by Dawn Ryder
But this was Mercer. She cared what he thought of her. It was that simple and had roots that twisted deep inside her.
She nodded, her throat tightening because she realized he was reaching out to her. Trusting her when he wasn’t a man who gave out confidence easily. His gaze burned into hers. She could feel him trying to read her thoughts, struggling to trust her.
“Saxon will call me a fool.” He kissed her hand and rolled away from her. The bed rocked as he settled on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
She worried her lower lip, debating whether or not to keep her mouth shut. It would be the wiser course of action.
But not the one she wanted to take.
“Because of Vitus?” she asked.
Mercer turned his head so that he was looking at her. “What do you know about that?”
She shrugged. “Not much, just what I’m picking up by being the silent observer. Vitus obviously used to do the same sort of work Saxon does. He had a good year’s worth of hair on him that he cut off, surprising you. Clearly it’s significant. He said he was back. That’s got to mean he was on the bench, so to speak.”
“They did work together.” His expression tightened. “It was a woman who caused Vitus to lose his shield.”
Mercer was torn. She could see the conflict in his dark eyes. It made her sick. He’d faced snipers without a single flinch, but trusting her was making him doubt.
She reached past him and grabbed the handcuffs, locking one around her wrist. He captured her hand before she got the second one around his wrist. He rolled over her again, pressing down until he claimed her mouth in a kiss.
She hummed with enjoyment.
It was possible she outright purred.
All she knew for certain was that it felt perfect to have his mouth on hers. She kissed him back, opening her lips as he pressed them apart. He tasted good. Hot. Virile. Like something she was addicted to.
And she wanted another hit.
There was no questioning the impulse. There was only need and hunger. He sat up, ripping his shirt off.
“Perfect…” She flattened her hands on his chest, sweeping her fingertips across the ridges of muscle. Her toes were curling, sensation rippling down her spine. There was a sense of being reunited with something that had been withheld from her for too long. She hadn’t realized how much she longed for him.
“Your turn, baby.” He didn’t wait for her to move.
No, not Mercer. He took action, earning a soft sound of enjoyment from her as he tugged her shirt up and over her head. She settled back down on the bed, the cool night air touching her bare breasts as his gaze took her in.
“Now, that … is perfection … baby.”
He came down, seeking out her nipples, first one and then the other. She gasped, arching up to offer them to him. The heat from his mouth felt like it traveled straight from her nipple to her clit. She was withering but also needy for more of him.
She grabbed his belt and worked it loose. He sat up, back on his haunches as she opened his fly and freed his cock. It sprang free the moment she popped the last button, swollen and hard and full of the promise of satisfaction.
“Like what you found?”
“I do.” She drew her fingers along his length, delighting in the way his jaw tightened. His cock was silky smooth but hot.
“Good, because I plan to give it to you.” His voice was rough. She shivered in response. He reached out and stroked her cheek.
“I love the way you tremble for me, baby…”
It wasn’t the sort of polished compliment she’d been raised to expect—it was far better. More sincere, more honest. For a moment their gazes were fused, the need they stirred in each other flowing freely between them with no way for either of them to hide from it.
There was only surrender left.
To each other.
Mercer moved a second later, pulling her sweatpants down and tossing them over the side of the bed. He stood up and dropped his jeans, crawling back onto the bed like the predatory cat she often thought of him as.
The prowl was there.
The hunger for prey.
But he wasn’t the only one with an appetite.
Zoe came up and met him in the middle of the bed, slipping her hands along his shoulders as he angled his head and claimed her mouth in a searing kiss once again. This time he captured the back of her head, holding her in place as he ravaged her mouth. Her thoughts scattered and she laughed in carefree abandonment.
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“I want to live in this moment.”
Zoe cupped his shoulder and pulled him around. He decided to indulge her, settling back against the bed when she pushed him there.
“Just … feel…”
He wasn’t willing to let her command the moment completely. He maintained his hold on her waist, cupping her hips and pulling her along with him as she pushed him down. She ended up straddling him, his cock pressing against the folds of her spread sex.
He curled his lips back in response, slipping his hands up to cup her breasts.
“Ride me.”
It was a command, just as hard and action-packed as he was. Zoe lifted herself, feeling his cock spring up. He reached between them and nestled the head between her folds.
“I don’t want to use a condom.” His eyes were bright with need. “I want to feel our skin meeting…”
She quivered in response, lowering herself because thought was completely beyond her. There was only the promise of his hard flesh and the yearning driving her mad to have it lodged deeply inside her.
She gasped when she was seated, tilting her head back because she was already on the edge. She fought not to climax so quickly. She wanted to enjoy the ride.
“I know the feeling, baby…” He captured her hips and lifted her up. “Let’s take our time tonight.”
He thrust up into her, her body making a little wet sound. His cock felt harder, larger than she recalled, her body stretching to accommodate it.
She pressed down and he landed on the bed. His cock twitched inside her, his teeth showing as his lips curled back.
