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Chapter One Washington, D.C. T here were many ways of kissing a woman. And many reasons to taste her. There were kisses that asked permission. And then there were kisses that sought an answer. Steve McMillan had once assured the amused leader of Black STAR, his elite covert operations team, that there was a difference, at Admiral Jack Madison’s bachelor party when things had gotten a bit rowdy, and the topic a bit…salty among the men. In real, everyday life, Steve McMillan wouldn’t have dared bring up kissing and women, but everyone was having a good time ribbing the admiral about his young bride, and how he was going to kiss her after the ceremony. When someone brought up the subject of kissing…well, everyone started hooting his name to give advice to the old man. It wasn’t as if the admiral needed lessons, Steve reflected wryly, as he recalled the festivities from a year ago. If there was a man who didn’t have to work at looking good, his leader was the one. In his early fifties, he
Chapter One
Chapter Two M arlena prowled around the master bedroom, hands on her hips. She was aware of her flaws, her weaknesses. She had a penchant to act rashly. Most of all, she had a temper that could go a bit overboard. And when the temper and rash impulse went hand-in-hand, Marlena knew she sometimes ignored logic and caution. She shrugged. It took years of training to learn how to turn her weaknesses into strengths, to change her impulses into opportunities. She could turn her temper down now, like the volume of a speaker, and use the power from those emotions to propel her into action. In this world she was alone and undefended. She had to think for herself and act on cold calculation. Last night was definitely an aberration. She had gone and let them know she was smarter than they were. A very stupid thing to do in this game, when one was trying to be always one step ahead. She growled at her stupidity, but she had enjoyed it too much to fully regret her actions. It was such a delicious
Chapter Two
Chapter Three M is for Murder. M is for Marlena. M is for Massacre. Murder. Mastication. Mangle. M is for… “What are you thinking of, Stash?” The voice was sweet and the eyes so innocent. Murder. Definitely murder. “I believe I now know what M Street stands for,” he answered. After all, he had spent about six hours following Miss Maxwell up and down the famed street as she got rid of her bad mood and headache. In fact, she had given them to him. He would rather go through BUD/S and Hell Week again. He would prefer to be thrown out into a choppy ocean weighted down with ammo. He would choose wading waist-deep in mud for three days straight with hungry swamp gators and snakes. He would take containment training without the use of a gas mask with CS gas swirling around. Well, maybe not the last choice. That one had emptied out his guts the first few times he’d failed to properly hold his breath. “Yes, that pair of high heels will go with this outfit. Stash! Come look—do you think the colo
Chapter Three
Chapter Four W ow, if he looked like that when he was pissed off, Marlena couldn’t wait till she really pushed him over the edge. This Stash had a brooding look that spelled dangerous with a capital D. He looked as if he had been up most of the night—his hair was wind-tossed and he hadn’t shaved. He must have thrown on his oldest things—a dirty old sweatshirt and jeans so faded there were white creases in the most interesting places. Marlena had never had a wild animal waiting on her doorstep before. She took in his appearance silently, from the top of his messy hair down, down those long Levi’s—pausing a moment there—to the scuffed-up shoes. There was a backpack by his feet. She returned her gaze to his. “Bad night?” she asked lightly, holding the door ajar. “What makes you think so?” he retorted, picking up the backpack and coming in. Steve waited till they walked past the surveillance device that he knew she had left out in the hallway (she was a sensible assassin, if there were suc
Chapter Four
Chapter Five S teve plucked at his lips as he went through the files in front of him, blocking out the noise from the rest of the guys around him. He had come straight back here as soon as Marlena had told him he had the rest of the day off till evening, eager to catch the other side of the phone conversation he’d overheard at the apartment. He didn’t really want to leave her, and it wasn’t because it was his job to keep tabs on her activities, either. The men stationed outside would report if she stepped out of the building, but with the cameras gone, he was the only link to what she did on her own. Not that he had much to report to Harden. He couldn’t just say that he spent half the time with his lips locked on the woman. He could just hear what his O.C. was going to say to that, considering the harsh words he had thrown in his direction last night. But damn it, why was it that sometimes, for no reason, he thought of her blue eyes on him and something inside just shivered like a tray
Chapter Five
