Killer Secrets (26 page)

He forced himself to relax, though his hand slid
caressingly over Kira's hip, clenching on the curve in

regret at the necessity of releasing her and a second later
praying Diego hadn't noticed.

"Ian! My son." Diego came to his feet as they
stepped into the room, a wide smile creasing his swarthy

face, his black eyes gleeful as Ian pulled a chair out for
Kira at the small glass-topped table before taking

his own across from Diego.

"Good morning, Diego," he greeted the other man
as he waved the timid maid forward to pour their

coffee.

All the household help had been changed, but the rumors
about Liss's death had made its rounds. They

were all silent, wary.

"You did not properly introduce me to our guest,
Ian." Discomfort colored Diego's voice, and sweet

merciful Jesus, hurt feelings. A monster with feelings that
could be hurt. That oxymoron was terrifying.

"Excuse me, Diego." He forced a sheepish smile to
his face. "I find myself a bit nervous."

"Nervous, Ian?" Diego blinked back at him in
surprise, his gaze softening as he swallowed the

impression of Ian's discomfort.

Kira sat back in her chair and smirked as though she were
enjoying the sight of Ian's discomfort.

"Kira." Ian cleared his throat. "Allow me to
introduce my father." The word tore through his soul with a

lash of fury so potent it nearly strangled him as Diego's
eyes seemed to dampen. "Diego Fuentes. Diego,

Miss Kira Porter."

"Ms. Porter." Pleasure transformed Diego's
expression, rippling over it with a tight, hard spasm as he

reached for Kira's hand. "It is a pleasure to know my
son has managed to capture the interest of such a

discriminating and beautiful young woman."

"Mr. Fuentes, I can see where Ian has come by his
charm." Kira allowed Diego to hold her hand for

only the briefest second before sliding it free and tucking
it into her lap.

She stared back at the drug lord with a hint of reserve and
wariness. There was no open friendliness.

She wasn't hiding the fact that she was very well aware of
who and what he was.

"Ah, she is a smart one as well, eh, my son?"
Diego grinned as though he were a proud parent. It was

enough to make a SEAL's spine crawl in horror.

"She is at that, Diego." He nodded to Kira as
though in indulged amusement.

Diego took his chair once again, waved the maid to his
coffee cup, and waited until she filled his cup.

"What would you like for breakfast, my dear?"
Diego asked her. "We have a nice selection of fruits.

Though our Ian does prefer his protein." He waved his
hand to the buffet that sat along the wall.

"I like a bit of each." Kira eyed the buffet with
hungry longing. "It's a good thing I have a high

metabolism." Mocking amusement lit her expression and
her eyes as she nodded to the maid who waited

patiently. "The eggs, bacon, and one of those
luscious-looking biscuits. I'll tackle the fruit after."

Diego's brows lifted at her request, even as she brought
the strong, unsweetened coffee to her lips and

sipped at it with enjoyment.

"Ah, a woman with an appetite," Diego murmured.
"I believe the American magazine
Society
described

you as 'today's woman.' One whose appetites clearly express
the hungers of the modern woman."

Ian had read that article, and laughed. The society image
was definitely not the true Kira Porter.

"
Society
insisted on discussing
my eating habits rather than the topic we agreed to discuss: the charity

work my uncle and myself were doing at that time."

Diego chuckled. "The editor claimed you were doing
more to destroy the image of the glamorous

socialite than those who had gone before you had done to
uphold it. I thought it was clearly the mark of

an intelligent, strong woman." Diego sat back in his
chair at that point. "I believe the interview also

touched upon drug use. Your stand on drugs was
exceptionally strong. Your comments that those who

trade in the death and misery of the world should be drawn,
quartered, and left for the maggots to feed

upon." His voice remained warm, encouraging, his gaze
curious.

"Diego," Ian said warningly. "Not exactly
appetizing conversation for breakfast."

Diego's nostrils flared at the rebuke. "I would know
why a woman with such views would lower herself

to sleep with not just a drug cartel leader, but also a
deserter. Tell me, Ms. Porter, why would you risk

your reputation and your safety by sleeping with my
son?"

"Mr. Fuentes, what
Society
didn't mention is that I am a woman.
I
choose who I care for. Not

convention." She leaned forward, cutting Ian off
before he could tear into his father. He paused, leaned

back in his chair, and watched Kira instead.

Her expression was revealing now. This
was
the woman. His woman. That expression caused his

erection to jerk in his slacks, the broad head to throb
painfully now.

"You do not say?" Diego questioned curiously.

"But I do say." She sat back in her chair once again
and flashed Ian a look shimmering with hunger.

Damn her. She picked a hell of a time to give him that
look. To allow him to glimpse the emotions she

kept mostly hidden.

"Finish your breakfast then we're leaving." His
voice was harsh. He heard it, and he didn't regret it. He

turned to Diego. "Do you understand the concept
'mine'?"

"Ian, this isn't necessary," Kira protested with
a hint of amusement. "I'm certain your father understands

we all have our little kinks."

