Nando was suddenly curious and he leaned over the desk to hear.
“I know they’re overly fond of their balls.” Valentine winked a cerulean blue eye at him. “And, they aren’t particularly fond of...” Her bright smile dropped. “Losing them.”
His grin faded as he cleared his throat and shook his head. “Great!” His voice rose up a little too high. “I’m so glad we cleared that up!” He placed his shaky hands on his lap as though he were subconsciously protecting himself.
“What I need is some...” she paused and gave him a sweet girl-like smile. “...Violent action.”
Nando stood up abruptly. “This job will have it.” He thought of a comparison for this gorgeous female beast. A stunning rose with exceptional beauty and sensual as all hell, but to get to inhale the magnificent scent of her? You would be dead and bloody from the thorns. He shivered a little. Then again? He thought of Jack's brother. He could be the only man or beast, gutsy enough to even try it.
Valentine stood up with him.
“Be there tomorrow, sun up and carry light bags, heavy on the ammo.” He handed her a slip of paper. “Do you...?” he hesitated while his curiosity ran rampant over what Jack said about these two beast-humans.
Valentine gave him a chilling stare.
Grinning, he took in the shapely hips and those sweet long legs. These beasts get all the real hot babe action, dammit! He shook his head at her. “Never fucking mind.” He chuckled and held out a silver object.
Pausing, she peered down at it.
“The boss won't let you on the plane, if you don't have it.”
She grasped it in her hand and her brow wrinkled while she studied the silver crucifix.
“It’s your pass for this job. Well, have a nice...” He winked at her. “Killing spree?”
A slight smile peeked at her full lips and she went out the door.
Nando released an enormous breath as if he’d been holding it the entire time. “Whoa.” This whole thing just gave him the willies, and if she were human? He would never send her with such a group of killers. He sat back down. Two beasts in one crew and both of them without memory of each other? He winced at the possible implications. But I do love this twilight zone shit! Sure wish I could be there, when Payne got a load of her wearing that cross on her gorgeous chest!
His fascinated smile fell away as he pictured the big guy’s reaction to a woman crew member. Payne seemed even fiercer than Jack, and he never thought that would be possible to do. On second thought, maybe I’m due for an immediate vacation. He nodded. Yeah, at least for the entire day tomorrow; I wonder what’s going on in Daytona? “Oh, Tiffany dear?” he called out with his sweetest tone.
The tall, leggy blonde opened the door.
He twirled his mustache. “I need you for some...” He kicked his boots back up onto the desk. “Dictation.”
Tiffany shut the door, locked it behind her and smiled. “I’m really good at dictation, sweet Nando,” she purred at him.
Nando watched her gliding, hip-swaying walk as she came closer to the desk while truly appreciating the sweet scent of her perfume. Yeah, I got babes too, I guess. And they don't bite! He snickered. Unless—I really want them to! His fervent fascination grew as he watched Tiffany remove her flimsy silk blouse.
~* * * *~
Private Airstrip, Southern Florida at sunrise
Valentine stood by the hanger, her bag resting at her feet. Male voices boomed out from inside of it. She swung her bored gaze over to see the sun peeking on the horizon and she sighed. I hope this gets more exciting than... She spotted the tall broad-shouldered man as he strolled along with the group of men. She could immediately tell he would be the one in charge. He possessed a confidence that even showed in the way he walked and her sense of a menacing danger increased as he came closer.
Payne smiled at another man who was flapping his arms around.
“And then, he said, ‘Oh, watch me, flyboy!’” The animated storyteller grinned at the group of rough looking men as they walked beside him. “So, I took out the AK and clipped his fucking wings.” The shorter man shrugged with humor.
The group of men all laughed as they strolled along the smooth cement floors.
Payne raised his amused gaze and his laughter halted.
Valentine took in his hostile expression and sauntering walk, her eyes locking unflinchingly with his heated glare.
The men stopped talking and laughing as six semi-mercenary males stood and stared at her.
“We don't hire stewardess.” Payne shook his head.
“That’s good to know.” She squared her shoulders.
“Who are you?” He tilted his head at her.
“Well, I’m not a fucking stewardess. I'm here to do a whole different job.” Her low tone matched his.
“Oh, and what job would that be, sweet cakes?”
She opened her mouth to respond.
“Hey guys, Nando sent a party favor on this mission.” He grinned while his dark eyes twinkled at her.
“You wanna see a party?” Her body grew ready and rigid as she took a fighting stance. “Let's have some fun, big boy!”
His smile dropped. “Get the hell outta here!” Payne motioned his head to the double doors. “And, I’ll have some voyeuristic fun as I watch you leave,” he smirked.
Valentine remained impassive, tossing him the crucifix as she turned and headed to the plane.
Payne caught the necklace; looking down at it, his steely-eyed gaze rose. “Oh, fuck no!”
“Oh, fuck yeah!” she called back as she tossed her duffle into the small plane.
“What the fuck is Nando doing?” Payne wondered aloud.
The men moved toward the plane, collectively avoiding his glare.
Tossing his duffle in, it hit the inside wall just above her head.
Valentine caught it in her hands, her icy stare steady while she set it down and looked away.
