Ryder
Sunday evening
Charleston, SC
Charleston, SC was known for its hospitality and southern charm, but Kaycee’s Bar was a dump. I wasn’t surprised by that—the kinds of places where covert operators could meet and wouldn’t attract attention were always dumps. However, Kaycee’s wasn’t the kind of place Jolie was used to.
Jolie. She was driving me insane.
When that creep at the fight the night before had put his hands on her, I’d almost torn his head off right then. I wasn’t proud of my brooding on the way home, and Jolie had handed my ass to me when we’d arrived back at HQ. Man, the woman could lay on a tongue-lashing when she wanted to.
But I was damned impressed with her tenacity. She’d barely blinked an eye when we arrived at the no-tell motel we were staying in. Her shocked expression and a feeble protest were all I got when I’d told her we’d be sharing a room. I just hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be constantly breathing in her scent, being so close to her, seeing her every moment of the day. It was like sensory overload, and my body was aching from the tension of trying to hold myself back. To keep my arms from touching her. Holding her. Kissing her.
I shook my head and tried to scope out the seedy place Derrick Joiner had chosen for our meeting tonight. My friend from The Farm had served two years in the prison of the CIA and had decided to jump ship early on. Lucky bastard. These days he worked for the City of Charleston, SC as the lead detective in narcotics. I was hoping he had heard rumors of the Russians and Los Caballeros. Possibly knew what was going on and where all those kilos of drugs and the thousands of pounds of guns had disappeared to.
“Why are we still sitting here?” Jolie gave me a dubious look, as if I had no idea what I was doing. I inwardly shook my head at that. When it came to her, she was right. I did have no idea what I was doing.
“Just making sure there isn’t anything suspicious going on. I don’t think anyone knows we’re here yet, but you can’t be too cautious.”
“You think someone is following us?”
“No. I’m just taking precautions.”
“Oh.”
“Let’s go.”
I’d wanted to leave her back at the hotel, but when she’d asked where I was going and I’d told her that I was meeting a friend, she’d insisted on tagging along. And since Levi had warned me before I left to treat her as my colleague and not as someone who needed my protection and territorial rants, I’d decided not to argue with her.
Which was how I ended up with a partner that evening.
We both piled out of the car and strode toward Kaycee’s Bar, a dilapidated, ramshackle building whose outside walls were covered in graffiti and gang tags. The alleys surrounding it were home to several vagrants living in boxes and lying on trash to keep warm at night.
I placed my hand on the small of Jolie’s back as we entered the bar and felt her stiffen momentarily before relaxing into my touch. It was good to know I wasn’t the only one impacted by our close proximity.
The inside of Kaycee’s was just as run-down as the outside—the floors sticky from spilt beer, cigarette smoke hanging heavy in the air, and the walls displaying a film of filth that hadn’t been cleaned in decades.
I spotted Derrick in the back booth and nudged Jolie forward. He was dressed to blend in, so he looked nothing like a detective. I wondered briefly if he was undercover. His black tank top revealed tatted-up arms, his jeans looked like they were two sizes too big and riding so low I could see his boxers. He had a bandana around his head, but his longish hair curled up around it. But it was the beard that had me doing a double take. I’d never seen the man unshaven before, and it was clear from the length of his facial hair that it’d been a long time since his face had seen a razor.
Derrick stood as we approached and reached out his hand for a fist bump.
“Name’s Spencer.”
Ah, so he was undercover.
“Sasha Petrov.” I spoke in a thick Russian accent. If Derrick was meeting me and keeping his cover, there was a good reason. “This is my fiancée, Jolie.”
Derrick nodded and sat back down at the table.
“What can I do for you?” Then he glanced quickly to his left as if affirming there were ears all around. Well, damn. That certainly made it trickier.
“I’ve heard rumors of a shipment. Large. Guns and coke. Seems my people have partnered with a South American group. Heard anything about that?”
Derrick shrugged. “I hear about all kinds of things. You interested in getting a piece of the action?”
“Something like that.”
“I’ll see what I can do. These South Americans have a name?”
“Los Caballeros.”
Derrick’s slight flinch was the only indication that he had any reaction to the name. “Yeah, I’ve heard of them. The leader thinks himself a messenger of God or something like that. Calls himself The Vicar.”
