INTO DANGER (Secret Assassins (S.A.S.S.) Book 1) (13 page)

“I knew you would catch sight of me if I chose the right place to sit.” The mockery in Tess’s voice was obvious as she turned to Steve. “So, it’s Marlena you’re keeping company.”

“I’m her lackey,” Steve told her dutifully.

Beautifully curved eyebrows lifted a fraction, amusement gleaming from the eyes that slanted slightly at the corners. “Lackey?” she drawled out the word, then laughed. “I don’t see anything lacking in him, M darling.”

“T darling,” Marlena drawled back. “You haven’t seen all of him.”

“Well, do tell, what does he lack?”

Marlena gave Steve a wicked grin. “Well...He definitely lacks manners.”

“Maybe you lack finesse. Sometimes it takes a subtle touch. His manners were fine while you were away, I assure you.”

Steve watched as Marlena leaned back, cocking her head to one side as she looked directly at the other woman. Definitely not friends, he decided.

“Always playing with words,” Marlena commented, after a moment. With the nearby soft aquarium lights reflecting the exotic colors of the fish, her eyes looked like glittering jewels as she added softly, “Just don’t play your mind games with me.”

Tess’s smile was indolent, amused. “Don’t mind me. You’re the control freak.” She turned to Steve again, dismissing Marlena with a sweep of her elegant hand. “I was bored till I spotted this interesting man over here. But things are looking better now.”

Steve didn’t know what the woman was up to, but her words were calculated to rile Marlena. She was also succeeding. “It looks like an interesting party,” he said. No harm in digging for more information. Tess, whoever she was, liked to talk. “There are too many important people here for me to find it boring.”

“True,” Tess said, “but they are such a lackluster bunch.”

Steve laughed. The woman obviously loved words, and the way she used them was funny. “Here to buy pencils, of course,” he joked.

Tess laughed back, genuine pleasure in her eyes. “And to keep company.” When Marlena used a napkin to fan herself, she added, “You should go freshen up, darling. You look a little out of breath.”

Marlena’s eyes narrowed. “A breath of fresh air sounds great.” She touched Steve’s knee briefly as she got up and brushed his lips with hers, murmuring, “Don’t go anywhere, especially with her. She eats lackeys for breakfast.”

“I won’t,” Steve promised. He watched her go off. She was mad as hell. Jealous, too. He felt ridiculously pleased.

“I suppose I’d better go after her before she returns to scratch my eyes out,” Tess said thoughtfully. She uncrossed her shapely legs and arched a brow at Steve. “She’s a possessive woman.”

When she lifted a hand for his help, Steve obliged, pulling her to her feet. “I gather you don’t like Marlena. Have you known her long?”

Tess was eye-to-eye with him on her feet, and he was surprised at how direct her gaze was. Cool. Fearless. It reminded him of Marlena.

“It was nice talking to you, sailor,” she said and smiled when he blinked in surprise. Did she know about him? She nodded her head to their right. “In that far corner, that man in white is du Scheum. He’s a powerful man, with many enemies and friends.”

Steve looked in that direction. “Who are you? Why are you telling me this?” he demanded quietly.

“Things never look quite the way they ought to, darling. Now I’d better go find Marlena. You know how it is—strange things happen around that girl. She can’t keep out of trouble.” When Steve tried to stop her from going, she evaded his hand with a speed that stunned him. She was still smiling but her voice was cool. “You may be a fish out of water here, darling, but that doesn’t mean you can’t adapt. You can still step into danger outside jungles.”

Before Steve could say anything, she slipped away. He wasn’t quite sure what had happened there, but that woman knew who he was and had given him a warning. She’d cleverly sidestepped his question about knowing Marlena. He frowned, looking at the group of men talking. That was du Scheum, huh? Danger, Tess said. Was she saying something was going to happen tonight? He recalled Cam’s words earlier that day.

It’s her shtick, actually. She arrives at the scene with a lot of fanfare and lots of people keep an eye on her. She usually has some arm candy on her—um...pardon me, Steve—that she takes around to several very public bashes. Then wham! Someone disappears, or gets whacked, and she always has an alibi.

