Tempted & Taken

by Rhenna Morgan

  He palmed her shoulders and squeezed, no doubt a host of arguments cued up and ready for flight on his tongue.

  “Can you outwit him?” she asked before he could speak. “If it were anyone else—one of Danny or Beckett’s clients—could you pull it off?”

  There it was—the unflappable confidence and certainty that had governed his every movement from the day she’d first walked into his business flashing bold and beautiful to the surface. “That’s a dirty play.”

  “Dirty, but accurate. You wouldn’t hesitate. Not for a second.”

  He drew in a deep breath, dropped his head against the back of the couch and let out a long sigh. He glared at the ceiling, the muscles at the back of his jaw ticking in a way that said he didn’t much care for the logistics already setting up shop in his head. “You’re right.”

  “Then you agree?”

  It took forever before he answered, but when he did a cautious resolution filled his stormy gaze. “I’ll talk to my brothers.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  A day and a half later and Knox still hadn’t found any peace with Darya’s decision. Nearly forty hours’ worth of planning and surveillance with Beckett’s best men on the job plus Sergei’s on top of it. Their approach was dead on. Solid and well thought out. Fucking brilliant, really.

  And he still hated the whole idea.

  He turned into the parking lot fronting Darya’s apartment building, halfway tempted to pull a U-ey and head back to the loft. Darya sat in silence beside him. Usually, she’d man the radio and pepper him with random small talk about whichever bands came on, but today her posture had about as much give as a concrete post and her hands were fisted in her lap.

  “We don’t have to do this,” he said for what had to be the twentieth time since they’d rolled out of bed. “They took the bait I set out online and I’ve got all the access I need to their servers to choke him financially. No one will think less of you if you opted for a technical attack. Hell, I’d be grateful.”

  Whatever she’d been thinking about, she shrugged it off, turned to face him and covered his hand on the gear shift. “Ruslan’s here. We know where he’s staying and we have a plan. To back out would be foolish.”

  Oh, they knew where he was staying. And about five minutes after Sergei had phoned in the details, Knox had access to the hotel’s servers and knew not only what room he was in, but what the cocksucker ordered for breakfast. “I still don’t see why Sergei didn’t take the shot at the airport.”

  “He’s got one shot at this, Knox. You know that. Taking a risk like that out in the open would have been nearly impossible to cover. And if they tried and his shooter missed, Ruslan would have gotten right back on his plane and taken off. This is better. Easier to contain.”

  Easier on cleanup maybe. Not so much on keeping Darya safe. Although, he’d felt a whole lot better after they’d learned Ruslan had landed at the same private airstrip Trevor used. Thanks to his brother’s connections, Ruslan didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting his bird back in the air. At least not until it got a little TLC from a qualified mechanic.

  He whipped into the parking spot next to Darya’s red Challenger and popped the gear shift into Neutral. Thank God, Beck’s buddy Gia had agreed to jump into the operation they’d put together. No way he’d have kept from crawling out of his own skin without a top bodyguard like her watching Darya’s back. “Remember what I said about your car. We couldn’t check it without drawing attention from the guys watching your place, so stick to Gia’s ride.”

  Darya nodded and grabbed her purse from between her feet on the floorboard. Cranked up to high to combat the stifling heat, the Audi’s AC pumped hard enough to stir her hair around her shoulders.

  “We can’t talk about our plans again until I’ve swept your place for bugs,” he added. “You want to run through the drill one more time before we head in?”

  Her lips curved in a tired, but sweet smile. “We’ve gone over it so many times I could recite it in my sleep.”

  God, she was beautiful. Beautiful, smart and brave with the kindest heart he’d ever met. He curled his hand around the side of her neck. Her skin was damp against his palm, but whether it was from the oppressing heat or fear he couldn’t know. “I love you.”

  She placed her hand over his, guided it to her mouth and kissed his palm. “It’s going to be okay. This time tomorrow we’ll be back at your loft and neither of us will have to think of this again.”

  He’d think of it. Hell, things hadn’t even kicked into motion yet, but he already knew he’d have nightmares for months, if not years.

  But right now she needed him strong and fully on board with the decision she’d made. She’d been right to call him on his promise. Haven women deserved to live the life they wanted and make the choices they deemed right every bit as much as the men did. If he couldn’t honor and support what she wanted, he didn’t deserve the future she offered. “This time tomorrow, I’ll have you tied to my bed and so boneless from me working your body, you won’t think at all.”

  She grinned at that, a little of the lightness they’d lost since the day she’d seen Koschei on his screen shining through her grim focus. “I’m looking forward to that.” She leaned across the center console and kissed him, her winter rose scent flaming his fear of loss higher even as it calmed him. “Let’s hurry and get this over with so we can get started.”

  Before she could pull away, he fisted his hand in her hair and took more of what she offered, slanting his mouth against hers and claiming her hard enough she’d feel it long after he was gone. Nothing came easier to him than kissing Darya. Not code. Not puzzles. Not even breathing. Just the thought of her lips against his—her taste on his tongue—disconnected him from reality and left him free to float on utter bliss.

  His phone vibrated and chirped.

