“Stand down,” he told her in a voice all too familiar.
Letting her eyes drift down, her curiosity was piqued amid the bodies and lingering smoke. DEA was branded on his chest.
Luke Brenner—twice in recent history?
But that didn’t matter. The bastard in the chair was hers. After what had happened to Lori, Maddy didn’t care who this team was or what they wanted. She even ignored her fear of the law. Retaliation was the only option—Luke and friends had to leave.
She pursed her lips. “No.”
“One last time.” His words rolled over her senses. Even in the midst of the tension and chaos, she noticed how masculine it was, making her flash back to the hotel from weeks before. “Back down.”
This was a challenge she wouldn’t back down from, whether she was curious about this ops team or not. “Rivera’s mine. Walk away.”
“What are you doing here?” Menace gripped his question. “We know who you are. Mercier management.”
“Wrong.” At the moment, she wasn’t, nor would she admit to that outside a corporate boardroom or press function. “I’m a nameless, faceless solution to a piece-of-crap problem.”
“You should be in cuffs.”
She squared her shoulders, angry to have lost control of what she wanted and losing control of herself because of it. “It’s never going to happen.”
“Lady, we have jurisdiction, a search warrant, and you interfering with an investigation. You, who we have seen before and should bring the hell in.”
Hale cleared his throat, stepping toward her. “Ma’am.”
“Come on in,” Luke urged, “since the last time we didn’t finish our conversation.”
“No,” Hale answered for her.
A tickle of realization broke through her fury at the man who’d hurt Lori. Self-preservation kicked in at the thought of Luke cuffing her and hauling her in for questioning—not a good situation. Papa’s anger would cause problems and slow her ultimate plan for a takeover. Grinding her teeth, she backed down. “We were just leaving.” But then she turned to Felipe Rivera. “I’m not finished with you. No matter where they take you, what they do to you, I will find you.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked straight to the door, letting the armed men in front of her part as her team followed her footsteps. No one tried to stop her—not a single question—which was interesting if for no other reason than the men in the room hadn’t wanted to let her go before.
CHAPTER FOUR
Luke pivoted, watching the woman walk out. His dick was rock hard, and his blood pounded in his lungs. Around him, the team bustled into action. She was Mercier management, and he was letting her fucking walk. In what world did that happen? But they weren’t here for her, and the Rivera cartel was the one responsible for his girlfriend’s disappearance years before. That was his guiding focus, not that lady, not Mercier. Only the memory of his old girlfriend.
Cade marched in. “What the fuck happened?”
“Rivera had company.”
“I see that. And they left?”
“Didn’t come here for them—”
A growling hiss came from the tied-up Felipe Rivera. “That lady is psycho. Untie my hands. Get me out of here!”
Everything in Luke changed. His blood morphed from pounding to boiling. Anger exploded in his mind. “We are not your saviors.”
“Time to roll,” Cade reminded him. “Colin, head out and eyes on that team. Javier, check the room. Luke, move your ass.”
Luke unsheathed a knife, cut the man from the chair, and hauled him to his feet. “That lady isn’t anything compared to me, asshole.”
“You want money, I’ve—”
Luke shook him silent and kept him in hand as they left and bounded down the stairs, moving to a waiting Expedition. Luke was the last one in after he threw their mark in the backseat. Ryder was behind the steering wheel.
They pulled out, passing the woman, who was leaning against the side panel of a black Lotus. There had to be two hundred yards between them, and her anger was still palpable. With dark hair, full lips, and a body made for sex, she was clothed in a dress that left nothing to the imagination. Yet somehow, despite the surroundings and where he’d just seen her, she was the classiest, most exotic thing he’d ever seen.
“Fuck,” he grumbled. She was like his fantasy come true—looking like that, leaning against a high-performance sports car, ready to slit a trafficker’s throat. His hard-on was back. “Who the hell is she?”
