Shattered Pieces (Undercover Elite Book 1) (11 page)

Cash

We pull up in the Jeep and park it in the brush, leaving Sniper hidden in a wooded area with an M24 sniper rifle. He’ll have no problem picking off anyone who might make the fatal mistake of pulling up while we go in and get Johnnie. Waiting for the sun to go down seemed like it took an eternity and I’m not waiting anymore. If anything has happened to her, I’m going to be out for blood. Hell, I’m out for blood anyway.

We ease up to the entrance at the warehouse and I’m relieved to see there isn’t much security here. Like Hunter said, there’s just a couple of shoddy cameras. It’s evident they don’t think anyone is coming to rescue the women. In this part of the world, lives are bought and sold cheaply and no one cares if babies are part of the equation.

The security on the door is nothing more than a simple chain and a lock that could’ve been bought in any hardware store. The bolt cutters cut through it with ease.

I resist the urge to run through the building kamikaze style, straight to my new female partner who has taken a pretty intense hit for her first job. As much as I hate what she has gone through in getting captured, her reaction will tell me if she is cut out for this type of work. You have be a certain temperament to do what
Undercover Elite
does.

We cautiously make our way through corridors, using training similar to what police officers or military use. We position our firearms out in front of us as we make our way around corners and then say,
clear.
Various hand signals are used to cut down on verbal exchanges. I doubt there is anyone here but we know how unpredictable search and rescue missions can be. Taking anything for granted in our line of work can mean someone paying with his or her life.

We clear hallways and corners, going through meticulous procedure rather than risking errors by rushing. Everything in me wants to hurry up and get to her but I make myself apply my training. Finally, one of the corridors leads us to a steel door. I pull the large lock through the rusted hasp that houses it and swing the door open to reveal my woman. She’s sitting, huddled in the corner with her knees pulled up against her chest, rocking back and forth.

As soon as I look across the room, I understand why she’s in a state of shock. The sight of the dead woman, holding her stillborn baby in a puddle of blood, makes me cringe. I hate the man who has put her in the position of having to witness not just the death of one human being, but two.

I am familiar with the horror of war and death but she isn’t. Much like any other job, this one hasn’t gone as expected. I scoop her up in my arms and listen as she whimpers. “She died… I tried so hard, but she died.”

We quickly backtrack through the corridors, in a rush to get back to the Jeep. Sniper makes his way out of the woods and joins us shortly after we get there. We will be flying out tonight. I have already notified one of my contacts, Ricardo Ramirez, about the black market baby ring. He’s a high-ranking Colombian official and he will do the rest. After I give him the details that Hunter was able to get off of Johnnie’s tracker, Ricardo will have this shut down in no time. Our job here is done. Now, I just need to convince the woman I love that the death of that mother and child wasn’t her fault.

Johnnie

I don’t even remember the plane ride home. Any sleeping I managed to do was interrupted by nightmares—vivid images of a mother holding her dead child in a sea of blood. Cash’s voice cuts through my thoughts each time they wake me up, trying to reassure and soothe me. He cradled me in his arms while onboard, carried me from the plane when we landed, and held me the whole ride home. I don’t even remember entering the mansion when we finally did arrive.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes… it was. He told me that if I would reveal who sent me, he would get her medical treatment.” I tell him one of the times he tries to reassure me.

“You did what you were trained to do. You know they’ll say or do anything to get the Intel they want. The baby was born dead. He was stillborn, Johnnie.”

I toss around whether he’s telling me the truth or not as I watch him make his way over to where I’m sitting on the bed. He scoops me up in his arms and carries me to the bathroom. He sits on the toilet and pets my hair as I cry. I can hear the water running in the large Jacuzzi and the bath salts he’s pouring waft the soothing scent of lavender in my direction. He gently undresses me and then removes his own clothing before reclining his large frame behind me in the more than ample sized tub.

