HOT Valor (Hostile Operations Team - Book 11) Read online

  “We found one entry point,” Hacker added. “But it’s a phantom entry because there were more files behind it. No IP, nothing to trace. Yet.”

  “Whoever did this is good,” Kid said. “Like professional levels of good that didn’t come from some teenager’s basement.”

  Alex frowned. “We know who ordered it done—or at least where it initiated from—but we need to know who put it into the system and where they did it from. That might be the smoking gun that leads us to DeWitt.”

  “We’ll find it,” Kid said. “We’ll stop that bastard and get our colonel back.”

  Alex hoped that was true. But the longer this went on, the deeper it went. And the more worried he got. There’d been no contact from Ian Black since he’d been in this room. He’d left and hadn’t come back or called.

  And then there was Sam Spencer. She’d called him. Of all the people to pick up a phone and call his office, she had.

  “I’m worried about him,” she’d said. “Have you heard from him?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Let me know if you do. Please. I only want to help him.”

  Alex had promised he would, but in reality there was no fucking way he was calling her. He knew that she and Mendez had dated for a while, but beyond that he’d had no indication from his boss that Sam was a person to be trusted. And after the incident with Cody McCormick and Miranda Lockwood, Alex didn’t trust her at all.

  Alex went over and flung himself down on the couch. A couple of the guys were watching the news networks, scanning for any mention of Mendez. So far there’d been nothing.

  “Oh fuck,” Cade Rodgers said. “The shit just hit the fan.”

  Alex focused on the television instead of staring emptily at it.

  Sources say that Russian Ambassador Anatoly Levkin was assassinated by an elite American military unit…

  “Well, shit,” he said. “Our mission just got a whole lot harder.”

  Hawk unfolded himself from the chair he’d been sitting on and rose to his full height. He was notoriously cool under pressure, but he didn’t look so cool at the moment.

  “I’ve heard enough. I’ve got a jet and a lot of fucking money, thanks to my gorgeous wife. Who wants to go to Russia to find Delta Squad and our colonel?”

  “We don’t know that Delta Squad is even in Russia,” Kid said. “We don’t know where they are—and I’m not finding anything.”

  “They’re there,” Hawk said. “I feel it in my gut. Keep looking.”

  “I’m looking,” Kid grumbled.

  Hawk stalked toward the door. “I’m going to make the arrangements for the jet. It’ll take time to come up with a reason to go to Russia and to file a flight plan. I’ll be back.”

  Nobody said anything as he walked out. Cade Rodgers turned to the group sitting there and grinned. “Is it just me, or did everyone totally get a Terminator vibe just now? I’ll be back. Dude’s about to kick ass and take names, amiright?”

  “So who is he?” Kat asked after Yuri disappeared back into the elevator.

  Mendez frowned. He hadn’t seen Yuri in years. He didn’t believe Yuri would betray him, but the truth was that in this business you never knew. Yes, he’d saved Yuri’s life—but allegiances changed. Money and power and even the threat of something worse could make a man—or woman—shift priorities.

  Still, his gut told him that Yuri wasn’t going topside to call Sergei Turov. He might sell arms to the man, but he sold them to a lot of people. And Yuri wasn’t going to be told what to do by anyone. He was a law unto himself, and he wouldn’t give that power away lightly.

  “Yuri Budayev. You’ve heard of him, but not by that name.”

  “What name?”

  “He’s the Tiger.”

  Kat’s brows crawled up her forehead. “Seriously? That guy’s the Tiger? Wow.”

  Everyone in shadow ops knew of the Tiger. He was a mythical guy who could get you the weapons and ammunition you needed when no one else could. There was a price to be paid for that kind of access, but when you wanted something badly enough, you would pay it.

  Kat did a slow turn in the room they were in. There was a bank of computers on one wall, television screens, and a camera system that fed into two of the screens. It was high-tech stuff.

  “How did you know where to find him?”

