Читать книгу Special Forces Seduction - C.J. Miller - Страница 12
ОглавлениеHyde clasped Victoria’s hands before she climbed into the limo with Thomas. “Promise me you’ll be careful,” Hyde said.
Victoria laughed and looked over her shoulder. “I will be fine. This will be the first vacation I’ve had in years. Don’t worry so much.”
Hyde shouldn’t worry, but Victoria had never traveled outside Montana and now she was flying halfway around the world with her new husband. Hyde’s paranoia pinged. She had learned to be suspicious of everyone. That suspicion was misplaced with Thomas. He was a good man and could be trusted.
Lydia was standing close by with Thea. Thea was sleeping in her arms, likely tired from the night before. Lydia had dark circles under her eyes, her clothes were wrinkled and her hair knotted in a messy bun.
As Hyde waved goodbye to her sister and Thomas, Finn strolled toward her. He had skipped the family brunch, choosing instead to sleep for two more hours. No details had been mentioned about his last mission, and Hyde hadn’t reviewed the details for their upcoming one.
“Ready to leave?” Finn asked.
Hyde had assembled a bag that morning. She hadn’t forgotten how to slip undercover and pack the essentials quickly. “Yes.” Speaking the word held weight and evoked sadness. Leaving her family was harder than she’d anticipated. Staying away had been easier, jumping from one assignment to the next. Reconnecting had touched her more deeply than she’d expected.
She had felt a shift between her and Finn, as well. They were embarking on a mission together. Their career and relationship were colliding.
Hyde’s father approached and Hyde braced for impact. She didn’t want to lie to her family, but she didn’t have a good, clear way to explain Finn’s sudden presence in Bearcreek or why she was leaving.
“Alexandra, are you coming by for dinner tonight? The caterer dropped off the leftover food from the wedding. There’s plenty for everyone. Even for your friend.” Her father gestured at Finn.
No chance of avoiding an introduction. Hyde pointed to Finn. “Dad, this is Finn. We used to work together.” Not a lie and didn’t give away anything about the past.
Her father extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you in town on business?”
Finn opened his mouth to answer.
Hyde jumped in. “Finn needs me to go with him on another job.”
Her father stiffened and annoyance crossed his face. “Why? I thought you quit that job and were planning to stick around for a while. We’ve liked having you.”
Finn looked from her to her father, his gaze assessing. Her stomach was coiled with tension. She didn’t want her father to get the wrong idea about them. Having had a happy, forty-year-long marriage, her father wanted his three daughters to have the same. Hyde suspected he worried more about Lydia’s happiness since she was under so much stress, but Hyde concerned him.
“I did quit. This is one last job. It requires my expertise. Big client and it’s important.”
Her father appeared resolved. He indicated behind him. “Make sure you say goodbye to your mother. This time, call from the road so we know you’re safe. I don’t like this. I think you’ll get pulled back in by him.” Her father looked at Finn. “I thought my daughter might have been involved in a relationship and that kept her away. She came home, quiet and lost and I figured she had her heart broken. You show up and it pretty much confirms it.”
“Dad, Finn didn’t—”
“Come on, Alexandra. I wasn’t born yesterday. I have eyes and I have father instincts.” Her dad looked at Finn up and down. “You’re the type she’d go after.”
Guilt ballooned inside her. How could she reassure her father that wasn’t the case? She wasn’t leaving Bearcreek to chase after a relationship with Finn. This was about taking Reed Barnett down and helping Lydia. “It’s just work.”
“It’s never just work,” her dad said.
Hyde looked away from her father, sure she would spill the entire truth if she met his gaze. “I’ll be fine, Dad. I’ll be home soon.”
Her dad wrapped her in a hug. “Don’t stay away too long.”
Hyde left Bearcreek with a heavy heart, but hopeful about the mission. She was doing this for the right reasons and for her family. Making Lydia happy would make this worth it. Being a spy for the last ten years, Hyde had learned to bury her emotions and when it came to Finn, she would do just that.
* * *
If she weren’t working an op, Hyde would have enjoyed Reed Barnett’s remote, private island, one of the nicest islands she had visited in the last ten years. Accessible only by private transportation via air or sea, it was the perfect getaway for two people who were harried, stressed and in need of some rest and relaxation.
What waited for them on the island was none of those things. The West Company had briefed them on the operation, and Hyde was in the zone. The sooner she could nail Barnett and bring down his enterprise, the sooner she could return home. Her father’s words had stuck with her. He had seen something between her and Finn. Her feelings for Finn had delved deeper than she had realized if they were apparent to others. Keeping those in check would be part of the mission.
