Perfect Duet

by Aliyah Burke

Her heart rate tripled just from the memory alone. Until him, such an act had always been forbidden. Shaking her head to get her thoughts back on track, she put down her spoon.

  “I’m ready for you to tell me now.”

  She read the hesitation all over his features. Holding up a hand, she waggled a finger.

  “No more lies. You don’t want to tell me who you work for, fine, but I want to know what I’m up against and why you haven’t been pulled when it went to shit earlier.”

  “He’s not been pulled because the job isn’t done yet, and why the fuck are you telling a whore about what you’re doing?”

  She didn’t think, just reacted as her team leader had taught her to do. A hard flick of the wrist and she sent her bowl spiraling toward the intruder, following it up with a chair as his attention was distracted. And she was rushing him, taking him down before either of them could register what she was doing or stop her.

  “Holy fuck!” Jager lifted her off the man she had in a choke hold after prying her arms off his neck. “Let him go. He’s not the enemy.”

  The man she’d taken down swore a round of curses as he pushed up from the floor, rubbing at his red neck. The glare he gave was shared between her and Jager.

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Not a whore, that’s for sure.” She looked at Jager over her shoulder, because he held her up against his front. “Who is he?”

  “I’m asking the questions here. Answer me.”

  She lunged at him only to be pulled back against Jager’s chest.

  “We all need to calm down. He’s my handler. And she’s here because they took her and tracked her down once she escaped.”

  Shrewd dark eyes watched her. “That was need to know, Jager. We don’t know her and if she can be trusted.”

  Jager shifted her so she was more behind him than anything. “I trust her. That’s all you need to know.”

  “You can’t just trust pussy you find in a club.”

  She growled and moved again, only to be stopped once more by Jager.

  “Watch how you talk about her.” Danger and warning drenched every word, but Jager didn’t move other than clenching his large hand around her wrist.

  The newcomer scowled and didn’t move back. She took more than a slight bit of perverse pleasure in seeing his shirt soaked with the remnants of her cereal. Something about him set her on edge. On so many levels.

  Sliding closer to Jager, she settled her palm along his heated skin right above the tempting waistband of his jeans. While she couldn’t hear him, she felt his answering purr rumble through him.

  “You need to ditch her. I should take her with me, get her out of this. You can’t afford to be distracted.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “Shh.” Jager tightened his grip again.

  The cop in her bristled but also understood he was on the edge. Right now, her man was being confronted by someone who was supposed to keep him safe and pull him out when needed. He hadn’t been, and now that same man was yelling at her. She hadn’t known him that long, but she would die with the claim that Jager was a staunch defender of those he believed in on her lips. So for the moment, she corralled her temperamental side and held herself in check.

  The men were face to face, and she stood at an angle and saw a shadow move past the window. It wouldn’t normally be an issue for her, but there wasn’t anything there to cast one like that.

  Fuck! She needed a weapon.

  “Trouble,” she murmured against his broad back. She shifted her body so he was protected from that side.

  “Who did you bring with you?” Jager demanded, his voice low and authoritative, even as he began moving them out of the line of the window. He initially tried to bring her back in front of him, but she refused, clamping her fingers down on his waistband.

  “No one. You know that. We need to talk. That club shootout slapped your faces all over the news. Well, not her, but yours.”

  “I didn’t pull a trigger. I have nothing to do with it. Fucking clean it up. Better yet, arrest him. I told you what I had on them. There is more than enough to take Paul and his crew down.”

  “They want more.”

  She was watching the window and couldn’t see the handlers face, but she heard it in his voice when he spoke. She growled low in her throat. That was fucking bullshit. They weren’t supposed to keep someone in longer than they needed to be. Once he or she had the needed information, people moved in. The longer cops waited, the better the chance the situation became like it was now. FUBAR.

  Her skin prickled and she tugged on his pants even as she was dropping to her knees. Thank fuck, he listened and dropped right along with her. Seconds later, glass broke and bullets thudded into the kitchen.

  Jager rolled them so she was beneath him, protected by his large frame.

  “We’re fucking sitting ducks here,” she growled. “We need weapons.”

  “Bedroom, kitchen table, and I know he will have one.”

  Angling her gaze to see Jager, she shook her head. “He’s not going to be helping.”

  “Fuck!”

  She concurred. “Get the weapons needed. I’ll get his.”

  Immediately, he refused, and she tightened her grip on him, allowing her nails to dig into his flesh. “Be smart. We’re pinned down, unsure of the odds. We need weapons. I can get to him, you know where you stashed the rest of your weapons. You have to get them before they breach.”

  “Dove.” One word, ripped up from his chest, graveled and yet coated with such emotion.

  All she could do was nod, ignore the tears burning her eyes, and belly crawl toward the man who had lost the top part of his head. The bullets hadn’t slowed, and she knew that as long as they were shooting like this, they weren’t breaching—the bursts were too wild and uncontrolled. They would have a great chance of hitting their own. However, when they stopped, she knew the breach would be imminent.

  Blood and brain matter soaked into her clothing and she knew this ensemble would be going into the trash. Sure, it was Jager’s, but still. There were somethings that just weren’t worn a second time.

