Under Pressure [IAD Agency] (Siren Publishing Classic) (2 page)

She would never,
never
let anyone talk to her like that again.

Bella yanked her arms out of his grasp, turned to a passing waiter, and deposited her now half-empty glass in exchange for a full one.

“I was trying to be nice, you
arrogant ass
.”

With that, she spun on her heel and walked away.

Jason MacBain despised money as only the rich could.

Growing up in Edinburgh, Scotland, Jason had come from a very wealthy family. His father had the Midas touch when it came to financial matters, and he made a fortune doing what he did best as one of the founding partners of a large financial investment firm based in London. Jason had loved his father and mother dearly. His older brother had been his best friend, and he had looked up to him with worshipful adoration.

His world had been perfect.

All of that had changed when his father’s partner had killed his family…for the money. The partner had paid someone to tamper with the brakes of their car and Jason had only survived because he wasn’t with them that day. The investigation into the accident led straight to the business partner and Jason had watched, dry eyed, as the man was taken away in handcuffs.

It was that moment that Jason’s need for justice was born.

At fifteen Jason was not yet a man, but he wasn’t a child either. With no other family left, the family attorney had sent Jason off to boarding school until he came of age. Jason excelled in school but found no joy at the private institutions he had attended. While attending University, he had been approached by MI6 and asked to join the intelligence agency. Needing the freedom they provided, Jason joined, putting his brilliant mind and muscular physique to work in service of his country.

Jason was the perfect agent. A warrior. Mainly because during missions he acted as though he didn’t care whether he lived or died.

Because he didn’t.

No matter what, he completed his mission.

No one was cooler under pressure because Jason no longer felt anything.

After years of service, he had known he needed a change. His life in London had no longer held any appeal to him. He had established a security firm with his knowledge of electronics and surveillance, amongst other skills, and had used his family money to found his company. By reputation alone, Mac Securities was now the one of the most sought after security firms in the world.

Mac Securities installed security systems in many museums and other high-risk facilities around the globe using the latest technology and military precision. Jason had wanted to devote his energy full time to his firm and leave the agency. He had made plans to branch out overseas in the States, had picked out the perfect location, and bought the building.

That was when the offer came.

The International Alliance of Defense was a new branch in the intelligence community, more like a transnational agency. The ultimate warriors of global warfare. The members of NATO had given permission to form IAD to function in every member country, every nation where terrorists existed and to wipe them out. They had a frightening policy of not wanting to know what was going on with the agency, leaving the dirty work to those who knew the game and how to handle the repercussions.

Only the highest, most qualified candidates were chosen for this organization, given a kind of worldwide immunity for their actions.

Sort of the ultimate “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Only the best were chosen to serve, and their internal justice system was not something any of the agents wanted to mess around with.

The rules were simple…no one crossed IAD.

Ever.

IAD got the job done, no matter how messy. They did it quick, efficiently, with whatever means necessary, and the world was a more peaceful place because of them. For the highly skilled select members of IAD, it was a dream come true since most of the agents had been disillusioned with the rules, regulations, and red tape of the regular intelligence branches.

For the past five years, Jason MacBain had been the head of the Chicago IAD branch with partner Brett Michaels, an American-born ex-military man who was one of the few people in the world that Jason trusted with his life. The IAD branch was fronted by the Chicago location of Mac Securities. While Jason was the public face of the security company, Brett was able to devote one hundred percent of his time to running IAD. Together, both sides of the business ran smoothly.

Now, Jason found himself standing at the entrance of the hotel ballroom wishing he were anywhere else.

He had forced himself to attend tonight since he donated a sculpture that had belonged to his family. The sculpture held no meaning to him, never had. It had to his parents though, and that was why he was there to represent them at the benefit auction.

Christ, I need a fucking drink. Someone needs to buy that chunk of metal so I can get the hell out of here and go home.

Striding in confidently, he surveyed the room made up of women and pompous pricks ready to flaunt their cash for some overpriced useless pieces of shit.

What a bleeding waste of time and money.

People at these types of functions were always the same. Men wanted to meet and greet, talking to him because of the power he so adeptly wielded in the business world, and women fawned over his looks and vast amounts of money. He didn’t even bother asking someone to join him this evening since it would be more hassle then pleasure escorting her around. Well, it would have been nice to sink into a woman’s willing body at the end of the evening, but it wasn’t worth the effort of playing nice during the party.

It had been awhile since any particular woman had actually stirred his interest anyway, and for that matter, they never held it for very long. Most women found him cold and calculating.

He was.

He didn’t deny it, nor could he help it. He enjoyed women, when he wanted them. He enjoyed them in bed, but he never stuck around after.

Emotional entanglements did not appeal to him.

Women, he thought, could forgive pretty much anything for a trinket or two before he moved on to the next attractive lovely to catch his eye.

The event was in full swing by this time since he had arrived late, hoping that bidding would be over soon. Viewing a waiter close by, he started forward to grab a drink when a woman slammed into him.

Instinct had him reaching out to grab her. He looked down into her smiling amber eyes, and the blood drained out of his brain straight down to his dick.

Shit
,
where was his legendary control now?

He was a man, not a love-struck teenager getting a hard-on at a woman’s touch.