Chapter Six S teve made a mental note to one day drive up here in the daylight and check out the neighborhood. They were in one of the more exclusive neighborhoods by the Potomac River, the kind of houses surrounded by walls and electronic gates, with boat docks in their backyards. Not that he would be shopping for a pad here, he mocked. Du Scheum’s pocketbook far exceeded the pay of a navy SEAL. Even with the extra money he was getting for this new transfer, he’d probably never be able to afford land a quarter the size of this—he looked around—place. He looked at the beautifully lit driveway with its swaying trees as they drove on. Uniformed servants opened the car doors as each limousine and expensive car inched its way to the front steps of the beautiful mansion lit up by dozens of colored globe lights. Steve stepped out of the Porsche and waited for Marlena while a uniformed servant helped her out. He frowned when her smile brought a blush to the young man’s face as he tried not to
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven M arlena read the note from a waiting uniformed servant as she pretended to finish yet another glass of champagne. This was the second bid for the night. Soon she would have to confirm the sale to the highest bidder, and her job would be finished for tonight. She thought of Steve. He hadn’t seen her quiet negotiation, thanks to the dancing and to Tess. It was important to be seen and remembered. She knew there were all kinds of people watching her. Probably CIA. Some enemies. A few friends. Most of them knew why she was there and would be reporting to their respective bosses about the bidders present, and who could be the winning buyer. Her job was to muddy up the water, so they could never be too sure. She didn’t want her long-term plans running afoul. No one must die before his time. There were several rest rooms to choose from, and Marlena made sure she met enough people on her way out to the back patio. She stopped an acquaintance to ask the time, then chatted briefly
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight S teve felt isolated from the pandemonium around him. He had been vaguely aware of people diving for cover at the sound of the gunshots, with those closest to the waiter crouching and yelling as confusion broke out. There was a breathless minute as everyone waited for a second gunman after Steve had downed the first one. Then the silence broke and there was a rush for the doors as people started to leave. A few women in hysterics were carried out. Some men carrying walkie-talkies had appeared out of nowhere. Security, probably. Where was Marlena? Amid the screams and shouts, Steve shrugged off the hands that seemed to be everywhere. He didn’t need them touching him. Didn’t they know not to get too close to a soldier after a hit? Everyone was talking at once. His ears hurt from all that babble. “Somebody call a doctor!” A man’s authoritative voice rose above the melee. “Everything is taken care of, my friends. Now, just move to the patio so there’s some breathing room for
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine M arlena sighed. Well, who was she to say no? There was a tall, dark, and handsome man framed at the doorway of her bedroom. The backlight from the living room made it difficult to see his expression, but the indolent outline of his body, striking the classic masculine pose of a man on the hunt, sped up her heart rate. He leaned one shoulder against the door jamb, with the tuxedo hitched over his other. She imagined his sexy half smile, that hooded watchful gaze. From where she stood, he looked very male, very territorial. Possibilities and probabilities. Conditions and consequences. All of Marlena’s rules flew out the window where Steve was concerned. If she had time to sit down and consider carefully what she was about to do, she might come up with a good argument. She shouldn’t be standing in the velvet darkness of her bedroom with this man. Not when she was still reeling from the sudden fear of losing him. Not when she wanted to tell him things best left unsaid. “I sho
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten M arlena studied her reflection as she combed out her newly dried hair. Her eyes sparkled back. Her lips kept curling into a smile. She touched her lips. They were a little tender from all the kissing. Shaking her head, she made a face. What was she doing, acting and feeling like a teenager after her first hot night? This was going to ruin her reputation. She sobered up. A reputation that should never be associated with someone like Stash, whether he was rogue or not. There was so much she wanted to share with him, and therein lay the danger. She had done this before, knew how terrible the consequences could be. And look at Tess, all mushy over a man who couldn’t forget his past. No, no, not for her. When this job was over, and if Stash was still around, she would wave a cheery goodbye and move on. Better that way. And what if Tess was wrong, and Stash was a rogue operative? After all, everyone knew how infected the CIA was these days, in all levels. Hadn’t Tess said that h
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven I t had been five hours. Steve had run the gamut of emotions throughout the afternoon. He hated not being able to do anything. For five hours he had felt frustration, anger, admiration even. He hadn’t been allowed into the interrogation room, and could only watch through the two-way mirror. He hadn’t been allowed to talk to Harden before he went in there, and thus, wasn’t able to convince his commander about Marlena’s possible innocence. He had sent a message through Cam, telling Harden that he had information about last night’s events. He wanted to give his side of it, about du Scheum’s friendliness with Marlena, about the dead man. He wanted to point out that Marlena’s weapon was in the apartment at the time of the attempted murder. He wanted to ask why the need for the alternative hit man, when she was usually the one suspected of doing the job herself? Cam had come out of the room shaking his head. “Not necessary, he said. He had read the police reports. Later, he sa
