He narrowed his gaze for a long five seconds, then spit out, ‘‘How?’’
Whoa. Why the venom?
Annabelle blinked as the likely answer flashed like lightning.
He thinks I’m sleeping with Rad.
Anger rolled through her. She had never whored herself for the job. Why would he believe her line in that particular sand had changed? ‘‘I’m his bodyguard,’’ she fired back.
He snorted.
She wanted to hit him. ‘‘Rad wanted extra security while in Hawaii,’’ she reluctantly explained, knowing that doing so would speed things along. ‘‘I opened my own agency in Honolulu a year ago. A big part of our business is providing private security for visitors to the islands. When Paulo learned that Rad had scheduled a trip here, he asked for my help. I contacted Rad and convinced him that my talents could be of use to him while he was in Hawaii.’’
‘‘I’ll bet,’’ Mark muttered.
Annabelle sighed. Mark hadn’t sniped this way on past operations, but then, they hadn’t been on an operation together since the team disbanded. A lot had happened in the intervening years. Like their wedding. Maybe marriage changed even more things than she’d realized. ‘‘Rad is paranoid about security. He liked the idea of having me as the final line of defense.’’
‘‘That’s not all he liked.’’
‘‘Jealous, Callahan?’’
‘‘Don’t be ridiculous.’’
Yet the tightness in his voice sent a little wave of satisfaction rolling through her. ‘‘You are too jealous.’’
Seconds ticked by. Then he confessed, ‘‘It pisses me off, Belle. I don’t like you being around Radovanovic at all.’’
He pulled her against him and nuzzled her neck. ‘‘You smell good. Jasmine, like the pikake bushes outside. Why aren’t you living in that little Kansas hometown of yours selling cupcakes like your sisters?’’
‘‘Not cupcakes—kolaches. They’re a Czech pastry.’’
‘‘I know that.’’ He nipped at the base of her neck. ‘‘They’re a sweet treat. Just like you.’’
Annabelle’s brain switched off as electric shivers raced up and down her skin. Instinctively, she arched her neck, allowing him better access to kiss and nibble and lick. Oh, God, she had missed this. Missed him. His right hand released her hip and trailed up to cover her breast at the same time his left hand shifted around behind her and pressed her into his prominent erection. She sucked in a breath as he let out a low groan that ended when he captured her mouth with his.
Mark. Ah, my Mark.
Abruptly, he broke off the kiss. ‘‘I need to turn this thing off.’’
She emerged slowly from a sensual haze. ‘‘From what I remember, that takes at least two days.’’
‘‘Asshole,’’ he murmured.
That wiped away the rest of the fog. ‘‘Excuse me?’’ ‘‘Not you. Matt. My eavesdropping brother is talking in my ear.’’
‘‘Oh.’’ The wire. Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment.
‘‘Dammit, though, he’s right. This isn’t the time for distractions. Why the hell do you always do that?’’
‘‘Me!’’ She shoved him hard enough to rock him backward and he bumped against the shelf.
‘‘Ow! Hell, Annabelle, you’re gonna give our position away.’’
‘‘I’d like to give
you
away. Maybe I
will
take you to the pool house. I look exceptionally good in widow’s black.’’
He flashed a wide grin, leaned over, and kissed her hard. ‘‘We’d better quit wasting time. Why don’t you—’’
‘‘Wait,’’ she interrupted. ‘‘You need to know something else. I’m trying to do more here than infiltrate Rad’s organization. There’s a girl somewhere on this island who will die tonight if I don’t find a way to stop it.’’
All sign of amusement was wiped from his face. ‘‘Tell me.’’
‘‘He’s picked out three men in the industry who he wants to own. I think he’s setting them up to star in their own snuff film tonight so he can blackmail them tomorrow.’’
‘‘How do you know this?’’
‘‘I put bits and pieces together. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. Mark, I can’t walk away from this. From her.’’
‘‘Of course not.’’ He briefly touched her cheek. ‘‘What can I do to help?’’
‘‘Other than disappear, I honestly don’t know. I can’t take you to the pool house because Rad
will
kill you. I’ll have to show up, though, and tell him you got away from me.’’
‘‘He won’t be happy about that.’’
‘‘No. He’s liable to fire me, and I’ll lose my chance to find out where he is planning to film. Great. Just great.’’ She scowled up at him. ‘‘Thanks for screwing this up, Callahan.’’
‘‘Look, maybe it’s best to forget about the entire organization in this instance,’’ Mark suggested. ‘‘Boris Radovanovic needs to be dead. I
will
go to the pool house, only I’ll be the one doing the killing.’’
