CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Maya stared at Jeffrey’s gorgeous body as he stalked over to climb on the bed. He straddled her with one knee on either side of her hips and framed her head with his forearms on either side of the pillow. She reached up and pulled him down to her.
His big, warm body blanketed her, made her feel safe, and was a much-needed distraction—if only temporary—from the hell they were all going through. A reminder that there was still good in the world.
She combed her fingers through his hair, and they looked into each other’s eyes for a very long time. No words were spoken. None were necessary.
His face lowered, and his lips melded with her own. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he ground himself against her core.
“Let’s make sure you’re ready for me.” He slid down her body, nestled his broad shoulders between her thighs, and lowered his face to her core .
His tongue stroked up and down her labia, occasionally stopping to dart inside, then back up again. He rubbed his fingertip through the slickness, slowly slid it inside of her, then leisurely dragged it out as his tongue continued to torment her sensitive flesh.
Her back bowed. She whimpered and grabbed fistfuls of sheet in each hand. She lifted her hips and pressed herself against his mouth, desperately seeking his touch to that bundle of nerves that pulsed to the point of aching.
“Jeffrey, please.” Her voice was thick with need.
He drew his finger out, placed a stinging bite to the inside of her thigh that almost sent her spiraling into an orgasm, then kissed his way up her body. His mouth closed over her breast, and he did something with his tongue that turned her nipple hard as a diamond. He moved to the opposite side and repeated the action, then gave the erect nipple a lick before moving up and over her.
“I think you’re ready for me now.” He gave her a cheeky grin.
“I’ve been ready for you for twelve years.” She reached up and stroked the stubble on his jaw.
“I love you.” He turned his face to kiss her palm, reached between them, and grabbed his penis. “Look at me, Maya.” He refused to let her break their connection as he placed the tip at the opening to her vagina.
“I love you, too, Jeffrey.” She stroked her hand through his hand, never breaking eye contact .
Jeffrey drove into her in one solid motion.
They both groaned, and he held himself there for a few seconds before beginning to take long, slow strokes in and out of her.
“Jesus, you feel so good.” He lowered his head to kiss her.
She met him halfway, their lips joined, and their tongues slid against each other as he continued his rhythmic cadence—in and out, in and out. Her nerves sizzled at the cellular level and her mind disconnected from her body, sending her floating up and up as he solidified his possession of her. She tightened her arms around him, and her heart roared in her ears. Maya thought she might blow apart as the most powerful orgasm ever slammed through her in wave after wave.
Jeffrey pumped into her four more times. His body tensed, and he threw his head back and ground out her name between clenched teeth. He collapsed atop her and buried his face in her neck.
They lay there, connected in the most intimate way, only the sounds of their heavy breaths hanging in the air. Maya stroked her fingers up and down his powerful back as he placed soft kisses to her ear, her neck, and she knew there was nothing Al-Mansoori could do to her that would make her forget this moment or her feelings for this incredible man .
“Are you okay?” He raised himself up on his forearms, a look of concern on his face.
“Of course, I’m okay.” Silly man.
What woman wouldn’t be okay after having the best sex of her life?
“I’m just concerned that I rushed you.” He looked down at their naked bodies. “Rushed this.”
“Do you think we did?” Her heart sank at the thought of him having regrets.
“No, I absolutely do not.” He shifted his weight off of her and lay along her side, bent his elbow, and propped his head on his hand. “I have zero regrets, Maya.” He flattened his hand across her tummy. “And just so we’re clear, we will be doing it again, once we’ve taken care of Al-Mansoori.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.” She reached up and combed her fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to lose one more minute with you.”
Their lovemaking might seem ill-timed, but she would never regret it.
“Good, that’s settled. Once we’ve got Isla back, the two of you will move in here where I can watch over you.” The man couldn’t help himself; he was a born protector.
“There’s that bossiness again.” She smirked.
“I am what I am, babe.” He gave her a quick kiss. “You need to eat something, and we need to talk.” He patted her thigh, threw his legs over the side, and pushed up off the bed. “I still have questions for you. ”
“I had an inkling you might.” She held the sheet to her chest and sat up.
She took a moment to enjoy the view of him walking around, gloriously naked as he gathered up their clothes. He handed Maya’s to her and tossed his on a chair in the corner, then grabbed a T-shirt and pair of sweats from a drawer and put them on. Nothing as handsome as a man confident enough to go commando in a pair of loose sweatpants.
“I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” He leaned down, gave her another kiss, and left her to get dressed.
