by Lee, Taylor
Her heart leapt with relief when Brady and their men tore through the door. She’d never doubted that she and Jake and Peter could take down the mobsters. Their rage was that powerful. But at Brady’s ecstatic yell, “Back atcha, hotshot!” tears of joy spilled from her eyes.
She shouted over her shoulder to one of the men coming fast behind Brady, “Get Ming. She’s in the bedroom. Be careful! There’s a fucking Abrams tank disguised as a human being guarding her.”
At that moment, Lexie saw Dalila streak to the open door. Brady turned and sprinted after her.
Lexie was at his side in seconds, and shoved him aside. Her voice was low, fierce.
“Oh, no you don’t, Brady. She’s mine. All mine.”
Brady’s shout of laughter followed her out into the cool night air.
Dalila reached the town car parked in the driveway, her hand grasping the door handle just as Lexie caught up with her. Lexie’s shrieking cry split the night. Grabbing Dalila by her hair, she jerked her backwards, flinging her to the ground. Dalila rolled to the side, then sprang to her feet. When she whirled to face her, Lexie saw the flash of a blade in Dalila’s hand. Lexie’s heart leapt in anticipation. The rage in the woman’s eyes matched her own. Lexie knew she was in for the fight of her life and she reveled in it.
Dalila managed to duck the fierce kick Lexie drove at her ribs. Lexie hit her chest instead. At Dalila’s pained howl, Lexie grinned, remembering her promise to Jake that if it was the last thing she did she’d take out her rival’s big breasts and heart-shaped ass. The memory sharpened her focus. Seeing Dalila aiming a round house kick at her head, Lexie dove for the ground. But Dalila’s steel tipped boot grazed her shoulder. Backing up momentarily to allow the pain ricocheting through her arm to subside, Lexie next went for the knife in Dalila’s hand.
In one of her signature moves that never failed to disarm her opponent, Lexie arched into the air forward and then back, in a dizzying series of handsprings. Shock marring her grim face, Dalila backed up in a stupefied crouch, her knife at the ready.
Lexie exploded from below, catching Dalila’s wrist with a shattering blow, her heel drove up against Dalila’s chest, knocking her to the ground. Screaming as much in fury as pain, Dalila rolled to her side, her knife skittering uselessly across the grass.
Lexie chased her. When she was inches away, Dalila swung toward her. The growl that came from the wretched woman’s throat was inhuman, an enraged animal in for the kill. It was then that Lexie saw the custom Rugar that Dalila was aiming at her face.
A shot rang out. For a split second, Lexie expected the bullet to blast through her skull. Instead, a pinpoint hole sullied Dalia’s smooth brow. Lexie watched stunned as blood seeped from the professionally aimed kill shot.
She whirled to see Jake, Brady and Peter standing calmly behind her. She almost missed Peter tucking an extended 9mm Glock in his boot holster.
In the seconds that followed, her disbelief turned to rage. All the emotions of the last five hours boiled up inside of her. With a roar she hurled herself at Peter, screaming incoherently.
“How dare you? Damn you! How dare you kill her? She was mine! Mine to kill. You fucking asshole!”
She beat against his chest with her fists, a bundle of enraged fury. As she swung for another blow, a strong hand caught her arm spinning her in a circle landing her against a solid wall of armor. Jake’s voice was a low silky command.
“Stop, Lexie.”
She froze in an icy column, caught in the iron hard band of his arms. She fought against him, but her fierce efforts were useless against a force far stronger than her own.
“Now. Darlin’. It’s over. Stop. Now.”
A groan ripped from her throat, and then Lexie collapsed against his muscle hard chest. She would have fallen to the ground except for his tight hold. Shivering uncontrollably, through the rush of blood in her ears, she heard his soft murmurs, whispering comforting words. She didn’t know how long he held her buried against his strength. She heard the men behind them discussing next steps. At some level she knew that they dragged Dalila’s body back into the killing fields of the house. She heard but didn’t understand why Peter told one of the men to put his Glock in An-kor’s hand.
The conversation between Jake and Peter cut through her shock.
“We can’t leave tracks. The gunshots will bring the cops any minute. Your call, Colonel.”
