by Desiree Holt
“Stop.” Mallory held up a hand. “All you did was tell me what was happening. It was my choice to come here and write a book about it.”
“A book that won’t be written if you get killed first,” Inez pointed out.
“I’m not getting killed. At least, not if my sister makes a connection with the guy whose name I gave her. I’m so sorry I put your family in the crosshairs.”
“They’ll be fine. But getting you out of here is a priority now. And keeping you hidden. Thank god our attic entrance is so concealed those thugs didn’t find it. We’ll have to move you there now, even though it’s a hot box.”
“I’ll survive. I’ve survived worse. Are you still swamped at work?”
“It’s busier than ever.” Inez smoothed her ponytail back. “Since Barrera and his thugs swept in and took over the government, I can count on at least five shootings every day. And that doesn’t even take into account the number of domestic violence injuries. Mix drugs with people and you have no control over what happens.” She shook her head. “I thought I’d be doing some good asking you to write about what was going on here. The media doesn’t seem to care, and Barrera has managed to destroy those who tried doing something. All I’ve done is put you in danger. It will take more than a book to wipe out Barrera.”
“Not if I can get out of here,” Mallory told her. “If my sister can find Rocket Hardin, I know he can get me out of here and I’ll bet he can help me get this info to the right people.”
Inez tilted her head. “And just who is this guy who could maybe work miracles?”
“When I knew him, he was a Navy SEAL. Alicia said he’d left the SEALs and was doing something super-secret for people who needed him. I’ll bet my life he has connections that can take care of this.”
“In case you haven’t figured it out,” Inez pointed out, “you are betting your life, hoping for him to get you out of here. What’s so special about him, anyway?”
“Because he did it before, rescuing me from the Taliban in the middle of one of their camps. Not an easy task.”
“That’s the truth,” Inez agreed.
“He’s not afraid of anything, but he’s smart enough to be careful. And…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I said, he was a SEAL. In case you haven’t heard, they can do just about anything.”
Inez grinned. “Is he sexy?”
Mallory did her best to keep her face expressionless, thankful for the darkness and the minimal amount of light on the roof.
“I didn’t really notice.”
“Ha.” She punched Mallory in the arm. “You are such a liar. Every time you mention his name, you get this little flicker in your eyes.”
“I do not.” At least she hoped not. “I just…” She shrugged again.
“Just what?”
Before Mallory could fudge some kind of answer, several sharp reports rang out from the street below, the unmistakable sound of gunshots. Keeping low, she crawled to the edge of the roof to peer over it. She was stunned at what she saw. A body lay face down on the ground with three men standing over them.
“What is it?” Inez hissed.
“I think someone just got in the way of the Barreras,” Mallory said.
“And they shot him, right?” Inez guessed. “In front of our house? Oh, my god, Mallory.”
“I think they had a beef with one of your neighbors.” Mallory crouched at the edge of the roof.
“Stop,” Inez hissed. “Get back here.” She flattened herself and elbow-crawled to where Mallory was watching.
“Ssh.” Mallory pulled her cell from her pocket, brought up the photo app and shot some pictures before sliding away from the edge. They might come in handy.
“You’re crazy. You know that?”
“Crazy like a fox. If they don’t pay attention to my words, they will to my pictures.”
“Which no one will see if Barrera’s men catch you. All they’ll see is your dead body.”
“I’m done. For now.” When Inez edged closer, Mallory pulled her back.
“Don’t let them see you,” Mallory told her. She tried to keep her friend from moving closer.
“Nothing worse than I see every day,” Inez said. “I don’t know why they shot him here, but thank god they tossed the body in a panel van parked at the curb. Okay, now they both got in and drove away.” She sat back. “Oh, god! My mother. I hope she didn’t see anything, although she’s learned to stay away from the street at night.”
“Good thing. But you’d better get back downstairs.”
“Yes, I need to. I hope my mother isn’t aware of anything or she’ll be in shock.” She crawled over to the trap door. “Maybe if we work it right, you can hang out in my bedroom for a while.”
But would it be safe?
“We’ll see. You go check on your mom. I worry that this whole thing will give her a nervous breakdown.”
“She’s tough.” Inez grinned. “She and my dad have both weathered a lot of stuff. They know how to keep their heads down and avoid trouble. Besides, she wants you to write about Barrera and what he’s doing.”
“I get that, but I still worry.” Mallory sighed. “You all don’t need the tension of hiding me.”
“Mallory, this is not your fault. I just wish we had a way to sneak you out of here unnoticed. I will be forever grateful that the people who owned this house before us built it with that attic and created the invisible access. Someone said they were dope dealers and needed a good hiding place.”
Mallory stared at her. “You’re kidding.”
“It’s just a rumor, but it’s certainly logical. Anyway, maybe your friend will call soon and tell you he’s coming to get you.”
“Let’s hope. Otherwise, I don’t know what to do. We can’t even figure out how to get me out of this house.”
God, this was such a mess.
“If it’s clear downstairs, I’ll let you know.”
Inez wriggled her way through the opening in the roof to the attic below it. “Keep that gun next to you and loaded. I’ll make sure the windows are open for you.”
