The Omega Team: Hot Target (Kindle Worlds Novella) (12 page)

The minute Jacquie saw Athena, she ran to her with fragile expectation in her eyes.

“What happened? I freaked when I got the call and was told I had to get to the airport immediately. They sent uniforms to haul me and all our stuff out. I thought it was because…” The girl swallowed, hard. “…of what I did.”

“What did you do, Jacquie?”

Athena pulled her aside and made sure no one was within earshot.

“Talk to me. Tell me everything.”

“I kinda hacked hand kisser’s email, but it was totally worth it. Are you pissed?”

“No. When it comes to men like Ruiz, my ethics are bendy. What did you find, Jacquie? Tell me. Now.”

“You’ll get to read it yourself. I downloaded everything to our server.” Jacquie shook her head and double checked they didn’t have an audience. “That man ordered Rafael to be kidnapped. He had another cartel do it. I can think of only one reason he’d do that. I think he wanted to stir up a war, but—”

“But what?”

“Do you think Ruiz knew about the shell casing evidence?”

Athena didn’t want to speculate now. They risked being overheard with too many ears around.

“Tell me everything you found.”

Jacquie told her what she suspected with the many emails she had read from Ruiz. Athena felt the heat of outrage building in her. Ruiz had used Rafael as bait and he’d hired the Omega Team to legitimize his personal war on the cartels. He worked in the shadows and his treacherous scheme had gotten Rafael killed.

Athena searched the airport terminal and the tarmac near the aircraft, looking for Ruiz. She found the man standing with Victor Torres near his vehicle, but Jacquie stopped her from leaving.

“So what happened? Where’s Rafael?” Jacquie searched for her brother. “Why are we leaving if he’s not here?”

Tears welled in Jacquie’s eyes as she reached for Athena’s hand, pleading with her. Athena fought hard not to break down in front of her team.

“I’m sorry.” She squeezed Jacquie’s hand and held on. “He didn’t—”

A commotion forced Athena to stop. A white ambulance with red and blue stripes along its sides raced onto the tarmac with its lights spiraling and siren blaring. As it drew closer, the siren and lights were shut off.

“What the hell?” Rafferty elbowed Landry. “Check it.”

Every head turned toward the emergency vehicle—everybody except Esteban Ruiz. Athena did a double take when she noticed the man staring at her instead. She narrowed her eyes in return, but the man only broadened his sneer.

She had a bad feeling Ruiz knew what she’d find in the ambulance—and braced her body and her heart. Athena didn’t want her last memory of Rafael to be his dead corpse, but it looked as if Ruiz wouldn’t give her a choice.

She should have been grateful that she wouldn’t have to leave Cuba without her brother’s body, but something in Ruiz’s face wouldn’t allow her to be indebted to the man.

***

After the driver parked the ambulance near the jet, the double doors in the back opened and a man in uniform jumped out, Cuba’s equivalent to an emergency medical technician. He reached inside and yanked out a gurney. Its legs unfolded until the wheels hit the blacktop. Athena made an effort to see beyond the door that blocked her view.

She braced for the sight of Rafael in a body bag as Jacquie grabbed for her hand. When she saw an IV drip attached to the gurney, she strained to see more—and allowed her heart to hope for the first time.

“Rafael,” she called out his name.

Her brother was strapped to the gurney. His face had been battered and one of his eyes had swollen shut. Bandages covered his chest and blood had seeped through.
Oh my God, Rafael.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. Jacquie yanked at her arm and they both ran to his side.

Rafael was alive.

“Holy shit.” Rafferty cried out. “Fuck me with a blow torch.”

“Will you look at that?” Landry shook his head and joined his team to walk alongside the gurney. “Damn, if you ain’t a spectacle, Rafael. Athena, you recognize this lucky son of an onion eater?”

“What’s wrong with him, besides the obvious?” Rafferty asked.

“He’s got a concussion and a couple broken ribs,” the EMT said. “Whoever did this, they cut him with a blade across his chest and down his belly. He’s got plenty of stitches. When you get back to your country, check him into a hospital for observation. They’ll want to run more tests.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Rafferty said. “Don’t worry, Rafael. Women love scars. You’ll see.”

Landry punched him in the arm.

“What?” Rafferty objected. “Am I wrong?”

“That kid doesn’t need any help from you, smart ass.”

Rafe opened his good eye and blinked until his weary gaze settled on Athena. He reached for her hand and held it.

