The Protector (10 page)

“For what?”

“Five minutes ought to do it,” T. said, as she pushed some buttons. “How about a drink, hmm? You really are lacking in hosting skills.”

Vivi silently handed T. two empty glasses. Sometimes it was just easier to let T. play her mind games. She would reveal what was going on in her own time, and no amount of yelling would yield any difference.

She watched T. pour some iced tea into the glasses, studying the other woman as she moved around her small kitchen. She had lost some weight; her exquisite bone structure
seemed more pronounced, emphasizing the hollows in her cheeks and the sensual fullness of her lips. She had always looked at T. closely, taking lessons on how to change her looks from the best in the business. Sometimes the slight changes were chemical-injected, other times it was just a different way of parting hair, but she had a feeling that T.’s physical changes this time weren’t self-induced. She waited until T. sat at the little dining table with food and drink ready.

“Not eating?”

Vivi shook her head. Best not to talk about her dinner plans. “I’m not hungry yet. So tell me about D.C.” Vivi pulled out a chair. Maybe changing tactics would loosen T.’s tongue. “I heard Operation Foxhole went beautifully. You’ve spent all these years going after Maximillian Shoggi. It must feel good to know we have him by the balls.”

After one of GEM’s popular operatives, Emma, along with several covert government commandos, had been killed in a setup, GEM had wanted to catch the culprits. The past few years, T. had done double duty as a contract agent and an avenger, mapping several operations that targeted the individuals involved. With her new promotion and decision-making muscle, T. had been able to make certain changes. One of them was merging part of the GEM sections with COS Center.

The result was Operation Foxhole, a years-long project to undermine Maximillian Shoggi, the main supplier of illegal arms and also the infamous shadow middleman who had caused the deaths. It took a while, but they had slowly squeezed his bank accounts and money flow until he was forced to come out in the open. Vivi had only recently caught up with the news. It wasn’t easy to get up-to-date in this part of the world, especially when it had to do with such a complex mission. But T. was here now. And Dilaver was also a very well-known illegal weapons supplier. Very important link here.

“Yes, we have him where we want him,” T. said, between
bites. “He has the laptop we sold him and he’s a desperate man, running out of money. His main front, Cash Ibrahim, is dead, and Shoggi isn’t used to dealing directly. He’ll be looking for help to sell that laptop.”

“Ah, the meat of the matter,” Vivi said dryly. T.’s eyes twinkled back at her. “Delicious meal, by the way,” she said, finishing up the last few spoonfuls. “Spice is good for the soul. You should eat more of it, Viv.”

“I eat my share.” T. arched her shapely eyebrows. “Are their names Zola Zeringue and Hawk McMillan?”

“I just got to know them myself. You sent me Lieutenant Zeringue’s files, so don’t jump to any conclusions,” Vivi said, wondering why she sounded so defensive.

“I didn’t say anything other than their names,” T. came back, amused. “And isn’t it interesting that you only brought up one of them?”

Vivi decided to ignore the observation. “I gather this is going to tie in with why you’re here and why we’re doing a joint mission with the Navy SEALs?”

“Yes.”

“Why throw me with them? You can easily do the operations blindfolded, T.”

“We have an insider working within the Triads. Everything we know, including the shipment of girls with Dilaver, comes from him. With so many dealers in town, we have to tread carefully here because we don’t want any interference with Shoggi’s visit and my work. I have a lot on my plate and I know you’d want a piece of the action. Or aren’t you interested?”

T. knew very well she would want in. Vivi nodded her answer.

“I thought you would,” T. said, drinking down her iced tea. “You’re here and I need someone who can handle the girls after the extraction. We can’t afford to have our inside man expose himself, and I have my own role to play.”

“Can I ask what that is?” A shipment of girls coming in. That was what this place needed, more innocent children traded for sex. Vivi refused to let her frustration show.

“It’s not over with Maximillian Shoggi, darling. He still needs to get rid of the laptop. My last attempt at contacting him didn’t end so well, especially for his middleman. Without Cash, he’ll be desperate to get hold of Dilaver. I mean to make sure Dilaver gets interested in this item.”

