27. Chapter 27
twenty-seven
Man Eater - Rivals
Thirty-Two Days Since Talia's Abduction
Jackie hated to admit it, but she was starting to realize how useful working with other people could be.
It was a team effort that got her and Dimitri to the club they believed Talia was being held in.
She and Dimitri had worked tirelessly to get there, but Jackie wouldn’t discount the support the other agents, and Drew especially, had provided.
Drew had more than earned his keep over the course of finding Talia.
Jackie sat in the agency’s black tactical SUV in her matching black stealth suit.
When Masters had told her he’d commissioned it, she had thought he was insane.
She’d used it only for one job previously, and it had sat in a box tucked away at the agency ever since.
Drew had found it just a week earlier, and seemingly had time to upgrade the tech and replace the weaponry with freshly sharpened blades.
She hoped the confrontation wouldn’t come down to a fight, but she and Dimitri had also been practicing her knife-handling skills with the set he’d gifted her for her birthday, so she wouldn’t complain about the opportunity to put those skills to use.
Her leg bounced with anticipation. Dimitri sat in the driver's seat next to her, scoping out the location. They’d parked at the end of the block, among the vehicles of local employees.
The club was housed in a former shipping warehouse and surrounded by others—some were still active, most in the area looked vacant.
They’d tracked Nikita’s movements for three days after finding the location, wanting to ensure he would be around when they made their move.
They’d try one last time to talk or trade their way out of it before raining down fire.
If Jackie’d had her way, they would have gone in guns blazing to get Talia and torched the place on their way out.
But Dimitri argued he wasn’t risking the possibility of losing both her and Talia if things went south.
So Jackie agreed to do things his way. She assumed what would be bartered for Talia’s return, and as she slid her hand down her waist, feeling the small gun hidden by the firm shell, covered in Kevlar—she knew how she was going to end things.
She noted Dimitri watching her from the corner of his eye and returned her hand to her lap.
“We try to talk things out,” he insisted. “There’s too much at stake to go in on the offence. Talking it out worked the last time.”
“And I shot someone in the face the time before that,” Jackie retorted, leaving out she’d actually been assaulted the last time they tried to talk it out, and had choked a man out the time before that.
She felt Dimitri’s eyes on her as he fought to find anything to say. He sighed when he realized he had nothing.
“I’m sorry,” Jackie said, closing her eyes and shaking her head as if to clear it.
“My nerves are so shot, and until Talia is safe and at home, I’m not going to be able to think of anything else.
I know I’ve been taking it out on you the last little bit, and I’m sorry. We just need to get her home.”
“I know,” he said, reaching out to squeeze her thigh.
“It sucks, but we know I can take it. I’m looking forward to helping you and Talia decompress once this is all over.
” She glanced at him and found him smiling affectionately at her.
She couldn’t help the smile that sprang to her lips when she looked at him.
The charming ass would always be able to make her smile even when she didn’t want to.
“And if it’s any consolation, you look so hot in that suit. ”
Jackie laughed. She’d thought the same about him, though his ops wear appeared more casual than hers: a high-necked and long-sleeved Kevlar-lined shirt under a black jacket and cargo pants loaded with his own weapons. They wouldn’t hide that they were armed, just how armed.
Jackie reached over to run her fingers through his hair and gripped the back of his neck, pulling him to meet her over the centre console. “Let’s save our girl. Once she’s cleared by the med team at headquarters and home with her sister, we can go home, and you can take this off me.”
Dimitri’s eyes drifted down the suit and back up to her face.
“If that’s what you want,” he said, though he was skeptical.
He hadn’t asked for sex, just like he promised, and he wouldn’t unless Jackie brought it up.
He’d returned from his dad’s birthday to her sprawled in bed, having what looked to be the best sleep of her life.
He’d tentatively crawled in next to her, pulling her close, but not too close.
He’d woken up to her watching him, her big brown eyes so full of affection he thought he might combust. He’d kissed her without thinking.
She had kissed him back, and before either of them knew it, their hands were roaming each other freely.
Jackie had put a stop to it when Dimitri hooked a finger into the waist of her sleep shorts.
