He’d gone a long time without a real woman, kissing and more, a very long time, and he had no business thinking about kissing her here. But there it was in his head, his gaze drifting to her lips, a hot longing curling deep in his gut.
Only a real woman could have generated that feeling. But then it was difficult to meet those women on his job. But here she was, pressed up against him, turning him on, even with the gun snug against his heart. It only made it all that much…riskier.
Maybe he was a little twisted. Okay, maybe a lot. But suddenly it didn’t matter if he lived or died right here. Only that they got what they needed out of her.
“I told you. We want information.” He narrowed his eyes.
“Is that all?” she asked, leaning closer to him, and her question was jumbled up with his thoughts. Was a kiss all he wanted…
“No.” Not by a long shot, but she was taking it all away with her aggressive stance. “When we’re done, we will have justice.”
He was supposed to be thinking on his feet, but he couldn’t seem to find solid ground with her. That’s when it always paid to have brothers.
A man’s steely voice came out of the darkness. “I’m only going to tell you this once. Put down your weapon.”
Her eyes widened as his teammates stormed into the room. When she felt the automatic rifle in her back, she pulled the gun free, and with a sigh, dropped it to the ground. Saint released her and kicked it away without losing eye contact with her.
Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“US Navy SEALs.”
“Oh damn,” one of the men in the background said.
She laughed softly. “I knew it.”
“Did you?”
“You were too coiled and on edge to be some kind of thug.”
“No, I’ll leave that to you, Quell. What is your real name?”
“Special Agent Aella Mikos, ATF.” She pronounced it Ay-la
After loading back into the SUVs and heading to the safehouse, they checked the three alleged Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agents with TOC. Come to find out, Aella and her two male sidekicks were legit ATF agents, according to Anna. They were currently yelling at each other over the conference table.
There was a high-pitched whistle, and everyone’s attention went to the front of the room, conversation halting mid-tirade.
“All right!” Anna yelled. “We all have the same goal here. What are we arguing about?”
“I’ve been undercover for three months. Darko murdered five ATF agents during a gun smuggling takedown. He’s going to answer for those deaths!” Aella said, her face set and determined.
Anna took a breath when it looked like Fast Lane was going to blow. She set her hand on his arm. “We understand what you must be going through, but right now, Darko is holding and torturing two of our people. They are very much alive. If we don’t get to them soon, there will be no rescue, just recovery, and that’s if we can find their remains.”
Aella looked at her two fellow agents and they nodded their heads. “I see. Your reasons overshadow ours. How can we help?”
“Can you tell me what your plan was to find Darko?”
“We found out that he can’t resist going to cage matches in person. He does watch them on video, but he wants to hear the screams, feel the adrenaline, and afterward…touch the women who win.”
“Touch?” Saint asked, sitting up in his seat. His immediate thought was that Darko wouldn’t lay a hand on her, then realized that was jacked up. She would have to continue with the cage fighting to get close to Darko.
“Yeah…touch,” Aella said, her eyes looking smudged in the bright lights from being outlined in dark kohl. “He wines and dines them, then takes them to his special hideout for some horizontal time. We figure it’s a good possibility that it will be near or at the place where he keeps his arsenal to sell to the highest bidder. When he’s done with the girl, he returns her back to the match to fight again. If she wins, she gets more alone time with Darko. I planned to win all my matches until I catch his eye, then we would close the trap.”
“That was our plan, too,” Anna said, “But we didn’t realize women were doing the cage fighting. We don’t have anyone on our team who has your skills and abilities. We’ve been authorized to add you into this op with the guarantee that we get our people back and you get Darko—”
“I can—”
Anna held up her hand. “With the stipulation that we get a crack at interrogating Darko. That terrorist…Muhammad Angar Said? He’s at the very top of our list, and we need a way in to eradicate that threat to the West. Will you join ranks with us in finding our people and finishing your mission?”
“Yes, I can live with that.”
“Thank you, Agent Mikos. When is your next match?”
“Tomorrow night at midnight. The fight boss has been instructed to give us two full days to recover. Darko wants us rested and sharp.”
“We have a lot to do between then and now. Your belongings have been moved here. You will have access to the facilities, so make yourself comfortable. Your colleagues will go back to their own base, and we will coordinate with your superiors for the final takedown. Get some rest.” She touched Fast Lane’s shoulder and they started to talk.
“Except for you, Agent Mikos,” Fast Lane said. Saint went to leave, but Fast Lane nodded to him. “Stay.”
“Am I going to get the stern dad talk?” she asked as she maneuvered her curvy body around the chairs and stopped at the head of the table.
“I want to get something straight between us before we proceed,” Fast Lane said in his customary growl. “This is a US Navy SEAL Team, and these men follow my orders. We are a tight-knit group and work as one. There are no lone wolves in this group, just a pack. Don’t let your enthusiasm get in the way of your common sense. What I say goes. Period. No discussion. Is that clear?”
“Very clear and I can follow orders.”
“I think you like giving them more,” Fast Lane said, setting his hands on his hips. “Your superior said you could be abrasive.”
“Like sandpaper, but I would ask that you take my counsel into consideration. Before the ATF, I was a member of LAPD’s SWAT Team. Those neighborhoods were battlegrounds.”
“So, you know how to assault and the basics of the military?”
“I do. I won’t be dragging your team down, Lieutenant.”
“Saint, she’s yours. Make sure she knows how we operate, although, I’m sure she’s competent in self-defense.”
Aella smiled. “I’m pretty sure I could take you, Lieutenant.” Saint didn’t think she was bluffing.
Fast Lane just grunted, and she turned to go. Saint fell in beside her. “You really don’t know when to quit.”
She shrugged. “Your CO seems competent, and I’m sure you guys are as tight-knit as he said. But this is about getting Darko. That’s my focus and my mission.”
He opened the door for her, and she stepped through.
“That was a compliment, lady. None of us know when to quit.”
She threw a look over her shoulder. “Handsome and tough.” In the hall, he indicated the way to the elevator with an outstretched arm. “Any place a girl can get a cup of coffee?”