She'd known what he meant by 'eliminate,' before he confirmed it and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. The team might have to kill people to keep her safe and she hated the fact they would have blood on their hands because of her. She wasn't naïve to think Ian, Jake and the others had never killed anyone before. They were former Navy SEALs in an era where terrorists from around the world were more than threatening the American way of life as well as the lives of those same Americans. They had been in combat, seeing and doing things most people had never imagined, but now, they wouldn't be killing anyone for all America. Instead, they'd be killing someone for the sake of one person–her, Angelina Beckett, a graphic designer from Tampa, Florida, who wouldn't know a terrorist or drug cartel member if she tripped over him. With that knowledge, she was done asking questions for the moment and turned back toward the window. After a few moments, she sensed Jake stand and move back to the area behind her, leaving her alone in her thoughts.
* * *
Ian was ready to spit nails as he watched his teammate talk to Angie. A few minutes earlier, he'd been about to storm up to the front of the plane and force her to listen to him but Jake had stopped him. She didn't need his frustration at the moment and it would only push her further away from him. He needed to get his emotions under control before he talked to her. So instead of doing it himself and screwing things up even more, he very reluctantly allowed his friend to talk to the stubborn, pissed-off woman and soothe her ruffled feathers.
If Athos was still alive, he should be on his way to South Carolina to a pre-arranged location. When he reached it, he would contact Ian, who would then send his teammates to retrieve the agent and bring him across the state border to the safe-house after making sure they weren't followed or tracked. Once they got the low-down on who, what, where, when and how, they would help Athos any way they could while keeping Angie safe.
While Jake talked to Angie, Ian sat in the middle area of the plane which was set up like a living room, complete with couches, recliners and tables, all bolted to the floor. Gazing out the window at nothing, he thought about how fast the beautiful submissive had gotten under his skin, a fact he was wary about.
They had fallen into a comfortable routine since their first public scene at the club last Friday. He'd taken her back to his place after she recovered from the sub-space she'd achieved from her orgasm and he fucked her several times until dawn, leaving them both happy and sated. Each morning she went home only to return to him each evening and spend the night. They'd returned to the club on Saturday night, and again on Sunday night, participating in one other public scene as well as a private one in the office theme room where she pretended to be his naughty secretary. He'd fucked her every way he could think of using the desk and chair to position her how he wanted and even sat her atop a tall filing cabinet so he could eat her sweet pussy while standing up. He loved how she embraced her naughty side and often found his mind wandering during the daytime thinking of different scenarios for them to play out. The club was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so those two nights they'd cooked dinner in his kitchen, cuddled on the couch and ended up pleasuring each other in a variety of ways. The woman was as insatiable as he was and more adventurous than he'd expected. He'd given her several pieces of lingerie he'd picked out from the club store, instructing her she was to wear them and nothing else while they were alone together in his home. Angie rocked lingerie in a way which rivaled any Victoria's Secrets model. If he had his way, she wouldn't wear anything but the sexy scraps of material twenty-four hours a day. He'd even gotten into the habit of locking the deadbolt to his front door to ensure Jenn didn't walk in on them again by accident.
He watched as Jake rose, walked back toward the sitting area and took his earlier seat on the couch between the two recliners Ian and Brody had occupied the entire flight. Egghead was catching a brief nap since there was nothing much to do while in the air and he hadn't had time to grab one of his own laptops. When they got to the safe-house he would have a smaller but similar setup to the war-room back at Trident. From there he would do what he did best, and get them as much information about who was after Angie.
Ian glanced at Jake. "Does she still want my dick in a cock cage?"
"If I were you, I'd keep it out of her reach for a while. Your balls too." He chuckled when his boss winced and crossed his legs in an automatic response most men had at the thought of their reproductive organs being tortured. "Don't worry. I gave her some things to think about. She's worried about Athos, but I think she's also worried about you and the rest of us."
Confused, Ian tilted his head. "Me? Us? Why?"
Jake leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "She may be submissive, Ian, but she's far from naïve. Angie knows there's a chance she, Athos, or any of us may end up six feet under by the time this whole thing plays out. Even though her friend is the one who brought this to her doorstep, no matter how unintentional and how much he tried to prevent it, she knows we'll do anything we have to in order to protect her. If any of us have to kill someone, which is a near one-hundred percent possibility, I think she's going to have a hard time with it. And God forbid one of us is caught in the crossfire...she's going to feel responsible no matter what."
Taking a moment to think about things from Angie's point of view, Ian knew his teammate was right. She wasn't a part of his world where killing someone, while not ever taken lightly, was something he wouldn't hesitate to do if needed to protect his teammates, his family, innocent people and the woman he loved. Oh, fuck! He did not just think that. His stomach bottomed out and he couldn’t blame it on turbulence since there wasn’t any. He couldn't be in love with Angie…he wouldn't let himself be. Falling in love with a woman only led to heartache and Ian refused to go through it again. Fuck! He dragged his hand down his face in frustration and forced the thoughts of unwanted love to the back of his mind. He'd deal with that later.
