by Karen Anders
After they passed through the quaint town of St. Helena, Jammer turned off onto a road that led to a stone castle estate with lush vineyards nestled in the rolling hills beyond. The sign out front read Ceo Draiochta.
“What language is that? Gaelic? Do you have Scottish ancestry?” Callie angled around to look at him.
He made a faint curl of his mouth, not quite a smile. He seemed remote, somewhere far beyond her in his thoughts, even though he was only two feet away. “It’s Gaelic and my background…is complicated.”
“What does it mean?” she asked.
“Magic Mist.”
“Ah, how pretty. For the fog that blankets these hills?” Callie had seen plenty of photos of Napa Valley obscured by thick fog.
“Yes, reminiscent of the hills of Scotland with their mysterious mists,” he said.
“Hmm, very poetic, I’d say.”
“The fog is legendary here. It rolls up the valley or makes its way through the gaps between the Mayacamas from neighboring Sonoma Valley. There are days when I wake up and find the valley ‘was gone; gone were all the lower slopes and the woody foothills of the range; and in their place, not a thousand feet below me, rolled a great level ocean.’”
“Robert Louis Stevenson?”
“I’m impressed,” Jammer said.
“So am I. There aren’t many gunrunners I know who can quote Stevenson. He was, if I’m not mistaken, a Scottish poet and writer.”
“You aren’t mistaken,” he growled.
“Hmm, a pattern here.”
“I would ask that you be cautious of what you say in front of my staff. They don’t know anything about what I really do. They run the winery for me and are good people.”
“Are you changing the subject?”
“Moving on to a different one, that’s all.”
“So, this is a legit business?”
“Yes. I make some of the best cherry brandy and cabernet sauvignon on the market-Craving Cherry Brandy, Brume Reserve, Chimera Estate and Tempest Estate.”
“What name do you go by here?”
“They only know me as Mr. J. I have a manager who handles the staff, since I travel a lot.”
They pulled into a circular paved driveway with a beautiful fountain in the middle and luscious blooms of a wide variety of flowers in a kaleidoscope of shades, all bracketed by verdant greenery.
Then Callie examined the house. It was a castle complete with turrets. “Okay, you’re taking this Scottish theme to the max.”
He laughed as he exited the car.
“Does it have a dungeon?”
“Yes, and if you don’t stop asking questions, I’m going to put you on the rack.”
“Oooh, that sounds way too good. Will you ravish me while I’m helpless?”
“Most decidedly. If only to stop you from talking.”
His gaze slid down her body, touching every part of her with a hot, melting look. Her face, her shoulders, her breasts. She licked dry lips and could almost taste him on them.
He stepped closer to her, that mouth a sensual line of taut beauty. When he captured her lips, she got a thrill of sensation at the feel of his oh-so-soft and oh-so-clever mouth. It was a kiss meant to tease and to tantalize, ending much too quickly.
“Hey, I was just doing as I was told,” he said.
She sighed deeply. “Oh, yes, that’s right. I told you to remind me to keep my big trap shut. Thanks for that.”
He slipped his hand into hers and Callie started at the contact. It seemed more intimate than the kiss they had just shared and more dangerous than the mission she was on.
He pulled her forward onto the small drawbridge that served as the front path to the winery grounds and the castle beyond. A riot of color surrounded them on the short walk.
The house itself was made of stone and included a round tower on its side, making it look truly like a castle.
“The tasting rooms and the winery production is done in those old barns over there,” he said, pointing to the right of the house.
“Not really old, huh?”
“No, just manufactured to look that way.”
“This is an interesting side of you. A legitimate businessman.”
“I have many identities, Gina. This is just one of them.”
“I can’t imagine how you manage to do your…ah…gunrunning right under these people’s noses.”
“I don’t do that kind of business here.”
“What do you mean?”
“No one from that world knows about this place. Well, except for Fudo Miyagi and he’s dead. He was also escorted here without foreknowledge.”
“Why would you bring that man here, to your sanctuary?”
“To garner his trust and put him at ease. It’s a beautiful place.”
“But you brought me here. Does that mean I have to die, too?”
He turned to her, his eyes unreadable. “I wanted us to be untraceable during this deal we have going. I don’t want to entertain any surprises. After all, you have the contacts and I need those. Your welfare is my main concern.”
“Just like you took care of my sister?”
“More,” he said.
He drew her forward again, to the carved mahogany doors. Over the curved archway was a polished coat of arms. More show.
They stepped into a cool foyer, the floor a polished slate gray, the walls a darker gray.
The great room was furnished in deep blues and greens, with comfy sofas and warm wood tables, drawing an appreciative sigh from her. More facets to an already fascinating man.
They passed a large dining room and staircase that led, she presumed, to the second level and the bedrooms, before making their way into the gleaming, state-of-the-art kitchen. “Thirsty?”
“Yes, very.”
He dropped her hand and opened a massive double-door refrigerator, selecting two bottles of sparkling water and handing her one. He opened the other and took a long pull, his throat muscles working.