“I’ll be right out to help.” She washed up in the adjoining bathroom and put her clothes back on.
By the time she headed to the kitchen, Jeffrey was at the stove, his back to her, tending to the chicken.
“How can I help?” she asked.
“Why don’t you grab that bag salad out of the fridge.” He placed the lid over the chicken, bent to grab a large bowl out of a lower cabinet and tongs from a drawer, and set them on the counter. “You can toss it in this.”
They worked together in a comfortable silence, moving around each other like they’d done it a million times.
“What would you like to drink?” He pulled the fridge open. “I’ve got a couple different kinds of soda, orange juice, beer, wine.” He gave her a questioning look over his shoulder .
“Actually, water is fine.” She hadn’t had alcohol in years, and the one glass of wine she’d drunk earlier went straight to her head.
“The glasses are in that cabinet right there behind you.” He grabbed the plates he’d set out on the counter earlier. “Grab one for me, too, will ya?”
Maya selected a couple of glasses and moved over to the fridge. She filled them with ice and water through the automatic dispenser and set them on the large table adjacent to the great room.
He set two plates loaded with food on the table and slid her chair out for her.
“Thank you.” Maya sat and draped her napkin across her lap. “This looks incredible.” She leaned over the plate, closed her eyes, and inhaled a deep breath. “Mmm, and it smells amazing.”
“So, tell me what happened after you left the hotel that night.” Jeffrey cut a chunk of chicken and put it in his mouth.
What happened?
Maya had held back tears during the entire flight to England as she’d mourned the loss of the only man she ever loved. But she opted not to share that part of her journey with him.
“Our intel folks intercepted some chatter that seemed to indicate I was in imminent danger. Per standard protocol, I was immediately ordered back to London. But not before receiving very specific instructions to avoid my flat and report directly to the SIS Building.” The impressive concrete and glass structure on the banks of the River Thames in Vauxhall Cross was the headquarters for the Secret Intelligence Service, aka MI6. “By the time I arrived in London, my flat was sold, most of my belongings had already been placed in storage, and three boxes of clothing awaited me in my office. Well, what had been my office until it was decided I needed to go underground.”
“You know you could’ve told me what happened. You didn’t have to drug me.” He didn’t sound angry so much as disappointed.
“I was ordered not to say anything to anyone. And let’s be honest, Jeffrey, you would’ve asked questions, and I probably would’ve ended up answering them. Which would’ve put you in grave danger.” She’d checked the news the following day, terrified that the people after her might’ve learned of their relationship and hurt him in some way. “I am so terribly sorry I did that to you. I hope you believe that and that you can find a way to forgive me.”
The weight of what she’d done had been like an anvil on her heart.
“I believe you, and there’s no forgiveness necessary.” He reached over and covered her hand with his. “Then what happened?” He speared lettuce with his fork and put it in his mouth .
“From there, I was flown via one of the agency’s private jets to Salzburg, Austria. Then I took a cab to a cottage in a small town about thirty kilometers away called St. Gilgen.” The first of many towns they’d lived in. “By the time I’d returned to London, Nigel had already made all of the arrangements. New identity, passport, birth certificate, personal history, furnished housing, everything. He hadn’t missed a detail.”
She’d read and reread the paperwork to familiarize herself with who she was. Which sounded incredibly odd. All of the studying in the world never could’ve prepared her for what happened soon thereafter.
“A short time later, I found out I was pregnant.” And her entire focus shifted from self-preservation to protecting her unborn child.
She took another bite of chicken and was struck by how normal it felt to be sitting at the table chatting and eating with him. Other than the fact the topic of conversation was uniquely serious.
“We always used protection.” He dragged his fingers through the condensation on the side of his glass.
“You know as well as I that condoms are not one hundred percent foolproof.” And they’d gone through a lot of them.
“That’s true.” Jeffrey nodded. “Was Isla born in St. Gilgen? ”
The ice shifted and clinked in his glass when he lifted it to finish the last of his water. She was transfixed by the movement of his throat.
“You okay?” he asked.
“What? Oh, yes, I’m fine.” Focus, Maya . “Yes, she was born at a small hospital in St. Gilgen. The doctor and nurses who delivered her were wonderful.”
What appeared to be a look of pity darkened his features.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She pointed her fork at him. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me. It’s not like I gave birth to her all by myself in a hay barn or something.” She stuck a forkful of salad into her mouth. The tangy sweet flavor of the raspberry vinaigrette dressing was a delight to her tastebuds.
