“What’s up, boss?”
Rahul’s words might have appeared respectful, but there was danger in his tone.
I crossed to where he stood, his hand still wrapped unmercifully around Audra’s upper arm. He was holding her so tight that his fingertips were sunk deep in her skin, her supple skin likely bruising as we spoke. It made me sick, the sight of his hands on her, just like it had the night before when those men tried to drag her off the stage. It took everything I had to keep from throwing a punch that would land him flat on his ass.
“We need you out front. The guards on the door are struggling to keep the crowds down.”
“Carter has it under control.”
“Obviously not if they’re calling upstairs to Selena.”
Rahul tilted his head, anger snapping in his eyes. I knew this man, knew what he was capable of. This was a line I had to walk very carefully. My eyes fell to Audra’s defiant stare, my heart pumping as I wondered if she was really worth all this.
Rahul glanced at Audra, too, his eyes narrowed. “Next time, bitch,” he hissed before he let her go and stormed out of the room.
I took Audra’s arm and pulled her into the same storeroom Rahul had intended to take her to, suddenly aware of her state of undress. She’d just come off stage so she was wearing almost nothing, just a pair of black and crystal pasties with a matching G-string. Her skin was covered in glitter that flashed in the dim light of the storeroom, making her look almost like a Greek goddess.
I’d been around these girls for a year. I thought I’d developed a sort of immunity to their constant state of undress. But this woman…she had some sort of power over me. I shoved her against the wall and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to touch her.
“I told you to be careful!”
“What am I supposed to do? I was walking off the stage and he just grabbed me!”
“You’ve got to watch yourself. You’ve got to stay away from him.” I lifted her arm to look at the place where he’d touched her. Already there were red marks where his fingers had been. It made me sick, the idea that he’d left his mark her. “He will hurt you.”
“You promised to protect me.”
“I can’t protect you from him.”
Disbelief filled her eyes and I wasn’t sure how to take it. Was she finding it hard to believe I couldn’t protect her, or that I would admit it? She had no idea what was really going on here and I couldn’t even begin to explain it to her.
“I’m going to put a guard in the dressing room.”
“That’ll go over well with the girls.”
“I don’t care.”
“What about the other girls? Do you know that he’s hurt some of the other girls? Forced them against their will? Do you know that he threatens to have them deported?”
I studied her face. “Did he threaten you?”
“What do you think?”
Again, that defiance in her eyes. I wanted to know what from her past had taught her to be so fiercely independent. I wanted to know who hurt her and where I could find them so that I could make sure they never hurt her again.
I brushed a curl from the side of her face, my fingertips lingering longer than necessary. I wanted to kiss her so desperately that I could almost taste the lip gloss that shimmered so perfectly on her full lips. I’d never been so instantly attracted to a woman in all my life, not even the woman I once thought I loved more than anything else. What was it about her that got under my skin so quickly, so fiercely?
Had it really been that long? Did I really need to get laid that badly?
Her eyes softened a little as she met my gaze. The tip of her tongue slipped from between her lips, brushing that little dip that began in the v of her upper lip. I felt that touch deep in my balls, my body reacting hard and quick. Before I realized I’d moved, I had her pressed against the wall, my mouth devouring hers. She responded, her slight body moving against mine as her arms came around my neck. She ran her fingers through my hair, pressing a strong grip against my skull, pulling me closer. With her touch, my control went flying out the window, my hands no longer behaving themselves. I firmly gripped her bare ass in one hand, pushing my thigh between her legs as I pulled her up against me, my other hand seeking out one of those pasties, tugging on it before I grasped her breast in my hand.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such an intense kiss. There was knowledge behind her kiss, but it was wrapped in a naivety that was surprising. She knew what she was doing, but it seemed as though she hadn’t done it often. Or recently. Was that just wishful thinking, or fact? It was hard to know without asking.
And we weren’t doing a lot of talking.
Her hand came around and tugged at my tie, her fingers moving down to slip between the buttons of my shirt. And then she was running a hand over my hip, her hand gripping my ass over my pants for a moment. Her hand moved back around, was dangerously close to touching my throbbing erection when someone called her name.
Audra immediately pushed me away. I moved easily because I wasn’t Rahul. I wasn’t going to force myself on anyone.
“Audra? Are you okay?”
One of the other girls, a small Hispanic girl, came rushing around the corner dressed in a costume that was covered in sequins that made an odd sound with her every move. She grabbed Audra’s shoulders and stared into her deep hazel eyes, concern written in every line of her slight body.
“I’m okay, Mercedes,” Audra said, her voice slightly husky.
Mercedes studied her a moment longer before her eyes moved awkwardly toward me. “Mr. Damico,” she said politely, practically curtsying, like I was some sort of royalty.
Audra’s eyes lifted to mine for a brief second. In that moment, I thought I saw in her eyes the same inexplicable need that still burned through me. But then that defiance returned, that need to constantly be in control. She straightened, moving away from the wall, steel returning to her spine.
