Their Virgin’s Secret, Masters of Menage, Book 2

by ShaylaBlack LexiBlake

  Burke knew he should be horrified, but all he could think about was how much he wanted to be there for Caleb and any other children he, Cole, and Jessa had in the future.

  “Don’t worry about us here,” Dex continued. “We’ve hired extra security for the place. Round the clock. These guys are solid, man. There is no way Marco could get to them. I trust them with my family.”

  Burke breathed a sigh of relief. Marco had already proven he could get inside law enforcement. He’d even managed to pay off their private investigator. Burke was sure Marco knew about their ties to the James family. He had to trust Dex. The man and his brothers were putting their own kids in the line of fire to help Burke and Cole.

  “Has anyone talked to the DA?” Burke asked. He didn’t hold out much hope, but if the DA had anything on the younger Delgado, it might slow the fucker down.

  “Slade has been on the phone with him for hours. God, Burke, next time this shit happens can you keep it in Texas? We would have this shut down here. We don’t have the same pull in New York. Anyway, they’re willing to offer you witness protection.”

  Fuck, no. “I’ll pass.”

  “I wouldn’t let you go,” Dex admitted. “We know Marco Delgado has feds on the payroll. The DA seems solid, but I’m not going to turn you over to him. Even he didn’t recommend going into witness protection. Off the record, of course. He’s lost a witness in the last six months. She was connected to one of Delgado’s distributors. Look, I think he’s on the up and up, but he’s only one man. The cops are going through what’s left of Jessa’s house. It’s a mess. It’s going to take time.”

  That was what Marco was counting on. “Did they identify the body?”

  Maybe the identity of the man Marco had sent to set those bombs would help.

  “Not so easy in the charred remains. We’re going to need dental records. He couldn’t have been a higher-up in the organization. I don’t think Marco intended for him to get out of that house alive. He knew when your plane was coming in. He had to. He was waiting there. The cops found what appears to be the trigger device about a quarter of a mile from Jessa’s house. We think he was watching from the woods. With binoculars, he would have been able to see you coming.”

  “Yeah, we got that when he managed to call us just as we were fleeing the scene.” Burke tried to juggle the phone and his laptop. “Did you manage to copy those files before you brought them to me?”

  “Yes. That secretary of yours is a pit bull, by the way.”

  Hilary? She’d always been polite and spoken in soft Southern tones to him. She and Cole, had never gotten along, but he could be an ass, too. “Sorry if she gave you hell. I didn’t think to call her first.”

  “She was pissed off. And damn but she thinks you walk on water. The whole time I was packing up hard drives, she was telling me how you would beat the crap out of me when you found out how I had treated her. You got something going with her?”

  “God, no.” He wouldn’t touch her with a twelve-foot pole and a Hazmat suit. She was deeply competent, but the blonde did nothing for him physically. “I’ve never thought of her as anything but an office manager. Look, I don’t know what’s up with her, but she’s just the woman who does my paperwork and books.”

  “I don’t think she sees it that way.”

  With a grimace, Burke grabbed the CD he’d made earlier of files from Hilary’s computer so he could transfer them to his and compare. He needed to keep searching, see what other weaknesses in their security he and Cole might have that Marco could exploit. He popped open the drive. “Seriously, man. She handles my travel and—”

  Fuck. Lying there, small, black, deadly was a little tracking device. He knew what it was the instant he saw it. “Goddamn it.”

  “She knew when your plane was coming in, didn’t she?”

  “Yeah,” he said, his mind racing. “We booked the flight from Medellin to Mexico City on our own, but she worked a miracle to get us on the flight to Dulles. It was full. I’m now wondering if Delgado helped her manage that.” Maybe the PI hadn’t been the only one on Marco’s payroll.

  Dex was quiet for a moment. “She was particularly upset that I took her hard drive, but by then she knew I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “You didn’t insert a tracking device in my computer’s DVD drive, did you?” Burke doubted it, but just in case…

  “No. Why would I?”

