The Bad Ass Brigade (16 page)

Thanking yet another of her classmates for what had to be the tenth invitation she had to join them for dinner, she heard a familiar voice.

“I hope you will understand why Agent Nilsson can’t accept your invitation. After three long months of not seeing her, I’m not willing to share.”

Chapter 16

Annika blamed it on the wine. Having overcome her shock at seeing him, it was as though they’d never been apart. They laughed and talked like the oldest of friends and the newest of lovers. All through dinner, Sam didn’t take his eyes off of her and she couldn’t stop staring at him. Annika had forgotten how gorgeous he was. Her dreams were filled with images of him that could have graced any men’s fitness magazine. But Sam in the flesh outdid her wildest fantasies.

After several hours and two bottles of champagne, Sam sat back in his chair and pinned her with that undecipherable gaze that never failed to send a tsunami of sensation ricocheting through her sex-starved body.

“Do you know what day it is, Special Agent?”

Annika frowned. “Um, Friday?”

“Yes, Friday the 13
th
to be precise. Do you know what day comes after Friday the 13
th
?”

“Is this a quiz, Commander? If so, I’ll be brave and take a leap. Is it Saturday the 14
th
?”

Sam smiled. “Almost correct. It actually is Saturday, October 14
th
, precisely four months until Valentine’s Day.”

It took Annika a moment to grasp Sam’s meaning. The small velvet box he put on the table in front of her, helped to explain the riddle.

An icy sensation crept across her chest, squeezing her heart in a vise-like grip that made it impossible for her to take a deep breath. It wasn’t until she saw the box that she faced the truth about their relationship. It wasn’t Sam who wasn’t ready to commit to a relationship; she didn’t think that
she
could. And now Sam was outing her, calling her on her duplicity.

Screwing up her courage, she faced him, preparing for the worst. She was surprised to see a big grin on his face.

“Hang on, Princess. I’m not the grim reaper about to force you into a lifetime of servitude.” Pointing to the box, he said. “This isn’t what you think it is, Annika. You can breathe now.”

She bit her lip, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

“Open it, Princess. I promise it won’t bite.”

Annika swallowed hard and carefully untied the silver ribbon and opened the small jewelry box. She gasped when she saw a beautiful red stone surrounded by what looked like diamonds.

Sam answered her unasked question.

“It’s a ruby, Annika, surrounded by a smattering of diamonds. In case you didn’t guess, it’s meant to be symbolic. Fire and Ice.”

“Sam, I—”

“What Annika? You’re not ready? It’s too soon to declare our love publically? I know that, Princess. But how about we declare it privately? If you’ll notice this little bauble has an unusual setting.”

Annika picked up the stunning jeweled piece and looked at the back. With a flash she understood. For a moment she was struck dumb. She couldn’t believe what she saw. Seeing the laughter in Sam’s eyes, she knew she was right. She couldn’t hold back her giggle.

“Dammit, Sam! Is this gorgeous ruby and diamond concoction for my belly button piercing?”

When he nodded, she laughed until tears ran down her face.

Sam reached over and wiped them off.

She held his hand, not wanting to let him go. She pointed to the two smaller versions of the most outrageous belly button ring she’d ever seen.

“What are these? Earrings?”

Sam raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “No. They’re a little large for earrings, don’t you think? But I can think of a couple other places they would look beautiful—and be more private.”

Annika gasped and pressed her hands over her breasts to protect them from the wild rush of heat tightening the tips to hard beaded nubs.

Sam threw back his head and laughed. He took hold of her hands and rubbed his knuckles against her nipples that were crying out for his touch.

“I have an idea, Annika.’

She groaned. “I can’t imagine what it is, Sam.”

He chuckled and his eyes danced with amusement.

“It just so happens that I reserved the fanciest suite I could find in Glynco, Georgia. I have another present for you there. A graduation present of sorts. It’s a bigger box and frankly I didn’t think it was appropriate to have you open it here.” He glanced around the restaurant, making the point that was already crystal clear.

