by Anna Blakely
Having gone into remission shortly after his diagnosis, the badass was able to continue his full duties as Bravo’s lead sniper. So far—thank fuck—Kole hadn’t had any further issues.
“You being diagnosed with a disease is a little different than my being shot.”
“Is it?” The man’s brow arched high. “Both were completely out of our control. The only difference is mine was internal and what happened to you was because you were pinned in a fucking car.”
Zade started to shake his head, but Kole persisted. “If you could’ve reached your gun, would you have shot Walker?”
“What the hell kind of question is that?”
The other man repeated the question, enunciating every word as he spoke. “Would you have shot and killed Adrian Walker?”
“Hell yes, I would’ve killed him.”
Kole smiled. “There ya go.”
“There I go?”
“You know as well as I do, you would’ve put a bullet between that fucker’s eyes if you’d been able to. But you couldn’t. That’s what you’re pissed off about.” Kole’s brown eyes stared back at him knowingly. “You didn’t let it happen, Zade. It happened. Period. If it were me sitting in that driver’s seat when that car wrecked, I’m the one who would’ve been trapped. I’m the one who would’ve been shot.”
“But it wasn’t you.”
“No. It wasn’t. If it had been, would you be sitting there judging me like you’re judging yourself?”
“Kole—”
“If I had been the one driving Kat that day, would you blame me for what happened to her?”
“I know what you’re doing.” Zade shook his head.
“I’m asking a fucking question, and I want a goddamn answer. Would you—”
“No, okay! I wouldn’t fucking blame you!” Zade yelled loudly enough the bartender and those in the immediate area—including Gabby—turned and looked at them.
With an almost indiscernible tip of his chin, he let her know all was well and gave Kole a forced smile. “You trying to blow our cover?”
“Nope.” Kole pretended to take a swig of his beer. “Just trying to pull your head out of your ass for you.”
Zade stared at his friend and teammate. He thought about what the other man had been through, and how worried they’d all been for Kole during his ordeal.
They’re worried about you, too.
He knew that. But he’d been too caught up in his own pity party to accept what they’d all told him as truth.
What happened in the car that day could’ve happened to anyone.
The problem was it hadn’t happened to just anyone. It had happened to him, and he didn’t know how to get past that.
You need to, dipshit. Gabby’s counting on you.
The voice in his head was right. So was Kole. It was high time he got his head out of his ass and focused on the now, rather than the past.
But damn, he really hated having to admit that.
“Thanks, man. Guess I needed to hear that.”
“So did I, once upon a time.”
Zade studied his friend for a moment. “Nate?”
Kole snorted. “That bastard tore me a new one when he found me hiding away in my cabin.”
“He come down hard on you, too?” He took a small drink.
“You could say that.” The other man grinned. “Nate came to the cabin and called me out on my shit. Told me to stop being such a douche canoe and get my ass back home to Sarah, where I belonged.”
Nearly choking on his beer, Zade wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Douche canoe?”
Shrugging, Kole grinned. “Not one of my finest moments, I’ll admit. But that’s pretty much how I was acting, and Nate wasn’t afraid to let me know it. As hard as it was to listen to, it was what I needed to hear.”
Understanding slapped him in the face, and Zade realized what had just happened.
Kole had tossed down a hefty dose of tough love to help him out, the same way Nate had helped Kole.
The fucker was paying it forward.
“Well played, asshole.” Zade’s words held no bite.
Looking cocky as fuck, Kole smirked. “You’ll thank me later.”
“I will?”
The other man set his beer down and turned to him. “Your girl standing down there?” He tipped his head toward where Gabby was standing. “She’s a tough one. You think she’d ever go for a guy who spends his days drowning in self-pity?”
With a quick glance Gabby’s way, Zade looked back at his friend. “And here I thought you didn’t like her.”
“I didn’t trust her.” Kole shrugged unapologetically. “There’s a difference.”
“What changed your mind?”
“She did. Last night, when she was telling us about her sister, I could see the pain behind her eyes.”
“Good thing, too, since I was about two seconds away from knocking your ass to the ground for grilling her like you were.”
“You’re my teammate, Zade.” Kole got serious for a moment. “My friend.”
“So you were, what…pushing her into proving herself?”
Another shrug. “I’ve got your back, brother. We all do, whether you want it or not. Although, I’ll admit, I may have come down on Gabby a little harder than necessary.” He looked chagrined. “Sorry, about that.”
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” Zade looked Gabby’s way again. It was nearly impossible to keep his eyes off her and not because he was supposed to be protecting her.
The woman was the whole package, all neatly wrapped in leather and lace. A gift Zade couldn’t wait to get home and unwrap.
He’d hoped to delve into that particular bit of heaven last night, but after their meeting with the Delta guys, Gabby had been completely spent.
With her head resting on his shoulder, she’d fallen asleep on the way back to the hotel. Didn’t even stir when Zade slid her out of the SUV and carried her up to their room.
As much as he’d wanted to slide into her warm heat—and God, had he wanted to—Zade had decided not to wake her. Instead, he’d slid up next to her and pulled her close.
It was the best night’s sleep he’d had in weeks.