She had promised her parents she would call. She’d have to remember to do that and make sure she had a safe way to communicate without dragging them into this operation. Barnett was crafty. He could trace phone calls to and from his island. He could have her and Finn under surveillance. Hyde was prepared for anything.
The sea surrounding the island was crystal blue, the sky was dotted with white clouds and the weather warm without being humid. The island was ringed by white sandy beaches, blending into a picturesque foliage of palm, casuarina and prince wood trees. Nestled among the greenery at the tallest point on the island was Barnett’s compound, the light tan of the walls and red of the roof gleaming in the sun.
Barnett was the king of his own private island. Though the island was officially part of a nearby chain, Barnett maintained its independence by paying off the authorities. On this island, Barnett was the law.
Barnett was staying on the island and cooling his heels. The heat needed to die down after his last big score. The sale and transfer of thousands of pounds of cocaine into Miami, Florida, had netted Reed Barnett millions. If he chose to set foot in the United States, the government would arrest him and try to make charges stick. Barnett let others take the fall for his crimes and he was slippery, sliding into hidey-holes whenever he needed to disappear.
Hyde exited the private villa where she and Finn were staying while on Barnett’s island. The villa was located on the beach about half a mile from the main compound. The little house was spacious and well furnished with high-end finishes and an open floor plan. Bamboo reeds covered the exterior of the hut and blended with the sand.
She strode to a wooden lounge chair facing the ocean and adjusted the angle of the chair. Assuming her role as Finn’s jet-setting lover, she mentally prepared herself to meet Reed Barnett.
Under other circumstances, taking him out quickly might have been her preferred course of action. They wanted to get off the island alive, and it was better to conclude the operation with evidence against Barnett and his cohorts to bring them to justice. When the opportunity presented itself to nail Barnett for his crimes, she would take it.
Closing her eyes, she stretched out on the lounge chair and lowered her sunglasses onto her face.
Finn whistled from behind her, and his shadow fell over her as he approached. “You can wear that bikini the entire time we’re here.”
Hyde rolled her eyes. She was wearing next to nothing. The bikini was light-colored, strips of fabric and string, and left no place to conceal her weapon. She felt feminine and pretty for the first time in months. Though it had taken an extra twenty minutes, she’d dried and styled her hair, smoothing it into soft curls.
She needed this op as a final farewell to this life, a successful mission to give Lydia closure and to say goodbye to Finn. Giving her sister peace of mind would ease Hyde’s guilt. Losing Finn in her life would be devastating. She hadn’t known a man as smart and brave as he was. Their relationship was intense and exciting. Back home in Montana, she wouldn’t find a man to replace him. Finn was one of a kind. “If you like this, I have some equally fabric-challenged clothes packed.” The West Company had provided her a suitcase containing everything she needed to behave like Alexandra Morgan, the dim-witted girlfriend of a major drug cartel leader operating on the East Coast in the United States.
The West Company had provided Finn a solid background, identity and large bank account as Finn Moore, as well. His persona would hold water as long as Reed Barnett didn’t press or dig too hard. The experts at the West Company were good, but nothing was perfect.
Hyde lolled her head in Finn’s direction. He was wearing a pair of red swim trunks and a navy T-shirt and he looked delicious. Her libido kicked up a notch. Flirting with him, touching him and being close was playing the part, but it was close to reality and what she wanted to do with him. She looked away, wishing she could confess the truth. The most intimate and passionate moments in her life had been spent with Finn. Her attempts to keep boundaries were challenged by how devastatingly handsome she found him. He walked into a room and he turned heads.
Hyde wasn’t in her twenties anymore. She wasn’t supposed to chase the handsome bad boy and hold on to the mistaken belief that dating him would lead to love and marriage and a family. She knew better, and every conversation with Finn cemented it.
How many more years would Hyde make a suitable mother? If her biological clock stopped ticking, would someone be crazy enough to let her adopt a child when she had no partner, no stable job and no home?
If she wanted a family, she had to make changes. A change in her career and a change in her personal life were in order.
Finn folded his arms over his chest. “Feel like going for a swim?” He tensed and glanced down the beach. They were no longer alone.
Hyde didn’t break character. “A swim? Maybe later. Why don’t you come here and help me put on sunscreen?” She leaned forward in her chair to get a better look at who was approaching. Finn didn’t seem alarmed, but she was curious.
