by Jordan Dane
The voice of Athena Madero came from a wall speaker, located next to a two-way mirror that linked the interview room to private observation quarters next door. Jacquie only hoped her friend Athena hadn’t seen her fan girl reaction to her sexy younger brother. She first met the former homicide detective when they both worked with the Tampa Police Department. A case had brought them together, but Athena made it easy to like her. She had been the reason Jacquie worked for the Omega Team as their computer expert, techno geek, resource guru, and white hat hacker when necessary.
“That wasn’t me. I’ve already told you,” Rafe said.
“But I bet you know who did.”
“No comment.”
Jacquie smiled at the sibling banter as she finished her prep. She would conduct the polygraph and other tests, part of the vetting process anyone took before they joined the team. An extensive background check had already started. No one wanted Rafe to qualify more than Jacquie did. Well, except for his sister, Athena.
Something in the protective way Athena acted toward Rafael—on the few occasions she talked about him—signaled more than the usual sisterly bond. Jacquie couldn’t claim to know a lot about Rafe. Athena never shared much. Jacquie knew they didn’t grow up in the same house. They had the same father, but she had the impression, their lives were vastly different beyond their paternal link. Rafael was Athena’s half brother, but if Jacquie pegged body language right between the Madero siblings—Rafe had a past he didn’t talk about and Athena respected his secrets.
He had to want this job. Otherwise she had the feeling this invasion into his life never would’ve happened.
“You ready to start?” she asked. When he nodded, she said, “I’ll begin by asking you simple yes or no questions to establish a baseline for your body’s reactions. Relax.”
Jacquie took a seat across from him, out of his line of sight, so she wouldn’t distract him from the questions. The room had been dimmed. Everything was set.
“Let’s begin. Answer yes or no. Is your name Rafael Madero?”
“Yes.”
Jacquie made a notation on the readings as he replied truthfully to her questions. She’d establish a baseline to compare how his body would react if the questions made him uncomfortable—or if he tried to lie to her.
“Is your T-shirt red?”
“No.”
“Are you at Omega Team headquarters in Tampa?”
“Yes.”
“Are you related to Athena Madero?”
Rafe didn’t answer right away. He winced.
“Unfortunately.” With a flash of dimple, he shrugged.
“Yes or no, please.” Jacquie smiled.
“Yes.”
“Have you ever committed a felony?”
Silence. Rafe didn’t answer.
Jacquie looked up from the spiked readings projecting across her laptop screen and found Rafael tensing his jaw. He drew a ragged breath and stared dead ahead at the wall. His body grew rigid.
“Have you ever committed a felony, Rafael?” Jacquie repeated the question and fidgeted with her eye glasses.
“What’s wrong, Rafe?” Athena’s voice erupted over the speaker and jolted him into action.
“I can’t do this.” He yanked at the electronic leads and pulled them from his body.
Rafe pushed out of his chair and turned to leave, but stopped at the door. When he glanced over his shoulder, he locked eyes with Jacquie and it felt as if time stopped and the rest of the world faded away. In that moment, his sexy cockiness had vanished. He let her see a glimpse into something connected to his past that she knew nothing about—and he didn’t try to hide his pain.
“I’m sorry.”
Without any more explanation than his apology, he bolted from the interview room. When his sister called after him from down the hallway, Jacquie ran to the door and watched Rafe walk out of Omega headquarters. Not even Athena could make him stay.
What happened to you, Rafael? Jacquie wondered.
The man definitely had secrets—ones he wouldn’t lie about.
***
Omega Team Headquarters – Tampa
Late afternoon
Jacquie made her way through the converted warehouse that housed her employer, the Omega Team. The wide open space had exposed red brick walls and metal ductwork with steel catwalks and stairs to link the floors. Industrial chic, she called it, but team founders Grey Holden and Athena Madero didn’t spend their money on trendy. The practical and Spartan workplace had Jacquie’s state of the art computer command post at its core—nerd central—with various interview rooms, open offices for their operatives, a workout area, and a break room.
One of her favorite locations in the building was locked behind closed doors—a highly secured video conferencing center used for tactical strategy planning, satellite surveillance and confidential communications with clients from all over the world. They called it the War Room. The War Room was bracketed by the offices of the Omega Team’s founders, Grey and Athena.
Jacquie knocked on the open office door of Grey Holden, a former Delta Force team leader in covert ops. He sat behind his desk, focused on his computer until he saw her at his door. Then she had his full attention.
“Come in, Jacquie. What’s up?”
Grey Holden and Athena Madero had started the team and built the organization on their uncompromised ethics. In a world where corruption seemed the norm, Jacquie found it refreshing to work with a group of people she could count on to do the right thing.
But that very strength of character made Jacquie worry about what had happened with Rafael. If he had something to hide—something his sister didn’t seem to know about—how could Grey and the team trust him the way they’d need to on a mission.
She held Rafael Madero’s file clutched tight in her hands.
“You asked for his file.” She handed him the folder.
When Grey reached for it, Jacquie got a look at the nasty scar that traced down from his left elbow to his wrist. It matched another one on his cheek near his eyebrow. She tried not to stare, but took the liberty of another glimpse as he read the Madero file.