“Let’s ride, baby…”
The bed rocked, the springs making a racket as she kept pace with him. He moved her hips in the motion he wanted. She clasped him between her thighs and plunged down onto his length as she tried to set the pace.
It was a constant battle, one that neither of them was willing to surrender to the other—but both were completely happy to try to best each other. Sweat covered them both, sensation twisting her into a knot that finally snapped. It tore her apart, the pleasure white-hot and searing. Mercer flipped her over in that moment, pounding into her body as the climax held her in its grip. She was suspended in the moment, unable to breathe or do anything except wither in ecstasy.
He rode her through it, hammering against her spread body, plunging deep and hard into her core until he growled and his cock jerked, starting to give up its load. His cum was hot, hitting the mouth of her womb and setting off another ripple of rapture that was so intense, she moaned. Just a deep sound, clawing its way up from the primal animal inside her that needed the assurance that her partner had reached his zenith.
Savage.
Maybe.
Stupid?
Possible.
But honestly, all she could do was cling to him as they panted. The darkness was a cloak that shielded them from things like rational, wise choices. They were someplace else. Someplace she’d dreamed about in her most private moments but always missed in her intimate encounters. Like a fabled ending that big girls had to accept as the stuff of fantasy. Never to be seen in real life.
In that moment, she was certain she felt it. Folded in Mercer’s embrace, she was sure she was cherished. So certain, she drifted off into sleep, his scent filling her senses and her thoughts wrapped around the pure bliss of being in his arms.
* * *
Kagan fingered his cell phone, tracing the smooth
case with the tip of his index finger.
“You’re hesitating. Why?”
Kagan didn’t take offense. “I learned a long time ago to identify when to dwell on a choice before rushing headlong into it.”
Colonel Decains sniffed and nodded.
“Today’s going to be a pisser,” Kagan decided at last. He swiped his finger across the screen of the phone and selected a contact. The line started buzzing before he put the little bit of technology up to his ear.
“Tyler here.”
“Kagan.”
“Yes sir?” Tyler responded.
“I’ve got Saxon’s team coming in with the hard drives. They confirm they found the data. Process it and get me a full report.”
“Sir.” The single word was clipped.
“I’ll be there to oversee the hard disk information retrieval,” Kagan added.
“I can handle it, sir,” Tyler said.
“Too sensitive. Got a few big dogs on my heels. But I’m a day away. Don’t wait for me to start. I’ll catch up when I make it to your location.”
“Got it,” Tyler said half a second before he killed the line.
“Now we see what runs from the fire,” Decains said.
Across the room, two large one-way glass windows allowed them to see into interrogation rooms. They were concrete-floored cells with a single table and two chairs. In the middle of each table was a huge iron ring used to chain suspects. At the moment, there was a civilian contractor in each cell. They were both haggard, fatigue etched into their faces. The stink of fear permeated the air.
Kagan didn’t have a morsel of compassion for either of them. At the moment, he was more occupied with being angry over the laws that prevented him from using anything more than time to loosen their lips.
“They’re not going to talk,” Decains said. “Someone has their mouths sealed tight.”
“We’ll see if time doesn’t loosen them up,” Kagan said. “Their faith might just grow thin when they start rotting in a cell and no one comes to set them free.”
“Their boss might snuff them out before that can happen.”
“Leave that to me.” Kagan insisted. “I’m sending them off the prison grid. I’m going to bury them deep.”
Decains’s lips rose into a slight curve. “Hope it works. I really want to know who called the shots on this one.”
“Me too. Maybe whatever comes out of the brush can help us with that.”
“You know what’s coming out of the brush,” Decains said. “That’s why you’ve put off making that call.”
The colonel reached out and clasped Kagan on the shoulder. It was a motion only commanders understood, a squeeze that conveyed compassion for having one’s trust betrayed in the shadow world they both operated in. It was a constant threat.
That didn’t make it any easier to stomach.
Not one damn bit.
* * *
“Do you have my money?” Tyler demanded the moment Tim answered the phone.
“I thought you didn’t want there to be any contact between us?” Tim sneered.
“The money?” Tyler cut back.
Tim grunted. “I got it. The transfer is going through now. What about Zoe? And the hard drive?”
“Saxon’s team is coming in, with the girl and the hard drives. You’re a dumb fuck for leaving that intel for them to find. Get her to meet you instead.”
“How in the hell am I supposed to do that?” Tim demanded.
“She’s got her cell. Get some bait. Set up an exchange. I’ll be there to back you up.”
Tim grunted. “You’d better be. The deal was full resettlement. The Magnus family has a lot of friends. I don’t need to be looking over my shoulder.”
“The money lands first. Second, you get the girl and the hard drives so I can clean them up without leaving a trail.”
“Right,” Tim agreed. “Give me an hour.”
* * *
Kagan selected another contact and pressed it. Vitus answered before the line buzzed twice.
“I shook the tree. Keep your eye on the prize.”
“Sounds like you don’t have a lot of faith in my brother.”
