Silver Fire (Guardians) (14 page)

“You’re welcome.”

“You’re really good with your fingers.”

“I’m better with my tongue.” Derek grinned at her and her heart stopped. He looked so boyishly handsome when he smiled, so different from when he was being all bossy—he looked like a hard-ass military then.
 

Sophie lowered her hand and brushed her fingers lightly on his erection. He inhaled sharply and she smiled. “Do you want me to do something for you?” she asked, a bit bashfully.

Derek’s eyes glittered, partly amused, partly in lust, and partly in pain. He stilled her hand and pulled it away from him. “No, Angel. The first time I come with you, I come inside you.”

He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. “We’ll take it slow. Go get ready, we have an early meeting at AGS.”

***

Derek was baffled by the atmosphere in the situation room where Maia was presently debriefing Sophie, Jack and himself. The Guardian had decided to do a joint debrief. As Maia questioned Sophie about yesterday’s events, he noticed the serene look on the redhead’s face which was in stark contrast to the pinched look on her husband’s.

Jack obviously went on a bender last night and had not slept well. His eyes were bloodshot, his demeanor subdued. His friend had his gaze fixed on Maia for some time now, a look of uncertainty and—guilt? When Maia reached out to pause the digital recorder, Derek’s gaze shifted back to her and he frowned when he noticed the bruises on her wrist. The marks encircled her wrist and were undoubtedly caused by a vise-like grip.

His jaw clenching, Derek scowled at Jack who had chosen that moment to look at him. Unspoken words passed between them. His friend sighed and continued to look dejected.

After the debrief, Maia filled them in on the Abu-Haxa leader they had in custody.

“Teboga maintains he was justified in taking action to remove all threats to his country,” Maia informed them. “He cited that he had reliable sources telling his organization that Blackstone International is working with the security firm SASTac—South African Security and Tactics—in wiping out stretches of towns in Africa with zefinium bombs.”

“That’s crazy. Sophie hasn’t even built them,” Derek scoffed.

“That’s what Viktor told the man,” Maia replied, but her gaze narrowed at Sophie who remained silent. “Isn’t that right, Sophie?”

The blonde-haired scientist did not answer.

Jack cursed. “Tell me you didn’t touch your father’s research.”

Sophie glared at Jack. “And what if I did?”

“Angel,” Derek said tightly. “What exactly have you done?”

“I built the cores.”

“Where are they right now?” Maia stood up, leaning menacingly toward Sophie. It was the stance she used to intimidate people to give up information.

“ Maia—”

“Stay out of this, Derek.”

Derek’s eyes flashed. “The hell I am.”

“This is a matter of national security,” Maia shot back.
 

“Zefinium is useless without the triggering device,” Sophie said defensively.

“You stupid, stupid girl.”
 

“Maia!” Derek warned.

“Damn it, Derek. I’ll have you escorted out if you keep interfering.”

“With what? Is Sophie a suspect here?” Derek challenged.

“Sophie, where are the cores?” Jack asked, the one calm voice in the room.

“I’m not going to tell you,
 
Jack,” Sophie retorted. “You own a defense company. You have more to gain with a zefinium bomb than Blackstone International does.”

For the first time that morning, Jack grinned. “You’re not stupid after all.”

“My research is proprietary,” Sophie continued. “It’s intellectual property. There is no reason for any of you to ask me these questions. My father’s research has the approval of the IAEA.”

“You’re also two steps closer to building a complete zefinium bomb,” Maia replied.
 

“What part of intellectual property don’t you understand?”

The women glared at each other. The men sighed in resignation.

Derek knew Maia was right. Was he letting his feelings for Sophie cloud his judgment?
His feelings? Wait, what feelings?
Derek banished those disturbing thoughts from his head and focused on the women, who were at an impasse.

“Fine, you don’t want to tell me where the cores are, I’m sure Viktor can get it out of you,” Maia threatened.

“That’s enough, Maia,” Derek growled.

Jack’s face darkened, but before he could say anything, Maia walked to the door. “You and me, Lockwood. Outside.”

Derek stood up and put a hand on Sophie’s shoulder to reassure her, but the blonde scientist looked seriously pissed and was far from cowed.

