Swallow (Kindred Book 2) (21 page)

Glancing past Tuck, she made eye contact with her love. “Swallow,” she murmured her alias. “You want me to get close to him… the way you got close to me?”

His gaze fogged with anger and offense. “Not the way I got close to you,” Brodie said. “He won’t touch you.”

Tuck interrupted before she could ask more questions that might rile her love further. “You have his number, you can call him and tell him you want to talk. He’ll ask you out somewhere on a date, ‘cause…” Tuck glanced back at Brodie. “Well, ‘cause he wants to win you for Sutcliffe and ‘cause you’re hot.”

Her eyes fell to the picture again. “Thank you,” she murmured, but didn’t feel flattered.

They had to have noticed her reluctance because Tuck gave her more information. “You go out with him for dinner or drinks, whatever he wants. It will be out in the open.”

“Where we can watch you,” Brodie grumbled.

Where Brodie had line of sight, he wouldn’t take his aim away from her date. “Did you pack Maverick?” she asked.

“You bet your sweet ass I did,” he replied.

“We want to know what he knows,” Zave said. “Which isn’t likely to be much.”

Tuck added more. “But you might get the opportunity to go inside and if you do…”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Brodie said. “Ideally, you’ll bug the guy and that will be it. Over.”

Projecting the best case scenario wasn’t Brodie’s default. Tuck did his best to manage her expectations because more could be asked of her. “The problem is, we don’t know when he’ll be going in there. You can’t bug him the night before or the week after, you know? He’d have to be wearing or carrying whatever we bugged and we’d have to minimize his chance to discover the tech.”

“Ok,” she exhaled. It was a difficult concept to grasp, that she was going to befriend this man under false pretenses, she’d had a bit of practice with that at CI with Grant, but at least she’d had a previous relationship with him that she could mimic. Something else made her wary of Ben, if he was a part of Sutcliffe’s group, that made him dangerous. “Is he violent?”

“He’s a physical therapist,” Tuck said. She knew that already, but didn’t know what it had to do with his ability to control his impulses.

“If you don’t want to do this…” Brodie said and moved in behind Tuck.

“She has to do this,” Zave said.

“She doesn’t have to do a damn thing,” Brodie snarled. Zara reached beyond Tuck to smooth her hand down Brodie’s arm.

“I want to be a part of this. And with you guys watching out for me, nothing will go wrong.”

Zave didn’t give much away about his thoughts, but she’d thought the same thing of Brodie many times and she wondered if maybe that enigmatic aura was in their blood. Then again, they were maternal cousins. Art hadn’t been difficult to read. Initially, she’d been sure that he hated her, but when she’d asked him, he’d been honest about his reservations.

Art had believed she was capable of saving Brodie’s soul while being a part of the Kindred at the same time. As much as she didn’t want to let Brodie and Tuck down, she felt the weight of Art’s expectation on her shoulders. He’d wanted her to be a full member of the Kindred and had told her that she had the ability to fulfill a vital role. But to be with a man, a stranger, and to make him believe that she was not only interested in him but possibly interested in his politics as well, she wasn’t sure that she could live up to Art’s expectations.

“What’s on your mind?” Brodie asked.

She hadn’t realized she’d gone quiet, or that her concerns were written all over her face until she saw the intrigue on the faces of the men around her. “Nothing,” she said, slipping her nail over the corner of one of the pictures.

Brodie grazed her cheekbone and made her look at them again. “This will only work if we’re all honest with each other. There can’t be secrets.”

“I was just…” she wanted Tuck to save her, but he was as curious as the other two. “I wish Art was here.” Brodie’s hand fell from her face at the same time Tuck took her hand.

“We all do,” Tuck said and Brodie turned to walk away, which made dread seize her guts. He was probably struggling to get through this as it was, he didn’t need her to remind him of who was missing.

“Do you have any questions?” Zave asked.

