Circle of Desire

by Carla Swafford

  “What do you know about Mason?” Collin handed her a small file. Inside showed a lanky man with bright red hair and freckles across his nose. He looked like the good neighbor who grew up on a farm and attended church on Sundays.

  “He’s a crazy son of bitch who wants to be king of the world.” She handed the file back to him. Collin and Rex stared at her, waiting for her to add more information. She shifted in her seat and crossed her arms. “I really don’t know a lot about him as I pretty much stayed out of his way. Until I’m instructed to take a target out, I never investigate. I did hear he liked to watch.”

  “People burning?” Rex asked.

  She shook her head. “No. Fucking. He likes watching people screw each other.” Why did they have such surprised expressions on their faces? Were they expecting her to blush? Maybe if they’d grown up like she had, they would see the act as a way to control the people around them and nothing more. “Oh, he especially likes married women. He gets a kick out of doing the wife. Then later he’ll get the husband to fuck his wife in front of him so he can compare techniques. It’s amazing what money can buy. As far as I know, he doesn’t do the husband.”

  The big guy blushed. How funny was that? Obviously he’d never been made to strip and fellatio someone on command.

  “Have you alerted the team?” Collin asked, looking at Rex. She grinned. He probably asked mainly to help Rex get his mind off what she’d said.

  “Yeah. We leave at zero eight hundred hours for Phoenix.” Rex’s glance chilled her to the bone. “Is she going with us?”

  “She’s got the right equipment to grab his attention. You have a problem with that?” Collin leaned forward. By his stance alone she could tell he dared his friend to protest. How sweet, he was taking up for her. She knew there was something she liked about him besides his body.

  “She’s your problem.” Rex shrugged. “You know she’d fuck you over good if you let her.”

  “You both do know I’m here and hearing this, right?” she pointed out. Rex actually growled. Well, wasn’t he pleasant? What had she done to him?

  Collin shifted his attention to her. “Olivia, in operations like this one, most of us partner up with another operative. This way, we look after each other. As a couple we’re actually less noticeable. You and I’ll go as a married couple. We’ll fly into Phoenix. If anyone asks, we’re traveling up to the Grand Canyon. There’s a resort we have reservations at near Camelback where sponsors of several NASCAR drivers celebrate after the big race. Mason has been known to crash the party.”

  “Goody. One hotel room and marital duties.” She grinned big. Part of it was an act to aggravate Rex; the other part was pure anticipation. Yeah. She needed other things occupying her mind as she worked her wiles on getting Collin into bed. Her obsession with the man on the other side of the desk was getting out of hand. Once they did what came natural, her obsession would be over.

  Rex muttered a stream of filthy expletives.

  Eyes wide, she hooted. “You do know most of those are impossible. Goodness knows I tried a couple.”

  The big man’s face pinked. “If she doesn’t have any more information on Mason, I believe she can go.” Rex’s pleading look toward Collin was pitiful. The way the big guy opened and closed his fists, she should probably count herself lucky to get out of the meeting alive.

  Frowning at her, Collin nodded toward the door. “I’ll fill you in later. Go ahead and get lunch. Pack what you usually take on a four-day operation.”

  She should be pissed by their little jock attitude, but considering she was looking forward to her one-on-one time with Collin, nothing really bothered her. Now she needed to plan how she could make him let go of his morals with her. Strange to think of the head of OS as having morals. One of the many things she’d learned during her months with them. Besides, that had to be the reason why he hadn’t taken her up on her offers. Her heart thumped at a double rate. It wouldn’t do for them to see how excited she was at the prospect.

  “Well, okay. Don’t you two guys talk about me much.” When she glanced over to Rex to say something snarky, she caught Collin’s expression from the corner of her eye. He shook his head, letting her know she was pushing it. “Okay, okay. I’m going.”

  After closing the door behind her, she leaned against it. Whoa. She hadn’t realized how intense the atmosphere had gotten. Looking down the hallway, she smelled garlic bread. Oh, she would love to indulge but after the beating she’d gotten this morning, she needed to work on her technique. Something told her she would have another opportunity to best Collin. Tracking and planning eliminations rarely required the skills she’d used during her first few years with The Circle.

  Heading toward the exercise area, she ignored the two guards following a few feet behind. In her short time with the OS, she never learned their names as they said it wasn’t important for her to know. When they did talk to her, they mostly told her no. So she called them Beavis and Butt-head.

  She passed the first room and continued toward the second exercise room. Two women stood to the side, talking and glancing her way. One was Dr. Shelton and the other woman she didn’t recognize.

  “Hey, Olivia.” The doctor smiled and waved her over. “Have you seen Collin and Rex lately?”

  “They’re having a man-to-man talk. I wanted to get away from all the testosterone for a little while.” Crap, what was this? Every time she turned around she was explaining herself to people. So not her.

  The doctor nodded. “Have you met Nic Savage?”

  Olivia’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re a girl.” This was OS’s head of security? How politically forward. Tickled to know the organization that had extorted her into working for them were equal opportunity employers, she stuck her hand out to the tiny black-haired woman.

