HOT Addiction: A Hostile Operations Team Novel - Book 10 Read online

  She was furious that Eric had done it without her knowledge, but she wasn’t surprised. “Probably because I didn’t get pregnant again. He was suspicious because I never conceived even though he threw away my birth control. That’s when he started saying she was yours.”

  Dex’s expression clouded. “He threw away your birth control?”

  She nodded, remembering those dark days. “Oh yes. He was determined we were going to have more children.” She couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that escaped. “I don’t know why. He didn’t seem to like the one he had very much, even when he thought she was his.”

  “Jesus, what an asshole.”

  “Well, men are the head of the household. Wives are property. You know the drill.”

  “That’s bullshit. Only men without balls who want to control women because they’re scared of their power think that way.”

  “Bingo.”

  “Whether you like it or not, I am kicking your father’s ass when we get back,” he growled. He pressed his palms to his temples and leaned back in the chair. His gaze fixed on the ceiling.

  She felt like they were at an impasse, and yet they had to move forward. Dex was Charlotte’s father. That knowledge both cheered her and terrified her.

  What if he wanted to battle for custody? Or what if he wanted nothing to do with Lottie? Because that was possible too. He might not want the responsibility.

  “Now’s not the time to figure any of this out,” he said. “But I’m going to be a part of her life, Belle. You aren’t keeping me out of it. I want her birth certificate changed to reflect the truth too. She’s going to know who I am.”

  Annabelle swallowed. “I wouldn’t dream of keeping you out of her life. But Dex, we have to go slowly. She believes Eric was her father. I need time to prepare her for the truth.”

  “I get that. But we aren’t going to spend a year doing it, you got me? Soon. She’s a kid, but she’s still young enough that she can handle this kind of thing with a simple explanation from the adults in her life.”

  There was a knock on the door. Dex got up and jerked it open. Lucky MacDonald was on the other side, holding out a phone.

  “Your phone’s ringing, Annabelle.”

  22

  Dex’s life had just had an IED thrown into the middle of it. Since Annabelle had arrived on his doorstep two days ago—Jesus, fuck, was it only two days?—everything he thought he’d known had been blasted all to hell. Each new blow packed more punch than the last.

  She’d confessed that Eric had blackmailed her into marriage, with her parents’ help and cooperation. She’d followed that up with the bombshell that Eric had raped her. On a personal level, Dex discovered that he still responded to Annabelle in a way he didn’t with anyone else.

  Now this. He was a father. He had a child. He was simultaneously pissed off, hurt, and stunned. He wanted to be angry with her for not telling him she’d had suspicions—but what could she have said? Should she have called him up outta the blue and said, Oh, hey, I had a baby, and I’m not sure, but you might be the father? Though my husband could be the father too, but I don’t know, so maybe you could send me a DNA sample?

  He was realistic enough to know how that would have gone. He’d have told her to fuck off, no doubt about it.

  She held the phone determinedly as they moved back into the main passenger area, her brows arrowed down in concentration and her eyes flashing with annoyance. Dex wasn’t listening to the exchange this time because Kid was recording the call. They’d listen in after the fact.

  “Yes, I understand,” she said. “Go to Jorwani and check into the Royal Cape Hotel in Cape Lucier. Wait for your call.” She paused for a long moment. “No, I can’t come alone. Jorwani is dangerous, so I’ll be bringing a bodyguard. … I’m sorry, Mr. Lyon, but if you want the money, that’s the way it has to be. One bodyguard to help me carry luggage and protect me from the crime that’s rampant there these days. … Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She ended the call and dropped the phone to the seat beside her. Lucky picked it up and double-checked that the call was ended. Kid looked up from his computer and nodded.

  Dex almost dragged Annabelle into his arms, but he stopped himself. She met his gaze first, before anyone else’s, and his gut tightened. The fear in her eyes was stark, but she’d handled Leonov like a champ.

  “Great job,” Lucky said, giving Annabelle a quick squeeze on the arm.

  “He makes my skin crawl.”

