Mine to Protect (Mine 6)

“It’s pretty easy to disappear in Sin City,” Jasmine murmured. “I’ve certainly done that a time or two myself.”

Zoe leaned forward, her shoulder sliding against Victor’s arm. “That’s why we’re here, actually. One of my friends has disappeared. I came out to find her before but…” He felt her gaze land on him. “Someone cut that search sort.”

“Because I was trying to save your sweet ass,” he said, too aware that his voice had become a rough growl.

Drake gave a low laugh. “So…what? Something changed for you? You’re not worried about her sweet ass any longer?”

Drake could be such a bastard. If the guy didn’t make Jasmine so ridiculously happy…I would totally kick his ass.

“We have a deal,” Zoe said, her voice soft but carrying easily in the back of that limo. “Victor promised to help me find her.”

Drake’s fingers tapped against his knee. “I’ve had some experience with Victor and his…deals.”

Was the guy still furious over their past? So Victor had lied to Drake. Betrayed him. Let that shit go, man.

“Victor helps you…” Drake mused. “But what does Victor get out of that deal? What’s in it for him?”

I made her promise me anything. Would she admit that? No, no, Victor didn’t think she’d reveal—

“That part is between us.” Again, her voice was still soft. “But I know I can count on Victor. He hasn’t let me down. In fact, he’s the reason I’m still alive.”

Jasmine was silent. A dangerous sign. Jazz was definitely not the silent type.

“Give me the name of the missing woman,” Drake said. “I’ll get my security team to start running down leads. If you’re trying to stay out of the spotlight, let them do most of the recon work while you take refuge in my hotel. Trust me, you’ll be safe there.”

“No offense,” Zoe said. “But trust isn’t going to enter the equation for me.”

“I trust him,” Victor told her. And he did. It wasn’t like he would have let the guy marry Jasmine otherwise. Drake Archer was ruthless, demanding, and dangerous, but he was also one of the good guys.

Semi-good, anyway.

“I trust him,” Victor repeated, lowering his voice, wanting Zoe to know that he wasn’t leading her into any kind of trap.

But I am. Sonofabitch, I am.

“Tell me the missing woman’s name,” Drake said.

Zoe hesitated. The car kept eating up the distance as it headed toward those bright Vegas lights. “Michelle,” she finally said. “Michelle Lane.”

Chapter Seven

Drake took them to a private entrance at the hotel. There were definite perks involved when you arrived with the hotel’s owner. A private entrance, a private elevator. A quick trip to a reserved suite on the top floor that kept them away from prying eyes.

Drake opened the door to the suite and escorted Zoe inside. Victor started to follow them, but Jasmine reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

“What in the hell are you doing with Zoe Peters?”

Ah. Right. Figured that Jasmine would recognize her, even though he’d only let Zoe give her first name during the big introduction moment. Considering that Jazz had worked plenty of undercover assignments, she would have definitely been circulating with folks who knew Zoe…and her father, Luther Bates.

“I’m keeping her alive,” he said, turning to stare down into her eyes.

“Bull. You’re using her.”

Now he was the one to turn his hand and grab her wrist. He pulled her away from the door. “What the hell?” His words were whispered. “Zoe might hear you!” Because she hadn’t been whispering.

“Good. Maybe the woman needs to hear me.” Jasmine jerked her hand free of him and glared—and no one could glare quite like her. Her eyes went all icy on him. “You do this. I’ve seen you do this crap in the field. You get all focused on the FBI and what it wants and you forget that real people are paying the price. Real people are getting hurt—”

“I’m helping her!”

She gave a hard shake of her head. “Victor, sell this story to someone who hasn’t known you as long as I have. Let me guess…you told her that the two of you were a team? That you’d help her to find her missing friend?”

“Seriously, Jazz, lower your voice!” He threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Luckily, Drake still had Zoe somewhere in the back of that suite.

