Operation Love, page 7
He tightened his grip on her hip. “You’re not changing. If the mission goes off without a hitch, I’m going to fuck you in this dress. For a second, I planned to give you some relief, but if my dick is going to be hard for the next few hours, then you’re going to have to wait for release as well. Just think, the faster we complete the op, the sooner I’ll be deep inside of you.”
She moaned when he pulled his fingers from her. Her eyes stayed on him as he sucked the essence off each one.
“Damn, you taste good. Let’s go before I change my mind and haul your ass back into the bedroom.”
Grim patted his chest with her red manicured nails. “If I can get through this mission, I’m sure you can. Let’s go buy a missile.”
Those were words he’d never thought he would hear from her mouth. When they won the auction, Hex, one of the secondary hackers who worked for Xavier, would send him a text with the account information. Then he would do his job of tracking the money. They wanted to see whose hands it passed through because no evidence linked Sage as the big boss.
“The car is downstairs waiting for us,” Casanova said.
He looped his arm through hers. Even with her four-inch heels on, she was still so small next to him. Heads turned as they strode through the hotel lobby, and for once, they weren’t openly staring at him. A black SUV waited for them at the entrance. “Here.” He passed her a skin-colored circle sticker which was the new comms Lucas ordered. “I’m not sure I trust these things very much.” He helped Grim climb in before he jogged to the opposite side and slid into the seat next to her.
Lucas had laid out a ton of new tech, including the comm. He said it had a ten-mile radius, and no frequency blocker would stop the communication. At first, Lucas had wanted to stick a little nano chip in his arm for GPS tracking, but he drew the line at implants. Instead, he slipped on the wedding ring with a locating device. They were disguised as a married couple so the GPS rings worked for the op. He placed the ring on Grim’s finger and brought her hand up to his lips.
The large diamond sparkled in the moonlight. His former teammates were getting married and engaged left and right. Some had even started having kids. He’d never understood the need to tie himself to another person before, but with Grim, he could see why his friends had done everything in their powers to protect and keep the woman they loved.
He loved Grim. Hell, he’d told her that the night he thought he would die, and she’d said it back, but neither of them had said it again.
“Welcome to the op.”
Grim jumped as Hex’s voice came through the small device in their ear.
“We got everyone connected, boss.”
The driver glanced in the review mirror, but he kept his mouth tightly shut. Lucas had investigated the car company sent to collect them from the hotel. On the top level, they seemed legit, but when he dug deeper, he found ties to shell companies. At first, they’d thought about declining the car but worried if they refused, the action would send up red flags.
“You have to try the shrimp when you get here,” Drake cracked over the comm. The former Green Beret always complained about being hungry. Lucas wasn’t much better, but unlike Drake’s ability to eat anything, Lucas ran on sugar.
“I swear I feel like I’m a nanny for the dysfunctional. Stop eating the damn food and look for Willa,” Xavier ground out.
Drake cut back in. “Oh, she’s at the cupcake table. I think she’s a little bit of an odd one, boss.”
Lucas cleared his throat. “I see her, boss. Going to go intercept the target.”
“Hey, Lucas, while you’re over there, can you grab me a red velvet cupcake? I’m waiting for the lady to come back with more shrimp, so I don’t want to move.”
“I should fire your ass,” Xavier grumbled.
The SUV slowed to a stop. Both doors opened, and Casanova climbed out his side. Grim waited at the edge of the red carpet. He rested his hand on her lower back and escorted her through the large hotel. Outside the banquet hall, a young teen stood with a clipboard. He asked for their names before they entered the room.
Across the room, he could see Lucas’s head above the crowd of people, but he couldn’t figure out the flashing green lights in front of him. “What is that?” Casanova asked.
Drake chuckled in the comm before he spoke. “You spotted Willa’s dress. It’s a circuit board with twinkling lights. I told you she was an odd one. Lucas, you need to hurry. You have incoming, but don’t forget my cupcake.”