  “That’s what I thought. Hang on.”

  He cursed as he raced to retrieve her computer. Quickly, he booted it up and retrieved her e-mails. She was meticulous. She kept everything. Every freaking e-mail. There were thousands. He typed the private investigator’s name into the search function and finally had what he wanted. The original reports from the PI.

  He cursed. “Fuck me, Dex. Hilary is our Judas. I gotta talk to my brother.”

  They were in way deeper shit than even he’d imagined.

  * * * *

  Cole sighed. He didn’t want to get up, but the sun was just about to slip under the horizon for the day. Time to leave soon. Jessa lay on his chest, her soft breaths making a rhythm he found soothing. She was here in his arms. It was a fucking miracle.

  “Baby,” he whispered, his hands tracing her curves. Her skin was so damn soft. “We have to get ready to go. We have a long drive ahead of us.”

  She groaned, sounding drowsy and sleep-soft. “Don’t want to. Cold outside.”

  He chuckled. She was so much easier to deal with after ten or so orgasms. He made a mental note. When Jessa got difficult, he would simply tie her down and make her come until she purred like a kitten and wrapped herself around him.

  “I would do just about anything if we could stay right here.” He meant it. He’d give anything for the danger to be over, for his worst problem to be figuring out how to change Caleb’s diapers. He knew their son liked rice cereal, and that Jessa had just started him on mashed banana. She’d also told him that he liked to get both everywhere. The thought of their son made his heart twist.

  Caleb was the expression of their love for Jessa. Cole wouldn’t take him back for anything. He would endure every minute of pain and isolation again for a single shot at knowing his boy and loving Jessa.

  Jessa sat up in bed, the sheet coming down, and her breasts were on display for a moment. His cock hardened again. He wouldn’t ever stop wanting her. All she had to do was be in the same room and he was hard and ready to mount her. His mate.

  She rubbed at her eyes, then finally seemed to realize that she was naked. She pulled the sheet up. “Do you mind?”

  She wanted to play modest now? Ain’t happening. “Yeah, I mind that you covered them.”

  She shot him a look that was probably designed to kill, but he didn’t let it affect him. “Cole, I’d like to get dressed.”

  “Then you should, I suppose. Baby, I’m not leaving the room. Nor will I turn away and pretend I didn’t spend the last several hours with my cock inside your pretty ass.”

  “God, that was rude!”

  He smiled, the very act lifting his spirits. “No, it was amazing. You have got the tightest little backside I’ve ever fucked.”

  Cool green eyes rolled. “Not exactly a compliment, Cole.”

  He shrugged. He’d thought it was. “Well, I wasn’t going to put it on a bumper sticker or anything. Unless you want. Or a T-shirt. That might be nice.”

  Jessa shook her head, and her laughter was beautiful to Cole’s ears. She hadn’t laughed once since they’d pulled her from her big Victorian house. He could certainly see why she hadn’t, but he wanted her to laugh now. He wanted to fill her life with it.

  She turned, her hair covering half her face, making her look like a siren. “Burke would tell me how beautiful my eyes are. But not Cole. No. You discuss the elasticity of my anus. What the hell am I going to do with you?”

  “Love me.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

  Jessa stopped, her laughter silenced, but Col
e wouldn’t take the words back. He was done being scared, being weak. How could he get what he wanted if he didn’t ask for it? Maybe he wasn’t good enough for her, but he could be. Loving Jessa had changed him already. He was better, and he would be the man she needed. If she didn’t love him anymore, he’d work day and night until she fell for him again. He wasn’t going to let his fucking uncle win for the rest of his life. He wasn’t going to be the same sort of miserable prick Martin had been.

  She sniffled and got out of bed. “Cole, I don’t know if I can do that. I think the wounds run too deep.” She reached for her bag and pulled on her underwear. “I’m not the same girl I was when you met me.”

  No. She was even more beautiful. Being a mother had made her stronger. “I’m not the same man.”

