DangerousLaw

MarianneMorea

CoventryPressLtd.

CoventryPressLtd.

Somers,NewYork

http://www.coventrypressltd.com

Thisisaworkoffiction.Names,characters,places,andincidentsareproductsofthe
author’simaginationorareusedfictitiouslyandarenottobeconstruedasreal.Any
resemblancetoactualevents,locations,organizations,orpersons,livingordead,is
entirelycoincidental.

Copyright©2017MarianneMorea

Allrightsreserved,includingtherighttoreproducethisbookorportionsofthereofinany
formwhatsoeverwithoutwrittenpermission.

ASIN:

FirstEdition:CoventryPressLtd.2017

PrintedintheUSA

Forthethrillloverinallofus

ChapterOne

CIAHeadquarters,

Langley,Virginia

“Youaskedtoseeus,sir?”DevlinLawstoodatattentionwaitingforthechieftolook

upfromhisdesk.TedMeadestoodoppositehiminthedoorway.

Frank Lauder looked up from the thick folder on his desk and pointed toward the

conferencechairtothefrontoftheshinedmahogany.“Haveaseat,bothofyou.”

As instructed, Devlin sat with his eyes on the file in the chief’s hand, his gaze then

travelingtothefrownitclearlygenerated.

“What’chagotforus,Chief?”Tedasked,headangledincuriosity.

“Do you know what’s in this folder?” The question was rhetorical, even as Lauder

tappedthetopofthemanila.“ThisisacompletedossieronIvanSolokovich.”

The chief’s frown deepened, and he pushed the file forward. “File reads like a

goddamnedClancynovel,exceptthebadguysandbulletsareforreal.”

“Sir,”Devlinacknowledgedwithasnort.“We’rewellacquaintedwithSolokovichand

hisbullets.”

Meadenodded.“Upcloseandpersonal.”

“I’mwellaware,gentlemen,whichiswhyIrequestedthismeeting,”Lauderreplied.

“OperationExodushasn’tbeenasfruitfulaswehoped.Forthepasttwoyears,undercover
field agents have infiltrated the trafficking ring, but they’ve only identified low-level
captains.”

“Capos?”Tedquestioned.“Youmakethisringsoundlikeit’sMafioso.”

Lauderlookedathim.“Forlackofabetterterm,itis,oratleast,it’sruninthesame

manner.Captainshandlethelower-endtransitanddistribution,youknow,morelocalized.
No sooner do we close one route, before they circumvent us and open two more. It’s
worseinthecountriesthatpeddleinsextourism.”

Thechieflitacigaretteandleanedbackinhischair.“We’vebeenupagainstunyielding

pressuretonailthesebastards,especiallysincethelastthreestingoperationshaveturned
upchildrenasyoungastwoyearsold.Soldtothehighestbidder.”

“Jesus,”Lawexhaled,keepinghiseyesonhischief.“AndyouthinkSolokovichisat

thetopofthefoodchaininthis?”

Thechiefblewastreamofsmokebetweenhislipsandshookhishead.“No.He’snot

thehead,butheknowswhois.”

“Ifourguyshaven’tuncoveredthetopmuttinthisdirtybusiness,thenhowdidwenail

Solokovichtothewall?”Meadeasked.

Lauder tapped the file again. “We haven’t. Not yet. He’s the comfy accountant who

knowstoomuchandweintendtosqueezehim.”

“So,you’resayingwedon’thavealistofnames,then.”Lawangledhishead,tryingto

followthechief’srationale.

The chief looked at them both. “Solokovich not only knows his own superiors, but

moreimportantly,heknowswhoisfieldingtheirroutesandprotectingtheirinvestorshere
intheU.S.andinthemajorcitiesacrossEurope.”

Laudercrookedhisfingersinquotesatthewordinvestor.“Thisoctopusishugewith

stickytentaclesinpoliticians’pocketsacrosstheglobe.”

Meade exchanged a look with Devlin before nodding. “So, you want us to use our

contactstoputpressureonthispieceofshit?”

Inhaling,Lauderchewedontheedgeofhislip,considering.“Youtwoarethebestwet

workassetsIhave.Theydon’tcallyoutheghostandhisshadowfornoreason.”

“Nowyou’retalkingourlanguage.”Meadeshrugged.“Youwantthesoftlittlebastard

takenout.Noproblem.Likeyousaid,DevandIarethebest.”

Leaningbackfarther,Laudergrinned,pointinghiscigaretteatthem.“Easythere,killer.

Wewantthosenamesfirst,andLadyLuckhasfinallysmiledonus.”

DevlinandMeadeexchangedalookbeforeturningbacktothechief.

“We’vehadabreak,gentlemen.Solokovichhasfallenoutoffavorwithhiscarteland

with rumors of Russian collusion swirling around Washington, the media feeding frenzy
haseveryonecallingforinvestigationsleftandright,andcrookedpoliticianswithtiesto
thisdirtybusinesshavegottobesquirming.Solokovichisfeelingtheheat.Basedonthe
latestchatter,he’stobethesacrificiallambifthingsreachaboilingpoint.”

“So, bring him in, then. Offer him asylum.” Meade shrugged. “Isn’t that protocol for

high-levelinformants?”

Lauder shook his head. “He won’t come. Like I said, this shit reaches deep into the

politicalarena,notjustabroad,buthere,aswell—oratleastthat’swhatIvanimplied.You
have to remember, this isn’t drugs or even money laundering. When it has to do with
children,thereisnosanctuary.”

“What is Solokovich looking for then, especially if there’s no place for him to hide?

Areyouevensurehe’sgotthegoods?”Meadepointedout.

Takinganotherdrag,Lauderthengesturedtobothmen.“He’sgotthemallright.He’s

ready to go all Snowden with a paper trail so long and deep, the media would sell their
souls to get their hot little hands on the documents, but he wants us. Better to be
incarceratedasarepentantwhistleblowerthandeadaccessory.”

“Ifallyouwantisasnitch,thenwhydoyouneedmeandTed?”Devlinposed.“We’re

assets,notundercoverfieldagents.”

Lauder looked at him, his cigarette dangling from two fingers. His expression said it

all.

“Solokovich won’t come to us, so you want me and Teddy to play pony express and

collectthispapertrail,deliveritbackinaniceneatpackage,andifthingsgosouth,you
wantanytraceofhimandourdealeliminated,right?”Lawsmirked.

A grin spread across Lauder’s face as he stubbed out his butt. “That’s why you’re

perfectforthisjob.Idon’thavetosweatthedetailswitheitherofyou.”

Hepausedwithhishandstilloverhisashtray.“Iwantthisdonelegit,boys.Anyhint

we’vesteppedoutoflineandSolokovich’spapertrailmightaswellbewrittenincrayon
for all it’ll be worth. Those involved will find any excuse to delegitimize what we
uncover.Understood?”

“Ofcourse,boss,bythebook,”Meadereplied.

Lauder nodded. “Good. That’s why I know neither of you will complain about me

bringinginJessicaBanning.”

“Banning?” Teddy balked. “She’s an analyst and a British national. Plus, she’s not

trainedinfieldwork.”

The chief’s eyes fixed on Meade. “Do you think I’d pick a random analyst for

something this important? This mission has international reach, and as such, our team
cannotbejustU.S.operatives.

“Banningdidhertraining,bothinthefieldandinfrontofajury,plusshe’salinguist

fluentinRussian,amongotherlanguages.She’sdoneherduediligencewithArmyLegal
ServicesinBritainandMI5,andsincethen,hasbeenalegalliaisonwithourownJudge
Advocate General’s office for years. She’s an Operations Law expert who can quote
internationalgovernancechapterandverse.”

“Solokovich requested a non-operative,” the chief continued. “He doesn’t want this

hand-off to be with the agency. He requested a neutral, and he insisted the neutral be
female.Banningissofarofftheradar,noonewillknowwhoorwhatsheis,butus.She
will meet with Solokovich and collect the evidence and you two will provide cover and
cleanup,ifitcomestothat.”

Lauder’sgazemovedbetweenhismen,butDevlinnotedthechief’seyesflickedina

quickupwardglancetotheleft.Yearsoftrainingtaughthimnottooverlooktheslightest
micro-expression.

A quick glance up and left was analytical, calculating and usually pointed to a

deception, while a glance up and right pointed to recall, memory. For assets, the slight
nuanceoftenmeantthedifferencebetweenlifeanddeath.

Thechiefwasn’ttellingthemeverything.

Lauderpressedabuttononhisdeskphone.

“Yes,sir?”avoicereplied.

“SendinJessicaBanning.”

***

Thedoortothechief’sofficeopenedandclosedandJessicastoodinsidetheentrywith

her hands folded. Her eyes took in the three men. The chief, obviously, and two agents,
onesheknewonlybyname,TedMeade—buttheothersheknewbysight.Everyinchof
gorgeoussight.

DevlinLaw.

She clasped her hands tighter. The man was sex incarnate. Sensual elegance in his

trademarkathleticcutsuit.Hergazetookinhispolishedlook,fromhischiseledfeatures
tohisimpeccablemanner.JamesBondhadnothingonDevlinLaw.

Everythingaboutthemanscreameddangerandelegance,asifhewasasmuchathome

holdingaglassofchampagneashewasslittingyourthroat.

Withaquickinhale,sheforcedherselftofocusonthechief.Shehadnoideawhyshe’d

been summoned to the chief’s office, and with Devlin Law close enough to smell his
cologne,sheneededtokeepittogether.

Law had already caught her staring one too many times, and her cheeks flamed

thinkingaboutthelasttime.Frappuccinoinhand,shetoyedwiththestrawinhermouth,
watchinghimfromafarashestoodtalkingwithsomeoneonthegroundsnotfarfromthe
courtyard.

He’djustcomebackfromarunandhadn’thittheshowersyet.Shelickedherlipsat

thewayhisdampT-shirtclungtohischestandshoulders,athislongmuscularlegsand
thewayhisnylonshortsmoldedhislowerbody,leavingnothingtotheimagination.

Ashisfriendleft,Lawturnedinherdirection,andshejerkedfromherX-ratedmusing

nearlyswallowinghertonguewhensherealizedhejoggedherway.

Self-conscious,sheloweredhercup,givingherlowerlipaquickswipewiththetipof

hertongueforanystraywhippedcream,notsurewheretolookorwhattodo.

Asexysmirktuggedatthecornerofhismouthasheapproached,andwhenhestopped

infrontofherbench,herheartskippedabeat.

“You missed a spot, Ace.” A full-on gorgeous grin spread across his face and he

winked,reachingtowipeasmudgeofcreamfromthesideofherlipwithhisknuckle.

Before she could unscramble her brains to speak, he turned on his heel and jogged

away.She’davoidedhimeversince,butthatdidn’tstopthatsingularlysexymomentfrom
blooming into nightly sex dreams, complete with her bent over that same bench, spread
wideforhim.

“Ms.Banning?”thechiefsaidagain,clearinghisthroat.

Sheshookherselffromherdaydreamandblinked.

Pullittogether,Banning.You’reanexpertanalyst,notasexstarvedloser.“Yes,sir,”

she answered quickly. “I…I…didn’t expect to be in such distinguished company,
especiallysincenooneexplainedwhyIwasaskedtojoinyou.”

“Thenletmebringyouuptospeed…”

ChapterTwo

J

essicalookedfromLaudertotheothersintheroom.“Youwantmetotakethetrain

from Germany into Kyiv to retrieve documents from a foreign criminal element?”
Skeptical, she blinked at the chief. “You do realize I’m not a field agent. I’m a legal
analystandgovernmentalpolicystrategist.”

“We’rewellawareofyourcredentials,Jessica,”Lauderreplied.

Something about the way the man used the word credentials pinged Law’s warning

bells.Asifoncue,JessicaglancedtowardDevlinandcaughtthesubtlefrownbetweenhis
eyes.Heheardtheuntowardsubtextaswell.

“Won’t there be a problem if we’re stopped?” she continued with the chief. “I speak

fluentRussian,butwhatabout—”shegesturedtoLawandMeade.“Shouldn’twewaitat
theGeilenkirchenAirBaseuntilI’muptospeed,andthencatchamilitaryjumpflightto
Kyiv?”

Thechiefrosetositontheedgeofhisdesk,amanilaenvelopeinhishand.“Timeis

everythinginthis,andaluxurywedon’thave.We’retryingtokeepourinvolvementas
low-keyaspossible.That’swhyyouthreeareflyingcommercial.Youwillnotlandatthe
NATOAirBase.”

He gestured with the beige packet. “These are your papers, passports, necessary

documentation,etc.”

Shesatinachairoppositethechief,butdidn’treply,notuntilasharpexhalefromTed

Meadegrabbedherattention.

“If you have something to say, Teddy, don’t grumble like a teenager. Spit it out.”

Lauderfrowned.

Meademetthechief’swaitinggazeandthenshrugged.“Look,nooffense,sir.Banning

seems like a smart cookie, but if she can’t play the game, then maybe she should go
home.” Ted turned to her, lifting a noncommittal hand. “Sorry, honey, but I’m not
convincedyou’retherightchoiceforthisjob,andyourconstantquestioningdoesn’tpaint
youasateamplayer.”

“Ted—”

He lifted a hand at Lauder’s attempt. “No, Chief. This is a sticky situation, and if

Banningcan’tthinkonherfeet,she’llendupbeingaliability.”

DevlinlookedatMeadebeforeswitchinghisgazetoJessica.Herfacewaspale,buther

eyes were narrowed, weighing the accusation. Beautiful and unyielding. Those were the
wordshe’dusetodescribeher,evenasthewheelsspunbehindintelligentdepths.

“That’s enough.” The chief smacked the envelope on the side of his desk. “Jessica

asked a valid question. She can pass for a native speaker while you two will screw the
poochtheminuteyouopenyourmouths.”

He handed them each their passports and pertinent documentation. “Since the

occupation, Russian presence is thick in the Ukraine, especially in Kyiv. The place
considers itself a cosmopolitan center, but it’s a ticking time bomb in a tug-of-war
betweeninsurgentsandtheRussianmachine.”

“Thechief’sright,Teddy.”Devlinnodded,gesturingtowardJessica.“Banningknows

what’s required or she wouldn’t be here. The whole mission rests on her efficacy, and
you’renothelpingmattersbybeingyou.”

“Hey!Beingmeiswhatpulledyourarseofthefireplenty.”Meadegrinned,winkingat

Jessica.“Incaseyouhaven’tfigureditoutyet,theboywashelplesswithoutme,soifyou
wantashoulderoranyotherpartforcomfort,I’myourgo-toguy.”

“Mygo-toguy,huh?Well,Iknowwhereyoucango,Meade,andIsuggestyoupack

light.Likeme,it’llroastyourballsalive,”sheshotback.

Lawstuffedhisfakepassportintothebreastpocketofhistailoredsuit.Hiseyesmoved

toherasshesatwhite-knuckledwithherdocuments.

Was Banning nervous or just quelling the urge to punch Meade in the face? Devlin

stifledasmirk.RoastTeddy’sballsalive.He’dpaygoodmoneytoseethat.

Ted stuffed his documentation into his pocket as well, not bothering to look at the

detailsinside.Hegesturedtothechief.“Ihopeyou’rerightabouther,orthisisgoingto
betheshortestshitshowever.”

Jessica didn’t take the bait, but her eyes found Devlin. He gave her a small nod, but

thenlookedtothechiefasthemanpushedhimselffromhisdeskandwalkedtowardthe
officedoor.

“Iftherearenofurtherquestions,Isuggestyouallgetsomerest,”Laudersaid.“The

lastpieceoftheplanisintheworks.Weflyoutsometimeinthenexttwenty-fourhours.I
won’tknowtheexactdeparturetimeuntilanhourorsobeforehand,sobereadytoroll.”

“We?”Jessicaasked.“You’recomingwithus,sir?”

Henodded.“I’llbeyourpointpersoninGermanyuntilthejobiscompleted,”Lauder

continued,andthenpointedtoJessica.“DevlinandMeadeknowthedrill,butI’mtelling
younow.Studyyourassignedidentity.Memorizeit.There’snomakeuptestifthingsgo
southbecauseyoudidn’tdoyourhomework.”

Shelookedfromthechieftobothmenwaitingbythedoor.“Yes,sir.Iunderstand.”

“Good.”Henodded.“Waitforthecall.Afterthat,it’sgameon.”

Thethreeleftthechief’sofficetogetherandwalkedtowardtheelevator.“I’mgoingto

grabashowerandthenheadoutforathick,juicysteakandthebiggestpairoftitsIcanfit
inmyhand.”Tedgrinned,purposefullymotioningcurvedfingersatJessica.“Caretotag
along?”

Rollinghereyes,shepressedtheelevatorcallbutton.“Wow,Meade.Howisitacatch

likeyouisstillsingle?I’lltellyouthis,though,you’dbetterhaveathickwadofcashwith
youoryourdickwillbetheonlythinginyourhandtonight.”

“Ouch!”Devlinburstoutlaughingastheelevatorslidopen.“ThefamousTedMeade

scorchedgoodbyagirl.”

EvenTeddycrackedasmile,hislipspushingtoasidesmirk.“Verygood,princess.I

guessyoucanthinkonyourfeet.”

“That’s Lieutenant Commander Princess to you, Meade,” she shot back stepping into

theelevator.“Gentlemen,”shesaid,incliningherhead.“Ibidyouapleasantevening.”

Lawlaughedevenlouder,flashingJessicaawidegrinastheelevatordoorsslidshut.

HeshovedTeddy’sshoulder.“Smartcookie,eh?”

He shrugged in reply. “So, she’s quick on the uptake. At least she didn’t lose it like

somefeminazi.”

“Feminazi?Doyoueverlistentowhatcomesoutofyourmouth,Teddy?Jessicadidn’t

blinkormissabeat.Ifshecanholdittogetherlikethatwhenit’sgotime,wemightbe
okay.”

Meade smirked. “Provided she can keep that poker face with bullets flying past her

head.”

Devlin shook his head. “It’s not going to come to that. This is an intelligence drop.

Nothingmore.”

“So,”Meadegrinned,“sincetheBritchickpolitelydeclinedmyoffer,whataboutyou?

UpforhittingD.C.nightlifewithme?”

Devlinsparedaglanceforthesilentelevatorbankbeforeshakinghishead.“Nah,bro.I

thinkI’llgooldschooltonightandstayin.Likethechiefsaid.Restandprepare.”

“Yeah,right.”Teddyshiftedhiseyestotheelevatorsaswell.“Justrememberthecode,

dude.”

Brushinghimoff,Devlinflickedhimahalf-assedsalute.“Goodnight,Ted.”

Meade snorted, turning for the stairs. “The code dude, seriously.” He left and Devlin

pushedtheelevatorcallbuttontoheadtothestreet.

AsmirktuggedathislipsathowcleverlyJessicaturnedthetablesonTeddy.Therewas

nodoubtshewascleverandgoodonherfeet.Theunspokenquestionnow—wassheas
goodonherbackandanyotherwayhecouldimagine.Andheimaginedalot.

***

Devlin’s thoughts drifted. He spent the better part of the evening vetting Jessica’s

qualifications, so much so, he needed a run to clear his head, despite the plummeting
overnighttemp.

Notthatsheneededvetting.JessicaBanning’sresumewasasstrongastheycame.She

wasstillaBritishnational.Teddywasrightaboutthat,butshealsospokefourlanguages,
wastopofherlawclass,andhadmorecommendationsforstrategicanalysisthananyone
elseinherfield.

Ted Meade never liked the idea of women on their team. Something akin to the old

navalsuperstitionaboutwomenbringingstormsandbadluck.Ifthemancouldkeephis
focusonthegameinsteadofonhisdick,therewouldn’tbeaproblem.Thenagain,Meade
wasmoreNeanderthalthanmost,sohisviewswerenosurprise.

Still, Ted was the best when it came to recon prep. Frank Lauder had his reasons for

wanting Jessica along for the ride, and last he checked, Lauder was the chief, not them.
Thebossknewhisstuff.

That nagging thought that Lauder wasn’t telling them everything bit into his stomach

again and a sudden slash of concern for Banning amplified the feeling more. The chief
wasadamant,though.JessicaBanningwasperfectforthisjob.Butwhy?

Devlin kicked off his running shoes and walked into the bathroom, snapping on the

light.Hepeeledhissweatshirtfromhisshouldersandslippedoutofhisjoggers,kicking
bothintothesidehamper.

Turning on the shower, he let the water run until steam curled in the air. He stepped

intothesprayandletitswarmthcascadeoverhisheadandshouldersbeforereachingfor
thesoap.

Perfect.

Thatwasthewordhe’dusetodescribeJessica’sfullmouthandthewayherprettypink

tonguedartedtowetherlipswhenshethoughtnoonewaslooking.

Thesametonguethatlickedthecreamfromthesideofhermouththatdayoncampus…

That was nearly five months ago. He’d spotted her plenty of times since then. In the

courtyard, and then in the cafeteria atrium once the weather turned too cold for her
alfrescoafternoons.

Hesmirkedtohimself.Hespottedherallright,usuallycatchinghersecretlywatching

himaswell.Overthepastmonths,they’donlyspokenafewtimes,butbodylanguagetold
himmoreaboutapersonthanwordseverwould.

Jessica was super smart, passionate, and genuinely nice. She wasn’t a classic beauty,

buttherewassomethingaboutherthatintrigued,stirringmorethanjustacasualinterest.
She was lush, whereas most of the women he went for were long and lean and very
sophisticated.

Jessica was both self-conscious and confident at the same time. An odd combination,

but one that kept his eyes scanning the periphery for her each day. Like waiting for the
schoollibrariantotakeoffherglassesandunbuttonherblouse,unleashingherinnersex
kitten.Jessicadefinitelyfellintothestill-waters-run-deepcategory.Still,sensualwaters.

Devlinwouldcatchheroutsidewiththesunspinningcopperhighlightsinherlongdark

hairasshereadinthecourtyard.Withherfullfigure,shefavoredfittedskirtsandheels,
but not in a fuck me where I stand kind of way. More in a nod to the feminine with
understatedelegance.Thefactshewasn’ttryingtobesexy,madeherevenmoreso.Very
muchmoreso.

He soaped up and rinsed quickly, ignoring how the thought of her unassuming sex

appeal thickened his cock. Banning was a colleague now. A civilian operative and that

meanthands-off,nomatterhowmuchhishandsitchedtotouch.

Thephoneranginthebedroomandheturnedofftheshowerandgrabbedatowel.Still

dripping,hewrappedtheterryclotharoundhiswaistandreachedforhiscellphoneonthe
sink.

“Hello?”

“Law, I’m glad I caught you. I want you to head to Banning’s apartment. She just

called.Iwantyoutotalktoher.”

Devlinblinked.“Why?Didshestepdownfromthemission?”

“That’snotanoptionatthispoint,butI’mconcernedMeademayhavegottenunderher

skin,despiteherbravado,andfuckedwithherconfidence.”

Lawpushedahandthroughhiswethair.“Sir,Banning’saprofessional.I’msureshe’s

fine. If you’re having doubts about her constancy, maybe you should request she step
downandleavethistomeandTed.Wecanhandlethesituationalone.”

“No,”thechiefreplied.“Weneedthewoman.She’sthekey.Plus,thereisn’tanother

femaleavailablewhospeaksfluentRussian.”

“That’snottrue.Icannamefourassets—”

“Law,”heinterrupted.“DoIhavetospellitoutforyou?”

Lawraisedaneyebrow.Subtextagain.Whatthehellwasintheconnotationofthis?If

Jessicawasafieldagent,hewouldn’tblinkaneyeatwhatunsavoryactsthejobrequired,
butBanningwasbackoffice.

“Jessicaismychoiceforthejob.Shefitstheprofileofwhat’sneededtopullthisoff.

She’sananalyst.Astrategist.Someetherforadrinkandgooverstrategy.We’reusedto
dealing in ambiguities, but she’s used to dealing in facts and the outcome probabilities
based on those facts. Give her something to sink her teeth into so she stays calm and
focused.Gotit?”

Devlinexhaled.“Loudandclear.”

Hehitendonhisphoneandtosseditontohisnighttable.Ifhehadhisway,he’dgive

hersomethingtosinkherteethintoallright.Hescrubbedhisfacewithhispalm,Meade’s
wordsinhishead.

Fuckthecode.

Something felt off in this and he’d follow his gut to make sure Jessica was safe. She

needed someone to have her back, and he was just the guy. Another protective wave
clenchedhisgut,punchingstraighttohiscock.He’dbeenthatguyfromafarforwaytoo
long.

ChapterThree

Devlin’s eyes swept the place as they walked into the bar. “This building has some

serioushistory.Didyouknowitwasformerlyachurch?”

He pointed to the small spiritual touches saved for aesthetics in the décor. “The

upstairsbarusedtobethechoirloft.Designersworkedtheoriginalsteepleintooneofthe
mainattractions.”

“Impressive.Areyouaregularhere?”Jessicaasked,slidingintoachairatanintimate

littletable.

Heshrugged.“Nowandthen.TheymakethebestmartinisinWashington,”hequoted,

tappingtheshinyblurbonthebackofthedrinkmenu.

Jessicatookthelaminatedcardandlookedatthepicturesofthefancydrinks.“Italso

says the restaurant closes at ten p.m.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m starving, so we’d
betterorderbeforewe’reoutofluck.”

Devlin slid the menu from her fingers, letting his linger on hers a little longer than

necessary.Sheswallowed,knowingcolorstainedhercheeks,sowhenheliftedherhandto
his mouth and turned her palm upward, she silently squealed as he pressed a kiss to the
insideofherwrist.