Callie twisted the top off her bottle and took a sip. She tugged out a chair near the island and sat down, the fatigue of the trip and the sheer act of maintaining her undercover persona catching up with her.
“You’re tired. Let me-”
A sudden knock on the door interrupted him, and he went to answer it. Callie could hear a male voice and Jammer’s deep tones responding. He came back into the kitchen, accompanied by a tall man with a shock of black hair. The newcomer stopped short, his eyes widening as he scanned her sleeveless, pink cotton shirt, which fit like a second skin. That was where the sugar-and-spice-and-everything-nice ended. Her many-shades-of-green camo miniskirt hugged her hips and was belted with chain mail. Black tights covered her legs, ending at stiletto-heeled combat boots on her feet. She knew she looked like Lara Croft ready to do battle.
Callie laughed softly and slipped off the stool. Walking over to Jammer’s employee, she curled her index finger under his chin and closed his gaping mouth.
“Gina, don’t harass the help.”
“Oh, but it’s so much fun.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. J. Didn’t realize you had company.” The man looked at her sheepishly and then smiled through his embarrassment, rubbing at the blush on his cheeks.
“It’s no problem, Jim. This is Gina Callahan. She’s going to be staying with us for a few days.”
“That’s great, Mr. J. She’ll get a chance to see a working winery and taste some of our finest wines.”
“Jim was just letting me know that there are some matters that need my attention. Boring for you, Gina.” Jammer turned to Jim. “I’ll just take her upstairs and get her settled. Could you get her bags out of the car?”
“Sure.”
“Come on, sleepy, let’s get you to bed.”
“All by my lonesome?” She pouted.
Jammer shifted closer, lowering his head slightly so she had to tilt her chin to maintain eye contact. “For now. I’ve got to take care of business, and then I’ll give you
a tour.”
On the way up the stairs, she glimpsed a study. The door was partially open, revealing shelves full of books, a desk and a laptop computer on top.
She’d do well to see what was on the laptop, hopefully find out information Gillian could use.
But Callie’s attention was immediately diverted by Jammer’s firm butt in those heavenly jeans he was wearing. If she didn’t need the time to snoop…she’d make sure he ended up in bed with her. But she had to focus on why she was really here-and it wasn’t for a wine-filled Napa Valley vacation.
She was here to nab the Ghost, and she intended to do it.
True to his word, he took her to a charming master suite complete with a big inviting bed, whirlpool tub and a huge shower decked out with more showerheads and nozzles than she’d ever seen.
“Have a good nap and I’ll see you when you wake up,” he said, ready to turn and leave.
“We’ll talk strategy?”
“That was the plan.”
“I know that. I don’t have any expectations.”
“A woman like you who does this kind of a thing for a living never does, right?”
The way he said the words made her inner agent stand at attention. And that made her uneasy. She controlled the situation in her undercover operations, always. But this time, from the moment she had met him, he’d been at the head of the line and she had to wonder why that was the case. He seemed to know what she was thinking, but the expression was gone in an instant.
His big hand came up and caressed her neck. It would have been nothing for him to tighten it and choke the life out of her. But his fingers were gentle against her.
The attraction was there, pulling at her every time he looked at her. Strong, magnetic, beyond her control. And that made her uneasy all over again. He was trouble. A man with secrets in his eyes and a dark side he took great pains to camouflage. A man whose baser instincts ran just beneath the surface. Dangerous. She’d thought so more than once.
But it was as if she was addicted to him, to the danger he embodied. She couldn’t be sure. All she knew was that she was hip deep in alligators and they had razor-sharp teeth. Especially if he suspected her true identity.
But she was certain he would protect his boss with deadly force, so he couldn’t be suspicious of who she really was, or he would have killed her a long time ago.
Unless he was expecting to get something out of her. But what could that be? Of course, she did have something of great value to him-her contacts.
He got that distant look in his eyes again as if he was miles away, and she had to wonder what he was thinking. And who he really was, this man who gave her so much pleasure, tantalized her senses and made her feel so alive.
A man she would have to destroy to fulfill her mission.
He trailed the back of his hand up her neck to the side of her face and sighed. “You make me want to forget about everything, but that’s not possible.”
“No,” she agreed. “We both have a mission to accomplish.”
His eyes darkened slightly, and his smile hardened. “Interesting choice of words.”
She instantly wanted to bite her lip, frantically going over everything she’d said to him. He was standing entirely too close, so she was missing whatever it was he’d picked up on. She decided to play it cool even though she was feeling nothing of the sort. “Mixing business and pleasure can sometimes be a volatile combination. Don’t you agree?”
“As long as one doesn’t interfere with the other, it will work out fine for both of us.”
“I’m not some wide-eyed innocent. I know the score. All’s fair in love and war.”
“No, it isn’t. If things were fair,” he said, “we wouldn’t be attracted to each other in the first place.” He crowded her the tiniest bit nearer to the wall. “We’d never have gotten entangled.” He shifted a bit more. She didn’t stop him. “If things were fair, I’d have never gone to that hotel room in Paris and we would never have met.”
