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  “Against my better judgment, I agreed, with Col. Ross, to give you another chance. We felt it was only fair to let Jase know what he was likely in for.” She glanced at Jase but Gabriella couldn’t follow her gaze; she couldn’t bear to see the victory on his face. Her humiliation was complete. She didn’t need to see his amusement at her dressing down to feel worse. Diamond ensured that she would when she added, “But, Col. Malone seems to think that he can keep you on task.”

  Intentionally or not, Diamond’s insulting words goaded Gabriella to action. She sat up straighter and glared at her boss. Her fury calmed her, added strength to her cutting response.

  “That won’t be necessary, Riley. You can ask any of the LOTN agents that I have worked with. I’ve never let any of them down. I am perfectly capable of keeping myself, and the rest of the team, on task.”

  “I agree, Gabriella. The reports from the teams you’ve worked with have been exemplary. However, in all of those missions you were in charge, you led the op. In this case your role is different. This is an ongoing mission that Jase has been working for some time. He and Ian needed a female agent and asked me if LOTN had anyone who could play the role.”

  Ian broke in.

  “Perhaps it will be useful for Gabriella to know the nature of the mission before she decides if she wants to participate. Jase, how about you fill her in?”

  “Certainly, Ian, I’m pleased to do so.”

  Gabriella forced herself to meet her new nemesis’s gaze. She gripped the arms of the chair knowing that if she did decide to flounce out of the room in a temper she would need to be able to rise gracefully. Hanging onto the chair was the only way she could ensure that she wouldn’t crumple to the floor. Fortunately, Jase was regarding her carefully, as if he was testing her, deciding if she was up to the mission—whatever the hell it was.

  Jase rose to his feet confirming that Gabriella’s estimate had been off. He definitely was taller than six feet and even more impressive standing than he was sitting. He directed his remarks to her giving her an excuse to stare at him.

  “Here’s the ten-cent version, we’ll go over the details later. Essentially, an important government leader was convinced that his daughter had been kidnapped. I traced her whereabouts to a ‘Gentleman’s Club’ and was able to confirm that she was there at her own volition. Unfortunately, the more I investigated the Club, the more I came to believe that it is a front for an international human trafficking ring. My concerns were confirmed two days ago when our client’s daughter disappeared. At this point our goal, mine and Ian’s, is to not only find our client’s daughter, but also shut down the Club and by extension make a dent in the trafficking ring.

  Gabriella was shocked. Long gone was her incipient anger at Jase. Rather she was impressed. Apparently the eye candy was not only an impressive man, he was a stellar agent. Ian confirmed her assessment.

  “Jase is being modest. He has managed to insert himself directly into the operation of none other than Roberto Ventrilo.”

  Gabriella couldn’t hold back her gasp. Roberto Ventrilo was on virtually every off-the-grid top ten wanted list of international criminals. She knew of no fewer than six alphabet soup agencies who had their sights on him. To date he’d managed to evade capture. Having government officials at every level, local, state and national, in his pocket didn’t hurt. Neither did having an impenetrable security apparatus known for its viciousness to deter anyone foolish enough to think they could invade it. If Jase had gotten inside the highly secret lair, he was set to make a crucial killing. Forgetting her anger and determination to get away from him, Gabriella’s competitive gut clicked in. Was it possible that she could be part of a mission to take down the scourge of the Southwest arm of this hideous worldwide enterprise? Just the thought of it sent torrents of excitement racing through her.

  Working hard not to betray her enthusiasm, she managed to ask relatively calmly,

  “How do I fit in?”

  Jase nodded, a slight frown knitting his brow and gazed at her thoughtfully.

  “Among your other attributes, Gabriella, it just so happens you’re an almost exact replica of the woman who is missing. In addition, if my information is correct, you could be a sister to any of the others that we now believe were sold to the trafficking ring.”

  Gabriella took a deep breath, weighing the magnitude of what he was saying.

  She returned his nod and steadfast gaze.

  “In other words, I’m the bait.”

  Jase arched a brow then nodded in agreement.

