INTO DANGER (Secret Assassins (S.A.S.S.) Book 1)

by Gennita Low

  Like he didn’t know. “Stay out of the way,” he yelled back. His eyes were getting used to the junglelike darkness.

  He caught the flash of the blade again and jumped to the side. His opponent’s brute strength was evidenced by the swoosh of air somewhere near his belly. He caught a brawny wrist and swung the arm outward, turning as he did so and viciously jabbing his elbow against the man’s kidney.

  With his height advantage, Dankin reached over his shoulder to attack with his other hand, clamping his fingers under Steve’s chin, reaching for the throat. Steve ignored the oncoming chokehold, bending forward and efficiently breaking the wrist of the bigger man. To his credit Dankin only grunted, loosening his hold. Steve turned away from the grasping fingers around his neck; twisting the broken wrist, he forced the man around and head-butted him in the chin.

  Dankin crumpled to the floor. The lights came back on at that precise moment.

  Steve maneuvered the jagged blade against the big man’s throat. “Gotcha,” he said, his voice grim with satisfaction.

  “I must admit, my bedroom has never been this popular with men before.”

  Steve looked up to see the head of du Scheum Industries at the doorway, surveying his room with a bemused expression. He turned his attention back to Dankin, who lay on his back, blood dripping from nose and mouth, looking back with a blank, obstinate stare. Steve put pressure on the knife just a fraction, enough to pierce the man’s skin, then released his hold. Tess said she wanted them alive for information.

  He stood up and took in the aftermath. There was du Scheum, and three of his bodyguards. There was Dankin at his feet, and...two dead men. William Cunningham had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. His lifeless eyes looked straight at du Scheum, an expression of surprise still on his face, a small trickle of blood at the corner of his lips. The other bodyguard had also been shot to death. Steve recalled two more standing outside the door before, and he wondered whether they had experienced a similar fate.

  And there was no Marlena in the room. He double-checked, to make sure. Nope. She’d slipped away with the laptop. He noticed the French door to the balcony was ajar.

  “It was important to get Cunningham alive,” Steve pointed out as he tucked away the knife.

  “It’s difficult to wage a fight in the dark,” du Scheum said as he stepped further into his room. His gaze fell dispassionately on the dead Cunningham. “I didn’t think he would be the one who stole the laptop, but then it’s always the quiet ones.”

  “He had access to people inside the CIA and also in your house. Without him, we’ll never know who the moles are.” It was stating the obvious, but since Tess was probably listening in, Steve thought he’d better let her know that part of her plan hadn’t worked out. He wasn’t going to ask how du Scheum knew when to arrive. He had a feeling he wouldn’t get a straight answer.

  Du Scheum shrugged. “My concern was to stop the leak on my end. The rest isn’t important.”

  Not important, hell. The man didn’t care highly classified security files were being passed in and out of the CIA channels like used dollar bills in a bank. Of course not. The man depended on the buying and selling of secured information at his parties. So the more leaks, as long as they weren’t from his end, the better his power base.

  Steve shoved his hands into his pockets, disgusted with the situation. He wasn’t going to bring up the missing Marlena, either. He couldn’t help feeling slightly antagonistic toward du Scheum, knowing she and the older man had a history together. “Now what?” he asked.

  “We call the police, of course. I don’t hide dead bodies, Mr. McMillan.”

  “They are going to ask a whole lot more questions this time, Mr. du Scheum.”

  “Birman will handle it. He was protecting me, as usual.”

  Steve recognized Birman, the man who had saved du Scheum the other night. They nodded at each other. “They won’t buy that. How was he protecting you?” Steve asked.

  “My dear Mr. McMillan, this is my bedroom. I have every right to walk in here expecting some kind of safety. Fortunately for me, my bodyguard is always more careful than I am and spotted these men waiting in my room. He disposed of two of them. And then there is...Dankin, whom you overpowered.”

  “You know him?”

  “I know all of them. They are in my employ. Cunningham obviously bought their services.”