Reed Barnett appeared, walking with two bodyguards. He was wearing a khaki-colored suit and pale green linen shirt. It was the first time she had seen the drug lord in person. His hands were tucked in his pants pockets as he strolled, talking to his guards and pointing at something in the ocean. Regardless of his casual behavior, he would not disarm her.
“Mr. Moore,” Barnett said, coming close and extending his hand to Finn. “I was alerted you and your beautiful lady had arrived on my island. Welcome to both of you.”
If he was rattled at Barnett’s appearance, Finn didn’t let it show. “I had planned to take advantage of your hospitality and enjoy the beach before our meeting tonight.”
Barnett looked out across the water. “It’s an incredible place. I don’t get out here as much as I’d like. Work keeps me busy. You know how that can be.”
Finn had made contact with Barnett through an operative from the West Company who was deep undercover in Barnett’s drug ring. Finn was masquerading as a drug lord with extensive ties along the East Coast. Their communication had been indirect through the West Company’s channels and their contact had indicated Barnett had a new drug he wanted distributed through Finn’s networks to gain greater reach.
“New business is worth it. I like taking time off between big projects,” Finn said.
Barnett asked a few more leading questions, trying to pry information from Finn. His answers were vague. The less they gave away, the easier it was. Barnett was assessing Finn and her, looking for a crack in their armor.
“Thank you for inviting us to your island. A couple of days out of the country is great,” Finn said.
Hyde rose to her feet and walked toward Barnett, hating that he looked at her chest first before meeting her eyes. Wasn’t even her best asset.
“Finn’s right.” Hyde came close to him and slipped her arms around Finn’s waist. His arm went over her shoulders and the movement was so natural and unplanned, pleasure swirled through her. “This place is great. Even better than when you took me to Fiji. It was quieter, but this is so private.” They had never been to Fiji, but it was on her list of places to visit.
Barnett studied them. He wouldn’t find any reason to doubt their story or their carefully crafted backgrounds. She and Finn were the best, and their attraction to each other played well into the characters they were pretending to be. The surge of desire was real and strong enough that it caught her off guard.
“Please alert my staff if you need anything. I’ll see you at dinner. It’s formal, but she can wear that,” Barnett said, pointing to Hyde’s bikini and smirking.
She smiled like an empty-headed twit who took his words as a compliment. Hyde was careful to do nothing to put Barnett on the defensive or to raise his suspicions.
The closer she got to Barnett, the easier it would be to take him down.
* * *
Barnett sauntered down the beach away from Finn and Hyde with his guards on either side of him.
“I could shoot him in the back and he’d never be the wiser,” Hyde said.
Finn’s arm was still draped across her shoulders. He was enjoying the sensation of her soft skin against his. She had been cagey since he’d arrived in Montana, and she hadn’t explained what had changed between them. Every other time they’d met, they’d had red-hot sex. She hadn’t seemed interested. He didn’t suspect she was involved with anyone else. Hyde would have been up front about that.
Hyde was internationally well-known and had a good reputation in their field. The number of successful missions she was rumored to have completed and her skill set was unmatched for someone her age. It didn’t make sense to retire without a good reason. No one seemed to know why the legendary Hyde was unreachable. He’d heard a few rumors she was dead and others that she was undercover for a government agency.
Since they’d met, Finn had kept tabs on Hyde. He liked knowing she was safe. Her well-being was important to him and he needed her in his life. Accepting that she was a spy, as she had been from the first day they’d met, had become harder over time. When he’d heard whispers about a female spy being injured and he couldn’t reach Hyde, he’d worried. He hadn’t confessed that information to her. It would offend her, like his worry implied she couldn’t take care of herself.
The last time they had been together, she had said nothing about quitting the business. It was a huge decision and Hyde wasn’t impulsive. Why hadn’t she mentioned it to him? Closeness and sharing personal details weren’t central to their arrangement, but Finn thought of them as more than lovers. They were friends, too.
Hyde shrugged out of his touch. He didn’t care for that, but let her go. He’d learned to hold his desire for her in check.
“Feel like a swim?” he asked again. The dark throb of need pulsed in his blood. Exercise would take the edge off.
Hyde pulled an elastic band from her wrist and wrapped it in her hair. “Sure.”
She moved toward the water, not looking at him, saying nothing more, and Finn caught her around the waist. He brought his mouth close to her ear. “Don’t be in such a hurry to get away from me. Someone could be watching.”
Hyde met his gaze. Holding her this close and looking into her eyes, anyone watching would think they were lovers. She was holding her back rigid and arching away from him, her hands braced on his chest.
