Fire and Ice (Guardians) (6 page)

Hearing his name on her lips, he growled and withdrew his hand that was under her leg to rip the neckline of her shirt low, dragging the strap of her bra exposing one plump breast. He palmed her breast and started a nipple roll with his fingers which he soon replaced with his mouth. He flicked her nipple with his tongue and pulled it between his teeth before suckling hard.

"Jack ..."

 
He trailed kisses back up her neck, lingering on her delicate jaw, and then cupped her face with both of his hands, looking into her eyes.

"Tell me," he said quietly.

"I don't. It never gets that far," she whispered.

He lowered his lips again to gently brush hers and then pulled her away from the pick-up and straightened her clothes.

"Sorry about your shirt," he said with a slight smirk.

"I didn't bring many clothes with me, you know," Maia replied ruefully.

"I'll make it up to you," Jack promised. "Let's get you inside."

***

She was such a slut. She let Jack McCord dry-hump her against the hood of his pick-up truck. She couldn't get any sluttier than that.

At least he didn't appear smug about it. He acted the perfect gentleman when they got into the house. Jack didn't drag her up to his bedroom to take care of his raging hard on, but instead led her to his study to offer her some fortifying spirits. It was almost the end of October and the evening temperature had dipped to a nippy 50 degrees. She was used to extreme temperature changes but after their heated encounter on the side of his truck, she felt unusually chilled and welcomed two fingers of whiskey.

Jack informed her that he had to leave early the next day for New Park City and wouldn't be back until Saturday night, which was Halloween. He walked her through her login to the MDI network and showed her how to setup the connection to AGS. He also left her all the contact information of his technical support personnel.

He walked her to her bedroom and gave her a lingering kiss at the door.

"I don't want to rush this," he murmured. "I want this." He caressed her face with the back of his fingers, his eyes inscrutable.

"Jack, this is just sex, remember?"
 

He smiled. "Yeah. But I still want my apple pie."

She wondered if that had a double-meaning.

Maia was not inexperienced about sex, but she wasn't a sex siren either. She only lost her virginity at twenty-one: it took her that long to get over a near-rape trauma that had happened when she was twelve.

Her father was a Russian nuclear scientist who had gotten mixed up with a bratva involved in weapons-grade plutonium trafficking. He had planned to get out, making a deal with the CIA—information about the mob's nuclear depots in exchange for safe passage to the United States—before the exchange could take place, the mob boss found out and sent thugs to find out what her father had revealed to the spy agency. Viktor's special forces team under CIA directive was responsible for her family's extraction. When the mob's death squad showed up unexpectedly, the team was told to stand down and to let everything play out. There was intel that a lieutenant in the mob's chain of command was among the death squad and could reveal invaluable information in the bugged house.

They killed her father and raped and killed her mother in front of her. Maia clenched her eyes as the memories she had buried deep within resurfaced. Then the men turned on her. The moment they dragged her to the floor, the windows to the house exploded and the special forces team moved in. Viktor had defied CIA orders and had the support of his team to storm the house and rescue the twelve-year-old girl about to be gang-raped by the Russian mob. They killed every single one of them.There had been dire consequences of course: Viktor and his men were all forced to quit their commission. Meanwhile, she was sent to an orphanage, but Viktor had tracked her down, pulled her out and installed her with her current foster parents.

Her bond with Viktor was deep. He was 27-years-old when he had rescued her. They had known each other for eighteen years and he was still the person she trusted most.

Maia had learned to cope with her trauma. For the first few years, she would not let any man touch her, but soon her hormones took over and she started necking and petting like any teenager. When she officially joined the AGS at 21, she fell in love with one of the Guardians, Steve Wilcox. There was a strict no-fraternizing rule, for obvious reasons, but they kept their relationship a secret. Steve was a gentle lover and knew about her past, so he eased her into the joys of sex. When Viktor found out, he fired Steve and put Maia on probation. Their relationship fizzled out eventually helped in no small part by Viktor deploying her out of the country, probably to keep her away from Steve.

