Fire and Ice (Guardians) (25 page)

"Craig, what are you doing here?" Maia fibbed Jack's name.

"I was wondering if you wanted to meet up at Addison later," Jack's voice sounded calm but the rapid ticking at his jaw revealed his barely controlled anger.

"She's with me," Lee spoke up behind her. Maia's eyes pleaded with Jack to calm down and not blow everything out of proportion especially when his eyes narrowed as he took in Lee's bulging erection. Not that she blamed Jack, Lee had gone little too far and there was that wee fact that she was, at that moment, commando.

"Well, gorgeous," Jack's voice dripped with carnal familiarity. "Maybe I'll see you around later." Jack looked at Lee with undisguised contempt before turning around and heading down the hallway.

Maia closed the door with a relieved sigh.

"Who the heck was that?"

"Someone I work with. He's also in the conference."

"Have you fucked him?"

"It's none of your business. Look, do you still want to go to Addison together? Because I've about had it with this petulant rock star persona," Maia retorted.
 

Lee's lips thinned in anger. "I just want to know why you won't sleep with me when you know how good it was between us?"

"Because," Maia huffed in exasperation. "I don't want a repeat of Bali! Now if sex with me is all you're here for, you can turn around and leave."

Lee's expression looked stricken. "I do want to spend tonight with you."

"As a friend."

"I can't promise not to kiss you or paw at you," Lee said, devilish charm taking over the lovesick facade of a few moments before.

"That's expected," Maia said as she checked her face in the mirror. Her lips were so swollen from Lee's kisses they didn't require any lipstick.

"You might want to ... er ... put on some panties."
 

Maia winced, hoping the bugs were turned off.

***

"It did sound like she kicked him off and I hear nothing in the audio that tells me she encouraged him," Derek said as he eyed Jack stalking back and forth in his hotel room like a caged beast.

"I could throttle her for wearing that dress," Jack growled. "What was she thinking?"

Jack had decided to hang out at his hotel room and work from there while Maia got ready for Addison Music Hall. Derek arrived at Jack's room just as his friend went tearing down the hallway cursing about some fucker making moves on his woman.

So Jack didn't hear the groans and moans after Lee had tackled Maia on the bed and God knows what else, but judging from the lip smacking, cloth rending, and zipper ripping it was close—really close—to a consummated encounter. Good thing Maia had knocked Lee off the bed. How Derek would have loved to have seen that footage.

Jack came back from Maia's room relatively calm but worked himself up to a rabid state again after hearing the full recording
 
of what had transpired in Maia's room.

"I'll kill him," Jack vowed, clenching and unclenching his fists. "I'll beat him to a pulp, I'll strangle him until his vocal chords give out. He's never going to sing again."

"No you won't," Derek said dryly. "We have to remember that Maia is putting herself out there to get Richard Grayson back. Her being the obsession of the number one draw of Addison Music Hall should get Reznikov worried. And if Colt is running that show, we got him."

Jack grabbed a lamp and hurled it against the wall. Derek winced, but didn't say anything. He did not however fail to make a mental note that
lampshade
would be a line item at checkout.

"You're right," Jack sighed, looking down at his feet, one hand behind his neck and the other on his hips in a resigned stance of masculine reflection. He laughed humorlessly. "Can't believe I'm behaving this way. What happened to all the self-control and focus that I learned as a Navy SEAL."

Jack heaved a sigh and this time looked at Derek steadily. "I'm going to Addison Music Hall. Can you handle surveillance with Scott?"

"Do you promise to hold back your Mr. Possessive at all cost?"

"Yes. I told Maia, I would deal."

"We do have a lot of Guardians crawling that place on the lookout for Colt."

"Is the protocol still tranq to neutralize?"

"Yes, we want him alive. Getting Richard Grayson back is a top priority."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It was 7:30 pm and Maia was getting restless. There was no sign of Colt anywhere. She and Lee were hanging out in one of the secluded booths listening to the different bands playing. Live music was played from 7pm till midnight and then a DJ took over transforming the hall into a dance club between midnight to 4am. Since it was Saturday, Addison got packed pretty quickly with conference attendees starting the party early.