She shook her head. ‘‘You won’t get near him. He has a small army with him. Between his men and Selcer’s, I’m amazed you made it into the house at all.’’
‘‘I’m good.’’
Yes, that he was. Except for the one major way that had torn them apart, Mark Callahan was good at just about everything. ‘‘Then be good some more and come up with a plan that keeps the good guys alive and breathing.’’
Mark took hold of her hand and absently stroked his thumb across her knuckles. ‘‘How much does Selcer know about this meeting between Rad and his patsies?’’
‘‘Very little. Rad plays this all very close to his chest. I wouldn’t have put the clues together if not for the information Paulo provided going into it.’’
‘‘Any chance the girl is stashed on this estate?’’
She shook her head. ‘‘No, I honestly don’t think so. Rad couldn’t set it up without Selcer’s security people knowing something about it. All that concerns them is the party. Their instructions call for them to clear the estate at two a.m., which is business as usual.’’
She tried to pull her hand away, but he held her tight, his brow knit in thought. After a moment, he sighed. ‘‘All right. Here’s the plan. Matt, you listening? I’ll valiantly escape from Annabelle, then duck back inside and grab Sophia. I’ll get her out on my own. In the meantime, I’m giving the wire to my wife. Y’all are now her assets to control.’’ To Annabelle, he added, ‘‘Does that work for you?’’
Annabelle concluded that he had made a good choice. She would be glad to have the extra backup. ‘‘Yes.’’
Mark yanked at the studs on his shirt and frowned at something his brother must have said. ‘‘That blows. All right, you stay in position.’’ To Annabelle, he said, ‘‘The fireworks made the gate guards nervous. They’ve added more bodies. Matt thinks it is best I hand Sophia over to him, but Luke is free as of now.’’ He detailed his twin’s location, then added, ‘‘He’ll be happy to explode something if that’ll help.’’
‘‘I’ll keep that in mind,’’ she said to Mark. Addressing his brother, she added, ‘‘Here’s a number to call to coordinate with my team. Tell the man who answers the word is ‘pistachio.’ ’’ She recited the phone number as she unfastened the buttons around her neck, then tugged the side zipper of her dress. The red silk spilled to her waist and she heard Mark suck in a breath. Her nipples went hard—she wasn’t wearing a bra.
‘‘Damn, Belle,’’ Mark breathed.
‘‘Give me the wire, Callahan.’’
His clothing rustled. ‘‘You’ll need to get it. Be careful with the tape—we need it to stick to your skin, too.’’
Mindful of the minutes ticking by, Annabelle attempted to be all business as she slipped her hands into the gap of his shirtfront and snaked them around his torso, but she couldn’t help but note the heat of his skin and the firm rip of muscle beneath it. His scent surrounded her and she wanted to fold against him, to press her bare breasts against his naked chest, to rub herself against him like a kitten and purr.
Good Lord. She blinked in shock at the direction of her thoughts. She had believed she was over this. Over him. ‘‘What’s wrong with me?’’ she muttered beneath her breath.
‘‘Don’t ask me,’’ he replied, his tone knowing. ‘‘Same affliction has a hold on me. It’s all I can do to keep my hands off of you.’’
‘‘Maybe once this is over, we should see a doctor.’’ She grabbed hold of the small transmitter and tugged it from inside his shirt, pulling the tape away with it.
‘‘A sex therapist?’’
She handed him the transmitter. ‘‘I don’t think couples with our particular problem qualify for their expertise.’’
Always observant, Mark positioned the device in the one spot at her waist just above her right hip where the drape of her dress would conceal its presence. But when he went to withdraw his hand, he took a northward, leisurely route. His thumb flicked her nipple, and Annabelle’s nerves zinged straight to her core. She sensed the dampness gather between her legs. ‘‘Dammit, Callahan!’’
‘‘Sorry.’’ He dragged her dress bodice up. ‘‘I lost my self-control.’’
‘‘Well, you’d better find it.’’ She zipped, buttoned, and glared, as angry with herself as she was frustrated with him. ‘‘We need to go
now.
’’
Mark nodded and slipped the miniature earbud from his ear and fitted it into hers. ‘‘Matt, I’m handing her over. Annabelle, meet my brother Matt.’’
Rather than the hello she expected, Annabelle heard him say, ‘‘Annabelle, abort this mission. I’ll pay you one hundred thousand dollars. Hell, I’ll pay you a million dollars. Short of killing him, do whatever you need to do—use any weapon at your disposal— but don’t let my brother out of that closet.’’