“The hardest part of this job is not being able to save everyone, Johnnie. It’s the first thing you’re going to have to come to terms with if you’re going to make it in this line of work. I have a confession to make,” he playfully splashes at the water, forcing a laugh from me even in my depressed state.

“Oh yeah? And what would that be?”

“I’ve been reading your journal.”

I turn, eying him with suspicion. “How in the hell did you get that?”

His boyish demeanor doesn’t fool me one bit as he answers, “I broke into your apartment back when I was stalking you.”

“Was stalking me? You’re still stalking me.”

“I always will be. I have a proposition for you. How about we take down the son of a bitch who killed your sister.”

“Now that is a proposition I would be interested in pursuing.”

I turn so that I can sit on his lap and face him. I run my hands over his five o’ clock shadow that only adds to his good looks. I can see the dark circles under his eyes that I know are there because he was so worried about me. I am adding another dimension to his work that I am certain he hadn’t taken under consideration—the stress of worrying about my safety on the job.

“You didn’t take into consideration that I was going to add to your stress level, did you?”

“We don’t always foresee the issues that will come up with the decisions we make in life. It would be much harder to be without you than it is to make sure you’re taken care of and kept safe.”

“I don’t need to be taken care of, Cash.”

“The fuck you don’t. You’re part of this team now.”

He pulls me towards him with his hand at the back of my neck and presses his lips into mine, nibbling at my bottom lip. I can immediately feel the heat build between my legs from needing him. There is no doubt I’ve missed him. I rise up enough to lower myself down onto his hard cock. Water splashes as he forcefully pushes up into me. A growl from somewhere deep in his chest resonates.

“Touch yourself, baby. Forget all the stress and strain and come for me.”

My hand makes its way down between my legs, circling over my swollen clit, as he takes one of my nipples between his teeth and bites down just hard enough to send me over the edge. A wave of pleasure courses through me and carries away all the terror, fear, and ugliness of the job in its wake. It leaves my body, floating away and out into the water surrounding me. It confirms to me that it is time for me to let go of the last job and begin the next one of exacting revenge on the man who took my sister from me. It has been years since he needlessly killed her and he would never suspect me coming for him. He would be leisurely living his life as if nothing had happened and Cash and I will be able to pounce when he least expects it. We will be successful where so many others fail when getting revenge because we have waited so long that he believes her death is a thing of the past and long forgotten. I haven’t forgiven and I damn sure haven’t forgotten.

Cash

I put the coffee down in front of her where she sits, reading the information Hunter and I gathered on our next mark.

Name: Steven Taggart

Age: 38

Residence: Miami, Florida

Occupation: Drug dealer

Marital Status: Widowed

“Widowed, my ass. That motherfucker killed my sister in cold blood.”

“I don’t doubt that. Do you know why he did it?”

“I think she probably threatened to leave him and she knew too much.”

“I would have just chained you to the bed if you threatened to leave me,” I tease, nuzzling her neck and smelling the scent of lavender and sex from the intimate bath we just shared.

“I’d probably just let you at this point.”

“I’m shocked! Are you saying that the woman, unable to bond, has bonded with me?”

“No… I’m just addicted to the sex.”

“That works for me. I’m good with whatever keeps you around, girl.” I sit down ready to get serious about this next job. “This guy is no joke. He is neck deep in organized crime and, as you already know, he is a killer.”

“I won’t be satisfied until I put a bullet between his eyes to avenge the death of my sister,” she responds vehemently.

“I’m going to be the man to put you in that position—your real live hero.”

“You’re already my hero and my partner in crime.”

“Yes I am, love. Now, let’s look at what we’re dealing with. As badly as I hate to admit it, this guy is quite the criminal entrepreneur. He came up with one hell of a way to get drugs into the country. The son of a bitch owns a string of successful car lots. He has the drugs placed in the cars when they are being manufactured and when you buy a car from him, you get the drugs.”

“That is a good idea. It looks like you’re going car shopping, Cash. He knows what I look like so I can’t do it. The next time he sees my face will be when I’m putting a bullet between his eyes.”