Till Death: Deep Six Security Series Book 1 (21 page)

Anger sparked in her blue eyes, but Susan held her smile as she sat up to bounce her breasts back into the cups of her bra.  “On second thought, I need a nice,
hot
shower.” Pushing up to her feet, she bent to pick up her discarded clothes, giving him a spectacular, but very calculated, view of her beautiful rear end.  Logan’s cock swelled painfully against his zipper, and he gritted his teeth.  When she popped back up, Susan glanced at Hawk who was grinning like a fiend at the breakfast table.  “Since, I’m banned from your quarters, Logan, I’m sure Hawk, wouldn’t mind me showering with him over at the bunkhouse.  Would you, Hawk?” she drawled sweetly, giving him a blinding smile.

Hawk’s lips spread to show every tooth in his mouth, and Logan bit back a growl.  “Oh, God no, I wouldn’t mind.  Lady, I think I
love
you.”  When his pilot threw back his head and laughed, Logan did growl. 

Enough was enough, he thought, grabbing Susan’s wrist.  She dug in her heels, as Dave dragged her toward his suite.  Susan kicked him in the shins, and he grabbed her around the waist to carry her.  She elbowed him in the ribs, then reached behind her to box her fists against his ears, but Logan didn’t turn her loose.  His arms tightened around her, until he sat her down at his door, and penned her in while he punched in the code into his keypad. 

He opened the door and held it open with his hip, as he grabbed her arm to drag her inside.  “You don’t tease my men,” he grated, angrier than he could ever remember being.

Susan put her hand on her hip.  “Or what big guy?  You gonna spank me again?”

“I will spank your ass until it’s red as that popsicle in my freezer,” he grated, and at the moment that would give him the greatest pleasure on earth.

“You touch me, and I will kick your ass ten ways to Sunday,” she hissed.  “Give me a reason, because I have plenty of steam to do it right now.”

Logan was at the end of his patience with her, and it wasn’t even noon yet.  Maybe it was better that they were parting ways after this mission.  Things happened for a reason.  He huffed out a breath.  “I think we’ve played this tune, Susan, and if you’ll remember, I won.  It’s getting old, and we don’t have time for it today.  Now, get your ass in the shower and don’t fucking threaten me again.”

“You
won
, because I
let
you win, jackass.  They don’t hand out black belts in jiu jitsu unless you
earn
them.  I earned it, and would be
happy
to give you a
real
demonstration if you push me.”  She tilted her chin arrogantly, and put her hands on her hips. 

There was nothing more beautiful than Susan when she was pissed off.  Her red cheeks and that fire in her eyes could easily be channeled into much more useful emotion, but Dave was not going to put his hands on her.  At all.  Even to give her the spanking she so richly deserved, because that would lead to other things.  Things better left dormant, because she was leaving after this mission, and he didn’t want to give her a reason to back out.  That would be ample reason for her, because he knew this time her teasing wasn’t a prelude to have sex with him.  It had nothing to do with sex.  She wanted to hurt him, and she’d done that. 

He deserved it and so much more.

Huffing a defeated breath, he said, “Just get your shower and dress.  Dex and Mac are bringing the Russian up here, and we need to plan the op for tonight.  I’ve had my shower, it’s yours.”  His eyes tracked down her delicious body in the barely-there lingerie as flashes of their hot sex session in the shower at the clinic paralyzed his mind.  Her slick, oily body rubbing against his, the friction, her hot mouth devouring him as her body begged for him to bury himself inside.

Dave groaned and turned to grab the doorknob.  The best thing he could do right now was get out of there, before he dragged her into that bedroom and fucked her until they were both a pile of ashes.  That’s what he wanted to do, but he twisted the doorknob instead.  “We’ll be waiting, so hurry up,” he growled, as he walked out and shut the door behind him. 

Breathing hard, Logan leaned against the door trying to get his body and mind under control.  Nothing was in control in his life when he was around Susan Whitmore.  Not his libido, or his mind.  He hated that leaf in a windstorm feeling he always had when he was around her.  Dave had been a man who relished micro-managing every aspect of his life for a long time now.  It was the Marine in him, another tenet drilled into him in the corp that had served him well. 