“You can’t use that as an excuse every time you want to touch me,” Hyde said.
“Why are you against me touching you?” Finn asked. He released her, but she didn’t move away. Her chest was inches from his.
“If I were against it, it wouldn’t be happening at all,” Hyde said. She ran her hand down the side of his face and cupped his chin.
He loved her strength and her confidence. She had never played the damsel in distress. “You’re right about that.”
“Did you see someone?” Hyde asked. “Surveillance inside our villa?”
“The jungle behind the villa provides places to hide and watch. I didn’t see any cameras or microphones in the villa, but I need to check more thoroughly.” He had been unpacking and when he’d seen Hyde out on the beach, he’d wanted to be with her. That had felt more important.
She slid her hand down his chest and let it rest on his abs. He was already turned on and the gesture excited him more. “I wish this swimsuit gave me a place to tuck a weapon. Can I assume you have a weapon somewhere on you?” she asked.
“I have a covered blade in my pocket,” he said.
She reached to his hip and smiled. Though it was a warm smile, the heat didn’t race into her eyes. She was playing the part now, not flirting with him. “I could be the only woman in the world who finds it hot that you’re armed.”
“Then you’ll love the holster I brought for you. Fits your inner thigh, so it can’t be seen under a dress.”
She smirked. “I already have one of those.”
He drew her closer. Her breasts were pressed to his chest and her flat stomach against his. Every tiny movement brought sensation to his core and amplified his lust. “This one has a quick release on the snap and room for an extra round.”
She made a sound of delight. “How did you get one of those?”
They weren’t available on the open market. “The West Company’s R and D department.”
She smiled, and this time, the smile reached her eyes. “If I could get Connor or his wife to owe me a favor, I would request a tour of their weapons closet.”
Finn had seen the R and D department at the West Company headquarters. He had participated in a field test for them and had been given a tour. “At this point, it’s not a closet. It’s an entire floor of one of their secret facilities.”
Hyde’s eyes grew wide. “You’re toying with me.”
He shook his head. “I am not. I’ve seen it.” He loved her passion for her job. Walking away from it didn’t fit. He was missing something key.
Hyde pressed her hands together in front of her. “I know you can’t tell me what you saw, but wow.”
“Connor West had you in mind for a few upcoming ops. You could have asked for something new to accompany you on those ops.”
Hyde pushed against his chest and walked closer to the water line. The waves were gentle and low. “I know. He called me. But awesome toys aside, I had to say no.”
That fast, she was distant again. He had pressed her too hard.
They waded into the water. It was warm and felt great on his feet. “You might change your mind,” Finn said.
“I doubt that. When my clearance comes up for renewal in a couple of months, I’m letting it lapse.”
Not renewing her security clearance was a quick way to scratch her name off the United States’ black ops-for-hire list. Finn had never seen the list and he didn’t know who had access to it except likely the president of the United States, the vice president, a couple of senators and Connor West. Some of the best and the brightest were rumored to be on the list. Experts in absolutely everything at the government’s beck and call.
If Hyde’s clearance expired, acquiring another at the same level would take months, if it was granted at all. She wouldn’t be eligible for special projects.
“After working for years to get where you are, you’re letting it go.” He couldn’t get his head around it and he believed she would regret this decision.
“There are more important things than work.”
Suspicion crept over him. Though he would never accuse her of being a turncoat, getting off the list and quitting the spy game made her a free agent. “Are you planning to go mercenary?”
She made a face of disgust. He was off the mark.
“I would never do that. What I have in mind entails Saturdays and Sundays off work, nights and holidays to myself and a steady paycheck. Reading the news about attacks and bombings and knowing someone else is handling it. No more calls at midnight to go wheels up.”
“A small paycheck for boring work,” he said.
“The paycheck doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ll embrace the mundane.”
When they were ribs deep in the water, Hyde dove under. She surfaced ten feet out. Finn chased her. He slid his hand around her hips and lifted her against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He tread water for them. “Do you remember when we rented a room at the resort in Palm Springs and pretended to be spring-breakers?” They had stayed in the penthouse of a popular hotel. He and Hyde had loved being in the middle of that chaos. They had been close enough to hear the music, the lingo and the craziness, and far enough away to escape when they’d wanted privacy.
“We are too old for that now. I can’t chug a beer from a funnel without getting reflux.”
“It was two years ago.”
“A lifetime,” she said. She pushed off his chest and swam backward away from him.
