Chapter Twenty-Six
They arrived at the resort amidst a horde of other vehicles. When they pulled up to the entrance, Jackson got out of the town car Maxwell had sent to pick them up first, then he turned to help Trinity.
She sighed as he frowned at her again. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“That slit is pretty damn high,” he muttered, looking down at her leg showing as she got out of the car.
“Just consider it easy access for you.”
She laughed as he cursed. Maxwell smiled at her after he came around the side of the car and placed her hand on his arm.
“Are you teasing Jackson again, love?”
“Yep. He just makes it so easy.”
“Keep that up,” Jackson whispered in her other ear. “And I’ll spank you for it later.”
She fluttered her lashes at him. “Promises, promises.”
They climbed the stairs as a unit, her holding onto both their arms. They got their share of attention from the staff and patrons as they made their way into the hotel and through to the ballroom where the charity auction was being held.
The ballroom was a splendor of white and gold. Gossamer curtains in shimmering gold hung between the large, white columns that frame the room, highlighted by spotlights pointing up from the floor. Elaborate crystal chandeliers bathed the entire room in more light, and tastefully dressed tables filled more than half of the massive space.
At the far end of the room was a small stage that would be used for the auction portion of the evening. Right now, a string quartet was seated onstage, playing a selection of classical pieces and adding to the elegant ambiance.
Trinity, Maxwell, and Jackson were forced to greet a number of guests as they made their way through the room. Everyone local in the room knew Jackson, and it seemed like all of the wealthy patrons who had been invited to the special event wanted a moment of Maxwell’s time. She was impressed when Maxwell’s voice turned ice cold with any man who looked at her with more than a polite glance, but the way men scrambled back from Jackson’s growls made her want to laugh.
They certainly were a pair of possessive males.
And they were all hers.
She had her own territory to claim as a number of women tried to eye-fuck her men. Confident in her own appeal, Trinity let a seductive smile tilt her lips as she met their envious gazes. She also took every opportunity to brush up against her men, making it clear they belonged to her.
“Keep that up, you wildcat,” Jackson said through clenched teeth. “And I’m going to bend you over one of these tables and fuck you blind.”
“That sounds like fun,” she purred back, making him groan.
Jackson was pulled away by his chief, and after being introduced, Trinity left them to talk shop and went looking for Maxwell, who had been pulled away by people clamoring to speak to him. She found him talking to Pamela Riviera. She had on a vibrant red dress and was practically rubbing up on him as she leaned closer than was proper.
There was nothing subtle about Trinity’s approach as she slid her arm around his waist and forced the other woman to step back.
“There you are, love,” Trinity whispered, knowing how much it pleased him when she called him that. “We should probably be seated soon.”
“Of course, my love,” Maxwell said before he kissed her softly. His eyes gleamed knowingly as he smiled at her. “Darling, you remember Pamela Riviera?”
“Oh.” Trinity batted her lashes as if she just noticed the other woman who was glaring daggers at her. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Riviera. You look lovely this evening.”
“Likewise,” Pamela Riviera said, not meaning it in the least. “Excuse me, I must rejoin my family. Maybe we’ll get a chance to speak again later,” she said, casting a glance at Maxwell, who answered in a noncommittal hum as she walked away.
“You let that skank touch you again, and I’m going to have to detox you before I let you back into bed,” Trinity hissed as she turned around.
Maxwell grabbed her in a firm yet gentle hold. “Tell me you aren’t jealous, love. You know you are the only woman I want.”
She huffed out a breath. “I know, but still. I can’t punch her in her pretty face at this nice event, so I have to bitch about it instead. I don’t like her. I really don’t like her.”
“Tell you what,” he said as he pulled her hips closer so that their bodies were flush together. “If she approaches me again tonight, I’ll make sure to molest you in front of her.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “I like the sound of that.” She felt a hard body brush up against her back and reached behind her to grab hold of Jackson’s hand.
“If you two don’t stop it we might end up being the entertainment for the evening,” Jackson warned.
“I think you already are,” a deep voice said from behind them. They turned as one and saw Brody, Adam, Ford, and Olivia smile in greeting as they approached. Brody, the man who had spoken, greeted Jackson with a bump of their fists while Olivia hurried up to Trinity, leaving her men to fend for themselves.