Lexie heard Jake’s quiet command. “Blow it.”
From somewhere a car squealed up beside them. Scooping her up in his arms, Jake leapt through the rear door, Brady at his back. Peter’s soft directions to the driver confirmed he’d joined them. As the car screeched in a fearsome circle and sped through the dark night, Lexie heard a horrendous explosion.
Chapter 30
The four of them sat in the comfortable parlor at their Center. After he settled Ming in the guest bedroom with one of Jake’s men standing guard, Master Wan joined them. His face was a blank mask. At the soft knock on the door, he rose and directed Jung Kee to place the tray on the low table in front of the sofa. When he motioned to the small woman, she nodded and moved to the door. Looking at Lexie burrowed under a quilt in Jake’s lap, concern strained her face.
Jake spoke for the group. “She’s okay, Jung Kee. Please don’t wake Madam Juen. There will be enough time in the morning to tell her what happened.”
The young servant didn’t try to hide the tears streaming down her face as she closed the door behind herself.
Master Wan sat in the armchair across from Jake. He handed Jake a cup of hot chocolate.
“I assumed you didn’t want her to have coffee.” He added with a slight smile, “However, this is liberally laced with whisky.”
Jake thanked him with his eyes as he drew the quilt tighter around Lexie. “Both should help to warm her up. I think she’s finally stopped shivering.” He frowned, not hiding his disgust. “Although when you’re dressed in as few clothes as Lexie is, it’s not surprising that she is cold.”
Lexie shoved at his arms trying to free herself. She snapped, “She is right here and capable of deciding when I’m warm, and when I’m not. Please let me go, Jake.”
Jake’s voice was ominously soft as he pressed a large hand on her chest settling her into the circle of his strong arm.
“Uh uh, Lexie. You aren’t going anywhere.” He added, his voice dropping further, “For the next five hundred years or so. However, if you behave yourself, I may let you participate in this conversation.”
At her outraged sputter, he tightened his grip on the back of her neck. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. She froze, her protest seemingly stuck in her throat.
At her silence, Jake nodded and affirmed in his low commanding tone, “That’s better. Just like that, Darlin’.”
Grinning inwardly at the surprise on all three men’s faces, he held the cup of cocoa next to her lips. “Now, Darlin’. Drink this.”
When she took an obedient sip, he murmured again in her ear and sat her up straighter then handed her the cup. With a quick glance at the group, Jake waved a hand at the tray.
“Please. Help yourselves. And Brady, forget the niceties. Fill that glass to the brim and give it to me. If the rest of you feel anything like I do, we’re likely gonna need another bottle or two of your good stuff, Master Wan.”
After they all had generous drinks in their hands, Jake raised his in a salute to Peter. The others followed suit.
“Gotta say, Councilman. I’m glad to see that you wear not one but several masks. Thanks for taking all of them off tonight. Given where you are on the grid—or off of it, you took a big risk. You have my thanks.”
“I’ll fuckin’ second that!” Brady spoke for the group.
Peter smiled. “I’d say it was my pleasure, but that’s overstating it a bit.”
Silence fell over the room. Jake shook his head, knowing the others were likely seeing the hideous scenes that were replaying in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he h
eld Lexie closer to him, knowing how unlikely it was that any of them would get over the horror of the night any time soon.
Peter broke the silence.
“It’s not as though I didn’t have help. Can’t remember when I’ve ever been in a skirmish with warriors more formidable than the Kkangpae. I don’t have to tell you, all of are the equal of any fighters across the globe. I salute you.”
After they’d all raised their glasses, Lexie nudged Jake and whispered to him, “I’m not going anywhere, Jake. Please.”
He wrapped the blanket securely around her and murmured, “As long as you understand that, Darlin’.”
Lexie sat up straighter, testing the limits of Jake’s grip. While she chafed at his restrictive hold, she knew in her gut she didn’t want him to let her go. If she could burrow against him and never let go, it would be too soon. But she had to make sense of the evening.
She fastened a frown on Peter.
“Who are you?”
Peter raised a brow at her direct question. He glanced from one to the other, and shrugged.