“I never th-thought…I’d see you…again.” He winced and coughed with the pain of speaking. “We h-have to t-talk.”

“
Lo sé, mi hermano.
” She told him that she knew. “I promise, when you are stronger. The beautiful thing is, we have time now. “
Te quiero muchísimo
, Rafael.”

When she told him how much she loved him, her voice cracked and her eyes filled with warm tears. Athena leaned down to kiss him on the cheek—on the only square inch he wasn’t bruised. She ran a hand through his hair and swept a finger across his forehead. 

Rafael smiled and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

“My sister, my protector.”

She would always remember the look of love in her brother’s eyes. She had no words for the bond between them, made stronger now. Athena wanted to believe he had struggled to survive for a reason. She prayed that he’d found hope for a future he never counted on.

“He’s all yours, Jacquie,” she whispered.

When her brother turned toward Jacquie, he reached a shaky hand to touch her face. With a thumb, he wiped away her tears and said, “S-stay with me.”

Jacquie kissed his hand and cradled his arm to her chest, sobbing.

“I’m not going anywhere. Count on it.”

***

When Athena looked up from Rafael, with tears in her eyes, she glanced over her shoulder for Esteban Ruiz. She saw something in the man’s lingering smug expression. A slow burn finally took over, kindled by what Jacquie had told her about Ruiz’s encrypted emails.

Athena had a hunch and had to play her hand. It would be her last chance. She wiped her face and took a deep breath before she walked over to the Vice President.

“You did this on purpose. You deliberately withheld the fact that my brother survived. Why?” she demanded.

“How else would I impress upon you how close you came to losing him?” Ruiz looked down his nose at her. “You had to feel it, and he had to understand this, too.”

“No one understands loss better than my brother. You insult both of us.” She crossed her arms and fought to stay in control. “Why did it fall upon you to deliver such a heartless message?”

“You know very well why. Do not play coy with me. It’s beneath you.”

Athena gritted her teeth. She had to be careful not to reveal the role Jacquie played with her email fishing expedition—or reveal the shell casing analysis that implicated Rafael—but Athena couldn’t leave Cuba without speaking her mind.

“Don’t act so righteous, Mr. Vice President. I may not have proof, but I suspect you know far more about this new cartel uprising than you’ve shared with me. Convenient timing. Don’t you have elections coming up?”

Ruiz glared at her and his face flushed red. She didn’t know if he would acknowledge her suspicions or deny them, but it felt good to sucker punch the arrogant bastard. When his face finally softened, his sanctimonious smile returned.

“Your country retaliated against terrorism after 9/11 and launched a war that took countless lives for years.” He shrugged. “If Cuba stirs up a war between its cartels—without the risk of lives in its police force or its army, which is the clever one, the United States or Cuba?”

Ruiz didn’t have it in him to let things go. Even if he virtually confirmed her suspicions, he simply didn’t care and had to let her know how smart he’d been.

Athena was stunned and this time she let it show on her face.

“Your
soldados
killed those men in the barn and butchered their bodies to make it look as if Camila Borrego had done it,” she said. “You did it to start a war without ordering soldiers to fight it. Now all your men will have to do is haul away the bodies and dump them in shallow graves. That’s why you didn’t care about following police procedure in the investigation of Hector Borrego’s murder. In your mind, he didn’t deserve justice.”

She didn’t wait for him to confirm or deny.

“There is only the breadth of a hair between you and the cartels you despise,” she said. “You alone stand in judgment, yet who watches out for you, Mr. Vice President?”

“I’ve lost family in this war I wage. Good people, Miss Madero. I thought you would understand the importance of protecting those we love. There must be someone practical—like me—who is willing to be as ruthless as the enemy to make the world a safer place.”

Ruiz sighed as if he’d grown tired of her naiveté.

“We all have our secrets,” he said. “Send me your findings, whatever you deem them to be. I am satisfied we may never know who killed Hector Borrego. Perhaps it was the San Ignacio cartel. They’ve been a contentious rival for many years. The actions of the Borrego and San Ignacio cartels are certainly proof enough for me. Take your brother home, Athena. He’s suffered enough. I’m sure you will agree.”

Ruiz didn’t wait for her to say anything. He turned his back and waved a hand. She watched the man disappear in a flurry of suits and tactical uniforms until he slid into his armored limousine like a slithering snake in the grass.

