by Anna del Mar
Startled, she looked up at me, eyes wide, cheeks flushed, nipples poking through the silk and hard against my chest. I was done with the subtleties. I lowered my face to hers, parted her lips with my tongue and decisively occupied the whole space in her delicious mouth, teaching her with the heat of my desire who was in charge of this dance and why.
The dangers of doing this here and now didn’t escape me, but my body was committed to hers and the risks were minimized by the dense crowd, the darkness, and the loud music. Risks be damned. I’d needed Jade in my arms all day—no—all my life.
I ground my hips against hers, marking the spot between her legs with territorial zeal. I loosened my hunger for her and deepened the kiss, determined to get my fill of her, swallowing the small, quiet whimpers trapped in the back of her throat, overpowering her with my passion. I was tired of waiting. I was gonna have her tonight.
Jade
Holy crap. If dancing with Matthias was always like this, hell, yeah, I wanted to dance. And I did, enveloped in his arms, swaying slowly against him, mouths linked, bodies locked in a sexual conversation as he led me in a slow grind that involved my hips and his glutes, my pussy and his cock. For the length of the song, the world dissolved into a blurry darkness and the two of us swayed alone in our deserted island.
“We need to get out of here.” Matthias’s breath warmed my ear as the ballad transitioned into the smooth beat of a reggae song that resonated in my body. “I need to take you back to the hotel.”
His tone cranked up the heat in my lower belly. Nothing sounded more tempting to me than a quick return to our hotel, with our private balcony and our big, wide bed. Unfortunately, I had one last task to accomplish tonight. Worse, it probably entailed giving up on the very scenario my body craved. I took in a deep breath and lifted my head from his shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” Matthias’s stare searched my gaze. “What just changed?”
He was so attuned to me that he could feel my mood shifting. His mood changed along with mine. We were still both swaying to the music, but gone was the island dweller and back was the game warden.
His stare bore into my head. “There’s no way in hell you’re going to let me enjoy tonight, are you?”
The words just blurted out of my mouth. “I know what you’re doing here.”
His mouth straightened. “I’m not doing Mei.”
“Oh, I believe you.”
“You do?” He blinked blankly before he explored my face with his curious gaze. “Then why do I feel like lightning is about to set the Serengeti on fire?”
“You should’ve told me.” My heart beat wildly against my sternum. “It would’ve made things easier. I’ve got a brain, you know. You can trust me.”
His expression betrayed nothing, but his guarded gaze continued to peruse my face, scanning, monitoring, anticipating. “Would you care to elaborate?”
“I’m on to you.” I leaned over his shoulder, pressed my lips to his ear, and spoke over the music. “You are the game warden at the reserve, sure, but you’re also a spook. And so is Rem. I’m going to take a wild guess and say he’s your handler. You two have setup an intelligence op right in the middle of the Serengeti. You guys are playing a very dangerous game.”
His shoulders stiffened beneath my hands. For a moment, I thought he might push me away and stomp off, enraged at being discovered. Instead, his gaze gleamed with surprise, yes, but also with warmth and…what? A sense of pride?
“You really are something else.” His lips pulled up slowly, widening the span of his grin. “You are so different from anyone else I’ve ever met.”
His smile rained on me, freshening my mood like the cascade of bubbles that suddenly fell from the rafters, kissing my body with tiny bursts as they popped against my skin. All around us, the dancers rejoiced, oohing and aahing at the spectacle of millions of translucent bubbles floating down on us. Matthias grinned some more. Pretty surreal. I had just accused him of being an intelligence operative and he was smiling.
“Babe,” was all he said.
“Don’t you babe me.” I fisted my hand on his shoulder. “And don’t you dare ignore what I just said, ’cause that’s just going to piss me off.”
“Pissing you off wasn’t part of the mission tonight.” He grabbed my hand, kissed it, and then tugged on it lightly. “Let’s go.”
