Killer Secrets

by Lora Leigh

  "Good going, Macey. I'll check back later." He disconnected the phone before inhaling roughly and glancing at the door where Kira had disappeared into the bedroom.

  He moved to the doorway, an edge of remorse biting into him. He had come down hard on her and he knew it. His fury at the thought of Diego working her emotions, her loyalties, strained his control.

  "We have suspects." He stopped and watched her, as she checked her weapon and placed extra ammo in the pockets of her jacket.

  Her eyes narrowed at his statement. Moving her jacket aside she shoved the gun back into the holster and moved to her feet.

  "Who are they?"

  "Erick Randolph, Jordan Lorraine, Marco Alloran. All three men are connected to Ascarti as well."

  Her brows lifted. "Old-money names," she murmured. "I've met all three. Jason and I have actually discussed one of those men. Lorraine. He's secretive, sometimes reclusive, and was investigated once regarding a plot uncovered to overthrow Jacques Chirac while he was in office, but they couldn't make it stick. Still, that's a long way from white slavery and terrorism."

  "It's the best we have at the moment," he said. "The birthmark will tie it in, but it will sure as hell help to have an idea of what we're looking at here."

  "You're looking at a man with a God complex." She shook her head before pushing her fingers through her hair and gathering it quickly into a long ponytail. "A paranoid man. A man who believes the world has been corrupted almost to the point of no repair and that women are chattel rather than deserving of their freedom. That fits all three men, but Lorraine most of all. He's an arrogant son of a bitch. He refused to deal with Jason's law firm on an account several years ago when Jason sent me to oversee some details. He had to send a man," she sneered. "Self-righteous prig."

  He heard the anger in her voice. Sorrell had been behind the bombing that had killed her parents and Jason's fiancée. Because of one man, she had lost most of her family.

  Like him, she had spent her life searching for a way to bring down one man. She knew the pain, the horror, of fear and the knowledge that monsters existed.

  "Percentage of Lorraine's involvement versus the other two?" he asked.

  She inhaled briefly as she checked the ponytail with a quick swipe of her hands and then lowered them to brace them on her hips. Her brow creased, and Ian was treated to the utter delight of watching the agent work. He could see her mind turning over percentages and possibilities, working to fit what she knew against each man.

  "I doubt it's Randolph." She shook her head. "He's a hedonist, doesn't care a bit to show his nudity, and he's in pretty good shape for his age. I saw him on a beach in France one year, he doesn't have a birthmark unless he knows how to cover it up. And he was very hairy. Doing a cosmetic coverup would have been virtually impossible. Besides, Sorrell wouldn't be caught dead naked. That would be a private thing for him."

  "You saw Randolph naked?" Something like jealousy clenched inside him. Possessiveness. He did not want her seeing other men naked.

  "Several times." She shrugged as though it were of little consequence. "It was a nudist beach."

  "And you were nude?" he gritted out.

  Her brow lifted. "Pretty much. And you're not going to make any completely irrational remarks either, are you? Because we both know those little submissive lovers you took from the fringe clubs in Atlanta weren't exactly for a platonic relationship."

  He felt his lip want to curl on a snarl and barely held it back. He might have to kill Randolph whether he was involved or not if he had seen Kira naked.

  "Get over it, Ian." She shook her head impatiently, though a smile tugged at her lips. "I promise, it was before I met you."

  That didn't help.

  "What about Alloran?" he asked. He had to get his mind off her being on a nudist beach.

  "Alloran is old money as well, royal blood on both the French and English sides. Some kind of distant cousin of a cousin to the Queen of England." Her frown deepened. "I would have never considered him. What sort of parameters did Macey base his list on?"

  "I didn't have time to find out," he said, grimacing. "The cells are secured but I don't want to take any chances. I disconnected before there was a chance of a trace."

  She nodded in understanding before glancing at the balcony door. "I need to go to the villa, talk to him and Tehya as well. I've socialized with these men, known them for most of my life actually. My father was on friendly terms with Lorraine, and had done business with the other two. I may be able to help narrow the search."