Steve pursed his lips grimly. Well, he wasn’t just any arm candy; she couldn’t make him her alibi. Task Force Two’s intel stated Marlena Maxwell was in D.C. on business. He understood the dangers of putting a lot of important people in one room, and D.C. had plenty of VIPs. If she truly had been hired to kill someone, he must find proof. And a way to stop her. One thing he knew for certain—no one was going to get whacked under his watch.

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M
arlena read the note from a waiting uniformed servant as she pretended to finish yet another glass of champagne. This was the second bid for the night. Soon she would have to confirm the sale to the highest bidder, and her job would be finished for tonight. She thought of Steve. He hadn’t seen her quiet negotiation, thanks to the dancing and to Tess.

It was important to be seen and remembered. She knew there were all kinds of people watching her. Probably CIA. Some enemies. A few friends. Most of them knew why she was there and would be reporting to their respective bosses about the bidders present, and who could be the winning buyer. Her job was to muddy up the water, so they could never be too sure. She didn’t want her long-term plans running afoul. No one must die before his time.

There were several rest rooms to choose from, and Marlena made sure she met enough people on her way out to the back patio. She stopped an acquaintance to ask the time, then chatted briefly with someone else before slipping inside. She didn’t have to wait long, which was good, since she was about to burst. Seeing Stash and Tess together did horrible things to her temper. She even had to cut short her important conversation with her dance partner, just to get back to Stash. Knowing she kept breaking the rules where he was concerned shocked her. Infuriated her.

The door swung open. Tess came in and locked the door behind her, her golden eyes giving the rest room a quick look around.

“I’ve already activated a bug sensor. It’s clean,” Marlena assured her, looking at Tess’s reflection in the mirror as she played with her hair.

Tess joined her at the big marble counter and surveyed all the tiny jars of expensive perfumes and lotions laid out for the guests’ convenience. She picked one up, pulled off the stopper, and sniffed appreciatively. “My favorite,” she declared.

“You look good playing the blond vamp.” Marlena couldn’t help it. She couldn’t forget the sight of them on the sofa, sitting there chatting so intimately.

Tess laughed, a deep-throated sound that echoed through the room. Her eyes caught Marlena’s in the mirror. “You’re mad at me.”

She was, but wasn’t going to admit it. “What makes you think so?”

Tess chose another bottle and removed the stopper. “Because you weren’t listening to us. You were too busy reacting.”

“I didn’t bring him along for you to sink your teeth into.” Seeing Stash and Tess so cozy together hadn’t gone down well at all. She knew what Tess was, and how good she was at what she did. Still, he didn’t have to fall so easily under her spell.

“He does have delicious possibilities,” Tess said in a musing tone of voice, as if she found the idea very tempting. “But like I just said, you weren’t listening.”

“So tell me what it is I missed. Did you find anything from the information I gave you over the phone, rather than this probing stuff you’re so good at?” Marlena knew she could depend on Tess to discover Steve McMillan’s motives, but she would much rather deal with hard facts right now. Tess’s methods were too intimate for her liking.

“One thing’s for sure. He’s not lacking in the brain department.”

Marlena sighed. “More word games? Tell me something I don’t know.”

“He’s trained.”

“As if I can’t tell that from watching the way he sits or the way he works a room. T, darling, you’ve trained me well enough to get this info without your professional eye.”

Tess dabbed some perfume behind her ear, then adjusted a stray golden curl out of the way. Marlena waited patiently. Tess had always been very deliberate, not showing her hand until she deemed it the right moment. It was a very annoying trait, calculated to make the other person react, something Marlena wasn’t going to do, not after she’d been told she was reacting rather than listening. Well, she was listening now.

“He wants you.”

Tess’s announcement shouldn’t have caused any surprise to Marlena but those three simple words zapped through her. For some reason she hadn’t wanted to think about that subject, and having it brought out into the open like that also summed up how confused she was about Stash. She didn’t want any of these contradictory feelings. She swallowed, then tried to be nonchalant. She knew more was to come. Tess always had a surprise or two up her sleeve. “And?” She didn’t want to admit that part of her was eager for anything about Steve McMillan.

“And he doesn’t want what you are.” Tess turned slightly, and for the first time gazed directly at Marlena’s profile. “A big conflict, don’t you think? Especially from a man who tries to follow orders all the time, and right now his orders are in conflict with his emotions. I thought it’d be fun to give him a choice.”

