by Tl Reeve
“Oh?” Mateo cocked a brow.
Noah nodded. “Mission. They’re going to meet up with Murray in Juarez, Mexico.”
Mateo whistled. “Talk about sink or swim.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” Noah grinned and slid his hand up Mateo’s thigh. “But, that’s not here or there. How about, since we’re off duty, you and I grab a bath together?”
“A bath?” Mateo stared down into Noah’s startling blue eyes.
“Mmhmm. I'll wash your back, and you can wash mine, and if things progress from there...” He gave a nonchalant lift of his shoulder. “Well, I won't complain.” Noah palmed Mateo’s crotch and groaned.
Mateo sucked in a breath and shivered. “I’d love a bath.”
“Last one there has to wash the other’s back first,” Noah said, standing Mateo up.
“Somehow, that doesn’t sound like a punishment.”
He laughed. “It’s not.” Noah pulled his shirt off, exposing his muscular chest and abs. “Ready?”
“Always,” Mateo murmured then took off for their master bathroom.
“You little cheat!” Humor laced Noah’s tone as he followed.
Mateo laughed as he began pulling off his clothes. “I love you, Noah. But I want this back rub/wash/whatever it is.”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Noah came up behind him and pressed him to the glass of their shower. “I was going to wash your back first, anyway.” He nipped at Mateo’s neck and groaned. “I love you, too, Mattie.” He flipped on the switch in their tub and waited while it filled. “Now, get that sweet ass of yours in there.”
“So pushy,” Mateo muttered, lowering himself into the warm water.
“Damn right, I am,” Noah said. “For better or worse.”
Somewhere in Virginia Beach, Virginia...
AJ stepped into the hotel room. The decor hadn’t changed in the two weeks since they’d been going there. Stupid to even care about what the damn room looked like. Wasn’t like any of them wanted to be there, anyway. They were running an op to help Murray. If they did it right, they’d pass for a couple. Triad? Ménage? Hell, she didn’t know what to call it, other than the fact, Kaine liked to be called Daddy.
A shiver of anticipation rolled down her spine.
In the beginning, when they settled on a meeting spot, she’d been tempted to back out of the whole thing. She’d even pulled Wolf’s number up on her phone and was about to call him when Scotty convinced her to stay and try. It’d been what they were shooting for, after all—a position on a team where they’d be used in the field and behind the scenes.
This, though?
She glanced over her shoulder at Scotty who'd worn a mask of indifference since they'd left the base a half-hour ago. Things were getting deeper by the second for them. In order for whatever Murray had planned to work, Scotty, her, and Thomas had to act as a cohesive partnership, even though they'd barely known each other a handful of weeks.
“Ah, there you are.” Thomas lounged on the bed. In his hand, a glass filled halfway with an amber liquid—bourbon, if she remembered correctly. It’d been one of the things he expected both she and Scotty to learn, just in case “toys” were supposed to serve their Master... Ugh, she hated that word.
Unlike the last time they met up, he’d removed his shirt. For forty-four-year-old agent, she had to admit, he had a nice body. Thomas had broad shoulders and a barrel, muscular chest. She swore sometimes his muscles had muscles. It’d been something she noticed when he took off his suit coat and rolled up his sleeves, exposing his sinewy forearms. He was tall, too. If she had to gauge, Thomas stood at least six-foot-two or three. He had dark hair, greying at the temples, and hard, determined green eyes. Everything about the man exuded power.
“Yeah, we were helping Asher. It went a little longer than we both expected.” She tugged off her jacket. “What are we doing tonight?”
A devious smile tugged at Thomas’ full lips. “Glad you asked.” He picked up a thin, black leather collar lying next to him. “Things will get a bit interesting tonight.” He glanced at Scotty. “Don’t worry, I have a matching one for you, too.”
Scotty sucked in a breath. His gaze snapped to AJ’s. No.
“No?” Thomas stood up. “Look, we’re all doing this. We have to act like a sexually active trio.”
