The Thirteenth Legion (A James Acton Thriller, #15) (James Acton Thrillers) (18 page)

The Stone Manor, Luray, Virginia

CIA Analyst Supervisor Chris Leroux gripped the back of his
girlfriend’s head, tight, his fingers intertwined with her hair as he pressed
his lips against hers, their tongues exploring each other, the real action
taking place below the roiling surface of the hot tub.

He
moaned.

“That
feels good,” he whispered, CIA Agent Sherrie White’s expert hands suddenly
releasing him, then tugging his bathing suit bottom off, the decision to wear
it clearly a mistake.

“You
ain’t seen nothin’, yet.” Sherrie repositioned herself, straddling him, their
hips grinding together under the water. She groaned, her head dropping onto his
shoulder. “This was such a good idea,” she gasped as he grabbed her shoulders,
pulling her down hard. “Whenever I visit your parents, I feel like I need to
unwind.”

“Me
too,” gasped Leroux as he struggled for control.

“Yeah, but
your mother isn’t judging you every second of the day. Me, I’m always under the
microscope.”

“That
means she likes you.”

“Christ,
I’d hate to see what she’s like if she didn’t. That must have been horrible for
your high school girlfriends.”

Leroux
pushed her back slightly so he could see her eyes. “You
do
know who
you’re talking to, don’t you?”

Sherrie
laughed. “Yeah, somebody who’s now looking forward to his high school reunion.”

He
grinned, thrusting his hips and lifting her out of the water, rivulets running
down her naked skin, her exposed breasts sending another rush through him.

And she
was right. He
was
looking forward to his next reunion. He had skipped
the last one, the nerd-dork-geek crowd rarely showing up unless they had become
insanely successful and wanted to rub it in the faces of their former
tormentors.

But he
hadn’t become successful.

At least
not in a way that he could boast about.

He was
CIA, doing a job he couldn’t talk about. Yes, he had probably saved and taken
more lives than the entire graduating class combined, but that was all
classified.

So why
show up to a high school reunion to see people who had never been your friend,
and had made your life a living hell just for being smarter than them,
different from them.

All
except Kane.

His best
and only friend outside of Sherrie. Kane had been a senior in high school and
had asked the younger Leroux to tutor him. He had, and they had become good
friends, Kane the complete antithesis to Leroux’s teenage loser. Kane was good
looking and outgoing. A jock that every girl wanted to be with, and every guy
wanted to be.

He was
the personification of popularity.

And he
had become Leroux’s friend, because deep down, he had all the same
insecurities. Kane had defended him from the bullies, essentially telling
anyone that if they messed with Leroux, they messed with him.

It put
an end to it.

At least
until Kane graduated and left for college.

Then it
had resumed, though never at the level it had begun.

High
school had been horrible.

He
looked at the gorgeous woman he loved, and who loved him, and wondered if it
would be worth showing up with her on his arm. He smiled.

“Oh, if
they could see me now.”

“They’d
be watching hidden camera porn.”

He
lowered her back down, sighing as his eyes rolled into the back of his head,
the sensations he was feeling off the charts as they slowly enjoyed each
other’s bodies.

To
hell with them. I have a new life now.

His
phone vibrated nearby, indicating a text message.

He
looked.

She
grabbed his face, redirecting it to her breasts. “Ignore it. That’s an order.”

He
buried his face in something more interesting as another message came in.

“Ignore
it.”

He tried.

Oh God
did he try.

But it
vibrated again.

“Ignore.
It.”

She was
getting close, he was getting close.

No he
wasn’t.

Dammit!

“What’s
wrong?”

He
sighed, dropping his hips back into the water. “It’s distracting me.”

She
smiled. “I can tell.” She nodded at the phone. “You better get it, droopy.”

Leroux
shot her a fake pained expression then grabbed the phone, his eyebrows popping
up as Sherry continued to gently keep things alive. “It’s from Dylan. Says he
needs to speak to me, urgently.”

Sherrie
pushed off him, she knowing too well things were over. “I’m going to set up
surveillance outside Fang’s place next time he’s visiting her then call every
five minutes.”

Leroux chuckled
then climbed out of the hot tub. Sherrie reached forward, grabbing her favorite
appendage of his. “No, you stay, I don’t need him.”

“Sorry
babe, we’re a packaged pair.”

She
lifted and looked. “Yup, there’s a pair alright.”  

Leroux
laughed as he grabbed a towel, Sherrie yanking it from him then quickly drying
him off, mini-Chris taking interest once again when she dropped to her knees to
dry his nether regions.

She
smacked it. “You’re off duty.”

Leroux grinned,
launching his secure messaging app to get the contact details for Kane. Done,
he watched the greatest thing to have ever entered his life dry off, she
teasing him with her slow movements, the towel barely visiting the front of her
body.

He
dialed.

“Hey,
buddy, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Hope I didn’t interrupt
anything.”

Leroux’s
eyes hungrily drank in the sight before him. “Just a romantic night away from
everything.”

“Oh,
shit, I’m sorry. Wait, no I’m not. I’m in burqa-town and haven’t seen Fang in
two weeks, let alone a woman. I spot a tablecloth and wonder if a chick is
under it, then realize I can’t do anything, even if there was.”

Leroux
laughed. “Ahh, the bachelor life, gone forever.”

“Yeah.
Wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Leroux smiled
at Sherrie. “Me neither.”

She
covered herself with a robe. “Shows over.”

He
frowned. “So, what’s up? You said it was urgent?”