  “That also means you can’t trust your own people, Mr. du Scheum. There were more than two of your employees in his pay. In fact there were two outside the door, and I don’t see them now.”

  Du Scheum nodded, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Steve frowned. The man was like one of his robots. If it were his outfit that had men betraying him, he would be doing more than just standing there looking around thoughtfully. He would be tearing the place apart looking for the bastards. Instead the businessman was unruffled by two attempts on his life and perhaps a whole household of insiders working for the enemy.

  Not his problem, Steve told himself.

  Du Scheum gestured to Birman, who nodded and left the room. “I’ll handle the police,” du Scheum addressed Steve. “You should leave now. As for the two men you mentioned, don’t worry. With Cunningham dead, I’m sure I’ll find plenty of wagging tongues pointing to them.” He looked around again in distaste. “For some reason, the comforts of my own bedroom don’t hold any more appeal.”

  “You’ll have to be doubly careful from now on,” Steve warned, ready to go once Dankin was secured.

  “Thank you. Just follow my man. He’ll show you downstairs and give you access to a vehicle. Please tell Marlena I said hello, and that I’ll be expecting to see her soon.”

  Not without me there you won’t. “I’ll make sure she gets the message,” Steve replied.

  Casting one final look at the surly Dankin, he followed one of the bodyguards out of the huge master bathroom.

  He was given the keys to a Beamer. He had no idea how he was going to return the car, but didn’t waste time asking. One thing he’d picked up from this adventure—use the prop at hand and go from there. He drove the powerful car down the long driveway, stopping at the electronic gate, which opened slowly. He put the car in park right between the two brick gateposts, interrupting the gate sensors, and waited. He wasn’t leaving without Marlena.

  He stuck his head out and whistled. From the left a shadowy figure dropped down from the high wall, landing with catlike grace. The back door of the vehicle opened and the interior light came on. The person had a black hood on.

  The door next to him opened then and another figure jumped in. Steve put the car in gear and drove off. He glanced at the woman’s profile to his right, then looked at the rearview mirror. Tess had already pulled off her face cover.

  “A nice car would get a guy some fine chicks,” he mocked, baring a wolfish grin at both ladies. He was having fun, after all.

  Marlena was scowling at him, obviously not at all liking his presence near her. Steve felt his temper rising again. Well, too bad. She would just have to get used to it.

  ***

  What was Stash doing working so closely with Tess? What had she told him? Marlena didn’t like the idea of them together at all, not one bit. And why did he have to look so damn hot? She wanted to lean forward, kiss that mouth, and forget about her problems, but since he was one of them, kissing him would definitely not solve it. She focused on the woman in the backseat instead.

  She turned to look at Tess, studying for a long moment the woman with the jet-black spiky hairdo in black leather from head to—she peered over the seat—toe. She was even wearing black gloves. Her gray eyes were glinting in amusement as she sat back there, seemingly content to be silent for now. She slanted a glance at Stash’s leather jacket, then unzipped her own black one.

  “I feel like I’ve just joined a black leather fashion show,” Marlena drawled, choosing mockery over demanding questions. “Nice get-up, T. Joining our rock band?”

  “Too many
catfights over the sexy male lead,” Tess drawled back, taking up the whole backseat with a deceptively relaxed sprawl. “Not that it matters, of course, since I always win.”

  “Always?” Marlena raised an eyebrow at the challenge. What exactly did Tess mean by that remark? Did she mean Stash?

  “Always, darling.”

  “And since when have you developed a liking for catfights?” Marlena didn’t bother to curb the hint of temper in her voice. She was suddenly feeling very territorial.

  Tess’s smile gleamed in the semidarkness, feral and knowing, like a cat with a bird in mind. “Who said I had?”

  “Then why get into one now?” Marlena countered.

  “Darling, I’m not the one hissing.”

  “I want to know what you’re up to, T. You know my reasons for working alone. Maybe your working within a group the last couple of years has influenced your decision making, but don’t forget, this is still my contract.”

