Chapter 22
Sam, aka Leo, aka Saint
With the office door closed, I flip the lid on the box of burners, pull one out, and dial.
“Jack here.”
“It’s Leo.”
“Hold.”
I drop down on the leather sofa, kicking my bare feet up on the pouf, perfectly situated so I can see if a shadow crosses below the door.
“I’m back. Calling on a Saturday?” Jack asks.
“Need I remind you I work twenty-four-seven and have been doing so for more than five years?”
A grunt crosses the line. He can get annoyed all he wants. I really don’t give a fuck. A click sounds, and I assume it’s a door closing.
“What’s up?”
“I need to coordinate a visit with my Texas cousins.”
“Is this your bride’s idea?”
“No. Nick’s.”
“Why?” He’s right to be suspicious. And concerned. Jack doesn’t want these people anywhere near his family, even his extended family, if things go south.
“He’s looking for updates on some of your most recent product offerings. And he wants me to get a sense of what’s happening on the American sales front.”
“And he’s using the new bride as an excuse?”
“Something like that. I keep telling him it’s an arrangement, but he’s convinced it’s more.”
“Is that right?”
“Showed up for the ceremony to perform as my best man.”
“Nomad left that piece out of the intelligence briefing.”
“If I bring her, you’ll need to get a team on it. When I exit, they might come after her to ask all about who she saw on her Texas trip.”
“When you exit, we’re doing it so no one comes looking. Period.”
“Does that mean you’ve cooked a plan?”
“We’ve got a dozen. But it’s not time yet.”
“Right.” I’ve been hearing that for at least four years.
“What’s the update from Qatar?”
“Don’t have one yet. There may not be one. Nick had to leave early for personal reasons.”
“Sources are telling us Russia had their hands all over that meeting.”
“Could be true. Things happened. I couldn’t press for details without raising suspicion.”
“Anything happen we need to know about?”
“Nick’s personal bullshit.”
“Speaking of personal, how’s life married to the mob?”
“The arrangement removed her from the mafia world.”
“It’s my understanding that’s a world you don’t leave.”
“She did.”
“Be careful. That wasn’t part of the op.”
I divert my attention to the overcast day and a plane flying high above the skyscrapers. He can take his criticisms and shove them where the sun doesn’t shine.
“What’s done is done. Sources say Russia’s purchased some serious firepower to replenish its arsenal. Have you heard anything about that?”
“No. I wasn’t called in to negotiate for them.” Nick doesn’t do any work for Russia. Putin assassinated his parents. He works around the Russians, not with them. “If you’re trying to track it down, I’d focus on Titan Shipping. Alessio Gagliano is leveraging some ships for the shadow fleet to get sanctioned goods out of Russia and to buyers. Would make sense if he’d traffic sanctioned goods into Russia too.”
“Is the syndicate orchestrating that?”
“Not Nick. There might be some players brokering the bigger ticket transactions. There’s money in sanctioned goods. But Nick sent me down to that meeting to learn more about Titan’s role in the shadow fleet, which says to me the syndicate is not orchestrating that piece of it. He wouldn’t need the intel if one of his partners was a part of the deal.”
“And Gagliano is your father-in-law, right?”
“That he is.”
“You’ve created a new definition for deep cover.”
“It’s a talent.”
“On another note, tensions with China are rising.”
“When are they not?”
“True. But we’re thinking the move on Taiwan is imminent.”
“Syndicate won’t touch that.”
“But the kingpins will shift positions in preparation. They’ll do everything they can to minimize losses and maximize gains from conflicts.”
“And?” What, exactly, does the CIA want from me?
“Keep your ears open.”
“Won’t satellite imaging and monitoring market fluctuations tell you all you need to know?”
“You’re done, aren’t you?”
I lift my gaze to the ceiling. He’s right. I’m exhausted with this game. But I’m not a quitter. “It’s all feeling senseless. The syndicate is wealthier and more powerful now than before I started.”
“You’ve been a saint to last this long.”
