Men of Mercy: The Complete Story

by Cross, Lindsay

  “Please, allow me to serve you –”

  “Go get her coffee and for heaven sake, stop simpering and pouting like a whipped dog.” Solana strode into the room like she owned it, startling A’idah, who shot Celine a fearful glance and darted from the room.

  Irritation chased the last bit of sleepiness from Celine and she stood, careful not to move too fast and strain her still sore muscles. A’idah might cower to Mankel's daughter, but not Celine. “You didn't have to be so rude to her.”

  “She is a slave. Not that it will be your concern any longer. Transportation will leave in an hour. I am here to see that you are bathed and dressed properly.” Solana barked out her commands from behind the blue screen of her hood. The dress, meant to hide a woman’s shape, only made Solana seem more domineering.

  Not that Celine had any intention of backing down. “I can bathe and dress myself.”

  “Then hurry. We are on a schedule.”

  A’idah rushed back into the room, carrying a large gold tray, and Celine bit back her retort. Instead, she spun and strode into the large, luxurious bathroom, shutting the double doors behind her and wishing for a way to lock them. But she'd discovered yesterday there was no lock.

  She went to the shower and turned on the water with a sigh. She wasn't going to miss much about this place, but the bathroom, which was large enough to fit her entire apartment back home inside. The shower was completely made from glass and took up the center of the room, almost like a masterpiece. She eased the satiny low-cut nightgown off and stepped inside. The deep V of the gown had clearly exposed the deepening bruises on her chest, but she hadn’t cared. Merely wearing something that felt like home had been worth having to fight to ignore the evidence of her near rape.

  That thought spurred her into motion and she washed quickly. No matter how much she wanted to savor the hot water, she wanted to go home more. When she emerged, wrapped in a towel, Solana stood waiting. “I've brought your clothing for today. You must keep yourself covered from the moment you leave the room.”

  Celine glanced at the blue garment laid out on the bed and cringed. “No way. Your dad brought me new clothing to wear today.” She glanced around for the fashionable jeans and blouse.

  “You want to go home, then you put it on.”

  “Where is your father? He said he’d take me to see Caroline.”

  “My father has wasted enough time on you.”

  “I'm not wearing that.”

  “Then you won't leave this room,” Solana said, and Celine got the distinct impression the girl smirked behind her mask.

  “I demand to see Mr. Mankel.” Celine crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

  “What more do you want from him? He saved your life, you expect him to completely interrupt his schedule for your every little whim? You Americans are so full of yourself.” Solana stepped forward, her gown floating around her like a ghost.

  Celine clenched her hands into fists at her sides and tried to remember that this was not her home. She would be on a plane to the United States today and never have to see this horrible place or this horrible girl again. “Fine. I'll wear it over my new clothes and as soon as I'm on that plane, I'm trashing it. Now take me to Caroline.”

  Solana hovered so close to her she caught a glimpse of her wide eyes through the fine grill of material and felt the first surge of satisfaction. “Here.” Solana opened a nearby mahogany trunk, pulled out Celine’s clothing and tossed it to her. “You can see the other girl on the plane.”

  Celine caught her jeans mid-air, grabbed the burka off the bed and marched back into the bathroom to dress.

  Before she knew it, she was standing before the floor length mirror staring at herself through the masked head scarf, fighting off the grips of claustrophobia. Breathe. Just until you get on the plane.

  Celine emerged from the bathroom and stood stiff while Solana walked in a slow circle around her. “Good. Follow me. Keep your eyes lowered and do not speak to anyone.”

  “How would anyone know if I had my eyes lowered or not in this thing?” Celine countered.

  Solana kept quiet for once and strode from the room, leaving Celine to chase after her. Caroline might already be waiting and then they'd be on their way home, together.

  Solana hurried down the hall and Celine limped along behind her, catching quick flashes of tall marble statues and beautiful paintings.

