by Lexi Blake
A large man with a poorly concealed pistol in his pocket parked the boat and motioned toward the road. Immediately a group of men started hauling crates of what looked like liquor and food from a truck parked up on the road that ran along the beach.
King Kash didn’t have to pull into port. Port came to him. Men immediately went to work, loading down the speedboat with crates.
Ian waited. His timing had to be perfect. Too soon and there would be too many men around. Too late and he would miss the boat. Literally.
Sean yawned a little, watching the workers scurrying around the tourists. “You seem happier today. Is that because we’re going to get to kill Nelson or do you have other reasons? You seemed determined to sleep in this morning.”
Yep, this was his life now. This was why real Agency men didn’t bring their brothers out into the field. So they didn’t have to have relationship talks in the middle of an op. “I took your advice. Let’s leave it at that.”
But Sean didn’t. A grin spread across his brother’s face. “Are you kidding me? You finally listened? Shit. I owe Adam some cash. I said you would stay stubborn to the end. Hey, big brother, you want to spot me a couple hundred?”
He was so not paying for his brother’s bad habit of betting on his love life. He had a love life. The thought of putting the words love and life together didn’t make him want to vomit. Though he would never say that out loud. Yeah, he bet Sean would have lost a bundle if he’d bet on that.
He was saved from having to reply by Damon’s voice coming over the transmitter in his ear. “All right, mates. So it’s almost time. From what I can tell, he only has a small dedicated security team with him, but you can bet the crew on board that yacht is likely trained as well. We’ve vetted them as much as we can. They all look like loyal Loa Mali citizens. We think he’s got roughly three women with him right now. We have no names on them. Remember your cover. You have to convince this man that you’re reporters who have a meeting to interview the king about his upcoming appearance at the United Nations next month.”
Baz’s voice came through next. “Your man Adam says he’s managed to break into the king’s secretary’s system so when he looks at the calendar, it will tell him he’s scheduled to pick you up here.”
With the liquor. Nice.
“Do you boys have your credentials? Now don’t tell me you got all lazy and left them in the car. You wouldn’t want to disappoint the nice folks who stayed up all night making sure your cover looks good.” The question came out on a lazy drawl, but Ian was pretty sure Ten thought this was his op.
He was about to find out otherwise.
“I have them,” Ian replied. They had gone to a whole lot of trouble to dummy up very respectable-looking credentials. He was supposed to be some reporter named Brian Klein from Newsweek. Sean was his photographer. It was an elaborate plan, the kind agencies like the CIA and MI6 loved to come up with. Ian would swear that most operatives really needed to be writing fiction. They could be so damn overdramatic. He and Sean were supposed to infiltrate the king of Loa Mali’s yacht under the guise of reporters getting a scoop and figure out if Kash knew anything without telling him what they were up to.
It was a stupid plan and it very likely wouldn’t work. Simplicity was really the way to go here. He needed to get the king’s attention. The king wasn’t known for liking reporters. But Ian knew what the man did like.
“So where’s our stowaway?” Sean asked. He’d wholeheartedly agreed to the change of plans, and Simon was up at the fort to make sure no one decided to run down in time to mess things up.
Ian couldn’t help but grin a little as he looked down the beach. Charlie had hopped into their Jeep after the rest had headed up to the fort. She’d kept her head down as they drove a couple of miles down Palolem Road. Now she made her way to them wearing exactly what Ian had asked her to wear. He’d had the bikini delivered along with her other clothes before they left the US. Thank god for personal shoppers. His breath nearly caught as he looked at her. Despite the bikini, she looked innocent, damn near angelic with all that hair and her soft eyes. She didn’t look at him as she approached, merely wandered down to the beach as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She could be so obedient when she wanted to be. “Here she comes. Do you think she’ll do?”
“Ian, we have trouble,” Damon said, his voice rising with urgency. “It looks like your girl got away from the nest. Good god. I think she’s trying to get your attention, mate. This could be very bad. I don’t think you spank her often enough.”