He hopped in. “Take off!”
The plane ride was a tense, stony silence with intermittent whispers from the other men.
Rolling her eyes and chewing gum, she folded her arms over her chest as she glanced over.
His eyes glowed at her.
Valentine showed no reaction to his unusual gold-flecked gaze, as though it didn’t interest her.
Payne made his way over to where she stood. “So, what are your qualifications?”
“Ex-seal, ex-cop, three black belts with combat-kill training and...” She tilted her head at him. “I bake a little.” She shrugged nonchalantly.
“You forgot to mention the degree in smart ass!” Payne threw his head back and laughed.
She turned her bored gaze away.
“So, do you know what the mission is?”
“I assumed whoever is in charge would lay it out for me.”
“Yeah, you assume a fuck of a lot, lady!”
“I do what the rest of you do.” She dropped her voice with a menacing tone. “I like the kill, the sport of the chase, and I especially like it when I can get a man to scream like a baby for mercy!”
There were murmurs from the men on either side.
“Well, boys? It seems we got ourselves a butchy Betty Fucking Crocker on the team now!” he snickered.
Valentine hid the flinch she felt at his ridicule as she crossed her arms over her chest. “So, are you gonna stand around yakking it up? Or are you gonna do your job?”
His laughter evaporated and he stared down at probably the hardest shelled woman he had ever laid eyes on. “Yeah, it’s a rescue.”
“And the targets?”
“Columbians,” he sighed.
“Vicious and greedy, my favorite kind.” She smiled. “How many packages?”
“Seven.”
“Perfect number.” She looked around. “One for each of us.”
“Yeah, so you can add, so fucking what?” His unimpressed tone lashed at her.
Valentine sat back down and popped her gum in her mouth with a
loud smartass smack. “I do try, but I’m especially good at subtraction.”
Some of the guys chortled from the background.
Payne glared around at the sniggering.
The chuckles disappeared.
He opened his mouth for the next question.
“I got my own firepower.” One blue eye glanced up at him with disinterest.
He snapped his mouth closed.
“Anything else?”
“What do we call you?” The twinkle came back in his eyes. “Wait, just let me guess!”
Valentine scuffed her boot on the floor. “Your buddy, Nando, already played that game.”
“Humor me.”
“Knock yourself silly!” She rolled her eyes.
“You would be a...”
Valentine released a breath and leaned back to steady herself for the coming barbs.
Payne stilled and his humorous expression fell away.
She waited for the jibes.
“Just tell us, for fucks sake!”
“Valentine.”
“You're fucking kidding, right?”
“Nope.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He looked around.
The men all attempted to hide their smirks as they collectively lowered their heads.
“Well, Sweet Valentine?”
She glared at him.
“We’ll be dropping in a few hours, so just rest that sweet...,” he paused for emphasis. “Heart of yours.” He made his way to the front of the plane.
Valentine fought to avoid showing any visible reaction. Who the fuck does he think he is? She watched him disappear into the cockpit. She leaned back against the metal wall of the plane and closed her eyes. I’ll catch a few winks, I guess, and if he gets any ideas? I’ll be more than glad to rest his sweet, fat lip! Her mind raged with images of the excruciating injuries she could give him.
~* * * *~
Somewhere Over Panama
Valentine’s eyes popped open in the low light as a hand rose over her chest. She grabbed it, jumped over, and held it down with her weight. She smiled with contented approval when she heard the telltale snap of his arm breaking.
“Owww!” A male shout resonated through the plane, the injured man rolled on the floor, cradling his arm.
“What in the fuck?” Payne was there instantly.
“People should keep their hands to themselves.” She smoothed her shirt down.
He looked down at one of his men. “I think you broke his fucking arm!”
“Life is tough, but it's even tougher if you‘re stupid.” Valentine shrugged her shoulders at him.
Payne raised a brow at her cool attitude. “What the fuck, Ganger?” He peered down at the man writhing in agony on the floor.
“I was just reaching for my bag!” he yelled out with pain in his voice.
“Yep, there’s his bag.” Payne raised his glinting gaze to her.
“What the fuck did he expect, when I was sleeping? He’s lucky I only broke his arm.”
“You’re gonna cost us plenty!” Payne accused.
She winced at his tone
“We’re now a man down!”
“You only had that number before I jumped on!” she defended.
“Are you doing your math again, Valentine?”
“So? Now you have the same number.”
“A fucking big kill and a fat payday,” he shouted. “Blown to shit!”
“I can beat any of you.”
Payne looked over at the fierce female crewmember. “What was that?”
“I can handle his spot.” She yanked her hat from the floor.
“You’d better not cost me anymore or I’ll toss your sweet ass out into the fucking jungle!” He turned away, moving toward the back of the plane. “Everybody, mount up!”
All the men moved around and grabbed their chutes.
Valentine gazed around and spotted Ganger’s chute next to his bag.
Ganger limped toward the back, cussing about chicks with dicks while he winced and whined aloud.
He won't be needing his chute. Fucking grabby ass no account—
“Valentine!” Payne bellowed.
“What?” she called back at him as she harnessed the chute.