“Iknowyou,Jessica,”hesaid,lookingupfromherwrist.“IknowIsoundlikesome

creepystalker,butIdo…Iknowyou.”

The feel of his mouth on her skin, subtle and warm, and watching the sexy way he

whisperedagainstherskinmadethebutterfliesinherstomachdivestraightforhersex.

Herpulseincreasedwitheachpassingmomentsinceherangherdoorbellearlier,and

sheknewshewasthrowingofffuck-mesignalsinrapidfiresuccession.

Devlin Law wasn’t a pencil-pushing desk jockey like most of the men she knew. He

wasworldly,dangerous,andsheknewhesensedtheeffecthehadonheraswell.

He lifted his head and placed her hand on the table, his eyes locked with hers. They

weredark,andhermouthwentdrywiththeintensityofhisgaze.Hewasasturnedonas
she.

“Youdon’tknowme,Devlin.”

Sheslippedherhandfromhisandcrossedherarmsonthetable,leaninginabitsohe

could have a better view. In that moment, she was glad she wore a low-cut, bare-
shoulderedjumper,orsweaterastheysayinAmerica,withastraightskirtandknee-high
boots.

Helookedamazingasalways.BlackjeansandablackV-necksweaterhighlightedhis

hard-muscled body, and a charcoal sport coat added the nod to his trademark style. She
lickedherlips.ThemanlookedasifhewalkedoffthecoverofGQmagazine.Sowhat

washedoingherewithher?

“You only think you know me because you’ve seen me around the grounds.” She

shrugged.“LikeI’veseenyouaround,too.”

He nodded. “Yes, but in my work, a single glance tells me volumes about a person.

Bodylanguageistrulythat…alanguage,andjustasyou’refluentinRussian,I’mfluentin
whatthebodyhastosay.”

“Really,” she leaned even closer knowing full well she played with fire. “And what

doesmybodytellyou?”sheasked,ignoringthepossibilitiesthatmadeherpantiesdamp.

“You’re intrigued about me, but you’re also cautious, just as you were in the chief’s

officethisafternoon.”Hepaused.“Lauderhasallthecommuniquesforthedrop.Ithink
youshouldlookatthembeforeweheadintoKyiv,especiallysincethechiefthinkswe’re
talkingstrategyandanalysistonight.”

Wait,whatjusthappened?Whothefuckcaresaboutcommuniques?

“You’re our specialist,” Devlin continued. “If you know enough data about your

opponent,youcanusethatinformationtoyouradvantage.Fact,strategy,andprobability.
That’syourdomain,andregardlessofMeade’sbiasagainstthefairersex,youruleinthat
arena,Jessica.Thechief’sright.There’snoonebetterforthisjob.”

Still scrambled from his mixed signals, her eyes searched his, but she wasn’t

convinced.“IfI’msorightforthisjob,thenwhydidLaudertellyoutogivemethefull
court press about communiques? Am I suddenly your opponent? Is it your strategy to
throwmeoffbalancebydanglingsex?”

“You really are as beautiful as you are intelligent,” he said with an appreciative grin.

“HowdoyouknowIdidn’tvolunteertomeetyoujustforthechancetoseewhatelseyour
bodytellsme?”Lawreplied.

“So, what does my body language say? What do you recommend we do to better

understandeachother?”

Devlin’slipsslidintoasidewayssmirk.“Doyoureallywanttoknow?”

“Sure,I’llbite.”

Hissmirkspreadtoafull-ongrin.“Ibetyoudo.Howaboutwehaveadrinkandthen

see?”

“The ball’s in your court, Devlin.” She met his grin with a skeptical half-smile. “So,

again.Whatdoyourecommend?”

“Howaboutadirtymartini?It’ssaltyandbitesthetonguebeforegoingdowneasy.”He

letthelastpartofhisdescriptiontrailoff,buthisinnuendowasn’tlost.

Heat crawled up Jessica’s cheeks and her breasts ached. The man was as rough and

dangerousinseductionashewaseverywhereelse.

He slipped her hand into his again. “There’s nothing sexier than a confident woman

who can still blush.” He kissed her knuckles and then whispered, “I’ll be right back,”
beforeslidinghisseatfromthetable.Hegotupandwalkedtowardthebar.

Her eyes watched his strong, sinuous stride and she exhaled the breath locked in her

throat.“Bloodyhell,”shemumbled.“Ifthemansomuchastouchesmeonce,I’llcome
righthere,rightnow.”

She smoothed the front of her sweater and then opened her purse and took out her

compacttocheckhermakeup,snappingitclosedtheminutehewalkedbacktothetable.

“That’squiteatellingsmile.Caretoshare?”Devlinasked,carryingtwomartiniglasses

filledwithacloudyliquidandatoothpickeachwiththreeolives.

“No,justcheckingtoseeifwegotthecall,”Jessicasaid,stuffingherpursebehindher

onthechair.

Hewinked.“Chancesofthathappeningtonightareslim,soI’mbettingtonightisours

todowithasweplease.Strategyaimedatmultiplefronts.”

Again,withtheinnuendo.Monthsofpent-upfantasiesaboutthisguywereflyingfast

andfurious.Iftherewaseveranow-or-nevermoment,itwasnow.

If she didn’t straddle this guy tonight, she’d need fresh batteries for her battery-

operatedboyfriend,pronto!Herheadspun,innerargumentsping-pongingbackandforth.

Devlin handed her one of the stemmed glasses, then took his chair again. “To fact,

strategy,andprobabilities.”Hehelduphisglass,hiseyesneverleavinghers.

Jessica’scheeksflamedasifheheardthevolleyofthoughtsinherhead,butshesmiled

andtouchedtheedgeofherglasswithhis.“Definitely.”

“Howlonghaveyoubeenwiththeagency?”sheasked,takingasipofherdrink.

“Tenyears.Feelslonger,though.”

Shenodded.“Ibet.Soundslikeyourlineofworkwouldwearonanyone.Whydoyou

doit,then?”

Hefrowned.“Habit.”

“Ouch.Soundslonely.”

He laughed. “Can be. That’s why it’s better not to have attachments. I’ve seen some

prettynastythings,whichwouldmakemehardtolivewith,butI’mlucky,Iguess.I’ve
learnedtoseparatetheworkfromtherestofmylife.Whataboutyou?”

“I’m pretty happy with what I do. I love the work and I love being in the States, but

eventuallyIknowI’llhavetogohome.”Shepaused.“Funny,really.Theworddoesn’tfit
anymore.”

Hecockedhishead,curious.“Whatword?”

“Home.”Shegavehimaclose-lippedsmile.“ItusedtomeanLondon,butnow?”She

liftedoneshoulderandletitdrop.“It’sjustaplaceIusedtolive.”

“So, you like digging into facts and weighing probabilities. You sure you’re not just

nosy,”heteased,foldinghisnapkin.

Jessicachokedalittle.“Iamnotnosy.Ijustlikepuzzles.Ilikestackingodds,usingthe

lawsofprobabilitytofactorwin/loss.Itakindofgamble,soifIdidn’tworkfortheCIA,

I’dprobablyworkforacasinoinVegas.”

“NowthatI’dliketosee,”hewinked.

Shecrumpledhernapkinandthrewitathim.“IttyBittycostumesarenotpartofthe

plan, Mr. Law. It’s the odds I like. Moves and counter moves, like playing chess. They
fascinate me. My initial training in the U.K. included martial arts. I loved the strategy
behindthediscipline.EspeciallywithBunkai.”

“Bunkai?”Heraisedaneyebrow.

Jessica nodded. “The literal translation from Japanese means disassembly. It refers to

theprocessofanalyzingandextractingfightingtechniquesfromthemovementsofaform
orkata.TheextractedfightingtechniquesarecalledOyo.

“Plus,thedisciplinehadcoolweaponstoplaywith.”Shesmirked.“Myfavoriteswere

chucksandthrowingstars.Igotprettygoodatthemtoo,onceuponatime.”

His eyes twinkled. “That’s some skill set to have on your resume. Makes me wonder

whatothertalentsyou’rehidingbeneaththatunderstatedexterior.”

The man’s subtle flirting rocked her calm with every passing minute. If he wasn’t

serious,she’dshowhimhowimpressiveherskillscouldbe.

She took another sip and placed her drink on the napkin in front of her, and glanced

aroundthebar.“Itlookslikethey’rehavingaslownight.”

“I picked this place because I knew we’d be able to talk, but if you’d rather do

somethingelse,wecanfinishourdrinksandtakeitfromthere.”

“Takeitwhere?”

Helookedatherwitheyesfullofneed.“Whereveryouwantit.”

Callinghisbluff,Jessicapickedupherglassanddraineditinonegulp,wincingasthe

ginscoredherthroat.“It’snowornever,love,”shesaid,surprisedattheroughsoundof
herownvoice.

Devlinscrapedhischairagainstthefloor,causingotherpatronstolooktheirway.

“Let’sgo,”Jessicasaidsoftly,herfingersreachingforDevlin’sarm.

With his arm around her waist, the two walked out of the bar and Devlin fished his

keysfromhispocket,unlockinghisJeepparkedinfront.

Neithersaidawordashedrove,andbeforelongsherealizedtheywereheadedbackto

herapartment.

Sheblewherhairfromherforehead.She’doverplayedherhandtryingtobesomething

shewasn’t.Eitherthatorhewasneverreallyinterested.

Devlinpulledintotheparkinglotandgotoutfromthedriver’sside,waitingforherby

thefrontendofthecar.

“Youdon’tneedtowalkmeupstairs,Devlin.Ihadonedrink.I’mperfectlycapableof

gettingtomyflatinonepiece.”Disappointedannoyancewasclearinhervoice.

Lawtookherbythehandandtuggedheralong,thetap-tapofherbootsontheconcrete

walk behind him. Without a word, he pushed the lobby doors open and then towed her
towardtheelevators.

Pressingtheupbutton,heturnedasJessicaopenedhermouthtoargueagainandpulled

her against his chest. Steel-like arms locked around her waist and he pressed the hard
lengthofhisbodytohers.

His mouth hovered just above hers, their lips barely touching. “I’ve wanted to taste

your mouth since the day I watched that pretty tongue of yours lick cream from your
bottomlip.”

“Devlin—”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. He walked her backwards into the empty

car,notmissingabeat,theflatofhispalmagainstherbacksoshefelteveryhard-muscled
inchofhimastheymoved.

Notwantingtolosethemoment,shewoundherarmsaroundDevlin’sneckandpressed

herselfagainsthimaswell.“Wheredowegofromhere?”

“Wheredoyouthink?”herepliedwithaseductivesmirk.

Herbreathhitchedinherthroatandsheslidherhandsaroundtorestonhisshoulders.

The man’s eyes darkened as Jessica fumbled with his tie and the buttons on his shirt,
slippingherpalmstotheflatplanesofhishardchest.

Thedoorsclosedallthewayandheliftedheragainsttheelevator’schromesidewall.

Hecrushedhismouthtohers,asshegropedtopressthebuttonforherfloor.

He slipped his hands inside her plunging neckline and cupped her breast, his fingers

pinchinghernipplebeneathherlacebra.

Vertigo hit, and she wasn’t sure if it was the elevator or the feel of his kiss, but

suddenlytheworldseemedtospinandmoveinslowmotionatthesametime.

Devlinloweredhertoherfeet,lettingherfeeleveryinchofhishardnessthewholeway

down.

Hersweaterbunchedoverherbreastsashishandsroamedhersoftcurvesthroughher

lacebra,andshemoanedknowingherthinskirtwastheonlythingseparatingherfromthe
bulgeatthefrontofhissuitpants.

Hooking her fingers into the back of his waistband, she slid her hands beneath the

stylishfabricandcuppedhisass.“You’recommando,”shemurmured.

“Yes.”

“Me,too,”shemurmured,pullinghishipscloseandliftingonelegsohecouldgrind

hishipsagainsthersensitivebits.

Gropingforherhem,hishandsfistedthesilkymaterialofherskirtandhikeditover

herthighs.Heliftedithighenoughtoworkhisfingersaroundtothesmoothskinofher
shavedmound.

He grinned, caressing her silky slit. “Smooth as a baby’s ass and wet…so fucking

wet.”

Jessicaslidahandaroundfromthebackofhispantsandfumbledwiththetopbutton

ofhispants.Sheunzippedhisfly,herbreathcatchingatthefeelofthethickcordedmass
bulgingthere,waitingtobereleased.

Freeinghiscock,heliftedheragainstthechromewallagain,onlythistimewhenshe

wrappedherlegaroundhisback,hedrovehishardlengthintohersoft,wetfoldswithone
stroke.

Jessicamoaned,diggingherfingersintohisshoulderashethrustdeeply.Theelevator

carshook,rattlingtoanabruptstop,alarmsbellsringing.

“Are you okay?” a voice crackled over the intercom only to pause. “Holy shit! What

areyoudoing?Thisisapublicelevator!GetaroombeforeIcallthecops!”

Devlinsworelowinhisthroatbeforeturningthemsotheonlythingthecameracould

seewasthewideexpanseofhisback.Witharoughgrunt,hethrustharderandharderuntil
Jessicacriedoutinrelease.Herclimaxsenthimovertheedgeandheplungeddeep,his
ballshighandtightasheexplodedinsideher.

Jessica slumped against the inside of his shoulder, hiding her face. “We should

probablymovethispartytomyapartment,”shesaid,herbreathjagged.

“You think?” With a laugh, Devlin slid Jessica down again, only now he helped her

wiggleherskirtbackintoplace.Stillhidingherface,shehelpedhimstraightenthefront
ofhispantsbeforehepressedtheupbutton.

Theelevatordoorsopenedontoherfloorandhesteppedaside,lettingJessicaoutfirst.

They walked side by side, neither saying a word, Jessica’s cheeks burning from the

squishy,wetfeelbetweenherlegs.SheneededaquickwashbeforeDevlingotanywhere
nearhernetherregionsagain.

Diggingforherkeys,herhandshookassheunlockedherapartmentdoor.Shepushed

the door open and snapped on the living room light. “Uhm,” she said, turning. “I’ll be
rightback.”

She dropped her keys, purse and jacket on a chair and then headed straight for the

bathroom.Leavingthedoorajar,sheturnedonthehotwatertapandthenleanedonthe
vanity.

“What the hell are you doing?” she chastised herself, “You don’t have hot, nasty

monkeysexinpublicplaces.”

“Yousure?”Devlin’sdeepvoiceaskedbehindher.Heslidhisarmsaroundherwaist

andkissedthedampnapeofherneck.“Asfarashot,nastymonkeysexgoes,we’reanine
pointeightoutoften.TheRussianjudgegotwindofwhatwe’replanninginKyiv,sohis
noseisoutofjoint.Otherwise,itwouldhavebeenaperfectscore.”

She looked at him in the mirror. “We just broke about a hundred non-fraternization

protocolrules.”

“You’re the lawyer, so I’ll have to take your word for it.” He grinned, letting one

mischievoushandreachforthehemofherskirtagain.“Honestly,theonlythingwebroke
tonight was your elevator.” The silky fabric glided in a slow, sexy tease over her thighs

towardherass.“Caretotryourluckatbreakingabathroomvanity,too?”

Shegasped,butbeforeshecouldreply,hiscellphonerang.

Itwastime.

OperationPonyExpresswasinmotion.

ChapterFour

“J

esus! It’s fucking freezing. Even my goddamned teeth are cold,” Teddy said,

cuppinghishandstoblowonhisfingersthroughhisgloves.

The two waited in the apartment block as instructed, the cold seeping through the

crackedconcretelikepitilesssin.

Devlintossedapackofcigarettesandhislightertohim.“Whatdidyouexpect?Warm

weatherandpalmtrees?It’sJanuaryintheUkraine.Thistimeofyear,theygetaboutan
hourorsoofsunperday,butatleastithelpsuswithcover.”

“Well,fuckmestupid,professor.”

Grinning,Lawturnedbacktohisnightvisionbinoculars.“Sorry,bud.You’renotmy

type.”

Theirvantagepointwasfromthesixteenthfloorofthecomplex.Fromthere,theyhada

bird’seyeviewofthedroppointacrossthestreet.

“Yeah,butyourtypeissittingprettyinanicewarmhotelroomwaitingtomeetIvan

while you’re freezing your balls off with me. Did you see how they’ve got Banning
decked out? Fur coat, fur hat, jewelry. The works. She looks like a goddamned Russian
mobprincess.”

Devlindidn’tflinchatthebait.“Jessicahastolookasthoughshebelongsatthatswank

hotel,soasnottoarousesuspicion.ThewholepointwastomakeitlookasthoughIvan
arrangedforbothherandthehotelforahookup.”

“FatlotitdoesushereifPrincessgetsintoastickysituationacrossthestreet.Bythe

timeourelevatorrattlesitswaytothegroundfloor,it’llbetoolateforustodoanythingto
savehersweetassorretrievetheintel.Let’shopeshe’snotonlynotarousing suspicion,
butnotarousinganythingelsewhileatit.”

Devlinignoredtheintentionaldigandkepthiseyesonthedrop,scanningtheareafor

anythingoutofplace.

“Like I said,” Meade continued. “Banning’s not cut out for this kind of work. She’s

totally back office. A trained woman would get down on her knees to blow cock before
blowingthemissionorhercover.MyguessisPrincesswillshitfirstandthenrun.”Tedlit
abuttandblewastreamofsmokeintothechillyroom.

Devlin flipped the scope off his eyes and turned. “A trained woman? Do you hear

yourself,Teddy?”

“Imeanttrainedfemaleoperative,asshole,butnowthatyoumentionit,havingachick

trainedtogodownonmeatasnapofmyfingerssoundsprettydamngood.”

“You’reapieceofwork,Meade.Youknowthat?”Nohumorinhistone,Devlinshook

headathispartner.“IfIdidn’ttrustyouwithmylife,I’dshootyoujustforbeingahuge

prick.”

Meadechuckled.“Hey,sizematters,dude.Besides,youloveme,bro.Wartsandall.”

With a wink, Ted picked up the surveillance schematic from the table and scanned the
map.

Histeasingsobered,andhelookedupfromthechart.“Alljokingaside,Dev.Weneed

tothink about howwe approach thislater. I may bea chauvinist, butI want Banning to
pullthisoffasmuchasyou.Unharmed.”

“Idon’tliketheset-upanymorethanyou,butthisiswherethechiefinstructedusto

stay.ItwastheonlywayIvanagreedtoshow,”Devlinreplied.

Meaderaisedaneyebrow.“Thinktheguyhastrustissues?”

“Wouldn’tyou?”Devlinglancedpasthisshoulderathispartneragain.“Heknowshe’s

goingdownregardlessofwhichsidegetsthegoodsonthescumbagsbehindthissickosex
ring. He’s hedging his bets. If he smells a ratsky, he won’t hesitate to take Jessica for
leverage.”

“What makes you think he won’t anyway?” Teddy posed. “Think about it, Dev. The

manhasnothingtolose,sowhynottradeherforasylum?Theprospectoflifeinacushy
American prison has got to be a far better option than looking over your shoulder
everydayinthisfrozenwarzone.”

Meade swung his arm out toward the apartment’s shabby furniture and plain walls.

“Andthisissupposedtobethebetterpartoftown.Anapartmentblockthatlooksmore
likeacellblock,acrossfromafive-starhotel.”

“Theriotsafewyearsbackleftscarsonthecity.Hotelchainshavemoneytorebuild,”

Devreplied.“Butyou’dknowthatifyousurfedthenetfornewsreportsinsteadofporn.”

Ted leaned his chair back on two legs, both hands behind his head. “What gives?

You’vehadyourbuttclenchedsincewearrivedinthissub-zerohell-hole.”

“Forget it,” he answered with a dismissive exhale and then glanced at his watch.

“We’reT-minusthirtyminutestoH-Hour.”

Dropping forward, Ted’s chair landed on the wood floor with a dull bang. “No, man.

Forreal.What’seatingyou?”

“Idon’tknow.”Devlinshookhishead.“Somethingaboutthiswholeset-upischurning

my guts and not because you think I’ve got a hard-on for Jessica. Things aren’t adding
up.”

Teddypushedhimselffromthehardseattowalktothewindow.“Thisvantagepointis

forthebirds.Literally,”hesaid,takingthenightvisionbinocularsfromDevlin’shand.“I
don’t care how many languages our little sweetheart speaks. We need to get closer.” He
noddedtowardthedroppointatthepavilionacrossthestreet.

“Lookathowexposedsheisatthemark,”Tedcontinued.“It’safuckingsidepavilion

used in summer. Even the patio heaters have three inches of ice covering the stainless
steel.I’mtellingyou,Dev,yourgut’snotwrong.Goodol’Frankdidn’ttelluseverything,
andhe’sleftBanningoutonalimbwithnorealfieldtraining.Ichecked.Shetrainedall

right,butneveronpoint.Shewasaspotter.”

Devlinlookedoutthewindowandlitanothercigarette.Theskywasadarkblot.Heavy

snowcloudsobliteratedeventheweakestmoonlight,sotheonlyshadowswereharshand
yellowfromafewweakstreetlights.

“You’reright.”Devlinlookedathispartner.“Wecan’tstayhere.Laudermusthavea

reasonbehindwhyhechosethisplaceanddidn’tgiveusafullbriefing.Eitherthatorhe
misjudgedthedistanceandaccessibilityifthingsgosouth.”

Meademovedfromthewindowandtookaclipfromthescuffedtablebeforestuffingit

inhispocket.

“No, Dev. He didn’t. My bet is he’s gone rogue. Our government is so busy sucking

dickweighinghowbestnottopissofftheKremlin,ourboyLauderknewthewindowon
thisopportunitywouldcloseifhedidn’ttakemattersintohisownhands.”

Lawdraggedahandthroughhishair.“He’stheonewhosaidthiswasaninternational

incident,sowhyaren’ttheRussianshereaswell?Asbackup.”

“I told you, bro. The chief’s outside his jurisdiction on this one. There’s no official

backupbecausethisisn’tanofficialop.Hell,maybeFrankissendingusinundertheguise
ofhumanitarianism,whenhe’scoveringhisownassandthoseoftheonestrulyguiltyof
protectingthesescumbags.Maybehe’sinvolved.”

Devlinblinked,realizinghowbalancedTeddy’sconspiracytheorysounded.

“Ahh, I see says the blind man,” Meade replied to the look on Devlin’s face. “If

Banninggoesdownorwegodown,that’sit,buddy.Gameover.That’sallshewrote.As
assets,wewereneverhere.Rememberwhathecalledus?Theghostandhisshadow.

“As for Jessica, the chief thinks she’s untraceable, but if the Russians do facial and

voicerecognition,they’llfigureoutwhosheisandwhereshe’sfrom.Atleast,she’llcome
upontheirdatabaseasaBritishnational,notAmerican,”Meadeadded.

Devlin pivoted on his heel and grabbed two 9-millimer Glocks and shoved them into

hiswaistband.Hetookahandfulofcartridgesandasecondpairofnightvisiongoggles
andtossedthemtoMeade.Hegesturedtotherestoftheirequipment.“Didyousignthis
stuffout?”

Meadeshookhishead.“Nope.”

“Good.” Law nodded. “Take what we need and then destroy the rest. If we’re not

officially here, then officially we don’t have to be in this flat, exactly. Let’s bust this
traffickingring,getourgirl,andgetout.”

A slow smirk spread across Teddy’s face and he raised an eyebrow. “Our girl, huh?

Sincewhenareyouintosharing?”

“Notnow,Teddy.”

Theman’sgrinwidened.“Iwasright,youareintoher!Admitit.I’vebeenyourpartner

foryears,Dev,andIknowyou.Yourdickisrockhardforourresidentlawexpert.”

WhenDevlindidn’tmakeeyecontact,Tedburstoutlaughing.“Youdirtydog!You’ve

alreadydippedyourwick!”

“Dropit,Teddy.Imeanit.”

“Why? I’m not the one who broke the cardinal rule and shit where I eat.” Meade

paused, cracking a smile. “Not that I blame you. Banning’s brainy, but she’s got more
curvesthanaGermantesttrack.She’salookerinafull-figuredpin-upsortofway.”

“Areyouthickorjuststupid?Thisismylastwarning,Teddy.Enough.”

Meadewhistledlow.“Youreallylikethisone.Imeanlike,asinfeelingsandshit?”

Devlindidn’treply

“Wow.Talkaboutakickintheballs.Whataboutourrule,Dev?Noattachments.Just

tapandgo?”Tedasked.

“Jessicaisdifferent,Teddy,”Lawreplied.“Don’taskmehowIknow.Ijustdo.Now,

areyoucomingornot?”

Meadechuckled.“Oh,brother.Yougotitbad,dude.Canyouatleastwaituntilweget

back to Germany before tapping that fine ass again? Remember, I’m in the next bed.
Unless,ofcourse,youchangedyourmindaboutsharing.”

“Ted,Jesus!Wehaveajobtodoevenifourgovernmentisplanningtoleaveusupshit

creekwithoutapaddle.”

Picking up an AK-47, Teddy held the automatic rifle across his chest. “Fuck that,

becausewegotusabadasspaddlerighthere.”Hegesturedtowardthedoor.“Letmego
first. I can do a quick reconnaissance, and then signal when it’s clear. I doubt Ivan
advertisedhisplansfortheweekend.Myhunchishe’sflyingsolo.”

“Theredoesn’tseemtobemuchactivityonthestreet,”Devadded,takingonelastlook

from the window. “Let’s hope it stays that way. We want collateral damage at a
minimum.”

He gestured for Ted to look as well. “See that wide stairway that leads onto the side

street?Iscopedthepositionearlier.Theroad’satwo-waystreet.”Devtappedthewindow.
“That’sourwithdrawalpoint.”

