Glitter and Gunfire (4 page)

This wasn’t about the mission that she’d made her life. This wasn’t about avenging a friend.

It was about a man. A woman. Desire.

It was—

His mouth lifted from hers. His fingers bit into her waist. “Did you think it would work?”

Things had seemed to be working just fine here.
Her ragged breath indicated things were
more
than fine.

“You aren’t going to use your body to make me forget my mission.”

Oh, he had
not
just said that to her. Heat burned in her cheeks, and Cassidy knew she had to be flushing a dark red. “That wasn’t—”

But his jaw was locked. Desire blazed in his eyes, yet when he spoke, his voice was ice-cold. “I never forget my mission, and I won’t be distracted by someone like you.”

Someone like you.

The brittle words froze the heat in her cheeks. She’d kissed Cale because she wanted him, but he—he might physically want her, but he sure didn’t like that desire.

No. What he didn’t like was
her.

To him, she was—what had he called her?—a party girl.

In that same emotionless voice, he told her, “Whatever help you
thought
you’d seduce me into giving you—”

“I didn’t!” Cassidy denied the charge, the urge to scream incredibly strong.

“It’s not going to happen.” There was a definite arctic chill in his voice.

She straightened her shoulders, grabbing for her pride. “I didn’t kiss you because I was trying to manipulate you.”

His one raised eyebrow called the words a lie.

“I kissed you because I stupidly wanted you. Don’t worry. I won’t be making that mistake again.”

The door opened behind them. No knock, it just shoved open. Cassidy spun around and saw two big, rather scary-looking men filling the doorway.

The man in front, the guy with the dark hair and the piercing eyes, inclined his head toward her. “Ms. Sherridan.”

Of course he knew her, and since Cale wasn’t grabbing for a weapon, she figured these two had to be the good guys.

Semi-good, anyway. As good as EOD agents could be.

She realized, too late, that she’d instinctively backed up when her shoulders brushed against Cale. She jerked at the contact, and the man with the eyes that she swore could see right through her—he noted that move.

Wonderful.

The other fellow behind him—talk about intimidating. And she’d thought Cale was dangerous looking? This guy took dangerous to a whole new level. His face wasn’t handsome; it was just hard edges, rough lines. His skin was a dark gold, his hair black and his eyes a shining green. He kicked the door shut, secured the lock, then announced, “We’ve got a problem.”

She forced a mocking laugh. “If you call men shooting at us a problem...”

“What’s happening, Gunner?” Cale demanded.

Wait, there was a problem
other
than the shooting?

The man he’d called Gunner—Mr. Tall, Dark and Scary—let his bright gaze sweep back to Cassidy. “Your friend, the redhead from the party...”

Her gut clenched. “Genevieve?” Genevieve Chevalier was one of the few people that she actually did count as a friend. She’d known Genevieve since their boarding school days.

Gunner nodded curtly. “She’s missing.”

Cassidy shook her own head in denial. Genevieve was fine. She’d taken her friend back to Genevieve’s hotel after they’d been cleared by the Rio authorities.

“The local cops said they had a guard on her. We thought she was safe.” This came from the other guy—the man who was now stalking around the small confines of the room. “We were wrong. When I did a surveillance sweep by her place a little while ago, she was gone and the guard was dead.”

Genevieve’s gone?
If she was and if her guard had been killed, then... “They took her.” Dark, twisting fear spread inside Cassidy. If they didn’t find Genevieve, fast, then she could be dead.

Tortured, just like Helen.

“We think they came for you,” the man began.

“Logan...” A warning note had entered Cale’s voice.

This man—Logan—ignored the warning as he kept his focus on Cassidy. “Cale got you away from them, but Genevieve’s guard wasn’t able to save her. They took her.” His lips tightened. “And I want to know
why.
”

Another EOD agent who hadn’t been briefed. Wasn’t Mercer just keeping them all in the dark these days? But she knew why.

Because he doesn’t want them to know about me.

Mercer never wanted anyone to know the full truth. Not unless it was absolutely necessary. Because of that secrecy, he’d sent these agents out hunting, blind.

But come 0600, they wouldn’t be so blind any longer.