  Fingers pushing through the blood as she patted him down, she breathed a bit easier when her touch located the butt of a sidearm. She pulled it free and was pleased to find the Glock fully loaded.

  The shooting stopped and she cursed, rolling from her belly to her back, head resting against the dead man’s thigh, and lifted the gun even as she fired, hitting the first intruder through the spot where the window used to be, center mass with four quick shots.

  Jager slammed the man who came around the corner into the wall, taking him down hard. He yanked the blade at the man’s leg free, then sliced it along his throat without hesitation. No regrets and no time for him to think about what was going on. They’d killed his handler and his woman was alone to fend for herself.

  Anger pushed through him, replacing the blood pumping from his heart. Throwing the knife into another, he shot three more. Then he was free to get back to the kitchen.

  Lunging into the room, gun ready, he paused as his Dove executed a high kick on the final man there, dropping him to the floor, where he lay unmoving. There was blood on her back and when she whipped toward him, gun in hand, he saw it was on her front as well.

  “Where are you hit?” he demanded, stalking up to her and slapping a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her up to his mouth so he could claim it.

  “Not my blood.”

  She didn’t pull away, but neither did she get closer. He understood, but it didn’t mean he liked it.

  “I need a shirt.”

  He gripped her wrist and pulled her from the kitchen, back to the bedroom they’d been in. Jager grabbed a few more things from a bag. Tossing another shirt in her direction, he then yanked one over his head and popped free in time to see her standing there completely naked from the pants up. She wasn’t paying him any attention, but was prodding her healing injury.

/>   Jager was pleased as fuck that he didn’t see any more injuries on her. Then she hid her body from him and moved toward him.

  “You’re in some shit, and I don’t know your people and therefore I don’t trust them. I need a phone.”

  He clenched his jaw. She swore and spun around, leaving the room. Jager hurried after her and watched her not even flinch as she moved back through the mess around his handler. Unreasonable jealousy ate at him while she shoved her hand into his handler’s pants pocket to find and remove a phone. The man was fucking dead but he didn’t care—her hands shouldn’t be that close to any other man’s junk. Alive or dead, it made no difference.

  “We have to move. More will be coming.”

  She didn’t argue, just rose, frustration over not finding a phone evident on her features and checked her weapons. Yes, plural.

  “We taking the bike? Or his vehicle?”

  Jager walked beside her as they went to the garage. “Bike. Can maneuver a bit tighter spots, I think that makes up for not being as protected.”

  She stopped, retreated to one of the fallen men and picked up his AR16. “You get the bike. I’m going to sneak out the back and cover the garage until you have the door open and we know they’re not sitting there waiting.”

  He frowned, and she jerked a hand through the air. “I’m not a good enough bike rider to do what will have to be done on the streets.”

  Damn her for making this make sense. Exhaling hard, he stomped back to her and kissed her once more.

  “You and I have a lot to talk about when this is over.”

  Her smile was a bit sad. “Let’s stay alive first.” She slipped away.

  “We’re staying alive, Dove.”

  It was a vow.

  He gave her a bit of time before he pushed the garage button and it began to rise. Jager narrowed his eyes as the door became peppered with holes. Spying the vehicle in the drive, he angled the bike slightly from that and started the engine and smoked the tire so they wouldn’t have a perfect shot at him.

  He thought about the best vantage point to do what she was out there to do and in a second knew where she would be. Smoke billowed out of the doorway and he shot off, barely missing the SUV as he jerked hard to hop up on the lawn.

  The engine idling, he held his breath until she jumped into view and climbed on behind him. The second her arms settled around him, he hit the gas, the back wheel tearing the hell out of the landscaping. The bike wobbled a bit, but they were off.

  “I need a phone,” she hollered in his ear.

  Yeah, they both did.

  He nodded and zipped through the streets to find what he was looking for. Parking the bike in the alley, he then popped the lock on a door, letting them in a small building.

  “Who are you calling?” He stopped her from getting to the phone on the wall.

  “After all that, I think I’ve earned a bit of trust.”

  “I was supposed to be able to trust my handler too.”

  “I know. I trust you. I need that from you right now. We need help.”

  Again, she was spot on.

  He leaned against the wall, watching her as she dialed a number. She licked her lips and rubbed the back of her neck.

  “Xaya, I don’t have a lot of time. I need help. No, don’t tell our uncle. Get Xandra if you must but meet us somewhere safe.” A pause, followed by a grunt of either embarrassment or frustration. “Yes us. He’s with me. Christ, can you focus, Xaya? Please? Now is not the time to ask all that. For fuck’s sake. Ask him when you see him.”

  His lips twitched as he watched her studiously ignore him while she spoke to Xaya. He was looking forward to making her acquaintance. Anyone who could make his Dove flustered like this was sure to be someone he liked.

  She frowned and shook her head. He paid a bit more attention, even though he couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation.