“That’s the one.”
“You sure you want to get mixed up with those guys? They don’t keep partners long, if you get what I’m saying.”
I did. People who did business with them typically found themselves dead.
“Just feeling out my options. I’ve got a fight tomorrow night. I’ll be around for a couple of days.”
Derrick’s eyes went wide. Then he slid out of the booth and held out his hand.
“Got a number where I can reach you?”
I grabbed a napkin from the table and wrote down the number to one of the burner phones I had on me. It was untraceable
“I’ll be in touch.” Derrick got up from the table, then leaned in close to Jolie, kissing her cheek. “Be careful, man. I’ve heard about some bad stuff happening in those fights.”
Jolie’s face was pink when Derrick pulled away, but she cleared her throat. “Nice to meet you, Spencer.”
I nodded at Derrick’s warning, and he dipped his head to acknowledge Jolie. We waited till he’d exited the bar, and I lifted a hand for a waitress. I ordered two beers, and it wasn’t until she’d brought them over that Jolie decided she couldn’t handle the silence anymore.
“What was that about?”
I shook my head.
“Just looking to do some business.”
Jolie glanced around her. She tried to hide her nervousness, but I could see the concern in her eyes. And she had this tiny crease that popped up between her brows when she was worrying about something.
We finished our beers in silence, and I threw some bills on the table, more than enough to cover the cost plus tip. Reaching for Jolie’s hand, I pulled her behind me as we exited outside.
As soon as we were out in the crisp air, I whirled around and pressed her up against the side of the building. Then my mouth was on her. I heard a slight squeak of surprise and felt the stiffening of Jolie’s body before she melted around me. Her arms twined behind my neck, pulling me closer. Her lips moved with mine, tasting, seeking, wanting. For a moment, I forgot this was all for show. For a moment, I forgot that I was the wrong man for her. For a moment, I just let myself enjoy kissing her—something I’d been fantasizing about for weeks.
When Jolie pressed her chest closer to mine, angling her head for better access, reality sunk in. My hands were on her backside, pulling her closer as her hands fisted in my hair. We were two minutes away from tearing each other’s clothes off, and we were in a public place with eyes watching us.
Slowly, I measured the kisses, nipping at her bottom lip, moving my mouth to her neck. In a voice I didn’t recognize as my own, I whispered softly in her ear, “You’re going to be the death of me.” Her eyes flared with hurt, but I kissed her again, hoping to soothe the pain I’d inflicted. Finally, I pulled away, taking her hand again and walking us to the car. I waited until we were safely inside and out of the area before I spoke.
“Derrick was undercover and must have had reason to believe he was being followed.”
“Someone was watching us? Just then?” I had to give it to Jolie. She was quick. I nodded and watched as her face fell. “Oh.”
Oh, indeed. I knew she felt disappointed that I’d pushed her against the wall as part of the role we were playing and not because my desire for her had suddenly become unbearable, but the truth was, that was exactly why I’d kissed her that way. That little scene back there had been out of control. Sure, I’d planned to kiss her. But what had happened had been real.
“Derrick had no way of getting a message to me to cancel, so he must have hoped I’d get the hint and play along with his ruse. At least I was able to convey what we needed. Looks like he’s heard of Los Caballeros, and he didn’t seem surprised at the Russian connection. Hopefully he can do some digging and discover what we’re dealing with. Until then, it’s safe to expect that we’re on someone’s radar now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Our meeting him will have whoever is watching him turning their attentions on us as well. When we’re out of our hotel room, we’re Sasha Petrov and Jolie Miller. Understand? We play the role.”
She nodded, her hands wringing together in her lap.
“What’s next?”
I thought about the ramifications of meeting up with Derrick. The pressure would be far greater over the next two days, but hopefully, once we left town, so would the tail that we’d acquired. I glanced in the rearview mirror at the black car that had been following us since we left the bar. I didn’t say anything to Jolie. No reason to scare her, unless they decided to become a nuisance.
“When we get back to the hotel, I need you to wait for me until I circle the car to open the door for you.”
“That’s really not necess— ”
“It is necessary. I’ll open your door, and then we will walk as casually but as quickly as possible to the room. Remember we’re playing a role, so follow my lead. Okay?”