This woman was appealing, not his usual type, but as she stroked her hand down his arm, all he could think of was having those hand wrapped around his cock, sliding up and down on him.

Bloody hell,
she was a little thing. Probably someone’s trophy wife.

No, no ring.

Then a girlfriend brought here to impress and look pretty.

And pretty she was.

He waited for the expected tearful apology as he wasn’t in the mood to be charming any little debutantes tonight. Wait, how old was she? Her feisty response surprised him. Jason watched, fascinated as the temper fired in her eyes turning them to liquid gold.

Arrogant ass, Jason thought with an inner chuckle.

Perhaps this evening would not be a complete waste.

Bella pushed open the door to the balcony. Jerking open her purse she took out a cigarette then the lighter and lit it, inhaling deep.

“What a jerk,” she groused to herself.

There were a few people scattered in groups around outside, but she made no move to join any of them.

She desperately needed a moment alone.

Bella was a mixture of emotions, still fuming from the anger that the stranger evoked but shaken inside from the confrontation. She strode to the end of the balcony away from the murmuring conversations and the lights pouring through the glass doors, around the plotted trees scattered here and there, to rest her arms against the railing. The sounds of the city were faint as she looked down to the streets far below. It was a crisp fall evening, with a cool light breeze that only hinted of colder weather to come.

A perfect night.

The knee-length bronze dress she wore was light. The silk panels flowing over her body in the breeze left her arms bare but came together almost in a scarf high around her neck. It was cover enough to hide the scars that were still there. At least some scars could be hidden and some would heal with time, she told herself immediately. She never bothered to wear hose, hating them, always stating that she would wear them when men were forced to wear them as well.

Which would be this side of never.

She shuffled from foot to foot on her three-inch stiletto heels, another one of her addictions that she allowed herself, but what the hell, she needed the extra height.

As the anger faded, she felt the familiar feeling of basic unease she seemed to live with. It seemed that over the past year she had been a constant contradiction, never really sure of herself or what she was doing, and she
hated
it.

She was back here in Chicago, home, to find herself again, to recapture what she had lost. Or what had been taken from her.

But she still didn’t feel whole.

Bella had grown up sheltered under the watchful eye of her three older brothers whose overbearing manner had done just the opposite of what they had intended. It let her develop a carefree, open attitude toward men and dating. She had casually dated, enjoyed sex, not that any of her brothers knew about, but always held her heart for
the one
. Most men she knew couldn’t stand up to her overprotective brothers, and those relationships had fizzled fast as Bella quickly realized that she needed someone stronger, someone to match her in every way.

She held a special place in her family, had been their little spitfire. She had loved life, embraced it to the fullest. Growing up working at the bar they owned, Moretti’s, she had first developed her love of the food industry. She had been grateful for her family always encouraging her to follow her dreams. Bella had fought her way into one of the top culinary schools in France and her family had understood her need to go. Once she had graduated, she had traveled the world. Building a name for herself, she expressed a love for her craft that was appreciated by all.

Then she had been approached by the owner of an elite hotel in New York City and offered a position as the executive chef, giving her free rein to revamp the menu at her discretion. With her being so young it was almost unheard to get such an offer, so of course she immediately had to accept. She had been caught up in the whirlwind of her career, loving the excitement of the fast-paced world she lived in. She had learned the price of fame all too clearly.

It had almost cost Bella her life.

She inhaled deeply again and blew smoke out in a steady stream that danced trails in the wind. A small click sounded right behind her, and a voice had her tensing up.

“You realize that smoking is bad for you.”

Caught off guard, her body went rigid. He had not made a sound during his approach. Bella turned around slowly to see the man from inside cloaked in shadow but knew instinctively that those dark gray eyes were staring straight her as he took a long pull of his own cigarette.

On the defensive, Bella tried to be flippant. “Yeah, thanks for the service announcement, Captain Obvious. I seem to do a lot of things that are bad for me. And aren’t you one to talk,” she replied sarcastically with a little feminine snort.

His face remained stoic, but she thought she saw a hint of amusement flash in his eyes as he stepped closer.

“Where is your man?” he asked after a long moment of silence.

Huh?
She blinked, caught off guard again. “Who?”

“Where is your escort for the evening? You shouldn’t be out on this balcony alone.” He took another step forward without seeming to move.

He had a dangerous aura to him. Bella had a difficult time forcing herself not to take a step back, away in retreat, but she would not show this man any sign of weakness. She wanted, no, needed to stand her ground.

“I wanted to be alone for a moment.” Bella wanted to cringe at the petulant sound of her own voice, but her chin came up in defiance.

“It is not safe for you to be out here, in the dark by yourself.”

“Umm, hello, we are not exactly standing in a dark alley. And besides, I can take care of myself.”

“Can you now?” He raised a brow.

Bella felt her temper rise, and it had her snapping. “So now you think I’m too young to drink, I shouldn’t smoke, and what, I need a keeper? Do you always insult people like this when you first meet them?”

“I believe it was you who did that first. Although I appreciate your efforts in providing a champagne shower. Since you failed to introduce yourself after you ran into me, I presume that task is left up to me.” He bent his head slightly in a nod, like a king to his subject.