by Maddie Wade
“But if you get caught?” His face looked pained as he spoke.
“Then so be it. Nobody would care for long. I’m disposable.”
“What the fuck, Mari? Why would you say that?”
Ash’s angry expression at her words matched the harshness of his voice, and she laid her fork down, her appetite gone. “Because it’s true. You, you’re an American hero; Daniel is a British hero. You both have family who adore you, and friends who would grieve for you. I have a few people who would miss me for a few weeks, and then I’d be forgotten. I do this because I need to protect those that can’t protect themselves, and I’m the right person for the job.”
Shaken at her outburst, she stood and headed to the bedroom to pack the small bag she’d brought with her. Ash walked in behind her, and she ignored him as she tried to get her emotions under control.
“I wish you saw yourself the way others do. Paige practically lights up when she sees you, and Megan looks at you like she wants to be you, and yet you believe you’re worthless. I’d like to find the fuckers that made you feel that way and squeeze the fucking life out of them.”
Mustique didn’t speak for a second but turned to face him. “Well, you can’t because I did that a long time ago.” Her words were sharp, and she hated the shake in her hands as she said them. She’d never relived that night—at least not in her waking hours. No, that torture was saved for her nightmares.
“I do want your help, but I can’t drag Daniel into this. He has children, and I would never risk that, not for me, not for this. I’ll find another way.”
Ash stepped closer, and she looked up into his warm hazel eyes. “Wanna be my date for the wedding?” His smile was Hollywood bright and so sexy she wondered how she would resist him for even a few days.
“Are you wearing a tux?”
“I am.”
“Then, yes, I’ll be your date. Do I need a fancy dress?”
“I’m afraid so.” His eyes traveled the length of her in appraisal and Mustique felt heat scorching her skin everywhere his gaze touched.
“Can I have my gun back?” she asked, trying to deflect the effect he was having on her. She didn’t really need it; she had two others on her.
“Are you telling me a woman with your reputation doesn’t have a back-up weapon?”
“I have two back-ups, and three other weapons on me now.” Her breathing was shallow as he stepped even closer, until their bodies were almost touching.
“That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Mustique felt his hand graze her thigh, and he watched her, waiting for her to stop him, but she seemed to have lost the power of speech. Without any objection from her, his hand skimmed higher, bunching her dress as he caressed the skin of her outer thigh. He groaned as he hit the first knife holster, and his arm came around her waist and pulled her to him.
“So fucking hot.”
Mustique’s hands landed on his chest, and she found her eyes drawn to his mouth—a mouth that could do wicked things. He leaned in and brushed his lips lightly over hers. It had barely been a whisper, but her heart was pounding in her chest, and desire pooled in her belly.
“You want me to kiss you?”
She did more than anything but admitting that would be opening herself up to pain when he walked away. “No.” she breathed.
“Are you sure?”
“No.”
His deep chuckle warmed her body, and she swayed, but then he was gone. His body a few feet away in the blink of an eye.
“Okay, let’s go dress shopping.”
Mustique looked at him in shock, unchecked desire still flooding her system, and if the bulge in his pants was anything to go by, he was no different. “What the fuck?”
“What? You said no. I’m respecting your boundaries. If you want me, you just have to ask.”
“Pussy tease,” she mumbled angrily as she shoved her stuff into her bag and followed him out the room. In a few hours, she would be so relieved he’d had the good sense to stop a disaster from happening, but, right this second, she wanted to murder him.
4
Ash handed Mari a glass of champagne from the tray and glanced around the room. Explaining to his family that he and Mustique had run into each other, and she’d agreed to come as his last-minute-date to the wedding had been easier than he’d expected. Everyone bought it except Daniel. He hadn’t said anything, but, from the way he’d looked at them, Ash knew he was calling bullshit.
The fact they’d been seated at the same table with the kids had worked as a buffer, deflating the otherwise tense situation. Now that he knew more about the situation, he realized they were going to need a bigger team. Mustique might be used to working alone, but he wasn’t. His brothers always had his back on the Teams, and with what they were facing, they needed that safety net now. Otherwise, the chance of one of them dying went up exponentially, and as he looked at the woman beside him, he realized he would quite like to live long enough to taste that mouth again.
In the car on the way to find her a dress, which was now torturing him with all the curves it showcased, she had given him more details about the one-woman mission she’d started.
Senator Robert Hanley was the groom--Davey Langford’s godfather. Hanley, it turned out, had been accepting huge, illegal donations for his re-election campaign from Iranian businessmen Ramin Hashemi—a fact that had stopped Ash in his tracks. He’d heard that name before; Hashemi was rumored to be an ally of the current Iranian President.
With Hanley expected to win his seat by a good margin at next year’s election, having him in bed with Iran was a clusterfuck.
Glancing around the reception and catching sight of Jake and Nick standing with Ian and his wife Angie across the room, he motioned for Mari to follow him as he headed in their direction. He knew she wouldn’t like this, but they needed help. Hanley had a team of personal protection guards, and God knew what Hashemi had or even where the fuck he was. “Mari, I want you to meet some friends of mine.”
