by Huie,Melissa
“So what, you got enough of his dick, now you get to run back home?” The large, bull of a man with a shaved head and jagged scar going down from his eye to his angled jawline, leaned in one of the metal chairs, his long legs stretched out, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t seem to remember your name. I’m Agent Kate Parker.” I held out my hand, only to have him rebuff my attempts to be socially polite.
“I know who you are. Most of us know who you are.”
“Well, I don’t know you, but you seem to have already formed an opinion of me, so why don’t you explain,” I replied dryly, folding my arms across my chest.
He flicked his eyes over my body, glancing at me from head to toe, and I groaned inwardly. Just another meathead, trying to get his rocks off with the newbie.
“Oh, your reputation precedes you, all right. Question is, will it live up to the real thing?”
My patience was shot. “Tell me, soldier, what the fuck are you talking about?”
“We heard all about you. How you originally got kicked off this case because you couldn’t keep your legs together, and suddenly you’re back.” The snide comment plucked that last nerve that I had, the only one holding my sanity together.
“Do you want to run that by me again, slick? I didn’t quite understand what you were saying,” I replied, my jaw clenched. My previous detail down in Miami was not discussed in the briefing, so there was no way he would have known.
“Tell me, Agent Parker. Whose dick did you have to suck to get back onto the case? And what did your boyfriend say? I mean, he’s the one that got you off the case and out of here, didn’t he? So what did you do to get yourself back in their good graces?”
Fury raged through me, and I took a step closer, before Sims came up and pushed me back.
“Those lips look mighty plump. Maybe I should try them out myself.” The fucker had the nerve to goad me even more. The urge to pound the hell out of his face was fierce.
“Leave it, Parker,” Sims said in a low voice. I turned my gaze sharply to him, and I unclenched my fists.
“I’m not sure where you got your misinformation, soldier, but I can assure you, that I’m here entirely on merit. You’ve been trailing these Syndicate jokers for the last two years? Good for you. I’ve been on the Cruz Cartel case for the last three, and I know what the hell I’m talking about. This is my case, asshat. You need my crew just as much as we need yours.”
He spat on the ground. “Fuck you, you stupid whore. Just because you’re good at sucking dick, doesn’t mean the rest of us have to bow down—”
“Finish that sentence, motherfucker, and I’ll let her go,” Rick warned, as he struggled to hold me back. I just wanted one swing. One swing, that was all I needed to take the clown out.
“Martinez! Is there an issue here?” Commander Lewes stalked over, the tick in his jaw obvious.
“No, sir,” he replied. The Commander didn’t believe him, but frankly, I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to be a snitch. It was bad enough that people thought my position within my group was based on sex, that I slept with whoever I could to get to where I was today. I sure as hell wasn’t going to be a snitch.
“You good?” Sims whispered.
“Yeah, I got this,” I replied, jutting my chin out at Martinez. I waited for the commander to leave the area before I shot Martinez an icy stare. “Take that pencil-dick out of your ass and listen to me. I don’t know who the hell you’ve been talking to, but I sure as hell don’t need to screw a man just to get ahead. And while my skills in the bedroom are amazing, you’ll never know. Because I only open my legs for real men, not some steroid using, pill-popping, penis pump using jackass like yourself.” I pushed off Rick and grabbed my bag. “Keep me posted, Sims.” I walked out of the warehouse with my head held high, but inside, I was fuming. What the hell was Martinez talking about? What boyfriend? They weren’t talking about Noah…were they? I pushed away any uncertainty and focused on the drive to the airport. I’d get to the bottom of it when I got home. The only thing I needed now was a bottle of wine and a long, hot bath. However, I settled for the window seat, and ordered a Jack and Coke from the stewardess.
Three hours after I got home, the doorbell rang. Only two guesses as to who it could be, and the first one didn’t count. I spied his truck from the window, and wordlessly answered the door, my face set in stone.