Is that his idea of a joke? “My next update will be through Nomad. Figure out my trip for my bride to meet my family. Nick’s going to ask me about it.”
“We’ll look into it. And hang in there. You’ve got to trust me. What you’re sharing with us? The intel is invaluable.”
A shadow crosses below the threshold of the door, and it pushes open. Cornflower blue irises warm me like a bolt of sun through a cloud-soaked day.
“Let me know if there’s anything else we can do to help Lina.” I end the call, knowing Jack will understand my nonsensical sentence means we got interrupted. And not a moment too soon. There was a time when I ranked Jack Sullivan as hero, but five years into this, and I’m about done with the guy.
“How’s Lina?”
“Nick’s taking care of her. She’ll be fine.”
“You know, she’s convinced it was just a random guy from the bar.”
“Men can be monsters.” I push off the sofa and stalk toward her.
“You’re like my father. You’re not going to tell me what’s going on, are you?”
I pin her against the wall with one hand on each side of her face, my gaze falling from those gorgeous eyes, down the slope of her nose, to those full, rosy lips, and farther down her creamy, smooth skin to her décolletage.
“My business is boring. But you know what’s not boring?” My hand cups her breast over her shirt, and she responds with a gasp. “You.”
Her fingers tenderly trace the outline of my erection through my jeans. “Apparently so.”
I grin and bend until my nose presses to her shoulder and I breathe in her flower garden scent and kiss and suck my way up the length of her neck. She tilts her head, giving me room, but it’s the tips of her fingers, lightly teasing my tip, that’s going to push me right over the edge.
“If you unzip my jeans, you’ll have better access.”
A flicker of a smile crosses her lips before I claim them. Kissing her is fast becoming my favorite activity. She moans into my mouth, and I press her into the wall, trapping her hand between us. Her leg lifts, effectively cradling me against her, and I groan.
There’s pressure on my chest, pushing me back, and I break the kiss, concerned. Does she not want this?
Her lips are glistening and swollen, and she’s panting. All good signs.
Those luscious lips curve into a smile and the tip of her tongue covers the center of her upper lip. My breaths are coming out at a quick pace, but they skid when her knees bend and she lowers herself to the ground.
Kneeling before me, she unzips my jeans, releasing my hard-as-stone cock. She grips the base and licks her lips. Thank god for the wall because without my hand planted against it, I might crash.
The tip of her thumb rubs over my crown, smearing the leaking pre-cum. I suck in air, fascinated with her every move. Hot, wet heat wraps around me, and I brush her thick hair out of the way, for her, and for me, because I don’t want to miss a second.
The rest of the world falls away. My fucked-up role. China. Russia. The shadow fleet. It’s just me and her. Her mouth. Warm and hot. Sucking. Licking. Taking me deep to the back of her throat. My balls tighten, and a desperation to be inside her surges.
I pull her up, lifting her, reaching my desk in seconds. My laptop, files, and pens fly, clattering to the ground.
Her chest heaves, and she lifts her top as I grasp her waistband, tugging down her loose pants in one swoop. Pale pink panties are all that’s left and I shift them out of the way and ram into her.
Jesus .
“So fucking tight,” I grunt.
Her fingers clutch my shirt, her thighs rub my hips, and her pussy constricts. I’m in heaven.
“You.” Thrust. “Are.” Thrust. “Exactly.” Thrust. The desk shifts. “What.” Thrust. “I.” Thrust. “Need.”
She pants her pleasure, words incoherent. Her nails dig into my back. Her heel kicks against my ass. I pound against her, feeling her tighten, knowing she’s close.
“Fuck. You feel so good.” It’s a shame I found her so late into this stint, because she’s perfection. I’ll never get enough.
Her eyes lock on to mine, and I round over her, grinding over her with each thrust.
I watch her as I move deep inside. The intensity between us is surreal.
“Fuck.”
“Harder.” Her nails dig into my shoulder.
With a cry, her pussy constricts my dick so hard I lose control. Jesus . I come so fucking hard the world goes black.