by J. Kenner
Tony looks at me, and I move my head in the slightest nod. The silent communication is clear. This girl is legitimately scared, and not just because her boss collects blackmail tapes and launders money. This is the fear of a bullet in the brain.
“But here you are,” I say. “So what happened?”
Her throat moves as she swallows. “My brother was a hacker. Is, really, though he swears he doesn’t do it much, and only to keep his skills up. But he used to be all over the dark web, digging in all sorts of creepy places. And he’d tell me about it. So once I started feeling really trapped, I thought maybe I could find out about my boss on the dark web.”
“You were going to blackmail him for your job?” Tony’s voice is incredulous.
She shakes her head. “Honestly, I didn’t know what I was looking for. And then Billy—that’s my brother—started stumbling across these questions about The Serpent. Buried queries, but all from the same guy. Turned out to be you,” she says, looking at Tony.
He reaches his hand out and takes mine. “So why meet me?”
“I figured you wanted to kill him. Either that or hire him, but I doubted that. But for me, it doesn’t really matter. Because I can tell you his name and where he lives, and I figure that’s worth something.”
“And now we get to the crux of it,” Tony says. “What do you want?”
“Help,” she says plaintively. “The owner of Debauchery lets my boss use his vault to keep records. Like in that Tom Cruise movie, The Firm. Stuff that’s not on the computer because, well, people like my brother could hack in. I want to get in there, take a ton of photos, and then go to the Feds. If I have evidence of all the shit they’re into, they’ll protect me, right?”
“You’ll end up in Witness Protection,” I point out.
“Good,” she says with what sounds like genuine eagerness. “I’ve made a mess of this life. That’s what I want. A totally fresh start.”
“Do they know you’re here? Dailey? His people?”
She nods. “The island is a perk. Like I said, it belongs to Dailey’s friend. I’m not supposed to know about the cameras, but I do. So I think when I asked to come here during my vacation, they were more than happy to let me. I’m in one of the monitored cabanas.” She makes a face, and I’m assuming she’s thinking about finding someone to take back with her, just to make sure her cover looks legit.
“So you’re looking for our help to get into the vault? Believe it or not, we can’t just crack the lock to a vault by pressing our ear to the door. This isn’t an action flick.”
She shakes her head. “No. I have the combination. Like I said, my boss is friends with Debauchery’s owner. So he lets Dailey keep a vault here. I think they all know it’s for paperwork he doesn’t want the IRS to see, but nobody talks about it. And that’s one of my jobs—rotating out the combination every other week. What I need is your help getting a contact in law enforcement. Someone I can trust who’ll actually help me. I don’t know how to reach out. I mean, Dailey has people loyal to him in the government and the court system. If I approach the wrong person, he could—”
Tony holds up a hand. “Gotcha. That’s doable. And in exchange you’ll tell me where to find The Serpent. And his real name?”
She nods. “I don’t know either offhand. But I know it’s in the vault. All the personnel records are, along with dossier’s, blackmail material, that kind of thing.”
Tony stands, then goes to the cutlery drawer. He takes out two steak knives, then returns and hands one to me. Not the best weapon, but if this mission is as simple as Thea is making it out to be, we won’t need a weapon at all. Still, I strip off the handle to make the blade more balanced if I’m forced to use it as a weapon.
With a frown, Tony lifts Thea’s wine glass. “Go take a nap. I assume you can find the bedroom? Two hours. And eat this,” he adds, pulling out one of the croissants we’d found in a kitchen welcome basket.”
“I’m not really—”
“I need you sharp. We do it my way or not at all. After we wake you, you can run us through it. Location of the vault. Potential surveillance. Any sort of alarm system that will need to be disengaged. Anything you can think of.”
“Sure,” she says, “but it won’t be a big deal. I’m here for some R&R, right? And getting into the vault is just a favor for my boss.”
“You’re right,” I say, taking my seat beside Tony. “It sounds simple. But trust me. It never, ever is. Go on,” I add gently. “Get some rest. We’ll wake you.”
