by Dawn Ryder
“Among others,” Vitus cut in. “Your name was on the top of the list,” he said as he looked at Dare.
“I’m consumed with worry,” Dare said.
“What matters is that Carl Davis is worried now for a change.” Kagan spoke in the soft tone of voice Jenna knew meant business. The men in the room didn’t miss it either. There was a grudging acceptance from Dare while Jenna bit her lip to keep from exclaiming out loud.
Shit, Carl Davis. The guy was about to become president.
“I’ve had Sullivan on ice,” Kagan continued. “Now, he’s in position to help us catch Kirkland with a load of his human cargo.”
The dead girl came to mind. But Jenna still fought back a gag over the term “human cargo.” Sure she’d known they were dealing with scum, she just didn’t really grasp how scummy it would seem.
“Sullivan has the ability to set a meeting with Kirkland.” Kagan sent Dare a hard look. “We need Jenna to make sure Kirkland shows.”
“You had to say that in front of her,” Dare growled.
Jenna recognized the tone Dare was using. It was razor sharp and all business. Greer and Zane shifted, clearly worried about the way Dare was taking issue with their boss.
Section leader. Keep up, girl.
“Why not?” she pointed at the chest harness he had on. “You’re going out there.”
“I am trained,” he stressed.
“And I told you I am no coward.”
“That won’t make a bit of difference,” Dare argued. “It’s one thing to escape, another to step out into the line of fire. I’m not standing by while you do it.”
“But you expect me to do the same?” she asked.
He retreated behind a hard mask.
“Not a chance,” Jenna informed him. “It’s my life that got shredded by this guy. I’m going to go kick him in the nuts.”
“You’re not going anywhere Jenna,” Dare warned her.
“Without her, Kirkland won’t show,” Ricky interrupted. “He hired me to get her.”
“And me,” Dare insisted.
“He wants you off his ass but needs the girl to plug a leak,” Ricky insisted. “I bring him her … and he’ll think you’ll be along fast.”
Vitus looked like he was itching to reach out and snap the guys neck, but he held his position. “As much as I hate to agree with this scum, it makes sense.”
“I doubt Saxon would agree,” Dare grunted.
“Kirkland isn’t his case.” Kagan took control of the conversation. “He’s yours.”
Dare was silent for a long moment. Jenna felt him bending.
She realized she needed him to.
Needed to be seen as more than a victim.
She needed to be his partner.
“Call him up and see what he says,” Dare spoke at last. “I want to hear Kirkland agree to some sort of exchange.”
Ricky didn’t budge, clearly taking exception to being told to prove it.
“Good plan,” Kagan said pointedly. He turned toward Jenna and tossed her a cell phone. “Go and call that friend Sam of yours. He’s threatening to go on a talk show to expose government cover-up of your abduction.”
“Sam?” Jenna asked as she clutched the phone.
Kagan nodded. “Trust me, he isn’t intimidated by my agents telling him how dire the circumstances will be.”
“Ah … yeah, Sam will spit in your eye,” she said.
And she missed him so much. Jenna turned and hurried down the hallway toward a door. She opened it, looking inside before she crossed the threshold. It was only after she close the door that she realized Kagan had neatly distracted her and gotten her out of the room while the main business went down.
Or at least while Dare was going to argue against her involvement.
He’d argue anyway.
Right. She admitted she’d be a tad disappointed if he didn’t and besides, she was going to call Sam.
* * *
“I’ve got her,” Sullivan declared when Kirkland answered the phone. “The chick from your house. Want me to kill her?”
“How’d you find her?” Kirkland demanded.
Ricky snickered. “It’s what I do. Stupid Feds think their witness protection program is so air tight. It’s not. But Servant is nowhere in sight. Bet he’s back on your tail. So maybe I shouldn’t kill her just yet.”
“Right,” Kirkland muttered. “I need Servant dead.”
Dare grinned as the call was broadcast over the room.
“Can I fuck her while we’re using her to bring Servant out in the open?” Ricky asked.
Dare sent Ricky a deadly glare. The contract killer enjoyed it.
“That chick I took with me was skinny. I like a little ass on my pony when I ride.” Ricky explained. “Hope you don’t want the other one back. I broke her.”
Kirkland grunted. “I’ve got plenty more.”
“Lucky you,” Ricky sneered. “Premium ass like that, isn’t all that easy to find.”
“Which is why I get paid a lot of money to provide it,” Kirkland said.
“Alright, fine,” Ricky offered. “Don’t get defensive. I found what you paid me to. Let’s finish up our deal. I have jobs waiting.”
“Bring the girl to me,” Kirkland instructed. “Tomorrow night I’m doing a show at Universal. I’ll take her out into the brush and leave her and Servant to the gators.”
Kagan shook his head.
“Universal?” Ricky asked. “Too many cameras.”
“Not where I’m telling you to meet me,” Kirkland responded. “I have a load of honey coming in from the Caribbean. Being at Universal and on camera will cover my ass when Servant’s team find his remains. I’ve got a couple body doubles who will take my place in the hotel while I attend to business.”