  “He’s supposed to,” Victoria said, sauntering over. “He’s an asshole.”

  “You got him to agree to a bodyguard,” Dex said. “That’s huge.” He shot a look at his team gathered around. “That’s my job, in case anyone’s wondering.”

  Nobody argued. A couple of the guys shrugged. Richie frowned but said nothing. They all knew what he’d just been talking to Annabelle about. The fact they’d known the truth before he did rankled. But hell, they’d known it before Annabelle too. The only one who’d known it before they all did was Eric, and he hadn’t said a word. Evil, rotten bastard.

  “We need to go over the plan,” Richie said. “Meeting commencing right damn now. In the conference room.”

  “Not you,” Dex said when Annabelle tried to follow.

  She frowned as he put his hands on her shoulders. “I have a right to know what’s happening.”

  “When the plan is firm, you’ll know about it. Until then, you need to read your book and leave the details to us.”

  She looked militant. “Dex—”

  “Shut up, Belle. This is my job, not yours. Even if Charlotte wasn’t my daughter, I’d do everything in my power to get her back again.”

  Her eyes searched his. “I know I said I suspected she was yours, but I’m as shocked as you are. This wasn’t how I wanted any of this to happen.”

  “Eric’s been dead for a month. Maybe you should have done something about it before now.”

  Her eyes reflected a wealth of hurt and sorrow. “I’ve been dealing with a lot of crap since then. Did you want me to take my confused child into the doctor and have her cheek swabbed when the man she’d thought was her father wasn’t even cold in his grave?”

  He didn’t know what he wanted. He only knew that his life had changed profoundly over the past few hours—and it wasn’t ever going back again. He was a father. And if he didn’t get this right, he might not ever get to know the child who was depending on him to save her life.

  He might lose her before he ever met her.

  *

  Cape Lucier, Jorwani, was a city of contrasts. There was a wealthy class and a very poor class. Zain Okonjo battled the government forces over those contrasts, claiming to be a man of the people.

  The conflict hadn’t reached Cape Lucier, though the city was still affected. Cars sat abandoned in the poorer quarters due to lack of fuel. Okonjo might be a man of the people, but his cause was hurting the very people he claimed to want to help.

  Donkeys pulled carts piled high with vegetables and goods. The smell of cooking meat filled the air near the markets. Mercedes Benzes glided down the streets beside the donkeys while upscale shops sat next to open stands, contrasts that stayed in Annabelle’s mind long after they’d arrived at the hotel.

  The Royal Cape Hotel was built in the Arab style, with arches and colonnades that surrounded a central courtyard. Palm trees stood in the courtyard, beneath the glass of the domed ceiling. It was meant to be grand, and yet there was something slightly shabby about it.

  Annabelle waited in the lobby while Dex secured their room. For Lyon’s purposes, he was her bodyguard, the man who toted her luggage and watched her back. For the hotel stay, they pretended to be honeymooners here for an African safari.

  The rest of Dex’s team was nearby, but they were paired off and pretending not to know each other. Some of them were coming in later so they didn’t all show up at once. And some wouldn’t come at all, going instead to other hotels. Less safe hotels, to be sure.

/>   The other two couples—married couples, she’d learned—were here too. And two of the other guys were pretending to be a gay couple. She didn’t know why she found that amusing. Gay men were capable of being big and bad and tough. But the one they called Iceman and the other—Flash?—were about as far from gay as you could get. Still, they pretended.

  Well, maybe not quite pretended. Until Flash put his arm around Iceman and gave him a big smack on the cheek. Iceman appeared to blush, which was quite a feat for a man as big and tough-looking as he was. They got a few looks from the other patrons of the hotel, mostly westerners who were either reporters or disaster tourists.

  Dex wandered back over with a key dangling from his hand. An honest to goodness key, not a key card. He also had his bag slung over his shoulder and he picked hers up too.

  “We’re on the third floor, baby,” he said. “Ready to go?”

  “Yes.”

  He put a hand on her back, his fingers lightly resting against the base of her spine, and her body responded in spite of her wish that it would not. This wasn’t the time or the place.

