A Single Rose

A Single Rose

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Marissa de A’mor

A SINGLE ROSE A Forbidden Publications production, October 2006 Forbidden Publications PO Box 153 East Prairie, MO 63845 www.forbiddenpublications.com A SINGLE ROSE Copyright © 2006 MARISSA DE A’MOR Cover Art by DJ ALLING © 2006 Edited by TERESA WILLIAMS - No copyright assigned.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web -without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please contact the publisher via regular mail. All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. ISBN: Not Assigned

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A Single Rose By Marissa de A’mor

Marissa de A’mor

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CHAPTER ONE

Marisol carefully placed the long stemmed black rose on the pillow of the queen sized bed. It was perfectly centered on the blood red satin sheets. The irony was not wasted on her as a smirk curved her full lips. She placed the final hearing device beneath the clock radio on the night stand then pulled her poem from the pocket of her black pants, placing it next to the rose. The poem was the same as all the others she so meticulously wrote for her assignments.

Roses are red, Violets are blue, It’s such a damn shame I have to kill you.

Marisol Sanchez was the top special agent for a black-ops team of the CIA. Her missions were to eliminate terrorists and government threats as soon as her orders were received. Being the best sniper the agency ever had, she was the one always sent out on the more important hits. Not part of protocol was her rose and poem, but that’s another thing that set her aside from the rest. It gave her the reputation she worked so hard to maintain. Anyone who saw the rose and poem knew their number was up. Rumors and gossip traveled fast, and she loved the attention, be it good or bad. It almost gave her a rush to see the look of utter fear on her marks’ faces. Her training had turned her into a

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heartless, cold-blooded killer, but that’s what the government needed. They had the perfect killing machine with no family ties, and no social life to speak of. Checking her watch, she saw she had only fifteen minutes to get out of the apartment and make it to her spot in the building across the street. Being the kind of woman who liked to live on the edge, Marisol did a lot of her hits in the daytime. Her superiors were not too happy about that, but they had faith in how good she was. There was also the fact that if she ever got caught, there was no record of her existence. She had no real birth certificate and no way to be traced. It was the government’s safety net for their undercover black-ops agency. Everyone had to cover their asses one way or another, especially the government. Marisol made it to the abandoned building in minutes, taking the stairs two at a time. The building was caddy corner to the windows of the apartment. The bedroom, kitchen and front door were in plain view from her perch. She had hidden her marine issued sniper rifle with long-range scope before leaving the rose and poem in the apartment. Taking the gun out of its spot in a loose floorboard, she pulled her long brown hair back in a ponytail to get it out of her face, a few stubborn strands managing to escape her grip. Kneeling by a broken window, she set her sight and waited for her mark to get home. All she was told about Robert Pissani was that he was responsible for the deaths of several innocent people, including children, in a senseless bombing of an American Diplomat’s home in France on Christmas Eve. There was nothing she hated more than to see children get hurt. It burned her ass like nothing else. When the assignment came across the board, Marisol asked for it before it could be given to anyone else. An hour later, Marisol’s patience was wearing thin. She checked her watch again. He was supposed to be home already dammit. Patience may be a virtue, but it fell short on her. Despite her impatience, she held her position. Pulling away from her scope for a second, she cracked her stiff neck. When she got back to her scope she watched as the front door to the apartment opened. It’s about damn time. With trigger finger ready, she watched and waited for her shot while she raised the volume of her headset. The bugs

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set up throughout the apartment were sensitive enough to pick up everything. There was always a chance Pissani would reveal information vital to tracking any other men he had helping him. Marisol watched as Pissani walked in the front door and headed straight toward the kitchen. He opened the fridge, pulled out a beer, popped the can open and took a long chug. She grinned as she watched. I sure hope you’re enjoying your last beer, darlin’. He suddenly reached over to the ringing phone on the far wall and spoke for a few minutes. The anticipation was killing her, but it gave her an adrenaline boost at the same time. She continued to watch as Pissani strode through the apartment and into his bedroom. He paused at the bed wide-eyed, dropping his can of beer in the process. Inching toward the bed, he reached for the note. Pissani crumbled the poem in his hand and threw it on the ground, shaking his head as he did so. He looked up toward the window just as Marisol’s .22 caliber bullet zoomed through the center window she had purposely left open and struck him between the eyes. Bull’s-eye!