He followed Maia down the hallway where she turned into another room. Once inside, she spun around and nailed him with an icy stare. “Derek, you seriously need to get your priorities straight. I can see you’re crazy about Sophie and I’m thrilled for you, but damn it, she is holding some serious shit in her hands. Stop thinking with your dick.”

Derek gave a short derisive laugh. “Ha! Tell that last line to your husband.”

“We are not talking about Jack.”

“Maybe we should.” Derek grabbed Maia’s forearm and pulled back her sleeve. “Things got a little rough last night? I’m fucking gonna kill Jack.”

To Derek’s amazement, Maia’s face changed, her face softened and a little smile tugged on her lips. “No, you’re not. I bruise easily. But more than that, I’ve discovered something about myself.”

 
A brow shot up. “Do I want to hear this?”

“You started it.”

“Well then, out with it.”

“I realized, I like being dominated during sex.”

Derek shifted uncomfortably. Damn he needed to get laid, and he definitely needed to readjust his cock, which was getting hard under his trousers.

“Um, maybe we should do this over tequila.”

Maia giggled. She rarely giggled. “I was so shocked by my reaction. But it was something else last night.”

“Maia, I haven’t had sex in almost five days. Stop. Now.”
 

“You need to talk to him,” Maia told him.

Derek sighed. “We were talking about Sophie.”

“You’re the one who changed the subject.”

“Maia—”
 

“Look, I was just bluffing, OK? I like Sophie, but we need to keep an eye on her,” Maia said. “She’s clueless about the world outside her lab. I get she is a woman of science, but she needs to know there are people willing to exploit her.”

“I’m expanding her horizons,” Derek drawled.

“Derek, you know I love you and all, but I think Sophie is a bit too innocent for your taste.”

“Hmm, don’t know if I should be flattered or insulted.”

“You know what I mean. She seems inexperienced. I don’t think she’s sexually or emotionally mature enough to handle your brand of debauchery.”

“Thanks,” Derek said tightly. Other times, he would have taken such barbs in stride, but lately, it had been hitting closer to home.

Realization dawned on Maia’s face. “You like her. I mean really, really like her.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing with her,” Derek admitted under his breath, raking his fingers through his hair. “The fact that I’m taking it slow with her—”

“I can’t believe this.” Maia clasped her hands in glee. “My boy is falling in love.”

“Hardly a boy,” Derek grumbled. “I’ll talk to your man and find out what bug is up his ass.”

***

It took some serious convincing from Maia to have Derek leave Sophie at AGS for the day. After their initial stare-down, the women seemed to have hit it off. Now Maia wanted to teach Sophie a few self-defense maneuvers as well as how to handle a gun. The immediate threat of Abu-Haxa Brotherhood might be over, but Ademola had not been entirely forthcoming about his organization’s future plans.

The men headed back to MDI to handle business, and Maia promised to drop Sophie off later that afternoon.
 

As Derek zipped into a reserved parking space in Trident’s underground garage, he glanced over at Jack before killing the engine.

“Want to talk about it?” Derek asked tentatively.

“No.” His friend’s answer was abrupt.

“Jack, I saw the bruises on Maia’s wrists.”

“It’s none of your fucking business,” Jack growled as he slammed out of the Escalade.

“You know what? It is,” Derek countered as he got out of the car and got in
 
Jack’s face. “Maia’s a friend and the last thing I want is her dick of a husband abusing her.”

The barb had its intended effect. Jack’s fury exploded, his forearm landing on Derek’s collarbone, backing him violently against the SUV. “I did not abuse her,” he snarled. Suddenly,
 
Jack’s face contorted in anguish. “Fuck,” he whispered, releasing Derek and spinning around to rake his fingers repeatedly through his hair. “I was drunk. I wanted total control over her. And fuck, I got off on it, it was cathartic. The release, it was incredible.”

“So what’s the problem?” Derek asked quietly.

“You saw the marks on her,” Jack muttered.

“Yes, I did. And you know what Maia told me?” Derek paused as Jack’s eyes snapped to his. “She enjoyed it, and judging from her face when she told me, I believed her. She was not covering your ass.”

“When did she tell you this?” Jack asked darkly.

Derek rolled his eyes. “Fucking cut the shit,
 
Jack. She told me. Deal with it. You like dominance play sometimes, that’s sexual deviance but not unusual. It’s about needing control.”
 