  She worked the hooks on her bra and started to put on the jeans Hannah had given her. “I think you are, Cole. I don’t think a man like you changes. You need adventure. I can’t give you that.”

  “You think I like getting shot at? Let me tell you something, baby. It sucks. It hurts, and I’m getting way too old for it. I would rather hang up my guns and spend the majority of my time playing Mr. Mom while you paint. But Jessa, there is one thing on this earth I am good at, and that’s tracking down people. Burke and I are the best. We’ve used our expertise to track criminals and terrorists, but we found a calling in finding missing persons. I don’t know if I can give that up, but I can promise that we’ll stay in the States, and we’ll always come home to you.”

  She smoothed the sweater down, her eyes still wary. “I don’t…”

  The door to the bathroom banged open. Burke rushed through, laptop in hand. He put it down on the desk and started shutting everything down. “Cole, get dressed. We have to get out of here. Hilary is in on this. She’s in on everything. And she put a tracking device in my laptop.”

  Cole absorbed the information. It computed instantly. Fuck. Why hadn’t he considered that Hilary was their leak? She was a cold bitch. He hadn’t pegged her as the type to sell her beloved Burke out for money, but apparently he’d been wrong.

  Jumping out of bed, Cole crammed his legs in his jeans, listening as Burke talked.

  “The PI was on the up and up. I found his initial reports. There’s nothing about her marriage. He simply states she came back from Scotland and adopted a cat named Angus. He gives updates on the progress of her pregnancy. He did a good job. And Hilary hid it all.”

  “Bitch. You know I never liked her.” Cole had always felt her disdain for him.

  “It’s obvious from that one phone call I overheard that she wants Burke,” Jessa said, rushing to get her meager belongings together. “So she made sure I was no longer ‘available.’ I’m sure when Delgado made his offer, she didn’t hesitate. She wants Burke alive and me dead.”

  “Fucking bitch. I will deal with her,” Burke promised, his face flushing a violent red.

  “We’ll deal with her,” Cole replied, pulling his shirt on. “But right now, we’re leaving. We have to dump the equipment. If she put a tracking device in your computer, she may have put one in something else we’re carrying. And it’s almost six o’clock. Our time is nearly up. We leave now with nothing but the clothes on our backs and the cash. Let’s go.”

  He had to get Jessa out of here.

  His hand was on the door when it blasted open. The door exploded inward, hitting him directly in the head, sending him reeling.

  Then chaos ruled. The moment the door fell away to reveal a gaping hole to the winter, something flew in. Cole caught sight of it. A cylindrical black object. Fuck. Flashbang. Cole leapt for Jessa, trying to cover her with his body, but he couldn’t quite reach her. She stood by the bed, her eyes wide with terror.

  The stun grenade went off, deafening him. The sound shook the room, and his eyes shut to try to keep out the blinding flash of light. Heat and sound and fury all in one little package. Jessa screamed. He felt his brother beside him. Both tried to protect Jessa.

  “Oh, Mr. Lennox, I don’t think you need that gun.” A smooth voice could barely be heard over the ringing in his ears. “Gentleman, take those two down.”

  Cole turned to the sound, trying to focus long enough to get off a shot. And then he lost all control as twin darts bit into his skin, sinking into his flesh and sending fifty thousand volts through his system.

  Fucking Taser. Every muscle in Cole’s body jerked and spasmed in a chorus of agony. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t do anything. He registered that his brother was beside him, body also jerking. In this, as in all things, they shared the pain.

  The horrible cracking sound cut off, but Cole knew it wasn’t over. Even his body couldn’t take a military grade Taser and leap back into the fray. He tried to make his arms move. Nothing. Fucking nothing.

  “Gentleman, this was far too easy.” Marco Delgado came into view. He was dressed in an urbane suit, his hair perfectly cut, wearing a wicked little smile on his face. “I expected more. I suppose this means I win. I doubt you’ll let it pass, but I want to remind you that I kept my word about the boy. I’m not a monster. Just a son looking for revenge. And now I have it.”

