Elite Metal-ARE-epub (63 page)

Fuck.

That was it.

Undeniable.

Assignment: Investigate secret military black-ops team operating out of Dallas, TX. Top priority.

The message went on to describe the “high-level ex-military operatives” who had been spotted, and his gut clenched. With a description like that, there could be no doubt. He and Merc had been recognized.

How the hell had that happened?

Shit.
Steele was going to have a shit fit.

Sterling scanned the following messages, hoping to get some sense of how much she knew, but they were mostly demands for information from Marcus, and Veronica’s insistence that she was working on it. There was one message that seemed oddly out of place.

When can I see her?

See whom?

The response was clipped and short.

When you’re done.

Sterling sucked in a deep breath and steadied himself. Yeah, it was incontrovertible evidence that she was, indeed, investigating the team. As much as it pained him to do it, he knew he had no choice. Chrome had been adamant on the matter.

If she was a reporter—and she was—he had only one choice.

He was going to have to take her in.

There would be an interrogation—his blood went cold at that thought—and then, if they decided she was a threat to the team…

He didn’t want to think about it. Not now. Not after what they’d just shared.

He’d obeyed every order he’d ever received. How much would it scald him if he was ordered to hurt this woman—a woman he suspected was everything he’d always wanted and more? Could he comply with an order to make her disappear…forever?

Chapter Four

Roni gazed at herself in the mirror, struck with the surreal sensation that she was looking at a stranger. Who was that woman with the soft features, the dreamy eyes? The pouty, bee-stung lips? This wasn’t who she was. Wasn’t who she’d always been.

Since her mother had died, since her world had fallen apart, she’d been nothing but hard. Hard-edged, hard-boiled, hard-hearted.

She’d made it an art form, pushing people away, keeping her life empty and cold. Refusing to give Marcus any more weapons to use against her. Because hell, he had the only thing that ever meant anything to her. The only person she cared about. Annabelle was in his clutches. Roni couldn’t afford to give him anything else.

For so long she’d walked alone and been perfectly happy to do it—except in the dark coils of night when she ached for something, when she ached for more. But she’d been strong. She’d denied every urge. Rebuffed every need. All in the hopes of getting Anabelle back.

She’d hardened herself to the brash reality that she was alone and she always would be. She’d convinced herself that no man was worth the cost of losing this, the most important battle.

And now this. Now this incredible man had swooped into her life and made her question everything. Made her want. Made her need. And worse, fulfilled her. It was a horrible feeling, knowing that everything she’d believed was a lie.

She wasn’t hard. Not at all.

Oh, she had been, on the outside. But he had cracked the shell.

It nearly killed her to admit it, but he had—in the short amount of time they’d known each other—crawled into her heart and nested there. Oh, it wasn’t love or anything ridiculous like that, but it was something. Something that would not allow her to betray him.

It wasn’t some sappy sentimentality. Some
oh-you’re-such-a-good-fuck-I-could-never-rat-you-out
nonsense. It was something deeper. Something raw. Something spurred on by the steady stare of his deep-brown eyes. Something that spoke to her and whispered,
Don’t do it
.

And she couldn’t.

It didn’t matter if he was what she suspected. Hell, she didn’t care if he was a member of SEAL Team Fucking Six. She wasn’t turning him over to Marcus. She wasn’t going to continue with her investigation.

Thank God she hadn’t given him the updates he’d been harassing her for. She hadn’t shared her intel about the links to the bar or her suspicions about the air base outside of Deep Ellum. She hadn’t shared anything. She would tell Marcus some bullshit lie that rumors about the team were a bunch of hooey started by the café owner who had called it in—in hopes of bringing in tourists. He’d buy that. She was sure of it.

It frightened her a little, the thought of thwarting him, because he was a mean son of a bitch when he was thwarted. But she was a good liar. And he trusted her to tell the truth. He had too much on her to ever suspect she’d turn on him.

Yeah. Tomorrow, she’d pack up her shit and get out of Dodge. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could stumble onto some other juicy story she could toss his way to pacify him. Some alien bunker shit.

