by Taylor Lee
“It’s…it’s more than that. More than a public relations problem. Or maybe the biggest public relations problem I’ve faced.”
He hesitated but at Rafe’s calm expression, he continued.
“I… got this note….Give it to him, Ken.”
Rafe took a silk square from his inside jacket pocket and accepted the folded sheet of paper Peters held out to him. He read it at a glance then handed the note to Nicki. She took it, carefully holding the corner of the paper in the silk cloth as she read it.
Rafe turned to the Senator.
“When did you get this?”
“Two days ago. I thought it was another of Hillary’s clumsy grasps for attention. Wanting to upset me. Thumbing her nose at me. This kind of thing is not beyond Hillary. She’s into drama, just like her mother. Anything to get attention. It doesn’t help that she despises me.”
He met Rafe’s stern gaze and stammered.
“Look, dammit. What can I say? I didn’t take it seriously. What the hell is a Volkov? Is that supposed to be a takeoff on some Russian name? Christ, I thought it was some kind of a joke. Something Hillary and her skanky friends cooked up. I…I didn’t think it was real.”
He ran his hands through his hair taking care not to muss the precisely positioned layers.
“And now?”
The Senator’s voice dropped.
“Now….Now I’m not so sure.”
Rafe nodded.
“So that there is no misunderstanding, Senator, and in the interest of full disclosure, my fee just doubled.”
At the Senator’s shocked gasp, he added, “The other terms remain the same.”
Chapter 8
Rafe spent thirty minutes updating Caleb and Grayson on the crisis. None of them had heard of a sex trade ring with the name Volkov.
“Look, men, it may be someone’s name or who the hell knows. It could even be a red herring, to lead the chase off base. It would be ironic if that fucking asshole is right and his daughter or someone close to her is responsible. We’re not making any assumptions. Gray, contact Vlad and the team in Chechnya. That’s the hottest human trafficking arena in the world at this time. God help Hillary if by some fluke she’s ended up on their radar. “
When they finished laying out preliminary plans, Grayson and Caleb headed for the Cave, the affectionate nickname for their twenty-five-hundred square foot, state of the art technology center. Rafe prided himself that although it wasn’t the Pentagon, it was pretty damn close—all the more impressive since it supported an international team of forty, rather than the 25,000 plus who worked at the Pentagon. They agreed to pull the team together at 0700 and patch Vlad and his Eastern Bloc lieutenants into a conference call. When he was able to get some true privacy, Rafe planned to call the man who knew about everything Russian, and a hell of a lot more about the dark side of humanity: Yuri Petrakov, Nicki’s father.
~~~
As the other men headed out the door, Rafe signaled to Nicki to stay behind. He poured himself a healthy dose of scotch and raised the bottle inquiringly to Nicki. She nodded in agreement. He filled her glass, handed it to her then raised his in a salute.
He smiled at her. “You were wonderful tonight, Nicki. In addition to looking beautiful, you seemed to share my distaste for our guest, which in my mind indicates you are a sound judge of character.”
Nicki shrugged and returned his smile. “Did you honestly think Rafe, given my father’s various associates, that I am not able to recognize a pretentious prick when I meet one?”
Rafe chuckled. “Yeah, Nicki, I’m sure you’ve met some unusual characters over the years. But I have to tell you, Chambers tops the asshole scale for me.”
He strode restlessly over to the fireplace. Placing his hand against the mantle, he focused on the flickering flames, as if seeking the answer to a knotty problem. He frowned, his face contorting with disgust.
“Fuck, he actually spent two and a half hours preening like a peacock before mentioning that his seventeen-year-old daughter has likely been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. Shit. A fucking public relations problem is how he views the fact that Hillary may be a victim of an international sex ring.”
Rafe paced across the room, tugging at his neck, twisting his head from side to side to loosen the tension. Nicki resisted the impulse to reach out to touch him. She wondered what he would do if she offered to massage the tight muscles. Shaken by the daring thought, her cheeks flamed. Gratified that Rafe didn’t seem to notice her embarrassment, she focused on his passionate description of the Senator.