“Thanks for coming, Ash. We thought perhaps you were going to run out on us again,” Ian said with a smirk. The man was known for his legendary sarcasm, and the fact that he hadn’t called Ash by one of his made-up names was a testament to his good behavior today.
“Yeah, sorry about that. It was my fault. I’d had a little too much to drink,” Mari added surprising him.
“Ian, Angie, Jake, and Nick …” Ash, inclined his head toward Ian’s wife, then turned to the gay couple. “This is Marisol.”
Jake and Nick took turns shaking Mustique’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Marisol.” Nick grinned.
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Marisol. I adore your dress.” Angie said, and Mustique actually blushed at the nice comment. It surprised him because she must have heard how beautiful she was hundreds of times. She was drop-dead, knock-you-on-your-ass, gorgeous.
“Nice to meet you, Marisol. But maybe next time stay sober. It’s not safe to get that way and put yourself in danger.”
Ash tensed at Ian’s words, wondering how Mustique would react.
“Ian!” his wife exclaimed.
“Angel, she needed to know,” he replied with a stern look at his wife.
“He’s right. It was foolish and won’t happen again.” Marisol’s gaze dropped to the floor for a second before she looked up again. “However, it’s not your place to be lecturing me less than a minute after we’ve just met.”
Ian and Mustique locked eyes for a second, sizing each other up before she dropped her gaze to her glass.
“Bratty subby; I like her.” Ian received a playful slap to the stomach from his wife. “That’s ten, Angel.”
Ash saw Angie blush but snuggle closer to her husband’s side.
“I actually have something I’d like to discuss with you guys, if you have a moment free?” Ash felt Mari shoot him a look which he ignored. The way her hand tensed on his forearm was easily read though—
she wasn’t happy.
Angie turned to Ian with a secret smile that seemed to say more than any words could. “I actually wanted to go and ask Megan where she got that baby sling. Do you mind?”
“Of course not, Angel.”
She stood on tiptoes and kissed him before she smiled and sashayed way.
“That woman is one-in-a-fucking-million,” Jake said and laughed.
“Yeah, and she never lets me forget it.” Ian watched her walk away, and the love he had for his wife was evident in his eyes. Yet when his gaze landed on Ash, it was gone, and Ash wondered if he’d imagined it, because it was replaced by the SEAL he knew from old. “Now spit it out. What the hell is going on and does it have to do with that knobnugget over there?”
Ash knew he was referring to the Senator. “Mustique, would you like to explain?”
The men focused their attention on Mari. She eyed Ash, and he nodded. She could trust them with her life, as he did, but he knew she didn’t. The trust she was displaying was solely in him.
“Four months ago, I received a tip that Ramin Hashemi was funding Hanley’s campaign for re-election. I followed the money, and it does trace back to Hashemi. What I also found is Hanley is being blackmailed over it. Someone is forcing him to block specific bills in Congress.”
Nick crossed his arms over his chest as he assessed her. “And how do you know this?”
Mustique held his gaze. “I have a contact at the Iranian embassy.”
“That’s impressive. And who did you say you worked for again?” Ian was watchful as he questioned her.
Mustique turned to him and smirked. “I didn’t.” She and Ian seemed to have some mental stand off before she dropped her gaze.
“You’re sure it’s blackmail?” Jake tipped his drink to his lips as he spoke.
“Yes. I managed to get an invite to a private party and did some snooping. I overheard him talking to someone about it. The blackmailer is using illegal campaign funds against Hanley. But what really disturbed me was he was talking about the blackmailer having a penchant for young girls of social standing. Apparently, this pervert likes to break them. Hanley was talking about offering Senator Craven’s daughter up on a platter to try and appease them.”
“Fucking scum,” Nick hissed and glanced at Jake, whose jaw was ticking in anger.
Ash had to agree. These types of men made his stomach churn. Hanley was a misogynistic, paid-up member of the old boys’ club. He probably thought because Senator Craven was a woman, she deserved it. He hated to think it was assholes like that, in positions of power, making decisions about the free world.
“Has Senator Craven been notified?” Jake asked.
“She has. I sent an anonymous tip to the FBI. But it will be hard for her to protect her daughter when the threat is coming from someone inside her own party.”
“So, what do you need from us?”
The fact Ian had asked Mustique the question and not him showed Ash the level of respect the man had for her already, even if he probably didn’t trust her yet.
“I need to find out when and where he’s planning to take the girl, who is blackmailing him, and what exactly Hashemi wants in return for his donations.”
“Why you? Why do you care?” Nick asked, curiously.
“Because she’s an innocent child and never asked for any of this, and men like Hanley and Hashemi should never be allowed to make decisions about things that matter. They aren’t fit to breathe the same air as decent human beings.”
Nick looked at his husband and then his brother. “Good enough for me.”
Ash couldn’t take his eyes of Mari. She was so full of passion and life when she spoke. That she didn’t see it in herself crushed him. Somehow this woman was getting under his skin and making him care in a way he never had before, and he’d barely laid a hand on her. What would it be like if he got to touch her? To feel her shudder as she came around his cock breathing his name? Heaven, it would be heaven, but would that be it or would he be in hell when she walked—or more likely ran—away? The one thing he did know for sure was that Marisol was a runner.
