Elite Metal-ARE-epub (99 page)

Armed and ready, he pulled on his leather jacket to shield him from the cold, slid onto the seat and fired up his bike. Just as he was starting to worry about Poppy, he finally spotted her leaving the secret BDSM club with the mark and his two guards. She was helped into the backseat of a Bentley with dark tinted windows. The two guards followed in an SUV.

Not wanting to rouse suspicion, Silver slid his cell phone into the mounted holder on his bike’s dash and used the GPS program to keep an eye on the Bentley carrying Poppy. He followed a minute later, keeping close but not too close. His mind was five steps ahead, already planning how he would make entry to the penthouse and his backup plans for getting Poppy out of there if something went wrong.

He fucking hated high-rise buildings. They were mazes of hallways, elevator shafts and stairwells. He didn’t relish the thought of tossing Poppy over a balcony or shoving her through air ducts. If it came to that, he felt certain she would rise to the task.

When he was close enough to the SUV to read its plates, he eased off the throttle and switched lanes. Rather than following them into a parking garage, he chose one of the open air lots two blocks down the street. He peeled a twenty from the money clip in his pocket and handed it to the attendant before taking a spot in the rear of the lot. It had good access to exits and enough cover from surrounding vehicles to protect him if a firefight started.

He retrieved a rolled-up backpack from his saddlebags and quickly filled it with the rappelling supplies he would need. There wasn’t much point in taking anything else. He had three guns on him, two in shoulder harnesses and one strapped to an ankle. With two knives and his fists, he didn’t need much else. He glanced at his leather lace-ups and frowned. The fancy shoes were the worst possible choice for the work that awaited him, but he would have to make do.

Getting into the building proved easy enough. He picked the lock on the alley access door to the maintenance rooms and shorted out the alarm for good measure. It was a hack job and not his usual finesse, but he was flying blind on this job. After clipping the juice and backups for the security cameras, he started breaking into employee lockers in search of elevator access cards.

The ride to the roof was excruciating. He couldn’t stop thinking about Poppy. Was she okay? Was Henry treating her all right? Were they in the bedroom?

That last one twisted his gut like a knife to the innards. He almost doubled over with the emotional pain it caused him. He had never been a jealous man because he had simply never wanted any one person. A true love ‘em and leave ‘em type, a one-night stand was all he had ever needed.

The friendship he had shared with Poppy over the last ten months, however unorthodox, was the longest of his life. Finally getting to kiss her? He couldn’t think of a single sweeter, happier moment. With one simple kiss, she had obliterated thirty years of memories. Nothing would ever compare to the perfection of that moment.

I have to kiss her again
.

With that thought in mind, he stepped out of the elevator and into a small room. There was one door straight ahead for roof access and another door to the right for access to the emergency stairwell. Weapon drawn, he scoped out the roof but found nothing that concerned him. He chose an anchor spot for his gear and began uncoiling his ropes and checking his harness.

As he walked toward the roof’s edge, his cell phone began to ring. He glanced at the screen, saw Poppy’s name and answered in a whisper, “Hello?”

When there was no reply, a wave of panic punched him right in the face. Was she calling under duress? Was she harmed? Bleeding? Shot?

“Thank you so much for letting me see your art,” Poppy said. Her voice sounded far-away and slightly distorted. It took him a moment to realize that she was using her phone to allow him to monitor the situation in the penthouse. “I know it was terribly presumptuous of me to invite myself over, but I just had to see the Rufino Tamayo you picked up at Sotheby’s last year.”

“How did you like it?” Henry asked.

Sliding his earpiece into place, Silver tucked his phone into his pocket and blocked out the conversation as he prepared to go over the edge of the roof. As long as he could hear Poppy’s voice, she was safe. That was all that mattered.

Even after all the years of rappelling practice he had under his belt, Silver’s stomach still dropped like a broken elevator the moment he leaned back over the edge of the building and began to slowly inch his way down. Instead of a fast descent with long jumps, he chose a quieter descent that made him feel almost like Spiderman. He couldn’t be sure of the locations of the two bodyguards in the penthouse suite so he had to make sure he didn’t make any unnecessary noise.

