Wicked Games (3 page)

“Noah, can we talk about what’s going on?”  Her voice was quiet, and for the first time since he met Brianna, she seemed almost afraid to ask him a question. Her eyes moved around the room, not settling on any one thing for too long. He saw the sadness in her eyes and didn’t know how to respond.

Yes,
Brianna, what exactly is going on? 

There
had definitely been a change in their relationship. It had never been…calm…by any stretch of the imagination. She was a headstrong investigative reporter, and he was newly discharged from the military when they got together. So, yeah, he was headstrong, too. 

He k
new that she was ambitious. She didn’t get the good stories by sitting on the sidelines, or being afraid to ask the tough questions. She had never backed down from a good debate, especially with him.  But for the last several weeks, there had been a different air between them. 

“I don’t think now’s the time
, Bri.” He couldn’t look her in the eye, so he continued studying the paper in front of him. He didn’t really see one damn thing on the page. He chastised himself for being such a coward.

Clearing her throat
, she replied, “OK. I don’t mean to bother you at work. I know you’re busy.”

“Yeah, lots to do. We can talk later, k?”
He still couldn’t look her in the eye. 

In his head, he heard, “Pussy – man up and look at her!”

She lingered in front of his desk for a few seconds longer and inhaled, as if she was about to say something else, but then turned and slowly walked away. He looked up then and watched her leave. He noticed how her toned, athletic body moved. She had the muscle-toned body of the true Yoga fanatic and long distance runner he knew she was. He noticed how her long, straight, blond hair glittered under the lights, even under the unforgiving fluorescent office lights. 

But one thing was definitely different in her stance. She had always held her head high, shoulders back, as if she were ready to take on anything
and anyone. Now, as she left his office, he noticed she looked at the ground, and her shoulders almost slumped, as if she had the weight of the world on them. 

“If only I’d known that would be the last time I
ever saw you.” Noah shook the memory from his mind as he drove on.

He regretted
how poorly he handled the last conversation he had with Brianna. He still didn’t know why things had changed between them those last few weeks. His feelings for her hadn’t changed, and he realized he should’ve fought harder for her, and for them.
I realized too late,
he thought.

Brianna
received a call about a major break on a big story she was working on, shortly after leaving his office. She had to leave immediately for the briefing and to board a flight to the Middle East on a military plane later that day. She had left him a voicemail to let him know.  Though he regretted not answering the call at the time, he was glad he still had the voicemail to replay, and hear her voice from time to time.

Noah
drove to his office at Steele Security. It was Saturday afternoon, so he could’ve gone home instead of to work. His men were fully capable of planning and coordinating security for the foreign dignitary reception, at the Miami Premiere Banquet Hall later that night, but he really didn’t want to go home, yet.  

Noah
didn’t date for a full year after Brianna’s death. He just couldn’t bring himself to even remotely care about another woman. He had occasional dates over the past two years, but nothing serious. 

The reception tonight was both a blessing and a curse. On the good side, his firm was hired to provide additional security for the major international event.  His firm worked with the local Miami police department
, and with various other federal organizations to coordinate coverage. His business was doing very well and had gained significant accolades from influential people in the world. Tonight would only further that, and then he could think about opening more security firms in other major cities, employing more ex-military men in a position that suited their training and discipline.

The down
side was he wouldn’t actually be working tonight. While he always considered himself to be on duty, his date for the evening didn’t. And he wasn’t looking forward to spending the evening with this particular….acquaintance. Alexa Bishop was part of the Miami elite club, and her wealthy family made significant contributions to political campaigns. 

The woman was absolutely ruthless when it came to business, but her elegant good looks and instant charm fooled many people in the boardroom.  They would never guess she was
the biggest shark in the water. She knew what she wanted, and she was accustomed to getting it. 

Alexa had made it clear
, on more than one occasion, that what she wanted was a commitment and a ring from Noah. He had made it abundantly clear to her that scenario would never happen. 

He frequently encouraged her to find someone else and get married
, because that was not in the stars for him. She always sidestepped the conversation and acted as though she hadn’t heard him. He wasn’t playing hard to get, and deep down he thought Alexa knew he was telling her the truth. But for now they would continue to use each other and take what they needed, whether that was an occasional escort to a high society function, or for sex.