Annika fought through the emotions zapping her frazzled nerve endings. To her relief her fears and insecurities were miniscule compared to the excitement she felt.

She pulled her hands away from his. Primly folding her napkin, she put it on the table and rose to her feet. She smiled when he leapt up beside her.

Turning toward the doorway, she grinned over her shoulder.

“I think that’s an excellent suggestion, Commander. But one small caution. Part of what I learned in my ATF training was things that you can do with hand-cuffs that even you’ve never heard of.”

She nodded toward the exit and quirked her finger, signaling he should follow her.

“Shall we, Commander?”

# # #

NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN

Chapter 1

Seoul, South Korea

July, 2009

“It’s damn good to see you, Brady. Even if it means that I have to put up with your crap for the next couple of weeks.” Jake grinned at the blond-haired surfer dude next to him.

Brady’s eyes twinkled as he tipped his bottle to Jake in a salute.

“Crap? Who, me? I hate to break it to you, man,” responded Brady, but the only thing you’re gonna have to deal with, is that in a choice between you and me, in this country blonds win hands down.”

Jake exchanged a knowing grin with Anthony, the third man on his team. Both of them were accustomed to Brady’s constant trash talk. The three of them had been together on undercover missions across the globe. Usually in a hell of a lot less civilized places than Seoul. But, Jake had to admit, Brady was right about one thing. Whether it was his dirty blond hair, bright green eyes, or cocky swagger, it didn’t take long for Brady to collect a bevy of adoring women. From Iraq to Chechnya to Somalia, the trail of beautiful women lusting after the sweet-talking player was the stuff of legends.

Anthony broke in, “Dream on, buddy. I’ve also got blond hair, and I can sure as hell give you a run for your money.”

“You, Anthony? The guy whose face cracked the last time you smiled? C’mon, the big guy will be more competition than you.” Brady rebutted, nodding at Jake.

Brady plunked his empty bottle on the table and three bar girls instantly appeared at his side, giggling and nudging one another out of the way.

Brady gave a ‘nuff said’ shrug, and wrapped his arms around the closest two women gazing up at him.

“Tell you what, glorious flowers of the East, I’ll give all three of you something to do. Why don’t each of you bring us another bottle of beer? That way I can take care of my buddies while the three of you take care of me.”

Jake groaned in mock dismay, and shook his head as the giggling women scurried back to the bar.

Brady put his hands over his ears, with a shudder at the off-key shrieking blasting from the stage of the four-tiered, massive nightclub.

“Damn, Jake, don’t wanna start the mission complaining, but does my first night in Seoul have to be in a screeching karaoke bar?”

“Why are we meeting in this noisy bar? Because, it’s noisy. We have a lot to talk about. By the way, hotshot, don’t let any Koreans hear you call it karaoke. That’s strictly the Japanese name for this charming music. You’ll lose your harem before you start building it.”

A crash of flying bottles and glasses shattered the musical din and brought a deafening silence. A tall young Korean man kicked aside the broken glass and grabbed one of the girls who’d been at their table. Shoving her against the bar, he threw a fierce glare at Brady and spit out a string of angry curses. The young girl cowered in his grip, whimpering.

Brady was at the bar in seconds. He ground his thumb into a point behind the attacker’s ear. He twisted the asshole’s free arm behind his back, eliciting an enraged howl from the surprised man. Jake and Anthony leapt into the fray, forming a phalanx of support. The Korean man backed away, his hands in front of him. Throwing a threatening glare at the trembling young woman, the local spit on the floor in front of Brady. His angry epithet in Korean didn’t need translating. A cadre of burly men came from nowhere, shouting at the troublemaker. He knocked off their restraining hands, and with a furious scowl at Brady, he stormed toward the exit.

Jake tugged on Brady’s arm.