He led me through the courtyard to a small, discreet door located at the very back of the building. It opened up to a stoop at the top of a short flight of stairs. The steps dead-ended at the cusp of a sandy beach where tourists and locals strolled the shore beneath the moon’s silvery light. The night was beautiful and the ocean welcomed me with a breezy, salty kiss, but I wasn’t going to allow the stunning view to distract me.
I crossed my arms and made my stand on the stoop. “Did you hear what I said in there?”
“Loud and clear.” He sat on a step and took off his loafers.
I perched my fists on my hips. “Are you going to dignify me with an answer?”
“Sorry babe, can’t confirm or deny.” He grabbed his shoes and straightened on his feet.
My blood was about to boil over. “Not even to me?”
“Not even to you,” another voice said as Rem came through the door barefooted, linen pants tucked above his knees, jacket abandoned somewhere inside.
Matthias blocked Rem’s path with his body. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“My job.” Rem marched around Matthias and trotted lithely down the steps to the beach, where he turned to face us. “I’ve been watching you two all night. I was afraid this might happen. Come on.” He whirled on his heels and strode down to the surf.
“Stay here,” Matthias grunted, stalking after Rem.
I stared at him as he made his way to the shoreline. Millions of questions buzzed in my mind. Stay here? No way.
Following the guys’ lead, I kicked off my heels and knotted the bottoms of my pantsuit above my knees. As I did, I scanned the beach and took in all the players. Carrying my shoes in my hand, I hurried after Matthias and Rem, who stood at the water’s edge, engaged in a muttered but obviously heated discussion.
I overheard the last of Matthias’s words as I caught up with them.
“Don’t go there.”
“It’s my call,” Rem said before his eyes registered my approach. He flashed me his award-winning smile. “Ah, Jade, so happy you could join us.” He took my arm and led me along the shore. “Let’s go for a stroll.”
“Why are you here?” I said, looking over to Matthias, whose furious glare threaten to reduce Rem into a pile of smoking ashes. “Why are the three of us walking the beach?”
“Hard to bug an entire beach.” Rem waved at a couple as they passed us by. “As to my crashing this lovely, moonlit walk, I’m afraid it’s a matter of practicality, my dear.”
Matthias growled. “Rem, don’t do this…”
“There’s no way around it,” Rem said. “She started it. Now I have to end it.” He turned to me. “Simply put: on a regular day, Matthias is not authorized to talk to anybody about his work in Africa. Except me, of course. But, a little sideline.” He cased his mouth with the back of his hand and leaned over as if sharing a secret. “A few days ago, I officially authorized our mutual friend here to talk to you. He refused. So you want answers? I’m your guy.”
I looked to Matthias. “Why won’t you answer my questions if you are…” I curled two sets of fingers and drew quotations in the air, “officially authorized to talk to me?”
“Rem’s got some really bad ideas,” Matthias said. “I refuse to go along with them.”
“Ha.” I frowned. “Wouldn’t that amount to insubordination?”
“Yes,” Rem said.
“Insubordination my ass.” Matthias glowered at Rem. “If you do this, I’m out.”
“Put a lid of your temper,” Rem said. “It’s her life, her decision.”
A muscle flinched on Matthias’s jaw. The look he g
ave Rem could’ve shredded him to scraps. These two were a piece of work individually. Put them together and you had a brainy, kickass machine. Pitch them against each other? Clash of giants and who knows? National security breach?
“So you’re Matthias’s handler,” I said, verbalizing the theory I’d put together. “He’s here doing intelligence work and you both work for…”
“Let’s not name certain agencies aloud, shall we?” Rem adjusted his steps to mine. “Names are likely to inflame the local sensibilities and we wouldn’t want any of that.”
No, we wouldn’t.
“Suffice it is to say that our work here is sanctioned by the proper authorities and that we are here upon request, to help not to hinder,” Rem added, challenging Matthias’s glare. “Our work here is vital for all parties involved, and that includes the USA, Tanzania, and the global community.”
