Flames (A Special Agent Novel Book 3)

by C. P. Mandara

  “That’s an interesting analogy. That ever happen to you?” The first mouthful of soup was down, and a bite of toast accompanied it. My work here was done.

  “All that and more. The life of a gangster isn’t anywhere near as glamorous as it sounds. Everyone wants a piece of you.”

  Lois gave me a hard look. "I'll bet."

  Turning the conversation in another direction, because I didn't want to talk about my life of crime this evening, I then said, "We need to have a chat."

  Lois took another bite of her toast, and then said, just as cheerfully, "Actually, I need to kill you, but I'm in no hurry." She waved the piece of toast around as if we'd been talking about the weather. How could a woman look sexy as hell, when she'd been in bed all day coming down from heroin? All I wanted to do was crawl inside her panties and stay there. Well, if she was wearing any panties, and I knew for a fact that she wasn't, which just made everything ten times worse.

  "That's what we need to talk about." I decided we needed to get this out in the open because if I didn't, there was a good chance I would be dead very shortly. "I'm not Alain Dumortier. I look like him, but I'm not him."

  Lois looked at me and wrinkled her nose up. It came as no surprise that she didn’t believe me, but that was the truth of it.

  “Ask James. He will confirm my story. At the moment, I’m here to help you two out, and technically, I’m one of the good guys.”

  Lois snorted and rolled her eyes. It looked like I was going to need James’s help on this one, and after the stunt I’d just pulled back there a moment ago, it was unlikely he was going to give it to me. Oh well.

  “Fine. Just don’t try to kill me again until you’ve had a word with James, okay? Can we at least agree to that?” The corner of her lip tilted down as she considered that, but eventually she nodded.

  “If you come in here to deliver any more spankings, though, all bets are off.” She waved her spoon at me as if she meant business.

  "Then be a good girl, and I won't have to, will I?" I replied with mock severity.

  Lois didn’t take that sentence lying down. “If you value being able to draw breath into your lungs, I suggest you have a really good think before doing James’s bidding in the future.” She smiled sweetly at me, and though it looked genuine enough, I knew first-hand that a vicious viper was lurking beneath that façade. Perhaps we’d leave the orgasms for another night. I suddenly seemed to have lost my appetite. James would automatically assume that I’d gone in there and had my wicked way with her, and for tonight, that was good enough for me.

  Chapter Twelve – Lois

  As much as I had resented being forced to eat the soup and toast, James had actually done me a favour. The stomach cramps that had been racking my body over and over were now gradually subsiding, as was the nausea. I wasn't on top of my game by a long shot, but there did seem to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

  After I’d eaten, Adie offered to stay and keep me company for a while, but all I wanted to do was sleep, so I did my best to send him packing. He insisted on staying with me, though, until I’d nodded off, and I couldn’t be bothered to argue. If he wanted to sit in a dark room and listen to my snoring, that was his problem.

  Bone weary, and dog-tired, I knew it wouldn't take me long to drift off. Even though James had made me madder than a wet cat stuck in a toilet (I've seen it – so take my word for it), I could wait to get my own back. Hopefully, tomorrow, I would feel better. All I needed to do was take things one day at a time.

  When I woke up, it was pitch black outside. Turning to the alarm clock beside me, the glowing dials told me it was nearing one am. I must have gone to bed around six, so that was a reasonably decent seven hours kip for me.

  Unfortunately, it meant that I'd probably need to be awake for at least an hour or two before there was any likelihood of my getting back to sleep. Looking at the seat beside me, it was to find that Adie had long since left me. A hand on the chair confirmed it was cold, and I suspected that as soon as I'd fallen asleep, he had lost interest with me. This was good. It meant that I could go exploring.

