“Owner?”
“High roller by the name of Gabriel Capricorn.”
“Clean?”
“Not squeaky, but not quite dirty enough to head up a human smuggling ring.”
“If not Capricorn, then who?”
“I got a hit on his VP. Slick guy by the name of Randall Yates.”
“What kind of hit?”
“Got busted in 1997 for smuggling in ten illegals from China.”
“Female?”
“Yup.”
“Conviction?”
“During trial, eight of the women testified that they were stowaways.”
“And the other two?”
“Disappeared off the face of the earth.”
Madrid seemed to digest the words, his expression dark and thoughtful. “He was acquitted?”
“Yup. And get this. He used to run a shipping corporation out of Seattle. Owned a couple of massage parlors.”
“Interesting combination.”
“It is if you consider who worked the booths.”
“Don’t tell me. Illegal immigrants.”
“Mostly from China. Immigration busted him a dozen times but he always beat the rap. Cost of doing business, I guess.”
“Prostitution?”
“He was never charged, but if the shoe fits…” Jake lifted his shoulder, let it fall.
“When did he hook up with Capricorn?”
“Two years ago.”
“Sounds like a match made in heaven.”
“Or hell, depending on your perspective.”
The two men fell silent. Jess’s mind spun with everything she’d heard. It was as if the pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together. “So how do we stop them?” she asked.
Both heads turned to her simultaneously. Looking into their eyes, Jess knew they were going to try to shut her out. Because she was a woman. Because they were professionals and she wasn’t. The reasons didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to let them do it.
“Angela was my friend,” she said. “These people tried to frame me. They tried to kill me. They tried to kill Nicolas. I need to do this.”
The two men exchanged looks, and Jess got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her worst fears were solidified when Madrid addressed her. “I want you to go back with Jake. Ride this out from a safe place.”
“No.” Anger surged. Jess rose abruptly. “Don’t try to shut me out of this.”
“You can help from MIDNIGHT headquarters.”
She shot Madrid a furious stare. “Don’t patronize me.”
He rose. “Jess, you’re going to have to trust me. Please. You’re more of a hindrance than a help here.”
“I’m a hindrance because you’re so obsessed with locking me out that you haven’t even considered using me as bait.”
The RV went silent. In her peripheral vision Jess saw Vanderpol’s gaze flick from her to Madrid. But Madrid never took his eyes off her. His laugh was fraught with annoyance and incredulity. “No dice.”
“They think I can ID Angela’s killer. They think Nicolas saw it. Or maybe they think he told me who it was. Whatever the case, they want me dead.”
“No.”
“You know it’s the best way to smoke out these bastards. Maybe the only way.”
“I know it’s the best way to get you dead!” he shouted.
She blinked, surprised by the vehemence behind the words. Knowing that for whatever reason she wasn’t going to get through to him, she turned her attention to Vanderpol. “Dangle me in front of them and they’ll bite.”
Vanderpol’s expression revealed nothing of what he was thinking or feeling. But he didn’t say no.
Madrid, on the other hand, wasted no time with his refusal. He crossed to her, wrapped his fingers around her arms. “I know what these people are capable of, Jess. I’ve seen their handiwork. They’re brutal and savage and I won’t let you end up like Angela.”
“Then let me do this.” When he only stared at her, she lifted her hand. “Let me help, damn it.”
He winced when her palm brushed his cheek. Grasping her wrist, he lowered it to her side. “I won’t be the one to sign your death warrant,” he said, and walked away.
JAKE VANDERPOL and Mike Madrid stood outside the RV in the lightly falling rain. “You sure she’s not involved?” Jake asked.
“She didn’t kill Angela, if that’s what you’re asking.” Madrid shot him a hard look. “I’ll bet my life on it.”
“You might just be doing that, partner.”
Madrid was getting wet, but he didn’t care. He was too annoyed. Too damned worried about Jess. He felt as if he were losing control of the situation. He knew firsthand there was no better way to get someone hurt. Why the hell couldn’t she just cooperate?
“You might consider taking her up on her offer.”
Madrid’s gaze jerked to Jake’s. Anger swept through him that the other man would even suggest it. “I don’t want those bastards anywhere near her.”
Jake frowned. “Look, Madrid, it’s none of my business, but it seems to me you’re not thinking clearly about any of this.”
“I’m thinking clearly enough to know if I dangle Jess or the boy in front of these bastards there’s a damn good chance I won’t get them back.”
“Cutter thought it was a good idea.”
Realization reared up inside Jake, followed by another quick punch of anger. “Cutter knew you were coming here.”
“He knows a lot of things.”
“Did he ask you to try to talk me into using them, Jake?”
That the other man couldn’t meet his gaze was all the answer Madrid needed. “Cutter can go straight to hell.”
Jake did meet his gaze then. “This is about keeping things in perspective, Madrid. Think about it. You have a key that could stop untold misery. Yet you’re unwilling to use it because of something that happened a long time ago.”
“Shut up about that.”