Chapter Two
Mark watched Annabelle’s eyes widen. ‘‘Excuse me?’’
She listened a moment. Then her lips lifted in a smile. ‘‘I don’t know whether to feel flattered or offended or embarrassed, Matt. That’s some proposition on your part.’’
‘‘What’s going on?’’ Mark demanded.
She flashed him a sassy, self-confident grin. ‘‘Unless I completely misunderstood, your brother just offered me a million dollars to have sex with you. You must have really missed me bad, Callahan.’’ She cracked open the door and peered out into the kitchen. ‘‘Wait a minute. . . .’’
‘‘A million . . .’’
Dammit, Matthew.
‘‘He’s worried that I can’t handle Rad.’’
She didn’t look away from the door. ‘‘You’re not handling Rad. I am.’’
Mark wanted her to understand why his brother would make such a lamebrain suggestion. ‘‘He thinks I’m going rogue. He doesn’t believe I’ll leave Rad to you.’’
‘‘He doesn’t know me, doesn’t know my capabilities. But’’—now she did glance away from the door and leveled serious brown eyes upon him—‘‘he does know you. Are you thinking about changing the plan, Callahan?’’
‘‘Nope.’’ Mark gave his head a definitive shake. ‘‘You are in charge of Rad. He’s not even on my radar until Sophia is safe.’’
She studied him for a moment, judging his truthfulness. ‘‘I’ll hold you to that. Now we’re good to go. It’s clear.’’
She opened the door wide and stepped out into the hallway, Mark close on her heels. As they crossed through the kitchen, he snagged a bacon-wrapped scallop and popped it into his mouth. If he couldn’t satisfy one hunger, he’d settle for another. Seconds later, they exited the house and veered away from the lighting and into the shadows, where the heady scent of plumeria floated on the air.
Annabelle glanced around. ‘‘Okay, this is good. Do it.’’
Mark didn’t need to say ‘‘Do what?’’ They had worked together on too many operations. They both knew what this one required. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and flexed his fingers before asking, ‘‘You ready?’’
‘‘Yes.’’
She lifted her chin. He made a fist, then hesitated. ‘‘I should take your gun. It’ll be suspicious if I don’t. Do you have a backup piece, Annabelle?’’
‘‘Yes.’’ She handed him the little red gun, then resumed her lifted-chin stance. ‘‘Go ahead.’’
‘‘Okay. Here goes.’’ He drew back his fist. His stomach rolled. ‘‘Hell, I can’t.’’
She scowled up at him. ‘‘Why not? You have before. We’ve done this at least three times that I can remember.’’
‘‘But I hadn’t slept with you then!’’
‘‘Oh, for God’s sake.’’ She rolled her eyes, then grabbed her dress where it covered her breast and ripped it. ‘‘Just do it.’’
‘‘What are you doing?’’
‘‘Giving Rad’s men something to look at other than the transmitter.’’
The mental image that painted was enough to override his hesitation. He swung his fist, popping her on the jaw hard enough to bruise, and tried to ignore her wince. He mussed her hair, rubbed dirt and grass onto her gown, then paused. ‘‘I know you’re a professional. I know you’re better at this than ninety percent of the people out there, and I know we’ve done this more than once before. But this is the first time I’ve ever left my wife to face killers. You be careful, Annabelle. You be damned careful.’’ He gave her a brief, hard kiss, then said, ‘‘Now.’’
In a well-practiced dance, they engaged in a struggle that took them out of the shadows of the Australian pines and into the moonlit lawn. He threw her down and pretended to spit on her for the benefit of anyone watching. She stayed down and he marched back into the shadows.
It was tempting to wait until the goons arrived, but now that he wasn’t inhaling Annabelle’s jasmine-scented perfume with every breath, he was able to think clearly and professionally. He needed to trust her to do her job while he did his.
Of course, what would it hurt if he did his job faster than expected?
Giving her one last look, reminding himself that Rad had no reason to move against her, he returned to the house. At least Radovanovic would be headed for the pool house by now. Rescuing Sophia meant getting past Selcer and his security—not an easy feat, but doable since Annabelle would keep Rad’s men distracted.
Adopting a casual air, he sauntered back into the mansion and resumed his search for Sophia. When he had no luck downstairs, he headed upstairs. He found Harvey Selcer giving a tour of the theater room with Sophia Garza on his arm.
All the time his thoughts were on Annabelle and what could be happening on the back lawn.