“Hi, Trinity!” Olivia said. “Wow, I love that dress on you! You look absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you. You look gorgeous as always,” Trinity said as she eyed the other woman’s beautiful dress. The strapless gown was a deep sapphire color made of a flowing material that looked like silk overlaid with chiffon and a shimmering crystallized bodice that drew the eye. “Is that one of your designs?”
“It is.”
“I’m definitely going to have to come shopping there soon,” Trinity said. “If you have any really naughty outfits, make sure to put them aside for me.”
Olivia laughed. “Will do.”
Trinity eyed her new friend. Olivia had been in a car accident earlier that week, but she showed no signs of trauma. In fact, she looked blissfully happy. “I heard you had a pretty rough week. How are you holding up?”
“I was just a little bruised and banged up, but my guys acted like I was dying. They really have been wonderful,” Olivia answered with a smile. “I barely have to lift a finger before one of them is rushing over to do it for me.”
“Good. They should pamper you.” Trinity could tell that Olivia loved her men, and by the way all three of her men couldn’t take their eyes off of her, they obviously loved Olivia just as much. “You know, for a small island this place is sure entertaining.”
Olivia’s laughter filled the air. “I know what you mean. Speaking of entertainment, you ready to be auctioned off tonight?”
Maxwell’s head whipped around. “What did you say?”
Trinity wanted to groan. She had completely forgotten about the auction bid Rosie had finagled out of her. Truthfully, she had been trying to block it out.
“Katrina?” Jackson growled.
Did he really think saying her name like that was going to do anything but make her hot and wet? She wanted to laugh but thought better as she took in her men’s scowling faces.
Olivia shot her a sympathetic look as she grabbed two of her men’s arms. “Let’s go.”
“Aw, wait. It was just getting good,” Ford West protested.
“Okay, so maybe I forgot to tell you that a woman named Rosie talked me into being a part of this auction thing,” Trinity said.
“What do you mean, you forgot?” Maxwell asked.
“What exactly did you agree to auction off?” Jackson glared at her. He was familiar with the way Rosie Abbas rolled over people and didn’t like this turn of events.
“I don’t even remember. Look, food! We should probably take our seats.”
She quickly moved away from them and headed toward a table off to the side. It was ingrained in her to take one of the seats that was closest to the wall so her back was protected and sat down. She sighed as Jackson scowled at a couple that had been planning to sit at their table, causing them to scamper off as fast as their feet could take them.
“Stop glaring. You’re scaring people away.”
“Then they can sit somewhere else,” he snapped.
She huffed out a breath and turned to Maxwell. “Are you doing anything for this auction?”
“Well, yes. We are donating a suite here at the resort and a spa package. But—”
“Nope.” She made a cutting motion with her hand. “That’s it. You didn’t tell us about that, so you can’t get mad at me.”
“I can be mad at both of you,” Jackson muttered.
“Aww, you’re cute when you pout.” Trinity grabbed Jackson by the nape of his neck and kissed him hard.
“Enough of that. We’re going to be eating soon,” a man said as approached their table with Elodie Simmons, the owner of the ice cream parlor, and another man who looked vaguely familiar.
It took a few seconds, then Trinity remembered meeting Noah as she and Jackson had been leaving the Siren’s Cove during their first date. The man who had spoken tapped Jackson on the shoulder in greeting before sitting down at the table next to him. He leaned forward and smiled at Trinity. He was a good-looking man with black hair and intense dark eyes, and Jackson immediately leaned forward so she could no longer see him.
“Jesus, Stone,” the man muttered. “Territorial much?”
“Stop looking at my date and focus on your own.”
“Since this animal hasn’t introduced me, my name is Carlos Sanchez. I’m Jackson’s best friend, and I’ve been dying to meet the amazing woman who has him twisted into knots.” He grunted as Jackson’s elbow made contact with his ribs. “Damn it, Lieutenant. That hurt.”
“Good. Carlos and I were in the army together,” Jackson explained. “When I came back here, I couldn’t get rid of him.”
“Ah, I can feel the love,” Carlos quipped.
Trinity laughed. “It’s nice to meet you, Carlos. You and I are going to have to talk later so you can tell me all the fun stories he won’t tell me about himself.”
“You can bet on it. That is Noah Diaz, my partner.” Carlos took Elodie’s hand in his and raised it to place a kiss on her knuckles. “And I believe you’ve met our girlfriend, Elodie.”
“Oh, we’ve met,” Trinity confirmed with a grin. “You could say our first encounter was pretty memorable.”
