Desire Protected Read online

  Published by Evernight Publishing ® at Smashwords

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2016 S.J. Maylee

  ISBN: 978-1-77233-814-0

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Stephanie Balistreri

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To Ethan and Nadia, I can’t thank you both enough for the thrilling ride. You’re two of the bravest characters I’ve had the opportunity to write. The adventure and love you’ve inspired are threads I’ll continue to pull. Thank you for taking me on this journey.

  DESIRE PROTECTED

  Assassins and Sweethearts, 2

  S.J. Maylee

  Copyright © 2016

  Chapter One

  Nadia swept through her kitchen. She long ago stopped feeling guilty about all the money Ethan had poured into it. The room was simply a dream. Too bad the reason behind her new kitchen was a nightmare. A man had almost died where she was standing. Shivering all over, she scurried over the spot to the fridge to grab the yogurt and milk.

  The only thing better was Ethan’s kitchen at his place. If they ever actually got married, it would be hers as well. Until then, this kitchen would do just fine. She skimmed her fingers over the sparkle in the light granite and admired the deep sink on her way to the island. After tossing a banana and a cup of blueberries in her blender along with the yogurt and milk, she set it all to whirl.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” Ethan strolled in, wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek.

  She stopped the blender. “Good morning, sweetheart. You’re looking fine today.” Maybe she should ask him about their wedding plans, their nonexistent plans. She wanted nothing elaborate but she wanted to plan it with him.

  “You’re looking good enough to eat.” He swept her hair from her shoulder and sucked on her neck.

  The warm moist heat of his mouth and his firm hand rubbing her ass had her forgetting entirely what she was doing. “It’s good I don’t work for you anymore.”

  “We’d never get anything done.” He let her go and turned to the shelf behind them, probably to fetch a coffee mug.

  She rubbed her forehead and focused on the blender in front of her. “What was I doing? Oh right, smoothies.” She pulled her to-go cups from the shelves. “I made enough for you this morning.”

  “No more stealing from you. Well then,” he smacked her ass, “I will have to find something else to steal.”

  She turned and wrapped her arms around him. “You’ve got my attention.”

  “I could push my morning meetings back.” He lifted the edge of her skirt.

  “I shouldn’t.” She leaned into him. “Today is Sam’s first full day and he’s meeting me at my office.” She moaned as she kissed his chin. Sam was her first security hire since stepping into her new job as Human Resources Manager for Aidan Clery. He was an assassin just like Ethan but the boys had it all worked out. Their business didn’t touch Nadia. The office where she and the general staff worked was separate from his security office. Her staff knew the bare minimum about his clients. It was a don’t ask, don’t tell situation, making it the perfect arrangement.

  “Can’t Aidan handle it?” He reached between her legs and stroked her panties. “It’s been too long since we went AWOL.” He sucked on her earlobe.

  “I know. That reminds me.” She tugged on his chin. “You promised to take me dancing.”

  “Yes.” He nipped her bottom lip. “Same club where I found you playing hooky?”

  “Oh yeah.” All thoughts regarding her responsibilities flew out the window. He’d lit a fuse within her. Now, she’d probably think of nothing but him all day.

  His phone buzzed signaling a new text message, taking them out of the moment. After a quick check of his phone, he stepped back. “I need to deal with this.” He kissed her sweetly, and then walked out of the kitchen. He put his phone to his ear and said, “You want me to do what?”

  She tried not to think about what Ethan did for a living. His work was important and so damn dangerous. It helped to think about the people he saved from horrendous situations. His last client had lived through countless death threats and repeated beatings from her husband. Luckily, they no longer had to worry about that in the future. The abuser was long gone from this world, he may not have died in her kitchen but he did shortly after, and the client was alive and healing.

  Nadia poured the smoothie into the cups and set about cleaning up her mess.

  “I have to go.” Ethan shuffled into the kitchen. His gaze bounced from one place to another. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him so unnerved. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay.” She knew better than to push him for information. Questions about their wedding would have to wait too. There was always a reason to put it off. She put her full concentration into wiping the counter.

  He caressed her cheek. “How about I take you out to dinner tonight?”

  “That sounds nice.” She rubbed his hand and let him go.

  The door slammed behind him and she took a deep breath. She promised herself she wouldn’t think about what he did during the day. The fear would trap her.

  She walked out of the kitchen and turned back for her smoothie. Ethan had left his, too. If she left right now, she might catch him before he entered his building. After slipping into her heels and tucking the smoothies inside her bag, she took off.

  Her driver, one perk Ethan insisted on providing, was waiting for her at the curb. She slipped inside and asked him to follow Ethan to his office.

  “I’m hoping to catch him before he goes inside.” She looked ahead and couldn’t find Ethan’s car anywhere.

