Unmasking the Mercenary (18 page)

Music thumped from inside the bar. People walked by in front of the patio, talking, laughing, speaking Portuguese or Spanish. Though the sun had set long ago, the heavy heat made her feel sticky. Rem shifted in his chair, the hem of his short-sleeved shirt molding for a second over the shape of the pistol tucked in the waist of his jeans. He’d bought it and another one from a man they’d met earlier that day, since they couldn’t fly armed. It had bothered her that he’d known the man and made her wonder when he’d contacted him. She didn’t like his secrets.

She was in a potentially volatile area of Brazil with a dangerous man whose agenda involved more than getting the men who’d tortured and killed his sister. Why did he want Ammar to follow them? Because she knew that was his intention back in Prague. Was that why he stole the diamonds? He had to know Ammar would do anything to get them back. If Rem took them to South America, where he’d find Farid, Ammar was sure to trail them. Did he want them both in the same place to make it easier to move in for the kill?

Why keep it from her, then? Did he have some other connection with Ammar and Farid? Maybe it was his relationship with the two that he meant to keep buried. A chill cruised over her sweat-dampened skin. No. Anything but that. He couldn’t have a history with terrorists. He just couldn’t.

“What will you do if Ammar doesn’t follow you?” she asked. No getting around what she insinuated. She knew he’d intended exactly that—for Ammar to follow the diamonds.

His eyes moved from perusing the street to her. “He’ll come.”

At least he didn’t deny it. “Is that why you took the diamonds?”

He resumed his study of the street, calm as could be. It was unnerving how unruffled he was.

“What will you do with them when it’s over?”

“I don’t know,” he said without looking at her.

“Are you going to sell them and keep the money?”

She watched his brow lower as her meaning sank in. His attention returned to her. “What am I supposed to do with them?” He snorted. “Or maybe the more appropriate question is, what would Cullen do with them?”

“I don’t understand your obsession with Cullen.” Even though she did. “It doesn’t matter what he’d do with the diamonds. What are
you
going to do with them?”

“Sell them to someone I know and buy a really nice yacht.”

“Your sarcasm tells me all I need to know.” She tossed her hair away from her face and looked away.

“You want to believe I’ll be like everyone else and do the
noble
thing, is that it? Like give it to a popular charity?”

“No, I would never expect you to do anything so ordinary.”

“I never pretended to be anything but who I am.”

“Nope, you never did.”

She didn’t have to see him to know he sat over there stewing. “The money from those diamonds would allow me to gear my company with state-of-the-art equipment,” he said at last.

But she heard the cynicism in his tone. “Oh, you mean your
rogue
private military company?” She couldn’t stop the emotion from flying along with the words. “Is that the one we’re talking about?”

“The one I took over from Dane after he was so conveniently killed? Yes, that would be the one.”

“Right.
Pioneer
Security
Consultants
. And you say you aren’t pretending?”

“To be like Cullen? No. I never pretend to be what I am not.”

“Then why the noble name, hmm?”

He stood from the chair and took a menacing step over to her. Leaning down, he took both her arms in his grasp and pulled her to her feet. She lost her breath as the full impact of his angry face loomed above her. So much intensity. The strength of his personality engulfed her. Drive. Purpose. Conviction. He had it all in glorious abundance. It fascinated her how he could miss seeing it himself.

“Because, while I’m not like the great and mighty Cullen McQueen, neither am I like
Dane Charter
.”

He practically spat the last name.

Didn’t he realize all he’d done was prove her point? It didn’t matter, though. He believed he didn’t belong in the same circles as men like Cullen, and that spelled out only one thing to her. When they returned to the States, he wouldn’t want any more to do with her. She traveled among people like Cullen. He’d leave her to find someone he thought was more like him.

Haley stepped back, shrugging her shoulders and arms to loosen his hold on her. He let her go.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that revelation. Did she want to continue this when they arrived back home? She couldn’t stop herself from taking in his body, big and hard and sexy. She met his eyes, watching her with all that intensity. God, she loved that about him. Too much. If she wasn’t careful, she’d fall too much for him and have to deal with losing him later.

