Kiss the Enemy (Slye Temp) (7 page)

BOOK: Kiss the Enemy (Slye Temp)
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Josh interrupted. “Sabrina’s got a call coming in that might be what we’ve been waiting on.”

“Which is?” Nick asked.

“Intel on whether the Banker is in this country.”

“Local intel?”

“No.”  Josh didn’t elaborate, but Nick could guess. Sabrina had friends in every government agency and she refused to take anything that even hinted of being connected to the CIA, but … she had a friend who had helped with intel the last time the Banker was involved.

While Sabrina took her call, Josh went over all the resources Nick and Tanner had at their disposal then cut it short, saying, “Dingo and Ryder will be there soon. Hold on, Sabrina’s coming back on the phone.”

“I don’t want to believe it, but the Banker is here. Actually there. He’s supposed to be meeting a merc in San Francisco.”

Tanner tensed. “Here, like at this hotel?”

“No confirmation that they’ll meet there, only that a merc has been looking for the Banker and he’s supposed to get meet instructions in the Trophy Room. At the price of admission, it’s hard to imagine he’d be going there for any other reason unless he likes to pay high five figures to spend the night with a woman he’s never met.”

Tanner whistled. “Da-yam. Who pays that kind of jack? Of course, there’s no doubt the women are all gorgeous. Hell, if they held a Miss Hot contest, the Duke would take first place tonight.”

“Are you through having your fantasy break?” Sabrina snapped. “Still think she’s only going for information?”

Nick answered her. “No. Margaux would never have walked away for anything less than getting her hands on the Banker.”  The way Sabrina had explained it, Margaux knew the minute she stepped outside her apartment she would be marked as rogue. He gave another shot at boosting Margaux’s side of this. “But I’m betting Margaux plans to contact you as soon as she has a definitive location on the Banker.”

“Let’s hope so.”  Sabrina didn’t say anything for a moment. “I want her yanked as soon as everyone is in place.”

“I should go inside the hotel and do recon,” Nick interjected, causing everyone to quiet. He found it amusing that they never knew when to expect him to say something, or had any idea what he might say.

“Wait for
your
backup no matter what happens,” Sabrina said, canceling his suggestion. “I don’t want to lose any of you tonight. If I didn’t have this damn threat at The Governor’s Mansion, Josh and I would be there, too.”

Tanner took over the conversation. “We can handle this, Sabrina, but delaying is dangerous. Margaux’s been inside there for a half hour already. If she was after information only, she’d have had an exit strategy and should have come out by now.”

“I know, but nothing happens until Dingo and Ryder arrive. That’s final.”

“If she hands you the Banker, are you going to cut her some slack?” Nick wouldn’t go so far as to say he understood the crazy woman entirely, but they were hacked out of the same shitty cloth. They’d shared a few beers over rounds of pool. He never pried into her life and she showed him the same consideration. As fucked up as he was, he had a feeling she might just be worse.

For that reason alone, he felt the strange need to take her side in this and offer help she wouldn’t accept if she were standing here.

He liked that about her, which was totally screwed and why they got along.

A stifling silence hung inside the car until Sabrina said, “Let me make myself clear, Nick. I don’t give two shits about the Banker right now. One of my people has gone rogue and has her ass hung out in the wind. I want her brought in. Alive. What I do with her at that point is not your business. I put you in charge because you’ve partnered with her so you
should
be able to get close to her. Do you have a problem bringing her in?”

“Nope.”

“Then find a way inside there as soon as soon as everyone’s ready and don’t let anyone die.”

You don’t ask for much
. Nick just answered, “Got it.”

Tanner thumbed the phone off and tossed it on the dash. He cracked his neck that had to feel as stiff as Nick’s in spite of their having rented a Yukon. Ops with Tanner required a big vehicle. Tanner had three inches of height and another twenty pounds of muscle over Nick who came in at six feet tall and could box heavyweight.

Had
boxed heavyweight, but that was back when he’d fought according to the rules, and cared about rules. Nick played out every possibility in his mind as he wiggled the earpiece of his comm set into his ear. “One of us has to stay here and call when Dingo arrives.” 