Chapter 14
Angie still hadn't said a word to anyone but Jake beyond necessary 'yes' or 'no' answers to questions. They had landed in Spartanburg and waiting for them was a black SUV with tinted windows and license plates which couldn't be traced to any of them. Their pilot, CC, was instructed to grab a nearby motel room and get some rest until they figured out where they would need him to fly later on. He most likely would be heading back to Tampa to pick up and return with Marco and Boomer, but for now Ian wanted him available in case their plans changed.
On the way to Maggie Valley, they stopped off at a Wal-Mart to pick up some food and supplies along with clothing for Angie. While the team had spare clothes among other things at the safe-house, she only had what she was now wearing. While Brody waited in the vehicle, Jake and Ian went into the store with Angie between them. They hit the women's section first and, at Ian's insistence, she grabbed two pairs of sweatpants, jeans and some T-shirts. She found another pair of sneakers which were more appropriate for running than the simple Keds she had on. In the intimate aisles she quickly picked out some socks, a package of plain, white Hanes underwear and two sports bras. She gaped and put her hands on her hips when Ian threw the six-pack of bikini briefs back on the rack and picked out several pairs of lacy thongs and boy-shorts with matching bras. While Jake turned away to hide his grin, with his arms crossed, Ian smirked and stared at Angie, daring her to defy him. Thankfully, she didn't argue with him in the middle of the superstore. When she spun around and stormed toward the health and beauty section for toiletries, he and Jake followed with the cart.
Despite the fact they were on the run from bad guys, Ian decided to push his angel's buttons a little more. He couldn’t help it–it was the Dom in him. As she passed the sexual wellness shelves on the way to get a toothbrush in the next aisle, he picked up a box of condoms and threw them into the cart. As he expected, she snarled and snatched the box, intent on putting it back on the shelf. Before she had a chance, he took a gentle but firm hold of her wrist, plucked the package from her hand and placed it purposely
back in the cart. Then to rattle her some more, he grabbed a second box and tossed it in with the first. Her green eyes flared with anger. She opened and closed her mouth twice before turning in an exasperated huff to continue her shopping.
After they finished up in the food aisles, they checked out with Ian paying cash for their purchases. In his panicked rush out of his office to get to her, he'd failed to grab one of his fake identities with accompanying credit cards. While the team all had back-up alias ID's and credit cards at the safe-house, for now he would use cash so they couldn't be tracked through purchases.
Less than a half hour after they entered the store, they were walking back out with a cart full of bags. Brody was waiting for them in the fire lane and after securing Angie in the rear passenger seat, Ian and Jake quickly filled the rear storage area with their supplies. In the deli section, they'd picked out several pre-made sandwiches then added some chips and sodas from the choices available at the registers. It wasn't the greatest meal in the world but everyone was hungry and far from being picky at the moment. They ate in silence as Brody drove them to their final destination.
For the rest of the ride, Ian sat next to Angie in the rear seat and tried to ignore the fact she was ignoring him. He couldn't wait to get to the house so they could have a conversation which wouldn't be overheard by his teammates. Although, he knew she wasn't going to talk to him without yelling, and hoped someone had left a ball gag and restraints at the house during a past weekend excursion in the mountains. Ian had never brought a woman to the house before but he some of his team had, mainly Boomer, Brody and Marco.
Before they had left Tampa, the three men left their cell phones in Ian's vehicle. Ian had a throwaway phone in his trunk along with other gear. Athos knew if Ian didn't answer his cell, he was to contact Devon to get the number to the throwaway. This way they couldn't be tracked and Athos could still contact him. Ian shot a message off to his brother when they hit Maggie Valley's town border, telling him they’d arrived safely.
A few minutes later, Brody turned up the mountain road which lead to their safe-house and two miles further, he pulled into the gravel driveway. Ian looked at Angie as she gawked at the structure. He wasn't sure what she expected but as far as safe-houses went, this one was top of the line. It was a beautiful mountain retreat which his dad had found for him over thirteen years ago. Having a billionaire, real estate investor as a father sure came in handy sometimes. The house had been owned by some Arab sheikh who bought and sold homes all over the world as often as most people up-graded their cell phones. It was built into the mountain so there was no backyard but the front of the house overlooked a lake about a quarter of a mile below them. It was easily defended between the landscaping, bullet proof windows and Brody's security set-up. Their nearest neighbor was a vacation house about two miles to the west. If a vehicle turned up the road leading to the house, an alarm would sound inside. There were also cameras and sensors in the woods surrounding the three opened sides of the house. Most of the time, an alert would be the result of a larger animal such as a deer or bear, but they'd rather get the alerts and have it be nothing instead of missing a human predator.
The house itself had eight bedrooms, each with its own bath. Six of them were on the second floor with the remaining ones on the first along with a gourmet kitchen and a large living room with vaulted ceilings. A gym, game room and hidden panic room were located in the basement.
The house also had an open den area on the second floor overlooking the living room and it’d been converted into the mini war-room for Brody. While it didn't have everything the geek had in his Trident office, it had what was necessary to maintain security along with a sufficient computer system. A retired Navy officer, who'd been one of Ian's superiors when he first got out of basic training, lived about a half hour away and maintained the property and house for them. Devon would be contacting the former lieutenant to let him know the place was going to be occupied and to stay away until told otherwise.
