by Wendy Rosnau
“Anxious to see lover boy? And here I thought—”
“Anxious to get away from you.”
He didn’t say anything to that, just pushed down on the accelerator. They were cruising the dirt road as if it were a four-lane freeway, the hot air baking her face and wilting her pink satin blouse.
They had just started around a sharp corner when she heard Pierce swear. She felt the Jeep swerve sharply and looked up. The alligator was the size of a small whale. It was lying in the middle of the road, stretched out like a fallen oak tree. It all happened so quick. The corner, the alligator, and then they were plowing through thick foliage.
The tree came out of nowhere, just like the alligator. Casmir braced herself for impact. Her seat belt kept her butt pinned down, but she was jerked forward as they crashed into the oak. Her shoulder hit the dash first, then her head, before she was thrown back into the seat.
As her head spun and a wave of nausea took her, she could hear Pierce swearing, then nothing at all.
When she came to she was no longer buckled into the Jeep. She was in Pierce’s bedroom. How she had gotten there, or how long ago, she didn’t know.
She sat up slowly, every muscle in her body protesting the movement. She felt awful. Felt like she’d been run over.
She pushed back the sheet, saw she was wearing only her bra and panties.
“Pierce?”
She stood up, stumbled to the door and flung it open.
“Pierce?”
He didn’t answer, and she feared that he’d been hurt in the crash.
“Pierce!”
She was in the hall half naked when the bathroom door swung open and he stepped out wearing a towel around his waist and nothing else.
“What’s wrong?”
She felt dizzy. Dizzy with relief. Or maybe it was the adrenaline rush she’d felt in her moment of panic. She backed up, and used the wall to steady herself.
“Dammit, Cass, you should be in bed. You took one helluva jolt.”
He scooped her up quickly, and she grabbed hold of him, felt him warm and wet beneath her fingers. He strode into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed.
He sat down beside her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have been driving that fast. I jeopardized your life and the mission. I’m going to call Merrick and—”
“Some things are out of our control.”
“I’m usually always in control.”
“Usually? What makes this time different?”
He didn’t answer her. He stood, pulled the sheet over her. “I’m going to call Merrick and tell him what happened, and that you’re in no shape to go forward with the mission.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You haven’t been fine since you got here.”
“There’s no reason to abort the mission. I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
“There’s a damn good reason. Two. I almost killed you two hours ago, and I think you know something about Petrov that could change the outcome of this mission.”
“Are you saying my acting skills are slipping?”
“I’m serious.”
“I’ll tell you my secrets, if you tell me yours.”
“I’m not in the mood for word games. If you don’t want to tell me what you’re hiding, at least tell Polax. He wouldn’t allow you to continue with this if he thought you were going to end up dead.”
“That sounds like you’re hiding something more from me. Are you?”
He didn’t answer.
Casmir changed the subject. “Mama and Lazie aren’t back yet?”
“No. But they should be soon.”
“Then maybe you should get dressed.” She eyed his bare chest and flat stomach, reminded of what Linet had said at the grocery store. “I’m fine here if you’d like to take a drive back in to town to visit…Linny.”
“She’s an old friend, nothing more.”
“I think she’s more than a friend. She can’t forget the bull’s stamina or his nice horn.”
“You’ve got a sharp tongue, amant.”
“It’s part of my charm.”
“Tell me what you didn’t put in your report about Petrov.”
“You two have more in common than you know. He’s got a nice horn, too.”
“What else?” His tone was flat, his jaw set.
“Look, I’m not going to turn chicken. Your commander is wrong if he thinks that’s my style. A yellow strip down my back would clash with my wardrobe. It’s also a bad color for my complexion. Now, get dressed.”
Ruza had gotten more than one stare when she had entered Bubba’s. Maybe it was her pale gray satin shift, or the fact that Lazie was strutting like a peacock.
He was right about one thing, however. The ribs were served with a smile and were the best she’d ever tasted.
It was funny. She’d been to lavish parties all over Europe and here she was enjoying barbecue ribs with a rogue who hadn’t quit grinning since he’d ushered her through the door and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom.
Bubba’s was a rustic good-time place with smiling faces and lots of laughter. Ruza studied the crowd, then Lazie, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her.
“Are you expecting me to change color? You shouldn’t stare so much, Lazie.”
“I can’t help myself, mon coeur. Casmir’s father…he’s a lucky man.”
“Jacko died many years ago.”
“It’s still painful to talk about?”
“I don’t know you well enough to share my personal history.”
“Secrets to guard?”
“If I do, they’re mine, no one else’s. When you get to my age there is plenty of history.”
“The sayin’goes dat youth keeps a man guessin’. Experience holds a man’s interest.”
“And just what exactly are you interested in, Lazie?”
His grin widened. “Everytin’dat’s made you who you are. Tell me about your life in Europe.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Pierce says you’re a stage actress.”
“Retired actress.”
“So what do you do now dat you’re retired?”
