Risky Christmas

by Jill Sorenson

  Definitely not boring. “How long have you been here? In Chicago, on assignment.”

  “A year.”

  “A year? Playing the role of a pimp?”

  “Not a pimp. I was a guard, if you will. I watched the girls. Made sure no one hurt them.”

  Being used as a prostitute had to hurt enough. “Why didn’t you help them escape?”

  “I did help a couple of them. The bigger goal was to destroy the entire operation. Stop them from hurting any more women. I had to be careful.”

  “How do they force the women? I mean, I’ve heard a little about that on the news, but…”

  “Mostly they find women in foreign countries who want to come to America. They smuggle them in and tell them they have to work to pay back the cost of their relocation. Sometimes they threaten to call Immigration.”

  Imagining what it would be like to be caught in that situation, Chloe turned away. “How awful.”

  “You have no idea.”

  After a while, she turned back to him. “It’s good what you do.” Helping those women. Getting rid of those unscrupulous criminals. But it came with a cost, and she was beginning to understand why such a handsome man could have lost so many women. “No wonder why you’ve been dumped so many times.”

  He lifted his brow at her.

  “Your job. You’re never home. You pretend to be a criminal.”

  “Renee didn’t leave me because of my job.”

  Renee. “Which one was Renee? One, Two, or Three?”

  “Three.” He was somber now. “I wouldn’t ask her to marry me so she stopped waiting. She married Tanner instead, my partner on this assignment.”

  Chloe inhaled sharply along with her shock. “The one who was…”

  “Yeah. Killed.”

  How did he feel about that? Losing his partner who married his ex-girlfriend? “Doesn’t that bother you?” She shook her head. “I mean, that she married your partner. Of course you care that Tanner was killed.” She paused. “Don’t you?”

  “He wasn’t a close friend, but he was my partner. He didn’t start seeing Renee until a year after our breakup.”

  He’d said he wouldn’t marry her, but she sensed some anguish from him. “Did you love her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why didn’t you marry her?”

  “I should have.”

  He should have.

  It had been a long time since Chloe had worn a dress. Feeling as if she’d dressed for Mason wasn’t helping. Neither did noticing how he’d taken the time to appreciate the finished product. He’d done that at her apartment and then in the car, and now she’d just caught him looking at her as they walked to a party like it was a date. Heat kept rising between them. And it was scalding now.

  “If anyone asks, we met at Tucker’s,” he said.

  She nodded.

  “And my parents live in Orlando. They think we just met, so it’s okay if you don’t know much about me.”

  “Have we had sex yet?”

  His head snapped toward her. “They’d believe it more if we have.”

  She was glad it was winter or she’d have broken out into a sweat by now.

  Trying to divert her focus, she took in the flashing Christmas lights that flattered the roofline of the big fancy house. A gigantic Christmas tree glittered through an equally gigantic window. But it didn’t dim her awareness of Mason. He looked like a fairy tale in a black suit and white shirt. His green eyes captivated her and he kept his thick black hair on the shaggy side. A little over six feet with broad shoulders, he was formidable. He also looked like he belonged in that suit. Unlike her, who felt more comfortable in jeans.

  Mason didn’t knock. He opened one of the doors and guided her in ahead of him. A throng of perhaps a hundred filled the main room, kitchen and library off the entry. A few peppered the upper level at the top of a curved and grand stairway. Christmas lights and garland wound around the banister and the enormous tree was stunning in the front window.

  It seemed so odd to see people who forced women into prostitution so eloquently dressed. And it made her sick to know this big home was purchased with the money they brought in.

  When Mason slipped his hand onto the small of her back, she stiffened along with a flash of warmth.

  “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

  She thought about asking for a beer, but how would that look? She didn’t see any women holding a beer. “Wine or champagne.”

  “Be right back.”

  She watched him go to one of the small, portable bars that were set up in the house and stand in a short line. A man at the top of the stairs caught her attention, and she saw him look from Mason to her and it felt more like scrutiny. Mason greeted another man who came to stand in line. The man smiled and exchanged what appeared to be amicable conversation, but someone else turned from the bar and eyed Mason suspiciously as he passed. Chloe glanced around the room and saw two other men watching Mason.

  When he approached her with a glass of champagne and a drink for himself, she was captivated by the way he moved and the way he zeroed in on her. Sexy and definitely drool-worthy. His eyes still held hers as he handed her the glass. He sipped his drink and scanned the crowd. Chloe noticed the same men still eyeing them and began to wonder if they were in trouble.

  “You look beautiful tonight,” Mason said.

  He was either good at covering his emotion or not worried. “You didn’t say anything at my apartment.”

  “I would have stuttered.”

  She laughed with the playful response, forgetting about the men.

  Sliding his arm behind her, he caught her unprepared as he moved smoothly to face her, pulling her close. She put one hand on his muscular arm and tipped her head up to look at him. Heat smoldered in his eyes and melted into her. She felt control slipping away and almost let go. Almost.

  “What happened to One and Two?” She had to know.