“I’m gonna go get dressed. My shift’s over.”
“Have a guard walk you home!” I called after her. Audra didn’t acknowledge my words, but Mercedes shot me a surprised, but grateful, look.
I remembered her then. She was the one with the five-year-old living in Mexico City. She was expecting us to bring her child to her in less than six weeks.
I hoped she was prepared for complete disappointment.
Chapter 9
Audra
I stood still as the man moved around me, staring at my body with something like a clinical view. I was used to men staring at me. In the clubs, men were supposed to stare as I danced. In the military, men stared expecting me to make a mistake—they were always disappointed. And now, back in the club, they watched my every move. But this was different. This made my skin crawl.
“We could put a temporary tattoo on her chest. Glue the camera to the center of it.”
“Would it be affected by sweat? Or movement?”
The man shrugged. “Shouldn’t be.”
“What about clothes? She will be clothed from time to time.”
I rolled my eyes. “The only time I’m undressed is on stage. The rest of the time I do wear clothing.”
The man and Joss exchanged a look. I felt like a child whose parents were trying to have a top-secret conversation right in front of me, communicating with gestures and looks rather than words.
“We could put it on the shoulder.”
“You don’t think they’ll be suspicious if I suddenly show up with a tattoo?”
Joss focused on me for what felt like the first time since I’d walked into her office ten minutes ago. “Do the other girls have tattoos?”
“A few. But they’re usually very subtle or they cover it up with makeup.”
Joss sighed, her eyes moving slowly over the length of me as though trying to see through my jeans and blouse. I think it was more unnerving coming from her than the stranger.
“What about jewelry? Do you wear earrings on stage?”
/> “Sometimes.”
Joss looked at the stranger, her eyes bright with excitement. “What about that?”
The man studied me for a moment. I stared back at him, feeling this surge of defiance burn through me. I was tired of men looking at me.
“I can make that work. Just give me an hour.”
He left the room abruptly, leaving Joss and me alone. Joss gestured for me to take a seat in front of her desk. As I settled down, she surprised me by pulling the chair in front of her desk over, folding her legs under her butt as she sat close to me.
“How are you, Audra?”
The question caught me off guard. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked me that question in this context. Unexpected tears filled my eyes. Embarrassed, I turned my head, blinking them away.
“I’m okay.”
“Are you?” Joss reached over and touched my knee. “I know an undercover assignment can be difficult sometimes. Especially one that comes a little too close to home.”
I nodded. “It is strange, being back on the stage. It underscores all the reasons why I joined the Army in the first place.”
“You did something incredible pulling yourself out of your circumstances.”
I looked at her, once again blindsided by someone who knew more about me than I wanted them to. While I logically understood that Gray Wolf had investigated my past, it still felt a little like a violation.
But there was deep understanding and admiration in Joss’s eyes. That made it impossible for me to be resentful.
“I have a friend,” Joss said, settling back in her chair. “He came from the same place you did. In fact, he knew your dad. His dad was a buddy of his, I heard.”
My eyebrows rose. “Is that right?”
Joss nodded. “Kirkland Parish.”
I knew the name. He was the reason I’d applied with Gray Wolf in the first place. He was something of a legend in my old neighborhood, the one who got out. I had vague memories of him from when I was a kid, but even though he and I were only six or seven years apart in age, it might as well have been decades. He was gone from the neighborhood before I started working in the clubs but his legend lingered. Even after I was out of New Orleans, I still heard rumors about him, heard about his role in taking down the Bazarovs. I wanted to be part of something like that. That’s why I was here, why I was submerged back in the darkest piece of my past.
“He could have ended up like your brother, serving time in some federal prison somewhere. But he pulled himself out like you did. His reasons, though, were different from yours. He was on a mission to get himself killed.”
She had my attention with that. And she knew it.
“He carried around a lot of guilt for things that happened in the old neighborhood, for something that happened to a good friend of his. It took him a long time to realize it wasn’t all on his shoulders.” She tilted her head as she studied me. “We all have demons. We all have to find a way to deal with them.”
“Are you asking me what my demons are?”
She shook her head. “No. But I’m telling you that you should deal with them before you slide back into old habits.”
I was confused, wondering if she’d heard something about me. I leaned forward, studied her unreadable—yet strangely open—face.
“Did I do something? Did I say—?”
“No, of course not.” She touched my leg again to reassure me. “But I’ve been there and I can see that this is a struggle for you. I just want you to know that I understand and I’m here to support you no matter what happens.”
I didn’t know how to take that. Support—emotional or otherwise—wasn’t something I had much experience with. People think they’re being kind by dropping a casserole off on your doorstep once a month, but that’s really nothing in the long run. There were still long days of starvation between each casserole.
“I’m fine. I just want to take down these bastards before they hurt any more girls.”
“Our operatives told me that one of the men has taken an interest in you. Rahul Rush?”