“You’ll be here? With me?”
“We’re going to take some coffee out on the patio. No microphones in the garden?”
“None,” she says. “Save some coffee for me. I’m always groggy after a nap.”
Tony laughs. “Will do.” He watches her leave, then turns to me. “And how about you?”
“I don’t need a nap,” I say, making him laugh. Or, at least, making him grin.
“I meant it about the coffee,” he adds, making us each a cup in the single-serve machine. “And the patio,” he says as he passes me a cup.
I follow him outside, then sit cross-legged at the foot of the double-style lounger. “Is this where we plan the real mission?”
He shakes his head as he sits on the edge of the lounge, close enough I could reach out and touch him. I want to, but I don’t. Both because we should be in work mode right now, and because I’m frustrated by my own desire. This low, buzzing need to reach out to him. To feel that connection that has been strangely, uncomfortably, amazingly growing since he waltzed into my house and convinced me that he truly wanted me on this job.
“What’s going on,” I press as he stays silent. “Are you worried about Thea? She seems—”
“I’m going to sign on at Stark Security.”
“Oh.” I want to say more, but every word I ever knew is stuck in my throat. “That’s great. You’ll be an amazing asset.”
“It occurred to me that they’ll probably match us up as partners. Especially after this mission.”
I lift a shoulder. “I suppose. Is that a problem?” I can’t keep the edge out of my voice. Or the anger out of the words that tumble out. “Because if you’re worried that I’ll get all possessive and strange just because we tumbled around naked, don’t worry. We had a good time, you’re a great fuck, and I’m sure you’ll be an awesome partner, too.”
A muscle in his cheek twitches, but his eyes are flat. At first he says nothing. Then he nods. “Right. Well, cool. I guess we’re good then. I hope we do work together. You’ve got serious skills.”
“Back at you,” I say, fuming a bit and hating myself for it. Why is it so easy to burst into a room I know is full of armed morons and yet I can’t manage to tell this guy that even though I don’t understand why, he means more to me than a casual fuck?
He hesitates, and I think maybe he’s going to say something. But then he stands and turns and heads for the door.
Good. Great. Terrific. Relationships are messy and complicated and confusing. Not something I’ve ever aspired to, and not something I need now.
Which is a big fat lie, and since my biggest rule is to never lie to Eliza or myself, I am all sorts of confused at the moment.
And that emotional status devolves into a whirlwind of hope and teenage-girlish angst when he stops at the doorway, turns around, and says harshly, “Fuck it.”
“Excuse me?” I snap back, but he ignores my tone, and thank God for that. He crosses over the flagstones in two long strides, grabs my upper arms, and hauls me to my feet.
“Hey!”
“Just let me get this out and then you can ream me nine ways from Sunday. But I’m falling for you, dammit. And I am this close—this close—to nailing that son-of-a-bitch Serpent. Which means I’m about to have a life again, maybe for the first time. And maybe I’m an idiot, but I want you in it. As my partner,” he says. “On the job and off.”
“Good God. Is this a proposal?”
He actually
bursts out laughing. “If you could see your face.”
I reach for his hand. “Wait,” I say, though he’s not going anywhere. Maybe my face did look confused, but I guess I didn’t look terrified or horrified, because he seems to know I don’t want him to go. Hell, he seems to have figured it out even before I did.
“Wait?” he repeats, softer now. “What am I waiting for?”
“For my apology?” I draw a breath, then let it out slowly. “Everything you just said. Ditto.”
His mouth curves into a vibrant smile. “And I thought men were supposed to be the taciturn ones.”
“Yeah, well, how’s this. I’m sorry I played turtle and dove into myself. If you do something scary like pull out a ring, I’ll dive right back in again. But this—what you’re suggesting, I mean. Being partners in work and in life. Being together. Yeah. I don’t know why, but I want to try it.”
“Thanks a lot.”