Oh, she had every bit of his attention. His wife. His sub. His. Just his. Fuck, he was in love with her and it felt damn good. It felt so fucking good to just let go of all the shit between them. They weren’t exactly starting over again. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to let go of a minute with her, even the bad stuff. The bad stuff was still theirs. But they did have a clean slate.
She walked toward him wearing a ridiculously small white bikini that showed off her every luscious curve. The beach was full of lovely women, many much more slender and fashionable than his baby, but she reeked of sex to him. Charlie walked with the confidence of a woman who was comfortable in her own skin, and that had every man with eyes following her with their stares.
Sean shook his head a little. “Damn. Yes, I believe she’ll do the job. What is wrong with you? You said she was wearing a bathing suit, not pasties and a thong. If I caught Grace wearing that little clothing outside a club, I would slap her ass red.”
When had his brother become such a prude?
“I’m not worried.” He winked at her as she started to walk by them. Her strawberry blonde hair caught the light as it swung down her back. She was never cutting that hair if he had a say. It nearly reached her ass. It was perfect for holding onto and controlling her during sex. He was getting a hard-on just watching that juicy ass sway as she strolled along. “They can look all they like. I’m confident I can kill anyone who touches her.”
He didn’t mind them looking. He understood it. Charlie’s sex appeal came from far more than her curvy body. There wasn’t any self-consciousness in her movements. She’d accepted herself a long time before. He’d gotten to be the one to usher her into that beautiful state. When he’d first met her, she was gorgeous but shut down. Like a tightly budded flower that just needed a little light to bloom.
She glowed now. She glowed because she loved him.
Something calm had settled in his soul. Some piece of him that had always banged around in his head had finally stopped, finding its natural place because she was here.
“Ian, you need to stop her,” Damon said, his voice tense now. “She’s going to ruin the plan.”
Ian stood up. He was dressed somewhat like his brother. It was comfortable and he had no real intention of swimming this afternoon, so he’d gone along with it. “Plan’s changed, my friends.”
He and Sean made their way across the sand. Following in Charlie’s wake, no one really took notice of them.
“I think that dude is drooling,” Sean pointed out. “You were totally right. They don’t even check the women. What is he thinking?”
“He’s thinking he wants to get laid.” He’d made a quick study of Kamdar. He was known for inviting beautiful women onto his boat. He would find one, likely from watching the shoreline like a Peeping Tom pervert, and then send his men out to bring her to him. But men getting on the boat would likely go through rigorous checks.
The king’s errand boy was, in fact, drooling. He had gotten out of the boat to push it back toward the water, but he’d stopped the minute he’d gotten sight of Charlie.
“So you’re coming from that big yacht out there? Wow, that’s really impressive.” Charlie sounded so sweet and slightly dumb as she pointed out to the mega yacht. So very different from the way she sounded when she was giving him hell. Oddly, he thought she was way sexier when she was mouthing off.
“Yes,” the man replied, his chest puffing out. “Thi
s is the boat of my king. It is one of the largest yachts in the world. It is almost one hundred meters in length and has everything you could want. So much luxury. King Kashmir is the greatest king in the world.”
Charlie laughed, a giggly sound. She would make such a naughty schoolgirl. Just put a little skirt on her, put that hair up in pigtails, and he could go to town. “He must be really rich.”
“So very rich. I am very close to the king. Perhaps you would enjoy seeing the boat, meeting him? I could arrange this.”
Yeah, Ian could just bet what that would cost Charlie. The man had stepped up to her, almost touching her. Luckily her husband was here to back her sweet ass up.
He put his arm around his girl as his brother eased behind the man, shoving his SIG in the fucker’s back.
The driver’s eyes widened, but he didn’t scream. “I view the girl as I would a sister. I was only trying to make sure she was safe. So many bad elements around here, you know.”