They tore through a neighborhood that should have scared her, should’ve made anyone uncomfortable with the crime and poverty. He’d read through Mercier’s corporate front of a website and every file he could get on the daughter of the trafficking kingpin, so he knew on paper what they wanted the world to know. Brilliant, beautiful, and business-minded. Nothing he’d learned was anything like what he saw. She was straight-up badass, dressed in couture, hell-bent on an unknown mission.
Felipe shook his head. “She’s a means to an end.”
Luke turned quickly, ready to pounce, but Colin put a hand on his shoulder, changing his attack to merely a question about the obvious. “Are you stupid?”
Rivera sneered. “Do I look stupid?”
“That and so much more.”
Felipe was likely one of the sons of the man who’d sold Luke’s girlfriend. The intel from Delta’s HQ had named the Riveras without a doubt.
He didn’t want to know what happened to his girlfriend; he had to know. Felipe would give him details on the past while the taskforce learned useful intel. Intelligence was the purpose of this job, wasn’t it?
He glanced at Cade, who was patched in to their headquarters, having a conversation about Madeleine Mercier. Luke found his attention riveted to Cade, and he was hungry to hear about her—no. He pinched his eyes shut. She was the enemy.
Damn it.
“Thanks, Parker,” Cade said to HQ and gave Luke a scowl. Whatever had come from Parker, Delta’s IT guru, wasn’t going to be great.
“What?” Luke asked.
The guy shook his head. “Shit, brother.”
“What?”
“We now know a lot more about your girl.”
Your girl. She wasn’t his girl. Definitely wasn’t anyone else’s girl. But she was his present-for-the-last-few-weeks thought.
“Lady in the dress?” Luke asked. Cade couldn’t mean any other girl—except his girlfriend from long ago—but no details were left for Delta to dig up on her.
Cade’s harsh features mocked him. “Yeah. I’m talking about the lady in the dress. Mercier management.”
Felipe twitched and shifted and twitched again. “She’s the spawn of Satan.”
Great. Terrific. A peanut gallery. He turned back to Cade. “Lady in the dress. What’s the deal?”
His face drew tight. “She’s Mercier’s only living heir.”
“Which we knew,” he snapped back.
“She’s been groomed from day one to take over the empire. Has her hands in everything. The girls. The drugs. The life. Everything. Brother, she is bad news, of the bad-seed variety. It’s in her blood.”
Three days had passed since the incident at Hotel Miranda. With a cup of Cuban coffee resting between her fingers, Maddy stared at the security-camera feed from outside their offices, looking at the man she had run into twice in less-than-normal circumstances. What is Luke doing here? She should be terrified even though, through the live grayscale image, his eyes breathed fire and his lips offered a promise she couldn’t quite define.
Knock.
Maddy pushed the tiny cup and saucer away, knowing she didn’t need the jolt of caffeine, and waited for her assistant to enter.
“Ms. Mercier?” Kylie hadn’t let him in, rightfully so. She didn’t let anyone into their secure offices unless they were cleared on the roster. Love had impossibly high security measures, which gave her high-def visuals of the man wanting in.
Maddy couldn’t look awa
y from the screen, nor could she think clearly. He was attractive, but attraction was boring. Pretty people were her job, and looks could be bought, especially in Miami. But that man—with all his glaring, angry glory—had passion. That was an interesting quality. He also knew far more about her than she did him.
Taking an uneasy breath, she nodded. “Let him in.”
“What…?”
Never had Kylie questioned her, so repeating herself was abnormal. “I said open the door. Tell him where to find me.”
Kylie demurred, realizing that questioning a direct order was a very bad idea, but Maddy let it go. The DEA man had her full attention.
Less than a minute later, the door to Maddy’s executive office flew open. It bounced against the wall, and there he stood. Over six feet of solid muscle ignored Kylie, who trailed behind him, and centered his attention on Maddy.
“We’re good, thank you.” With a nod to a slack-mouthed Kylie, Maddy turned to the raging man. “Nice to see you again. No handcuffs?”