I grin. “Fair enough. I do know why. It’s you. You snuck into my heart when I wasn’t expecting it. Wouldn’t be fair to kick you out without giving you a fair shot.”
He rolls his eyes and tugs me to my feet. “Emma?”
“Yes?”
“Stop talking.” And then, thank goodness, he kisses me.
Chapter Sixteen
As far as Tony was concerned, this was one of the craziest missions he’d ever been on. But it was all worth it to have Emma in his arms, that sassy mouth on his, and her body pressed close.
With a low moan, he deepened the kiss, pulling her down until they were prone on the lounge chair. She made a soft noise of protest, then broke the kiss, propping herself up on an elbow to look at him.
One lock of hair escaped from where she’d tucked it behind her ear, and the strands brushed his cheek as she said, “We can’t now. We need to get going.”
“Oh, I think we can.” He grinned, then flipped them over, making her squeal as she landed flat on the cushion with him straddling her. Now her hair was splayed out, and in the twinkling lights that decorated the patio, she looked like an angel. His angel, he thought, and instead of corny, that silly and sentimental thought seemed sweet. And true.
“Tony…”
Her voice held an admonishment, but her hands—which were skimming lightly down his back to cup his ass—told a different story.
“She’s asleep. No harm in letting her get in a few more minutes.”
“Sounds like a justification to me.”
“I’ll justify most anything to be with you.”
She laughed. “Nice line, but not true. You wouldn’t sacrifice our chance to get in that vault, and you wouldn’t sacrifice her safety.”
All true. God, she already knew him so well. “I wouldn’t sacrifice you, either,” he added.
“Not an issue. I can take care of myself.”
“You definitely can.” He shifted his weight so that he could use one hand to trail lightly over her body, then focused on teasing her breast through the thin material of her shirt. “Right now, though, I want to take care of you.”
“I like that plan,” she whispered, and he could tell she meant it from the way her pulse had kicked up and the small sounds of pleasure she made as he lightly stroked her.
He moved forward, gently brushing his lips over hers, then easing down to taste the curve of her jaw before moving lower still.
“Wait.” The word was soft, barely a whisper, but it sent a cold rush of fear running through him. Not because she wanted to stop, but because he wanted to continue so badly. Wanted her so badly. And though she’d just told him that she wanted him, too, he still couldn’t quite believe it.
He said nothing, but he felt more vulnerable than he could ever remember. Even back when he was a kid at his father’s mercy. Or later on a mission, trapped in a corner with some asshole’s gun aimed at his head.
He’d survived then. He wasn’t sure if he’d survive now if she backed off of her earlier words and told him this was just an island fling. That there wasn’t anything real between them. Nothing worth exploring, even if just to see if they’d stick.
“I’m not…” she began, and he felt a cold, hard hand tighten around his heart.
She cleared her throat and started over. “I’m not sure how to do this. How to make this work. You and me, I mean.”
Her eyes were wide and earnest, and she looked soft and innocent and completely trusting. And that’s when he knew that they had a shot. Because there was no trace of the badass woman who could break his neck if she wanted to. She was showing him her weak side, and for a woman like Emma, that said a hell of a lot more than words.
He held her gaze and heard the hint of suppressed joy in his voice as he said simply, “Nothing to it. It’s just me being me, and you being you. And us taking it one day at a time together.”
“I like that.” She drew in a breath, her brow furrowing. “Listen, I was seeing someone before.”
He shoved down the flash of jealousy. “Do I need to worry about getting my ass kicked when we get back?”
Her hands on his ass gave him a little squeeze. “No. No, we broke up about three months ago. It was only casual, anyway. More like friends with benefits.” She frowned again. “Well, I thought it was. She wanted more.”
He nodded, but said nothing. He could see that she had more to say, and he hoped she wasn’t afraid that he’d be freaked by the fact that she’d dated a woman. He didn’t care who she was with before, so long as when they were together she was with him alone.