Alexa’s
father, William Bishop, built his business in exporting and shipping goods to other countries.  Through his business dealings, he became quite familiar with various foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, business leaders, and other officials at all levels of the U.S. government. William would be rubbing elbows with all the right people at the event tonight, who could grease the wheels at the shipping ports, speed up the customs’ red tape, and make him even wealthier than he already was. 

Noah opened his email to double check any last minute
security changes that would be needed for the evening. He found an updated attendee list adding Richard Hollingsworth to the party.

***************

Richard closed the door after Noah left and smiled.
So far, so good.
Noah was so shocked to see him, he didn’t doubt his concocted story at all. Not yet, anyway. Now, Richard was intent on getting his side business back up and running.

Richard picked up the phone and dialed.  “
Remember me, old friend? It’s time for me to come back to work. I will need your help in getting started, and I will make it worth your while.”

The
voice on the other end hesitated, then answered, “Richard. Saw your picture in the paper.  What can I do for you?”

“Meet me tomorrow night. We need to talk, live,” Richard demanded.

“Let me know where and what time. I’ll be there
,” the man replied.

“One of my men will contact you tomorrow.  Looking forward to it
.”

Richard fisted his hands and paced in the hotel suite.
That stupid little bitch. She thought she could beat me. Three years I’ve had to lay low, and now I’m going to make her pay for it. Slowly and painfully. 

He had quite the business set up before Brianna somehow got
ahold of incriminating information against him. She went into hiding and took that information with her. Until he got it back, his life was on the line. Technically, he had always been in danger, due to the type of people in which he conducted business, but he could handle them. As long as he obtained the goods they needed, there was nothing to worry about.

But Brianna
was on a mission to tell his story and nothing would sway her from that. Nothing but Noah. He thought he had made sure his tracks were covered, but somehow Brianna found out. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Richard
had gotten word that there was a dirty CIA agent looking to make a small fortune. That agent turned out to be an old friend from his military days.  He would use his friend to make his business lucrative again, and just as importantly, keep his customers from cutting his head off. His CIA friend would have the right connections to get the specific weapons he needed for this shipment.  

Richard made a few more calls to old friends and business partners. Most of the men he used as his security team had less than stellar backgrounds
, but he was fine with that. Someone less educated, less cunning, and with a criminal history makes a great fall guy, in the event something went wrong. Still, he would be very careful in how he set up business meetings. 

With her head resting on the back of the seat, Brianna closed her eyes as the plane lifted off. Living as someone else for the past three years had exhausted her to the bone.
She figured if someone had been watching her townhouse, she had a few hours before he realized she was gone. It was still daylight and the rain should have started by now, so nothing would appear out of place, until later when the darkness inside her home would be obvious. Hopefully she would be settled in some out of the way motel in Miami before then.

She was going back to Miami as Leslie Solomon
, but wished like hell she could just be Brianna Tate and be done with all this mess. She had missed her three sisters and her parents, more than she could bear at times. She had missed so much of their lives. Were any of her sisters’ married yet? Was she an aunt? 

She tho
ught of her mom and dad often. She worried about their health, and the strain losing her had put on them. Most of all, she missed laughing with her family, regaling stories of each other during family dinners, and just spending time with them. 

Her dad had been such an instrumental part of her getting her first big job after college. Her parents took a chance on real estate development at the most opportune moment. After making their first small fortune, they decided to expand into high-rise executive offices
, and eventually moving into establishing their own luxury hotel chain across the Eastern U.S. Neither of her parents was thrilled with her career choice, since they both obviously wanted her to be interested in business and run their hotels.  But being cooped up in an office every day was never in her plans. 

And Noah –
oh God, how she missed him. She never got the chance to finish that conversation with him the last day she saw him. It tore her heart out to think that would be the last time they ever talked.

As she drifted off to sleep
with the gentle rocking of the plane, her unconscious mind took over and replayed the entire scene in her dreams of when she met Noah. She was twenty-two, just out of college, and had convinced her editor of the
Atlanta Journal
to send her to a top-secret military base in the Middle East to interview members of the elite, covert military group, the Delta Force. 