Vivi absorbed the information, taking a sip from her drink. T., as usual, was going to be in the middle of danger. “Will you let me in on all the details? Who’s our insider?”

T. smiled mysteriously. “One thing at a time. First, we have to get the extraction of the girls completed. The admiral’s SEALs are perfect decoys.”

Vivi frowned. “I hope you aren’t going to use the girls we save to lure Dilaver? And, if we use those SEALs as decoys, wouldn’t we be jeopardizing their mission?” And safety.

“No, the sea mammals will be fine. With their help, darling, we’re going to start a war. A small one…but still, a nice bad-guy versus bad-guy war.”

Stefan had weighed carefully how to win this battle. He needed help to get to the Triad brother; he needed someone who had the crime lord’s ear.

“Are you sure the information is correct?”

“Have I ever been wrong?”

He reclined lazily against the brocade pillows, indolently watching the woman as she tried on the jewelry he had brought for her. The dangling diamonds sparkled in the dim lighting as she swung her head one way and then the other, enjoying her own reflection in the dressing mirror. She put on the necklace with its teardrop diamond pendant, then swung around to face him, eyes glowing with pleasure.

“How do they look?”

“Tempting,” he said.

She pouted. “Not my breasts, you insatiable one. The jewelry.”

He kept his eyes on her large breasts. “They look good,” he said.

He could tell that his answer pleased her, even though she pretended to be a little mad that he wasn’t looking at his presents. He didn’t care about the baubles; at their price, he knew they would look great on anyone.

She lifted her breasts teasingly, her fingers playing with her large nipples. “How many pills in the shipment?” she asked as she strutted closer to the bed.

He smiled. He wasn’t the one who was insatiable. “Give me a good price and I’ll tell you more.”

Her pout became more pronounced. “Darling, your price is too high. My brother might not want to pay it.”

He lay back further against the pillows. His hand reached between his legs as he watched her approach. “Tell him it’s my price or nothing. I’m the only one with the map.”

Her attention was avidly on what he was doing. “You can’t negotiate?”

“I am negotiating,” he replied softly, as he leisurely aroused himself.

She climbed onto the bed, her eyes greedy on what he was offering. “Totally unfair,” she whispered. “You know I want that. But my brother will never understand this kind of terms.”

He pulled on his erection, knowing how much it aroused her that he was in control of himself, of her, of the situation. He never ever forgot that she liked being mastered, even though it was all pretense. She wanted to be the one to have the power to say no. She was playing with him, just as he was playing with her.

It was a dangerous game. She had the power to eliminate him; he was one against an army of bandits. He watched the woman as she climbed onto the bed, sinuously crawling between his legs. The diamond pendant dangled and twinkled like some omen of warning. Her tongue flicked her upper
lip, anticipating a feast. He was food. He must always remember that.

He reached out and grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down. Her eager mouth opened and captured him, taking him noisily. He pulled her hair and set the pace he liked. Slow. Faster. Now even faster. She was gasping as she swallowed him over and over.

“Take me deep,” he whispered, and he didn’t mean what she was doing to him. He reached lower to play with her generous breasts, weighing them in his hands. “Can your brother give you this kind of pleasure? Can he make you swallow every drop?”

She shook her head in answer, as she continued sucking and licking his erection. He allowed her to slow down. He slid out of her mouth and caressed her face with his slick cock. Her eyes were half-closed as she regained her breathing.

“No one ever tempts me the way you do,” she whispered hoarsely. “You’re addictive, like the drugs we profit from. No one dares make me do the things you do.”

That was his ace in this dangerous game. As long as he played it well, he would get something back from her.

“Then show me you trust me,” he invited.

She looked up. “I do.”

“Take one of those pills you feed the girls,” he commanded softly.

Her eyes widened as she jerked up in surprise. “What?”

“Yes. I want you to lie there helplessly, unable to move. I want you to let me do things to you.” He opened his palm and showed her the little pill.

“No, no way!” But her eyes gleamed with excitement. Her lips were moist. She stared down at the pill. “You’re a devil!”