  “Keep up, I don't have all day.” Solana's sharp words snapped Celine back to the present. Solana turned a corner, her blue robes swishing behind her and then they were outside, surrounded by potted plants and bright tropical looking flowers. Huge fountains dotted the courtyard and a black Land Rover, like the one that brought her here, sat parked and waiting, two burly men in black suits standing guard.

  “Where is Caroline?” Celine stopped a few feet away.

  “She's being escorted down. Get in the car.” Solana gestured to the open back door.

  “I'm not getting in there without Caroline.” Everything about this morning was wrong. Mr. Mankel should have been here. Caroline should be here. Solana gestured to one of the men and Celine's chest tightened as she stumbled back a step.

  “Stupid Americans, always so stubborn. Well, you won't be for long; your new owner will certainly see to that.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You'll find out soon enough. Trent, put her in the back, but be careful not to bruise her further.”

  The blond man with a scar running down his jaw crossed the distance between them so quickly that Celine didn't have time to react. He hauled her to the car and tossed her in the back seat. Celine scrambled for the other door, but he grabbed her foot and yanked, sending her sprawling on the seat. The door in front of her opened and Solana stood there.

  “You should learn to keep your mouth shut, it will make your life much easier in the future. Dmitri doesn't like mouthy women.”

  Celine started to shake as she realized she wasn't going to meet the senator, or even going home. “My family will find me,” she lied, though she knew her words were meaningless. Whatever forces she was dealing with could wipe her name off the face of the planet in the amount of time it took to snap a finger, and she knew that. Her situation was as hopeless as believing that Aaron cared enough to find her.

  “Your family doesn't care about you.” Solana hissed and leaned down over Celine. “We only wanted the other girl, not you. No one wants you.”

  Something sharp pricked her arm. She saw Solana holding a needle and her terror returned.

  “Caroline.” Celine's tongue turned thick and heavy, her body hot.

  “You want to see your precious Caroline?” Solana slowly lifted the veil covering her face.

  Celine tried to scream but all she could do was moan and stare up helplessly into the girl’s face.

  There was no scarred skin or even the dark hair and skin like she'd expected. No, Celine stared up at the picturesque blond beauty of Caroline Cotter.

  Chapter 8

  Three weeks earlier…

  “Gonna sweep the west perimeter again, then I’ll meet up with you at the nest,” Aaron spoke into the communications piece tucked into the wrist cuff of his tuxedo. For the hundredth time that night, scanned the crowd for a hint of Celine’s platinum blonde head. “How much longer before we can burn these suits?”

  Ethan’s voice came through the comm with a chuckle. “As soon as little bird is off the ground, brother.”

  Which wouldn’t be for another four or five hours. They had the whole wedding ceremony and party afterwards to guard Senator Tom Cotter’s daughter – Caroline. Since Senator Cotter was head of JSCOC, which meant he was TF-S’s boss, Task Force Scorpion had been engaged to be the head security detail on the event.

  Ethan’s comm crackled again. “Celine’s not out there, you know.”

  Aaron grunted out a couple of choice words to his teammate, knowing exactly where Celine was. He always knew. Not that he hadn’t tried not to keep t
abs on her, but damned if he could stop himself.

  He needed to get some distance between them ASAP before he let her tempt him to break his rules and take her. When he’d asked her to help out on the mission, he’d been aware of the attraction between them, but until he’d been in forced proximity for so long, he’d had no idea just how hard it would be to keep his hands off her.

  Aaron turned his attention from thoughts of Celine to the crowd of sequined dresses and Armani suits and crossed the grand foyer. Every political wanna be and who’s who of D.C. would be here for the event. “Once this mission is done, I’m headed to Big Whiskey’s, wanna join?”

  Maybe he could drink her out of his mind. After two full weeks of having to touch and train her for her role in the wedding, his dick was hard enough to crack in half. He’d thought the hardest thing he’d ever had to do was training for the Special Forces – he’d been wrong. Having to keep his hands to himself and act like he wasn’t bursting with need every time she walked past put SF training to shame.

