Riley (The Kendall Family #3) (2 page)

Or so he thought.

While Riley looked upward, the assassin stuck Riley’s red cooking pot, which he’d left on the stove, out the window and dropped it even as Riley began to surge upward. It cracked him on the head but he still caught the gloved hand and wrist. Then he yanked the assassin so hard that the guy flew out the window and over him into a bush, causing Riley to lose his grip. The Colt fell beside them in the grass.

In the time it took Riley to grab his Nighthawk, the nimble assassin leapt up and punched his wrist just as he brought the Nighthawk around. Numb fingers dropped the weapon, so he swung with the other fist. His target ducked and then delivered a spinning kick to his ribs, but Riley partially blocked it by grabbing the leg with both hands.

“Got you now,” he said.

“Like hell you do,” replied a woman’s voice.

Riley’s momentary startled reaction was enough for the assassin to kick her other foot toward his crotch despite risking falling to the ground. Riley saw it coming and closed his legs in time to trap her foot between his muscled thighs. Showing impressive strength, she didn’t fall. Instead, she sat up and swung both hands at his ears. To prevent the ear-boxing, he had no choice but to let go so that she fell to the ground. No sooner had she struck earth than she rolled for the Colt, but Riley straddled her lush ass to lean forward and wrap a powerful arm around her neck.

“Time for a nap, sweetie,” he said in her ear, which smelled of lilacs. Then he compressed her windpipe while leaning on her back to squeeze the air from her lungs. He felt her holding her breath, but it finally exploded from her and her resistance waned until she finally went limp, in stark contrast to his hard cock pressing against her soft rear. He made sure she was out before relaxing his grip and checking her pulse.

“Can’t have you die on me,” he said to her unconscious body. “You have information I need.” He rolled her over, then lifted the mask to reveal a face like fine porcelain, high cheekbones beneath eyes that were now closed. Full, sensuous lips made him wonder who’d been kissing them. Another tug on her mask and it came off, a tumble of long, wavy, auburn hair cascading around her. The softness of it contrasted with the hardened killer he knew she was and he grinned, stroking her cheek with one hand.

“And maybe you have something else I need. I’m really going to enjoy your strip search. I’d say it’s just business, honey, but believe me, it’s gonna get personal for me in a hurry.”

Chuckling in anticipation, he tucked both of their handguns in his pants, along with her mask, and hauled her upright before lifting her over one shoulder. Then he sauntered toward the back door, patting his conquest on the rump once. He sensed that although he might’ve captured her, she could still be the death of him.

Chapter 2 – Intel

Riley stood at the foot of the bed in his guest room, staring down at the assassin. She wouldn’t be out cold for long, so he’d already handcuffed both hands and feet to the bedposts, the sheets pulled down and pooled between her spread feet. She was still dressed, but not for long. A quick search of her had turned up a smartphone, car keys, two knives, and handcuffs, but now he needed to make sure she had nothing else.

Using one of her own knives, he ripped through her pants, destroying them so that if she managed to escape, she’d have nothing to put on. Most people weren’t hardened enough to just go naked and not give a damn. She’d waste precious seconds searching for clothes before fleeing—or even coming after him. Being exposed had also made more than one person uncomfortable enough to cough up information while being interrogated. And then there was the personal enjoyment he’d derive.

On seeing the red thong underneath, he felt his cock stir and wondered if she’d rattle him more than he her. Two scars, neither of them appearing fresh, on one leg accentuated her softness. Firm, toned muscles didn’t surprise him. On the outside of one ankle lay a tattoo of a great white shark eating a man, making him wonder if that’s how she saw herself.

Riley removed her tan boots and socks, noting the lack of nail polish on either toes or fingertips. Sitting beside her, he took her long-sleeved shirt in hand and cut it off, revealing a barbed wire tattoo around one bicep. Tight abs rose and fell with her breathing beneath a sports bra that held her breasts down until he snipped that, too. Her boobs jiggled nicely. He tossed the bra aside without looking to see where it landed, eyes riveted by her breasts, two soft nipples beginning to expand after having been flattened by the tight confinement. He wanted to make them stand up all the way, like his cock was starting to. With a grin, he took the knife to her thong and cut that off.