Filled with resolve, she steeled her spine and fluffed her hair, then headed back into the bedroom. She knew Steve was drained. She knew there’d be no more kinky fuckery—certainly no more delicious spankings—tonight. But she liked the idea of curling up against him and soaking in his heat.

It was lonely in her world. And cold. Baking against him had been blissful.

With that memory curling a smile on her lips, she came out of the bathroom…and stopped stock-still.

Steve stood in the middle of the room, holding her phone in one hand and her purse in the other. Was he robbing her? Anger and betrayal sluiced through her. Her gut lurched. She hated when this happened. When guys played her like this. She’d really thought there was something here.

Fool.

When he glanced up, his expression was hard, nothing like the charming, seductive man she’d seen up until now.

“Why are you going through my things?” she snapped.

He didn’t answer, other than to clip, “We need to talk.”

She folded her arms. “There’s nothing to talk about. You need to leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Not until you explain this.” He held up her cell.

“It’s a phone. People use it to communicate with other people who are too far away to hear them yell.”

His lips twisted, but not with humor. Damn, he was scary like this. She didn’t like him like this. Not at all.

“Who’s Marcus?”

“A little early to get all possessive, isn’t it? One fuck and you’re worried about other men?”

“Two fucks. And that’s beside the point. Who. Is. Marcus?”

“Another man.” She simpered. She didn’t want to answer his questions, because frankly he was being an ass.

He flicked through her contacts. His finger stalled and a muscle bunched in his cheek. “Marcus Morrow. Publisher of the
National Snoop
. Now why would a waitress be texting him?”

She drummed her fingers. “I thought I saw a movie star.”

“In Deep Ellum. Right. Come on, Candy. Or should I call you…Veronica?”

She bristled. “How did you know my name?”

“It’s on your driver’s license.”

She shouldn’t be surprised. She knew who he was. What he was. Despite her gullible willingness to ignore it. “
Jese-o-pese
. Did you go through everything?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, it’s not Veronica.”

His brow quirked.

“No one calls me Veronica.” No one ever had. Except Mom. And she was gone. “I’m Roni. And I assume you aren’t Steve.”

“Nope. Do you have any idea how much danger you’re in?”

“I’m a waitress. At a bar. In a Podunk town.”

“We both know that’s not true.” He reached into her suitcase and pulled out her press pass, dangling it between his fingers.

“Did you go through my underwear too?”

He smirked. “Didn’t need to. You’re not very good at hiding the evidence.”

“Evidence? This is hardly a crime.” Might as well go on the defensive. She hated that she felt her walls rising again. But hell, she needed them.

His expression tightened. “What are you investigating here?”

“Sandstorms.”

He growled at her.

It pissed her off that she liked it. “I’m doing a story on…biker gangs, of course.” She thought she managed a sincere tone but judging from his expression, he didn’t buy it. Well, hell. Might as well go balls to the wall. “Oh, all right. I’m investigating a secret elite military operation working out of those bunkers north of town. Are you a spook?”

“Where did the lead come from?”

She pressed her lips together.

“Where?”

“My editor. Okay?”

“And where did he hear about it?” Damn, he was sexy when he was adamant. But it didn’t matter. All her good will toward him was shattered. She wasn’t telling him anything. Even if he tortured her. Fuck him and his snooping around in her purse.

She lifted a shoulder.

He studied her, taking in her obstinate stance, and then sighed and scrubbed his face. But it wasn’t an expression of his weakness, or an inclination that he was giving up. It was a weary resolution. “Get dressed and pack up your stuff. You’re coming with me.”

She glared at him. “Am I?” He’d have to carry her, kicking and—

His cheek bunched. It sent a shiver down her spine. “You can come willingly…or not. But you’re coming with me.”

She swallowed. “So there
is
a secret elite military organization working out of those bunkers?”

“I’m not saying that.”

“You just did.” She frowned at him. “Besides, you can’t make me come against my will.”