  “Hell no. Kate’s meeting me at my place. Why don’t you ask Celine if she wants to check out your hotel room?”

  Because if he got one taste of her, he’d never be able to let go. And that was breaking cardinal rule number one for him: no long-term relationships. He was a hit it and quit it kinda guy. “Not my type.”

  Ethan snorted. “Sure.”

  Aaron chose to ignore that comment. There really wasn’t any arguing when he’d been basically walking around with a hard on for her for two weeks. His teammate wasn’t blind. “I’ll meet up with you in twenty to take the last shift on Little Bird.”

  He and Ethan had been assigned to walk Caroline and her entourage from her room to the actual ceremony.

  “Roger.”

  Aaron finished edging the foyer with its vaulted ceilings and pristine white walls. The swelling crowd edged closer to the grand double staircase and spilled through open doors on the right to a large ballroom where the wedding would take place. Aaron kept moving, easing toward the front doors where Jared, his teammate, was checking each guest.

  “Jared,” Aaron stopped close to him. “Any sign of J?”

  “Nope, all clear,” Jared answered and took the next invite.

  “K. Going to make one more round. See you inside." Aaron strode out into the cool night air. A long line of stretch limos filled the circular driveway, another A-lister sitting inside waiting for their turn.

  They had been worried about Mr. J making an appearance, Task Force Scorpion and Tom Cotter’s sworn enemy, but coming into the heart of the country and attacking when he was so exposed would be risky. As the ceremony time grew closer, the likelihood that Mr. J would make an appearance faded.

  Aaron hooked a right away from the vehicles and across the huge expanse of lush lawn, eager to put some distance between himself and the noise. The crowds didn't bother him really, as a special forces operative he was used to moving in and out of all kinds of situations. He was a trained chameleon, ready and able to handle any problem.

  Aaron slowed his pace and scanned the perimeter. An empty yard and hundred-year-old oak trees stretched out all the way to the twelve-foot brick wall surrounding the property. If Mr. J did try to breach the property, scaling the huge, monitored wall would more than likely be his last choice. Aaron checked his watch. Time for his shift.

  He quickly finished up his perimeter check and circled around the back. He could head straight to Caroline's room to take over guard detail as planned, and if he was lucky, by the time he got there, Celine would be completely immersed in wedding preparation and unable to leave Caroline’s side.

  Some of the tension he'd been carrying in his shoulders eased as he ducked inside a regular looking white door, made sure to lock it behind him and navigated his way through the maze of hallways. They had about an hour before go time.

  He should be able to get another glimpse of her from a distance, safely surrounded by the wedding entourage. He could say a quick goodbye, and book it the hell out of there before he did something stupid like kiss her.

  Aaron blew out a breath and turned the corner down the last hallway before reaching Caroline's bedroom, happy with this plan.

  "Aaron?"

  Celine softly spoken voice froze him in his tracks. Shit. Adrenaline raced through his system. Just the sound of her voice undid him. Aaron closed his eyes and forced his mind to go blank. No matter how much he wanted her, he had a station to get to. Carefully he turned to face her and the second he locked eyes on her in that aqua blue strappy dress, his heart kicked over in his chest.

  This whole past week of training together, Celine had taunted him with skintight shorts and cute little tank tops that teased and tortured. He had managed to get to a point where he could control his reaction to her knowing exactly how she would look and act every day.

  And for some dumb reason, he hadn't thought about her wearing anything but that.

  He could have never envisioned the sexy dress hugging her every curve, neckline dipping down low enough to reveal the swell of her breasts. Aaron stared, fascinated, as her nipples hardened right before his eyes. He tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone bone dry. "What are you doing out here?"

  A teasing smile spread across her pink lips and she gestured to the door on her left. "Freshening up a bit and giving Caroline a little bit of space."

  He tore his gaze off her long enough to see the words ‘powder room’ on a tiny bronze plate on the door. And then his eyes were right back on her, taking in every nuance, drinking in every detail. He fisted his hands at his sides, physically restraining himself from reaching out to touch her. Space. He needed to put some space between them. He practically growled out the words, "I'll take you back to Caroline's room."