Sage Mason prowled across the room in Willa’s direction.
“What the fuck? Your dress just shocked me,” Lucas’s voice screeched through the comm.
Willa spoke too low for Casanova to make out what she said.
“What do you mean you won’t leave with me? Did you not just hear how I said someone plans to kidnap you?” Lucas paused. “If I was the kidnapper, I wouldn’t announce it to your face. I would prick your neck with a needle to knock you out and throw you over my shoulder. So, are we going to do this the easy way or are you going to display your flashing ass to the world?”
“Lucas, you cannot throw her over your shoulder! When we get out of this op, I’m sending all of you fuckers to etiquette training,” Xavier sighed. “Grim, you need to head Sage off so Lucas can get Willa out of safely.”
Casanova pulled Grim into his arms and swayed to the music.
“Don’t get me wrong, I would love to dance with you, but we need to stop Sage,” Grim said as she tried to pull out of his arms.
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips then spun them in a circle. The music hummed in the background. Only a couple people danced on the floor.
“We want it to look like an accident,” Casanova whispered against her ear. If Grim walked right into Sage’s path, he would think something was off.
Grim’s fingers tightened around his as they glided across the floor. When they were in Sage’s path, he positioned Grim, so Sage would bump into her.
“Ready?” he whispered.
The slight nod was all he needed as he took a step forward, and Sage ran into her.
“Watch where you’re going,” Sage bit out.
Grim spun on her high heels. “Still an arrogant ass, I see. Do you claim the dance floor as your own also?”
“Grim?” Sage stepped back and blinked. “I thought the agency would have locked you up in the Black Hole for the mistake you made.”
“Good job, guys, keep him talking,” Xavier said over the comm.
Out of the corner of his eye, Casanova spotted Lucas pointing to a side door, but Willa stood her ground.
“Honey, you want to introduce me to the man who interrupted our dance?” Casanova said. “You know how much I like dancing with you.”
Sage held out his hand. “Senator Sage Mason. I’m Angel’s ex-husband. I can’t say you picked a good one. I would cut your losses. You can find a hell of a lot prettier women than her used up ass.”
“Can I shoot him, boss?” Drake asked.
“No,” was Xavier’s one word answer.
“You’re wrong. The tech guide for that GPU came out last year. Damn it, woman, we aren’t supposed to be arguing about this. You need to get your ass out of here.” Lucas was toe to toe with Willa, and it seemed her dress flashed even faster the more she poked her finger against Lucas’s chest. Casanova tried to ignore the voice in his ear, but it was hard not to laugh when they were arguing about Star Wars.
Xavier continued to growl, and Grim coughed to cover her laugh.
Casanova turned his attention back to Sage. “Well, I like a firecracker in bed and boy, does my wife know how to please, if you know what I mean.”
The comm went silent. Even Lucas stopped talking to the target. Grim’s nails cut into the skin on his forearm.
He was already in the hot seat, so he continued. “It takes the right touch to tame someone like Angel.”
Sage’s lips twisted. “Hey, if sloppy seconds is your thing, then by all means.”
“Oh, she’s not sloppy at all. This morning she was nice and tight.”
Grim elbowed him in the side, but he didn’t take his eyes off Sage.
Grim’s voice cut through the pissing contest. “He wouldn’t know, honey. Sage has an issue in that department, so we couldn’t consummate the marriage. It made the divorce quick.”
The crowd parted behind Sage and the two men from the diner headed toward Willa and Lucas.
“Fuck it,” Lucas grumbled. A streak of green light flipped through the air as Lucas threw Willa over his shoulder and slapped her ass. Her fists beat against his back as he marched toward the exit. Xavier and Drake cut the guards’ off so Lucas could get Willa out of the building.
Sage leaned forward, oblivious as his target was carried out of the room. “You better watch it. I’m a hell of a lot more powerful now. I’ll make it my mission to find a way to get rid of you for good this time.”