* * *

“T
HE
LOCAL
COPS
have no leads on Genevieve Chevalier’s abduction,” Logan Quinn said, shoving a frustrated hand through his hair. “With Carnival taking over the city, they are too short-staffed and in way over their heads to handle this case.”

A case that was the work of a professional killer and his crew. “You ever hear of a guy called the Executioner?” Cale asked him, cocking his head as he waited for Logan’s response.

Logan was their team leader, the guy who’d earned the moniker of Alpha One in the field. If anyone had intel on the Executioner, it should be him.

And, sure enough, Logan stiffened. “The Executioner? Hell, it fits.” Disgust thickened his voice. “He goes after the society princesses—takes them, ransoms them and, half the time, he kills them for sport.”

That wasn’t exactly what Cale had wanted to hear. He and Logan had headed into the back room while Gunner Ortez, the team’s very deadly ex-SEAL sniper, stayed in the den area to keep tabs on Cassidy.

“I guess this mission just became about hostage rescue,” Cale said as he turned away from Logan to glance quickly toward the den. Good thing the EOD agents specialized in that area. Even before he’d joined the EOD, Cale had worked plenty of rescue cases on his own. He’d slipped in and out of more hellholes than he could count, rescuing folks that others had given up for dead.

Logan didn’t speak.

Cale glanced back at him. “The locals can’t handle this. We can.” Heading in and out of the dangerous spots that most would never dream of entering and saving those who
couldn’t
be saved was their area of expertise.

Cale’s phone rang just as Logan opened his mouth to speak. He glanced down, realizing the time. 0600. Mercer was always punctual. He answered the call immediately. “Cale—”

“Is Cassidy in the room?” Mercer’s rough voice barked without bothering with any niceties. That was Mercer’s way, always cutting through the bull.

“No,” Cale said. “But Logan is.” He figured Mercer would want to brief him, too.

He figured right.

“Put me on speaker.”

Done.

“I know Genevieve Chevalier was taken a few hours ago,” Mercer announced. He would. Did anything happen that the EOD director wasn’t aware of? “But tell me,” Mercer continued, voice even harder, “that Cassidy doesn’t know about her abduction yet.”

An odd thing to say. “Cassidy knows.”

Mercer swore. “She is
not
to go after Genevieve, understand?”

“But as an EOD agent, she can—” Logan began.

“Cassidy isn’t an EOD agent. She’s an asset, one that I want brought back into the office immediately.”

An asset.
The lingo used to describe a person who had intel that was often vital to the EOD’s success.

Logan stepped closer as he frowned down at Cale’s phone. “What about Chevalier? Cale thinks the Executioner may be at work here, and I have to agree with him. Genevieve’s abduction sure seems to fit the victim profile developed for that killer.”

“Cale’s been talking to Cassidy.” A new note had entered Mercer’s voice. One that Cale couldn’t quite understand. “Be careful with her, Cale. Before you know it, Cassidy will have manipulated you into doing anything that
she
wants. I’ve seen it happen before, with plenty of other agents.”

Those words caused tension to harden Cale’s muscles. But he’d already known that Cassidy was a manipulator, hadn’t he? The instant Cassidy came toward him with her eyes lit with desire, when she put those silken lips against his and so softly whispered...

Help me.

His body had responded instantly to her. How could he not respond to that sensual invitation? But he’d suspected—damn it—that she was just trying to use him.

Use his desire for her to get exactly what she wanted.

“Cassidy Sherridan is to be brought back to the D.C. office right away.” Now there was
no
emotion in Mercer’s voice. Just a cold demand. “Cale, you bring her back, got it? I’ll send a separate team down to hunt the Executioner—”

“But we’re already here, sir,” Logan cut in, his frown deepening. “Even if Cale leaves with the woman, Gunner and I can do recon work. We can find this bastard. We can save Chevalier.”

“I want you watching Cale’s back,” was Mercer’s fast response. “Guard them every second that Cale and Cassidy are down there. I know those SOBs already made a grab for Cassidy once, and I won’t have her falling into their hands. Cassidy’s safety
is
the priority. She’s to be brought back to the U.S. Once I know she’s safe, then I’ll make sure that the Executioner is handled.”