“You didn’t call me when you got home, Princess,” he drawled as he followed me in.
“I didn’t realize you had me on such a short leash, Noah.” I walked the short way into the kitchen. The need to have my hands full, clenching something other than a fist, was strong. I picked up the knife I had been using to chop vegetables for my stir-fry, and tested the weight of the handle, briefly wondering if throwing it at his feet accidentally would get my point across, or if that would be a little crazy. Meh, let’s not do crazy.
“I didn’t realize you were into that BDSM type of kink, Princess. But I’m game if you are,” he said, smirking. I ignored his comment and continued with my chopping.
“You need to go, Noah. I’m really not in the mood to deal with you at the moment,” I warned, as he put his arms around my waist from behind. His scent whirled around me, and I struggled to maintain my façade. My emotions flipped from anger and rage, to disappointment and sadness. This is the exact reason why relationships didn’t work, why I had always put my career and family first, so I wouldn’t break any further.
“What’s going on, Princess?” His lips brushed the spot under my ear, flipping the bitch switch. I elbowed him sharply in the gut, taking him by surprise.
“Tell me something, Noah. Did you have Rapoles remove me from the Cartel case back in January?” I demanded. The slightest flicker of emotion crossed his blank face, and I knew the truth. He did. I pulled back my fist and punched him in the face with a right hook.
“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?” he yelled, holding his cheek.
“You prick! You’re the one that went to Rapoles and had me reassigned. You took me off the Cruz Cartel case last year!” I shouted. He had the audacity to look guilty, but I didn’t care. I pushed him in his chest, making him move back.
“Okay, you’re right. I did. But I did it for your own safety, Kate!”
“That’s fucking bullshit and you know it, Noah. You fucked me over, and because of you, my case and my career took a hit!” I pushed him again, toward the door.
“Wait, back up. Tell me what’s going on,” he pleaded.
“I had a series of very informative meetings down in Miami. Your crew, along with General Lewes, gave us the rundown of their current mission. The phone number of your teammate, Mac, made it to the phone of a dead woman, with ties to the Cruz Cartel. So needless to say, we started digging.”
“Hold the fuck up. You said that Mac’s number was in a dead girl’s phone? Which dead girl?”
“A dead girl by the name of Stacey Menroe. The link between her and the Cruz Cartel? She had their unlisted phone number in her brand new phone. And there were three other dead women with her.”
“What did the team say? How did that girl have Mac’s number? He’s…”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what Mac was like. I don’t care why he had the number right now. Right now? You’re my issue. Who the hell gave you the authority to direct me off the Cartel case?” I shouted.
“You were getting too close to the Syndicate case. We had too much riding on it for it to go south,” he shouted back.
“And how well did that work out for you? Because my case is the one that got the shaft. Had I been able to stay in Miami and keep my damn job, I would have made the necessary connections to Tommy sooner. Lives could have been saved, Noah! Tommy would not have taken Megan, and their lives could have been easier. And my career, the one I’ve worked so fucking hard to get, would not have taken the hit!”
Noah rubbed his hands against his face in aggravation. “Look, I�
��m not proud of it.”
I snorted in disbelief.
“You have to understand, Kate, it wasn’t personal. Truly it wasn’t. Me and you—that wasn’t supposed to be anything more than an occasional thing, but something happened. We connected. And I didn’t realize that until after you left. But dammit, I will not apologize for protecting you!”
“This is my fucking case, Noah! Mine! Just like you’ve been looking at the Syndicate case, I have been working my ass off on this case. I have lived, breathed, and almost died this case. This is mine. And you decided to come in on your steel horse and take away everything!”
“Kate, look, I’m sorry. I was doing the right thing at the time. The Syndicate was—is, a higher priority. Once you take them down, the Cartel will crumble with it.” Noah’s reasoning failed, and it was all I could do to not scream.
