You Only Love Twice (25 page)

Jesse felt for the wall and crept out. Ace had to have come
through the blown out eastern section. As he moved into the club, light began
streaming in. He let his eyes adjust. In the distance, he heard the sound of
sirens. They wouldn’t move Ace. The DPD could swarm in and Ace would hold his
position. He would shoot the cops and not have a single regret as long as he
got his target.

Jesse couldn’t let those cops walk into a trap. He had to
bring Ace out into the open.

He clung to the wall, his eyes adjusting to the new light.
Sanctum was in ruins. All around him the usually neat club was utterly
destroyed. One of the big sofas from the bar area was on its side in the middle
of the dungeon floor.

“Once I’m finished with you, I will return to our master in
glory and he will cover me with Allah’s blessing.”

Crazy motherfucker. Jesse took cover behind the sofa. That
voice was to his right. Behind him, he could hear something heavy moving. Any
minute now Tag was going to find a way out and then all hell would break loose.

“You’re going to die. He sent you in here to die,” Jesse
called out.

A shot rang out, but it went wide. Ace didn’t know his exact
location and there were more than enough places to hide since the dungeon was
strewn with tables and big pieces of the locker room for him to take refuge
behind. Ace would have to come out to look for him.

“I will die a hero’s death. I will gain my place in heaven.”

Yeah, yeah, Jesse had been fed the seventy-two virgins line,
too. He could remember looking up at the Caliph and explaining that he never
really had a thing for virgins. He preferred dirty girls. Now if he could
promise him seventy-two fully experienced women with a taste for the nasty,
they still wouldn’t talk because having all those women to please sounded a
little more like hell than heaven.

He’d been beaten thoroughly for that quip. Apparently Ace
liked them inexperienced and in mass quantities.

The sirens were right outside. Any second the first
responders would race in, likely firefighters because smoke was starting to
fill the place now.

Seconds. He had seconds before Ace started taking out the
first responders.

“Give it the fuck up, asshole,” a familiar voice yelled out.

Jesse breathed a big sigh of relief. “He said you were dead,
Dean.”

“I’m not letting some fucked up radical kill me,” Dean said
as Ace unleashed another volley. He dove for the sofa and rolled beside Jesse.
“I do have a nice-sized hole in my gut though. If Case hadn’t shown up with his
truck, this whole place would have gone up.”

“Is he alive?” Jesse whispered as he started to peek around
the sofa.

“Think so. He and Theo jumped out of the truck before it
hit. Pretty sure Case broke something. He better have with all his cussing.”
Dean’s T-shirt was covered in blood. “We have to make a move or he’ll take
hostages. Shit. Shouldn’t you have locked her up somewhere?”

Phoebe was creeping out of the hallway. Well, she’d told him
to work fast. They were going to have a long talk about the definition of the
word fast. His hand would be talking to her ass before the day was through.

Ace stood, firing toward their hiding spot. That was when
Jesse realized Phoebe didn’t intend to simply come out of hiding. She was going
to help. Shit. She had a thick cane in her hand and she brought it down on
Ace’s head. He heard it hit, but Ace didn’t go down. He turned on her.

“Drop!” he screamed as he stood and fired.

Ace’s body froze, suspended for a moment, and then he fell
forward.

Jesse ran, praying he hadn’t hit her. He knelt down next to
her. “Phoebe?”

She reached for him. “You took too long.”

Thank god. “We’ll have a talk about that. Go out to the
front, hands up. The cops are here. Explain what’s going on and that we have
injured. We need at least one bus. Jake took fire and he’s going to need
surgery.”

“Where’s my brother?” Phoebe asked, her eyes wide.

“I’ll get him out. I promise. Go.” He helped her up and she
strode to the entrance, her hands up.

Jesse felt something snake around his ankle. He looked down
and Ace was barely alive, his eyes staring up. Sympathy crept into Jesse’s gut.
This man hadn’t asked to be tortured and turned. He knelt down. Ace’s gun was
well out of range and it was easy to see he wasn’t long for the world. “It
wasn’t your fault.”

“Was,” he managed. “Should have found you sooner. Should
have killed you. But there are more of us, brother. My master will send more.
He will never stop.”

Ace’s eyes went blank.

“Is he dead?” Dean asked, staggering over. “Because I would
really like to kill that motherfucker again.”

A loud crash rattled what was left of Sanctum as Tag pushed
through the rubble. He was bloody and battered, but alive…and pissed off.