Clearing her throat, she left Brodie to his solitude because he wouldn’t appreciate her cornering him in front of people. He didn’t appreciate it at any time, but there was virtually no chance of him opening up in front of his cohorts.

Narrowing her eyes, she held the photos to her chest. “Yeah, what was tonight about?”

Tuck went over to the table and moved some things aside to retrieve the brown envelope she’d seen on the poker table. He held it up and brought it over to her. “Sutcliffe runs background on all of his prospective members,” Tuck said. “He outsources it because he doesn’t trust anyone and has it corroborated by at least two sources. Rigor was one of those sources.”

“Rigor was Brodie’s poker opponent?”

Tuck nodded. “This is everything he handed over to Sutcliffe about Leatt. So we know everything Sutcliffe does. We didn’t have the time to do our own surveillance and Art would never let us run in blind. We needed something and Rigor had it, so at least we can reassure you by giving you Ben Leatt’s criminal record.”

“It will help you to bond with him if you know his history,” Brodie said from his position facing the front window, which was covered with curtains.

Tuck handed her the envelope, but she didn’t open it. “Couldn’t you just pay Rigor for the information?” she asked.

“Rigor likes to play games,” Tuck said. “That’s how we ended up around the poker table. We didn’t summon you to put you in the pot. We summoned you for the Leatt thing. We were going to have you brought back here to the motel with Zave.” That would have been an interesting experience, being alone with Zave. “But as the game went on it was clear Rigor wanted blood. The stakes were getting higher and higher, he had to believe he had us on the ropes. It was the only way to get him to put the dossier on the table. He had to be so confident that he got cocky.”

“And what better way to up the stakes than to put Brodie’s girlfriend on the table,” she said.

“The plan was always to lose,” Tuck said. “Stroking Rigor’s ego was the quickest way to get what we wanted. Losing the game was the goal because we knew about the double or nothing rule. You’ve got to give a man a chance to win back his losses with stakes that big. But that meant if he lost, we’d have to give him the chance to win it back, and we couldn’t take the risk he’d win that final round.”

“But you have to be able to offer him something else for double or nothing?” she asked. “What was both of you for three months about?”

“He wanted us to work for him,” Tuck said. “He’s been trying to get us on payroll for a long time.”

“But you agreed to do it, if you’d lost—“

“I do what my chief tells me to do,” Tuck said. “I’m Kindred.” Brodie turned to come back to the group. “But there was never a chance of us losing.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” she asked, ducking when Brodie reached for her temple, he flicked his hand and brought it around to show her the Ace of Hearts. She took it from him and blinked at the card because she had no idea where it had come from.

“It was no accident that I shuffled the deck,” Tuck said, going back to his laptops.

Zave went back to his papers, and she was left alone holding the photos, the dossier, and the playing card.

“Open it,” Brodie said, nodding at the envelope she held. He hunkered over a nearby duffel bag and it was then that she noticed her suitcase was there beside it. Her driver must have brought it here to Zave for her. “Read it, learn about him.”

“Learn about him,” she muttered, seating herself on the chair and putting her wares on the sofa bed.

“He’ll have to believe that you’re getting to know him,” Brodie said. “It will be helpful if you can steer the conversation towards his interests and history. He’ll believe your connection is real, which will make him more likely to trust you.”

She would do what she was told and believed that these men would look after her. But Brodie’s stern brow made her worry for him, so when he tried to walk away, she caught his hand. “Gimme some sugar,” she whispered and hazarded a smile in the hope that he’d reciprocate. It took him a handful of seconds, but he eventually dipped to kiss her.

“Don’t forget what I told you outside,” he said, pressing a fingertip to her cheekbone as he crouched beside her and lowered his volume even further. “And please, baby, whatever you do…”

“What?” she asked, sensing his hesitation.

“Don’t fall for this guy.”

She was so surprised that her lips parted only to close again. Bringing a hand up to his hair, she combed her fingers over it. “You think I’d leave you for a cult-crazy?”