“I don’t think threats are a good look on you, Senator,” Casanova said. “You never know who is listening or recording. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get back to dancing with my wife. Oh, and if you do come after her, she won’t be the only one you have to deal with.”
He tugged Grim into his arms before Sage could respond. Sage’s face turned bright red. Casanova’s remarks could cause them issues at the auction, but for that moment, he loved how the man stared daggers in their direction. He held out his hand and swirled her around until her back rested against his chest. He pressed his lips against the ear without the comm and whispered so only she could hear, “I’m sorry.”
He struggled with the thought of the man ever being married to Grim, even if the marriage was strictly for a mission. Jealousy coursed through his veins. The emotion was completely foreign to him, but he wanted to beat the crap out of the man and make him pay for hurting Grim.
“I’m sure I can think of a few ways you can repay me with later.” She winked.
His hand slid down her body and trailed along the slit. “Or do you want me to make up for them right now? I could slip my hand through this slit and make you feel better. Do you think anyone is watching?”
“Yes, I’m watching. It’s not fair you’re like a GQ model, plus have the moves to make women melt. Don’t stop on my account, though. I’m taking notes,” Drake said through the comm.
They swayed to the music. For a moment, Casanova wanted to ignore all the shit around them and escape on a date. Not a mission, but a night out, just the two of them.
A six-foot-seven waiter with bodybuilder sized arms stepped on the dance floor. He pushed a drink and napkin in his face. “Drink.”
The blue ink on the napkin caught Casanova’s attention. Meet now.
The burly man disappeared into the crowd.
They’d pissed Sage off and he wasn’t sure what the actual auction would be like or how many people would be there.
“Maybe you should stay,” he said to Grim. His gut told him something was off. He hadn’t seen a single one of the other men who were supposed to bid on the device at the event yet.
“I might be in a dress, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cut off your balls. You wouldn’t have made that shitty as comment if it was Drake going with you.”
“I don’t look good in a dress though,” Drake said. “And I think boss mentioned something about me being a liability.”
“You’re about to be fired,” Xavier said. “Get your ass in position.”
Casanova ignored the bickering in his ear and turned to Grim. He trusted her to have his back, but he worried a trap was set for them upstairs. She meant the world to him, and he didn’t want a single bad thing to happen to her.
Grim tugged her arm out of his hand and marched for the ballroom exit. Either she planned to head to the meet, or she would leave. He’d been around her long enough to know she was headed for the meet.
He jogged through the crowd and rushed to catch her. Pure rage filled his veins when Sage stepped up behind her and grabbed her wrist.
9
Grim
Grim despised the fact Casanova thought even for a second she couldn’t do the job. Her ex was a piece of shit, but she’d proven herself over and over to Casanova and the men she worked with. And he still hesitated about her being part of the op. She planned to handle the operation herself. God, she’d thought he was different and had accepted her and her job.
She shoved her finger against the elevator button four more times. The damn thing hadn’t moved from floor six. Anger clouded her thinking, and she didn’t notice the man come up behind her until he wrapped his cold hand around her wrist. She gasped, turning around.
Sage glared at her. “I don’t know what you are doing here, but if you don’t leave, I’ll make sure you pay.”
Casanova had caused her emotions to be on edge, so she didn’t even think about the consequences as she swung her free arm and connected with Sage’s face. He dropped her hand, and she stepped forward to kick him in the balls. An arm wrapped around her. Her back rested against Casanova’s chest.
“People are watching,” he hissed in her ear.
The elevator door opened, and Casanova shoved her inside.
Sage stuck his foot out and stopped the doors from closing. “Bitch, I’m going to turn you over to the police. I’m sure this hotel has cameras.”
“I think you’ve harassed my wife enough for the night,” Casanova said. “I saw you grab her first. She only protected herself. Now if you don’t want to add harassment to our charges, I advise you to step the fuck back. We have somewhere to be.”
