Until Death Do We Part (Sex and Vows 1)

Chapter 6

Alex

Evie was lacing up her boots while I re-packed our bug out bags when my cell phone started ringing. My other phone. Son of a bitch. I knew who would be on the line.

I picked it up and pressed the accept button. “Justice,” I barked.

“Relax, mate. It’s Colin.”

I was relieved the caller wasn’t Donovan, but was still on edge, wary of why he was calling. “You have something for me?”

“You left me quite a mess to take care of,” he muttered, his irritation evident. “Lucky for you, Martin and I handled it before it was brought to anyone else’s attention. We scrubbed all the traffic cam footage and sent in a sanitizer to clean things up.”

“Thanks.” Colin had put his ass on the line to keep this situation under control and me out of the dog house with the higher ups. “I owe you.”

“And, I’ll definitely be collecting. It’s not the only reason I’m calling though, I’ve got a lead for you. Well, someone who can get one for you, anyway.”

Colin gave me the name and address for an old CI of his, someone who was out of the game but still had their ear to the ground.

“She went legit a few years back, but she still hears things and will pass them along for the right price.”

I ran over my reserves in my head, I’d had to grease quite a few palms to find Heron the first time. “I don’t think I have enough, where is the nearest drop site?”

The sound of clicking came across the line before he replied. “I would say you might not need it, but I’m aware how pussy-whipped you are by your wife.” I snorted but didn’t otherwise respond. If what I had with my Evie was considered pussy-whipped, they could tattoo it on my forehead and I’d wear it proudly. He ignored me and continued, “There is one a little over eight kilometers from your current location. It’s a used book store, look for a first edition James Bond novel, it’s in a compartment just above.”

“Bond?” I asked drily. “Really?”

Colin chuckled. “Whoever set it up had a sense of humor. Give me half an hour to get a cut-out to make a drop first. You’ll also find keys in there and a car parked out back.”

“Great. Keep me posted if you hear anything else.”

“Will do. Oh,” he stopped me before I could hang up, “Am I seeing things or was that sexy as fuck dominatrix in black, Genevieve?”

A growl rumbled to the surface from my chest. “Colin”, I said, my voice filled with malicious warning, “I don’t ever want to hear you say the word fuck and Genevieve in the same sentence or I’ll cut off your balls and shove them down your throat.”

“Whoa, whoa, okay. Won’t happen again. Thanks for the very vivid image, by the way. But”—he paused before continuing hesitantly—“was it your wife?”

“What if it was?” I was fishing, trying to ascertain how much he knew, if he’d realized she was also a spy.

“You’d better send her home, mate. Now would be a good time to put in the request to read her in, because she’ll figure it out eventually, if she hasn’t already.”

“I’ve got it under control.” It was all I was willing to give.

“Alright, well, keep me posted and I’ll give you a heads up if I hear anything more.”

I hung up and looked at the name and address I’d written down. Once I had it memorized, I pulled out a small, yellow Bic lighter from the pocket of my black cargo pants and lit the paper on fire. Dropping it in the ash tray on the room’s table, I turned around and saw Evie quietly speaking into her phone as well.

“Yes, sir. I’m on it. No, I don’t have any leads but—” I waved my hands to get her attention and when she met my gaze, she raised an eyebrow in question, to which I nodded confirmation—“Never mind, sir. A lead just showed up. Yes, sir. I’ll keep you updated.” She snapped her phone shut and blew out an exasperated breath.

“It’s like having a fucking babysitter sometimes.”

I chuckled, knowing exactly how she was feeling. Picking up our bags, I tossed them over my shoulder, grasped the handle of my briefcase, and made my way to the door. “Let’s go, baby. I got the name and address of an asset who might know something.”

Evie pulled her backpack from under the bed, and I held the door open as she stepped out into the hallway. A quick elevator ride and we were walking through the hotel entrance, out into the bright sunshine. Instinctively, we both moved so we were standing out of the direct rays, blending into the shadows.

“Someone is leaving me money and a car at a drop about five miles away. We’ll grab a cab and pick up my packages, then head out to see Colin’s contact.”

