9. Hornet
9
HORNET
A s much as I wanted to stay where we were, Reaper was right. We needed to relocate tonight. We couldn’t risk waiting even as long as morning.
I glanced beside me at Kima, who appeared lost in thought while, at the same time, bone-tired. The sooner we were on our way, the sooner she could rest.
Reaper had chosen Montenegro as our next destination for its defensive position and multiple escape routes. More importantly, the villa belonged to Gavin Plummer, code name Pathfinder. He was a former Unit 23 agent whose specialty had been creating untraceable safe houses throughout Europe. Reaper had also arranged for backup from an MI6 team whose home base was in the Balkans. They were led by Garrett Gilmore, code name Greenwich, and Eliot Rhodes, code name Regent. I’d worked with both men on ops early in my career and trusted them implicitly.
When we arrived at the villa outside Budva, Montenegro, several hours later, the security lights cast rays on the perimeter’s stone walls, which were partially covered by climbing vines. Inside, the Adriatic Sea provided a breathtaking backdrop through floor-to-ceiling windows.
After checking in with both Greenwich and Regent, I found Kima out on the moonlit terrace, gazing at the silvery path stretching across the water. The glow illuminated her profile, softening the worry lines that had formed since our hasty retreat from Gelendzhik.
I stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. She turned slightly, acknowledging my presence without shifting her focus from the horizon. “Do you think he orchestrated the entire thing?” she asked.
“I do,” I responded, knowing she was referring to Jekyll.
“He’s watching us. As if he’s biding time.”
The sound of strained voices drifted from inside the villa. Reaper and Amaryllis were at it again, their operational styles clashing in the same way as opposing storm fronts.
“Your approach compromised the entire extraction route,” Amaryllis was saying, her voice carrying through the open doors. “We had three viable exit strategies until you made that call.”
“My approach got us out alive,” Reaper countered. “Security had already identified the service corridors before we even moved.”
Kima’s lips curved into a weary smile. “Those two are going to either kill each other or end up in bed together.”
“My money’s on both,” I said, grateful for the momentary lightness.
When she shivered in the coastal breeze, I pulled her closer. She leaned against me without hesitation, her body fitting perfectly against mine. The tension in her shoulders relaxed slightly as I pressed a kiss to her temple.
“We should go inside,” I murmured. “You need rest.”
“You’re right,” she said, but made no move to leave. “Give me another minute.”
The minute stretched into several as we watched the moonlight dance across the water—a stolen interval of peace before whatever storm Jekyll had brewing broke over us.
Finally, Kima turned in my arms. “I feel as though he’s known every move we’ve made, every lead we’ve followed.”
“Maybe. Typhon admitted once that he had the most strategic mind in Unit 23.”
Her eyes found mine, searching. “What does he want from me? If he wanted me dead, he’s had opportunities.”
I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Maybe he wants what you want—answers. Closure.”
“After eleven years?” She shook her head. “He could have reached out at any time. To me and to my mom.”
“Something changed,” I said. “Something significant enough to risk exposure after all this time.”
Reaper appeared at the terrace’s doorway, his expression grim. “Greenwich received intel from London. Jekyll has been spotted in Podgorica.”
Kima stiffened against me. “When?”
“Three hours ago. A café near the old town.” Reaper handed her a tablet with the surveillance image. “He made no attempt to hide.”
The photo showed Jekyll sitting alone at an outdoor table, seemingly relaxed as he sipped a cup of coffee. What struck me was how directly he faced the camera—as if he knew exactly where it was.
“He’s getting bolder,” Kima said quietly.
“It’s a trap,” I responded automatically.
She looked up at me, determination hardening her features. “Yes, and this time, we aren’t going to react.”
Back inside, the villa had transformed into a hive of activity. Greenwich and Regent monitored surveillance feeds while Reaper and Amaryllis reviewed maps that were spread across a large table. For once, the two seemed to be working in tandem rather than opposition. “He tracked us to Budva,” Amaryllis was saying as we entered. “Café access points are the main entrance from the square, kitchen door in the back alley, and rooftop from the neighboring building.”
“I’ll take overwatch position here.” Reaper indicated a church tower with a clear line of sight. “Can provide cover for all exits.”
“I’ll be inside,” Amaryllis continued. “Already established cover as a regular patron over the past week.”
“No one is going anywhere near Podgorica,” said Kima.
All four looked up at her.
“What do you mean?” Amaryllis asked.
“Precisely what I said. He’s been baiting me, and I’m done biting.”
The American woman’s mouth gaped. “You’re abandoning the mission?”