I clutched my hands in my lap, my thoughts moving not to the man in question, but the man who’d thought he’d protected me from him just a few nights ago. Each time I thought about that kiss we’d shared, my heart began to pound in my throat and my lower belly came alive in ways it hadn’t done in a very long time.
Xavier Damico. I couldn’t let him have that kind of power over me.
“He’s apparently decided he needs to teach me a lesson because I embarrassed him my first day there.”
“How’d you do that?”
“I kneed him in the crotch for touching me.”
Joss smiled, barely holding back a little chuckle. “You did?”
“In front of Damico and a handful of his goons.”
She did chuckle then. “Wish I’d seen that.”
“He grabbed my ass. I don’t know what he was expecting.”
Joss just nodded. “Do I even need to ask if you’ve got that under control?”
“No. I’m good.”
“Is there anything else we should know about before we send you back in there?”
I shook my head thoughtfully. “I don’t think so. I haven’t heard anything new, really. There is a new girl—she’s from Mexico—but that’s about it. And I heard a bunch of women talking about a girl who disappeared some months ago, but I’m pretty sure they’re talking about that brunette in the pictures you showed me.”
“Did they say anything we can use? Who she was last seen with or anything like that?”
“No. But I’d guess it was Rahul. He seems to be the one who takes charge of that sort of thing. Damico seems to be hands off when it comes to the dirty stuff.”
“That’s good to know.”
“I’ll keep my ear to the ground.”
There was a knock on the ground and the stranger came back into the office. He held out a jewelry box to Joss, then turned on his heel and walked out like some sort of servant who’d just delivered the crown jewels to the queen. Joss opened the box and smiled.
“Perfect.”
She held it out to me. Inside was a beautiful pair of sapphire earrings that would go perfectly with a new costume I was looking into wearing when I went back into the club tomorrow night.
“There’s a camera in that?”
“Yes. Isn’t technology amazing?”
I nodded as I accepted the box from her outstretched hand. “And you’ll be able to see everything I see in real time?”
“Yes.”
I nodded again. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Wouldn’t want you to catch me doing something embarrassing.”
“Ash, me, and our technician are the only ones who’ll see it, so don’t worry about that. Just go in there and stay as safe as you can.”
Easier said than done.
***
I left the office the same way I’d arrived, through a backdoor, then down the alley to a coffee shop on the corner. I slipped inside through their backdoor and back into the booth I’d been occupying in the corner, out of sight of prying eyes. If anyone were watching me, they’d think I’d been sitting there all morning, studying a flowing number of web pages on the laptop sitting open on the table in front of me. And I had been. At least, someone who looked quite a bit like me had been. I nodded to her as she slipped away, disappearing the same way I’d come.
I slapped the lid down on the laptop a few minutes later and headed out, walking a few blocks to the bus stop. I knew he was following me before I got far, but I pretended I didn’t. Let him show his hand first.
He moved up behind me just as the bus arrived, tugging me down around the corner to a sports car parked conspicuously on the street. I could have fought him, made a big scene, but chose not to. I was curious what he wanted.
We drove in silence for a good ten minutes before he pulled the car into a parking garage beneath a massive building filled with expensive condos.
“Thi
s your place?”
He inclined his head. Cleary the only answer I was going to get.
He pulled me out of the car and held tight to my arm—but not as tight as Rahul’s touch had been—as he led the way to the elevator. The moment the doors closed, he pushed me against the wall and stole my mouth with the same heat, the same urgency, he’d offered two nights ago in the storeroom of the club.
I couldn’t do this. I knew that. But his touch woke something deep inside of me that I’d buried long ago. When I was young, I wanted nothing more than to be loved. I criticize my sister, but we weren’t all that different. I turned to men for love, for compassion, for support, just like she did. The only difference was that I never got pregnant, either by chance or dumb luck. And then I found a way out and learned that I didn’t have to rely on anyone but myself for the things I needed.
I hadn’t been with a man in nearly ten years. I put that behind me, but this kiss…it was reminding me that there was more to intimacy than all of those misguided desires.
The elevator doors opened. He pulled me into the corridor and to a door at the end, working the locks with impatient hands. He trapped me against the other side of the door once he got us inside, shoving it closed with the weight of his body against mine.
“I want you,” he said roughly against my mouth as he took it again, possessing it with an intensity I almost couldn’t keep up with.
I lost track of how long we kissed, our hands exploring each other’s bodies lazily. I touched his chest, his firm abs, sighed as he touched my ass, my hips. His hands slipped under my blouse, his fingers brushing the underside of my bra. He broke the kiss and I nibbled at his throat, taking deep breaths of his masculine scent, his cologne mixed with the scent of his body, of his skin, of his need. It was nice. Hot. He was damn sexy, his body hard in all the right places. I wanted this more than I could explain even to myself. Each time he moved a hand, my heart jolted, afraid he would stop before I was ready.
But then this voice in the back of my head started preaching. I wanted to shut it up, but it had a trump card. I closed my eyes to kiss him again when this image of a broken, beaten, and tortured girl filled my mind.
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