Save Me If You Can

by Jones, Christina C

  She pushed away doubt, and fear, and the uncertainty of what was happening around them to succumb to his kiss. There would be time again for all of that later.

  Three.

  Thump. Smack.

  Thump. Thump. Smack.

  Thump.

  Each connection between Inez’s fist and the thick leather of the heavy bag made a sound that resonated through the empty gym.

  This was solace, this was peace, this was… really Naomi’s thing, but Inez now understood why her friend used boxing as an outlet.

  It was pretty damned cathartic, releasing the tension that lay heavy on her shoulders into something that couldn’t fight back or resist. The punching bag just had to take it, and Inez had plenty of “it” to give.

  She wasn’t pissed off. It was more like she felt… cheated. One moment, she was suiting up to kick ass, perform a reverse abduction, maybe get a chance to pull a trigger against a live target. The next moment, that opportunity was robbed from her by the arrival of Harrison, who’d somehow managed to take three bullets to the leg and then ride right into her private, supposedly secure compound, with Damien Wolfe’s kids in tow.

  So maybe she was a little pissed.

  At Harrison.

  Smack.

  At Wolfe.

  Smack.

  And at Savi, who was currently standing in the way of them getting some much-needed answers.

  Thump. Thump. Smack.

  Inez had known Savi long enough, trusted her deeply enough that she believed her when she said she wanted to let Harrison get some rest. The “doctor” in Savi ran deep, and there was a certain sense of duty that came with that. Inez could buy the argument that she wanted to give Harrison time to recover from the surgery she’d performed to remove the bullets and patch him up. Well… maybe not recover, but certainly get a few hours of rest before they bombarded him with questions.

  But it wasn’t “just” that.

  The slight hitch in Savi’s voice as she made her plea for Harrison to be left alone wasn’t exhaustion, like Inez had dismissed it as before. It wasn’t annoyance at having her methods questioned, it wasn’t charitable pity, or even simple human decency.

  It was desperation.

  Thump. Thump. Smack.

  Inez had to proceed carefully. First, because she considered Savi a friend. Inez wasn’t a big fan of jumping to harmful, unnecessary conclusions, but she wasn’t stupid either. If Savi knew Harrison, that was a link to Damien Wolfe that was as direct as it got. The team – all of them – had been pretty lax on security around Savi because they considered her an ally, but what if that really wasn’t the case?

  Smack. Thump. Smack.

  Second reason to move forward with caution; Savi was a helluva lot more dangerous than she looked. Many times, Inez had put her life in Savannah’s hands, without a second thought. She had a heart of gold, sure, but it came with a switch, and Inez had seen what happened when that switch was in the off position. Killer face, killer body, and a killer instinct that could make your blood run cold.

  Inez shivered now, as the hairs on the back of her raised. She whipped around, turning to see the object of her thoughts standing behind her, silent and disconcerting in the semi-darkness. Moving only enough to swallow the heavy lump in her throat, Inez raked her eyes over Savi’s face, noting the glossy redness of her eyes, even though the remainder of her expression was unnaturally calm.

  As if it were being beckoned, her gaze dropped to the tension in Savi’s toned arm, and she followed the path down to her hand. “I need to talk to you.” The polished steel of the gun in her grip glittered, happily reflecting the dim lights. She lifted the weapon, and Inez was already moving, prepared to take Savi’s head off her body with a well-placed kick.

  But… Savi was holding the gun out by the handle, with the barrel facing herself.

  Huh.

  Still on guard, Inez lowered her foot. She looked at Savi for a long moment, trying to see past her inscrutable expression before she finally, carefully, accepted the gun.

  It was a peace gesture, she knew. And that’s all it was – a gesture. They both knew the gun wasn’t the only weapon Savi had, and they both knew that if it came down to a fight, no weapon was needed.

  But the message was clear.

  Inez tucked the gun into the waistband of her pants, then lifted her hands, welcoming Savi to speak her mind. The other woman swallowed hard, obviously uncomfortable with what she had to say.