Luckily, the exit from the attic was in Inez’s room, so she could manipulate things however she needed to.
“I’ll wait until everyone is asleep before I come down from here,” Mallory said.
“I will come and let you know. In the meantime, for god’s sake don’t go to the edge of the roof again.”
As soon as Inez had disappeared beneath the trap door, Mallory double-checked that the loaded clip in the gun was ready to fire. Then she flopped onto her back again. The night was crystal clear, the stars vivid pinpoints of light and the moon a silvery globe in the sky. It reminded her of a night five years ago when the sexiest man she’d ever met had snatched her from certain death. She had no idea why he’d affected her the way no other man had before or since, but she couldn’t get him out of her mind, even after all this time.
Six foot three of raw, masculine power, he was sex on a stick. His dark hair, almost ebony, hung down just past his chin line, forming a curtain around his dark beard. His eyes were the same ebony, looking out at the world from beneath thick black lashes. He had a lean face with sharp cheekbones, unexpectedly sensuous lips and eyes that were deep-set, giving nothing away. Except of course in moments of the most intense intimacy, when hunger and desire flashed like bonfires in them.
She had never met a man who set her on fire the way Rocket Hardin did. Maybe it had been crazy, having sex in that cave in the middle of a war zone. But they’d been hidden away, protected by the walls of the cave, and the chopper had picked them up on time.
She just prayed he could rescue her from this.
In five years, she hadn’t been able to wipe him from her mind. Now she closed her eyes, letting the memory of their one time together wash over her. This wasn’t the first time she’d indulged in erotic dreams about Rocket. Too many times in the past five years when she’d been alone at night, she’d fantasized about being with him again. Mallory c
ould still feel his thick, hard cock inside her, experience the pulsing of the orgasm as her body spasmed. She’d never forgotten the touch of his hands, so unexpectedly gentle, or the feel of his mouth on her nipples as he brushed kisses over her breasts, or his tongue as he licked the insides of her thighs and slid between the slick folds of her sex to torment her clit.
He had been fierce and gentle at the same time, driving her to a powerful orgasm then softly easing her down. He had certainly outdone any other lover she’d ever had, before or since. Not that she’d had that many, but she did have a healthy appetite for sex.
But it wasn’t just the sex that had stayed with her. He’d had a quiet, commanding presence that had made her feel safe the moment that he’d stepped into the hut where she’d been held. A strength had kept her fears at bay. Even though the vicious Taliban guards had been mere feet away, and ready to kill them in a devastating, excruciating manner, even when she and Rocket had had to split from the rest of his team to avoid just that, she’d had every confidence he would get her to safety.
And he had, hiding her up in that cave until the helo came to extract them.
Then, boom! Her brain was back in that very cave, and she was lying beneath a very naked John Hardin—no, Rocket, she reminded herself—who drove her to an explosive orgasm.
He’d never left her thoughts since then. Damn it! She had an aversion to long-standing relationships. She’d been burned twice, badly, and that had been plenty for her. It was probably the main reason she hadn’t tried to find Rocket. So what was going on with her now?
Without even realizing it, she started to slide her hands into her cutoffs, but stopped herself right away. She was hiding in the middle of a war zone, for crying out loud. Why was she suddenly having erotic dreams about this man and considering pleasuring herself on a roof? This was certainly no place for that. She’d have to be satisfied with the memory of that one hot episode with Rocket and hope that even after all this time he wanted to repeat it.
At this point, all she could do was pray that Alicia had found him and he’d said yes. But then what? He probably had a busy exciting life with no room for her in it. No doubt the reason he’d never heard from him again.
Of course, she’d be glad to see him. If anyone could get her out of this, it was him.
Come on, big guy, call me.
* * * *
Alicia Kane’s security team was waiting for them when they landed, striding up to the stairway as soon as it was lowered. They all wore the same stern expression on their faces and barely acknowledged Rocket’s presence.
“Pay no attention to them,” the senator told him. “They get ticked off at me all the time for doing things like this.” She looked at the team leader. “See? I told you I’d be fine. I wasn’t kidnapped and we weren’t shot down. Now we need to get back to Washington. You confirmed the reservations, right?”
The man nodded. “All set. We need to get moving.”
“Wait a minute.” Rocket hollered to Saint, who had left the plane and was doing his postflight checklist. “Let me look at something.”
“I know what you’re going to ask and I’m good with it. We’ve still got plenty of fuel.”
“Good. Okay.” He walked back to Alicia Kane. “Saint will fly you. No need to hassle commercial if you don’t need to.”
“Oh, I couldn’t impose on you that way.”
“No imposition. Saint loves to log airtime anyway.”
“Senator.” Daniel, her lead security agent, frowned. “I’m not sure—”
“Oh, please.” She flapped her hand in the air. “Better than the mess of flying commercial these days.”
“What about the vehicle? It has to be returned to the rental agency.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Rocket assured her. “Just give me the keys and leave the rental agreement in the vehicle.”
There was a little more grumbling, but finally Saint edged the plane out of the hangar and Alicia Kane and her team boarded.