Ricky let out a low whistle as he watched Kagan. The section leader nodded a single time in agreement.
“She’ll cost you another million.” Ricky informed Kirkland. “And some honey. Fresh honey. I don’t like my treat full of other men’s leavings.”
“Done.”
* * *
“Alright!” Sam declared dramatically. “You’re fine, and I will be quiet because it’s for your good. Now if it was the dirt clods who came over here and flashed their badges, well, they can eat hour-old fast food.”
“Thanks, Sam.” Jenna was holding the phone so tight, her fingers ached. “The only thing I hate is that I can’t see you again.”
Sam snorted on the other end of the line. “Better tell that hunk of yours to find a way to see me or I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”
Jenna grinned.
“I love you, Sam.”
She did, too. Tears were streaming down her face as she finished the call.
“I’m sorry.”
She gasped and turned to find Dare behind her.
“I’m good,” she muttered as she wiped at her tears. “Just need a shower.”
She turned and moved toward what she hoped was a bathroom. Dare wrapped his arms around her before she made it two paces.
“You’re fantastic, baby,” he cooed next to her ear. “Braver than you should have to be.”
He placed a kiss against her neck. It was sweet, but she realized it was too sweet.
“Don’t,” she warned as she turned around and locked gazes with him. “Don’t judge me too fragile to keep up with you.”
He caught her hand when she started to push away from him, locking his fingers around her wrists as he pushed her back and pinned her against the wall.
“I want to protect you, Jenna.” His eyes shimmered with need. “Don’t deny me that.”
“Because of your mother?”
He flinched, the grip on her wrists tightening. “Yes.”
“That is exactly why I have to be as strong as she was.” Jenna wiggled her hands, easing from his grasp as he flattened his hands on the wall beside her face. “I have to be like the woman who gave life to you and made you fearless.�
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She stroked his face and then the bulge of his cock. He drew in a stiff breath. “Make love with me, Dare.”
Her voice was a husky whisper. She ducked under his arm and pulled her top off as she backed toward the shower.
“Live in the moment?” he asked as he started to unbuckle his chest harness.
She nodded, suddenly feeling like conversation was beyond her ability. She was fighting with her shoes and then shoving her jeans down her legs. Dare laid his harness aside, concentrating on working the buttons on his shirt.
“Turn the water on, baby…”
There was a dark promise in his voice. Her skin was heating, making the idea of water inviting.
Necessary actually.
His cock was hard and jutted out the moment he opened his fly. She licked her lips as she peeled her panties off and stood for a moment, waiting while he finished undressing.
“I love your breasts.” He came to her slowly, taking the moment to sear her with his dark gaze.
Up …
Down …
And finally settling on her chest.
“Those little rose-bud nipples.” He was close enough to cup the mounds he spoke of and thumb her nipples. “I love the way they pucker…”
She felt the unmistakable sensation of her nipples doing exactly what he said. The sensitive points tingled while they tightened.
“And I love the way they taste.”
She gasped as he leaned down to capture one between his lips.
So hot.
The heat was snaking down from where he nursed on her to where her clit was throbbing between the folds of her sex.
“Perfect little … sweets.”
He moved to the opposite side, licking and sucking while she gripped his hair. The midnight black strands were caught between her fingers as she lost the ability to control herself. All that mattered was getting him closer.
Dare chuckled, pushing her back into the shower. The water hit them both, drawing a cry from her lips as it collided with how hot her skin was.
“That’s it,” he muttered. “I need to cool you off, just a bit baby. We’re always in too big a rush.”
“The key word in that sentence is ‘we,’” Jenna muttered.
She reached down, teasing his length with her fingertips. “I’m not the only one … ready…”
“Except, you’re not nearly ready enough, Jenna.”
There was a warning in his tone, one that awaked a surge of anticipation. He was gripping her hip, sending a jolt of sexual awareness through her belly. He smoothed his hand along her thigh, lifting her knee up to hook around his waist. The head of his cock nudged her folds, easing between them as he moved closer.
But he stopped. Standing still with the head of his cock between her folds and slid his hand along the side of her face.
“I want to do more than fuck.”
She trembled. “Yes.”
She tightened her leg, pulling him closer, bringing his cock into contact with her hot center.
He groaned, his eyes closing for a moment as he shuddered before opening again to send her a look full of need. “Minx.”
“That’s right,” she whispered. “Don’t shelter me.”
He slid his hand into her hair, tightening his fingers so that she was his prisoner. “I will always shelter you, Jenna. Always.”
She trembled, absorbing his thrust. He was hard and determined, yet slow and tender. He was moving into her, each thrust controlled and driving her insane.
Yet also pleasing her immensely.
There was give and take. Need and satisfaction. Each thrust building on the last, nudging her in an even pace toward climax.
“Always, Jenna … You will always be sheltered.”
He pulled free, his eyes flashing with determination before he turned her and pushed back into her. It was a hard moment, one that made her growl with hunger. What had been a gentle simmer of need, suddenly burst into flames as she flattened her hands against the tile of the shower and felt him grip her hips.