  “First of all, just as an FYI, I’ve locked Harrison into the medical center,” – So what? Inez thought. It was her house, she had keys. “With my electromagnetic locks. Nobody is getting in or out of there until I say.”

  Inez folded her arms, scowling at her – maybe soon to be former – friend. “So you’ve put yourself in charge of my house now?”

  “Not at all,” Savi shook her head. “I don’t mean any disrespect by it. I just saw it as a necessary precaution. For Harrison’s safety.”

  Running her tongue over her teeth, Inez nodded. “I see. So what is it you need to talk to me about?”

  “It’s…” she pushed out a heavy sigh. “It’s about Harrison. I intentionally don’t know many details about whatever is happening here tonight. But I want to make it clear, whether you believe me or not, that I’ve not been in contact with him until tonight. I haven’t relayed anything, haven’t dropped a hint, sent a smoke signal, nothing. I don’t know anything about whatever you are all so upset with him about.”

  For a long moment, there was quiet between the two women. Outwardly, Inez made sure she gave off the air that she was unconvinced, but she knew Savi. Well, she knew her character, at least. The Savannah she knew was disgusted by people like Damien Wolfe, had gleefully hunted and taken their lives. So… hmmm.

  “How do you know him?” Inez asked, unfolding her arms. She walked across the room, taking a seat on the end of the weight bench while she waited on an answer.

  Savi shook her head. “I can’t tell you that, Inez.”

  Inez lifted an eyebrow. “You can’t, or you won’t?” She speared Savi with a glare, hoping it wouldn’t take more than that to get the other woman to spill what she knew.

  They both knew better. Savi met Inez’s glare with one of her own, not backing down. “Both.”

  Inez was back across the room in a flash, right in Savi’s face. “Where the fuck do you think you are, amiguita? You might wanna assess your situation a little better before you refuse to answer something, yeah?”

  “I know exactly where I am, chiquita. If I had something else to say that mattered, something you needed to know, I would tell you. Other than that, no comment.”

  Inez smirked at first, then let it spread into a full-on smile until she dropped her voice into an unpleasant, malicious tone to respond. “Okay. We’ll just ask Harrison. I’m sure that between us, we can find some creative ways to get information out of him. And when we’re done, we’ll send you the remains.”

  The change in Savi was instant. One moment, she was contrite, and seeking understanding for her position. The next, her eyes were cold, nostrils flared, and Inez was sure that if she looked down, her fists would be clenched at her sides.

  “If one person,” Savi said, her words perfectly clear, though her tone was edged barely-restrained rage, “touches Harrison to do him harm, I will burn this fucking place to the ground with all of you in it, and watch the flesh melt off your bones.”

  “I’m giving you a hundred goddamn miles of leeway right now, Sav,” Inez warned. “Taking you at your word that you haven’t been funneling information to Damien Wolfe. And you’re gonna stand in my face, in my house and threaten me?”

  “I’m not threatening you, Inez. I’m telling you. If Harrison is harmed, somebody in here is going to have to answer to me, and they’re not going to have a very good quality of life after I’m finished with them.”

  “He’s no angel.”

  Savi shook her head. “I never said he was. He’s never c
laimed to be. Ask your questions, get your answers, fine. But I said what I said, and I meant it.”

  Inez narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. “Who is he to you, Savi? What the fuc—”

  The sound of heavy footsteps in the room drew their attention away from each other, and onto Kendall, who strode up to them with the same powerful presence of a panther. He’d mostly changed out of his sleek, matte black Special Ops gear – a sight that’d made Inez a little giddy – and was now in just a white ribbed tank and black on black camo pants with his heavy black boots… a sight that also made Inez giddy. She allowed her gaze to sweep over Ken, taking in deep mahogany skin, handsome, chiseled features, broad shoulders, thick biceps, and a whole lot of other things that made her mouth water when she saw him.

