Ladies of the Night OMNIBUS Collection: Sizzling Romantic Suspense

by Taylor Lee

  Noah changed the images on the screen to show Drechsler in full Army regalia and huffed a disconsolate sigh.

  “It hurts me to say, but, like all of us in this room, Mr. Drechsler is also retired U. S. Army, a Lt. Colonel no less. The fact that he received an officer dismissal, following a closed court martial hearing, testifies to the fact that our miscreant had connections. Nevertheless, as we all know an Officer Dismissal is the same as a dishonorable discharge and ostensibly prevents Mr. Drechsler from owning firearms—according to U.S. federal law—a fact that apparently has escaped Mr. Drechsler and the leading law enforcement agencies in Cochise County.”

  Noah turned to face them. Looking over his shoulder he grimaced.

  “Suffice it to say, our target is as smart as he is dangerous. And it goes without saying that he has a protector high up in the official circles in Washington. In fact, I’m convinced that his protector or protectors are alive and well in the agency that hired us.”

  Diamond was the first to press Noah.

  “That’s quite a charge, Agent Walker. Do you have evidence to support it?”

  Noah shrugged.

  “At this point, Col. Davis, I’m going with my gut. And the fact that my contacts in the ATF have intimated as much.”

  Gray whistled.

  “Wow, man. I happen to know who you and your papa lunch with in the high octane circles of Washington, D.C. Methinks that if anyone should know if they suspect a mole, it would be the bigwigs you routinely consort with.”

  Ian scrubbed at his chin then nodded to the wide-eyed group.

  “Noah is on target. As are you, Gray. It has come to our attention that the ATF may have a high level mole who is making it possible for Drechsler to commit the crimes he is clearly committing—essentially in plain sight of the authorities. The fact that Noah is ostensibly an ATF agent, as well as one of our covert agents, makes him the perfect choice to lead this mission.”

  Noah’s expression lit with a self-effacing grin.

  “Ian, don’t forget to add the additional factor that we are convinced will have those Nazi loving, American hating, gun running SOB’s to come scuttling out of their bunkers. As I told Gray earlier, my skin color is one of our most powerful weapons. There are a lot of things those racist assholes will tolerate; being brought to justice by a black man isn’t one of them.”

  Chapter 5

  Noah pointed the remote control at the central monitor, revealing a row of photographs. Clicking on one after the other, he described the role of each of them.

  “This is our main cast of characters. The red-headed dude here is Logan McIntyre, Drechsler’s right hand man. He plays in the background but is apparently responsible for all the dirty work that Drechsler doesn’t want to muddy his hands with. Like Drechsler, McIntyre left the Army under negative circumstances. In his case, he escaped with a Bad Conduct Discharge and avoided a Court Martial. The word from our informant is that compared to the literate and apparently charming Drechsler, McIntyre is a first rate son of a bitch, feared by the local residents and members of the FAN alike.”

  Noah gave a brief description of each of the men in FAN’s inner circle. He stopped on the sharp-eyed man on the end wearing a black Stetson atop his unruly gray hair. A handlebar mustache that grew into the scruffy beard on his cheeks and chin matched his thick, unkempt, bushy eyebrows.

  “This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Sheriff of Cochise County, the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the County. Sheriff Benjamin James Carter, aka BJC, is a tough talking Gabby Hayes look-alike who could have come straight out of central casting. But don’t underestimate him. He’s as sharp as he is ornery. For the record, if Sheriff Carter isn’t corrupt he’s doing a damn good job of pretending to be. He has no fewer than four long-time deputies, but to date none of them has managed to make a dent in the hold FAN has on their jurisdiction. Just as we haven’t ruled out the Sheriff as an enabler for FAN, we also haven’t ruled out any of his deputies. ”

  Noah clicked the remote and brought up a picture of a dark-haired man with flinty grey eyes and a fierce frown. His stern jaw, replete with dark trimmed facial hair, contributed to his dangerous appearance.

  “This gentleman is Ned Angler, our UC. Ned has done a hell of a job insinuating himself into the FAN. He’s now one of Drechsler’s top advisors. Without the wealth of information Ned feeds us, we wouldn’t be close to taking down Drechsler. As we said, we don’t know how many local or state politicians Drechsler has in his pocket. Now with our concern about a high level mole in the ATF, we also don’t know how long Ned’s cover will hold. That’s where we come in. Literally.