  They’d been in the air forever. Getting into the country hadn’t been a picnic either. The authorities at the airport scrutinized everything. Their passports were fake, provided by Dex’s people, and she’d been afraid that something would go wrong.

  It didn’t, but it had certainly taken long enough for the Jorwani authorities to let them into the country.

  And now they were here, taking a rickety elevator to the third floor and hoping to find a decent bedroom to crash in. Annabelle was tired, though she’d slept some on the plane. But she’d been on edge, both from Mr. Lyon’s call and from the knowledge that Dex was really Charlotte’s father.

  How many more surprises could she take?

  She hoped there were no more surprises. Please God, no more.

  Dex led the way down the dark hall. He slid the key into a lock and pushed open the door. A queen-sized bed greeted them. It perched against the far wall, its four posters draped in mosquito netting. There were two narrow windows with shutters that were closed to keep out the heat, and a door that she presumed led to a bathroom.

  Dex waited for her to step inside and shut the door behind them. When she would have spoken, he closed the distance between them and put a hand over her mouth. Shock and desire managed to mingle in an electric sizzle that shot through her nerve endings.

  “Not a word,” he growled in her ear. “No idea who’s listening.”

  Carefully, he pulled his hand away, and she nodded.

  “Why don’t you take a nap, baby doll?” he asked as he walked over to the dresser and felt along its length. “It’s been a long trip, and we don’t want to start our honeymoon off with you getting sick.”

  “I’m all right, honey,” she said. “I slept on the plane. I’d rather go for a walk with you.”

  His eyes flashed. He moved on to the nightstand, feeling his way around it. Looking for listening devices? “Maybe later. We’ve got that safari trip tomorrow, and you want to be rested up.”

  There was no safari trip, but this was supposedly where Eric had been taking his. He met the tour company in the lobby and went off on the trip. He never returned.

  “How about some food then? Room service?”

  The look he gave her was inscrutable. “I don’t think they have room service, baby.”

  “Then maybe you could go and get us a snack.”

  He arched an eyebrow. Then he walked over and grabbed her, tugging her against his body. “I have a better idea.”

  Her heart throbbed. She thought he might kiss her, but he lowered his mouth to her ear again, his breath hot against her skin. “What are you playing at?”

  “Nothing,” she mouthed when he pulled back to look at her face.

  “No, baby,” he said. “I can’t be away from your side for even a moment.”

  He let her go and finished his circuit of the room. Then he took something from his bag and set it on the dresser. It looked like a little speaker. Once he did that, he turned to her again.

  “What the fuck, Annabelle?”

  She jumped. “So we can talk now?”

  He tipped his head toward the speaker. “It’s a signal jammer. If there’s a listening device nearby, it won’t pick us up.”

  “Then why didn’t you set it up to begin with?”

  “Because I still had to check for devices. Now what the hell are you up to?”

  She stuck out her lip. “I’m not kidding, Dex. I’m hungry. It’s not a game.”

  He dug around in his bag and fished out a package, tossing it at her. “We’ll get dinner later, once I know it’s safe. Eat these.”

  She caught the crinkly package. “Peanut butter crackers?”

  “You aren’t allergic to peanut butter.”

  “You know I’m not.”

  He frowned suddenly. “Is Charlotte allergic?”

  “No, she’s not. She has a pretty strong constitution actually. Hates brussels sprouts, but who doesn’t?”

  He looked a little bit lost. Then his expression hardened. “Yeah.”

  She opened the package and took out a cracker, feeling guilty that she knew everything about Lottie and he knew nothing. “Want one?”

  “No.” He raked both hands through his hair and went to peer out the window.

  She sat on the bed, practically wilting into it. She’d lost track of how many hours they’d been traveling. Mr. Lyon hadn’t called again. And Marshall hadn’t answered any of her texts. She was actually getting worried about him.

  “Anything on Marshall yet?”

  Dex swung around to look at her. “Nope.”

