“Especially not Michael,” said a deep voice. Ross strode inside and closed the door behind him, glancing between Blaze and Emma. “If anyone is to blame for this colossal fuck-up, it’s me. But it’s a fuck-up I intend to rectify, and I’ll need both of you on board to do it.”
“Does it involve shoving my M16 up Dietz’s pale white ass?” He relished the thought of making the asshole cry for mercy.
“You’ll have to stand in line, but maybe. In the meantime, I’m putting together a team to go undercover and find out where the hell Dietz has hidden a weapon of mass destruction capable of taking out a small country. The bastard and his fellow traitors stole it from the U.S. government and plan to sell it to an antigovernment extremist group of homegrown psychos. Get well fast, because you and Emma are my star players.”
“I take it your brand of persuasion hasn’t forced Dietz to talk,” Blaze mused. “Bastard must be tougher than he seems.”
“I
Blaze nodded, ignoring the spike of pain in his head. “The minute McKay clears me, I’m ready.”
“Me, too,” Emma put in. She sounded sure, but the look she slid Blaze was guarded.
She had reservations about working with him, and while it hurt, neither did he blame her. He’d just have to work extra hard to regain her trust, even though he had no idea how. Though missing her had nearly driven him insane, he’d always embraced his sexuality with no limits and hadn’t been celibate during their months apart. He was a Dom, a good one in his opinion, and the D/s lifestyle was a part of his identity as a man — a fact she didn’t appreciate.
On top of that, Emma was everything he wasn’t and never would be. She was cool and steady, all of her passion carefully guarded. Untouchable, except by the one man fortunate enough to know how to tap it. She was thoughtful, not one to waste words. As a result, other agents stopped what they were doing and listened intently to what she had to say because it was usually important.
With her thoughtfulness came the kindness and easy camaraderie she shared with other agents. Blaze thought of Emma and Osborne laughing at lunch, heads bent together; their familiarity, the other man enjoying the friendship Blaze never could again, shot him through the heart every time.
Emma was strong, too, both physically and mentally. He’d seen her in the workout room, flipping Ozzie over her shoulder and pinning him to the mat, sweat dripping down her face. Others could call her butch all they wanted — he called her beautiful, body and soul. Any woman who could hold her own with the baddest guys SHADO had to offer and then not flaunt it was gorgeous in his book.
Emma was her own person, and she didn’t need him.
He had only one thing in his favor that he could see — Emma still cared about him. And as an added bonus, they’d be working together, a situation he would ruthlessly use to his advantage. Seven months ago, perhaps he’d given up on himself and Emma too soon.
It was a mistake he wouldn’t make again.
Three
“You want me to do
Emma gaped at Michael, cheeks flushing with heat. Three other agents, including Blaze and Ozzie, studied her reaction with expressions ranging from sympathy to amusement — and a glance told her which category her ex fell into. Jerk.
Leaning on the front of his desk, Michael crossed his arms over his chest, neither sympathetic nor amused. Her stomach sank.
“You’re an agent and this is a matter of national security. I have complete faith that you can put aside your differences with Kelly and pull off this assignment, especially with millions of lives depending on your success.”
“Well, hell,” she muttered irritably, raking her fingers through her hair. “Nothin’ like a little guilt trip, huh?” She glared at the whole room in general, mentally scrambling for some way to regain control of her own destiny. Establish that she had some say in the matter. “You can’t force me to pose as Kelly’s sub, or slave, or whatever the fuck it’s called. Not for God, country, or apple pie. If I’m not on board, it won’t work.”
There. Michael would just have to come up with an alternative plan. She imitated her boss’s posture, feeling pretty darned pleased with herself, especially when he sighed and nodded his defeat.
“You’re right. I can’t force you or anyone to work undercover in a role that will likely require you to participate in an extreme sexual environment. The female agent who works with Blaze will have to throw herself into the role.” His eyes glittered as he shot her a calculating smile. “You win, Agent Foster. I’ll find another woman to be his partner, which I’m sure will produce a fair number of volunteers.”
“What?” Emma sputtered. “Hold on—”
“What about Agent Roark?” one of the men, Willis, suggested.
“You mean Agent Rack,” said Ozzie, waggling his eyebrows and cupping his hands suggestively in front of his chest. “Damn, she’s hot. And willing, I’ll bet!”
“Wait just a damned—”
“Or there’s Agent Scott. Heard from a reliable source that she’s superkinky, has the stamina of a racehorse, and wouldn’t mind a repeat of a certain weekend with our boy here,” Willis said, jabbing a thumb at Blaze.
Who grinned insolently from his seat and stretched out his long jean-clad legs. “Oh, yeah. If anybody can embrace an
Michael picked up his phone. “Good. I’ll give her a buzz—”
“Fine! I’ll do it!” Emma’s shout echoed in the room, effectively bringing the stupid conversation to a halt. Bastards, every one of them. They’d known exactly what they were doing, and it worked. She was going to neuter Ozzie the traitor with a melon baller. “I’m in all the way.”
“Be very certain,” Michael said. “I’m asking you to put aside your personal taboos for the job, and if you fail to be one hundred percent convincing, you and Kelly will die. These are dangerous men with something huge to hide, and they don’t mess around.”
“I’m sure.” Confronted with the picture of Blaze doing with another agent what he’d done with that woman at the club that night, mastering her over and over, she couldn’t stand the idea of sending him off knowing he’d be playing with someone else for the duration of the assignment. “Who are these people we’re hoping to infiltrate? I can’t imagine a bunch of military-type extremists being into the D/s scene, or making time for any kind of fun for that matter.”
“Which is why we’re aiming our sting higher up, where the money is,” Blaze said. “The group we’re after has plenty to burn, and they’re our prime suspects for being Dietz’s financers. We need you to confirm their identities and determine whether they know where the weapon is hidden and what group is buying it.”
Emma studied Blaze, striving to keep her expression professional. God, the man looked good enough to eat. “I assume we’re talking millions of dollars on the sale?”
“Hundreds of millions. Seems there’s a high price tag on total annihilation.”
His answer wasn’t flip at all, was in fact as serious as she’d ever heard coming from him, and it gave her a chill. “And the U.S. is the ultimate target?”
“Yep. Tens of millions of people, wiped out by our own innovation in biochemical warfare. Whoever is in the target area when the bomb hits and isn’t killed in the initial blast will fall ill from the chemical agent that’s released into the air, and then die within forty-eight hours. There’s no way to stop the spread, and no cure.”
Emma’s eyes rounded at the horrifying prospect. She’d known the weapon would kill millions, but this was the first she’d heard of how it operated. “If the target area is located between Washington, D.C., and New York, they could take out both, and everything in between.”
“We don’t have any time to lose and only a few strong indicators at this point of who’s working with Dietz,” Michael said with an edge of frustration. “No proof yet. That’s why I need you two undercover at the club these men frequent. Study this file, then ferret them out and get cozy as quick as you can without raising suspicion.” Reaching
