HOT Justice: A Hostile Operations Team - Book 14

by Lynn Raye Harris

  “Motherfuckers,” he growled as Gem strolled up, rifle cradled in his arms.

  “Yeah, you got that right.”

  The workers were flat on the floor, hands behind their heads as they were zip-tied and flipped over onto their backs again. The place stank of sweat and unwashed bodies as well as chemicals and spent ammunition.

  “Why the fuck do people do this to other people?” Wolf asked of no one in particular.

  “Because they’re scumbags,” Gem said. “Because it’s easy to dehumanize the people you won’t see get hooked on this shit or die because of it. Because they can.”

  “Yeah.” There was nothing else he could say. Haylee’s best friend had died because of the shit from this place. It could just as easily have been Cheryl who got the wrong pills. She’d bought them off the street before. He knew she had. She was lucky she hadn’t suffered the same fate as Nicole.

  Wolf shuddered.

  “Fentanyl,” Easy said as he joined them. “Fucking Chinese shit. Bags of it back there.”

  Wolf was glad Haylee couldn’t see this place. She knew abstractly what was going on, but until you saw it and smelled it you just couldn’t understand how terrible it really was. And he wasn’t telling her.

  They spent time marching the cartel workers out of the buildings and rounding them all up in one area. And then they got to do the best part of the operation. They torched the buildings and let it all burn to the ground. Millions of dollars worth of drugs incinerated. Silva and the Juarez Cartel were finished. Others would eventually take their place, but for now it was done.

  Halle-fucking-lujah.

  They’d been gone for four days. Wolf sat in the bus taking them back to HOT HQ and yawned. His team was spread out, the SEALs too, all their equipment piled into empty seats. Some of them leaned on their duffels, catching a few z’s, while others stared out the window at the passing lights. Nobody had their phones because those were in their lockers at HQ. That meant that nobody was calling loved ones just yet though most were thinking about it.

  Today was the first time he was jonesing to call a woman and hear her voice. Usually, once the mission was over and he was on his way home again, he wasn’t even thinking about who he planned to call. Oh, he’d usually call his parents at some point just to check in and see how they were, but they never knew when he was gone so there was no urgency to contact them the moment he returned.

  He’d watched some of the other guys with that wild look, toes tapping, fingers drumming, while they waited the interminable minutes until they could get their hands on their phones again. And then, almost as soon as they did, they made those calls. Tucked into corners, behind desks, in hallways. Wherever they could get a little bit of privacy, he’d heard their low voices speaking to someone on the other end. He’d watched the tension leave their shoulders and the breath fill their lungs and he’d known they were relieved somehow.

  He’d never understood that feeling until now. Right now, he wanted to hear Haylee’s voice so badly. He wanted to stab his fingers into her hair and feel her lips beneath his. Then he wanted to strip her naked and give her so much pleasure she’d never think about another man ever again. And then, finally, he wanted to feel that crazy high feeling he felt whenever he joined his body with hers.

  He didn’t even know where she was, and that drove him just a little bit nuts. But Ghost had sworn she’d have protection, and he believed the deputy commander. HOT took care of their own, even when they didn’t actually work for the organization. And Haylee was theirs now even if she didn’t know it. More specifically, she was his. And he intended to let her know it just as soon as possible.

  They made it back to HQ, turned in their equipment, and headed for the shower. Then they attended a debriefing session, followed by a quick briefing where they learned that Oscar Silva, Donnie Setter and John Payne had all been picked up. Setter’s containers contained drugs that were hidden deep and masked with coffee, but they’d been found this time.

  Frank Watson was denying involvement through his spokespeople, as predicted, and Tony Davis hadn’t yet been located. His phone had not powered on again.

  Finally, the teams got to their lockers and the cell phones they’d stowed there. Wolf’s hand closed around his phone. His fingers were actually trembling. He lifted it to make the call—and the damned thing was dead. Son of a bitch. He tracked down the cable and went to plug it in when Saint came sauntering over. Dude was smiling.