“So, you’ll help us?” Ash asked, tearing his thoughts away from what if’s.
“Yes, but I can only spare Jake and Nick for this and maybe some of Brody’s time on cyber-shit.” Brody Evans was Trident Security’s resident computer geek.” I wish I could do more, I really do, but the rest of my guys are on jobs.” Ian looked regretful as his eyes slid across the room. Ash glanced over his shoulder and saw the Senator deep in conversation with his uncle and wondered how this had gotten so close to home.
“That’s more than I was hoping for. Thanks, Ian.” Ash held out his hand, which the other man took.
“No problem, if I can spare more men down the line, I will.”
“Hopefully we can have this wrapped up in a few days, and it’ll be another shitstorm stopped in its tracks.”
Ian laughed without humor. “It’s just one shit-cyclone after another, brother.”
“Thank you, all of you.” Mustique turned to Ash. “I’m going to pop into the ladies’ room.”
Ash regarded her, admiring the way the long, monochrome dress hugged her curves, and knowing she had an arsenal of weapons hidden beneath it only made it all the more alluring.
“You do know if Command finds out about this you’re toast, right?” Ian’s face was grim when Ash swung his gaze back to him.
“They won’t.” He sounded sure, but in truth, he was anything but confident about this mission, and yet he couldn’t find it in him to walk away.
“You prepared to take that chance for her?”
“I am,” he answered simply.
“And her background. I assume you know who she is?” Ash sucked in a breath, unsure how much to tell his friend, but Ian stopped him. “I have my sources too, you know.”
He knew! Ian knew who Mustique worked for, and he’d still agreed to help. “If you know, why are you doing this?”
“Because while I didn’t know her, personally, until now, I know you, and if you trust her, that’s good enough for me. I’ll also give the guys a heads-up, so they know she’s a professional and to trust her.”
“Thanks, Ian, that means a lot.”
The man just nodded and grinned at his wife as she approached talking about baby slings and bugaboo or some other shit the men didn’t understand.
A feeling of relief surrounded Ash, but there was also the familiar buzz of a mission that zinged in his body before they jumped from the plane. His blood went hot at the scent of a kill, this mission would succeed; it was important to Mari, more than she was letting on, and if they failed, they were all fucked.
5
Mustique was seated beside Ash on the rattan chairs in the patio area at the hotel, her long legs stretched out in front of her. It was getting late, or rather it had been a long day. She was exhausted as she waited for Daniel and Megan to admit defeat and take their tired girls home. It’d been an unexpected joy to spend time with her friends. The bond they’d formed on the mission where Daniel had finally gotten his head out of his ass and realized his feelings for Meg had lasted and grown. It was so precious to Mustique that she couldn’t include her friend in this madness she’d planned.
“Okay I concede defeat; let’s get these two home,” Meg said through a yawn. “We have a long flight tomorrow, and I need my bed.”
Mustique laughed. “I guess having kids kills the party animal.”
Megan raised an eyebrow. “Oh, please, I have never been a party animal.”
“Nah, she saves all her animal for the bedroom. Don’t you, Princess?”
Megan blushed at Daniel’s words, but, as she looked at her fiancé, her eyes expressed how much she adored the man. He, and the little family they’d created, were her entire world, and she was his. Mustique had been jealous at first, not of them but of that feeling. To be everything to one person, to be someone’s entire world, was something she didn’t want to admit she craved. T
hen the sadness crept in as she remembered she’d been once. A very long time ago, someone had considered her their whole world, before she’d lost it all in the blink of an eye.
“Mustique,” Daniel called, and she snapped out of the lonely trip down memory lane which had left her feeling melancholy.
“Sorry, what?” She glanced around and saw Ash helping Megan to the car with the girls. Senator Hanley had left shortly after dinner, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to go after him without her friends getting suspicious, so she’d stayed and cherished the time with them. If this mission went wrong, it could be the last chance she had.
Daniel studied her for a moment, concern written all over his face. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but if you need me or any of the Fortis team, then you only have to ask. I’ll stay or have the others fly over.”
“Why?” She was puzzled he would risk anything for her.
“Because you’re family, Mustique, and family helps each other out.” His words formed a lump in her throat. She tried to swallow around it and speak but couldn’t. “Just promise if you need us, you’ll call.”
“I will.”
“You don’t always have to be tough, Mustique. Surely you’ve learned that from Roz. For years, she hid from a man who loved her; don’t make the same mistakes.”
Her boss had spent years running from the man she loved to protect her heart, and in the end, when she had finally succumbed to love, Roz had found happiness with him that she’d never expected.
Daniel glanced over to his vehicle and saw Ash wave. “I have to go; stay in touch.” He kissed her cheek as an older brother would, and she imagined this was how it felt to have a sibling.
“Ha, that pissed the frog off.” He jutted his chin toward Ash who was standing with his arms crossed and scowling as he watched them.
“Daniel,” she scolded.
“What? He’s always kissing or hugging Meg. About time he knows what it feels like.”