Grey’s body was a constant reminder of how dangerous their missions were. Every man and woman in their organization had a story and had survived many perilous assignments. Jacquie couldn’t begin to understand how anyone could make such a sacrifice—to risk their very lives—in the protection of others, but she did like calling them friends.
“So what do you think will happen now?” She adjusted her glasses, a nervous habit. “What do you want me to do with Rafael’s background check?”
Grey clenched his jaw and tossed the file across his desk in her direction.
“Stop the process and mark his file as inactive, but it’ll be up to Athena to make the final call.”
When Jacquie picked up Rafael Madero’s folder, a voice stopped her cold.
***
“Leave the file.” Athena didn’t bother to knock.
She came into the room and locked eyes with Grey. She knew how to be aggressive in a man’s world, but she hadn’t forgotten how to soften her approach with other women not used to her ways.
“Thanks, Jacquie. I agree with Grey that we should stop his application, but we need some privacy to talk about this. I’ll keep his records for now.”
After Jacquie left empty handed, Athena shut the door behind her. She needed her sounding board—Grey Holden. After hours he was the most extraordinary lover she’d ever had and they shared a home, but at work they were business partners.
“Before you ask, I have no idea why he took off, without any explanation.” Athena paced the floor in front of his desk. She used her hands as if they were a second language.
“He needs this job, Grey. I have a feeling about him. He reached out to me for a reason. He just hasn’t told me everything.”
Athena dragged a hand through her dark hair and stopped wearing out his rug. She slumped into a chair in front of his desk
and let silence settle her thoughts.
“The truth is, I know he’s solid,” she said. “He’s a good guy and I can trust him to have my back.”
“But?” Grey steepled his fingers and waited for her to finish.
“You know what happened to him. I told you everything I know, but—” Athena sighed. “There must be something he’s not telling me.”
“Is this wishful thinking or gut instinct?” Before she could answer, he said, “’Cause I trust your gut. You know that. You may never get an answer from your brother. Not if he isn’t willing to open up.”
“I know.” She slouched in her seat. “Maybe he wasn’t ready. I pushed him too hard.”
“You? Pushy?” He grinned.
“Smart ass.”
The smile faded from Grey’s face.
“He’s got impressive experience as a sniper team leader with Chicago SWAT and hostage rescue, but we can’t move forward unless he cooperates,” he said. “Everyone else in this agency had to be vetted.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just that—” She took a deep breath. Athena didn’t like talking about Rafe’s life to anyone else. That was his secret to tell, not hers. “Rafael grew up without a lot of people believing in him. I can’t turn my back on him. I won’t.”
“I’m not asking you to…as his sister, but we’re building a reputation here. That means we have to have consistent standards when we bring on someone new. Our clients trust us to hire the best. We can’t afford to be blindsided.”
Athena shut her eyes and pictured the face of her brother. Flashes of his anger and torment—caught at the worst moments of his life—flooded her mind. Some she’d witnessed firsthand. Others she could only imagine, after she delved into his tragic past. She’d told Grey what he needed to know as Rafe’s potential employer, but there was so much more to tell.
“I understand.” She nodded. “I really do, but I’m asking you to trust me. Let me vet him myself.”
“Whatever you’re planning, it’s got to be the real deal. No slack.” He narrowed his eyes. “How do you propose to evaluate him?”
“We just got a request to help with a cold murder case in Cuba. They specifically asked for me by name,” she said. “I can put together a team and—”
“Wait a minute. A cold case? Don’t they have local LEOs to take care of this? Why us? And why you?”
She had wondered that too. Why had they asked for her by name? Local law enforcement officers were usually overworked with current cases. Cold investigations were handled as detectives had time or if new forensic advancements could shed light on evidence and bring life to an old case, so she understood Grey’s pushback.
“Well, I have years working homicides and I speak Spanish, but beyond my qualifications, this request didn’t come from law enforcement. It came from a local politician and he’s already wired a retainer.”
“It still doesn’t sound urgent, if it’s a cold case. You can deal with your brother when you return. We can send him back to Chicago and fly him out another time, when he’s ready to do this again.”
“No, I disagree. I think this case is perfect. Despite it being a five-year old murder investigation, they want boots on the ground yesterday. Something about politics and unrest in the drug cartels have centered on this old case. I’ll know more after I get there.”
She could tell the link to the drug cartels had appeal to Grey. Anything he could do to disrupt ‘business as usual’ with a drug cartel, he liked the notion. It showed on his face, along with his lingering concern.
“Sounds like a powder keg waiting to go off. You sure you want the added complication of Rafael with your team?”
“You trust me?” she asked.
Grey pursed his lips.
“This is one of those trick questions. I’m damned if I answer either way. What do you have in mind, Athena?”
“A stellar poly test doesn’t mean we’ve got a good field agent. Let him prove himself on this mission. I’ll take full responsibility and the team can see him in action.”
“I don’t like bending the rules. Not when it comes to what we both built this organization to be.”
