by Gennita Low
Jazz nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but he can still follow the river.”
“Point taken. I’ll be careful.”
She knew he would be watching as she made her way out of the screened clearing. She took a minute or two to survey the area. There were clumps of trees and shrubs near the bank of the river, similar to the one they had used as protection. She quickly mapped out a path.
He was in love.
Jazz kept watch as Vivi made her way to the river. The morning light was good enough to cast a bluish and greenish tint to the surroundings. She was good at blending in with the shadows, he noted.
There was so much still unsaid between them, but she was right. Better wait till they were in a safer place. She was a fine-looking woman, totally unaware of the sexy image she was projecting. Walking half-naked here in the wilds, she looked like some wood sprite. He had thought her hair was darker yesterday; he had been right. She must have dyed it. And when she was standing just now, he had noticed she seemed a bit shorter without her boots.
There was still so much he didn’t know about the woman. Yet she had opened up to him last night and had shown him the passion and warmth that he had always known were there. He watched her disappear into a clump of trees. Good girl. She might be in charge of paperwork at the liaison office, interrogating military personnel in custody as well as working to help young girls find homes, but Vivi Verreau was certainly a lot more than some paper pusher. Yesterday she had displayed some of those skills—a mesh of spook antics like disguises and acting and some really good fight moves.
When they got back, he would ask her more about her past. He had a suspicion that she had purposely distracted him last night from asking questions. She had told her story in a way that didn’t reveal much about her own feelings, what she had gone through when she was alone and heading for the border. What had she left out?
Vivi reappeared from the other side of the shrub, retracing her steps to him. When she reached him, he saw that her hair was wet.
“Cold water. You’re going to love it,” she said with a grin. “Your turn.”
“Okay.” He handed her his shirt. “Put this on. There are some scratches on your back. Did I do that?”
She shook her head. “No.”
He recalled her being dragged on the ground the night before. “I’m going to kill him someday,” he promised in a low voice.
“I’m okay,” she said. “It was just part of the job. Now give me some weapon so I can watch your back, too. I’m sorry, but I haven’t killed anyone with a pair of socks lately.”
Her humor blunted the edge of his temper. He knew she did that on purpose, too. “Be back in a minute, chouchou. Next time, I’ll take you swimming frog-style.”
When he returned, Vivi already had put on the large black shirt. Her hair had been pulled back and braided. Except for her face and feet, she was protected from the elements.
Jazz pointed to the river. “We’re heading downstream. It’s going to be quite a hike back, so whenever you need to stop, let me know. At the rate the truck was going, it will take us a good twelve hours.”
Vivi shook her head. “I never walk into danger unprepared, Jazz. I have a locator unit on me. Once activated, my superior can pinpoint our exact location.”
He cocked his head. “And when were you going to activate it?”
“Not now. We’re too close to where Dilaver is, and if activated, I’m afraid T. would send in a chopper. Dilaver and his men would be able to see that.”
“True. Who’s T.?”
“She’s my chief.”
Another woman. “Do you all work in teams like we do?” Jazz asked.
Vivi shook her head. “Not the same way. We infiltrate, so it’s best to do that alone.”
“Where is this locator now?” He hadn’t seen anything on her other than her underwear. Where would she hide something like that?
She grinned. “It’s in my bra lining. It’s a really tiny piece of wire, actually.”
His interest perked up instantly. “Show it to me.”
She smacked at his fingers reaching out for the buttons on her shirt. “Uh-uh. As if I don’t know what that hand will be up to, soldier. We’ll hike downstream till we’re sure we aren’t being followed. Then maybe I’ll let you play with my…bra.”
“Fair enough.” Jazz gave the clearing one last look-over. He would always remember this as a special place. He reached behind him and pulled out a small knife.
“What are you doing?” She came closer as she watched him.
“Getting a souvenir.”
He smiled down tenderly at her. She smiled back.
“Where have you been? Didn’t you get my messages?”
As soon as Stefan walked into the back room of the Cha Cha Club, he could tell Alissa wasn’t very happy with him. First, he had been asked to meet her at one of the businesses in town, and not at her private training place. Second, she hadn’t come up to him and demanded a kiss, as was her habit of greeting. There was an anxious urgency in her voice that didn’t go with the low-cut top she was wearing that nearly exposed her entire cleavage.
She walked hurriedly toward the back, her familiar sexy sway missing, and opened a door that had a “Private” plaque hung outside. He followed, noting the very businesslike atmosphere of the office, with its computers, electronic equipment, and file cabinets, a direct contrast to the sensual trappings of the outside rooms, in which flesh and sex were the decor.
“I came as soon as I could.”
“That’s not what I want to hear.” Her gaze was direct, hard.
“What is it, Lis? I’m a busy man.” He sat down in one of the plush office chairs, laced his fingers on his lap, and cocked his brow expectantly.
Alissa leaned back against the gleaming cherry oak desk. Dressed in a red micro-mini that barely covered her thighs, with sharp stiletto heels, she looked ludicrous against the background of books and files.
“You’re so damn arrogant, Stefan. If you want to work for Yeekohkoh, you have to bend a little. You’re no longer an independent once you join us.”
