by KaLyn Cooper
“What’s up, Si?” Dex asked as soon as he was out of hearing range.
“I want you to have a private discussion with Senior Special Agent Yoshida. See if she has any idea why Jaja would focus on the Sedgwicks, other than the obvious since he is the Speaker of the House. Is there a possibility that they were the target to begin with and everyone else was simply collateral? Jaja was not vacationing on St. John Island and happened to stumble across ten politicians’ children. He went there for a purpose. The list of names he gave in the last video seems pretty bullshit to all the analysts here. He also gave up twelve hostages rather easily.”
Given the firefight they’d had with the guards, Dex wouldn’t exactly consider the rescue easy, but Si was right. It could have been much worse. Jaja could have been killing hostages all along.
“I’ll talk to her and get back to you,” Dex promised and ended the call. He was looking forward to getting Rayne alone.
Chapter Twelve
Holding out her hand, she said, “It looks like Dex forgot to introduce both you and me. I’m Rayne Yoshida and you are…”
With a gracious smile the handsome Latino held out his hand. “Alex Wolf. I’m the managing partner of Guardian Security.” He pointed to the new team. “They all work for me.” He glanced toward the now closed door. “Dex does too, on occasion.”
“I’m very pleased that you were able to step in and replace the active duty SEALs.” She smiled. “Since we are down to two hostages, I understand the Admiral’s reasoning for pulling his men. But with the pending storm, it would’ve been nice to have more search-and-rescue trained men helping us.”
“I can assure you, all of my men have the same special operator training as a Navy SEAL, and then some.” His grin made her knees weak. Damn, he was good-looking. Far too young for her, but she could still admire an attractive man. “Tell me about Guardian Security.”
“We have ten offices across the United States, in most major cities.” He glanced at the chairs. “You’ve been on your feet all day, let’s sit.”
Rayne was extremely grateful for the suggestion as she pulled out a chair and sat next to him. Truly wanting to know more about this man, she asked, “what kind of security do you provide?”
“We have several business units including residential, commercial, and personal security. We have active monitoring of homes and businesses and a separate team dedicated to what most consider bodyguards. Our men are available for local as well as international travel.”
She didn’t miss the word men. “You don’t have any women in personal protection?”
“We have one. Ryleigh works in our New York City Center.” He grinned. “She travels with several regular clients, female corporate officers. Occasionally a client will request someone to accompany his wife, especially in more volatile countries overseas. She and her fiancé, Blake, team up quite often, especially on overseas assignments.”
“In ten offices, you only have one woman?” Rayne said accusingly.
Alex looked chastised. “Haven’t found the right woman yet.”
“I had hoped civilian companies would be more progressive than the federal government.” Rayne was disappointed. She had broken a few glass ceilings on the way to becoming a Senior Special Agent with the Secret Service, but she had thought things were different in the civilian world.
Laughter erupted on the other side of the room and she automatically looked in that direction. The teams seemed to have found common ground. She suddenly noticed how young they looked, especially compared to her and Dex. Alex seemed to be older—Rayne had him pegged at around thirty-three—but his mannerisms made him seem a decade older.
Although she was enjoying the conversation, she stifled a yawn. Rayne was dead on her feet.
Alex started to stand. “Rayne, it has been a pleasure talking with you. I apologize, I can tell I’m keeping you from your sleep. I know you were up much of the night.”
God bless Alex.
She slowly rose to her feet. “Thank you. And you’re right.” She glanced over to where the men were clustered. “We all need to get to bed.”
She meandered toward the group of men, their broad shoulders filling much of the space. Being small, it wasn’t difficult to fit between Devon and Liam.
“Gentlemen, I just wanted to say that I look forward to working with all of you. Hopefully we’ll find Callie and Angelique Sedgwick quickly and we can all go home before this hurricane hits.” She purposefully looked at the men on the breaching team. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to take Silas Branson’s orders seriously and go grab a few hours of sleep.”
Stepping outside, she inhaled the damp, salty air that now blew forcefully off the ocean. A gust grabbed the door out of her hand and banged it against the side of the building. Embarrassed, she reached to shut it as the rest of her team exited.
“Rayne, I need to talk to you about the Sedgwicks.” Dex seemed to be all business.
“Are you headed to your villa?” She queried.
Dex put his hand on the small of her back. Lightning bolts shot to her nipples and clit. She wondered if Dex would consider having this conversation in her villa. Naked.
Damn. She must be more tired than she thought if her mental and emotional defenses were that far down.
Pulling her aside so Ethan and Liam could get past, he suggested, “Yeah, let’s walk and talk.”
They gave the two former SEALs space before they headed down the path. Fortunately, they had timed it perfectly between bands of rain. The sun beat down on the storm-soaked sand which almost steamed, thickening the already humid air.
Dex jumped right into the questioning. “Is it possible that Callie and Angelique Sedgwick were Jaja’s target from the beginning?”
Rayne shrugged. “Anything is possible, especially since Robert is the Speaker of the House. That’s a given.”