****

Marisol reported back to the office straight from the airport the next afternoon. There was paperwork to be filed. No matter how good she was, the reports had to get done. It was the only part of her job she disliked, and there was never anyone she could pay enough to do them for her. Of course there was also the fact that she got to rattle the cages of the other guys on the team. None of them could keep up with her and her record. There was only one other agent in the history of the black-ops team, he disappeared after a tricky and dangerous assignment, but Marisol had already broken all his records. “Sanchez!” bellowed the Director when he saw her come off the elevator onto the secure floor. Entry was part of protocol; no one made it to that floor without proper clearance. As a matter of fact, there wasn’t even a button or number to the floor. It would automatically climb to that level after a discreet retinal scan.

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Marisol rolled her eyes to herself as she nodded her acknowledgment to the low thunder of her name being called out. “On my way, sir.” Placing her duffle bag of equipment on the desk in passing, she headed toward the director’s office. Closing the door behind her, she took a seat in front of his oak desk. “Is it done?” With a gleam in her deep blue eyes, “Sure is. I was able to intercept a call while I was there too.” Director Miller leaned forward in his chair, hands clasped in front of him. “I assume you have a tape of the conversation?” Though Miller rarely smiled, Marisol did catch a slight grin curl his lips as he waited for her answer. “Actually, I didn’t think you would want it so I just ignored it.” “Don’t be such a smart-ass, Mari. Gimme the damn tape and get to your reports.” Marisol chuckled as she reached into her pocket for the tape. It amused her to harass her boss every chance she had. Being the only woman on the team had its advantages. The other guys hated that she got away with more than they did, but they were usually good sports about it. “Here you go, boss. Pissani named a few names, but he never said who he was talking to.” Miller scratched his chin in thought, “Did the voice sound familiar at all?” “Not really, but it sounded like a woman and she was definitely pissed.” He rolled his eyes, “Great, another pissed off woman to deal with.” “Very funny, I’m not pissed, just a sarcastic smart-ass,” Marisol laughed as she rose from the chair. “Was there anything else you needed?” “Nope, you’re good. Just be sure I have the full reports on my desk before you leave here tonight.” He popped the tape into the recorder he kept on his desk as he spoke. “Yes, sir.” She turned on her heel and walked out. From all the desks in the large office space, Marisol’s was the neatest and most organized. Every once in awhile one of the guys would scatter her files across the desk

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just to try and piss her off. It was one of their only forms of amusement on the rough days. It took some time, but she finally learned to just ignore it and move on. That in itself pissed the guys off more, thus becoming her form of amusement instead. Marisol moved her duffle bag to the floor so she could get to her computer. The e-mail icon was furiously flashing on her flat screen monitor, informing her she had new messages. Getting comfortable in her leather chair, she double clicked the icon and her inbox opened right up. There was only one new mail message, but it had no sender name to it. How the hell did this get through the firewall with no name to it? As odd as it seemed at first, Marisol assumed it could be a message from headquarters or one of her precious co-workers trying to annoy her. Opening the email, her eyebrows furrowed as she read… I know who you are, I saw you today. Pissani was a nobody in the scheme of things. I’ll be watching you with camera in hand, so be sure to smile. Rolling her chair away from the desk, Marisol looked around the office. “Ok, which one of you assholes sent this e-mail?” There was no laughter in her tone. The guys’ practical jokes had gone too far this time. Jason, one of the other agents nearest to Marisol’s desk, glanced up at her from his files, “What the hell are you talking about?” “I don’t appreciate you guys fucking with me over the secured e-mails.” Marisol stood from her seat and walked around the office, eyeballing each of the guys as she passed their desks. That usually made them nervous enough to talk Jason spoke up again, “Why would we bother with e-mails when we can piss you off in so many other ways.” He chuckled, but stopped short at the look of death on her face. “I’m not amused; there was no sender name on the e-mail.” Jason stood and walked over to her computer. “How could that have gotten through the firewalls?” “I said the same thing.” She paused at the look of confusion on Jason’s face, “So you guys really didn’t send this to me?” Now there was a shred of concern in her voice.

