Until Death Do We Part (Sex and Vows #1) (13 page)

“Find them!” I roared and threw the phone at the wall, shattering it.

“Alex!” Evie exclaimed, jumping to her feet, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the broken cell and me.

“Someone doesn’t want you completing your mission.”

She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head in question. I quickly filled her in on the details Martin discovered.

“Not Heron’s network. Someone inside the fucking agency.” I was shaking with rage and betrayal.

“Okay,” Evie said as she began to pace, her fingers running through her hair in agitation. ”Okay, um...” She stopped suddenly. “They want the noc list.”

“Special operations doesn’t even know about the noc list,” I argued.

“Seriously, think about it Alex. Somebody has to.”

More than likely, she was right, but if I spent too much time focusing on this new turn of events, we’d both fail to succeed in our assignments.

“We’ll keep our heads down, do our best to stay off all radars. We need to wrap things up with Heron. ASAP.” I grabbed the computer and located the addresses from Martin. “Bring the papers, baby. We’ll start cross-referencing the addresses with those times and dates against shipping manifests.”

We got to work and were able to eliminate one address, but no matter how much we scoured the information, it looked like we would have to make a visit to three of the warehouses.

It was only just after three in the afternoon and we wanted to wait for dark. So, I ran out for lunch and after, I coaxed Evie into the bedroom and made love to her, sinking inside her as I reminded myself that she was there, safe, protected, and strong.

“Alex?”

I looked down at Evie, where her head lay on my chest. “What, baby?”

“Why did you become a spy?”

I realized she’d given me her history, but I hadn’t ever shared mine. I ran my fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead before speaking. “My reasons weren’t nearly as compelling as yours,” I said ruefully. “I scored exceptionally high in classes where the CIA monitors students. However, the army got to me first. You know I was in the military, but what is kept on the DL is that I was Special Forces. I loved it, but, eventually the agency came knocking and they painted a pretty picture. One of duty and patriotism, making a difference in the world. They presented it in such a way as to make it look as though you would be in so much greater service to your country than any other government work. So, I signed on the dotted line.”

“What about your family?” she asked.

“I didn’t lie to you about my family, Evie.” I tried and failed to keep the hurt out of my tone. “I wasn’t keeping you or them, hidden from each other. I really did grow up in foster homes. I was one of those rare kids who got extremely lucky and I had teachers who did their best to help me succeed. I went to a local state college, then earned a scholarship to Harvard.”

I sat up, brought her with me, and stared into her beautiful face. “Fast forward to four years ago. I met the love of my life and she made everything that had ever happened to me before her worth it. Because it brought me her.”

Evie threw her arms around my neck and kissed me with unbelievable passion which led to hot, rough fucking. When we were spent and sated, mostly, we ate leftovers for dinner and as night fell, we prepared to get to work.

The night yielded nothing, the warehouse abandoned with no signs of life, frustrating us to no end. The following night resulted in the same. However, the third night, when we checked the last address, we witnessed a shipment being offloaded. We had to wait until the following night when the activity had died down to sneak in and take inventory.

The crates were loaded with drugs and weapons, so we dropped a bug and got the hell out of there. It took two more days, but finally, we heard plans for a meeting. One where they were apparently supposed to pay a great deal of money for a list. It was set for three days from then, at eight pm, giving us ample time to come up with a solid plan.

We avoided the elephant in the room as we made plans, never discussing our conflicting missions. But one thing was certain, that night would be Evie’s last fucking day as a spy. I would make sure of it.

I
hadn’t been this nervous since my first mission. It wasn’t as though Alex and I weren’t prepared. We were. We’d stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, making sure we had our plan set in stone. We were on the same page for timing, access points, exit strategies, weapons to bring. Pretty much everything with one exception—what we were going to do with Heron once we got him.