“Okay,loverboy.Whatdoyouhaveinmindthen?”

Devlin hooked his thumb toward the table. “Grab the schematic. I mapped both

directionsfromthedropzone,justincase.”

“Don’t worry about just in case.” Ted gestured to the building across from the drop.

“Youtakecoverinthatofficebuildingcattycornerfromthepavilionifnecessary.I’llgrab
thecarafterIrecontheperimeterandmeetyouatthemark.”

Lawnodded.“Let’shopeIvan’sbossesdidn’thavehimfollowed.”

ChapterFive

“W

henourmeetingwasarranged,IhadnoideasuchabeautifulEnglishrosewould

bemypointperson.Youareacivilian,yes?”IvanSolokovichreachedforJessica’shand
andshestiffened.

“Ifyoushrinkfromme,malen'kayamysh,mylittlemouse,itwillgive
whoeverwatchesusthewrongimpression.Wearesupposedtobelovers,”he
grinned,andonegoldtoothglintedinthedimlight.

Herbodywentrigid,butsheplasteredasweetsmileonherface
nonetheless.“Who’swatchingbesidesmyguys?”

“Inmybusiness,”heshrugged,“youneverknowwhoseeyesareallseeing.I
amgamblingwithmylifehere.Sameasyou,mydear.”

Strugglingnottocringe,sheforcedherselftorelax,enoughtokeepher
lefthandinhis,butslippedherrightintoherpocket,wrappingit
tightlyaroundhergun.

“I’drathernotdiscussyourbusiness.Notunlessyouwantmetoshootyou
whereyoustand,”sherepliedthroughagrittedgrin.“I’lltakewhatever
intelligenceyouwishtoshare,butdon’tfoolyourselfintothinking
anyonebelievesthistobeanythingotherthanwhatitisonthesurface.
You’rehedgingyourbets,Ivan.Nooneandnothingwillabsolveyouofwhat
you’vedonetothosechildren,thosefamilies.Youareapieceofshit,and
Ihopeyourotinhellalongwiththerestofyourcrew.”

Hisansweringlaughstunnedhertothecore,andshewastakenabackbythe
mirthlesssound.

“Families?”hecountered.“Doyouhonestlythinkthosechildrenwere
kidnappedfromtheirbeds?”Heshookhishead.“Theirbelovedfamiliessold
themtous.Eagerforthecoinsintheirpocketevenastheirchildren
cried.”

Jessica’shandtightenedaroundhergun.Thewarmthofthefurdidnothing
towardofftheshiverhiswordssentupherspine.Thehardmetalinher
hand,asadcounterpointtothesoftminkofhercoat.

Themandidn’tdeserveasylumoranyotherkindness.Ivandeservedtodie
horribly,butnotuntilshehadthenamesofthoseinpowerresponsiblefor
protectinghisvileenterprise.

“Enoughchitchat,”shesaid,slippingherlefthandfromhis.Glancingover
hershoulder,shepivotedonherheeltomoveclosertotheunlitpatio
heatersanddistanceherselffromhiscloseproximity.“DoyouhavewhatI
camefor?”sheasked,turningagain.

Withtwoquicksteps,hetookherhandoncemore,butbeforeshecouldpull
awayhepressedsomethingsmallandhardintoherpalm.Shedidn’thaveto
looktoknowitwasamicrochip.

Ivan closed her fingers into her palm and then purposefully lifted the bottom edge of

herglove,exposingherwrist.

Heliftedherupturnedhandtohislips.“Everythingyouneedisonthatmemorycard,”

hewhispered,kissingherbareskin.“Ihaveaprintoutinmybreastpocket,butIdarenot
giveittoyouuntilwe’reinprivate.”

Ivan’ssmilewasalittletoowide,andasheturnedherhandoverhepressedhislipsto

herknuckles,makingJessicagratefulforherleathergloves.

Herskincrawled,especiallysinceDevlinhadkissedherwristinthesamemanneronly

daysago.WithDev,itgaveherbutterflies,notnausea.

“We aren’t going anywhere more private than this, Ivan. I don’t know what sort of

arrangementyoumadeorthoughtyoumadewithFrankLauder,butIwasn’tpartofthe
bargain.”

Theman’sfacehardenedandhisgriponherhandborderedonpainful.Jessicagritted

herteethagainstthecrush,hopingthesmallUSBinherpalmwasstillintact.

Shots rang out, and Ivan’s body pitched forward, his heavy bulk making her stumble

back.Hiseyeswentwideandhisfingerstightenedaroundherslikeinavisegripbefore
goinglimp.

“Ivan!”Sheheldontotohisfleshyframe,strugglingtodraghimwithherbehindthe

heater.“Weneedtotakecover!”

Barely standing, he raised his eyes to hers, but before she could budge him another

inch, more shots hit and Ivan’s body jerked, shuddered as bullets riddled his back. Her
breathrushedfromhermouthwiththeimpactfromeachshot,searingpaintearingthrough
hershoulder.

Solokovichstaggeredforwardwithher,bloodtricklingfromeithersideofhismouthas

hetriedtospeak.Hefell,knockingJessicatothegroundbeneathhim.

Thetasteofcopperregisteredonhertongue,butshewasn’tsureifitwasIvan’sblood

orherown.Shewormedherarmsfrombeneathhischest,cringingatthewarmwetfeel
seepingthroughhisovercoat.

HermindracedknowingshehadsecondsatmosttogetoutfromunderIvanandget

away.Withasilentplea,sheprayedDevlinandTeddywereclose.

Theshotsmusthavetakenoutthefewlightsonthepavilion.Returnfireechoedinthe

darkness and she closed her eyes. Devlin and Teddy were somewhere within range, but
sheneededtogetfreeandfindthemoratleastletthemknowshewasokay.

Forsomereason,Lauderwouldn’tallowanearpiece,andherwearingawirewasgame

overasfarasIvanwasconcerned.Giventhewayhegrabbedherbeforehewasshot,he
wouldhaverippedherblousejusttocheck.

PainburnedassheshovedatSolokovich’sheavyinertform,andshemanagedtoshift

himenoughtopushhisbodyoffandontoitsside.

The chip dropped from her hand when inertia had slammed her to the ground under

Ivan’sweight.Shegottoherkneesandhuntedaround.ShehadtofindtheUSB,oratleast
getthelistfromhisbreastpocket.

Herglovesweresoakedwithblood,butshe’dthinkaboutthatlater.Firstthingsfirst,

shecrawledtoIvan’ssideandpulledhimontohisback.Reachingintohisovercoat,she
fishedthroughtheinsidepocketsuntilshefoundtheenvelopewiththeprintoutfromthe
chip.

Bullet-holedandbloody,itdidn’tlooklikemuchofthelistsurvivedtheambush.The

frontflapwastorninhalf,butshedidn’thavetimetoworryaboutthat.Sheshovedthe
envelopeintoherpocketandcrepttowardtheshadows,lettingherblackminkcamouflage
herevenmoreinthedarkness.

She crawled toward the edge of the bushes to peer down the wide steps to the street

whenmoreshotsricochetedoffthepavement.

Shifting her weight, something small and square pressed into her palm and she lifted

her hand to stare at the microchip stuck to her glove’s bloodied leather. Issuing a silent
thankyou,sheshovedthetinyUSBinsidehergloveassirenssoundedinthedistance.

“Time’sup,girl,”shemumbledandcrouchedtomakearunforit.

“Jessica!”

Devlin’svoicecalledfromtheshadowsandherheartjumpedtoherthroat.Shecrept

closertothetopofthepavilionstepsandpeeredintothegloom,searchingforhiminthe
yellowshadowsfromthedimstreetlights.

Hebeckonedtoherfromthebushesatthebottomofthestreetsidestairs.Dressedin

darkclotheswithhisfacestreakedwithblackcoal,heblendedperfectlyintothedarkness.

Waving her forward, a black sedan screeched to a stop. Jessica shoved the envelope

intoherpocketandsprinteddownthestairs.

AvolleyofshotsfiredandDevlinjumped,knockinghertotheground.Heshieldedher

withhisbodybeforerollingwithhertothecurb,takingcoverbehindthecar.

“Getin!Now!”Hisvoicewasaharshwhisper,butbeforeeithercouldmakeamove,

thedriver’swindowshatteredinanotherroundofshots.

Thecar’shornblaredintheemptynightandDevlinmotionedforJessicatostaydown.

Hecrepttothepassengerwindow.Teddyslumpedacrossthesteeringwheel.

Withnotimetothink,hescrambledback,yankingJessica’sarmintheprocess.

Shehissedinpain,andhiseyesweresuddenlyonhers,searching.“Wereyouhit?”

“When they shot Ivan. He’s dead,” she replied, but before he said anything else, she

shookherhead.“Don’t.I’mfine.Justgetusoutofhere.”

Therewasasuddenlullintheroundofshots,maybetheywerereloadingorwhatever,

butitboughtthemtimetothink.

Nodding,heopenedthefrontpassengerdoor.“Getin.WhenItellyoutodrive,yougo

likeabatouttahell.”

“Whataboutyou?”sheasked,suddenlynervoushewasn’tplanningtocome.

“I’mintheback.You’rehurtandyou’retoosmalltomoveTeddy.Worstcaseisyousit

onhislapanddrive.”

She opened her mouth to balk, but then snapped her lips shut. It was either this or

death.

“IsTeddydead?”

Devlinlookedather.“Idon’tknow.”

Inhalingquickly,shenodded.“Okay.Saywhenandwemove.”

Onhismark,shepeeledoffthefurcoatandhandedittohim.Sheclimbedinthrough

thefrontpassengerdoorandhedidthesamethroughtheback.

Adrenaline surged through her veins, eclipsing the pain from her own wound. Time

seemedtopassinslowmotionasDevlinpulledTeddyfromthedriver’sseatintotheback
andsheslidintohisplace.

Throwing the car into drive, she screeched around the corner. “Do we have a plan?

WhereamIdriving?”

“Keepgoing.I’lltellyouwhentoturnandpullover”wasallhesaid.

MinutesdraggedlikehoursastheydroveuntilDevlinpointedtoanarrowroadonthe

left. The street was dark as pitch as the car crept past a row of abandoned shops and
derelictapartmentblocks.

Even with the tapered swath from the headlights Jessica could barely make out the

buildingsoneitherside.Mostwereboardedup,someburned.

“Pulloverhere,”hesaid,andshecrossedherfingersandhopingshedidn’thitanything

assheturnedthewheelandthencuttheignition.

Sheshiftedaroundinthedriver’sseat.“WhatcanIdo?”

“Grabthatduffelonthefloornexttoyou,”hereplied.“Handittome.”

Jessica bent for the heavy bag and hoisted it over the front seat to Devlin’s waiting

hand.Hestraddledtheduffleonthefloorconsolehumpandunzippedthetop.

“Ishedead?”sheaskedagain,hopingtheanswerwasstillno.

Devlinshookhishead.“He’salive,butweneedtogethimtotheconsulateorhe’snot

goingtomakeit.”

“Theconsulate?Don’tyoumeanthehospital?”sheshotback,surprised.

Herippedopenalargepackageofgauzesquares.“No.Weneeddiplomaticprotection

andtheambassadorhasaccesstothebestmedicineinthearea.”

Tearing Teddy’s shirt wide, he sucked a breath through his teeth. “Fuck me,” he

mutteredfrowningashereachedforarollofsurgicaltape.

“Think you can hold it together enough to keep steady pressure on this chest wound

while I drive?” he asked, taping the gauze tightly, but Jessica knew the question didn’t
requireananswer.

Sheopenedthedriversidedoorandranaroundtotheback.“Igothim.Go…drive.”

SwitchingplaceswithDevlin,sheliftedTeddy’sheadontoherlapandputtheflatof

herpalmonthebloodygauze.Onlyhoursago,theonethingshewantedherhandsonwas
Devlin’sass.

“Howfartotheembassy?”sheasked.

Lawexhaled,draggingahandthroughhishair.“It’snotaquestionofhowfar,butif

they’lltakeusatall.”

“Why?You’reanAmericancitizenandoneofyouisgravelyhurt.Can’twetellthem

tocallthechiefinGermany?Ihavetheevidenceweweresenttorecover.”

Devlinslowedastheyapproachedanintersectioncrawlingwithpolice.“Spreadthefur

overTeddyandstaylow.Iftheyshineaflashlightintothebackseat,thelesstheysee,the
better.”

She did as instructed, but panic coursed through her as they got closer to the

checkpoint.Thecarhadbulletholesacrossthedoorsandonewindowwasshotout.

“We’renotgoingtomakeit.They’regoingtopullusoverandthat’sit.Doyouhave

FrankLauder’snumberorsomething,becausemyguessisname-droppingisn’tgoingto
helpusmuch.”

Devlin craned his head to look past the passenger window. “We’ll have to go around

the checkpoint. I think there’s a cut-through we can use. Keep your fingers crossed the
policehaven’tblockedthataswell.We’dneverout-runthemininthishunkofjunk.”

“Ihopeyouhaveagetoutofjailfreecard,”shemuttered.

He cut the wheel hard to bypass the police stop, taking a chance on the side streets.

“Jess, you don’t seem to understand. We don’t exist. We’re assets and technically we’re
notsupposedtobehere.Ifwegetpulledover,it’sdone.We’redone.”

Confused, she balked. “What the hell do you mean, we don’t exist? Lauder sent us

here.TheCIAmadeallthearrangements!”

Devlin looked at her in the rear-view mirror and his eyes said it all. Whatever color

hadn’tdrainedfromherfacealreadywasgonenow.

“ButTeddy’shurt.Bad.Itookabullettomyshoulderaswell.Theyhavetohelp.”

Theykepttothebackroadsandwoundtheirwaytothestreetborderingthebackend

of the embassy. Devlin pulled over and parked. “Either you’re charmed, or we just won
theassetlottery.Let’shopeourluckholds,otherwise—”hedidn’tfinishthesentence.

With an exhale, he turned in the driver’s seat. Jessica was disheveled and covered in

dirtandmud,butherhandwasstillonTeddy’schest.Devlincuppedthesideofherface
andsheturnedherlipstohispalmandkissedhim.

“Stayhereandstaylow,”hesaid.“I’mgoingtoseewhat’swhat.Iftheyagreetotake

us,I’llcomebackforyou.”Devlin’seyesmethers.

“Andifyoudon’tcomeback?”

“Iwill.Ipromise.”Hereachedforthedoorhandle,andwithanod,heletgoofherface

andgotoutofthecar.

“Wait!”

Devlin turned, and she handed him the microchip from the inside of her glove. “It

mightbuyusthepriceofadmission.”

“Itfeelswet,”hereplied.

Sheshrugged.“AmixofIvan’sbloodandsnow.”

Hefistedthetinymemorycardinhishandandblewheraquickkissbeforeclosingthe

cardoor.Heheadedintothedarknessshadowingthebackentranceoftheembassy.

Devlin had been at this game a long time, so he had to have contacts inside or she

hoped.

She felt around for the pocket of her fur coat looking for her gun and the bloody

envelope.Bothwereexactlywheresheleftthem.

With a ragged exhale, she glanced at Meade’s silent form. “At least we’ve got

insurance,Teddy,butnoone’sgoingtoknowaboutthatbutyouandme.”Shepulledoff
oneofherbootsandstuffedtheenvelopeunderthefootpad.“Fornow.”

ChapterSix

J

essicapaddedoutofthebathroom,exhaustionweighingonherevenasshesunkonto

theendofthebed.Devlinmusthavecalledinalifetimeoffavors,becausehewasbarely
gonefifteenminutesbeforeahalfdozenAmericanmilitarypolicesurroundedthesedan.

Only when they helped her out of the car was she able to see the extent of the bullet

holesalongthedriverside.Howtheymadeitherewithoutnoticewasamiracle.Thecar
lookedlikesomethingfromaHollywoodactionmovie.

Anembassynursehelpedhershower,washingthebloodfromherhair.Shehadtobe

carefultokeepthebulletwoundonhershouldercleananddry,butatleasttheinjurywas
straightforward. One entry wound and one exit wound. No leftover shrapnel, no bone
fragmentsorarteriestouched.Anothermiracle.

Thefurcoatwasruined,andtheyconfiscateditandhergunthemomentshestepped

throughthedoor.Herkneelengthbootsweretheonlyitemsofherclothingthatsurvived.
They were in the corner of the bedroom near the closet still dirty, but intact. Which she
hoped meant no one thought to search them. As for the microchip, she wasn’t sure if
Devlinhandedittospecialservicesornot.

Based on their intelligence, the supposed dossier attached included the encrypted

names of political officials involved in the human trafficking ring. No one was beyond
suspicion.Eventheambassadorandthosewhohelpedthemattheembassywerewortha
raisedeyebrow.

FrankLauderwasalreadyintransitwhenDevlincontactedhim.Therewasnowordon

Teddyyet.Whetherthemicrochipsurviveditsliteralbloodbath,shehadherdoubts.They
wouldknowbetteronceagencyanalyststriedtoretrievethedata.

She snuggled into the borrowed terry bathrobe. Its comfort was appreciated, as were

thecleanblackleggingsandalongcardigansweaterwithsilkunderblousefoldedbeside
herpillow.

Exhaling, she reached for the television remote. The one good thing about speaking

multiplelanguageswastherewasmorechoicewhenitcametoTVabroad.

Devlin had been MIA since they airlifted Teddy to the Geilenkirchen Air base hours

ago. No word was good word, but not seeing or hearing from Devlin made her anxiety
spike.

He hadn’t sought her out, not even to see if she was okay. Then again, maybe he

couldn’t.HeandTeddyweretherealassetsinthisspies-gone-wrongworld.Shewasjust
bait.

She dragged a hand through her damp hair. Bait. The word stuck in her throat like a

fishhook. Ivan Solokovich was pretty sure of himself when they met tonight. Pretty
handsy,too.

Thecreepersaiditwasforappearancesake,buthisRicoSuaveattitudeandthemove

hemadewithherwristwasripewithinnuendo,asifshewasalreadyboughtandpaidfor
withthesupposedintelligenceheprovided.

Devlinwascertaintheagencywouldhaveleftthemfordeadorworse,soallreasoning

pointedtoherbeingdangledasincentiveforIvantoanteup.

Analysisandstrategy.

Theywerehergame,andthefactsaddedup.

After today, she was shaken to the core and worried sick over Teddy, bastard that he

was, but she still cringed at how easily the situation could have gone the way of a
Ukrainian auction block, with her as the main item up for sale. A bullet in the shoulder
was a small price to pay rather than submitting to that reptile or whatever scumbags he
lineduptobidanddrooloverherlikelivestock.

Her thoughts drifted back to Devlin. His wicked smile and the feel of his hard body.

How he looked at the bottom steps of the pavilion, hard in a different way. Deadly and
utterlymasculine.

Thatthemanwantedheratallstillmadehershiver,letalonethathewantedherover

andoveragain.Thatdespiteeverything,hestillthoughttoblowherakisswhenhegotout
ofthecarattheembassymadeherheartskip,andwhenhesworehe’dcomebackforher?

Shaking her head, she dismissed the churning, stress-induced emotions. Clearly, the

cocktail of painkillers and antibiotics the doctor prescribed had kicked in making her
sappyandsentimental.

Devlin Law was not the love of a lifetime type. He was a suave, sexy as hell release

valve.Aone-night—twoifshewerelucky—stand.

She clicked on the TV and searched for the local news for any reports on shots fired

downtown.Listeningtotherapid-fireRussianonthetelevision,sheletthecommentators
droneonasshepulledherbootstothesideofthebed.

Sure enough, the envelope was still snug under the footpad. She slipped it loose and

openedtheflap,ignoringthetornstickyfeelofthebloodstainedpaper.

The outermost pages were the worst for wear, but the folded inner ones were still

legible.Foursheetsintotalheldthefateoftheiroperation.

They needed to dry, but where? She glanced toward the bathroom. She could use the

hair dryer, but the thought of how bad the blood would smell made her gag and she
dismissedtheideaoutright.

She’dlaythemonaflattowelunderthebed.Thatwaythey’ddryandbeoutofsight

untilshecouldsafelyfoldthemandstickthembackinherboot.

Takingadrytowelfromthebathroom,shewinced,bendingtospreadtheterryclothas

farunderthebedasshecouldreach,andthenplacedthebloodypagessidebysidetodry.

Sitting back on her heels, she closed her eyes, but a noise at the door dragged her

attentionfromtheedgeofexhaustion.Theknobturnedandsheheldherbreath,adrenaline
ratchetingagainwhensherealizedsheforgottolockthedoor.

Devlinpokedhisheadinthroughthecrack.“Thoughtyoucouldusealittlecompany?”

HeproducedabottleofJameson’s,holdingitoutasapeaceoffering.“Andmaybeaquick
beltortwo.”

“DevlinLaw!Youcould’veknocked,youknow.Youscaredthepantsoffme!”

He stepped the rest of the way in and closed the door, snicking the lock shut behind

him. His eyes took in her half-naked state and he took a step closer. “But you’re not
wearingpants,”herepliedwithasmirk,puttingthewhiskeyonthesidetable.“Who’sa
luckyboy?”

“Morelikeadrunkenboy.Wherehaveyoubeen?”sheasked,reachingoutahandfor

himtohelpherup.

He shook his head, his eyes darkening at the way her robe fell open in all the right

places.“Ilikeyourightwhereyouare,Jessica.Gorgeous,half-naked,andonyourknees.”

Devlin walked toward where Jessica knelt beside the bed. He stopped in front of her

andranasofthandoverherhairtohercheek.

“I’vecomeclosetodyingmoretimesthanIcancount,butIwasneverasafraidasI

wastoday.Notformyself,butforyou.NotevenforTeddy.Hesignedupforthisgig.He
knewtherisks.Hell,helivesforthem.Butyou?”Heshookhishead.“Youwerebrought
ingreenandforallthewrongreasons,andwhenwegetbacktotheStates,I’mgoingto
beatFrankLauderwithinaninchofhislife.”

“Why?”

Devlin’seyesboreintohers.“Youknowwhy,Jess.You’reasmartlady,andwithyour

background, I know you’ve figured it out. You were the inducement Lauder used to get
Ivantoplayball,andmostlikelythetrade-offaswell.Iblamemyselfforwhatcouldhave
happenedtoyou.”

Shetiltedherheadtolookupathim.“Butitdidn’t.”

“Butitcouldhave.”

Withasmirk,sheshookherhead.“Butitdidn’t.”

“Jess,itcouldhaveveryeasilygonewaymoresouththanitdid.”Helethishandslip

fromherface.

Shenodded.“Butitdidn’t.”

“ForChrist’ssake,can’tyouletmeapologize?”

A smile cracked across her lips for the first time in days. “Apologize for what? For

saving my life? For getting Teddy to a place where the odds were stacked in his favor
insteadofagainsthim?Forahero,DevlinLaw,yousuckatit.”

“Isuck?”

She nodded. “That sir, you do. Now take your bow and be done with your apology

bullshit.”

“Okay,”heeyedherwiththeghostofasmirk.“IfI’mahero,thendon’tIdeservesome

sortofreward?”

Noddingagain,hereyeswereonhisastheyfilledwithwantandintensity.

“Thatwordofyourshasmethinking.”Hishandrosetohercheekoncemore,andthis

timehisthumbgrazedherbottomlip.

“Whatword?”sheasked,dyingtotakehisthumbintohermouth.

“Suck.”

Asmallgrinplayedonherlipsthathereadhermindandshenippedhisthumb.“Didit,

now.”

“Yes,infact,rightnow,allIwantisyourprettypinktonguewrappedaroundmycock.

IwanttofuckyourmouthuntilIblow,andthenwatchyoulickmeclean.How’sthatfora
reward?”

Devlin’srawwordsmadeherpussyslickjustthinkingofhowhe’dtaste.Jessicapulled

hishandfromherfaceandthenranherfingersoverthehardbarbehindhiszipper.“Then
weneedtoseewhatprizeiswaitingbehinddoornumberone.”

She undid his fly and pushed his pants past his powerful thighs, his cock jutting stiff

andfreefromitsdarknest.

Devlinunbuttonedhisshirtandtosseditontothebedbehindhim,steppingoutofhis

pantsandkickingthemtothecorner.

Rakinghernailsalongthehardplanesofhischest,Jessicastrokedhistorso,working

herwaypastthesexyV-shapedmuscles.Shetookhertime,savoringeveryhardinchof
hischestandlowerbelly.

Looseningherbathrobeevenmore,sheuntiedthebeltsoithungopencompletely,and

thetipofhiswaitingcockgrazedthesoftfleshofherbreasts.

“You’rekillingme,Smalls.”Thewordsgroundoutofhismouthandshesmirkedatthe

nodtothemovieTheSandlot.EveninEngland,itwasaclassic.

“Haveaseat,”shesaid,usheringhimaroundbeforepushinghimontotheedgeofthe

bed. She scooted between his thighs and wrapped her hand around his thick shaft. His
memberjerkedinherpalm.

Devlingroaned,lickinghislips.“Workme,baby.Myfulllength.”

Withaknowinggrin,shedidwhatheaskedandslidherhandupanddownthecorded

mass.Dippingherhead,sheflickedhertongueoverthesensitiveswellofhishead.

Hesuckedabreaththroughhisteeth.“That’sit,baby.More.Faster…Mmmm.”

Hislowrumblemadeherpickupherpaceandhisthighmusclesclenchedbeneathher

arms. Jessica slid her free hand over his hard quads and reached for his balls. Cupping
them,agrintuggedatherlipsathowhighandtighttheyfeltinherpalm.

She scooted lower, enough to run the flat of her tongue along the ridged base of his

cock.Hegroaned,andshedippedherhead,circlingthesatinofhisswollenhead.