“Okay.”
I pulled the Charger into the hotel lot and parked in front of the lobby. I jumped out and ran inside to the desk clerk. I hated leaving Jolie exposed, but I could clearly see the car from where I was standing.
“Can I help you, sir?”
Excellent—it was a different guy than from that morning, just as I’d hoped. I threw down two hundred dollars in cash. “I need a room and fast.”
The guy took the cash and handed me a key. With a smirk on his face he nodded to the car. “Got a hot one in there?”
I shot him the most arrogant smile I could bolster and nodded. “You know it.”
“Have fun.”
The whole exchange took less than two minutes, but it felt way too long. I got back in the car and backed up and around to the other side of the building. Jolie’s head whipped from side to side.
“But our room is over there.” She pointed to the side of the building where we’d checked into that morning.
“I know. I don’t want whoever is following us to know what room we’re in.”
“Someone’s following us?” Her voice had gone up several octaves, and I wondered if all the dogs in the area had heard her, too.
She started to turn around, and I grabbed her hand. “Don’t.”
Jolie’s body went rigid as she sat ramrod straight in her seat.
“Relax. I’m sure they’re just sniffing around. We’ll grab our stuff in the morning when I can be sure they’ve lost interest.”
She didn’t respond, which meant she was probably more scared than I’d thought. I had to remind myself this was the first time she’d knowingly put herself in danger. On purpose. It was a hard role to get used to.
I parked the car in front of the new room and then leaned over and pressed my lips to her, traveling down her jawline and just under her ear. “Wait for me. And follow my lead, okay?”
She gave the briefest nod of her head, and I pulled away, rushing around to her side of the car. I opened the door and stepped back, shielding her from anyone who might be watching. When she was standing, I shut the door and slipped my arm around her waist.
Without warning, I spun her around and crushed my mouth on hers. Her reaction was just as explosive, her body immediately coming alive at my touch. She was so responsive, so sensitive. I backed her up towards the motel door, fumbling with the key and then pretending to accidentally drop it. Jolie giggled, playing her role perfectly. I squatted down quickly to retrieve it and then shot back up, my lips fastening to the sensitive skin on her neck.
When the door was opened, I pushed inside, taking her with me and twirling her around, her back landing with a thud against the wall. We were safe. I could stop now. There was no reason to continue the charade.
But I couldn’t stop. My lips kept finding hers, moving with an urgency I’d never felt before. Jolie’s hands were everywhere, raking down my back, sliding up my chest, pulling me closer. There was a fire between us, dynamite ready to explode. I realized how apt of a description that was for her. Dynamite in such a small package.
I picked her up, and her legs wrapped around my waist as I pressed closer, keeping her back to the door. Grabbing her hands, I pinned them over her head and traced my lips down her neck, across her collarbone, dipping closer to the valley between her breasts.
It had never been like this with Nina. Nothing like this. Pleasant, sure. Friendly. Comforting. But not this spark that threatened to burst us both into flames.
The thought of Nina’s lifeless body was like a bucket of cold water being poured over my head. I stopped, letting Jolie slide carefully to her feet. When she was steady, I backed away.
“I’m sorry. I, um, got carried away.”
Jolie cleared her throat and lifted her chin while she tugged her shirt into place that had ridden up.
“Right. Me too. I’m just going to go—”
She motioned to the bathroom, and before I could answer her, rushed across the room and closed the door.
I turned the bedside light on and made sure the curtains were pulled tight. I wanted to glance outside and see if our friends had followed us, but that would give it away that I’d seen them. Instead, I pulled back the covers to the bed closest to the door and lay down, my arms behind my head. I kept my clothes on, since I didn’t want to make Jolie feel uncomfortable. It hit me that she’d been in skintight jeans and a midriff top all day. Not exactly comfortable attire for sleeping in.
I pulled off the T-shirt I’d layered on under my too shiny and too bright button-down shirt and then knocked on the bathroom door.
She opened it, peeking out, her makeup washed off and her face fresh and clean.
“Yes?”
“I thought you might want something more comfortable to wear.”
I held up the shirt, and she reached out and took it. “Thank you.”
I backed up as she closed the door, leaving my shirt off. Sleeping in polyester wasn’t really at the top of my list for the evening.
