by Lucy Score
“Just you. For now.”
“I’ll be by in the morning.”
“Thanks, man. Do me a favor and text me when you’re on your way.”
Micah was silent for a moment, processing. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Saint.”
Xavier hoped so, too.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
When Xavier crawled into bed in what was left of the night, he’d pulled Waverly into his side. What started as a sweet goodnight kiss Waverly was all too happy to push farther. They made love again, this time leisurely as if they had all the time in the world. And it was just as shattering, if not more so. They savored each other, moving slowly, whispering softly as streetlights played across the bed.
She could have told him all of it. Confessed that Dante was her partner, not her lover. But she needed that one last layer of defense between them. Tonight was a reminder of how devastating Xavier Saint could be. As he murmured words of love against her neck, she clung to that shield. And when he said the words her heart craved, she felt her grip slipping, the shield falling.
“I love you, Angel. I love you.”
“Xavier.” She sighed into the blooming ecstasy as it lifted her up and carried her away, but he was there with her, holding her to him as if he was afraid she would disappear beneath him.
--------
Morning began abruptly with a brisk knock on the bedroom door. Waverly and Xavier both reached for guns before realizing it was the Invictus knock.
“I’m guessing you slept through my text,” Micah’s voice carried through the door.
“Fuck,” Xavier swore under his breath.
“I’m leaving both your bags from the truck outside the door in case you need clothes for some reason.”
“You’re never living this down,” Waverly predicted.
“Shut up, Angel.”
He softened his words with a kiss on his way to the door. She loved the way he looked in suits, so sexy and urbane. But naked Xavier prowling a room was a breathtaking sight.
He opened the door, grabbed the bags, and tossed a middle finger in the direction of the kitchen for good measure.
He returned to her bedside and dropped her bag at her feet.
“Are you ever not hard?” Waverly wondered, studying his thickly veined erection with fascination.
“Jesus, Angel. Stop looking at me like that. You’re already not going to be able to walk. Do you want to be incapacitated?”
She reached for him and laughed when he danced out of her way. “Get dressed, and if you behave yourself for the next hour, I’ll make it worth your while,” he promised.
She watched him prowl into the bathroom. He glanced back out at her. “By the way, this wasn’t a fluke or a one-night stand or a mistake. We’re back together,” he announced and slammed the door on any denial she tried to throw his way.
While she wasn’t thinking of the night before as a one-night stand, Waverly was by no means ready to consider a reconciliation either. It was a topic she would tackle with him later.
Enjoying the delicious soreness in her body, Waverly tugged on yoga shorts and a sweatshirt she had buried in the bottom of her bag and went to visit Micah in the kitchen. The loft looked different in the daylight and without the sexual haze that had clouded her vision last night. Everything was sterile, modern, and state-of-the-art from the gleaming kitchen countertops to the arresting canvases on the exposed brick walls.
Micah took one look at her and raised his gaze to the ceiling. “I feel like I shouldn’t be looking at you right now.”
“We’re all adults, Micah,” she reminded him, snagging a mug of coffee and digging for sugar in the pantry.
“Well, as a slightly older adult, I hope you both know what you’re doing. I’m not looking forward to picking up any pieces this time around.”
Waverly patted his shoulder. “Micah, I think we’ve all grown up a bit. Trust Xavier to make his own decisions, okay?”
“If you two fuck this up again, I don’t want either of you to come crying to me about it.”
“Your support means a lot,” Waverly said dryly.
The door to the bedroom flew open, and Xavier hustled into the room. He was wearing another custom black suit, this one without a tie. The evidence of bed and sex head had been combed out of his hair. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Waverly, and she saw the relief flood his face.
“I thought you took off again,” he sighed.
Micah grumbled something that included the word “pussy” under his breath, and Waverly glared at him. “Behave,” she warned him.
Xavier came into the kitchen and, ignoring the mug she held out for him, dipped his head to capture her mouth. The kiss was swift and hard, possessive. Waverly knew he was using it to remind her of last night and the fact that he’d staked his claim once again.
“I can come back later if you have better things to do than discuss espionage and missing persons,” Micah grumbled.
“Jesus, Waverly. Couldn’t you have put some pants on?” Xavier complained.
“Oh, my God. Both of you sit down and shut up,” she ordered, pointing at the glass and iron dining table.
Xavier opened his mouth again, but she cut him off with a stern look. “Uh-uh, sit,” she told him, shaking her head.
Both men grumbled their way over to the table and sat. A knock at the door had them both rising again.
“Relax. It’s Kate,” she called over her shoulder as she moved to the entryway.
Xavier ignored her and followed her to the door. He wouldn’t let her open it. Instead, he shoved her behind his back and turned the handle.
“Hey, X-Factor. Nice digs,” Kate said, brushing past him. “I brought donuts.” She scented the air. “I’m willing to trade them for coffee.”
Once everyone was settled around the table with sugary baked goods and caffeine, Waverly deigned it time to begin.
“So, to make sure everyone is up to speed, Xavier I assume you blabbed to Micah about my alternate line of employment.”