“You don’t get to leave me,” he said, sliding a hand up her thigh beneath her skirt. “I mean, don’t feel sorry for him, because I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in him. I don’t care how you feel about him.”

So he thought she’d sympathize with this Ben guy and might ask for mercy on his behalf if it came to it. Zara wasn’t a killer by trade, but she also respected that each of the Kindred had their role to perform. If someone had to die, then Raven would be the primary candidate for taking that person out. She had to engage this guy and Raven had to erase him.

Waking up with Brodie was pleasant. But when she kissed him and slid her hand down the front of his jeans, he grasped her wrist and pulled her hand out of his underwear to remind her that they weren’t alone. Tuck was sleeping on the sofa bed and Zave was in the bed beside them.

Her disappointment was short-lived because he picked her up and carried her into the shower where he reminded her of his loyalty. While there was other Kindred keeping guard, he relaxed his no nakedness rule and she was grateful for that after spending a week showering and sleeping alone.

Her day was spent studying up on Ben and she eventually took the plunge and called him just after lunch. Tuck was right, instead of talking on the phone, Ben asked her to meet him in a bar that night. There was so much to remember and she was terrified that she wouldn’t be able to pull this off. But the Kindred guys assured her that they’d be on hand should she need backup, though none of them thought she’d need it.

Zara wasn’t surprised when Tuck showed her the camera they had planted on Ben’s apartment. While it wasn’t easy to see inside, they had a partial view of the living room and both exits were covered. Tuck showed her this to familiarize her with the space and that was when Brodie chimed in that she would never be going anywhere near Ben’s house.

But the truth was, Ben spent little time at his own apartment and the paperwork Rigor had provided showed that Ben had given notice at the rented space, suggesting he planned to move to the compound full-time.

Swift and Raven took her through what would happen when she met Ben and how to excuse herself at the end of the night. They showed her a schematic of the bar she would be meeting Ben in and pointed out all of the exits. They were nothing if not thorough. They told her she had to be fluid and flexible, and she would have to learn to improvise because they couldn’t cover every eventuality. People were unpredictable and anything could happen.

The ultimate goal was to find out what Sutcliffe was planning and if he had any weaknesses they could exploit should the worst happen. For now, they wanted to know why he was out of the country and when he’d be coming back. To gain his trust and garner future information, she may have to spend a lot of time with Ben.

So she had to prepare herself for the possibility of ending up in Ben’s apartment, even if it was unlikely. The more terrifying prospect was ending up at Sutcliffe’s compound. If Sutcliffe came back suddenly or one of his deputies got involved and questioned her up close, she might not hold up under suspicious scrutiny.

Night was upon them and the stage was set for her to do her thing. Swift and Falcon had left the motel room to set up their surveillance position in the premises opposite the bar where she’d be meeting Ben tonight. Brodie was with her in the motel room, waiting for her cab to show up, which had been called after Swift confirmed that Ben was in the bar. While she sat looking out the motel room window waiting for her ride, she tried not to examine what Brodie was doing in the background.

A car pulled into the parking lot and honked its horn as it passed to turn in a loop at the top of the concrete space. Snagging her clutch from the windowsill, she got up to head for the door.

“Hey,” Brodie said in a clipped tone and caught her arm to draw her back. Ready for her mission, she was thinking of how to approach the situation and didn’t notice the darkness in his gaze straight away. “If you let him touch you. I’ll kill him.”

That declaration jarred her out of the mission zone she’d gotten her head into. “What?” she asked, quickly casting aside her speculation about the future to return her focus to the present moment.

His eyes got even narrower, and she could read the killer in them. He wasn’t messing around or playing with her. “I have no conscience. If I kill the guy ‘cause you let him get his hands on you, his blood is on your hands.”

Shock ebbed to anger and she yanked her arm away from him. If he killed Ben for no other reason than he got too close to her that was on Brodie’s head, not hers. “Don’t threaten me,” she snapped. “I’m in charge of our sex life. If I can handle you, what makes you think I can’t handle a schmuck who might try to force me?”