Tanner rocked his head to one side and gave Nick a look that questioned his ability to discern reality from fantasy. “So now
you’re
going to defy Sabrina? You either got some titanium balls or you’re just as suicidal as the Duke.”

Nick would tell Tanner which one it was if he knew himself. “I’m following orders. Sabrina said we couldn’t go into the hotel yet. Way I see it, if we stay out here we have only two possibilities for grabbing Margaux. She either walks out of the hotel under her own power and we grab her then, which I seriously doubt will happen, or we get lucky monitoring the cars leaving the private garage, and
if
we spot her, we go after her then.”

Probability for either option had suck-ass odds.

The most likely scenario would end with her cold body locked in a trunk and driven out for disposal.

“So you’re saying you want one of us to get inside the garage,” Tanner surmised.

“Exactly. That way, the minute Dingo gets here, we can move in faster.”

“I’ll go. You’re supposed to be running this op so you stay here and play boss.” 

Nick would rather be the one going into the garage, but Tanner was right. Someone had to be out here to talk to Sabrina and take the rap if this op went south. He checked his watch.

  Dingo should be here in another eight minutes, but this wouldn’t end well.

Either way, Margaux was fucked.

If she came out with no intel, she’d made the critical error of crossing Sabrina.

If Margaux bagged the Banker, Sabrina would pull her from the team for going after a vendetta.

Taking Margaux in was going to suck, but better him than the others even if he did end up looking like he’d betrayed her. Margaux had once told Nick that she could never have anything more than what she had with Slye Temp. She would do whatever it took to stay on the team.

That’s why he’d known she wouldn’t stay put if she had a chance to prove herself and hand over the Banker. He knew how she thought, which was why he was the one who’d actually seen her when she escaped the apartment.

He’d considered letting her go, but he doubted she’d survive going up against the Banker alone.

In hindsight, he might end up wishing he’d let her try.

 

 

CHAPTER 7

 

Logan turned his head just enough to let this Violet know he was listening. She’d said, “I’m here for one reason.”

He was going with his gut on this one and his gut was screaming that she was an operative by the way she moved and her choice of words. She hadn’t given him the sentence he’d been informed the masked women would use for requesting a meeting with Dragan.

If she was one of the working girls, she’d have said, “Please inquire if Mr. D would consider sharing a drink with me. My treat.” 

Also,
if
Violet was one of the hookers, she wouldn’t waste time on Dragan, who was covered up in women, when there were two available prospects eating her up with their eyes.

Yeah, she might be
qualified
to be a hooker, with a body that would set sheets on fire and a sexy mouth that quirked up on one side when she talked and … wait a minute. He got a niggle of something at the back of his mind, but couldn’t put his finger on it. That mouth reminded him of someone.

Did he know this woman?

Was she an operative he’d encountered somewhere before? He didn’t know those eyes, but she was wearing purple contacts.

Determined to flush her out, he pulled out his Russian accent and laid it on thick. He could replace it with an Italian, French, British or American slant at any time the need arose. “Mr. D is clearly busy.”

“In that case, his loss. Make sure you tell him there will be no second invitation.”

Ah, hell. This had to be the contact. “Follow me.”

“Where?” Violet’s eyes narrowed inside the mask.

“Somewhere private.” 

Those lips barely moved into a Mona Lisa smile, taunting him. “I’m not paid to do the hired help.”

Did she think she was going to meet with Dragan alone? Not happening. “That is good, because I am not interested in the hired help
either
.”

Her mouth ticked with a tiny flinch.

Shit, now he felt like a bastard. And he was a liar to boot. His fingers itched to remove her mask and see the rest of that face. He’d never been much for blonds or brunettes. He preferred the fiery personalities that came with all shades of red.

In a different situation, he’d make an exception for this one. She raised his curiosity and his dick at the same time. No woman had done that in a while. Definitely not a prostitute. “Follow me to the elevator.”

“No.”

Had she just refused him? “I thought you wanted to meet Mr. D.”

“I’ll go somewhere private with
him
.”