  “That shouldn’t be a problem. Traffic will ease after the next couple blocks and he’s not far ahead of us.”

  “Thanks.” Her gaze stayed on the cars in front of them. Something about the way Ethan left had her uncomfortable. Maybe once she saw him again, she’d be able to relax.

  The traffic did clear up and in no time her driver pulled to the curb before Ethan’s building. She got out and spotted Ethan a couple cars ahead. He was standing on the sidewalk with the same uncomfortable expression blanketing his expression. Maybe she should get back in the car and give him the space she’d promised.

  A familiar blonde got out of a cab. Ethan stepped forward and grabbed her arm. He’d pulled the woman way too close. “What the fuck.” Nadia focused on the woman, trying to remember where she’d seen her before. Then it came to her. Ethan and Aidan had once shown her a picture of this woman. She was prettier in person, a slim, petite little thing, with beautiful blonde hair.

  Her thoughts froze as she blinked over and over. The pair was sharing some sort of confidence. Nadia clenched her fists and an ache spread along her jaw.

  Finally, Ethan let the woman go but they continued to stand close. What was it with this woman and what did she want from Ethan? That was the exact question she’d promised not to ask. Squeezing her eyes closed, she leaned on her car.

  Ethan pushed the woman forward and opened the door of his car for her. As the woman climbed in, Ethan looked about. Nadia whipped around. The last thing she needed was for him to catch her watching. She slipped off the curb and sank back into her car.

  “Are you all right?” her driver asked.
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  “I shouldn’t have come here,” she whispered, then covered her mouth.

  “Everything okay?”

  She closed her eyes and took a second. If she didn’t play this right, it would all get back to Ethan. “I’m fine. Just forgot he had a meeting this morning.” She sat up. “You can take me to my office, now.”

  ****

  Ethan pushed Clair into his car and climbed in after her. “I told you never to come to my building.”

  “There’s no time to waste on this, Ethan.” She pulled out her phone.

  “I got that from your text and your phone call. Geesh, woman.” He pushed his hand over his hair. “What if someone saw you?”

  She held up her phone and showed him an off-center picture of several woman huddled together in what appeared to be a closet. “If you don’t take this trafficker out tonight, we’ll lose these girls.”

  “How confident are you of this intel?” He took her phone and focused on the blurred faces.

  “It’s been verified from two different sources. Look.” She pushed his arm holding her phone down. “Once the women are out of the country, we’ll lose our chance. We’re nowhere near ready to take down the house where they sell the girls, but I’m not losing another group of them.”

  “You’re certain this woman isn’t just running the strip club? Everything I have says she’s a manager of the club. What if the trafficker is one of the bouncers? Women are rarely in charge in these organizations.”

  “That’s why this woman has been so damn successful. The girls trust her. She’s selling them financial freedom but what they don’t know is they’ll never need money again because they’ll never again be free.” She looked out the window. “I don’t have to tell you about the monsters out there buying girls at these auctions.”

  “No, I’ve seen it.” A chill lifted the hairs at the back of his neck. He’d never forget that dank room. The overly bright smells of urine and the welts covering the bodies of the girls chained to the walls.

  “You took down a ring last year. That’s what got our attention. Ethan, this organization is ten times as big.”

  “Fuck.” Ethan pressed his lips together. These groups were like a cancer. “If you’re not ready to take out the entire organization, aren’t you worried taking this woman out will push your timeline back?”

  “We’ve got a plan for that.” She rubbed the back of her hand.

  “I see. I’m not privy to your plan.”

  “You don’t want to know, believe me. I’ll let you know when it’s something to worry about.”

  “Fine.” He watched the traffic. “Stan,” he called to his driver for the day. “Take us to Evanston.”

  “Do we have to involve the others now?”

  “You’ve put it off long enough. If you want me to kill a woman today, you need to tell the others what you told me. What you’re setting in motion is bound to touch all of them.”

  Chapter Two

  Nadia dropped onto her office chair and stared off into the distance. When she and Ethan first got together, she’d been asked about that blonde woman. She’d been following Ethan at the time. Why was he meeting her now? Could she have made the phone call that had him dropping everything and running off to meet her?

  Nadia’s vision blurred as she set her chair to rock back and forth. She needed to put the whole thing out of her mind. Ethan would take care of his business and then come home to her tonight. Nothing had changed. She had to believe it or their relationship would never work.

  Ethan was her rock and she was his. She was exactly what he needed. They needed each other and that would never change. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. Someday soon they would get married and live happily ever after.

  “Enough silliness for one day.” She grabbed the smoothies from her purse and went in search of Sam. She found him chatting with her assistant in the office kitchen. “Good morning.”

  “Hi.” They both said in unison.

  “I have an extra smoothie. Would either of you like it?”

  “I do.” Her assistant grabbed it and waved to Sam as she left the kitchen. “Call me later, Sam.”