  The heat of his eyes cooled and a few seconds later he figured out what she was asking. He moved back from her and she lowered her hand. “I asked them both to marry me. First one said yes and six months after we were married a friend of mine told me he saw her with another man. Second one I asked to marry me just said no.”

  His quick rundown brushed over the top of two serious relationships, but they had to be the reason he hadn’t asked Three to marry him. The one who’d mattered.

  “Stop distracting me.” He took a drink from his glass.

  “I’m distracting you?” She sipped her champagne.

  “Yes.” The heat began returning to his eyes.

  “From what?”

  He put his drink on a cocktail table covered in white linen.

  “From this.” Pulling her close again, he inched his head down to hers. The warmth of his breath smelled sweet and alluring, and she almost dropped her glass.

  “Mason?” Was he doing this on purpose or did he feel the trigger-fast eruption of desire like she did?

  “Go with it.”

  When he pressed a kiss to her mouth, she wanted to put both hands on him but still held her glass. She had to settle for parting her lips to invite him in for more. He took it and kissed her harder for a second, but then backed off. Looking down at her, she thought she saw confusion before he looked over her head, up at the top of the stairs.

  Go with it.

  Chloe tensed.

  She looked over her shoulder toward the second level. The man who’d stood there was descending the stairs. She watched with Mason as he approached them.

  “Michael.” He was a fortyish man whose aging face didn’t match his fit shape. He shook Mason’s hand.

  “Donovan.” Mason let the man’s hand go and turned to Chloe. “This is Chloe. She and I met a month ago at the grocery store where she works.”

  “Ah, yes. Axel told me about her.” He assessed her like a horse at an auction and then faced Mason. “I’m beginning to see why your trip to Florida was delayed.”


  Mason turned his grin to Chloe, who wanted to slap him at this point. He’d faked that kiss and she’d melted all over him!

  “I only wonder why you’d take a woman you only just met home to meet your family.”

  “Chloe doesn’t have any family here.”

  Donovan considered that for a few seconds and then nodded. “You know about Frankie?”

  Mason’s grin vanished. “Axel told me. I can’t believe it.”

  “Everyone knows you and Frankie were friends. You must be upset.”

  “I never suspected he was anything other than what he seemed.”

  “Yes. It appears he had us all fooled.” Donovan turned to Chloe. “Would you excuse us for a few moments?”

  Her heart rushed into a frantic rhythm. Why? She looked at Mason.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said to her, slipping his arm from around her.

  Without waiting for her approval, Donovan led Mason up the stairs. She watched until they disappeared down a hallway.

  A tall, thin man in a suit and holding a tray of champagne paused in front of her. She drank the rest of her glass, put it on the tray and took another.

  “Thank you.”

  He gave her a slight bow and then went on his way.

  She searched the crowd for the man Mason had encountered in the parking lot at Lawrence Tucker’s. Axel. He wasn’t there so she wondered if he was with Mason and Donovan. What were they going to do? Did they know Mason was an agent?

  She glanced back at the front door. She’d stay close just in case.

  Scanning the crowd again, she noticed several women wandering the room in short dresses. One of them talked to a man near a fireplace. He looked at her in a way that made Chloe’s skin crawl. Another woman led a man up the stairs. Were these women here professionally? There weren’t many couples in attendance. A few older women with men the same age.

  She checked her watch. Any time now the raid would begin. Mason’s boss had called him back and they’d discussed the logistics.

  “Are you working tonight?”

  Chloe turned her head to see a bald man with pitted skin standing beside her. She rolled her eyes at him and walked away, which was less than she wanted to do. Slugging him would have been more satisfying. Didn’t these men know that most of the women didn’t want to be here? She couldn’t wait for the FBI to arrive.

  Looking up toward the stairs, she spotted Mason descending them. Relieved, she reached the base of them just as he stepped off the last one. He guided her deeper into the crowd.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “They’re a little nervous, that’s all.”

  She let the vague reply go. “I was propositioned while you were gone.”

  “I’d proposition you, too.” He looked down at her dress.

  She sent him a warning glance and he chuckled. Was he acting again or was his attraction real?

  “I never wear dresses.” The only reason she had this one was because of her ex-boyfriend. She’d worn it for him.

  “You should wear them more often.”

  Maybe if she had a real reason to wear them.

  The front doors banged open. “FBI! FBI! FBI! Don’t move!”

  Men in black Kevlar vests swarmed the room like invading bugs. Armed with pistols and automatic rifles, they came from everywhere. A few must have entered through the back of the house.

  “Arms in the air!”

  Chloe put her glass down and then lifted her arms with Mason. She glanced up the stairs as more agents ran up them. Donovan stood at the top, looking down at her and Mason as he was forced against the banister and handcuffed.

  She looked for Axel but didn’t see him. Agents checked identification and allowed some of the guests to leave through the front door.

  One of the agents approached her and Mason.

  “IDs,” he said.

  Mason pulled out his wallet and showed the man his badge. Chloe reached into her purse and opened her wallet. But the man waved it away.

  “Agent Jaffee,” he said, patting Mason on his shoulder. “Nice work, man.”

  “Not for Tanner.”

  “Yeah, I heard. But we got ’em.” The agent looked around. “We got ’em.”