Marlena looked up. That was it—the thing up Tess’s sleeve. She was a master manipulator, always moving people around like chess pieces. “Choices? What the hell are you talking about? You sound more and more like those guys you hang around with.”

“You have a choice too.”

Marlena was a loner; she worked alone. All her kind did. She understood too well how too much trust could endanger one. “My feelings for Stash have nothing to do with my choice to be alone.”

“Don’t you want him?” Gentle. Probing.

Marlena didn’t want to be probed, so she went on the attack. “Sometimes want isn’t enough, T. You yourself should know. Sometimes you have to let the man make the choice.” Regret flooded her as soon as the words came out. Tess was just doing what she did best. She shouldn’t have hit below the belt like that. Marlena touched Tess’s elbow apologetically. “I’m sorry. Brought back some bad memories, haven’t I? Get over him, T. How long since you transferred?”

“Four months.” Tess washed and dried her hands carefully, her face still devoid of expression, a direct contrast to the amused woman a few moments ago.

Marlena sighed. “Think you’ll ever see him again?”

“We’re not talking about me. Or him. He has issues with his past he has to deal with. Which brings us back to you and Mr. Steve McMillan.”

Marlena was relieved. She didn’t like apologizing, and was only too glad to veer away from the subject that hurt Tess. Now that she looked closely, she noticed the little lines of strain around T’s mouth. Of all things, Marlena understood the need to control and its toll on one’s psyche. She let Tess change the subject. In a milder voice, she continued, “There’s nothing you’re saying that haven’t already crossed my mind. You think I don’t see the price you paid? I see it in your eyes, T. Your Alex hurt you. Want isn’t enough.”

“No, want isn’t enough,” Tess agreed gravely. She smiled, as if she were about to say something, but changed her mind.

“I won’t let Stash hurt me. Besides, he’s probably a rogue operative, out to cancel me.”

“We’ll know soon, won’t we?”

Her earlier suspicion was right. Tess was up to something, as usual. She hated it when she was being played with. Her temper flared again. “What do you mean? What have you been planning without my input? You know you aren’t supposed to do anything to undermine my negotiations. Give me what you’ve got about him, T, or I swear—”

“You can’t fight in that dangerous-looking dress, darling.” Tess leaned a hip against the counter, her earlier demeanor back in place. She thoughtfully inspected her ringed fingers, reaching out to stroke one that was ringless, as if she missed something. Without looking up, she continued, “Steve McMillan is a sea mammal. Specializes in extraction tactics. He belongs to a very covert team called STAR Force before being transferred to TIARA on orders.”

Marlena had been ready for anything but certainly not that. “A SEAL? STAR Force? What’s that, some space agency?”

“It’s the acronym for Standing and Ready Force,” explained Tess. “They are separate from the other SEAL teams, notorious for doing stuff that circumvents conventional rules, and each team has a color code for different tactical emphasis. Your Stash is in Black STAR and is point man in his fire squad. So, as you can see, the man is quite a warrior.”

She knew it. She’d felt that aura of danger about him. She recalled how calm he was during the car chase. A man of action. “What’s he doing in a boring desk job like TIARA?”

“That’s the key, isn’t it? I accessed his personal files. He has a sick sister out in California. And you know what? Fifty thousand dollars deposited in an offshore account the week after his transfer to D.C. And another fifty grand the day he was assigned you, Miss M.”

That man was far too bright to be a mere companion sent to distract her. She’d been proven right, so why was her heart hurting? She glanced away, muttering, “He’s a rogue, then.”

“Not necessarily.”

She flashed Tess a warning glare. “T, no more mind games right now, okay?”

Tess’s silent appraisal was unnerving. Again Marlena held her tongue. She didn’t remember Tess with this maddening habit before, so she must have gotten it from that group she’d been with again. Which meant she had been testing her all along. Damn, damn, damn. If she weren’t wearing this dress, she’d teach that woman a lesson. This was the reason she didn’t need a complication like Stash. He’d become a chink in her armor, and a smart opponent like Tess would zero in like a predator.

A slow smile spread across T’s face, her golden eyes glittering with repressed laughter. She nodded her approval, as if she liked what she saw. “I’ve gone over his records with a fine-tooth comb. He’s the perfect SEAL operative, a straight team player. STAR Force operatives are handpicked by Admiral Jack Madison, which tells you how trustworthy Steve McMillan is.”