His gaze flashed to her, the anger rising, burning,
threatening his control. He turned back to Diego.

"Did you understand my question?"

Diego nodded slowly. "Yes, Ian. I understand. I will
question her no further." There was a warning in his

voice as well. "I understand that we must protect what
belongs to us."

Ian rose from his chair, breakfast forgotten, coffee
forgotten. His eyes locked with Diego's as he

reached out his hand to Kira.

She was there instantly, her fingers twining with his,
allowing him to pull her from her chair, to his side.

"We've wasted too much time," he said tightly.
"We'll stop on the way and get you a snack."

"Protein?" she asked, her voice lower, hinting
toward suggestive.

Ian couldn't damned well help it. His gaze almost jerked
from Diego's in surprise and his cock definitely

became highly interested.

"Definitely protein." He stared back at Diego,
watching the other man's expression, the gleam of

amusement in his black eyes, the way he relaxed, the aura
of death sliding beneath the charm once again.

"We'll talk later tonight," he warned Diego
quietly. "I promise you that."

He drew Kira from the room and met up with Deke and the
others in the foyer.

"Deke, we need to swing around Palm Beach for coffee
and breakfast to go for Kira. Duetch Veronick

should work."

"Duetch Veronick." Deke nodded his dark head.
"Gotcha, boss."

Ian looked down at her as he escorted her from the villa.
Damn her. Kira had to have known what her

little innuendo would do to him. Just as Diego was learning
there truly were certain ways to work him.

Both of them were going to find out, he knew how to work
back.

As they stepped from the wide sheltered porch of the villa
Ian handed Kira into the limousine before

following her into the cool, leather interior.

She slid into the backward-facing seat, settling into the
leather and crossing her legs gracefully as she laid

her slender clutch beside her. Taking his seat opposite
her, Ian stared back at her silently while Mendez

closed the door behind them and the vehicle began to move
out.

Ian laid his finger on the window control between the two
seats, still staring at Kira as the blackened

window glass rose between the two sections.

"That look in your eye could almost be arousing, if it
weren't so calculating," she drawled, an accent

flavoring her voice with a hint of Georgia nights and
Southern Belle charm. "What are you thinking, Ian?"

Her hands lay relaxed against her legs and her head was
tilted to the side as she watched him

thoughtfully.

"Drug deals. Arm deals. Blood and death." He
smiled mockingly. "What else does a cartel owner think

about?"

She licked her tongue over her already glistening lips and
her gaze flickered before coming back to him

questioningly.

"The vehicle is secure," he told her. "There
are no listening devices. We're safe."

"How can you be sure? You didn't check the car when we
got in."

Ian sighed before pushing his hand into his pocket and
pulling the slender electronic detector from his

pants. He flashed it to her before pushing it back.

It was the size of a cell phone, but the electronics it
contained were sensitive to a variety of receivers.

She breathed out in regret. "You're not going to let
me see that one either, are you?"

"It's an experimental model." He grinned.
"But I'm open to negotiations. Answer some questions for me

and I'll let you play with my toys."

He watched realization glimmer in her eyes a second before
she shrugged her delicate shoulders. "I'll

check it out when this is over. Uncle Jason will likely get
me one for Christmas."

Ian nodded slowly. "How long has Jason been
covert?"

"I didn't say Jason was covert." Her hands
tightened in her lap.

"No more than you told me that Durango team was in
Aruba." He leaned forward slowly, his voice

turning to ice as he glowered back at her. "You were
discussing them with Daniel this morning. You were

discussing the fact that he would be sent away and his
knowledge that Durango team was here."

Surprise and nervousness flickered over her expression
then.

"I have the balcony bugged." He leaned back in
his seat. "I checked the recording while you were in the

shower."

"Then you know I have no knowledge of the team being
here."

"But you know Daniel. And he does know where they are.
So the first question is, where would Daniel

set them up and how would he help them?"

Silence filled the back of the limo. Their gazes clashed,
tension exploding in the back of the limo as they

battled in a silent war Ian was determined to win.

"Why does it matter, Ian?" she finally asked him.
"
If
they're here, they havent disobeyed direct orders not

to strike against you. They haven't struck. Maybe they've
figured out you're not the loving son you've

tried to appear to be, and they're here to help you."

"And do you think I need their damned help?"

If she had thought about his possible response to knowing
his former team lay in wait to help him, then

Kira knew she would not have expected the fury that burned
in his eyes or the hard hand that wrapped

around the back of her neck and pulled her nose to nose
with him as he came forward once again.

"You will contact Daniel," he told her icily, his
voice harsh, his expression forbidding. "And you will tell

him to give Reno a message for me. Reno only. You tell
Daniel to tell him, 'Killer Secrets.' He'll know

what it means, Kira. And you tell Daniel to warn him, I
mean every word of it."

Killer Secrets. There were too many personal threads, too
many enemies posing as friends, and no way

to sort the differences before striking. It meant he was
working alone, period, and the situation was too

volatile for interference.