Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Catya and Fearghas arrived at the hotel where the rest of their team had secured rooms and hurried to the suite they’d rented.
Dmytro let them in and waved toward a laptop the others were gathered around. “You’re just in time.”
“What else has happened?” Fearghas asked as he strode across the room with Catya and Dmytro.
“About the time Lucie sent the decrypted data, we got a message from Ivan with the guest list for the event Stanhope’s hosting at his chateau in Buckinghamshire tomorrow evening.”
“And?” Catya prompted.
“The data on the disk lists many of the names we found on Stanhope’s guest list,” Ace said. “Take a look.”
Catya moved closer with Fearghas, their shoulders touching as she compared the guest list to the names from the data on the disk.
“Who are these people?” Fearghas asked.
Catya pointed to a name she recognized. “Antonio Barros is the current vice president of Mozambique.” She pointed to another name. “Joaquin Guzmán is a high-ranking official from Venezuela. There are names of leaders or officials from all over the world.”
“Many of those on the disk are on the guest list for Stanhope’s event,” Ace said. “Along with an impressive list of celebrities in the film and music industries.”
Catya read through the guest list. “There are royals on the guest list as well as cabinet ministers. And look.” She tugged Fearghas’s arm. “The Deputy Prime Minister, Cassandra Miles and Walter Sykes are all invited.”
“Coincidence? Jasmine asked.
Fearghas shook his head. “I don’t believe in coincidences. Deputy Prime Minister, Walter Sykes and Cassandra Miles all have to be in on this, but does that mean Stanhope is as well?”
“Why would someone kill for this list of names?” Ace asked. “And why are they going to Stanhope’s event?”
“What do these people have in common?” Jasmine asked from behind them.
Catya’s eyes narrowed as she studied the names from the disk. “Most of these names are dignitaries from foreign countries. High ranking, but not the leaders. People with political pull or enough status to represent the leaders.”
Fearghas tapped a finger against his chin, his gaze on the list, his brow dipping low on his forehead. “What else brings them together on that list?”
“Mozambique is an African nation at war,” Ace said.
“Venezuela is a nation in turmoil,” Jasmine added.
“Other nations on this list are having troubles, either internally with civil wars or are fighting with neighboring countries,” Fearghas said.
“Does Stanhope bring them together at his place to teach them how to play nice with each other?” Jasmine asked.
“Stanhope is a ruthless businessman, first. Being a good neighbor is way down on his list of priorities,” Fearghas said. “He probably brought them together to establish additional trade partners.”
“Which makes sense.” Catya met Fearghas’s gaze. “The disk was in the possession of Gia Rosolino. Her father was known for facilitating the sale and transfer of illegal weapons. The information on this disk is a list of his clients and suppliers.” She scrolled through the list. “There.” She pointed at a name. “Mikhail Volchenkov is a Russian. Look him up. I’ll bet he’s a supplier.”
Ace’s cell phone vibrated. He glanced down at the display. “It’s Swede, our computer guy back in the States,” he said, swiping the screen. “Swede, you’re on speaker.”
“I’ve run some of the names from the disk through the internet,” Swede said. “It’s an interesting mix of high-ranking officials from various governments, weapons manufacturers and suppliers worldwide. Some of the names are from opposing countries.”
“Rosolino was facilitating sales to opposing nations.” Fearghas shook his head.
“Playing both sides of war.” Jasmine snorted. “And who benefits most? The people making, selling and shipping supplies to feed the wars.”
“There’s something happening at Stanhope’s place during that event.” Catya stared at the names from the disk. “Why else would those guests be invited?” She looked up. “I want to be there. Especially if the people who killed my parents and Gia Rosolino are there. I want to know why the list on that disk is important enough to kill to keep it a secret.” She glanced up at Ace and Dmytro. “How do we get on the guest list for Stanhope’s party?”
Dmytro rubbed his hands together. “My cousin Ivan will get us in. We will need to have a plan for what we are going to do once inside Stanhope’s chateau. With the number of foreign dignitaries and celebrities, there will be additional security.”
“We need to know a little more about the Deputy Prime Minister, Walter Sykes and Cassandra Miles—and why they would be involved in the illegal arms trade,” Fearghas said.
“On it,” Swede said. “Oh, and I got word from Hank. Atkins and his daughter have been moved to a safe location. Hank and Sadie will arrive in London later this afternoon. I’m headed back into web surfing for more information. Out here.”
“Thanks, Swede,” Ace said. “Out here.” He ended the call and met Dmytro’s gaze. “Hank and Sadie will want to be included on Stanhope’s guest list.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Dmytro said. “A celebrity like Sadie McClain will be welcomed to Stanhope’s party with open arms.” He eyed the others in the room. “It will take a little more creativity to get the rest of us in.”
“That’s right.” Catya nodded. “We can’t show up in force without alerting security. We will need disguises. Some of us can come as guests, others as wait staff or interpreters.”