“Maya.” He dragged her name out with a slight scolding tone. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
She finished chewing, set her fork on her plate, and wiped her mouth. She took a sip of water, using the time to fashion a proper response.
“Having friends or family around isn’t exactly something you can do when you’re trying to stay a step ahead of a maniac who has vowed to kill you. Besides, I had a trouble-free delivery, and Isla was born perfectly healthy.”
What more could she have asked for? For starters—to have him there with her to see their daughter’s beautiful face the moment she took her first breath .
As if he’d read her mind, he said, “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. That you’ve had to go through all of it alone.” Jeffrey curled his hand around the back of her neck. “But you’re not alone anymore.”
“Jeffrey, it’s too dange—”
“No, Maya. The running stops now.” He leaned close and gave her one of those piercing blue determined looks of his. “I will do whatever it takes to ensure you and Isla are safe. Understood?”
“Even it if means risking an international incident?” Which would be the case if this operation failed.
“Even then.” He tapped his fork to the edge of her plate. “Now finish your chicken.”
Rather than bristle at his bossiness, she reminded herself it came from a place of concern for her. For the next several minutes, she shared stories about Isla.
“She’s extremely intelligent and quite inquisitive. Which, as you can imagine, can be a very troublesome combination.” Her daughter was a well-mannered child, but she still managed to keep her mother on her toes.
“Sounds like someone else I know.” One corner of his mouth lifted.
“Yes, well, perhaps.” She rolled her eyes and gave a partial shrug of her shoulders. “Anyway, one day, out of the blue, she walked into our cottage holding a very long, very scary-looking black snake. ”
“A live snake?” Interest piqued, he sat forward and crossed his forearms on the table.
“Yes, the snake was very much alive. Fortunately, it was harmless.” Maya shivered. “Except to my sanity. But I must say, I was quite proud of myself for not screaming. I simply pointed toward the door and said, ‘Out.’”
Isla had been reading about snakes and had spent hours looking for one in their small garden. Unfortunately for Maya, her daughter’s search had been successful.
“She whined and protested, said she wanted to keep it as a pet.” Her hand went to her chest. “A pet! Can you even imagine?”
Jeffrey laughed, and it was magnificent.
“I’m looking forward to meeting her.” His smile was rich with affection for the daughter he had yet to meet.
“About that.” Maya shifted in her seat.
He tensed, as if prepared to protest whatever she might say, and she set her hand on his wrist.
“I absolutely want you to meet her, and for her to know that you are her father.” Her hand slid away from his warmth. “But I am concerned that dropping that kind of news on her after this whole nightmare will be too much for her to deal with all at once.”
“That’s just it, Maya.” He reached across and took hold of her hand. “I want to help her deal with what’s happened. I want to be a part of that process with you—as her father. ”
“There is a very good chance she’ll be angry with me for keeping the truth from her.” And rightfully so. “And I worry she’ll say something hurtful to you. Even though you had no part in keeping the truth from her.” Something she would make abundantly clear when she spoke to Isla.
“You really don’t give me much credit, do you?” He released her hand and sat back. “I want to know my daughter. Whether she’s angry, sad, happy, hurt, I want to be there for all of it.”
He turned his chair, reached over and grabbed hers with both hands and dragged her to him until her knees were trapped between his.
“I want to be in Isla’s life and not just as some guy her mom knew a long time ago.” He propped his elbows on his knees and leaned in close to her. “Now I want you to listen to me and listen well.” His blue gaze held her captive. “Like I said, I want you two here with me—as a family.”
Her entire body relaxed, and her forehead fell to his shoulder.
His hand stroked up and down her back, and his cell phone vibrated on the table. She lifted her head, and he snatched the phone up and tapped the screen.
“Burke.” He watched her. “Hang on. She’s right here.” He tapped the speaker icon and set the phone on the table. “Go ahead, Beck.”
“Andi and Mason are in the corporate jet, enroute to our private airstrip in Virginia. She looked over the various embassy building blueprints and is confident she knows where they’re holding Isla. Let’s just hope they haven’t moved your daughter before the team gets there.” He let them know that Jonathan would be monitoring the mission from the ops center at the Pac NW facility. “He knew how important this was to Andi. It’s not like anyone could’ve stopped her anyway. My sister-in-law can be quite determined.”
“That’s an understatement.” Jeffrey looked at Maya. “Don’t worry, Andi is one of the best operators I’ve ever known.”