He moved his hand closer to her mouth. “Don’t you want me to be the master? Go on. Trust me. You’ll like it.”

“No, this is too much!” But she didn’t resist as he slipped the pill into her mouth. “I can’t do this. You’re dangerous!”

Minutes later, he looked down at her lying on the bed,
staring up at him helplessly. Her pupils were dilated. She couldn’t move her limbs, although she could see and feel what was going on. She still shook her head, albeit slowly, saying no. Her eyes were beginning to show a little fear as she realized how totally helpless she was. He smiled down at her.

“This is what you give to unwilling virgins the first time,” he said as he opened her legs wide for him, positioning a pillow under her hips. “I’m the big bad man come to claim you, my sweet innocent virgin. I’m going to take you any way I want and you can’t stop me.”

“Oh please,” she moaned.

She was wet, excited from what he was promising her. He showed her his erection and slid his hand up and down. He placed a hand between her legs and played with her, until she began to beg. “First,” he said. “Negotiations on the deal. Then we play.”

“Anything, Stefan, anything!”

He laughed softly, climbing over her. “You’ll call your brother and tell him the terms. Tell him these little pills are worth every penny. Tell him how much profit he could make selling them to whoremongers in Europe. Tell him you trust me, sweetheart. You do, don’t you? That’s why you’re lying here in my power, letting me do as I please with your delicious body.”

He bit the fleshy part of her breast. She gasped. “I like marking you,” he continued. “So whenever you look in the mirror, you’ll remember what we’ve done.”

He didn’t take her immediately. Instead, he made her watch as he masturbated over her. Then he brought her to the brink of release again and again, only to deny her.

“You aren’t acting like a frightened virgin,” he chided, his voice amused and bored. “Haven’t you noticed—they don’t plead; they scream, baby. And they aren’t usually wet. What am I going to do with you? You’re already a whore; you don’t need any little pill to train you into submission, do you, darling?”

He watched her eyes widen as he took a small diamond droplet from a pouch. It was the size of a pea and it wobbled and shivered, its multifaceted surface glittering as he shook it teasingly. “You’ll like this, Alissa. It’s a toy I picked up that goes with the jewelry,” he murmured, dabbing one side of it with an ointment. He showed it to her, his thumb and forefinger squeezing the attaching prongs, and letting her see how the gem moved. “This hangs right on your clit and it also has a heating agent. It makes you hot and tingly as it sways like a crazy pendulum.”

He attached the small jewel to her, then admired it for a second. He flicked at it with thumb and forefinger and it immediately began twirling back and forth, up and down, its spring mechanism making the movement continual. The effect was immediate.

“Ohhhhhhhhh…” Her shoulders and thighs shook as she struggled to move, to do anything to stop the pleasure-pain given by the constantly swaying movement and the increasing heat from the ointment on her already swollen clitoris.

He didn’t pay attention to her pleas as he continued to play with her. She had the wild look of a woman on the brink of ecstasy. He flicked at the diamond gently, making it rotate the other way. She promised to get him the price he had asked for. He rewarded her with another flick of his finger, now moving the jewel to sway back and forth. Her throaty cries filled the room. He would give this another half hour, before he asked for the cell number. He was determined to see this deal done today.

Vivi had picked this particular café because of its
dim lighting. She watched as the two men walked into the tiny restaurant. They both arrived exactly two minutes early. They both had shaved and changed into civvies. They both—and she had to admit this reluctantly—looked very good. One light and one dark; both with that look in their eyes that should send all good young women running home.

But there was no hiding the fact that they were still soldiers. They bumped into each other at the entrance, hesitating for a second like gunslingers. Without greeting each other, they walked in with the same cocky stance of men who thought of nothing other than the moment. Eyes searching the room, their gazes landed on hers at the same time. She smiled at them, showing off her new silver tooth among her rotted teeth, and waved her wrinkled hand jauntily. The darkened café should have enough lighting to let them catch sight of its gleam. Her smile grew wider as they approached…both pairs of male eyes wary and questioning.

“My boys,” Vivi cackled in her old woman accent. “Both mine.”

