move her hips away from his sinful mouth but he wouldn’t stop. He needed more. He didn’t really know what that more was, but he couldn’t stop yet. He hooked one of her legs over his shoulder to widen her hips.
When he speared his tongue deep, she jerked against him. Only whe
n he felt her legs start to shake again did he move up her body. He didn’t have time to take off his briefs, so he just pulled them to the side, positioned his cock at her entrance, and thrust inside.
He gritted his teeth. He wanted to give her time to adjust to him, but he was at the end of his control. As soon as she shifted beneath him, he started to thrust. He groaned as her slick muscles tightened around him.
It was like coming home. His body knew exactly how to move to maximize their pleasure. He pushed himself deep into her again and again, each thrust stronger than the last. It had been too long.
When she started to contract around him, he lost it. He swelled inside of her, blending pleasure and pain with each push of his hips. He felt the fire start from the tips of his toes up to the top of his head.
She bit down on his shoulder to muffle her scream as she came. He accepted the bite of her teeth easily. It was a small price to pay for this kind of ecstasy. He ground his hips into hers as he came. He could feel her nails scoring his back. Their bodies were slick with sweat. They both were out of breath as they started to come down from the satisfying high.
“You didn’t even take your underwear off; classic Yuuto.” Rhea laughed at his expression. It was true. Every time they made love, he always lost control.
“It seems I can’t wait,” he said with a smile. He kissed her again and then used his hips to widen her legs.
“Again?” Rhea asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her deeply. Reluctantly, he lifted his head. Quickly, he slid off his underwear. Now that they’d taken the edge off, he could focus once more.
“Again,” he confirmed as he moved over her.
* * *