“I travel, and do a little charity work.”
“I haven’t traveled in years.”
“Why?”
“The Glitterbug keeps me busy. Do you travel alone, Ruza-a…?”
“Sometimes, but I have friends who accompany me from time to time.”
“Men friends?”
“If you’re asking if there’s anyone special, the answer is no.”
“Dat’s a comfort.”
“Lazie, I’m not going to let you mess with me.”
“Mess with you?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Oui. But it wouldn’t be messy, I promise you dat.”
Ruza looked at her watch. “I think we should be getting back. I don’t want Cassie to worry.”
“Whatever you say, ma douce amie.”
He stood, reached into his pocket and tossed several bills on the table. It was far more than what the meal had cost, and that surprised her. Lazie didn’t look flushed, by any means. He looked like a paycheck-to-paycheck man with a mortgage.
But there was something, something about him that told her she wasn’t the only one with a secret. Saber Lazie was more than he appeared to be.
They left Bubba’s and started back to the boat.
Yes, experience was knowledge, but so was being able to read your opponent. That was why when Lazie reached out to squeeze her ass, Ruza sensed it was going to happen. She spun right, the move quick and efficient. Her leg extension on target, she made contact with Lazie’s stomach dead center. It took him completely off guard and the force lifted him off the dock like a stiff wind. He went swimming and came up sputtering.
When he dragged himself back on the dock, he asked, “What kind of move was dat?”
“It was nothing special.”
“Da hell. Where
did you learn ta do dat?”
“I’m an actress, remember? Another thing to remember, Lazie, is that my ass is mine. If I want your hand there, I’ll send you an invitation.”
After dark, Pierce and Lazie took a walk. They discussed the welcome party they would offer Petrov’s men once they made their move, how the plan would work out, and then they speculated on the outcome.
Pierce said, “Before they get here, I want you to take Ruza and go to New Orleans. I want her out of here tomorrow afternoon.”
“Maybe I’ll invite her to see the sights, then take her to my place in da Quarter.” He rubbed his belly. “I’ll tell her it’s a peace offerin’.”
Pierce glanced at the way Lazie was rubbing his belly. “Something happen I should know about?”
“I didn’t know stage actresses were so athletic.”
“Meaning?”
“Nothin’. How’s da fille feelin’? Da Jeep don look too good. Lucky you both wasn’t killed.”
Pierce lit a cigarette. “I was driving too fast.”
“She say somethin’ ta piss you off again?”
“I don’t remember. If she’s not chewing on my ass, I’m chewing on hers. Anyway, expect the unexpected from Ruza. She’ll get suspicious when you don’t bring her back to the cabin. Be prepared for that. I’ll make contact once Casmir has been kidnapped.”
“This is a shitty game, mon ami.”
“I’m in agreement on that. Cass knows more about Yurii than she’s saying.”
“And it ain’t good?”
“No. I don’t think it’s good at all. Even if I can get to her within a matter of hours, I’m starting to think ten minutes in Yurii’s camp is going to be too long. You should have seen her face when she realized she was the bait. She tried to cover it up, but I could tell she was afraid. She’s an experienced agent and has been in tight spots before, but…” Pierce looked away. “Something about this doesn’t feel right.”
“Call Merrick. Tell him dis. Tell him how you feel.”
“Merrick deals in facts. I have no proof.”
“Can you get her out alive?”
“I have to.”
“Because it’s your job, or because you have feelings for her, mon ami?”
Pierce puffed a little harder on his cigarette.
“I see da way you look at her. Da Balasi women have a way of touchin’a man’s soul before he knows what happened.”
“Cass is more than a pretty face, shoes and attitude. She knows her job. She’s tough.”
“She’s tough, but she’s also a woman. They don see tings da same way a man does. Oui, the Balasi women are as complicated as they are beautiful, no?”
If Lazie only knew, Pierce thought. “Is the welcome party ready for Petrov’s men?”
“It’s ready.”
“Then all we have to do now is wait for them to take the bait.”
Both Lazie and Ruza had gone to bed when Pierce knocked on Casmir’s bedroom door. She answered a minute later wearing a black camisole and thong. She looked as though she’d been sleeping.
“Sorry if I woke you.”
“I wasn’t sleeping yet.”
He saw the window open. She must have noticed.
“I was hoping a breeze would find its way to the bed. It’s hot tonight.”
He walked in. “Close the door.”
She did, then slowly turned and leaned against it, giving him a two-second flash of her beautiful ass. The second thing he noticed were the bruises from the accident.
“I’ve got something for you.” He pulled a miniature tracking devices from his jeans pocket. “What will you be wearing tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.”
“Decide.”
“Now?”
“Now.” He sat down on the bed, waited.
“I put my things in your drawer. I didn’t disturb anything. Just laid them on top.” She went to the drawer and opened it.
“It’ll be hot again tomorrow. Dress for it.”