He stood next to her and leaned in close. “When I call you?” His warm breath grazed her neck. “You will come!”
A strange feeling ran through her as though his words hit some nerve and she flipped around. “Yes, sir!” Her clipped, martial response snapped at him.
“You need to get your,” he paused as he leaned in closer. “Firepower and get to the line.”
She rushed to the line of men, waiting at the open door of the plane.
Payne moved close and stood just behind her.
Valentine shivered and could feel his eyes on her. A man never caused her to shake or hold her breath before. They’d always earned two things from her: disinterest and disgust. Well, he has the disgust part completely nailed down. She released her breath and leapt out of the plane without the slightest hesitation.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chaviva, Columbia
Payne absorbed a nose full of her scent when he’d leaned in on her and the sensation from it seemed to just crawl right under his skin. When this is done? He grinned. This tenacious chick is gonna pay for this shit. Detailed visions of her begging and panting underneath of him crowded his mind. Seducing would be nice, though she looked too determined for that, but he would subdue her one way or another. As if he knew exactly what she looked like underneath those butchy clothes, the sensual images in his mind became extremely vivid.
Annoyed, he shook the sensations away. First, take care of business, and then take on the business of some real pleasure. He moved to the line, stood right behind her, and found himself peering down at her luscious curving behind. I wonder what her bare ass would feel like in my hands? He jerked his head up. Dammit, she’s fucking with my focus again!
Payne viewed her jump. Clean and neat. Navy Seals, eh? He jumped next.
The stealth crew of mercenaries landed silently into a hot, dark, heavily foliaged landscape. The air itself sweltered, heavy and drenching with the steamy humidity of the jungle, while towering trees loomed like giant monsters and massive elephant-leaved plants grew a story high, casting eerie shadows along the ground.
All the men wore night vision goggles, so they could navigate the jungle paths through the dark.
Payne smiled through the inferno-like gloom. I love this shit! Come down silent, move through the dark and kill all you want. His blood pumped so much better in his veins with the rush he got from of this soldier of fortune shit. He didn’t need goggles for any night sight. As he stood quietly and gazed around, his eyes narrowed when he spotted Valentine removing her chute pack. It remained unopened and she wore no goggles either. What the fuck? To fly, she had to be a—he heard the snap of a twig about fifty yards away and turned toward it, spotting a man. It was only Dice, one of his men.
~* * * *~
Valentine quietly stashed the unopened chute and stood still as a whistle sounded through the trees. The signal? She floated upward to rise above the tree line. The camp below was semi-dark, but there were a few lamps lit. She spotted the men from the crew as they took their positions around the perimeter. She floated closer, setting her boots soundlessly down to the earthen floor of the blackened jungle.
Something grabbed her with a steel-like grip and covered her mouth. She stilled, so she could figure a defense.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Payne! Her breathing accelerated.
“So, a Fem-Chimera, eh? No wonder you show no fear,” he growled under his breath.
The rat a tat of small arms fire ricocheted from below them and terrified screams rent the air while the whole camp lit up with a blindingly bright flare of light.
Payne released her and disappeared in a rush of wind.
Valentine flew higher to investigate the scene and find ou
t what caused the horrific noise from below. The main cabin in the center of camp went up in an enormous blast and the flames rose with a ghastly heat. The rolling waves from it smacked her with a bouncing rush of explosive air, tossing her body higher.
The entire camp boomed with several horrendous explosions and men were running in every direction while screaming in agony.
She righted herself and drifted down, her gun extended. She sucked in her breath when she spotted the men lying all around. The entire crew lie in burning pieces, the whole clearing littered with smoking, dismembered body parts.
A solid wall of steel slammed into her and her body crumpled from the force of it. Valentine squeezed her eyes shut with the blinding speed in which her body traveled. Then, everything came to an abrupt halt and she gazed up at a face.
Payne’s gold eyes glowed back at her.
With a heavy gulp, she swallowed her shock. Oh man, he’s—a beast? She heard him growl while he floated them down. An extremely pissed off beast! She trembled. Well, fuck him! Anger rose in her to cover her fear and she struggled to get loose. She turned her body around and aimed an elbow at his stomach while she jerked her knee back. Valentine slammed it up hard against his family jewels, her knee and elbow hitting solid concrete as she yelped out with pain.
His chuckle rippled in her ear while he gripped her tighter. He landed them to the ground and she simply waited for his next move.
Payne let her go.
“Finally, you God Damn gorilla!” she seethed at him while she rubbed her sore elbow.
“Who are you?” His eyes glowed brighter.
“You know my name.”
“You set us up!” he accused.
“What?”
He let out a feral growl and grabbed her again. “My men are all dead!”
Valentine stilled for a second or two. “You think that I—?”
“We know nothing about you. We get here unsuspecting, and land right into a waiting death trap!”
“No, I had nothing to do with this!”
“And, you’re not human!” he seethed the word at her.
“So, fucking what? Neither are you!”
“You’re gonna pay for this, you fucking spy!” he growled.
Astonishment and rage boiled inside her. “You dumb fucking...” She marbled and flew at him.
Voracious Vixens, 13 Novels of Sexy Horror and Hot Paranormal Romance Page 213