  It made sense, but he'd be damned if he wanted her out of his sight.

  "Have Daniel drive over and pick you up, let's make it look good." If she were seen slipping to the villa she had leased, it could be viewed suspiciously, and lead Sorrell straight to Tehya.

  "I'll call him." She nodded, her gaze sharpening. "What will you be doing?"

  "Attempting not to strangle Diego," he grunted. "He's like a damned spoiled-ass brat. How the hell he managed to hold a cartel of this size together confounds me at times."

  "You demanded control to return, and you're not playing nice with him as far as he's concerned. He's picking at you, trying to get your attention." And his affection. Ian heard it in her voice though she was wise enough not to put it into words.

  He shrugged as though the observation made no difference.

  "Get over there and see what else you can figure out," he told her. "And watch your ass."

  He strode over to her then, one hand cupping her face, lifting her chin as the other wrapped around her waist and pulled her to his harder, aroused body.

  "I'll be careful." That breathless quality in her voice tightened his balls. Damn her, she affected him like nothing or no one else ever had.

  Her hand slid up his arms, gripped his biceps. Sharp little nails pricked into his flesh and reminded him of the scratches on his back that she had placed there the night before.

  "Make sure you're more than careful." He lowered his lips to hers, took a stinging kiss, and pulled back before the need rocketing his mind could get out of control. "Signal my cell when you get there."

  Then she reached up with one hand, her fingers touching his cheek, then his lips. "You be careful."

  He grinned. She could make him feel lighter, he liked that. When she looked at him, soft and sensual like that, something inside him loosened, the tension that had been destroying him lightened.

  "I'll send Deke with you and Daniel," he decided as the warmth in her gaze sank into his soul, heating him, reminding him of everything he had to lose if he lost Kira. "I want you protected, Kira, let me do that."

  He could see the protest in her expression and he didn't want to fight her over it. He didn't want to have to force her to allow him to keep his mind clear right now.

  She shook her head, but her smile was accepting. "Fine, I'll take Deke with me. But we're going to discuss this attitude of yours later."

  "You can chew my ass to hell and back later," he promised, stepping back from her. "I'll question Muriel and see what I can find out there."

  He should have just killed him, he had meant to, knew it was the best route to take. Holding him meant giving him a chance to escape and possibly learning where Tehya was hidden.

  "Hey." He caught her as she moved to pulled back from him, his mind and his heart struggling, a part of him aching to whisper the words, another part holding back.

  "I promise to be careful." She lifted to him, touched her lips to his, and stared into his eyes. "I love you, Ian."

  One kiss. Just one kiss, and he could let her go. Deep, hungry, a kiss that dragged a moan from her throat and had him fighting to keep from throwing her to the bed and hearing her screams again.

  "Go." He pushed her away from him, dragging his hands through his hair and glaring at her. Damn her, he had no good sense when she was around. "And hurry back."

  That perky little ponytail bobbed as she moved quickly away from him, the long strands of hair
falling from the crown of her head to the middle of her shoulder blades and tempting him to tear it down and spear his fingers through the soft, thick mass.

  She glanced back at him as she reached the doorway, paused, and gave him a saucy wink before light laughter left her lips when he started for her again.

  She escaped. Just in time. One more second and he would have said to hell with Sorrell and thrown her to the floor to bury the aching length of his cock deep inside that tight, soft velvet pussy. Damn her. Damn him. Because she overrode his control and reminded him, each second, of exactly what he could lose if this op managed to go to hell.

  * * *

  Twenty-seven

  THE CALL CAME LATE THAT afternoon.

  His voice was heavily accented, that of a man who rarely used English, and it was clipped with anger. He agreed to the meet on the condition that they would see the birthmark only, and not his face. He demanded that Ascarti be allowed to accompany him, as well as one bodyguard, and that his daughter be present during the negotiations.

