Dangerous to Know (29 page)

Maybe that was a smoke screen.

At least, she had the feeling it was.

Part of her really hated admitting how much she didn't know about his world, and deep down inside she was sorry she didn't know him better.

She really wanted to.

Focus.

Yeah, focus. I'm heading for a crash-and-burn sort of letdown when he walks away from me. Untamed won't settle into being a house pet well.

All of her own frustration suddenly felt rash. The operation was going to end and when it did, Mercer would ride out of her life.

Maybe she should remember what Roni liked to say and spend a little more time living in the moment. She had a funny feeling that she was going to be hearing those sage words of advice for a long time to come.

*   *   *

Saxon was waiting for him when Mercer made it back into the living room. His team leader watched him from behind a set expression. It was one Mercer had seen countless times, but today it was pissing him off.

“You don't like it,” Saxon said.

“She doesn't know how to navigate the pitfalls of a situation like this,” Mercer responded. “I'd be unhappy about setting any innocent up—”

“Bull,” Saxon cut him off softly. “You're personally involved.”

“Even if that's true, it doesn't change the facts.”

Saxon stared at him for a long moment. It was the closest thing Mercer was going to get to an agreement from him. Mercer cursed before staring at his computer screen again. The cold words sat there like salt in his wounds.

He flipped back around to face Saxon. “I am definitely personally involved.”

It was a declaration. One that made Saxon's face darken.

“And it's done, so live with the fact that I am not happy about giving Zoe enough slack to get herself back into harm's way. I'm going to be hovering.”

And that was all there was to it.

*   *   *

“How's the view?” Kagan asked.

Vitus was grateful to be talking on a cell phone because it afforded him the luxury of scowling. Not exactly a professional way to deal with someone of Kagan's rank and security clearance.

“I'll take that silence as confirmation of your enjoyment of being back in the saddle.”

“Love it,” Vitus confirmed. “Home sweet home. In a civilian foxhole.”

He was stretched out on a thin mattress in the back of a battered pickup truck with a clamshell camper top on it. He'd knocked his head against the top of it too many times to count as he shifted around in the confined space. The place was seedy to say the least, doubly so because circumstances afforded him only a brief, twenty-minute escape once a day, when he moved the truck to avoid suspicion or notice from the locals. The rest of the time, he was stuck watching the house Saxon was holed up in. But it did beat a foxhole in hostile territory.

“The mule is being given back her cell phone,” Kagan informed him. “I'll be shaking the tree in another day, so stay sharp.”

“Glad to hear it,” Vitus said. “This situation stinks bad. Something's not right.”

It was Vitus's turn to listen to a long silence on the other end of the phone. That chilled his blood. Kagan had a good head on his shoulders and a nose for shadow operations. If he was smelling a stink, there was a dead body coming their way. Maybe more than one.

“Stay on your post.” Kagan said. “Mercer is your inside contact. Alert him to any movement from the target.”

“Ten four.”

Kagan cut the line, leaving Vitus alone with his thoughts and the time ticking away around him. The waiting game was the worst part of his job because it could wear a man down, dulling his senses with fatigue until a perpetrator found an opening to strike through.

*   *   *

“You hate the plan.”

Bram glared at Servat. “Completely.”

Servat nodded. “The colonel understands your objections, but you knew this was going to be a sticky situation from the beginning.”

Bram's temper boiled over the lid he'd jammed down on top of it. “Stop making it sound like I have any choice in this.”

“The colonel knows you didn't,” Servat said. “We all know who started this mess and he's still on the loose. Tim brought this to your doorstep. Consider yourself fortunate to be able to help bring him down.”

“There's nothing fortunate about my sister being caught up in this. I expected her to be locked down and kept out of the line of fire. Pissed but safe.”

Servat sat on the edge of a desk. “A team had to be assigned that had no connections to the case. You know the reasons for that.”

“Right,” Bram grunted. “It's the only way to one hundred percent prove my family has no involvement.”

Servat nodded. “They're a top-notch team. Experienced. Good record.”

“They used a mole in her bed.” Bram sliced through Servat's explanation.

Servat didn't offer him any compassion. “A proven tactic, and it beats waterboarding.”

Bram grunted. “Fine. I get it. But she is my sister, so don't expect me to be happy about it.”

“Professional will do.”

“I've been that,” Bram growled.

And it was chewing a hole in him. Sure, he understood. He also had a healthy respect for the special assignment teams. They dealt with the worst the planet had to offer and managed to hold the line fairly well considering they were up against slime who didn't have any compunctions about killing anyone in their path. They concerned themselves with profits and power. Blood was nothing more than the grease on the wheels of the machine.

But this was Zoe.

She was innocent.

She was also a whole lot like him and their dad. If he was being honest, a large part of his concern centered on the fact that he knew she wasn't going to sit quietly and hide.

No, she was a Magnus through and through. The plan needed her to stay put, and honestly he doubted if she would.

Which was going to ensure he had a lot of sleepless nights until the operation was complete.

*   *   *

It had been a while since she'd taken time to preen.

Not that she had much in the way of girlie essentials at hand.

Still, Zoe rummaged through her meager toiletry items and managed to bring her eyebrows back under control. She'd used her phone to add a little music to the moment, the single speaker like a lone candle flame in the otherwise quiet room. Even Harley fluffed up, enjoying the entertainment.

“Okay, you got me there.” Mercer was back in the doorway. He'd cocked his head to one side, his lips curving slightly as he took in the sound. “It is a little stale in this place.”

“Don't worry, I'm not streaming it.”