  “Precisely.”

  After an hour long, in-depth presentation, Ian faced her.

  “May I presume that you are willing to consider this operation, Gabriella?”

  The best she could do was to nod.

  Jase glanced at his watch. “Good. But I have an important meeting at the Club. With your permission, Ian, and yours, Riley, I would like to finish briefing Gabriella later tonight.”

  He shot Gabriella a questioning glance. “If that works for you, Lt. Shaw?”

  Ignoring the flickering sensations crawling up her spine Gabriella shoved at her unease. Damn, she was going to have to be alone with him at some point. She may as well get it over with now.

  “That’s fine. Let me know what works.”

  “Good. I’ll call you later to arrange a time and place where we can meet without being seen together.”

  Signaling that the meeting was over, Diamond turned to Ian. “Will you join me in my office? I want to discuss another mission.”

  “But, of course,” Ian agreed, although it was clear to Gabriella that the mission they would be discussing was the one with her and Jase.

  After saying good bye to Ian and Riley, Jase walked her out into the hallway. Standing beside him, Gabriella was struck by how tall he was, how commanding. It also didn’t help that whatever aftershave he was wearing, in addition to being frightfully expensive, was the essence of sensuousness.

  As if sensing her uneasiness, Jase reached out and squeezed her arm. His eyes were dancing with mischief.

  “Just so you know, Gabriella, I think you will be perfect for this mission.”

  Gabriella jerked her arm free and shot him what she hoped was a scathing glare.

  “As long as we are clear who is in charge of me.”

  He chucked her under the chin and smiled at her. “Ah, Gabriella, let me assure you, on that point we are crystal clear.”

  Jase bowed slightly.

  “Until tonight?”

  Without waiting for her response, he strode to the elevator. Gabriella was certain she heard his knowing chuckle as the doors swished to a close.

  Chapter 4

  Jase glanced up at the elevator floor numbers as they flashed by, ruminating over the scene he’s just participated in. As part of the close knit cadre of former military hotshots that Ian Ross had assembled, Jase knew that if they needed an accomplished woman on their team, Ian had a pipeline to the best. He hadn’t been surprised when Ian went to LOTN for an agent.

  Ladies of the Night was infamous in the upper echelons of the private security network that Jase associated with. The tongue in cheek moniker underscored the disdain its owner had for men in general and, in particular, their arrogant assumptions regarding beautiful women. Jase had worked with Lt. Col. Riley Davis, the owner of Ladies, Inc., on an op in Afghanistan when they were both active duty. Her sheer courage, battle skills, and astonishing beauty had made her one of the best and most sought after female officers for high level missions.

  It didn’t surprise Jase that Riley had started her own security company when she retired from the Army. Even though Riley was a natural for off-the-grid operations, the elite security companies that Jase was familiar with were chauvinistic as hell. Riley was fiercely independent and he’d heard that several of the established top flight organizations refused to work with her. She had a well-earned rep as a brilliant strategist but an undependable and irascible one. The naysayers insisted t
hat she was likely to rewrite the op or leave in the middle if it didn’t go her way. It didn’t help that the strategies she proposed often turned out to be a better option than the one the leaders had envisioned. A sure way for a beautiful woman to get a bad rap among opinionated, dominant men.

  Jase wasn’t sure what the connection was between Ian Ross and Riley Davis. Ian had indicated that they had an ongoing business relationship and praised the agents who worked for Lt. Col. Davis. Said that if an op required highly skilled women who were as beautiful as they were accomplished, Riley’s “Ladies” were top notch. The fees they charged for their services were heart-stopping but apparently worth it. The one restriction was that their ‘services’ did not include sexual favors of any flavor. From what Ian indicated, any man foolish enough to attempt to breach that divide would be singing in the soprano section of the choir if —and that was a big if—all their body parts survived intact.