Grey didn’t have to spell things out to her. She understood completely. They had formed this agency based on an above-reproach code of conduct and dedication to duty. They took on dangerous missions in order to do the right thing, always. She wouldn’t jeopardize the very foundation their organization had been built upon.
But she loved her brother, Rafael, and knew he needed her now more than ever. She had to trust her gut when it came to him.
“If it’ll make you feel any better, we can make Rafe a probationary member of our team. We would pay him like an outside contractor. The team gets to see him work and I’ll get a chance to dig at the truth.”
“I trust you, Athena. You know that, but you’re asking our team to—”
“He’ll be with me and I won’t put anyone else at risk. Like I said, I know Rafe will have my back.”
Grey fixed his intoxicating stare on her. He didn’t need to tell her what his answer would be. She already knew she’d have Rafe on her next mission. Athena smiled and grabbed her brother’s file off Grey’s desk.
She couldn’t wait to find Rafael and give him the good news.
***
Le Méridien Tampa
An hour later
The Le Méridien hotel on North Florida Avenue made Jacquie wince as she crossed the intersection on foot. She’d parked down the street so she wouldn’t have to deal with valet parking, but as she gazed up at the huge columns and headed toward the intimidating stairs at the entrance to the luxury hotel, one question popped into her head and wouldn’t leave.
What the hell are you doing?
Outside the revolving doors, she tugged at her tight black dress and glanced down to make sure her nipples were behaving and not making a surprise peek-a-boo. She’d borrowed the low cut dress from a friend and the screw me stilettos—her friend’s shoe name, not hers. She was already tall at five feet ten inches, but in monster heels, she could look Rafael in the eye if she were lucky enough to find her unicorn.
She knew Omega had booked Rafe to stay at the posh hotel. They did that for all their out-of-town clients and prospective employees. If he’d already checked out of the hotel, her evening would be a bust.
But what if she found him? What then?
“I need something stiff,” she mumbled under her breath. “A tequila shot…or three.”
She’d made up her mind after she’d left Grey’s office, not knowing if she’d ever see Rafe again. She would listen to her body this time and not let her head make all the decisions. A man like Rafael didn’t come into her life every day. She wouldn’t play it safe this time. She wanted to be more like the gutsy and strong women on the Omega team, the ones who knew what they wanted and went after it. Jacquie had heard enough about Rafael through his sister that she felt as if he weren’t a total stranger.
Life’s too short for the timid.
At least that’s what inspired her to squeeze into a tight black dress with a purse full of condoms. What hurled her through the hotel lobby, in desperate search for liquid courage, were her usual mélange of doubt and the years of being bullied as a tall, gangly nerd.
Jacquie strode across the atrium with her heels clacking on the marble floor and her freshly curled blonde hair bouncing against her shoulders. She had even dared to put on a little makeup and had ditched her glasses for contact lenses. Eyes turned as she walked—men and women. She either had picked the right dress or one of the sisters had popped out for a ‘look see.’ She didn’t dare glance down.
Walk like you own it, sista. She tried for cool, but her insides were Jello. Lime Jello.
“Miss Lyles?”
Jacquie stopped. She didn’t have to turn around to recognize the low voice with its honeyed Cuban accent. She made a slow turn and savored the sight of Rafael Madero dressed in running shorts and a drenched T-shirt that clung to h
is muscled chest and broad shoulders. His sinewy arms and long legs were slick with perspiration and his dark hair looked as if it’d been tousled by the wind.
“Forgive my appearance,” he said. “I had to take advantage of your beautiful city and go for a long run. It clears my mind.”
He pulled up his T-shirt and wiped his face, exposing his taut belly with its spirals of delectable dark hair. Jacquie didn’t bother to hide her admiration.
“No, I understand.” She clutched her purse tighter. Be cool. Relax.
“You look—” He let his eyes drift down her body for only a glimmer. “Stunning. You are a beautiful woman.”
Before she made a fool of herself with a reply, Rafael took her over the edge of awkward.
“Did you come to see me…or are you here for something else?”
Jacquie forced a smile and stalled. She stood on the precipice of the woman she wanted to be and the anonymous online girl who only felt truly comfortable in front of a computer.
“I came to see…you actually.”
He fixed his eyes on hers and smiled.
“That makes me happy.”
Again, time slid to a crawl and the sounds of the lobby faded to white noise. All she saw was Rafael and his lazy grin.
“Well, I obviously have to clean up.” He blushed. “You can wait for me in the lobby bar. I won’t take long. I hope you have time for dinner.”
He took a step back and turned to go, but an impulse gripped Jacquie.
“Or I could come up with you. We could order room service.”
She stopped breathing. The words had been hers, but the voice sounded like someone else. Her belly tightened as she watched every subtle nuance of his face. He could shoot her down or take her up on her offer to follow him to his room and let nature take its course.
God, what would he do?
“We could.” Rafe stared into her eyes as if he were trying to read her. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “If you join me, room service could extend to breakfast. You see, this is how a man thinks when an irresistible woman offers to come to his hotel room. He imagines pleasuring such a woman, giving her all she could want from a man.”