She apologized profusely, saying that she wanted it but knew she wasn’t ready yet.
He didn’t believe much had changed in the three days since—but he wouldn’t completely give up hope.
“Let’s go save our girl.” He leaned forward, kissing Jackie hard, before unlatching his seatbelt and exiting the car.
Jackie followed, and they made their way down the street.
Despite how many cars lined it, the street was quiet, making their trek quick and easy.
Dimitri stood cover as Jackie gently tested the front door of the club, predictably finding it locked.
She crouched and pulled the lock pick held in the seam along the left thigh of her suit, and made quick work of unlocking the door.
They entered quietly, grateful for the carpeted entrance muting the sounds of their combat boots. The security system next to the door was swiftly disengaged, and they entered the club’s main bar area.
They quietly searched the open space, not expecting to find anyone, but hoping to scope out whether there were any hidden weapons caches they should know about or could use to their advantage.
Behind the bar, they found some discreetly hidden, but easily accessible guns.
They quietly removed the rounds before continuing their search.
After completing their sweep of the area, they returned to the bar to regroup.
“There’s a hallway with rooms out that door,” Jackie said quietly, pointing at the door next to them. “It’s for sure meant to look like storage, but it’s set up just like Renegat, just more fancy looking.”
“A higher paying clientele here, I’d wager,” Dimitri said, glancing around the room. The club was clearly one of the more high-end establishments in the city. The location and seclusion were not a mistake.
Jackie nodded. “Talia’s got to be kept in one of those rooms. I just don’t know what the best method of searching them is.”
Dimitri scanned the room again. “We know Nikita and most of his men are here. They must be prepping her to ship out with that many on site.” Jackie nodded again. “We’ll cover more ground splitting up, but I don’t want to risk you getting grabbed.”
“You need to trust that I can take care of myself. I think we need to split up.” She tapped the inner ear communication device Drew had prepped for them.
“We can communicate with each other while we look, and if we go down that hallway, we won’t be out of each other’s sight much.
We find her, notify the other, and we get the hell out of here. ”
Dimitri stared at her long and hard, his stomach churning with anxiety. He didn’t want her out of his sight at all. But he knew it was pointless arguing with her. He also didn’t want her to think he didn’t believe in her ability to defend herself.
Finally, he sighed and tapped the comms device. He reached out, fisted the front zipper of her suit and pulled her against him. “Please, don’t lose yourself trying to get Talia back. I need both of you. Not pieces of either of you.”
Jackie opened her mouth to reply, but the hall door opened.
The man who emerged looked as stunned to see them as they were to see him.
Dimitri recognized him; the one who’d alerted M?kail to Jackie’s presence at the bar the night they’d visited Renegat.
His eyes locked on Jackie, and his face hardened.
“You,” he hissed.
Dimitri released Jackie and moved before the man could say anything more.
He reached back for his gun, but Dimitri moved too quickly.
He grabbed the man's arm and pulled his wrist upward with a sharp snap. The man cried out, covering the sound of his shoulder dislocating. Dimitri dropped the limp arm and reached for the man’s head, twisting quickly and ending him in one swift, sickening snap.
Jackie watched as it all happened too fast for her brain to even register.
When the man lay dead at Dimitri’s feet, she finally looked up to his face.
She knew he was deadly. She’d known about his reputation long before she’d ever met the man.
But to witness his swift brutality in person was a totally different experience.
“Holy shit,” she breathed. Dimitri stepped over the man’s body and back to her. She stared at her boyfriend with new eyes. He looked back at her like he was embarrassed about what he’d done. “I’m going to fuck you so hard when we get home.”
He stared at her for a moment, concern etched in his brow. “That turned you on?” he asked, pointing at the dead man on the floor.
A broad smile broke across Jackie’s face. “Efficient; lethal; sexy.” She shrugged.
“You’re so fucked in the head,” he chuckled before leaning down to gently kiss her.
“I don’t hear you complaining,” she countered and turned toward the door. She stepped over the dead man and reached to push open the padded swing door, feeling Dimitri’s hand gently sweep over her ass as she did.