“Grandmamasan,” Hawk said. He paused for a second, then smiled. “Nice new tooth.”

Vivi gave her wide-mouthed grin. “My present from you,
GI number one.” She turned to Jazz, standing a few feet away. He looked very dashing in a white shirt and dark pants, very, very nice. She frowned at him. “There you are, GI number ten. You free, I see. You didn’t listen to Mamasan, get in trouble, yes?”

“You were right,” Jazz said, shoving a hand in his pocket. He looked around again.

“Still bad boy,” Vivi scolded. “Still not paying attention to Grandmamasan. GI number one the good man, always give Grandmamasan time and money.”

She preened, showing off her tooth again. Hawk gave a short chuckle, then pulled out a chair at her table.

“I don’t think you’ll find Miss Verreau in here, man,” he said to Jazz. “I think she sent us a representative.”

Jazz returned his attention to Vivi. Even in the soft light, his blue eyes had a strange effect on her, sending frissons of awareness down her back. “Did Vivi send you?” he asked, still standing.

“Yes. Vivi busy, said she has to do things and very, very rude to have dinner with two men at same time. She did give a message. She said, eating with Grandmamasan is like eating with her.” She smiled again.

“She told you this? Do you live near her?”

Vivi nodded. “Oh, very near. She and I are this close.” She pretended to twine her gnarled fingers together, then shook her head at her inability to do so. “She told me to treat you boys good, like you’re both mine.”

She cackled again, then cocked her head. “Besides, Hawk promised me two kisses from GI number ten. I helped Hawk to get you out, you know. I told Vivi you owed me two kisses and she said she would see to it that you pay.”

“Oh, this I want to see,” Hawk said, amusement in his voice, as he settled back.

“She said that, huh?” Jazz countered, still standing.

Vivi turned to Hawk. “Is he slow in head? I keep having to explain over and over.”

“He’s from Louisiana. They’re kind of slow there,” Hawk explained.

“Where?” Vivi frowned. “They don’t like to sit there too? My neck hurts looking up, GI. Sit. Order food. Good food here.”

“Yeah, why don’t you sit down, Jazz? Kind of rude to make Grandmamasan strain her neck.”

Jazz pulled out a chair. “I can’t believe she stood me up,” he complained.

“Us,” corrected Hawk. He sounded amused. “She stood us up, but I told you, she was the running kind.”

“Yeah. You’re right again. You win.”

Vivi tried not to look too interested in the exchange between the two men. Been talking about her, had they? Hmmph. Was she a bet between these two?

A scrawny boy came over, using a towel over his arm to quickly wipe the table down once. “Order? Beer? Tea?”

“Beer. Anything special here to eat, Grandmamasan?” Hawk asked.

“You order the special sandwich. It’s very good.”

“That’s what I’ll have, then.”

“Me too,” Jazz said. “But sweet iced coffee for me, please.”

“What about you, Grandmamasan, same thing?” Hawk asked.

Vivi pointed to her mouth. “Can’t chew too good, GI, you can’t tell?” She looked up at the young boy. “Noodle soup.”

There was a short silence after the boy went off. Vivi contented herself with smiling affectionately at the two men as they seemed to be talking to each other with their eyes. Hawk seemed amused and Jazz looked…sort of pissed off. She wanted to laugh again.

It was the only way to have dinner with two men at the same time, right? Now that she had been debriefed by T., she didn’t need Hawk for details. She had originally planned to use NOPAIN on Hawk to get his cooperation with her plans,
but had changed her mind after reading in his file that he knew about NOPAIN.

She did know, however, that she needed something to stop her growing attraction for Jazz Zeringue. At first, the easiest way was to encourage Hawk’s interest in her, but again, she had changed her mind after seeing the two men together. She thought of the operation coming up and decided that her disguise was a wise choice. Hawk and Jazz were coleaders and obviously close friends. They worked together closely in a mission. If she had chosen one over the other, they might not be too friendly with each other, and that might affect the battle ahead.

“It’s good she didn’t choose one of us.” Jazz startled Vivi with the comment echoing her thoughts. “I wouldn’t want you to be in a bad mood tomorrow.”

