by Tl Reeve
“It’s better to talk down here,” Jaqueline said. “It’s bug free and secure. There is also a dampener down here in case a listening device should get through all of my safety protocols.”
“Is your house bugged?” Thomas asked, cocking a brow.
The woman laughed. “I’d be too conceited to believe there were none. I am a nosey neighbor, as you’d say.”
“So, how do you have guests here? How is Murray here without someone knowing?” Amelia sat forward. “How do we know us arriving hasn’t tipped Raul off?”
“We don’t do any of our talking above ground. If we are in the house, the television is on or a radio,” Murray said. “About all they’re hearing is Jaqueline teaching me Spanish.”
“Oh?” Thomas hedged. “How’s that going?”
“Lento.” Murray laughed. “To be honest, we’ve been working night and day to put all the pieces we need into play. Having Scotty on the inside might help us out.”
“What?” Amelia snarled.
Murray held up his hands. “I get how you feel. Jaqueline and I are in the same boat, but you and he are trained agents. Scotty is a helluva lot stronger than you give him credit for.”
“Would that be before or after he got his ass kicked and ended up hurt?” Amelia arched a brow.
Thomas placed his hand on her forearm. “We’re not there yet. Scotty being taken is a kick in the balls for both of us. His kidnapping means we weren’t doing our job correctly.”
Jaqueline frowned. “Dwelling on it won’t magically make him appear.”
Amelia squared her shoulders. “Yeah, well, some of us can’t turn our emotions off when shit gets hard.”
“Okay...” Murray held up his hands. “We can either keep going around and around like this is a pissing contest and not an op, or we can put our dicks away and work together.”
“I don’t have a dick,” Amelia said.
“You have an imaginary one,” Jaqueline said. “All women do, and most times, they’re bigger than a man’s. Don’t tell me you’ve never said, “suck my dick,” to someone.”
A small smile tipped the corner of Amelia’s lips. “Okay, you got me. I have.”
“Exactly,” the woman said.
“If we’re done.” Murray rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “We need to meet Luca by noon. If you’d both like the freshen up and catch a quick nap, we have a guest room set up for you.”
“Oh...uh...” Amelia nibbled on her bottom lip. “I’d love a shower. Nothing compares to smelling like C-130...”
“I could use a couple hours of downtime,” Thomas said, since he hadn’t slept on the flight over. “Wake me when it’s almost time.”
Murray nodded. “You got it.”
Chapter 5
“Here’s the thing about Luca...” AJ shivered at the mention of the man’s name. They’d ran exactly one mission with him, and she swore she’d never do it again. Even though they hadn’t officially met, he still gave her the creeps. The mission had been the reason Scotty and she were with Wolf in California when Tex called and asked them to join him in Virginia. While they ran the background intel, telling the team where to go, Wolf, Luca, and a few others were on the operation side. The video footage from the scene was disturbing to say the least. The way those women had been kept, turned her stomach. However, Luca’s eyes, when he’d been unguarded sent a chill down her spine.
He was a reaper.
A taker of souls.
She didn’t care if Tex swore up and down and on the Virgin Mary, the man was harmless, she knew better. Even before the night of the raid, she’d seen it. He could be a charming man. Attentive. Gregarious. If he were a plant, he’d be a Venus Flytrap, because he could lull a person into a false sense of security then—wham—he’d attack. So, no, he wasn’t harmless; to her, there was something wrong with him.
“Tex has assured me we are in safe hand here with Luca,” Jaqueline said.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” AJ replied. “I’ve seen him in the field. The man is a stone-cold killer. I’d advise you all to watch your P’s and Q’s with him.”
Murray turned right into the small, heavily armed gated community not far from where they were in Juarez. There weren’t many houses in the tract, however, the ones there, were mansions. Six of them dotted the twenty-acre estate. Luca’s had been the furthest away. There were nuances to this game they all played. The line between truth and lies blurred in many places. Where the undercover CIA Agent fell, well, AJ feared they may not find out until it was too late.
