“We talked about things after that, pooled our resources and bought this club.” He resumed his jabs at the bag, short, light punches. “This is what we do, and we do it pretty damned well.”
“I understand.” The jabs were fading now, the bag hardly moving. She let go of the thick leather sack and stepped away. “I trust you to make the right decision about Lisa.”
Dylan eyed her. “Good. Because you know I won’t put you in danger. Not unless I am sure I can get you back out safe and sound.”
Jessie smiled and moved closer. “Same for me.” She reached out and drew her index finger down the center of his chest, stopping only at the bunched elastic of his pants. “But don’t cut me out of any of this. Because I won’t let you.”
He arched an eyebrow as she traced around the edge of his pants. “Really? I think you’re forgetting who’s in charge of this unit.”
Jessie slid her hand down over his cock and squeezed, feeling him rise at her touch. “I know who’s in charge of this unit.” She stroked him, relishing the way he gasped, hips thrusting forward instinctively.
“Smart-ass,” he grunted.
She laughed and stripped off her shirt, leaving only her sports bra on. “Been a while since I worked the bag. Could use a little stress relief.”
Dylan picked up a water bottle and watched while she picked up a set of fabric wraps off the nearby bench. “I can do better than that if you want to relax.”
She threw him a side-eye stare. “Is that all men think about?”
“Not all the time.” He smiled. “But yeah, pretty much.”
He took hold of the bag as she approached. “Feel free to strip down to nothing if you’d like. Might be more comfortable.”
Jessie twirled and slammed her shin into the bag, sending Dylan back a few steps. “If you remember your training, you have to be ready to fight in any environment. You don’t always get to change into a gi or track pants.” She gestured at her jeans. “So you do what you can with what you’ve got.”
“Duly noted.” Dylan grinned as he took a firmer grip on the bag. “I’ll enjoy what I can get.”
“And I don’t like lying around doing nothing. So hold on tight.” She launched a flurry of blows at the leather bag, loving the way it sounded.
“I can think of better times and places to be telling me that.”
She ignored his stage whisper, focusing in on channeling her anger at Molodavi into something useful.
A good half-hour later, heavy footsteps thudded down the corridor, growing louder.
Finn burst into the room. “We got news.” He paused, taking in the scene.
Dylan had shucked his shirt before she arrived, and now they were both hot and sweaty, having moved away from the punching bag and into basic self-defense maneuvers, a rematch from their earlier cabin interaction. She was pleasantly surprised to find him not holding back, not afraid to toss her to the mat if she made a mistake.
She returned the favor, of course.
A smile curled Finn’s lips. “I can come back later if you’re not finished working out. Or I could tap in if you’re getting tired.” He winked at Jessie. “Older men, you know—never have enough stamina to finish the job.”
Dylan stepped back, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “Smart-ass. I’ll be there in a minute.”
As Finn ducked out the door, Dylan leaned in and kissed Jessie, a deep, passionate assault that left her dizzy.
Then he spun away to grab two towels off the nearby bench, along with his T-shirt. He tossed one to her. “Might want to put your shirt back on before the men get all flustered and whatnot.”
She rolled her eyes and wiped her face. “You go ahead and make sure they’re all sedated so they don’t swoon at seeing me. I’ll be right along.” She snatched up a water bottle and blew him a kiss.
…
Dylan went into the hall, wrapping the towel around his neck.
When he entered the briefing room, a glance at the clock on the wall showed it’d been only two hours since Lisa’s kidnapping.
Molodavi moved fast.
Maybe they could put it to their advantage.
Trey looked up from his keyboard.
“Hold for Jessie. She’s right behind me.” Dylan settled into his chair. “Woman’s got some mad moves on the mat.”
Finn smiled. “She giving private lessons? Where can I sign up?”
Dylan smiled and flipped him the bird as Jessie came into the room. She ignored the verbal jousting and sat next to Dylan.
“Talk to me,” he said.