If he could remind her of the closeness they’d shared, she may confide in him. They were friends first. He had told her things he hadn’t told another human being. “What did you do with the bracelet I gave you?”
“I have it. In my pack. It fits my cover.”
Was that all it was? Or did it still mean something to her? He had surprised her with the bracelet in Bora Bora, a diamond tennis bracelet in a platinum setting. “It was my grandmother’s.” He had been given it after his grandmother had passed away. She was the one person in his family who had understood what he did for a living and approved. The rest of his family wanted him to quit and go into politics, like his father and brother. The bracelet had a high sentimental value to him.
Hyde pushed her wet hair off her face. “The bracelet is a family heirloom?”
He nodded.
Hyde’s brows were furrowed in confusion. “I thought it was a piece you picked up at the local market.”
He had let her believe that. She wouldn’t have accepted it otherwise. “I wanted you to have it. You’re strong and brave like my grandmother was. If she had met you, she would have liked you and wanted you to have it.”
“Finn, I can’t keep a precious item like that.”
It was important to him that Hyde have it. He didn’t look too deeply into that thought. “You already accepted it. I would like if you wore it tonight.”
Hyde touched her bare wrist as if considering it. “I could do that. But I want you to think about it. If you change your mind and want it back, please ask.”
He wouldn’t want it back. It looked great on Hyde and it belonged with her.
* * *
Hyde and Finn drove a sand buggy to Reed’s house. It was huge and opulent, the four-story building boasting numerous balconies and dozens of gleaming windows. Storm shutters carved with elaborate scrollwork were pinned to the sides of the windows, and the front of the house was adorned with Roman-style columns and graceful archways. It must have taken an army of engineers to safely place such a large building this close to the water.
Inviting them to his home and this island, Barnett had an agenda. He had numerous politicians, police chiefs and judges on his payroll. He blackmailed people he couldn’t pay off. Everyone had something to hide. Dig deep enough, and anyone looking would hit pay dirt. He’d want to know Finn’s weakness.
Barnett was the master of getting dirty, getting the people around him dirty and then slaughtering anyone who threatened to expose him. His list of friends was long, but his list of enemies was longer. Many people would like to see him dead.
But many people would also line up to step into his shoes. Finn wanted Barnett and his organization torn to the ground and the roots ripped up. He wanted Barnett to pay dearly for killing Simon.
They were escorted to the dining room. The walls and ceiling were painted with images of Victorian angels in the clouds, and the white floor tile was blinding. The room wasn’t what Finn had expected.
Hyde squeezed Finn’s hand. She was wearing a light blue dress, which looked painted on. Cut low in the front, it clung to her hips and thighs. The bottom of the dress was uneven, drawing attention to her strong calves. She was playing her part, and it was distracting to have her so close and know she wasn’t available. The one thing he and Hyde had always done well was sex.
Why was it off the table? Hyde was different, but Finn couldn’t figure out why. They were frequently apart and Finn missed much from her life. She had seemed to enjoy being close to her family. Had they convinced her to quit her life on the road?
“Don’t frown, you look pissed off,” Hyde said. She set her free hand on the crook of his elbow. Every muscle in his body flexed in awareness, and his lust elevated to nearly unmanageable proportions.
He leaned to kiss her cheek and they stared into each other’s eyes. Heat snapped between them and Finn wouldn’t buy this was an act. She played hell with his libido and it wasn’t a one-way street.
Barnett was seated at the head of the table, no one at the other end. The brunette to his right had her body on display in a barely there orange gown. She was staring adoringly at Barnett. She looked like she was ready for a pageant, her hair curled and styled and makeup coating her face. Barnett was ignoring her, but she seemed unperturbed by it.
She had to be his latest fling. Finn didn’t understand why women flocked to Barnett. His face was slim and his nose curved at the tip. He was wealthy and dressed well, but beneath his sophisticated demeanor hummed a quiet rage. Didn’t women sense that and want to avoid him? Barnett had an explosive temper. He could turn on a dime. Anyone who had spent time with him would see it and rightfully fear it.
Barnett wasn’t a man to be trifled with. Acquaintances and companions who displeased him disappeared.
Barnett stood in greeting. He gestured to the seats next to him. “Mr. Moore and the lovely Alexandra. Thank you for joining me tonight. This is my girlfriend, Ruby.”
Finn held out Hyde’s chair for her and she took her seat. Finn then sat next to her and between her and Barnett. Drinks were brought and after an exchange of pleasantries, Barnett took over the conversation.