She had decided that with her lifestyle, she didn't need a relationship. Viktor paid her well, so she could afford to take three-week vacations to exclusive beach resorts and embark on temporary affairs to pretend to be normal, enjoy no-strings-attached sex and part with no regrets.

She had met Mike Callahan during an AGS meeting two years ago. He was handsome, distinguished and smart and they were instantly attracted to each other. Viktor was developing the protective custody business of AGS and Maia was brought in to train new Guardians. Her traveling was kept to a minimum, so when Mike asked her out, she agreed. They had been together for three months when Maia went on a particularly risky mission and had to be incommunicado for two weeks. Mike went berserk and laid it thickly on Viktor, but Viktor had refused to reveal her location or get in contact with her as it would have jeopardized everyone involved. When she got back, they got into an ugly fight, in which Mike told her to quit AGS immediately.

She quit him.

Mike tried to get her back, but she knew that having a relationship with any man was not going to work.

So she was going to treat this thing with Jack like her three-week long affairs. When she moved on Reznikov, that would be the end of it.

***

Maia looked through the series of snapshots on the monitor. On a small picture window at the top right-hand corner of her screen, a very blond man, with hawkish features who looked to be in his mid-forties, was in videoconference with her—Viktor Baran.

"So you're saying Sergei Reznikov is cut-off from his bratva in Russia?" Maia asked.

"Yes, but there's something else going on," Viktor said looking very grim. A very grim Viktor was not good. "Gavlik hired us to rescue his cousin Volynski from Reznikov but it looked like Gavlik was behind the production of Rave-IX." Rave-IX was a recreational drug much like ecstasy, but was more potent. It had become very popular across dance clubs in Europe but had also been blamed for dozens of deaths due to overdose. It was highly addictive. It was also rumored to have reached the United States.

"Where is Volynski?"

"He's gone to ground but was able to send us a message that Gavlik had ordered a hit on him."

"Damn. Have you talked to Gavlik?" Maia asked.

"He is refusing all communication with AGS right now. Told us our business was done. We've classified him as hostile."

"So he wanted us to get Volynski for him to whack and maybe in the process eliminate Reznikov?"

"Looks that way. We believe Gavlik is the pakhan and Reznikov was a high-level henchman. I would not be surprised if Gavlik ordered the kidnapping of Volynski in the first place. But since Rave-IX got big, Reznikov got greedy and positioned himself to take over the bratva or at least control distribution to the United States which would be a lot of money. There are indications that a shipment of Rave-IX is in a container at Baltimore Harbor and is just sitting there. We're working that angle right now," Viktor said.

"That could be millions of dollars."

"No shit."

"Where's the DEA and the Feds on all this?"

"They've been informed and they're letting us make our play on this. They're tied up dismantling Vergara's organization, which seems to be growing new heads everyday."

"So, Raul Vergara was supposed to be the mover for Rave-IX, but the DA got to him and we've foiled their attempt to eliminate their star witness. So now we've got a shit load of drugs sitting somewhere with no distributor."

"Not yet, not with the arrest warrants out. This thing is still too hot. But with the money involved, someone's going to throw down."

"That means Reznikov is lying low. He was last seen in Alexandria, Virginia," Maia grumbled. "And I'm marooned in the Outer Banks."

"Stand down, Maia."

"I should be in Northern Virginia."

"No, what you should have done was follow the playbook."

"Are we back to that again?" Maia retorted.

"Yes. You're number one on Reznikov's hit list. If you had just delivered Volynski as ordered and had not gone back for the two girls—getting into a shootout I might add—there wouldn't have been a video of you breaking them out. That loop we had rigged into their camera system was only good for one extraction," Viktor said suddenly annoyed.

"I couldn't leave them there. They would be in the dregs of Russian prostitution by now. You would have done the same thing. Do you regret what you did for me?" Maia demanded.

"We're not talking about me," Viktor snapped. "And no, for the last fucking time, I do not regret getting you out!"

"Okay, moving on then," Maia said, knowing when to back off. "Anything else you have for me?"