  “Because until just a few days ago, I had access to highly classified information.” He shook his head at the equipment. “I had no idea this was down here though. I don’t think anybody does.”

  “So when you saved him in Afghanistan, why didn’t he end up in custody?”

  “We didn’t know who he was. Didn’t find out until he was released, actually. Besides, he was small potatoes in 2002.”

  “He isn’t now.”

  “No, he definitely isn’t.”

  She put her fists on her hips when she faced him again. “You could have told me this was our destination. For two days you have kept me in the dark—it wasn’t necessary.”

  “You can always walk away if you don’t like how I operate.”

  Kat’s eyes flashed. She was like a firecracker ready to go off. He had a sharp urge to hold her when she did.

  “Walk away? How far would you have gotten without me? You need backup—and right now I’m all you’ve got.”

  He knew it was true. Still, he couldn’t help but tease her. “You only got one of those assholes at the airport. I got the other three.”

  “It only takes one to kill you,” she growled. She threw a hand in the air and stomped toward the hallway leading to the living quarters. Mendez picked up the weapons bag and followed her, bemused and bewildered all at once.

  Goddamn, she was sexy. And fiery. His cock was at least half-hard most of the time he was with her. Right now it was approaching full tilt. He was going to have to do something about that in the shower so he could clear his mind.

  The living quarters, as Yuri had referred to them, were actually pretty spectacular. In spite of his hobo-like appearance, Yuri Budayev was a wealthy man and also somewhat of a prepper. Mendez guessed the space was at least four thousand square feet. It was furnished with European antiques and featured one wall that appeared to be made of glass and looked out on a mountain range. Fake, but extraordinary. Kat stared at the mountains with her jaw hanging open.

  Damn if he didn’t want to close it for her. Or give her something to suck on.

  “This is incredible.”

  “Takes a lot of money to make something like this.”

  “No kidding.” She walked toward the glass. “It looks like you could touch those mountains. Just step outside and go for a walk. Holy crap.”

  “Almost makes you want to live underground.”

  They found the bedrooms. There were six to choose from. One was clearly Yuri’s while the others seemed unlived in. Each room had an en suite bath. He followed Kat into the first room. She spun around to glare at him, hands on hips.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Taking point while you shower.”

  “You think we’re still in danger?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so—but we can’t let down our guard. I have to talk to him, see what he knows. What he’s willing to do.”

  She went over and opened the closet. She disappeared inside it. She reappeared with a pair of tactical pants and a T-shirt. “This guy is prepared. Tactical gear, guns, computers. What’s he think could happen?”

  “Probably a nuclear war. Why do you think he’s in a bunker in Siberia?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “There is that. All right, I’m going in. I’ll make it quick.”

  The bathroom door closed behind her and the water came on. Mendez sat on a chair and kept an eye on the door. He pulled the AK-47 she’d left behind onto his lap and waited. Tried not to think about what Kat was doing.

  But he couldn’t stop his brain from going there as he imagined her getting ready to shower. Her clothes fell in a heap and the
n she walked into the cubicle and stood under the spray. Did she have a scar or not? He shook his head and moved on with his mental road trip.

  Her nipples were hard. Her limbs were lithe and lovely. There was a little triangle of red pubic hair leading down to the promised land. He envisioned walking into the shower with her, her eyes widening and then going soft, her body pliable as it melted against him. He would fuck her hard and fast the first time, and then he’d carry her to the bed and lick her pussy until she screamed. He’d flip her over, slide into her from behind, and deliver a couple of slaps to her pretty ass.

  Eventually he’d turn her back over and slide deep inside her as they lay face-to-face. He’d kiss her, stroking in and out of her body until they both detonated.

  He shoved a hand through his hair and scrubbed his scalp. He did not need to be thinking these things right now. It was impossible—and not advisable. Besides, he knew deep down that he was envisioning Valentina. Remembering what she had liked rather than imagining what Kat might like.