“These bastards could be bringing in hundreds of women a year. God only knows how many of them don’t make the journey. You have the power to stop it, but you won’t.”
“I won’t risk an innocent woman’s life to do it. If that’s what you want, then you can go to hell, too.”
Unfazed by the remark, Jake shook his head. “You’re screwing up, my man.”
“These bastards murder indiscriminately. What the hell do you expect me to do?”
“I expect you to be a professional.” Jake closed the distance between them and jabbed a finger into Madrid’s chest. “Evidently you’re too wrapped up in having sex to manage.”
“This isn’t about sex, damn it.”
“Yeah, well, I hope she’s worth it, because you’re an inch away from kissing your career goodbye.”
For several tense minutes the only sound came from the tinkle of rain against dry leaves and the rustle of wind through the trees. “You know as well as I do the woman and that kid are your best bet for smoking these bastards out of their holes,” Jake said finally.
Madrid shook his head. “I’ll find another way.”
“For your sake, I hope you can.”
At that, Jake Vanderpol turned and walked away.
Chapter Fourteen
The RV smelled of her when he walked inside. A light, airy scent that reminded him of summer meadows and wildflowers. A scent that made him long for something elusive and put a knot in his gut because he knew it was the one thing he could never have.
Hanging his jacket in the cubbyhole beside the door, he headed to the stove to make coffee.
“What were you two talking about?”
Madrid turned to see her standing in the hall just outside the lavatory. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail, revealing a long and slender throat. Staring at her, all he could think was that he wanted to put his mouth on her.
“Agency stuff.” His voice came out as a growl as he turned back to the stove. He didn’t want to face her feeling like this. He knew one touch f
rom her and he would do something he’d regret for the rest of his life.
“You know he’s right.”
He stiffened. “I know using you or Nicolas as bait would be the fastest way to get you both killed.” Coffee forgotten, he turned to face her. “Are you willing to risk his life?”
“Not his.” She stared at him, her gaze unflinching. “Mine.”
“No way.”
“You’d rather have countless young women dying?”
“I’d rather find a better way.”
“There is no better way!” she shouted abruptly. “Damn it, I want my life back. I want to feel safe. I want Nicolas to be safe. I want the bastards responsible for Angela’s death to pay for what they did.”
Suddenly furious, Madrid crossed the space between them. Grasping her upper arms, he shook her. “I will not have another death on my conscience!” he roared.
Jess blinked, opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing. Seconds later she managed, “What?”
He hadn’t meant to say it. Dredging up the past was the last thing he needed, especially with a woman who was all too willing to lay it on the line. For the span of several heartbeats he stood there, holding her arms, his heart pounding.
She stared back at him, her eyes wide and startled. “What are you talking about?”
Until this moment he hadn’t realized the root of his resistance to using her as bait. The source of the knot in his gut. Over the past five years he’d learned to live with it. He’d learned to use it as part of what drove him to do his job and do it well.
“Madrid, talk to me.”
He didn’t want to discuss it. He didn’t want to reveal his greatest fear. His deepest agony. Or the deep, dark pit that was his past. But looking into her eyes, he knew she wasn’t going to let it go.
Releasing her, he let his hands slide down her arms. “Let it go, Jess.”
He started to turn away, but she stopped him. “Whose death are you talking about?”
“Not just one life.” Slowly he turned to face her. “Two lives. Two innocent people gone forever. Both deaths were my fault.”
Outside, the rain had begun to drum, now pounding hard against the sheet-metal roof. Inside, his heart kept perfect time, increasing with the torrent.
“Who?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
He didn’t want to say the words. Even though five years had passed, they still ripped open something inside him. “My wife and child.”
For a moment she just stood there, staring at him, her eyes wide and filled with pain. Not for herself. For him. He didn’t want her sympathy. He sure as hell didn’t want her pity. All he wanted was to keep her safe, because he couldn’t bear the thought of her being hurt because of him.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s done. In the past.” He grimaced. “I’m a wiser man for it.”
She seemed to consider that for a moment. “I can’t see you being at fault for something like that. You’re too careful. Too good at what you do.”
“I wasn’t five years ago.” The smile that curved his mouth was sharp. “One day all that recklessness caught up with me.”
In the worst possible way, a little voice reminded him.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
Madrid could feel himself shutting down, withdrawing, his emotions closing up like a box. It was what he did, and he did it well. He insulated himself against hurt, erected a wall to protect his heart. The protective mechanisms had kept him sane for five years. “Some other time.”
He knew she was going to come to him. He saw intent in her eyes. And knew what would happen if she touched him. He could feel the need churning inside him, the ever-present knot in his gut tightening, the old recklessness roiling like a wild sea.
When she set her palm against his cheek he jolted, besieged by the urge to pull back to a safe distance. But the part of him that was a man—the part that had been alone for five long years—was stronger than the need to protect himself.
“Don’t.” He ground out the words.
