The Omega Team: Hot Target (Kindle Worlds Novella) (3 page)

“Whatever you’re planning, it’s got to be the real deal. No slack.” He narrowed his eyes. “How do you propose to evaluate him?”

“We just got a request to help with a cold murder case in Cuba. They specifically asked for me by name,” she said. “I can put together a team and—”

“Wait a minute. A cold case? Don’t they have local LEOs to take care of this? Why us? And why you?”

She had wondered that too. Why had they asked for her by name? Local law enforcement officers were usually overworked with current cases. Cold investigations were handled as detectives had time or if new forensic advancements could shed light on evidence and bring life to an old case, so she understood Grey’s pushback.

“Well, I have years working homicides and I speak Spanish, but beyond my qualifications, this request didn’t come from law enforcement. It came from a local politician and he’s already wired a retainer.”

“It still doesn’t sound urgent, if it’s a cold case. You can deal with your brother when you return. We can send him back to Chicago and fly him out another time, when he’s ready to do this again.”

“No, I disagree. I think this case is perfect. Despite it being a five-year old murder investigation, they want boots on the ground yesterday. Something about politics and unrest in the drug cartels have centered on this old case. I’ll know more after I get there.”

She could tell the link to the drug cartels had appeal to Grey. Anything he could do to disrupt ‘business as usual’ with a drug cartel, he liked the notion. It showed on his face, along with his lingering concern.

“Sounds like a powder keg waiting to go off. You sure you want the added complication of Rafael with your team?”

“You trust me?” she asked.

Grey pursed his lips.

“This is one of those trick questions. I’m damned if I answer either way. What do you have in mind, Athena?”

“A stellar poly test doesn’t mean we’ve got a good field agent. Let him prove himself on this mission. I’ll take full responsibility and the team can see him in action.”

“I don’t like bending the rules. Not when it comes to what we both built this organization to be.”

Grey didn’t have to spell things out to her. She understood completely. They had formed this agency based on an above-reproach code of conduct and dedication to duty. They took on dangerous missions in order to do the right thing, always.  She wouldn’t jeopardize the very foundation their organization had been built upon.

But she loved her brother, Rafael, and knew he needed her now more than ever. She had to trust her gut when it came to him.

“If it’ll make you feel any better, we can make Rafe a probationary member of our team. We would pay him like an outside contractor. The team gets to see him work and I’ll get a chance to dig at the truth.”

“I trust you, Athena. You know that, but you’re asking our team to—”

“He’ll be with me and I won’t put anyone else at risk. Like I said, I know Rafe will have my back.”

Grey fixed his intoxicating stare on her. He didn’t need to tell her what his answer would be. She already knew she’d have Rafe on her next mission. Athena smiled and grabbed her brother’s file off Grey’s desk.

She couldn’t wait to find Rafael and give him the good news.

***

Le Méridien Tampa

An hour later

The Le Méridien hotel on North Florida Avenue made Jacquie wince as she crossed the intersection on foot. She’d parked down the street so she wouldn’t have to deal with valet parking, but as she gazed up at the huge columns and headed toward the intimidating stairs at the entrance to the luxury hotel, one question popped into her head and wouldn’t leave.

What the hell are you doing?

Outside the revolving doors, she tugged at her tight black dress and glanced down to make sure her nipples were behaving and not making a surprise peek-a-boo. She’d borrowed the low cut dress from a friend and the
screw me
stilettos—her friend’s shoe name, not hers. She was already tall at five feet ten inches, but in monster heels, she could look Rafael in the eye if she were lucky enough to find her unicorn.

She knew Omega had booked Rafe to stay at the posh hotel. They did that for all their out-of-town clients and prospective employees. If he’d already checked out of the hotel, her evening would be a bust.

But what if she found him?
What then?

“I need something stiff,” she mumbled under her breath. “A tequila shot…or three.”

She’d made up her mind after she’d left Grey’s office, not knowing if she’d ever see Rafe again. She would listen to her body this time and not let her head make all the decisions. A man like Rafael didn’t come into her life every day. She wouldn’t play it safe this time. She wanted to be more like the gutsy and strong women on the Omega team, the ones who knew what they wanted and went after it. Jacquie had heard enough about Rafael through his sister that she felt as if he weren’t a total stranger.

Life’s too short for the timid.

At least that’s what inspired her to squeeze into a tight black dress with a purse full of condoms. What hurled her through the hotel lobby, in desperate search for liquid courage, were her usual mélange of doubt and the years of being bullied as a tall, gangly nerd.

Jacquie strode across the atrium with her heels clacking on the marble floor and her freshly curled blonde hair bouncing against her shoulders. She had even dared to put on a little makeup and had ditched her glasses for contact lenses. Eyes turned as she walked—men and women. She either had picked the right dress or one of the sisters had popped out for a ‘look see.’ She didn’t dare glance down.

Walk like you own it, sista.
She tried for cool, but her insides were Jello.
Lime Jello.

“Miss Lyles?”

Jacquie stopped. She didn’t have to turn around to recognize the low voice with its honeyed Cuban accent. She made a slow turn and savored the sight of Rafael Madero dressed in running shorts and a drenched T-shirt that clung to his muscled chest and broad shoulders. His sinewy arms and long legs were slick with perspiration and his dark hair looked as if it’d been tousled by the wind.

“Forgive my appearance,” he said. “I had to take advantage of your beautiful city and go for a long run. It clears my mind.”

He pulled up his T-shirt and wiped his face, exposing his taut belly with its spirals of delectable dark hair. Jacquie didn’t bother to hide her admiration.