This was big, even bigger than I’d suspected.
“Does the director know?” I asked.
“Not only do Ari and Zeke know,” Rem said. “They’re vital parts of the effort. It’s their country. This is a joint global effort, but ultimately, they’re calling the shots. We work for them. Unbeknown to anyone, Zeke is a high-level Tanzanian intelligence operative himself, one of the most capable I’ve ever known. We are honored to work with him. He’s only posing as Matthias’s second in command. We all work as equals.”
“What the hell?” Matthias threw his hands in the air. “Dude, that’s classified information!”
“You’re right,” Rem said, “but I’ve been authorized to discuss certain aspects of our mission with Jade.”
“For Christ’s sake,” Matthias said. “Leave her out of this!”
“Sorry, man, but this is too important.” Rem’s gaze returned to me. “You do realize that anything we discuss here is completely confidential and cannot be shared with anyone else?”
I scoffed. “You’re beginning to sound like James Bond.”
He wasn’t amused. “I need a verbal.”
“Fine, yes. I understand.” I looked over my shoulder uneasily, tracking the people on the beach. “Is there going to be trouble or are the elements trailing us yours?”
“At ease, marine,” Rem said. “Those guys are on our side. You’ve got good instincts. It’s why we’re so interested in you.”
Matthias’s rumble went up a notch. “Rem…”
Rem ignored Matthias’s warning. “If I were Matthias, I’d probably feel exactly as he does. But I’m a professional. We are both professionals.” He flashed Matthias a pointed glance. “Personal feelings aside, my priority has to be the mission and I think you could be helpful.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. “How?”
Rem grinned. “Always the straight shooter.”
“You’ll never get any bullshit from her.” Matthias came around Rem and parked next to me like my very own, personal bodyguard. “Let’s go, Jade. You don’t have to listen to any of this.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I want to hear what he’s got to say.”
Matthias swore under his breath, but at least he didn’t drag me away by the hair like a total caveman. He stood there, wafting hot steam and anger, ears red and temper simmering at a rolling boil.
Rem took his life in his own hands. “What do you know?”
“Technically, nothing,” I said. “You may have noticed: Matthias is not exactly the stellar conversationalist.”
“No shit.” Rem scoffed. “Wanna give it a go?”
“My guess?” I said. “You guys are looking to nab the poachers, not the small time local ones, but the big time players, the ones moving the loads in and out of Africa. You guys have managed to insert Matthias right at the heart of the conflict, under cover as the reserve’s game warden, a job that, by the way, he does better than anybody else.”
“Not bad.” Rem’s mouth curled up as he nodded. “Anything else?”
I felt as if I were interviewing for a position. In more ways than one, I probably was. Oh, what the hell.
“It’s about the illegal trade of ivory.”
Rem seemed slightly disappointed.
“But it’s also about stemming the tide of civil war in Africa and terrorism here and abroad,” I added. “Poaching is the scourge that feeds the coffers of local warlords and global terrorism. The illegal ivory trade funds the rogue armies and the weapons tearing Africa apart. It also funds international violence, the terrorist cells aligned with all kinds of poisonous ideologies, and the bastards who will stop at nothing to kill, hurt, maim and enslave innocents here and abroad. It’s complex, but it’s also simple: Every time you get the big time poachers, you cut out the terrorists’ funding, and you do the world, and Africa, justice.”
“Holy shit.” Rem gawked at me. “Do you have a sister?”
“We’re leaving.” Matthias grabbed my hand. “This conversation has gone far enough.”
“I’m most certainly not leaving.” I wrenched my hand from his hold.
Matthias exhaled an irritated breath and ran a hand over his face. “Jade…”
“I came to Africa to do a job, and I’ll do it.”
“This has nothing to do with what you came to do.”