“He’s a scoundrel, Nicki. All his life, he’s had everything handed to him on a platinum platter. Nothing and no one is allowed to intrude on that storybook life. Think about it. He’s spent years creating the perfect image and now his daughter might screw it up for him. Must be tough when you’ve worked as hard he has on his public persona to have his private life interfere. And now the fucker is annoyed that his teenage daughter might undo all that hard work. But hell, won’t be the first time a politician has been brought down by what happens in the back room.”
He took a large gulp of scotch then poured himself another couple of inches and snorted.
“Christ, knowing him he’ll turn it into a public relations bonanza, make himself the victim, the grieving father and all that bull shit.”
He shook his head. “Damn, Nicki. She’s been gone for five days and now he comes to see me?”
Nicki nodded and gave a wistful sigh.
“Good grief, if my father didn’t know where I was for more than a twenty-four hour period, he’d turn the world upside down looking for me. And I’m twenty-six years old, and a trained fighter. Hillary…oh God, Rafe, I don’t want to think about what might be happening to her.”
Rafe put up his hand.
“Don’t think about it. Just concentrate on how we’re going to find her.”
“What about her mother, Rafe? Sometimes mothers know a lot more of what goes on behind the scenes with teenage girls—or so I’ve been told.”
“Not much help there I’m afraid. Mrs. Chambers is the ultimate political wife. She came into the marriage with her own fortune. Theirs is as close to an arranged marriage as you can get. Two industrial scions merged their empires and sealed the deal with the bodies of their children. And the Senator and Mrs. Chambers have followed the script to the letter. She looks away when he fucks anything that has tits and an ass. Then like the pro she is, she works the role of longsuffering wife—the role she willingly chose.”
Nicki was startled at his vehemence. She realized how little she knew about Rafe, his private life, what made him the man that he is. She only had the few scraps of information her father had revealed over the years. She knew he grew up in France, came from a hideous background and somehow made a lasting connection with her father. As little as she knew about his personal life, she did know that with the exception of her, Rafe was the most important person in her father’s life. It was ironic that after all these years, she was just now meeting the man her father loved like the son he never had.
“How do you do it Rafe? How do you work with people you clearly dislike? People who are everything that you are not.”
He shrugged.
“It’s hard sometimes to get past the personality. Especially with a prick like Chambers who represents everything I despise. But I remind myself that he is nothing more to me than a client. A client with a problem. And that I may be one of the few people in the world who can solve his problem.”
He winked at her. “And of course, I remember the money. Ultimately it’s all about the money.”
Nicki frowned. “You know that’s not true. My father says you are the most principled man he knows.”
Rafe guffawed. “That may be more of a function of the men your father knows than a reflection on me.”
Nicki ignored his sarcasm. “I don’t believe you Rafe. I saw what you did to save that little girl in El Paso. You had a nationwide tea
m hunting for Cynthia. And she didn’t have important parents who had a ton of money. Caleb told me you refused to take money for that job. That you said the satisfaction came from bringing down Dixon Price. He also told me you give away more than half of what you make.”
Rafe grimaced.
“For one thing, Caleb has a big mouth. For another thing, Princess, don’t try to make me into a hero. I’m a selfish arrogant son of a bitch who cares about one thing and one thing only. That’s making the world a little safer for the good guys and taking out the bad guys as brutally and viciously as I can. Oh, yeah. And making a hell of a lot of money in the process.”
When she frowned, he added, “Think about it Princess. God help us all. Senator Robert Chambers might just become the next President of the United States. We find his daughter, hopefully alive, and the bastard is grateful. Grateful means he recommends us to his rich friends. Which means more clients. Clients mean money. And money is power… and power is always money. It’s simple. Think about it. That obnoxious asshole is worth a chunk of change.”
