“So he’s really coming here?” Alex asked, his hand tightening on hers.
Kristen nodded. “I told you I would give him to you on a silver platter.”
“All right.” He turned and started leading Eve back to the bedroom.
“Alex?” She’d expected him to go into full-on commando mode, but he was walking away.
He pulled her into his arms. “No, Eve. No more talk about this. We’ll figure it out in the morning. We’ll sit down and talk it out. All right? I won’t leave you out of the decision-making process, but you have to know I’ll let his ass go if it’s a choice between hauling him in or you getting hurt again.”
He would choose her. Tears threatened again and she laid her head against his chest. She would always choose him. “Yes, Master.”
“Kiss me.”
She tilted her head up. The Master wasn’t done with her yet.
Chapter Fourteen
In the low light just before dawn, Jesse checked the safety on his SIG. He’d decided to make it quick. Clean and easy. No fuss, no muss. The boss had called again, in an agitated state.
And Jesse hadn’t told him everything. He hadn’t told him what he’d witnessed.
Kristen. He’d watched as Kristen led that fucker Carl to one of the back rooms. He’d been surprised at just how much he’d hated that. It wasn’t that he liked Kris. Fuck. It was impossible not to like Kris. She was one of those glowy people, the kind who could get the shit knocked out of them and get back up and still have a smile to show the world.
His heart had taken a little dive when he’d seen her with Carl. Carl was an ass. He treated all women like they were nothing but holes to stick his dick in. What the hell did she see in him? And wasn’t she supposed to be all girl-on-girl action? Carl, with his copious body hair, was as far from feminine as it was possible to be.
He’d had to take a walk, grab a smoke. It felt like things were coming to a head. Chazz had informed him that the man who ran everything was coming in for a visit.
He’d overheard Chazz talking about the “farm” again. He mentioned it from time to time, but if Chazz was growing carrots and potatoes, Jesse wasn’t aware of it.
“You’ll get to meet the big boss,” he’d said.
Like I didn’t already know that, dumbass. You have no idea who I am.
Jesse had just lit up, trying to think his way out of what he had to do.
That was when he’d seen Carl the Douchenozzle taking a header out the window. He’d wondered why Carl was leaving via window when there was a perfectly good front door. He’d giggled a little and then realized the dude was dead. He didn’t move at all. Jesse knew what a dead body looked like. He knew it all too well.
Kris was awfully cool under pressure. He’d watched as she maneuvered Carl’s body into the back of her SUV, all the while keeping track of who was coming and going. She’d even moved off to talk to one of the cocktail waitresses, probably to ensure that she didn’t step into the scene of Kristen’s crime.
So why hadn’t he mentioned it to his boss?
For the same damn reason he was about to do what he was about to do.
Because he’d just found out that there were lines he couldn’t step over.
He stared out at the gorgeous condo where his prey was staying. Another lie he’d been told. According to the lovely Kristen, everyone should be at her rundown little house in St. Augustine proper. But he’d followed her out to Palm Coast, driving along a lonely highway with his lights off so she wouldn’t think she was being tailed. He’d followed her past the beach houses and Marine World. Well, he’d followed as far as he could. Once he’d crossed through the toll bridge, he’d come to a gate with a security guard.
He’d had to park his car and make his way around the security. It hadn’t been easy, but they hadn’t given him the call sign “Wraith” in his old unit for nothing. He hunkered down inside one of the gated lanais on the first floor. He wouldn’t have known what building she was in if he hadn’t been able to find her car.
He felt safe here. The windows were all dark and there were no little tables on this side, the inland side. As far as he could tell, the lanai went all the way around the back to the ocean side. These were seriously wealthy people.
What the fuck was she doing tending bar when she could afford this place?
About an hour after he’d found her, she’d left again with the big blond cook who looked like he could butcher more than a cow.
After they had driven away, Jesse had found Master A’s vehicle, broken in, placed his equipment inside and then walked back to his hidey-hole. Jesse waited patiently. He was sure he was in the right place, watching the right door.