  By the time she emerged from the bathroom, he’d managed to cool his thoughts somewhat by thinking of the matron on the train. He was certain she must be a nice woman in her own right, even if she’d never warmed up to him, but he wasn’t attracted to her—so thinking of her squat body and sour face helped take the heat down a few notches.

  Until Kat appeared wearing tactical pants and a T-shirt that were both on the small side. They clung to her curves, highlighting every single peak and valley. His mouth went dry at the adventure-land ride that was her body. Fucking hell, he wanted a piece of that.

  She cocked her head and gave him a look. Her hair was slicked back and her face was bare, making her seem young and inexperienced. She was neither, but she looked that way at the moment. So much like Valentina. His heart lurched and split as pain shot through him in waves.

  Twenty-one fucking years and he still wasn’t over her. He could feel the locket against his heart. He’d put the chain on, even though it was a woman’s necklace, because he couldn’t bear to lose it.

  Suddenly he was angry. This wasn’t how you got on with life—thinking about a dead woman. Imagining sex with her sister but knowing it was really her you were thinking about.

  He reached beneath his shirt and pulled the locket out and over his head. Then he stood and crossed the room to her. Her brow creased. Surprise sprang up in her eyes—and fear. That almost gave him pause.

  But he dangled the necklace in front of her. “You should take it. I may not offer again.”

  She gripped it gently, her eyes wide and wounded as he dropped the chain. “But why?”

  He dragged in a breath that seared his lungs on the way down. “Because that’s not my life anymore. Because it’s time.”

  He stalked into the bathroom and shut the door. Then he stripped, got into the shower, and scrubbed away the memories.

  Chapter 23

  Samantha Spencer sat in her office at Langley and stared at the television on the wall. The networks were reporting that Anatoly Levkin had been assassinated by an American military group. She knew which group, though the networks did not.

  She threw her pen down and swore. This job was getting worse by the day. Not knowing who was telling the truth and who wasn’t. Not knowing what people were capable of until they surprised you with something so far out of left field that you were still reeling days later.

  But she loved what she did. Loved that she worked to keep the world safe for democracy. It often entailed working with people she despised or doing things that she hated doing, but so long as everything worked out in the end, she bore the frustration and disgust, knowing it was for the greater good.

  It was getting a lot harder to do, however.

  Her secure phone rang. Her heart kicked up for a second. It was not Johnny calling her.

  First, he wouldn’t. He hadn’t called her since they’d broken up a couple of months ago, and he wouldn’t do so now. Second, he didn’t have this particular number.

  She’d asked herself a million times what she would do if he called—if he asked for her help. She’d been stunned to learn that he’d run when confronted. It had shaken her faith in him pretty badly.

  If he were here now, she would do what she had to do for the safety of the country and democracy. That’s what she’d always done. What she’d been doing over a year ago when she’d initiated a relationship with him. She’d wanted to know more about HOT since they’d nearly ruined an operation of Ian’s in Qu’rim. She hadn’t known she’d get tangled up in Johnny again. That she’d want more from him than he was willing to give her.

  If he walked in here right now, she’d turn him in. If he hadn’t sent his HOT team to Moscow, he could prove it in very short order. And if he had?

  Well, she didn’t know him as well as she’d thought she did.

  She snatched up the phone. “Phoenix,” she said, giving her code name. That was the only name she used on this particular phone.

  “The veep wants me to go after Mendez,” Ian Black said. “To bring him in.”

  Sam’s heart kicked. She read the closed-captions running on the television. Talking heads debating the shocking news that the US was involved in the assassination of a foreign official.

  Rogue organization… No official statement… President silent… Rumors of a missing high-level military commander… Russians angry…

  “Does he know where to find the colonel?”

  “He’s in Russia.”

  Sam’s blood chilled. It took her a moment to speak. “Russia? He’s sure?”

  “He has photos of the colonel in Atlanta. He bought two tickets to Moscow. Paid in cash.”