Yeah, that was another thing she didn’t understand about Thomas, he didn’t say fuck. He didn’t say bang. He called it sexual activity. She’d have laughed if she didn’t think the FBI agent wouldn’t take her over his knee and spank her ass. Arousal spiked and sent warm tendrils of need through her body.
Thomas stared down at her. “What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?” She glanced up at him.
“For a second you were unguarded, and I could get a read on you,” he said.
“It was nothing,” she answered, waving him off. “So, the collars. Do we just put them on?” She grabbed the one Thomas had in his hand. The butter-soft material sent another thrill of longing through her.
The first few nights they were together, Thomas did all the talking. He didn’t know what type of situation they were going into, but he wanted them to be prepared just in case.
The last two weeks, she realized, were building to this. The tension between them intensified as she stood there, waiting for the next set of instructions. Thomas cut his gaze over to Scotty who vibrated with anger. She didn’t understand him. Scotty had been the one to ease her into the case and helped settle her jangled nerves. Now, when she looked at him, she saw something else. He was scared but pissed, too.
No. I won’t wear it. I’m not a toy. Scotty’s chest heaved. I may be deaf, but I'm no man's submissive.
Thomas smirked before placing the glass he held to his lips. “Wondered how long it would take before you opened your mouth.”
AJ cut her gaze between both men. “Uh, what?” There was a power play happening between them, one she wasn’t sure she wanted any part of.
“Asher wanted you both to be my submissives. How the bastard knew about my proclivities, I have no idea.”
Ears and eyes everywhere. Scotty signed.
Thomas chuckled. “Suppose so. Anyway, what he didn’t count on, is Scotty.”
AJ hated word games. “Spit it out.”
Thomas looked to Scotty then to AJ. “Do you want me to tell her, or you?”
Scotty narrowed his eyes. I’ll do it. He grabbed AJ by the shoulder and led her into the bathroom. Not that they needed privacy. However, it appeared Thomas might understand Scotty more than what he let on.
“What's going on?” she asked when Scotty closed the door behind her.
I haven’t wanted... Scotty blew out a breath. I have been giving you space for a long time.
His words didn’t make sense. “Scotty?”
I won’t be a toy, but I’ll work with Thomas. Do you understand what I’m telling you?
AJ blinked. None of what was happening made sense. She wanted to rewind everything to when they’d left the base and start again. “No.” Her stomach knotted. Nervous energy skittered down her spine. “What are you saying, Scotty?”
The door to the bathroom opened, and Thomas stood there. “He’s trying to tell you, he’s a top or more specifically, has a dominant streak. He wants to make you our submissive.”
She snapped her attention back to Scotty. His blue eyes darkened with arousal and resolve. The playful, unassuming veneer, he wore like a second skin, washed away, allowing AJ to see the truth she’d been denying for years. Scotty wanted her. Badly. She shook her head. “No. I can’t. I won’t... I won’t ruin our friendship.” She’d shoved away all of her feelings for Scotty since day one. They were all they had, and if something happened because—insert reason here—she didn’t know what she’d do.
“I’m thinking both of you are way beyond that,” Thomas murmured then glanced at Scotty. “You ready?”
Scotty grunted and gave a curt nod.
“Good.
Tonight, AJ, you’re going to strip for us and then...” A salacious smile pulled at the corners of Thomas’ mouth, transforming his features from debonair to downright dangerous. “We’re going to get naked and fuck.”
Epilogue
Somewhere outside of Juarez, Mexico, three weeks ago...
Murray Jacobs drove down the rutted dirt road. He’d left the main road over an hour ago to take the most direct way to his destination. Getting through the border crossing had been a breeze, with Tex's help, of course. Being stopped with all of his equipment in the back of his vehicle would have been hard to explain, even with his credentials.
Going into another country to run an op no one was aware of, except for Tex and Asher had consequences if he got caught. He could end up in a Federales prison for the rest of his life. Not something he intended, especially if he found his sister Hannah, like Tex, told him he would.