  Putting one foot gingerly on the floor, I flexed my leg and found that the pain wasn't so bad that I couldn't move around freely. I wouldn't want to have to run around, but walking was okay. Padding over to the door, I let my fingers gently clutch the handle before I depressed the lever down. Opening the door a crack and letting my eyes roam from left to right, I took the plunge and stepped through it. As I'd suspected, there was no one about. This would give me plenty of time to do some snooping. There were a couple of things I wanted to figure out, namely: where were all the guns stashed? When I'd sorted that one out to my satisfaction, I wanted to see if James had anything of interested stored in his room. There was a reason I was being kept here with the two of them, and whatever we'd gotten ourselves into – it wasn't over yet. I knew this because if it had been, I'd have been offloaded by now. A sick operative is more hindrance than help, and right now, I was a liability.

  Ninety-five percent of an assassin's job involves sneaking about or covert observation. You learn to get very good at it after a while. The trick is to blend in with your surroundings and to make sure that your cover story holds water. It's also an excellent plan to have at least two exit strategies if everything decides to go south. I've become very good at watching people without actually appearing to be watching them and to do this effectively, you generally need to look preoccupied. Mobile cell phones are perfect for this, but a magazine or paper will do in a pinch. Right now, though, my undercover skills were about to be tested to the max. It was one thing to glean information from an unsuspecting target, but quite another to try and snoop around another operative's personal belongings. It took the game to a whole new level, which was probably why I liked it so much.

  A quick trip around the lounge didn’t reveal much, but this came as no great surprise. No one was going to leave things lying around where anyone could get to them. Although I’d already checked out the kitchen and its various cupboards yesterday evening, I still gave it another quick once over to convince myself I hadn’t missed anything. It didn’t take long to confirm I hadn’t. Debating on the wisdom of taking another kitchen knife from the block, I decided against it. They’d be waiting for me to do something stupid like that.

  Next on my list were bedrooms. This was where the fun stuff would be. Laptops, weapons, keys, all of that and more would be stashed in these private hidey-holes. The only problem, of course, was that I'd have to crawl around sleeping bodies. Adie was first on my list. There was a good chance I could go through things and come away completely unscathed. James was in a different league entirely, but I was still going to give it my best shot. Besides, I was still mad at him for the stunt he pulled earlier, so if he did catch me, it would be the perfect opportunity to have it out with him. I was itching for a fight.

  Hearing the soft, gentle snores of sleep when I reached the door of Adie’s room, I carefully let myself in. There was little chance I would find anything useful in here because he’d been whisked away from Carte Blanche with just the clothes on his back, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything of interest in them. Pockets were a great place to start. Let’s see what the bastard kept in those.

  Adie appeared to be a stickler for neatness. His clothes were carefully lined up on hangers in the wardrobe at the end of the room. It took me less than five seconds to discover he didn't have a thing on him. No keys, no tissues, no penknife, no little black book - nada. It was a bit disappointing, but to be honest, I hadn't expected anything else. Judging by the fact that Adie's boxer shorts, a black pair with some kind of designer emblem on them, were folded up neatly in a drawer, it was unlikely he was hiding anything in bed with him, either. If he had stuffed something under his pillow, it was going to have to stay there because I wasn't going to risk diving under there, only to find a gun at my head, and I suspected Adie had one of those by now. At the very least he'd got a knife, and I had
no desire to be over the bastard's knee again quite so soon. Leaving as quietly as I had entered, I decided it was time to enter the lion's den. That was where the real fun would begin.

  Padding across the hallway in my bare feet, I did not make a sound. Getting up close and personal with James Leveritt was going to be a more delicate operation than the last one if my assumptions were correct, but I had no doubt that I could accomplish my aim if I was careful. Closing my fingers around handle number two, I took a deep breath and pressed myself up against the door. Listening carefully, I couldn't hear a whisper from within. Either he didn't snore, or he wasn't in there. It was possible. He might have had to go out and run some errands, but at this time of the morning, it was unlikely. Opening the door slowly, my eyes immediately focused on the bed, and though the covers were rumpled, there was no one in it. A quick scan around the rest of the room revealed it to be empty, which was both good news and bad news. Good news because I could sneak around to my heart's content, but bad news because he probably would have taken anything that was worth finding with him. Dammit. Walking forward a cautious couple of steps, I took a look behind the door, just in case, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Unless he was hiding in the closet, my ass was safe for now. Frowning, I wondered where I should start searching – wardrobe or bed? Wardrobe might hold more of interest, but I wasn't counting on it.