I’d never questioned the orders I’d received. Not once in all these years. But listening to the quiet confidence when Alex spoke about his role in the agency made me wonder if it wouldn’t be better to let Heron live just long enough for Justice to question him. My faith in my husband was unshakeable. I knew he wouldn’t betray me or our country with the information he would be able to get from Heron, if given the chance to interrogate him. My superiors didn’t know Alex the way I did. They weren’t able to factor him into the equation in the same manner I could. Plus, if there was someone in our agency gunning for me while also going after the noc list, I needed to find them. There might be something we could learn about that person’s identity from our target.

Dead men couldn’t talk, which is exactly what my boss wanted—Heron’s lips sealed. Even after I’d updated him on the information Martin had uncovered about me being a target of a wet work team, he hadn’t lifted the kill order on Heron. National security took precedence over one operative. Always had and always would for him. It had to be that way or he’d never be able to do his job. It was a fact I’d accepted when it was only my life at risk. Having Alex with me on this mission changed my perspective, though. If his boss treated him like he was expendable, I’d burn the whole agency down. My father’s murder had filled me with a need for vengeance, but it was nothing compared to what would happen if Alex was harmed. And his reaction to me being in the line of fire at the safe house made it clear he felt the same way about me.

It was an eye-opening moment for me. One which I’d pondered these last few days as I struggled with what I was supposed to do, versus what I was starting to think was the right thing to do. A struggle I hid from Alex. Until I knew for sure what I was going to do about Heron, I didn’t want to give him ideas. Sex worked well to avoid the subject. A distraction technique I’d used often over the last few days.

As I woke up from the five hours of sleep we’d managed to get after we’d fallen into an exhausted, tangled heap on our bed, my body bore the marks and aches from the hard fucking he’d given me yesterday. Sex should have been the last thing on my mind between the urgency of the mission ahead and how satisfied he’d left me last time around, but it didn’t seem to make a difference to my body. I wanted to feel him moving inside me again, and I wasn’t willing to wait until after the dust settled to get what I wanted from him.

The morning of the meet, I tugged the sheet away from Alex’s body, and his cock sprang free, jutting toward me. A quick glance up confirmed he was still sleeping, but the head of his cock was already glistening with moisture. Wrapping my hand around his hardened length, I stroked him slowly from root to tip while I kept my eyes locked on his face. It only took a few strokes before his eyes blinked open, hazy from sleep, but also filled with desire and need.

“You sure do know how to wake me up in the best ways, baby.”

“It’s not like I could let this morning wood go to waste, could I?”

“Definitely not,” he chuckled, sliding his hands up my back to tangle them in my hair. “That would be a damn shame.”

I gave him a few more slow tugs before leaning forward to wrap my lips around the head of his cock. My tongue flicked out and swiped the bead of moisture from his tip, making him groan. I loved when he made sounds like that so I licked at the same spot, over and over again, until he was writhing underneath me with his fingers digging into my scalp. When I parted my lips and took all of him inside my mouth, his hips jerked up and sent his cock deeper.

“Who’s in control here, stud?” I mumbled around his shaft. He didn’t bother answering with words, choosing to show me that even though I was the one sucking him off, he thought he was the one in charge. I felt a slight stinging sensation at my scalp as he pulled my hair tighter, his hips thrusting forward. He’d turned the tables on me, fucking my mouth and using it for his pleasure.

“Fuck, baby. You suck me so damn good. Feel free to wake me up like this anytime you want.”

His words spurred me on, making me suck him harder. I tilted my head, giving him a better angle so I could take more of his length into my mouth until it bumped against the back of my throat. More pre-come seeped from his tip, and I hummed in approval at the flavor on my tongue. His cock swelled, and I whimpered when he pulled out of my mouth.

“Gonna come deep in your pussy this time around, baby.”

Before I had the chance to agree, he shredded the panties I’d slid on last night and flipped me around. I landed on the mattress, flat on my back, his body over mine as he plunged into me. Wrapping my legs around his waist, my hips rose and fell in rhythm with his thrusts. My nails bit hard enough into his shoulders I was certain they’d leave marks, but it only made him thrust harder. His hand slid between our bodies, seeking out my clit and my pleasure sky rocketed, throwing me over the edge.