Devlin swept her long dark hair from her cheek and fisted it at the nape of her neck.

“Letmeseeyourtongue,baby.Wrapyourlipsaroundmydick.Takemedeep.”

She opened her mouth and slipped his engorged head over her curled tongue, taking

himtothebackofherthroat.Devlinleanedbackononearmandgroaned,hishipsrising
topushhimselfevendeeper.

Jessicapulledbackandthenplunged,takinghisfulllengthintohermouthagain.Ahiss

leftDevlin’slipsasshegrazedherteethalonghiscordedlength.

“Tonguemyballs!Oh,Fuck!Yessssss,”hehissedagain,asshelickedherwaydown,

drawingthetightsacintohermouth.

Shereleasedthemwithapopanddraggedhertongueoverhislengthagain,tracingthe

stiffridgebelowhisswollenhead.

“I’mgoingtoblow,baby,”hesaid,fistingherhairasshesuckedhimdeeplyagain.

Devlin’sbodywentrigidandhiscocktightenedhardandunyieldinginherhand.“Tell

me where you want this load, babe. I know your slit is dripping wet. You want this on
your tongue or do you want me to fill your pussy? Tell me. It’s either fuck me or suck
me.”

Shepulledhermouthfromhim,butranherhandtightoverhisshaft.“It’syourreward,

youtellme.”

Gripping her shoulders, he eased her back, careful of her injury, but with one fluid

movehesweptherupanddepositedheronthebed.Holdingherlegswide,hedippedhis
headtoherpussyandlickedherfromherasstoherclit,moaningatthesweettasteofher
slickjuice.

Histeethnippedandgrazedherclit,beforedrawingthehardbuddeepbetweenhislips.

Histonguedelved,slippingbetweenherpussylips,fuckingherwithhismouth.

Jessicabuckedherhips,grindingformore,butheliftedhisface,leavingherpanting.

“What is it you want, Jessica?” he rubbed his head along the slick folds of her slit.

“This?”

“Yes!”

Withasmirk,heslidhishandstoheranklesandheldherlegsevenwider.Withasingle

thrust,heplungedhiscockintoherpussy,hisassandthighsgrindinghisdickandballs
deep.

Gritting her teeth, she took every inch, meeting him thrust for thrust until her legs

shook.Bodytenseandstretched,herbreathlockeduntilanorgasmrippedherwide,her
wallssqueezinghiscocktightly.

Crying out, waves took her, her body spasming and she went boneless with his dick

stillrock-hardwithin.

Musclescoiledandhard,Devlinheldhimselfrigidasherspasmsmilkedhisdick.His

eyesfoundhersandheheldhisbreath.Whenshearchedbackinfinalrelease,heletgo,
hisheadbulgingashotspurtsfilledhertothecore.

Hishandsliddownherlegsassheslumpedbackontothecomforter.Hepulledback,

sliding his cock free and she gasped as one last aftershock rocked her lower belly.

Climbingontothebedbesideher,hegatheredherclose.

“How’stheshoulder?”heasked,nippinghernose.

“Whatshoulder?You’veleftmeabonelessmassofquiveringflesh,DevlinLaw.”

Hisfingerstracedthecurveofherback,trailingthefinelineofherspinetothetopof

herassandbackagain.

“You’reokay,though?”heaskedagain.

Shechuckledagainsthischest,wigglinghernoseinthehollowbetweenhisthroatand

his broad shoulders. “Except for being shot, a dead man tackling me to the ground in a
poolofblood…oh,anddodgingbulletswhiledrivingthegetawaycar,I’dsayI’mgreat.”

“Thatyouare,Ace.”Heliftedherfacetokissthetipofhernose.“Prettyamazing,if

youaskme.”

Shereachedforhisstillthickeneddick,givingthememberagentlesqueeze.“You’re

prettyamazingyourself.”

Withasatisfiedinhale,shesnuggledcloserintohischest,butdidn’tsayanotherword,

hopinghewouldsaysomethingfirst.

“Jessica—”

Shepressedherlipstogethertryingnottoanticipate.

“Myorderscamein.They’resendingmedeep,”hesaid.

Pullingbackfromhischest,sheblinked,lookedathimconfused.“Deep?Unlessthat

meanswe’regoingforroundtwoonthisbed,I’mnotsureIlikethesoundofthat.”

“Roundtwoisadefinitepossibility,”hereplied,dippinghistonguetotheseamofher

lips.“Butit’snotwhatImeant.Ihaveanotherassignment.”

Shestruggledontoherelbowtolookathimbetter.“Where?When?”

“YouknowIcan’ttellyouthat.”

Herchindroppedtoherchestforamomentbeforesheglancedupathimagain.“For

howlong?”

“Idon’tknow,butmyguessisitwillbeawhilebeforeI’manywhereanyonecanreach

me.Atleast,notanyonefromtheoutside.”

Sheshookherhead.“They’resendingyouthatdeepundercover?Why?Ithoughtyou

andTeddyonlydidwetwork.Besides,there’sprotocolthatneedstobefollowedbetween
jobs.Weneedtobedebriefedandthentheydecideonaninquest,nottomentiongivingus
alittledowntimetorecharge.”

“That’snothowitworks,Ace.IgowhereI’mtold,whenI’mtold.Noquestionsasked.

That’spartofthedeal.IfIcan,I’lltrytogetintouchwithyouthroughinsidechannels.
It’llbehard,soIcan’tpromiseanything,butrightnow,wecanmakethemostofthetime
wehave,right?”

Jess sat up with a frown. “Is this some kind of punishment for Ivan being shot? We

recoveredthechip.Whatmoredotheywant?”

“Thechipwasruined.Itdoesn’tlooklikeitwillprovidemuchintermsofanything,so

thiswholeeffortwasabust.Atleast,Teddywilllive.”

Chewing on her lip, she eyed him. “Not necessarily.” She slipped off the bed and

crouchedtopullthetowelfromunderneaththebed.

“Jessica,whatthehellareyoudoing?NotthatIdon’tlikelookingatyournakedass,

especiallywhenyou’rebentover,but—”

Sheglancedup.“This.”Gatheringthestilldamppagesintoapile,sheheldthemup.

“Ivan had a hard copy from the disk in his breast pocket. The reptile dangled it like a
carrottryingtotradeitforapieceofass.Myassinparticular.Idugtheenvelopefromhis
coatpocketbeforeIranforthecar.It’sblood-soaked,andsomeofit’sillegible,butany
infoisbetterthannothing.”

“Whythehellisitonatowelunderthebed?”heaskedwithastunnedlaugh.

Sheshrugged.“Iwaslettingitdryoutofsight.LikeLaudersaid,wedon’tknowwhois

involved,soIfiguredI’dkeepthistomyselfforthetimebeing.”

Hedartedfromthebedandscoopedherupinhisarms.“Youlittlebrat.Youweren’t

planningontellingme,wereyou?”

“Ofcourse,Iplannedtotellyou.”Shegrinnedwithasqueal.“Yousidetrackedme.”

With a laugh, he kissed her. “Woman, you are a distraction amongst distractions! I

haven’tbeenabletothinkofanythingelsesincethefirsttimeItastedyou.”

“Youdoprettywellcompartmentalizing,then.I’veneverseensomeonesofocusedas

youweretoday.”

Hiseyeslockedwithhers.“Thistime,Ihadsomethingtolose.”

“And Teddy is alive, and it looks like he’s going to make it. That’s the news I was

waitingfor.”

Devlinletherdownontothebedandsheshiftedtoherkneesinfrontofhim.“Why?”

“Because.” She cupped his cheeks. “Now there are three of us against the political

machinedrivingthisviletraffickingring.Notjustmeandyou.”

He grinned, and she nodded tapping the side of her head. “Analysis and strategy,

right?”

Devlinslippedhisarmsaroundherwaistandtightenedhisgrip.Inonefluidmove,he

jerkedherupandaround,pullingherdownontohischest,papersflutteringaroundthem
onthebed.

“I still have my orders, but this will keep.” He picked up one of the lists, his eyes

scanning the bloodstained page. “I overheard the ambassador talking. There’s intel this
wasaninsidehit.”

Shetookthepagefromhishand,sohehadtolookather.“Whatdoyoumeananinside

hit?”

“ItmeansIvan’speopleweren’tresponsiblefortheambush.”

Jessicablinkedathim,stunned.“Areyoutellingmeourownpeopleorchestratedthis

asapreemptivestrike?”

“Wegottooclose,sotheytookIvanoutandtriedtodothesamewithus.Myguessis

the only reason we’re still alive is because they don’t know about this.” He took the
corroborating sheet from her hand. “And I want to keep it that way until I can find out
more.Withthemicrochipabust,whoever’sbehindthismustbefeelingprettysmugright
aboutnow.”

Hepaused.“DoesTeddyknowaboutthepapertrail?”

“Notunlessheheardmewhenhewasunconscious.”

Nodding,heexhaled.“Good.Let’skeepthisjustbetweenyouandme.Teddy’sagood

partnerinthefield,buthe’saloosecannon.He’sboundtogoapeshitanddosomething
reckless.”

“So,whathappensnow?Whendoyouhavetoleave?”sheasked,realizingthismight

bethelasttimeshe’dspendwithDevlinforalongwhile.

Heshrugged.“Couldbetonight,couldbenextweek.Ithinkthey’retryingtokeepthe

threeofusseparated.Thatwayiftheyhaveto,theycanpickusoffonebyone.Thatsaid,
it’simperativetheliststayshidden.”

“Weshouldmakecopies,too,”shesuggested.“Nothinglikeinsurance,right?”

Hesmiled.“Analysisandstrategy.Ilikethosewordsmoreandmore.”

“Isthatallyoulike?”sheasked,lettingherfingerstraildownhischest.

Heranahandoverherbarethightothesplitbetweenherlegs.“Notevenclose.”

ChapterSeven

NewYorkCity

EighteenMonthsLater

“I

t’sabouttime,Jessica.You’vebustedyourbuttforthischance.It’slongoverdue,if

youaskme.Especiallysinceyou’vehadtofightyourwaybacktowhereyouwerebefore
theysentyou,well,youknow.”

PenelopeBanningswirledhericedcaramelmacchiato.Herteasingsmilefadedasshe

watchedhersistertracecondensationontheroundtable.

“I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when you told that snake of a boss you

werebeingcalledinagain.Whatdidhesay?”

“WhathaveItoldyouabouttalkingaboutyouknowwhat?”Jessie’svoicewasaharsh

whisper. “Being called to New York means nothing. Probably another round of
bureaucraticinterviews.Lordknowsthispastyearhasbeennothingbut.Redtapeandred
herrings.”

Hersistersnorted.“Jessica,youneedtocalmdown.It’sbeenayearandahalfsince

thatawfulnight.Youforget,thegovernmentsentyoubacktotheJAGCorpsforareason.
They needed you safe, and I, for one, will be forever indebted to those bureaucratic
bloodsuckersforthatonesmallkindness.”

Penelopereachedacrossthecafé’ssmallwoodentableforJessica’shand.“ThankGod

yourlifeisfinallygettingbacktonormal.Ifanyone’spaidtheirdues,it’syou.Youwere
shot,forcripe’ssake!”

Jessicalookedupfromhernervousfidgeting,butwasstillamillionmilesaway.Penny

had no idea how hard this was for her. Eighteen months had passed since she last saw
Devlin.

Aspromised,hemanagedtwocalls,butthennothingforthepastyear.Themanwas

eitherdeadorhefoundhimselfaleggy,socialitemoretohistaste.

Afterall,JamesBonddidn’tgofortheback-officetypesorMissMoneypennywould

havebeenbentoverherdeskalongtimeago.InDevlin’slineofwork,therewasnoroom
forattachments.Themanhadsaidasmuchwhentheywentfordrinksthatfirstnight.

Thatfirsthot,nastymonkeysexnight.

“Jess!Areyoulisteningtome?”Penelopethrewacrumplednapkinathersister.

Jessicablinked.“Loudandclear,Colonel.Lemonadeoutoflemons.It’swhatwedo,

right?”“Besides,I’mprettysurethismeetingisanothingburger,asthekidssay.I’mnot
even sure what it’s about. It’s all hush-hush, so since there’s nothing to tell, let’s not

speculate.”

“You’vegotskininthegame,here,Jess.Nooneelsedoes,”hersisterreplied.

Jessica took a sip from her melting coffee, her left hand straying to the scar on her

chestjustbelowherrightshoulder.“Iwasn’talonethatnight,Pen.”

Definitelynotalone.

“You are not to blame for what happened. To be honest, I’m surprised you called to

meetmetoday.Youneverwanttotalk.”

Jessica glanced toward the trees and the shadow of the New York library in the

afternoon sun. “I still don’t.” She exhaled, turning back to her sister’s waiting gaze.
“Besides,I’mnotallowed.Thefactyouknowasmuchasyoudo,putsmeatrisk.So,for
themillionthtime,shutup,okay?”

Pennysnorted.“Likelivinginachurchconfessional.”

“No,morelikethethreatoflivingbehindbars,”Jessicareplied,dourly.

“Same difference, Jess. At the time you needed to vent, and since no one at your

preciousagencywaswillingtolendandear,itwaseithermeorgobatshitcrazy.”

Jessicashookherhead.“Letitgo,Pen.I’mfine,andhavingcoffeewithyoudoesn’t

breakanyrulessinceIhavenointentionoftellingyouanythingelse.Allthesame,I’m
gladyoumadetimeforme.Iwantedtogiveyouthis.”Sheheldoutalongvelvetbox.

“What’sthat?”Pennyasked.“It’snotmybirthdayformonths.”

Jessicagaveherasmallsmile.“It’sMum’sweddingset.Herrings,plustheemerald

necklaceandearringssheworethedayshemarriedDa.”

Penelope’shandfrozereachingfortheblackvelvet.Herfingerscurledintoherpalm

and she shook her head, pulling her hand back. “No. Mum wanted you to have them.
You’refirstborn.”

“Yes—”Jessielaughedwryly.“AridiculousfamilytraditionthatI’mabolishingasof

now. If something happens to me, I don’t want these lost in the shuffle. They’re yours
now.”

Hersisterstaredattherectangularboxheldoutacrossthesmallroundtable.“Taking

themfeelslikesigningyourdeathcertificate.”

“Don’tbedaft.Justtakethedamnbox,Pen.”

Penelopeshookherheadagain.“Leaveittoyoutopickthehottestdayoftheyearfor

sentimentalclaptrap.Nothingisgoingtohappen,exceptmethrottlingyouifyoudon’tput
thatbackinyourpurse.”

“Mum’s jewelry should have been divided between us in the first place, Penelope.

Whentheyreadherwill.”

Hersisterpursedherlips.“Something’supwithyou.Icanfeelit.”Shelookedather

sister’sface.“Thisisn’tjustaboutMum’sthings.”

“Don’t be so suspicious. I’m the lawyer in the family. That’s my job. What’s wrong

withwantingtodosomethingniceformysister?”

Pennyraisedaneyebrow.

“Okay, you win. Despite what I said, I have an inkling this meeting isn’t just more

bureaucratic red tape. I’d be more certain if the meeting was held in Washington, rather
thanNewYork.”

“Ishould’veknownthiscoffeeclutchwasn’tformybenefit.”

“Pen—”

Pennyshookherhead.“You’reamemberoftheJudgeAdvocateGeneral’sofficeasa

civilian intelligence liaison. Your CIA days are over. So whatever it is they’re planning,
tell them to get stuffed. You’re a British national, not target practice. You’ve done
enough.”

“Look,Ididn’tmeantoupsetyou,”shesaidplacingtheboxonthetable.“AllIknow

isI’mtomeetwiththeU.S.counterparttomyofficehereinNewYorkbeforetheytellme
anythingelse.Whoknows?Afterwhathappenedeighteenmonthsago,theycouldtellme
they’retransferringmebacktotheU.K.”

Penelopeblinked.“Wait,couldtheydothat?”

“That’s a stupid question. Technically, I’m still attached to the military, even if my

nose is buried in legal briefs most of the time.” Jessica leaned forward and lowered her
voice. “The higher ups haven’t forgotten I was involved in a covert maneuver that went
sour,soanything’spossible.”

Penny balked. “They used you, Jessie, and you almost died in the process. Besides,

you’ve been in Washington for ages. How can they send you back just like that?” She
snappedherfingers.

“Easy.”Jessicaglancedatthewetringonhernapkinbeforelookingupagain.“Tobe

honest, I was lucky they sent me back to JAG instead of dragging me though a full
inquest.Iwasdebriefedandthenreleased,bywhatmiracle,though,Ihavenoidea.”

Youknowwhy.Devlinsavedyourass.

Healsotappedyourassgood,too.

Realgood.Remember?

Imagesfromtheirtimetogethersentajoltthroughherlowerbelly.Herbreathcaught

foramomentandJessicacoughedtocoverherbody’svisceralreaction.

AyearandahalflaterandmemoriesofDevlinstillhaunted.Afterwhathappenedin

Kyiv, she should have real PTSD. Instead she was stuck with Post Traumatic SEX
Disordercourtesyofamanshehadn’tlaideyesonsince.

DevlinLaw.

Dangerousandskilled.

Sheinhaled.Oh,soveryskilled.

Thesamequestionsnaggedandshedidherbesttoignorethem.Didhecareorwasit

justbattlesex?Thekinddrivenbyoverloadedemotionsandalcohol.

Sheshookherhead.

Devlincared.Shefeltitinherbones,oratleast,that’swhatshetoldherself.

“Why now, though?” Penny continued, oblivious to her sister’s preoccupied

disinterest.“Iftheywantedyouforanotherassignment,wouldn’ttheyhavecalledyouup
whenyouwerestillfresh?”

“Fresh?”Jessicaatthementalredirect.“Youmakemesoundlikedayoldbread.Ihave

nocluewhatmotivatesthegovernment,ordoesn’tforthatmatter.”

Shelookedathersister.“Can’twejustenjoythisunexpectedvisit,Pen?We’reaforty-

five-minuteshuttleflightawayandstillwedon’tseeeachotherenough.”

Penelopechuckled,takingasipfromhericedcoffee.“Forgetit,Jess.I’mnotmoving

toD.C.Especiallynotifyou’reheadedbacktoLondon.”

Jessica’s eyes scanned the Bryant Park café. “I know, but you can’t blame me for

trying. You’re the only family I have, plus I get why you love New York so much. It’s
so…so…alive.”

“And so are you, though judging by the state of your love life, that wouldn’t be the

wordI’dpick.”Pennyjiggledtheiceinhertall,plasticcup,clearlychangingthesubject.

Jessicasmirkedwatchinghersisterskillfullystirthepotthesamewayshestirredher

coffee.“Andherewegoagain.Listen,there’ssomeshoppingIwanttodobeforemyday
officially starts, so why don’t I catch you up later—” Jessica let her words trail as she
watchedPenelope’sattentiondrifttowardthecafédoor.

“Oh,hello…”hersistermurmuredwithagrin.

“Who?”

“Myfuturehusband,that’swho,Mr.Tall,DarkandHandsomewithasideofyummy.”

Penelope giggled, gesturing toward the order counter. “Now that’s the kind of guy I
picturespooningbehindmeeverymorning.Hardbits,especially.Orderup!”

Jessicarolledhereyes.“Isthatallyouthinkabout?Hardbits?”

“Whynot?Lookingneverhurtanyone,Jess.Mendoitallthetime.IfIhadadollarfor

everytimeaguylookedatmytitsbeforelookingmeintheeye,Icouldretire.So,what’s
wrongwithalittlereverseogling?”

“Seriously,Penelope.Youneedanewhobby.”

Her lips pushed into a sideways grin. “Humor me, then, darling. A little eye candy

mightgetyourjuicesgoingagain,JessicaMoiréBanning,andifanyoneneededittorain
men,it’syou.Yourdryspellisborderingonepic.”

“Hey!”

Penelopestaredather.“I’mnotwrong,Jess.When’sthelasttimeyouhadsex?And

don’ttellmeRodger,becauseaneedle-sizeddickattachedtoaNapoleoncomplexdoesn’t
count.”

“Ofcourse,itcounts,”Jessicashotback.

AskepticalsnortleftPenny’smouth.“Notwhenthemaninquestionhasasmuchsex

appealasadoorknob,plusthatwastwoyearsago.Adryspelllikeyoursmightaswellbe
adeathsentence.You’rethirty-twoyearsold,Jess.Experiencedandconfident.Seasoned,
notsagging.Youneedtostoplivingasifyourlifeisover.”

It’s not over. Just not satisfied. Not the way that dangerous man, satisfied…over and

over…

Jessicablinkedawaythethoughtandtheelectricshockitsentstraighttohersex.What

didsheexpect?Arideintothesunset?DevlinLawwasaoneoff.Aone-nightstandborne
oftraumaandstress.

Liar,liarpantsonfire.

Stopit.

Pantsonfireforreal,girl.Admitit.YouwantedDevlinfromthemomentyouseteyes

onhim.Thejobgonewronggaveyouthegreenlightyouneededtojumphisbones.

Shesqueezedhereyesclosed,ignoringhersister’sdroning.

Thatnightwasnotagreenlightforunrestrainedhumpage.Itjusthappened.

Yeah…ithappened,allright.Atleastthreetimesinsuccession.

“That’s not fair, Penny,” she shot back ignoring her internal quarrel. “In fact, it’s

downrightmean.Besides,I’mtoobusyforeyecandy.”

Pengaveheralookthatshedidn’tbuytheexcuse.“Buryingyourselfatworkisnot

theanswer.Youneedtolightenupandletgoortheonlyguysyou’regoingtoattractare
oneslikeRodger.Nowturnaroundandtakealonglookatwhattheworldofmenhasto
offer.”

With a grudging sniff, Jessica shifted her gaze. The guy was tall and unbelievably

handsome,atleastfrombehind.Withdarkhairandwideshouldersthattapereddowntoa
narrowwaist.

His firm buttocks filled out was an obviously custom-made charcoal gray suit, so

impeccablytailoredtherewasnoquestionofthepowerfulthrustswaitingtobeunleashed
whenthatfrescowoolhitthefloor.

Theman’sjacketwasoverhisarm,andhispressedcottonofhisfitteddressshirtwas

light enough to withstand summer in the concrete jungle, yet thin enough to hint at the
flat,leanmuscleshiddenbeneath.Pennywasright.Themanwassexonastickincarnate.

Hepaidforhisicedcoffeeandturned,hiseyesfindingJessicaimmediately.Shefroze,

strawinhandwithhertonguewrappedaroundthelong,thinplastic,itspinktippoisedto
lapatthewhippedcreamtoppingontheend.Itwasdéjàvu.

“Sir,yourchange.”

Themanignoredthecashier,hiseyesdroppingfromJessica’smouthtohercurveof

herthroatandthehintofcleavageatherchest,beforeliftingtoherface.

Self-conscious,sheshovedthestrawintothecupandthenwipedhermouthwiththe

sideofherfinger.

“Youmissedaspot,Ace,”hesaidwithalowhusktohisvoice.

Heat crawled up her cheeks and the only thing keeping her jaw from dropping was

Penelope’sItoldyousolook.

NooneelseintheworldcalledherAce.

“Sir,yourchange,”thecashiertriedagain.

Hetookthemoneyfromthewoman’shand,hiseyescatchingJessica’sagain,andfora

momenttheylingeredashungryandfierceassheremembered.

Withoutawordorabackwardglance,heturnedfortheexitandPenelopesighed.“He

fanciedyou,Jess.That’sforsure.Sadyoudon’trecognizeyourownallure.”

Recognize.Thatwastheoperativeword.

Devlin.

Jessicasnuckanotherglancetowardhiswidebackasheheadedoutofthepark.She

gavehericedcoffeeaviciousswirl.

It’sbeenayearandahalf.Remember?

Lord,didsheremember.Skilledhandsonherbody,thewayhetasted,andthewayhe

madehershakewithpleasure—

That’snotwhatImeant.Hecould’vecalled.

Hedidcall…andthenhedidn’t.

“What’sthematter?”Penasked.“Youlooklikeyousawaghost.”

Jessicadidn’treply.PennyknewnothingaboutDevlinLawortheirconnection.What

washedoinginNewYorktodayofalldays?Sheplayedwithapapernapkin,curlingthe
endsbetweenherfingers.Whydidhehavetolooksodamngood?Sodamnhot?

Whydidhejustwalkaway?

Jess dismissed the thought. Shoving her cup to the side, she exhaled realizing Penny

watchedtheentireinnerbattleplayoutonherface.

“Iknowwhat’swrong,evenifyouwon’tadmitit,”hersistercontinued.

Jessicashookherhead.“Youcouldn’tpossibly.”

“You might be older than me, but I know better. You’ve been inventing qualities in

men for so long, you’ve forgotten the genuine article. You’ve forgotten what a sexually
confidentmanfeelslike.”

Jessicagaped.“Inventing?Idon’tthinkso,sisterdear.Iknowexactlywhatasexually

confident man feels like, Pen. What he tastes like, too. How it feels when he fills you
completely,onlytoleaveyoucravingmore.Idon’tneedtoinventanything,Penny.Ilived
it.”

“If that’s true, then why do you bother with the likes of Rodger and those other

megalomaniacsinD.C.?Moreimportantly,whyhaveyounottoldmethejuicydetails?”

Jessica laughed. “Because, little sister, you have sex on the brain. Plus, you just

describedeverymanworkinginthePresident’sReciprocityAllianceTribunaloftheJAG
Corps.IworktwentyhoursadayatPRAT.LikeIsaid,Idon’thavetimeforeyecandy.”

NoonelivesuptoDevlin,anyway.

Penelopesnorted,stiflingalaugh.

“Cutitout,Pen.”