Elodie slapped a hand over her mouth to hold back her laughter as Jackson choked on the sip of champagne he just drank. Maxwell introduced himself to the table as a host of waiters appeared through the doors on either side of the ballroom and made their way to the tables with the first course. Trinity glanced down at the grilled tiger prawns that had been served along with a small mountain of leafy greens that had a light dressing drizzled over it with glee.
Some women didn’t eat at events like this, but she wasn’t one of them.
Rosie Abbas bustled out onto the stage that had been set up and politely cleared her throat to gain everyone’s attention.
“Hello, everyone, it’s so lovely to see you all here tonight supporting such a wonderful cause. It’s always hard to see the children of this community go off to seek their fortunes on the mainland, but this scholarship fund makes sure that they can get the best education possible. It is important to invest in education, and many who succeed will also bring those skills back here to the island where they are needed the most. No matter where their future may lead them, it is our chance to help them along the way.”
Everyone applauded politely as she smiled and toyed with one of the many rings on her fingers for a moment, waiting for the applause to die down before continuing.
“Tonight, we’ll be changing things up a little and starting the auction with one of our most popular items instead of leaving them for last, when all your pocketbooks are already feeling lighter. The first item up for bid is a romantic cruise on board the Blue Horizon Marina’s vessel, The Triple Deck .”
Trinity stopped eating and applauded with the rest of the audience as a young woman named Dana was called up to the stage. She felt sympathy for the woman, who looked like she had just been shocked with a Taser when Rosie mentioned a date with the new owner of the marina had been included in the romantic cruise package.
Her skin seemed to pale against the dark blue of her flowing dress as the bidding began. Trinity watched as the creepy manager from the marina went head to head with two other men who looked damned determined to win the young woman.
When the hot duo won her, Trinity was concerned when Dana bolted from the stage until Jackson leaned in and said, “That’s Harris and Casten. I work with them. They’re damn good cops and good men. She’ll be fine.”
Trinity picked up her fork but set it down again when her name was called from the stage. She smiled at her men as she rose from her seat. Just for the hell of it, she put a little more swagger into her walk as she made her way up to the stage. If looks could kill, she’d be six feet under if Jackson and Maxwell had anything to do with it.
“Katrina Cross is new to our island. I know it’s hard to believe, but this lovely young woman is a security expert working with the prestigious Mac Securities company based out of Chicago. She has graciously agreed to donate private lessons in self-defense to one lucky winner. Now, who would like to—”
“One thousand!” Jackson shouted before Rosie could finish.
“Damn it, Stone. Why can’t you at least give the rest of us the appearance of having a chance?” a man called out from the back.
The audience laughed as Rosie beamed a smile at the crowd. “Are there any other—”
“Ten thousand,” Maxwell called out, making everyone in the room gasp.
Rosie fanned herself with her hand. “Well, isn’t this exciting! Mr. King has already been so generous this evening, but it seems he and Mr. Stone are determined to keep any private lessons with their lady to themselves. I don’t suppose there are any other bids? No? Congratulations, Mr. King. You have the winning bid!”
Jackson and Maxwell both stood up and stalked toward the stage. Each of them held out a hand to her, and Trinity took them, allowing them to help her down the stairs. Maxwell swept her into a slight dip as he kissed her like a scene from an old Hollywood movie, making the crowd laugh. When he released her, Jackson gripped her neck and dragged her in for a searing kiss, making the crowd break out into a round of applause.
Pulling away from them, Trinity flashed the room a saucy grin and took a bow.
“Come on, I can’t wait anymore.” Jackson grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room.
She let out a breathless laugh as he dragged her down the hallway. He hurried out the back doors of the resort leading to the beach with Maxwell at their side.
“Jesus, Jackson—”
“Damn it, I need you,” Jackson whispered before slamming his mouth down on hers. He wrapped both of his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet, taking her further down the beach, away from prying eyes.
“Not that I wouldn’t love to join in, but we seem to have a problem over at the construction site,” Maxwell announced grimly. “The site is completely closed, and there shouldn’t be anyone there, but I see lights.”
“Damn it, just damn it,” Trinity said. “Shit, my purse is still inside. Let me borrow your phone.”
She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers until Maxwell handed it over. She dialed quickly, then held it up to her ear as she moved across the sand, her men close behind her.
“This better be good,” Tony barked out.
“We’ve got trouble at the construction site.”
“Fuck! We’re in town, wait for us. We’ll be there in twenty. Ten if we punch it.”