“Are you kidding me? Are you that delusional? Do you not understand that the Cruz Cartel are the cockroaches of the United States? That no matter what anyone else does, they’ll keep on surviving until they’ve been completely eradicated? Their business and cartel survival has nothing to do with the Syndicate.”
“You’re wrong there, Princess. I’ve been watching and waiting for these Syndicate fuckers to make a move, to do the shit we know they’re going to do. And when they do, we’ll be the ones to take them down.”
I shook my head in frustration. “You know what? I don’t even care about the fucking case right now. You sold me out. You had Rapoles sent me out of state. You called in whatever favors you could. And not only did my case take a hit, but my reputation did too. Apparently, everyone knows that you are the one that got me kicked off the case, and that I must have sucked someone’s dick to get back in.”
Noah tensed. The fury in his eyes was evident. “Who the fuck said that?”
I waved my hand. “It doesn’t matter.” Noah tried to interrupt, but I put up my hand. “I have busted my ass for the FBI for the last four years. I do not need your protection, and I sure as fuck don’t need you in my life right now. This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you.”
“Kate, just calm down and see—” Oh shit. Big mistake.
“Get the fuck out of my house!”
“You can’t be serious!” His beautiful eyes widened, and I choked back a sob. But this was it. This was how it was supposed to be.
“I can’t be with someone who would go behind my back, just to further their own career.”
“Kate, Princess, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” He cupped my face and tried to press his lips against mine. I couldn’t handle it though. I pushed him away, roughly.
“Now, Noah! I’m done. Just…done.” I willed the tears to stay away as I glared at him.
“Fine, I’ll go. But I’ll be here when you finally realize what a mistake you’ve made.” His eyes gazed at me sadly. I turned away, jumping when the door slammed.
It was only then that I let the tears flow.
Chapter 16
Noah
I SLAMMED THE door as hard as I could, and stalked away from the door. It took everything I had not to run back inside and drag her into my arms. To fuck her into submission, to make her see things my way. Yes, it was a fucked up move, and I wasn’t proud of what I’d done. But in all fairness, she would have done the same to me.
Asshole, do you really think that? Even I couldn’t believe my own lie. I hauled myself into the truck, and using the hands-free set, I called Trey. Even though we had just seen each other yesterday, maybe he could help me get a read on the situation from Zeke.
“Did you miss me already?”
“Shut up and listen for a minute. Who the hell met with Kate’s team on Tuesday?” I racked my brain, but couldn’t figure out who or why someone would blabber like that.
“Bravo team. Zeke was there too. Why? What’s going on?”
I ran through the list of Bravo team in my head, and couldn’t think of anyone that damn stupid.
“Someone fucked with Kate, told her that I was the one to get her kicked off the Cartel case last year, and that she must have been sucking someone’s dick in order to get back in.”
Trey cursed loudly. “I’ll talk to Zeke tonight. He’s meeting with the plant later to switch out some of her tech gear.”
“Good, keep me up-to-date with what’s going on. What did the team have to say about the meeting?”
“Nothing so far. But you know how Commander Lewes, and the rest of the Bravo team are. They don’t talk much, and they sure as hell won’t share if anything bad went down.”
“I figured as much. Let me know what you find out.”
“Roger that.”
I continued the drive from Kate’s house to the restaurant. I told Josh that I would fill in for a sick bartender, but my mind wasn’t in it. Hell, my heart wasn’t in it, either. I made it an hour before I called in another employee to take over. I couldn’t stop looking at my phone. Not to mention, going over every possible reason why someone would try and screw me over like that. I made it to the house, just as Mom was pulling in with Aubrey.
“Hey, baby girl.” I pressed my lips against her forehead and breathed in her fresh scent. I hooked the diaper bag over my shoulder and headed into the house.
“You okay, Bub? You’re looking stressed,” Mom said with a drawl, as she put away the rest of Aubrey’s bottles.
“Yeah. This case is getting the better of me,” I replied wearily. I put Aubrey down into the jumper thing that made a ton of noise, and joined my mom in the kitchen.