Evie murmured an agreement, and I signaled to the doorman to flag us down a taxi.

“Colin?” Evie asked when I gave her my attention once more. “The sexy Brit at your firm?”

Despite my complete confidence in Evie and our love and desire for each other, jealousy exploded inside my head, pounding at my temples. “Yes, the dead man who used to work with me.” I was only half-kidding.

Evie’s eyes widened in surprise, then her lashes lowered, but not before I caught the coy gleam in them. “I should have known he was a spook. He just screams 007, don’t you think?”

I growled, gripping Evie’s waist and pulling her against me. “Don’t push me, baby. Or you’re going to find yourself bent over my knee with a very red ass. And then I’ll show you exactly who your man is, by fucking you into next week.”

She looked up at me through her long, dark lashes, her brown eyes heated. “Promise?”

I stifled a groan with a curse. I was going to need to learn to control myself. If I had to spend the whole mission with a hard on, it was going to make things extremely difficult. “Behave,” I scolded. Just then, the doorman whistled and a cab pulled up to the curb.

Before climbing inside, she leaned up and whispered in my ear, “Jealousy is a sexy look on you. It makes me wet.”

For the love of... I was so screwed.

***

My eyes swept the perimeter of the nondescript apartment building we were standing in front of.

After collecting the stash from the dead drop, I was startled to see two extra passports. Again, I wondered what Colin knew, or if he was simply speculating and being over cautious. The note said they were brand new identities, under the radar from even The Company. Apparently, he’d contacted a local cobbler, one not associated with any institution, but one he trusted.

The car was a boring, gray sedan, perfect for blending in. With our belongings in the trunk, save for the weapons strapped to our bodies, we drove to the address I’d memorized.

I did another sweep and my gut told me we were clear. Glancing at my wife—no, I needed to think of her as Scarlett while we were in the field—she nodded, indicating she agreed with my assessment.

We exited the vehicle and approached the building, halting when the door opened before we could knock. A pretty young woman stood there. Probably in her early twenties, she was a tiny thing with short, curly blond hair and alert, blue eyes. “Brandon and Penny Abel?” she questioned in Italian.

“Sì,” I confirmed. Those were the names on our new identity papers.

She moved back and waved us forward. “Entra. Come in. I’m Antonia.”

“Grazie,” Evie thanked her. “Per l'incontro con noi, Antonia.” I knew Evie spoke Italian fluently, just as I did. I’d heard it many times, con

sidering we had a home there. However, no matter how much I heard it, it never stopped being a huge turn on. I had to find a seat quickly and set the bag I was carrying on my lap, doing my best to disguise my growing erection.

Antonia took the chair beside mine, forcing Evie to sit on the couch across from me. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but her tone was neutral as she started the conversation. “You have information on the whereabouts of Mark Sai?”

Blue eyes bored into me as Antonia placed a hand on my bicep. My erection suddenly withered and died, limp as a noodle. “I do, but my knowledge isn’t free.”

“Of course.” I reached into the bag, but her hand moved to cover mine.

“I’m happy to trade what I know for ... other things.” A sound that could best be described as a growl emanated from the other direction. I looked to see Evie sitting ramrod straight, her hands clenched into fists on her lap, and her face storming. The situation was too tense for me to enjoy my wife’s display of jealously, but make no mistake, I’d be coming back to it later.

“Colin certainly enjoys his preferred method of paying me and he suggested you might too.” I hear whispered in my ear. Colin. He was messing with me, and I was going to kick his ass before I strung him up by his balls.

“Would you please remove your hand from my“—Evie hesitated—“partner,” she requested frostily. “Before I remove it for you.”

Antonia spared her a quick glance and must have noticed a connection of some kind because her eyes bounced from Evie’s ring finger to mine, then back up to my face, smiling smugly. She obviously wasn’t put off by Evie’s attitude since she didn’t see a ring on either of us. We didn’t wear them in the field. Letting on that you have a spouse, or family, puts you, and them, into even more danger. It was the reason Evie had referred to me as her partner.