Yeah, Ian wasn’t buying that, but he was impressed with the man’s calm demeanor. It looked like the king trained his employees properly. “Look, buddy, here’s what’s going to go down. You’re going to float us out to your king, and we’re going to have a nice long talk with him about the fact that his freaking intelligence department is full of idiots.”
The man shook his head. “I do not know what you are talking about, sir. I work for a Hollywood star. Very big star. Sleeps with many women. Likely has many diseases. You do not want to go there. Very bad. That boat is a floating venereal disease.”
Ian nearly rolled his eyes. “Look, I know that’s not George Clooney out there, so let’s drop the BS. That’s the king of Loa Mali and there are CIA operatives and MI6 agents watching him from the fort. If he wants to find out why, you’ll have to take us all there. I like to tell heads of state how fucked they are in person.”
“You’re a bloody bastard, Taggart.” Damon Knight was not impressed with his maneuver, that was for sure. His voice had turned rough and angry in Ian’s ear. “If you fuck this up, our deal’s off. Do you understand me?”
Ian pulled his earpiece out. He didn’t need to hear from the peanut gallery. He shoved it into his pocket though he really wanted to toss it away. He might need the damn thing later. “Yep, they’re pissed as shit at me right now, but I think your king and I can come to some solution without having to involve those busybodies.”
Sean winced a little. He couldn’t pull his earphone out yet. It looked like he was getting the brunt of their frustration. “They’re on their way, brother. Or at least they’re going to try to get down here before we can leave.”
“See, if we don’t head out now, your poor king’s party is going to be swarming with nosy assholes. Does he really want that? We’re kind of the good guys here.” He nodded to Sean who shoved the SIG back in his pocket and let the guy go. “See, that was just to get your attention. Let your boss know that we’ll surrender our weapons when we get to the boat. We just want to talk. He’s in danger from several fronts. If he talks to us, it can be a quiet chat. If he waits for them, well, the government gets involved and that can be a shit storm.”
There was a crackle as the radio in the boat came to life. “Bring them, Taral. You might want to hurry. I am watching the fort and they are certainly right about the level of activity up there. And, Taral, don’t leave the woman behind. I am so looking forward to meeting her.”
The king of Loa Mali would find out that Ian could pull off royal balls just as fast as he could common ones. He helped Charlie into the boat and hopped in after her. Sean and Taral shoved the boat back into the surf. Sean leapt in and Taral hauled himself up with a practiced hand. Now that he had his boss’s permission, it seemed he was all smiles.
“Welcome on board. My king wishes to see you. Thank you so much for coming with us and for not shooting me in the kidneys. I have heard this is very painful."
He turned on the motor and started to ease the boat around.
Sean pulled his earpiece out and pocketed it. “Brother, Ten was just explaining all the ways he’s going to roast your ass. He seems to be very creative when it comes to hot pokers. You should watch your backside. I don’t think he intends to use any lubricant, if you know what I mean. He’s also pissed about the monkeys. According to Simon, they’re as sexually aggressive as Ten himself.”
Charlie smiled slightly. “It sounds like they have as much discrimination as Ten, too.”
Ian turned back, looking at the beach. It was still calm and peaceful. Once Damon and the others realized there was no way to stop him, they would slow down and try to keep their eyes on the ship. He didn’t give a shit that the Agency would be pissed. This was his op. His wife was at risk, his people, and he wouldn’t let Ten or anyone else tell him how to handle it. He needed this man to trust him, and he wouldn’t get that by lying. He had one shot and one shot only at getting King Kash on his side.
Charlie was standing at the front of the boat, her hair whipping behind her. He moved in. Since he’d realized that he was being a stubborn prick, he wanted to touch her all the time, wanted to be close. He didn’t fight the urge. Not anymore. She was his. If she didn’t like the fact that his hands were always on her, then she shouldn’t have chosen him.
When he wrapped his arms around her, she immediately leaned back, her body fitting into his.
“Ian, do you think he’s watching?” She had to raise her voice to combat the sounds of the speedboat as it hit the waves, bringing them closer and closer to the yacht.