“Right.” Trey tapped a button on the inlaid computer keyboard at the table. “I tracked the two cops from the car number Ace gave me. Doesn’t exist in the system. I’m thinking it was Molodavi’s men playing dress up. Lisa wouldn’t know the difference, and if she did and started to make a fuss, they’d drag her out anyway. No one’s going to interfere when they see the uniforms.” He looked at Finn, passing off the invisible baton.
Finn leaned on the table, rolling on his knuckles. “Spoke to some of my ‘consultants.’ Dug them out of bed or rousted them off the streets. The usual suspects.” He looked at Jessie. “Molodavi’s been handing out a number for informants to call. Since you escaped a week ago, he’s had someone on it twenty-four-seven to track you.”
“Bastard,” she answered.
Trey grinned. “I like her.”
“We need to call the number,” Jessie said.
Dylan nodded to Trey. “Make it happen.”
“What do you want me to say?” Jessie asked.
Dylan rubbed the back of his neck with the sweat-damp towel. “He set up the line for someone to rat you out. Now we call it to see about a deal for Lisa.”
Trey grinned. “I’ll make it seem like we’re calling from inside his home in Summerlin. That’ll freak him out.”
“Good.” He looked at Finn. “Set up the van for extraction. Firepower, electronics, the works. Medical as well—put Magee on notice.”
He nodded and left the room.
Trey cleared the computer screen with a wave of his hand. “I’ll need some time.”
“How long?”
“Give me an hour.” Trey looked down at the keyboard. “I’ll also help Finn with a few of my toys. Never hurts to keep our options open.”
Dylan nodded. “Call us when you’re ready.” He crooked a finger at Jessie. “Come on. I need to clean up.”
She eyeballed him. “Aren’t you old enough to do it by yourself?”
“Sure.” He grinned. “But I don’t want you distracting Trey.”
Jessie spun to look at Trey, frowning. “How would I do that?”
“By being here. Too much sexy for one room.” He took her hand.
Trey smirked as Dylan led Jessie out.
They walked to the private elevator. Dylan tapped the button and looked at her. “Did you deal with any hostage situations while you were on the force?”
“Not personally, but I know how this goes. Proof of life—verify she’s still alive, first priority.” There was a slight quiver in her voice, but Dylan let it go. “After we’re sure she’s alive, we’ll set up the exchange and figure out how to twist it to our advantage.”
He couldn’t help feeling proud, seeing her rise to the occasion.
The elevator doors slid open, and they entered. Dylan tapped the top button and leaned against the wall. “Off the top of my head, I’m thinking the best plan of attack is to do a double tap on the casino.”
She frowned, bracing herself on the metal bars running around the elevator walls. “Explain.”
Out of habit, Dylan mentally counted the seconds before they arrived at the top floor. “Negotiate a trade. He’s going to be focused on that, on getting you back, and he’s going to want to do that in person to show off how powerful he is. While Molodavi’s occupied, we send in a man to get the flash drive and infect his system with the program Trey needs to clear your name. We get you, Lisa, and the evidence
to put him away.” He snapped his fingers. “Bang, bang.”
She flinched at the noise. The elevator doors opened and they walked down the hall to his apartment.
“Lisa seems like a pretty strong woman,” Dylan said as he opened the door. “She came and found us, didn’t flinch when she walked into the club.”
“She is.” Jessie headed for the kitchen. “I’d love to have something stronger, but coffee will have to do. Can I make you a cup?”
“Yeah.” Dylan seated himself at the counter, watching her work the coffee machine.
“Lisa went to university to be a translator. She had a knack for languages all the way back in high school. Got hired just before graduation by one of the big casinos in town to help deal with their whales, work with their people to avoid any misunderstandings due to language. One of the Saudi princes was so impressed by her skills he offered her a permanent job on his staff. And marriage, if she wanted it, to one of his relatives.” She laughed, lightening the tension.
Dylan smiled. “Not surprising. She’s a smart, strong woman.”