When he dropped onto the balcony outside the master suite, he crouched down like a monkey and glanced side to side to ensure he hadn’t been seen. Glad for the darkness, he unclipped his harness and secured the ropes to a chair so they wouldn’t swing in the breeze and alert anyone. Leaving on his gloves to minimize fingerprint transfer, he carefully approached the French doors and peered through the glass and gauzy curtains.

“…don’t feel pressured here,” Poppy said, her voice silky and sweet. “I like that we’re alone.”

“So do I,” Henry agreed. “I enjoy the club scene, but I have a hard time enjoying myself unless I’m in one of the private rooms. My tastes are…”

“Complex,” Poppy suggested helpfully. “You’re a powerful man. It’s only natural that your needs would be more complex than those of lesser men.”

Good. God. She was laying it on thick, but Henry was just lapping it right up.

“Would you like to come back to my bedroom? I don’t have a playroom or a dedicated private space for my…games.”

“Show me. I want to see.”

Silver held his breath as Poppy and Henry entered the bedroom. When the financier closed and locked the door behind her, Silver clenched his fists.
Careful, Poppy. Be careful
.

He watched and listened as the pair shared some nervous-sounding small talk. Silver suspected Henry rarely brought women home to indulge in this secret side of his life. More than likely, he confined these types of activities to private clubs with highly restricted access.

When Henry stopped in the middle of the room, Silver tried to get a read on the man.
What’s he doing now
?

Poppy placed her clutch on the bed and joined Henry in the middle of the room. She kept a distance of six or seven feet between them. Hands folded behind her back, she spoke firmly but quietly. “Strip. Now.”

God help him, but Silver felt blood rushing to his cock. He couldn’t believe his body had decided to betray him at a time like this. He cursed his traitorous dick.

Henry’s demeanor changed in an instant. With a serene expression and fluid movements, he methodically removed his jacket, shoes and socks before undoing his cufflinks and setting them aside with his watch. He worked through the buttons on his white shirt and revealed what looked like a leather dog harness.

Silver blinked as he took in the heavy-duty leather contraption with metal details and leash rings. Henry wasn’t done shocking Silver yet. The man removed his belt and presented it to Poppy who accepted it with a regal nod of her head, almost like a queen taking gifts at her coronation.

Belt in hand, she watched Henry strip out of his pants. Instead of the usual boxers or briefs, the man wore leather shorts with zippers placed in strategic spots.
What. The. Fuck.

Silver wasn’t sure whether he wanted to keep watching or turn away from what promised to be an uncomfortably close view of an intimate and slightly twisted moment. While he had enjoyed the idea of Poppy using him for her sexual pleasure, the idea of letting her wallop his backside caused his erection to flag. It seemed he had his hard lines after all.

Wearing only his leather gear, Henry breathed excitedly, his chest expanding and shoulders lifting, as he waited for his next instruction. Poppy arched her eyebrows rather imperiously. “Well go on! You know what to do next.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Henry dropped to his knees like a worshipping supplicant. Sensing this was something they had role-played online, Silver watched with intense interest as Henry crawled toward Poppy. He stopped right in front of her and began peppering kisses along the tops of her feet and ankles. He kissed his way up her calves and began pushing the fabric of her skirt higher and higher.

Fuck. This.
Silver had to muscle all his self-control not to put his foot through the door. If that dirty bastard got his mouth anywhere close to Poppy’s panties, Silver was going to unleash hell.
She’s mine damn it! Mine!

Just when the last few wisps of Silver’s control evaporated, Poppy stunned him. Without a whisper of warning, she produced the small vial of atomized sedative and sprayed Henry in the face. She’d had the thin vial concealed in her hand the entire time!

Henry jerked back when the first spray hit him. As if worried that he hadn’t gotten the full dose, Poppy smacked him across the chest with the belt. The hard
thwack
caused him to gasp in pain just as she spritzed him a second time. He inhaled another lungful of the sedative and slumped forward in a dead sleep.

Silver tried the door but it was locked. The jiggling handle seemed to startle Poppy. Jumping into action, she raced across the room and unlocked the door. He grasped her hand and tugged her behind him as he ate up the glossy hardwood floor in long strides. Crouching down, he ripped off a glove, holding it between his teeth, and touched Henry’s neck. He felt the steady blips of a heartbeat.