Hawk looked from behind the glass of beer as he swallowed deeply. He put the glass down. “Why would I be?” he countered calmly.

Jazz raised an eyebrow. “Because you wouldn’t be the one having dinner with her.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“Yeah.”

Vivi blew hard on her soup and clanked her spoon noisily as she watched the two men smirking at each other, doing that male communication thing with the eyes again, as if she couldn’t read their one-track minds. Jazz had that lazy grin that he’d used on her earlier today; Hawk’s crooked smile was infuriatingly arrogant. Okay, time to burst some male egos. She tapped the table, then pointed at the men when they turned to look at her.

“You two funny. How you know Miss Vivienne not has her own man?” Vivi asked, leaning forward a little as she peered at the them, as if she couldn’t see them too well. “Maybe she has man and doesn’t want you, or especially you, GI number ten.”

“See? Grandmamasan thinks you’re not worthy,” Hawk said.

Jazz bent down toward Vivi, his face dangerously close to hers. She stared back, confident of her disguise in the dim surroundings. Nonetheless, her heart started thudding a little faster anyway as his blue eyes fastened on hers. Nice long eyelashes too, she vaguely noted. “Does she?” He cocked his head. “Have a boyfriend? And why especially not me, Grandmamasan?”

“Miss Vivienne no like you. You sit in jail, yes? So you bad.”

“Oh, you know better than that, Grandmamasan. You helped Hawk to get me out, so you know I’m not that bad. But I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you when you told me not to go in.”

“Ha, too late. GI number ten wants to be GI number nine? You pay me what Hawk says—two kisses.” Vivi smacked her lips loudly.

Hawk laughed quietly, taking another swig from his beer. “I think you should bargain, man,” he said. “Two kisses should move you to number eight.”

“Heck, Grandmamasan, Hawk is very good with kissing. He comes from a family of kissers. One from him ought to move me back to at least number two in your book.”

“Oh?” Vivi tilted her head. “You kiss GI number one before?”

Hawk chuckled again at Jazz’s expression. “You’re losing this argument, buddy. What’s wrong—you don’t pay your debts?” He turned to Vivi, his eyes a muted glittering amber in the darkened café. “My friend here, Grandmamasan, is a Cajun French. Ladies tell me no one kisses like a Cajun French. He will knock your socks off.”

“I don’t need you pimping me out, buddy.”

“Just pointing out your good features, buddy. Grandmamasan needs to know.”

“Kiss my ass.”

“In front of Grandmamasan?” Hawk mocked.

Vivi squinted, scowling a little, knowing that deepened the wrinkles on her face. “You two jokers, make fun of old
lady. Both bad GIs. What will Vivi say when I tell her you make fun of old lady, show no respect?” She pushed back her chair and slowly got up, mumbling to herself as she did so. “Fine, make fun of old lady. See whether you find it funny when you in trouble next time. This dinner date over. Old lady has plenty of other men to kiss.”

Jazz watched the old woman shuffled off painfully, holding to the tops of chairs as she left. “I think you hurt her feelings.”

“Hey, you’re the one who refused to kiss her.” Hawk was still amused. “Do you really want me to kiss her for you?”

“Well, you are my best friend.”

Hawk lifted a brow. Then turned to look at the old woman again. She was still mad, gesturing at them as she talked animatedly to the waiter. “In a life-and-death situation, I might kiss her to save your life.”

“Thanks, pal. Warms my heart.” Jazz shrugged at the waiter, who was showing his palms in a helpless gesture. “Ah, hell. If I don’t kiss her, I’ll never hear the end of this from you. If I do, I’ll never hear the end of this from the guys.”

“You don’t have to tongue her.” Hawk chuckled again and pushed his beer at him. “Here, have some liquid courage.”

“I’m going to tell her you’re next.”

“Hell, you said my family is great at it, so I’ll just send Cousin Steve. He’s Kisser of the Millennium. He will kiss anything.”