  “He’ll turn up soon. He sometimes disappears for the weekend.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “So what happens now?” she asked. “Do you know where Mr. Lyon is? Where he’s holding Charlotte and Molly and Becca?”

  “We have one shot at this, Belle. We have to make sure he’s where we can get him—and we need a location on the hostages. My team’s working on that right now.”

  Frustration beat against the wall she’d tried to erect. “That sounds very vague.”

  “It’s not. The less you know, the better.”

  “I don’t really like that option.”

  He sauntered over to the bed, fingers hooked into his belt. “Too bad. This is the way it works.”

  “I know you’re mad at me, but you don’t have to be an asshole.”

  “Jesus, Belle. I’m mad, yeah. But I’m also focused on the job. Nothing is more important to me than rescuing our daughter. If I need to tie you to the bed to get it done, then that’s what’s going to happen. Got it?”

  23

  Shit, why had he said that? Of all the damned things. He pictured her tied to the bed, legs splayed, arms above her head. Body utterly naked. And, yeah, it made him hard.

  Her eyes were hot—but was she angry or needy?

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  What sense was it to lie? “Yeah, I would. But maybe now isn’t the time.”

  “No, probably not.” Her voice was firm—and yet it broke at the end, as if she were thinking about the heat between them too.

  “What about you?” he asked, and she cocked her head to the side.

  “What about me what?”

  He couldn’t believe he was going there. “Would you like it? Being tied to the bed, I mean.”

  Her gaze dropped. “I feel like I shouldn’t answer that.”

  He sank down on a chair beside the bed and put his head in his hands. “I don’t want this,” he said fiercely. “I don’t want to want you. I don’t want to go down that rabbit hole ever again. But how the fuck am I going to get out of it now?”

  She didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Is it that bad for you? Do you hate me that much?”

  Her voice was small and it pierced his heart.

  “No, I don’t hate you. It would be better if I d
id—but I don’t.”

  “You’re the only man I’ve ever loved, Dex.” She said it softly, but each word was like a bullet to his heart. It sank in deep, made him bleed like he’d never bled before.

  “I don’t think that’s enough, Belle. We’re different people now.”

  “You can’t ever forgive me?”

  Could he? Maybe. But was it wise? Probably not.

  “It’s not about forgiveness. It’s— Hell, life has changed. We’ve moved on. That couple we were—we aren’t them anymore. I don’t feel the way I once did.”

  “Well,” she said after a long moment, and he could hear the unshed tears in her voice. “I guess that’s it then. No second chances. No future. Other than the future in which you’re a father to Charlotte. We’ll figure it out. Visitation, custody arrangements. All of it. I won’t fight you unless you try to take her away from me. Then I’ll fight dirty.”

  Pain gripped his heart. “No, there’s no need for that. I think it’s been dirty enough between us. We’ll do it right. We’ll put her first.”

  “I know you think I’ve done everything wrong, and maybe I have, but I’m glad you’re her father, Dex. I’m glad you’re the one she’ll grow up knowing—”

  Her voice choked off, and he knew she was thinking what if Charlotte didn’t grow up because he failed to rescue her? Hell, he was thinking it too. And that wasn’t the way he was wired. He was wired for utter confidence in his team and their ability. But when the hostage was precious to you? Jesus, he’d never experienced that before.

  He didn’t even think about what he did next. He just went over and dragged her into his arms, holding her tightly against him. Her hands splayed against his chest, fists curling into his shirt. Her breath was hot through the material. He knew she was squeezing her eyes tight and trying not to cry.

  “She will, Belle. She’ll grow up and she’ll make us proud to be her parents.”

  It was odd to think of himself as a parent. But he was. He experienced a moment of rage for all he’d missed, but he swallowed it down and concentrated on the woman in his arms. She didn’t need that rage right now. Maybe she’d handled the situation differently than he would have liked, but he was trying to see it from her perspective. Young, frightened, and married to the kind of man who took away her birth control and would have forced her to get pregnant if he could have. At what point was she supposed to call Dex up and tell him he might be a father?