“No, I understand.” She clutched her purse tighter.
Be cool. Relax.

“You look—” He let his eyes drift down her body for only a glimmer. “Stunning. You are a beautiful woman.”

Before she made a fool of herself with a reply, Rafael took her over the edge of awkward.

“Did you come to see me…or are you here for something else?”

Jacquie forced a smile and stalled. She stood on the precipice of the woman she wanted to be and the anonymous online girl who only felt truly comfortable in front of a computer.

“I came to see…
you
actually.”

He fixed his eyes on hers and smiled.

“That makes me happy.”

Again, time slid to a crawl and the sounds of the lobby faded to white noise. All she saw was Rafael and his lazy grin.

“Well, I obviously have to clean up.” He blushed. “You can wait for me in the lobby bar. I won’t take long. I hope you have time for dinner.”

He took a step back and turned to go, but an impulse gripped Jacquie.

“Or I could come up with you. We could order room service.”

She stopped breathing. The words had been hers, but the voice sounded like someone else. Her belly tightened as she watched every subtle nuance of his face. He could shoot her down or take her up on her offer to follow him to his room and let nature take its course.

God, what would he do?

“We could.” Rafe stared into her eyes as if he were trying to read her. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “If you join me, room service could extend to breakfast. You see, this is how a man thinks when an irresistible woman offers to come to his hotel room. He imagines pleasuring such a woman, giving her all she could want from a man.”

That wasn’t exactly no, was it?

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” he asked.

“Yes, and my offer stands, if you still—” She couldn’t finish. Saying it aloud would jinx any hope she had.

“Then I am a lucky man.”

Rafael leaned in and kissed her cheek. Jacquie closed her eyes and savored the tender moment.

“But I must be honest with you. All I can promise is one night, whatever you desire of me. It’s all I can give. Are you certain this is what you want? I want you to be sure.”

Sure?
Jacquie blinked, twice. Her coy room service line didn’t tease him into thinking she was only flirting. Rafe didn’t play games. He knew what she wanted and left the choice to her. His kiss could easily be good-bye if she laughed it off now and walked away. No harm. No foul. But she couldn’t do that.

She was only certain of one thing—that giving her body to Rafael Madero would change her forever.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m sure.”

***

Rafael had seen the attraction in the eyes of Miss Lyles from the minute he first met her at the Omega Team headquarters. He enjoyed flirting and teasing her. It seemed harmless enough at the time. Despite her looks, she had an innocence about her that touched him and he loved making her blush.

But for her to come to his hotel—and offer to join him in his room—he hadn’t expected it.

Sex always played on a man’s mind. Rafe was no exception. He watched her walk beside him in her tight black dress and imagined touching her creamy pale skin and sucking her nipples into his mouth to pleasure her with his tongue. His body reacted as they rode up to his floor on the elevator. This smart attractive woman had flipped his switch and it wouldn’t be easy to stay in control, but why should he?

She came to him for a reason. She sought him out and he had enough pent up sexual energy to give her the ride of her life. After what he’d done to Athena today, walking out on his job interview, he wouldn’t have to worry about Miss Lyles being a co-worker. Rafe had no chance at becoming an Omega Team member now.

If Miss Lyles wanted his body for a night, he would oblige her. He would surrender to her needs and let her be in charge. He’d been honest and had told her the truth upfront. She would have no tomorrows with him. Something had broken in him when he lost his wife and baby. He’d lost his sense of joy and he didn’t believe he could make life safe for anyone else again.

Miss Lyles deserved better than a man like him.

***

Minutes later

Jacquie had never been in the hotel Le Méridien. Normally she would have gawked at the sleek modern design of his room and raved about it in a nervous verbal spew, but she only caught glimpses of the suite. Black leather and chrome chairs stood out against the tasteful charcoal colored walls and a lush blue carpet. Shiny mirrors positioned throughout the room reflected the city lights from the floor to ceiling windows. But the huge King bed, adorned with stark white bed linens and fluffy pillows and comforter, captured her attention. She imagined Rafael under the sheets, beckoning her to join him with his soulful eyes and thick lashes.

“Make yourself comfortable. I won’t be long,” he said. “The room service menu is on the desk. Look through it to see what entices you. Perhaps when I’m done, we can order wine?”

“Done?”

He grinned.

“I meant
done
with my shower. Please. Relax.”

Rafe didn’t wait for her to explain her stupidity. He let her save face by stepping into the bathroom and closing the door. Within minutes, the rumble of the shower came and she could breathe again.
This is really happening—to me.

She put down her purse on the desk and paced the room, wringing her hands. She stared out the window, rehearsing how she’d be when he opened the door. Every line she’d practiced sounded fake now. She caught glimpses of her face in the many mirrors and almost didn’t recognize the woman who stared back.
You can do this. You can.

When the shower stopped, so did her heart. She plopped down on a corner of the mattress and tried to act casual.
Too eager.
She jumped to her feet and kept an eye on the bathroom door as she tugged at her dress.
The desk.
She’d grab the room service menu and pretend to—

“Oh no, my purse.” She’d left her bag on the desk.

It should’ve been on a nightstand by the bed, ready to use. She’d stuffed her clutch with condoms and intended to use them—all of them. Jacquie grabbed her purse and turned as the bathroom door opened behind her. Too late. When the bag slipped from her hand, all she could do was watch as it fell.

Every condom spilled to the floor.

Jacquie stared at the festive display of colorful prophylactics strewn across the rug. She hadn’t been able to decide on a color. Slowly her gaze eased across the room until she saw Rafael.