Ten years ago, she’d disappeared from their home in Newport, Virginia. She’d just started her junior year of high school after being stuck in the hospital with Acute flaccid myelitis, most commonly known as AMF. For Hannah, it affected her legs, rendering her paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors assured Murray she’d recover eventually, but as the days and weeks became months without any change, he and Hannah realized this would be their new normal.
Their relationship wasn’t the typical brother/sister pairing. He was already ten years old when his parents announced they were having another baby. From the conversations he overheard as a child, Hannah had been considered an “oops” baby. At the time, he didn’t understand it, now he did. His parents were older, in their mid-thirties when they had Murray. With Hannah, his mother had different types of age-related complications. It'd been touch and go there for a while, and in the beginning, he’d hated Hannah.
Then, their parents died in a tragic vacation accident. The sightseeing boat they’d been on, capsized off the coast of Belize, killing everyone on board. Murry had just turned eighteen. Hannah was the only thing left in his life. After their funeral, he promised to take care of her, no matter how annoying or demanding she was. Blood meant everything to him, too bad it took a tragedy for him to see it.
Somehow, when he joined the military after finishing high school, he’d finagled a way for both of them to stick together. At the time, he thought it was the best way for him to continue to be Hannah’s guardian while also making money. Yes, their parents set up life insurance policies in their names and had a will, but money would eventually run out. He wouldn’t allow either of them to flounder if he could help it.
Together, after basic, they traveled to Germany then Japan, before returning home to Virginia. Those few years had been invaluable for his sister. She learned about different cultures and countries while also picking up two different languages, German and Japanese.
Like him, she excelled at school. She'd been placed in all honors courses and was on track to graduate at the top of her class. He’d been so proud of her after everything she’d been through.
So, when she disappeared, his whole world came crumbling down around him.
He hadn’t even known about R.O.O.T or what they did until the leader—Asher found him while he’d been at the police department speaking with a detective. Murray had irreplaceable skills himself. He had an eidetic memory. He could remember things with just a cursory glance. It made becoming a hacker pretty easy, and the military put it to use more times than he could count.
The offer of joining Asher, using his connections to try to find Hannah, had been the bait he needed at the time. When he stepped into the police department that day, it’d already been over the ninety hours the FBI determined a lost child/person could be found alive. He’d been desperate. So, he took Asher’s deal and hit the ground running.
For the ten years, he'd been with Asher, all of his free time had been used to search for his sister. He’d all but given up, until now. When Tex called him, it surprised him. He hadn’t talked to the guy since one of R.O.O.T’s missions went awry, and Asher brought Tex in for help. Hearing his voice and getting the coordinates for where to meet Jaq, because there was a blip about his sister... Fuck, he didn’t hesitate jumping into his vehicle and taking off.
The shanty town of Juarez grew closer as he crested the hill. He glanced at the clock on his dash; 0700 hours. The early morning sun tracked higher into the sky, chasing away the pinks and purples of dawn. A heat burst baked the desert sands, causing a haze to glimmer across the road in front of him. Shit, today is going to be another hot one. Murray grabbed the bottle of water beside him and took a drink. The Mexican desert wasn’t somewhere he wanted to be without being hydrated.
As the rutted road changed back to asphalt, he glanced at his GPS. He had about forty miles to go. Since he’d left Virginia, he thought about all the things he’d say to Hannah once he found her. She’d be twenty-six now—if Tex’s intel was correct. He’d missed so much of her life and her likewise. He wondered if she missed him. If she thought he gave up on her. If she knew he searched every day for her. He’d thought about bringing every birthday card he bought her, for every year she’d been gone. Then chided himself for being stupid.
Already, he'd begun the process of having a safe home set up for her, so she could recover and take the steps she'd need to reintroduce herself to society. With Asher's help and Tex's, he hoped to make everything as smooth as possible for her. Until then, he had to focus on the road in front of him.
