Dungeon Royale (Masters and Mercenaries) (23 page)

He wasn’t going to admit more than that to anyone.

“Why does he hate you?” Tag leaned against the counter, his blue eyes becoming very serious.

“I don’t know. I suppose it’s because I outshone him.” Baz had always been competitive, and he’d resented the fact that Damon was the senior agent.

“Did you and Baz ever share women?”

Where was that coming from? “That’s a bit private, mate.”

“Nothing’s private right now. He’s brought you into this and it’s personal. Knowing why he’s coming after you will help us catch him. He’s not thinking with his head either. He’s running on emotion. I watched the video Chelsea captured from the CCTVs before she dumped it. The one at the station. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he was taunting you.”

Taunting more than just him. “He had some nasty things to say about both of us. It was why I sent her away.”

He hadn’t just been trying to protect her feelings. He was trying to save her life. If he really was honest with himself, he hadn’t wanted her to see how damaged he was. Hadn’t wanted her to see him struggle. He wanted her to see him as a heroic, strong operative, not the aging, wasted piece of shit he’d become.

“I find it interesting that he left you alive, too. He hates you, but he couldn’t pull the double tap on you. He’s been trained well enough to know to take out both fucking lungs or to go for a head shot.”

He hated how cold he got when he thought about that day. He was supposed to be over that. He was alive. He wasn’t supposed to be stuck in that horrible moment when he’d realized nothing he’d done had really made a difference. He’d been stuck there all this time. Except for the moments he’d spent with her. He hadn’t been thinking about how useless he was then. He’d been thinking about how hot he could make her, how she came apart in his arms. He’d been thinking about how right it had felt. “I believe he intends to do the job properly this time around.”

“Why does it have to be you? He should want to talk to Nigel.”

“He mentioned setting something up with Nigel. I believe he wanted me to be the go between.” The whole conversation made him uncomfortable. He wanted to forget about Baz for a while but the one thing that might have done it wasn’t available to him now. Fucking Penelope would take him away from everything, but he couldn’t do that anymore.

Tag shook his head shortly. “I think that was an excuse. I think you’re the one he wanted to see. I would bet he’s been tracking you the whole time. Now he’s murdered an operative and will only deal with you. I think he changed his plans in the middle of that meeting because he watched you with her.”

“He changed his mind because he wants Penelope.” A sick idea played at the back of his brain, a thing that had always been there, but he’d refused to acknowledge.

“It isn’t Penny he wants, is it? Tell me something. Was the girl he murdered before really just caught in the crossfire? According to the reports, she was found in the kitchens on the conference floor. He came in through the elevators. He knew where your office was. So why didn’t he go there first? Why didn’t he just take you out? She wouldn’t have been able to stop him. As far away as she was, she likely wouldn’t have heard a thing.”

Sweet, subby Jane. He hadn’t loved her, but he’d liked her. “She was my frequent lover. I topped her on a regular basis.”

“Was Basil Champion in love with you?” Tag sounded softer, more sympathetic than Damon had ever heard him.

He stood there for a moment, wishing Tag wasn’t so damn good at reading people.

“Yes.”
Damn it.

“Were you lovers?” He held his hands up when Damon shot him a nasty look. “I’m not judging. I’m asking. I couldn’t care less who you fuck, though in this case it might be important.”

It was important, though Damon had tried to avoid it for years. “No, we weren’t lovers. I never even acknowledged that I knew he was attracted to me. And yes, we shared some women. I suppose in the back of my mind, I thought he should really see me as I am. I was never going to return his admiration. I like women.”

Women like Jane. God, he was crazy about women like Penelope. No. That was wrong and he needed to stop pretending to himself. There were no other women like Penelope. He was simply crazy about Penelope, and it would get her killed.

Because he’d never dealt with it. Never wanted to. Preferred to avoid the confrontation.

“That explains things. I need to know this shit, Knight. It changes how I deal with the op.”

“How so?”

Tag put his beer down and crossed his arms over his chest, a sign of his stubborn will. “It means my main job will be to protect Penny. She’s innocent in all of this. Ten wants me to bring Baz in, but I won’t do it at the cost of her life. I got out of the Agency so I wouldn’t have to make decisions like that ever again.”

Things were happening far too quickly. Taggart was pushing him. He needed time to think so he tried to direct the conversation back to something that would get Tag off his back. “I thought Charlotte got you kicked out.”

“Hell, no.” Tag’s gaze was steady. “But she taught me I wasn’t really that man. I was becoming something before I met Charlie, something dark, something like Ten. Something like you.”

“Like me?”

“You’ll make the hard decisions, Knight. You’ll send your men in to die if you think it serves the bigger purpose. Here’s the honest truth. I don’t want you to take me up on the New York job. Charlie’s pushing me to give it to you. I don’t think you can handle it. We’re a team and we don’t leave our men behind no matter fucking what. It’s why I’ll watch after Penny. You have your job to do. You have to take him down. I’ll consider Penny part of my crew. I talked to Adam and he can switch up the paperwork. Let her go in with Simon. They’ll pose as the couple and you’ll do his job on the ship. You can concentrate on what you do best. You can still meet with Baz and she’ll go with you, but we’ll protect her.”

His whole body went hot with rage at the thought. “You want her fucking Weston? You think he’s so much better than me? You think he doesn’t fuck up?”

“I thought you wanted her out of this.”

He wanted so many things but he wasn’t going to get them. “I want her to never get on the boat. I want her to forget she ever knew me, but it won’t matter to Baz, will it?”

“Nope. It would be worse if you tried to leave her behind. Then he would know how much you care about her. Even if she doesn’t. Come on. Let me take over when it comes to her.”