Susan took that away from him, fried every cell in his brain, made him want her even when he hated her, more when he loved her.  Fate played dirty tricks on a man sometimes, and sending Susan to turn his world upside down had been the dirtiest of all. 

This job needed to get over quickly so they both could move on.  So he could have his life back in order again, he thought, as he pushed off of the door and headed to start the wheels rolling to get that done.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Susan dried her hair with the towel, pulled a comb through it, then put it up in a clip she found in the drawer of the vanity.  Probably another item left by the mysterious Cee Cee, she thought, as she picked up the woman’s shirt and pulled it over her head.  Her yoga clothes weren’t in the closet, so they must still be in the laundry.  She didn’t care now.  She just wanted this situation over with so she could get her life back again.  A life that didn’t include Dave Logan, or the sky high heels and prissy suits that were so tight she couldn’t even move. 

She needed to be comfortable and agile for the trip to the college she thought, as she walked to the bedroom door, and through the suite.  That damned Russian they brought back with them from that clinic was going to give her answers, or she was going to kick him in the balls until he did.  Government regulations and red tape weren’t something she was restricted by now, so Susan could do what the hell she pleased to get the information she needed. 

It was a liberating feeling. 

The Russian had no rights now, other than the right to tell her what she wanted to know or lose his balls.  His choice, and she hoped he’d choose wisely. 

With purpose in her stride, Susan walked to the living room and found the Russian at the breakfast table finishing his pancakes.  Dex, Mac, Hawk, Fletch and Logan were huddled across the room, not even watching him.  Summoning up the Barrcuda, Susan walked over to them. 

“Think y’all could keep an eye on the prisoner?” she asked shortly.  “I need someone to tie him up, so he gets in the right frame of mind for this interrogation.”  Every head jerked her way, and Susan smiled, folded her arms over her chest, then turned to the Russian.  “I hope you enjoyed your last meal, comrade,” she shot off in Russian.

His eyes widened, and he choked on his pancakes.  Grabbing the glass of milk beside his plate, he downed it, swiped his forearm over his mouth, then looked at her with fearful eyes. 

She notched up her chin as she walked over to him.  “Yeah, you should be afraid.  You are about to meet the Barracuda, and she is
not
a nice or patient lady.  When she asks you a question, you better think long and hard before lying, or she may eat your balls for breakfast.”  She took a step closer, leaned down to grab his crotch and he whimpered.  “Or do you have any?” she said with a laugh, as she let go and backed away.

Logan walked up behind him, jerked his arms behind the chair and Susan heard the click of the handcuffs.  “Tie his ankles too,” she grated.

“I don’t think that will be necessary, he’s been cooperative,” Mac said walking over to her.

Susan turned a hot glare on him. “Unless you speak Russian, I suggest you back off and let me handle this my way,” she snarled. 

Mac backed up with his hands raised.  “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a laugh.  Logan shot her a hot look, but he cuffed the man’s ankles to the legs of the chair.

She smiled at the Russian.  “Do I need to get my knife?  Or are we speaking the same language here?” she asked smoothly.

“Ask your questions,” he spat, dragging his eyes to Logan.

“Look at me!” she shouted, and his eyes snapped back to hers.  So did every set of eyes in the room.  “What is your name?”

“Viktor Yudin,” he shot back.

“Who do you work for, Viktor?” Susan asked moving closer, when he ground his jaw instead of answering.  She grabbed his jaw, and tipped it upward.  “One chance, Viktor,” she said calmly.  “Answer wrong and I will get my knife.”

“Bratva,” he grated.

The Russian Mafia
? 
Interesting
.  “What is your purpose at the Ardmore clinic?”

“I am security guard,” he answered, jerking his chin away.

“And Mario is the fucking concierge,” she shot back, pinching his chin again.  “What do you do there?!?  What does Mario do?”

“We are
security
!” he hissed, his eyes throwing daggers of hatred at her.