They’d woken this morning to a phone call from Gabe telling them he and Gabby had fifteen minutes to get dress and be in the hotel lobby. Ghost and his team wanted to meet and discuss some new intel they could use for tonight’s operation.
The two teams went over the plan again and again…and again to make sure Gabby was comfortable with how it was going to work. Afterward, Zade and Kole took her on an impromptu hair, nail, and spa treatment at one of the local resorts—a suggestion of Ghost’s so Gabby could look the part she needed to play.
Not that she wasn’t already stunning. The woman had a natural beauty unlike anyone Zade had ever laid eyes on. But with the tweaks in their plan, she needed to come off wealthy and refined, but also have a bit of a party girl inside.
That last part was thrown in there because Andino had already spotted her once. If he remembered Gabby from the club the other night, and chances were he would, she’d need to be ready to explain the slight change in her appearance.
After the spa and a quick shopping spree—courtesy of Zade’s company credit card—the three of them grabbed a quick bite to eat before returning to the hotel to get ready for tonight.
In short, he and Gabby had little to no alone time. Something Zade planned to rectify the second they got back to the hotel.
His phone buzzed with a text from Nate.
Turn on coms. Target is pulling up.
Parked down the street from the club’s entrance, Nate, Ghost, and Ghost’s teammate, Truck, were hanging out in a van Delta had somehow managed to procure. Before coming here tonight, Nate and Truck set up all the electronic equipment.
Showing Kole the message, both men discretely pressed the tiny receivers in their ears. With a loud cough, Zade caught Gabby’s eye. Giving her a single nod,
he told her to do the same.
The devices worked both ways so they could all listen and communicate when necessary.
Acting as if he were talking to Kole, Zade asked Gabby, “Can you hear me okay, sweetheart?”
“Hear you loud and clear, sugarplum,” Nate teased.
Fucking Carter. “I was talking to Gabby, assmunch.”
A low, whispering chuckle reached his ear, followed by an angelic voice.
“I can hear you, Zade.”
When he turned, he saw that she’d brought a wine glass up to her mouth to hide the movement of her lips. Exactly as they’d practiced.
“Good girl.” He offered her a smile before looking away.
“Gabby, I don’t want you to react, but Hector Andino is walking into the club as we speak,” Nate informed her. “Let him come to you. Just like we planned.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“He will,” Zade assure her. “Trust me.” There was no way Andino wouldn’t notice her.
Asshole had better keep his hands to himself.
“You’ve got that look again,” Kole nudged him.
“What look?” Gabby asked.
“Not you, sweetheart,” Zade told her. “He’s talking to me.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Andino’s in,” Gabe informed them all. “Black dress pants, Gray button up. Two very large goons right behind him.”
“Guess it’s showtime,” Gabby whispered.
Thanks to R.I.S.C.’s state-of-the-art electronics, Zade heard her words perfectly over the loud music. He also heard the tremor in her voice.
“Take a breath, Gabby. Stick to the plan, and you’ll be fine. You’ve got this.”
Her eyes slid his way briefly, so he offered her a comforting smile. Even from all the way over here, he could see some of the tension leave her shoulders.
That’s my girl.
Zade saw Hector Andino the second he approached the bar. It was kind of hard not to, given the crowd of women who immediately began gravitating toward him.
Asshole that he was, Andino dismissed them all with a wave of his hand. At the gesture, they all walked away looking like someone had stolen their kittens or some shit.
“Seriously?” Zade shook his head. “Do these women not now what kind of animal this guy is?”
“They know.” Gabe’s voice came through. “They just don’t care.”
Andino slid up to the bar and ordered a drink. Of course, the bartender ignored the other orders she’d already been given and immediately went about making his.
Handing it to him with what Zade would consider a nervous smile, the young woman waited for Andino to take his first sip. When he gave her a nod and what Zade could only assume to be a large tip, the bartender’s smile widened into one that was genuine.
Going about her business, the young woman walked away, leaving Andino at the bar with his two guards. As planned, Gabby got into character. Her hips began swaying to the sensual music, her eyes closing now and again as she pretended to be completely enthralled by the song’s lyrics.
Dipping a finger into her glass, Gabby then pulled it back out, slipping the digit between her succulent lips.
Fuck. Me.
Hard as it was—literally—Zade refrained from verbally reacting. Not only was his team listening in, but Ghost and the others were, as well. The last thing he needed was two teams razzing him for getting a fucking hard-on in the middle of a mission.
Baseball. Your sisters. Your mother in the shower.
Zade thought of everything he could to tamper down his growing erection. It helped some, but not completely. He always seemed to be hard whenever Gabby was around.
The hairs on the back of Zade’s neck stood on end, and he glanced in Gabby’s direction right as a look of heat spread across Andino’s face. The man was staring directly at her.
Making his way across the few feet that separated them, Andino approached Gabby.
“I’d offer to buy you a drink, but it seems you already have one.” The man’s Hispanic accent was thick and deep.
“Yes, I do.”
Gabby’s voice was smooth as silk, all traces of the tremble Zade had heard seconds earlier gone. She’d put on her game face and had gotten into character.