Jazz grinned. Hawk’s cousin had been voted Kisser of the Millennium in some Navy kook poll. When the guys had heard about it, Hawk had gotten a lot of thrashing for losing out to Steve. Damn McMillans. Ladies’ men, all of them. Thank God Steve had gotten himself a wife, but with Jazz’s luck, he’d bump into Hawk’s still unattached brother some time, and he would want Vivi, too.

Hell, he would just have to think of revenge later. And form some kind of plan to beat Hawk, who was, as usual, sitting there waiting to see what he’d decide to do. As if he
didn’t already know. They had gone through too much as a team for Hawk not to be able to second-guess his next move.

Jazz was brought up to respect women. His maman had taught him to always pay his debts. He took Hawk’s bottle and chugged the beer, then got up and started to walk toward the old lady. “Grandmamasan,” he called out.

The little hunched lady peered at him from across the room. “What?” she snapped back. “GI number ten give kiss or not?”

God help him, he was going to kiss some old lady in front of Hawk. Jazz just knew that story was going to make good fodder when the guys were sitting around.

He looked down into the old lady’s rheumy eyes. She smiled that ridiculous smile again, that one shiny tooth beckoning among the blackened ones. Hell, even she was having a good time at his expense. Pulling another chair out, he sat down so he could be face level with the hunched-up woman.

“Okay, Grandmamasan. You get one kiss. The other one you have to get from Hawk.”

“No bargaining with your elders. You kiss and I think about it.”

Jazz couldn’t help being amused. She was something else; he’d never met an old woman quite as aggressive as this one. Well, better get it over with. He’d just pretend he was alone in the jungle, focusing on the enemy. He glared at the waiter till he slunk away with that stupid grin. He blocked out Hawk’s figure sitting to his left; no doubt he was laughing his head off. He would think of his roots instead. He was Zola Zeringue, grandson to the most famous gator hunter in the deep bayou, son of the fiercest woman with the best prawn gumbo. According to them, he could face anything and never back down.

Jazz tilted his face a little as he kept his focus on Grandmamasan’s puckered lips. Oh hell, let’s not think about the teeth. Misshapen by old age, her mouth looked dry and crackly, like old glue. They didn’t look real in this light. Set
together tightly, the wrinkles around her mouth deepened into rivulets of crisscrossing lines. He closed his eyes and aimed his lips.

Vivi hoped she wasn’t visibly shaking. Her heart sounded like thunder in her ears, and she could feel her stomach churning as if the soup she’d just eaten wasn’t agreeable. Hunched up in her disguise, she was engulfed by Jazz’s size. He sat on the chair, rocking it forward as he held her shoulders. She kept her arms limp; tensing them might give away her muscles, but it was tough to keep her concentration as all she could do was stare at that face coming closer to hers.

Why did she always do this? Push people for no other reason than to see how far she could do it? She hadn’t wanted Jazz to kiss her “old lady”; she wanted him to kiss
her
—Vivi—but of course, like everything else in her life, the outlet for her yearnings had to be disguised. She understood this about herself and was helpless to stop it.

His lips touched hers. They weren’t loverlike, of course, but that didn’t stop her heart racing even faster. Thank goodness the back of his chair kept their bodies from touching. He brushed her lips with his and she couldn’t help it—she pursed hers in response, delighting in a full second of the male shape of his mouth on hers, his clean scent, and the memory of what that body looked like when he was exercising in the yard. Had it been only that morning?

He pulled back, his eyes a darker blue in the bad lighting, a strange, embarrassed smile on his lips. The thunder in her head receded, and in the background, Vivi heard howls of laughter from the nearby customers, who had no idea why the white man was kissing a dried-up old woman. She, too, pulled back. She grinned, making sure her new silver tooth faced the light. She needed to create as much distraction as possible so he didn’t analyze too much. Some of the howlers groaned, apparently disgusted by the sight. Some hooted for Jazz to do it again, this time with tongue.

“Encore! Encore!” they chanted.

“Oi, that is one kiss,” Vivi agreed, and was glad her voice
was crackly. She was afraid she would sound squeaky. “GI number ten good!”

“No longer number ten, I hope,” Jazz said, a wry expression on his face as he shrugged off the teasing comments around him.