  “As you know, my cover serves us particularly well. I actually am an ATF agent who is often called to work on special assignment. In this case my assignment is to go into Cochise County and take down Drechsler and his operation. Not a small undertaking at best.”

  Noah shifted his attention to Grayson.

  “In addition to a coterie of ATF agents who will go to Cedartown with me, we’ll have two other agents undercover. Gray is scheduled to go undercover as a disgruntled former Army private. According to the cover we’ve created for him, he was dishonorably discharged, under Article 94, for seditious behavior. Gray will do his darndest to insinuate himself into the FAN organization, getting as close to Drechsler and McIntyre as he can.”

  Noah added with a teasing grin, “As we all know, Grayson comes closer to looking like he could be a FAN member than any of us do. Given the mole, it’s essential we get another guy inside. If for no other reason than to protect our man who is in there now. Only the five of us will know that Gray is on the job. Not even ATF Director Chisholm knows about Gray and our other UC we are about to send in. We simply can’t take any chances with our agents.”

  Turning to Ruby, Noah’s grin faded. He didn’t want to indicate in any way that he had qualms about including Ruby on the mission. Particularly since the reason for his concern was because he didn’t know if he could work with her, given his convoluted feelings following their last meeting. He sucked in a ragged breath and forged ahead.

  “As we all know, the best way to get to the head honcho, hell to get to any man, is to sic a beautiful woman on him. Thanks to my boss and especially to Ma-daam Diamond, who we all agree is the ruler of the world, they’ve assigned none other than Agent Harper.” He gave an exaggerated sigh and added, “When I learned that the little spitfire, whom we call Ruby Red behind her back, was going to partner up with Gray and me, my only concern was how to keep that lecherous buddy of mine from annoying her. Do know, Ruby, that you can count on me to hold Agent Webb at bay.”

  Gray snorted in false anger. “Hey, now. Watch it, Commander Walker. As if I’m the only guy on the team whose tongue is hanging out at the mere thought of working with Red. Hell, if anyone packs more womanly charms and downright sexual power on her diminutive body than any woman has a right to, it’s Spitfire!” He turned to Ruby with a grin.

  “No worries, short stuff. Just let me know if our supposedly reticent Commander gets out of line and I’ll kick his sophisticated—but also lascivious—ass!”

  Ruby laughed and shook her head.

  “Several points, Agent Webb. First I’m not diminutive! Good God, you make me sound like a china doll. I am five feet, three inches tall which is a respectable female height in the real world. My only problem is that I hang out with you testosterone laden he-men and the rest of the LOTN babes who, with the exception of me, could walk any fashion runway in the country. It is only in this exceedingly unfair environment that I look ‘diminutive.’ Second, you’d do well to remember our agent code of ethics. No drooling over your teammates, even if between you and Noah, any woman with a hormone in her body should be dripping with drool. Finally, you may call me Spitfire, but god help you if you ever call me short stuff in public.”

  Gray laughed. “Hey, short stuff. Don’t forget that I was only referring to your height when I called you diminutive. I did not in any wa
y minimize any of your other measurements.” He gazed at her body and licked his lips salaciously. “Do know that, in addition to your fiery hair and quick tongue, your bodacious body is the stuff of the wet dreams that we testosterone-amped assholes endure.”

  Noah interrupted their banter, pretending to be annoyed, although in truth he could easily have shoved a fist in Gray’s grinning face.

  “Please know, Agent Harper, that my threat holds. Gray gets out of line and I’ll kick his ass.”

  After several minutes of quipping, mixed with serious planning, Noah brought the briefing to a close. Gray caught his eye and winked, then turned to Ruby, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her next to him.

  “Speaking of kicking asses, I know what an exceptional fighter you are, Spitfire. How about going a few rounds with me in Ian’s MMA ring so we can test each other’s moves? Only you have to promise that you’ll wear one of those body suits that the LOTN babes wear to bring us guys to our knees with our tongues hanging out.”

  Knowing that Gray was purposefully goading him didn’t quell Noah’s rising anger. Fighting against the urge to take him on verbally if not physically, Noah reached for his customary élan and spoke directly to Ruby.

