by Blue Saffire
“I need a favor. I need to know who let those guys into my house. I didn’t have time to get my laptop. I need you to remote me into the system. I just sent you an encrypted email from a Yin Ling. Use it to get me in. I need to see who’s logged as accessing my house that day,” I say.
“Already on it,” she replies.
“Also, see if you can find out who knew about Dallas other than the boys. See if they told anyone else. Why did Skull send his guys? I still had time to fulfill the contract. What made them come for me?”
“Havana, that’s the other thing I was going to tell you. Will found Skull dead. It wasn’t fresh. A day or two had passed by the time he found him. I don’t think Skull sent those guys,” Aisha says allowing her words to hang in the air.
“You be careful,” I say quietly. “Trust no one.”
“I’m already in the wind. My place was broken into the same night as your attack. I wasn’t home, but I don’t think they meant to leave me alive if I were,” she says.
“Shit,” I hiss. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m safe. I knew you would call so I’ve been watching this line making sure it stays secure.”
“Have the boys been acting strange?”
She hesitates for the briefest moment, causing my hackles to go up. I narrow my eyes as if she’s before me and I can see through her. Aisha is getting ready to lie to me. She hasn’t told a lie yet, but she’s about to.
This is the reason Augustine never thought she was ready for the job. She gives herself away. Aisha is perfect for an in and out long distance kill, but she sucks at engaging or wiggling her way out of tough spots. She’s a terrible liar. Then, there’s her other little problem.
“I haven’t seen any of them since the day after the night you disappeared,” she says softly.
“I have to go,” I say and hang up.
I stare out the window at the ocean view at the back of the house. I picked this place for the access to the water as an escape and the lush trees that surround the front. The property is nice and tucked away.
But what am I tucked away from?
What’s going on back home? What is Aisha hiding from me? What the hell has my father set in motion? More importantly, did we kill the right guy for his murder?
I’m getting the sense this is all connected and nine times out of ten, I’m right. I’m always right. I’m not naive enough not to start connecting this from the beginning. Something more is happening here. I just need to see the bigger picture.
I get to work as soon as I get remote access to my home computers and cameras. When I get into the logs, my head starts to hurt. Nothing makes sense. I don’t even understand what I’m looking at. My mind reels.
It’s impossible.
“What’s up, Sunshine?” Dallas croons as he walks into the room.
I turn to glare at him. How do I know he doesn’t have something to do with all of this? I feel like a caged animal. I don’t know who I can trust.
“What’s your problem?” he asks when I don’t respond to him.
“I left you unattended for a few hours that day. What did you do while I was gone?”
“You have to be shitting me. You left me cuffed to your fucking bed,” he hisses.
I purse my lips, turning back to my computer screen. Closing my eyes I rub my temples. He’s right. I did cuff him. I needed to focus on something. I didn’t have time to worry about him taking off or causing trouble.
“That means they had to get in after we left, which makes even less sense,” I murmur to myself.
“You want to tell me what’s going on,” he bites out.
Turning toward him, I allow our eyes to lock. I curse my body for reacting to him. I fully take him in, causing my pulse to race and heat to spread to all the forbidden places.
He must have been out in the pool. His swim trunks are damp and his wet hair is falling into his eyes. He has in a single hazel contact, giving him two brown eyes.
His skin has been kissed by the sun deepening his olive tone. At the moment, he could easily pass for one of the beautiful Columbian men I’ve seen on this island. Or at least give them a run for their money.
His arms fold over his chest, causing his muscles to flex. I shake the lust away, lifting my eyes back to his gaze. He’s waiting for an answer but I’m not sure I want to share. I don’t even know what I’m sharing.
“Anita,” he barks.
I lift a brow at him, crossing my own arms defiantly. He rolls his eyes, stepping forward to squat before me. His big hand comes up to cup my face.
“I ain’t the enemy, kitten. You were hired to take my life, remember? Skull is after my ass as much as he’s after yours. We’re in this together,” he says gruffly.
“Skull is dead,” I say, watching for his reaction.
Surprise covers his face. His brows pinch in the center of his forehead. I can see the wheels turning within.
“One of your brothers?” he asks.
“I don’t think so. Will found him dead. I’m not so sure Skull was the one that sent his goons. I don’t have all of the details yet, but things are getting weirder by the minute,” I huff.
“What the fuck?” Dallas says, his hands moving to rest on my thighs. “I’ve pissed a lot of people off, but Skull was the only one I know of that wanted me dead.”
“You’re assuming this is about you,” I reply.
Dallas’s hands tighten on me. His eyes grow hard. I can see his jaw working beneath the skin. I turn away not wanting to read too much into his reaction.
I need to keep everything in its compartment. I don’t have a place for feelings. I need to have a baby and make it in this marriage for a year, without killing anyone. Love is not on the menu.
Dallas
I’ve always considered my heart a hardened place. I’ve never had reason to care about anyone. No one has ever given a shit about me. Yet, hearing the woman before me suggest she’s the sole target for all of this has my blood boiling.