Theyoungerwomanlaughedoutloudwithasnort.“PRAT.Istillcan’tbelieveyoucan

utterthewordandnotburstoutlaughing.Theacronymislikepurposefullyabbreviating
one’snametodickhead!Thenagain,consideringthepratsyouworkfor,thenamefits.”

Jessicasnortedaswell.“Doyouknowhowlongittookformetotrainmyselfnotto

laugh? I almost refused the post because of the name, but you had already moved from
LondontoNewYork,soIbitmytongueandtookthejob.”

“WhatalaughDawould’vehad.”Stillsmirking,Pennywipedhereyes.“Healways

saidthegovernmentwaskneedeepinprats.”

Inhaling, Jess nodded. “Still, PRAT is a formidable international alliance with ties to

mostintelligenceagenciesaroundtheworld,sothattakesabitofthestingoutofitssilly
name.”

Laughingathersister’sexpression,shegrinned.“Youmaynotlikeitmuch,butitstill

needstobedone.Onallfronts.Toomuchisforsaletothehighestbidder,Pen,andit’snot
thepeopleatthetopwhosuffer.They’retheprotectedelites.It’stheunprotectedpopulace
thatbearsthebrunt.Especiallychildren.”

“Lookatyou,gettingallJoanofArconme,”Pennyteased.

Jessicalookedatherhands.IfonlyPennyknew.“Ican’tsharecertaininformation,but

trust me the elites will go to any lengths to protect their dirty little secrets. People die,
Penny—” her throat tightened. “I look at it as my job to help find out why and who’s
behindit.”

“Somuchforkeepingyournoseburiedinlegalbriefs.”Penelopecoveredhersister’s

hand.“I’mnotsureIlikethesoundofthis,Jessica.”

Jessica sandwiched Penny’s hand between both of hers. “I’m only an analyst. These

days my work is in governance and strategy. I make sure we stay within the rule of
internationallaw.”

Sheglancedatherwristwatchwithastart.“Bloodyhell.Mymeetingisinlessthanan

hour.”Shescrapedherseatback,thenoiselouddespitethebusytrafficalong42

nd

Street

andBryantPark.

“Relax.You’renotthatfar.”

Jessicagrabbedherpursefrombeneaththetableandgavehersisteraquickhug.“The

UnitedNationsishalfwayacrosstown.Withmidtowntraffic,thatcouldtakeforever.”

“Ringme!Anddon’trun!You’llbreakaheel!”Penelopecalledafter,butJessdidn’t

turn.She’dleftthevelvetboxonthetable,aswell.“Jess!Mum’sbox!”

She glanced over her shoulder halfway down the park stairs. “Keep it for me, Pen.”

Sherushedoff,herlongbrownhairblowingbehindherassheturneddownthestreet.

ChapterEight

“T

obehonest,Iwassurprisedtogetyourcall,CommanderWard.”Jessicasmoothed

thecrispfrontofheruniform.

Theoldermanlookedacrossthetopofhissquare-rimmedglasses,hisgazefocusedon

Jessicaseatedintheplushleatherchairacrossfromhisdesk.“Whythesurprise?”

“Ihaveadrawerfullofinquiriessenttobothyourgovernmentandmine.AllIwanted

wasinformationontwocolleagues,somekindofassurancetheywerealiveandsafe.Yet
eachwassentbackwithaclassifiedrefusalandsignedbyyou.So,youcanimaginemy
skepticismwhenthecallcametoreportheretoday.”

“Ifyouwereactivemilitaryyou’dbeguiltyofinsubordination,Ms.Banning.”

Jessicashrugged.“MycontractwithPRATisupinsixmonths,andI’veyettoputin

foranother,soIdon’treallycareifI’minsubordinateornot.AsfarasI’mconcerned,I’ve
beenascivilashumanlypossible,especiallysinceI’vebeencock-blockedinmyconcern
formyfriends.”

Theman’slipspulleddown.“Yourfiledoesn’tdoyoujustice,Ms.Banning.Iwastold

youwerealivewire,though.Iassumedayearandahalfburiedinpaperworkandmilitary
tortswouldhavesmoothedofftheroughedgesbynow.”

“Ifyou’reprivytomyfile,Commander,thenyouknowmyroughedgeswerecutthat

nightinKyiv,andhonedonnightmareseversince.You’regoingtohavetoprovidemore
informationifyouexpectmetosignonthedottedlineforanotherunknownfiascolikethe
oneintheUkraine.”

Wardputhispendownandleanedin,hiselbowsrestingonhismaroonleatherblotter.

“Thisisnotunknown,Jessica.Atleast,nottoyou.”

“Stopwiththecrypticandlevelwithmealready.WhyamIhereinsteadofreviewing

thiscasefileatmydeskinD.C.?”

Ward kept his gaze steady. “Three words. Operation Pony Express. You’re here

becauseyouarerequired.”

The operation’s familiar name nearly floored her, but she kept her face impassive,

evenifherpalmsburnedfromthewayshedughernails.

“Required?”SkepticismedgedJessie’svoice“Bywhom?”

Hetempledhisfingersandnodded.“I’mnotatlibertytosay.”Heeyedher.“ButIcan

assureyou,nooneiscock-blockinganythinganymore.”

Thewordsoundedcomicalcomingfromtheprimman’smouth,andshecouldn’thelp

aghostofasmirk.Herreactiondidn’tgounnoticedandhislipstwitchedbeforehecleared
histhroat,gettingbacktothepoint.

“There’sbeenanewdevelopment,Jessica.”

Shesnorted.“Wait,don’ttellme.Anothernewkeywitness.Isthisonetryingtoclear

theirconscienceoraretheyjustafraidofdyinglikethelastone?”sheshotback.

Hespreadhishandsonhislargedesk.“Doesitmatter?”

Shesatbackintheleatherofficechair,ignoringthecreaseinthebureaucrat’sbrowas

shestruggledtokeepherjawrelaxed.

Wardblinked.“AsIwassaying,withthisnewevidence,andsinceyouwereonscene

the last time, we want you to take a lead role in the investigation. Keep everything and
everyone clicking on correct cylinders, if you get my meaning. This is a delicate matter
andonewewantsettledwiththeleastamountofruffledfeathers.”

Jessica crossed her legs and leaned forward in her chair. “Is that your way of asking

metoplaynice,Commander?Becauseifyouare,there’sonlyonewayIplayandthat’s
hardandfast.Ilearnedquicklythatoperativesintightsituationsdon’thavetheluxuryof
coloringwithinthelines.

“IfIhavetheopportunitytohelpbringwhoever’sresponsibleforthistraffickingring

tojustice,nottomentionnearlykillingmeandtheotherassetsonthejob,Idon’tcareif
anentireflockgetsitsfeathersruffledintheprocess.”

Theman’seyesnarrowedbuthedidn’tcomment.

“Youlookunhappy,Commander.HowdidyouimagineI’drespond?Withafatwet

kissforyoutellingmetositononehand?Ithoughtthissituationwasdeadinthewater,
and now that I know it’s not, if you thought I would waste one second on political
correctness,youshouldhavethoughtmorebeforerippingthescaboffanoldwound.”

ThedooropenedandWardstood,snappingtoattention.“GeneralAverill,sir.”

Jessicagotupaswell,incliningherhead.“Sir.”

Hewavedthembothtosit.Movingtothesideofthecommander’sdesk,heslidonto

onecorner,hiseyesonJessica.“Youredgesaresharp,Ms.Banning,asisyourmind.To
behonest,that’swhatIhopedthisinterviewwouldprove,eveniftherearesomewho’d
preferotherwise.”

“Some?”shecountered.

He took his time answering, letting his eyes take in her face and the set of her jaw.

“Your previous experience has hardened you, but I’ll venture a guess it hasn’t hindered
you.There’snotrainingonearththatcanreplaceafireinsomeone’sbelly,andsometimes
revengeandjusticeareadeadlycombinationwhencorrectlyfocused.”Averillleanedin,
hiselbowonhisknee.“Youthinkyoucankeepyourfocus?”

Aslowgrinspreadacrossherface.“Likealaser.”

“Good,”hereplied.“There’sjustonehurtlelefttoconquer,whichiswhywehadyou

cometoNewYorkinsteadofmeetinginD.C.”

“Hurtle?”

Henodded.“Anothermeeting,really.”

“Withwhom?”Jessicaswallowedthecottonthatformedinhermouth.

Hepursedhislips.“Ithinkyoualreadyknowtheanswertothat.Hedoesn’twantyou

forthisassignment.”

Jessicacaughtthemeaninginhispointedlookandsheshivered,butitwasn’toutof

fearofbeingtestedorintimidated.Shecouldholdherown.Itwastheimageoftheman
she’ddreamedaboutdominatingherforthepastyear.Ridingherhard…

Sheinhaledaquickbreathtopullittogether.

The older man smiled. “Come.” He stood. “I’ll walk you to the elevator. Best to get

thisoverwithbeforeyoutwogetstarted.”

ChapterNine

T

he elevator slid open and Jessica stepped onto the top floor. No sooner had she

exitedthesilverdoorsthanitwasclearthiswasnoordinarymeeting,anddefinitelynot
somethingorganizedbyanygovernmentagency.

Devlin had something planned. Only this time, it seemed he and a few others were

callingtheshots.Oneofthemmusthaveuncoveredsomethingnew.

The central reception desk was empty, so she turned left as instructed and headed

towardthelargecornerofficeattheendofthehall.

Herhandrestedagainstherstomach.Shehadnorealreasontobenervous,yetshehad

butterflies.Shehadn’tseenorheardfromthemaninayear,andbasedontheirunexpected
encounteratthecoffeebar,shehadnoideawhattoexpect.

ThecorridorwithitsfloortoceilingglassremindedheroftheirdaysinLangley.Days

whenshe’dwatchDevlinfrombehindthecurtainofherlashes,dreamingabouthistouch.

Thosedreamsstillhaunted,onlyworsebecausenowtheywerenolongerfantasy.Like

shetoldPenelope.Shelivedit.

She padded down the corridor toward the office at the far end. Funny, really. The

similar corridor leading to the director’s office at Langley was unofficially dubbed
Deadman’s Pass. Assets were rarely summoned, but walking that particular length of
carpetusuallymeanttheircareerwasover.

Shewasn’tanasset.Neverwas.Well,notintheusualdefinitionatanyrate.Still,she

couldn’t quell the feeling that something was about to happen that would change
everything.

The office door was closed, as expected. Muffled voices echoed from behind the

handsomewood,soJessicapausedandthenknocked.

Noanswer.

Nooneaccompaniedher,andthelongershestoodinthehall,themoreheradrenaline

surged.Sheknockedagain,louder.

“Justaminute!”Devlin’svoicegroundfrombehindthecloseddoor.

Jessicasmoothedherdamppalmsalongthesideedgeofherskirt.Devlinpreferredto

doeverythinghimself,well,thistimehewasgettinghelpwhetherhewanteditornot.

The door yanked open and he stood, eyes staring. His fierce gaze took a slow walk

fromherfacetoherfeet,givinghercurvesaonceover.

Thecitywassteamingtoday,andsheoptedforawide-strapfitteddresswithavintage

flairandapairofskinny-heeledsandals.Sincesheranintohimearlier,shewasgladshe
chosetohavealittlefunwithherclothes,especiallysinceitmadeDevlinlooktwice.

She smoothed the cinched waist and glanced at him still waiting. The man’s eyes

burnedastheylookedatherandheactuallylickedhislips.

Afterayearandahalf?Score.

“Jessica—”hemurmured.“Youshouldn’tbehere.”

“Leave the girl alone, Law. I sent for her,” a male voice echoed from the speaker

phoneonthedesk.

“But,sir—”heturnedwithablink.

“Weneedher,Law,”thevoiceargued.“She’souraceintheholeinthisandyouknow

it.”

DevlinstoodtoonesideandletJessicaintotheroom.Shelookedfromthephoneto

Devlinandsmirked.“Whatarewe,Charlie’sAngels?”

The man’s voice chuckled. “If that’s what you’d like to think, okay by me. You’re

certainlyprettyenoughtobeanangel.Law,notsomuch.Maybeifhesmiledmore.”

“Charlie, I think I just fell in like with you,” Jessica replied with a soft laugh, not

caringwhatrankwasontheotherend.

“Iscomedyhourover?”Devlinasked.“Wedohaveanassignmenttoprepare,orhas

everyoneforgottenthat’sthereasonyousentforus,GeneralAverill.”

The voice on the phone stayed ominously quiet. Not a good sign. “Of course,” he

finally answered. “A little levity can go a long way between partners, Law. You should
knowthatconsideringyouwerestuckwithMeadeforsolong.Pityheretired.Isuggest
youlightenup.ItmighthelpsmooththingsoverbetweenyouandBanning.Afterall,you
haven’tseeneachotherinawhile.”

“Actually, sir, we saw each other this morning,” Jessica replied. “It was totally

innocent,butthenagain,maybeitwasn’t.Devlindoesn’tbelieveincoincidences.”

Lawfrowned,clearlycatchinghersarcasm.“Canwejustgetonwithit,please?”

“All business.” Averill snorted. “Have it your way. You usually do, Law, but I think

Ms.Banningdeservestobebroughtuptospeed.I’llletyoudothehonorswhenyoutake
hertoseethetailor.”

“GeneralAverill,please.Thetailor?”Devlinquestioned.

“YouknowwhoI’mtalkingabout,Law.You’vebeenthereenoughovertheyears.”

“AttiomoandSons?”Devprompted.“Sincewhenaretheyaffiliatedwithus?Lorenzo

has been making my suits for years and he never said a word. Besides, he doesn’t do
women.”

Thegeneralsnorted.“I’msurethat’snewstohiswife.”

“Ididn’tmeanitthatway,sir—”

Themanexhaledontheotherendofthespeakerphone.“You’renottheonlyonewho

can keep secrets, Law. Attiomo is on board with whatever we need and that includes
outfittingfemaleoperatives.Stopquestioning,andjustdo.Youbothhavealotofskinin

this game. We need a happy ending this time, people. We will never get another
opportunity.It’snowornever.”

JessicasparedaglanceforDevlinasawaveofdéjàvucaughtheroffguard.Nowor

never.She’dmurmuredthosesamewordstohimthatfirstnighttheyweretogether.

“Ofcourse,sir,”shereplied,wonderingifDevlinremembered,too.

The sound of muffled voices and shuffling paper on the other end signaled the

conversationwasatanend.“You’rebothexpected,soyou’dbettergetmoving.AsLaw
wellknows,Lorenzo’sshopisbyappointmentonly.Hehaseverythingyouneed.AndMs.
Banning, listen to what the tailor suggests. We want you both on the down low, but we
alsowantyoutolookasthoughyoubelong.I’llbeintouchwithfurtherinstructionsonce
you’redone.”

Thephoneclickedoffleavingthetwooftheminawkwardsilence.

“Jessica—”Devlinbegan,butsheliftedahandstemminghiswords.

“Don’t. It really doesn’t matter anymore. I know you have your reasons, Devlin, but

running into you this afternoon at Bryant Park tells me you’ve been stateside for a little
while,butnowIgatheryou’vebeenbackforsometime.Idon’tneedadegreeinrocket
sciencetoguesswhyyoudidn’tgetintouch.”

Heleanedontheedgeofthedesk,curlinghisfingersaroundthedarkbevelededge.“I

havebeenstateside,butthatdoesn’tmeanI’vebeenfreetocontactyou.Atleast,notuntil
now,thoughtobehonest,Idon’twantyouhere,Jess.”

Sheshovedherpursestraphigherontohershoulder.“Obviously.”

“Jess, please. It’s not how you think. I want you here, with me, but not for this

assignment.It’stoodangerous.Iwantyousafe.Asfarawayfromthiscesspoolofevents
aspossible.”

Anglingherheadathim,sheuncrossedherarms.“What’sgoingon,Dev?WhywasI

wasgivenapersonalitylitmustestbysomelackeybeforeAverillsentmeuptoseeyou?”

“WhathappenedinKyivwastraumatic,especiallyforsomeonenotusedtofieldwork.

Since Averill insists we do this together, he needed to satisfy himself—and me—you
couldhandlethepressure.”

Jessica put her purse down on a chair and then sat with a soft exhale. “There’s a lot

thathappenedinKyiv,Devlin,andyou’reright.Someofitwastraumatic.Therest—”she
letherwordstrailoff.“Let’sjustsaythepartthatlingersinmymindhasnothingtodo
withbullets.”

Hepushedhimselffromtheedgeofthedeskandtookherhand,pullingherfromthe

chairandintohisarms,butshetwistedawaypunchinghimdeadintheface.“Goddamn
you,DevlinLaw!”

Devlin’s hand flew to his nose. “Ow! Jesus!” His chin dropped to his chest and he

exhaled.

“What’s the matter? Don’t like being taken off guard by someone with such an

understatedexterior?”Sheusedhisturnofphrasefromthatfirstnight.

Heliftedhishead,givingitaquickshake.“Whatthehelldoesthatmean,andwhydid

youhitme?”

“Fornothavingthedecencytosendanoteorsomethingexplainingyoursituation.I

didn’taskforasecuritybreach,justproofoflife,Devlin!I’vespentthepastyearthinking
youweredead,orworse!”

Hesqueezedthebridgeofhisnose.“Youdidn’tseemthatupsetthismorning.Iguess

mygutinstinctwasright.You’retoobittertobepartofthisassignment.”

“Bitter?That’sunfairandyouknowit.Iwanttoknowwhat’sgoingon.Yousaidyou

weren’tfreetocontactmeuntilnow,sotalk.Now’syourchance.Wherehaveyoubeen
forthepastyear?Whatarewefacingthistime?”

He stretched his jaw, giving his head another shake. “You’ve got quite a right hook,

youknowthat?”

Shepacedabitbeforeturningonherheeltofacehim.“Ibeentrainingagain,andstop

evading my questions. As for this morning, I was stunned to see you, but clearly you
weren’tthatsurprisedtoseeme.Youcan’tjustpullmeintoyourarmsandexpecttopick
upwhereweleftoff.Ineedthewholestory,Devlin,beforeIletyoubackintomylife.If
thisisjustanotheroneoff,thentobehonest,I’lltakeapass.”

“IsthatwhatyouthinkwewereinKyiv,andrightbefore?Aoneoff?”heshookhis

head.“Theonlythingthatkeptmesanethispastyearwasthememoryofyourface,the
soundofyourvoice.Iwassenttodealwithadruglord.Avilepieceofshitworsethan
any I’d dealt with in the past. He was on a list of affiliates the powers-that-be wanted
eliminated.”

“Columbian?”sheasked,stunnedforamoment.“Andeliminatedhow?”

Devlingaveherapointedlookandthenshookhishead.“Venezuelan—andeliminated

as in sleeps with the fishes. This guy was in bed with government officials who made a
dealtotransportgunstothelocalinsurgentsfightingtheMaduroregime.Itwasallunder
thetableandforaprice,thisdudeprovidedthemeans.Thepigshowedhistruecolorsand
putthesqueezeon,threateningtoexposethearrangement.”

Jessicasankontothechairagain.

“Warmakesforstrangebedfellows,andVenezuelaiscertainlyinastateofcivilwar.

There’s no law in that country anymore. It is complete anarchy, and the abuses would
breakyourheart.”

Shelookedathim.“Whathappened?”

“Surveilling this guy led me to information about who’s in bed with our Russian

friends in Kyiv. I learned who plans the origin, transit, and destination routes for the
traffickingringwetargetedlastyear.”

Jessica’smouthwentdryandsherosefromherseat.“Who?”

“Believe it or not, the former Ukrainian ambassador, Yannick Durov, as well as the

CEOofTenantIndustries,CliffHarmon.”

Hereyeswidened.“Harmon?He’sthebiggestrealestatemogulinthewesternworld.”

“Yeah—andhe’stheirlaundryman.”Henodded.“Andguesswhoelse?”

Sheswallowed.“Who?”Thewordlefthermouthmorecroakthanquestion.

“SenatorMauriceMarch,”Devlinreplied.

Jessicashookherheadtryingtowraphermindarounditall.“Isn’thethechairmanof

theSenateCommitteeonHumanRights?”

“Exactly,andwhat’sworseisFrankLauderreportsdirectlytohimonanycasesthat

fallunderhumanrightsviolations.”

Shesunkintothechairagain.“LikeKyiv.”

“Yes.LikeKyiv.”

Jessicalookedupfromherstunnedstare.“So,asenator,theformerambassador,and

themogulknewallaboutIvan.”

“Yes.”

Sheblinked.“Itsoundslikethebeginningofabadjoke.”

“Tellmeaboutit.”

Incredulous, she shook her head. “And they knew before we went in to retrieve

Solokovich’slist.”

“Aninsidejob,assuspected.”Devlinpaused.“Speakingofwhich,doyoustillhave

ourinsurancepolicy?”

Nodding, she inhaled and then let her breath out in a quick rush. “Of course. Ivan’s

printoutissafeandsound.Funny,though,notoneofthethreemenyoumentionedwason
Ivan’slist.Atleast,notthepartthatsurvivedthegunshots.”

Sherubbedherchin,considering.“CoulditbeIvanplayedusallalong?It’sstilljust

ourwordagainstapowerfulandwell-moneyedmachine,andthemoreweexaminethis,
themoreitfeelslikewewereplayedbybothends.”

“Not necessarily. Not when the bank records linked to every shady wire transfer and

every illicit cash drop transacted since they began their dirty business is now in my
possession,”Devlinansweredwithasmirk.

Jessica’smouthdroppedopen.“Howthehelldidyoumanagethat?Imean,you’vegot

asmilethatmakesmykneesgoweak,butIdoubtyourdruglordrolledoverforaflashof
sexygrin.”

Devlinwenttotheofficesideboardandpouredtwoglassesofwhiskey,walkingback

withthemboth.“Let’sjustsaythescumbaglikedhisbreadbutteredonbothsides.Trust
me.Hewouldhaverolledontohisbellyforless.Fortunately,Ididn’thavetogothere.”

“ThankGodforsmallfavors,then.”Shetookoneofthetumblersfromhishand,her

browspullingtogether.“Wait,ifyoudidn’ttradefortheinformation,thenhowdidyouget
himtogiveitup?”

Hegrinned.“Informationisn’thardtocomebywhenyouhaveaman’sballsinapair

ofgeldingshears.HeprettymuchgavemewhateverIwanted.”

“DevlinLaw!Youhumiliatedacarteldruglord!He’llcomeafteryouwitheverything

he’sgot.They’rerelentless!Hispeoplewillhuntyouandeveryoneyouloveuntilyoubeg
fordeath,andtheirreachspanscountries.”

“Notunlessthatreachworksfrombeyondthegrave.”Devlinshrugged.“Ieliminated

him,Jessica.Asinsixfeetunder.”

Hetookherhandinhisandpulledherfromthechairagain.Thistimehelockedhis

armsaroundherwaist,notlettinghertwistaway.

“Wecanfinishthejobwestartedeighteenmonthsago,Jess.It’sadangerousbusiness

andthat’swhyIdidn’twantyouinvolved,butnowIseeIcan’tdothiswithoutyou.”He
shrugged.“Imean,Ican—butIdon’twantto.”

“Youdon’thavetodothisalone,Dev.Iwanttoramaspikethroughtheirheartsforthe

misery they bring to the world, and for what they did to us. You swore you’d find the
prooftonailthesebastardstothewallandyoudid.Ameanstoanend.”

“Well, the general did say we need a happy ending here.” His eyes searched hers.

“I’mgameifyouare,Jessica.”

Hisdoublemeaningwasn’tlostonher,andinthatmoment,thepastyearmeltedaway.

“Icoulddowithalittlehappythesedays,tobehonest.”

Devlin’s lips slid into a soft grin even as they slanted over hers. “It’s been way too

longsinceI’vetastedyou,woman.Wehavealotofcatchinguptodo.Smoothoverour
hardedges.”

Shesmiledagainsthismouthandreachedtohookherfingersintothefrontofhissuit

pants.“Icanthinkofsomethingrightnowthat’ssmoothandhard,butwehavesomeplace
weneedtobe,first.”

“Spoilsport.”

ChapterTen

D

evlinheldthecabdooropenandJessicaswungherlegsovertheedgetogetout.

Sheslidherhandintohiswaitingpalmandlookedup.

With a grin, he gestured with his head to the brownstone on the corner. “The place

hasn’tchangedabitsinceLorenzoopenedhisdoorsfiftyyearsago.”

From the taxi’s rear passenger seat, she followed his gaze to the stunning old-style

buildingwithgiltgoldpaintedwindowsandabold,lightVictorianstylesignwithsilver
accents

.

“The shop is tucked into the first floor, but it’s bigger than it looks from the street.”

Devgaveherhandalightsqueeze.“Youokay,Ace?”

Shenoddedandslidtherestofthewayfromthebackseat,lettinghimhelpherfrom

the cab. Straightening her knee-length dress, she stood with Devlin on the sidewalk
lookingattheshop.

“Havingsecondthoughts?”heasked.

Jessicashookherhead.“No,justthinkingaboutsomethingthegeneralsaidearlier.”

“What?”

“It’snothing,really.Hesaid,wewantyoubothonthedownlow,butwealsowantyou

tolookasthoughyoubelong.WhatdidAverillmeanbythat?Howdoyouplanforusto
goabout—”shecircledonehand,notwantingtomoreonthestreet.

“I don’t know yet. Like he said, he’ll give us further instructions once we see the

tailor.”Asmallsmirktuggedatthecornerofhismouthandheliftedherfingertipstohis
lips.“EvenifIdidknow,yousidetrackedme.”

Shehadtosmileknowingshe’dusedthesameexcuseonhiminKyiv.