Brody and Jake grabbed the bags from the rear of the vehicle while Ian escorted Angie to the front door and unlocked it with a scan of his palm, just like their system at the compound. He left the door open for his teammates who were a few steps behind them as he and Angie entered into the house. While she continued to take in her new surroundings, Jake began to unpack their groceries while Ian took the bags with Angie's supplies in them from Egghead. The geek headed up to the den to boot up the computers and arm the rest of the security systems which weren't up and running on a regular basis. As Angie followed him, Ian brought her bags into his bedroom and placed them on the king-sized bed. Without a word, he left her alone in there and wasn't too surprised when she came back into the living room several minutes later with the bags in her hands. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Going somewhere, Angel?"
She stopped in front of where he stood while glaring at him. "Obviously that's your bedroom with all your clothes and stuff, and I'm not staying in there. I assume in a house this size, there's an unoccupied room where I can stay."
Crossing his arms over his chest, he gave her a look which dared her to argue with him. "Of course there are several unoccupied rooms, but you're not staying in any of them. You're staying in mine."
"Then where are you sleeping, because it's not with me."
This time, instead of answering her, Ian took her by the upper arm and led her back into his bedroom, clothes and all, and shut the door behind them. He stood in front of her escape route so she had no choice but to listen to him. Or so he thought as she threw the bags on the bed then stormed into the attached bath and slammed the door. He rolled his eyes when he heard the lock click. Did she really believe a puny lock was going to keep him out?
Instead of picking it, he retrieved one of those universal keys which opened most interior doors nowadays and let himself into the bathroom. He found her sitting on the closed toilet lid with her arms crossed like a pouting child. "Can't I have some privacy?"
"If you're going to act like a brat, then no. Now, are we going to have this conversation in here or the bedroom, where I'm sure you'll be more comfortable? Whether you like it or not Angel, we are going to talk. It's just your decision whether I spank your ass or not before we do. And you better believe I won’t think twice about setting your ass on fire. Now what’s it going to be?"
She’d gaped at him in disbelief when he called her a 'brat', and then his threat of a spanking resulted in a scowl. Without saying a word, she stood and stormed back out into the bedroom after he stepped aside to let her past. Before he could say anything, she spun around and pointed her finger at him. "So was everything a ploy to spy on me, or were you spying on me and getting me in your bed was just a fringe benefit?"
Ian growled and his eyes narrowed. "I was keeping you safe, not spying on you. And I never considered you a fringe benefit to a job." As soon as the last three words were out of his mouth, he knew they'd been a mistake. A horrified expression fell over her face and he wanted to kick his own ass.
"So I was just a job to you? Is that how you do all your jobs, Ian, from under the bed sheets?" He recognized when a thought occurred to her and he could guess what it was. "What about when you weren't around, huh? Brody wasn't home all day, so how were you keeping me safe then?" She watched as a guilty expression he couldn't stop came over his face and he knew he was in deeper shit with her. "There are cameras in my house, right? Brody and Boomer put cameras in my house when they were setting up the security system, didn't they? Whose idea was it-yours or Jimmy's?" She didn't wait for an answer and her voice was getting louder with every question until she was yelling. "You fucking bastard! Was everyone at Trident enjoying the show while I showered and got dressed every day? What about the night of the gala? Did you get a porn movie out of it? Out of what you had me do in the kitchen the next day? What's the going rate for amateur porn these days, Ian?"
He couldn't take it anymore. She was borderline hysterical, thinking the absolute worst of him and wasn't
letting him get a single word in. He tried to put his hands on her shoulders and barely shifted his hips in time when she tried to knee him in the groin. Furious she missed, Angie began to pound him on the chest with her fists. He grabbed her wrists and forced her onto her back on the bed, after pushing her bags out of the way. He didn't want to hurt her but he needed her to calm down before she hurt herself, so he straddled her hips and held her arms above her head. Squirming around and bucking her hips trying to unseat him tired her out pretty quick, and he relaxed a little when she slowed and then stopped fighting him altogether. Unfortunately for Ian, at this point she started yelling at him again, calling him every name in the book and a few she must've made up on her own. For the first time ever, he wished he'd brought another woman up to this house because he could use a set of restraints and a gag at the moment. Brody might have some in his room but Ian wasn't about to bring one of his teammates into Angie's line of fire, and she was pissed off enough at Egghead. This was Ian's doing and he'd take full responsibility for it.
Improvising, he unbuckled his belt with one hand and pulled the leather from the loops around his waist. With quick, practiced motions, he flipped her onto her stomach, pulled her arms behind her back and had her wrists restrained before she realized what he was doing. Still cursing him out, she started to buck her hips again, trying to get him off her thighs. "Angel," he leaned forward and growled in her ear, "all you're doing is wearing yourself out and making me harder than I already am. All your hip action is making my dick remember what it's like to be inside your sweet body while I fuck you hard and fast. Now, calm down and listen to me, or my hand and your ass are going to get real intimate with each other and last Friday's paddling is going to seem like love taps when I'm done with you."
His Angel: Trident Security Book 2 Page 17