“How did she find you?” Jessie paused. “Never mind. I don’t need to know.” She put a mug of fresh coffee in front of him, nursing her own. “I should have let her in on my plan, let her know what I was doing.”
He shook his head. “It would have been dangerous for her. And I suspect she’d have wanted to help you take down Molodavi.”
“Yes. That’s why I didn’t bring her in. The only thing we had was our arrangement where I would text her once a day. Damned glad she followed up.” Jessie sipped her drink. “What do you think our odds are?”
“I don’t know.”
Her forehead furrowed at the words.
“I won’t lie to you.” Dylan leaned in. “Molodavi is a sneaky, conniving monster who’s willing to do anything to get what he wants. But he didn’t lead his family this long, and stay clear of a jail cell, by making mistakes.”
…
Her heart was racing, the caffeine giving her even more of a boost. “You promised me you’d take Molodavi down. I need you to tell me that again, in case…” Her throat closed up, unwilling to say the words.
“Jessie.” He cut her off. “We can’t afford to think like this. You can’t expect me—”
“No.” She put the bottle down and pointed at Dylan. It was hard to stay focused, staring at his bare chest. The finely toned abs and defined muscles called to her, urged her to continue what they’d started down in the gym.
She ground her teeth.
Business before pleasure.
“This…this thing I wanted to do. Bring Molodavi down. I still want that. I was willing to risk my life for it. But I can’t risk Lisa’s.”
Dylan tossed the towel on the counter. “I know. And we won’t. Both of you are going to come out of this alive and well.”
“How?” Her temper flared. “How are you going to guarantee that? You and a handful of men are going to make all this happen?” She sliced the air with one hand. “Molodavi has an entire army at his beck and call. How are you going to beat him?”
He stroked her cheek, freezing her in place. “Because we’re really good at what we do, and I have to believe that right always trumps wrong.”
She blinked, bereft of words. The simplicity of his answer washed over her emotional flames, drowning them.
“I need to shower.” He picked up the towel and walked past her. “Back in five.”
He disappeared into the bathroom.
She lay down on the couch and sighed. It was like every time she took a step forward, they all took three back. Or sideways.
It’d seemed like such an easy plan when she’d put it together a lifetime ago. Get a cover job at Fluxxx, get into Molodavi’s office, grab the files, and run for the media. Now it’d turned not only into a retrieval run to get her flash drive back, but a hack into his computer servers to clear her name, and now a hostage exchange or, hopefully, a rescue.
A throbbing erupted behind her left eye, signaling a headache.
The only good thing coming out of this was meeting Dylan and the others. Where before she’d been working alone with no one watching her back, now she had a whole new family around her, willing to help her achieve her goals all in the name of justice.
It was comforting.
And then there was Dylan…
“What are you thinking about?” He stood in the hallway. The single towel around his middle was dangerously close to falling off, the knot holding on for dear life. He grinned and advanced on her. “Tell me.”
“You. Me. All this.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I assume you’d speak out if you had any problems.”
“I would. And I will.” She studied the towel.
Dylan turned and stripped it off, giving her a full view of his bare ass.
“Time for me to get dressed.” He tossed the damp towel over his shoulder and headed for the bedroom.
“Tease,” she shouted after him.
“You know it.”
As if on cue a buzzer went off. A voice came out of a speaker set in the corner of the ceiling. “Dylan. We’re ready.”
“Thanks, Trey. We’re on the way down.” He dug out a pair of jeans, underwear, and a dark blue T-shirt. “Ready?”
“No. But that won’t stop me.”
“Good.”
Chapter Ten
Trey looked up as they walked back into the briefing room. He wore a headset, the black plastic tight on his head. “I’ve got this bounced five ways to Sunday and then some. He’ll trace it back to an internet café in Kabul if he tries.”
“Good.” Dylan caught Jessie’s eye. “Please follow my lead.”
She nodded, and he gestured at Trey.
The sound of a phone ringing shot through the air around them, the speakers going live.