“Can’t wait,” Trinity said. “Just meet us there. You packing?”
“Always.”
“Good. Going in hot, come in silent. And hurry.”
“Got it. Watch your six, Trin.”
“You know it.”
She hung up and tossed the phone back to Maxwell, then leaned down to take off her shoes. With a sigh of regret, she slammed them against the ground until the heels broke off. Slipping back into the altered shoes, she reached into the slit of her dress and yanked her gun out of her thigh holster.
“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” Maxwell asked, grabbing for her arm.
She evaded him and kept going. “If they are the assholes who tried to kill me, this ends tonight.”
“Damn it, Katrina!” Jackson hissed out. “Just hold on. Let me call for some backup.”
“Call it in, but tell them to fucking be quiet about it,” Trinity said before turning back to Maxwell. “Maybe you should—”
“You don’t want to finish that sentence, love,” Maxwell warned. “If you go, I go.”
Shit. She knew Jackson could handle himself in a tight spot, but Maxwell was an unknown. Still, if she were him she wouldn’t wait either. Not wanting to waste time, she nodded.
“Fine, let’s go. You listen to me, and I swear to God if you get hurt and I’ll kill you myself.”
“Love you, too, darling,” Maxwell whispered.
“That goes for you, too, Katrina,” Jackson bit out. “If you get so much as a scratch on you, I’m going to be pissed.”
Before she could retort, Jackson made a quick call to Carlos back at the resort and told him to grab some men and follow them. When he hung up, they quickly made their way to the construction site, following the lights as a guide.
As they worked their way through the skeleton of the building to the far end of the site where the construction ended against the towering cliff, Trinity scanned the surrounding area for any guards. She came to a stop and pulled Maxwell down into a crouching position next to her, silently cursing as the sounds of muffled gunshots rang out.
Silencer.
This time the killer was smarter.
Jackson motioned to her using hand signals that there were five guards he had spotted. Peeking over the lumber pile they were hidden behind, Trinity was able to see the older security guard, Javier Vega, standing next to Pamela Riviera. They looked down at the dead body of Billy Jenson, the security guard she had met on her first day on the island. She assumed the woman’s body on the sand next to Billy was his sister, the missing accounts manager.
Poor greedy fools.
She smacked Jackson and Maxwell on the arms and silently mouthed, “I told you the damn bitch was involved!”
Jackson rolled his eyes and looked over the wood pile again.
“Are you sure the ties to this will trace back to them?” Javier asked in a calm, dispassionate voice.
“I know how to do my job,” Pamela snapped.
“If you did, I wouldn’t have had to come out here, now would I?” Javier’s eyes narrowed on the blonde.
Pamela huffed out a breath. “Look, I didn’t know Billy would screw up and leave Alan Browning’s body where the police would find it. And how the hell was I supposed to know that Alice Jensen told her boyfriend about the laundering deal we had set up? She’s to blame for Browning’s involvement.”
“They were your problem to deal with,” Javier snarled.
“And I did,” Pamela replied coldly.
Javier got in her face. “No, I took care of it. And it’s a big risk for me to be here, given my ties to the Azules cartel. We can’t have the Zafiro Corporation tracing back to Azules.”
“It won’t.”
“You’d better make sure, or it will end very badly for you and your entire family.”
“Don’t threaten me!” Pamela snapped.
Javier slapped her. Hard. She let out a startled cry as her head snapped to the side from the impact and she stumbled on her heels. “You’re lucky you’re a good fuck for an ice queen, or I would have just let you deal with this shit.”
Pamela bristled in indignation, then she launched herself at Javier. Trinity raised her gun and took aim. Her lips curled in disgust as she watched Pamela and Javier share a brutal kiss.
Sick.
Some women were just too stupid to live.
It made Trinity want to gag as the blonde rubbed her body against the hitman. She wanted to shoot them both just for making her watch their disgusting make-out session.
Pamela pulled back, rubbing her hand over Javier’s chest. “Don’t worry, lover. I’ve set it up so in a few days I’ll discover that Alice, Billy, and Alan have been working together to steal from my company. I’ve deleted all traces of the Zafiro Corporation from our records. After the investigation is over, we can begin funneling the Azules cartel’s money through a new shell company. No one will know anything we don’t want them to. Now, we have fifteen minutes to get out of here before this place blows. After tonight, all of this will be a bad memory.”
Shit.