  “Agent Webb is on target. It’s important that we know how each of us works in the field. In that I’m commanding this team, I’ll exercise my prerogative and run you through your fighting paces—if you don’t mind.”

  Noah didn’t know if the flush that rose on Ruby’s cheeks was caused by anger or embarrassment. She had to be annoyed that he and Gray were baiting one another like adolescent boys in the schoolyard, using her as their bait, but, her testy response surprised him.

  “Forgive me, Commander, but I wasn’t aware that LOTN agents needed to pass any tests to qualify for the mission. The fact that Diamond considers me battle-ready should be enough.”

  Diamond broke in. “Indeed it is, Agent Harper. However both of these agents are correct. It doesn’t hurt to know what each of you can expect in the field.” She added, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, “Besides, if Commander Walker hasn’t had the pleasure of being thrown by a woman half his weight and a foot shorter, it’s high time that he does.”

  Ruby shrugged and joined in the laughter. She smiled at her boss.

  “You’re right Diamond, “We LOTN phenomena owe it to give our fellow agents a lesson or two in humility.”

  She met Noah’s gaze and said flippantly, “I’m ready Commander, if you are. I just need to slip into the locker room and don my best weapon, one of those bootie suits—I mean, body suits—that Grayson referred to. Except in my case, they are boy shorts and a halter.”