  “Haylee’s with Brooke at our house. She’s fine. You want to go get her?”

  Did he want to go get her? What kind of question was that? “Hell yeah, when are we leaving?”

  “Right now good enough for you?”

  “It’ll do,” he said, shouldering his back pack.

  Saint laughed. “Then let’s get moving.”

  They went out to the parking lot and fired up their vehicles. Wolf waited for Saint to pull out and then followed him down the empty streets until they arrived at his house. The lights were on inside, which meant that Brooke was waiting. Had she wakened Haylee? Wolf’s guts twisted with apprehension as he put a booted foot on the ground and then another. He slammed the door behind him and went to meet Saint in front of his truck.

  “You ready for this?” Saint asked.

  “What’s there to be ready for? I’m picking up Haylee.”

  “You’re picking up the woman you love, man. And you haven’t told her yet.”

  Shit. “Yeah, thanks for that, asshole. If you’re trying to make me crap my pants, you’re nearly there.”

  Saint laughed. “It’s easy. Just tell her how you feel.”

  Easy. As if you were saying the weather was nice or asking for a cheeseburger at a drive thru. Easy.

  “Was it easy when you told Brooke?”

  It was still dark out but Wolf thought his teammate turned a little red. “I told her in a text.”

  Wolf blinked. “A text?” Why the fuck hadn’t he thought of that? Oh yeah, his damned phone was dead.

  “We did a lot of our relationship through text in the beginning. It’s just the way it was.”

  “So you texted that you loved her and you didn’t have to worry she might laugh in your face or tell you it was fun but she didn’t feel the same way? Yeah, not quite the same thing.”

  “Don’t be a baby, man. Go in there and kiss the hell out of her. If there’s fire, tell her. If there’s not, then don’t. Your choice.”

  Before Wolf could tell Saint to shove it up his ass, the front door opened and Brooke ran out followed by her giant German Shepard.

  “Cade,” she cried as she launched herself at him. He caught her, laughing, the dog barking like a fool, spinning her around and kissing her even while he reached out and ruffled Max’s head. Wolf was so mesmerized by the sight of his teammate’s homecoming that he didn’t notice the small figure silhouetted in the doorway.

  And then he did and his heart stopped beating, his tongue stopped working, and his feet froze to the ground.

  Haylee’s eyes were watering. She was still tired, having fallen asleep only a couple of hours ago, but when Brooke came knocking on her bedroom door, telling her the men were back and on their way home, she’d bolted awake. She’d brushed her teeth, combed her hair with trembling hands, and donned a tank top and button down shirt with leggings that Brooke had gotten her at Old Navy. She’d thought about meeting him in the T-shirt she’d been sleeping in, but that would leave her too exposed.

  Brooke was wearing her cute pajamas and nothing else. Cade was big and gorgeous in his camouflage, squeezing Brooke to him and spinning her around. Haylee’s eyes went to Wolf, who stood there so still he could have been a statue. He’d been watching Cade and Brooke and now he was looking at her.

  He too wore camouflage. He was also big and gorgeous and solid-looking. But was he solid or was she dreaming?

  Without conscious thought, she stumbled out the door and down the steps toward him. He still hadn’t moved. He grew blurry and sh
e swiped at her eyes, realizing that she was tearing up at the sight of him. She stopped, her chest aching with every breath. Stared. He stared back.

  “Dean?” she asked, her voice sounding very small to her own ears.

  He opened his arms and, suddenly freed from the bounds of gravity, she barreled into them, slamming her body against his. Wrapping her arms around him. And then she was shaking and crying and telling herself to get a damned grip.

  But Wolf held her tightly, his hands coming up to cup her skull. Gently massaging her scalp. His mouth dropped to her temple.

  “Haylee,” he whispered. “Baby, don’t cry.”

  She squeezed him harder. “I’m not crying.”