“Yeah,
the professors have been kidnapped at gunpoint in Maryland, several dead. It
looks like it might be the work of that Triarii offshoot he told me about. I’ve
sent you a secure message with all the details. Fang is heading to Maryland now
to rendezvous with Agent Hugh Reading. She’ll be your contact on this one, I’m
out of the loop.”

“Got
you. I’ll check with the Director to see if it’s okay to use Agency resources.”

“Already
done. He’s approved your team looking into it. The Triarii are still of
interest since our former President was killed by one of their people.”

Leroux
grunted. “Kind of keeps you on the radar.”

“True.
I’ve got to go, but keep me posted.”

“Will
do, talk to you soon.”

The call
ended and Sherrie’s robe flew open. “I’m guessing we have to go?”

He
nodded.

“Want to
try and set a record?”

He
grinned.

“Oh
yeah!”

Maggie Harris Residence, Lake in the Pines Apartments, Fayetteville,
North Carolina

“What are you looking at?”

Command
Sergeant Major Burt “Big Dog” Dawson flushed, turning his phone slightly so his
fiancée, Maggie Harris, couldn’t see the screen. “Oh, umm, Niner sent me an
email. Wanted to know what kind of tile was in some picture.”

Maggie
frowned, leaning over and turning the phone toward her, revealing a chesty
woman standing in a hallway. “Uh huh. Tell him it’s slate, and he’s a pig.” She
tapped his chest. “And so are you.”

“Hey,
babe, just trying to help a fellow operator redecorate.”

“With
those two howitzers in the picture, I’m surprised you even noticed there was a
floor.”

Dawson glanced
at the photo. “Huh, whadaya know. I never noticed her before.”

Maggie
shook her head. “Men! What is it about you guys and big breasts?”

Dawson
shrugged, pocketing the phone. “I don’t know.” He squeezed his pecks. “We want
what we can’t have?”

“Uh huh.
Would you want me to get implants like that?”

Dawson’s
eyebrows shot up, knowing enough about women that there was only one correct
answer to a question like that. “Hell no! You’re perfect just the way you are.
I wouldn’t want you looking like some freak show.”

Maggie’s
eyes narrowed. “Uh huh. I wonder if the twins were bigger, if I would have had
such a hard time landing you.”

He
grinned. “I guess we’ll never know.”

“Good
answer.”

“I
thought so.”

Her eyes
smoldered and he knew he had done well. “Come here, you.”

He
leaned toward and she lay back on the couch, he lying atop her as she wrapped
her arms around him, their lips meeting as he made a mental note to smack Niner
later for almost getting him in trouble. He grabbed a breast and squeezed,
eliciting a moan. “See, perfect.”

She
pushed up against the drill sergeant. “Ooh, is that for me, or the girl on the
tile?”

“Oh,
it’s all for you, babe.”

His
phone vibrated, and she felt it.

“Are you
on call?”

He
sighed. “Yup. I better take it.”

Maggie
sighed, pushing him off her. “Tell the Colonel he has to work on his timing.”

Dawson
laughed as he fished his phone out of his pocket, his eyes narrowing at the
number. “Hello?”

“Hey
buddy, it’s Dylan.”

“Ah
shit, what do
you
want?”

“Hey, is
that any way to greet a friend?”

“Huh.
The day you call just to say hi, is the day I know world peace has been
declared and we’re all out of jobs.”

“Yeah,
can’t see that happening this week.”

“Me
neither. What’s up?”

“I’ll
let you guess.”

Dawson
shook his head, immediately knowing who this was about. “What did they get
themselves into this time?”

Kane
laughed. “Our archeologist friends have been kidnapped at gunpoint from a mall
in their hometown, several people are dead. Hugh says it’s that offshoot of the
Triarii you had to deal with in the West Bank.”

Dawson
was immediately alert, Maggie already picking up the signals and gathering his
shoes and jacket. “Christ, those guys? I thought we killed most of them?”

“Nope,
turns out Martin Chaney, the guy they handed the skull over to, might be one of
the bad guys after all.”

Dawson’s
eyes widened. “Holy shit! Didn’t see that coming. So what do we know?”

“Not
much. I’ve sent you a secure email with everything I have so far. I’ve sent
Fang to coordinate in Maryland, and Hugh’s apparently called in Laura’s
security team. I’ve got Leroux working intel as well.”

“What do
you need me for?”

“Muscle.
See if you can get a few of the guys put on standby to deploy. I have a feeling
this is going to require professional extraction.”

Dawson
chewed his cheek, his head slowly bobbing. “Okay, no promises, but I’ll see
what we can do. Might have to do it off the books.”

“No
problem, just talk to Hugh, he’s got access to the funds.”

“Roger
that, I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”

“Thanks
buddy.”

Dawson
ended the call and turned to Maggie. “Sorry, hon, I’m going to have to head in
to the Unit.”

“Why?
What’s happened?”

“Jim and
Laura were kidnapped at gunpoint. A few people are dead. Looks like some old
friends from their past might be involved.”

“Who?”

He shook
his head. “Sorry, can’t talk about that, classified, but let’s just say you’re
never quite sure who you’re dealing with, and whose side they’re on.”

Maggie
frowned, shaking her head. “They’re such nice people, it’s horrible that things
keep happening to them.”

“I know.
It’s almost as if there’s people out there who delight in their misery, some
puppet master continually messing with their lives to keep his audience happy.”

Maggie
smiled, leaning in for a kiss. “Well, you go cut his strings, then see if you
can squeeze some time in back here before you head out. I want to make sure you
forget Niner’s remodeling project before you leave.”

Dawson
grinned. “Sounds like a
very
wise thing to do.”