  Reluctantly, she pulled her gaze away from Kendall and turned back to her friend. The muscles in Savi’s arms were taut and ready for action, and her hand was dangerously close to her waistband. Clearing her throat, Inez pulled Savi’s gun from her pants, extending it back to her in the same way she’d received it – the handle toward Savi, with the barrel facing herself.

  “We’ll talk again later,” she said, meeting Savi’s eyes with a nod. Inez had no real interest in doing Harrison any harm, she just wanted answers, and didn’t appreciate being the subject of intimidation. They held each other’s gazes for a moment, passing the private message that they were on the same page – If you don’t fuck anything up, I won’t either.

  Savi returned her nod, took the gun. Tucked it back into her waist, and when she looked up, her eyes were warm again… and apologetic. “He called me,” Savi said, in a low voice, meant only for Inez. “We hadn’t spoken for years, but he called me, said he was hurt, and needed help. He trusted me, Nez. So I had to trust him. I’m sorry.”

  But, Inez didn’t need an apology. Hell, she would probably act the same way, if someone she love—

  Huh.

  Yeah… that was it. That was exactly it, the thing that explained the fierce protectiveness Savi had just displayed. In a rare, extremely drunk moment of weakness, several years back, Savi had sobbed on Inez’s shoulder about a guy who’d cut off contact with her, which had broken her heart. But how could a woman like Savi, who reviled men like Damien Wolfe, love a man who worked for Wolfe, and helped to facilitate his crimes? Unless she didn’t know who he worked for. And the only way a CIA agent would not know was if they didn’t want to know, and the only way they wouldn’t want to know was if…

  Inez smiled.

  Savi was telling a lot more than she realized.

  The two exchanged a final nod before they separated, and Savi headed out, leaving Inez and Kendall alone in the room. Inez adjusted her fingerless gloves, turning back to the heavy bag to dole out more hits – this time, triumphant ones.

  “What was that about?” Kendall asked, standing far enough that he wasn’t obstructing her movement, but close enough that Inez could feel the heat from his body behind her.

  She muttered a breathless, “Not sure yet”, then continued hitting the bag. Not that she didn’t trust Kendall, but she didn’t want to put out an unsubstantiated claim. She needed a bit more before she shared.

  She needed to talk to Harrison.

  “What’s up?” She tossed Kendall a backward glance as she stepped away from the bag. “Did you need something?”

  He shrugged. “I was just thinking… there’s nothing more we can really do tonight. A few hours before we’re supposed to move out. We’re supposed to all be in bed.”

  Inez shook her head, then took a step back toward the bag, throwing jabs.

  Thump. Thump. Smack.

  “I’m not tired.”

  Thump. Thump. Smack.

  “Good.”

  Inez squealed, and nearly crawled out of her skin with pleasure as Kendall snaked his arms around her, pulling her tight against his strong body and pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. He nipped her – one, two, three bites – then soothed her sensitive skin with his lips. “I’m glad to hear you’re not tired,” he rasped against her ear, and she squirmed as he slid a hand under the waistband of her pants. “But that’s even more reason to come to bed. You’ll need plenty of energy for what I have in mind.”

  &

  Nine Years Ago… São Paulo, Brazil

  Savi didn’t particularly like Samba music.

  Inez, on the other hand, did, and she’d done a good job today, so she got to choose the after work event. They needed this fun after a task that could have gone spectacularly bad.

  A task that almost went bad.

  It was neither of their faults that their target had almost slipped away, in pursuit of a fat ass and a pretty face. Some men were just like that, easily distracted by the possibility of willingly spread legs. A curse, because it took him off the path they’d built their plan around. A gift, because it was easy to lure him back.

  Inez was the bait, and the sexy fluidity with which she danced now had been the hook. A bright white halter, low-slung jeans against her glowing caramel skin, too many long, inviting glances to be a coincidence, and the target had been trailing behind her like an unraveling ball of yarn, begging for an invitation to her bed.

  Distraction accomplished.