  “And what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” The voice that ripped through the darkness made my heart take a giant leap outside of my body. Before I knew what was happening, there was muscled body pressing heavily into my back, while a hand wrapped itself around my throat. It looked like James wanted to make a point because he then began squeezing, intent on shutting off my air supply.

  Dropping to my haunches, I immediately widened my stance, and then started walking backwards. This is the opposite of what your natural reaction would be, but with enough training, it becomes automatic. The idea is to back your hips up under them, lift them off the ground, and then drop them. It didn't get that far, though, because James released me.

  “You paid attention to self-defence classes then.”

  I didn’t think that question warranted an answer, so I said, “Where are the guns?”

  James flicked the light switch on and looked at me, folding his arms across his chest. “Why? Do you need something to shoot me with?” The cocky, arrogant bastard stood there, with his form-fitting black tea and ripped denim jeans that rode low on his waist, looking absolutely amazing. I wanted to eat him, but I was not giving in to my base instincts this evening. We were at war.

  “Are you going to pull any more stunts like the one you did earlier?” I enquired sweetly.

  “Did you learn your lesson?” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t think you did. If you had, you wouldn’t be sneaking around my room right now, would you?” That made me see red. If there’d been a chance I could have got close to his groin, I would have taken that shot, as it was, I came up with another one.

  "Are you going to make Adie spank me again? If you are, I need to tell you that not only have I not learned my lesson, but I've been a very naughty girl." Pursing my lips to their fullest advantage, I gave him the lustiest look I could manage. Take that asshole. I assumed no man would want their spanking hand to be second best to another, and I was happy to dig the virtual knife in.

  Watching James’s lips tighten, I smiled inwardly to myself. The war was a long way from being won, but I had made my point.

  “For someone who was new to BDSM just a few weeks ago, it seems you’ve developed a taste for it.” His look was wry.

  “You were the one that taught me. As far as I see it, you’re to blame for that one.”

  “Are you feeling better?”

  “Not especially, but I’m learning to cope fairly well with feeling shit. Now can someone give me a gun and a pair of jeans?”

  “If I give you a gun, you’re not allowed to shoot Adie. He’s on our side.” James gave me a stern look.

  “So you say. You’re not the one that was tortured and drugged for hours on end.” James continued to stare at me, his look unchanging.

  "Those are my terms, and they are non-negotiable. You give me your word, Lois, or you will be unarmed for the foreseeable future."

  I sighed. "He’s not all bad, I suppose. If it makes you feel better, you have my word on the matter."

  James did not look pleased with my answer, but that was too bad. Strangely enough, Adie and I were not enemies. At the moment, it was James and I that seemed to be on an awkward footing.

  “Fine. Have a gun.” James reached behind him and took his Sig Sauer out of the back of his jeans. He handed it to me.

  "Please don't tell me this is the only gun we have around here?" If anyone came for us, we would be sitting ducks.

  “No. Adie has one, and there are more in the car. I didn’t want to leave too many lying around while you’re detoxing. Hallucinations can do funny things to a person.” I guessed I should be flattered James had thought I posed that much of a threat.

  "What about a pair of jeans? Anything around here in my size?"

  “I like you better in my t-shirt,” he murmured.

  "Mmm. So much so that you got another man to do your dirty work for you. Don't think I'm forgiving you any time soon." I glared at him.

  “It’s not personal, Lois, but we can’t afford to get close to one another.”

  "You've already made your intentions clear on that matter, and I will abide by those rules." There was no way I was throwing myself at him. James thought I was damaged goods and that I was intent on getting myself killed. It didn't seem unreasonable that he wanted to steer clear of any romantic entanglements. Besides, the man probably had women crawling all over him. His position of power at Elite Encounters would see to that. He'd have women on tap across the globe. All he needed to do was pick up the telephone. With that in mind, why on earth would he want to mess with me? And more to the point, why would I want to mess with him? "Jeans, James. Do you have some?" Now was probably a good time to change the subject.