“You’re paying for this Ten,” he bitched as he pulled the
other man through. “The US government can write me a big fat fucking check. Do
you see what he did to my club?”

“Where’s my sister?” Ten ignored him, his eyes finding
Jesse. “Where’s Phoebe?”

“I sent her out to make sure the police don’t come in guns
blazing. She’s fine, though she’s in serious trouble.”

“He dead?” Tag nodded to the body on the ground.

“Yeah.” Jesse took no pleasure in Ace’s death. There was no triumph,
just a weary truth.

This wasn’t over and it wouldn’t be until he took the Caliph
down. He had to face his demons. There was no more hiding. He had to end this.

“Kai? Do you have it?” Tag started to pull Kai free.

“I have it, you freak.” He passed Tag a package and dusted
himself off. “My home just blew the fuck up and do you know what Big Tag was
concerned about?”

“His dessert.” Jesse knew the man well.

“One good thing is going to come out of this,” Tag swore.
“Dean, you look half dead. Let’s get you to the hospital.”

Dean swayed on his feet. “Don’t tell Serena. It’s not that
bad.”

Jesse caught him just as he passed out. He eased Dean down
to the floor. His pulse was strong, but they weren’t going to be able to hide a
couple days worth of hospital stay from Serena. “Get the EMTs in here. The
quicker we get him to the hospital, the better.”

Ten started toward the door, and Tag looked down at Jesse.

“I’m taking you out the back. Ten is going to smooth things
over, but you understand what has to happen, right?”

He did. “I died here. The Caliph needs to believe Ace did
his job. And then I need to do mine.”

In Dubai. Where he would finally end this.

Phoebe felt numb as she stepped inside the large suite.
Three days had passed since almost losing Jesse, but they’d flown by in a blur
of preparation and travel. Even as Ten had driven through the streets of Dubai,
she still couldn’t quite believe she was here. Now she was led into the king of
Loa Mali’s suite at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, one of the world’s top luxury
hotels. Everywhere she looked there was something sumptuous and beautiful, and
all she could think about was hearing that gunfire and knowing that she would
find Jesse bleeding and dying.

She couldn’t do it again. She just couldn’t.

“You okay?” Ten looked down at her. He still had cuts on his
face and hands where the explosion had gotten him, but he swore he was fine.

Jesse was dead. Oh, he was standing at the big bay window
with Simon, looking out over the spectacular view of the Persian Gulf. He
smiled that crazy-sexy smile that made her catch her breath and he pointed to
something in the distance. She’d watched the news report his death and now his
golden hair was a muted brown and he wore aviators when they were in public.
She didn’t like it.

“I’m fine.” She watched him, but her mind kept going back to
those newscasts. Jesse Murdoch, former soldier, killed in an accidental
explosion at the club he worked at. It had dredged up all the former nasty
allegations, and some of the news agencies were even speculating that Murdoch
had been the bomber.

They would have a mess to deal with after this, but Ten
swore he would make it right. It was one more crappy thing she’d brought into
Jesse’s life.

Taggart had worked quickly, covering up everything with the
full cooperation of the Agency and the DPD. No one it seemed wanted to
publically acknowledge the war that was happening right in the streets of the
US.

Ace Monroe had been killed in the explosion as well. He was
scheduled to be buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery later
that week. “He should have been exposed.”

Ten sighed. “You know Jesse was the one who wanted it this
way. If we’d opened up that can of worms, we might have sent the Caliph back
underground. It was a necessary evil.”

But Jesse hadn’t seen it as evil at all. He’d explained that
he didn’t want Ace’s parents to know what had become of their son. Ace Monroe,
Jesse had explained, died in Iraq. His body had simply survived his soul. Everything
that made up the soldier had been destroyed by the Caliph, and it did no one a
lick of good to ruin a dead man’s reputation.

He was too good for her. Just looking at him made her heart
ache.

She couldn’t do it again. No way. She was going to leave
when this op was over.

Jesse strode up to her and took her hand. “Come over here.
You’ve got to see this view.”

He pulled her over to the window, his hands winding around
her waist and his head settling next to hers. They’d been separated for days.
Jesse had been in hiding and Phoebe had been working with Ten to prep for their
trip. It had almost been a relief to be apart from him. She’d dived into work,
studying all the power players and writing up reports on each. She’d found a
proper distance.