“It does not work that way,” Logan told her with no sugar coating but kept his voice down. “I am here for a reason. First, you follow me to his suite. Once I know it is secure, I will bring him up.” 

“Are you going to stay at that point, too?”

“Probably.”

She didn’t have to look up much to meet him eye to eye. “No one told me Mr. D preferred ménage à trois.”

He wanted to chuckle at her obvious fishing trip, but put plenty of steel in his voice when he said, “What Mr. D does in private is no one’s business. Now, do you still wish to meet with him or not?”

Her gaze glanced past his shoulder, staring at what he recalled was a mirrored wall at his back.

What had drawn her attention?

Logan searched past her shoulder and caught the bartender looking their way while he spoke into the mic at his collar, nodding, then he turned and started toward the far end of the bar where he’d be able to walk around to exit. The last thing Logan needed was a nosy bartender telling this Violet to stay away from the bodyguard and make herself available to the real clients.

Before he could come up with a way to convince her to leave with him, she said, “What are you waiting for? Lead away.”

Never look a gift horse, or a compliant contact, in the mouth.

He walked toward the elevator, sliding a look at Dragan—Nitro—as he did. Nitro lifted his hand to his right ear, the sign that he’d noticed and plan A was in effect.

Nitro would continue talking to his bevy of women—as Dragan—for the next thirty minutes in case this didn’t turn out to be the contact. If Logan hadn’t returned at that point, Nitro was to move to plan B, which was basically get the hell out of the building any way he could since plan A was FUBAR.

At the elevator, Logan told security he was going up to examine Mr. D’s suite.

Security had been informed of Logan’s position in advance, so the man stepped into the elevator car and used his key card to activate access to the top two hotel floors. As he did that, he spoke to another person through his mic, explaining that Mr. D’s personal security was on his way up to Mr. D’s suite with one of the ladies.

The ride up was quick, the whole point of an express elevator to the top floors.

Violet held herself in check the whole way.

Security led Logan the short distance to Mr. D’s penthouse suite and unlocked the door, telling Logan he would be at the elevator if Logan needed him. In other words, no return without keycard access, but Logan didn’t plan to be here very long.

He held the door for Violet, who walked in ahead of him and stopped in front of the wall of glass. On the other side, a clear night back-dropped an impressive balcony lit with a hundred candles, a pool with blue lighting beneath the surface and decorative trees scattered around the perimeter.  

She turned as he strode up to her.

He still needed confirmation.

He had twenty-three minutes until Nitro would have to find his own way out if Logan didn’t return. This was the point where Logan hoped he hadn’t left Nitro’s back exposed, but if the Banker was ready to meet, then Logan should be the only one at risk once he explained that
he
was Dragan Stoli, not Nitro.

Violet clearly hadn’t anticipated being separated from Dragan, but she probably figured once they had an agreement, she’d have Dragan isolated up here on the second floor with no escape route.

“Aren’t you going to secure the suite?” Violet asked, letting him know he was imposing on her time.

Logan didn’t like turning his back on this one, but he moved away carefully. He checked every room and closet, including the bath, before returning to the living room where she’d seated herself.  

He confirmed, “All clear. Time to talk.”

“I’m not paid to talk.”  She waved her hand at him, sending him away. “Hurry back down and bring up Mr. D. He’s paid dearly for this opportunity and deserves a
full
service.”

When Logan failed to move, she made a huffing sound. “If Mr. D doesn’t come up here soon, Sergio will come for me. So either take me back down or bring him up. I need this job too much to let a paranoid bodyguard screw it up.”

Tell me I didn’t fuck up and bring one of the whores up here.
There was no time left to spend on playing any more games. He crossed the room to her and bent down, noticing that she didn’t flinch.

Not the least bit intimidated by him.

Why did he find her cool poise so fucking hot when it was frankly getting in his way right now?

That was it. He knew what he could do to make her show her hand.

He’d take five minutes to find out one way or the other if she was the Banker’s contact. He dropped his voice into one he used in the bedroom. “Here is how this will work. My employer prefers his women ready.”

BOOK: Kiss the Enemy (Slye Temp)
4.41Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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