I’ve gotten into my fair share of shit, but I’m no killer. At least, I wasn’t before I got married and started trying to get my wife pregnant. Now, I’d kill any motherfucker that even thinks about looking her way.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask tightly.
She closes those pretty eyes and I can see the pain that surfaces on her face. I want to comfort her, but I can see she’s finally going to open up. So I stay stock-still and wait.
“There’s a time stamp on every entry to my property. Every keycard has its own signature which leaves a time stamp upon use. Aisha and all of my brother’s except for one have a time stamp for that day,” she starts opening her lids.
“But that’s not the weirdest part. Aisha’s time stamp lines up with the time she arrived for work. Which makes sense. She also left when we left, which is why she has no exiting stamp. All of the guys are logged in within seconds from each other which should be impossible, let alone unnecessary.
“If they arrived together only one would need to use their card. To top it off. They all have entry signatures but no exit,” she explains.
“Which brother isn’t logged in?”
“Will,” she whispers.
I frown at the name of the asshole that knocked me out in the back of the van. I don’t think either of us are fans of each other. Now, all I can think about is putting a bullet between his eyes.
“I see what you’re thinking. Will can’t be behind this. I just can’t believe that. We…he wouldn’t do this. But…,” her brows knit. “It…it was his keycard that let them in when we ran.”
“How accurate is this system?”
“It’s tested weekly. Aisha and I built it ourselves. But…,” her face fills with concern. “The gate, when we left it was sitting wide open. It shouldn’t have been. You need to be verified through the keycards to get in or out. Otherwise, someone has to give you access from inside.”
“I think for now, we hang low. You’re safe here,” I say.
“I’m going to kill whoever’s behind this,” she seethes.
“No…you’re not. Not within the next twelve months,” I say in warning.
“Fuck,” she pinches her eyes closed and rubs them with the heel of her palms. “This is crazy. Someone is out to kill me and I can’t do shit about it.”
My anger rises and my mind starts to turn. The thought of my woman not being safe doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t care if this is a marriage of convenience. The moment she said I do, she became mine.
“Have you ever helped to train any of the others?” I question.
“Yeah, my youngest brother, Sebastian. Augustine made me train him as soon as he arrived,” she nods.
“Is he as good as you are?”
“I’m the best,” she gives a fond smile and nods again. “But Bastian is a close second.”
“Then you’ll train me,” I say with confidence.
“What?”
Her mouth drops open and she looks at me like I’m crazy. I lift my chin as her eyes bounce all over my face. Yeah, I’ve fucked up a lot in my life, but there has to be a time when enough is enough. When you decide your tired of believing the bullshit people feed you and you show them you’re more than they tell you, you are.
This is my time to do that. It’s the only way I know how to repay her for what she’s done for me. If she’s as good as she says she is—which I believe she is after that night back at her place—she can teach me to protect her.
“There’s nothing that says I can’t kill for a year, is there?”
“No,” her brows draw.
“Good, than you’ll teach me,” I nod.
“Dallas, I don’t know,” she says warily.
“You see something in me others don’t see. You believe in me for some reason. I can do this,” I reply.
“Have you ever held a gun,” she side glances me.
“I’m a shit shot. My daddy always said I was too stupid to learn to shoot properly. I think he just knew I’d kill his ass if I could get away with it,” I muse aloud.
I see something flash in her eyes. I know instantly her mind is made up. Her jaw sets, her eyes light with determination, her lips twist up with anger.
“We start in the morning. Five a.m.,” she says sharply. “Any idiot can pull a trigger, but only a skilled genius can become what I’ll make you.”
With that she pushes up from her seat and storms from the room out the side of the house. I grin after her. It shakes something in me when she shows emotions for me—good or bad—they show she cares.
Chapter 12
Focus
Havana
“Focus, Dallas. Again,” I bark.
He shakes his head clear and glares at me. I can see he’s pissed but I’m not letting up. His sweaty chest glistens in the hot sun as it heaves with his exertion.
“How the fuck am I supposed to focus when you just kicked the shit out of me,” he snarls.
“Stop whining and do it again. You’re bigger than me, but it doesn’t give you an advantage unless you focus. Stop using your size and use your brain,” I command. “Again!”
He charges me again, still angry, still unfocused. I climb his body like a cat, wrapping my legs around his neck and flip him to the ground with my momentum. He grunts with the impact of the fall.
“Fuck,” he growls beneath me.
I shift to sit on his chest and stare down at him. His face is red with anger, frustration, and his efforts to take me. I’m sure he thought this would be a lot easier.
“Listen to me,” I sigh. “You will lose every time if you move with your anger. Tune all of that shit out and use your brain. You’re smart. Charging at me mindlessly will never work. I’m faster than you and I aim to sting. I’ll hurt you before you can apply your size and force.”
“You’re a tiny demon from hell,” he huffs.