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“You better go tell Miller about this. It really wasn’t us this time, I swear it.” Jason raised his arms in retreat as he shook his head in denial. “Well, hell,” Marisol rushed across the room and barged into Miller’s office. “We have a problem.” She explained the situation. “That’s impossible. Nothing can get through without proper authorization. Not even our best hackers were able to break the codes. They’re supposed to be hackerproof.” Miller was flabbergasted. “I dunno what to tell you, but you may wanna come take a look.” Marisol didn’t know what else to say or do about it. The case of nerves had quickly turned to anger. Being threatened didn’t settle too well with her. She usually didn’t get mad, but she would definitely get even. Miller followed her to her desk and sat down to read the screen. “Whoever it is they’ve got some balls,” he looked over at Marisol. “If this person really knew anything about you they would have known better than to pull this shit.” He chuckled, knowing she was a bad-ass ready to strike at the blink of an eye. “Well, apparently they don’t know me as well as they think they do. Never fuck with a Cuban woman, especially not one that’s armed and dangerous.” Marisol folded her arms in front of her and cocked an eyebrow. The wheels in her head were spinning. It had been a long time since anyone had thought they could get the upper hand on her, but this person seemed much bolder than any of the others. “I just can’t figure out who the hell it could be.” Someone that bold had to have a few screws loose. “Don’t worry,” Miller sighed as he rose from her chair, “we’ll get it figured out.” “I’ll trust you this time, but I’m taking over if you can’t find whoever it is.” She moved past him and sat in her chair, closing her e-mail window. “Let’s not jump the gun. If this person is really keeping an eye on you, then letting you head up the task force would be stupid.” He let out another deep sigh. “We’ll play it by ear for now.” “I’m not gonna live looking over my shoulder all the time, Blake. This needs to get resolved, and fast, or I’m gonna take matters into my own hands.”

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“Ok, I get it,” he turned on his heel and headed back to his office. “I still need those reports on my desk before you leave tonight.” “Yeah, yeah, I don’t doubt that.” Marisol spun her chair to face her screen again. She had a lot of paperwork to do before she could finally get home to her condo on the beach. “Can I do the short version?” “Nope.” She shook her head and laughed. There was never a shortcut when it came to reporting an assignment. Just once Marisol would have liked to take the easy way out, but it really wasn’t in her nature to skimp. That was another thing that made her so good at what she did.

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CHAPTER TWO

It was after nine that night before Marisol finally finished with her reports and was able to go home. She was very meticulous about her work and went over it three times before she was satisfied enough with it to turn it in. Unlocking the door, Marisol stepped into the foyer of her beachfront condo. The old hardwood floor squeaked beneath her feet. She dropped her keys on the small round table by the door and walked through to the living room. “I thought you wouldn’t be home till tomorrow,” came the voice of her best friend and roommate, Staci. The two had met in college and been friends ever since. “How was France?” “It was fine,” Marisol began her newest series of lies. She hated to do it, but it was her job. “I met with the clients early, so I decided to leave sooner than planned.” “Are you shitting me? You were in France and you left early.” Staci shook her head as she stood from the couch to face her friend. “How boring can you be? I would have checked the place out. They say French men are very romantic.” She wagged her eyebrows and wiggled her hips in gesture as she dragged out the words. Marisol walked into the kitchen, “I have no time for all that crap. Men are pretty worthless anyway. They’re only good for one thing.” “Yeah, but you haven’t gotten that one thing in months,” Staci laughed as she followed Marisol into the kitchen. Staci had a tendency of telling it like it was. She usually just blurted stuff out without thinking it through first.