“Mason and Andi’s ETA is twenty-one fifteen hours. Wolf, Viking, and Calliope will be there when they touch down. That should give you time to blow the dust off your gear and meet them at the airfield.” Beck was obviously teasing Jeffrey.
Anyone who spent even the shortest amount of time with Jeffrey Burke would sense his discipline and tactical preparedness. They were ingrained in the man’s psyche.
“My gear is just fine, smart-ass.” A small smile lifted the corner of Jeffrey’s mouth.
“Good.” Beck chuckled and began to lay out the op plan. “There is a tunnel that leads from an old boiler room beneath the embassy to a small building close to the Soapstone Valley Trail. It gives power company workers access without having to go through the embassy.” Papers shuffled in the background. “According to the blueprints, all of the buildings were converted to electricity years ago, before the Qadirans ever moved in. The previous residents no longer needed the boiler room, and it appears as if it has just been closed off and unused ever since. That is our way in.”
Maya remembered Jeffrey telling her that people would be surprised by how many old tunnels there were beneath the capital city.
“Do we know if that tunnel is secured?” Jeffrey asked.
“Since the Qadirans weren’t the first to occupy the building, we’re not one hundred percent certain,” Beck continued. “We pulled up some satellite images. The entrance to the tunnel is a small concrete structure about the size of a large porta-potty. From what we could tell, it appears to be in a state of disrepair and is partially overgrown. Which leads me to believe no one has used it in a long time. We’ll know more once the team gets there.”
Jeffrey hopped up and rushed into the kitchen. He slid open a drawer and pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil, then hurried over and sat.
Beck assured them that no matter what the state of the building might be, they were prepared to access that tunnel, one way or another.
“How about the external door to the boiler room?” Jeffrey scribbled some notes .
“From what we can tell from the latest security system schematics Sammy managed to find, it doesn’t look like they’ve put in any type of security down there.”
“So either the Qadirans don’t know about the tunnel or the schematics are outdated and there could be a rather unpleasant surprise waiting for your team.” Maya’s brain was firing in a way it hadn’t since going underground.
Exhilarating as it was, it was also terrifying. These people didn’t even know her or her daughter but were willing to risk their lives simply because of their loyalty to Jeffrey.
Maya would never be able to adequately repay them.
“Timing will be critical,” Jeffrey said. “Once we breach that door in the basement, we’ll need to get in, get Isla, and get the hell out of there before we’re spotted.”
“Jeffrey, you and Viking will be outside, providing overwatch of the embassy grounds,” Beck said.
“Huh-uh. No fuckin’ way.” He shook his head.
“Jeffrey—”
“She’s my daughter, dammit!” His fist slammed down on the table.
Maya jumped. The glasses and dishes clattered against the wood surface, and her fork slipped off her plate and onto the floor.
It was an uncharacteristic outburst from a man renowned for his rigid control.
“I’m going in.” Jeffrey’s voice brooked no argument.
“Okay. I’ll convey the change to the team,” Beck said.
“Calliope is a world-class sniper,” Jeffrey said. “Her nickname isn’t the Wraith for no reason.”
“I get that, but she’s also a badass who is skilled with a blade. And my thinking was that Isla might be more comfortable with her, since she’s a lot less scary-looking than the rest of the team. Especially when they’re all kitted out.” His tone softened. “But I understand better than anyone your need to go in after her.”
“I’m sure you do.” Jeffrey’s voice held a deep understanding.
Maya gave him a curious look, and he mouthed, “I’ll tell you later.”
Knowing Jeffrey would be going in after Isla lessened her concerns. But she wouldn’t be able to breathe fully until they were both back in her arms.
“Jeffrey, you, Andi, Mason and Wolf will breach the embassy and get Isla. Viking and Calliope will provide overwatch from outside the embassy grounds.” Beck continued laying out the plan. “Once she has been secured, they will surround her and exit the way they came.”
Jeffrey lifted Maya’s hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “If we’re lucky, they’ll never know we were there.”
And if they were caught, it could end very badly for all of them, including her daughter.
The next few minutes were filled with discussions about their many backup plans. Being prepared for any eventuality is what made the difference between a successful operation and a potential disaster.
“Good luck, Jeffrey.” Beck’s voice was solemn.
“Thanks, Beck.” They ended the call, and he turned to Maya. “I’ll bring her back. I promise.”
“I believe you.” There was no one she trusted more than him.
Jeffrey Burke was an honorable man, a loyal man. He might spend his days in a suit, but a trained killer lurked just beneath the surface.
Nadim Al-Mansoori had no idea the hell-storm he’d unleashed by taking their daughter.