Turning, she left the sidewalk restaurant to find a cab. It was a short drive to their hotel from here. The Tropical das Cataratas hotel was a sprawling colonial-style building in the Iguacu National Park, surrounded by dense jungle. Their room had a stunning partial view of the Iguacu Falls.

A figure leaning against the wall of the building across the street pulled her attention away from her thoughts. Rem must have seen him, too. He tugged her to a stop, turning her into his arms. She came against his body and felt him slide his arms around her, his hands on her back.

She marveled at the look of hungry desire on his face. Was he only acting?

“Let’s order room service when we get back to the hotel,” he said.

Was this for the benefit of the stranger? “What are you doing, Rem?”

“We haven’t eaten yet.”

“Sure. Room service.” She wasn’t in the mood to play along with him. Not after wondering if he had a closer connection to Ammar than he’d allowed anyone to know so far.

He leaned closer.

“Don’t you dare,” she warned.

“I’m going to kiss you. Make it look good.”

“Rem, don’t.”

His lips pressed against hers. She stared up at him, his eyes still open, too. He lifted his head and a crooked grin gave him the look of a wily pirate.

She couldn’t help her adoration. “Why are you doing this?” The fire had left her voice. It had moved to her heart.

“One,” he kissed her softly, melting her further. “I want to.” He kissed her again. “And two, it will make it look like I’m distracted.”

His mouth moved over hers, sending delicious sensation flying through her nerve endings.

“You mean you’re not?” she whispered against his lips.

He smiled sexily and chuckled. “No.” He kissed her harder. “I am.”

The sound of his chuckle was a rarity, a gift. It incited her desire.

Angling her head, she opened her mouth and slid her arms over his muscular shoulders, letting the feel of his strength and warmth fuel her further. His hands pulled her tighter against him.

She found his tongue and toyed with it, until the toying changed to an intimate dance. His breaths blew faster onto her skin. She pressed her breasts firmer against his hard chest. With a low grunt, his hands slid to her rear and he pressed her against his growing hardness.

“Let’s go to the room,” he rasped. He didn’t sound like he was acting.

“Rem.” Hearing the loss of control in her own voice, she knew going to the room would be a huge mistake just now.

“I want you.”

She believed him.

He broke apart from the kiss and took hold of her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She forgot to look for the stranger before Rem flagged down a cab. His hands caressed her as he guided her inside, slid off her as she sat in the backseat. He sat close, telling the driver where to take them before leaning toward her, caging her with his bulk.

He didn’t look through the back window. He just kissed her.

She put her hand on his chest, meaning to stop him, but the feel of his mouth on hers was too strong to turn away. He kissed her all the way back to the hotel. There, he fumbled with money to pay the driver, and then took her hand and hurried toward the elevator.

Heat throbbed between her legs as the elevator door closed behind them and another couple. Her heart beat fast and she had to conceal her breathing. When the doors slid open on their floor, he pulled her behind him, walking with long strides toward their room. He wasn’t pretending anymore, and she was a fool for wanting him this way.

Inside the room, she moved away from him, folding her arms and going over to the only window. She had to think about this. Too much more of him would have her falling madly in love. Not trusting him to be there for her when this was over, that seemed pretty stupid to her right now.

She heard him approach from behind. Heard his breathing. Felt his heat. He put his hands on the curve of her shoulders and pressed a kiss on her back. Then her neck. Haley tilted her head and closed her eyes, unable to resist the sensation.

“Rem—”

“Shhh.”

“I…” His mouth did incredible things to her jaw. The corner of her mouth. His hands slid over her lower stomach, causing the muscles there to spasm in pleasured response.

“I don’t want to do this,” she breathed, opening her eyes.

“It’ll be even better than the last time,” he said, kissing his way back down her neck.

His hands moved up to cover her breasts. She moaned and closed her eyes again. That was what she was afraid of. That it would be better. Better than anything she’d felt in her life.

“Rem…please. Stop.”

His hands went back to her stomach and went still. He lifted his mouth off her neck. “What’s the matter?”

She didn’t know how to tell him. Should she come right out and ask him what he was hiding? Would he tell her?