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Marisol turned to her with her eyebrow cocked and hair in her face, “You’re such a bitch.” “Yeah, I know, so what’s your point?” she threw her arms up in admittance and defeat. “My point is, I’m tired and I’m going to bed. See ya in the morning.” She grabbed a beer out of the fridge in passing and kept on going. Her bedroom was up a small wrought iron staircase a few feet from the kitchen. It was a loft bedroom, but she loved the open spaciousness of it. Being that the condo was hers first, Staci had to take the slightly smaller extra bedroom off the living room. It did have its own bathroom as well though, so that was a plus. “You’re gonna see I’m right one of these days,” Staci yelled up after her as Marisol disappeared up the staircase, “and all I’m gonna say is I told you so.”

****

Morning came all too quickly. The bright Florida sunshine came through the small openings in the blinds and hit Marisol in the face with a vengeance. Groaning in her sullen state, she turned over in an attempt to avoid the piercing rays of light. The attempts were futile and her alarm went off seconds later. “Damn it.” Flipping her arm around from behind her, she smashed the alarm off and stretched her tired body. Just as she was about to finally get up, her cell phone rang. Double damn. “Hello.” Her voice was still a little groggy as she answered. “Sanchez, get your lazy ass into the office. I have a few leads on your mystery email.” Miller’s deep voice boomed through the receiver. “There’s no need to yell. Lemme get up and get some coffee, and I’ll be right in.” She flipped the phone shut and eased her way out of bed. She could already tell it was going to be a long day, but hopefully a promising one as well.

****

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Marisol stepped off the elevator with her large latte in hand. There was no way she could possibly function without a good dose of espresso. She noticed Director Miller in his office and made her way around the maze of desks. Waltzing in like she owned the place, Marisol took a seat across from him. “So, whatcha got for me?” Miller shook his head as he sat in his brown leather chair. “One of these days you’re actually gonna knock before you come in here.” “Yeah, but then that would make me like everyone else.” She gave him a big smile and took a sip of her coffee. “ “God forbid that shit should happen.” “My sentiments exactly,” she grinned again, taking another sip. “Besides, your door was wide open.” Miller shuffled around some files and picked up the big screen remote. Pressing a button, the screen dropped down from the ceiling against the far wall. He flicked on the screen, with files in hand; three faces appeared in full color. “Ok, here’s the deal,” he began as he turned to briefly face her. “We were able to trace the e-mail to a computer in one of the U.N. buildings within the US Embassy in…” “The U.N., are you shitting me?” “Are you going to let me finish, or would you rather guess and fall flat on your ass in the investigation?” Miller’s voice had raised an octave in frustration. “Ok, ok, I’ll shut up.” Letting out an exasperated sigh, Miller continued. “The computer is in the U.N. building within the US Embassy in Poland of all places.” He paused for a moment and looked up at Marisol from the file he was reading. “You had to go and piss someone off halfway around the world, didn’t you?” “Well hell, might as well do it right.” Marisol was never one for running with the pack. She had her own way of doing things with a smart-ass attitude to boot. Not that she was ever disrespectful, but she enjoyed herself. She wasn’t one to run from a fight either.