Sage waited for a half-second before he removed his foot and the door shut. Casanova’s lips attacked hers before she could select the floor number. He pushed his tongue into her mouth. She wrapped one leg around his waist.
She was mad at him but couldn’t stop herself from kissing him.
“I guess you want me to hit the button,” Hex said from the comm. His voice pulled her from the kiss.
The elevator started to go up and Casanova rested his forehead against hers. “I don’t doubt your ability as a Senior Agent. You’re the best employee Xavier has.”
“I take offense to that,” Drake said through the comm.
The junior agent was one of the latest strays Xavier brought into the agency. On the outside, Drake’s personality seemed bubbly and happy, but late one night, she had seen him in the gym working out on the punching bags. Nobody had that much aggression unless they kept it buried deep down inside. She planned to talk with him one day, but for now, she would let him hide his anger behind humor.
“Then why did you say it?” she asked Casanova, ignoring Drake. She needed an answer before they walked into the dangerous meeting.
Casanova twirled a strand of her hair on his finger. “We’re about to meet with the shittiest people in the world. I know you can do your job, but that doesn’t mean my attention won’t be on you and making sure you are okay, but that is my own emotion I need to work out.”
She partially understood how he felt, except she kept the comment locked deep inside of her. No way would she ever consider asking him not to do a job because she worried about his safety. Every mission had a degree of risk.
“We get it,” Xavier said. “You guys want each other to be safe. If I wanted to listen to all this mushy crap, I would watch a soap opera, but guess what? We are in the middle of a fuckin’ op. So, get your shit together and get the fuck off the elevator.”
Her lip twitched as she linked her fingers with Casanova’s. They’d studied the layout of the hotel the night before. To the right was an emergency stairwell. She’d remembered three exit routes.
Outside the last room stood the waiter from the ballroom. He blocked the entrance to the room. “Guns and cellphones in the box.”
Grim slid her purse into the large black container on the table in the hall, which had six guns in it already. Casanova pulled the gun from under his suit jacket. It wasn’t his only one; she’d watched him strap one to his ankle.
The large, intimidating man didn’t move from his post. “Don’t make me check you for guns. You won’t like what happens if I find one. Boss only wants people he can trust.”
She wanted to point out that they were criminals and there was no honor among thieves. Casanova pulled the one from his ankle, and for a second, she contemplated leaving hers, but she slipped her hand between her legs and removed the gun. She still had her heels. A good whack to the jugular, and she could take out two people.
The man grunted and moved to the side. Casanova rested his hand on her lower back as they entered the suite.
Five men and one woman mingled in the room. The two arms dealers they already had a full background run on them. The woman in a tight red dress and matching lipstick sipping on martini had ties to China. Her name was Ju Chen. Ivan and Andrey Sviatopolk sat on the couch. The brothers worked for Putin. The only one she couldn’t place had a phone to his ear, and he stared in their direction with a smile on his face. He ended the call and sauntered across the room.
“Jared Dawson, it’s been a long time.” He pulled Casanova into a hug and patted his back. She didn’t know who the man was.
“Old friends, don’t fuck this up,” the man hugging Casanova said so light it was a whisper in her ear through the comm.
“Who the hell is in the room?” Xavier’s voice boomed through the earpiece and made her wince.
“Well, fuck, I haven’t seen you since the day we went to the bus stop together. What you were fifteen at the time?” Casanova asked.
“Seems about right. And you must be Mrs. Dawson. I’m Jay Rockwell.”
Grim looked closer and saw the flicker in the man’s eyes. The contact moved slightly for a second, turning his brown eyes blue. His hair was almost black, and he was a couple of inches shorter than Casanova, but it had to be his brother.
Ivan rose from the couch.
“You brought me to America to scam me?” His thick accent made it hard to understand him.
Jay glared at the man. “Jared isn’t going to get any different treatment. The highest bidder gets the device. Speaking of the device, my man should have it here momentarily. Why doesn’t everyone have a seat in the sitting area of the room.”