“I am embarking on an exciting new opportunity. There are fortunes to be made. Before I share my grand plan, I need something from you.”
Finn didn’t like where this was leading.
Waiters in white gloves and black ties served appetizers. The longer Finn sat with Barnett, the dirtier he felt. And not dirty in a good way. Dirty as in, “my soul is being corrupted by the second.” If he was the average of the five people he spent the most time with, with the exception of Hyde, Finn was being dragged into the depths of immorality.
“How about a show of your skill?” Barnett said.
“What did you have in mind?” Finn asked.
“Your reputation speaks to your skills as a marksman and as an explosives expert.”
He was both, though he would rather Hyde handle explosives. Hyde was remarkable with them, having a sixth sense about timing and control.
Barnett stood and picked up a plate. “Shoot this.”
Barnett pulled his arm back and let the plate spin like a disc. Finn withdrew his gun and shot the plate before it hit the wall. It shattered, pieces striking the floor.
Barnett’s brows were lifted and the corners of his mouth turned up in amusement. Ruby’s hand was over her mouth, staring at Finn.
“Good reflexes and it answers my question that you traveled armed,” Barnett said.
“Safer to assume every person I meet is armed,” Finn said.
“Even your beautiful lady?” Barnett said.
Finn touched Hyde’s shoulder, as if she’d need his protection and reassurance. “Alexandra knows how to protect herself.” Finn wouldn’t let on how skilled a spy Hyde was.
Barnett snapped his fingers and pointed to the mess on the floor. Two waiters rushed to clean it up.
At the sound of breaking glass, Finn scanned for the source. Another test?
Ruby was on her feet apologizing.
Barnett pointed at her. “You clumsy cow! That’s a five-thousand-dollar wineglass. How will you pay for it?”
Barnett was a moron if he paid five thousand dollars for a piece of glass. Finn hid his disgust at Barnett’s reaction to what was probably a slip of her hand. Barnett had thrown a plate and had Finn destroy it for no reason. He had lodged a bullet in the ceiling, an expensive repair. Barnett wasn’t a man who cared about wasting money. But he obviously enjoyed humiliating his girlfriend.
Ruby brought her hands to her mouth, and her body trembled. Hyde moved as if she planned to go to the woman’s side, but Finn clamped a hand on her forearm. If Hyde interfered, she could get Ruby killed. It had to be killing Hyde to see this. Since he had known her, Hyde had harbored a passion for protecting women who could not protect themselves. Rumors had swirled about Hyde’s actions to protect others, and Finn had witnessed it himself over the last several years.
Humiliation was survivable. As long as Barnett didn’t throw a punch, Finn would let it play out.
“I suggest you go to our room. You can make this up to me tonight.” His grin was lascivious and Ruby looked at Finn and Hyde, her face red, and then fled the room in tears.
Barnett appeared composed. This was the hair-trigger temper Finn had read about. One moment Barnett was relaxed and jovial, and the next he was tearing someone to shreds.
Hyde was seething, twisting her linen napkin in her lap and tapping the gun at her thigh, but she was keeping her facial expression in check. The rest of the meal passed without incident. Ruby did not return to the table and Finn didn’t blame her. He hoped she had found a boat and was hightailing it away from Barnett.
When dinner was over, Barnett invited Finn to his private office for drinks and cigars.
“Are you okay on your own?” Finn asked, turning to Hyde at the table. It would be like Hyde to use the time to look around the house under the guise of admiring the decor and artwork. He ran his hand down the side of her face and she leaned into the touch. Their eyes connected and heat and anticipation arced between them.
She gripped her clutch in her hands. “If our generous host agrees, I’ll enjoy some wine on the portico.”
Barnett nodded. “I like a woman who can entertain herself.”
Hyde must want to stab Barnett. Everything the man said to her sounded like a slight or an innuendo to sex. Finn credited her with staying calm. He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her lightly. She allowed the kiss, but she didn’t return it. He sensed she wanted to and was overthinking this. Finn would break through her walls and find out what was bothering her. It was a matter of time.
“Mr. Moore? Are you coming?” Barnett asked.
Though he hated splitting up from her, Finn followed Barnett into his office.
* * *
Hyde had worked as a spy long enough to have seen every type of relationship and had learned to categorize them quickly. Some were good, some were awful and most were somewhere in between. She placed Reed Barnett and every woman he dated in the awful category. He had humiliated and verbally abused Ruby. The idea made Hyde’s blood run red-hot with rage. If there was anything that elicited a reaction from her, it was a woman in trouble.