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve I t had been a long day. Marlena parked the butter-yellow convertible in the hotel parking lot and cut off the engine. She sat in the silence, looking out through the windshield with half-seeing eyes. Returning to the apartment to get her things was harder than she had thought. The sight of the unmade bed had sent a jolt of pain. Fortunately for her she was racing against time, so she had limited herself to packing a few things, along with certain items she had hidden. There was still some cash left in the safe, and she took that. Walking out of the bedroom, she had glanced at the bed again and almost rushed back when she caught sight of the pearl necklace lying carelessly among the pillows. For a long frozen moment she just stood there, looking at it, fighting the storm inside her. She didn’t think she could bear taking the pearls. She had taken a step forward, then abruptly turned and strode out of the room. Still in the car, Marlena rubbed her heart absentmindedly. Fi
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen S teve rubbed his jaw, playing with the couple days’ growth of beard as he tried to pick one of a dozen questions jumping around in his mind right at that moment. He was in a crowded café near Connecticut Avenue and obviously picked by the lady across the table for its tourist clientele. He wouldn’t have known it was Tess if she hadn’t told him the exact location of a booth in the corner. Sitting down, with shopping bags and D.C. and museum maps on the seat and table, she was busy perusing the menu when he stepped inside the cubicle and sat down. He had hesitated, but gone with instinct anyway. It wasn’t because he didn’t think he could handle another surprise, but this one was…unexpected, to say the least. Tess was nowhere to be seen. Well, it was Tess, but she sure didn’t look like the Tess he’d met until she glanced up and greeted him in her sultry voice. He sat down and picked up the menu, even though he was too busy taking in her appearance to read. Her hair was b
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen T he bedroom door smashed open. Shouts. Popping sounds. The fireflash of a weapon being discharged. A flashlight interrupted the darkness, zigzagging its way around the room. Steve ignored them all. Right now he was after a big bruiser named Dankin, who had gone after Marlena’s throat. He had kept his eyes on him, knowing that when the switch was thrown, it would be impossible for a few seconds to locate anyone or anything. The last thing he saw was Marlena bending over to pick up the laptop at his sudden command, as if she had been waiting for his move. He wasn’t sure whether she saw who was coming after her. Dankin had her by the arm. The beam from the flashlight settled on the blade in his hand. The man had switched to a knife in the dark, a good weapon to make sure he got his target where he wanted. And he was heading for her throat. Fury like nothing he’d ever felt before imploded inside Steve, lending him the extra speed to block the descending hand. This big bod
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen A mong his SEAL teammates, Steve was known to be the patient one, the man everyone wanted on point duty in a scope-out for danger ahead. When he walked point, he relied on his teammates to look out for danger around while he was looking down at the trail, making sure it was safe. His life was in their hands, and theirs were totally dependent on his sight and patience. He must have been too busy looking down at the trail after Marlena, Steve thought as he got out of the car after parking it at Marlena’s hotel. If he had looked up just once, so to speak, he would have been aware of how far off the mark everyone else around him was. Nobody seemed to be following the trail that he had cleared for them. That was the problem, he mocked, as he stood on the curb waiting for Marlena and Tess. He was too patient. Too reliant on his ability to clear paths. None of these folks had asked for a point man; they all were charging full steam ahead. Harden and Task Force Two. Marlena. Te
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen S teve muttered a soft curse. Jackass. Instead of talking it out, he had gone after Marlena with his dick. Now there was a gulf between them. He knew her body but not her mind, and she was determined to keep him at arm’s length. He understood why. She had lost control last night and hadn’t liked it. Now there wasn’t time. Hands in her jacket pockets, Tess studied them, amusement gleaming in her gray eyes. He knew she was checking out the scratch on his cheek. She would probably have a good laugh if she knew about the big purple bruise in the middle of his back. Or the scratches there. In fact he had marks all over him. His mermaid hadn’t started the night very submissively. His lips quirked as he recalled her declaration. Marking her territory, she had said. Ruefully he had to admit that she had done that very well. He glanced over at Marlena. She was walking a little gingerly. She wore a white angora top over white leather pants. Pale pink pearl necklace with matching
