Undercover in the Dark

by Ann Jensen

  It was a slippery slope talking about the good outweighing the bad. One she had been falling down for almost a year. She dropped her head to hide the emotions swirling through her head. Who was she to question if breaking the law bothered people?

  She didn’t wish to be a hypocrite. Breaking and entering might have been a victimless crime, but robbing the drug stash houses wasn’t. On her last crime spree, she’d shot a person in the leg. Sure, he had attacked her, but she had been emptying the safe. It was only luck he hadn’t died. Her own justification that they were criminals didn’t appease her conscience when she thought of how much worse it could have been.

  It would be hard, but she needed to adjust her thinking. She wasn’t any better than any of these people and was probably more criminal than some. Avery wiped her hands on her jeans.

  “So I’m guessing this means you aren’t Max’s Old Lady?” Tari’s quiet question held weight.

  “He never asked me to be his Old Lady.” Had he?

  Cami cocked her head. “And if he d-did?”

  Did she want him to ask? Their chemistry was off the charts, but not something to build a future on. Would it be nice to have someone as strong and loyal stand by her side? Sure, but they barely knew each other. Thinking about a commitment, these people thought of as more sacred than marriage, was ridiculous. Wasn’t it?

  “I’m attracted to him. What else is there to say? I know nothing about the man except that he has mad fighting skills, rides a motorcycle for fun, and saves women from slavery in his free time.” And he made her body ache for him with a simple look.

  “I guess I w-wanted something good for him.” Cami sighed. “He’s had a rough life. Maybe it’s s-silly but since you were a spy too, I thought you’d understand him.”

  Cami’s words sparked her curiosity. “A spy too? What do you know about Max? He was a spy?”

  Tari gave her friend a disapproving frown. “Cami.”

  “I know. I kn-know.” The purple haired woman sighed. “All I’ll say is his story makes yours look like a light children’s novel. If he ever tells you even a small portion of it, consider yourself lucky. He doesn’t share his past with anyone.”

  “Then how did you hear about it?” Her stomach burned, and she clenched her fists. Jealousy wasn’t something she should be feeling, but her emotions overrode her logic.

  “I met Max a long t-time ago under a different name. Before he was a Dark S-Son. He wasn’t very nice to me, and well, I might have p-plotted revenge.” Cami shrugged. “But when I looked into him and what he’d had to do for his country, I couldn’t do it. I’m glad I didn’t because the man he is today and the things he’s done since, more than makes up for what he did to me.”

  Avery was hit hard by the raw emotion she felt in the woman’s voice. She had to admit, if only to herself, that she wanted to know who Max was, both past and present. She had placed him in a box, a very sexy and tempting box. Nonetheless, she had judged him without all the facts. Yes, she would give him a chance, even if it meant breaking her heart later.

  Chapter 14

  Sometimes you have to risk the fall to know how it feels to fly.

  * * *

  Max slid his bike to a stop in front of the stands and waved to the crowd as his pulse settled in his chest. He had made it through another event and had landed every trick perfectly. Pitting himself against others in a straight race was fun, but the freestyle events at motocross was his true love. Just him, his bike, and whatever crazy stunts he felt like trying. This event was an exhibition, not a competition, and he had managed five different flips, choosing ones that had more flash than difficulty. From the sound of the crowd, he had chosen well.

  One of his crew came and took his bike from him. He strode over and jumped the fence where his Brothers and their families were all gathered. He took a moment to enjoy their approval. Several Brothers smacked him on the back and teased him about the insane tricks. He moved through them with purpose, focused on one person. His Wildcat was sitting up in the bleachers with Tari and Cami. Why hadn’t she come down to the fence like everyone else?

  What would she think of the show? To say she hadn’t been thrilled by being forced to come today would be an understatement. If it hadn’t been a charity event, he would have skipped it. Bailing on a commitment like this wasn’t something he was willing to do. Despite her anger, he hoped she had enjoyed herself. Never before had he cared what people thought of his hobby. Would it bother him if she hadn’t enjoyed herself?

  He had barely broken through the crowd when Tek grabbed his arm. “Hey Brother, great ride.”

  “Thanks.” Max turned away, not wanting to be rude, but he needed to talk to Cat.

  “Got something for you on your girl I don’t think can wait.”

  Max stopped and turned back to face his Brother. Tek was an oddity among the Dark Sons. He dressed like them, hung with them, but somehow never let the darkness show. It was something in the way he held himself that just shouted respectable and clean cut. The joke was on anyone who fell for that appearance, as he was one of the kinkiest twisted individuals Max had ever met. The fact that his Brother’s face was set into serious lines tripped all of his warning alarms.

  “What do you have?” With the adrenaline already rushing through his system, it was hard for Max to figure out if his racing pulse was nerves or from the let down from the run.

  Tek ran a hand through his blond hair. “Ran your girl’s info along with all the players in her life through my usual systems and didn’t come up with anything new.”

  “Okay, I thought you said you had something.”

  “I do. But you need to keep this tight.”

  “Of course.” What the hell kind of secret would have him asking for his silence? As Officers in the Dark Sons, they were both privy to information that wasn’t for common consumption.