With her dad’s business ventures, he had developed friendships with some high-ranking government officials
, who helped Brianna get the exclusive interview of the Army’s “quiet professionals.”  There were stipulations, of course. She couldn’t know any real names, no pictures were allowed, any article for publication had to be approved by the DoD first.  She also had to be blindfolded upon her arrival and departure, and she was not allowed to leave the base unescorted at any time. Young, impetuous, and ambitious, she jumped at the chance and never even considered the implications of her safety. She hopped on a military flight and fifteen hours later, she arrived at the top-secret base.

As she exited the Humvee, she took in her surroundings
, and thought it resembled the old TV show MASH, but with sand colored tents instead of the Army green. Large Army tents scattered throughout the base, Humvees, Jeeps, and large trucks moved slowly through the streets. It was incredibly hot, hotter than Atlanta ever thought of being, and she immediately wondered how the soldiers could tolerate it for so long. She strode towards the tent her escort pointed out, and thought of how she would approach the band of elusive soldiers.

She was glad she had her sunglasses on
, because her eyes must have been as big as saucers.  One man was sitting in a folding chair, wearing his government issued hat, Oakley sunglasses, no shirt, and his fatigue pants rolled up to his knees. He was evidently working on his tan, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from his chiseled chest, the muscles in his shoulders, his arms and…
oh wow
, his six-pack abs. 

His thighs and calves were obviously just as cut as the top half of him
from the form of his pants. She looked back to his face, and instantly turned an even deeper shade of red than she already was from the heat of the scorching sun. From his mega-watt smile, she knew she had been busted practically drooling over the man.

“Are you our new recruit?” There was
a smile in his deep voice, teasing her, and clearly pleased that she liked what she saw.

“Umm…I’m…uh…Brianna.”
There wasn’t a coherent thought in her mind. She had no idea how she even strung those words together.

He continued smiling as he stood. She couldn’t hide her shock
, as she drew in a sharp breath. The man was huge. He had muscles bulging
everywhere,
and he towered over her 5’6” frame. She knew he had to be at least 6’4” and rock solid. He had short black hair, a strong, square jawline, high cheekbones, and though she couldn’t see his eyes, she could feel them looking right through her. She knew she looked like an idiot just standing and staring, but she had literally never seen anyone like him in real life.
So much for making a good first impression.

“Well,
Brianna
,” he continued, still smiling, “good to meet you. I’m Reaper. Meet the rest of the team,” as he gestured to the other men sitting in the ragged chairs strewn around the outside of the tent.  “This is Rebel….this here’s Bull…this one is Shadow – watch out for him…..and this is Judge.” Each man nodded and smiled, as she said hello after Reaper introduced them.

No real names. Got it.

As she looked around at the other soldiers, who had agreed to be interviewed and let her tag along with them on the base, she realized that every one of them were built like linebackers. Every inch of them was covered in muscles. Every one of them was tall, had thick bodies, and seemed to be completely at home in these desert surroundings. She quickly realized they were able to assimilate anywhere they went, because of the rigorous training they completed.  They all also obviously took exercise very seriously, from the looks of this group.

Over the next six weeks, she spent a lot of time interviewing the men and getting to know each soldier. 
They all understood her assignment, and that she genuinely wanted to give them credit for the work they were doing. She learned their different personalities fit their nicknames, or call signs, perfectly. 

Reaper was the official leader of the group
, and she’d heard another man, outside this group, call him Captain at one point. But he hadn’t followed up with a real last name. She wasn’t allowed to go into action with them, so she could only guess what had earned him the nickname
Reaper
. She had a hard time fitting the image of the bringer of death with the man she was getting to know.

Rebel was just that – a rebel. He went against the grain of what most others said.
He always played devil’s advocate, and argued the opposite view, even if he inwardly agreed. He just liked to look at all the angles and make sure everyone else did, too. He seemed to be the most level-headed of the group, though. He could easily see the pros and cons of any situation and helped bring balance to the team.

Bull was as big as a bull, though not as cut as some of the others.
He was not as cut as Reaper, but he was taller and thicker. With those that he knew well, he was easy-going and liked to joke around. He was more reserved around outsiders, and it took longer for her to break through his wall. Once she finally did, she felt she had a friend for life. But something told her to never take that friendship for granted. Once his trust was betrayed, there was no getting it back.

Shadow often snuck up behind her
, without making a sound, and scared the crap out of her. She wondered how men this big could move as stealthily as a common housecat. He couldn’t even scratch his own back, because his muscles were too big for him to reach around, but he could move silently behind his unsuspecting victims. His booming laugh when she jumped out of her skin, repeatedly, was infectious, and she could never stay mad at him.