  She sauntered from the room and smiled over her shoulder at Noah. “I trust you won’t be disappointed.”

  ~~~

  Noah groaned when Ruby entered the gym. Far from being disappointed, he was undone by the flood of emotion storming his body at the sight of her. Grayson was right. Ruby may have been small but every inch of her was bursting with rampant sexuality. Her breasts strained against the halter struggling to contain them. Noah shook his head. If those skimpy shorts that hugged Ruby’s curvy ass like a glove were called boy shorts, he sure as hell hadn’t seen them on any boy. Au contraire. Ruby was as feminine and sexy a woman as he’d seen. The fierce look darkening her emerald eyes only served to ramp up his desire. He admitted that his primary problem was going to be keeping his errant dick under control. He wished like hell that he’d taken the precaution of wearing a protective cup. Unfortunately he didn’t own one that could accommodate his mushrooming erection.

  Forcing an easy smile, he flicked his hand motioning her to the center of the ring.

  “C’mon, Agent Harper, let’s see some of those famous moves that have all the other agents begging to go a couple of rounds with you.” He added, his grin widening. “Don’t worry, commander or not, I’ll take it easy on you, short stuff. I don’t want to damage my UC agent before the mission starts.”

  Ruby jerked back, surprised at Noah’s teasing grin. She should have been relieved because he’d always teased her when they’d worked together in the past. He was never as outrageous as Grayson but had acted as though he enjoyed her free spirited vibe. But this time his grin was more taunting than teasing. It had an unexpected edge to it. Her chest tightening, her uneasiness rose, kicking up the hairs on the back of her neck. Was the glint in his dark brown, almost black, eyes due to anger—or something else?

  Staring at the tall, dark man grinning at her from across the sparring ring waving her forward, Ruby’s fighting spirit kicked in. Noah’s taunting suggestion that he would go easy on her incited her. Spurred by a rush of genuine anger, she screamed a warrior yell and flew across the ring. Flipping through the air, she drove her heel into Noah’s shoulder, knocking him off balance. Ruby didn’t care if he’d let her kick him or if he was genuinely surprised by her vicious assault. At least she’d landed a blow. Unfortunately it was her last clear shot.

  For several minutes, Noah played with her, letting her get close enough to hit him, then darting to the side. Growing angrier by the second, Ruby did what she never did when she fought. She lost her cool. And she let him see it. After several assaults that landed in the air or worse, glanced harmlessly across his muscular torso, Noah caught her as she rushed him. Capturing her flailing body in his strong arms he drove her to the mat, pinning her writhing body beneath him. Infuriated, she thrashed beneath him helplessly—insisting that he let her go.

  “Do you give up, little Spitfire? Concede? Admit that you are hopelessly outmatched by your commander?”

  Noah’s low whispered taunts unleashed a storm of emotions in her, anger being the driving force. But as she thrashed against his powerful body, to her dismay, Ruby felt his fearsome erection pressing between her thighs. Horrified at the sensations flooding her, the least of which was anger, Ruby made a valiant effort to knock Noah off of her. Raising her hips she thrust against him. To her astonishment he landed a sharp slap on her upraised butt. Stunned at the shower of sparkling sensations ricocheting through her groin, Ruby cried out, “What… what was that for?!”

  Noah’s hoarse response was shocking.

  “Because, you little hellcat, you got engaged without talking to me first.”

  Before Ruby could respond to his outrageous assertion, Noah smacked her again and then twice more on each cheek, and growled in her ear, “And those, Spitfire, are for agreeing to marry a supercilious asshole.”

  Chapter 6

  Ruby stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked wild, not unlike the feral hellcat Noah had called her. Her cheeks were flushed a bright scarlet color. Her lips were puffy, swollen. The scrape on her cheek spoke to the rough mat Noah had shoved her against and her struggle to free herself from his rigid hold. Her bright red hair was splayed across her shoulders in a tangled mess. She couldn’t remember untying the scrunchie tie she used to keep her unruly hair off her face when she fought. She realized with a start that Noah had ripped it off when he tossed her to the mat. She fought to breathe, remembering his agonized groan when he pressed her against the ground. The memory of him hovering over her, his aroused body capturing her, constraining her, elicited a harsh groan of her own.

  Dear God, what had happened? How, why, had they done what they did? Whatever had possessed Noah to pin her to the ground? And what crazy impetus had caused him to spank her? Not once but several times? The memory of his hand landing on her nearly bare bottom in a series of stinging slaps sent a surge of sensations to her clit. The telltale dampness flooding her panties left no doubt as to how wildly erotic those unexpected slaps had been. Not able to resist, Ruby turned her backside to the mirror and pulled down the tight shorts. She cried out at the sight of the rosy red handprints staining her ass cheeks. Struggling against the sensations the provocative marks elicited, she fell to her knees in dismay. Surely she couldn’t, shouldn’t, be aroused.

  Sinking to her butt on the floor she res
ted against the wall groaning when her sore bottom hit the ground. Fighting to make sense of the last ten minutes she forced herself to remember what had happened prior to them heading to the ring. Clearly something was amiss from the beginning. From the time she’d walked into the conference room, Noah had seemed distant, unlike his usual easygoing self. At first, she’d thought that she was projecting her uneasiness onto him. But as the briefing continued and the banter between Noah and Grayson sharpened, Ruby’s nervousness had risen.

  Preparing for the briefing, she admitted that she was troubled by the way Noah had affected her at the Washington party. Usually charming and sophisticated, he seemed to change during their encounter. His rigid jaw and clipped replies confirmed that something was wrong. Ruby couldn’t tell whether Noah was more annoyed with Stuart or with her. Stuart had certainly annoyed the hell out of her but Noah had seemed outwardly tolerant of his obsequiousness. Which left her to conclude that he was reacting to her.

  Endlessly replaying the encounter, Ruby admitted that she’d felt compromised, uncertain. Natalia was so beautiful and refined, and clearly at home in the upscale gathering. In contrast, Ruby had felt out of place, garish. It hadn’t helped that Stuart had openly disparaged her in front of Noah and the gorgeous woman. Looking back on the party Ruby had been forced to examine her relationship with Stuart. The comparison between her fiancé and Noah did not favor Stuart. In fact it made him look petty and like the worst kind of social climber. She’d been so distressed by the meeting that she’d barely spent time with Stewart the last couple of weeks even though she was leaving for a lengthy mission. She’d dealt with her reluctance to see him by convincing herself that the break would do them both good.

  Forcing herself to remember Noah briefing the team, Ruby had been relieved when the meeting came to a close. She’d hoped that she could leave the room without having to talk directly with Noah, at least until she could sort through her confusing emotions. She was grateful when Gray challenged her to a sparring match, thinking that the physical exercise would help relieve her tension, and that maybe Gray could give her some insight into what was troubling their mutual friend. But as Gray laughingly draped an arm around her shoulders preparing to lead her from the room, she didn’t miss the sparks flaring in Noah’s blazing eyes. She couldn’t discern if he was angry with her or annoyed at Gray’s kidding around. But she’d truly been surprised at the emotional tsunami that swamped her when Noah stepped forward and pushed Gray aside, indicating that he, not Gray, would test her fighting prowess.