“Given the company I’m in, dissembling isn’t in order.”
He sipped thoughtfully on his whisky, as though weighing how much he would reveal.
Seeing his hesitation, Jake broke in. “Peter, in addition to being world class fighters—and I include Lexie in this circle—we are the most secretive bunch of SOBs you’ll ever meet. Moreover, not that I’m into ‘dick length’ contests, but Brady and I have seen and done more than any man should in several life times. They’re things that you couldn’t torture out of us. We’re only interested to hear in as much as you choose to reveal.”
At Peter’s nod, Jake added with a grin, “Oh and by the way, if you are interested in that ‘dick of the year’ contest, bring it on.”
Peter chuckled. “I’ll save that for when I’ve had a few more glasses of Master Wan’s ‘good stuff’.”
He included them all in his thoughtful gaze. “I’m officially NIS, the Korean National Intelligence Service. I came on board when it was the ANSP, a more aggressive agency than the current NIS. I’m sorry that I missed the heyday of the Angibu. That organization would have been a better fit for me. Although most of the abusive acts that brought down Angibu are not condoned in the NIS, you understand from your experiences that the world often demands ruthlessness. That’s when certain elements of the NIS bring me in. At a top secret level, of course. As you intimated, Jake, I’m about as far off the grid as you can go and still work with the NIS.”
Sipping on his drink, he added, “I was grateful that you understood my reference to Anjibu, Jake. I needed that small reassurance that I was dealing with a simpatico warrior before I revealed my true status.”
Lexie saw that the two men understood each other, but she needed to know more.
“Peter, I know you overheard my warning to Brady, specifically that Dalila was mine. Why… why did you break in?”
Peter’s smile widened. “Other than the fact that I happen to know that Dalila is a trained marksman and given your attire, I didn’t see a weapon hidden anywhere, I thought it wise to participate.” He held up his hand stopping her protest.
“You need to understand, Lexie. I couldn’t leave witnesses to tonight’s adventure. None. It has taken me nearly two years to gain the confidence of Young-soo. I know you and Brady know this, Jake, but Young-soo is the mastermind behind much of the human trafficking that originates in Korea. He has operatives in each of the major cities. Dalila was a low-level informant working in Immigration. She used her significant talents in the ‘dick arena’ and convinced Young-soo that she could handle a bigger role. I knew it was only a matter of time before her insatiable ego would bring us to a standoff. With Young-soo’s support, I planned to take her out, although not as spectacularly as tonight. Dalila was also working to convert my Kkangpae guards to her camp—again using her prodigious talents. I regret that I needed to kill all of them tonight, but I had no other options. My cover is essential.”
Lexie struggled to square the man she thought she knew with the high level, ruthless double agent he’d just revealed. And, she realized with a start, revealed things she didn’t know about Jake. Knowing that she wanted to work with Peter in the future, she needed to know where he stood.
“Is your business real? Or is that a charade as well?”
“It is very real. Both the NIS and Young-soo pay well. I don’t mind milking them both. And I have a gift for investments.”
Looking from Brady back to Jake, he added, “Seeing that your accouterments are almost as outrageous as mine, I presume you also have multiple streams of income depending on how many angles you are working.”
At their shared laugh, Lexie was annoyed with their camaraderie that excluded her.
“Let me be blunt, Peter. Will you work with me in the future? Help me bring down Young-soo? At least expose his work here in the Bay area.”
Peter regarded her quietly for a moment and then looked to Jake.
“That is a serious question, Lexie, and one that requires further discussion. Amongst us all. At least from my experience, you are… well, a bit of a loose cannon.”
At Jake’s disgusted grunt, Peter added, “You don’t seem to have a sense of the danger you are in, Lexie. I tried to warn you repeatedly. I also knew that Dalila was sending you threatening messages. She bragged about them to Young-soo in our conference calls. She loved the idea of frightening you. In the beginning, I wasn’t concerned. I hoped that they would scare you off.”
At Brady’s loud guffaw, Peter gave him rueful grin then turned to Jake.
“At the very least, I assumed she’d show them to you. Again, a mistaken assumption.”
Jake’s expression darkened and his voice roughened.
