Finding His Mark

by Piper J. Drake

  Finding His Mark

  Piper J. Drake

  Copyright © 2019 by Piper J. Drake

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any actual places, products, or events mentioned are used in a purely fictitious manner.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please email contact@piperjdrake.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Previously included in the Destination: Love anthology.

  To Mommy,

  * * *

  who told me many folktales of Thailand in my childhood. She took me along the inner walls of Wat Phra Kaew in the Grand Palace at the heart of Bangkok to show me the murals originally painted during the reign of King Rama I, telling me the story of the Ramakian as we walked along all 178 scenes. She taught me Thai traditional dance and the story of Manora, the bird princess.

  * * *

  She lives in Thailand still and sends me links to the latest Thai and Korean dramas to watch online.

  * * *

  This story is for her.

  Also by Piper J. Drake

  True Heroes series

  Extreme Honor

  Ultimate Courage

  Absolute Trust

  Total Bravery

  Fierce Justice

  * * *

  Safeguard series

  Hidden Impact

  Deadly Testimony

  Contracted Defense

  * * *

  Stand alone titles…

  Siren’s Calling

  Red’s Wolf

  Evie’s Gift

  Keeping Cadence

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Afterword

  About the Author

  1

  Sushar Sakda rarely ventured into the tourist-heavy areas around Phuket, but the quiet life of the tucked-away house she’d made her home over the last year left her too much inside her own head. Thailand was a land of beauty and bright smiles, amazing street food, and too many childhood memories. It was a wonderful place to visit but she’d never wanted to live here.

  Yet here she was, to hide from the world. Sort of. Walking out among a scattering of vacationers was a kind of compromise, hiding in plain sight.

  At least this beach on the edge of a luxury resort gave her a taste of international fun. The resort was rather exclusive, catering to the very wealthy from around the world. Plenty of vacationers from Europe, the U.S., Japan, Korea, China, and many more countries were enjoying the sun, sand, and water today.

  Phuket might be called a tourist trap by some—and it could be a different kind of trap for her—but it was an indulgent way to lose yourself. The resort kept the beach sand immaculately clear of debris or detritus. Umbrellas and beach chairs were available for rent. Local vendors carried baskets on either end of carefully bent poles balanced on one shoulder as they walked along, offering fruits and grilled savory meats.

  Above the high-tide line, a carefully maintained oasis of tropical vegetation sheltered a relaxed bar area. Her contact would be waiting for her there.

  She figured there were very few people who could’ve known how to find her. The ad left online, tagged with metadata used only by people in her very particular line of business, had also been enough to push her curiosity into overdrive.

  * * *

  LOOKING FOR: Thai Ridgeback (f) available in Phuket, Thailand.

  * * *

  The dog keeping pace at her left side wasn’t female. He was a Thai Ridgeback, though, with a copper-red coat and the characteristic line of fur growing in the opposing direction from his shoulders down to the base of his tail. She’d acquired him as a puppy almost immediately after settling in Thailand to wait out the ill will of powerful people related to her last contract. Two, maybe three people knew she’d always wanted a Thai Ridgeback for a companion. Combine the mention with her location, and the metadata tag private contractors used in the business, and either an old friend or someone dangerous was in town looking for her.

  Probably both.

  She was tired of existing in a suspended version of life anyway.

  Trick was, she had very good survival skills. Even as she walked casually toward the bar, she scanned the area around her. She scrutinized every face near and far, looked into every shaded spot and up into every balcony of the nearby buildings. No one could be one hundred percent aware all the time, but hers was the hyper vigilance of someone who’d survived a whole lot of people trying to end her.

  She spotted the man she was here to meet with plenty of time to react if he decided to open fire on her in broad daylight. Of the people present, he was the only person to meet her gaze directly. He lifted his chin in acknowledgement and waited for her to come to him. He’d always been a straightforward sort of operative, and he was more than ballsy enough to do something like eliminating a target out in the open. But he didn’t make any sudden moves and both his hands were out where she could see them.

  Michael Hunter was a master of just about any kind of firearm obtainable either legally or otherwise. He was also an amazing example of male physique, lounging as he was in the shady corner of the bar area with a view of all potential approaches on his position.

  Broad shoulders, massive chest, defined torso—all bared and oiled. He’d either been here enough days already to develop a deep golden tan, or he’d had time to maintain one wherever he’d been prior to visiting. His American-style swim trunks were new, though she’d seen him wear the European-style swim briefs in the past. A lot of higher-rated hotels in Thailand required the swim briefs to use the pools on property, as opposed to the looser and supposedly less hygienic swim trunks. Apparently, Michael wasn’t going to be hotel hopping in the near future. Or perhaps he wasn’t staying in the country long.