Xavier nodded, pulling his chair closer to her. “I did.”
“Kate, everyone knows about my work with Target,” Waverly confirmed to her friend.
“Great.” Kate bobbed her blonde head. “Uh-huh. So can we get to the part where Xavier causes a mob scene at Volt?”
“He was my distraction to get to Petra. I had her cornered after we slipped her guards. She has information about Dante, but we were interrupted—”
“Someone thought they were prostitutes,” Xavier filled in.
Waverly shot him a look. “Anyway, I need to get to Petra again, which is going to be more difficult now that her guards think I’m Satan.”
“Did she say why she hasn’t contacted you since that night in Tahoe?” Kate asked.
“She said her father wouldn’t let her. I don’t know if he thinks I was part of the raid, or if I’m just trouble. Either way, after last night, her guards aren’t going to let me within a five-mile radius of her.”
Xavier was kicked back in his chair angled toward her and watching. “So what do we do?”
“I want you to find a way into her house.”
“You want the owners of Invictus Security to break into a house?” Micah clarified.
“It takes balls to play the game,” Waverly said sweetly.
“I’ve been in her house before. It’s a twelve-bedroom mausoleum that sits on five acres. There are guards aplenty. And, as Micah probably knows, an Invictus Security system.”
The pained look on his face told her he was probably hoping she didn’t have that information.
She leveled her gaze at him. “Micah, I know this isn’t easy. But I believe that Petra is being targeted. Someone has tried to get to her on two separate occasions by sending in armed teams. I need your help to make sure they don’t succeed.”
“Are you sure you’re not just doing this to find out where your boyfriend is?”
Micah challenged.
“Micah.” Xavier’s voice held a measure of restrained anger.
“This is my company, too, Saint,” Micah reminded him. “I still have a say.”
Waverly cut in. “Ultimately, yes. I do want to find Dante. But my first priority is to get to Petra and keep her safe. She’s the one innocent party in this mess, and I’m not going to let her pay a price for it,” Waverly said coolly.
“I’m on board, of course,” Kate put in. “But where do we stand with the studio? Brad wasn’t too happy with you for flying home early. He’s going to go ape shit when he hears you were clubbing together.”
“I was ordered off of the assignment. I’m supposed to be lying low,” Waverly said for Micah’s benefit. “So Brad’s going to take last night as a personal affront. Especially if there’s any coverage of what actually happened. He’s going to see it as me going rogue.”
“What are the consequences for going rogue?” Micah wanted to know.
She shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. We don’t do the heavy lifting that other agencies do. We just gather intel. For all I know, Dante doing a little extra research into the assignment could have been labeled going rogue, and they could have sidelined him somehow.”
“Do you think that’s a possibility?” Xavier asked, watching her closely.
“I’m working under the hypothesis that Brad decided to expand the side business by accepting contracts from the private sector. I had a friend look into Grigory Stepanov, and she couldn’t find a speck of dirt on the guy.”
“Travers with the FBI confirms that there’s no official investigation into Stepanov on his end,” Xavier added. “He also found no record of a police report regarding the incident in Lake Tahoe, which is interesting considering that no one called the cops when a heavily armed team turns a house into a shooting gallery.”
“So unless it’s another agency trying to keep this very quiet, I’m leaning toward a private player,” Waverly told them.
When Xavier nodded, she was pleased to realize he’d come to the same conclusion.
“This has the potential to be a lot bigger than finding a missing person,” Xavier said, addressing the table. “If Tomasso started picking up jobs he shouldn’t be touching, we’ve got some serious problems.”
“Another reason to not get involved,” Micah tried again.
“Brad strikes me as the kind of guy who’d be willing to go pretty far to clean up a mess,” Kate spoke up, through a mouthful of donut.
Including taking out one of his own agents, Waverly thought. “I agree with Kate. Dante and I both felt there was something off with the assignment from the get go. There were no objectives—just get and stay close. Brad knew we were going to Tahoe, and Dante was supposed to check in with him that evening.”
“So either Tomasso sent in a backup team, or the client just needed inside surveillance so they could make their move,” Xavier ventured.
Micah sighed and poked at the half-eaten donut on his napkin. “I really don’t like it when you guys work together,” he said morosely.
“Cheer up, pal. Weren’t you just saying how things had been quiet for a while?” Xavier said.
“I was saying that so you’d take a fucking vacation, not drag me into some kind of espionage plot.”
“What do you need from us?” Xavier asked Waverly with a spark in his eyes.
“A lot, and I hope you’re feeling generous. Brad kept his players list under wraps. The only other agent I worked with was Dante. But if I go back through our assignments, could you have your research team take a peek and verify that they were legitimate investigations?”
Micah nodded, finally finding a task he felt comfortable with. “If you can get me the backgrounds and timelines I should be able to pull some information together for you.”
“Great. Then I’m going to need a way into Petra’s estate, and I need it fast. These guys aren’t going to wait, and if the studio gets it in their head to sideline me—”
“That’s not going to happen,” Xavier cut in. “No one gets to you.”
“That’s why I want you going after Petra with me, X,” Waverly smiled.