Jack leaned back on the SUV, rubbing his face with his hands. “Never thought I would be into that, especially with Maia.” He exhaled deeply. “Never had that compulsion, but recently whenever she’s on a risky job or when I’m deeply, insanely jealous, I just want to tie her up and...shit.” Jack shook his head, but a faint, almost embarrassed grin started forming on his lips.

Derek shrugged. “Your mind is finding a way to deal with it. You said it was cathartic, so I guess that means that took care of that jealous rage you’ve been harboring against Connelly. So, is it better?”

Jack nodded.

Derek started walking toward the elevators. Looked like his work here was done. He did not want to get into the details of his friends’ sex life.
 
Jack had enough experience to figure out the rest of this new kink in his and Maia’s carnal relationship. “As long as it’s sane, safe and consensual. Remember, Jack, those are the rules.”

Jack smirked. His demeanor had totally transformed since this morning. “Guess I need to ask Maia for her safe word.”

***

Rooster bar was a trendy establishment in the heart of Georgetown, Washington DC. The patrons were a mix of high-powered politicians and lobbyists in expensive business suits and affluent college students from the adjacent university.
 

The nickel-plated bar was located in the middle in the shape of a trapezoid. At the center of the bar was a fixture of high opaque glass walls that was illuminated from within. Sophie noted the waste of space. It looked good and impressive, but still, for such a premium corner of Georgetown, it was a waste of square footage.

“What’ll you have, honey?” the bartender asked. He was wearing a fitted black shirt, had a shaved head, inked arms and wore an earring.
 

“I’ll have a dirty martini,” Sophie said.

“Make that two, Will,” Maia said behind her. The Guardian left briefly to call Derek and let him know that they had decided to catch a couple of drinks during happy hour. It had been such a hectic day. Maia rode Sophie hard in the sparring room, she ended up with bruises. She also had her try a couple of pistols and revolvers to see which one she liked. A 9-mm Beretta turned out to be perfect for her slender hands. She hung around while Maia trained some new recruits before the red-haired Guardian took Sophie to the bungalow to pick up some clothes. Derek had texted Maia that Sophie was indeed staying with him tonight.
 

Beth Turner might have a say about that though.

“They’ll be joining us in an hour,” Maia informed her. “Derek’s a bit put out that he won’t be having you to himself anytime soon. He was quite insistent you pack up all your things and move in with him.”

Sophie scrunched her nose. “Hmm. He moves fast. I’m planning to move in with Beth this weekend.”

“You bet your ass, baby girl.” A voice said by her side.
 

“Beth!” Sophie squealed as she hugged her friend. Stephen Parker also arrived with the reporter. “Oh Stephen, are you OK?”

“I’m fine, sweetie, don’t worry your pretty little head,” her friend replied.

“Oh god, Sophie,” Beth said as she threaded her fingers through her hair. “I was so worried for you yesterday. Damn Lockwood wouldn’t let me come by to check on you. Said you were dead to the world.”

“I just crashed,” Sophie admitted.
 

“I’m so sorry to hear about Agent Guerrero,” Beth said, looking over to Maia, who nodded solemnly.

Will came back to take the newcomers’ drink orders.

Plopping down on the chair beside her, Beth asked, “So what are you going to do with the lab?”

“The damage is mostly in the hallways. It will probably be a couple of days before I’d let Polly and Jan go back.” Sophie looked at Stephen. “Have you heard from Divergent?”

“Yes, they’ll be cleaning up and assessing any structural damage from the little explosion you caused. Forensics was still at Silver Fire Research today.”

“The lab and offices were locked, right?”

Stephen nodded. “By the way, Sophie. I got you a new phone, same number.”

When her friend handed her the device, Sophie got off her chair and hugged him. “I’m so sorry I nearly got us killed yesterday.”

“Hush, sweetie,” Stephen murmured into her hair. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“It’s mine more than you know.”

“It wasn’t, Sophie,” Maia said firmly. “Do not blame yourself for the work of others.”

“Listen to Maia, baby girl,” Beth said softly.
 

“Well, now,” Stephen said as he lifted his head to stare at Sophie mischievously. “How did the evening with Lockwood go?”