“C’mon.”Hekissedtheendofhernose.“Let’sgofindout.”

Hewaitedforhertofallinstepbesidehimonthesidewalk.TypicalforNewYork,the

concrete was cracked and uneven and split by subway grates and dotted with bulkhead
doorstoundergroundstoragefortheshopsinthecity’sfamedLittleItaly.

Jessicastumbled,catchingtheslimedgeofherheelinoneofthegrates,andDevlin’s

handshotoutcatchingher.Herfootslippedfromthesandal,leavingherhoppingonone
footlikeanidiotwhileshehungontohisarm.

Withachuckle,hebenttowiggleherheelfree,slippingitbackonherfootwithagrin.

“Hereyougo,Cinderella.”

His hand lingered on the back of her calf, lightly caressing her bare skin, and Jess

swallowedagainstthebutterfliesthatjumpedinherstomach.

Having his hand an easy slide from her inner thighs and what lay in between sent a

punchtohersexandherpantiesdampened.Wouldsheevergetenoughoftheman?God,

shehopednot.

“I should have known better,” she muttered. “New York is notorious for destroying

heels.”

Hestraightenedslowly,lettinghisfingersdriftoverhercalftoherouterthighandup

toherwaist.“YoudestroymeeverytimeIseeyoustandingtherelookingsosexy.”

They walked toward the shop and she had to shake her head to clear the sexual fog.

Theyhadbusinesstoattendto,eventhoughallshewantedwastodragDevlinbacktoher
hotelandstraddlehiscock.Ayearandahalfwastoolongtobethisclosenowandstill
nottouch.

TinybellsjangledasDevlinopenedthefrontdoortotheshopandthefirstthingthat

hit was the scent of lemon oil. The two walked in and Jessica looked around at the
sumptuousclothesandaccessories.

The interior was a glow of rich mahogany from the gorgeous crown molding and

wainscotedwallstotheburnishedfixturesandpolishedcaseswiththeircrystal-clearglass.
Flockedwallpaperaddedoldworldeleganceandathrowbackfeeltoabygoneage,yetthe
wordthatsprangtomindwaswelcoming.

Suitoptions,jackets,andveststotryforsizeandcutstretchedacrossthefarsideofthe

shopwhiletwoislandsoneithersideofthecountershowcasedtiesandhandkerchiefsand
otheraccessories.

Pilesoffabricsamplebookslinedtheworktablesbehindthelargemahoganycounter

andthefrontcasedisplayedrowsofwatches,bothpocketandwrist,aswellascufflinks
andtiepins.Everythingawell-dressedmancouldwant.

Devlin looked like he owed the place. Then again, he was in his element, where

everythingscreamedelegance.

Italian drifted from behind a non-descript curtain off to the side as a hand curled

aroundthedarkfabric,thelastofastreamofinstructionsissued.

The curtain slid open and a short, skinny old man with thick salt and pepper hair

steppedout.

“Signore!It’sgoodtoseeyouagain.”Abrightsmilesplitthelittleman’sfaceandhe

pushedhiswirerimglassesfartherontohisnose.“Andyoursuit!Perfecto!AsIknewit
would!”

ThetailorcircledDevlinadmiringhishandiwork,andasthetwotalked,shegazedat

themaninthegorgeoussuit.

They say clothes make the man, but she couldn’t disagree more. Devlin would look

good in a paper bag. It was his presence that mesmerized, and a classy wardrobe only
addedtohisallure.

“And who is this gem you have with you today?” the tailor asked, interrupting her

ogling.

The tailor had clear, blue eyes that crinkled at the corners and a well-groomed

mustachethattwitchedineasyhumorashegreetedthem.

“ThisisMs.Banning.Ibelieveyouwereexpectingus,Lorenzo,”Devlinreplied.

Liftingoneknottyhand,hegesturedtowardthem.“Ah,yes.Please,comein.”

Alongtapemeasurehungaroundtheman’sstoopedneckasthoughapermanentpart

ofhisbeing.Thatalongwiththesmallornatepinkyringonhislefthandashebeckoned
themforward.

“Gothroughtodressingroomnumberone.I’llbewithyouinoneminute.Ihavemy

assistanttowatchtheshopwhileIassistyou.”

Threedressingroomdoorsflankedacenterdaiswithanornatetrifoldmirrorandtwo

winged-backchairsseparatedbyasmalltableholdingacrystaldecanterandglasses.

BeforeJessicacouldopenhermouthtoask,thesmallmancalledforhishelper,yelling

forherinItalianasheslippedthroughtothebackagain.

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” Jessica snorted, listening to the

commotionechoingfromtheworkroom.“Ormaybenot.”

Devlin cracked a smile. “What Lorenzo lacks in volume control, he makes up for in

taste.There’snotabettertailoranywhereinNewYork.”

“Idon’tdoubtthat,”shereplied.“Thisplaceisanamazingcombinationofstyles.”She

pickedupatieandresteditagainstDevlin’schest.“Icanseewhyyoulikehimsomuch.
Hismerchandiseisimpeccable.”

Withagrin,heslippedthetiefromherhandandwrappedthefinematerialaroundher

wrist.“Maybeweshouldgetoneoftheseforlater.”Heraisedasexyeyebrowandrana
fingerupherbareforearm.

“Soundslikeachallenge,Mr.Law.”Shewentupontiptoeandwenttokisshim,but

nippedhisbottomlipinstead.

Hislipshoveredoverhersforamoment,butthenhepulledbackandunwoundthetie

from her wrist. He tossed the silk on the table before steering her toward the dressing
rooms.

“Whatjusthappened?”sheaskedwithaconfusedchuckleashetowedherforward.

“Handstoyourself,Banning.There’snothingmoreembarrassingthanfacingatailor’s

tapemeasurewhenyouhavearaginghard-on.”

At her laugh, he opened the dressing room door, slapping her butt as she walked

through. He closed the slatted door behind them, and before he could say another word,
shewrappedherarmsaroundhisneckandtookhismouthasdemandingandhungryasa
yearandahalfoffantasiespouredthroughher.

“Thatwasaprettystealthyattack,Ms.Banning,”hemurmured,breakingtheirkiss.

“Being in close quarters with you does that to me,” she replied, and when his hands

cupped her ass, her breath hitched at the hard bar of his cock pressed tight against her
body.

Hernipplesached,andwetnessslickedbetweenherlegsathowmuchshewantedhim

to fuck her, right here, right now. The fact they were pseudo-public made the idea of
ridinghiscockevenhotter,andherclitthrobbedattherisk.

“Infact,ifLorenzodoesn’tshowupsoon,I’mgoingtoshowyouhowstealthIcanbe.

Dresses provide the perfect camouflage and easy access. Especially when one is
commando.”

Devlin’seyesdarkenedashishandskneadedherflesh,pressinghishardlengtheven

closer. “There’s a lock on the door. Maybe we should use it,” he said, inching her dress
higherandhigher.“Caretodemonstrateyourstealthtechniques?Mydickcan’twait.”

Her hem was hiked to the base of her ass, when the wall behind them slid open.

Lorenzostoodforamomentandthencoughed,movingasideinthehiddendoorway.

“If you’ll come with me, there’s much to be done in a short time.” The tailor gave

Devlinawink,curlinghisfingersforthemtofollow.“It’sthesuit,amicomio.Theladies,
theycannotresist.”

DevlinslippedaprotectivearmaroundJessica’swaist.“Lorenzo,whereareyoutaking

us?”

Themandidn’tturn,justcontinueddownthedimcorridortoasetofstairs.Hestopped

infrontofametaldoor.

“IcametothiscountrywithmyparentsduringWorldWarII.Wewereluckytogetout

ofItalyandawayfromMussolini’sreign.Iwasjustaboy,butmyparentstoldmestories.

“We were refugees, without a penny or a friend. That is until my papa met Giles

Averill.”

“Wait,didyousayAverill?”Devlinasked.“AsinGeneralWilliamAverill’sfather?”

Thetailorturnedwithanod.“That’sright,Mr.Law.GilesAverillhelpedussettlein

New York. It was here Papa got into the procurement business. The general’s father
workedfortheStateDepartmentatthetime,andmyfatherhelpedprocurecertainitems
forhimfromtimetotime,especiallyduringwartime.

“Papa helped Giles until he couldn’t anymore, and when I opened this shop I

continuedtheserviceuntilheretired.”Attiomoputalongmetalkeyinthelockandturned
thecylinder,openingthedoor.

He pushed it wide and stepped through, but waited before snapping on the light.

“Abouttenyearsago,thegeneralapproachedme,havingknownaboutmyfatherandhis
connections. He wasn’t as high ranking as he is now, but he wanted me to resurrect my
services.Ofcourse,theitemsIprocuredwereofadifferentnaturethanourfathers.More
technologybased.”

Thetailorreachedaroundthesideofthedoorjambandturnedonthelight.Weapons

andhigh-techgadgetsrightoutofaJamesBondmovielinedthewallsandtables.

Devlin picked up a laser attachment for the nose of a gun and turned it over in his

hand.“ThislookslikesomethingTeddyhadayearorsoago,”hemurmured,slidingan
eyetoLorenzo.

“Thisplaceissurreal,”Jessicasaid,walkingtowardatablewithshoesandaccessories.

“Areoneoftheseashoephone?”Shegrinned,pickingupaman’sloaferandputtingitto
herear.

“No,butIdohaveashoewithaspringactionretractablestiletto.Thebladeisformed

fromanewkindofplastic.It’sstrongenoughtosharpentoarazoredge,yetundetectable
totheTSAsincetheshoe’ssolesaremadeofthesamematerial.Inaman’ssize,theblade
canbeasmuchasfiveinches.Lessforawomanbecauseyourfeetaresmaller,butstill
justasdeadly.”Hepickedupaslim-heeledanklestrappumpandhelditup.“I’llhavea
pairoftheseforyouforyourevent.”

ShesparedaglanceforDevlinbeforelookingbacktothetailor.“Event,whatevent?”

“Look in that purse, Ms. Banning.” Lorenzo gestured toward the evening bag on the

tablewiththeaccessories.“TheonethatmatchestheshoesIjustshowedyou.”

Jessica lifted the black clutch purse and unsnapped the top. Inside was a gilt-edged

invitationandabeautifulnecklacewithadroppearl.

Shescannedtheinvitation,thenecklacedanglingfromherfingersassheread.“Thisis

aninvitationtoafundraiserthedayaftertomorrow.It’sbeinggivenforsomenon-profit
human rights group.” She handed the invitation to Devlin. “Global Anti-Slavery
Foundation.I’veneverheardofthem,haveyou?”

He took the invitation from her hand and skimmed it, shaking his head. “GASF is a

fringeorganization.I’veheardmentionofthem,butnotasamainstreamgroup.”

“This is your ticket to enter the arena and finish your fight.” Lorenzo nodded,

answeringtheirunaskedquestions.“Averillfilledmeinonthedetails.Everyoneyouseek
willbethere,inoneroom.”

Jessica exhaled, putting the necklace back into the purse and snapping it closed.

“We’recoloringoutsidethelinesonthisoneaswell,aren’twe?”

Devlin nodded. “Looks that way, and I’m in the dark as much as you on certain

things.”HeshiftedhisgazetoLorenzo,butthemanliftedahand,neutral.

“Myservicesareveryselect.OnlyafewpeopleknowwhatIdo,andIkeepitthatway

forareason.Mycustomershavetoprovethemselves.Ionlyhelpthosewhotrulyseekthe
greatergood.Averillisoneofthosepeople.”

Jessica put the evening bag on the table, and a shiver took her and she rubbed her

arms.

“I’msorry,cara.Theroomneedstobekeptcoolforobviousreasons,butIcangetyou

awrapifyoulike,”thetailoroffered.

She shook her head. “I’m not cold, Lorenzo. I don’t like the idea of going it alone

again.Iunderstandwhythishastobehandledundertheradar,butIcan’thelpbutwish
wehadbackup.”

“YoumeanMeade,”Devlinsaidwithanod.“Ihadthesamethought.”

Jessicashrugged.“Teddymaynotbemyfavoriteperson,butheputhislifeontheline

withyoutohelpsavemefromIvanandwhateverdeviancyhehadplanned.Misogynistor

not,Tedtookmorethanabulletformeandnearlylosthislife.”

“Iknow,buthe’sretired,love.Iwasn’tabouttoaskhimtogothroughitallagain.You

saidyouweregivenalitmustesttoseeifyoupassedmuster,well,heandIweregiventhe
sameandheoptedout.”

Shethrewahandup.“Idon’tbuyit,Devlin.Teddyismanythings,butheneverstruck

measthekindtogogentleintothatgoodnight.He’smoretherageagainsttype.”

“Youknow,sweetcheeks,ifIdidn’tknowbetterI’dthinkyouactuallylikedme,”a

voicesaidfrombehind.

Devlinwhirledonhisfeet,grabbingagunfromthetableandholdingitpointblankto

theman’sforehead.Heblinkedforamomentandthenburstoutlaughing.

TedMeadeshovedatoothpickintothecornerofhismouth,asidewaysgrinspreading

acrosshislips.“Andafinehow-do-you-dotoyoutoo,partner.”

“What the hell are you doing here? How?” Devlin clicked the safety on the gun and

putitonthetablebeforepullingTedintoabearhug.

“Afteralltheyearswespenttogether,Law,didyoureallythinkIwouldn’tkeeptabs?

EspeciallywhenIknowBanningwascalledintotown?”

Devlin stepped back with a grin, and Meade took the toothpick from his teeth and

pointeditatthetwo.“Iknewsomethingwasup,soIfollowedyouguys.”

Teddy shifted his gaze to Lorenzo and tossed the toothpick in the trash by the door

beforestickingouthishand.“It’snicetofinallymeetyouinperson.”

“Ahha! I knew it!” Devlin pointed at his partner. He picked up the laser attachment

again,andhelditout.“That’showyougotthislittlebeauty.Howdoyoutwoknoweach
otherandIdon’t?”

Teddy grinned, sparing a look for Lorenzo. “What can I say, dude? I was willing to

thinkoutsidetheboxonoccasion.”

“Yeah,right.”Devlinsmirked.“Morelikeyoustuckyoursnoutwhereitdidn’tbelong,

snoopy.Likenow.”

Jessica picked up a shoe stiletto and waved it at the two. “Who cares who met who

first?Stopposturingforapissingmatch.Wehaveajobtodo.”

The little man chuckled, raising his hand in a very Italianesque gesture. “Women.

Whatwouldwedowithoutthem,eh?”

Meadesmirked.“Yeah,andyoucan’tjustshoot’em,either.”

“Gladyou’rehere,too,Teddy.Nowcanwegetonwithit?”Sheeyedbothmen,and

when neither said a word she nodded. “Good.” She turned to the tailor and flashed a
winningsmile.“Lorenzo,showuswhattoysyouhaveforus.”

Heinclinedhishead.“Ladiesfirst.Thenecklaceintheeveningbag—it’sabeautiful

pieceofjewelry,butitisalsoatitaniumgarrote.Itspearldropisanexplosive,incaseyou
needadiversiontobuyyoutime.”Heturned.“Andforyou,gentlemen,thegeneralasked
forthenewestincovertweaponry,startingwiththese…”

ChapterEleven

J

essicaswipedthekeycardtothehotelsuiteandopenedthedoor.Shewalkedinwith

DevlinandTeddyclosebehind,andturnedonthelight.

“Yeah,baby.Thesedigswillworkoutjustfine,”Tedsaid,hangingthegarmentbags

on the bookcase in the living room area. “Two bedrooms, two baths, and common rec
room—”HegaveDevlinachinpop.“I’mguessingyou’restillnotintosharing,right?”

Ashoeflewacrosstheroom,hittingTeddysmackinthechestwithasoftwhoompf.

“Hey!”hesaid,rubbingthemarkjustsouthofhiscollarbone.“Isthatanywaytotreat

ahouseguest?”

“I told you I didn’t need a blade to make my point, Teddy. This is my suite, which

makesitmyhomeawayfromhome.Thatmeansmannersmatter.”

Meadechuckled,pickinguphersandalandtoyedwiththestraps.“Whateveryousay,

NannyMcPhee.”

“Imeanit,Ted.YoueitherbehaveorI’llshowyoufirst-handhowevilthisNannycan

be.”

Putting the shoe on the end table, he smirked giving her a mock salute. “I hear you

loudandclear,princess,butsinceyouandDevareplayinghouseontheoppositesideof
the suite, I trust you won’t mind if I send out for a little take out company to keep me
occupied?”

Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes. “Take out company? Really, Teddy, even you

can do better than that, but suit yourself. Just no rent-a-dates or order-by-phone types,
okay?”

“Whataboutonlineorders?Tinderappissouserfriendly,”heteasedback.

“Ted!”

Themanlaughed,tossinghershoeback.“Okay,okay.I’mjustbusting‘em,Banning.

I’llhitthebarsandpracticemypickuplinestheold-fashionedway.”

Devlin took Jessica by the hand and tugged her with him toward the bedroom. “On

that note, I think I’m going to grab a shower. We’ve got a day and a half to go over
strategyandIwanttomakesureeverythinggoesthewayweplan.”

He closed the door behind them and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head

against Devlin’s chest and inhaled his clean, masculine scent. “I thought you wanted to
takeashower.”

“Caretojoinme?”hesaidwithasoftchuckle.“I’llwashyoursifyouwashmine.”

Sheshookherhead,slippingoffheroneremainingshoe.

“What?”hepulledbackforcinghertolookathim.

Jessicainhaledagain.“We’rerogueagain,right?”

“Yes,butnotlikethelasttime,”hereplied.“GeneralAverill’snotliketheothers,Jess.

He’scareer military andall, but hehad a niece takenlast year. Ithappened after we got
backfromGermany.Theringleadersstayedonthedownlowforaboutsixmonths,but
thentheygotcocky.

“Incidentsskyrocketed,almostasiftheywantedtomakeupforlostrevenue.Averill

usedeveryounceofhispoliticalpulltofindher,buteventhen,thebastardsprotectingthis
filthyoctopuscock-blockedhimeverystepoftheway.”

Shewincedagainthehorriblenews.“Wasthegirleverfound?”

“Yes,thankGod,butthecostoflifewashorrific.Again,ringleadersknewtheplans

ahead of the game. Averill somehow managed to get his hands on the report before
SenatorMarchsanitizeditorattheveryleast,spunithisway.

“Thegeneralknewthenhehadtoformhisowngroup.Covert,deadlyandyes—rogue.

Thisgigisours.CommanderWard,themanwhoinitiallyquestionedyou,isrelatedtothe
general, so he’s got skin in the game, too. They needed to make sure you would do
whateverittakestobringdownthetopthreeinthisvilepyramid.

“These three scumbags—March, Harmon, and Durov—are the greedy bastards

providing political protection and a way to funnel the money into legit channels. Once
that’sgone,theorganization’ssoftunderbellywillbeexposed.”

“WhataboutFrankLauder?”

Hisjawstiffened.“Istilldon’thavetheevidencetoprovehe’sinvolved,butmygut

tells me he’s neck deep in this and my gut is never wrong. This party will tell me
everythingIneedtoknow.”

“And?”sheasked.

Devlin’seyesdarkened.“Thenhe’sadeadmanwalking.”

“Whataboutourinsurancepolicy?It’sinmyapartmentinD.C.”sheexplained.

He shook his head. “Lauder used you as bait once, so now we’re going to turn the

tables.Letitsliptheremightbeasecondlistouttherebackedupbybankrecords.”

“Butthat’salltrue.”Herbrowsknotted,notfollowing.

He nodded. “Yes, and that’s what will make it as easy to use as a carrot on a stick.

We’llletitslipatthefundraiserandthenwatchthemsquirm.”

“Soanythinggoes?”

Henodded.“Yup.”

“Andwhataboutus?”Shechewedonherlipalmostafraidtoask.Sexwasonething.

Tellinghershewasinhisthoughtswasastepintherightdirection,butnow?Shewanted
toknow.

Thequestionlingeredintheairlongerthansheexpected,makinghersorrysheletthe

wordspastherlips.

Devlinslippedhisfingersunderherchinandliftedherface.Hedippedhislipstohers,

brushingthemwithafeathertouch.

“ItoldyouIspentthelastyearandahalfdreamingaboutyouintheflesh.Doesthat

mean I thought about your lush curves, masturbated to the memory of how you felt
beneathmeandthewayyoutasted?Sure,butitalsomeansIdreamtaboutyou.

“Who you are, your smile, your wit, the way you light up when you laugh. You. I

never want to be farther away from you again than I am right now. So, yeah, anything
goesforus,too,aslongaswe’retogether.”

She exhaled tightening her arms around his waist. “I love knowing you’ve got my

back.”

Cupping her face, he kissed her again before sliding his hands over her shoulders to

herback.“Ido.Igotyoucovered,baby.”

“Isthatso?”shesaidwithagiggle.“Caretodemonstrate?”

Hewalkedherbackwardsuntilthebackofherkneeshittheedgeofthebed.“That’s

myline,remember?”Reachingforthehemofherdress,hekissedherlips.“Besides,you
still need to show me your easy access.” He pushed the fabric high, bunching it in one
handoverherhipashestrokedherpussywithhisthumb.

“I’m going to fuck you, Jessica. Like I wanted to in that dressing room. You are so

fuckingsexyandwet.Iwantyoutowatchinthemirror.Iwantyoutoseeyourfaceas
youImakeyoucome.WatchthatgorgeousblushspreadacrossyourskinasIspreadyour
prettypinkpussywidewithmycock.”

Takingherbunchedheminbothhands,helifteditoverherhead,lettingherdressfall

tothefloor.Heshruggedfromhissuitjacketandthendidthesamewithhisshirt,leaving
histiearoundhisneck.

“Lookatyourself,Jess,”hesaid,turningherheadtowardthemirroroverthedresser.

You’rebeautiful.”

He scooped her into his arms and carried her naked to the side of the bed. “On your

knees,baby.”

Jessicaclimbedontothemattressandturnedkneelingbackonherheels.Sheliftedone

handtoDevlin’schestastheotherunbuttonedhispants.

Shakinghishead,hecoveredherhandwithhim.“Turnaround,baby.Facethemirror.”

She ran a hand over his hard bar, cupping his balls through his suit pants before

scootingaround.Inthemirror,shewatchedhimunziphisfly.Hemovedinsuchsexyslow
motion, she licked her lips as he spread the front of his pants, and pushed them low
enoughtofisthiscock.

“Touchyourself,Jessica.Kneelupandspreadyourkneeswideandtouchyourpussy.

Strokeyourslit.Iwanttoseeyourfingersglisteningwithyourslickjuice.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she straightened and then slid her hand from her throat,

over her breasts, letting her fingers splay downward on her belly as she inched her way
south.

“That’s it, spread your lips and show me your clit,” he said pushing his pants to the

ground.

Helethishandsroamherbreasts.Squeezingandpinchingthefullflesh,workingher

nipplesuntilhardpeaksformedunderhisfingers.

Shegasped,anglingherheadforhislipsastheykissedhernecktoherear.

“You’re so hot, babe. Look at the flush on your skin.” His hand covered hers as she

workedherpussy,keepinghisotheratherbreasts.

“Slidinandoutwithme.Stuffthatslitwithourfingerstogether,”hewhisperedbehind

herear.

Hiseyeslockedwithhersinthemirrorashisthumbcircledhernub,theirjoinedhand

plungingdeepinhersex.

Jessica’s back arched and her body tensed as a climax crested and exploded against

theirmingledfingers.

She slumped back against his chest as he slowly caressed her sensitive flesh. Taking

herhandwithhis,heliftedtheirfingerstohermouth.

“Taste,Jessica.”

She opened her mouth and licked his fingers, sucking them between her lips. Devlin

pulledhishandfromhermouthandthendidthesame,liftingherfingerstohismouth.He
moaned,savoringtheflavorandthenpulledherhandaway,restingitonherchestashe
turnedherfaceandtookhermouth.

His tongue licked her lips before delving deep. Breaths mingled and tongues danced

untilshegasped,breakingtheirkiss.

Heslippedhistieoverhisheadandthengrinnedatherinthemirror.“Wanttoplaya

game,Jess?”heasked.

“I’vehadyourhand,butwhatIreallywantisyourcock.Iyouwantyoutofuckme,

Dev.Soifthat’spartofthefun,thenyes…I’mgame.”

“Lieback,then,”hesaidwithasmirk.

Shescootedhigherontothebedandlayback,proppingherselfonthepillows.

Hetiedherwristsandthenanchoredthemtotheheadboard.

“Now, you’re mine,” he grinned. “I intend to tease you and suck you and fuck you

boneless.”

Jessica yanked on her silk bonds. “I still have my legs, tough guy. Remember, I’ve

beentrainingagain.IcantakeyouifIhaveto.”

Hecrawledforward,lickingherfromherbellytoonebreast,bitinghernipple.“Oh,

you’lltakemeallright.Hardanddeep,andyouwillloveit.”

Withagrinshewrappedherlegsaroundhiswaist,pressingherwetslittohisbulging

head.

“Promise?”

***

Thetwowoketocloudcoverandthesoundofrainonthewindowoutsidethehotel.

Jessica rolled over, her arm brushing Devlin’s back. She scooched closer, resting the

flatofherhandbetweenhisshoulderblades.

“Yougearinguptopushmeoutofbed?”heasked,glancingoverhisshoulderpastthe

blanket.

With a sigh, she snuggled in, slipping her hand under his arm so it snaked over his

chestforhertospoonuptightly.“WhywouldIdothat?Ilikehavingyouaround.It’slike
haveabigwarmpetinthebed.”