Grabbing her neck, he rushed her back against the wall and crouched to hiss his words in her face. “If he tries to force you, I’ll blow out his kneecaps then come over there and deal with him real slow. Do you want to learn how to make a grown man cry and beg for death? I’ll teach you everything you ever need to know.”

Aroused by his fervent possessiveness, she elevated her chin. He loved her so much that he’d kill, not only to protect her life, but to protect her modesty too, and he didn’t make false promises. Raven was a killer by trade and could put a bullet in a man just because he wanted to and he’d never think twice about it or regret the decision he made.

Brodie was her man, but Raven had killed based upon her signal and he’d do it again. Having power over life and death by proxy was intoxicating, not because she craved murder or enjoyed death, but because it was the ultimate, final power. Raven trusted her enough to give her influence over his kill decisions and knew she would never exploit him.

In the past, she’d been the object at the end of his scope, giving him something to aim at, but she never doubted his ability. Standing in target range with the barrel of his rifle pointed in her direction proved her epic trust in him. One slip, one accident, and she’d be no more. But even if she taunted him, he’d never risk her life. When he stood watch over her with his gun trained on someone maybe only an inch from her, she never worried for her safety.

Goading him, she showed no fear. “Maybe I’ll let him touch me just to test your resolve.”

His brows rose, but his eyes remained narrow proving he was getting riled. “You think I’m blowing smoke?” he asked, increasing the strength of his grip on her throat to force up the angle of her head farther. “Try it, baby, please. It’ll be like Christmas come early for me. You remember what happened to the last man who tried to kiss you?”

Tim Sutcliffe. Albert Sutcliffe’s nephew. He’d been kissing her when Brodie put a bullet in his head, and that was her introduction to the Kindred.

“You’re a dirty, base animal,” she sneered, but her disgust was a mask for the pulse of arousal his rough grip provoked in her.

“One who will be watching every move you make tonight, hear me? You belong to me. You go where I say. Do what I tell you to. If you dance just the way I want you to, I’ll let you come home and ride my cock as a reward.”

She loved it when he snarled dirty words at her, but her role was to flout his intimidation and so that’s what she did. “Don’t do me any favors,” she said and tried to pull away his arm, but he slammed her back against the wall. Air left her lungs on impact, and she had to gasp in to fuel her lust. “Turning me on and sending me to him, is that your plan?”

His teeth clenched and he got even closer. “You better be thinking of me when you’re flirting with him,” he said, keeping one hand around her throat while the other pushed her hair from her face on its journey to the back of her skull. “You want him to think you want it, don’t you?”

Damn, he was good. Her nerves were gone and her complete focus was on her man, who was here in front of her, holding her against this wall, proving his dominance over her in a way he knew would stimulate her. Walking into this meeting horny was the best way to convince this guy that she was interested in him for real. Men were blinded by sex and if she could make Ben believe that she wanted something more than friendship, he’d be more inclined to answer her questions.

“That is the plan isn’t it,” she said, trying to disguise her arousal, though he knew her too well to mistake it.

“There’s only one man on the face of this earth who can stimulate you. If you need any guy to think you’re horny, you better pull up some of that material I give you when I fuck you hard and dirty.”

Struggling in his grip only made him hold tighter, so she went limp. “My mind’s drawn a blank,” she said, pressing her palm to the erection pulsing through his jeans. “Give me a refresher.”

She gulped in the air that filled the void between them before the thick insistence of his tongue pried her lips apart. She was sure that they were going to get it on here in the motel room, while she was supposed to be on a date with another man, until the horn blared outside the window again and Brodie ripped his mouth away.

“I’ll be there and set up before you get there,” he said, kissing her again. He was going on his bike, so he wouldn’t have to wait for anything inconvenient like traffic. Having him in position was her most valued security. Somehow he knew that without her being explicit about her need to have him there watching over her. Pulling her away from the wall, he spun her to face the door and smacked her ass. “Get going before I tie you down.”

