Marcus
It had been the worst kind of torture to watch Dani get in her car and drive away.
Yeah, I was following behind her in a very ordinary sedan, but I knew I had to keep my distance, and I hated it.
I should have pulled her out of this whole thing. What in the hell was I thinking?
I’d questioned my own sanity several times over the last few days. Usually, I’d use whatever contacts I could get with a threat to national security, and Becker was definitely dangerous because of his enormous funding of the rebels.
But she was no ordinary contact.
And the way I felt leaving her at all vulnerable was downright insane.
I didn’t want her with Becker. I didn’t even want her in the same city with him. Yet, I needed her to help me gain access to critical information, intel that would finally bring Becker down for good.
Jett had made incredible progress by “digging” for dirt on Becker on the dark web, but not quite enough to present to the necessary departments to take him down. Hell, Becker had so many offenses it was going to be hard to figure out who was going to handle what on government offenses. But that wasn’t my concern.
I wanted to bust Becker on so many levels, but the sense of protecting our country from foreign governments or terrorists was ingrained in me. What I wanted the most was to take Becker down for good. After that, I wanted the whole damn organization that had harmed Dani to cease to exist and not be a threat to our goddamn planet.
Everything I was insisted that I let Dani get access to intel. I’d been using any method necessary to impede anybody who wanted to harm the US in any way. However, as a man, I was having one hell of a time watching Danica be some kind of sacrifice.
“I’ll get her out quickly,” I muttered, still trying to convince myself that I was doing the right thing.
In theory, one person for a nation was a fair trade-off.
But that wasn’t at all how I felt right now.
If Becker caught Dani in action, or doubted her loyalty to him, he’d kill her without a second thought.
“Fuck!” I exploded, slamming my hand on the steering wheel. My only consolation was that I had various departments of the government to back me up, even though I technically didn’t exist for the CIA.
I wasn’t an employee.
Nobody had a file on me.
The information I gained was put in investigative files, and my involvement quickly disappeared.
Just the way I liked it.
However, I’d helped enough starched shirts in the government that I could still call on plenty of people for help, including the FBI and some of my fellow CIA agents.
I watched as Dani pulled into a driveway ahead of me, and I stayed back, parking some distance away and cutting my headlights.
Now wasn’t the time to second-guess myself. I needed to keep my head on straight and think like a spy.
She had every available gadget I could get my hands on to both protect her and help her stay undetected. Yeah, I broke out in a sweat as I watched her exit her compact vehicle in a skirt so short that she had to yank it down to cover the cheeks of her ass. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the look. But I didn’t want any other guy looking at Dani the same way.
As usual, she’d done her makeup way too heavy, but she was just as damn gorgeous as ever, and I coveted her, wanting to keep her all to myself.
As she disappeared into the luxury home, I had to admit to myself that she was the gutsiest female I’d ever encountered. She’d never flinched in trying to bring the world international news, and she hadn’t broken under the captivity of men who had tormented her in every way possible.
Now, she’d thrown herself into danger again. Maybe she was wary, but she was determined.
The moment I’d met her, I’d wanted to nail her against the wall. But the way I craved her now was at a whole different level.
Mine! She’s fucking mine.
It took all I had not to get out of my damn car and go find her, take her away from anything that could possibly harm her.
Problem was, she was the most stubborn woman on earth.
I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel impatiently as I felt my cell phone vibrate in the pocket of my jeans. I’d dressed for comfort and mobility, trying to make myself as ordinary as possible.
My eyes never leaving the house, I pulled out my phone and answered it. “Colter,” I said abruptly into my cell.
“Marcus? Everything okay?” Jett asked, his voice solemn and low.
“Just got here,” I replied. “She’s in. I’m just keeping the house under surveillance.”
“Damn,” Jett cursed. “I hate this.”
“Me, too, buddy,” I admitted. “How is it going there?”
“Good thing I’m worth billions,” he scoffed. “Gaining entry into the club is exhaustive and expensive. But I’m in. The auction starts shortly.”
“Whatever it costs, I’ll pay you back,” I told him with no reservations. Ruby was Dani’s friend, and we had to get her out of harm’s way.
“Oh, hell no. If I’m going to buy a virgin, I’m paying for it,” he replied. “I’m doing this for my sister. And maybe a little bit for Ruby, too. Jesus. She hasn’t had the easiest life.”
Dani had explained to me and her brother how Ruby had gotten into being a victim of human trafficking. “They always pick the most vulnerable,” I told Jett in a disgusted tone.
“Yeah, well, it’s bullshit,” Jett said adamantly. “What sick individuals do this shit?”
“People like Becker and his minions,” I drawled.
“They don’t just sell virgins,” Jett replied. “There’s all kinds of illegal crap happening here, and I don’t think the majority of women who are present here, are here on their own free will or working willingly.”
“The place has to get shut down,” I told him. “Just get Ruby out without looking obvious, and we’ll let law enforcement handle it. Get as much information as you can.”
“Ruby will probably have to testify,” Jett said in a regretful tone.
“She will. But hopefully she’ll be so happy to escape that she’ll do it.”
Jett hesitated before he said, “I gotta go. Take care of my sister.”
“I always have,” I reminded him.
“You have,” he acknowledged. “Probably more than she ever realized. I have a feeling you’ve always had an eye on her in some way or another. Even when she didn’t realize it.”
I wasn’t fessing up to his claim, even though it was true. “Maybe,” I answered noncommittally.
“Does she know how you feel?” Jett asked.
“What?” I asked innocently. “She’s like a sister to me, too.”
Jett snorted. “I call bullshit, buddy. But you can sort that out later if you’re not ready to deal with it. Just keep her safe.”
“I plan on it,” I responded grimly.
We talked a minute or two more, shaping up our plans for later, and then hung up to focus on our objectives.
Jett was taking Ruby back to my condo, but if everything went smooth, I’d have Dani’s ass on my private jet as soon as she was out of Becker’s place. I had people moving our belongings to the airport and onto my plane.
I didn’t want her anywhere in the area when all hell broke loose.