Athena had no words. She desperately wanted a shower to wash off the stink of Ruiz and his brand of politics, but she had an injured brother to take care of.

Rafael needed her.

Tampa, Florida

Three months later

Evening

Jacquie had spent the day with Rafael. She came early to help him unbox his kitchen, but he’d already put a dent in the work by the time she arrived. Rafferty and Landry had helped him the night before. It didn’t take long for them to finish unpacking what remained.

Rafe had bought a stylish loft in trendy South Tampa near Hyde Park Village that overlooked the winding coastal Bayshore Boulevard. Jacquie loved the view off his back deck. The glistening waters of the bay looked like a jeweler’s display case of diamonds, especially at sunrise or sunsets when the sunlight cast pastel colors across the undulating waves. She stood on the deck now, breathing in the salty air as the breeze tousled her hair. Rafael asked her to stay put, he had something he wanted her to see, but he’d disappeared.

After he returned, he came up behind her and didn’t break her quiet moment with words. He simply cradled her into his body and held her tight. She leaned her back into his chest and she let him hold her.

“You make me happy,” he finally said. “I haven’t felt like this in a very long time.”

“I should thank
you
. I’ve never felt like this, with anyone.
Ever
.”

Rafael had a way of touching her deeply. The way he held her—and the way he spoke from his heart—brought tears of joy to her eyes. When he nuzzled close to her ear, he lowered his honeyed voice and opened his heart one more time.

“I miss Elena and my little Ariana. My love for them will never go away, but the nights aren’t so bad anymore. I remember the little things, good things.” He sighed. “In my dreams, I see them as they were, with me. I tell you this for a reason. I know it’s because of you that I can remember them this way.”

Jacquie let the evening breeze cool the tears that streaked her cheeks and she smiled, pulling his arms tighter around her.

“I love you, Rafael.”

“This is a good thing,” he said. She heard the smile in his voice. “Now I won’t be the only one in love.
Te amo, mi amor
.”

Jacquie grinned. She didn’t need a translator to understand.

“I still feel like I need to apologize for how strong I came onto you, the day we met.” Jacquie had never found the right words to explain her actions, but she had to try if they were to have any kind of a future together.

“It’s just that I wanted to be different than how people usually see me,” she admitted. “I thought being with you would change me—and it has—only I didn’t need to take my clothes off to do it.”

She crooked her lip into a lazy smile and glanced over her shoulder at him. Rafael laughed. She would never tire of hearing that sound or seeing how his expressive eyes lit his whole face from inside.

“That little black dress didn’t fool me. I saw you then, and I see you now. You have a beautiful heart and a loving soul.”

When Rafael pulled her into his arms, she kissed his sweet lips until he had more to say.

“You helped me get through the worst part of my life,” he said. “I want you to know that, but that doesn’t mean I would object to seeing you naked.”

Jacquie nestled into his strong arms and breathed in the smell of his skin and the masculine cologne he wore. She felt safe and loved. He held her like something he cherished and would never let go, until he pulled her from his embrace.

“Come. I’ve got something for you to see.”

Rafael grabbed her hand and led her to the rooftop of his loft. He still walked with a limp, especially up stairs. She slowed down so he wouldn’t rush. It would take time for his body to heal.

He opened the door to his private rooftop terrace and Jacquie gasped. She couldn’t breathe as her eyes took in every inch of his surprise, meant for her.

White lights decorated his wooden privacy screens and every potted plant and ornamental tree looked like white Christmas. A small table with two chairs had been draped with a red table cloth and had glowing candles flickering in a colorful stained glass votive.

He had champagne chilling and scrumptious treats to eat on a side table, from raw oysters on the half shell to chocolate strawberries, sweet figs, and liqueur-laced macaroons. Her mind flashed with images of feeding him and feeling his warm lips on her fingers as he ate the sensual food.

“You’ve thought of everything,” she said. “When did you have time to—”

“One final surprise.”

When he flipped a switch near his door,
The
Sweetest Taboo
by Sade played softly on surround speakers and she almost cried.

“Aw. That’s our song.”

“Yes, how could I forget?” He caressed her face in both his hands and said, “Tonight, true romance will start with the eyes.”

He tenderly kissed her eye lids.

“Next, the fingertips.”

He reached for her hand and kissed each of her fingers.

“The ears are very important, too. Vital, I would say.”

His tongue found her ear and worked its magic until her skin tingled down through her toes. His breath stroked her neck with heat.

