Their Masquerade (The American Soldier Collection 6)

Mariah had given the cab driver the directions to the hotel. Tomorrow she would head back home and then return for the masquerade this weekend. She had a lot to think about. Perhaps taking Armando up on his offer of spending the night with him would have been the better decision than leaving now. She could forget about the masquerade and just give in to the need to lose her virginity and her desire for Quentin, Axel, Deacon, and L.T. along with it.

She was off daydreaming when she realized that the cab driver was heading the wrong way.

“Hey, where are you going? The hotel is in the other direction.”

He ignored her as his radio went off and he spoke into the black receiver.

“Package is secured and being delivered in thirty seconds.”

Package secured? Delivered in thirty seconds. What the hell?

“Hey, stop the cab. Stop the damn cab now,” she yelled.

“Miss Langcaster, please remain calm. I’m one of the good guys. The agents will explain everything to you.”

“The agents?”

He pulled the cab down a side street and right next to an awaiting black SUV with tinted windows. He got out, opened her door, as the driver to the other vehicle opened the door.

“I want to know what’s going on. I’m not getting in there,” she stated firmly. Then she saw someone move forward so that she could see their face.

“Randy?”

“Please cooperate, Mariah. I’ll explain everything. Just get into the vehicle,” he said.

She swallowed hard, glanced at the cab driver, who was armed, and got into the SUV.

Immediately the three other men, all dressed in dark suits, sat around the custom designed backseat. She took the only empty seat, the one next to Randy.

“What’s going on?” she asked as the door closed and the vehicle began to move.

“There’s so much to explain,” Randy stated.

“Miss Langcaster, my name is Special Agent Morris. This is Agent Clinton and Agent Sanders. We work for the Federal government in a special operations unit.”

“And?” she asked him.

“Miss Langcaster, we believe that the man you were with this evening is part of an illegal arms operation, aiding and abetting terrorists throughout the Middle East.”

“What? You mean Manchenso?”

“And Secca, along with a few others.”

She felt her heart racing, and then she looked at Randy.

“How are you involved with this?” she asked.

“I’ve been working with the agents for the last three years. After Michael was killed, and then a series of other law enforcement officers and agents went missing, I was approached by this team. Agents Morris, Clinton, and Sanders.”

“What does this have to do with Michael?” she asked

as she felt the tears burning behind her eyes.

They were all silent a moment and then Randy interrupted Agent Morris.

“The men who are part of this operation are believed to have been the ones to kill Michael and the others.”

“What?” she asked, not believing that this was happening. Her head was spinning, and she was filled with a mix of emotions. She was scared. She was angry and confused.