Smoke and Shadow (33 page)

“
Yes, we
do.
”
Baker took a
sip of his drink and cast a proud eye at Nikki. She
didn
’
t know if he
appreciated what she said or the way she said it, but the silent
admiration made her look away and smile.

“
Hey, what about
me? I need love too.
”
Chu threw his arms around Nikki
’
s neck again and assaulted her with
sloppy kisses all over her cheek. She squealed and pushed him away
like an annoying little brother.

“
You still need
a damn shower. Warren tell your boy to get off of
me.
”

Baker shook his
head with paternal amusement and raised his glass.
“
I
’
ll try to distract him with a toast
instead. He usually falls for that.
”

“
True
story,
”
Chu raised
his glass to join Baker.
“
What are we
celebrating?
”

“
Every person we
save. It
’
s never
easy and sometimes things go sideways, but a lot of people would
still be suffering if you didn
’
t do what you do. Without you, none
of this works. So on behalf of me, everyone at this table and all
the slaves you
’
ve
freed, I say thank you.
”

“
Fuck yes.
Cheers.
”
Ria
joined the toast with her signature coarse enthusiasm and Rose and
Trent followed. Each of them was reluctant for separate reasons,
but at least they were willing to put their misgivings aside for
the good of the team. Nikki felt herself smile when she went to
join the toast. Then she realized she didn
’
t have a glass.

“
Yup,
”
Chu
drained her drink and set the empty glass next to her.
“
I really did just take
your drink. What kind of agent lets that happen? You need to pay
more attention if you want to succeed in this business,
honey.
”

Nikki snatched
the glass and stood up to make herself another drink.
“
Maybe I just need to
stay away from assholes like you.
”
Before she walked away, Nikki bent down and
kissed Chu on his forehead.

“
Although
I
’
m not sure there
are any assholes in the world quite like you.
”

End

The Crime and Passion
Series

Thank you for
taking the time to read
Smoke and
Shadow
. If you enjoyed this book, please
consider leaving me a review on my Amazon page. Your opinion counts
more than you know.

http://www.amazon.com/Gamal-Hennessy/e/B008D2MPHI

While you’re on Amazon, you should
also check out my other Crime and Passion novels.

The Crime and Passion Series is
the story of one man’s secret war against international sex slavery
and one woman’s journey from manipulated puppet to professional
operator. I’ve tried to create a world of sensual suspense and
tense violence I hope you will enjoy.

All the books are available on
Amazon. Here’s a preview of each one:

Smooth
Operator

He knows what you
want…
 
Born into privilege, wounded by war,
and skilled in the art of manipulation, Warren Baker works like a
spider. He weaves plans and plots, drawing people into his web
until they accomplish his goals without ever knowing he was
involved.

A Taste of
Honey

In the wrong
hands, seduction is a deadly weapon…
 
Nikki Sirene will do anything for
her lover Chris. She'll use her sexual charms to commit crimes for
him. She'll deal with everything from the constant slut shaming of
his mercenaries to the threat of sudden violence from his targets.
But she wants a better life. When Chris brings her to Argentina to
seduce a suspected arms dealer, Nikki hopes this will be the last
job; the one that will keep them together
forever.
 

A Touch of
Honey

In seduction,
control is surrender and surrender is control...
 
Nikki Sirene uses her sexual charms
to manipulate men and steal their secrets. Desperate for protection
and on the run, she agrees to a relationship of mutual exploitation
with a mysterious spy named Warren Baker. He agrees to protect her
from her enemies if she agrees to help take down a sex slave
operation in New York.
 

Smoke and Shadow
References

Books

Smoke and Shadow
is a work
of fiction, but certain aspects of the stories are based on actual
events and real world concepts. This is a sample of my background
research for anyone who is interested in diving deeper into these
topics.

• The African Slave Trade
  by
  Basil Davidson
  

• Facing Violence: Preparing for
  the Unexpected
  by Rory Miller
  

• The International Spy Museum
  Handbook of Practical Spying
  by Peter Earnest
  

• The Parkour and Freerunning
  Handbook
  by Dan Edwardes
  

• Street E&E
  by Marc
  “Animal” MacYoung
  

• Streetwise Spycraft
  by Barry
  Cavies, BEM
  

• Surveillance Countermeasures
  by ACM IV Security Services
  

• Combatives
  United States
  Army Field Manual No. 21-150
  

Articles

All Links Retrieved as of November
1, 2015

• Bruer, Wesley for CNN (2015):
  FBI Sees Chinese
  Involvement amid Sharp Rise in Economic Espionage
  Cases
  

• Dzubow, Jason for the Asylumist
  (2010):
  Remembering the Golden
  Venture
  

• Gilsinan, Kathy for the Atlantic
  (2015):
  The
  Return of the Mercenary
  

• Grillo, Ioan for Time Magazine
  (2013)
  Mexican
  Drug Cartel’s Other Business: Sex Trafficking
  

• Human Rights Watch (2008)
  Fighting for
  Their Lives: The Child Soldiers of Northern
  Congo
  

• Matthews, Dylan for the American
  Prospect (2008)
  How Important Was the
  Surge?
  

• Money Jihad (2009)
  World Class Hawaladar
  Arrested
  

• Polgreen, Lydia for the New York
  Times (2008)
  Congo Leader Linked to Abuses Seeks Bigger
  Stage
  

• Radden Keefe, Patrick for the New
  Yorker (2006)
  The
  Snakehead
  

• Tracy, Tom for the New York Daily
  News (2015)
  NYPD
  Cop Snared in Brooklyn Prostitution Ring