  Tess shifted position, twisting one of the rings on her finger. Her tone of voice was sleepy, as if she’d heard all this before. “Who called me for information? I was perfectly content in New York, darling. Besides, you seem unhappy I’ve found someone new to work with.”

  Marlena felt like baring her teeth and snarling. Instead she stared with narrowed eyes at Tess, trying to read her friend’s devious mind. Tess’s manipulating techniques were legendary among their peers, and Marlena had spent years fencing with her, but since Tess’s stint with that group of men, she’d gotten even worse. Or better, depending on where one was standing. It didn’t matter. Tess was up to no good. Those half-closed slanted eyes shone with mischief.

  “Ladies,” Steve interrupted the standoff, his voice rich with male amusement. “Can’t we just get along?”

  Marlena didn’t want to talk to him. He’d found out who she was, then abandoned her. Now he showed up with Tess, obviously having spent some time with her. Never mind she herself had decided she was going to forget about him. That was then; this was now. If he wanted to play kissing games, it had better be with her.

  “What were you doing, letting yourself get caught?” she demanded, shifting her anger to the real object of her irritation.

  Steve gave her a sideways glance. “Saving your ass.”

  “Saving my ass? I didn’t need you to save my ass!”

  “Yeah, right. What about the knife-wielding bodyguard? You think he was just attempting to give you a haircut?”

  His voice was a notch lower, but she ignored the danger sign. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Ha, you weren’t looking his way. Your mind was on how to get the laptop out of there.”

  Her mind had been on several things actually. “I was wondering how to get you out of there!” She remembered the moment of panic when she realized the attacker had a knife and that Steve was going to get slashed. She had hesitated long enough to make sure he was going to be all right before securing the laptop.

  “I’m here now,” Steve pointed out.

  “You weren’t here yesterday.” The words tumbled out. Marlena knew she sounded illogical, but she couldn’t stop herself. Where was he when she truly needed him?

  “No, you weren’t there yesterday,” Steve growled back, his voice another notch lower.

  Tess’s smoky laugh broke their verbal exchange. “Can’t we just get along?” she mimicked.

  Marlena jerked around and glared at Tess. A biting retort rose to her lips, something stinging she knew would shut her friend up. All she had to do was refer to Alex, and she knew Tess would back off a little. But she couldn’t. Of all things, she understood the raw pain of walking away from someone one cared about too much. Pursing her lips, she turned back to face the front and hoped her silence would get the message across to Tess.

  “Stop messing with my mind,” she muttered softly.

  “My job,” Tess replied calmly. “But that’s enough for tonight, I suppose. I’ll drop both of you off at Marlena’s hotel and take this nice little car home with me. I’ll pick both of you up tomorrow morning at 0900 hours. We have a meeting with Admiral Madison.”

  This was getting to be an overcrowded affair. “May I know why?” Marlena asked, then added sarcastically, “Since this is my contract.”

  “I’m sure Stash will fill you in later,” drawled Tess, obviously forgetting about her previous comment that she wasn’t going to mess with Marlena’s mind any more for the night, “or maybe you prefer to be alone? If so, Stash and I can drop you off.”

  Marlena tossed a stormy gaze at Steve. “He can do whatever he wants,” she answered stonily, not wanting to admit she wanted him with her. Who was she to tell him what to do, anyway? He was working with Tess. “Or maybe he’s waiting for his next orders.”

  Steve stopped at a red light. “I’m taking us to the hotel. You and I are getting out. Then I’ll follow you to your room. We’ll close the door behind us. And then”—he looked her straight in the eye, and she saw, too late, that she’d ignored all the warning signs—“I’ll do what I want.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Among his SEAL teammates, Steve was known to be the patient one, the man everyone wanted on point duty in a scope-out for danger ahead. When he walked point, he relied on his teammates to look out for danger around while he was looking down at the trail, making sure it was safe. His life was in their hands, and theirs were totally dependent on his sight and patience.