“Yes,” he hissed, his body jerking with his own orgasm, his hands tightening around my hips while he emptied himself inside me. My legs were still tight around his hips as he briefly dropped his weight onto me before rolling us over. Resting my head on his chest, I hugged him tight while I caught my breath.

“It’s going to be okay, Evie,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on my hair and rubbing my back in slow circles.

My frantic need wasn’t fooling him. It probably hadn’t been the whole time and he’d just gone along with it because he knew it was what I needed. My hubby knew me better than I wanted to admit to myself. Either that, or my nerves were showing when they never had before.

“I know it will be.” My answer was soft. Hesitant. It sounded nothing like the usual confidence with which I spoke, but anxiety had taken flight in my belly and I couldn’t shake it. Even a mind-blowing orgasm hadn’t helped. I allowed myself to enjoy the comfort of his embrace for as long as I could. Too quickly, time ran out and we needed to get moving.

There were no lingering glances as we dressed.

No words exchanged as we double-checked and packed all our gear.

Not a single smile shared when we left the room and exited the hotel, hand in hand.

We were both mission ready and focused on the task at hand, but it was more than that. A dark cloud hung over our heads as we drove over roads we’d traveled before, heading to the warehouse we’d successfully infiltrated only a few nights earlier. Tension built as we arrived an hour before the meeting we were hoping to crash. We exited the car at the same time, meeting at the trunk to unload our gear.

“You ready to do this?”

Alex’s question broke the silence. I glanced up at him to find his worried gaze locked on my face. Using every inch of willpower in my body, I forced myself to relax and offered him a smile. “Of course I am, stud. I was born ready.”

He rewarded me for my effort with a chuckle and a quick but hard kiss. I felt it seep into my bones, warming me—but doing nothing to lessen the tension I was feeling.

“Then let’s get this over with, once and for all.”

Hefting my bag over my shoulder, I followed behind him. My head swiveled as I studied our surroundings, looking for any changes since we were last here. The warehouse district was quiet at this time of night, and nobody was around. I spotted one light out over the door of the building across from our destination, but the bulb was intact. It hadn’t been shot out, most likely just needing to be replaced by the owner. I scanned the windows and roof anyway, searching for signs that we had unwanted company. Reaching a hand out to touch Alex’s shoulder briefly, he paused and glanced back at me. He caught where my gaze was aimed and joined me in my perusal. After a couple minutes, he squeezed my hand.

“Spot anything?”

“No,” I answered. Nothing except the darkened light bulb was different, but it was enough to put me further on edge. I figured part of it was that I was hyper-sensitive to danger after the close call at the safe house, and because Alex was with me. If it had only been me, I probably would have set-up on the same roof I’d just stared at, but I couldn’t bring myself to be that far from him, in case we needed to make a quick retreat. If that wasn’t a sign I needed to seriously reevaluate my role with the agency, then I didn’t know what was. Letting emotion impact my decisions was a sure fire way to get myself killed, but I couldn’t shake my gut feeling that I needed to stick close to Alex. “I think we’re good.”

We moved on and rounded the building to approach the rear door of the warehouse. Alex kneeled down to pick the lock, his back to mine as I kept watch. I’d never worked a mission this closely with another operative, and I felt the weight of my responsibility for his safety heavy on my shoulders. He made quick work of the lock, and we entered the building swiftly and quietly, softly closing the door behind us so we didn’t alert anyone to our presence.

Heading to the east side of the building to the large stack of crates where we’d dropped our bug. Nearing them, I noticed the lid of one was slightly off center. I was certain we hadn’t left it that way, and we hadn’t heard anyone open them while we’d listened in. I stopped dead in my tracks, gripping Alex’s arm so he halted with me. It was then I heard it. Clapping. Motherfucking clapping.

“Well done, Scarlett.”

I swiveled around, pulling a Glock from each shoulder holster mid-turn, and found our target standing about ten feet away from us. He had four beefy bodyguard types with him, each with a gun aimed our way. I raised my arms and aimed mine right back at them.