  Darya dug the heel of one palm against his shoulder and pushed away. She licked her lower lip, and her eyelids hung weighted over her beautiful blue eyes. Beautiful. Even with the rest of the world ready and waiting for them to get their asses in gear.

  Knox snagged his phone and thumbed the answer button. “Yeah.”

  Beckett’s voice came sharp through the earpiece. “Know you don’t want to do this, brother, but you’ve got an audience. I suggest you pry your ass out of that car and get on with the show.”

  Fuck.

  He raked his hands through his hair. “Right. We’re getting out.” He killed the connection without waiting for a response and looked to Darya. “You ready?”

  She nodded.

  “All right. Let’s do this.” He popped his door and unwound himself from the low-slung seats. Summer was giving Texas all it had for the last few days of August. At just after ten in the morning, the temps were already nearing ninety, which wouldn’t have been so bad if the humidity wasn’t pushing ninety, too.

  He snagged Darya’s nearly empty suitcase from the trunk, rounded to her door and helped her out. Unlike Beckett, he didn’t relish packing a firearm all the damned time, but guiding her up to her apartment door and knowing Ruslan’s men were somewhere out there, he’d have felt a hell of a lot better with its weight holstered close to his side.

  Once inside, he got to work with a physical inspection of every room, then hauled his scanners out of her suitcase and started in with an electronic sweep. Through it all they bantered back and forth about movies and music while Darya tricked herself out for her trumped-up afternoon out on the town with Gia.

  He was wrapping up his scan of the bathroom and double-checking the mirror for any signs of hidden cameras when his phone buzzed in his back pocket.

  Beckett: Gia’s moving in. Men in position. Find anything?

  He could do this. For Darya he could knuckle down and ignore the need to haul her back to his place. Every one of his bro
thers were in position and ready to protect his woman with their life if needed. He just needed to focus and do what he was good at until this was over.

  Knox: All clear.

  Less than five minutes later, Gia was in place and Knox was out of excuses to linger. He snagged Darya’s hand in his and led her to the door. When he not only opened it, but steered her onto the landing with him, she dug in her heels and glanced back at Gia.

  “Relax,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. From where they stood, the men watching would have a flawless view of them both. “Just give your man a goodbye kiss to tide him over while we run this drill.”

  “But they’ll see you,” she whispered as though anyone but Gia could hear and tried to push out of his hold. “I told you what would happen if they find out we’re intimate.”

  He banded his arm tighter around her waist and palmed the back of her head, holding her right where he wanted her. Running his nose alongside hers, he breathed her in and teased her lips with his. “You did. That’s why I’m rubbing their nose in it. The odds of them taking the bait and going for me today instead of you are slim and none, but if it means I’m the one in the hot seat and not you, then I’m gonna take it.” He licked her lower lip and growled, “Now give me your mouth.”

  She hesitated only a second, bathing him in so much goodness with one simple look it rocked him to his core. Then she kissed him.

  Everything was in that kiss. Love. Need. Fear and hope. All of it woven together so thick the whole damned world could have imploded in a second and not a single thing would have touched them.

  Behind them, Gia cleared her throat.

  Knox forced himself to break the kiss and scowled at Gia over Darya’s shoulder.

  She waggled her phone. “Sorry. Beck says the plan was to establish a relationship. Not insight a bloodbath in the parking lot because the two of you had sex.”

  Fucking Beckett. For a guy who’d gone all fairy godmother getting him and Darya together, he’d turned into one hell of a cock blocker the last twenty-four hours with all of his planning sessions. “Fine.” Knox pressed his lips to Darya’s forehead and let her go. “Headset on. Mics and trackers checked before you take a step out of this apartment.”

  “We’ve got this,” Gia said before Darya could answer.

  Hands down, walking away from Darya and not looking back was the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life. Hell, the only thing helping him get in his car and pull out of the parking lot was the frail hope Ruslan’s goons would take the bait and follow him instead of Darya.

  He’d barely made the on-ramp to I-75, his foot uncomfortable with the slow and easy routine on the accelerator, when his phone rang through the Audi’s Bluetooth. Beckett’s name flashed across the dash’s center display. “Tell me they fell for it.”

  The line crackled with way too much emptiness. “Sorry, brother. You knew it was a long shot.”

  Yeah, he had. Rule number one when tailing anyone was never to leave your primary target. Not unless you had enough backup. The good news? If they only had two men watching Darya, that could mean the crew covering Ruslan was also limited. According to Sergei, only four men had followed him off his private jet. That meant six known triggers to contend with when push came to shove versus five from the brotherhood and Sergei’s six. Eleven to six were damned good odds. He’d have preferred to have all his brothers for the job, but Trevor had to make sure Ruslan’s plane stayed out of commission and Jace was the only one with a prayer of keeping Ninette, Sylvie and the rest of the women safe at Haven. Zeke would hang with Knox in the surveillance room they’d set up at the hotel for medical emergencies.

