Intimate Enemies (36 page)

She ran both hands down his chest. “Well, you might get lucky,” she whispered. “Because you look fucking
hot
in that suit.” Her fingers tugged at the front of his blazer. “And in jeans. And in…nothing.” Then her hands were underneath, gripping his waist. “Mmm. I might be the one to
do you
, if you’re not careful.” She leaned into him, looked up with lusty promises in her beautiful eyes. “Want to know what I’m wearing underneath?”

He circled her wrists with firm fingers and pulled her hands from his body. “God help me, no.”

She pushed her lower lip out. The pout had to be the cutest expression he’d ever seen her make. His heart squeezed. He pushed her back into the shadows of the garden, pulled her into his arms behind a thick, flowering vine blocking them from the view of the guests, and devoured her.

Instantly, she opened to him, sucked his tongue into her mouth. He groaned. Needed to let go. Step away. But she pulled his arms from around her waist, covered his hands with hers, and pressed them to her ribs, slid them up and over her breasts.

“Nothing under here,” she whispered into his mouth before kissing him again.

He squeezed the supple flesh, and her nipples tightened beneath his palms. Before he could slip his hands beneath the silky fabric to feel her flesh, she pulled his hands to her thighs, slid them up, under her skirt, and over her nearly bare ass, a slip of lace teasing his fingers.

He wrenched his mouth from hers. “You are so…so… God, I don’t have words.”

“Wanna do me now?” she whispered, a sly smile heating her beautiful face.

“Fuck, yeah.”

“Councilman and Señora Castro.” Tomás’s deep voice announced the couple’s arrival over Rio’s earphone.

Rio jerked to a stop on his dive to kiss Cassie again. “Shit.” He took her hand, stepped beyond the vine, and locked his gaze on the sliding doors of the house until the couple emerged on the terrace and headed toward the party. Then he clicked his headset and replied, “Got ’em.”

When he turned back, she was smiling but clearly disappointed. “Duty calls?”

He cupped her face, kissed her gently. “I’m sorry. Rain check?”

She laughed. “Always.”

His heart swelled, but real-world tension kept it restricted. He took her hands in his.

“Uh-oh,” she said. “Here comes business.”

“You know me so well.” He squeezed her hands. “There are ten men on duty. Two on the beach, two at the gate checking ID against the guest list, one at the front door, one monitoring the house. The rest of us will be poolside with the guests. That’s where I’ll be.”

“Ten? We’ve never needed ten security guards before.”

“The gangs have never been this strong before.”

Her gaze darted toward the crowd milling around the pool. Rio wished he didn’t have to scare her to rein her in.

“I want you to know where I’ll be in case you need me.”

“Rio.” Saul’s voice cut into the intimacy between them like a cold knife. He dropped Cassie’s hand like a guilty teenager and turned. “Are you going to keep Cassandra all to yourself tonight, or can I share her with our guests?”

“Of course, sir.” Rio moved aside, allowing Cassie to pass. “I was just explaining the caliber of the guests and the inherent dangers with the increased gang activity in the area.”

Cassie gave Rio a look he couldn’t read. “Think about what we talked about earlier today.”

She straightened her shoulders and walked past but didn’t stop to accompany Saul. Rio watched her saunter toward the crowd and got his first look at the back of the dress…or the lack thereof. It strapped behind her neck and fastened at the very base of her spine, exposing every inch of smooth, golden skin in between. Spaced every six inches or more, a sparkling string of rhinestones decorated the opening, drawing attention to the sleek line of her shoulders, the sexy curve of her spine, the trim span of her waist. Rio’s throat tightened painfully.

“The Santiago move was brilliant, sir.” Rio pulled his gaze off Cassie and found Saul still watching her. He forced himself to unclench his teeth. “She doesn’t want to leave my side.”

“Good, because I have another brilliant move planned.” Saul finally looked at Rio. “We need one more woman to complete the transfer that went bad last week.”

“I know. I spoke to Tomás today. I also spoke to—”

“I want you to use Nina.”

Rio stared, confused. “Ni…? Cassie’s cousin, Nina? For…”
Oh, shit.
“What?”