“Hello?” The thick grunted word showed the first barrier.
“Mr. Molodavi, please.” Dylan’s tone was light, as if he were ordering pizza.
“Who dis?”
“Dis is the guy who’s negotiating for Lisa Boudreau’s release. I have Jessica Lyon here.” He nodded at Jessie.
“Get Eddie on the line,” she said. “Tell him I’m willing to trade myself for Lisa.”
A series of clicks signaled their redirection, likely to Molodavi’s office.
“Jessica.” The slick voice sent icy tentacles through her veins. She pressed her palms against the tabletop, willing herself to stay still.
Dylan shot her a look of concern but stayed where he was, a few feet away.
“She’s here,” he said. “But I’ll be negotiating on her behalf.”
“And who are you? The pretty boy who broke her out of my cage, I’d wager.” Edward laughed. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Takes balls to go after my property.”
“Jessie wasn’t your property.”
She heard the anger in his words.
“As far as I’m concerned, she was and still is my possession—as an employee and as a thief who has something I want.” Edward spoke in slow, measured words, reminding Jessie of a snake hissing its way around its prey. “And a murderer.”
“We left Brenner alive. You’re the one who shot him.”
“That’s not what the camera says.” Edward’s tone shifted away from friendly. “Is Jessica there? While I’m having a lovely time chatting with you, it’s her I want to talk to.”
A handwritten note slid across the table, courtesy of Trey.
Trace attempted. Not a chance.
She looked up and Trey punctuated the message with a stern smile and a thumbs-up.
“I’m here.” She didn’t wait for Dylan’s cue. “Where’s Lisa?”
“Oh, she’s comfortable. She’s enjoying the view and having a lovely snack.” He gave a low chuckle. “She’s not quite as tough as you are, Jessica. I was curious, given your friendship. I expected her to be hard as nails, a real badass.”
A light flashed on Trey’s
control panel. He tapped a button and the text message scrolled up on the main screen, visible to everyone in the room.
They’re on the move with Lisa. Following.
An ace of spades avatar signaled who was sending the text.
Dylan continued, not missing a beat. “She’s a civilian. She’s got nothing to do with this. It’s between you and Jessie. Release Lisa, and we’ll consider giving you a chance to get out of town.”
“Aren’t you the brave one, issuing ultimatums?” Edward laughed. “But it’s not quite fair, you knowing my name when I don’t know yours.”
“Bill,” Dylan replied. “Billy to my friends. But you can call me William.”
Trey slid another piece of paper across the table.
Still trying. Now we’re in Pakistan.
Dylan nodded his approval and looked at Ace’s text.
Trey picked up on the unspoken instruction, and the message vanished, replaced with a street map. A small icon flashed, traveling along the dark lines.
Ace’s GPS location.
“Billy,” Edward said. “I respect your skill. I do, honestly. You took out five of my best men. I see that as a valuable asset. Have you considered expanding your horizons? I’d love to have you and your friends work for me. I seem to have some job openings coming up.”
Trey let loose with a soft cough that sounded like a curse.
“You can’t afford us,” Dylan replied.
“Too bad. I do have to wonder what she’s paying you with. She didn’t earn a lot here as a blackjack dealer.” A low chuckle came through the lines. “Maybe her body? I can see that. Two, three of you on her at once. She’d probably love it, the little scamp.”
Her cheeks burned as she looked at Dylan, seeing his jaw tense.
Enough.
“I want to hear her. Before this goes any further, I want to hear from Lisa,” Jessie said.
“No,” Molodavi replied. “You’re not calling the shots here, I am. You’re just lucky I’m willing to even listen to you instead of leaving little bits of your friend lying around Vegas.”
She swallowed hard, pushing the images out of her head.
Molodavi continued. “Okay, Billy. Here are my terms. Jessica returns to the warehouse, to her cage, and I let her friend go. You can come along, of course. I’d like to meet you.”
Hard Play (Delta Force Brotherhood) Page 15