“Can’t I?” Her belly flopped at his resolute tone. “It’s three a.m. There’s no one in the parking lot. No one to see me carry you out…”

“Carry me?”

“Bound and gagged.”

She blew out a breath. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“And I can do it with no one being the wiser. They teach us these things…” He shot her a wicked grin. “In secret elite-military-organization school.”

For some reason, his snark made her furious. Or maybe it was the betrayal. Or maybe her anger was really aimed toward herself for being such a sentimental idiot. Whatever it was, it stole her capacity for lucid speech. The sound that emanated from her throat was not quite human.

“It doesn’t have to be that way, Roni,” he said in a deceptively silky voice. “Are you coming with me willingly, or do I need to find some duct tape?”

“You are a complete ass.”

“That’s what they tell me.”

She frowned at him. “Will I be coming back?”

It was chilling that he didn’t answer. Horrifying that a flicker of regret flashed over his hard, handsome features.

“You might want to get dressed. Make no mistake about it, Roni, I don’t have any compunction about taking you as you are. And, as charming as you look in nothing at all, the other guys might get ideas.”

A shiver ran through her at his bleak statement. “Other guys? What other guys?”

“You’ll meet them.” This, he said with a wintry acceptance that sent a chill into her soul. When he’d said she was in danger, she’d blown it off, but now she wasn’t so sure.

She didn’t know exactly what she’d wandered into, but she knew she was in trouble deep.

And not the least of it was the fact that she was being taken prisoner by a pitiless man with eyes that could melt the ice surrounding her heart.

As Roni dressed, Sterling tapped out a message on his cell for his bosses, letting them know he was coming in. Steele would be pissed. It was O-dark-thirty in the morning and he was probably curled up in some cozy bed, but this couldn’t wait. He’d be more pissed if Sterling didn’t wake him.

He watched Roni like a hawk as she dressed and collected her things. He had her grab everything. He didn’t know if she was coming back—and the fact that he couldn’t reassure her just about killed him. Beyond that, if she was to disappear, it had to be without a trace. He didn’t want her leaving any clues that could be tracked back to their base.

So when she went into the bathroom, he followed her—though this clearly annoyed her. He didn’t want her writing messages on the mirror in lipstick. When she had her bag packed, he took her arm in one hand and carried her things in the other, dropping them all in the backseat in a pile.

“Hey,” she snapped. “Careful with my computer.”

He opened the passenger door and frowned at her. “Get in.”

Her eyes flicked around and her muscles tensed, as though she was contemplating running.

“I’ll catch you,” he warned. “Don’t even try it.”

She glared at him and then, with a huff, threw herself into the seat.

He rounded the car, pulling her keys from his pocket. He’d made it a point to collect her cell phone and keys before their little confrontation. No point in giving her any hope that she could escape.

She couldn’t.

He couldn’t let her.

“Why are you doing this?” she muttered as he started the car.

He shot a glance at her. Her face seemed wan in the lights of the dash. “Orders.”

“Are you often ordered to kidnap women?”

“Often enough.”

The drive from town to the base was about half an hour, and in that time she didn’t say a word, but her annoyance washed over him in waves. She crossed her arms and stared out the window and occupied herself with making little noises of exasperation at extended intervals. It slayed him, how cute she was, because she had no idea how serious the situation was. She had no idea she’d just poked a hornet’s nest.

And the hornets were ruthless.

Chapter Five

Sterling slowed as they approached the gate of the compound. It was deceptively nondescript, a broad, empty plain surrounded by a chain-link fence with razor wire on the top. The signs posted every few feet proclaimed
Private Property: No Trespassing
. What the sign didn’t say was that every square inch was under video surveillance and had motion detectors.

He pulled out his keys and pressed the button on the fob and the gate lifted; the teeth guarding the entrance lowered with a grating whine.

Roni shot a glance over her shoulder as they headed down the dirt track toward the compound, which wasn’t visible from the gate. Sterling could see her wheels turning again. They always did with this one.