“That is but one of many issues that Lexie and I will be discussing, Peter. Until we have that conversation, it is premature to discuss her work with you.”
Lexie tossed her head and smiled sweetly.
“We’ll see about that.”
She shoved the quilt aside and pushing away Jake’s arms, attempted to stand.
Jake’s arm flew out and he jerked her back on his lap. He tossed her a devastating grin that sizzled straight to her core. She felt the heat flood her face when his grin widened. His voice was deep, husky.
“Yeah, Darlin’, we sure as hell will see about that.”
He rose to his feet, a looming presence. Tossing her over his shoulder, he held her in place with a firm hand on her bottom.
Lexie shrieked and beat on his back.
“Dammit, Jake. Put me down. Now! This minute!”
Jake strode toward the door, ignoring Lexie pounding on his back and threatening him with a thousand ways she planned to pay him back. Turning to the amused men, he said, “Tell you what, Peter, Lexie and I will get back to you after we’ve had chance to ‘discuss’ the issues.”
Peter arched a brow and grinned. Brady spoke for all of them including Master Wan when he said, “Wish I could be in that discussion, Jake, but I assume you’ll make all of our points as well as yours.”
Jake laughed as he headed out the door to her quarters.
“That I will, Brady, and many more. Good night, all. It’s been an interesting evening.” He chuckled. “And it ain’t over yet.”
Chapter 31
Jake locked the door behind himself, and lifted Lexie off his shoulder. With a low growl he pulled her tight against his hard body. Pressing her against the wall, he buried his face in her hair. Lexie gasped at the shock of erotic sensations flooding through her. Coupled with the adrenalin she knew was swamping them both, within seconds she was panting, gasping for breath. His strong male smell drove her desire to a fever pitch. She ached to hold him, touch him. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted him now.
His breath was hot, heavy on her neck. Weaving his fingers in her hair he jerked her head back exposing her neck. He nipped at the sensitive space beneath her ear and chuckled at her cry. His voice
was low, husky, more like a growl.
“Let’s run through our little conversation again, Lexie. I believe you said ‘we’ll see about that.’ What are we gonna see about, baby? This?”
He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and bit down. She cried out at the slight pain, stunned when the sizzling sensations shot to her core.
“Or this?” ran his tongue along the tops of her breasts, licking then nipping at the heated flesh.
“Answer me, baby. Just exactly what are we going to see about? Maybe these clothes?”
Jake stood her on the floor against the wall. Without his weight holding her up Lexie was sure she would fall, her legs were worthless pieces of rubber. He jerked the obscene top down exposing her breasts. She cupped her breasts in her hands and offered them to him, begging for his touch.
Instead Jake covered her hands with his, holding her in place, and licked the valley between her breasts. His tongue was a devilish tormentor, licking, lapping at the moist skin but not touching her throbbing nipples.
“You’re sweaty, baby. You taste salty. Sweet. I was gonna put you in the bathtub, wash off all the smells, the crap from tonight. But I changed my mind. I’m gonna lick it off you, Darlin’. Off every part of you—starting here.”
He grabbed the flimsy halter top in both hands and ripped it from her body. Lexie moaned and arched her back raising her breasts to his mouth. God, if he didn’t kiss her nipples, suck on them soon, she would die from need.
“Please, Jake, please. I need you!”
Her plea turned to a wail when he ran his tongue around one tight nub. He pulled it into his mouth and sucked on it. When it was long and swollen he pressed it against the roof of his mouth. At the same time, he rolled her other nipple between his fingers and thumb then pinched down hard. She screamed at the sensations ricocheting over her, clinging desperately to him.
He snarled holding up the torn material.
“Is this what we’re gonna see about, baby. This four-inch scrap that was supposed to cover your breasts? Contain them? Gotta tell you, it didn’t do its job, Darlin’. Your breasts were bursting out of it, driving a dozen men to distraction, including my partner and the guy who saved our lives. Shall we see about that, Lexie? About whether you are going to saunter out dressed like this flaunting your beautiful body, enticing every fucking asshole that sees you? Or Darlin’, are you gonna save these for me. Just me, goddamn it!”