“The last woman.” Saul threw back the remaining alcohol in his tumbler. “I want you to take Nina and sell her with the others.”

Rio choked on his rebuttal, his words jumbled in panic he fought to repress. “What’s going on here?”

“I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. This customer, he uses the women in brothels in New York City.” A wide smile crossed Saul’s face. “It will take Cassie months of searching to locate her. Even if she hires the best investigators. And”
—
he brought the cigar to his lips and pulled smoke into his lungs
—
“if we leave the right trail, maybe even years. It’s the perfect short-term solution. By the time Cassie realizes Nina is dead, we’ll have everything we want. This place will look like a slum to us.”

Shit.
Shit.
It was a solid plan. A damn
smart
plan. Almost too smart to be Saul’s. Rio couldn’t think of a valid reason to fight him on it.

With the cigar hanging out of his mouth, Saul slapped Rio’s shoulder. “No more worries here, amigo. Give Pedro the order to pick her up tomorrow morning and have the women over the border tomorrow night. When the tangos get here, Cassie will be long gone. I should have taken control of what’s most important to her to begin with.”

* * * * *

Saul stood on the terrace, wrapped his hands around the wrought-iron railing, and sucked the warm night air into his lungs. Festive lights wound through the trees; colorful lanterns hung throughout the gardens, circled the pool deck, and lit the cabanas. Wait staff milled among the guests—some of the most powerful people in Mexico.

His world hadn’t been so right, so balanced and perfect, since the day Alejandra and Santos died.

“Beautiful night.”

Fermin’s voice sounded at the open doors behind Saul, and he paused before greeting the police chief. While the man was a necessary and beneficial ally, they seemed to constantly fall into an intangible power struggle.

“
Hola
, Dominic. Perfect, isn’t it?”

Fermin stood at Saul’s side and looked out over the crowd. “And this was a perfect idea.”

“I have them from time to time.” Saul smiled. “I also have the problem of Cassandra solved. She’ll be gone by tomorrow at noon.”

“There are several people here tonight who will be happy to hear that,” Fermin said. “I have good news on those contacts I mentioned.”

Irritation bristled along Saul’s spine. The man always had to be one up on him. Saul smoothed down the irritation. He had to play the game. “I’m listening.”

Fermin took a look over his shoulder and around the terrace. “I’ve found someone with deep connections in the Middle East. Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran. He’s vacationing in Cabo, heard about our venture, and would like to discuss…business opportunities…with us.”

Our
venture. Business opportunities with
us
.

Saul had no doubt Fermin would try to take over his business far sooner than Rio would. But Rio came with his own complications. Saul watched his top employee now, speaking poolside to the very beautiful wife of an American senator, yet his gaze kept drifting to Cassandra, where she sat talking with a small group of women. Saul had wanted Rio to distract Cassandra, not become obsessed with her. Tomorrow’s test would be good for him. Force his head back where it belonged—to business.

“Interesting,” Saul said. “What do you know of this man? How do you know he’s not a mole sent by Suarez?”

“His background checks out. I have my men digging into his contacts, his history, his past deals. So far he appears to be just what he says he is—a broker to the most valuable terrorists in the world.”

Excitement nudged Saul’s uncertainty aside. He could always find a way to twist the control from Fermin’s grasp at a later time if necessary. “Set up a meeting first thing next week. The tangos are due any time.”

* * * * *

Cassie smoothed the bodice of her dress in the bathroom mirror. Her hands moved over her breasts and tugged at the low-cut fabric, wishing they were Rio’s hands. The searing memory of the way he’d grabbed her in the darkness of the garden filled her with heat. She was already wet. Had been from the first moment he looked at her tonight.

“That dress makes me want to do you right here.”

First in an alcove on a public street, now in the midst of a party with the most powerful people in Baja? Where
wouldn’t
she consider
doing
him? The man made her want crazy, uncharacteristic things. Say crazy, uncharacteristic things. Do crazy, uncharacteristic things.

Though, if she were going to be honest with herself, Rio made her realize that this emerging tempestuous sexual side had always been part of her but had never had a safe place for expression.