  He flicked a hand, and one of his goons walked forward, carrying Jessa’s body. Fuck. She wasn’t moving. His heart seized up. No! If she was dead, he wouldn’t be far behind. Jessa. God, what had he done?

  “Ah, there’s the panic I wanted to see. I knew I was right about her when I bribed your secretary to send me the private investigator’s files. I saw the adoration on your faces that day at the Waldorf. I knew for certain she was the proper instrument for my vengeance when I realized you were paying a fortune to keep tabs on her.”

  “Leeetttt heeerrr goooooo,” Burke groaned, his arms jerking as though he wanted to get his hands around the man’s throat.

  Delgado scoffed. “No. And to answer the question in your brother’s eyes, no, she’s not dead.” Delgado put a hand on her back, sliding it down her curves. “She’s taking a little nap. In fact, I’m not going to kill her right away. That would be far too easy for all of you. You cost my father his life and the consortium I inherited, along with its good name in the business. I intend to get it all back, and your lovely lady will help me. Redheads are so hard to find, and they do so well in the more exotic places of the world. I’ll sell her. Imagine that as you search for her. Imagine all the men who will enjoy her body and her pain against her will. I know I intend to. Good night, gentlemen. I expect the next phase of our game will be challenging for you.”

  And then it began again. Just as he managed to move his fingers with the slightest bit of purpose, the two men who stood over he and Burke, flicked the switch again. Fire lit through his system and he jerked. Angry tears he couldn’t stop blurred his eyes. His head jerked, striking the floor over and over.

  Finally, darkness took him.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Burke came to in little stages. Flashes of reality. Flashes of horror. He blinked his eyes open, then slammed them shut when the lights were much too bright. Every muscle ached. Tired. He was so damn tired, as though he’d run a marathon. His muscles protested at any hint of use. His eyes drifted shut, and he wanted to let sleep take him, but something wicked played at the edge of his consciousness.

  Jessa.

  The events of the evening slammed back into his head with horrible clarity. Burke forced his eyes open. How long had she been gone? The tiny motel room shook. Thunder. A storm. God, Jessa was out in that storm, and he had no idea where, with a vengeful bastard determined to use and kill her. And where was his brother?

  “Cole?”

  “Fuck. I hate Tasers.” Cole sat up, patting his chest. Tiny blood spots dotted his T-shirt where the darts had bitten into his flesh. Burke looked down and could see his own.

  He struggled to his feet, his muscles shaking. “We have to go. We have to find her.”

  “Figure out where she is, yeah. What time is it? How long were we out?” Cole flexed his hand and st
retched. His skin looked ashen, his eyes red rimmed.

  “About twenty minutes.” Long enough for Jessa to vanish. Long enough for her to be lost forever.

  “We have to alert the police, have the airports shut down,” Cole said. “Where’s the phone? Fuck. They took the phones.” He looked around the room. “They even took the goddamn landline. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

  Burke took a deep breath, forcing the air into his lungs. “We have to stay calm and find a phone, call Dex.” He darted for the door. There would be a phone in the lobby unless Delgado had murdered everyone in the motel and taken all their phones. Burke turned back to his brother. “Look around. See if they forgot anything.”

  He threw open the door and stopped in his tracks. A woman stood outside their room, the rain beating on her. She was turned away from him, her blonde hair wet and mangled against the back of her dark coat. Despite the darkness, he knew who stood there, and he was shocked that the bitch had the gall to ever stand in his presence again.

  “Hilary.”

  Cole stomped to his side in an instant. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  She turned slowly, as though forcing herself to make the movement. Mascara streaked down her face. Her blue eyes blinked in a vacant shock. Burke had never seen Hilary when she was anything less than perfect. Flawless makeup and hair. Designer clothes in the most flattering styles. Now Hilary was a wreck. She stood there, whole body shaking, and he knew she’d been through something terrible.

  He didn’t give a shit.