by Jordan Dane
She didn’t wait for him to confirm or deny.
“There is only the breadth of a hair between you and the cartels you despise,” she said. “You alone stand in judgment, yet who watches out for you, Mr. Vice President?”
“I’ve lost family in this war I wage. Good people, Miss Madero. I thought you would understand the importance of protecting those we love. There must be someone practical—like me—who is willing to be as ruthless as the enemy to make the world a safer place.”
Ruiz sighed as if he’d grown tired of her naiveté.
“We all have our secrets,” he said. “Send me your findings, whatever you deem them to be. I am satisfied we may never know who killed Hector Borrego. Perhaps it was the San Ignacio cartel. They’ve been a contentious rival for many years. The actions of the Borrego and San Ignacio cartels are certainly proof enough for me. Take your brother home, Athena. He’s suffered enough. I’m sure you will agree.”
Ruiz didn’t wait for her to say anything. He turned his back and waved a hand. She watched the man disappear in a flurry of suits and tactical uniforms until he slid into his armored limousine like a slithering snake in the grass.
Athena had no words. She desperately wanted a shower to wash off the stink of Ruiz and his brand of politics, but she had an injured brother to take care of.
Rafael needed her.
Chapter 11
Tampa, Florida
Three months later
Evening
Jacquie had spent the day with Rafael. She came early to help him unbox his kitchen, but he’d already put a dent in the work by the time she arrived. Rafferty and Landry had helped him the night before. It didn’t take long for them to finish unpacking what remained.
Rafe had bought a stylish loft in trendy South Tampa near Hyde Park Village that overlooked the winding coastal Bayshore Boulevard. Jacquie loved the view off his back deck. The glistening waters of the bay looked like a jeweler’s display case of diamonds, especially at sunrise or sunsets when the sunlight cast pastel colors across the undulating waves. She stood on the deck now, breathing in the salty air as the breeze tousled her hair. Rafael asked her to stay put, he had something he wanted her to see, but he’d disappeared.
After he returned, he came up behind her and didn’t break her quiet moment with words. He simply cradled her into his body and held her tight. She leaned her back into his chest and she let him hold her.
“You make me happy,” he finally said. “I haven’t felt like this in a very long time.”
“I should thank you. I’ve never felt like this, with anyone. Ever.”
Rafael had a way of touching her deeply. The way he held her—and the way he spoke from his heart—brought tears of joy to her eyes. When he nuzzled close to her ear, he lowered his honeyed voice and opened his heart one more time.
“I miss Elena and my little Ariana. My love for them will never go away, but the nights aren’t so bad anymore. I remember the little things, good things.” He sighed. “In my dreams, I see them as they were, with me. I tell you this for a reason. I know it’s because of you that I can remember them this way.”
Jacquie let the evening breeze cool the tears that streaked her cheeks and she smiled, pulling his arms tighter around her.
“I love you, Rafael.”
“This is a good thing,” he said. She heard the smile in his voice. “Now I won’t be the only one in love. Te amo, mi amor.”
Jacquie grinned. She didn’t need a translator to understand.
“I still feel like I need to apologize for how strong I came onto you, the day we met.” Jacquie had never found the right words to explain her actions, but she had to try if they were to have any kind of a future together.
“It’s just that I wanted to be different than how people usually see me,” she admitted. “I thought being with you would change me—and it has—only I didn’t need to take my clothes off to do it.”
She crooked her lip into a lazy smile and glanced over her shoulder at him. Rafael laughed. She would never tire of hearing that sound or seeing how his expressive eyes lit his whole face from inside.
“That little black dress didn’t fool me. I saw you then, and I see you now. You have a beautiful heart and a loving soul.”
When Rafael pulled her into his arms, she kissed his sweet lips until he had more to say.
“You helped me get through the worst part of my life,” he said. “I want you to know that, but that doesn’t mean I would object to seeing you naked.”
Jacquie nestled into his strong arms and breathed in the smell of his skin and the masculine cologne he wore. She felt safe and loved. He held her like something he cherished and would never let go, until he pulled her from his embrace.