  “Then on to Plan B,” Knox said, taking the next exit and rerouting to the hotel. “But once we’re in, Sergei better holster his weapon, because that motherfucker is mine.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  After two solid hours shopping in one of Dallas’s more elite malls, Darya could say with absolute certainty that Gia Sinclair kicked butt at her job. From the time they’d stepped outside Darya’s front door until now, Gia had somehow kept an easygoing conversation moving with Darya while simultaneously listening and responding to Beckett, Knox and Danny’s intermittent updates via headset. The constant chatter was enough to fry Darya’s mind. Not unlike trying to cram for an important test while someone blared Metallica in the background.

  Gia wasn’t the least bit phased. Not by the fact that two of Ruslan’s goons had loosely trailed them for the last hour or that Knox had reported more men had left Ruslan’s suite and headed their way. On the surface, she was just a carefree woman out with her friend and hell-bent on some serious retail therapy. Only the most subtle cues showed how carefully she gauged their surroundings.

  They ordered fountain drinks from one of the fast-food places and found a table nestled against a square pillar. Gia took the seat with her back to it, set her open purse on the table and motioned Darya into the seat across from her.

  Murmurs sounded in the headset, the distinct rumble of Sergei’s accented voice carrying even though she couldn’t make out the words. A second later, Beckett was back. “Knox, any luck getting a look inside Ruslan’s suite, or is Sergei finding out how many we’re up against the old-fashioned bloody way?”

  “Not yet.” From the grumble beneath Knox’s answer, her man was none-too-pleased their plan to get a camera inside via a room service or housekeeping cart was stuck on idle. “After callin’ up room service myself for lunch, I can’t blame him for having his meals brought in from somewhere else, but you’d think the son of a bitch would at least need some clean towels by now.”

  Beckett chuckled. “Old-fashioned and bloody it is.”

  A cold chill that had nothing to do with the mall’s supercharged air-conditioners snaked down her back. Ruslan might be unpredictable, but he was ruthless and the men who served him were no different. Getting any information out of them would take extreme measures.

  “Think about something good,” Gia murmured from her place across the table. Her mic was still on, so it reverberated with a surround sound effect, but also held a sharp command. “Our guys are coming down the walkway behind us. They haven’t clocked us yet, but it’ll be better if you don’t look white as a sheet.”

  Her phone rang in her purse, dragging her out of her bone rattling worry. She dug it out and found her first genuine smile of the afternoon at the sight of Knox’s name on the screen. “Hey,” she said, wishing she had the ability to toggle her mic on and off the way Gia could. Unfortunately, she’d be under far more scrutiny with Ruslan’s men than Gia would, which meant she’d been given a nearly undetectable headset with a wireless receiver only big enough to be cleverly hidden by her belt.

  “You want out?” Knox said. “All you have to do is say the word and we’ll shut it down.” No preamble. No soft hi-how-are-ya-holding-up? Just straight to business. But then this was his future as much as it was hers. And if she’d learned anything about Knox in the two months since she’d known him, it was that he protected the people he loved with everything he had in him.

  And Knox Torren definitely loved her.

  “No, I want to finish it. Once and for all.” She glanced at Gia who put on a good show of impatiently waiting for her girlfriend to get off the damned phone.

  At first, silence filled the line. She braced, fully expecting to hear his voice shift to the earpiece and to have him shut the whole operation down with one word.

  Instead, he spoke only to her and gave her the exact anchor she needed. “We’re gonna kick this thing, sweetheart. You, me and our family. We’ll deal with the lot of them and all this shit will be behind us.”

  You, me and our family.

  So beautiful. No matter how many times he’d reiterated that very statement in the last few days, it still resonated deep.

  “I love you.” It
was quiet, but she offered the simple words with all the emotion inside her and prayed it didn’t hit him as a fearful goodbye—even if a part of her was terrified it was.

  “Love you, too, sweetheart. You stay close to Gia, listen to what she says and hold the fuck on to her when shit gets real. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  He paused and in that second, she could practically feel the hesitation thrumming through him.

  “I’m fine, Knox. Hang up the phone and work your magic. I’ll see you at the hotel.”

  “I’m right here. Every step.”

  And he was. Flooding her spirit with his strength and confidence even from a distance. “I know you are.” She braced and straightened taller in her seat. “I’ll see you soon.” Before she could change her mind, she ended the call and forced a big gulp of Coke down her desert-dry throat.

  Gia planted her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her upturned palm. “I’d have ordered food, too, but I figure you’d just pick at it and give your anxiety away.”

  “No food,” Darya confirmed. “Even if I ate it, I’m not sure I’d keep it down.”

  “Not me,” Gia said. “I’m a stress eater. The higher the anxiety, the bigger the caloric content.”

  Knox’s voice cut through the headset. “Ruslan’s men just exited Park Lane and are circling back around to the mall.”

  “Gia?” Beckett said.

  “Right.” Gia stood, draped her purse over her shoulder and pointed down the mall’s long corridor behind them. “Time to wrap this up.”

  Darya stood, though how she managed it with her legs shaking as much as they did was a miracle. Not even when she’d fled to the States with no idea if her false identification would work had she been this terrified.

  Gia smoothed a comforting hand down Darya’s back and stayed close to her side, but her words were for the men watching their backs. “Headed to the parking garage.”