“You’re not coming with?” she asked.
“No. I need to get the team together and get started.”
She grabbed his hands. “Thank you so much. I was so afraid you wouldn’t be able to do this. Or maybe wouldn’t want to. I really had no idea how you felt about her after five years.”
I will always want her.
Rocket blinked. Where the fuck did that come from?
“I’m glad you brought this to me. And while you’re on your way back to DC, I’ll be getting my partners together. And I’ll probably have more questions.”
“Ask away.”
“I will.”
He watched them mount the stairway into the plane, then Saint retracted it. He waited in the driveway while his pilot filed his flight plan, taxied out to the runway and took off. Rocket parked the rental vehicle in the garage they’d built. They’d needed a place for their vehicles whenever they left on a case and it was empty right now except for Saint’s car. Rocket figured he’d arrange for the rental’s return the next day. Finally, he climbed into his SUV and cranked the engine, but before he shifted into Drive, he pulled out his cell phone and sent a message to Mallory at the number Alicia Kane had given him.
I’m coming, Mallory. Just hold on.
Then he put a group text together to his partners.
New client. Urgent. My place in thirty.
He waited until the other three men who made up Galaxy checked in, pleased that no one asked questions. But they’d known each other for so long, and had now worked together as partners in Galaxy for almost two years, that when one rang the bell for a meeting, so to speak, there was seldom any pushback.
He had barely reached his house before vehicles began pulling up. Scott ‘Blaze’ Hamilton had picked up Vic ‘Eagle’ Bodine, and right behind them came Matt ‘Viper’ Roman.
“Does this have anything to do with the call you got on the way home?” Blaze wanted to know as he climbed out of his truck.
Rocket nodded. “It has everything to do with.”
“It must be pretty damn important for you to call us in before we’re barely home from the last gig,” Viper told him.
“It is,” Rocket assured him. “Let’s get inside and I’ll lay it out for you. I’m also ordering pizza. I don’t know about you guys, but I missed lunch altogether. Pizza good for everyone?”
They all nodded. Even if they’d eaten, these guys, like him, could always eat more. And brain effort used as much energy as the physical kind. In minutes, they were seated in Rocket’s living room, each with a mug filled with strong coffee, ready for Rocket’s briefing. They also had their laptops ready to search for information as he gave them details.
“In case none of you remember, five years ago my SEAL team was tasked with rescuing a writer who got herself in trouble with the Taliban. She thought it would be great to write a book about the conflict, looking at both sides of the issue.”
“A bleeding heart.” Eagle’s words were edged with disdain and disapproval.
Rocket had to put a lid on the irritation that surged through him. That was the last explanation he’d use to describe Mallory. His fault. He’d stated it wrong.
“Actually, not at all. Just curious and eager to share information with the world. And record history. She was working on a book about the history and current conflict with the Taliban when I met her in Afghanistan. Apparently although her first couple of books did okay, for whatever reason, she didn’t achieve the respect she was looking for. That’s why she forged ahead with that topic.”
“And did you check?” Viper asked. “Was that book a success?”
“From what I gather, it was a huge success. She finally got the recognition and respect she deserved. She’s had a couple more books since then, all equally as successful. That was probably her incentive to write more…probably why she got involved in this.”
Eagle’s eyebrows flew up. “And she got permission to do this? I thought there were rules, so civilians didn’t
interfere with ongoing operations.”
“Or put themselves in harm’s way,” Blaze added, “so good men have to go in and rescue them. Like you did.”
“She had clearance for her other books, but I’m pretty damn sure she’s out there on her own with this one,” Rocket told them. “She got caught in a bad situation there and my team got her out. Period.”
“But I assume,” Blaze interjected, “her current project has something to do with why we’re all here. And why you took off on a plane ride to nowhere without even taking time to change your underwear after the last case.”
“She is exactly why we’re all here,” he confirmed. “The thing I remember about her was how smart and fearless she was. And she did everything she was told to do, to effect her rescue.” He paused and looked around the table. “Now she’s in an equally dangerous situation, maybe even more so. Her friend called and asked for help, and she went. That’s the kind of person she is.”
“Let’s have it,” Eagle said.
Rocket laid it all out for them just as Alicia Kane had told them, every detail he’d been given.
“Well, damn.” This from Viper.
“Damn is right,” Blaze echoed.
“I firmly believe we are the only ones who can get her out.” Rocket looked at each of them in turn. “I don’t think anyone else has the capability or the smarts. And I want to do this.”
He waited for someone to say something. When no one did, he nodded.
“Okay, then. Let’s move forward here.”
They were interrupted by the delivery of the pizza. Then, when everyone had food in front of them, Rocket again went over everything Senator Alicia Kane had told him in detail. As he spoke, they tapped away on their keyboards. He was pretty sure they were looking up everything they could find about the Barrera cartel and Santa Marita as he gave it to them.
“First of all,” Blaze began, “I don’t even know who the hell would want to go there if they’re looking for a story. It’s an island about as big as my thumb whose major economy at the moment seems to be drugs and laundering money.”