"What's going on between you and McCord?" Viktor asked softly.

"Right now, not much," Maia replied in all honesty. So she agreed to bake the guy an apple pie. That was by no means a vow of ever after.

"Baby, I know you can take care of yourself, but Jack McCord is a player. None of his relationships have lasted more than eight months, the average is three. He had a fiancée who died in a car accident twelve years ago. He's never had a serious relationship since."

"May I remind you that my last relationship lasted three months, do you not remember how that ended? And my average hookup is three weeks with vast spells of nothing in between," Maia reminded him.

Viktor burst out laughing. "Now I'm beginning to fear for McCord."

"Look, don't worry about me. Obviously the guy's never gotten over his fiancée, and that's really tragic, but he's been pretty decent to me and a good kisser to boot," Maia added on a laugh.

"As long as I don't have any angry lovers beating down my door demanding where you are..."

"You won't."

"And practice safe sex."

"Viktor!"

"Later, baby. Tomorrow, same time?"

"Yeah."

Jeez, Viktor can be annoying
.
 

Maia resumed piecing together the information on Reznikov on the AGS system when Grace spoke through the intercom: "Maia, honey, Jack's assistant is here for you."

***

Maia gaped at the mind-boggling quantity of shopping bags, boxes and dress bags that littered the living room. They were also spectacularly expensive labels.

"What is this?" she asked Grace, but the housekeeper just shrugged her elegant shoulders.

"What is this?" Maia repeated, this time glaring at the petite, buxom woman dressed smartly in a designer pant suit.

"Good afternoon, Miss Pierce. I'm Laurie Stone, one of Jack's personal assistants." She smiled, stepping forward.

"He has more than one?" Maia said to no one in particular.

"Mr. McCord informed me that you were in need of several pieces of clothing."

"These are more than several pieces, and how the heck did he know my size? Did he ask you, Grace?" Maia demanded, almost accusingly.

"If you're asking if he ordered me to go through your things, then no," Grace replied, her lips twitching as if to control a smile.

"Jack has a talent for guessing women's sizes," Laurie said with tinkling laughter.

Maia pulled out a black bustier from one of the bags. It was cut very low in the back, had delicate boning and was intricately woven in expensive lace and silk. "I bet he does." Yes, he had guessed the correct cup size. Impressive.

Both women started laughing.

"I don't need all these clothes. He should have consulted me first. Do you have the total bill Laurie? I can make a bank transfer," Maia said.

The other two women exchanged glances, wearing identical frowns.

"Jack's taken care of it," Laurie said carefully.

"I know, and I do appreciate how he's gone above and beyond, but I hate owing people money and would like to settle the bill as soon as possible."

"No. Jack took care of it. This is all on his account—a gift if you will," Laurie explained further.

If smoke could rise out of Maia's ears, the entire house would be choking.

"Oh no, he didn't," Maia whispered, almost to herself. She could almost feel a ball and chain shackling her, but reminded herself that Jack was not that type.

"He does it for most of his arrangements."

"I'm not one of his fucking arrangements!" Maia snapped but apologized when she realized Grace had flinched at her curse.

"Give me the bill," she told Laurie in a no-nonsense tone.
 

"You'll get me fired."

"Oh, for God's sakes he won't fire you!"

"No, but he'll be very displeased with me. It's going to reflect in my year-end review."

Maia rolled her eyes. "Call him."

"He's at a very important meeting right now. DNB. Do not disturb."

"Ahhrghh!" Maia threw up her hands. Jack was so exasperating.

"Is there anything else you need, Miss Pierce? I have to fly back soon," Laurie asked tentatively.

"You flew in?"

Laurie missed the lethal tone.

"Via helicopter."

"You flew in via helicopter to deliver my clothes?" Maia verified in a very, very lethal tone.

Laurie thought it best not to answer.

"Anything else, Miss Pierce?" she squeaked instead.

"Yes, Jack's head on a silver platter."

Jack chuckled at the frantic text message from his personal assistant. As expected, a big push-back from Maia and she was out for blood—his head on a silver platter to be exact.