And then there was
Judge, also known as Richard Hollingsworth. He was Reaper’s best friend in high school. Of course, she didn’t know his real name then. That came later…much later. But she remembered seeing him there on that base. He wasn’t part of Reaper’s direct team, but the friendship was still evident.

S
he quickly learned her way around the unmarked tents. Though the team had already been sent out on assignment a couple of times, she wasn’t allowed to go with them, and they weren’t allowed to talk about their top-secret missions. So, she kept to the generic questions of why they had chosen this path and how they prepared mentally and physically. She asked questions about their standard equipment, the types of terrain they had been deployed in, and how long they had worked together as a team. They gave just enough information for her to write her article, but not enough to win any great awards.

One night, after a mission had obviously went very well, there was a small celebration in the 1st SFOD-D tent. The chairs and cots had been moved to the sides
, and a makeshift dance floor was laid out.  One man used his MP3 player to play DJ. They used footlockers as coolers, with beer bottles chilling on ice, and someone had put snacks in various locations throughout the tent. Others from the base joined in the revelry and enjoyed a “night on the town,” in the middle of nowhere. It was all in good fun and allowed everyone to experience a little bit of home.

Brianna and Reaper had enjoyed light,
playful flirting over the past couple of weeks. It was never anything too overt. He said or did things that were just embarrassing enough to make her blush from time to time. Then he would comment on how he loved to see her blush, because of him. She remembered his playful, teasing laugh every time, and hearing it rumble through his massive chest only made it that much worse for her. 

The music was rocking and everyone was having a great time. At first, Brianna wasn’t going to attend
, because she didn’t want to intrude. At the insistence of others, she thought it would be rude to not go, so she reluctantly agreed. Reaper was leaning against a post inside the tent, holding his chilled beer bottle, and laughing at someone’s poor attempt at a popular dance move. Brianna had just stepped into the tent and was clapping and cheering the performer on, along with the others. 

The song ended and the DJ put on a slow song.  Brianna was talking with one of the female soldiers
, as her eyes grazed over the crowd. She saw Reaper looking at her, and his lips curled into a sensuous smile while mischief danced in his chocolate brown eyes.  She felt a flitter in her chest that settled low in her abdomen, but couldn’t tear her eyes away from his.  She felt a smile creep across her face, despite any attempt to keep it inside. Oh, he knew what he did to her insides all right. He turned them to liquid. Hot liquid at that.

Oh God, he’s coming this way!

Reaper pushed against the pole and stood, facing Brianna, then made his way across the floor to her. She stood still, as if rooted to the floor, unable to move as he made his way through the crowd with ease.
Like a panther on the prowl
, she thought. 

“
Want to dance?” 

“Sure.” She hoped she at least sounded calm
, because inside she was anything but calm. This man just made her nervous inside, but in a very good way.

He took her hand and led her to the dance floor
, then wrapped his strong arms around her waist.  She hooked her hands behind his neck, and he pulled her closer to his massive body. She liked the way she fit against him, pliable under his touch, and seemed to just meld with his own body. She tried to think of something else – anything else - before she made a complete fool of herself.

She glanced up and saw he was watching her
, and she felt like he could read her every thought. She felt her face heat with her blush.
Look away!

She felt a low chuckle rumble through his chest more than she heard it. She looked back up and asked, innocently enough, “What?”

“I love to see you blush. It’s sexy.”

Well, hell, so much for playing it off.

She started to say something witty back, but couldn’t think of a single comeback.
Damn!

“
Hmmm…I must make you nervous. Nothing to say to that?”

“I’m not nervous. Just not giving in to
your
mind games!” OK, that was a little better than just blurting out,
“I want you. Now!”

“We’ll see about that.” 

He’s smirking now!

Shadow appeared out of nowhere, as usual, and tried to cut in on their dance. Reaper shot him a look that was quickly masked
, and Shadow moved around them to dance with another girl. Brianna realized she just got her first glance at how this team was so effective. She knew they used hand signals to keep from speaking and giving away their location, but they also had facial signals down to a science.

“What was that look?” she asked Reaper.

“What look?” He didn’t even have the decency to look like he’d been busted in the act.

“Yeah. Exactly.”