  Sam felt faint. “Two tickets?”

  “He’s traveling with a woman.”

  Whatever was left of her heart cracked in two. “Any idea who she is?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  Sam’s blood began to rush through her veins. She reached for her electronic cigarette and took a puff. The vapor hit her lungs and spread through her body like a calming wave. “Tell me what you need. It’s yours.”

  Kat snapped open the locket and stared at her much younger self. Her heart throbbed. What did it mean that he’d given it back?

  She sniffed. Then she closed it and slipped it over her head. The silver was still warm from his body. Confusion set up a drumbeat in her brain. Why had he given it back? Why now? Why, when he’d insisted it was his?

  You need to tell him.

  She shook her head. No, she couldn’t. Not now. Maybe not ever. She’d never intended to tell him, but the longer she was with him, the harder it got to let him go on believing she was dead. To keep pretending that she was a twin. Yet if he knew the truth, she would never see him again. He’d walk out and try to do this mission alone. He’d get himself killed without someone to watch his back.

  She couldn’t let that happen. She might want to confess for personal reasons, but it served no purpose other than to relieve her guilty conscience. She’d given up much more for the sake of keeping the world safe. She could bear the guilt. She’d known coming into this that her heart would take a beating. Nothing about that had changed.

  Kat grabbed the comb she’d snagged from the bathroom and ran it through her hair. A trickle of blood slid down her temple and she swore. It had opened back up in the shower when she’d scrubbed her hair, but she’d thought she’d gotten it under control. She went over to the chest of drawers and searched for something to press to her head. All she came up with was a T-shirt.

  “What happened?”

  She spun to find Johnny standing in the door to the bathroom. He was wearing a towel slung low on his hips, and her pulse squeaked out a cry for help before ramping into hyperspace.

  “Nothing—why are you in a towel?”

  “Because I didn’t check for clothing like you did.”

  “You could put your other stuff back on,” she said faintly.

  “Yeah, I could—and I will if I have to.
” He stalked over to stand in front of her. He smelled woodsy and clean. She smelled the same since there was only one choice of shampoo in the shower, but it was different on him. Arousing.

  She’d calmed down a bit since fleeing the cemetery, but that urge to get naked with him was still there. Still simmering beneath the surface, waiting for the accelerant.

  “Let me see that cut.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Kat.”

  She dropped the T-shirt and thrust her face up. “See? Fine.”

  He pushed her hair back with two fingers. Her skin sparked. Her heartbeat slowed and then sped up. The breath in her body felt as if it were working its way through damp cotton. He was so close, the heat of his skin wrapping around her. Making her shudder with need.

  “It’s stopped bleeding for the moment, but it’s going to keep opening if we don’t close it.”

  “There are bandages in the bathroom.”

  “Then maybe you should put one on.”

  “I will.”

  She shuddered again as his fingers skimmed her cheek.

  “You okay?” he asked, frowning.

  She dropped her gaze from the raw heat in his. Bad move. Very bad move. There was movement under the towel. Her mouth went dry. Her fingers itched to slide into the top of the towel and unknot it. Oh, Johnny.

  “No,” she whispered. “I am not okay.”

  Their eyes met. His were dark, dangerous, and so damned hot.

  “I’m not either,” he said, his voice gravelly and thick. “I want you, Kat. Maybe it’s because of Valentina. Maybe it isn’t. I don’t have the first fucking clue—but I want to do things to you. Hot, dirty things. I want to make you come. I don’t know how this mission is going to turn out—but the odds are against us, and I’m tired of pretending you don’t affect me.”

  She couldn’t breathe.

  Simply. Could. Not. Breathe.

  “I want that too.” The words came out hoarse and almost too quiet. Was that guilt eating her up inside?

  But it didn’t matter because he heard her. Strong, broad hands gripped her forearms and yanked her in closer. Then his mouth crushed down on hers. She opened her lips, sucked his tongue inside, and her body erupted in flame.