  While Inez kept that one busy, Savi worked. Wearing the same microscopic black skirt and tank top combo as the other waitresses, she sauntered right up to Sergio Miranda in VIP, with a tray of drinks and a smile. Though it was dark in the club, the man wore glasses that blocked any possible view of his eyes. But Savi didn’t need to see them to know they were on her. Watching.

  “Cortesia de casa,” she said in fluent, accented Portuguese. His head bodyguard was absorbed with Inez, and the others were too drunk to be useful, so she was able to lean in close and speak into his ear, allowing him to breathe in the heady scent of her perfume. “Gozar.”

  “Gostaria de gozar porra você,” he replied, grabbing her arm and tugging her close. Savi pretended to blush over his crudeness, but she wasn’t at all surprised. I would enjoy fucking you was probably tame for the likes of Sergio Miranda, porn peddler and underage sex trafficker. Only because this was a job did she endure his rough groping of her ass. Only because of what would be happening in less than five minutes did she smile.

  “Don’t get me in trouble with my boss,” she said, still in his native tongue. “Finish your drink like a good boy, and after my shift… we can play.” Savi winked at him, and called upon every bit of self-control she possessed to keep from gagging as she walked away.

  She dumped the tray of drinks and then slipped up to the closed balcony. From there, shrouded in darkness, she watched as Sergio did indeed finish the drink.

  What a waste of good looks, she thought, taking in his olive skin and handsomely sculpted features. It was a sickening theme she’d been tracking over the years, that many of the nightmarish people she “handled” gave the outward impression of a dream come true.

  But then, she smiled.

  Right before her eyes, Sergio began to cough. She counted the seconds between when he assumed himself to just be choking on the top-shelf liquor as it burned down his throat, to when he realized something was wrong, based on the blood-stained fingertips he pulled from his mouth.

  “Rest in piss,” she mumbled, right before she lifted her Ruger, aimed, and pulled the trigger, ending Sergio’s life before he could alert anyone. She’d aimed well, and the silenced bullet had gone through his thick, wavy hair. Until the blood soaked through the arm of the couch and began spilling on the floor, it would look like Sergio had simply had a few too many, and was taking a nap.

  She snuck back down to the dance floor, keeping out of sight until she was able to meld in with the crowd. She signaled to Inez, who excused herself from her target and joined Savi in their exit.

  They were a block away when they heard the sirens.

  ~

  Now, they were in a different club.

  Smaller, with live music, and a completely differen
t vibe. They’d showered, dressed, and had dinner now that the mission – one better completed on an empty stomach – was done. Afterwards, Inez had insisted on the club. The goal was to unwind and relax, to celebrate a successfully completed job.

  Inez had done that, had danced and drank and danced some more, then left with some gorgeous Brazilian who’d matched her step for step on the dance floor. She wasn’t concerned about Inez leaving alone – she could handle herself – nor was Savi worried about being alone, because she could handle herself as well.

  Now, Savi sat alone at their table, with a cold Brahma in her hand. She lifted the bottle to her mouth, letting the earthy-sweetness of the beer wash over her tongue, then lowered it, leaving the last inch in the bottle. She’d barely moved her hand back from putting the empty bottle on the table when another one was placed in front of her. Her mouth was set to refuse as she turned to the source of the offer, but those words caught in her throat as her eyes took in honey-brown skin, groomed facial hair, and thick, handsome features that had to have been hand-molded by God.

  “Posso me juntar a você para uma bebida?”

  Savi sat up a little straighter, tucking a handful of thick black curls behind her ear. “I’m not Brazilian,” she replied, in English, to his request to join her for a drink.

  “Then what are you?” He posed the question in English, with an American accent, which surprised her enough that she lowered her guard and smiled.

  “Black American as hell.” She shrugged, then sat back in her chair, waiting for his response.

  He flashed a smile of his own, then took the liberty of sitting down, his legs facing her as he placed the offered beer on the table in front of her, then put down one of his own. “Good,” he said, passing her a bottle opener. “So I found the only other one of us in the room. I thought so, but you never can be sure, right?”