Chapter 9
Rafe was quiet for several minutes, then wandered back and sunk down in the armchair. He reached over and once more refilled his glass, before offering the bottle to Nicki. She shook her head. The expression on his face surprised her. He was more intense, more angry than he had been when the Senator was here. Though he pretended to care only about the financial side of his business, she had seen Rafe at work. She’d heard story after story about how he and his team of shadow warriors literally went to ends of the Earth to help people in trouble. Maybe the Senator wasn’t as uncaring as he seemed. If anyone would pursue his daughter’s kidnappers the way her father would if something horrible happened to her, Rafe was that man.
He sipped on his Scotch then stared at her from half closed eyes, looking her up and down as if deciding what he wanted to do next. With her. To her. His scrutiny began at her outrageous shoes then travelled up her legs and thighs until he was staring openly at her breasts. Nicki resisted the impulse to cover them with her hands, to protect them from his insolent inspection. At the same time she tried to stifle the rush of sensation his brazen examination evoked. She almost clamped her legs tighter together—anything to quiet the shivering sensations spiking her core. But she didn’t dare move; she didn’t want him to know how he was affecting her. As if the heat burning her cheeks hadn’t already given her away.
His next words caught her off guard and confirmed that she hadn’t misinterpreted his lascivious perusal of her body.
“Christ, Nicki, Chambers was more interested in your tits and the way he planned to fuck you than in his own daughter’s survival.”
Nicki couldn’t hide her shock. No question Rafe was angry. But damn, did he blame her for the outrageous way the Senator came on to her?
“I hope you don’t think that I encouraged his ugly overtures, Rafe. I was disgusted by them.”
Rafe shook his head.
“Hell, honey, when it comes down to it, I can’t blame the asshole. When you walked in the room wearing a dress comprised of at most a yard of fabric, the hapless prick looked like he was going to come in his pants.”
Nicki jumped to her feet, stunned by his crude language. It seemed so out of character with his normally cool, slightly disdainful attitude. But one look at his eyes confirmed Rafe was not his usual self. Instead of cool and calculating, his eyes were dark green, the color of storm tossed waves in a raging sea. His intensity frightened her—and excited her. But she knew whatever happened it would end the way all his flirtations did. He enjoyed teasing her, playing with her. It amused him. It was a game to him. But it was not a game to her. Much to her dismay she was falling for him. Why wouldn’t she? Every woman who saw him fell for the green-eyed charmer. But the tall, lean, incredibly sexy man who could have any woman he wanted made it clear that none of them would ever truly have him—including her.
Walking by him, she jerked her head at the half empty bottle of Scotch on the table.
“I think you’ve had enough of that tonight. You’ve allowed the Senator to get to you, Rafe.”
He grinned but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“You may be right about that, Nicki. But the Senator is not the only thing that’s getting to me tonight.”
Not trusting herself or him, Nicki escaped over to the windows and gazed out at the gorgeous night. Breathing deep, for a brief moment she felt peaceful, almost serene, in control of her runaway emotions. The crescent moon skittering between slivers of grey white clouds combined with the myriad stars lighting towering pines below. High in the mountains with no city lights for competition, the stars created a backdrop of sparkling splendor that took her breath away. Gazing at the snow white peaks in the distance, Nicki forgot for a moment where she was until she became aware of Rafe’s presence. With a start, she met his eyes reflected in the window before her.
Even in her five inch high heels, he loomed over her. A shock of tousled black hair fell across his forehead. In the glass his eyes gleamed like glittering emeralds that could cut through steel or more likely through her heart. She realized with a shiver that he had dimmed the lamps and the only light in the room came from the fireplace. Red gold flames cast eerie shadows across his chiseled features.
He hadn’t touched her but she felt him in every fiber of her being. It was as though he had enclosed her in his dominating presence, had eaten up the space that used to hold her and sucked her into his. She held her breath, afraid the whisper of her exhale would shatter the silence and break the spell.
Mesmerized, in the reflection of the window, she watched him reach out and touch the orchid in her hair. With long skillful fingers, he loosened the diamond studded hairpin holding it in place. Tugging at the exotic flower he freed it. Holding it up to his nose, he breathed in deep, smelling it the way he had sniffed at his cigar. And she realized the way he was inhaling her. Like a prowling animal that knows his prey is near. He tucked the orchid between her breasts, letting his fingertips drag over the sensitive flesh beneath the fragile fabric barrier.
