Fierce Protector: Hard to Handle trilogy, Book 1

by Kane, Janine

  It was padlocked, one of three problems Zack was equipped for. He looked around carefully, and then stood, bringing out a small syringe. He stuck the needle into the padlock’s keyhole, then depressed the plunger. There was a horrific, acrid smell, then the lock simply fell apart, Zack coughing loudly to mask the clatter as its broken parts hit the ground. He pried the door open with the tip of his knife, listened intently, and moved slowly inside.

  The fire door was at the end of a hallway, with offices to the left and right. There were lights on, he saw, in perhaps two of the offices, though most had their furniture stripped out and wires dangling from the ceilings. Zack took time to let his eyes adjust once more, and slowly stumbled down the hallway to peer into the brightly-lit room.

  “Yeah, man.” It was Freeman, in Zack’s earpiece.

  “Confirm?” came Lewis’ voice.

  “Yeah, yeah, man,” whispered Freeman. “Three male suspects, one female hostage.” Zack’s heart leaped.

  “RTB, all confirm?”

  Return To Base. Zack controlled another surge of emotion, a frustration that they couldn’t act immediately, but had to withdraw and get organized. “Confirm,” he whispered.

  He quickly completed his sweep of the offices, finding nothing but broken filing cabinets and strewn papers, and then returned to the fire door. Every part of him wanted to charge through the assembly room and rescue her. He bit down his habitual desire for immediate action.

  The journey back to their alley was faster, but all the way his troubled mind repeated a desperate mantra:

  Baby, I hope you’re OK.

  Chapter 14 – Special Operations

  San Antonio, TX

  2.15am

  There was nothing to do but listen, and to shift her focus between the five different parts of her body which hurt. The blindfold was too tight and flattened her ears painfully against her skull. Behind her back, clumsily tied ropes squeezed the base of her thumb so much she had lost all feeling there. Her back ached badly from the awkward position into which she had been tied in this uncomfortable, wooden chair. Her ankles pressed together painfully due to another hasty piece of rope-work.

  But the greatest pain was mental. What’s going to happen? There was some information, but not nearly enough. Would they use her as a hostage to make Hank give himself up? Would they force the money out of Zack, and then kill them both anyway? Would the gang panic, once the police came for her, or use her as some kind of human shield?

  It was pointless to guess, she knew, but her mind had nothing else; blindfolded, sitting in silence, her thoughts became almost uncontrollable, a disaster movie of her own making, unfolding and repeating and circling back in a soul-crushing web of speculation.

  There were snatches of conversation between two men, an excitable, younger man and another with a dull-sounding, middle-aged voice who seemed the more professional of the two. The younger man wanted coffee and something to eat, but was told to wait. Then he wanted to know if they would really have to wait seventeen more hours before there would be some action. The older man, exasperated, told him to take a cold shower or something, and that he couldn’t control the passage of time.

  Then the young hotshot launched into an extended monologue about his past conquests, all of them redheads, like Eva. There was the girl he met on vacation in Cancun who had ended up in his hotel bed for a few nights after a fight with her husband; then there was a graduate student in Vancouver who had done “everything a guy could ever want”. Finally, he boasted, there would be Eva, the “hottest of the bunch,” who he would love to introduce to his giant manhood.

  There was a crack and the conversation stopped. Eva analyzed the sound and decided the older man had struck a wooden desk with a metal ruler, or something similar. They’re pissed with each other, she observed to herself. Makes it harder to cooperate, to defend yourselves, to stop Zack and Gray and the whole DEA coming in here and kicking your ass . . .

  An hour passed in silence, and for a while she was unsure whether the two men had left, or were sitting quietly. Then she heard a door open and the younger man returned. “Charlie’s got pepperoni and three cheese,” he announced. “Why don’t you go get a slice?”

  A few seconds passed, and then she heard, “Why, what are you gonna do in here on your own with her?”

  “Nothing,” the younger man protested. “I ain’t gonna do nothing. I’ll sit here, and make sure she doesn’t move, or run off. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

  The older man seemed unconvinced. “If you try anything, the boss will find out. Know what happens to people who don’t follow his orders?”