Luke’s expression tightened. “No.”
However, the look in his eye… Something was going to happen.
“Would you like to have a seat?”
His intense stare didn’t waver, and her sarcasm didn’t throw him off. Men didn’t get to her. No one got to her. But the fluttering of her stomach and heart was altogether new. It was an uncertain feeling.
“No,” he growled and stalked across the expansive space to Maddy, making her pulse race.
A knot she wasn’t familiar with formed in her throat, and taking a deep breath, Maddy felt anticipation—of what, she didn’t know—race through her veins. “Then what do you want?”
“I need to know something.”
The rumble of his words made her skin flush. At just his timbre, heat bloomed deep within her, catching her off guard. Flutters that she couldn’t describe and didn’t want to stop.
Needing to escape her internal unknown, she headed for her desk where she could hide from afar and assess everything from her reaction to her unfamiliar thoughts. “What do you need to know?”
His strong fingers grabbed her shoulder, swung her to face him, and made her skin sizzle under his hold. Swallowing an unsteady gasp, she shivered as his hand flexed into her flesh. “You climbed out a window and scaled a building.”
She pulled her composure back together. Luke was here to investigate her, which made more sense than him letting her leave Rivera’s side. She didn’t need to be anywhere near this man. Unexpected behavior and a badge were a lethal combination. “The woman who let you in can give you my attorney’s phone number. Feel free to make an appointment.” Even though asking him to leave almost hurt.
His dark eyes narrowed as he let go of her shoulder. “Beautiful, if I wanted to have that type of conversation with you, I’d yank your sweet ass in.”
Her eyes went wide. People didn’t surprise her, but between his beautiful and the flashes of warmth blossoming inside her, she struggled to maintain her composure. “Then what is it you want?”
He smiled, a simple, handsome, perfect grin. It was almost sweet, definitely sexy, and it hit her like a tidal wave, stronger than downing a dozen Café Cubanos, as did the realization that the absurd and addictive flush tinging her body was arousal.
“I’m curious,” he said.
“About?” All she could concentrate on was whether or not he excited her.
“Who climbs balconies for a helicopter airlift?”
When he stared as though impressed and disgusted simultaneously, she ignored a storm of internal questions. “I should’ve handled that differently.”
“I don’t care about your actions.”
“You don’t?” But he was law enforcement. She evaded him after being caught.
“How did you know to do that?” he pushed.
“I know a lot.” Though she knew nothing about why she flushed or how his words could almost be felt against her skin.
“Madeleine Mercier.” His face was harsh and handsome while her name sounded lyrical.
She memorized the edges of his face and the punch of his voice. Scars hid in his eyes. He had her beat when it came to pain and darkness. All of that made him even more attractive.
She was twenty-one years old and had never even been kissed—completely unbelievable if not for her family’s business. Attraction seemed disgusting. Irresponsible. Revolting and sickening. The list went on and on. She had never experienced what she was feeling for Luke Brenner.
He wasn’t on her father’s payroll, nor was he hunting her. He was like…a hero. A savior. The idea made her shy away, both emotionally and physically.
His eyes narrowed again, assessing. Looks and reactions were her job. Knowing what people wanted, that was her livelihood. She was a master at reading what those in front of her couldn’t find the words to say. But there she was, reacting without fear of consequence. All because he could somehow help her?
His mood darkened. “You’re a traf—”
“Careful.” Her lips flattened. If he said the wrong thing, she’d have to back away when, for the first time in her life, she was wondering how it might feel to have strong arms wrap around her, to feel protected in a way that Mercier or Hale couldn’t offer.
He inched closer despite her warning. “Why should I be?”
“Words and actions change everything. What you’ve done and said, to this point, you can stay.” She paused, thinking over the implications of what she’d agreed to but not caring. “You’re not safe for me, but for some reason, I think you also…are.”
“Why?” he asked, his voice huskier.