“Come. I’ve got something for you to see.”
Rafael grabbed her hand and led her to the rooftop of his loft. He still walked with a limp, especially up stairs. She slowed down so he wouldn’t rush. It would take time for his body to heal.
He opened the door to his private rooftop terrace and Jacquie gasped. She couldn’t breathe as her eyes took in every inch of his surprise, meant for her.
White lights decorated his wooden privacy screens and every potted plant and ornamental tree looked like white Christmas. A small table with two chairs had been draped with a red table cloth and had glowing candles flickering in a colorful stained glass votive.
He had champagne chilling and scrumptious treats to eat on a side table, from raw oysters on the half shell to chocolate strawberries, sweet figs, and liqueur-laced macaroons. Her mind flashed with images of feeding him and feeling his warm lips on her fingers as he ate the sensual food.
“You’ve thought of everything,” she said. “When did you have time to—”
“One final surprise.”
When he flipped a switch near his door, The Sweetest Taboo by Sade played softly on surround speakers and she almost cried.
“Aw. That’s our song.”
“Yes, how could I forget?” He caressed her face in both his hands and said, “Tonight, true romance will start with the eyes.”
He tenderly kissed her eye lids.
“Next, the fingertips.”
He reached for her hand and kissed each of her fingers.
“The ears are very important, too. Vital, I would say.”
His tongue found her ear and worked its magic until her skin tingled down through her toes. His breath stroked her neck with heat.
“Oh my, God,” she whispered and moaned. She felt the intensity of her blood raging through her body, making her melty inside.
“You keep this up, I won’t last until dessert,” she gasped.
“We have all night, mi corazon.”
“I don’t know what that means, but I like it. Say something else.”
“Sí, querida.” He smiled. “Te adoro. Bésame.” He nuzzled her neck and said, “That means, I adore you. Kiss me.”
Rafael loved her and he made her feel safe to be anyone she wanted to be. She knew he would accept her, no matter who she wanted to become, from nerdy geek girl to the sultry hot babe she imagined in her dreams.
She’d almost lost him in Cuba. Jacquie still had nightmares about it. She didn’t know where their relationship would lead, but she’d been right about one thing. Rafael Madero had changed her forever and she liked who she was with him in her life. They had their futures ahead of them now—and all the time in the world.
***
Until Jacquie Lyles, Rafael didn’t know he’d ever be able to open his heart to anyone again. It hurt too much when he lost Elena and Ariana. He didn’t know if he could be that vulnerable again, but Jacquie made him want to try.
His move from Chicago to Tampa had helped. Little by little, with time and distance, he had found the joy missing from his existence. He made different choices, sometimes when he didn’t feel like it, and opened his life to Athena and Grey, Rafferty and Landry—but most of all Jacquie. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.
He had a new family—one he would always keep safe. He had to.
***
Miami, Florida
Camila Borrego made it through Customs with her entourage—using flawless credentials under fake names that she had paid dearly for—and now headed for the limousine she’d hired with an airport porter hauling luggage behind her. Two of her best men accompanied her, but she would need more men soon. She had arrangements to recruit the men and weapons she would require using her cartel connections in Florida.
After her bags were loaded into the trunk, she slid into the backseat of the limousine and secured her privacy screen to make a very important phone call. She had a key insider within law enforcement who had what she needed.
“With the money you gave me, I have secured the addresses you asked for. They weren’t easy to get, but I sent them to you by our encrypted account. You should have them by now, along with the dossiers you requested.”
Camila glanced down at her phone and nodded.
“Yes, I have them,” she said.
“Are you sure you want to start with the first file? He’ll be a tough target. Fair warning.”
“I’ll contact you if I need anything else. Muchas gracias.”
“De nada.”
She ended the call and fixed her eyes on her two well-paid assassins—Amadeo and Tavio Vega—identical twin brothers with jet black hair, pale skin, and menacing eyes the color of coal. She had only one way to tell them apart.
Tavio had a scar in a place only she had been allowed to see.