This was getting her nowhere.  “Who does Mario work for?” Susan asked.

Again he ground his teeth, but didn’t answer.  She let his chin go, and stepped back.  He breathed deeply, and Susan smiled slyly, before she turned to walk away. 

“Wait!” he shouted, and she heard him wheezing for air.  “Mario is an American, um, how do you say bratva.”

“Mobster? Gangster?” she offered.

“Yes, the American Mafioso and Bratva are investors in the clinic and we are there to protect their interests.”

“Investing?” she repeated with a laugh.  “You mean laundering money, don’t you?” she rephrased, and he shrugged.  He wasn’t at a level in the organization to know that most likely.  Viktor was just a pawn who did what he was told by the mob leaders.  That’s not what Susan really wanted to know anyway.  The feds could worry about that once Logan turned the Russian over to them.  “What happened to the girl who disappeared with the baby?”

“The Italian girl?” he asked, looking confused.

Susan narrowed her eyes, stepped closer, and he flinched.  “How many girls have escaped from there with babies?”

“Escaped, yes, just one,” he said.

The phrasing of his response told Susan that there would be plenty of information to be had on what happened to the other girls who disappeared, but didn’t escape.  She would leave that for the feds to get out of him. “Where is the Italian girl and what happened?” Susan fired off.

“She and an American guard had relations and she got pregnant.  The doctor implanted her, and she had two babies.  One lived, and one died when it was born.  It was deformed. She took the other baby and ran away, because they were going to kill her and the baby.”

Savage bastards, Susan thought.  No wonder the girl ran. She was very lucky she had gotten away.  “Who helped her run away? There’s no way to escape from there.”

“You did it,” Viktor shot back with a laugh.

“Answer my damned question,” she growled, and he cleared his throat.

“The guard who fathered the baby helped her escape.  When he came back to the clinic, he was punished.”

“How was he punished?”

“He’s dead,” Viktor said coldly.  “He got what he deserved, and I’ll get what I deserve for being stupid if I ever go back there.  The girl will be dead too if they find her.”

“Are they looking for her?” Susan asked, her heart skipping a beat.  Viktor clammed up, and it didn’t look like he was going to say another word.  That told her they were definitely trying to find the girl.  That also meant Logan needed to find her as soon as possible.  But she had to convince this Russian to talk to figure out where she was.

“You won’t go back, if you cooperate.  We’ll hand you over to the feds and they’ll deal with you.  If you cooperate with them, they’ll probably just deport you.”

“I’ll be killed in Russia too.  Either way, I’m a dead man.”

So, Viktor was between a rock and a hard place.  With the right incentive, he’d probably tell her everything she wanted to know.  And maybe she wouldn’t even need a knife to get it. 

“I used to be the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Dallas.  I have connections there and can ask for diplomatic amnesty for you, but I need information.”  Susan didn’t know whether that was true or not, but he’d probably believe her, and she definitely wasn’t above lying right now.  “What was the guard’s name?”

He studied her for a moment, and Susan could tell he was thinking hard.  She walked over to him and grabbed his ear and twisted it hard.  He grunted, and immediately said, “Tony Lozio,  I think he was from New York.”

Victory surged through her and she did a mental fist pump, as she turned his ear loose.  She spun to find Dex.  “Get everything you can find on Tony or Anthony Lozio from New York, and you’ll probably find the surrogate at one of his relatives,” she said with a grin.

“Damn, remind me never to piss her off,” Hawk muttered under his breath to Logan, and he nodded, his eyes fixed on her.

Susan knew she needed to press her advantage, while she had it, so she turned back to fire, “How many guards are there total at the clinic?”

“Fourteen, including the ones in the tower,” Viktor answered, his eyes darting to Logan.

“How many women are being held there?” Susan asked shortly.

“Right now there are nine women in the dormitory, five Russians, two Serbian and two Greeks.” he replied.

“Why all foreign women?” she asked again.  “How are they being coerced to stay there and have babies?”

