You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(13)

Shit. She hadn’t even thought about Adam.

She kicked out, trying to catch him in the gut, but he sidestepped her and before she could move, his arm wrapped around her and she felt the sting of the needle going in.

The world immediately started going hazy and soft. Adam was right. That was some good shit.

“Yeah, I got her. I know. You always underestimate me because I’m the pretty one. Meet me on six. I’ve got a way out.” He easily picked her up, and she could see him looking down at her. “I hope you survive this, Phoebe. Serena really likes you.”

She could feel tears slipping out of her eyes. So soft. She’d gotten so f*cking soft. “Like her, too.” Something. She had to say something before the very nice fog took her. “Save Jesse. Try again. They will try again.”

And then everything was blissful darkness.



Jesse looked up and down the street, but no one seemed to notice the big van stopped in front of the hotel. Traffic moved around them. Everything out here seemed perfectly normal, but Jesse was focused on what was happening in that hotel. Nothing was normal in there. Normal had just been blown out of the water.

“You know you’re about to get the lecture of a lifetime,” Simon said, opening the doors on the van. It was custom made, with bench seating in the back on either side and plenty of room for equipment. It reminded Jesse of a military vehicle. Tag was as well prepared as any unit Jesse had ever served in, but he supposed one could take the Green Beret out of the Army but you couldn’t take the Army out of the Green Beret.

The side of the van was decorated with a magnetic sign that they could easily exchange before an op. For this particular mission, they’d chosen the sign that read Clean Freaks Laundry Services. Yep, they’d let Tag design the signs. There was also a Master Painting Crew sign, Dig It Deep Plumbers, Little Bro Catering, and Adam’s Dog Grooming Services. But it looked like they were in the laundry business today.

Where was Phoebe? There was a knot in his gut that wouldn’t go away. Simon had knocked his comm unit to the concrete when he’d tackled him and it wasn’t working now. He couldn’t hear anything. He could only watch Simon wince when someone screamed in his ear. It was the only indication he had that anything was happening at all.

“Damn it.” Simon touched his earpiece. “Yes, I’m ready.” He turned to Jesse. “I’m going to start the engine. You be ready to shut the doors and hop in. We’re leaving ASAP.”

Shit. There was only one real reason for that. Moving too fast could bring unwanted attention. “Who called the cops?”

Simon moved to the driver’s side door. “Apparently your girl has everyone in the hotel thinking she and Jake are having a domestic dispute. Several of the guests have called the police and security is looking for them, but the security cameras are all down so they’re having to do a floor by floor search.”

“Do they have the package?” He couldn’t believe he was calling Phoebe “the package,” but he’d been emotional enough today. Now it was time to go cold.

She’d betrayed them all. He had to view her as the enemy. That was good. Enemy combatant. That’s what she was and nothing more. She was just one more bad guy in a long line of them.

“Yes. They’ll be here any second. Be ready.” Simon slipped into the driver’s seat and Jesse heard the engine come on. All around him people bustled, going about their lives and jobs. Dallas was a busy city and this was one of the busiest streets for pedestrian traffic, yet almost no one looked up at him. Even the valet stood at his station, staring down at his phone. The van was a defense in and of itself. It was nondescript and looked like a service vehicle, so no one tended to notice.

Rather like him. He was a grunt and no one noticed him except Phoebe.

Oh, he could find a woman for the evening. That wasn’t a problem. There were plenty of pretty subs at Sanctum who would have sex with him, but he thought Phoebe had really seen him.

The doors to the hotel lobby opened and Big Tag strode out with Jake Dean at his side. Jake had his head down, his eyes covered in a pair of mirrored aviators and his right arm cradled against his chest. They walked past the valet, who looked up briefly and then got back to checking his e-mail or texting his girlfriend or whatever the hell he was doing.

“Your girl seriously f*cked up my arm and I’m pissed. This is my f*cking dominant hand,” Jake complained under his breath.

Tag chuckled. “He’s gotten soft in his old age.”

“I still got this one, Tag.” He used his left hand to shoot Tag the finger before climbing into the passenger seat.

“Where is she?” The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

“Adam and Alex are bringing her out,” Tag said quietly as he looked up at the buildings around them. “Why don’t you get into the van?”

He didn’t want to get in the van. He wanted answers. “Who is she working for?”

“I don’t know. I do know that if you don’t get in the f*cking van, you won’t be working for me. There they are. Move it. She said there could be a secondary,” Tag growled.

The service doors opened and Adam walked out followed by Alex, who was pushing a large laundry bin.

Phoebe was in that bin. God, if she was in that bin and it wasn’t moving then they’d knocked her out or drugged her.