  “You know my girl has sources that are above and beyond the usual. She designed software custom tailored for our use. The program searches the information she knows about on the dark web but she also created a searchable file system of government files she has obtained. The database holds information on every Brother’s past that would make The Pentagon jealous. Of course she won’t even let me access the raw data. Only her program can search it looking for common threads in our histories with any data put into it. It then tags that Brother’s name as a match.”

  “Does it say why they are connected?” How much of his past had Cami put into those files?

  “No, all you have is your original data and a Brother’s name. I’m sure Cami could pull it out but she says it would be an invasion of privacy.” Tek shrugged. “My woman has a very odd set of ethics for a hacker.”

  “Okay. I guess I can see her point. So what does this have to do with Cat? Do any of the Brothers have a connection to someone in her files?” Max stepped back and tried to think. He couldn’t believe that one of his Brothers would be involved in destroying a woman’s life without an excellent reason.

  “The program flagged you.”

  Ice poured across his skin. “What data set off the flag?” His past was filled with some of the worst people in the world. Twelve years undercover in at least three major criminal organizations meant there was a wide field of scum to pick through. At thirty-eight he had enemies on both sides of the law who would burn down his life no matter what the cost if they realized he was still alive. The only reason they didn’t haunt him now was he had headstones in four different countries, the last one with his birth name on it in Arlington cemetery.

  “Agent Victor Taylor.” Max recognized the name of the lead FBI agent on Cat’s case. “The usual checks said he was squeaky clean. So I ran him through Cami’s program.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled. He turned the screen around. “Do you know this guy?”

  At first the man with slicked back brown hair on the screen didn’t register. He looked like any mid-level bureaucrat anywhere. Then something about his sharp nose sparked a
memory. Recognition hit Max like a bullet through the kidney. Take twelve years off the face, add a spiked up haircut, gaudy clothes and ridiculous gold chains around his neck and you had Viktor Gunav, bastard son of one of the most powerful men in the Borisyuk Clan.

  “Fuck.” A stream of memories played through his mind. Alcohol, drugs, women, violence and so many more terrible things done for the name of moving up the chain of command.

  Max rubbed his chest. Several of his tattoos were coverup work hiding the evidence of his sins during his years in Russia. What was the spoiled boy, who could never make his papa happy, doing working as an FBI agent? If he had his sights set on Max’s woman, what the fuck did that mean?

  “I take it you recognize him.” Tek tucked his phone back into his pocket. “I know you don’t talk about your past, but is this something we need to worry about more than the usual?”

  “I’m not sure. He was a low level player when I knew him. An easy way into the inner circle of the Stepanov Bratva. He was family, but from the wrong side of the tree. I would never have expected to see him in America.”

  “We need to pull in Hawk. If this is going to put us on bad footing with any of the Russian mafia families, then he needs to be told.”

  “Yeah. Not what I needed right now. Fuck, if he’s after her, the man has resources we weren’t planning on. I thought she only worked the cartels. Why would the Russians be interested in seeing her dead?”

  “I don’t know, but you better put your game face on. Here come the ladies.”

  Max looked up and watched the women walk down the steps of the bleachers. Cami was in some ridiculous leather jumpsuit that made her look like something out of a spy movie. Tari was pretty, as always, in her hippie-like clothing. Cat in tight jeans and a fitted t-shirt looked better than she had in the short skirt and crop top she’d worn at the tattoo shop. Her sleek grace as she walked had everything below his belt, standing up and paying attention.

  Staying away from her was going to be an impossibility when everything in him was excited by her. He loved her fire and martial skill, her fearless personality and bratty mouth. It was like the woman was specifically designed to distract him. Now that she was in danger from someone in his past, there was no way he would let her go anywhere until she was safe.

  The women reached them, but instead of stopping Cami walked by bumping Tek with her shoulder. “Sorry.” Her teasing tone didn’t seem like she was sorry at all.

  Tek reached out, grabbing her wrist. He pulled her in front of him with a grin. In her fingers was Tek’s phone. His brother raised an eyebrow and reached behind his back, pulling out a set of police style handcuffs. Max chuckled as his brother quickly took his woman to the ground and had her hands cuffed behind her back.

  “Get off me, Pig. My hand slipped. I wasn’t going to keep it,” Cami protested.

  It was a testament to how often those two did strange and kinky things that after a glance and laugh all the crowd of Brothers went back to what they were doing.

  Max shook his head. “You should get more lessons from Pixie before trying out that trick again.” Cami scowled at him.

  “I’m going to take you back to the office and ask you some questions, little thief.” Tek’s voice was serious and Max had to admire the man’s imagination and commitment to their sexual games that he never missed a beat. “You got this?” Tek nodded to Tari and Cat.

  “Yeah, we’re good.”

  With that his Brother lifted his struggling woman off the ground and threw her over his shoulder, striding off towards the garage. Cami’s kicks and curses didn’t slow Tek down at all.

  “Shouldn’t we do something?” Cat gestured at the leaving couple.