“We’ll get started on the preparations,” Ace said. He lifted his chin toward Catya and Fearghas. “You two need to grab a bite to eat and get some rest. We’ll let you know if anything earth-shattering comes up.”
Catya was too keyed up for sleep but knew she had to fuel her body with food and rest.
Fearghas rested his hand against the small of her back. “Where do you want us to stay?”
Dmytro held up a key card. “We have three suites on this floor. We are using this one as our tactical operations center. You and Catya can have the one next door. Hank and Sadie will use the other. For food, you can call for room service or go down to the hotel restaurant. The items on the menu are good.” The big Ukrainian grinned. “Not as good as Anya’s goulash, but good enough.”
Fearghas guided Catya out of the room and down to the next door. He tapped the card to the locking mechanism.
Catya heard the click of the lock disengaging and waited for Fearghas to push the door open. She stepped into a room very much like the one they’d just been in. At the center was the sitting room with doors on either side, standing open to bedrooms, each with a dedicated ensuite bathroom.
“Which one do you want?” Fearghas asked.
Catya cocked an eyebrow. “Really? You have to ask?”
His brow wrinkled. “With all your talk about not wanting to be with me, I didn’t want to assume anything.”
The Russian assassin stepped into his arms. “While we’re together on this mission, we will be together.”
His eyebrows arched. “Is that a request or a demand?”
As tired as she’d been moments before, all fatigue disappeared as heat invaded her body, and her pulse quickened. “Do you want to be with me or not?”
He laughed and rested his hands on her hips. “ Mo ghràdh , you send mixed signals.”
Catya pushed his jacket over his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. She unbuckled the shoulder holster and eased it over his arms, laying the holster and the handgun it contained onto the chair within her reach. Next, she tugged his T-shirt from the waistband of his trousers and slid her hands under his shirt, flattening them against his taut abs. It felt so good to touch his skin. “Am I sending mixed signals now?” she asked, her voice hoarse with desire.
His hands moved from her hips to her buttocks, pulling her so close that the hard ridge of his cock pressed into her belly. “Message received,” he whispered and bent to claim her lips in a kiss so tender and passionate it shook her to her very core.
She wanted this man. Not just for an hour, a day or a night. She wanted him forever.
Pushing all the reasons she shouldn’t be with him to the back of her mind, she fell into him with all her heart and soul. She could sort things out later. At that moment, all she wanted to focus on was making love with Fearghas, her Scottish warrior.
Suddenly desperate to be naked, they tore off their clothing, leaving it scattered across the floor.
Fearghas scooped Catya into his arms and strode for the bedroom on the right, where he deposited her on a king-sized bed and dropped down beside her.
For a long moment, he stared into her eyes, his gaze then sweeping over her body, warming her with the heat in his eyes.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” he said.
“Then you haven’t known very many women,” she argued.
He touched a finger to her cheek and trailed it down her neck to her breasts. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever wanted to know like this.”
Her nipple pebbled beneath his touch. She reached up to cup his face. “You have the most beautiful heart of any man I’ve ever known. A woman would be lucky to claim it.”
He lifted her hand to his chest. “My heart beats for you, and only you.”
Then he made love to her, slowly, gently, as if worshipping every inch of her body.
When they came together, he eased into her, teasing at first.
Her passion having reached the explosive point, Catya took over. She rolled him onto his back and mounted him, taking him into her in one hot move. Then she rode him like a stallion, rocking up and down again and again.
He reached for her clit and touched her, launching her over the edge.
Catya collapsed over him, her body limp with the force of her release, her pulse still pounding through her veins.
Fearghas clamped his arms around her, flipped her onto her back and continued to thrust until he tensed. When he started to pull out, she gripped his buttocks and kept him inside, wanting to feel the magic of his orgasm, the throbbing of his cock inside her.
Fearghas thrust once more, sank deeply into her and held steady. He bent to press a kiss to her lips and one to the side of her neck just below her ear. “My heart beats for you,” he whispered and laid down on top of her, rolling them onto their sides. “Only you.”
He held her close, his strong arms wrapped around her, shielding her from the world and all the bad guys who wanted to kill her and everyone she loved. She could almost believe she could have a life with Fearghas.
Almost.
As Catya drifted into sleep, instead of thinking about the event at Stanhope’s, her mind took her to a home in the mountains of Switzerland, where she stood on a wide front porch, watching children playing on the lush green grass—a red-haired little girl and a black-haired boy.
If they made it through Stanhope’s event, solved the mystery of who and why people were killing others and nailed the ones pulling the strings, she might consider retiring from her spy and assassination work.
Would retiring be enough to get her enemies off her back?”
“Probably not,” she whispered as she drifted into a troubled sleep filled with men shooting at her and her make-believe children. She’d have to go a lot further to get away from her past.
Was she willing to take the risk?
Catya rested her cheek against Fearghas’s chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.
No.