  Ian laughed. "I think not. The point between these negotiations is that we each get what we want, my friend." He leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes as Diego smiled in satisfaction at the sound of Sorrell's voice on the conference call. "I'll have your identity and you'll have the girl. An even trade. Negotiations aren't worth shit if both parties aren't required to lay insurance on the table."

  The silence that filled the line was telling. Ian hadn't allowed the call to be traced, though Macey had the equipment to do just that within a matter of minutes. But Sorrell could have the equipment to track the trace, and for now, they needed a measure of trust.

  "I will show you the birthmark upon arrival. My face will remain shielded until negotiations are completed. And you will give your woman into the keeping of my bodyguard until things have been reasonably settled. My daughter will remain in the keeping of one of your men. We both have much to lose, as well as to gain."

  He had known it would come to this. He had felt it crawling in his gut the minute he had known Kira was on Aruba, that when the final game came to be played, she would be used to stay his hand.

  What Sorrell didn't know was that Kira was no man's weapon. He had to argue with himself, he had to force himself to be logical rather than to allow emotion to influence his decision. The emotion was winning though.

  "Diego will be present. If you need insurance—"

  Sorrell's laughter was faintly mocking. "Mr. Fuentes, as you and I both know, I have had my spies within your presence. Your relationship with your father is, how shall we say it, less than loving? He is not acceptable as insurance, though I do expect he will attend this meeting. Your woman will place herself on one side of the room with my man. Your man will hold my daughter similarly on the other side of the room. I and Gregor Ascarti will meet with you and your father after this exchange has been made. This is nonnegotiable."

  She could protect herself, the logical part of his brain assured him. No one knew who she was, what she was, or how very capable she was in such situations. Ian knew. He had seen her on several missions, read the reports of the men who worked with the Chameleon. He knew she could do this.

  But it was placing her at risk.

  "Come, Mr. Fuentes, if I can trust my treasured asset in your protection, then you can trust yours within mine." Sorrell chuckled. "Unless you have plans to do other than negotiate."

  "I definitely don't have plans to have my woman stolen and sold to line your coffers," Ian snorted.

  Sorrell laughed at this. "She is too old. She would be too hard to train effectively, she is safe from such a fate. Young girls, girls who have not yet known the corruption of your society, are those I seek. And as beautiful as your woman is, she is no longer a virgin, nor does she still retain the flush of her youth. Do you agree to my demands as I have agreed to yours?"

  "Agreed." The fact that he had no choice boiled in his gut.

  Damn her, he had known better than to let her into this. His weakness. She was a weakness and Sorrell knew it. If she hadn't been here, in his life, in his bed, Sorrell would have accepted Diego as insurance, eliminating the chance that Sorrell would have even a measure of power over the negotiations.

  "Ah, I can hear the anger in your tone." Satisfaction filled the Frenchman's voice. "Your woman is important to you. This is good. She is a willful, spoiled female though my friend. I fear you will not have a smooth path with this one. It would have been better had you found a more tractable woman."

  "I'll take care of my life, Sorrell, you take care of yours." Ian fought for a measure of distance, a place to push back the rage until this was finished. "We meet at midnight—"

  "Your woman will be waiting inside the gates of your villa. We will then exit the vehicle and proceed inside. Once again, nonnegotiable. I do not walk into traps, Mr. Fuentes. She will be alone."

  "No deal."

  Sorrell was quiet.

  "You forget, I have something you want, not the other way around," Ian reminded him. "I can kill your daughter as easily as Liss and Muriel were killed. Without regret. Or, I could contact the DEA. I'm sure they'll be quite forgiving of several of my crimes for a chance at your daughter. Perhaps I could get that nasty little treason charge dropped." He let the suggestion trail off there.

  He could hear the tension across the line then. The waves of anger pouring from the Frenchman.

  "We will arrive at midnight." Sorrell's voice was clipped, enraged. "I will contact you again before arrival. And Mr. Fuentes, betray me and more than just your woman will die. The women of your former friends, the newborn son Reno Chavez is so proud of, all of them will die, painfully."