  When the security officer sneered at her offered hand, Olivia straightened her spine. So she was going to be like that. How disappointing. One of Olivia’s interests included computers and she’d spent many an off-duty hour talking to the information services experts at The Circle. Though she would never call them friends, she knew they’d respected her interest and skills in that area. By picking their brains, she was able to set up a state-of-the-art security system.

  “Actually I’m a grown woman and oversee a department that has four personnel in the hospital because of you and the primitive precautions you used to protect your poorly decorated fortress.” The woman might be small, but she had a sharp tongue.

  With one eyebrow lifted, Olivia crossed her arms and shifted to her left hip. “You and I both know there wasn’t anything primitive nor was it personal about what I’d set up. If you don’t have your computers rigged here with the same type of explosives, it only proves how delusional you are.”

  Nic moved toward Olivia, but the doctor jumped in front of her. “No, Nic. She’ll wipe the floor with you and not blink an eye.”

  Olivia’s opinion of the good doctor spiked. The two moved toward the elevator with the doctor clasping Nic’s arm and whispering to her the whole way. Over her shoulder, Nic glared at Olivia.

  Of course, the only response perfect for the moment was to blow her a kiss. Olivia couldn’t help but smirk when the woman gasped and struggled as the doctor forced her out the door.

  When she looked back at her guards, they merely shrugged their shoulders. She had no illusions of who the guards would protect. She could only hope to get in a hit or two before they stopped her.

  Later in the day with no sign of Collin, she headed back to her apartment. Was he hiding from her? She laughed, thinking of the dangerous man lurking around corners to avoid her. For whatever reason, he’d told the guards she could come and go as she pleased from her apartment as long as she didn’t ditch them. The two big fellows hovered about eight feet away when she spotted a familiar face sitting on an overstuffed chair in one of the alcoves divided by potted plants. Eyes half-closed like a wild beast in captivity, he studied each person who walked by.


  Lucian Reilly hadn’t changed one bit. He still exuded coldness and mystery some women found attractive. The same ones who read vampire novels and thought they were hot. She never understood it or why The Circle used him as a lady killer, literally. His specialty involved getting up close and personal with a woman and using her, and if the need arose, to not be squeamish about using force or killing the woman. The last she’d heard was that OS had killed him during an operation in San Francisco. Apparently that wasn’t true.

  “Hello, Lucian.” With one eyebrow raised, she stopped in front of him.

  “I heard they had brought you in. I’m astonished they didn’t slice and dice you considering Collin’s second in command hates you.” Lucian’s British accent made it sound like he was discussing tea instead of her expected death. Did everyone know about Rex’s feelings toward her?

  “What can I say? I’m like a cat and land on my feet. Speaking of cats, is this your sixth or seventh life?” She sat across from him with one elbow on a knee and her chin in hand, staring at him with open amazement. Theo had said Lucian was one of the best in the business, never hesitated in killing a woman. The OS was smart to turn him. He glanced at her guards leaning against the wall across from the cubbyhole. The distance was enough to allow Olivia and Lucian time to talk without interference. She hadn’t expected a response but that didn’t stop her from teasing him further. “So, kitty cat, we were told OS had murdered you and dumped your body into the Pacific two years ago.”

  “Humph.” His cold eyes narrowed. “The Circle’s days are numbered. If you look around, you’ll see several of their dead operatives walking around here.” He lifted his chin. “I’m really surprised they kept you alive considering you’re Theo’s pet.”

  She stiffened and straightened in her chair, forcing herself not to turn to see if the guards had heard. “You’re hung up on my death, aren’t you? I might’ve been his pet at one time, but he lost interest in me when I turned eighteen.”

  “If you think he didn’t treat you differently than the other operatives, you’re sadly mistaken.” The man’s eyes narrowed.

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Luckily, he found another use for me or I would’ve been dead for sure.” She never pretended otherwise.

  “Luckily? If you want to call it that. More like smart.”

  What? Was that sympathy from him? He actually complimented her? He stood, yanked at the ends of his sports jacket. “Be careful. If The Circle captures you, you’ll be begging them to finish you off.”

  “I know.” She wanted to ask him more questions but the way he refused to look her in the eyes, she could tell he wanted to get as far from her as possible.

  “You do? Of course.” He smirked and then walked away.

  Happy to have seen a familiar face, she’d forgotten how much others had hated her in The Circle. Partly because of her personal time with Theo, but later for her part in punishing those who screwed up. Being an enforcer, the one who carried out Theo’s commands, never endeared a person to those punished. It had been six years since she controlled that type of power, but they’d never forgotten it.

  Nor had she. She had frequent nightmares about it.

  Collin strode by with Nic almost skipping to catch up. Olivia’s gaze followed the man down the hallway. Her chest tightened with a new thought. Her nightmares might take a new turn.

  Chapter Nine

  Olivia’s first time to Phoenix had been with Theo and all she remembered was desert and everything brown and dirty. A few years later, alone, she’d tracked down an assignment to Phoenix and found the place colorful, filled with people wanting to enjoy life to the fullest. Mind-set had a lot to do with it, and this time she couldn’t wait to experience a town she’d grown to love with a man who challenged her at every turn. She was ready for whatever he threw at her.