Kima shook her head. “Not at all.”
“I don’t understand,” Amaryllis pressed.
“If his game is to see how high I’ll jump, he’s about to discover I’m no longer jumping at all.”
Amaryllis raised her chin. “I respectfully disagree with your decision.”
“Noted.”
“I can’t compromise my own mission based on your whims.”
Every person in the room cringed at Amaryllis’ challenge, other than Kima, who stood her ground. “You are welcome to go your separate way.”
“So your plan is to do nothing?” While a smarter or more intuitive person might back down, Amaryllis didn’t.
This time, Kima didn’t respond. Instead, she turned to the two MI6 operatives. “Find an alternate meeting location. One less open, without multiple vantage points for snipers.”
“Roger that,” said Regent.
She faced me. “We know he’s watching. The message about my locket proves that. So let’s send him a message of our own—this time, he comes to us.”
“He won’t do it,” Amaryllis objected.
“So be it,” Kima countered.
“The lighthouse on Budva’s old citadel,” Regent suggested.
Looking at the image he pulled up on the screen, I immediately liked it for several reasons. First, it meant Jekyll would be forced to come to us if he truly wanted to see Kima. Second, there was nothing within a five-hundred-meter radius of the place.
“It could work,” Reaper commented. “But how do we get the message to him?”
“The same way he’s been communicating with us,” Kima replied. “Indirectly, through channels he’s watching.”
“I can help with that,” said Amaryllis. “I have contacts who can spread the word in the right circles.”
Kima looked over at me, her gaze questioning.
“Do it,” I said, making the decision. “Set the meeting for tomorrow night, at sunset.”
As the team set up the op, I followed Kima into another room. The tactical efficiency with which she’d taken command impressed me. This was a side of her I’d seen glimpses of during our past operations, but never so fully realized.
“Amaryllis won’t be happy about the change in approach,” I said, closing the door behind us.
“Her happiness isn’t my concern,” Kima replied, pulling up the lighthouse schematics on her tablet. “Her cooperation is. She can either work with us or pursue her own leads separately.”
I studied the schematics on her screen. “The lighthouse gives us tactical advantage. Limited approaches, defensible position, multiple extraction routes.”
“And it forces his hand,” she added, marking potential security positions. “No more cat and mouse.”
She and I spent the next hour refining the operational details.
“We’ll need to transmit the meeting location through secure channels he’s known to monitor,” I said, pulling up encryption specs on my device.
“I sent Reaper a message asking him to assist,” Kima added.
I smirked but kept my mouth shut.
“He identified three dead drops Jekyll’s been using. The message will hit all of them simultaneously.”
“Simple message?” I asked.
“Lighthouse. Budva Citadel. Tomorrow, sunset.” She glanced up with a hint of satisfaction. “No negotiation, no explanation.”
“Perfect,” I agreed. “Now, we wait.”
Night had fallen completely outside the villa windows. The planning was done, positions assigned, contingencies established. All that remained was its execution.
“The perimeter surveillance team reports coastal patrols have increased,” Reaper announced, entering the room. “FSB assets moving through the region.”
“Looking for Jekyll?” I asked.
“Or for us,” Kima suggested. “Either way, we maintain operational security.”
“Roger that,” said Reaper. “Greenwich and Regent have established a defensive perimeter. No one approaches without us knowing.”
“Good,” Kima said. “What about our exit strategy?”
“Three options,” he replied, highlighting the routes on the digital map. “Land, sea, and air, all with separate rendezvous points.”
I studied the extraction plans, impressed by their thoroughness. “These are solid. Who put them together?”
“Greenwich,” Reaper answered. “He’s been operating in the Balkans for five years. Knows the terrain better than anyone.”
Kima approved each exit route with a nod. “We should brief Amaryllis.”
“She’s running surveillance on the lighthouse now,” Reaper said. “Confirming it’s not under observation.”
“The lighthouse is clean, but the FSB’s presence in Budva has doubled in the last twenty-four hours,” she reported a few minutes later.
“Significance?” Kima asked directly.
“They’re looking for someone,” Amaryllis replied. “Could be Jekyll, could be us. Either way, it complicates tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Does it change your assessment of the plan?” I asked, curious about her response, given her earlier objections.
She considered the question before answering. “No. If anything, it validates it. The lighthouse is the most defensible position for contact.”
Her agreement surprised me, though I didn’t show it. Perhaps she’d simply recognized the tactical soundness of Kima’s strategy, or perhaps her own objectives had evolved in ways I couldn’t yet discern.