Kagan offered him a crusty sound of amusement. “That girl is a Magnus. If someone presses her, I expect she’ll rise to the occasion. She’s your prime target. Don’t lose her. I expect action imminently.”
“Got it.”
Vitus ended the call and checked his gun before leaving the back of the pickup truck he’d been living in. Parked on the side of the road, it had a small shell that allowed him to keep an eye on the house Saxon was operating out of. He stretched his legs, looking like he was doing nothing more than enjoying the morning sun.
His body tingled, the waiting almost over. That much was a relief.
Of course, this was also the part where people started dying.
* * *
Mercer was gone when she woke.
Zoe stretched and tried to fend off the wave of loneliness that threatened to wash over her. She pulled the cover off Harley’s cage. The parrot offered her a look.
“Yeah, I miss sunshine, too,” she offered in an attempt to banish her negative attitude.
Live in the moment …
Right.
The house was always in a semi-gray sort of light, electric lighting on all the time. The clock on the wall was her only true way to keep tabs on the time.
Seven thirty sharp.
Zoe made her way down the hallway into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. There was a chill on the tile floor from the back door. Even without a window, there was still a thin line between the weather stripping and the doorjamb where the elements got in.
The coffee was hot and she grabbed a banana from the counter to share with Harley. She broke it in half and offered part of it to the parrot. He bobbed his head happily as he closed his talon around the fruit, then purred softly as he licked it.
“Good morning to you, too,” she offered as she took a bite of the half she held.
The cell phone Mercer had given back to her rang. She turned around, questioning if the sound she’d heard had really come from it. The screen was flashing, the case vibrating against the end table, but the number was what caught her attention.
Roni.
She couldn’t answer it.
Her fingers itched. That wave of loneliness she’d fought back when she woke up came at her and knocked her on her ass.
God, she wanted a girlfriend chat!
Needed it bad.
But she’d promised Mercer.
That stopped her. She curled her fingers into a fist as the call went to her voice mail.
Okay, so what she’d promised him was sort of undefined, but it was the concept that had her taking another bite of the banana instead of picking up her phone.
It vibrated again, this time with an incoming text message. She dropped the banana, scooping the phone up. Reading a text message wasn’t breaking her word. It wasn’t exactly the conversation she yearned for, either, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
If you want to see your friend alive, you will do as instructed.
A picture came through next. Zoe nearly dropped the phone as Tim’s face filled the screen.
Call me. Make sure no one knows you’re doing it.
The phone buzzed again, showing her a shot of Roni. There was a silver strip of duct tape across her mouth and a killing look in her eyes.
Horror nearly gagged her. The banana was suddenly not sitting very well in her stomach. She ended up in the bathroom, still clutching the phone. Her emotions were reeling as she tried to get a grip. The phone started buzzing again before she’d really come to any sort of decision. She swiped the screen without thinking, operating on pure adrenaline.
“Roni?”
“No, but she’s right here.” Tim sounded smug. A shiver went down her spine as her fingers tightened around the phone.
“Roni isn’t part of this—”
�
��That’s for me to say,” Tim cut in. “If you don’t want her to become a casualty, you are going to do exactly what I tell you.”
There was a familiar note in Tim’s voice. One that she’d so often listened to and taken solace in. That firm, “always keeps his promises” tone that made her bite her lip today. Disillusionment was a cold hard bitch. Zoe fought back panic as she struggled to maintain her wits.
“I’m listening, Tim.”
“Good,” he answered. “You’re going to bring me that hard drive. Get out of the house alone.”
“I want to talk to Roni,” Zoe demanded. “You might just have her cell phone and Photoshopped that picture.”
There was a muffle on the other end of the line. “Don’t do anything this fucker says—”
“That’s all you get.” Tim was back on the line. “And I’m not giving you much time. Bring me the evidence and you get your friend. Don’t forget, I served, too. Delay, and I’ll know you’re trying to get your team in position. You have five minutes to call me back. If you aren’t outside, I’m going to kill your little friend here so that the next time I make contact, you take me seriously. Your brother is right where my contact can get at him. He’s next. The clock starts now.”
The call ended, leaving her staring at the blank screen with Roni’s number on it.
Roni.
They were all so stupid!
She was the worst for not thinking of her best friend. Voices were coming through the bedroom door. Saxon and his team were still discussing options. Desperation was tearing at her insides. She was trembling but ordered herself to stop.
Think!
Mercer would know what to do.
Yeah, but Tim knew what he was doing, too. She had three minutes left. Mercer would refuse to let her get involved. She trusted now that he believed she was innocent. She’d never realized that might become a liability.
It sure was now. Tim had been friends with them for years. He knew their friends. Probably had a nice list of addresses, too. Not to mention a key to her house and the parrot party van.
So simple.
God, she wanted to kill him.
The rage came up from inside her, bubbling and churning its way past her common sense. Tim wanted a showdown? Fine. She would be more than happy to give it to him.