As they pulled into the rounded driveway and parked behind a primer-black Lamborghini Adventador, Murray whistled. “Someone has expensive tastes.”
AJ rolled her eyes. “All for show, I’d assume.”
“Or the man can play the system well,” Thomas muttered.
True. Luca Trapani did play the system well. Well enough as a matter of fact, he kept the darkness within him hidden. The front door of the mansion opened and there he stood. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been in head to toe camo, wearing a helmet and bullet-proof vest as they took down the sex trafficking ring in San Ysidro, close to Tijuana.
Luca wore a monochrome suit, dark-grey on grey. The first four buttons of the shirt were left undone, giving her a glimpse of his tanned, ginger-toned skin. It was unique. Beautiful even, and it was made even more spectacular by his raven-black hair and piercing hazel-green eyes. He had the bone structure of a Greek God, but the air of superiority of a Sicilian Mafioso. It might have only been noon, but he already had a martini in one hand and cigar in the other. Yes, this man could play the part stunningly well, which made the unease crawling through her veins, worse.
AJ popped open the passenger door when Murray exited the vehicle. She didn’t want to be left alone with Luca, whatever the cost. Thomas joined her then, standing behind her and off to the right a bit. His presence pushed away some of the uncomfortable sensations squirming around in her stomach. She felt grounded with Thomas around and it pissed her off more. She should hate him and herself for what happened to Scotty, but she couldn’t. No matter how hard she tried, the little voice deep inside her, reminded her none of them did anything wrong and they were all the victim of circumstances.
AJ hated being the victim.
“Bienvenidos” Luca said in greeting, his Spanish accent a little too thick. “Mi casa es su casa.”
AJ rolled her eyes as she joined Jaqueline at the back of the vehicle to grab their gear. She grasped hers and Scotty’s backpack along with two of the go-packs Murray put together for them. “He’s like this all the time.” AJ eyed the woman. “I don’t care what Tex says. Be on guard.”
Jaqueline cut her gaze to AJ. “Bad?”
AJ gave a curt nod. “Very. Especially in the thick of it. This is all a show.”
“Understood.” Jaqueline snatched up one of the larger cases then started for the door.
“You don’t like him?” Thomas helped AJ with two remaining cases while Murray spoke to Luca.
“Not at all. I never met him personally, but the one op we ran with Wolf and Luca a few months ago was enough for me to always watch my back with him. I can’t pin him down. I never know if he’s one of the good guys or one of the bad guys.” She turned to face Thomas. “Have you ever seen Sicario?”
Thomas nodded. “A few times. Why?”
“You remember the character Benicio Del Toro plays—Alejandro?” She grabbed the last case before Thomas closed the tailgate of the truck.
“The hitman? Yes,” Thomas answered. “I think it’s some of Del Toro’s best work. What about it?”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear Luca is a Sicario.” She rolled her shoulders as she stood there. The cases were heavy in her hands as the desert sun beat down on her. “I don’t think, even though he’s CIA, he holds allegiance to anyone.”
Thomas stared at her. AJ thought the longer he didn’t say anything, the more likely he’d
be to laugh at her. Yet, he didn’t. “I’ll take your assessment under advisement. I appreciate the information.”
“You’re welcome.”
She trudged up the stairs of the opulent home and came to an abrupt stop when Luca stepped in front of her. He glanced down at her as he took a sip from his martini glass. His hazel-green eyes were devoid of any emotion as he gave her a once over. “I once did a job with an AJ and a Scotty.” Luca’s accent was thick, not like the true, hard edge of his normal Bronx inflection.
“Jig is up, Luca. I know you’re a Bronx boy through and through. You even like the Yankees. I see right through you.” AJ bit her bottom lip, not sure where her bravado came from, other than she didn’t want to be near him.
Luca laughed. “You know it. So, you are the AJ of the AJ and Scotty.”
