“It’s your mission, Hunter. You’ve got complete control. Run it how you see best. I trust you on this,” Loki said, his deep voice oddly distracted. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Make sure you update me once things go down so I know if I need to call in more manpower, yeah?”
“Yeah.” Hunter nodded, still a bit shocked. This was his big chance for the promotion and Loki seemed to be willing to give him every shot of making it. They were friends outside the agency, but professionally, he’d never been sure quite where Loki stood with him. Now, there was no doubt. Loki was one-hundred-percent on-board with Hunter. It made him feel both happy and humble. He cleared his throat. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.” Loki’s smile was evident through the phone line. “Call me. And be careful, dude. We’re still digging out from the aftermath of that Aeon debacle with Cam.”
“Will do.” Hunter chuckled as he ended the call. Cam, the agency’s tech guru, had been gunning for his own mission for months and Loki had finally given in and used him to retrieve a valuable car that had been stolen from the federal government. The whole thing should’ve been a piece of cake, especially for Cam who basically ate, slept, and pissed computer code. But things had taken a turn for the complicated when a gal Cam used to know turned out to be a thief with the same objectives as Cam—get the car back at all costs. The two had ended up getting the car together, though it was more than a tad worse for the wear. They’d also ended up in love and married at the end of it all. Hunter hazarded a glance over at Alex, who was busy texting on her own phone. Marriage certainly wasn’t on his mind at the moment, but maybe he and Alex could have something lasting after all this anyway. He was willing to explore the possibility. “Loki’s called in favors from his west coast friends. We should have all the help we need tonight.”
“Good.” She looked up from her phone screen and grinned at him. “The bartender sent me pics of the club’s interior with flash, so we can actually see where all the nooks and crannies are in the place. Lots of hiding spots, which is good. I’ve been there many times, but you saw yourself how dark it was in there. These should help you put your men where you need them to be.”
“Cool.” They moved closer on the sofa so they sat shoulder to shoulder and Alex scrolled through the pics for him. Hunter couldn’t resist leaning over and burying his face in her long, soft hair. God, he’d missed the sweet citrusy scent of her, the taste of her soft skin. She shivered as he nuzzled the sensitive spot where her neck met collarbone. “We’ve got a few hours to kill before we need to get ready, you know.”
“We do?” Alex giggled as Hunter pulled her back into the cushions with him, her new phone falling to the floor as she slid her arms around his neck. “And how do you suggest we spend our time?”
“Oh, I’ve got more than a few ideas,” he said, pulling her down for an openmouthed kiss.
“Only a few?” She raised a brow as her hand crept between them to stroke his hard cock through his jeans.
“Way more than a few.” Hunter rolled over, taking Alex with him until she was squarely beneath him and his hands were under her pink top, resting on smooth warm skin. “Best get started now so we get to them all, Mistress.”
17
Alex stood in the shadows across the street from Club Xcite, doing her best not to fidget in her new costume. With her scarlet red wig, skimpy black leather dress, and goth style makeup, she looked nothing like her normal self or even the brown haired, bespectacled Dom from a few days earlier. Then again that was the point.
“Everything’s in place,” Hunter whispered from beside her. “My team has got every angle covered inside. No way these guys are making it out of here without handcuffs and a police escort. You remember the plan?”
She nodded. “Stay quiet, stay submissive. Don’t react when I see Bea. Let you handle the dangerous stuff. Got it.”
Of course, all of that was subject to change once they were inside. Bea was her best friend. Depending on the condition they found her in, Alex might have to break open a can of whoop ass on the sex boss all over again. Her blood boiled just thinking about the awful things Bea had had to witness and maybe even endure because of that asshole. If anyone deserve a kick to the face, it was that bastard.
“Good. Let’s do it.” Hunter tugged gently on the black braided leash around Alex’s neck and led her across the street to the club. For his part, he looked different too. Purple dye in his hair, eyeliner, fake piercings in his nose and eyebrow. Still hot though. Alex bit her lip as she stared at his ass in those tight leather pants. God. The man could make a garbage bag look sexy.
The bouncer stopped them, as usual. Alex kept her gaze lowered, even though she had in dark contacts to cover her blue eyes. Didn’t want to risk recognition at this point and blow their cover. Hunter slipped the beefy guard two hundred-dollar bills and got them in the door.
Inside, the club was as murky as ever. Pink and blue neon lights reflected weakly through the smoke-filled air. The low thrum of electronic house music throbbed through the speaker system, and the room smelled of warm bodies and the sharp tang of alcohol. People clustered around the space, drinking or dancing or talking. Adrenaline prickled through Alex’s nerve endings as she realized unseen eyes watched and waited for Hunter’s signal.
A murmur broke through the crowd as the door leading to the restricted back area of the club banged open and the sex boss walked out, two new guards flanking him. The guy scanned the room then locked gazes with a hard-edged Asian guy at the bar. They exchanged chin hikes then the Asian dude strode across the room to where the sex boss stood with his guards.
This is it. Please be okay, Bea. Please.
While Alex watched, she felt the tension in Hunter’s body as he stiffened beside her, the leash still clutched in his hand. His expression was unreadable, but she could tell he was poised to strike by the rigid set of his broad shoulders. Shit was about to go down.
The sex boss and the Asian exchanged a few words she couldn’t hear, then the sex boss snapped his fingers loud. The music in the club cut off with a screech and the two guards flanking him disappeared back through the door into the restricted area. When they emerged again, they were each accompanied by two figures, hard to tell if they were male or female, with bland gray hoodies on. Even with their faces mostly covered, Alex imagined they’d all be filthy and shivering, marred with dirt and blood. The guard’s firm grip on their arms worked as well as any set of handcuffs and their feet were covered with cheap rubber flip flops that could be bought for less than a dollar at any drug store. All of them wore the same plain black leggings.
Bile rose hot and bitter in Alex’s throat. She swallowed hard to keep from vomiting. Bea was there, in the back next to the smaller of the two guards. Her short dark hair was sticking up all over her head and her bottom lip appeared to be split and swollen, but otherwise she looked unharmed. Well, as unharmed as one could be in that situation.
Despite the horrific scene, Alex’s heart leapt. “She’s there,” she whispered to Hunter. “In back, on the left, near the door. It’s Bea.”
“Quiet.” Hunter tugged on the leash without looking at Alex, shocking her into silence. His voice held an edge of steel she’d not heard from him before. She was used to being on the dominant side of things, but Alex had to admit seeing her man playing the alpha male was incredibly hot too. Maybe they’d have to switch things up the next time they were in the sack. If they got out of this mess, that was. Hunter continued to stare straight ahead, a small muscle ticking near his tight jaw. “Stay. Put. Understand?”
Much as she longed to
run across the room and tackle poor Bea in a bear hug, she didn’t want to put her best friend’s life at risk. Or anyone else’s for that matter. She knew Hunter was packing, she’d seen him check the magazine in his Glock before concealing it in a special holster beneath his purple T-shirt and leather vest. She assumed the rest of his team was armed as well.
None of that quelled her fears when the sex boss pulled that nasty looking knife out of his waistband again and started waving it around, threatening the Asian man. Apparently, there was some dispute over price. The other people in the club continued on with their business as if nothing was going on—either in on the deal, Alex supposed, or part of Hunter’s team.
Suddenly, the sex boss reached back and grabbed Bea by the arm, yanking her forward so hard she stumbled and fell to her knees. He dug his fingers into her short hair and forced her head back to expose her neck. Hunter took a step forward, his free hand raised to signal his team.
“For that price you get three, not four,” the sex boss yelled. “This one goes.”