  Tari laughed. “That’s her Old Man, Tek. You’ll get used to their unique love story. At least she didn’t choose to be anything really unusual today. I suppose it’s because she knew kids would be here.”

  “That’s toning it down?” Cat’s expression was an adorable mix of shock and horror.

  “Yeah, well you saw her slave girl outfit last night.”

  “Right.”

  “She goes full in on whatever character she is playing no matter the audience.” Tari chuckled.

  Seeing her bonding with the other Old Ladies gave him a warm feeling. Why couldn’t they have met under normal circumstances. Then he wouldn’t be forced to cut short her fun.

  “You mind giving Cat and me a few minutes?” Max asked. Tempting as it was to put things off, he needed to have a conversation with Cat.

  “Not a problem.” Tari bent down and gave Cat a hug. “It was good talking to you.”

  Max was fascinated by the way Cat’s face transformed as Tari walked away. Her eyes narrowed, lips thinned, and muscles tightened until she was the picture of annoyance.

  “You just love that, don’t you?”

  Max crossed his arms, interested to hear what had gotten her all riled up. “Love what?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Women jumping to obey your orders.”

  “Hmm.” Max stepped closer, loving the way she stood her ground. “If you think that was an order I think you’ve lived a very sheltered existence.”

  “Is that a joke?” She tilted her chin up in defiance, causing his dick to jump to attention.

  “Orders aren’t phrased as questions, Wildcat. You’ll know when I give you an order.”

  “And you’ll just expect me to obey?” Her tone held annoyance, but her pupils were wide with arousal.

  He couldn’t resist running a thumb over her bottom lip. “If it’s for your safety, yes, but if you haven’t noticed I like my women with some fight in them. Makes their surrender all the more sweet.”

  Chapter 15

  Poking the bear might be dangerous, but it sure can be fun.

  * * *

  Avery wet her suddenly dry lips. She didn’t even understand why she was goading him. Watching him fly and do flips on his bike had been one of the most exciting experiences of her life. The way he filled out the racing shirt and pants was sexy as hell.

  Confusion at her lust-filled reactions to him made her angry. She had two options, jump him physically or verbally. Maybe she should have simply kissed him. It would have been easier than trying to argue while her body was screaming for attention.

  “I don’t surrender.” Well, she hadn’t ever before. The temptation this man represented was frustratingly hard to ignore. Her nipples tightened at his knowing look and she crossed her arms trying to hide the evidence of her inappropriate arousal.

  His chuckle was dark and did all sorts of wonderful things to her body. “You surrendered beautifully last night.” She would have argued, but his thumb over her lips held her quiet. “I think you want to be ordered around, Wildcat. I think you’ll argue and bite and growl. But in the end you’ll enjoy following every order I give because I’ll have earned your submission.”

  She tried to bite his thumb, but he pulled his hand away with a chuckle. Why did his words strike a chord deep in her chest? The idea of submitting blindly to someone didn’t appeal, but if he earned it?

  That was what had made last night something unforgettable. He was able to take her on full force. She didn’t have to be weak for him to be strong. What would it be like to give over to this man for even a night?

  She stepped back shaking her head, unwilling to think about it. “You didn’t ask Tari to leave so you could spout nonsense did you?”

  His lips tipped up in a smile. “No. I wanted to ask you some questions and share some information with you.”

  Had he gotten the information she needed? The thought was both exciting and disappointing. Avery thought she would get more alone time with him to work out the lust between them before going their separate ways. But if she had the opportunity to clear her name, it was worth any sacrifice. Her pulse raced and her hands trembled.

  “Did you find the information I was looking for?”

  Max shook his head, and her stomach dropped. Of course, it could
n’t be that easy. Why would she think things would go her way?

  “Sorry, Cat. Not yet, but we did find some interesting things. What do you know about the Stepanov Bratva?”

  “The Russian mob?” She tried to figure out what that had to do with her situation. “Not much. They aren’t really part of the Denver drug scene outside a few designer drugs. I didn’t have a reason to know about specific families. Why?”

  “We have reason to believe they might be involved in the people still coming after you.”

  Avery searched her memories and came up blank. Because of her looks, she had been chosen to work mostly Mexican or Colombian contacts. There had been a few busts early in her career of college-level dealers, but nothing she could think of that would attract the attention of the Russians. Unless…

  “Was Mitchel Thomas connected to the Bratva you mentioned?”

  Max’s face went still, and he took a few seconds to answer. “He was an information broker and human trafficker.” It didn’t look like he was lying, but she was sure it wasn’t the full truth. Why the hell was he acting cagey?

  “So is that a yes?”

  Max gave an annoyingly noncommittal shrug. “He had ties to criminals internationally, but wasn’t specifically tied to any one organization.”

  Excitement tickled her stomach. “So that could be it. How do you know the Stepanov Bratva is involved?”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  Avery’s face flushed as anger replaced excitement. “Doesn’t matter?” She shoved his shoulder. “This is my fucking life we are talking about. You will fucking tell me everything.”

  Frustration roiled in her chest. The ups and downs of the last year too much to handle calmly. He stood there looking angry, as if he had the right. He was keeping information she needed from her. This year, this month, hell, this day was too much.