“What have you learned about Volkov’s hints regarding diplomatic channels?” Kima asked Reaper, moving the conversation forward.
He pulled up a series of documented border crossings on the main screen. “Multiple diplomatic couriers moved through the Balkans in the past month. Pattern suggests organized transportation network using immunity to bypass normal security protocols.”
“Human cargo?” I asked.
“Affirmative,” he confirmed grimly.
“Jekyll’s role?” Kima asked.
“Undetermined.”
“If he’s tracking this operation rather than participating in it, the lighthouse meeting becomes even more critical,” said Amaryllis.
Baikal had suggested the same thing to me about Jekyll when I met with him in Moscow. So what were the implications? “If he’s investigating a state-sanctioned trafficking network, whoever is behind it, may think we’re working with him.”
When the team broke again to make the final preparations, checking the equipment, and reviewing the positions one last time before calling it a night, I found Kima on the terrace, looking out over the Adriatic, her expression contemplative.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, joining her.
“I want to review the lighthouse approaches once more before we turn in.”
We spent another hour on the final preparations before exhaustion demanded rest. We both fell asleep minutes after crawling into bed.
I woke before dawn, the bed empty beside me. I found Kima already dressed in tactical gear, reviewing the day’s timeline with Reaper.
“How long have you been up?” I asked, noting the empty coffee mug beside her.
“An hour,” she replied without looking up.
“There’s unusual maritime activity offshore. Nothing definitive, but worth monitoring,” said Reaper.
I returned to the bedroom, dressed quickly, and rejoined them. “Anything else?”
“Reconnaissance complete. No unexpected variables.” Kima looked at me. “We’re as prepared as we can be.”
“Then, we proceed as planned,” I confirmed.
The day unfolded according to the established timeline. Greenwich and Regent departed first to secure the perimeter. Reaper established his overwatch position with the precision I’d come to expect from him. Amaryllis moved into the lighthouse two hours before sunset, confirming the interior was secure and setting up surveillance equipment.
“Final communications check,” I announced as Kima and I prepared to depart the villa. “Reaper, position one?”
“In position. Field of fire established. No anomalies,” he responded.
“Greenwich, position two?”
“Secure. Southern approach covered.”
“Regent, position three?”
“Northern approach monitored. Civilian presence minimal and accounted for.”
“Amaryllis, interior?”
“Lighthouse secured. Surveillance active on all approaches.”
I looked at Kima. “Ready?”
She checked her weapon one final time before concealing it beneath her jacket. “Let’s move.”
“Movement at the western entrance,” Greenwich reported through the comms immediately before we arrived at the citadel. “Single figure, male, approaching lighthouse perimeter.”
“Description?” I asked, adjusting my position.
“Civilian clothes, approximately fifty years old, moving with purpose. Not Jekyll.”
“Confirmed,” Regent added. “Subject appears to be FSB, based on movement patterns and concealed sidearm.”
“Maintain surveillance,” I instructed.
“Hold positions,” Kima added in a steady voice.
For the next hour, we monitored multiple approaches to the lighthouse. Three more operatives—two FSB, one unidentified—established surveillance positions around the citadel. None approached the lighthouse directly, maintaining distance while watching access points.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Reaper said through comms. “Too much surveillance, not enough action.”
“They’re waiting for someone,” Amaryllis observed from inside the lighthouse. “Maybe Jekyll, maybe us.”
“Or both,” I added.
As sunset approached, the citadel’s tourist population thinned, leaving the FSB surveillance team increasingly exposed. Still, no sign of Jekyll.
“Sunset in fifteen minutes,” Greenwich reported. “No new movement.”
Kima’s voice came through, controlled but tense. “He’s not coming.”
“Not yet confirmed,” I countered, though with diminishing confidence. “Maintain positions.”
The sun touched the horizon, but the area around the lighthouse showed no movement.
“Sunset,” Amaryllis reported unnecessarily. “No contact.”
We maintained our position for another thirty minutes, watching as darkness settled over the citadel. The FSB operatives remained in place, their patience matching our own.
“Time to call it,” Reaper said. “He’s not showing.”
Kima was silent for a long moment. “Agreed. Execute extraction protocol alpha.”
We withdrew in the planned sequence—Kima first, then me, followed by Amaryllis, while Greenwich and Regent provided cover. Reaper maintained overwatch until everyone cleared the citadel before extracting himself.
Back at the villa, the team regrouped in tense silence. Kima’s expression was unreadable as she reviewed the surveillance footage from the operation.
“We learned two important points of information,” she said. “First, the FSB is surveilling us heavily. Second, Jekyll is well aware of it.”