Stefan allowed a small smile. “I don’t think that’s an option. I have no desire to be less independent. And,” he settled back comfortably, “I didn’t say I wanted to work for Yeekoh.”
“We agreed to take the shipment of pills off your hands.” Alissa crossed her arms. “That’s a favor we did for you.”
“Exactly. But I don’t work for you, Alissa my sweet, or any of the Triad brothers. I can work with you, if you like. This is a give-and-take business, and for your brother’s favor, I owe him one.”
Her beautifully plucked eyebrows shot up. “You,” she said slowly, “are very, very brave. If my brother heard your words, you might not be walking out of here alive.”
Stefan shrugged. “It’s a way of life. I’m a middleman, and a middleman must always be independent.” He purposefully glanced at the clock on the wall. “If this is about business, your time is almost up.”
Alissa slowly pushed off the desk. She approached him with that practiced sexy sway she used whenever she wanted to seduce him. She stopped a couple of feet away, standing close enough that he could see that she wasn’t wearing anything under the thin material of her outfit. She placed her hands on her hips, a pose calculated to bring attention to her ample bosom.
“And if it’s not about business?”
Her perfume wafted toward him. She moved her hands lower on her hips, her pose growing more suggestive.
Stefan’s smile widened. “This is a place of business, so whatever it is you or Yeekoh want must be very important. You’ll just have to convince me that you’re worth it, like every woman here.”
He insulted her on purpose, of course. There was a perverse streak in her that liked it when he did that. He knew she wouldn’t take it from anyone else, but he had carefully cultivated this relationship between them in such a way. He excited her because he treated her differently. He crossed his legs, relax
ing even more. Now was the time to test whether he had succeeded in pleasing her. He beckoned with one hand.
“What can I do for you, Alissa? And what will you give me in return?”
“But I already did you a favor.” Her voice grew softer. “Many favors.”
“But this one is different. You ordered me here, to this office. At your place of work.”
“This is urgent business.” She took a step closer.
“Something I can take care of for you.”
“Easily.”
Stefan pulled out his cell phone. “In that case, don’t you think I deserve a reward?”
Alissa laughed. “Your street reputation stands.” She fingered the front buttons of her tight blouse. “You drive a hard bargain. I…like it.”
“Being in this office brings out the businessman in me. While the men outside guard the place, we might as well conduct business properly.”
Alissa threw back her head and laughed again. “Fine, my love. We’ll do it your way. I always like doing things your way.”
Stefan nodded and gestured with his hand again. “Pour us some business drinks. Then…let’s hear your proposal.”
She sauntered off to a cabinet nearby. Soft music suddenly came on. She returned with two filled wineglasses. She deliberately leaned forward as she put them on the table next to him. Then she returned to stand in front of him again. She raised an eyebrow, indicating that she was ready. He nodded.
She started unbuttoning her top slowly, in a teasing, practiced manner. “Our first problem is a missing business acquaintance named Dilaver. I’m sure you have heard of him. If you agree to find out what happened to him,” she said as she peeled off the soft material, “you get this.”
“Agreed,” Stefan said lazily. Alissa knew of only one way to persuade a man and it never seemed to occur to her that he already got what she was offering.
Moving forward and swaying her hips suggestively, she rolled the micro-mini down her hips. “Our second problem is finding the gang who attacked Dilaver. We heard they took a trailer of weapons that should have been ours. If you find out who these people are, you get this.”
She released the bunched-up skirt, then touched herself intimately. Every move was calculated to excite the male eye, as if she had done it many times before. She smoothed her hands sensuously up her body, arching her body as she squeezed her breasts together, then up the back of her neck, fluffing her hair languorously.
“Very nice. Come closer.” Stefan uncrossed his legs.
Still in her stilettos and wearing only her garters and fishnet stockings, she stepped out of her skirt and moved in between his thighs. “Do you like the proposal?”
He pretended to study her seriously. She really was an attractive woman, one who knew how to use her beauty to get things done. In this corner of the world, she had grown successful using the only means she had—her body. A woman like her was an asset for the Triad brothers. He wondered whether she had any feelings beyond those of greed and sexual gratification.
He picked up the cell phone he had set down on the arm of the chair and hit a button. He watched the smile of triumph spread on her face. Then she dropped on her knees between his legs. He sank deeper into the chair and conducted business, watching with hooded eyes as the woman unbuttoned and reached inside his pants. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he looked at the computer on the desk. He finished his instructions and slid the cell back into his breast pocket. Alissa continued to fondle him, but he didn’t doubt she had been listening to the conversation. Laying his hand over the drink next to him, he surreptitiously dropped the pill he had palmed.
“Let’s drink to the success of our new business,” he said.
She looked up, her lipstick smeared. “You’re interrupting a transaction,” she said.
He sipped his drink, then pushed the other glass to her lips. “Every good business meeting ends in a drink, don’t you know?”
She obediently drank as he watched. He finished his.
“Now,” he continued, reaching out to settle his hand on her breast, bouncing its weight as his thumb rubbed her nipple. Her lips parted with a sigh. “Let’s move onto the desk and see the rest of the contract, shall we? Let me see whether you will give me what I truly want.”