“In return for your help, what will you get? You think you’ll get her to talk to her dad? Get some kind of family moment going so Luther Bates—Luther Fucking Killer Bates—will start playing friendly with the FBI?”

“He’s already talking to us.”

Her gaze widened. “Because you’re protecting her.”

Yeah. “He was supposed to keep cooperating. Supposed to turn on the other SOBs he’d worked with, but recently, he’s started pulling back. There’s some rumbles that he’s working to get a new trial. The guy thinks he’s going to get out.”

Her breath expelled in a quick rush. “You suspect he’s been stringing you along, huh? Just feeding you small fish as he bided his time.”

That was the fear, yeah. “So we need something big on the guy. We need to get the power and make him cooperate.”

Her attention shifted toward the suite. “I didn’t think Zoe was supposed to be involved in her father’s work.”

“She isn’t.” His immediate denial. And, yeah, maybe it was a hot denial.

Jasmine’s brows shot up at his response.

“Zoe isn’t a criminal. The FBI is not looking to bust her for anything.” Hell, no. “But…but we believe she may know a bit more about his activities.”

“Using her.” She nodded, looking sad. “How many lies have you already told that poor woman?”

“You don’t understand us.”

“There is no ‘us’ here. There’s you, doing your job, and then there’s Zoe…falling for you.”

His heartbeat quickened.

“Don’t act as if you don’t see it happening. It’s in her eyes. In the way she watches you. Touches you. Zoe doesn’t realize that it’s all just business for you, though. She doesn’t understand that when you have what you want, you’ll walk away.”

Walk away…from Zoe?

“God, Vic, how can you be so cruel? How can you hurt her like that?”

He took a step back. “Hurting Zoe isn’t part of my plan.”

“That’s the only way this ends. You get so caught up in the mission. In bringing down the bad guy. You don’t see th

e collateral damage that you leave in your wake.”

“I’m not hurting Zoe.” He wasn’t. He…didn’t want to hurt her. He…Zoe can’t be hurt. I can make sure she’s okay. I can—

“Victor, I love you, but you are playing with too much fire on this one.”

He glanced over his shoulder once more. Only Zoe was there now. Staring at him with—fuck me, with hurt in her eyes. Her gaze slid from him to Jasmine, then back.

No, no, no. Victor immediately hurried to Zoe’s side. “I can explain.”

But she backed up a step.

“It’s okay.” The words came from Drake. “She’s his sister, just not one by blood.” A mocking laugh slipped from him. “You think I’d let my wife’s ex-lover borrow my jet? Hell, no.” He strode toward a watchful Jasmine. “He’s her family, and we all know…family can be a pain in the ass.”

Zoe’s lips curled in a weak smile. “You have no idea.”

Yeah, she’d rather dominate in any My-Family-Is-The-Worst game.

“You two get some rest,” Drake said, inclining his head toward them. “As soon as my team makes progress, I’ll contact you right away.” Then he and Jasmine were walking away. Their damn steps were even in perfect sync.

Victor glanced away from the couple and back at Zoe. Her gaze was shadowed. Before he could speak, she turned around and headed back into the suite. Victor hurriedly followed her. He locked the door and ditched his coat. Then he took a moment to take off his holster and put the gun on the entrance table. “Zoe…”

She stilled. She was near the big windows that looked out over the bright Vegas lights.

“I want you to be clear on this. If you…if you heard Jasmine saying she loves me—”

“I caught that part.”

Okay. “She’s like a sister to me. I don’t have a real family. I mean, a blood family. Jasmine is real. She and Saxon Black—they are the only family I have.”

She turned toward him. “I remember Saxon.”

He sucked in a deep breath and knew that he had to tread very, very carefully here.

“Saxon,” she repeated the name, as if tasting it. “He was the other man who came to my rescue when that damn bomb was strapped to me. The two of you were quite a team. Rushing to the rescue.” She looked down at her hands. “Until he got shot.”