Rio made her feel safe. In so many ways. Yet…

She looked at the clock on the vanity. Nearly 1:00 a.m. without so much as a hint to anything that would help her nail Saul. Not surprising, since she hadn’t been digging. With Mike’s words drifting through her head, Cassie was the model stepdaughter, enduring the blatantly false web of lies Saul wove throughout the night.

She was tired. Confused. Frustrated. And she wasn’t thinking clearly, because every thought included Rio. It was time to retreat to her room.

She made her way through the living room and stepped from the air-conditioned house and into a soft, warm sea breeze. The setting brought back wonderful memories of parties like this in her youth, when there had been other kids to play with. They’d splashed in the pool while parents chatted on the deck, flown kites on the beach, played hide-and-seek in the gardens.

A thought flashed into her mind, one of having all that again, only with Rio and
their
kids, which jolted her heart with twin surges of excitement and fear.

They had a long way to go before Cassie would entertain solidifying
those
dreams. Right now, her fantasies encompassed a quick good night and whispered invitation to Rio and climbing into something sexy and pretty to wait for him in bed.

“God, I love you.”

Rio’s words danced through her chest as her heels clicked on the sandstone. She took a deep breath and pushed the nerves aside. She could only hope, pray, he meant them.

She spotted Rio speaking with a man she didn’t know, so she paused nearby, positioning herself behind a thick, flowering vine, and took a glass of champagne from a passing server. She wasn’t causing any trouble, simply…waiting patiently.

“Very dangerous cargo, amigo,” the older man said, his voice low but deep, carrying to Cassie. “This is a volatile climate with dangerous competitors. Not the kind of people you want to make angry.”

“I understand.” Rio’s voice was in business mode, polite, professional.

She peered through the lattice. Rio’s gaze darted between the man and the guests, always watching, assessing. She turned her back again, took a healthy drink of champagne for suddenly jumping nerves.

“You would do very well with me, Rio. My operation is much larger than Saul’s. I could use a man of your skills. You’ll be safer in my organization as well. You’re dangerously exposed here. Everyone knows Saul insulates himself with people he considers expendable. He stupidly underestimates your value.”

“Thank you, sir. That’s a very generous offer, but—”

“I heard about your operation in Mexico City. You made something of that
puto
. His own greed and ignorance killed him. Think of what you could do in an organization like mine, with real businessmen who have contacts and goals.” The older man could have been an inspirational speaker. “Just think about it. Consider this an open invitation to come on board. You can branch out, refine your abilities, take charge. I’ll support any direction you want to go. You know, Rio, drugs are always profitable, but weapons, that’s were the big money lies. I could really use your expertise. And I can guarantee you’ll find big trouble where Saul’s leading you.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, sir. It’s always good to have options.” Rio’s voice remained as smooth and congenial as if the man had invited him out for golf. “And I do appreciate your consideration.”

A knot pressed against Cassie’s lungs. She sucked in a deep breath, let her vision blur over the deep crimson blooms surrounding her, and tried to…rationalize? A chilling wash of reality raised gooseflesh on her arms. She was hiding at her own home, eavesdropping on her lover who’d just all but admitted to being involved in the criminal activity that had destroyed her own community. To doing business with the man who’d ruined her life, her mother’s life, her brother’s life.

Cassie closed her eyes and emptied the champagne glass. She set it on a passing tray and pressed her fingers to her temples. Was she an idiot, repeating mistakes because of some kind of twisted psychological damage? Or was that goodness beneath his rough surface real? She hadn’t been the only one to see it. Marta, Miguel, Lorena, they’d all seen it too.

She had to get to her room and call Mike, because she didn’t know what the hell she was doing anymore. Waiting for a path among serving staff, she took the first opening but froze when she heard Saul’s voice coming from the area where Rio was standing.

“I just talked to Ahmed. The shipment is still due in early.”

Heart pumping, Cassie stepped back into her hiding place. She was suddenly cold despite the warm night and crossed her arms.

“Saul.” Rio’s voice was no longer cool but edged with frustration. Cassie glanced through the lattice and found the man he’d been talking to earlier gone. “Why do you keep stepping in to do my job? Are you unhappy with my work?”