She jerked. “Yes.”
“It’s good to finally meet you, shorty. Tex told me all about the mission. I’m sorry your friend got caught up in it.” Luca gave her a sympathetic look before turning on his heel to enter the mansion.
“Didn’t go as bad as I thought it would,” Thomas murmured, coming up behind her.
“Yeah, we’re not running the op yet, either.” AJ followed Luca into the house and stopped. The place was over the top.
Marble floors gave way to a vaulted ceiling. A giant chandelier hung in the foyer casting light off of the veins of gold in the walls and floors. In the cap above the fixture was a small rendering of The Creation of Adam, painted by Michelangelo. On the wall to her right near the double staircase hanging in an inlet wall, a painting of cherub angels ascending into a cloudy sky with the white light of God shining upon them. Like the floors, the staircase was also polished marble and converged on a single hallway headed east into the house.
“Did you get lost?” Luca appeared in the entranceway to the left. His thick, Spanish accent had returned. “This way.”
He wiggled his finger at Thomas and AJ to follow. Each room flowed into the next and became more extravagant than the last. Luca had spared no expense when it came to his house. The question of where he got the money sat on the tip of her tongue, but she worried she wouldn’t like the answer if gave it to her. So, she kept it to herself.
“Bet this place set you back a pretty penny,” Thomas said, as though he’d read her mind.
“When you’re the premier Dominante, who deals in complacer and dolor, I have to have the appearance to go with it.” He motioned to the house. This is my el antro de decadencia. My den of decadence.”
Yeah, he was playing the persona up. “Interesting name.”
“Si,” Luca answered. “It serves me well. Come, there is more to show you.”
Oh, joy. AJ hefted her bag higher on her shoulder and followed Luca into room she guessed could be a study. Jaqueline and Murray were already there, and their belongings were sitting on an oak conference table to the right. All of the walls except for the exterior wall had been filled with books. Some old and some new. A wrought iron spiral staircase went to the open-air second floor where again there were more bookshelves along with smaller tables with lamps.
AJ placed their gear on the table like Murray and Jaqueline had, but kept hers and Scotty’s backpacks with her. She wouldn’t let them go. AJ hadn’t been kidding when she said Scotty’s whole life was in his backpack. Not only was his laptop in there, but all the little trinkets he’d picked up along the way. Each house he’d been in, he took a memento. She counted them once, there’d been fifteen small tokens. There was also a section of a cast he must have worn at one point, a hospital band, the bottle cap from his first beer, and a strip of photographs they’d taken together at Belmont Park near the boardwalk of Mission Beach. She had the matching set in her backpack.
Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. She missed Scotty so much. She’d been so horrible to him the last night they were together. She’d been so scared. Falling for Scotty was the worst/best thing to happen to her. Of anyone in her life, she knew she could count on Scotty. She trusted him and without him as her lifeline, she floundered. She glanced over at the waiting group and felt out of step with them. Without Scotty, she was more of a sidekick than a hero. She interpreted for him and helped where she could, but he was the brains in their operation.
“Hey, I see those wheels turning.” Thomas placed the two cases he carried next to her stuff. “You belong here.”
She snorted. The asshole read her mind again. Had to have or she was broadcasting her thoughts for everyone to hear. “Yeah, we’ll see.”
“Missions sometimes aren’t as easy as what you think they will be,” he replied. “Stuff happens and you have to adjust. If you can’t, you risk not only your safety but the safety of your teammates.”
“Are you saying I am a liability now?” She arched a brow.
“No, not at all. What I am saying is, you’re hurting. I understand, but you have to focus.”
“So, I’m a liability, got it.” She stomped off, joining Jaqueline and Murray. Everything Thomas said, however, was the truth. If she couldn’t gather her wits about her, she would become the weakest link in the chain and, in the end, could tear apart the mission before it even got off the ground.
Murray nudged her. “You okay?”
She pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Define, ‘okay.’”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Murray leaned in and whispered, “I’m not comfortable with this, either.”