  When Ian told Jase that titillating fact, his amusement was clear as was the underlying message. Apparently the striking former Lt. Colonel had the same restrictions on her services that she imposed on her ‘Ladies.’ Given Ian’s penchant for beautiful women, and the number of women who openly lusted after the devilishly handsome man, it was hard for Jase to believe that Ian and Riley’s relationship was a strictly business one. Even if they had agreed to a professional relationship the sparks that flashed between them intimated that the restrictions were tenuous at best.

  Striding to the shiny Ferrari 458 Spider that he’d parked in the secure area of Diamond’s underground parking, Jase slipped his Carrera shades out of his pocket and slid them over his eyes. He had to admit that the de rigeur designer clothes and accessories for this particular mission were among its intriguing components. Not that he couldn’t be as hard-edged as any NBD biker. He had a Kawasaki 200-hp H2 Ninja in a storage unit to prove it. But as an admitted clothes whore, topping a pair of $500 Diesel jeans with a checkered Brioni jacket and a pair of Ferragamo patriot boots made his expensive sports car the obvious choice.

  Revving up the powerful engine, he sped out of the underground lot changing gears at a ferocious speed. As he roared down the quiet afternoon side street, Jase shook his head and emitted a long, audible sigh. Remembering the stunning golden-haired agent who looked as hard as her code name, Jase admitted that he was in trouble. He’d been bowled over watching the fight scene Diamond and Ian had replayed for him. It wasn’t Sapphire’s extraordinary fighting skills that hit him in the gut. The agents he worked with, including the female agents, were superlative fighters. They had to be. Their lives and the lives of their team members often depended on their ability to fend off vicious attacks from brutal adversaries.

  It wasn’t even the fact that Sapphire was gorgeous that drew her to him. Like Ian Ross, and the rest of the men in their company, Jase had access to a bevy of beautiful women who were eager to “know” the emerald-eyed former Colonel. An empty bed was the least of Jase’s issues. It was the sheer magnitude of opportunities to satisfy his appetites that was the problem. Hell, to keep his consorts straight it had taken a computerized calendar replete with photographs and short bios that included the women’s particular talents. Being a gentlemen as well as an admitted player, Jase felt the least he could do for the willing lovelies was to call them by their correct name.

  So what the hell was it about Gabriella Shaw that had his gut roiling and his prick tenting his expensive jeans? Yeah, he was a sucker for tall, willowy blondes, even those without Caribbean island water blue eyes framed by a curtain of dark lashes. Or that this particular package included slender legs, a righteous ass, and breasts that strained to be free. Jase gave a disgusted snort. If he wasn’t intrigued he’d be a sell out to his randy crowd of spoiled arrogant men. He acknowledged that there wasn’t a man he hung out with whose tongue wouldn’t be scraping the sidewalk at the luxurious sight of Lt. Shaw.

  Forcing himself to deal with his conflicted feelings, he tried to focus on Sapphire’s extraordinary beauty and her world class fighting skills. But hard as he tried, Jase couldn’t get by her eyes. Not the beauty of them, but the range of emotions hidden within them that the trained agent hadn’t learned to hide. When she was taking down the two cartel members, she gave the Athabasca Glacier a run for its money. Dangerously cool, the frozen smile rarely left her face, except when a satisfied sneer at the ineptitude of her antagonists erased the smile. But even that small show of emotion when she left one of her sorry victims unconscious and grievously wounded and the other bleeding to death, Sapphire was worthy of her code name. In victory, the powerful fighter was icy cold. Only the splash of violet flashing through her triumphant eyes gave a hint of emotion.

  Icy blue wasn’t the only hue or emotion her remarkable eyes revealed. Jase had watched the crystalline calm fighter flare when she was threatened—as she clearly was by both Ian and Riley, and, of course, by himself. She wasn’t able to hide her embarrassment or her anger when Diamond reamed her out, chastising her for her refusal to obey orders. The flush that flooded her face heightened the color of her eyes adding a hint of red to the azure depths. The sparkling fire in her expressive eyes mimicked a darkening sky threatened with angry thunderclouds. But, without a doubt, the most surprising and most discomforting thing to Jase was the disdain that saturated the icy hard Blue Nile orbs when she met his inquiring gaze.