“Forgive me for being so forward, but you are a very beautiful woman. One might say…unforgettable.”
Bastard remembers her.
“Thank you,” Gabby smiled at the bastard. “That’s very kind of you to say.”
“You’re welcome. I say it, because it is true. You were here two nights ago, yes?”
“I was.”
“As was I.”
“I know. I saw you.”
Andino’s perfect, dark brows rose. “So you remember me. I’m flattered.”
“Don’t be.” Gabby set her drink down and faced the other man. “I know who you are, Hector. I also know where all of that money of yours comes from. That’s why I came here two nights ago. It’s why I’m here, now.”
“You are here for business and not pleasure?”
Gabby’s voice lowered and became raspy with feigned desire. “I’m hoping for a little of both.”
Zade ground his teeth together.
“What is your name?” Hector asked. “Why are you in my club?”
“My name is Gabriella Smith.” Gabby held out her hand. “I’m what you’d call a…broker, of sorts.”
“A broker?”
“Yes. And I have a client who is very, very interested in the…product…you’re planning to sell tomorrow night.”
That little tidbit had been given to Ghost by his asset that morning. The guy had somehow managed to learn the scheduled date for Andino’s skin auction. The fucker was planning to sell the girls he had in his possession tomorrow.
Which meant they needed to work damn fast.
“I’m afraid you are mistaken, Miss Smith. I am a business owner.” Andino looked around the club’s interior. “This place, plus over a dozen other properties in La Paz and the surrounding area, is mine. I am not planning to sell them anytime soon. Definitely not in the next twenty-four hours. I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing. If you’ll excuse me…”
Andino turned to leave, but Gabby kept her cool. Using the name Ghost had given them earlier, Gabby said, “I’m sorry to hear that, too. Mr. Webb will be very disappointed.”
“Webb?” Andino stopped and turned back toward her.
“Geoffrey Alan Webb the Third, to be exact. He said he and you had done business together in the recent past. Claimed to be a valuable customer of yours. I really hope I haven’t been played a fool.”
Good ‘ole Geoff had been a customer of Andino’s…until he got picked up two days ago during an FBI sting for possession and distribution of kiddie porn. Sick bastard started singing like a fucking canary before the cuffs were on him, throwing everyone he could think of under the bus in an attempt to make a deal. Including Hector Andino.
Word traveled fast through the various agencies, and once Jason Ryker—R.I.S.C.’s Homeland handler—got wind of it, he immediately contacted Ghost.
When Bravo Team and Gabby met with Delta this morning, they were informed of the recent break in the case against Andino. Rather than risk the lives of the girls Andino was currently holding by rushing in and grabbing the fucker right then, they decided to use it in their operation to not only take Andino down but also find Samantha Shoemaker.
As part of Geoffrey Webb’s plea deal, he’d agreed to play along. One wrong move on his part, the man would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“You work for Geoffrey Webb?” Andino’s thick voice was laced with suspicion.
“Yes.”
“It’s unlike Geoffrey to hire someone else to come here. Especially someone so tempting.”
Andino moved in closer to her. When he did, Zade instinctively started to stand. Kole stopped him by grabbing his arm.
“Easy, man. They’re just talking.”
“He lays a finger on her, I swear to God…”
As if she were talking to Zade rather than Hector—probably both—Gabby spoke again. “I’m good.”
“I bet you are,” Andino all but purred.
Zade held back a growl.
“It’s very loud in here,” Andino noted. “Let’s go upstairs, into my private office. I don’t like doing business out in the open like this. Too many prying eyes.”
You mean too many witnesses.
“Don’t do it,” Zade ordered Gabby. But it was too late.
At the same time he was talking, she was already telling Andino, “Lead the way.”
Goddamnit.
“We’re coming with you, Gabby. When you walk by, Kole and I will stand and follow. Don’t react or look our way. Tell me you understand.”
“I understand.”
Andino frowned. “I’m sorry?”
Without blinking an eye, Gabby looked up at him. “I understand your need for privacy, Mr. Andino. I would assume it’s a must for a man in your position.”
Zade let out a slow breath.
“Damn.” Kole looked at him. “She’s good.”
Yes, she was. And Zade hated it.
He didn’t want her anywhere near the bastard, let alone agreeing to go to the man’s private office.
I can do this. I just need you to trust me.
Her words from last night rang through his head as Gabby and Andino—along with the two walls of muscle—walked past them toward the darkened staircase to the left of the bar.
He and Kole waited until they started up those stairs before standing and following in their path.
Gabby was right. He needed to trust her. After all, he was here. His team was here.
What could go wrong?
The answer to that question came less than a minute later when Zade and Kole turned the corner at the top of the stairs and found themselves staring down the barrels of two very large guns.
Chapter 10
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all.
Gabby’s heart felt like it was trying to fight its way out of her chest as she followed Hector Andino up the dark, enclosed staircase to the office space above the bar.
She felt more than could see Zade and Kole’s presence behind them and prayed they didn’t get hurt because of her decision. She’d heard Zade’s order to not come up here loud and clear, but there was no way she was risking scaring off Andino by refusing.