He hesitated and Susan shook her head, as she turned to walk off, but he started talking.  “They offer them jobs in their countries, and take their papers when they get here.  They cannot leave, even if they weren’t guarded.”

Susan walked up to Viktor and slapped his cheek.  “Good, boy.  Now, you go back to the barracks until we get back and decide what to do with you,” she said, then turned to Mac.  “Take him back to the barracks and tie him up.  Don’t turn your back on him.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mac said with a snort, as he walked over to uncuff the Russian.

“We need a meeting,” she said to the others as she headed down the hallway to the conference room.  She was seated at the head of the table when the men filed in.

Logan took the seat to her right, and grumbled, “That’s my damned chair.”

“Not right now, it isn’t, if you want to know what I found out.”  Susan waited until they were all seated, then listed off the things she’d found out from the Russian.  “Dex is digging up the dirt on Tony, so we probably need a few men on standby to follow up on any leads he comes up with,” she said with a sense of exhilaration flowing through her.  She looked at Logan.  “How many men do you have coming back tonight from Houston?”

“Five,” he replied gruffly, drumming his fingers on the table. 

“Mac and Dex will have to stay here with Viktor,” Susan said thoughtfully.  “Gray is in the main office working on the financials, and we need to check in with him to see what he’s found.  Tell him about the mob connections.  We’ll have three extra men to go with us tonight, plus Hawk and Fletch.  Where’s Slade?” she asked, just realizing he wasn’t among them.

“He’s with the Russian girl at the hospital,” Logan replied gruffly.

“Good, you have someone on her.  I’d like Caleb to stay with Jenna.  These guys are savages, so they could be looking for them both, just like they’re looking for the surrogate.  I imagine the heat will be turned up considerably, once we break into the college and find out what’s going on there.  What their connection is to that clinic.”

“Anything else, Mistress?” Logan asked angrily, as he pushed his chair back to stand.  He faked a yawn behind his hand.  “Now, that you’ve taken over my team, I guess I’ll just go take a nap.  Let me know what y’all decide,” he said walking around the table to the door.

“Yeah, there is something else, Logan,” Susan said leaning back in her chair to fold her arms over her chest.

“What?” he asked at the door.

“Go to hell, would you?” Susan asked with a snort.  “Are you
that
insecure?  I’m not trying to takeover, asshole.  I’m trying help get this op together, since you can’t seem to be able to find your ass with both hands right now.”

“What you’re doing, Susan, is trying to take over and run roughshod over me and my men.  I’m the one who gives the orders around here, not you.  See how well they follow your directions, and let me know how that turns out, will you?” He shook his head and started to leave, but leaned back into the doorway.  “Oh, and since you have the market cornered on brains, you need to figure out how you’re going to that clinic again on your own.  I have the information I need to find the surrogate, so my job is done.  I’m out,” he said as he ducked back out and she heard him walking down the hallway.

Hawk scraped his chair back and stood.  “Need to check on the aircraft and refuel,” he said walking out of the room.

Looking embarrassed, Fletch stood, and said, “I’m going to take a Hummer and go to the campus early, so I can do some recon.  I’ll see y’all tonight.”

Dex walked through the doorway.  “Where’s Logan?” he asked.

A little stunned, Susan shrugged, and he left too.  She was alone, and at a loss as to what to do now.  She’d never felt this way, rudderless and thrown to the wolves.   Abandoned at the time she needed Logan’s support most.  Just another example of why she couldn’t trust a man.  But she needed this one for now.  These were his men, and he knew them.  He was right they weren’t going to listen to a thing she said, because they had no respect for her.  She hadn’t earned their respect, Logan had.

Susan’s eyes burned, and she looked at the ceiling, breathing slow and easy until it passed.  She couldn’t do this without him, and he knew it.  The only way she was going to get his help was to apologize.  Beg if she had to, so he would help her save her sister and those other girls.  And she had a feeling that’s exactly what he expected her to do.

You win, asshole, she thought, as she pushed her chair back to stand.    She walked out of the conference room and headed for his residential suite.  The door opened before she got there and Dex walked out.  She ran to catch the door before it closed.