However Ruby had come to be involved with Barnett, she had to regret it. She could feel trapped or know she couldn’t leave with her life. Perhaps she was waiting for the right opportunity to escape to safety. Or she had been someone’s victim for so long, she didn’t know how to be anything but one. Though it wasn’t the mission’s primary objective, Hyde wanted to get Ruby safely out of her entanglement with Barnett when she was ready to take that step.
In her field, Hyde was often underestimated and men tried to push her around. She had pushed back and struggled for every scrap of respect she had. She’d had examples of strong women in her life. Her father treated her mother with respect, and Hyde expected nothing less from the men in her life. After a decade of missions, her reputation preceded her. Now, when a man learned her name, they reacted with the right amount of awe.
Barnett’s butler led Hyde out of the main house to a large patio overlooking the ocean. Citronella candles surrounded her.
Ruby appeared, having changed from the orange evening gown into pink yoga pants and a matching zip-up sweatshirt. Her hair was long and loose around her shoulders. She folded her hands in front of her and lifted her head. Hyde read her discomfort in the tightness of her shoulders, but Hyde also saw strength in her eyes.
Hyde would break the ice first and let Ruby know that she was a friend. “I’m glad you came out tonight. Who knows how long the men will be talking? It’s nice to make a friend on the island.”
Ruby touched the ends of her hair. “I’m embarrassed by what happened at dinner.”
It must be her first event of this nature, or she was playing a carefully scripted part to gain empathy. Hyde didn’t let her guard down until she was sure of someone and it was rare for her to be sure of anyone.
Hyde’s plan was to be as kind as possible to get close to Ruby without giving away anything about herself or Finn. “He overreacted. I’m sure he’ll be over it by tomorrow.”
Ruby touched her bare left ring finger. “He was pretty mad.”
“He seemed fine at the end of dinner,” Hyde said.
“Whenever he gets mad like that...” She let her voice trail off.
If she finished that statement with “he hits me” or any variation of those words, Hyde would kill Barnett. She and Finn would have to come up with a Plan B to destroy the rest of his network. Her retribution for Barnett was ready to be taken off its leash with the slimmest notice.
“He what?” Hyde prompted.
Ruby pressed her hands to her sides. “It’s the best sex I’ve ever had.”
Not what she’d expected, but Hyde rolled with it. She could be a friend to Ruby and leverage her for information. Allies came in handy. When the time came, she would help her escape Barnett’s network.
Hyde giggled. “They get worked up, don’t they?”
Ruby relaxed and Barnett’s staff brought a bottle of wine and glasses out to them.
Hyde accepted a glass of wine, but didn’t drink it. She brought it to her lips, but she was listening, gathering every detail Ruby was willing to share.
She needed to figure out if Ruby could help them or hurt them and if she could be trusted.
* * *
After several hours of speaking with Ruby about everything from music to travel to books they enjoyed, Hyde pretended to be drunk. She had dumped a fair amount of wine into the bushes around the patio. It was almost one in the morning, and Finn was still talking with Barnett. When Ruby begged off to get some sleep, Hyde couldn’t think of a reason to linger without raising suspicions.
One of Barnett’s guards drove her wordlessly to the villa on the beach. Hyde thanked Barnett’s guard and stumbled into the house, closing and locking the door behind her. Her feet crunched over the gritty sand that seemed to coat the brown tile floor.
Hyde swept for bugs. Thinking of Ruby, she hoped Barnett’s anger would disappear before bed. If their villa was closer to the main house, she could have kept a better eye on Ruby.
Hyde hit the shower. Ten minutes in, the sound of the front door opening and closing interrupted her thoughts. Finn was home. Hyde shut off the water. She wrapped a plush white lavender-scented towel around her.
Her time with Finn was the closest thing she’d had to a vacation in the last ten years. Finn had once needed to cancel plans with her when his mission went sideways, and Hyde had been utterly disappointed. That lingering displeasure had been an eye-opening experience. She needed Finn after a mission. It was how she bounced back from the soul-wrecking events that were her job.
When this was over, Hyde wouldn’t have Finn. Instead, she would take a vacation. A weeklong getaway to somewhere warm where she could relax without fearing for her life.
Keeping her towel around her, Hyde met Finn in the main room of the house. Achy, needy and unexpected desire swelled inside her.
He was removing his tie and it was one of the sexiest things she had seen in months. Finn in dress pants, his shirt rumpled and the sleeves rolled to his elbows, his hair askew and now the tie loose around his neck.