  When they reached the hotel, he climbed out of the expensive car and at the last second, decided not to slam the door. Point man, indeed. He must have been too busy looking down at the trail after Marlena. If he had looked up just once, so to speak, he would have been aware of how far off the mark everyone else around him was. Nobody seemed to be following the trail he’d cleared for them.

  He stood on the curb waiting for Marlena and Tess. See, this was the problem. He was too damn patient. Too reliant on his ability to clear paths. None of these folks had asked for a point man; they all were charging full steam ahead. Harden and Task Force Two. Marlena. Tess. The admiral. Even du Scheum was busy covering for his business deals.

  He had a few things to say about the whole damn thing, but he was going to be patient one more time. He would wait for the right moment. Right now the frustration he had left simmering since finding Marlena gone was at boiling point. That kind of patience, he didn’t have. The woman wasn’t going to give him an inch. If he just stood there, she would drive on by pretending she didn’t see him. That didn’t sit too well with him at all.

  “That laptop,” he said to both women, who had gotten out of the car. Tess was walking to the driver’s side. “There’s still some people after it. Marlena had some threatening phone calls at the other place.”

  “Don’t worry about them,” Marlena said.

  “I say, let’s,” Steve countered, watching the stubborn tilt of those lips. “Why not find out who they are? Get rid of them once and for all.”

  “I give up!” Marlena stalked away with the laptop, heading off toward the hotel entrance. She tossed Tess a glare as she passed by, adding, “You started this. You explain it to him. I don’t like having someone tell me how to get my job done.”

  Steve was about to go after her, seething for that overdue confrontation, when Tess’s hand on his arm stopped his progress. He turned to her impatiently. “I have to go,” he said shortly.

  “You can keep for another five minutes,” Tess told him calmly.

  He reluctantly watched Marlena walk farther away. “What is it?”

  “Marlena isn’t used to working with someone.”

  “Too bad.”

  “She is given an assignment, reports back to either me or someone else, gets enough information to proceed, and gets her job done.”

  Steve shrugged. “I’m not arguing with her over her job.”

  “It’s a matter of style, hmm?” Tess ran a finger down the front of the leather jacket. “She doesn’t communicate like a team member. You’ve functioned wit
hin one, know how to disperse certain information to help the team achieve the task. Marlena is...not good with that.”

  “Why are you telling me this, T?” Steve asked, frustrated and impatient.

  “Darling, I don’t tell anything without a reason,” Tess replied, and moved away. “When she asked you not to worry about the people after the laptop, you took umbrage. Why?”

  “Because they’re a danger to her. What’s wrong with being worried about that?” It hurt that Marlena had pushed him away when he was trying to show he cared about her.

  Tess shook her head, then turned to open the car door. “Both blind as bats and obstinate as mules,” she muttered, as she got in. The streetlight gave her gray eyes a strange glitter as she peered up at Steve. Tilting her head slightly, she added, “It’s a matter of semantics, darling. M meant it another way. She asked you not to worry about them because they’re part of her mission. Just keep in mind she has worked alone for a long time, Steve, okay? She doesn’t like to share her thoughts too much.”

  “Part of...I see. She wanted to be found.” Steve frowned and leaned down, his hand on the roof of the car. “She knows who they are?”

  “Don’t look at me for answers. I’ve none where you two are concerned. Just don’t walk away unless you are very sure.”

  Tess’s expression was grave, although her voice still held an amused note. Steve studied her for a moment. Tess, who he knew by now could talk circles around anyone, was directly telling him something from the heart. She might coat on that mockery and laughter thick and fast, but he felt the sincerity in her advice.

  He nodded. “I won’t,” he told her quietly. “Thanks.”

  She flicked her hand, dismissing him. “The first five minutes are free. It’s $3.99 a minute from now on, darling.”

  Steve grinned and took a step back. She fired up the car. “She probably locked me out.”

  “She won’t. She’ll give you another five minutes before she comes after you.”

  Oh, that sounded good. “You think?”

  “Here’s the elevator key to the top floor. You can’t just press the button at this place. You’ve got the room keycard?”