She peered at me, my own brown eyes looking back at me. “No, it’s not a case. What else is going on?”
Who the heck was I kidding? My mom knew me like the back of her hand, just like she knew my brother, Mason. She knew when we were in trouble, when we were up to no good, and hell, when we were trying our best to get away with anything.
“I screwed up with this girl,” I muttered, going through the diaper bag and pulling out the dirty clothes.
“You didn’t get her pregnant, did you?” she asked, the warning in her voice clear. Not that she minded being a Nana to Aubrey, she just preferred I did it the traditional way. But little does she know…the voice in the back of my head whispered, and I brushed it aside. No sense in getting into the details of drama now, especially when things were so messed up.
“No, Ma, I didn’t get her pregnant,” I scoffed, turning to face her and crossing my arms. “I got her kicked off a case a while back, and now it’s come back to bite me in the ass.”
“Good.”
“What do you mean, good? She could have easily been killed, or taken down a case that I was working on, the one that had me working overtime to finish up.”
“No, good that you’re regretting what you did. It sounds like you have feelings for this girl.” she reasoned, brushing back her wispy white-blonde hair.
“Whatever, Mom.”
“I mean, she must be fragile as hell, if you wanted her off the case that badly.”
“She’s not fragile, she’s strong and smart as hell, and sexy, and—” I protested, but she cut me off.
“See! What did I tell you? You have feelings for this girl. And not the sterile feelings you get for a victim. This girl actually makes you think!” Mom cried triumphantly.
“That isn’t the point, Mom.”
“Bullshit. You have never had regrets about what you’ve done, either in life or on a case. Let me ask you this. Does the feeling of being without her make you cold? Do you want to stop at nothing to protect her?”
I stayed quiet. I hated when my mom was right. And she was always right. Of course, my mother wouldn’t see it from my point of view. As much as she loved my Pop, she never could understand the overprotectiveness that we Russo’s developed over the ones we cared about. The ones we loved. Love? Yeah, I guess I loved her, which would make anything going forward that much harder.
“Crap. I need to go find her.” I straightened myself up and ran my hands over my
face.
“Give her a day to cool down. Leave her alone, let her collect her thoughts. You need to do the same. You rush in there like an overzealous caveman, and she’s going to run in the opposite direction.”
Right. Okay, man, think this through. I ran through outlines, strategies, and possible outcomes. I fucked up; I knew that. I’d overstepped my bounds. Once I explained what was going on, she’d have to understand. Screw it! I picked up my phone to text her, when it vibrated in my hands with an incoming call from an unknown number.
“Yeah?” No pleasantries. I needed to get this joker off the phone as soon as possible, so I could start making things right with Kate.
“Noah?” A breathy, soft voice came over the line, and my mouth dropped to the floor.
“Jennie.” Her name came out as a snap, and my jaw tensed. Nothing good ever came from one of her calls. I hadn’t talked to her in over six months, and I gave up trying to get her to see Aubrey.
“How are you? How’s my daughter?” Her voice was slurred, and my fury grew.
“My daughter is doing fine. What do you need, Jennie?” I asked tightly, desperate to get her off the phone.
She paused, and I could hear the gears in her head grinding, trying to formulate the words.
“I need your help.”
Chapter 17
Kate
I WAS SO PISSED off, I couldn’t finish making dinner, so I turned off the burner and threw the pan full of half-cooked chicken and vegetables into the sink with a satisfying crash. I knew I should have gone with my gut. I knew it. Apparently, I couldn’t trust anyone. There was no point in letting one in if they were just going to tear you down.
But maybe, truly, he was only trying to keep you safe.
I brushed that thought aside. The walls he penetrated were cracking, and I couldn’t help but feel hurt. I refused to be the damsel in distress, the one that needed constant saving. I may have a vagina, but I sure as hell can fight like a girl. I sank into kitchen table.