“Always…”
His voice was raspy and edged with warning. It awakened something in her, a need to prove she could challenge him.
“And I swear I will always argue…”
She was lifting her bottom, pushing back onto his cock, purring when he stretched her and she felt the sack of his balls slapping against her.
It was raw and she needed more.
Craved it.
Climax was looming and she resisted it. Needing to stay in the moment, unwilling to return to the reality of uncertainly. His cock was hardening, telling her he was close to losing his load.
She wanted to push him over the edge. Claim the victory of being the one to outlast the other.
“Not a chance … minx…” He growled as she felt him jerking with the first pulse of his climax. His seed was hitting her insides as he reached around and rubbed her clit.
She gasped and lost control, her body spasming with pleasure. It tore through her. Leaving her leaning on the arm Dare had locked around her waist. His heart was thumping against her back, sending fresh tears into her eyes as she realized just how deadly his life was. Jenna turned her face into the spray to hide them.
She loved him.
And she would never try to change him.
Because that wasn’t love. No, love was complete acceptance, rough edges and all.
And she loved Dare Servant.
* * *
Normally a show put Kirkland in a good mood.
Today, he was pissed when he came off stage. His walk warned his crew away, and the look on his face as he left gave the paparazzi fresh photos for their endless gossip blogs. It took a few minutes for him to change clothing and let his body double stroll through the lobby as bait for the cameras.
One thing his father had taught him, was do the dirty work yourself. Be hands on. The truth was, he enjoyed it. And there was the added benefit of knowing if his people were cheating him because they never knew just when he’d show up.
Only that he would most definitely put in an appearance.
Two million fucking bucks was a lot.
He was going to enjoy feeding Dare Servant to the gators.
At least a trip down toward the docks made him happy. There was a cargo container full of new girls for him to use to help generate revenue. The hip hop thing wasn’t very profitable. They spent a ton on advertisement to keep the stadiums full.
He drove past the docks and out toward the end of the roads, where the street lights were farther apart and the city further in the distance. It was three in the morning but he’d always been a night creature.
He saw the truck in the distance. The big rig was pulled off the road, its brown shipping container blending with the night. The driver had parked behind two old houses, looking like he’d just pulled over to catch some sleep. They were far enough inland to keep the DEA off their asses and close enough to civilization for him to split the girls up and send them to different locations where they could be put to work.
First they had to be broken.
Kirkland went inside, the sound of sniffling letting him know his madam was doing her job. Two of his men were standing in the living room, their pants open as girls took turns sucking their cocks.
He flopped down on the sofa, listening as the madam yelled in Russian at the girls. Telling them that their bodies belonged to her, that their lives belonged to the men with them.
Some of the girls rebelled. They were the ones tied up and lying on the floor. The process of breaking them was something his people knew how to do well.
And Dare Servant would be no different.
* * *
“I’ll be fine,” Jenna tried to assure Dare.
He gripped her upper arm and sent her a hard look. “I don’t like this, Jenna. Nothing you say is going to change my mind about how much I would rather handcuff you to the control panel instead of let you come along.”
In the wee hours of
the night, the team was as bright-eyed as though it was ten in the morning. All around them gear was being double-checked. Guns, ammunition, communications. It was all in play as Kegan oversaw the set-up of surveillance.
“Then understand why I can’t be a wimp,” she said.
His lips were a thin, hard line. “Why do you think you aren’t handcuffed?”
“Your section leader would have something to say about that.”
Dare slowly smiled. It was a menacing expression, one that sent a shiver down her back. Jenna lifted her hands into the air.
“Okay. Forget I made that comment.”
Vitus gave a soft whistle. It called the team together. Jenna fell into step with them, caught in a crazy mixture of fear and anticipation. The intensity of the moment all focused on her memory of the girl lying dead next to her.
And she was going to do something about it.
* * *
Kirkland picked up his phone on the first ring. “Where the fuck are you?”
“Were you expecting me?” Thais purred. “Perhaps you should have issued an invitation if that was the case.”
Kirkland slowly grinned. “How’d you get my number?”
“My daddy is rich.”
“Knows people, too,” Kirkland muttered.
“I’m getting tired of waiting on you.”
He needed an outlet for his temper. None of the bitches in front of him offered him the challenge Thais did. “You want some excitement, baby? Come join me if you’re not scared of the dark.”
Thais purred. “I’m made of darkness, was weaned on moonlight.”
He was grinning as he punched in a text message to her.
“Are you crazy?” Mack asked. “Her daddy might make waves.”
“Don’t even know who the bastard is.” Kirkland shrugged and tossed the phone aside. The sex party went on. His men were enjoying the perks of their positions. It was one of the reasons he didn’t have a problem with loyalty.
Sex and money.
The two things men would sell their own souls to possess.
His dogs were gorging in the free-for-all.
Kirkland realized he had an appetite, as well. But he needed more challenge in the moment.
“Come on, rich girl … can’t wait to make you my whore.”
* * *
“Thais is a go.” Vitus turned and relayed the information to the other team members.