  She turned from watching the golden sun setting over the raised interstate and buildings. Not the best view, but considering the area was packed with stock car fans, they were fortunate to find a room. Of course, she wasn’t complaining. She eyed the man sitting at the desk with his back to her, checking the times of the different events on his laptop.

  Before they’d left on their flight, Collin had filled her in on why they wanted Mason so bad. OS needed some information about a valuable missing artifact Mason may or may not have. If the Inferno had it and sold it, they would have enough funds to purchase the plutonium they needed off the black market to complete a bomb large enough to blow up several blocks in Washington, D.C., if not the whole city. By the OS stealing the artifact, they could block the sale and destroy any chance of Inferno from existing. No funds. No operation. Then they hoped the fanatics, defeated, would think twice about crawling out the swamps they came from.

  An itch on the back of her neck warned of being more involved.

  “We have pit passes. That’ll make it easier to scout out the area near his favorite driver.” He jotted down a few notes on the pad next to him.

  After receiving intel about Mason’s planned excursion to the NASCAR cup race the next day in Phoenix, Collin was able to pull a few strings and score some tickets. So it appeared she’d be going to her first stock car race. Actually, she was rather excited about it.

  “You think Mason will be hanging with the other groupies in the pit?” she asked.

  “He’s convinced several of the drivers he’s a representative for Champion Oil. With the way he flashes money and talks big, anyone would believe it.” Collin clicked on a couple pages, showing the layout of the racetrack.

  “So what’s our story?” On the way there, including on the plane, they’d played husband and wife, Joe and Lisa Murphy, on vacation.

  “We stick with our story as a newly married couple out having fun and visiting our favorite sport, looking for a good time. We decided the race sounded as interesting as the canyon.” He continued to click on the computer keys.

  That was bothering the hell out of her. After he’d been the attentive husband all day, she wanted him to finish it. What had he expected? She’d had so much fun rubbing against him every chance she got on the trip, maybe even becoming a little too amorous on a plane with a large group of people. Not until they reached the hotel room had his jaw unclenched enough for him to speak normally. So what was stopping him? What was so interesting about the fucking computer that made him ignore her?

  “There were a couple times on our little trip I had to make up some history. So what’s our story? Met in college, work? Been married three, six months, or a year?” she asked, hoping to irritate him as much as he irritated her.

  He stopped clicking, stared at the wall for a moment, and then closed the laptop.

  With a shake of his head, he looked over his shoulder at her. “What’s the matter? I gave you the file before we left. It’s not like you’re an amateur.” He pushed back the chair and stood.

  Well, wasn’t he snippy? Although he was still sexy.

  “For your information, I never had a chance before you swept me out of my apartment. You do know you’re my first partner.” She stepped closer to him and smelled the hotel’s milled soap on his heated skin.

  No matter how low of a temperature they set the air conditioner, the room wouldn’t cool off. Her fingers fiddled with the button on his shirt. She liked the feel of his firm pecs beneath the cloth.

  “The reports said Theo personally trained you.” His dark gaze appeared to measure her, waiting for a reaction.

  Her stomach rolled. She wanted to say the sick feeling was from becoming overheated during the day, but she knew better. With every bit of willpower she worked to keep her breathing steady, her face emotionless.

  “Theo taught me many things, but he doesn’t train operatives in their duties.” A slow curl of dread traveled down her spine when she turned away, hoping he wouldn’t ask anything more about Theo tonight.

  She moved away, snatching up a dress from her suitcase. The silky fabric slipped back and forth between her hands. The outfit was one o
f several they’d provided for the trip. The eye- catching colors and styles were the complete opposite of her usual attire: business casual with the occasional femme fatale gown. These screamed white trash a la trailer park. She tilted her head as she held up the tiny slip of shiny material. The edge of the dress would probably curve beneath her buttocks. She’d already thrown barely there shoes with four-inch heels into the closet.

  “Who trained you?” Collin asked.

  Not sure how to hang the tiny dress, she tossed it on the dresser and looked over at the man bothering her with questions. He was stretched out on the bed, shoes off, and hands behind his head resting against the headboard as he watched her.

  “A man named Jason.” She saw no harm in telling him.

  “Kastler?” he asked with eyelids half-closed.

  “Yeah. How did you know?” How did he know so much? Of course, the man was head of a secret organization.

  “You’ll be surprised by how much I do know,” he boasted.

  “Why don’t you enlighten me? I heard snippets about the OS but nothing confirmed. Is it true the OS was like the central elite of The Circle?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well?” she prompted. No way would she let him get away with his Clint Eastwood act.

  “Tell me about your training.” He crossed his arms.

  “No. First, you tell me about OS breaking away.” She sat on the foot of the bed.

  “All right. I guess it’s only fair. What exactly would you like to know?”

  Fair? What a rare word to hear in her world.

  “What part did you play in it?” she asked bluntly.

  “It was my decision.”

  Well, he’d said four words that time. Either she needed better questions, or he needed to loosen up more.

  “Why did you leave?” she asked.

  “No. That’s not how it’s played.” He gave her that half-lidded look again. A tingling swirled through her insides.