A violent tremor shook her. Holding her breath, desperately fighting the sensations swirling over her, she watched as one by one Rafe loosened the pins that held her rampant curls in place. He tucked the pins possessively in his pocket, a reminder that as easily as he freed the hairpins he could, if he chose, remove the rest of her clothes.
With no further pins as impediments, Rafe wove his fingertips through her hair, freeing a torrent of fiery curls. He groaned softly and murmured in her ear, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do that? Let this glorious mane fall over your shoulders, down your back? Damn, Princess, it puts the flames in the fireplace to shame.”
He tugged on her hair pulling her deeper into his space, so close they were almost touching.
Answering his own question he said, “Since you stood in the doorway, shy and tentative, except for this wild incongruous reminder of the fire that burns here.” With a wicked grin, he pointed to her groin.
She gasped and tried to pull away, but he wound his hand in her hair and held her in place.
“I have a question, Princess.”
Nicki closed her eyes to keep from being drawn in by his magnetic gaze. Peeking up at his reflection and seeing the look in his eyes, she frowned.
“I don’t think I want to hear it.”
At her saucy response, his grin widened.
“Ah, but it’s a question I have been muddling over for the last three hours. Humor me, Princess. I’m curious. Are you wearing a thong to avoid panty lines…or… do you forego even that slender restraint?”
She flushed, aghast at the light stroke of his fingers brushing over the tight fabric covering her ass. She drew back angrily and twisted away from his probing touch.
“It is none of your business what I do or don’t wear.” she snapped.
Determined to get away, she ducked under his arm and almost made it to the door. But he was too quic
k. He caught her at the doorway and pressed her up against the wall, his large body pinning her in place. He wound his hand in her hair tipping her head back forcing her to look in his eyes. She was stunned, as much by her reaction to him as the fierce determination in his eyes. Her legs were shaking so hard she thought she might fall, but she knew he would not let her go.
“Uh uh, Warrior Woman. You’re not going anywhere until I say you can.”
He chuckled at her furious gasp.
“We need to establish some rules here, Princess.”
She tried to twist away but his grip was firm.
“I agree!” She added, fiercely pressing her hands against his chest. “And the first rule is that you leave me alone!”
He pulled her closer then pressed his lips against the sensitive place below her ear and murmured, “That’s a good rule. One I agree with.”
Shivery sensations flooded her. Lifting her hair, he bared her throat to his lips, his tongue. His lips were soft, moist, and then to her astonishment he began licking her. He ran his tongue over the tender skin on her throat, nipping gently, so gently, at the sensitized flesh with his teeth. His beard shadow rubbed against her cheek. She gasped, stunned at the desire that raspy touch invoked. The smell of his expensive cologne mixed with a musky male smell overwhelmed her. She had to get away; she was sinking in the smell, the feel of his hard male body. As she struggled to free herself, he captured both of her hands and held them above her head, hard against the wall.
His voice was low, husky. “There’s only one problem with that rule. I’ve been a rule breaker all my life.” He nipped her ear lobe with his teeth then blew on the wet skin, smiling at the fierce tremor that racked her body.
“Oh yeah, Princess. And so have you.”
With one hand he tipped up her chin and gave her a quizzical stare. Seeing the response he was looking for, he leaned down and began to kiss her. She was surprised how soft his lips were. He kissed her gently at first, as though she were fragile, innocent, not a woman clinging to the edge of her sanity, knowing that if she gave in to him she would be lost forever. Licking and nipping at her lips, he invited her to open to him. She wanted to. It felt so good. But she knew she had to keep him out, to resist the fiery sensations flooding her. Torn between her need for him and her certain knowledge that he was teasing her, playing with her, she pressed her lips closed. But she was no match for the slow lash of his skillful tongue. Pushing his tongue between her lips, he sucked on her tongue eliciting a soft whimper. His answering groan drove the flames racing through her body higher.