Now her body heated up and she could feel her willpower
draining away. The minute his hands were on her, she was reminded that he was
alive and she couldn’t resist him. It was dangerous.

“Do you know what I’m going to do to you tonight?” Jesse
whispered in her ear. “I owe you some discipline. Don’t think I’ve forgotten
how you disobeyed my very direct orders back at Sanctum.”

“I’m tired,” she managed.

“Won’t save you. Besides, you managed to sleep on the
plane.”

Only because he’d dragged her into his lap the minute it was
safe to do so. He’d pulled her out of her chair and petted her over and over
while he and Simon and Ten talked. At first she’d been uncomfortable with her
brother there, but Jesse had been patient. In the end, she’d been draped across
his body, sleeping in his arms.

Tonight she would do more than sleep in his arms. Tonight
she would let him spank her, make love to her. She would fall more helplessly
in love with a man she couldn’t have. Shouldn’t even want.

“God, you two get a room,” Erin said irritably as she walked
in followed by Theo Taggart.

Jesse just grinned. “We’re working on it. Any word on where
our contact is?”

“He’s on his way. Apparently he has a massive entourage, so
we’re going to try to blend in,” Theo explained. “I also just talked to Case.
He’s deeply enjoying his bonding time with big brother.”

Case had broken his femur when he jumped from the moving
truck. Just being reminded of it made Phoebe a little queasy. If Case hadn’t
been tailing Ace and the bomb had gone off where it should have, they would all
have been gone. Her brother, Taggart…Jesse. She’d dreamed about it the night
before. She’d dreamed she was the sole survivor walking through their bodies.

“What did he really say?” Ten asked.

“He told me that Ian’s a fucking maniac and I better come
back to the States and get him out of there. He wants to know why he couldn’t
have gone out to the Circle M, or pretty much anywhere else.”

Ten shrugged. “I owe Tag. Also, Charlotte was very
insistent. I do not argue with pregnant women, especially not one as good with
firearms as Charlotte is.”

“I’m thrilled he’s getting to spend a little time with the
old guy.” Theo frowned. “Could we forget I called him the old guy?”

“I’m texting him now,” Erin replied, her phone in hand.

Simon stepped away from the window. “How about you two stop
bickering and we get to the reason for our very long flight. Did you read
through the files on the plane or just insult each other?”

“She’s the one who’s in the perpetual bad mood,” Theo shot
back.

“That’s because my real partner got replaced with a little
boy,” Erin complained. She had not been thrilled when Tag had pulled Li from
the op. With Dean in the hospital and Alex on paternity leave, Li had stayed
behind to do much of the day-to-day operations. Ten had stepped up to lead
because Ian wouldn’t leave Charlotte, and Theo had replaced Liam on their team.

Theo towered over Erin. “I’ll show you just how much of a
man I can be, sweetheart.”

“Stop it both of you,” Simon ordered. It was obvious Simon
was the senior McKay-Taggart operative.

Erin turned to face Simon, her body at attention. You could
take the woman out of the Army, but in Erin’s case, it looked like the Army
wasn’t out of the woman. “Yes, sir. I did read the files. I think it could be
any one of those pompous assholes. I’d just shoot them all to be completely
sure. But that’s just my opinion, sir. Isn’t Murdoch supposed to know him by
sight?”

“I was pretty much either high or brutally beaten most of
the time I actually spent with him,” Jesse explained. “I’ve got three suspects.
Until I’m in the same room, it’s hard to tell. Those men are the right age and
they’re close to what I remember.”

“Two of those men are members of the al Fareed family,”
Simon said grimly.

Phoebe whistled because that was not good news. Every man
here was powerful and wealthy and had more clout than anyone else on the
planet, but now they were talking about almost royalty. “Damn. If that’s true,
we’ve got real trouble. They’re one of the wealthiest families in Saudi. And
they’re moderates.”

“They say they are,” Ten murmured.

“Just because one member is a radical doesn’t mean the whole
family is in on it,” Simon replied.

“But if they know what he’s doing and they’ve given him any
aid, it could seriously damage US/Saudi relations.” She didn’t even want to
think about what it could do to the price of oil or the destabilizing effect it
could have on the world economy.

The doors opened and a gorgeous man burst through. Six foot
four, with dark hair that brushed his shoulders and sun-kissed caramel skin,
the king of Loa Mali had been blessed with more than money and power. Even
Erin’s eyes widened as he strode in with a charming smile on his face. “My
friends.”