  His chest shook as he laughed. “You are. But you don’t have to.”

  She shoved away from him and tilted her head back to gaze up at him. “I was worried about you. I didn’t even get to say goodbye!”

  He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip. “I know, baby. That’s what it’s like sometimes. Can you handle that?”

  Her heart cracked a little bit. But happiness filled the gaps. He was here. He was well. She could handle anything so long as those things were true.

  “Yes.”

  He tugged her toward him again, dropped his mouth to hers. Their kiss was hard and desperate and sexy as hell. Her pussy was instantly wet. His dick was granite. Fire flared in her limbs, her core. She needed him so badly. His hands splayed against her back, held her tightly to him.

  “Haylee,” he groaned. “Haylee.”

  “Wolf—please, I need you. So much.”

  “Yes, God yes.” He shuddered and pushed her away from him suddenly. “Not here. We need to get out of here.”

  “Yes.”

  “Get your things. We’re going.”

  Haylee ran inside, gathered up the little bit she had, and ran back. She passed Brooke and Cade on the way. Brooke smiled as Haylee careened to a stop, not sure what to say. “Go, Haylee. We’ll talk soon.”

  “Yes, soon.” Then she hugged Brooke tight and laughed before running out the door and into Wolf’s arms.

  They got into his truck and she grabbed his hand, holding it tight while he drove the twenty minutes to his place. “I missed you,” she said. An understatement.

  “I missed you too, baby.”

  “Did you… Did you get the cartel?”

  “We got them. All of them, Haylee. Silva won’t send anyone to threaten you again.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I knew you would.” She sucked in a trembling breath. “I was so worried.”

  He shrugged as he glanced at her. “It was a routine op. Nothing to fear.”

  But his hand tightened on hers and she wasn’t sure she believed him. Not after talking to the women of HOT. Brooke, Grace—who was the president of the United States’s daughter—Bliss, Cristina, Ella—who was a real life princess—Quinn, Evie, Georgie, Emily, Sophie, and Annabelle. There were a few women missing, she’d been told, but she knew she’d meet them all eventually. They’d accepted her as one of their own and filled her in on what it was like being in love with a Special Operator. If she’d known those things to begin with, maybe she’d have stopped herself from falling.

  Yeah, right. That was Nicole. Haylee almost laughed. Okay, fine, like she had any control over who she fell for. She wanted to tell him, and yet she didn’t know how to say it. All she could think of was her mother, and the bitterness that permeated her life. Love hadn’t worked out for Lillian Bright. Not at all.

  They reached Wolf’s house. He pulled into the drive and they both got out of the truck. He came around to her side, frowning. “I would have gotten the door for you.”

  “It’s okay.”

  He took her bag and they headed inside. He closed the door behind them, set her bag on the counter, and turned to her. They stared at each other, suddenly awkward.

  “What?” she finally asked after long moments of tense silence.

  “I missed you,” he said, his voice scraping down her spine in the most delicious way.

  “I missed you too.”

  “I’m not used to this kind of thing.”

  “What kind of thing?”

  He spread his hands. Shrugged. “Need, Haylee. I’m not used to needing someone. Wanting them beyond reason. Thinking about them all the time. Going crazy because I can’t be with them.”

  Her heart was hammering. “You thought about me?”

  “All the fucking time.”

  She sucked in a breath. Clenched her fists at her sides. “Why are we standing here staring at each other and trying to find words? We should be naked. Fucking.”

  “Making love,” he corrected.

  “Don’t you have to be in love to make love?” She sounded breathless. Her heart beat so hard she was going to have to sit down soon.

  “Yes,” he said, closing the distance between them. “You do.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Light was streaming between the blinds when Wolf woke. He rolled his head on the pillow and reached for his phone. Nine a.m. Much later than he usually slept. Haylee lay against him, her body tucked into his side. She had an arm over his torso and a leg over his thighs. They were both naked.