“I just…” She trailed off, then drew in breath. “I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud. Shit.” Another deep breath then she blurted, “It’s only that this time—with you—I’m a little bit afraid that I’ll be the one who wants more.”
Glorious relief swelled in his chest. “Sweetheart, you don’t have anything to worry about there.”
“You’ve gotten under my skin,” she said. “You’re in my head.”
He kissed her lightly, then grinned. “Sounds uncomfortable.”
“Honestly, it’s surprisingly cozy.” She swallowed. “I don’t feel like this often. No, that’s a lie,” she corrected, and he bit back a wince, afraid she was about to tell him of a long, lost love she pined for.
Since he was distracted, it was easy for her to get the better of him, which she did by moving fast and flipping him over, causing him to both gasp and laugh as she straddled him. “The truth is, I’ve never felt like this. So don’t break my heart, ok?”
She slid her hands up so she was cupping his throat, her thumbs positioned so that it wouldn’t take much effort to crush his windpipe. “I was trained by a secret government agency, remember?” Her voice was low and teasing, but there was truth there, too. “Trust me when I say that I can think of a lot of on-theme ways to get revenge for a broken heart.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He bent up, ignoring the brief pressure on his throat before she moved her hands. Then he kissed her, his fingers moving to slide off her shorts.
“Ah-ah,” she chided. “If we get in that vault, get the info, and get back here in under two hours, I will fuck you so hard you’ll see stars. But right now, we have a mission.”
“Yes, we do. And,” he added setting the timer on his watch, “the clock is ticking.”
“Mario didn’t get any hits,” Emma told Tony about an hour later. They’d pulled a set of prints and sent them to the SSA tech guru. “He admits it’s hardly a full check, but without a last name, there’s not more he can do in such a short time. We know Dailey must be dirty, or else why the private vault?As for Thea…”
She trailed off with a shrug, and he nodded agreement. “She either is or she isn’t, but under the circumstances, we’re going to go with it. Stay sharp.”
“Always,” she’d said, then kissed him, her lips lingering on his even once Thea had entered the room. Then she’d pulled away and winked. “Just claiming what’s mine,” she’d said before taking his hand and nodding toward Thea. “Let’s roll.�
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Now they were moving down one of the paths that led to the island’s boathouse, which was kept locked after sunset. The paths remained open for guests to stroll, however, and as the three of them did their best to look casual, they kept an eye out for anyone else who might be wandering nearby. So far, he’d seen no one.
“The vault is attached to the backside of the boathouse,” Thea told them. “It looks like an old maintenance area, but it’s a serious stronghold.”
Tony saw what she meant once they were off the main walkway and moving down a narrower path that circled around to the back. The exterior was battered and rusty corrugated metal. The concrete of the ramp into the water was cracked and buckling. As Thea had said, the area appeared to have been cast aside in favor of the shiny new maintenance dock they’d seen as they’d approached the boat house.
He met Emma’s eyes, saw her quick nod as if to say, Clever. Very clever.
Thea opened the battered, rusty door to reveal a formidable steel plate. “It slides open,” she said, then moved past Tony as she reached for the breaker box.
It wasn’t really a breaker box, of course. Instead, it had a false front that, when opened, revealed an electronic keypad. She closed her eyes, sang a few numbers under her breath, then faced him and Emma with a shrug. “I was scared to write them down. Songs trigger memory, did you know?”
“Smart,” Emma said. “Assuming you remembered the lyrics right.”
Thea grinned. “We’ll see,” she said, then tapped in the code.
Almost immediately, they heard a hydraulic hiss, then the slow slide of the door to the left. Tony nodded, impressed, and ushered Thea inside.
“Pull the metal door shut,” Thea said as Emma started in behind them. There’s a panel in here, too, but it creeps me out to have the vault door closed. But we’ll want to turn on the lights.”
“I’ll get it,” Emma said, then tugged the corrugated door shut as Thea flipped the switch to turn on the single, dim bulb that swung in a cage above them.