“The analysts are looking at upcoming legislation that the Congressman may be able to influence, but after that ridiculous list of men Jaja asked to be released, it doesn’t seem as though he’s interested in something political,” Dex noted.
“Jaja had never concerned himself with American politics before,” she agreed. “Back when we were first chasing him, he needed money to build his personal army. We damaged his organization for years by capturing his chief financial officer, but he had all those millions he stole through American credit cards. The Secret Service never released the information, but in the end it was calculated to be close to $4.2 million.”
“Holy, fuck.” Dex seemed to contemplate for a moment before he asked, “Do you think he’s after money again?” In the next second, he discarded the idea. “No. If he wanted quick cash, he could’ve ransomed each one of those hostages for a million dollars apiece. Is Congressman Sedgwick loaded? Wealthier than any of the other politician parents?”
“No. Not at all.” Rayne considered all the other children who had been kidnapped. “Violet Russell’s mother is a Koch. Her father and uncle are among the top ten richest men in the United States. Sam Russell isn’t far behind. He’s part of the Mars family, as in the candy fortune. His family is also in the top twenty-five on the Forbes list. Politicians aren’t poor, but Robert Sedgwick took a serious hit with his wife’s cancer treatment. They tried some experimental and alternative treatments that weren’t covered by insurance. He loved Bette and was willing to do anything to save her.”
Rayne thought about the deep love between the two that was so evident when she had first started guarding Robert Sedgwick. He had just been elected Speaker of the House when Bette’s cancer had returned.
“Are you telling me he doesn’t love Angelique and wouldn’t do anything to save her?” Dex’s question made her think long and hard before she answered.
“I believe he loves her, but I also think Robert’s love for Angelique is as different as the women.” Rayne glanced up and they were standing in front of the path separating their villas.
“Why don’t we f
inish this inside with a drink?” Given the night they’d just had, she sure as hell could use one. “I hate to call it a nightcap but that’s what is going to be for me. I don’t care that it’s eight-thirty in the morning. I’m sure it will help us both sleep.”
“Sure.” He gestured for her to lead the way. “Only one. There’s no telling how soon they’re going to find Jaja and we have to be sharp.”
Rayne showed him into the living area and poured them each one finger of scotch from the well-stocked bar. She sat on the couch and he took the chair angled next to it. As she sank into the plush comfort, she let out a long sigh and leaned back. If it weren’t for her inquisition, she would have walked into the bedroom and collapsed, clothes and all, onto the bed. She corrected that thought. The boots would come off first. Promising herself that luxury soon, she took a deep breath to chase away the much-wanted sleep.
“Okay, you asked about Robert Sedgwick’s wives.” She took a sip of the scotch to wet her throat. This could take a while. “Bette and Robert met and fell in love while they were in college. She was working on her master’s degree in communications and he was getting his law degree. They were married throughout his entire political career.”
Rayne smiled as she thought about the many campaign stories Bette had shared during her convalescence. But Dex only wanted the facts. “During his second campaign for reelection, shortly after Callie was born, Bette was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy, went through chemo and radiation therapies, and was declared cancer free a few years later. Because congressmen have to be reelected every two years, they were constantly fundraising and campaigning. From what she told me, they were a dynamic team, and I believe it. In the privacy of their home, they were very affectionate, constantly hugging, kissing.” Rayne smiled as she confessed, “Even playful ass-grabbing.”
She took another sip of her scotch and relished the burn all the way down to her stomach. She had truly liked Bette Sedgwick and privately mourned her passing. “Shortly after Bette lost another child—she had several miscarriages throughout their marriage, she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer. They got her into some medical trials, but it quickly moved to stage four. Robert asked me once about traveling overseas for nonpolitical purposes, so I know he was looking at alternative treatments in other countries.”
A lump formed in Rayne’s throat as she thought back to those days. “It was about then, that Bette made the decision she’d had enough. She once told me that God had tried to take her once before, but he knew Callie needed her more, so he gave them those years together.”
“So, Callie is their only child,” Dex interjected.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. They wanted more children. It just didn’t work out for them.” Rayne sipped the last of her allotted scotch and got up to rinse out her glass.
As she walked past Dex, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. When she turned to face him, their hands naturally slid together. “Do you want children?”
Laughter burst from somewhere deep inside her. “You don’t know much about women do you. That ship has sailed for me.” Damn, her defenses were down.
At his look of shock, she decided to educate him. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m forty-two years old. Even at age thirty-five, the risk for mother and child are high. For someone my age, there are all kinds of problems. Answering your question, do I want children?” She swallowed hard. “Not anymore.”
Dex pulled her into his lap, shocking her speechless. “You know there are other ways to have children. Adop—”
“What adoption agency do you think is going to consider me? I’m a single mother, who works an average of sixty hours a week with no local family support. My job is to be a human shield, prepared to take bullets to protect someone else. Who, in their right mind, would consider me a good candidate to raise a child?” She leaned back to take a good look at him.
He was totally clueless.
She decided to give him a break. “Besides, I’ve always been career-driven. After growing up in a big family, I wasn’t all that interested in having one of my own. Making money that was mine to spend, having a place I didn’t have to share with siblings, having peace and quiet was all I wanted when I left home.” Tilting her head, she wondered, “How about you? Do you have children? Want them?”