“Commanding it?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t believe so.”
“He spotted the FSB surveillance and aborted,” Amaryllis suggested.
“Or he never intended to meet,” Reaper countered. “He’s evaluating our tactics, our level of determination.”
“Testing us,” Amaryllis added. “Seeing how we’d set up the op, who’s involved.”
Greenwich pulled up a satellite feed on the main display. “The FSB operatives are still in position at the lighthouse. They’re expecting someone.”
“Only not us,” Regent added.
Kima’s focus sharpened. “Or they’re expecting someone because of us. Our message to Jekyll might have alerted others.”
“The trafficking network,” I said, following her logic. “If Jekyll is investigating them, and they’re monitoring his communications…”
“We need to move,” Kima decided. “This location is compromised.”
“Agreed,” I said. “Where to next?”
Amaryllis checked a message on her mobile. “I received intel that Jekyll was confirmed boarding a flight to Athens.”
“Greece it is,” Kima confirmed. “We leave at dawn.”
As the team prepared for departure, I followed her out to the terrace.
“He won’t be able to avoid us forever,” I said, standing behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist.
She shrugged. “Whether he does or not, we’re no longer playing by his rules.”
Either that or Jekyll had once again already gotten the upper hand. We were, after all, following him to Athens.
“Wait.” Kima turned in my arms. “I’m playing right into his hands again, aren’t I?”
“You are.”
“Were you going to say anything?”
“You own this mission, my te?or .”
Her eyes met mine. “Help me.”
“We send decoys,” I suggested.
Her face broke into a wide smile. “I like the way you think, Hornet.”
“Yeah? Well, I like more than how you think.”
“Where are you going?” she asked when I stood and walked toward the door.
“To brief Reaper.”
“I should do that,” she countered.
“As your second-in-command, I’ll handle it. In the meantime, I want you to focus on what you’d like to do when I return.”
Retracing my steps after briefing everyone on the change in direction, I closed and locked the bedroom door behind me.
Kima’s eyes searched mine as I stepped closer and gathered her in my arms, kissing her the way I’d longed to every day since we first met.
“Do you want this?” I asked, my fingers slowly unfastening her shirt.
“More than anything.” Kima moaned as I removed each item of clothing deliberately. I ran a slow, heated gaze over every inch of her body, loving the way the moonlight streamed through the half-open curtains, casting her naked form in a silver glow. I traced a finger along her collarbone, still amazed I wasn’t dreaming.
“You’re staring,” she murmured.
“Can you blame me?” I covered both her breasts with my hands before trailing fiery kisses down her neck. “I love these,” I said, leaning down farther to suck one sensitive peak.
“Devin?”
I released her nipple with a pop. “Yes, my te?or ?”
“You still have all your clothes on.”
“And you do not.” I knelt in front of her, pushing her legs open before sliding one finger, then another, into her wet heat. I stroked her again and again, toying with her nub at the same time. Even when her body shook with the force of an orgasm, I didn’t relent, bringing her right back to the precipice a second time.
“Devin, please,” she whined as her body continued to writhe.
“Not yet, my darling,” I said, lifting one of her legs over my shoulder before leaning forward and replacing my fingers with my mouth. I fucked her with my tongue like I soon would with my cock, but first, I’d wring every possible ounce of pleasure from her.
After the third time she came, her legs gave out, but I was there to catch her, lifting her into my arms and resting her on the bed.
She watched as I removed my clothes, gasping when I released my steel-hard cock.
“Do you want me, my te?or ?” I asked, stroking myself as she reached for me.
“I want you so much,” she pleaded.
I covered her body with mine, pushing her legs open with my knee before rolling on a condom, then positioning my shaft at her entrance. I filled her slowly, inch by inch, until I was as deep as I could go.
Kima wrapped her legs around me and bucked her hips. “Please,” she whined when I held still, savoring the feel of her tight, sodden pussy engulfing me. We moved in tandem, Kima lifting her body to meet my thrusts as I drove myself deeper and deeper. When I felt her channel clench, I withdrew almost all the way, then thrust deep. I drew one nipple into my mouth, sucking hard as my pace increased.
“Devin!” Kima cried out, clinging to me as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over both of us at the same time.
We lay still but for the frantic beating of our hearts several minutes before I gently withdrew, then disposed of the condom. When I returned to the bed, Kima’s gaze lingered on my still-hard cock.
I got in beside her, pulling her body flush against mine.
“Again?” she teased between kisses.
“I will never get enough of you,” I growled, rolling us so she was beneath me. “I have years to make up for, my te?or .”