I throw my head back and laugh. We’ve been at this for a week now. While he’s taken to guns and using a bow and arrow, he has been struggling with the hand-to-hand combat.
Dallas has a street brawler style. That might work in a bar fight, but it would never cut it in my world and especially not with one of my brothers.
“Oh,” I yelp, as my back hits the ground.
I look up into Dallas’s eyes. They’re just the way I like them, one blue and one hazel brown. I see the lust in his eyes as he looks down at my sweaty bust and exposed stomach. He licks his lips, causing a shiver to roll through me.
“How about I turn that laughter into a different sound altogether,” he purrs.
“You just want me to stop kicking your ass,” I chuckle.
He presses his hard length into me. Gaining my full attention. My core weeps for him instantly. Dallas has molded my body into a toy for his pleasure. His touch has become my one weakness. I’ll just never tell him so.
Dipping his head, he pulls my nipple into his warm mouth through the fabric of my sports bra. My back arches up off the grass beneath me. I gasp when one of his hands snakes its way into my shorts.
I bite my lip and close my eyes as a moan releases from my lips. I forget all about training a new assassin. I get lost in the feel of his hands, mouth, and the scent of his cologne—mixed with his sweat—infiltrating my senses.
Dallas brings me right to the edge with his skilled hands. I’m ready to explode when he pulls his hand free of my shorts. I whimper in anticipation of him freeing himself to finish what he’s started.
We’ve already figured out a few days ago that pushing my little shorts aside for him to gain access to my pussy works just fine. However, his fat, thick length isn’t what I’m greeted with. Instead, his fingers lock around my neck cutting off my air.
My eyes flash open, my hands wrap around his wrist. I curse myself for being so silly. This motherfucker got me.
Never, ever let your guard down.
“You said to get my hands around your neck. That was the objective. You didn’t say how I had to do it. I used my brain,” he says with that sexy crooked smile on his lips.
“I’m going to kick your ass,” I hiss.
“Not before I fuck you,” he teases darkly.
His lips crush mine, his hands around my throat relaxing slightly. I claw at his sweat soaked back pulling a groan from his lips. To prove my earlier point, he releases one hand to shove his shorts down his hips, before pushing my shorts and panties aside to thrust into me.
My legs wrap his waist in a death grip as he pounds into me. Our teeth and tongues clash as he takes me almost frantically, as if afraid he’ll never get the chance to again.
“Dallas,” I cry out, pulling away from his demanding kiss.
My fingers claw down to his ass and dig in. I can’t stop my hips from rocking against him for more. My juices are creating a wave for him to surf through.
He cups my face, forcing me to look at him. I’ve never seen him like this before. His eyes are drowning in so many emotions. I can’t pin down a single one, but I think I see fear…sorrow…despair. A few others I won’t dare acknowledge because I’m sure I’m imagining them.
“If it comes to your life or that money, fuck the money. You fight and you fight to kill. We’ll be fine,” he grunts.
I nod, not knowing what to say. His face tightens. I guess my silent assent isn’t enough.
“Promise,” he demands as he continues to pump his hips into me. “Promise me.”
“Okay, I promise. I’ll fight.”
“Now come for me,” he orders, giving my neck a gentle squeeze.
I explode all over him. It’s so fast and hits me so hard, I’m taken aback. Dallas follows right behind me spilling his hot seed into me.
I need a moment to catch my breath and my thoughts. Dallas places his forehead to my cheek, his breath fanning heavily against my neck. My body starts to rev demanding another round.
Only, my mind and my body are met with disappointment as he slips from inside me and peels away to get to his feet. He doesn�
�t say a word or look back as he makes his way down towards the private beach.
I sit up on my elbows to watch him as he goes. I have no idea what just happened. Collapsing onto my back, I look up at the sky.
Never, ever let your guard down.
Dallas
“Stop being so stupid,” I growl at myself.
Seeing Anita beneath me with my hands around her neck triggered something in me. The thought of someone else doing the same thing—only with the intent to harm her—makes me see red. The anger pulsing through me is all-consuming.
I’m falling for her. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it’s happening. The thought of her not fighting back because of some money locked away somewhere is insanity.
I’ll protect her with everything I am, but I need to know she’s going to protect herself if the need arises. Fuck that money and her asshole father for putting her through this.
I probably shouldn’t have walked away like that, but I couldn’t allow my emotions to be revealed. When this is over, Anita will go back to being Havana. She will return to the life that doesn’t involve a fuck up like me.
I might as well get prepared for the rejection. The more I fall for her the further away from distancing myself I get. Typical me, setting myself up for failure.
I’m starting to believe in the image that stares back at me in the mirror in the morning. That’s a dangerous thing to do. This Dallas isn’t real.
Cleaning me up and slapping expensive clothes on my back doesn’t change a thing about the core of who I am. While I’m foolishly falling in love, Anita is busy trying to survive and whip my ass into shape.
I need to focus on the goals here. Find out who wants to kill Anita, get her pregnant, collect my money, and go home. I’d be good to remember all of that.