The door opened a few minutes later, and Jolie exited wearing only my thin, white T-shirt and nothing else. I hadn’t realized how it would affect me. The punch to the gut I felt as I took in her embarrassed expression, the T-shirt that swallowed her whole, and the barest outline of the body she hid beneath. I groaned inwardly, trying to keep from launching myself at her and finishing what we’d started earlier.
Hurriedly, she moved to the bed and pulled back the covers, crawling underneath and pulling them up to her chin. She sighed quietly and turned her back to me, facing the other wall.
“Good night, Jolie.”
“Night, Ryder.”
I wasn’t planning to sleep. Not until I knew we were out of the woods, and with someone outside watching our motel room, I figured I had at least a couple of hours until I could sneak out to our other room and gather our things. We wouldn’t be staying here a second night.
Three hours later, I checked on Jolie, who was soundly snoozing away, and then crept to the window. I didn’t see the black car, and there didn’t appear to be any other suspicious cars lurking about that didn’t belong. Of course, if they were that obvious about it, they weren’t doing it right.
Still, it was probably the best time for me to slip out and grab our things. We’d leave out in a couple of hours, find another room, and catch a few more Zs before that evening’s fight.
I carefully unlocked the door, but the clicking of the lock woke Jolie.
“What are you doing?” she hissed in the darkness.
“Going to get our things.” I put my hand up to stop her as she tried to climb out of the bed.
“No. Just stay here. You’ve got your gun?”
“Of course I do.” Her haughty attitude made me smile.
“Good girl. If I’m not back in twenty minutes, take the Charger and go. Call Levi and let him know you’re in trouble.”
“I’m not leaving you, Ryder. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You may have to in order to get help. Do not answer the door for anyone but me. Got it?”
She nodded, and I slipped out the door.
I rounded the corner, pausing to look around the edge, my Glock palmed in my hand and at the ready. When I saw the coast was clear, I stayed in the shadows until I reached our old room door. Just as I put the key in the lock, the air shifted, and I whirled around—but not quick enough.
The bat that was aimed at my head bounced off my shoulder with bruising force instead of cracking open my skull, which had been the intended target. The blow knocked the Glock from my hands, but I landed a side kick to the guy’s stomach. It sent him stumbling backwards and the bat flying from his hands. I pressed my advantage, placing another perfect kick to the guy’s face.
I pulled him up by his lapels and threw a punch to his nose, hearing the cartilage crunch and crack under the blow. Blood spurted out as I hit him again and again. Finally, as his head lolled to the side, I threw him down on the ground and held him under my foot.
“Who sent you?” I took on Sasha’s persona, remembering to thicken my voice with a Russian accent.
The guy shook his head, his eyes swollen shut, his nose and mouth bleeding profusely. He was addled, but he’d live. For now.
“N–n–n–no one.” The man mumbled something in Spanish under his breath, and I guessed Los Caballeros had been notified that I was snooping around. I’d need to find a way to get a message to Derrick.
“You tell whoever sent you that I do not like to be spied upon. That is clear, no?”
The man nodded his head.
“If I ever see you again, I will kill you.”
The man scrambled backward on hands and knees, then pushed up and ran to a waiting car sitting on the side of the road. He jumped into the passenger seat just as the car sped down the road.
I dusted my hands off on my jeans, and I opened the door to the room. Our things were untouched, so clearly no one had known where we’d been. Gathering our belongings quickly, I stuffed them into their bags and then left the room, leaving the key on the nightstand.
I reached our door and knocked three times.
“Jolie? Open up. It’s me.”
The door opened, and Jolie launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and squeezing, her legs wrapped around my middle. Then she pulled back and stared into my eyes.
“You scared me to death. You were gone twenty minutes. I was just getting ready to leave and call Levi.”
She smacked me on the shoulder. The same one the guy had hit with the bat. I winced, and she crawled off me, turning the side-table lamp on.
“What happened to you?” I glanced down, noticing the bright-purple bruise forming on my shoulder.
“I had company.”
“Did you—”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t kill him. I sent him back to his boss with a message.”
“What message was that?”
Then I grinned. “That Sasha Petrov wasn’t the kind of guy to take lightly to someone jumping him in the middle of the night.”
The game was on.