“Oh, very nice,” he said, gazing at the neatly shaved pussy now revealed, his cock stiffening more. He hadn’t seen a woman this fit, this beautiful, in a long time. And she was a sniper, too. Maybe if they’d met under different circumstances, they’d have a chance together, but after he’d gotten done with her, she had a long stay in federal prison somewhere.

She hadn’t brought much with her, including the rifle, so he’d need to go find that and whatever else she’d left. She’d presumably come in a car; that probably held everything else of interest, including an ID, even if fake. Only the phone offered info now, so he picked it up and clicked the “home” button. He didn’t have the code to get in but the fingerprint scanner might work. With a smirk, he went over to her and placed her left thumb on it. No luck. He tried twice more before switching to her right thumb, which worked on the first pass.

“Tactical mistake, sweetheart,” he said, pausing to stare at her in admiration. With an effort, he turned his attention to the phone.

He pulled up the contacts and saw none, which didn’t surprise him. Operatives were trained to memorize info. The call log showed two numbers she’d dialed. He could call them to see who answered, but that might give him away, so he copied one and pasted it into the internet browser, hoping Google would return intel. The first search result was for Enterprise Car Rental in Dulles, Virginia. He clicked on the map, not surprised to see it was at the airport; she’d flown in. The question was from where? If he could find the car here, he might find a key for a locker and her belongings at the airport. Stashing them there was what he would’ve done, had he been her.

Before he had a chance to search on the other number, a text message from it appeared, so he clicked the messenger app. Only the letter “T” indicated the sender, who’d typed “Hold off.” Curious, Riley typed a response, pretending to be her. He might learn all sorts of things this way and felt certain the texter was somehow involved.

Riley: Why?

T: Just do it

R: Negative. Target in sight

T: More intel coming

R: Such as?

T: Later

R: Taking shot

T: No!

R: Best chance

T: Wait! Damn it Jordan. Do as told for once!

He smiled. So he had her name. It suited her. He wondered if that was her real one or a code name, but he’d find out soon enough.

And he also knew she didn’t follow orders. That didn’t surprise him. Nothing about her suggested military. Defiance seemed to exude from her even while unconscious. Curious and a little turned on, he turned back to the phone. He wanted to know why the change order had come.

Riley: Target change?

T: N

R: Mission off?

T: N. Just wait

R: How long?

T: Unclear. Day?

Riley wondered if his family was in danger, too, not because they had a violent history like him, but just because they existed. A hit on him might include someone close to him. It depended on who’d ordered the hit. In his military service, he’d never gone after a target’s family because the Marines didn’t operate that way, but anyone trying to assassinate him in private life was likely dishonorable and wouldn’t stop at just him, necessarily.

And what was so special about tomorrow? Or the next day? He had nothing planned except the usual—visiting his family’s businesses as the security officer. In two days, he was supposed to lead a riding tour from Kendall Motorsports, but there was nothing unique about it. Or the attendees, as far as he knew. But maybe that was it.

Riley: More targets?

T: Sort of.

R: WTF?

T: Intel coming

Riley: How many more?

T: Just one

That suggested the additional target wasn’t his family. With three brothers, two sisters, and some in-laws, there was no sense in taking out just one of them. None had a background anything like his military service. As a sniper, Riley had killed many men and probably earned his enemies, assuming anyone ever learned his identity, but that was unlikely. Still, stranger things had happened.

None of the guys he’d served with in the Marines lived anywhere near him, and they were the only people he knew who could possibly have a sniper sent to execute them, but even that was hard to believe. Still, there lay Jordan right in front of him. He couldn’t think how another target would be connected to him. Still, it couldn’t hurt to ask.

Riley: Where? Near?

T: Y

R: Who?

T: No intel

R: Relative?