“Let the NPA handle it. Damn, we’re supposed to be inconspicuous, remember?”

Brady nodded, but his expression was grim.

“Uh, yeah. Little hard to ignore, though, don’t you think, big guy?”

When they were all seated again, Jake jerked his head toward the bartender, who was at their table in moments. The nervous-looking little man bowed low and muttered “On the house. So sorry.”

~~~

Tiffany stood to the side, taking in the ruckus. These had to be her guys. Damn, she hoped so. Hard to decide which one of the hunks appealed more. There was something about Special Forces guys that gave them away. It was more than their ‘touch me and you will die’ vibe. It was that she’d never met one that wasn’t gorgeous. And this trio raised the stud standard exponentially. Problem was, she was sure that their egos were as well-developed as their pecs. Big men, big egos. What’s new about that? She wondered if they knew that they’d just insulted a member of the
Kkangpae,
a gang that you did
not
want to annoy. She had a feeling they’d find out soon enough.

Taking in their casual jeans and t-shirts, she wished she’d had time to change. Nothing like a bad first impression. Maybe for once she could’ve foregone the Pippi Longstocking braids but, dammit, it was the only way she could contain her curly mass of hair in this humidity. Shoving her thick black lenses nervously up on the bridge of her nose, she was glad for the anonymous cover of her AFC uniform. What the hell was she supposed to wear? She’d started her day fifteen hours ago, and spent the entire time at Garrison Yongsan in the blazing heat.

Obviously invisible to the three hunks, she coughed discreetly to get their attention. The cocky blond with the grin nodded to her and winked. The serious one frowned slightly at the interruption. She focused on the dark-haired giant with the piercing blue eyes. This could only be the commander. The mighty Jake Gardner was the wunderkind colonel, known for his remarkable Special Forces escapades—and by the distaff side of the Army for his prowess with women. Now at CID, he was among the most feared investigators. No one was stupid enough or greedy enough to intentionally tangle with Colonel Gardner.

Meeting his stern gaze, she forced her voice to be firm. She chose not to salute, to avoid giving away their cover.

“Captain Anderson, sir.”

The crease between Gardner’s dark brows deepened as he raked his eyes over her. Done with his arrogant inspection, a wicked grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. He unwound all six-feet-plus of his lean frame from the chair, and extended his hand.

“You don’t say. Please, Captain, sit down.” He pulled out the chair next to him and motioned for her to be seated. The shivery sensations streaking over her at the sound of his sexy southern drawl confirmed how he’d earned his prodigious reputation with women.

He nodded to the surfer dude. “This is Lt. Col. Brady Schaefer. If he gives you any trouble, let Sgt. Beloi or me know. We’ll knock him down to size. We do it regularly. And this guy is Sgt. Anthony Beloi, who’s saved my life more times than… well, more than I should have lived.”

Despite Tiffany’s substantial rank, all three men looked her over, not hiding their curiosity. Once more she cursed herself for giving up on makeup. Just this once she’d have liked to look like she belonged with these hot guys, instead of like one of their bedraggled little sisters.

~~~

Jake did his best to cover his surprise and amusement. This was the red-headed tigress they were going to use to bait their perp? Granted her bones were good, once you got by those coke bottle lenses, and that frizzy hair sticking out from under her regulation cap. In braids, no less. Looking at the rubber bands binding the straggling ends of her hair, he thought all she needed were pink and white barrettes to complete the incongruous picture.

She didn’t miss his amusement. Her chin went up in the air in what looked like a practiced gesture to ward off assholes—like the three of them. He gave a diffident shrug. Figured he’d put it out on the table, before Brady did in a way that was sure to offend.

“I’m surprised, Captain. I’d expected you to be—”

She broke in. “To be what, Colonel? More attractive? Less like something the cat dragged in? For your information, I’ve been at the Garrison since 0500 this morning. And if you aren’t aware, it’s 90 degrees outside and so is the humidity.”