“Pet?” He laughed, turning over to face her. “Last night you said I was your fantasy

come true. Do you have something you’d like to share with the class then? Any odd
fetishesIshouldknowabout?”

Withasmirk,sheshovedathischest.“No,butyouarestrongandloyalandyouliketo

lickmeinalltherightplaces,regardlessofmyjigglybits.”

“You’vegotaveryweirdsenseofhumor,youknowthat?”hesaid,kissingthetipof

hernose.

Sheshrugged.“Well,I’maBrit.Whatdidyouexpect?”

Heheldoutonearmandshecuddledinagainsthischest.Shetracedthelinesofhis

six-pack,herfingersmovinginslowabsentcaresses.

“Isyourhandonaparticularpath,orarewejustsurveyingtheterrain?”heaskedwith

achuckle.

“Hmmm?”

Devlin lifted her face, kissing the tip of her nose again. “You’re wool gathering,” he

saidwithasoftgrin.“Oratleastthat’swhatmygranusedtosay.Caretotellmewhat’s
gotyousofaraway?”

“It’snothing,really.”

Shiftingontooneelbow,hekepthertuckedinthecrookofhisarm.“Tellme.Evenif

it’snothing.”

Jessicabrushedherfingersoverthesideofhischeek.“We’vebeenthroughsomuch

together,andhere,inbed,wefitlikehandinglove—”

“Orhandinpussy,”heteased,tweakingherbarenipple.

“Dev,I’mserious.Youmentionedyourgran.ThatIknownothingaboutheroryour

life only reiterates how little I know about you at all, and vice versa. You’ve got skills.
That’s for sure. Both in and out of bed. I come like rockets every time you touch me.
You’re deadly in the field, brave, strong and unafraid. I feel safe with you, but I don’t
knowyou.”

She shrugged. “And you don’t know me. Not really. Yet my feelings for you are so

strong,Ican’tseestraight.”

Hewasquietashetookinherfaceandtheworryetchedinhereyes.Jessicalether

handslidefromhischeek,butbeforeitslippedtothebed,hetookherfingersandlaced
themwithhis,bringingherknucklestohismouth.

“There’sonlyoneanswertoallthat,Jess.Weneedtogettoknoweachother.That’s

all.Myfeelingsforyouarejustasstrongasyours.So,let’sdowhatpeopledowhenthey
haveamutualattractionandwanttoseewherethingslead.Theycourt.”

Shestifledagiggle.“Asinkeepingcompany?DidImissatimewarp?Isitsuddenly

the1950sagain?”

“No,seriously.Goonadatewithme.Onethatrequiresustobeverticalandnotwith

youpressedagainstawallandmebetweenyourlegs.Wecantalk.Askquestionsabout
eachother.Laugh.”Hisgazeflickedtotheirrumbledbed.“Bytraditionalstandardswe’ve
goneaboutthingsthewrongway,butwecanfixthat,right?”

Shetiltedherhead.“AndwhataboutTeddy’srule.Yourrule.”

“Whatrule?”

“Yournoattachments,rule.That’swhat,”shereplied.

Hethoughtforamomentanddidn’tmissthemixofhopeanddoubtonherface.

“Screwtherules.We’vegonerogue,right?So,anythinggoes,andthatappliestome

andyou,too.”Hekissedherknucklesagain.“Ms.Banning,wouldyoudomethehonorof
spendingthedaywithme?”

Withagiggle,shenodded.

“Good.So,whatdoyouliketodoforfun?”

Jessica raised an eyebrow, letting her gaze dip to his naked hips and the rest hidden

beneaththeblanket.

“Otherthanthat,younastygirl,”helaughed.

Shepursedherlips.“Well,itisraining.”

“Yeah,butdoesn’titraininEnglandmosttimes?”hecountered.

“Not most,” she grinned toying with the edge of the blanket, sliding it lower on his

hips,“butclose.WeBritslikethingswet.”Shewaggledhereyebrows.

Rollingover,hepulledherontopofhischest,andshesatup,straddlinghiships.He

cupped her breasts, grazing his thumbs over both nipples. “Lucky for me. But you still
didn’tanswermyquestion.Well?”

“If you want me to answer, I’ll need a little encouragement.” She leaned forward,

foldingherarmstogetheronhischest.

“Icandoencouragementeasy.Whataboutasensualspadayandacouple’smassage?

Orchampagneandstrawberries?”

Considering, she pursed her lips again and then pushed them into a side smirk.

“Champagne and strawberries sounds lovely if they came with a ride in the park, and
afterwardI’dreallyliketogototheplanetarium.”

“Astargazer,huh?”

She gave him a playful pinch. “Hey, you asked, and since you accurately guessed it

rainseverythirddayintheU.K.,I’mnotashamedtotellyouIspentalotoftimefinding
things to do indoors, but my favorite thing to do as a kid was look through my
grandfather’stelescope.”

“Yourgrandfather,”herepeated.

Jessica nodded. “He was a merchant seaman, and when he and Gran were first

married,hecamehomewithatelescopethatlookedlikeitbelongedintherubbishbin.It
wasgreenandscuffedandthelenseswerecockeyed,butGranddadlovedit.Herestored
thattelescopeuntilitwarrantedaplaceintheRoyalNavalMuseum.”

“Thegreenpatina.Thatwasbecauseitwasbrass,right?”

“Yes,”shegrinned.“Itwasarealantiqueanditwashisprideandjoy…well,nextto

meandPen.Anytimewewereluckyenoughtohaveaclearnight,he’dbundleusoutof
bedwithoutwakingtherestofthehouseandtakeusuptotherooftolookatthestars.”
Shegrinnedtoherself.“He’dbringcocoaandbiscuitsandwe’dhaveafeast,justthethree
ofus.”

Devlincockedhishead.“Pen?”

“Penelope.Mysister.She’sayearyoungerthanme.SheliveshereinNewYork.”

“Howoldareyou,anyway?”heasked,dodginganotherpinch.

“Three rules, Devlin Law, even if anything goes. Never ask a woman her age, her

weight, or answer truthfully when she asks if something makes her look fat. They’re
loadedquestionsthatputabullseyeonyourface.”

Heburstoutlaughing.“Aye,aye,ma’am.”

“Anyway,ourbedtimepicnicsstoppedoncePendiscoveredboys,butIstilllovedto

sneakontotheroofmyself.Ihadbooksandchartsanddidn’tmindspendingtimealone,
much to Mum’s disapproval. I think she would have rather I was a runaround, like my
sister,butthenIwentofftoUniandeventuallybecameabarrister,soitwasallgood.”

Dev stuck his hand behind his head and smiled. “Well, counselor, if you don’t move

yoursweetassoffmyhips,theonlystarsyou’regoingtoseearetheoneswhenImake
youcome,howdidyousay?Likerockets?”

Jessica dropped her chin to her chest, eyeing him as she rolled her hips enough to

grazehisgrowingerection.“Challengeaccepted,rocketman.Makemeseestars.”

ChapterTwelve

J

essica let go of Devlin’s hand as he helped her into the covered carriage. The rain

had dwindled to a light drizzle breaking the humidity, and in the summer in New York
City,anydaywithnohumiditywasablessing.

He settled in next to her and reached for the basket the driver held for them. Inside

weretwochampagneflutes,abowlofstrawberries,slicedcheeseandapples,andaloafof
crustybread.

“Thisisperfect,Dev.”Jesssatbackontheredtuftedseat.“Eventherainisstopping

forus.”

Devlinnoddedtothedriverandthemanclickedhischeekforthehorsestoheadtothe

park’sentrance.

“Onemorething,”hesaid,takingasmallboxofchocolatesfromhispocket.“Queen

Annecherries.Theirmessyandsweetandtheirjuicedripsontoyourchinwhenyoubite
them,kindoflikeyouwhenInibblebetweenyourlegs.”Heopenedtheboxandliftedone
ofthecandiestoherlips.“Openforme,Jess.”

Shesmirked.“Yousureyoumeanforthecandy?”

“Fornow.”Heglancedtothedriverandthepeoplejoggingintheparkbeforeturning

hiseyesback.“Youseethosebenchesoverthere?”

Shenodded,takingthechocolatefromhisfingersandploppingitinhermouth.

“TheyremindmeofwhenIfirstnoticedyouatLangley.”Heslippedhisarmaround

hershoulders.

“YoumeanwhenyoucaughtmeembarrassedtohighheavenbecauseIwascoveredin

whipcream?”

Agrinspreadacrosshislips.“Youweren’texactlycovered,butholdthatthoughtfor

later.”

“You’reincorrigible,”shesaid,givinghimaplayfulnudge.

“It’sallpartofmycharm.”

Jessicalaughed.“That’sdebatable.”

“Anyway,I’dseeyousittingonthatsamebenchwithyourbookeveryafternoon,even

whenitstartedgettingcold.You’dcrossyourlegs,showingoffthosegorgeousheels.It’s
likeyouknewIwaslookingandyouteasedmeunmercifully.DoyouknowhowoftenI
dreamtofyoubeforeweactuallymet?”

Shelookedacrosshershoulderathim.“Evenwithyourno-attachmentrule?”

“Hey, no-attachments did not mean celibacy. Tap and go. That was our modus

operandi,”hesaidwithoutapology.

Pursingherlips,shelookedouthersideofthecarriage.“Sowhydidn’tyoutapandgo

withme,then?IfyoudreamtofmeandyouknewIwatchedyouasmuchasyouwatched
me,thenIwasaneasytarget.”Sheturnedbacktoseehisface.

“Because,evenwiththatperfectset-up,youweredifferent.Iknewitthen,andIknow

itnow.Oncethisthingtomorrowisover,Iwanttoseewherethisattractiontakesus.It’s
time.”

Shelookedathim,asmallfrowncrinklinghereyes.“Time?What,likeyourbiological

clock?I’msorry,mylover,butthatexcusedoesn’tapplytoYchromosomes.”

“See,nowthat’swhatIadoreaboutyou,”hereplied.“Youaresoquickandcleverand

you say what you mean and mean what you say. You don’t play games like the other
womenI’veknown.”

The steady clip-clop of the horse’s hooves slowed until the driver stopped beside a

paththatledtoaprettygazebo.

“What’sthis?”sheasked.

Devlin stood from the tufted seat and picked up the basket. “Where better to have a

picniconarainyday?”

Thedriveropenedthenarrowscoop-edgeddoortothecarriageandpulleddownthe

folderstep.DevlinclimbeddownfirstandthenheldhishandtohelpJessica.

“Willthecarriagewaitforus?”shelookedaroundforthemainroadoutoftheparkas

theywalkedatafastcliptothegazebo.

“He’lldoacircuitandthencomebacktodropusattheHayden.”

Brushingoffhisjacket,hetooktheblanketthedriverhandedhimandspreaditonthe

bench,puttingthebasketatthecenter.

“Sit.Let’seatandthatwaywecaneitherhittheplanetariumasplannedorgohavea

drink.”Hegesturedtowardthebench.

Devlin took the champagne and popped the cork, pouring the two flutes full before

puttingthebottleonthebench.

“Here’storainydaysandstars,”hesaid,holdingaglassouttoher.

Shetooktheflutefromhishandandtouchedhisglassbeforetakingasip.

“Dev,yousaidotherwomen.Wasthereanyoneinparticular?”

Glasshalfwaytohislips,helookedatherandthenloweredhishand.“Ithoughtso.

ButIwaswrong.”

“Why?Whathappened?Ifyoudon’tmindmyasking,”sheprompted.

Devlinglancedoutatthegrassandthetreesliningthejoggingpathsandtheflowering

bushesthatlinedtheway.

“IlostmybrotherinAfghanistantenyearsago.Iwasactivemilitarythenaswelland

she decided she didn’t want any part of being a military wife.” He shrugged. “To be
honest, it was the best bullet I’ve ever dodged. She didn’t really love me, nor I her. We
were…convenient.”

She opened her mouth to ask another question, but he held up his hand. “Nope. My

turn. How long have you been in the States? You said you were a barrister in London.
Why’dyouleave?”

“IsignedupforMilitaryLegalServicesafterIwasadmittedtothebarandpaidmy

dues.IworkedforMLSforawhileandthenPenelopeimmigratedtotheStates.Bythen
ourparentsweredeadandGranddadwassofrail,itwasonlyamatteroftime.

“Oncehepassed,Iwantedtobeclosetomyonlyremainingfamily,soIputinfora

transferasaninternationallegalliaison.IwasoriginallyassignedtotheJudgeAdvocate
General’soffice.Thatwaseightyearsago.”

Hesippedhischampagne,listening.“Imentionedmygranearlier.You’renottheonly

onewithsuchasmallfamily.She’sallIhaveleftaswell.”

“This girl, this convenience. How does something like that come about?” she

questioned. “I’ve heard of marriages of convenience, but that’s usually for people with
moneyorforpoliticalalliances.”

He shrugged. “We were together for so long, marriage seemed like the next logical

step.Ivowedthennevertochoosesomethingbecauseit’seasy.Hencetheno-attachment
thing.ThatwasmoreTeddy,though.Hewasthereformewhenitallblewup.

“Itooklosingmybrotherveryhard,andthenwhenMonicawalkedout.”Helookedat

her.“IlefttheMarineswhenmytourwasupandjoinedtheCIAasanasset.Let’sjustsay
TedthrewmealifelineandItookit.HemadesureIdidn’tdoanythingstupid,likeget
myselfkilled.”

“ThenIcanforgivethestupidthingsthatcomeoutofhismouthnowthatIknowhe’s

gotasoftwhiteunderbelly.Likeacuddlypupthatbitesbecausehedoesn’tknowbetter
andcan’tresist.”

Devlin coughed, draining his glass. “Ted? Cuddly? Oh, man I am going to have fun

withthatwhenItellhim.”

Sheslappedhisshoulderlightly.“Bloodyhell,youwon’t.Atleast,notuntilafterour

assignment.”

Theyate,talkingforanotherhalfhourorsountiltheysawthecarriageapproach.The

driverwavedtothemandtheypackedup,sprintingthroughtherainashestoppedtopick
themup.

Theysettledontheredvelvetseatagainwiththebasketonthefloor.Devlinslidhis

armaroundher,andJessicarestedherheadonhisshoulder.

“So,theplanetarium,then?”heasked.

She nodded. “Yes. Definitely. It’s a great place for a first date, especially since it’s

ratherprivate.”

“Private?”Hechuckled.“Isn’titapublictheater?”

“Yes,butit’sneverpackedlikethemovies.Infact,anytimeI’vegone,it’sneverbeen

morethanhalffull.Wecantuckourselvesawayinacornerandreallyenjoyourselvesas
ifwe’reunderthestarsforreal.”

Heranfingeroverhercheek.“You’dlikethat.Lyingunderthestarsforreal.”

“Whowouldn’t?Actually,mydreamencounteristoseetheauroraborealis.I’dloveto

seethecosmosupcloselikethat,withtheheavensdancing.”

ThedriverpulledoutoftheparkandturnedontoFifthAvenue,stoppinginfrontofthe

Museum of Natural History. Devlin got out and paid the man, then held his hand up to
helpJessicafromthecarriage.

“Whataboutthebasket?”sheasked,lookingbehindatthefloor.

“The carriage company provided everything, including wrapping the leftovers and

deliveringthemtoourhotelforlater,”hereplied.

Withagrin,shesteppeddown,jumpingalittlesoDevlinhadtocatchherquickly.

Keeping her arms around his neck, she kissed him. “That was wonderful, Devlin.

Thankyou.”

Hegrinned,tuckingherunderhisarmastheyturnedfortheplanetarium’sentrance.

“Just wait, Rachel. I’ve got some pretty incredible fireworks planned in the sky

inside.”

“Rachel,”shebalked,pullingbacksome.

Smirking,hepulledherevencloser.“Yup.LikeRachelandRossandtheirfirstdateat

theplanetarium.”

Shelaughedoutloud.“So,thebigbadwetworkassetwatchedFriends?”

Heshrugged.“Weallhaveoursecretguiltypleasures.WatchingFriendsisjustoneof

mine.”

“Oh,”shesmirked.“Andwhat’stheother?”

Hestoppedshortandpulledheraroundtofacehim.Hiseyesdarkenedasheslipped

his hand down to cup her ass, pressing her against the hard length behind his zipper.
“You,” he whispered against her lips. “Now, let’s see how private a dark corner we can
find,becauseIwanttoeatyououtuntilyourbackarchesandyourbodyspasmsunderthe
stars.”

ChapterThirteen

T

he hotel wasn’t as large as it was swank. More of a high society social club than

anythingelse,withareceptionroomatthefrontandasmallballroomtoonesidesetwith
roundtablesandunderstateddecorationsfitforaconservativefundraiser.

Oppositefromtheballroomwasamen’sclub,likealibraryforcigarsandbrandy.It

was set off from the base of a wide, curved stairwell that led to private rooms on the
secondfloor.

Thedaisattheheadoftheballroomwassmall,notquiteastage,butthenagainthis

wasn’tanovertpoliticaldo,likeaconvention,butmoreaplacefortheelitestoassuage
theirguiltoverexcesseswithouthavingtodoanythingbutwriteacheck.

A reception line formed, spilling through the double doors and down the red-carpet

stairstothecurblinedwithlimousinesandphotographerslookingforaquicksnapanda
quickbuckofthewho’swhoattendingtonight.

Framedmetaldetectorswereinstalledjustinsidethedoors,mannedbyarmedsecurity.

Everyonewascheckedpriortoenteringtheevent,boththeirpersonandtheirbags.

TeddyglancedatDevlinfromtherearviewmirrorashepulledthelimotofrontofthe

building.

“How I pulled the short straw and got stuck Driving Ms. Daisy, I don’t know,” he

grumbled.

Giving the outside press a quick once over, Dev motioned for Teddy to pull farther

downthestreet.“Idon’twanttoriskthepaparazzi.They’renotinterestedinus,butwe
mightgetcaughtinanunintentionalphotobomb.”

“We planned for that, dude. The paparazzi were accounted for when we went over

plansthisafternoonbeforePrincesswentforhairandmakeup,”TedwinkedatJessicain
themirror.“Nojoke.Timewellspent,Banning.Youcleanupgoodandthatdressreally
showsoffyourtits.”

She rolled her eyes. “Nice try Teddy Bear, but thanks for the effort, I guess.” A soft

smirkcurledthecornerofherlip.Itwasn’texactlywarm,butneitherwasitrancorous.

“Teddy’sright.Weplannedforthis,Dev.Ifweduckpast,we’llcallmoreattentionto

ourselves than if we walk in like we belong. Let’s just do it. Once inside, we hunt up
Lauderandsetthebait.”

Ted put the limo in park. “I’ll be outside circling the perimeter, but I’m an earpiece

awayifyouneedbackup.”

“Speaking of which, is mine noticeable? I left my hair down on one side, but—”

Jessicaasked,flippingthebackmirrordownforonelastmakeupcheck.

“Yourearpieceisfine,Jess.Wetestedthembeforeweleft,andTeddy’sright.Youlook

beautiful,”Devlinreplied,foldingthemirrorup.Hepressedakisstohertempleandthen

waitedforthehotelstafftoopenthereardoor.

“Showtime,”Teddysaid,gesturingtothedoormanheadedtheirway.“Atleast,it’snot

fuckingfreezingthistime.”

Jessica moistened her lips, inhaling quickly. “You sure Lorenzo said everything he

gaveusisundetectable?Idon’trelishbendingdowntotakeoffmyshoesinside.Thiscut
ofthisdressisahairawayfromawardrobemalfunction.”

Devlin’s eyes traveled from her face to the tiny shoulder straps that led to the deep

décolleté of her red gown. The rich color of the veil-like overlay and sumptuous under
fabricsetoffhercreamyskinandwithherdarkhairsweptupononeside,shefeltlikeold
Hollywood.Lorenzo’spearldropnecklacerestedinhercleavage,andmatchingearrings
hungfromherlobes.

Thetailorshowedheronelasttrickbeforetheylefthisshop.Howtoholdherclutch

purseforathroatstrikeusingitsmetalclip.Betweenthatandthethinbladehiddeninthe
soleofherstrappyshoes,shewasreadyforanything.

Thedoorclickedopen,andawhite-gloveddoormanstoodtothesideholdingitwide.

Devlinslidoutfromthebackseatfirst,holdinghishandoutforJessica.

Photographers and reporters lined the red-carpeted walkway, but they busied

themselveswithsomeA-listmusicartist,eachclamoringforapictureandaquote.

“C’mon,now’sourchance,”Devlinmurmured,takingJessicabythehandandsteering

hertowardthebaseofthestairs.

TheygothalfwayupwhenJessicahadtoscrambleoutoftheway,losingherfooting

assecuritymuscledtwopeopledownthesteps.

“Invitation only,” the beefy security guard said, shoving the couple toward the cops

manningthecrowd.

“But—”

Themanshookhishead.“Takeahike,junior.Idon’tcarewhoyourfatherisorwho

heworksfor,notickee,notentree.”

TheburlymanturnedasJessicastraightenedherdressafterregainingherfooting.

“Myapologies,miss.Areyouokay?”heasked.

Shenodded.“Ithinkso,thoughIdon’tknowifmytoesquiterecovered.”

HegesturedforherandDevlintofollow.“Theleast,Icandoisletyoucuttheline.”

Hepaused.“Youdohaveaninvitation,right?”

“Ofcourse,”Jessicarepliedquickly,notwantingtorisksuspicionorworse,getthrown

out.

Sheopenedherpurseandslippedthetwogiltedgecardsfromtheinsidepocket.

The security guard scanned them with an ultraviolet light and then nodded, ushering

them toward another guard waiting to search Jessica’s bag and walk them through the
metaldetector.

Thewholethingtooklessthanfiveminutesandtheywereinside.

Taking two glasses of champagne from a passing tray, Devlin handed one to Jessica

andclickedthetopofherglass.“Ready?”heasked,liftinghisglasstohislips.

People milled around dressed to the nines, laughing and chatting amid the clink of

glasses.Shedrainedherfluteinonegulp,herhandrushingtohermouthasaquietburp
slippedpast.

“Wow.Wecandressyouupbuttakeyounowhere,Iguess.”Hegrinnedwithawink,

downinghisownbubbly.

Jessica snagged another glass from a waiter, but this time sipped it slowly. “What

now?Dowemingleandmakesmalltalk?Dance?Thecocktailhourhasonlygotanother
halfhourorso,andthenit’sdinnerandspeeches.”

“Yeah,Iknow.Whichmeansourwindowtogetthisdoneandgetoutisnarrowerthan

Ianticipated.We’dbettersplitup.Lauderhasgottobesomewhere,andhe’sthekeytothe
others.”

It wasn’t hard to notice Devlin’s jaw tightening at the mention of Frank’s name.

“Promisemeyouwon’tdoanythingstupidwhenitcomestoLauder.Nothere,notnow.
Thisisadragnet,Dev.Notakillingfield.

“Weneedthemalivetosendamessagetotherestthatwe’rewatching,andweknow.

Eliminating them your way only creates a job opening. We want the rest of their ilk to
thinktwicebeforefuckingwiththis,evenwithaborroweddick.”

Thesmirkonhisfacebrokeintofulloutlaughter.

“Listentoyou.WhendidyougoallDirtyHarrietonme?”

Shewenttoanswer,butheshookhishead,themovementnearlyimperceptible.“Don’t

looknow,butwe’vegotbogey.Becool.I’mnotsure,butIsuspectwe’vebeenspotted.”

“Where?” she said, smiling sweetly and she pretended to wipe something from

Devlin’sbottomlip.

Hebitherthumb,sotoanyonewatching,itlookedlikenothingmorethansexualplay.

“Top of the stairs,” he murmured. “Senator March is talking to Lauder, and that means
CliffHarmoncan’tbefar.”

***

“Ithoughtyouseparatedthem,”Marchwhisperedthroughaplasticsmile,histonenot

happy.

Lauder slid his eyes to the base of the stairs and to the right where Law stood with

Banning.“Idid.Ayearandahalfago,buttheymusthaverunintoeachotheragain.”

ThesenatorpushedpastLauder,spillingtheman’sdrink.“Idon’tlikeit.Theygottoo

closethelasttime,Frank,andifthey’reatitagain,I’mwarningyounow,you’retheone
who’llgodown.Notmeormypartners.”

“He’ssuckingonherfingers,sir.IknowDevlinLaw.He’snotahot-headlikehisex-

partner.Law’sawomanizer.Ididn’tgivehimthechancetonailBanninginGermany,so
he’sdoinghernow.It’saconquest,nothingmore.”

SenatorMarchturnedhiscoldgazetoLauder.“Whyhere,then?Whytonight?”

Frank opened his mouth, but the senator shut it for him. “Stop speculating and find

out.Inthemeantime,IneedtofindHarmonandgetDurovonthephone.”

“It’sthreea.m.inKyiv,sir,”Lauderreplied.

Themanlookedasifhe’dspitfire.“Idon’tcareifit’sthedawnofthedinosaurs.He

needstoexplainhisend.Hesworehehadhispeopleundercontrol,andasforyou,you
toldmeBanningwasnailedtoadeskburiedinlegalbriefs,thatMeadewasaneutral,and
Lawwassodeepinassignment,hebarelycameupforair!Oneofyoudroppedtheball,
andifheadsaregoingtoroll,itwon’tbemine.”

Foreheadsweating,Franknodded.“I’monit.”

“Thenforfuck’ssake,whyareyoustillstandinghere?”thesenatorhissed.“Go!”

He straightened his already straight bowtie and headed down the stairs. Forcing a

placidlook,heturnedatthebaseofthestairs.

“Law?Isthatyou?”Franksaid,feigningsurpriseashecameuptothem.“AndJessica!

Wow,lookatyou.Youlookamazing.”