T: N

Riley let out a breath. While that was good, it didn’t mean his family couldn’t be used as leverage against him if he was discovered to still be alive. He might have to take an extended vacation from here and let that be known so that no one came
here
looking for him, but he needed to learn T’s identity and more about this other target. Was someone else pulling strings, or would finding and killing T to protect his family, if not himself, be enough? Taking a cue from Jordan’s tattoos and free spirit, he typed a challenging response.

Riley: Just tell me. Stop jerking me around

T: Relax

R: Source?

T: You know I never say

R: Make exception

T: Stop it

R: Payment?

T: Double

Riley frowned. That didn’t tell him anything and showing too much ignorance by asking to confirm a number might tip off whoever this was that Jordan wasn’t doing the texting. It didn’t matter anyway but he wanted to know the bounty on his head. The higher the amount, the more people might try to collect. Someone might have contracted his killing, or they might have just put him on a hit list. He asked for more info in case this guy revealed something while his guard was down.

Riley: Upfront?

T: Half

R: Do it now. Or I call off both

T: Hold on.

R: Standing down

Riley realized Jordan might have a way to confirm such a payment via this phone. He clicked the “home” button and saw just a handful of apps. One was for banking. He clicked it, not surprised to find it locked, but it wanted a fingerprint. Rolling his eyes, he again used her right thumb to get into the app. Two accounts were listed. He clicked on each, noting the large balances, deposits into and payments from them.

One was a U.S. bank and showed debits from Air France, which he knew flew into Dulles. That answered that question. Another debit was from Enterprise Car Rental there, and a Hilton in Gaithersburg to the south told him where she was staying. She’d apparently eaten at Rainbow Sushi nearby, too.

“Well, aren’t you full of information,” he said, a little surprised Jordan had screwed up this way. Maybe she wasn’t that professional after all. He was looking forward to learning more about her.

He checked the other account, for Credit Suisse, a Swiss bank, and saw a deposit for five hundred thousand dollars dated a week ago. The number startled him. He’d never killed for money, only duty, and in that sense hadn’t earned much as compared to Jordan. He suspected this deposit was for his assassination because similar deposits, albeit in the fifty to hundred thousand range, went back months, as did withdrawals of nearly the same amounts, likely to another account not listed on her phone.

A new text message interrupted his thoughts.

T: Done

Riley: Good

T: Wait for intel

R: Money bought my patience

Deciding to quit while he was ahead, Riley flipped back to the Credit Suisse account and kept checking until a new deposit of a half million appeared. So the other target was equally valuable dead. Now he wanted to meet the guy. Together, they could track down those who wanted them killed. He cast a glance at Jordan, not expecting to see her hazel eyes calmly observing him.

Chapter 3 – The Interrogation

The pain in her head and neck had roused Jordan out of an unconscious state. Oxygen deprivation from Riley strangling her had caused a headache that was slowly fading. She hadn’t been sure she’d ever wake up again but wasn’t too surprised. Riley only killed for the Marines. He probably wasn’t the type to kill even someone whom he knew had tried to take him out. Still, as the blackness had closed in on her, she’d known there was some risk that this was going to be it, even if he didn’t intend her death. There was an art to making someone pass out without killing them.

It hadn’t taken long for the burst of relief and thankfulness to subside when she first roused. A fan-light combination on a white ceiling greeted her clearing vision. Riley stood nearby, his chiseled profile reminding her of his masculinity and her likely helplessness, which she immediately tested and discovered. A glance down her body made her stifle a gasp—she was buck naked. With her legs spread. But the shirtless Marine at least still had his jeans on. For now. Hopefully he didn’t have creepy intentions, but she felt in no way reassured of that. Her dirty thoughts from earlier seemed a lifetime ago.

Jordan exhaled a breath to calm herself, determined not to reveal to him any more than he’d already revealed to himself. The bastard. She’d make him pay for splaying her out like this.

Riley looked over and seemed surprised to meet her gaze. He smiled but didn’t look at her body. She stifled a frown.