As his turn off approached, he slowed and made the left-hand turn. Each mile ticking by sent another pulse of nervous energy through him. For everything he’d try to prepare for, he also held the thread of fear in the back of his mind. Hannah might be dead. The information could be wrong. The pessimistic outlook kept him grounded. It allowed him to not feel excited. He wouldn’t set himself up for failure.
Murray bounced off the paved road back onto the dirt as the distance between himself and his new partner narrowed. Cactus and yucca plants surrounded him. The scent of dry sage and rain filtered through his truck, settling him marginally. But, it was the glare off of a windshield in the distance, which had him slowing as he drew near. There sitting across the road, was a pickup and a person standing outside of it.
He came to a stop a few feet from the vehicle and shut off his truck. The directions on his GPS led him to this point, but the niggle of being on alert kept him from automatically jumping out. When the person standing across from him didn't move, Murray popped the door hesitantly and stepped out.
The woman stared at him but didn’t move. Her mirrored aviators reflected his image back at him. He placed his hand behind his back, palming the 9mm he’d holstered there, just in case. No way he’d allow her to get the slip on him.
In the last fifteen years, the cartels and the drug trade had taken over the country. Murders were on the rise, and corruption ran rampant through the police and federal officials. Anyone who fought back ended up dead. Murry didn’t have a death wish. He wouldn’t fuck with the hierarchy as long as he got his sister back or found some clue as to what happened to her.
“You Murray Jacobs?” The woman’s accented voice surprised him.
“Yeah. Who are you?” he asked, still holding onto his weapon.
“I’m Jaq. Your partner.” She approached him. Her hand extended in greeting. “Tex said you’d be a bit...suspicious.”
He snorted. “Tex is perceptive.” He shook her hand in greeting. “Jaq short for something?”
She grinned. “Jaqueline Herrera, but most people call me ‘Rainbow.’”
Murray tilted his head. “‘Rainbow?’”
She laughed. “On account of my sparkling personality.” She removed her hat and a tumble of dark, rainbow-colored locks tumbled down her back. “And the hair.”
He laughed. “I like it.”
“Thanks. If you want to follow me, we’ll get you settled, and I’ll fill you in on what’s going on.”
Murray nodded. “Sounds great. Lead the way.�
�
Jaq jumped back into her pick up then led the way down the trailhead they'd been on. Murray followed close behind, not wanting the dirt to obscure his line of sight. He didn’t know how long they’d been driving before they came upon a clearing with a small ranchero home. Behind it, at least forty head of cattle.
A working ranch, interesting. He pulled in beside Jaq and parked. When he stepped out, a medium-sized Australian Shepherd ran toward him from the front porch. The grey and black brindled pup shook with excitement while he stared up at Murray as though they were going to become good friends.
“That’s Bebito,” Jaq said. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
“Is this all yours?” Murray surveyed the land surrounding them. It was a great piece of land. Securing it had to have been a challenge, though. There were too many access points and not enough security for his tastes.
“My family’s,” she answered. “I inherited it.”
“How do you keep it—?”
“Secure?” She laughed. “You’ll see.” She waved him inside.
Murray followed her into the house and stopped. The place was amazing. The walls were covered in paintings along with family portraits, if Murray had to guess, came from the turn of the century or earlier. To the right, was a bookcase filled with books, some were leather bound Spanish texts, others were paperback romance novels. Murray grinned, seemed Jaq’s hair wasn’t the only eclectic thing in her life.
He continued on past a short hallway to a mudroom of sorts. On the left, was a washer/dryer set. A long countertop against the back wall held a few folded towels and an assortment of laundry products. On the floor to the right, a hand-braided burgundy rug. Jaq went straight to it. She pushed it back, revealing a trap door then pressed a code into the pad, before pressing her thumb to the small biometric pad. The door snapped open, and she pulled it up the rest of the way, exposing a smaller version of what he could only compare it to as Asher’s C&C at the base.