“You’re a good person, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I am.” He studied her for what seemed like years. “And you’re not who everyone thinks you are.”
“Non,” she whispered, letting her French slide out. “No one knows me.”
He stepped closer again. Mere inches separated them. “No one can make the connection to the trafficking. Mercier is that good. Help me.”
“Please don’t talk about it.”
He mumbled a curse. “They’re infallible.”
She took a ragged breath. “No one is infallible—” Shoot. She’d just announced her unhappiness in the Mercier ranks. Maddy pulled herself together again. “I own a modeling agency and sit on the corporate board of my family’s company.”
“Family company, my ass.” Luke shook his head without dropping their eye contact. “You’re part of the problem, or you’re not.” He reached for her elbow, and she expected him to grab her, to manhandle her until the truth poured from her lips, but his fingers grazed her forearm, stilling on her elbow. “What are you? Problem or not?”
She was not. Yet of course she was. “You have to leave.”
“What is making you think so damn hard right now? Excuses? Lies?” His thumb rubbed the underside of her arm, making goose bumps tingle. “The truth, Ms. Mercier?”
The truth was she was a victim of her father, of circumstances, trying her hardest to make right with the only certainties she had known. No one could help her to the extent she needed. But the other truth was Luke was still touching her, and that topsy-turvy, warm feeling of arousal was attraction. An unfamiliar feeling that had never occurred before was happening with her enemy.
“Please remove your hand from me.” Though she wanted anything but.
He stepped closer, letting their sides touch. This was what the fuss was, what made people stupid—the crushes, the cravings, the need, and the love. A shock of awareness moved through her stomach, deep to where she already wanted him, and it scared the hell out of her.
“Why would I?” He bent down and growled close to her ear. “Tell me a reason.”
A thousand reasons and realities should have fallen off her tongue, yet none would come. Strands of her hair fell across her cheek, and his hot breath made them tickle her skin.
“You think you know so much.” Her voice shook, almost a whimper. Something she needed but
could never have stood before her, and if it never happened again for the rest of her life, she would miss the high.
Towering over her, he leaned in. “I do.”
“You’re wrong,” she promised.
“Not often, beautiful. Traffickers ruined my belief in humanity. Are you a pretty face oblivious to your world, or are you what’s wrong with it?”
Maddy jutted her chin up, unwilling to be either. “You don’t know enough to wrap your head around what it is I do or why I do it.”
He pulled back. “Tell me why you were with Felipe Rivera.”
Finally, a simple question. “Because he lied about who he was. He hurt one of my girls. I am her protector. He took what he was not granted, and for that he will learn a hard reality of life.”
“And that is?”
“I believe in revenge. I believe in payment. I believe in why I do what I must. There’s no other way. I believe in her right to say yes or no. I believe more than you can fathom.”
“Bullshit.” His nearly black eyes shone. “You sell people. These models? Your fancy companies hiding behind international laws? All fake.”
He’d crossed their line, but she didn’t care. Her breaths came faster, and she needed him to understand at least one piece of her puzzle. “I wouldn’t lie about Felipe Rivera.”
He got into her face. “You would!”
Her pulse raced. “He hurt someone close to me, and this is one of the few times I can hurt back!”
“You’re insane.” He closed the distance between them, and his hips hit hers. “Messed up in the head.”
“You have no idea,” she breathed.
Luke moved them hard and fast. The back of her thighs hit her desk. His erection bulged in his pants. That should have made her want to vomit, but the repulsion wasn’t there. Her eyes bulged at her own enjoyment, and as his strong hands wrapped around her waist, lifting her onto the edge of her desk, she didn’t fight him off.
If anything, she wanted it to happen again. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me,” she whispered. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. Please. Leave.”
His impossibly perfect lips were mesmerizing, and he watched her mouth intently. They were in a standoff—righteous versus vulgar, and all she wanted was her first kiss.
Delta: Rescue: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family) Page 4