Time had just run out.
Jackson tapped Trinity on the shoulder and motioned to her that his men were in place. She gave him a nod, and both of them rose at the same time, taking aim.
“CIPD! Put your weapon down!” Jackson ordered.
Trinity didn’t even bother to sigh. The bad guys never listened.
Javier Vega’s gun swung up to take aim at Jackson, but Trinity was faster. She shot him in the head and watched his body fall to the ground. Multiple gunshots filled the air as Jackson’s men returned fire from the men Javier Vega had brought with him to the island. Pamela’s screams mixed with the sounds of gunfire until all that was left were her hysterical sobs as she lay curled up on the ground.
Carlos Sanchez and Noah Diaz came out of the darkness, moving in to kick guns out of the fallen cartel member’s hands and cuff the ones who were still alive.
“You okay, Lt.?” Noah called out.
“We’re fine,” Jackson confirmed. “Damn it, Trinity. Couldn’t you have left him alive?”
“No,” she said over her shoulder as she moved quickly into the area where the dead bodies lay. A shout had her turning her head, and she saw they had missed one cartel member in the firefight.
Son of a bitch.
He had her in his crosshairs.
The sound of three gunshots reverberated through the air, making Trinity tense as she waited for the pain to come. Only, there was none. She sucked in a deep breath when she realized that she wasn’t hurt and watched the gunman fall to the ground, dead. Finn and Tony strode out of the shadows grinning at her.
“What? You shouldn’t have invited us to the party if you didn’t want us to play,” Finn said.
“Damn good timing, Irish.”
“That’s what they always say,” Finn replied with a wink.
“Wait. Finn and I hit this bastard in the chest. Who got in the throat shot?” Tony demanded.
“I did,” Nikita announced as she strolled into view.
Finn grinned at her. “Nice to see you, Flame.”
“Irish.” Nikita glanced around. “Who are these fuckers?”
“Azules cartel,” Trinity told her.
“Well, well. Isn’t that interesting? Want to guess which cartel is behind that new drug that killed that kid at the beach party?” Nikita asked.
“Son of a bitch!” Jackson growled. “Did you find the dealer?”
“Sure did.”
“Is he in custody?”
Nikita snorted out a laugh. “No, he’s in the morgue along with a handful of his buddies.”
“I told you,” Finn said gleefully.
“You know these guys, Lt.?” Noah asked, eying the agents warily.
“Yes. Trinity works with them.”
“I’m guessing they are more than just your average security consultants…” Carlos ventured cautiously.
“You could say that,” Jackson hedged, not wanting to go into details. If he did, his head might explode. “Damn it to hell, Katrina—”
“I’m going to have that tattooed on your ass if you keep saying it! We can talk about all of this shit later. Now, grab your buddies and get the hell out of here. We have a live bomb in play!”
“Three, actually,” a sobbing Pamela claimed. “We have to get out of here! I don’t want to die!”
“Where are they?” Tony demanded as he lifted her up by her arm. He shook her when she didn’t answer. “Where are the fucking bombs?”
After she gasped out the answer, he shoved the crying woman at Carlos.
“Oh, come on…”
“Deal with it,” Tony barked.
“What did she say?” Nikita demanded. “I couldn’t understand what she said through all that blubbering.”
Tony smirked. “I’m proficient in translating crying females because of my sister. She said there are three bombs in the building structure.” He turned to glance at the cops. “You guys should get the hell out of here.”
“I’ll take one of the bombs,” Finn offered.
“I’ve got another,” Nikita confirmed.
“I’ve got the last. Let’s get to work,” Trinity ordered.
Before she could take off, Maxwell grabbed hold of her arm, holding her in place. Stark fear shone back at her. Instead of slapping out at him, she lowered her voice and placed her hand over his. “I know what I’m doing.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Max swore.
“Neither am I,” Jackson bit out. “Don’t argue, just get it done.”
Huffing out an irritated breath, she hurried into the skeleton structure of the building with the rest of them close on her heels. She was about the order them to spread out and search but didn’t have to since two of the glowing red countdowns on the timers were easy to see in the dark.
“Take that one,” Nikita told Trinity, pointing toward the closest bomb. “Finn, you take the other. Tony, help me find the last one.”
“On it.”
As they ran off, Trinity fell to her knees in front of the bomb that had been placed on the ground by one of the support columns. Max held up his phone as a flashlight so she could see what she was working with. She shot him a smile of gratitude as she pulled the barrette out of her hair. Pushing and twisting one of the diamonds, a blade popped out of one of the ends.