  He blushed a nice cherry red. “We were just talking. I wasn’t flirting or anything.”

  “It’s fine. You should call her later. She’s a nice girl. Come on.” She turned and headed back to her office. “There are a few things we need to discuss before you head out to your offices.”

  “Okay. I know Aidan needs to meet with me today but it’s not until later.” His phone buzzed and he took a quick look. “Take that back. He had a meeting pop up. If we meet, it will be much later. Dang, I was hoping to show him the app I just finished.” His pleasant expression faded away.

  “You can show me.” She stepped around her desk.

  “Can I? Oh, that would be great. I know I’m supposed to keep security tasks separate from you. Aidan made it really clear, but this app is harmless.” He took the phone lying next to her purse. “Is this yours?”

  “It is. What are you doing? Wait, I have a password.”

  “Don’t need it.” He handed it back to her. “When it finishes installing, you’ll be able to track any phone.”

  “What?” She held out her phone like it had been given too much power. “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “Well, it’s for helping clients. It’s a part of the grey area you and Aidan talk about.”

  “I see.”

  “It should be done installing. Go head, type in a phone number.”

  The phone’s screen displayed one lone field. She should enter her dad’s phone number, only her dad’s phone number. She entered Ethan’s and a map appeared.

  “Isn’t it perfect? There’s no junk cluttering any of the screens, no one will be able to track your activity in the app either.” He pointed to her screen. “Do you see the blue dot?”

  It blinked on a restaurant in Evanston where she knew Ethan kept a private dungeon in the back. This couldn’t have been where he’d been taking that woman, that pretty blonde woman. Damn it to hell, her jealousy flags were waving like crazy.

  “Simple, right?” Sam’s smile was bright and satisfied.

  “Yes, it gets right to the point.”

  “Thanks for taking a look. Okay, I’ll focus for you now.” He pushed up his sleeves. “What do we need to discuss?”

  ****

  Ethan led Clair to the backroom.

  Max was already sitting. “Gavin went to search for coffee. Aidan should be here any minute.”

  “Thanks, Max.” He sat in one of the four chairs at the round table and pointed to a chair in the corner. “Grab yourself a seat.”

  “So you’re the one we’ve all been talking about?”

  “That would be me.” Clair raised her eyebrows as she settled at the table. She reached out her hand. “I’m Clair.”

  “I’m Max.”

  “I know.” Most people, when put in a room with Max, would cower, but not this gal. She was made up of something altogether different.

  “Right.” Max kept his gaze on her.

  Aidan and Gavin walked in together. They all sat and watched Clair. “Thank you for helping me with this case.”

  “We haven’t agreed to anything, yet.” Ethan said. “Tell us what you know first.”

  “I’ll share what I can.” She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. “The gun runners you’ve been watching aren’t shipping guns.”

  “Max and I found their safe house up near Milwaukee. It’s guns. We saw it for ourselves.” Ethan looked between her and Max.

  “You didn’t see everything they were transporting.” Clair tilted her head.

  “How is it you have any idea what they’re doing?” Max said.

  “I have a man on the inside.” She sat up straighter. “When they take the girls from the strip club, they drive them to that cabin, and from there they’re somehow taken out of the country.”

  “Has your man been able to tell you anything more ab
out their routine?” Gavin asked.

  “We haven’t heard from him since he left with the last shipment and we’re not supposed to until he has some idea how far down the rabbit hole goes. They’re scheduled to transport the next group of girls tonight. I’m not going to lose one more girl to these monsters. If you guys aren’t willing to step up, I’ll find someone else.”

  “Now, hold up. I didn’t say we wouldn’t do it. In fact, this is the kind of situation we typically handle. I’m just not so hot over killing a woman.” Ethan sat back.

  “I can tell you how she treats these girls once she has them locked up. None of them have seen the light of day in weeks, and she starves them more and more every day. When she does bring them food, she acts like she stole it, like she’s risking her own life for them. By now, more than half the girls have bruises covering their bodies and it will only get worse when they get where they’re headed.”

  “Enough. We get it. I’ll take her out tonight,” Ethan said and then caught Gavin’s gaze.

  “Thank you.”

  “Thank you for trusting us with this,” Gavin said and then nodded at Ethan.

  “I have a team in place to take the girls.” Clair’s whole demeanor lightened.

  “I assume your team isn’t handling the kill because—”

  “Because we’re not supposed to take action on U.S. soil. It’s the only reason I’m not taking care of this bitch myself. You’re a lucky man, Ethan.”

  “Right.” Lucky was not the word he would choose. “I guess I’ll get back to the office.” Busy work is about all that would get him through the day. What he really needed was Nadia but he couldn’t face her knowing what he had to handle in a few hours. Shit. He’d have to cancel on her this evening.