  Need to touch her.

  He took a quick step back.

  “Wait.” Celine reached for him, her petite fingers landing on his arm like a hot brand. The thick material of his tuxedo did nothing to protect him from the shot of pleasure. All he had to do was reach out, cup the back of her head and take her lips. Her heavy-lidded questioning gaze told him she would be more than willing.

  “I never told you thank you for asking me to help out with the wedding. It means a lot to me that you trusted me with something so important." Her quietly spoken words caressed him as much as her fingers.

  He reached for her fingers with every intention of peeling from him, but instead his fingers curled through hers, testing the smooth satiny feel of her palm against his own callused one. He should tell her it wasn't a big deal, but the open vulnerability in her gaze stole the lie right from his lips. "You were the only one I would trust."

  A light blush stole up her cheeks. She inched closer, narrowing the gap between them. Aaron closed his eyes and savored her sweet scent wrapping around him. He liked everything about her. Everything.

  "Aaron, can I ask you one more question?"

  He cleared his throat. "Anything."

  "Will you kiss me?"

  His eyes flew open, every muscle in his body going tense with need at her question. He had to say no. He hadn't even touched her yet and already she tested his resolve. The moment his lips touched hers he would be done for.

  Celine's tiny pink tongue darted out to lick her lips and his willpower crumbled. He could do it. He could kiss her. That's all he needed, just one taste.

  Just one.

  A growl ripped from his chest and he crushed her to him, taking her mouth with all the ferocity and pent up desire inside him. Her sweet mouth opened willingly and her arms went around his neck, holding him to her as tightly as he held her.

  His tongue danced with hers, exploring every single inch she was willing to give. Like a man possessed he nipped at her lips, licked and sucked and then pushed deeper. God, she tasted so good, better than he’d thought. She was perfect for him. Celine whimpered, the sweet feminine sound of want sent adrenaline spiking through his resolve.

  If he didn’t have her now, he’d go
insane. “The mission,” he whispered roughly against her lips.

  “I need you,” she answered fervently. Her hands raked through his hair, yanking him down to her. “Now.”

  His logic crumbled beneath the obsessive determination to take her as his own. A man possessed, he tore his mouth from her and drug her through a door opposite the powder room into a large office. A large, heavy wood desk stood in the center of the room with a matching leather chair behind. To his left, two club chairs and delicate looking coffee table sat in front of an empty fireplace. Without hesitation, Aaron lifted her and propelled her to the desk, his logic failing with her sweet moan of anticipation.

  Her hand slipped inside his jacket and pushed it from his shoulders, and he shrugged out of the offending material. Then her shaking fingers found the buttons of his shirt, and within seconds, his shirt was on the floor. He gathered her up into his arms, his lips going to her neck, following the gentle curve down to her perfectly formed shoulder. He took her thin dress strap between his teeth and pulled down first one side, and then the other, until the silky material pooled around her clear high heels. All the air in his lungs rushed out. "Jesus."

  She was completely naked save for a small scrap of nude lace at the juncture of her thighs. He’d known he was in danger of losing himself to her the first time he’d laid eyes on her. Now he knew he was lost.

  In a daze, he lifted her onto the table and laid her back. He’d dreamed of her like this with her baby blue eyes flushed with banked desire and her lips parted, flushed and swollen. Laid out in front of him like a pagan sacrifice, overwhelming need shuddered through his entire body.

  He devoured her with his gaze, reverently reaching out to stroke her hard, little nipple with the back of his knuckles. From somewhere in the distance he heard himself say, “We need to stop.”

  “No!” Her body jerked, as if that one light touch had scorched her.

  Her urgent plea destroyed his determination. He shoved her legs wide and bent to her breasts, sucking her nipple between her lips until she cried out. The taste of her tight, rosy bud in his mouth filled his senses. He barely registered her sharp nails digging into his shoulders.