“No kids. Never really wanted them.” Dex repositioned her in his lap.
It wasn’t until that moment that it dawned on her where she was. Not a place a good team member should ever be, but this was Dex. They were more than team member and team leader.
He continued through clenched teeth. “Kids are nothing but bargaining chips in a divorce, and the divorce rate for SEALs is over ninety percent. I wasn’t going to give any woman that kind of control over me.”
His declaration threw her for a moment. There were so many things wrong with his statement she didn’t know where to begin.
But he just kept talking. “It sounds like the first Mrs. Sedgwick was very supportive of her husband’s political life and someone you liked.” Dex had totally changed the subject, tossing Rayne out of her train of thought. “You said Angelique is the opposite.”
“What I said was that the two women are very different.” She took a second to think of examples. “Bette was extremely focused on Callie. Angelique practically ignores the child. Bette knew how to smile and bite her tongue. Angelique just blurts out anything that pops into that tiny brain of hers, then posts it on social media. Robert’s office is continually publicly correcting Angelique’s statements.”
Rayne cringed inwardly. “Here’s a perfect example. Shortly after they were married—and remind me to come back to the wedding fiasco—Robert took Angelique on a European junket. The minute she stepped off the plane, she took a selfie and posted on Instagram and Twitter listing every piece of clothing and the designer label. And before you ask, yes. She mentioned which pieces of La Perla lingerie she was wearing. Trust me, his constituents deep in the mountains of Virginia were not pleased with her attempt at southern royalty.”
“I take it Bette would never have made such a faux pas.” Dex ran his hand up and down her arm, igniting nerve endings that spread prickles of desire through her whole body.
“No. Never. She had class with a real down-to-earth quality about her. Conservative. She knew when to speak and when to keep her mouth closed.” Rayne had admired those qualities in Bette.
“I promise we’ll come back to the wedding story, but how did Robert end up marrying Angelique? I’m surprised he was attracted to her.”
Rayne giggled. “Dex, have you seen pictures of this woman? She gives Dolly Parton a run for her money. Big blonde hair, big boobs…No, they’re gigantic…and more curves than a Grand Prix racetrack.”
“Do I detect a little breast envy?” Dex slipped his hand over her breast, gently massaging, then rubbed his thumb over her nipple.
She gasped in a breath as her nipples instantly hardened and shot a wake-up message to her long-underused clit. No man, since her ex-husband, had touched her so intimately.
Damn. Dex still knew how to play her body.
She should tell him to stop.
Why the hell would she want to do that? He seemed to be enjoying himself and she was certainly appreciating his touch. They were both consenting adults. Very adult. They could have noncommittal sex. Plus, it wouldn’t be the first time.
“So, Angelique is a real looker as some would say.” Dex’s voice seemed to come out of nowhere and float through her brain.
Rayne had completely lost her place in the conversation.
“Uhm. Yes. She’s quite beautiful. She doesn’t have the brains God gave a butterfly, though.” Oops. Rayne certainly shouldn’t be talking this way about the Congressman’s wife.
But it was true. And Dex needed to know the truth about Angelique. God only knows what’s going to come out of that woman’s mouth when she’s finally rescued.
Dex nuzzled Rayne’s nec
k. “Damn. You smell good.”
She fought the urge to pull away and look at his face, but she really liked what he was doing. “You have to be kidding. I’m still sweaty and I stink.”
He licked her neck. “You taste salty.” His voice was a low rumble that shook her to her core.
Although she wanted nothing more than to strip him naked and straddled his lap, riding them both to screaming ecstasy, Rayne knew they needed to finish talking about Angelique, then get some rest. “Dex, I need a shower, then we both need some sleep.”
He kissed her neck and pulled away. “You’re right. Let’s finish this talk, then we’ll shower and crawl in bed.”
She whipped her head to gaze into lust-filled eyes. Certainly he hadn’t meant that they were going to shower together then crawl into the same bed, had he? She’d cross that bridge when they came to it.
Needing space, Rayne decided to take the empty scotch glasses to the kitchen. When she went to stand, her hip met his impressive erection. Deep inside she was proud that she was enticing enough to arouse a man like Dex. After the way her ex had blatantly cheated on her, accused her of being emotionless and boring in bed, she had questioned her sex appeal. It was reassuring to know that she still had it.
Grabbing his empty glass off the coffee table, hers was still in her hand, she made her way to the kitchen side of the breakfast bar. She rinsed out the glasses and placed them in the dishwasher. The rote task helped her regain her focus.
Back in control, Rayne was ready to finish answering Dex’s questions and then get some much-needed sleep. “You had asked me how Angelique and Robert met.”
Chapter Thirteen
Dex knew he should be concentrating on the possibility that Angelique and Callie Sedgwick were Jaja’s primary targets from the beginning, but alone in this private villa with Rayne seemed so intimate, familiar. The two of them, working together, trying to bring down Aahil Mohammed Jaja, it was as though the past twelve years hadn’t happened.
