by Kells, India
“Oh boy, I’m happy to be home so soon! What a complete delight to be home sooner than expected! I can’t believe my luck as I’m about to open that door leading to a view of the entire room.”
Sully refrained from snarling at Luke’s voice from outside the front door. He must have seen something; otherwise, he wouldn’t play stupid and warn them like this. Gabrielle angled her head to glance over his shoulder.
“The kid is back.”
“Yeah, I don’t know if I’m more pissed to have been interrupted by the kid or by him having seen my naked ass.”
Gabrielle lowered her legs and he slipped out of her. “With such a fine ass, there is nothing to be ashamed about.”
As he pulled up his pants, he looked at her. “You can admire my ass all day long, honey, I would never mind. It’s the eyes of the kid on mine that doesn’t sit well with me.”
He watched as she grabbed her remaining pieces of clothing, and he could appreciate her pale skin and award-worthy behind. “After consideration, I’d prefer he saw mine rather than yours, which would give him improper ideas for his long nights all by himself.”
Laughing, Gabrielle hurried to the bathroom. “Sailor, I’m anything but proper.”
As she closed the door and went to get the kid, he thought that it was precisely what he liked about her. A lot.
***
After a lengthy discussion, they determined who would sleep where. Luke had a chivalrous streak for a moment, offering to leave his bedroom to Gabrielle, but she knew the kid would find it difficult to rest on the floor, as Sully wouldn’t. Not that she was against a soft mattress or fresh linen, but in this particular situation, she preferred to sleep lightly. Just in case, as bad luck had been stuck to the bottom of their boots for a while now.
She wrapped herself in a blanket against the wall opposite to the door. A faint light came from the kitchen window, a slice of moon. Sully was sitting still beside her. She knew he wasn’t sleeping; he wasn’t entirely reassured about their position, nor was she. They didn’t know if the bad guys were lurking outside, in the nearly moonless night.
“What is our next step, Sully?” She voiced the question in a murmur, not out of uncertainty but pragmatism. She was most comfortable when she could plan to achieve the ultimate goal on the table. “We can’t retrace our steps; we can’t count on my organization. Yours, not much more. Admiral Feander is nowhere to be found. So, what is our next step?”
She heard him extend his legs, getting more comfortable. “We go forward. I must find out why the admiral gave me the mission, the reason behind it. And why Beatrice Dante sent you to rescue me. I say that if we can find answers to those questions, we will ultimately get rid of the bad guys.”
“Yeah, the secret mission you cannot tell me about.”
Silence stretched out for a while. At first, Gabrielle didn’t care about the secret op Sully was conducting. It wasn’t hers, it didn’t impact her. Now that she had to make it her own in order to find the truth about Bea and Purgatory, she didn’t feel uncomfortable pushing anymore. It was that or she would split and find the answers on her own.
“The mission was not as explicit has you might expect, honey. My goal was to find buildings with an abnormal quantity of satellite dishes on their rooftops, and if I discovered one, to confirm there was a laboratory installed inside. First stop, Johannesburg.”
Gabrielle leaned her head against the wall, still looking forward. “That’s it? That was your mission?”
“The goal of the mission was to find those laboratories, but it stemmed from a very personal concern from the admiral. He wanted to protect his son, Simon.”
“Protect him? Isn’t Simon working for some sort of governmental agency in Europe?”
“Yes, he is. And the admiral wants to keep it that way. It’s just that a contact from the secret services called him, telling him to keep a close eye on Simon. Many valuable scientists had dropped from the face of the earth during the past few years. They didn’t have anything solid, but they suspected Simon might be at risk from that unknown organization. The only link they had with the disappearing was the transaction of highly valuable scientific and communication equipment they had noticed on the black market. Follow the money turned into follow the equipment. After some research, the admiral asked me to inquire, starting in South Africa. And I found one as soon as I got there. An older building in the industrial sector. Some sort of warehouse. You wouldn’t believe the amount of dishes on the roof. I had trouble walking on it. And inside, the laboratory wasn’t installed yet, but I can tell you it would be soon, with all this equipment. Top of the line. Or they were packing, depending on your point of view, I guess … I didn’t have time to find out.”
“But all that equipment and scientists to do what? Why targeting Simon?”
“I don’t know. And it’s hard to see who they would kidnap; the scientists came from varied backgrounds and fields. And nothing inside gave me a clue on what they would do there. As I was getting out, two security guards saw me. I killed one and wounded the other, but when I ultimately made it out, police were there. Lots of them.”
Gabrielle bit her lip. “That’s strange. Why so many and so fast? No way would the guards have had the time to call them, let alone convince a whole squad to come to their door without a good explanation.”
“Agreed. Everything was done quickly, as if already planned. As if they knew I was coming.”
“But why not kill you from the start; stop any possible entry if they knew that much?”