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“Well, you’ll probably have to take a trip out there to find out what’s going on. I have a few suspects, but it’s not gonna be easy. More than one person uses the same computer in that office and they share the password and access.” Marisol rolled her eyes at the lack of security and protocol. “They’re not running too tight a ship are they?” “The problem there is the fact that they have more employees than they have equipment. Since they work so close together, they figure it isn’t an issue to share access.” Miller leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s what makes this one that much more involved. You need to figure out which of the three women that share that office was the one who sent you the colorful e-mail, but you have to be very discreet about it.” “You’re making it sound harder than it is. I just have to go out there and keep an eye out for a bit. Whoever she is, she’s bound to slip up.” Marisol was pretty cocky and confident too. “You’re forgetting one thing.” Miller raised an eyebrow at her. “What’s that?” “This woman knows who you are. We can’t just send you in there undercover; she would spot you right away.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “You do realize I have to be the one to go anyway, right? I can just spy on the place and follow these women around till I find the right one.” Marisol was determined to get herself sent to Poland for the assignment. No one else would give it the attention and detail it needed. It was personal and she needed to be there to see this woman fall. Another sigh escaped from deep within Miller, “I know I have to send you, I just don’t want to make any mistakes. Once we find out who she is and why she’s watching you, we may have to put her out of her misery.” An evil grin spread across Marisol’s full red lips, “I was hoping you’d say that.” “You’re cold-blooded, Sanchez.” “Yeah, I know. So who are these women anyway?”

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Miller clicked the button on the remote and brought up the first profile on the large screen. “First, we have Jenna Burrows. She is an administrative assistant and has interned at the U.N. for a little over a year. She’s just received her Masters in Communication.” “Ok, she doesn’t seem like that much of a threat, but I’ll keep an eye on her.” Marisol chuckled at the sight of the girl on the screen. She knew better than to underestimate anyone, but the girl honestly looked too dense to know anything other than what she learned in school and what color shoes went best with her outfit. “Right, next,” he clicked the button on the remote and brought up the next profile. “We have Lisa Moronski.” “Moron what?” Marisol giggled in amusement. “Settle down, I may not even be pronouncing these names right. Lisa is a bookkeeper for the Treasurer’s office. She’s been there for five years, and has a good reputation. All the other information you need is here in her file.” “Ok, so who’s the last one?” “Donna Likinschitz.” “Oh, my God, you’re fucking with me, right?” The laughter was out of control. Marisol nearly fell out of her chair when she heard this woman’s name. It became worse when she looked up to see the face that went with the name. The woman actually looked like she had been licking shit. She hoped it was just a bad picture of the woman because it was almost hard to believe that anyone could look that scary in person. Miller let out a snort of his own. “Can you try to be serious here? This is not a laughing matter. This woman, whoever she is, could be more dangerous than we think. We have no idea who she’s working for or with.” “I’m trying, but shit, with names like these I’m gonna laugh myself to death before any of them can get to me.” Marisol wiped tears from her eyes and tried to calm herself as best she could. Director Miller shut off the screen and turned to her. “I think it’s best if I just give you these files and you go through them yourself. I’ve already arranged a flight and

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hotel for you. You leave for Poland tomorrow morning, bright and early. I had all your gear sent on ahead with a few new extra gadgets, so it’ll be waiting for you when you check in. Be sure to call me when you arrive and get settled, and we’ll take it from there.” He handed her the stack of files. “Not a problem. I’ll be ready to leave in the morning.” Deep down she hated having to take another trip out of the country since she just got back from France, but it was her job to go where she was needed at the drop of a hat. “I’ll take my laptop on the plane with me. I’m sure I’m gonna need it.” “Just be careful and don’t get in over your head. I’ll probably assign two other agents to send out there to help you, but I haven’t decided on who yet.” “I’m always careful,” she smiled and winked at Miller as she took the files from him and stood to leave. “I’ll call you once I get there. Don’t worry.”