“Handy, that,” Maxwell murmured.
“She’s a fucking walking arsenal,” Jackson muttered. “Are you sure—”
“Jackson, honey? Go away and hold the light up for Finn,” Trinity ordered sweetly.
“On it.”
Even though Jackson would rather stay with Trinity, he wasn’t going to argue when all of their lives were on the line. As he headed over to Finn’s position, he turned to scowl at his friends who were still standing by the entrance to the building a few yards away.
“What the hell are you guys still doing here?” Holding up his phone, he pointed the flashlight at the bomb Finn was working on. “Get the hell out of here and get to cover.”
“No can do. You stay, we all stay,” Carlos said grimly.
One of the cuffed men protested, but Noah quickly hit him in the jaw, knocking him out. He shrugged. “We could do without the screaming. Too bad we can’t knock that one out.” He jerked his head over to Pamela, who was still sobbing as she sat on the ground.
Carlos sighed. “Don’t I wish…”
“Hit her,” Trinity demanded. “Put her out of my misery.”
“Can’t. I don’t hit women.”
“She’s not a woman. She’s an idiot that got hit by stupid and run over by fucking moron,” Finn called out while he worked on the second bomb. “Getting into bed with the cartel? That’s like raising your hand and asking to be killed. And blowing up the construction site to cover your tracks when we already knew you were involved? Now, that’s just an epic fail.”
“Exactly.” Trinity had enough. “Gag that bitch or something. She’s really beginning to annoy me.”
“With pleasure,” Noah said with feeling.
Much to everyone’s relief, a moment later the sounds of sobbing were muffled.
Finn glanced up. “Hey, Trin? Is this just a standard—”
“Trigger mechanism attached to the timer? Yeah,” Trinity confirmed. “Fail-safe?”
“Not that I see. You?”
“Nope.”
“What is with these damn cartels using basic shit?” Finn asked. “I mean, if you’re going to use this much C4 to blow shit up, you could at least be a little original.”
“That’s…an interesting way of putting it,” Jackson said. “Can you disarm it?”
“Yes, we can,” Trinity answered. She had already pried open the panel of the crude bomb and was working on separating the wires.
“Hey, Trin. Does this remind you of that time in Jakarta?” Finn called out conversationally.
“No.”
“Really, I thought—”
“You’re thinking of Rio.”
“Ah, that’s right. Now that bomb was a thing of beauty…” Finn sighed.
Jackson stared at the other man with an incredulous look. “What is wrong with you?”
Finn chuckled. “I don’t have time to make a list for you.”
Trinity blocked out the banter and focused on the bomb in front of her. Too much was at stake for her to make any mistakes. She took the blade in her right hand and held up the wire she needed to cut with the left. She knew it was the right one, but still. Anytime she dealt with a bomb, there was a second of hesitation before making the cut. All she needed to do was take a deep breath, then cut.
“You aren’t done yet?” Nikita demanded. “What the hell are you guys waiting for?”
“She took that bomb apart as easy as Legos,” Tony praised.
Trinity gritted her teeth together. That certainly got her competitive side riled.
Three…
Two…
One…
Snip.
The clock on the bomb stopped with two minutes and forty-six seconds to spare. She breathed out slowly in relief. “Disarmed!”
“Aw, shit. I’m last,” Finn complained. “Bomb three, disarmed!”
Maxwell grabbed onto Trinity and kissed her with a passion that rivaled the heat of the sun. It seared her brain and set her body on fire. Before she could reengage her brain, Jackson tore her out of Maxwell’s arms and gave her another mind-blowing kiss.
She threw her head back with a laugh, glad to be alive. She noticed Jackson’s friends studying her like she was a wild animal, while her own friends smiled at her fondly.
“I should kick your asses for staying,” Jackson said gruffly, holding onto her like she was a lifeline as he spoke to his friends. “But thanks.”
“We don’t leave a man behind, Stone. You should know better,” Carlos scolded. “Next time, try to have your shoot-outs when I’m not wearing a suit. I liked this one, and I think I tore a fucking seam.”
Trinity grinned. “I like your friends, Jackson.”
Carlos laughed. “You guys certainly know how to spice up a party. Stone, I have a feeling your lady is going to keep you and Maxwell on your toes.”
Jackson sighed. “You have no idea.”