About a dozen people followed him, men in suits, and one or
two carrying laptops. Three women immediately found the luxurious couches or
chairs and dropped into them, posing artfully, as though the king required
fashion models around him at all times.

Ten stepped up and shook Kash Kamdar’s hand. “Thank you so
much for the work, Your Highness. McKay-Taggart considers you a valued client
and you should know we’re here to help with your every security need.”

It had been agreed on that the rest of Kamdar’s team
wouldn’t know the Agency was involved, so Ten was playing the corporate lead.

“I’m always happy to have my friends with me. Please tell
Mr. Taggart I missed seeing him and his lovely wife. Such a smart woman. I owe
her a yacht, you know. My beautiful boat was almost blown up, but the lovely
Charlotte saved it.” His head turned and Phoebe was almost blinded by his
smile. “Although you seem to have brought me another beauty. Hello, pretty
girl. What’s your job? I think you should be my personal guard. You can take
good care of me.”

Simon stepped up. “Your Highness, do you remember when I
told you about my friend? I explained that he sometimes loses a bit of control
when he’s angry?”

“Yes, you describe this man like the Hulk. He smashes
things. I like the Hulk.”

“You’re touching his girl,” Simon said with a smooth smile.
“He also bites, from what I understand.”

Kamdar slowly backed away. “I was only looking. Did I touch?
This was a misunderstanding, my friend.”

Ten shook his head, but Jesse moved in, threading their
fingers together.

“I don’t blame you for looking, Your Highness. She’s a gorgeous
woman. She’s also quite good at her job, so I think I’ll let her handle you.”
Jesse winked down at her. He’d taken off the sunglasses and she could see the
amusement in his eyes.

Without losing a beat, Kamdar turned to Erin. “And you.
Hello, lovely lady.”

Erin went a little red and stared for a moment like she’d
never seen a man before. “Hi.”

“She’s working,” Theo said, stepping in front of her. “You
can stop drooling now.”

Erin slapped him across the shoulder. “You are not the boss
of me. And I wasn’t drooling.”

They continued bickering, but Kamdar turned back to his
team. He waved his hand. “You may go. Chapal, please stay so we may talk to our
friends. The rest of you, find your rooms and try to stay out of trouble.” He
pointed to the three women who sullenly got up. “Except for you three. I expect
much trouble from you. Go out and flirt and bring me back information I can
use. A new wardrobe to the girl who brings me the best dirt.”

That seemed to make them move a little faster. Their
stilettos picked up and clattered as they moved across the marbled floors.
Finally, the doors closed.

Kamdar frowned. “Are we being listened to?”

Ten shook his head. “Theo did an early walk-through. We’re
clean for now, but we’ll do a check twice a day from here on out.”

Kamdar stepped up and held out a massive hand toward Jesse.
“You, my friend, are a very brave man. It is my honor to aid you in this
operation.”

Jesse nodded and shook the royal’s hand. “I thank you for
making this possible. It would have been hard for us to get into this place
without an insider taking us with him. I know this was supposed to be a
security detail. We’ll make sure you’re protected, but I appreciate the chance
to get this job done.”

“The United States government thanks you as well,” Ten said.

Kamdar bowed his head as humbly as a man who owned a country
could. “Excellent. I put through the changes as you requested. No one will
question my detail. Your security badges and conference packages are in your
bedrooms. I decided to bring Mr. Murdoch and Ms. Grant in as my marketing and
finance leads. I fear if I left them on the security team, they would be on the
sidelines for many of these meetings.”

“We thought it was a perfect idea,” Simon replied. “Ms.
Grant has a business degree and Jesse and I have gone over enough that he
should be able to make it work. He’s going to be the shy, quiet type.”

“Damn straight,” Jesse added. He groaned a little. “Wait.
Does this mean I have to wear a suit?”

Simon slapped him on the shoulders. “I picked it out myself.”

“Damn it.”

“My cousin has some questions. His name is Chapal Kamdar.”
Kamdar gestured the thin young man with the laptop forward. “He is the
suspicious type. Always questioning things. I would fire him, but his mother
and my mother talk, and dear god, the hell I would get if he has to work for a
living.”

Dark eyes rolled. “As if you could go two days without my
help, you overgrown bag of hormones. Who managed to get your last sex tape off
the Internet?”