  He smiled as she made her way to him. It was the irresistibly carefree, boy-next-door grin she remembered from years ago. More than a handful of years, less than a decade. Damn. They were getting old. Or at least old for specialists in their line of work.

  The years were a mark of those who were either good at what they did, or cowards. In the time she’d worked with him, she’d never have accused him of the latter and her most recent status was more out of practical wisdom than fear. So yeah, they were both good, very good at what they did.

  One or two hotel staffers looked as if they were going to move to stop her, but she strode in with her head held high and hips swaying. Her dog maintained a perfect heel position at her side. The two of them proceeded with the confidence and arrogance of foreigners, affluent ones, so the hotel staff stayed where they were.

  They’d have stopped a Thai local. But even though both her parents were Thai, she had grown up in America and didn’t quite fit the mold either in build or body language. Maybe a steady supply of dairy and red meat in the early years could do that for a body. Or she was a genetic aberration. She’d loved to tease people by claiming the latter because it threw them off balance. Making people uncomfortable gave her the advantage.

  “Su.” Michael stood as she came within reach. He pulled out a chair for her, next to him, where she could sit and see everyone
around them too. “Thank you for coming.”

  “You put out an interesting message.” She seated herself, keeping her tone neutral.

  “Are you going to introduce us?” Michael’s voice was warm in contrast. His words caressed her with a natural sensuality that had always been a part of him. He could make jaded prostitutes blush if he wanted to. She had always been careful not to let on how much it affected her too.

  “Tongdaeng.” She said it slow for him, separating ‘tong’ and ‘dang’ so he could hear the inflection and tone that were characteristic of the Thai language. At the sound of his name, her dog looked up at her. She smiled and gave the dog a rub behind the ears, murmuring the Thai command for him to sit. He could respond to German or Dutch too, but no need for Michael to know just yet.

  “I’m going to guess that’s his name.”

  She smiled. “It is. It can translate to ‘copper’.”

  “Handsome dog.” Michael kept his eyes on her but dangled his hand in a loose fist close enough for Tongdaeng to sniff. “I didn’t expect you to actually bring one.”

  “He goes where I go.” She lifted a shoulder, noncommittally. “He’s also got better sense of smell and hearing than I do. He’s a good friend.”

  Michael nodded. “Hard to come by.”

  “Yes.” Which was why she was here. She wanted to know if the person who’d posted the ad was a friend. She’d found Michael waiting.

  He had been, once upon a time. But their adventures had ended when their team parted ways. They’d all gone on to other contract work, either in private military organizations or specialized security. Back then, they’d been hungry to build careers for themselves and reputations in the business. They’d passed on a lot of life choices in favor of their ambitions.

  Michael’s friendship was one she’d missed over time, and in the dark honesty of the moments between sleeping and waking, he was her “what if?”—the person she wondered about when she considered what would’ve happened if she’d given in to temptation instead of staying focused on her vocation.

  “Why are you here, Michael?” As nice as it was to see him and as much as she hoped he’d come looking for her for good reason, a friend would’ve stayed away, left her hidden. But here he was.

  “I have a job, and I need someone I can trust.” His smile faded. “That’s a short list and you’re on it. Even better, you were already here in Thailand.”

  A job.

  “You need someone dead.”

  * * *

  Michael bit the inside of his cheek. That was Su, direct and to the point and quiet enough not to be overheard by casual listeners. Damn. He’d missed her. “Disposition is negotiable. According to intel I gathered just before this trip, there’s a contract on my employer and he is particularly vulnerable while we’re here in Thailand. I need someone who can get inside the hitter’s head to find him before he succeeds. Even if you’d been elsewhere, I’d have brought you in for this. Your background, your history, make you suited to spotting something wrong in this place.”

  Su tilted her head to one side, her ponytail of barely contained dark hair swinging with the motion. He almost wished she’d worn it loose and flowing down her back and shoulders, but it was both hot and humid in Phuket. Su had always been a practical woman. “You know what goes on in a wetwork specialist’s mind.”

  He turned his head from side to side, maintaining eye contact so she would believe the sincerity in his words. “I recognize the work after the hit. I respect the skill set. But I’d be a liar if I ever claimed I knew what you were thinking.”

  Her glossy lips pressed together. She had a thing for gloss, tended to chew her lips if they got even close to dry. He wanted to lean forward and taste, find out the flavor.

  “Do you think I’m the assassin targeting your boss?”

  “No.” The word dropped out of his mouth, cold and hard with shock.