What he wanted was a password.
CHAPTER
21
Jazz had never hiked with a woman this long before. He had to admit it, he had had doubts about Vivi’s stamina, but she had once again proven him wrong. They had traveled at a fast clip the past four hours and she had stopped only once, to take off the soggy and muddy socks he had given her.
“I’d rather go barefoot,” she’d told him.
“You might cut yourself,” he’d warned.
“I’ll take the risk. Besides, we’re far away enough to signal T.”
It was getting very muggy again. He watched Vivi wipe away perspiration on his sleeve, leaving a smear of dirt on her cheek. He offered her a drink from his small canteen, then pointed at the canopy of trees nearby.
“As soon as we’ve activated your locator, we’ll head over to the shade and wait.”
“Sounds like a brilliant idea.” She smiled. “If I weren’t so tired, I’d race you over there. Besides it isn’t fair that you have shoes.”
Most women would complain about the heat, but Vivi had not only kept up with him, she had injected humor into the situation. He grinned at the sight of her blackened feet.
“I offered to carry you,” he reminded her.
“For four hours? You wouldn’t be quite this perky,” she lightly mocked back as she handed back the canteen.
He made a face. “Please. SEALs aren’t perky.”
She grinned, then eyed a specific area of his body. “If you say so,” she said. Without warning, she started taking off the black shirt. She unhooked the front of her bra and worked a finger inside the cup, giving him glimpses of her nipple. When she looked up, her eyes had a definite twinkle. “It’s getting perky again.”
Jazz’s lips quirked. “That’s my personal locator,” he informed her.
She laughed. “Do you think, while we wait, Perky can help me find something?”
Oh yeah. Definitely.
Whoever T. was, she was remarkably quick. Within an hour, the unmistakable thumping drone of a helicopter was heard in the distance. Jazz reluctantly lifted his head.
“You know, we should have activated that thing in your bra a little later,” he complained, half meaning it. Part of him wanted to spend more time here, talking with and touching each other. It had given him a chance to get to know Vivi better, and he didn’t want it to stop.
“Ummm,” Vivi agreed. “Do that again.”
“Babe, the copter will be here any second now.” The thumps were getting louder. “We need to signal them.”
“Okay.”
They ran to the clearing where they had planted the locator. Vivi shaded her eyes and pointed toward one direction. Jazz pulled her behind a tree. Just in case. One never knew. The bird flew fast and low over the trees, casting its shadow, first over the trees, then on the bare earth as it approached them. It seemed to know exactly where to land. Within minutes it set itself down and a man appeared in the doorway and waved.
“It’s Cumber. Let’s go,” Jazz shouted over the noise, holding out a hand. Vivi placed hers in his and they ran together toward the waiting helicopter.
Vivi climbed in first, with Cucumber’s help, then Jazz followed. He gave the big guy a thumbs-up.
“Up and away, buddy!” Cucumber shouted to the pilot. “Everything all right, sir?”
“A-OK. How did you get on this bird?”
“Orders. All we were told was that Miss Verreau had been located. I was sent just in case you were with her since I was the only one who saw you running off toward the truck. All of us assumed that you and Miss Verreau were together.”
“How’s our team?”
Cucumber gave another thumbs-up. It was too
noisy to go into detail, but it was good to know his unit was intact. The big man handed them bottled water.
After a long gulp of refreshment, Jazz looked down at the landscape. From up here, the view was spectacular, showing miles and miles of pristine forest. Yet one never knew what could be hiding in there, especially near the river.
He turned when Vivi touched his arm. She moved closer and shouted into his ear.
“Thank you for saving me.”
He nodded. “My pleasure,” he said, and winked.
The chopper landed at a private landing strip Vivi recognized as belonging to a former asset. She told Jazz all she knew about the owner. He was now retired, and his rules were simple. No questions asked. “Rentals” were payable in cash wired to a dummy offshore account. In return, the well-equipped and tightly guarded compound was highly prized among certain circles. Two cars, with tinted windows, were waiting when they got off the helicopter.
“Why aren’t we going together?” Jazz asked, making the right assumption.
“I have to meet with my chief first. Besides, I need a bath.” She wrinkled her nose. “You, too.”
His smile did funny things to her insides. “I didn’t hear any complaints earlier.”
“That’s because I’m too much of a lady,” she teased. She noticed Cucumber’s growing interest in their conversation and coughed delicately. “I’ll see you very soon, Lieutenant. Thank you once again for coming to my aid.”
She turned away before she succumbed to the temptation of kissing him goodbye and briskly walked toward the car that drove up slowly, indicating that it was for her. The back door clicked open, and she slid inside. The air-conditioned interior brought immediate relief.
“Everything okay?” T. asked, sitting at the far end. “You look terrible. Did Dilaver hurt you? If he did, I hope that absolutely gorgeous naked torso out there canceled the bastard.”
Vivi cocked an eyebrow. “You sound worried, Chief.” She was going to ignore the comment about Jazz’s body.
“Your kidnapping was an unexpected turn of events.”