He nodded before coming into the room. She still loved the way he moved. It was part prowl, part stride. A combination of brawn and control that was awe inspiring. Honestly, she could just stare at him, soaking up the primal perfection. The soft jersey of his T-shirt let the chiseled condition of his abs show through. His jeans weren't tight. Nope. They were baggy enough for him to move in, and that had a whole different sort of sexiness to it. He didn't have to tell anyone he was a badass. All he had to do was walk into the room and you knew it, down deep in the pit of your stomach. Heat teased her, flicking to life as she felt the air between them thicken. She didn't shy away from it this time, just let it roll through her like the burn of an expensive brandy.

The sound of the handcuffs clinking against themselves drew her attention. They were looped through his belt, swaying as he moved.

He caught her looking at the handcuffs. She expected his expression to tighten but his lips curved instead, becoming a grin that was playful, in a man-eating tiger sort of way.

He tossed the cuffs onto the bed and unclipped his gun. “Should have given you that phone back days ago. You've loosened up.”

She sat down on the bed and lay back against the pillows. “Think carefully about making any comments concerning stress-reduction methods.”

Mercer settled beside her. “You're stubborn.”

She sent him a harassed look. “Because I want to take care of myself? That's the pot calling the kettle black.”

His expression became serious. “I'll take care of you, Zoe.”

She felt each little word deep down inside that place in her heart that she'd been warning herself to keep him out of. He'd scratch it up with his powerful claws and leave her nursing the wounds when he prowled away.

“That's a little different tone than I've heard before.” She dropped the cuffs onto his chest and looked across the room with her hand waiting. “Not that I'm not appreciative of the change.”

She heard the cuffs chink but it was as he sat them on the bedside table next to his gun. He captured her hand and rolled over until he was half on her.

Reaction was instant. Her belly tightened as heat flared up inside her. His gaze locked with hers, giving her an unobstructed view of desire flickering in his eyes.

“Promise me. Give me your word, Zoe.”

His tone was thick with emotion. He maintained his grip on her wrist, his fingers feeling ten times stronger than the handcuffs had. The reason was simple. The cuffs were impersonal, something she might dismiss because she owed them nothing.

But this was Mercer. She cared what he thought of her. It was that simple and had roots that twisted deep inside her.

She nodded, her throat tightening because she realized he was reaching out to her. Trusting her when he wasn't a man who gave out confidence easily. His gaze burned into hers. She could feel him trying to read her thoughts, struggling to trust her.

“Saxon will call me a fool.” He kissed her hand and rolled away from her. The bed rocked as he settled on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

She worried her lower lip, debating whether or not to keep her mouth shut. It would be the wiser course of action.

But not the one she wanted to take.

“Because of Vitus?” she asked.

Mercer turned his head so that he was looking at her. “What do you know about that?”

She shrugged. “Not much, just what I'm picking up by being the silent observer. Vitus obviously used to do the same sort of work Saxon does. He had a good year's worth of hair on him that he cut off, surprising you. Clearly it's significant. He said he was back. That's got to mean he was on the bench, so to speak.”

“They did work together.” His expression tightened. “It was a woman who caused Vitus to lose his shield.”

Mercer was torn. She could see the conflict in his dark eyes. It made her sick. He'd faced snipers without a single flinch, but trusting her was making him doubt.

She reached past him and grabbed the handcuffs, locking one around her wrist. He captured her hand before she got the second one around his wrist. He rolled over her again, pressing down until he claimed her mouth in a kiss.

She hummed with enjoyment.

It was possible she outright purred.

All she knew for certain was that it felt perfect to have his mouth on hers. She kissed him back, opening her lips as he pressed them apart. He tasted good. Hot. Virile. Like something she was addicted to.

And she wanted another hit.

There was no questioning the impulse. There was only need and hunger. He sat up, ripping his shirt off.

“Perfect…” She flattened her hands on his chest, sweeping her fingertips across the ridges of muscle. Her toes were curling, sensation rippling down her spine. There was a sense of being reunited with something that had been withheld from her for too long. She hadn't realized how much she longed for him.

“Your turn, baby.” He didn't wait for her to move.

No, not Mercer. He took action, earning a soft sound of enjoyment from her as he tugged her shirt up and over her head. She settled back down on the bed, the cool night air touching her bare breasts as his gaze took her in.

“Now, that … is perfection … baby.”

He came down, seeking out her nipples, first one and then the other. She gasped, arching up to offer them to him. The heat from his mouth felt like it traveled straight from her nipple to her clit. She was withering but also needy for more of him.

She grabbed his belt and worked it loose. He sat up, back on his haunches as she opened his fly and freed his cock. It sprang free the moment she popped the last button, swollen and hard and full of the promise of satisfaction.

“Like what you found?”

“I do.” She drew her fingers along his length, delighting in the way his jaw tightened. His cock was silky smooth but hot.

“Good, because I plan to give it to you.” His voice was rough. She shivered in response. He reached out and stroked her cheek.

“I love the way you tremble for me, baby…”

It wasn't the sort of polished compliment she'd been raised to expect—it was far better. More sincere, more honest. For a moment their gazes were fused, the need they stirred in each other flowing freely between them with no way for either of them to hide from it.

There was only surrender left.

To each other.

Mercer moved a second later, pulling her sweatpants down and tossing them over the side of the bed. He stood up and dropped his jeans, crawling back onto the bed like the predatory cat she often thought of him as.

The prowl was there.

The hunger for prey.

But he wasn't the only one with an appetite.

Zoe came up and met him in the middle of the bed, slipping her hands along his shoulders as he angled his head and claimed her mouth in a searing kiss once again. This time he captured the back of her head, holding her in place as he ravaged her mouth. Her thoughts scattered and she laughed in carefree abandonment.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“I want to live in this moment.”

Zoe cupped his shoulder and pulled him around. He decided to indulge her, settling back against the bed when she pushed him there.