  "Yes, I went out yesterday and bought you a few bits. They're in the wardrobe." He sauntered to the wooden, sliding doors at the back of his bedroom and grabbed a small bundle of clothes and a pair of sneakers. Passing them to me, he then tried to usher me out of his room.

  Sifting through the pile, I raised my eyebrows when I found a white lace thong among the contents. Picking it up on a finger, I twirled it around and grinned.

  “There’s no way you picked this. You sent Adie, didn’t you?” For some reason, I couldn’t image James loose in the ladies lingerie department.

  “Guilty as charged.” He gave me a funny look.

  “You didn’t want to leave me alone with him. Why?” I was curious to hear his answer.

  "Lois, go get changed before I decide you need another damn spanking."

  There was then the sound of a car door opening and closing very quietly. The only reason we both heard it was because James had left his bedroom window open. Another car door was then opened and closed. Several pairs of feet then hit the tarmac, and there was the distinct sound of a safety being pulled. We both winced.

  “Fuck,” I whispered. Things moved very quickly after that.

  “Gimme the panties. They’ll do for a distraction.”

  Tossing the scrap of white lace his way, I then wiggled into the pair of jeans I'd been given as fast as I could. Slipping the sneakers on next, I tucked the laces into the side because there wasn't time to tie them. Meanwhile, James had turned off the bedroom light and was searching for something in the bedside drawer.

  “Someone needs to stay here while the other goes for the guns.” I picked up the pistol.

  “That someone will be me,” said James, and I didn’t argue with him. There wasn’t time. Passing over the gun, I drew the curtains open and looked at the window. I would be able to get out of the opening – just. There was no way James would have been able to fit through it.

>   “Where are the car keys?” I asked. He reached into his jeans pocket and handed them to me.

  “Be careful,” he whispered.

  “Always,” I replied, my answer being drowned by the sound of splintering wood as someone bashed the door open.

  Watching him move out of the room, as graceful and deadly as a panther, I got up on the ledge and pushed the window open as far as it would go. Squeezing my body through it, giving myself some wonderful scrapes in the process, I jumped to the grass below, and though the pain in my stomach was almost crippling, I managed to get to my feet. Edging along the side of the house, keeping an eye out for anyone that might want to have a chat with me, it didn’t take long to find out that our attackers were now all inside the house. Sprinting for the car, I opened the boot with trembling fingers and began to search through the massive black sports bag in the back that was filled with all sorts of goodies. There was no time to pick and choose. I just grabbed whatever was closest. The longer I messed about, the less chance there was of James and Adie making it out of there alive. When I heard the sound of three gunshots being fired, I moved even faster. The guys had brought compressors with them, so the shots weren’t loud, but even a silencer can’t disguise the sound completely. Time was running out.

  With my heart thundering in my chest, I gathered as much ammo as I could and began running. My body protested vehemently at the exertion and bleated out all kinds of pain signals, but that was the least of my worries. The thought that James and Adie might already be dead was a sickening weight in my stomach that made me able to move limbs that were as heavy as lead and just as uncooperative. It would be a small price to pay if I helped them get out alive.

  Chapter Thirteen - James

  There are a few tricks you can employ to make an intruder's life miserable, and I'd made sure they were all set up before I'd gone to my room for the evening. First, you keep things dark. This gives you an advantage because you know the layout of your property – the intruder doesn't. This means you can move about more freely than they can. The second trick is to rig a few explosive trip wires around the property. Generally speaking, nasties won't come in through the front door, but if there are enough of them, they won't care. I always make sure that all the entrances have early warning signals, should someone try to sneak up on me, and preferably ones noisy enough to wake the dead. It won't scare away a team of bad guys, but as soon as the neighbours come running, it will make life a little more difficult for them. If you're really dedicated, you can also use a bit of copper wire and a battery to electrify anything metal that an intruder might touch – a doorknob for example, but the guys out front were far too smart to fall for that trick. They'd just bashed in the door. Another ploy is to leave obstacles in their way. Anything they can trip over, i.e. small pieces of furniture placed haphazardly around the doorways can give you a few seconds of extra time when shit hits the fan, and that was most certainly what was happening right now, judging by the number of expletives that were being muttered.