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen S teve was glad when the admiral asked to see him alone for a few minutes. He had some unanswered questions still. He got up to follow the older man while the others continued strategizing in the conference room. Before leaving the table, he caught Marlena’s hand and gave it a squeeze. She was frowning at Captain Douglas. Steve could see teamwork was going to be hard for his mermaid, who had swum alone for so long. “Don’t kill anyone till I get back,” he said, just needing to connect with her. She was still trying to get away from him. “I’ll be waiting,” she returned in a sweet voice. Steve grinned. The admiral was talking on the phone in the smaller office. It was obviously not his because pictures of Hector Douglas and, presumably, his family adorned a whole corner of the oak desk. Jack Madison rang off and sank down into the old leather chair, which creaked a little. Steve stood at attention. “At ease and sit down, McMillan.” “Yes, sir.” There was a pause as the ad
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen W hatever Cam did or said must have worked. Patty Ostler came back into the cramped office with him. Her hair was tightly pinned again; her silk blouse returned to its impeccable neatness. Her stormy eyes warned Steve not to mention the earlier incident, and he wisely took heed, trying to sound as businesslike as he could. It wasn’t easy, especially with Cam acting without a shred of regret. In fact he looked damn pleased with himself. Steve took in his friend’s smug openness and Patty’s cool remoteness. Cam had a small ketchup stain on his unironed shirt. Patty didn’t look as if she ever ate with her hands. He needed a haircut, what with that long tied-back mane. She probably never had a hair out of place. He seemed to take great pleasure in annoying her, whereas she took great pains to show nothing but cold disdain. What a pair. Steve gave an inward sigh. Who was he to say that a relationship between the two wouldn’t work? He certainly had enough problems dealing wit
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen “W hat are you trying to find?” Marlena asked, after hearing Steve mutter soft curses for the last half hour. They had brought all the folders and documents into the media room, arranging them on the large table in the corner. She discovered that Stash was hopeless with organizing data. He could spot something important, circle it with a big black marker, and that was it. Pages and pages of circled sentences, some with big black underlines and exclamation points. When she asked him what those meant, he had shrugged, saying that it just caught his attention. Something about feeling it in his gut. She frowned. The man relied on gut feeling while analyzing data? That didn’t make any sense. She decided to do the same, to see what his gut was thinking. Engrossed, she didn’t actually hear his curses until they grew louder. Steve glanced up. “Do you know how expensive opera tickets are?” Puzzled, she asked, “Um…is that a trick question?” He shook his head. “I’m looking at all
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty S omeone was pounding on what sounded like a hollow drum, over and over, determined to get his attention. The beat was insistent, becoming louder and louder until it was impossible to ignore. Steve pushed out of the darkness, grappling with the invisible tormentor, jerking up in one swift motion. “What the—” The rest of the sentence was lost as his whole brain exploded into red and white dots and stars. He cursed, grabbed his head with both hands and found it bandaged. A man’s voice drifted from somewhere to his right. “Man, I love the way you talk when you wake up.” Steve turned his head very slowly. Cam was sitting on a chair, reading. At least he looked like Cam. “Are you related to Cameron Candeloro?” he asked politely. “I seem to be hallucinating him in color-coordinated designer clothes.” “You keep that up and I’ll tell doc to give you a couple of shots, pal.” Steve blinked, studying Cam. It was he, all right, except his friend’s hair was neatly combed back and he
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one H e watched Marlena walk into the cabin with the silent bodyguard behind her. He put down the glass of wine he had been sipping. His wait was over. Those remarkable blue eyes swept the cabin once, and although it looked as if she didn’t bother examining the place too closely, he knew that she had taken in all the necessary details already. She had impressed him with her ability to see through her enemies’ schemes. Too bad he was now her enemy. He knew she would try to defeat him. He looked forward to breaking her, and winning, although there was a slight twinge of regret. He could have enjoyed her, very easily. Marlena Maxwell was like the fine wine he loved. “Ah, hungry, Miss Maxwell? Please join us.” She walked slowly to the seat he indicated, her eyes absorbing his features. He nodded, and one of the bodyguards pulled out the chair for her. Once again he admired her composure as she bestowed a dazzling smile at his companion at the table. A normal person would rea
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two T he ocean breeze was wet and cold. Marlena zipped up the light jacket she’d found in her cabin, wishing for her own leather one. They had been standing out on deck for ten minutes, and already her hair was damp from the sea spray. The first crack of dawn streaked the horizon, and soon there should be noise signaling the arrival of a boat with Maximilian Shoggi, known in the arms dealing world as Mad Max, on board. Dawn on international waters, Pierre had whispered to her earlier. She never did like conducting business off land. Less control. It was just she and Pierre on deck, guarded by two of the bodyguards. She had found out that they worked for Gorman, not Pierre, which told her how much the TIARA director had infiltrated Pierre’s network. That reinforced the fact that the director was a very dangerous enemy. Gorman was keeping out of sight, standing somewhere above with his captain at the helm, where he could view the proceedings. A bright spotlight shone on th