  “I ain’t gonna do nothing,” he repeated. “He don’t fuck around, everyone knows that. You think I wanna get my pecker cut off and thrown off the roof of his building, like that other guy?”

  There was a sigh. “I’m serious. If I see anything out of place when I get back . . .”

  The door closed and she heard a chair scrape on the stone floor, coming nearer to her. He sat, a few feet from Eva’s chair, and spoke to her in a low, soft tone.

  “We haven’t been introduced,” he began. “I’m Pete.” Eva didn’t move. “I’m sorry this is such a one-sided conversation. You heard him, though . . . I’d love to untie you, to pull off that tape, but I’d be in trouble.” Eva simply breathed deeply, part of her mind ignoring this imbecile, the other part interrogating every word he said. Keep talking, idiot. The more I know, the weaker you become.

  He slid the chair closer. “They got some pizza back there. Want me to see if they’ll let you eat a slice?” Another foot closer. “Maybe we could get you some clothes, too. You must be cold.” Even in her big, red t-shirt, she would have preferred an extra layer; she hadn’t been wearing a bra when they had burst into Zack’s place, but at least she had put on her panties and jeans. Pete went quiet for a second and Eva could have sworn she heard a familiar sound . . . a low, slow rasping . . . like a . . .

  Like a zipper being pulled down.

  Oh, fuck.

  “No, I have an idea,” Pete was saying. “Why don’t we make a deal?” He waited, each time he asked Eva a question, as though she were able to answer. Are you imagining my reply, you sick fuck? Or just jerking it? “Let’s say that I take off that tape over your mouth. How about that?” Another pause. Some of the sounds which filled it were unmistakable. “How about I put something in your mouth that’s better than pizza?”

  Eva tasted bile. She considered his threat. I’ll bite your dick so hard you’ll never do anything like this again. Eva’s resolution built as he began to ease up the tape from the corner of her mouth. “I’ll be gentle, don’t worry,” he assured her. “All you have to do is open wide and I’ll do the rest. If you’re good, I’ll let you swallow it all.”

  There was a strange, muffled, agonized sound from outside. Then another.

  Pete jumped up, froze and then yelled, “Curt?” There was silence. “Hey, Curt, what’s goin’ on out there?” The only answer was another, much quieter moan. “Curt, hey man . . .” The zipper sound returned, but very obviously being yanked upward this time.

  Pete reached the door and turned to his right, following the sound, but in the darkness of the hallway it was impossible to see until his eyes adjusted. Then there was a sudden movement, an object swinging towards him, and he reeled backward under the weight of a sickening impact.

  “Clear!”

  “Secure that one . . . that’s Curt,” came a different voice, one she knew. “Get these ropes off, then get her outside. Take this.”

  “Hey . . . Just wait, OK?” There was a pause, filled only with scuffling sounds and some muffled whimpering. The voice was louder this time. “Hey, you need to . . .”

  “Do it. I’ll follow you out.”

  The debate seemingly ended. Eva heard a door close somewhere, and then Pete’s chair being kicked away. “Eva? Can you hear me?” Eva tried to nod, straining against ropes and tape. “OK, I’m going to take thi
s tape off your mouth. Ready . . . one, two, three . . .” She reeled, gasping, from the pain of much-abused lips. Her blindfold followed. “Can you speak?”

  “Yeah . . .” she said faintly. “Where’s Zack?” She saw that Gray was in full combat gear, green camo and Kevlar helmet, with his pistol now back in its holster.

  “He’ll be right out,” Gray said, a little uncertain.

  “Clear!” came another voice from down the hallway.

  “There were three of them,” she began, desperate to help.

  “We know, it’s OK. They’re all down.”

  “Dead?” she asked, aghast.

  “No . . . Sorry . . .” Gray explained as he slit open the bindings with a knife. “We tasered Curt over there,” he said, “and whatever Freeman did to Charlie, it worked.”

  “What about . . . Pete?” she asked, rubbing her freed arms and following Gray from the room.

  “Zack’s got him. Come on, the rules say we get you out immediately,” he said, waving her forward.