She pulled the black shift from the drawer, tossed it at him. “That’s all I have, unless you want me to wear the skirt and blouse again tomorrow. Polax didn’t pack me much.”
The dress felt expensive, and it smelled like her. Sexy and soft. Even his room was starting to smell like her.
He examined the dress. “We’ll slip the tracker in the hem.”
“Let me see it.”
He opened his hand and she took it, her fingers grazing his palm. “One little tracker. Aren’t you worried it could shut down before you rescue my ass?”
The word ass sent his eyes drifting to her backside. “And a beautiful ass it is.”
“You don’t have to use flattery to get me on board, Pierce. I’ve already told you I’m resigned.”
He pulled his thoughts back to the mission. “The tracker is a new design. It’s been tested out. It’s reliable.”
“It doesn’t matter how reliable it is. Yurii will find it before you find me. He knows I’m a spy now. Before I’m delivered to him, I’ll be stripped, and my clothes searched.”
“You’re sure about that.”
“I know him. He won’t ever trust me again.”
The information didn’t sit well with Pierce. He’d been on some rough missions, but he’d never had to use his body, or let someone abuse it past a damn good beating. The women of Quest gave their all, and that fact was never more evident than now.
He stood. “I’m calling Merrick and telling him the tracker will be useless. We’ll figure out something else. If not, I’ll tell him—”
He had started for the door, but before he reached it, she darted past him and flattened herself against it.
“We’ll work around it,” she said. “It’s not like I’ve never had to take off my clothes before.” She opened her hand and examined the tracker. “The problem with swallowing this is that it could be gone in forty-eight hours. It could take that long, or longer, to reach Nescosto Priyatna. Maybe—”
“Maybe what?”
“I have bruises and scratches from the accident today. More than a few. If you made an incision and put the tracker under my skin, then—”
“No.”
“No?”
Pierce shook his head, shook off the urge to touch her. “I’m not cutting into you.”
“Then I’ll have to do it myself. Of course it won’t be as neat a job. It should look like a professional sewed me back up. Like I was admitted to a hospital. You know, after the accident this afternoon.”
“I’m not carving up your flesh.”
“You want to be able to find Yurii’s hideout once I’ve been kidnapped, right? Do you have a better idea besides washing the mission?”
Pierce turned away. Thought a minute, then looked over his shoulder. “Polax is asking too much of you. I have a mind to call him up and talk to him myself.”
“And tell him what?”
“I don’t know. Two days ago you were just another agent. A mouthy bitch I wanted to strangle in Austria.”
“And now?”
“Hell, I don’t know what you are anymore. Let’s think of a better place for the tracker.”
“There is no better place than under my skin. You’ll be able to find me dead or alive. And it will ease Mama’s suffering.”
“I don’t follow.”
“You know, the family always feels better when they have a body to bury. And remember the orchids. Two dozen.”
“I’m getting damn tired of hearing about you dying on me.”
“Then it’s settled. You’ll plant the tracker under my skin.”
Chapter 12
Casmir considered where the scar should be. Pierce had said the tracker was a piece of groundbreaking technology. But her experience with technology had taught her the hard way to prepare for the worst possible scenario.
She wasn’t convinced that the tracker was failsafe, but then it didn’t need to be. It wouldn’t be there long, just long enough to give him the location
of Nescosto Priyatna.
She wasn’t as good at dealing with pain as her friend Nadja. That meant it was going to take a lot of liquor before she would be able to lie still and tolerate a knife in Pierce’s hand against her flesh.
She considered the most convincing areas for a laceration caused by a freak accident—a laceration that would require stitches.
It was ironic how things happened, she thought, as she examined the dark bruise on her shoulder where her body had made contact with the Jeep’s dashboard, and another on her thigh, then the scratches on her neck.
Still undecided, she left the bedroom and found Pierce sitting in the living room in the dark, the only light the evening moon shining through a window.
He was smoking again.
She sat down in a chair across from him. “We need to do this tonight, right? If they’re coming for me tomorrow this would be the perfect time. Mama’s asleep.”
He was staring off into space. There was a whiskey bottle on the floor next to his chair.
He turned his head and looked at her. “I don’t think there will ever be a perfect time, amant.”
“If you can’t do it, then I will. I planned on having a few drinks before we got started, but if I’m the one handling the knife, I’ll have to be sober.”
Okay, so there would be more pain involved. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t dealt with pain in the past. She could do this.
“Give me your knife.”
He stood, and she thought he was going to pull the knife out of the sheath on his hip. Instead he said, “Not here. Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“Lazie has a flat in the Quarter in New Orleans. I’ll do it there.”
“You’re going to do it?”
“Oui.”
“In New Orleans?”
“That’s right.”
“You think I’m going to scream and cry and wake up Mama, is that it? You can gag me if you—”
“We’ll take the Eldorado. Lazie’s car has air-conditioning. I’ll tell him the plan and that we’ll be gone until noon. He can tell Ruza we left early to see to the real estate business. Get dressed.”