“Oh my, God,” she whispered and moaned. She felt the intensity of her blood raging through her body, making her melty inside.

“You keep this up, I won’t last until dessert,” she gasped.

“We have all night,
mi corazon
.”

“I don’t know what that means, but I like it. Say something else.”

“
Sí, querida
.” He smiled. “
Te adoro. Bésame
.” He nuzzled her neck and said, “That means, I adore you. Kiss me.”

Rafael loved her and he made her feel safe to be anyone she wanted to be. She knew he would accept her, no matter who she wanted to become, from nerdy geek girl to the sultry hot babe she imagined in her dreams.

She’d almost lost him in Cuba. Jacquie still had nightmares about it. She didn’t know where their relationship would lead, but she’d been right about one thing. Rafael Madero had changed her forever and she liked who she was with him in her life. They had their futures ahead of them now—and all the time in the world.

***

Until Jacquie Lyles, Rafael didn’t know he’d ever be able to open his heart to anyone again. It hurt too much when he lost Elena and Ariana. He didn’t know if he could be that vulnerable again, but Jacquie made him want to try.

His move from Chicago to Tampa had helped. Little by little, with time and distance, he had found the joy missing from his existence. He made different choices, sometimes when he didn’t feel like it, and opened his life to Athena and Grey, Rafferty and Landry—but most of all Jacquie. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

He had a new family—one he would always keep safe. He had to.

***

Miami, Florida

Camila Borrego made it through Customs with her entourage—using flawless credentials under fake names that she had paid dearly for—and now headed for the limousine she’d hired with an airport porter hauling luggage behind her. Two of her best men accompanied her, but she would need more men soon. She had arrangements to recruit the men and weapons she would require using her cartel connections in Florida.

After her bags were loaded into the trunk, she slid into the backseat of the limousine and secured her privacy screen to make a very important phone call. She had a key insider within law enforcement who had what she needed.

“With the money you gave me, I have secured the addresses you asked for. They weren’t easy to get, but I sent them to you by our encrypted account. You should have them by now, along with the dossiers you requested.”

Camila glanced down at her phone and nodded.

“Yes, I have them,” she said.

“Are you sure you want to start with the first file? He’ll be a tough target. Fair warning.”

“I’ll contact you if I need anything else.
Muchas gracias
.”

“
De nada
.”

She ended the call and fixed her eyes on her two well-paid assassins—Amadeo and Tavio Vega—identical twin brothers with jet black hair, pale skin, and menacing eyes the color of coal. She had only one way to tell them apart.

Tavio had a scar in a place only she had been allowed to see.

“Athena and Rafael Madero started a war in our beloved country of Cuba. We are here to return the favor.” She pulled up the encrypted dossier she’d received and
stared
at a face she’d seen before.

“Navy SEAL Sam Rafferty will be our first. I’m sending you his complete dossier.”

She sent the coded file to the cell phones of the Vega brothers with a push of a button.

“We’ll start with his mother.”

As her men studied the information she sent—and committed key elements to memory—Camila turned her attention toward the window of the limousine and watched as the driver merged the vehicle into traffic and headed for the interstate. On the outside she kept her composure, but inside she seethed with revenge, deprived of its satisfaction.

Her father’s murder had been the start of her world shattering. She had countless nights with no sleep, in the wake of horrific nightmares. After she crossed paths with Rafael Madero and his sister, Athena, and their prized Omega Team, Camila’s life took a turn for the worse.

Months ago, Vice President Esteban Ruiz had instigated a cartel war after he’d hired the Omega Team and used her father’s murder to fan the flames of unrest. She’d lost many loyal men and part of her operation. Ruiz had left her facing criminal charges for murders she had nothing to do with. It took time and money to set things right again. She would deal with Ruiz—
personally
—when he least expected it and when she had an irrefutable alibi.

Until such time, she had a plan.

One by one she would pick off the Omega Team in an offensive they wouldn’t see coming until it was too late. Rafael Madero would be the last man standing, completely alone. Only then would he comprehend the depth of her loss, after he had to bury his beloved sister, Athena, if there would be anything left of her body to put into the ground.

Camila sighed, contented for now.

She faced the window and closed her eyes to savor the warmth of the Florida sun on her skin. Soon the driver would deliver Camila to her rightful destiny. She filled her mind with the many ways she would make her father proud—and finish what he started.