  “Are you sure that’s wise?” A huff. “Okay, I just don’t want anything brought back to you. Especially where you work. Oh, it’s not your office but one you rent out? Do I want to know why you are renting out an office? Never mind. I know, a story for later. We’ll be on our way. We need”—she looked directly at him—“money, cash, as much as you can pull from my account. You have my card and know my pin. I’d say my weapons, but someone whined about me traveling with them. I’d like to point out this would be the perfect situation for me to have them.” She shoved a hand through her hair and he assumed Xaya was talking for the moment. A grunt, then she spoke again. “What you can get without them getting suspicious. And an ASP. Make it two. I’m not as good with dual, but it will be better than nothing.” Another pause. “Yes, yes, clothes too.”

  And this woman intrigued him even more.

  “See you soon.” She hung up the phone and put her hands on those hips he loved holding.

  “Xahara.”

  She snapped her gaze back to his, her eyes wide with shock.

  “What?” She heaved a breath and noticeably calmed. “You’ve called me Dove for so long, I wasn’t sure you even remembered my name.”

  Lowering his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “I remember everything about you, Dove.” He drew back a bit and spoke naturally. “I have a call to make, then we can go.”

  Her face screwed up and she shook her head. “Are you sure that’s wise? No offense, but it was on your end that this happened. Then again, if you call from here, they’ll trace it and we can see what kind of response there is.”

  She had valid points.

  “Let’s shake the tree and see what falls.”

  He reached past her for the phone, stole another kiss and dialed.

  Chapter Eight

  After hugging her cousins and reassuring them that she was not hurt anymore, changed into the clothing they brought, she turned and introduced them both to Jager, officially. Right now, both women were plying him with questions as they blatantly roved their eyes over him in feminine appreciation.

  “You did good, cuz. This man is fucking hot,” Xaya said as she walked to Xahara, leaving him with Xandra.

  “We’re not getting married, Xaya. This is temporary.”

  She snorted and shook her head. “Only if you want it to be. That man has it bad for you. Whatever you did to him, he’s hooked.”

  Her body trembled at that statement and she looked over to where he stood, powerful arms crossed, showing off those tattoos and incredible muscles. He lifted his blue gaze and winked, and her pussy clenched in instant reaction.

  “Lust is all that is. He’ll move on and forget about me,” she muttered, despising the words even as they fell from her mouth.

  “You’re not as smart as I thought you were, if that’s what you’re going with. Here’s the money we pulled.”

  She took the envelope and frowned as she looked in. “No fucking way I had this in my account that could have been pulled. There is a few thousand here—what’s going on? Where did you get it?”

  “We each took seventy-five hundred from our banks. We have the same bank and just stopped there.”

  “Damn it, Xaya.”

  Her cousin slashed a hand through the air. “No, you listen. Chances are they know who you are, and if it’s shown you are pulling money, they will think you are aiding and abetting. We’re your ride or die—you need it, we can get it, we will. No questions asked. This is non-negotiable.”

  “No, it’s not.” Xandra, followed by Jager, appeared. “You take it or we go to her dad.”

  Fuck, they played hardball.

  “Thank you,” she said from her heart.

  The three of them hugged, and when they pulled back, Xandra winked and said, “You really want to pay me back, give me a run with handsome here.”

  “Don’t make me kill you, cuz.” The growl left her mouth before she could stop it.

  “Yeah,” Xaya snickered. “Only lust.”

  “Shut up,” she retorted.

  “We need to get moving, Dove.” He slipped a hand al
ong her waist.

  Both her cousins lifted their eyebrows. “Dove? We need to know what got you this nickname. Go make your call and let us question him a bit longer.”

  She bit back her growl and walked away because that wasn’t what she needed to think about, even if she was curious to hear his answer. A short distance away from the three there with her, she brought the keypad on the phone they’d given her. Jager had been given a throwaway as well.

  “Who is this and how did you get my number?” A deep male voice vibrated through the small phone up to her ear.

  “It’s me.”

  “Ace? What the fuck, girl? I thought you were on vacation, and why are you calling from an unknown number?”

  Her team leader was a large man who didn’t take any guff or shit from anyone, no matter how many stars they carried on their shoulders. He was all about his team and keeping them safe. He would fight through hell to make sure they didn’t have to face anything on their own. All they had to do was ask.

  Nathan ‘Scar’ Willard was not a soft man but in a situation like this, there wasn’t anyone else she would consider going to.

  “I’m in trouble and I don’t know who else I can trust.”

  “Where are you? Didn’t you go to Gregory?”

  “Still there. I was in the bank and stumbled on a robbery. I was taken hostage.” She could feel Jager’s eyes on her but she didn’t turn to meet them. “Long story short, I met an undercover—not sure from where, but his handler just had his head blown off in front of us this morning. I can’t trust anyone.”

  A round of curses that would have surprised her, had she not been at the man’s side for years now, fell from him.

  “I have friends on SWAT in Gregory. I can call them in and let them know.”

  “Can you set it up and I’ll call you back to get a location for a meet? My cousins are with me right now, and I want them out of the line of fire.”

  “You never do it half-assed, do you, Ace?”

  She chuckled lightly at his statement. “Learned from the best, Scar.”

  “Give me thirty minutes. Or do you not have that long?”

  She looked around, glancing swiftly over to the inquisitive Jager. “I think we’re safe here for that much longer.”