“Athena and Rafael Madero started a war in our beloved country of Cuba. We are here to return the favor.” She pulled up the encrypted dossier she’d received and stared at a face she’d seen before.
“Navy SEAL Sam Rafferty will be our first. I’m sending you his complete dossier.”
She sent the coded file to the cell phones of the Vega brothers with a push of a button.
“We’ll start with his mother.”
As her men studied the information she sent—and committed key elements to memory—Camila turned her attention toward the window of the limousine and watched as the driver merged the vehicle into traffic and headed for the interstate. On the outside she kept her composure, but inside she seethed with revenge, deprived of its satisfaction.
Her father’s murder had been the start of her world shattering. She had countless nights with no sleep, in the wake of horrific nightmares. After she crossed paths with Rafael Madero and his sister, Athena, and their prized Omega Team, Camila’s life took a turn for the worse.
Months ago, Vice President Esteban Ruiz had instigated a cartel war after he’d hired the Omega Team and used her father’s murder to fan the flames of unrest. She’d lost many loyal men and part of her operation. Ruiz had left her facing criminal charges for murders she had nothing to do with. It took time and money to set things right again. She would deal with Ruiz—personally—when he least expected it and when she had an irrefutable alibi.
Until such time, she had a plan.
One by one she would pick off the Omega Team in an offensive they wouldn’t see coming until it was too late. Rafael Madero would be the last man standing, completely alone. Only then would he comprehend the depth of her loss, after he had to bury his beloved sister, Athena, if there would be anything left of her body to put into the ground.
Camila sighed, contented for now.
She faced the window and closed her eyes to savor the warmth of the Florida sun on her skin. Soon the driver would deliver Camila to her rightful destiny. She filled her mind with the many ways she would make her father proud—and finish what he started.
Tough Target
Coming May 2016
An Omega Team Novella – Amazon Kindle Worlds
Novella 2 of 3
By Jordan Dane
Target Rich
Coming July 2016
An Omega Team Novella – Amazon Kindle Worlds
Novella 3 of 3
By Jordan Dane
About the Author
Bestselling, critically-acclaimed author Jordan Dane’s gritty thrillers are ripped from the headlines with vivid settings, intrigue, and dark humor. Publishers Weekly compared her intense novels to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag, naming her debut novel NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM as Best Books of 2008. She also pens young-adult novels for Harlequin Teen. Formerly an energy sales manager, she now writes full time. Jordan shares her Texas residence with two lucky rescue dogs.
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Thriller/Crime Fiction Blogs:
The Kill Zone http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/
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Bibliography
Avon/HarperCollins Titles:
NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM – No One Standalone
NO ONE LEFT TO TELL – No One Series Book 1
NO ONE LIVES FOREVER – No One Series Book 2
EVIL WITHOUT A FACE – Sweet Justice Series Book 1
THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD – Sweet Justice Series Book 2
THE ECHO OF VIOLENCE – Sweet Justice Series Book 3
RECKONING FOR THE DEAD – Sweet Justice Series Book 4
The Omega Team Novella Series – Amazon Kindle Worlds:
HOT TARGET (Novella 1 of 3) – Feb 2016
TOUGH TARGET (Novella 2 of 3) – May 2016
TARGET RICH (Novella 3 of 3) – July 2016
Harlequin Teen Young Adult Novels:
IN THE ARMS OF STONE ANGELS
ON A DARK WING
INDIGO AWAKENING – The Hunted Series Book 1
CRYSTAL STORM – The Hunted Series Book 2
YA Anthologies:
NYX IN THE HOUSE OF NIGHT Anthology – “The Magic of Being Cherokee” essay (Smart Pop Books, Jun 2011)
Cosas Finas Publications – Crime :
BLOOD SCORE (A Gabe Cronan Novel)
THE LAST VICTIM (A Ryker Townsend Novel)
Cosas Finas Publications – Short Story Anthologies
SEX, DEATH and MOIST TOWELETTES
Cosas Finas Publications – Non-fiction
ONE AUTHOR’S AHA MOMENTS – Author Craft Book with a Focus on Writing YA