“Oh, God!” The Irish crept back into her voice. “Did I kill him? Was it too much?”

“No, he’s alive. He’s got a good pulse.”

“Oh, thank God!”

“He’s lucky you gassed him. I was five seconds away from punching his goddamned lights out.”

“What? Why?”

He rounded on her. “Are you serious? The only man burying his face in your pussy tonight is me.”

Poppy’s jaw dropped. “You...! I can’t…!” she sputtered. “How
crude
you are, Silver!”

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he hauled her close and silenced her protest with a punishing kiss. He nibbled her lower lip before releasing her. “Call me crude all you like, but I meant what I said. When we get out of her, this pussy is mine.” He cupped her through the thin fabric of her dress. “I intend to spend the rest of the night right here, making you scream and moan.”

She gulped. “Silver…”

“You can tell me off later.” He kissed her again and tugged on his glove. “We have work to do.”

“Right. Work.” Back on track, she pushed out of his embrace and headed for the bed. “A few months ago, when we started this project, we were able to buy some information off the housekeeper. Henry is a paranoid guy.” She glanced at the snoring man and frowned sadly. “I think he wants to be a good person, but he just loves making money too much.”

“Poppy, let’s psychoanalyze him later. Focus, please.”

“Oh! Right. The safe is behind that painting.” She pointed at the large piece of artwork on the wall directly in front of the bed. “He likes to keep an eye on it.”

While Poppy dug through Henry’s discarded clothing, he hopped up onto the low, wide dresser and checked the painting’s frame for motion and pressure triggers. He had stolen enough high-end art to know what to look for in these expensive homes with top of the line security systems. There were no motion sensors but there was one for pressure.

“Poppy, do you have a compact in your bag?”

“Yes. Hang on.” A few seconds later, she appeared at his side with the compact in one hand and a black flash drive triumphantly gripped in the other. “I found it!”

“Good girl.” He leaned over and pecked her cheek before swiping the compact and using it as a guide. “What else do you have in that bag? I need a pen if you’ve got one.”

“Um…” She ran back to the bed and grabbed the clutch. “How about a lip liner pencil?”

“Yeah. That’ll work.” He took the cosmetic pencil from her and pushed the compact into her hand. “I’m going to need your help. Hold this mirror right there. No. Over this way. Yeah! Right there.”

He snatched the razor-sharp knife from his leg sheath and got to work disarming the sensor. Poppy showed extraordinary calm and held the mirror perfectly still. “Got it!”

Setting aside the knife, he removed the painting and tackled the safe. It was a familiar model with a keypad entry. He glanced at Poppy’s compact and took it from her hand. He scraped the back of his fingernail across the pressed powder until a fine mound covered the surface.

“What are you doing?”

“Watch.” He angled his head and slowly blew the powder across the keypad. The shimmery dust clung to the residual skin oils clinging to the keys and highlighted the five numbers that had been used again and again.

“That is amazing!”

“I told you I have some skills.”

“I never doubted that.”

He smiled at her and handed back the compact. Sitting back on his heels, he said, “Okay. Now we just have to figure out the combination. It could be a birthday. It might be an address or a number combination that’s lucky to him. Maybe it’s actually the corresponding letters. Does he have a pet? Or maybe a kid? Or maybe—”

Before he could finish the thought, Poppy reached out and punched in a code.

“Poppy! What are you—? We only get a set number of tries before it locks down. You can’t just—.” He stopped abruptly when the safe chirped happily and disengaged the lock. Staring at her in shock, he asked, “How did you guess?”

“It’s the ticker symbol for the growth fund he’s made most of his money with,” she explained. “I took a chance.”

“Warn me next time. We’re partners, right?”

She smiled at him. “Yes, I think we are.”

Silver opened the safe and found stacks of small paper notebooks filled with coded data. Each one had a flash drive taped to it. “Shit. This is going to take longer than we had expected.” He fished his own phone from his pocket. “We’ll split them up and let our IT guys sort it all out later.” He set a timer on his watch for ten minutes. “Whatever isn’t copied, gets left out.”