Cale didn’t like this plan. Not when a woman’s life was in the balance. “We don’t know how much time Chevalier has,” Cale snapped, unable to hold back his anger. Just letting a woman stay in a killer’s hands? No. That wasn’t the way he worked. “We’re here, we can—”

“Another team is already en route. And the Executioner... I
know
how he works,” Mercer muttered. “He’ll be leaving the country ASAP.”

All the more reason for them to hunt him, then.

“Get Cassidy back here, Cale, and that’s an order.” There was a whip of command in the words. “Cassidy
is
the mission. Bring her back. Stay with her, and get her back to D.C. in one piece.”

So much for the full briefing that he’d wanted.

Bodyguard duty was continuing, and Genevieve Chevalier—she was just going to be left on her own?

He ended the call and fought to calm the fury that was growing in him. He hadn’t agreed to join the EOD so he could stand back while a woman was tortured and killed.

“Cale...you heard the director.” Logan was studying him worriedly.

Yes, he’d heard the director.

Jaw locking, Cale gritted his teeth. “Are we just going to leave Genevieve here?”

Cassidy wouldn’t want that. He already knew just what kind of fight he’d have on his hands as soon as he tried to force her from Rio.

His gaze guarded, Logan said, “We follow orders.”

Right. That was what good soldiers did.

Only...they weren’t still in the military.

A plan began to form in his head. Protecting Cassidy was Mercer’s stated priority. And as he protected Cassidy, both Logan and Gunner were supposed to have his back.

So where Cassidy went...

We all go.

A grim smile pulled at his lips. Maybe Cassidy would get the help she wanted from him, after all.

And she didn’t even have to seduce him in order to get it.

Huh.
That was a pity.

* * *

W
HEN
C
ALE
CAME
out of the back room he had a backpack thrown over his shoulder. Cassidy noted the bulge of his weapon under his arm.

She jumped to her feet. “You talked to Mercer.”
Genevieve is gone. It’s happening again. I have to help her!

A curt nod from Cale. “It looks like you’ve got yourself an escort back to the U.S.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

She hadn’t even realized the denial had come from her until she heard his clipped response. “We can’t leave! We have to help Genevieve!”

“A ransom demand hasn’t been given to her family yet,” Logan said. Cassidy thought she saw a flash of sympathy in his eyes, but that flash vanished too quickly for her to be certain.

“How do you know that they haven’t made contact?” Cassidy fired back, desperate. “They could have—”

“The EOD knows. Mercer assured us that he’s keeping tabs on the situation.”

“No, he’s keeping tabs on me.” There was plenty of bitterness in her voice.

“Because you’re an asset?” Cale had taken a few more steps toward her.

Cassidy flinched. “Is that what I am?” It figured that Mercer had pulled the old asset card. He’d used that before. Her trick of blending truth and lies? She’d learned it from him. Learned it before she’d even learned how to drive a car.

Some lessons were taught early, and you never forgot them.

“According to Mercer—” it was Logan talking again—the other agent, Gunner, hadn’t spoken to her at all while the others had been gone “—you’re an important asset that has to be escorted back to D.C., pronto.”

This couldn’t be happening. One of that bunch had to be sane. “You’re all going to escort me away while Genevieve dies? While she’s tortured?” If they wouldn’t help her, she’d have to help herself—and Genevieve. “Look, those guys—the Executioner’s men—they want me. They came to that ballroom looking for me.” Cale had been right there when they’d shouted her name.

“What they wanted was to kill you hours ago. That was a bullet that came your way in the alley,” Cale said, his hand tightening on the strap of his pack. “Not an abduction attempt.”

The guy was missing the obvious. She gave a little growl of her own as she tried to explain what he should know. “They tried to kill you, not me. I
saved
your hide, cowboy.” And she still hadn’t received any gratitude for that.

Logan slanted what could have been an amused glance Cale’s way.

“Cowboy?”

What?
Now
Gunner speaks?

She ignored him and focused completely on Cale. “I saved you, so now you owe me. Help me find Genevieve—or at least, just, please, give me my own fighting chance to save her.”
Get out of my way and let me help my friend.