He straightened and moved back a step. She turned to face him. And saw the passion still in his eyes, and the restraint to respect her wishes.

“Tell me,” he said.

She hesitated. “What aren’t you telling me about Ammar?”

It took him a few seconds to answer. “What makes you think there’s something I know about Ammar?”

She could see he was hedging. “Why can’t you tell me?”

“He killed my sister.”

“What else did he do?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

“That’s not what I mean.” She sighed and lifted her hands in exasperation. “I just…I…I have this feeling there’s more between you and Ammar than you’ve let on.”

Seeing every trace of affection leave his eyes, Haley tensed. A mask of defensiveness hardened his features. Was this why he always argued with her about the goodness she saw in him?

“Oh, my God. There is.”

“Not the way you’re thinking.”

“How long have you known him?”

His mouth tightened and his jaw muscles flexed.

Something Cullen had said came to her. “The drug deal. Dane Charter was moving drugs for Ammar. Did you have anything to do with that? Did you find out about it and interfere?” Her mind whirled with speeding thoughts. “Is that the reason Dane was killed?”

Anger made its way past the indifferent mask.

Why did that make him angry? The fact he was convinced her she was on to something. “What happened?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You don’t think? Isn’t that the real reason your sister was killed?”

“Stop.”

“What did you do?”

He just stood there looking at her with tumultuous emotion building in his expression.

“Why did Ammar come after your sister?” She refused to back down.

“I killed Farid’s cousin.”

“What about the drugs?”

Still, he didn’t give an inch.

“Just tell me what happened, Rem.”

“I stopped a deal from happening.”

“Ammar’s?”

“Dane’s.”

“But they came from Ammar, right?”

“Yes.”

Something didn’t add up. Why would Ammar come after Rem and his sister if he’d already sold the drugs to Dane?

Unless Rem took them before Dane could get them from Ammar. But why would he do that?

“Did you make it look like Dane was the one who stole the drugs?” she asked, thinking out loud.

She didn’t expect Rem to help her much, and he didn’t.

“How did Ammar discover it was you?” A chill of horror streamed through her. “Your sister.” Ammar and his men had tortured her, and likely raped her after she told them everything she knew. The agony gripping Rem’s face confirmed it. Haley put her hand over her mouth but couldn’t muffle the sound of anguish that came from her.

Was that the reason he didn’t tell her and Cullen everything? Because he couldn’t? The guilt must have all but destroyed him. She moved toward him, and when she was close enough, reached up to take his face between her hands.

“I’m so sorry.”

Instead of softening emotion—what she expected to see—she saw hardened withdrawal. He curled his hands around her wrists and lowered her hands, stepping back as he released her.

The shock of coldness spread inside her. There was more. More that he wasn’t telling her. His sister talking after being tortured wasn’t the reason. Not the only one. And it crushed her to know he might be hiding something. Darker than anything else she already knew about him. Why else couldn’t he talk about it?

A clicking sound woke Haley. She blinked her eyes open and looked to her right. Rem lay beside her, his arm over her waist. That hand slid off her and moved under the pillow below his head. She caught the glint of metal in the dim light coming thought the window. They’d left the curtains open.

The floor creaked from across the dark room. Haley looked there but couldn’t see anything. Was someone in the hall outside their door? A fraction of a second later, Rem shoved her off the bed. She landed with a grunt and a thud onto the wood floor, taking covers with her. She heard the distinctive sound of silenced gunshots and scrambled to untangle herself from the blanket and sheet. The mattress jounced as Rem jumped off the bed.

Haley kicked the last of the blankets free and rolled onto her hands and knees. Careful to keep the bed between her and any bullets the intruder might fire her way, she peered through the shadows above the mattress.

Two figures wrestled, rolling until one straddled the other. Rem. She recognized his form. He slammed the intruder’s hand against the hard wood floor until the gun clattered free from his grasp. Shoving the gun so it slid out of reach, he hit the man with his pistol. The man blocked Rem’s second attempt to hit him with the weapon. The gun was knocked loose and fell to the floor. Rem deflected the man’s swinging fist and punched him.