  Another man approached, this one dressed in slacks and a shirt under his bulletproof vest. He had short-cropped graying hair and hazel eyes.

  “Reid,” Mason said and the two shook hands.

  “Good work, Jaffee. You’ve earned yourself a long vacation. Take as much time as you need.”

  “Thanks.”

  Reid looked at Chloe. “Is this the woman you told me about?”

  “Yes. Chloe Bradford, Reid Richardson, the SAC.”

  “Special Agent in Charge,” Reid said, taking her hand. “A pleasure, miss.”

  “Likewise.”

  “Thank you for cooperating with us. You’ve helped to free a lot of women tonight.”

  “No need to thank me.” She was going to Montana to start a new life. Never mind an ache was beginning to expand because of Mason.

  Two agents jerked Donovan toward the stairs, forcing him to step down them. All the while, he watched Mason talking to Reid.

  “When are you going to Montana?” Reid asked.

  “Tomorrow morning,” Mason answered. “We have an early flight.”

  “We?” He looked from him to Chloe.

  Mason seemed to realize his slip and glanced awkwardly at her. “I’m taking Chloe with me.”

  A flutter tumbled inside her when he said it. Was she really doing this? Going with Mason to his hometown in Montana?

  “Really.” Reid smiled at the two of them. “That’s wonderful.”

  “It’s not what you think,” Mason quickly amended.

  “He’s taking me to Montana in exchange for helping him,” Chloe wished she didn’t feel so disappointed. “We had a deal.”

  Reid took a few seconds to process that. “I see.” He didn’t. Chloe could tell he was perplexed. “Well, it might be good for both of you to keep a low profile anyway, until we locate Axel.”

  “I agree,” Mason said.

  She wondered where the gravity of his tone came from. Was it an all-business wall of defense or was he more concerned about Axel on the loose than she thought?

  Chapter 3

  Mason kept looking at the rearview mirror as he drove them to the hotel where they’d check in for the night. Chloe’s apartment was empty and she’d turned in a notice to her landlord. That had made leaving more real. This was it. She was leaving Chicago. Moving to Montana. It was exhilarating! And it helped take her mind off Mason.

  His muttered curse broke her from thought. She looked over at him. His eyes kept going back and forth between the road and the rearview mirror. He turned a corner and checked the mirror again.

  Chloe looked behind them. There were several cars on the road so she couldn’t tell which one followed. When he turned another corner and a white SUV did the same, then she knew. What now?

  Mason took another street. The SUV followed. When he made yet another change in direction, the SUV kept going. The driver must know he’d been made.

  “Do you think they know where we’re staying?”

  “No. We weren’t followed to the hotel.”

  His certainty impressed her. He must have known to check for a tail. He probably did it out of habit or training.

  Once they arrived at the hotel, Mason parked. Chloe climbed out of the rental and walked with him inside, not missing how he scanned the street first. After a short ride in the elevator, they reached their room. Mason took the card key from her and drew his gun before entering.

  “Wait here,” he said.

  She held the door open until he finished doing a quick search.

  “All clear, Agent Jaffee?” she teased, even though she actually appreciated his precaution. She was just at odds with his distant attitude.

  He dropped his jacket onto one of the beds without acknowledging her. Maybe
he was at odds with her, too, with being alone with her now that his job was finished.

  “Let’s order room service.” They hadn’t eaten dinner and her stomach was growling like mad. She didn’t want to think about being alone with him.

  “Good idea.” Mason went to pick up the menu and she moved beside him to view it, too.

  “The maple-glazed salmon with asparagus looks good. Two of those?” he asked.

  “One. I’ll have the macaroni and cheese.”

  “That’s only on the kid’s menu.”

  “Then get me two orders.”

  He lowered the menu. “I can afford something better. The Bureau will reimburse me.”

  “What’s better than mac ’n’ cheese?”

  An incredulous lift to his brow followed. “Anything else on the menu.”

  Were they really arguing about food? “I want macaroni and cheese.”

  “Don’t you eat vegetables?”

  “If they’re fried in something.”

  He just stared at her.

  “Mac ’n’ cheese, nothing else.”

  Shaking his head, he picked up the phone.

  Maybe she’d only imagined her attraction to him. Did they have anything in common? He’d gone to college, had a flashy job and parents who lived on a ranch in Montana. And he liked fancy food. Dinner at home would be a mess.

  Going into the bathroom, she washed her face and changed into pajamas. When she emerged, she sat cross-legged on one of the queen beds and began flipping through channels on the television.

  Mason went into the bathroom and emerged bare-chested and in jeans. Chloe couldn’t stop herself from ogling. He didn’t seem to notice her reaction. Of course not. He thought she’d played along with him when he’d kissed her.

  A knock on the door took him there and he let the attendant in. After the room door swung closed behind the man, Mason handed her the plate of mac ’n’ cheese with a cynical frown. She took it and put it on her lap. He sat at the table and began to eat, glancing back at her.

  “How’s your macaroni and cheese?”

  “Good.” Cheesy.

  “Do you eat meat?”

  “Chicken fingers and cheeseburgers.”

  “No fish?”