  She lifted an eyebrow. Her dog cocked his head, responsive to her facial expressions and mood. Best guess? She wasn’t happy. “Then why bring me out into the open? You know I’m on at least one powerful person’s shit list. There aren’t active contracts out on my head, but there’s very likely some people looking to eliminate me to build up brownie points. If you’re not looking to eliminate me yourself, why make it easier for someone else?”

  He closed his eyes and then opened them again, gazing out over their surroundings in a habitual scan but also to give himself a second to explain in a way she’d accept. “Okay. I tried to start this cool and smooth. It came out wrong. I’ll be real. I’m head of security and I need to focus on keeping my employer alive. I don’t have the time or the knowledge to hunt down a high caliber assassin before the hit. I need someone who does. Find him, whoever he is, before he tries. If you can take him for questioning, awesome. If you have to neutralize him more permanently, that’s an acceptable option.”

  Her eyebrow didn’t relax. “If you need to keep him or her safe, why is your employer even away from a secure location? It’s got to be easier to manage security on home turf.”

  No kidding.

  “This is a key summit. We’re here a few days early at my insistence to better establish security, but I couldn’t talk him into staying in the States and sending a representative.” Michael didn’t have authorization to tell her everything, but if he wasn’t clear about the details, she’d walk away. He’d also never find her again. Su gave people one chance, only one. “Three organizations are here to build friendships and negotiate the terms of a joint venture over the next couple of days through a few informal and formal meetings. My boss is the head of one. He had to be here or the other two heads would’ve walked away from the negotiation table. Sometime over the course of this summit, there’s going to be an attempt on him. I need you to identify and take out the other wetwork specialist before it happens. I’ll handle the more…straightforward threats that might come up.”

  “Hmm.” Su looked out over the beach beyond the bar area again. Despite her coming out to meet him, she was being as careful in regards to their physical surroundings and the people who were around them. “Interesting place for a business conference, but I can see the allure. Thailand is fairly neutral in global business.”

  There was business, and then there was the business. He was pretty sure she understood the nature of the organizations involved, but just in case. “This resort is known for its discretion.”

  She nodded. “I’m not surprised you went into private security, but you didn’t seem the type to go into family business.”

  Mob. Mafia. He shook his head. “These organizations didn’t grow out of old families. Let’s say they each survived the ambitious start-up stage and have established international influence.”

  “Ah.” She placed her left hand on the shoulder of her dog, absently giving the canine a scratch.

  Tongdaeng regarded Michael with a relaxed doggie grin and then resumed his watch on the surrounding area as well. There were a lot of ways Su could’ve trained the dog to help her detect potential threats. The dog’s sight, hearing, and sense of smell would be an advantage most attackers wouldn’t take into consideration.

  All this, and she continued with a relaxed appearance and a mildly academic tone for their discussion. So incredibly sexy. “Good place to establish a long-term career, if you can stomach the business interests.”

  Su had a strong personal code of honor. She might not believe he did too. Neither of them had been in touch for years, so maybe he was hearing judgment in her tone. Or maybe he had questioned his choices along the way all on his own. He hadn’t expected to find himself comfortable in an organized crime syndicate, but here he was.

  “The organization I work for is smart about their operations, completely invested in cyber tech and information transactions.” He’d done a lot of checking both before and after he’d entered their employ. “They don’t take part in drugs or human trafficking, not even black market goods. Everything is in the internet cloud or
locked away from it, depending on the information.”

  “I see.” Her dark brown gaze locked with his again and the impact of it sent electric shocks from his chest to his extremities, all of them. Damn again. “Is having knowledge worth that much?”

  “Knowledge is everything.” He was confident in this much, and he gave her a lazy smile. “Even the possession of information can make a person a fortune or break them down to less than nothing.

  “Interesting business model,” she murmured. “It’s still on the risky side of legal.”

  There was that.

  “People like you and me don’t really fit into the regular white-collar world.” Theirs was a very complicated existence. He and she had both made those kinds of choices for their career paths and it had set the tone for their respective futures. He was good with it. Was she?

  “No, we don’t.”

  She wasn’t going to stay much longer, and he shouldn’t be seen conversing with her for too long either. There was no reason anyone would take notice but they both had gotten good at balancing caution with communication.

  “Representatives for all three of the organization will be arriving on site over the next day or two.” He jerked his chin toward the main building of the resort. “I already have a suite. I’m betting other security personnel are here to check out the area. None of us have formally introduced ourselves yet. It’d be helpful to have you as an unofficial add to my security detail.”

  “No one is going to question you hiring local talent to supplement your security?” She let out a short huff of laughter. “Suspicious. Plus, security detail isn’t usually my thing.”