She gasped glancing up at him. “What?”
He nodded, leading her away from Thomas and Jaqueline. “Honest truth. I’m supposed to be Jaqueline’s submissive. She’s fucking sex and she turns me on, but giving up control, to her?”
Yeah, AJ understood the feeling. “Not easy?”
“Hell, no,” Murray stated. “I’m one hundred percent pure Alpha-male. Giving up control in the bedroom, though, and in front of people who have held my sister for ten plus years, I’m not sure I can.”
“It’s scary.”
AJ’s mind wandered back to the night in the hotel room. Weird to think it’d only been a few nights ago. As much as she wanted to hate Thomas for destroying her life, she also wanted him with every fiber of her being. It was hard to put into words. Before she safe worded and felt out of control and spiraling, she’d been free, if not a little frightened about letting go. The moment she’d waited for was finally happening and instead of enjoying herself and making memories she could cling to while they searched for Scotty, she’d only been left with bitter salty ones and a desire to blame everything on Thomas. She supposed, in a way, it’d been easier that way. If she had someone to pin her fear and anguish on, she didn’t have to feel guilty. It could be everyone else’s fault but hers.
Pathetic.
“It is,” Murray agreed. “But I am going to give a hundred and ten percent to this mission because my sister, Jaqueline’s brother, and our fellow teammate Scotty, are in there and they need us to save them.”
“You’re really good at pep talks,” she murmured. “Anybody ever tell you that?”
He laughed. “Sometimes.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Have you...” She paused, trying to figure out the best way to ask a delicate question. “Are you and Jaqueline, you know...”
“Fucking?” Murray barked out a laugh. “You’re adorable. But, no. We haven’t. Doesn’t mean we haven’t tried out being Domme and submissive.” He frowned. “It’s not going well, though.”
“Have you thought about switching the rolls?”
Murray scrubbed his chin. “We did. It would be easier on us, however, of the four of us, Jaqueline knows the ins and outs of the club better. It would look a little suspicious if a sub was telling her Master where to go.”
He had a point. “Guess it’s why we’re here, huh?”
He nodded. “Yep. See if I can get comfortable with the idea.”
“If not?”
“Guess I’m benched, and Luca has to take over.”
; AJ shook her head. “No, you need to learn. I don’t trust hi—”
“What are you two conspiring about over there?” Luca called out as he closed the doors behind him.
“Which book we want to read first,” Murray said, leaving AJ’s side. “Who knew we had a common like for old books?”
Luca grinned. “Take whichever one you like. There are more than enough.”
“T-thank you,” AJ said, crossing to Thomas.
“Not a problem,” Luca answered. “Now, let’s cut the bullshit. You’re all here because Asher and Tex are concerned you’re having issues.” He looked to AJ and Thomas. “Your situation is different. You’re missing a member of your team, however, you have to get your heads on if you plan on walking into that club. Going in as you are now, they’ll see right through you.”
“I respect your point of view, but I’ll do what I need to with AJ.” Thomas stepped closer to AJ. “She’s my priority. We’ll get our relationship sorted. Don’t you worry.”
“Fine.” Luca looked at Murray. “You’re the sub in this situation, if you can put aside your indifference to the situation, it’ll go smoother for you.” He then gave his attention to Jaqueline. “You’re the Dom in this situation, if you can’t keep him under your thrall, then you will be side-eyed by everyone in the room. They will question whether or not you are in control. They’ll see his insolence as an extension of you. Whereas in a normal setting, some might turn a blind eye, in the Emporium of Monsters, they scrutinize it. Especially since you’ll be with their precious cargo and their money makers.”
“So, what do you suggest?” Jaqueline asked.
“I believe this is our cue to go,” Thomas said. “Where are we going to be staying?”
Luca pointed to the double doors. “Through the doors and down the hall. Last room on the right. I think you’ll find the room quite suitable to your tastes.”