  She followed him, legs like jelly and mouth in searing pain, to the back entrance of the plant, where an unmarked, white van was waiting with its side door open. “Good to see you, Miss Montgomery,” said Lewis as he helped her aboard. “Sit down and drink this.” He handed her a bottle of Gatorade. “We’re out of here in no time.”

  Gray returned, dragging an unconscious Curt.

  “What did you do?” Lewis asked, hauling the heavy-set felon into the van.

  “Just tased him, but he fell pretty heavily.” Both men then helped Freeman throw a handcuffed, bleeding Charlie in behind him. But there was still no sign of Pete. Or Zack.

  “Norcross?!” yelled Lewis. “Secure your suspect and bug out, right now.” Gray waited for five seconds, then dashed inside. “If they’ve got some kind of panic button,” Lewis reminded them, “anything could be on its way. We gotta go, go go!”

  “Where is he?” Eva asked, panicked.

  “Was Pete unconscious?” Lewis asked, tapping his ear to ensure the radio feed was working.

  “Yeah . . . He was about to . . .” The words caught in her throat. “I mean, he was gonna . . . make me do something . . . and then someone just hit him, and . . .”

  “Oh, fuck.” He ignored the radio and just yelled. “Gray? Get Norcross out here, now.”

  “Roger, coming out,” came Gray’s voice on the radio. Moments later, Zack and Gray dragged Pete out of the building and shoved him into the van.

  “Is he alive?” Lewis asked, prepared for the worst.

  “He needed to be subdued with some force,” Gray explained, “but Mr. Norcross was equal to the challenge.”

  Zack threw off his helmet and knelt by Eva’s seat. “Are you OK? I’m so sorry we left you . . . It was so stupid . . .” The van pulled away, Lewis sliding closed the door as they accelerated.

  “Shhh,” Eva said soothingly. Her arms were around him, and for a long moment, the three DEA agents chose to ignore their hostage as she whispered softly to Zack, tears of relief streaking her face.

  Zack kissed her cheek, avoiding her painful mouth, and then turned to Lewis. “There will be additional charges,” he said darkly, “against that one”. A gloved finger pointed at Pete, unconscious, his face bloodied. “Also, check his weapon, there.”

  Gray found Pete’s gun on the floor of the van. “Nine millimeter . . . Hey, wait,” he said, staring confused at the weapon. “What?”

  “It’s a replica,” Zack said. “Lucky for him it was.” He glanced at Gray. “And lucky I handed you my knife, too.”

  “You had us worried,” Lewis admitted.

  Zack slid into the seat next to Eva and held her close. “I promised to protect,” he said quietly. “Not to avenge.”

  Hank found his voice, still a strained croak. “Evie . . . God, I’m so glad . . . I don’t know what I would have done if . . .”

  “I’m OK, Hank. Turns out I’d found just the right kind of help.” Eva snuggled in close to Zack and he looked down at her. There was so much in her eyes; the hurt of her imprisonment, but also relief and, more and more as Zack enfolded her in his arms, a happiness, timidly emerging but irrefutable.

  Freeman drove them swiftly through midnight streets, while next to him, Gray made the radio call. “This is Agent Alexander of the DEA. I am coming in with four wounded; two are unconscious, three have flesh wounds. ETA six minutes. Do you copy?”

  Zack felt a warmth by his ear. “Zack?” He turned to her and met her beautiful, smiling eyes. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 15 – Together

  Sutherland, TX

  Yesterday

  Zack took a break to straighten up and stretch. And to stare with undisguised lust at the perfect ass of his new gardener.

  He wasn’t a bit surprised that Eva had taken to planting their new vegetable crop with fervor and energy. Apart from baking every morning at Cheryl’s, this was her only project, and she had talked a lot about needing to keep busy, since coming back from the hospital,. It was good to have goals, she assured him. Good, also, to have distractions and positive, nurturing things to keep her focused.