  Ian snorted at the threat despite anger pulsing through him. "Just be here on time, if you don't mind. I do have other things to take care of once we complete this."

  The call disconnected.

  Ian reached over, disconnected the phone on the base, and then stared at Diego.

  The other's man face was creased thoughtfully, his black eyes gleaming with challenge. Ian could see the charge Diego was getting from trying to anticipate his adversary's next move. It was the same charge Ian felt, that challenge, that sense of not just a physical, but the mental battle being waged.

  "I recognize his voice." Diego tapped at the chair lightly. "There was some quality to it, perhaps to his laughter, so superior and arrogant." His frown deepened. "I have spoken to this man before."

  The recording of the conversation would have to be slipped quickly to Reno and Macey. Kira was still at the rented villa questioning Tehya. The other girl needed to hear it as well. Though he knew she knew his voice, perhaps without the patronizing, falsely loving tone that he used with her, she could better pinpoint something about it.

  "You had better call your friends and inform them of this new development." Diego leaned back in his chair, crossed an ankle over the opposite knee, and lifted the cup of coffee from the side table that he had set there earlier.

  Ian stared back at him silently as Diego sipped at the still warm brew.

  "What friends?" he finally asked.

  Diego shook his head. "Durango team. I am aware that they have been staying in the villa with Kira's bodyguard, Daniel. You could have told me, Ian. I would not have turned down their help. I would be curious though, what price do you pay for this help?"

  Ian reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. Patience wasn't his strong suit, and the longer this operation played out, the less patience he had.

  "There was no price," he finally answered honestly, looking back at Diego. "They had information and the woman and came to me with it. They asked nothing in return."

  "And when this is over?" Diego's voice tightened. "Will they return to their lives alone, or do you follow with them?"

  He could never return. Ian was smart enough to know that. He shook his head slowly. "I think you know as well as I do that there's no going back for me."

  He should regret it. Ian knew he s
hould be furious over the fact that his SEAL career, no matter how this played out, was over. There was no regret though. A sense of sadness, yes, but he had been ready for something else even before coming to Diego.

  Diego was nodding slowly, his gaze intent, locked with Ian's, searching. What the hell was he searching for? Ian wondered.

  "Perhaps I made a mistake in the way I brought you into my world, into my life," Diego said slowly then. "But I would have you to know, Ian, that plans were already in place to help your friends. I would have let none of them suffer unduly because of our games."

  "Except Nathan?" Ian asked softly.

  Guilt flickered in Diego's eyes. "I know you are aware of the things I did to your young friend, but I also kept him alive. He was not an innocent bystander, Ian. You know this. He allowed himself to be captured. He made the choice to attempt to deceive not just me but Sorrell and Jansen Clay. Had it been me alone that he attempted to gain his information from, he would have fared much better."

  Ian leaned forward, his arms braced on the desk, murder in his soul.

  "You tortured him for a year after Sorrell finished with him. You could have made certain he was rescued; instead, you continued to torture him, to drug him, to make him break his vows to his wife."

  Diego sighed, but there was no regret, only knowledge and acceptance. "I will say again, Nathan Malone was no innocent bystander. You know this as well as I. He had information I could have used, and he placed himself at my disposal. It is the way of this world, Ian. It is the way of the world, period. He made his choices, and still, I made certain he lived, even knowing this was one thing you may never forgive me for."

  "And the senator's daughters you kidnapped and had drugged?" Ian asked him. "Did you know one of them died, Diego, and one of your soldiers raped another? A sixteen-year-old child, a virgin, and that bastard raped her in front of her father."

  "At her father's orders," Diego snapped. "The kidnapping of those girls was not my decision, I will take no responsibility for it. This was the doing of Clay and Sorrell. To retain the power I needed to fight the bastards I had no choice but to allow the girls to be brought to my estate to be held. I am guilty of many crimes, but those I will not claim."