Doing as she was told, she didn’t look back. The cab driver was just that, but she didn’t want to give any indication that she wasn’t alone in this motel room, just in case. She got into the vehicle, gave the address of the bar, and then she was on her way.

The pendant necklace she wore would allow the men to see what was going on in the bar and she had an earpiece in, but hadn’t yet heard a whisper from Tuck or the others. He’d told her he would activate it when they saw her going in. But the reality was they couldn’t communicate. She was going to engage Ben and after she did, all she would be able to do was listen when it came to the Kindred.

The glass-fronted tavern was less than five blocks from the motel, and she could probably have walked. But Brodie had insisted on a cab. She had paid the driver and was about to enter when she heard the crackle in her ear, then Brodie’s voice came through. “I’m right there with you, baby.”

Opening the barroom door, she was hit with humid air and the medley of a pop song. The place was busy but entirely unthreatening. It was a light space filled with tables and pop art. It couldn’t be further from the atmosphere of Purdy’s. But she wasn’t here to make comparisons. She was here to make a connection. So she made her way to the bar and ordered a white wine spritzer.

Art didn’t have to be in her ear because he was in her head, telling her not to drink too much. She took a seat on a stool and let her eyes peruse the bar. She’d been told to seat herself in the Kindred’s field of vision and to let Ben come to her. Under no circumstances was she to go to where Ben was seated. They didn’t suspect she was being setup, but preferred to assume that they were until proved otherwise. Seating herself and waiting for him to come to her let her be the driver and they needed her to be in an optimum spot that allowed her cohorts to see her.

When she scanned around, she noticed Ben at the end of the bar around the curve. Her pulse jacked up when he made eye contact with her. Dropping her gaze, she took a breath and looked up again, yes, he was still looking at her.

She managed a smile and then took her attention to the opposite end of the bar. She didn’t want to be too eager and if she played it right, he would approach her as they wanted him to. The light inside made it difficult for her to see anything out of the large windows at the front of the building because there was nothing but night beyond them. But the Kindred would be able to see inside and that was the most important thing. With that thought, she closed her eyes and sipped her drink.

Touching the pendant on her necklace, she made a silent plea for reassurance. “We’re here, baby,” Brodie said into her ear and the sound of his voice made the hairs on her forearm stand up. “We can see you. Can’t take my eyes off you, you’re the hottest thing in the room.”

Brodie was being kind by flattering her. Tuck gave her the facts. “If you go any farther into the place we’ll lose visual,” Tuck said.

The Kindred were in a first-floor space on the opposite side of the street. This bar was long and there was a dance floor in the back near where the restrooms were. But if this was as far as the Kindred could see then she had no intention of venturing deeper inside.

Glancing around, she was going to check out if Ben was still looking at her. Her equilibrium tilted when she realized he was no longer seated where she’d seen him before. All of her apprehension whooshed out of her and was replaced by a fear that she’d failed before she had even started.

But before she could leap up and exclaim her apologies, someone slipped onto the stool beside hers. Ben. “You’re new around here,” he said, and his grin made her laugh.

“Yes,” she said on an exhale. “Yes, I am. Thanks for meeting me.”

“Would you like to dance?”

It could just be his way of putting her at ease, or maybe he was just trying to make friends, but she couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do less than dance. “Oh no,” she said, losing her smile. “Oh, no, no, I don’t, I mean…”

“It’s ok,” he laughed and pushed his drink toward hers as he edged nearer. “It’s not a requirement. I just… you look like a dancer.”

“Oh,” she hissed in a breath and scrunched her expression. “That’s only a whisker away from, ‘Do you work out?’ Is that a line you use on all the women you meet here?”

His smile broadened and his dimples provoked her to reciprocate. The picture Tuck had given her made Ben look boyish, but in the present, the charcoal tee shirt he was wearing revealed definition in his arms and the physique she’d initially written off as average was far more impressive up close.