But Jess didn’t stop. Rising on her tiptoes, she pressed her mouth first to his cheek, then to his mouth. It was only a light, comforting peck, but Madrid’s heart began to pound. He stood stone still and endured the intimate contact. But his resistance wouldn’t last. And when his control broke, it would be violent and powerful enough to sweep both of them away.
God help them both when that happened, because if Madrid was certain of one thing in this world, it was that everything he touched—everything he loved—died.
As the pleasure of her kiss melted the steel surrounding his heart, he vowed he would never love Jessica Atwood.
JESS KNEW BETTER than to let the moment get physical. Neither of them was in any frame of mind to be considering any kind of relationship, physical or otherwise.
But the womanly part of her scoffed at the idea of turning the other cheek. Somehow she had to get through to him, convince him that they should use her as bait so they could stop the atrocities on board the Dorian Rae. But first she needed to find out what had happened in his past that made him so dead set against letting her help. Why did he blame himself for the deaths of his wife and child?
Vaguely she was aware that he wasn’t kissing her back. But she sensed there was something powerful waiting at the gate. A passion that would overwhelm her if unleashed. A passion so controlled and intense that it both frightened and thrilled her. Jess knew she was playing with fire. But the need to reach him was too powerful to resist.
“Something’s tearing you apart,” she whispered, pulling away just enough to make eye contact. “Talk to me.”
“You don’t want to know my demons.”
“I want to know everything about you.”
His gaze searched hers. “Some things are better left alone.” He started to pull away. “This is one of them.”
“That may be true.” She stopped him with her hand on his arm. “But sometimes things only fester if you don’t talk about them.”
Jess wasn’t exactly sure what happened next. One moment he was gazing at her with an intensity that took her breath away. The next his mouth came down on hers so hard she felt his tooth nick her lip. The power of the kiss stunned her. All she could think was that the beast within him had broken free. A beast that had been hurting and alone for a very long time.
Setting his hands on either side of her face, he ravished her mouth with his. Jess kissed him back in kind, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. When his tongue grazed her lips, seeking entrance, she opened to him. A groan rumbled up from his throat and he went in deep.
His kiss took her breath away, stole her logic, her resistance fleeing out the window with it. He leaned into the kiss, and when he moved against her, she could feel the hard ridge of his erection against her pelvis. Her vision blurred as all the blood rushed from her brain to erogenous zones she hadn’t known existed.
She tried desperately to gather the shattered remains of her composure. But his mouth against hers was like a drug and she couldn’t seem to put together more than a passing thought.
He broke the kiss and ran his tongue down her throat to a sensitive place just above her clavicle.
“We…need…to talk…about this,” she managed.
“I don’t want talk.” He punctuated the words by taking her mouth again. “Just this.”
Jess gasped in both pleasure and surprise when he cupped her breasts. She’d never seen herself as a sexual person. But the instant his hands made contact, her body began to weep for him. The sensation was maddening and thrilling at once. She groaned when he slipped his hands beneath her sweatshirt. A flick of his wrist and her bra opened. Then the rough skin of his palms met the smooth flesh of her breasts. A cry escaped her when he took her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and gently squeezed.
Her blood heated and pounded like fists inside her body. She could hear herself breathin
g hard, like a marathon runner seconds past the finish line.
“Lift your arms.”
Jess didn’t think. She lifted her arms. As Madrid slid the sweatshirt from her body, her hair cascaded over her shoulders. Before she could gather her wits, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the settee.
It didn’t seem big enough for two people. But Jess didn’t care. The only thing her mind could focus on at the moment was the magic exploding between them. He laid her on the cushion, then stepped back. She shivered when his dark eyes swept over her, feeling every inch of his perusal like the feather touch of a lover’s fingers.
Kneeling, he leaned closer and kissed her. “This is going to change everything.”
“I know.” Jess jolted when his hands went to the snap of her jeans. Physically, she’d never wanted anything so badly in her life. But on an intellectual level, she knew it was dangerous territory for a woman fresh out of a bad marriage and running for her life. Could she risk her heart on a man who couldn’t give her his?
Madrid didn’t give her a chance to ponder the question too long. He worked her jeans over her hips and down her legs, his eyes skimming over her until her body quivered.
“I shouldn’t want you,” he whispered. “But you take my breath away.”
The words touched her. The emotion in his voice devastated her. In his eyes the flash of uncertainty, of vulnerability tore down the last of her defenses. She wanted him on so many levels her mind couldn’t begin to sort through them. She wanted to tell him that, but there were no words that could describe the feelings burgeoning in her chest, the passion rising like a flood in her body.
Never taking his eyes from hers, he unfastened his own jeans and tossed them to the floor. Jess had seen men without clothes before; she’d been married for five years. But the sight of Mike Madrid standing before her fully aroused and wearing nothing more than his boxer shorts made her as excited and nervous as a virgin.
“You take my breath away, too,” she said.
Surprising her, he laughed. It was a deep, melodic sound that broke some of the tension. His expression softened when he leaned close. “In that case maybe I ought to kiss you before both of us asphyxiate.”
Operation: Midnight Rendezvous Page 14