His brown eyes blinked at her. “I won’t be presumptuous, so I’ll ask. Were you waiting for me?”
Her clothes were hanging in the closet. “Just getting pajamas.”
“Can I watch you change?”
Seeing her naked wasn’t a novelty for him. “That’s unfair since I have no intention of letting you touch me.” The words were a boundary she needed. If she followed her impulses, she would be in his arms in minutes.
A playful expression crossed his face. He removed his tie and shirt. Buff and muscled only began to describe him. A tiger was tattooed across his side. The tattoo covered a scar he’d gotten on one of his first missions when a poacher had shot at him.
Though his appearance wasn’t the sole reason she liked Finn, it was impossible to ignore. Finn’s dark and brooding, bad-boy-meets-secret-agent, tough-guy image appealed to her.
Broad across the shoulders, tanned skin from hours spent in the sun and lean muscles that she liked to touch, beckoned to her. To feel his body tighten beneath her hands and to lie against him, his arms around her, was the safest she had felt in her life.
When she had been in the worst emotional pain in her life, she had thought about being with Finn, his arms offering comfort and security she desperately needed to fill the gaping hole in her heart and emptiness in her soul.
Her excitement slowed when she thought of Munich. Her stomach clenched and she touched her midsection, feeling like she was less than she had been before, like something important was missing. Finn was the same man she’d been attracted to six months ago. She had changed. What she wanted from him and for her life was different.
Falling into bed with Finn would be easy. If she crossed that line with him, at the end of the mission she was still alone and without a family of her own. That dream was far out of reach, but not lost to her.
Hyde was beyond the point where she could have sex with Finn for recreation and pretend it meant nothing. She couldn’t put her finger on the precise moment it had happened, but sleeping with him had become about more than sex. She cared for him and he couldn’t—wouldn’t—give her what she wanted.
She took her pajamas to the bathroom and dressed. He joined her after several minutes, changing and brushing his teeth at the sink across the bathroom. She was momentarily thrown by the simplicity. They weren’t a couple in their home getting ready for bed. They were operatives on a mission where people would die to achieve their goal and even more people would die if she and Finn failed. Hyde wouldn’t let herself get caught in a fantasy. They were working. This was not real life.
Hyde left the bathroom and tossed a bed pillow onto the settee.
“That’s where you’re sleeping?” Finn asked, turning off the light in the bathroom.
It was late, the end of a long day, and she didn’t want to have a lengthy conversation about it. “Yes.”
He sighed. “Get in the bed.”
“I’d rather have some space.”
“We slept in the same room in Montana,” he said.
“I know.” She had liked it. Too much. It had been too tempting to cross the limits she had set.
He put one hand on his hip and rubbed his forehead with the other. “When are you planning to tell me what’s going on with you? Why are you acting like this?”
“I’ve told you. I want a life with words that scare you. Words like husband and wedding and babies and mortgage.” No point in dancing around it and pretending she was okay with sex with no strings, at least not when it came to Finn.
Finn straightened. “Those words don’t scare me. They just aren’t in the cards for me.”
He sounded certain. Case closed. Not even a hint that in the future, the distant future, he may want those things. She lay on the settee and closed her eyes. She couldn’t have this conversation with him. The intense longing swallowing her to hear him say those words clarified that she needed more from him. She wanted him to say he would give her a life and home together, if not now, in time. That he was capable of being the man she needed.
“Did you see Ruby?” Finn asked. The worry in his voice prevented her from ignoring him.
A change in the subject and she let go of her foolish hope about Finn changing his mind. “I did. We shared a few glasses of wine. She was shaken, but okay. This wasn’t the first time Barnett lost his temper with her, and she seemed fine.”
Finn made a sound of disgust. “Until Barnett takes it to the next level and he gets violent with her.”
She’d had similar thoughts. “He is a wretched human being. I can’t imagine anything he does making up for how he humiliated Ruby or why she would forgive him and stay.”
Finn flopped on the bed. “If you change your mind, I’m here. I know you want to sleep next to me. I can feel it.”
Hyde shifted on the settee and stared at the ceiling. “If I get in bed with you, will you stop questioning me?”
“For now. But Hyde, I know there’s something going on and I want to understand. I want you to let me in.”
She looked over at him. He lifted the blanket and patted the bed.
She crossed the room, the floor cold under her feet. She slid under the covers with him. He didn’t reach for her and she didn’t move closer. Sharing the same bed was close enough. They had an invisible wall as a barrier and neither was ready to tear it down.