It was probably the right move. He couldn’t tear her apart if she was with Weston. He wouldn’t have to make the hard decisions Tag had talked about. He could shove her to them, give her over, and just worry about himself.

He could become everything Tag accused him of being.

But just for a while, he’d been something more.

“No. Watch out for her, but she stays with me. If you try to go above my head and get Nigel to move her, I’ll remove you from the operation altogether. Are we understood?”

A smirk curled Ian’s lips up. “Good to know. Maybe I was wrong about you not being right for the New York job. You know you don’t always have to accept the long, slow slide into crap, Knight. Sometimes it’s all about finding the person who won’t let you go dark. When you find that person, you can’t let them go.” He shivered a little. “God, that was gross. Can we be done with this now and you tell Charlie that I’m a perfect angel and you’re the devil who broke her friend’s heart?”

“Sure.”

“Charlie’s the one who set her tits free, though. By the way, they look good. Totally real. It’s the only way to go. See, I feel so much better talking about your girlfriend’s tits than the emotional crap.”

He ignored the idea that Penelope was his girlfriend and concentrated on the fact that she was apparently being allowed to run wild. “What the hell is your wife doing?”

A grimace took over Tag’s face and he ground the word out. “Makeover.”

Damon didn’t understand. Penelope was lovely the way she was. Yes, she was understated, but he liked her that way. Perhaps a better grade of clothing was called for but nothing more than that. “She doesn’t need to be made over.”

A long sigh left Tag’s mouth. “Apparently when a chick gets her ass dumped, all the other chicks swarm in and there’s tears and tequila and makeup and really low-cut shirts. That’s why you should avoid her tonight. Although her tits looked good.”

He was losing his bloody mind. “You are going to have to explain that to me.”

Tag cupped his own chest in a deeply juvenile gesture. “Tits. Breasts. Women have them. They’re fun to play with.”

“Why would you know what Penelope’s breasts look like?” Damon asked through gritted teeth.

“Cause she’s naked downstairs. Charlie’s makeovers can get out of control. Did I mention the tequila?”

He forgot about the glass and just took a swig from the bottle. It was going to be a long damn night.

Chapter Eleven

Penny woke up warm and happy, cuddled up next to Damon, his arm wrapped around her as he cradled her against his chest. She breathed in his scent, loving the masculine, woody smell that seemed to cling to him.

Without moving her body, she lifted her eyes up to look at him. He seemed younger sleeping, as though his cares had all fallen away. She wanted so badly to reach up and brush her hand against his jaw. It was covered in the beginnings of an inky black beard. He would get rid of it as soon as he woke up and showered, but she liked how it looked. Less civilized.

So ridiculously gorgeous it made her heart skip a beat.

He’d been passed out in bed when she’d finally made her way upstairs. Charlotte had enlisted the aid of the other women of The Garden, and her makeover had turned into a party with Chelsea and the Dom in Residence’s two subs, Lora and Anita. Penelope found them charming and open and more than willing to talk about the lifestyle and everything involved. It had been such a difference from the bland discussions she’d had with other women. They had laughed and talked about sex.

After a couple of tequila shots, Simon and Jesse and Ian had escorted them all to the nearest clothing store where Penelope had bought a bunch of clothes she would never have thought to even try on before.

It had been such fun. By the time she’d used her keycard to let herself into Damon’s rooms, she’d been ready for a fight. She’d come up with all her reasons for staying close to him.

He’d been asleep wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and his socks, a half-empty Scotch bottle next to him. Some super-agent he was. She’d pulled his socks off and tucked him into bed, then got ready and climbed in next to him.

It hadn’t been more than two minutes before he was rolling over and cuddling up to her and murmuring her name.

At least he was honest when he was asleep and drunk. She rather thought she would get a fight out of him this morning.

His hand moved along her side, and she felt a little moan leave his chest, though his eyes didn’t open. He sighed and Penny looked down. Sure enough, there was his morning mate. His cock was tenting up the sheet admirably.

Brave. Bold. That was the way she was now. Penny, the Brave. Penny, the woman who boldly stroked the cock she wanted to keep forever.

She let her hand run down his ripped abs to feel the tip of his dick as it stretched out of the top of his boxers. It reached almost to his navel and was so thick she could barely get her hand around it. Would it fit in her mouth? She wanted to try. She’d loved the way he’d licked and sucked her pussy. She wanted to pay back the favor, to learn his taste.

She wanted so much more, but she doubted he would let her have anything other than the physical for now. If he would allow her even that.

She wouldn’t know until she tried.

“What are you doing, Penelope?” His voice was a sexy rumble.

She forced herself not to move. Calm. Patience would win this battle. Patience and playing her part. Except she was beginning to understand it wasn’t a part. It was who she’d never known she was. “I was thinking about playing with your cock, Master.”

He hissed a little. “I meant what are you doing in my bed.”

He hadn’t moved an inch, hadn’t shifted away from her or pushed her back. He simply lay there, waiting for her answer.

It was an easy one. He hadn’t spoken much to her after the episode in Nigel’s office. “I did what you told me to. You told me I was to sleep in your bed, and I wasn’t allowed clothes.”

His eyes closed briefly. “Naturally, you’re naked.”

“It’s what you commanded, Master.” Charlotte had explained that men like Damon grew deeply aroused with the idea of command and obedience. He needed to think he was in control of her and the situation. To a point.

“And if I ordered you to leave me alone?”

That was exactly what she was afraid of. “I would leave you alone, though I fear it wouldn’t help in our mission.”

“I want you out of the mission.”

She sat up. This was exactly what they should have done yesterday. He’d been an arse, speaking in front of everyone, but then it was obvious to her that he didn’t know how to handle simple emotions and allowances had to be made. “I have to go with you.”