  The first couple of nights had been tough. Woken at two or three in the morning by recurring and horrendously vivid nightmares, Eva had been shaking, sweating, convinced that the images her mind had shown were real, and not simply the after-effects of extreme stress. Zack knew more than most about such symptoms, and gently brought her to a better place. Good food, exercise and vigorous, unrestrained, thrice-daily lovemaking sessions had brought the color to her cheeks and a new, genuine happiness to her heart.

  It was a quiet time and for that they were both grateful. The whirlwind week after their first meeting had been no way to begin a relationship, they agreed. Trish and Tyler were the only people who, Eva decided, were to be told the truth. Only days after returning from sunning themselves in the Caribbean, they sat on their sofa in a stunned silence while Eva described the events in as much detail as she thought they could handle. Then, they hugged her like they might never see her again. Everyone had cried, even Tyler, though he hid it as best he could.

  Four days after her rescue, Zack and Eva had welcomed a tired but energized Grayson Alexander into Zack’s home, in much happier circumstances than his previous visit. They ate roast chicken and finished a case of beer before Gray settled the ebullient mood and announced some important news from his investigation.

  He was no closer to identifying the informant, someone he described as a “fucking rat” before apologizing to Eva for his language, but the Corpus Christi side of the cocaine racket was unraveling fast, its members dispersed and its luxury boat seized, searched and impounded by the Virginia DEA. The crew had tried one last, rather desperate, sortie up the coast, but had been greeted by enough firepower to sink a cruiser, let alone a pleasure yacht.

  Gray finished his beer and finally addressed the elephant in the room. “I think I’ve managed to persuade the DA to drop charges against Hank,” he said, to Eva’s mighty relief. “He did some stupid things but, once you were smart enough to get him talking to us, he really opened up.” Gray’s investigations were already reaping the benefits, in the forms of new informants and bugging operations, and a list of people who would shortly, he hoped, find themselves charged, convicted and sentenced. “We chased a few things down, and I think Hank will prove to be one of the best sources we’ve ever had.”

  “So, do you know where he is now?” Zack asked, pre-empting Eva’s next question.

  “He told me he was going to take off for a week or two, to give you two some space.” It was Hank’s way of apologizing for the turmoil and danger he had brought to their nascent relationship. “But, I’m pretty sure I can get him onto Witness Protection, and from there we’ll find him something worthwhile to do. Quiet, but worthwhile.”

  “I think it would be best,” Eva offered, “if he worked outdoors for a while. Got some exercise, put on some muscle.” Eva glanced over at Zack’s tree-trunk forearms with
a little smile. “It will do him good. Might even help attract the ladies, for a change.”

  It was late, and they had finished the beer. Zack insisted that Gray sleep on their couch and navigate himself back to San Antonio in the morning. Pleasantly tipsy, and very ready for bed, Zack closed the bedroom door behind him, and turned to see the most delicious sight a man might ever hope for.

  “It’s a shame that we’ll have to be quiet tonight.” Eva said, kneeling up on the bed in her new, lacy, black lingerie.” She slid a teasing hand along her flanks, cupped her thinly-veiled breast and slid a finger into her mouth. “I was just getting used to really letting go.”

  Zack grinned and hurried to undress, joining her in a giggling tumble of bare skin and bare teeth and newly moistened panties. “I’m pretty sure he’s passed out. He’s a deep sleeper,” Zack assured her, pinching her nipple and pushing her down onto her back.

  “Yeah . . .” Eva said as Zack pulled her down the bed, her legs either side of him, her hand already inside her panties. “But what if you do to me . . .” she asked, welcoming his touch on her inner thighs, “that thing you did last night?”

  Eva’s panties were most of the way off before he saw, yet again, how utterly soaking wet her pussy had become. Without even touching her, he wondered. “You’ll just have to find a way,” he said. “’Cos that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  He lowered himself onto the bed, laying between her legs, and kissed Eva’s warm, wet opening with a passion and sureness which literally took her breath away. Within moments, he felt her come, her moans and yelps muffled by a hastily grabbed pillow. “Good girl.” He slipped two fingers inside. “That’s the first one. Let’s see if I can break last night’s record.” Eva peeked from under the pillow to give him a look: amazement, incredulity, unconfined shock . . . but then lustful joy. “How many was it, again?” he asked.