  It didn’t take her crisp rejoinder when she dismissed Ian’s introduction of him indicating that she already “knew” him. She didn’t bother to clarify that she wasn’t talking specifically about him—rather, that she had met scores of men just like him and wasn’t impressed. Even his cautionary admonition that first impressions rarely captured the fullness of a man, or a woman, was met with a dismissive shrug. The sneer that curved her lips wasn’t far from the ones she had bestowed on the unfortunate Cartel members she’d summarily taken down.

  Rubbing his hand thoughtfully over the beard shadow that decorated his chin, Jase admitted that it had been a long time, if ever, that he had met a more difficult woman to categorize. Gabriella didn’t fit in any one box no matter how hard Jase tried to shoehorn her in. A stunningly beautiful woman, she was also a world class fighter as hard as her name. She was also capable of flares of anger and even embarrassment, and to his amazement, vulnerability. He shoved that tender thought aside, knowing that it would, no doubt, come back to haunt him when he had time to dwell more fully on the surprising sides of this obviously complicated woman.

  If she was difficult to pigeon hole, clearly Gabriella had no trouble categorizing the men she worked with. In their brief encounter she’d made it clear that she’d relegated those men to a box—one reserved for chauvinistic, arrogant assholes who wanted one thing and one thing only from the women they were supposedly “partnering” with. In a word, they wanted obedience. Apparently in Gabriella’s world view it was a given when a team included both men and women, the men were assumed to be in charge. After all, the men were bigger, stronger and, no doubt, smarter than the distaff members of the squad. The women were there to support them, obey them, not question their authority, and above all praise them for their bravery and success.

  Jase shrugged, acknowledging that the disparaging stereotype wasn’t far from the truth, especially in the high octane world that he and Sapphire inhabited. It was a pecking order, created in the chauvinistic military structure that was only slowly changing. The lessons the fighting men and women had learned on the battlefield followed them into their civilian lives. It didn’t help that most of their work involved paramilitary tactics and strategies, making it hard for old military habits to die. Particularly when most of the players embraced the old hierarchy and were reluctant to trade it for a more egalitarian structure.

  Having grown up in a third generation, Army strong family, Jase had the old culture bred into him as a boy. The men in his family lived by it and so did the women. Like most powerful, dominant military men, Jase had been reared to believe that women were to be car
ed for, protected at all costs (whether they wanted the protection or not). It was a fact of life as natural as breathing that it was a man’s job to provide that protection.

  But Jase was no dummy. It wasn’t long into his special operative career that he began seeing women in a new light. It was apparent that the roles the female agents played were as dangerous, if not more so, as those of their male companions. Unlike the men, the women were often unarmed. Sent in as decoys, undercover, playing the role of temptress in countries that already believed that women were inferior to men, these brave women put their lives and their bodies on the line in every assignment they took on.

  His growing recognition of the narrowness of his views, regarding the usefulness of women on the battlefield, were blown to hell the first time Jase saw the hideous repercussions the women on his detail could face. There was nothing quite like seeing what happened to unarmed women who had bravely put their lives on the line only to have their enemies discover their true identity. The first dismembered body of one of their female operatives that had been raped and tortured and then burned alive was a sight and memory that haunted Jase to this day.

  Approaching the Caligula Club, the elite private club that he had managed to infiltrate, Jase frowned thinking about Roberto Ventrilo, the Club’s lord and master, who referred to his enterprise as a Gentleman’s Club. Ventrilo was one of the most dangerous and erudite men he’d met in the treacherous underground that had become Jase’s seemingly natural habitat. The opulent club with its whopping membership fees and questionable activities attracted men of extraordinary means whose proclivities were as far reaching and varied as their monetary empires. Punching his way through the myriad passcodes at each level of the high security underground garage, Jase sighed. Damn. Was this really the milieu he wanted to bring Sapphire into? He quickly rebuked himself. It was precisely this chauvinistic tendency to protect and shelter the beautiful agent that she expected from him and no doubt despised.