“That’s what I want to find out, among all the other unanswered questions.”
“The mother of all questions is who the leak is. All that information the admiral kept close couldn’t have been divulged unless by someone he trusted. No wonder you accused Bea. She was as close as they could get.”
They stayed silent for a moment, digesting the information and possible repercussions.
“We can try to go back to Joburg, and we may find something in that warehouse.”
Sully shook his head and looked at her. “Bad idea. We have finally made our way to Namibia and it was nothing short of a miracle. The borders must have our faces plastered all over their walls by now. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they set up extra patrols. And what if the warehouse has been emptied? If their whole operation has been moved out of the country altogether?”
“Okay, it makes sense. After Joburg, what were your other target locations? Still in Africa?”
“Yes, Khartoum and Sudan, although it wasn’t a solid lead. Then, I had a couple more places to check in Europe.”
“When talking about a hot spot, Khartoum is the place to be. A big city. And as it’s so unstable, and with enough money, it would be able to set up that type of operations without being disturbed. And if you were, you just had to pay the local authorities. If dollars flowed … As for Europe, it would be more difficult to stay invisible. A big operation is bound to raise a lot of questions.”
“If the mastermind knows how to hide himself, anything is possible. I’ve seen this kind of thing before.”
And Gabrielle had, too. Slave rings disguised in legit companies was not uncommon.
“So we go to Khartoum? It would be our next step?”
“I don’t know. Since they’re searching for us in Africa, they would logically reinforce security in their other sites.”
“So, we just hop over Khartoum and go straight to Europe. I can already think of a couple of possible routes.”
“Good. But before we go, we must make sure the kid is safe. I don’t want to leave with killers running all around him because of us.”
“Agreed. Let’s follow him in town tomorrow, and if nobody’s on our tail, we’ll make our move.”
Sully shuffled and laid down, one arm behind his head. Gabrielle closed her eyes, but even if her body craved rest, the discomfort pushed sleep away.
“You’re one stubborn woman, you know that?”
She opened
her eyes. “Can you be more specific? Or you were just being insulting?”
“See! Again, stoic and snarling. If I wouldn’t have seen you in an entirely different context, I would think this was your true character.”
“Is there a point to your little speech?”
Sully extended his other arm. “Yeah, come lie down, honey. I can’t help about the floor, but I don’t mind being used as a pillow.”
The man was all stretched out and relaxed; she had difficulty restraining her wandering brain. Slowly, her need for sleep was replaced by the memory of the heat and taste of his skin. She rubbed her eyes, deciding to stay where she was, but her body took another course of action, and before she could react against it, she was straddling his hips and kissing him.
The SEAL didn’t seem fazed by her sudden reaction. On the contrary, he didn’t lose a single second and kissed her back, one hand in her hair, the other around her hip as he rolled and pinned her beneath him. Gone were the sleep and the discomfort.
“You know this doesn’t mean anything, sailor.”
Sully growled as he nibbled her neck, the vibration making her shiver with anticipation. “Let’s not make any assumption for now, honey. And please stop thinking. I love your brain, but shut it down for now. Just feel.”
It was strange how one instant they were having a coherent conversation, and then she was battling with him to remove their clothes. Damn reality. She wanted this, she wanted him … bad.
When they were fully naked, skin to skin, she was the one to groan. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly. It was even more feverish than in Pretoria.
Gabrielle caressed his arms and felt his straining muscles. She let her fingers run through his short dark hair, letting them glide to his jaw before dipping between their bodies. She enjoyed each and every reaction she could get at exploring his body. Still kissing her, he tensed like a bow as she caressed and circled every muscle, every nook, and bulge she could find. His breathing accelerated a bit and he broke the kiss to murmur in her ear as she took him in her hand.
“Whoa, honey. Slow down or I’m going to lose it too fast.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Witch!” His tone made her laugh, but he sealed her mouth with a long kiss before rubbing his cheek near her ear again.
“Not so loud, you’re going to wake up the kid.”
Did she make a sound? It took a moment for Gabrielle to remember who the kid was, and while she was distracted, it was Sully’s turn to take advantage of her and slide his busy fingers between them. When he rubbed his palm between her sensitive labia, before circling her clit at a maddening tempo, her breath caught and she let him go to grab his arm, more for support than to stop him. Her eyes closed and she bowed.
“Is this a yes, or a no? You want me to continue or to stop?”
Gabrielle opened her eyes, but couldn’t utter a word. She spread her legs and tilted her hips to give him better access.
“I’d say it is a definite yes.” His gravelly voice rasped in her ear like a caress. She loved his voice, any tone, any shift of it.
As she bent her knees and planted her feet on the floor, she was desperate for him to accelerate just a little, to intensify his touch a little more. She was so close, she wanted to scream. Instead, she bit his shoulder as his caress remained insanely slow and steady. Gabrielle even tried to roll him over, on top, to find some relief at last.