Nelson. She wanted to know if Nelson was watching her, probably getting ready to jack off at the sight of her. God, he was going to kill the fucker for making her feel self-conscious. She should always feel safe, always secure knowing that her husband would take care of her. He cuddled her close. God, how had he lived without this feeling? “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to handle him.”
He would have to because he knew damn well Nelson was watching. Now he knew they were here. It would force his hand, and Ian had to be ready. Nelson would come at him and he would come hard. The minute he could, he was going to make sure Charlie was someplace safe. They would talk to the king and then he would hide her away with Sean.
Then he could be the bait.
Her hands came up, covering his, holding him close. “I know you will, Master.”
This time she was trusting him with her life, with her sister’s life. With everything that was important to her. She wasn’t running away from him or trying to control things. She’d trusted him, the way he would trust her when it came to the Russian mob. She was smart and her instincts were good. He would lean on her, but he so needed her to lean on him.
He put his mouth right by her ear. “Do you know how much I love you?”
It was so easy to say now. He loved her with everything he had.
He felt her smile against his cheek. “As much as I love you. God, Ian, I love you so much.”
“And you look ungodly hot in that suit.” He squeezed her tight as the boat pulled up to the yacht.
A group of well-armed security men were waiting above on the lower deck as Taral expertly parked the speedboat. It was tiny compared to the massive yacht. He had the faintest moment of worry in his brain, but Sean was at his back. Sean knew what to do. He turned back to his brother and a long look passed between them. He kissed the top of his wife’s head.
Sean nodded, obviously understanding that Charlie came first. Her life was more important than Ian’s. Sean slapped his brother in a show of affection. They had learned a lot. The brotherly bond they shared now included their wives and children and those precious beings came before everything else.
“Surrender your weapons!” a large guard with a semiautomatic weapon ordered in heavily accented English.
Ian moved Charlie behind him. If they were going to have a heavy finger on the trigger, they would have to go through him, but he doubted they would open fire.
He would never have put his wife in th
e man’s way if he thought for a second Kamdar would hurt her. No, the king of Loa Mali had a thing for women. All of them. He’d enacted laws against domestic violence that would make the West look misogynistic. He encouraged the women of his country to go to college, to seek high-level jobs.
The king had a reputation as a lover, not a fighter. He routinely ditched his security detail in favor of chasing after a woman.
Ian handed up his SIG, but didn’t bother to mention the knives he had on his body or the small pistol he’d hidden in his boot. He wasn’t going to give up everything.
Sean handed his primary weapon up as well, but then his brother was deadly with knives and he had them all over his person.
“Let the woman come up now,” the guard said.
He shook his head. He couldn’t let Charlie up until he was sure he would be on that boat with her. No way. No how. “I come up first.”
The big guy frowned down at him. “I said hand up the female.”
“Stand down, Kaj.” A softer voice called out. “He’s protecting his lady. It’s a good thing. It makes me believe he’s here for the reasons he’s stated. I’ve found spies don’t tend to care much about their partners. Come. Come.”
The king of Loa Mali pushed his way to the front of the small crowd. There was no way to mistake him. He dominated the other men, though he kept his voice quiet. That man was a Dom and a confident one. He might not be trained, might not even really know what he was, but Ian did. He met Ian’s eyes and a long look passed between them.
“She will be safe. You have safe passage. Please come on board. I wish to hear why the Americans and Brits are so interested in me.”
Ian stepped forward first, allowing himself to be pulled on board. He immediately turned and put his hand down for his wife, hauling her up and back into his arms. He stepped back, keeping her close as Sean climbed on board.
Charlie remained behind him, her hands clasping his waist, letting him know she was there.
King Kash Kamdar stepped toward him. He was a large man, roughly six foot four with a well-defined body and a face that most women would die for. His skin was a golden caramel and perfectly white teeth shone from his smile. “Welcome, Mr…?”