Her heart was beating so hard now she couldn’t even hear herself speak.
“Ah, Gina, if we were different people and this was a different situation, there would be no holding back.”
“Oh, Jammer. We are who we are.”
“Yes, with all those complications. Even though I want more, we will have to do with less.”
Of all the things he could have said, he’d chosen the one guaranteed to raise every defensive wall she could construct. She could never allow herself to be exposed in any way-and what he wanted from her would definitely qualify as exposure. But that was impossible if she wanted to continue with the work she was doing. And she did. Both for her own very selfish reasons and for the more noble goal of helping her country. She was somewhat ashamed to admit that it was the former that drove her far more than the latter. First for Allie, then for her brother, Max, who had been spirited away somewhere to protect both him and the DEA agent he’d been asked to protect.
For her it was about family and minimizing the danger to them. The Ghost was a threat to her country and Fuentes was a threat to her brother, Max, whom the drug lord wanted dead because of Max and Rio ’s humiliating escape from Fuentes’s compound. That terrible double threat had to be eliminated.
But Jammer’s recent confessions rattled her. He obviously had feelings for her. He’d orchestrated Miyagi’s death so that she would be safe-at great personal danger to himself and his boss. She wasn’t really sure what that said about him or his motivations, but she couldn’t exactly come out and ask him. Besides, she didn’t really want to know. It would only make matters worse.
Especially since she was unable to find that place inside her that would let her lie to herself, or at least come up with some small thing-anything, really-that she could latch on to as a means of protecting herself. Because the truth of the matter was that she wanted everything he did.
He’d never been far from her waking thoughts, despite the elapsed time since their last meeting, and no promise of ever seeing each other again. And damn, but he’d consumed her dreams for far, far too many nights.
But still, she’d never allowed herself the fantasy of this. Of them seeing each other again and reaching out for more than one another’s willing and quite ready body.
What he wanted was dangerous bordering on terrifying, and she discovered she was ill prepared to deal with any part of it. She had a job to do. An important one. People were counting on her to deliver as she always did. This was not the time for selfish pursuits, much less delusional ideas that there could ever be something other than a very intense, deeply passionate and fulfilling physical relationship. Hell, she didn’t even think she could handle that and keep her head on straight, which was why she’d tried to stay light and teasing.
There was no way she could tell him anything. His loyalty was to the Ghost and hers to Watchdog. She would see him and his boss in handcuffs, facing federal charges, before all was said and done.
“Jammer, we both know that I’m going to do what I have to do and so will you. So let’s take the fun we have together while we can and enjoy it.”
“I agree, but-” he cupped her chin “-if things were different…” His tone was quiet, even sincere, if not particularly warm.
“It would require a different set of answers.”
His mouth came down on hers unexpectedly, full of want and desire, like a rushing wave she couldn’t hope to stop. It took her over completely, tossing her around until she was breathless and disoriented.
He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “Get some rest and we’ll talk later.”
Not able to speak, she nodded and he turned to go. But before he left the room, she heard his voice, thick with emotion. “Just one question.”
“Jammer, don’t.”
“I have to know, Gina. If there was a chance for us, would you take it?”
She had to struggle to find her sense of balance, since every facet of her equilibrium was threatened, physically, emoti
onally, intellectually.
“I wish it was that simple,” she said, not able to commit to anything and keep her sanity.
He accepted her answer and left her standing there with her back against the wall, as if it was the only thing that held her upright.
WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG with him? Not the smartest move he’d ever made. She had said she understood the score, but she was dead wrong. She didn’t know jack. He was balanced on a fine wire here. A balance he desperately needed to maintain, since if he fell either way it would spell disaster.
Yet all of a sudden, everything he’d planned was inconsequential to this woman and her welfare. Everything he’d promised, vowed, and every deal he’d ever made.
He wanted-needed-to create more distance. Mentally, anyway. He wasn’t used to his thoughts being so clouded, and he knew his judgment would be off because of it. He simply had to find an edge and hold on to it for both their sakes.
There was too much at risk for each of them.
She was playing a lethal game and she didn’t have all the cards. He did. And ultimately, he would have to be the one who won.
His cell rang and he pulled it out. “Yeah.”
“How are things progressing?”
“There are some complications, but I’m dealing with them.” The whole thing could blow up in Jammer’s face if he wasn’t careful, but he’d never reveal that to the man at the other end of the line. “The woman?”
Jammer started to pace in agitation. He never lost it, but he didn’t like Gina being scrutinized. “No, she’s actually providing the solutions, but we both know how that came about.”
“Yes, we’re both aware of how resourceful her contacts can be…We’re agreed that you will use her, then neutralize her.”
Jammer felt immediate resistance, and his throat knotted up. He had agreed. But that was before. Before he’d experienced what it was like to touch her, hold her, be deep inside her. That was before he knew her. Things had changed, and the game pivoted on a very dangerous fulcrum.