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three M arlena smiled at Mad Max Shoggi. She let him kiss her hand. She told him she forgave him for trying to scare her with those threatening phone calls, and that she was glad he’d won the bidding war for the item in the end. After all, he was missing his suave right-hand man, Cash Ibrahim, and he wasn’t used to dealing with such minor details as middlemen. She omitted the fact that he had T. to thank for the loss of his man Ibrahim a few months ago; that was another story. Gorman had promised to release Stash after she had finished transacting this piece of business for him. Of course, she didn’t believe he would actually keep his word, but she did know that he wanted the transfer of the laptop to be successful. Someone like Gorman didn’t like being duped because he prided himself on being the master of double-cross. She had intrigued him because of her own deceptive exploits. She felt his desire that had now changed into a perverse delight in pitting himself against
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four T he morning light felt strange, bringing normalcy to the chaotic predawn hours. Marlena watched as two boats reached them. Stash told her one of them was the one his cousin and his men came on, so the other probably was from T. “He said his name is Steve too,” she told Stash, after a belated introduction. “It’s a long story,” Steve said, giving his cousin a wry look. “Call him Hawk, Lena.” “Hawk,” she murmured, eyeing the other man standing a few feet away. His brooding calmness belied a coiled tension as he quietly gave instructions to his men. He must have heard her, because he turned slightly. In the daylight his eyes were a deep brilliant gold; they stood out against the war paint. Predator eyes. She studied the differences between Stash and his cousin. A slow, knowing smile revealed straight white teeth. She couldn’t help but smile back. “Is there a reason why you’re staring at him?” Steve demanded, putting an arm around her shoulders. “It’s bad enough that yo
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five A rrogant bastard. Cold-hearted SOB. Relentless devil. The man at whom she was silently hurling those insults looked at her with those piercing eyes, a glimmer of impatient humor in them as she dodged and evaded his questions. She knew what kind of operative he was and that his training would get through her act of resistance without any problems, but he appeared quite willing to wait it out. He didn’t demand what he wanted to know. He didn’t ask nicely, either. He just made it clear that they weren’t leaving his sight till he got what he wanted. And what he wanted was T. The overhead light glinted off his sun-kissed hair, but that was the only thing about him that was fair. “She came to D.C. at your request,” he said in that silky voice that emanated danger, “so I know you can communicate with her easily. According to your own words, she showed up and rescued you twice, once at the function and this last time, when you were kidnapped. Don’t you think that as chief
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six I t was a not-for-documentary of navy SEALs being tortured. That was Marlena’s description, not his. Steve squeezed the bridge of his nose and tried to stop a laugh. The scene in front of him was far more chaotic than the rescue operation a day ago. It had taken a bit of quiet negotiation on his part, out of Lena’s hearing, to get all the men’s cooperation. He had called on all the favors he had ever done for Hawk for this one-time deal, and that was because he wanted the night to be perfect for Lena and him. “You’d better get what you’re after,” Hawk had warned, eyes narrowed into slits, “because my men and I will bust your ass if you fail.” So today Steve could say he had seen it all. It was quite a sight, five reluctant commandos dragging their feet and following the leather-clad Miss M. around a men’s store. The few people in the exclusive boutique stopped and stared at their entourage. Who could help it? The rambunctious crew looked as in place in D.C. as aliens
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven H e’d lied. He couldn’t give her the freedom she craved. Two weeks. He had sworn to give her two weeks to make up her mind, and then he would go after her. Well, it had been three long weeks now, and it was pretty clear that she wasn’t coming for him. He knew what he did was a gamble, but he had been too pissed to care that night. He had a ring and a dream in his pocket, and she had told him to keep them there while she weighed all her options. He took a last swallow of beer and crushed the can in his hand. Well, he was glad he decided not to sit around and wait for her to chop him to pieces. He had known she would run. That pissed him off to no end, no matter that he’d known she would react that way. He had hoped that she might take a chance with the future. He was glad the past weeks had been so busy that he didn’t have time to sit and brood, but he’d finished the first phase of training two days ago, and was given a week off before the second phase began. And th
Chapter Twenty-seven
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