Breathless, Sully laughed, but didn’t budge. However, his tone changed when she closed her fingers around him and lifted her hips to take him in. She may have started the motion, but it was now his turn of being unable to resist, pushing deeper inside of her, his breath ragged.
“God, woman. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” He snarled his question at her, losing control by the second.
Now, sweat beaded his skin, making the contact between them electric.
“Please, please don’t drop dead on me yet, sailor.” Her tone may be light, but undeniably laced with urgency.
Sully pushed away from her, his arms straining on both sides of her head as he started to move. Gone was the humor from his green eyes, his determination and focus almost frightening on his face. She wasn’t scared, as she let go, matching each of his strokes, never breaking eye contact. In fact, she was entranced, unable to glance away. The growing pleasure was overwhelming; it was like being surprised by a storm. Her mind needed reprieve and her soul rest. Part of her knew she could let go, here and now, and leave it all in the hands of this man, for a moment in time. As she let go, her orgasm took over and caught her off guard. She got flying for an instant, only aware of Sully, of his heat and movement. Even with her eyes now closed, she felt him lose control, his rhythm becoming erratic, as he pursued his own pleasure. She was still lost in time when he bowed, his eyes shut in ecstasy, before collapsing, his breath fanning her hair.
Gabrielle didn’t move except for putting her arms around his shoulder, unable to even think about breaking the connection. He was heavy and hard on top of her, but she didn’t care. Not yet. His weight grounded her like no other—she felt warm, and incredibly content. How weird a feeling, as danger was lurking so close. In this single moment, only in her head, she had let go of everything, allowing someone to take it all. She wasn’t sure she wanted to analyze that right now, maybe not ever for that matter.
Sully moved slowly and lifted his head so he could look at her face. The teasing smile was back.
“Honey, you should come with a warning. You made me lose it, and for a second, even if an entire terrorist squad would have come barging in, I don’t think I could have been able to stop.”
Gabrielle started rubbing his stubbly cheek, but before she could react, he rolled them, still joined, so she could rest on top of him. Her heart racing, she put her cheek on his chest and breathed him in. She must be deeper in trouble than she thought, endangering them both, forgetting about their mission, even for a single heartbeat. This SEAL may be a greater threat than she thought. Something had moved inside of her, deep down, locked in her soul for a very long time. He was rattling the lock and she couldn’t let him do so. But why when he slowly traced her spine with his fingers or she heard the strong beating of his heart in his chest couldn’t she find the strength to move away? There couldn’t be more in his actions, his words, or his touch than sex. Could there?
Chapter 5
The kid was not happy to be followed into town, to the popular clinic he created in a poor neighborhood of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The clinic was nestled in between buildings, as if a small paper house had tried to fit in a space two times smaller than it needed. Painted in bright white, it seemed clean and inviting on a street where so many houses had turned the color of grime and soot.
The sun had just risen above the buildings to light up the street, but life had already started. People moved briskly, carting boxes and goods, cooking for the hungry crowd and driving as if pursued by the devil himself.
Gabrielle looked around. In the daylight, the place appeared welcoming enough. A small lineup was already waiting for Doctor Luke.
Luke handed Gabrielle the keys as Sully and him were carting boxes of supplies. Gabrielle smiled at the small gathering and made a sign to tell them to wait a minute as she unlocked the clinic. The inside was dim as only one slim window lit the whole waiting room. There was a bench, and chairs were neatly aligned along the wall. No front desk. Only a small table. Two doors at the back. Sully and Luke brushed past her to go in what looked like a storage room at the back. Gabrielle turned and went to the window, searching for anybody suspicious, anything out of place. Well, in complete, organized chaos, it was no easy task.
Silently, people came in, sitting on the chairs, barely looking at her. Sully came back and stood beside her.
He turned his head and whispered in her ear, asking if she saw anything. She shook her head as she noticed a small blonde, pregnant girl hurrying into the clinic. She was clashing with the black population for sure, b
ut what made Gabrielle frown was how filthy she was, and scared, too. Her long hair, reaching the small of her back, had not been brushed for a while and the blonde was covered with some dirt. Her face seemed clean and impossibly young with enormous brown eyes. Frightened. When she sat on a chair and turned her head, she froze at the sight of both Sully and her in the corner. For an instant, it was clear she was thinking of bolting out. Not to scare her away, Gabrielle took a chair, and pulled Sully by the hand to do the same. The SEAL frowned, but follow suit. As if to make believe they were no threat and perhaps waiting for the doctor, too, Gabrielle wrapped her arms around Sully and leaned her chin on his shoulder. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Care to tell me what this is all about? Not that I’m complaining, but you changed character too fast for my taste, honey.”