“Thankyou,Chief.It’snicetoseeyoutoo,”shereplied.

Lauderlookedleftthenright,beforeturningbacktothem.“Isanyoneelseherefrom

yourdivision?”heasked.

Jessicatouchedherear,andthensmoothedthesideofherhair.“Willyouexcuseme,

gentlemen.Ineedthelittlegirl’sroom.”

Devlin eyed her, but she gave him the same near imperceptible shake and turned

towardtheladies’room.

“Can’ttakeyoureyesoffher,huh?WhowouldhavethoughtBanningwouldturnout

suchastunner?”

Devlin’seyesnarrowedslightly.“Me.Iwouldhavethought.Toansweryourquestion,

Idon’tknowifanyonefromtheunitishere.Tonight’sstrictlypleasure,ifyouknowwhat
I mean.” Devlin winked, sliding a glance toward Jessica as she slipped through the
bathroomdoor.

Lauder’s lips stretched to a satisfied grin. “And why not? She looks good enough to

eat,butthenagainwithyourrep,youprobablyhadatastealready.Whatwasityouand
Meadesaid,tapandgo?”

“It’s not like that with Jessica. She’s been through a lot. Something she wasn’t

preparedforortrainedtodo.You’reluckyyousentmeundergroundorIwouldhavebeen
courtmartialed.”

“Why?”

Devlin took a step closer and lowered his voice. “For beating my direct supervisor

senseless.”

“Youstillcould,Law.IwouldwatchmystepifIwereyou.Banningisn’ttheonlyone

witheyesonyoutonight,”Laudershotback.

“IranintoJessicaataStarbuckstwodaysago.Iusedyournametoscoreaninvitation

tonighttoshowheragoodtime.I’mapolitical,soIdon’tgivearat’sasswho’swatching
or not. It’s funny, though. Jessica and I picked up right where we left off in Kyiv and
Germany.Infact,Iheardarumortherewasasecondlistcirculatingontheblackmarket.”
Hespreadhishands.“Hey,withthetwoofustogether,allweneedisMeadeandwecan
goinandseeifthere’sanytruthtothestory.Justsaytheword.”

“Thatwon’tbehappening,Law.Thanksanyway,”Frankglancedtowardthestairsto

wherehehadstoodwiththesenator.

Devlin shrugged. “Too bad. The three of us made a pretty good team. Maybe we’ll

checkaroundonourown.We’rebasicallyfreeagentsnow,sowhatthehell!Anythingto
helpacomrade,right?”

Frank gave a nervous chuckle and stepped back from Law. “Namedrop all you want

tonight,Devlin.Ifitgetsyoulaid,thenhey…mypleasure.”

HewalkedawayatafastclipjustasJessicareturnedfromtherestroom.

“Whatwasthatabout?Areyouhavingproblemswithyourearpiece?”Devlinasked.

Sheshookherhead.“No,Teddy’sinthebuilding.Heditchedthelimoandsomehow

managedaChevyinstead.”

“Managed?Thedumbfuckprobablystoleit,”Devlinexhaled.

“Anyway, it’s parked around the corner in case we need to run. He’s dressed as a

waiter.”

Shakinghishead,Devlinpressedhislipstogether.“Thatrecklessassholeisgoingto

blowthisskyhigh.IfLauderseeshimdressedaswaitstaff,it’sgameover.BothHarmon
andMarchwillbolt.”

Dev cocked his head and then pulled Jessica next to a large potted fern, her heels

clackingonthemarblefloor.Handtohisear,hedippedhisheadtothesideofherthroat.

“Whatareyoudoing?”shewhispered.

“Ssh.Ithinkthere’ssomethingwrongwithmyearpiece.Meade’svoiceisstaticinmy

ear.”Hekissedthesideofherthroat,incaseanyonewatched.“Didyoumakeoutwhathe
said?”

“The weasel is heading straight to Yogi and Boo Boo?” Jessica whispered back.

“WherethehelldoesTeddycomeupwiththisnonsense?”

Devlin smiled against her throat, feathering kisses until he nibbled the corner of her

mouth.“YougetmyFriendsreference,butyoudon’tknowYogiBear?Woman,ifwe’re
goingtohavekids,youneedacrashcourseinSaturdaymorningcartoons.”

Shepulledback.“Kids?Dev—”

“I know. Definitely a conversation for later,” he said kissing her quickly. “C’mon,

we’reneededupstairs.Thecarrotwedangledmusthavesetafireundertheirbutts.Look
atMarch.Hissmileisstretchedsotight,it’sgoingtosnapandspoolupoverhisskulllike
awindowshade.”

“Eew!” she replied with a snort. She touched her hair, pressing on the earpiece

beneath.“Teddysayswait…”

Devlinshookhishead.“Nope.It’snowornever.Let’sroll.”

“Wait,Dev…wecan’tjustchargein.Weneedtotalk,”sheargued.

Helookedather.“Upstairs.Teddy’sbeenkeepingtabs.We’lldecidethen.”

ChapterFourteen

T

eddywaited,hiddeninplainsightwithahandfulofstaff.WhenDevlinandJessgot

tothetopofthestair,hegesturedtowardtheendofthecorridor.

Anintimatebarwithasmallprivateloungedividedtheupstairs,leavingonesidefor

overnightguestsandtheotherforoffices.

“The senator and his cronies are in the last office at the far side of the hall,” Devlin

murmured. “Ted identified a small secret service detail. One outside the office door and
theotheratthebottomofthestairs.”

Jessica opened her purse and took out a compact. Opening the lid, she angled the

mirror for a look. It registered three weapons. “Men in Black wannabes,” she muttered.
“Musttheyalllookliketheyjustateabug?”

“Saveit,Jess.”Hebittheinsideofhischeeknottolaugh.“We’llneedthehumorlater.

Hopefully,notaswe’rehauledawayfortreason.”

She snapped the compact shut, stowing it in her purse. “Lorenzo is a goddamned

genius.Ourfriendattheendofthehallisarmedwithtwosemi-automaticGlocksanda
standardissueSigSauer.”Fingeringthepearldropatherthroat,shetookDevlin’shand,
herfingerstravelingtooneofhiscufflinks.“Whichoneisthegrenade?”

“Thatone.Theotherisasmokebomb,sameasyourearrings,”hereplied.

Shelacedherfingerswithhisandshookherhead.“Itradedtheearringsforsomething

alittledifferent.They’regas.”

“Gas?”Heexhaled,nothappy.“I’vecreatedamonster…Jess,wecannotintroducea

poisonintotheair.Thecollateraldamagewouldkillourchancestonailthesebastards.”

“Oooh, honey. I love those! So unique! Where did you get them?” a woman asked,

stoppingtoadmireJessica’sshoes.

Jessturnedwithasmile.“Theircustommade.Italian.”

“Wow, you can tell they’re European. So chic and I’m totally jealous!” she said

touchingJessica’sarmbeforemovingontowardthestairs.

Sheexhaled.“Aremostsocietywomenthatvacant,orisitjustme?”

“Notall,butalot.”

Turning back to Devlin, she squeezed his hand. “When I said gas, I didn’t mean

poison. The decoy releases the strong smell from a gas leak. This building is old and
there’sstreetconstructionoutside.Inthiscase,NewYorkCity’sineptbureaucracyworks
toouradvantage.”Sheshrugged.“Butthat’sjustoneearring.Theotheristeargas.”

“Whydidn’tyoutellmethiswhenweprepared?Idon’tlikesurprises,Banning.Not

whenitputslivesatrisk,”herepliedannoyed.

“Banning? So, we’re pulling rank now, our we?” She frowned. “I didn’t know I was

goingtoswapgadgetsuntilIwenttohairandmakeup,asTeddycalledit,andifyouput
yourdickbackinyourpantsandthinkforonesecond,you’drealizewhy.”

“EnlightenmebeforeIchargeinwithjustmydickinmyhand.”

Sheyankedherhandfromhim.“Ihaveasmuchatstakeasyou,DevlinLaw.Youhave

onesmokescreen.One.Whatifweneededanotherdiversion,ortwo?Havingthesmellof
gascoupledwithsmokewillsendpeoplerunning.Theymightfallortrampleeachother,
butanexplosionmightseriouslyhurtsomeone,andlikeyousaid,collateraldamagemust
bekepttoaminimum.”

He sniffed, watching annoyance cloud her eyes. He reached to cup her cheek, not

lettingherjerkaway.“You’reright.”

Hmmph.

“No,really.I’mnotusedtothatkindofadvancedthinking.TeddyandIusuallyhave

toimprovise.We’retheMacGyversofspyingbecausenothingevergoesasplanned.”

She snorted again. “Well, lawyers like contingencies. We’re trained to look for

footholdseverywhere.”

“Youmeanloopholes.”Hegrinned,runninghisthumbunderherbottomlip.

“Canwedothis,then?IcanseeTeddy’sreflectioninthebrasswallfixtureandhe’s

practicallycrawlingoutofhisskin.”

***

The ambassador’s face pixelated on the computer screen, his image choppy and his

voiceoutofsync,butitwasclearhewasnothappy.

“Doyouhaveanideawhattimeitishere?”Hestoodathisdesk,disheveled.“Idon’t

appreciatebeingwokenfromadeadsleep,soyou’dbetterhaveagoodreasonforcalling
meatthistimeofnight!”

“Sitdownandshutup,Durov.Ofcourse,there’sagoodreasonorwhyelsewouldwe

bother.”Harmonpouredhimselfascotchfromtheoakdrinktablebesidethedesk.

The office was opulent. More of a library with a gas burning fireplace and leather

sofas,softwingbackedchairsandalargeantiquecarveddesksetbackagainstastained-
glasswindowfacingthestreet.

The ambassador smoothed his hair back and sank into his chair with an aggravated

exhale.“Sotellme,then.TowhatdoIowethisunexpectedpleasure?”

Harmonexplained,andasheelaboratedhewatchedDurov’seyesnarrowandshift.

“Law is lying,” he sputtered. “I know for a fact there’s no second list. Ivan was the

onlyonewithaccesstothefilesandhe’sdead.Wedestroyedhislaptopandhadhiscorpse
searched in Kyiv. A cavity search, if you get my meaning. There was nothing on his
personorinhisperson.”

“Yourreportsaidyoufoundthetornendofanenvelopeflapinsidehisbreastpocket,”

Harmoncontinued.

Durovnodded.“Yes,Imadethatnosecret,butasIsaidbefore,thatshredcouldhave

comefromanything.Ithadnomarkingsorwriting,justIvan’sblood.Wetesteditforany
hintofwhattheenvelopecontainedandcameupempty.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences, Durov.” Harmon looked at the others. “Do you,

Frank?”

Lauder downed his own drink, getting up to refill his glass. “Leave me out of this. I

didmypartandthat’senough.”HepointedtheedgeofthebottleatHarmon.“Icanbarely
lookatmyselfinthemirroranymore.I’mdone,youhearme.Done.”

“Drink up and shut up, Lauder. You sold your soul the moment you took your first

cut.”

“Whatareyoutryingtosay,Harmon?”Durovasked,takingacupofcoffeefromhis

valet. “That I didn’t do my part? We have CCTV of Ivan giving the chip to the female.
Afterthat,yourpeopleshotoutthehotel’scamerasystem.Ihadmyspiesattheembassy
search the woman’s belongings while the doctors treated her wounds. We left her with
nothingbutherboots.”

“Her boots?” Senator March laughed. “You’re an idiot, Durov, and your people are

evenmoreinept.Herbootswerethefirstplaceyoushouldhavelooked.”

“Youfailed,Ambassador,andsinceMr.Lawhasinjecteddoubtintowhatshouldhave

beenadonedeal,weareonceagaininneedofascapegoat.”Harmongaveaslightnod,
and Durov’s valet stepped on-screen, grabbed the man’s head and twisted, snapping his
neck.

“What the fuck!” Lauder stared at the Skyped image of Durov slumped across his

desk.“You’reoutoffuckingcontrol,Harmon!”

Outraged,thesenatorpushedfromhischair.“Areyoucompletelyinsane?Durovisthe

Ukrainianambassador!Youcan’tjustmurderpublicofficials!”

“Correction, Senator,” Harmon said, “Durov was the ambassador, and sadly his

countryisinthemidstofagravedivide.”Heranahandoverthelaptop’slid.“Itlooksto
melikehisenemiesgotthebetterofhim,afterthefact.”

The senator slumped into a winged back chair. “This is so fucked up, Cliff. Who’s

next? One of us?” He glanced around the room, his eyes narrowing. “Are you sure this
placeisn’twiredforsound,orworse,video?”

“I’m not an amateur, Senator,” Harmon growled. “This room is completely

soundproof. Anyone listening from the outside will hear nothing but the party on the
oppositesideofthedoor.”

Thesenatornodded,exhaling.“Good.Idon’thavetoreiteratehowdisastrousitwould

beifthisconversationweretogetout.Thereisn’taspin-doctoralivewhocouldstemthe
hemorrhage.”

“Hello, boys,” Devlin said with a nod as he walked in with Jessica from the galley

passage.“Lookslikethegang’sallhere.Good.Savesmefromhavingtorepeatmyself.”

“Thisisaclosedmeeting!”Thesenator’seyesflickedtotheofficedoor,lockedfrom

theinside.“Howdidyougetinhere?”

Devlin tsked. “Senator, really. Your kind are so busy playing two ends against the

middle, you’ve forgotten how important that middle is in the grand scheme of things. If
youmustknow,JessicaandIcameinthroughtheButler’sPantry.Youlookatservantsas
bought and paid for, maybe even bribed, but you forget some are actually patriots. We
wereletin.”

“Law,youandBanningneedtoleavethewayyoucamein.Rightnow.Trustme.You

don’twanttobehere,”Laudersaidwithapointednod.

Devlin shook his head. “Trust you? Frank, you really shouldn’t use words you don’t

understand.”

“Stop your pontificating, Law. What are you really here for? What do you want?”

Harmonasked.

“Youfourattheendofanoose.”DevlinglancedatthestaticimageofDurovslumped

athisdeskandshrugged.“Iguessit’sjustthreelittlepigs,then.”

Harmon reached for his gun, but Jessica pulled a throwing star from the back of her

watch,nailingthemaninthewrist.

“Youbitch!”hehissed,clutchinghishandasbloodseepedbetweenhisfingers.

Lauder got to his feet, mouth open, but the 9mm in Devlin’s hand had him sinking

backtohisseat.

“Don’tlooksosurprised,Chief.You’retheonewhosoldmyabilitiesaswell-trained.”

Shecrookedherfingersinquotes.“Exceptyouunderestimatedmyabilitieswhenyousold
metoIvan.Especiallywhenhisexpectationsweren’tpartofmyoriginaljobdescription.”

Harmontiedahandkerchiefaroundhishand.“Youcanhaveyourmoment,Law,but

this goes deeper than what you see in this room. You’re a dead man walking and you
knowit,andIwillpersonallyoverseethesaleofyourbitchtothehighestbidder.”

“Whyareyousweating,Senator?IsitbecauseyouseetheredlightonJessica’spurse?

Everythingsaidisbeingrecorded,alivefeedtoatruckoutsidethebuilding.NewYork’s
constantconstructionhelpedprovidecover.You’reruined.”

Jessicasmiledsweetly.“Yourdeductionwasspoton,Mr.Harmon.IkeptIvan’slistin

mybootuntilitwassafetoremoveit.Paperanddigitalcopieshavebeenmadeandhave
beendeliveredtothepresident,theprimeministersofEngland,GermanyandFrance,as
wellaseveryotherheadofstateandeverymajornewsoutlet.Themainstreammediawill
havenochoicebuttocoverthestory,regardlessofpressure.”

The senator’s hands shook as he downed his drink. He held the glass to his chest

afterward,hiseyesonDevlin.

“Isn’t there some kind of deal to be made? You’re a young man with obvious skills.

ThisarrangementwasallHarmon’sidea.He’stheoneatfault.Therestofusarepawns
he’sbeenblackmailingforyears.”Sweattrickledfromhisforehead,andhelickedhislips
gesturingtoLauder.

“Frankwillvouchforme.”Henodded.“Harmon’sbeenblackmailinghim,too.”

Devlinshookhishead.“Nodeal,Senator.Everysetofeyesstaringbackonusfrom

thousandsofmilkcartonswon’tallowit.Youpeddledchildren,yousonofabitch.There
isnowhereforyoutogo.Ivanknewit,andyouknowittoo.Evenifyourotinjailforthe
restofyourlife,you’llbesomeone’sbitch,onyourkneesorwithyourassspread,paying
foryourcrimes.”

Harmonsatatthedesk,hiseyesshiftingfromDevlintothedoorandback.“Youthink

yourtorpedowillsinkthisship?Youwon’tevenmakeadentinthehull.”

“Perhaps,” Jessica replied first. “But at least they’ll be a few less rats to catch,

especiallywithIvan’slisttorounduptherestofthevermin.”

The man snarled, grabbing a letter-opener from the desk. He clamored over the top,

flingingitknife-styleatJessica’schest.

“Jess!”Devlindovebetweenherandthespinningblade,takingthesharpendinthe

shoulder.

Hehissedasthepointpiercedhistux,rollingwithJessicatothefloorasthedoorburst

open.Pullingitloose,hedroppedittothefloor.

“Dev!”shereachedforhim,butheshookhishead.

“I’m fine! Don’t let them get away!” Shots peppered the room from the senator’s

secretserviceagent,asthesenatorandHarmonrushedforthedoor.Lauderslumpedinhis
chair,hit.

DevlinshovedJessicabehindachairashereturnedfire,butnotbeforeshethrewher

lasttwostars,nailingthemeneachinthebackoftheleg.

Themenstumbled,crashingintoeachotherandittheonedistractiontheyneeded.

“Jess!Yourearrings!”

Shepalmedbothdecoys,lobbingthepearlbudspointblankatthefloorbetweenthem

andthegunshots.Devlindidthesame,chuckinghiscufflink.

Thegrenadeexploded,splinteringwoodfromthewallsandfurniture.

Jessica tore the sheer overlay from her gown, ripping it in two. She handed half to

Devlinandwrappedtheotheraroundherface.

Theagentcoughed,falteringtoonekneeashisarmcameuptoshieldiseyes,butit

wastoolate.

Teddy rushed to the door as people screamed from the hall outside. “Time to go,

lover.”HecoldcockedtheagentandthengrabbedHarmonandthesenator,handcuffing
themtoeachother.

“I took care of the agent downstairs, but what about this piece of shit?” he asked,

wipinghiseyesbeforegesturingtoLauder.

Devlinreachedtwofingerstohisthroat,feelingforapulse.Hepulledhishandback

andwipedthebloodonhispants.“He’sdead.”

“Good,”Tedrepliedandliftedhisgun,shootingFrankLauderinthehead.

“Jesus, Meade. What the hell’s wrong with you? He’s already dead,” Devlin ground

out.

Heshrugged.“Justmakingsure.”HeshovedhisguninhispocketandyankedMarch

andHarmonupbytheircollars.“Let’sgo,boys.You’vegotalotofs’plainin’todo.”

Epilogue

“J

ust look at that sky!” Jessica squealed, hugging Devlin as close as she could

throughherparka.“Isn’titamazing?”

“What’s amazing is my balls haven’t broken off in one piece. I knew the northern

territorieswouldbecold,butthisgivesnewmeaningtothewordfrigid,”hereplied.

She laughed. “But look at those colors. Greens and pinks! It’s as if heaven itself is

throwing a techno dance party and we’ve got VIP tickets.” Pushing her fur-lined hood
back, she went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here,
Devlin.It’sadreamcometrue,really.”

He turned her in his arms and smirked, shaking his head. “It’s like trying to hug

NanookoftheNorth.”Hetookherbythehandandtuggedherbacktotheglampingtent
theyrentedforthenight.

“Whatareyoudoing?We’remissingthespectacleofalifetime?”sheasked,watching

himpeelhiscoatfromhisshoulders.

“It’sfunnyyoushouldusethatturnofphrase,”hereplied,helpinghertakehercoatoff

aswell.

Sheeyedhim,herheadangledsuspiciously.“Whatphrase?”

“Wantadrink?Ithinkwebothneedalittlesomethingtowarmtheblood.”Evading

herquestion,hepouredthembothacognac,walkingbackfromthedrinkstablewithtwo
snifters.

She took the glass from him and touched the edge of hers to his. “Slainte,” she

murmuredandliftedtherimtoherlips.

Something clinked in the glass, and she lowered her hand to peer into the reddish-

brownspirits.Somethingsilverycaughthernoticeatthebottomoftheglass,andhereyes
flewtoDevlin.

He smirked, lifting one shoulder and letting it drop. “What? The cognac not to your

liking,love?”

“No,thedrinkisfine.It’swhat’sinitthathasmecurious.”

Withagrin,heslippedtwofingersunderherglassandliftedthesniftertoherlips.“I

guess you’ll have to drain the glass to find out. And mind you, this is a vintage Remy
Martin,sonowastingasingledrop.”

“You’rewicked,youknowthat?”shelaughed.“Iamnotabouttoplaychug-a-lugwith

afour-hundred-dollarbottleofcognac.”

Hetooktheglassfromherandputitontheendtablebesidethem.“Imaybewicked,

butyou’reaspoilsport.”

DevlindippedtwofingersintothesnifterandJessicasuckedinabreathtryingnotto

squeal again, but before she could say a word, he fished out the item and stuck it in his
mouth.

Mouthopen,sheexhaledaroughbreath.

Hepulledtheringfrombetweenhisteethandlickedhislips.“Youreallydon’tknow

whatyou’remissing.Thatcognaciswortheverypenny.”

“DevlinLaw!”

Slippingtooneknee,hetookherlefthandinhisandturneditover,kissingherwrist

thesamewayhedidtheirfirstnighttogether.

“Thehearingsarefinallyover,andbothSenatorMarchandCliffHarmonarebehind

bars for the rest of their lives. The list Ivan gave you is dismantling that god-awful
traffickingringfromthegroundup.Icouldn’thavedoneanyofthiswithoutyou.Wetook
ontheworldtogether,Jessica,andI’maskingyounowifyou’dliketotakeontherestof
ourlivesthesameway.Together.Willyoumarryme,JessicaMoiréBanning?”

“Yes!”shecroaked,despiteherthroattightwithtears.

Heslidthegorgeousplatinumsolitaireontothethirdfingerofherlefthandandthen

kissedherpalmbeforesweepingheroffherfeetandintohisarms.

Kissingheronce,heputherdowngently,butshekeptherarmstightaroundhisneck.

“Ithoughtyouwantedtowatchthecolorsleaprocketsacrossthesky?”heasked.

Pullinghimtowardthesofa,shepushedhimontotheplushcushionsandstraddledhis

lap.“Iwantadifferentkindofrocket,rightnow.Oneonlyyoucangive.”

Heslidhishandbehindherheadandpulledhermouthtohis.“Challengeaccepted.”

Enjoyedthestory?

WantmoreRomanticSuspense?

TWICECURSED

(IcyHotParanormalRomanticSuspense!)

https://www.amazon.com/Twice-Cursed-Blood-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B009RYG86U

…andotherstoo.

Ifyouenjoyedthestory,pleasefeelfreetoemailme.ReviewsarealwayswelcomeonAmazonandGoodreads!

NOTEFROMTHEAUTHOR

Mybook,DangerousLaw,isjustoneoffivebooksinaSuitRomanceseries.The
premise?AWellDressedmanisEverythingSexy…

Wantthelinkstotheothers?

Yougotit…

AHeroforSalebyMillyTaiden

(contemporaryromance)

https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Sale-Romance-Wounded-Soldier-ebook/dp/B0776ZMWS2

ComeOurButterflybyTillyGreene

(shapeshifter)

https://www.amazon.com/Come-Our-Butterfly-Suit-Romance-ebook/dp/B0778G626Y

Restraint(ADarkFeyStory)byS.A.Price

(paranormal)

https://www.amazon.com/Restraint-Suit-Romance-Dark-Story-ebook/dp/B0778VLRGM

PureIrishbyCaraNorth

(contemporaryromance)

https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Irish-Suit-Romance-North-ebook/dp/B0776LS651

AbouttheAuthor

Hieveryone!I’mMarianneMorea.IwasbornandraisedinNewYork,
and there’s nothing like the city that never sleeps to inspire sexy stories
and romantic suspense. I began my career after college as a budding
journalist, and later earned a Masters in Fine Art, from The School of
VisualArtsinManhattan,butit’smylifelongloveaffairwithwordsand
booksthatfinallyledmetodowhatIlovemost.Write.IliveinNewYork

withmyhubbyandourthreechildren,twodogs,onecatandalizardnamedfingers.I’m
alwaysinterestedinchattingwithreaders,sosignupformynewsletterandcheckoutmy
Facebookpage,TwitterandInstagram!

VisitMarianneatherwebsite:

http://www.mariannemorea.com

Email:

[e-mail]

Facebook:

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Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MarianneMorea

BOOKSBYMARIANNEMOREA

https://www.amazon.com/Marianne-Morea/e/B0040MEMSK

TheCursedbyBloodSaga

Hunter’sBlood

NightPlay

TwiceCursed

BloodLegacy

Lion’sDen

PowerPlay

CollateralBlood

TheRedVeilDiaries

ChooseMe

TemptMe

TeaseMe

TasteMe

*OwnMe

HowlsRomance

HerFairytaleWolf

TheWolf’sDreamMate

HerWinterWolves

KindleWorldExclusives

SassMaster

LuckySass

SassintheCity

DragonmyHeartAround

TheBlessed

MySoultoKeep

SingleBooks

DragonMaster

TheLegendSeries(Teen)

Hollow’sEnd

TimeTurner

SpookRock