  His body ached with pain from the mission, but the pleasure from last night was even stronger. Better. She sighed and moved against him, and his dick began to throb. He pushed away from her reluctantly and went to the bathroom to piss and brush his teeth. He wanted to fix coffee for them, and breakfast. He’d bring her eggs and toast in bed.

  He returned to the bedroom to drag on a pair of athletic shorts. Haylee was curled into a ball in his bed. He left her to go to the kitchen and start the coffee. Then he stared out the window at the trees swaying gently in the breeze. So this was love. This feeling of contentment and desperation. When you were happy with someone and wanted to possess them at the same time.

  “Hey.”

  He turned at the sound of her voice. Haylee sauntered toward him, wearing his T-shirt and nothing else, and his gut twisted. So beautiful. So damned amazing.

  “Hey,” he said.

  She came over and leaned against the counter. Smiled up at him. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

  “Me too.”

  She reached for him, trailed her fingers along his skin. He shivered like a lovesick teenager. “Last night… It was amazing.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So what is this Wolf? You were so intense last night, and now…”

  “Now?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I thought maybe…” She didn’t finish the sentence.

  He was in over his head. Treading water. Tell her how you feel. Damned Saint. So smug and sure. The bastard had told Brooke by text.

  The coffee pot beeped and he let out a breath. Turned to pour. Cream for her, nothing for him. His phone was in his pocket so he took it out and quickly typed. Then he hit send before he could think twice. A distant ding sounded from his bedroom. Haylee lifted her cup in both hands and seemed not at all inclined to check messages. Then it dinged again and she sighed.

  “Guess I should see who that is in case it’s important.”

  “Probably so.”

  She took her cup with her as she headed for the bedroom. He waited, heart throbbing. His phone dinged.

  I love you, too.

  Wolf felt as if his spine was made of hot wax. He melted, propping himself against the counter, his breath erratic as hell. Haylee walked back out of the bedroom, phone in one hand and coffee in the other. She smiled.

  “I thought we solved that last night,” she said.

  “I wasn’t sure.”

  “We made love. You said so yourself.”

  “I know. But maybe feelings were running high. Who knows what daylight brings.”

  She came and stood beside him, hip-bumped him at the counter. “I spent four days in hell, Wolf. Four days in which I realized you’re my world and I never want another day to go by where you don’t know it. But I also
didn’t know if you felt the same, which made the whole thing that much more scary.”

  He set his coffee down and turned to her. Pulled her against him. “I feel the same. You’ve captivated me, Haylee. From the beginning. I was yours the minute I saw you.”

  “You mean the minute that asshole dragged me outside and tried to rape me?”

  His stomach bottomed out. But he wouldn’t lie. “Yeah, that minute. Does that bother you?”

  “No. Because you didn’t let it happen.”

  “You didn’t let it happen, honey. You kicked that jackass in the balls. I merely took advantage of what you’d already done.”

  “For which I am profoundly grateful.” She smoothed her palms over his chest. “If you’ve spent any time at all thinking that I was horrified by what you did—I wasn’t, Dean. You aren’t the same as that man. You were my hero. You are my hero. I love you so much. I’m scared of what you do and proud of it too.”

  “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. Being part of HOT is a tough job, but it’s the best job. You want justice for Nicole, and I understand that. Fighting for justice and what’s right is my job. I need to fight for Cheryl, too. I’ve been thinking about it, and I need to do more. I want to go see her, and I’d like you to go with me.”

  She cupped his face and gazed into his eyes. “I’m with you every step of the way, Dean. But you also need to know that you can only do so much. Addicts have to want to change. They need the support to make the change, but it’s ultimately up to them. If she slides into the hole again, it’s not your fault. I had to realize that with Nicole. I wanted to save her, tried so hard, but the demon was hers to fight. She failed and it hurts me every day, but I don’t blame her for it. The demon was bigger than she was. It doesn’t have to be that way for Cheryl though, and having us in her corner might be enough.”