Since Lee couldn't drink too much alcohol before his set, he kept Maia busy with his lips. His roving hands were kept in check, but to keep up the pretense that he was crazy about her, she had to make it look like they were all over each other. She was thankful for the interruptions made by fans asking for autographs—more than a couple of them giving Maia the stink-eye for monopolizing Lee Isaac's attention.

At around 8:30 pm, the crowd got crushing and Maia noticed more than a few customers acting remarkably uninhibited, and not due to alcohol. Some were pressed against the wall, kissing and rubbing each other to orgasm. It was turning really bizarre, almost like a sex exhibitionist club.

"Hey," Maia nudged Lee who was at the moment nuzzling her neck with little kisses.

"What, Princess?"

"Have you ever done any uppers?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, look around us."

Lee looked up and glanced around and chuckled, "Well I'll be damned."

"Do you want to do some?" Lee asked with interest. "It's almost my set so I can't, but afterwards I know where I can get some."

"Where?"

Lee smiled. "There's a backroom here that deals them. We have to be careful though ... guys running them look scary."

Maia's heart skipped a beat. She should have asked Lee sooner, but there was no better opening than right now. Misreading her excitement for something else, Lee's hand reached straight between her thighs, startling her with his seeking fingers.

"Lee, what..."

"Shhh ... I knew you were a bad girl," he murmured thickly. "If I'd thought of this sooner we'd probably be having sex right now. Though I don't need any stimulant drugs with you, clearly you've piled on some inhibitions since we last got together."

Lee's mouth came down aggressively on hers. She was almost horizontal on the couch, Lee's body almost fully on top of hers as his fingers sought mercilessly to stroke her to orgasm. Though there was nothing wrong with Lee's expertise, Maia did not crave his touch the way she did Jack's and couldn't bring herself to let go.

Lee had no problem rubbing himself against Maia to gain his explosive finish as he buried his groan in the crook of her neck.

When he was done, he whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You weren't done."

"That's okay," Maia assured him. She was actually feeling guilty it had gone that far.

"I'm losing my touch," Lee said in frustration. "Shit. I need to get ready for my set and I need to get cleaned up."

"Go."

"Don't go anywhere, Princess. I'll be watching you from the stage."

"
Babe, I'll always come back to you

I know this much is true

Though we're apart at times

Know you're always min
e"

Lee was singing the chorus of his new song over and over as he focused his gaze on Maia, who was at the foot of the stage. While she had waited for his set to begin, she walked around Addison exchanging secure text messages with other Guardians. They had observed some dealers of Rave-IX, but had backed off apprehending them when Maia informed them about the existence of the backroom. So far, none of the dealers distributing the drug to the general public was Colt, better known as Peter Coltrane. Facial recognition from the AGS data center had returned with a successful match.

Maia also spied Jack in the crowd. Though he did not approach her, he gave her a chin lift. His face was a blank mask. At least he had gotten himself back in control before he decided to come to Addison Music Hall.

At 10:30 pm, by the time Lee's set was coming to an end, Maia headed for the backstage which was a challenge since the music hall was jam-packed like sardines. He gave her an access card to show security so they could let her through.

After his last song, to deafening cheers and whistles from an enthusiastic crowd, Lee descended the stage and headed straight for her. He lifted her up and twirled her around.

Sliding her deliberately down against his sweaty front, he kissed her thoroughly before taking her hand to walk to his dressing room.
 

"Come on in, I won't bite," Lee said smiling broadly. He was high from the performance. He took off his shirt, grabbed a towel from the dresser and started mopping himself dry.
 

"So how many rooms are here at Addison's?"

Lee shrugged as he put on a fresh tee. "I don't know. Some are pretty hidden. God knows what goes on behind them."

"You don't know?"

"I don't care. All I care for is my music, and if you'll let me, you."

Maia rolled her eyes and then suddenly, he was right on top of her. "We need to get rid of those inhibitions."

"Oh, yeah, how?"