“Are you crazy?” I said. “This has everything to do with my assignment! This is why I came, to document exactly this sort of conflict.” I returned my attention to Rem. “You want to know what I think? Fine, I’ll tell you. Based on Matthias’s geographical placement, I think you guys are after Lamba, which makes sense because he’s one of the biggest, most vicious assholes out there and he’s coming this way. I also think you suspect that the Chinese are involved in the illegal ivory trade, given how many…err…resources—” My face felt a little hot “—you two have devoted to Mei Cheng.”
“Jesus, Jade…”
“Let her speak, Matthias.” Rem’s icy blue eyes fixed on me. “And how do you suppose that the Chinese cultural attaché is related to all of this?”
“Best guess?” I shrugged. “The Chinese love their ivory. They’re the world’s main ivory consumers. So it only makes sense that you two think that Mei is using her position and her diplomatic privileges to facilitate the transactions between the poachers and the black market cartel.”
Rem tucked his hands under his armpits and shook his head. “Mind telling me how the hell you figured that out?”
“I did my research before I came to Africa,” I said. “And once I landed, I watched the flow. Gathering human intelligence is what I did as a CTS with the SEALs.” I cleared my throat. “Do you think Mei is using Matthias to find out information about the ivory?”
Rem looked to Matthias. “Would you like to answer that?”
Matthias flashed his friend a cutting glance. “I think Mei wants to use me in many ways. Information is one of the things she wants from me.”
“And do you give it to her?” I asked.
“Jade…”
“Answer me.”
He let out an exasperated breath. “I give her only what we want her to know.”
“And?”
“If she’s used the information, we don’t know about it. We have no evidence she’s involved with the poachers other than the fact she spends an awful lot of time in the Serengeti.”
“But you’re aware that she wants more than information from you, aren’t you?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not as clueless as you make me out to be.”
Rem knuckled his chin, trying to keep his lips straight. “Well, that about settles it. Jade, would you like to join the team?”
“No fucking way.” Matthias shoved Rem on the shoulder, a hard push that sent him staggering into the shallow surf.
Rem put out his arms and kept his balance but only barely. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Showing an impressive measure of self-control, he swallowed his anger. “Not your decision, remember?”
Matthias’s ferocious glower aimed at his handler. Rem was also his good friend, I knew that in
stinctively. I understood Matthias’s efforts to protect me. After all, that’s what he did, guard the reserve, the animals, the people, me.
But I was worried about his safety, even more so now that I knew the enormous risks he was taking. No wonder Lamba had a price on his head. I was also concerned about the safety of everyone in the reserve and the fate of the animals, especially Pacha Ziwa’s elephant herds. On top of everything, I couldn’t let Matthias’s anger destroy the setup he and Rem had carefully built over the last two years. It was too important—to Tanzania, Africa and the world. If all of that wasn’t enough, I didn’t want Matthias to lose his friend because of me.
“This is not right for you,” Matthias spat. “Too dangerous.”
I squared my shoulders. “And who are you to tell me what to do?”
“I’m the guy who wants to protect you,” he shot back. “If only you’d have the good sense to let me.”
I fought the heat smelting my bones. The way he was looking at me melted my brain and liquefied my knees. Coming from any other guy, I might have blown it off as a spike of bravado. But not from Matthias. No way. He was as honest and earnest as they came. Which made this whole thing even harder. Grow a new spine, Jade. Time to wheel and deal.
“I appreciate your concern,” I said. “But listening to Rem won’t kill me, right?”
Matthias started to argue. “But—”
“My life.” I faced him, nose to nose. “My decision.”
It was a miracle that his top didn’t blow and his backbone didn’t snap in two. His lips pressed together in a gesture that said not speaking was all he could do to prevent the explosion brewing inside.
I turned to Rem. “You’ve got a minute. Go.”
Rem wasn’t one to waste time or opportunity. “You’ve gotten the world’s attention. Kumbuyo and Lamba’s too, judging by my intelligence info, and maybe some other key players as well. Let’s use that to set up a trap.”