“What about the money trail?” Kate piped up.
“I’ve got a friend who’ll follow that. If Brad’s not just taking government contracts anymore, I need to prove it. Micah, once you pull together the data about any fishy investigations, I’ll have her see if there’s money to follow there as well.”
“I’d like to talk to your friend,” Xavier said. “Invictus can extend our resources to her.”
Kate and Waverly shared a look. “I don’t know if that will be possible, but I’ll be sure to extend the offer,” Waverly said, choosing her words carefully.
“So how do we find out what Brad’s up to? And if he’s going to come after you?” Kate asked, graciously changing the subject.
Waverly’s phone rang, and she glanced down at the screen. “I guess I just answer the phone.”
Xavier and Micah both stood up abruptly and began heatedly debating the best course of action.
Waverly sent Kate a signal and took the phone into the living area while Kate chucked a donut at the guys to get them to shut up.
“Brad, what do I owe the pleasure?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“He wants you to do what?” Xavier snapped.
Micah looked like he was going to barf up his donut.
“My new assignment is to kidnap Petra Stepanov,” Waverly repeated, tossing her phone down on the table.
Kate picked up another donut and shoved half of it at Waverly.
“I’m to snatch her Saturday.” Four days from now.
“You said you just gather intel,” Micah began.
Waverly nodded. “My recent performance has led to some doubt about my loyalties,” she said, quoting Brad. “I can redeem myself by stepping up my game and collecting ‘the asset.’”
“This is insane,” Xavier argued. “What are you supposed to do with her?”
“I’m supposed to keep her in a secure location until I can deliver her personally to Brad.”
“Sounds like a freaking trap to me,” Kate said, shaking her head.
Waverly shook her head. “It makes perfect sense. He can’t get to her. I’m the only one who’s been able to get close enough. So either I fulfill the assignment, and he gets what he wants, or I fail, and I’m out of the way anyway.”
“You mean going down in a hail of bullets,” Xavier said. He was pacing now. Gone was the calm, calculating man from moments ago. He’d been replaced by a caged animal. Waverly saw it then, the vulnerability he carried because of her. She was his weakness… and he was hers.
“This doesn’t change step one,” Kate reminded everyone. “We still need to talk to Petra and find out what she knows.”
“It’s a big jump from breaking and entering to kidnapping,” Micah put in.
“Between Xavier and I, I’m sure we can convince Petra to come with us. So we’re back to just breaking and entering,” Waverly reassured him. Micah didn’t look like he was buying it.
“Are you actually considering doing this?” Xavier demanded.
“I just want to talk to her, and I want your help in assessing how safe she is in that house. If I don’t take her, Brad will just have someone else do it.”
Xavier closed his eyes and took a slow breath. Waverly went to him and put her arms around his waist. “I need your help, X.”
He dropped his forehead to hers. “And you’ll have it. But I’m not letting you walk into a trap.”
“Oh, my God! Xaverly’s back!” Kate cheered from the table.
“No, we’re not,” Waverly warned. “I just… we’re just…”
“Yes, we are,” Xavier said arrogantly.
“You might want to look away,” Kate warned Micah. “The smolder they put off is kind of eye-searing.”
Micah grumbled and got up
from the table. “One of us has to get to the office to make sure we still have a functioning company until we destroy it by getting involved with this shit,” he said, buttoning his jacket. “Get me that information, Sinner, and I’ll have Research start on it ASAP.”
“Thanks, Micah,” she called after him as he headed for the door.
Waverly turned her attention back to Xavier. “Are you going to be okay, X?”
“You’ll have to forgive me. I’ve had a lot happen in the last twelve hours,” he said with sarcasm.
“Poor baby. I’ll make it up to you,” she promised.
“I told you it wasn’t a one-time thing,” he smirked.
“Just because we’re having sex doesn’t mean that we’re a couple. It doesn’t even have to mean that we like each other.”
“Oh, we like each other, Angel.”
“So listen, sorry to interrupt your foreplay banter, but you’re not making anything up right now,” Kate said, checking the time on her phone. “We’ve gotta go, Wave.”
Waverly frowned at Kate. “Where?”
“Spa day with Sylvia. She put it in the books with me when you got back. Limo will pick us up here in ten.”
“I’ll go with you,” Xavier said, holding her hips closer.
Waverly smiled up at him. “You can’t, X. I need you to do something else for me.”
“What?”
She dragged him toward the bedroom.
“Nine minutes,” Kate called after her. “Do not get naked! I have a massage booked in an hour.”
Waverly stuck her tongue out at her friend and shut the bedroom door behind her. She sat on the bed while Xavier wandered restlessly. He was trying to process the astronomical amount of information he’d been dealt since last night. The woman he’d resumed a smoking hot sexual relationship with was a spy, and he was about to be party to a kidnapping. It was a lot to take in. What he needed, Waverly decided, was a task to keep him busy.
“Listen, X. I can’t cancel on my mother. She’s doing this as a checkup to make sure I’m taking care of myself and all that. So I need you to go to my house and get the assignment information for Micah.”