"Follow me."
 

Lee led her down a narrow hallway beyond the backstage. On the blueprint of the building that they had acquired, this area was one big rectangle, but Maia saw a series of rooms. Obviously, what was filed at the city planner's office was incomplete or bogus. She was so screwed. She had no way of letting the others know where she was unless she could shoot off a text the moment Lee released her hand.

They reached a steel door that was slightly ajar, but Lee still used the intercom. There was no answer.

"That's strange. The door is open," Lee said, sounding baffled.

"Maybe we should go back," Maia suggested as the back of her neck started prickling. "You said they were pretty scary."

"Nah, Peter's a cool guy. He wouldn't mind me bringing my girl over to hit him up for a couple of R9s."

Maia tried to tug Lee away but he dragged her through the steel door.
 
They were met with two bloody corpses with fatal chest wounds.

"What the fuck?" Lee whispered as his eyes bugged out.

"Let's get out of here," Maia said urgently as she pulled a frozen Lee back through the steel door, but they were too late. A giant of a man holding a mean looking assault rifle blocked their way.

"Sorry, I can't let you leave," he declared.
 

Yep, screwed
.

***

They were forced into the inner sanctum. There, a man was bound to a chair and was being interrogated by three other men. Peter Coltrane. Judging by the superficial bruises on his face, the torture had only just begun.

"Look who I found lurking around. Rock star boy," the goon said. "I'm heading back outside to stand guard."

These were Gavlik's men. They had slipped off the Guardian's radar when everyone was recalled and put on the search for Colt and Richard Grayson. Hadn't she proposed that keeping tabs on these guys would lead them to Reznikov? The DEA gave the call this morning to pull that resource.

Colt's eyes flickered over her but did not react. This guy was going to be hard to crack.

"Pete, what the hell is going on?" Lee demanded.

The second henchman whacked Lee through the face with the butt of his M4 carbine. "Shut up!"

Maia screamed as Lee staggered back. It was
damsel-in-distress
time. "Don't hurt him!"

"Igor, damn it!" the third henchman stood in front of Igor and glared him off.

Turning to Lee, he said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Isaac. We just need to keep you and your girlfriend here until we get the information we need from Colt. If I may have your cellphones please."

"I don't have mine on me, it's in the dressing room," Lee said as he fingered his jaw.

Maia handed hers over. Better give it up quick than have them search her purse and find the gun.

Lee went over to Maia who pretended to start shaking. "God, I'm so sorry, Princess. What a nightmare."

Igor observed them, his beady cruel eyes hazed with bloodlust. Lee's apologetic words tore through Maia's heart as she despaired of getting him mixed up in this. She was going to get him out alive even if she died trying. But it wasn't going to be easy, they would not want to let her and Lee live, no matter what the henchman had said. That was not the way of the Russian mafia. They hated loose ends.

"I repeat Mr. Coltrane: where is Sergei Reznikov?" the third henchman asked. When Colt continued to stare stonily in the distance, the third henchman nodded to the fourth. "Kiril."

Kiril struck Colt across the cheek twice.

Colt spat out some blood and started laughing. "You all need to do better than that!"

"Jesus Christ," Lee muttered as he held Maia's head to his chest. "Don't look, honey. Please don't look."

The beating continued for a couple of
 
more minutes before Kiril said to the third henchman. "Boss, I think we need to get messy."

He nodded in response.
 
Maia snuck a peek over Lee's shoulder and saw them produce a canvas roll of medical instruments. She did not want Lee to see this.

"Oh God," Lee whispered as he realized what was about to happen. He hugged Maia tighter.

Suddenly there were sounds of suppressed gunfire from the front room. The big guy who had brought them in started bellowing for aid.

"Igor, go!" the third henchman shouted.
 

Kiril dragged Lee away from Maia and pointed a gun to his head while the third henchman did the same to Maia.

"Maia!" Lee screamed in an agonized voice.

The third henchman said to Igor. "Tell them we have hostages and if they don't fall back we will kill them."

"No! Damn you. No!" Lee shouted while struggling against his captor.