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CHAPTER THREE

Michael hung upside down by his ankles on the door frame of his bedroom. The gravitation machine made his crunches that much more strenuous, tugging at every abdominal muscle. Keeping his contoured body perfect was important to him, plus he knew all the Italian women in Venice loved it. The “lone wolf” worked out and slept by day, but was usually on the prowl by night. “Sixty-five, sixty-six, sixty-…” his work out was interrupted by the chiming of his laptop. A new message had arrived. He lifted himself one last time to detach himself from the machine and jumped to the hardwood floor. He cracked his neck as he walked across the room to the small desk that held his laptop. Sitting at the small chair in front of it, Michael clicked the icon to open his encrypted e-mail. He entered the passwords and his inbox popped on screen. “What does David want now?” The message was from his handler, David Clemente. He read the message: Hey Mike, you’ll never guess who needs your services. THE mob needs you to take out some lady in Poland. Seems she’s been stealing their money to help the Polish mob take over the Italian’s territory. Fucked up shit, ain’t it? Anyway, I attached the files for ya. I haven’t had the chance to go through them yet, so have at it. I’ll be swinging by in an hour or so to go over the fine details with ya. David. Michael had to chuckle at the fact that the mob was sending him after a woman. He had no problem with it, especially since he knew he would be paid well. He’d done hits for them before and they always paid more than his fee. In a case like this he was sure to be given the same courtesy, if not better. Leaving the window to the e-mail open

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for a minute, Michael stood and sauntered over to the kitchen. He needed another cup of coffee before he sat through files. It was the most tedious part of his job as the top assassin, but he knew he had to do it if he wanted to get the job done right. He was a bit of a perfectionist, but he was cocky as hell, too. He had every right to be. Being the best took discipline and patience, both of which he seems to have mastered over the years. Michael let out a sigh as he sat back down in front of the laptop with a steaming hot cup of fresh brewed coffee in hand. “Let’s see who this woman is,” he said aloud as he opened the file David had attached to the e-mail. “Donna Likinschitz,” he laughed briefly at the poor woman’s name. “Why does that name sound familiar?” scrolling further through the pages, he came across the page with her image on it. His jaw dropped as he stared into the heartless eyes on the screen. Hatred and disgust boiled through his veins…

****

“What do you mean we can’t prosecute? The bitch killed my daughter and ruined my family.” Michael was beside himself with anger and grief as he took his frustrations out on his college roommate and family attorney. “Mike, you know I would be the first one to help you put this woman away, but she has diplomatic immunity. We can’t touch her. All we can do is have her sent back to Poland.” Jeremy placed a hand on Michael’s shoulder. “This is bullshit! How can she get away with killing her without even a slap on the wrist? We never even saw her coming in that big ass fancy car of hers. She plowed right into us, Jeremy. Maria never had a chance.” Tears welled in his eyes as he spoke. Michael and his daughter were driving home from the playground when the accident occurred. They were laughing and talking about what to do the next day, but in one swift moment a car came out of nowhere and side swiped the car on her side. It was the first time he had agreed to let her sit in front with him. Maria died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. He only suffered a mild concussion, but he saw the woman’s face in her car before he passed out from the shock. He woke

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in the hospital a few hours later and was told his daughter didn’t make it. The loss of their daughter drove his wife to drink and later caused their nasty divorce. She blamed him for their loss. Michael never forgave himself for the death of his baby girl. If he hadn’t let her sit in the front seat she may have survived. “I know it sucks, Mike, but my hands are tied on this one. You know the laws. We can’t convict her.” Michael cleared the pain from his throat, “If it’s the last thing I do, Jeremy, I’ll make this right one day. You’ll see.” He turned and left Jeremy’s office, slamming the door behind him.

****

The memory of his daughter’s death had haunted him for years, and now it had resurfaced with a vengeance. This time, he was going to do something about it. He picked up his cell phone and dialed David’s number. “I was just on my way there.” “Call your contact. Tell them I’ll do the hit for free.” Michael flipped his phone shut just as David was about to protest. He felt a warm comforting feeling surround him as he sat and stared at Donna’s face. A grim smirk curled his lips, “you’re finally gonna get what you deserve, bitch.” Not fifteen minutes later, David barged into the cabin in a huff. “What the hell do you mean you’ll do it for free? Since when do we work for fucking nothing?” David stopped in his tracks at the look of almost pure bliss on Michael’s face. “Dude, are you high?” Michael laughed as he swiveled in the chair and folded his arms across his broad chest. “No, I’m not high. Just feeling a bit content right now, and yes, we’re doing the hit for free. End of discussion.” “Why the hell would we do that? We’ve never considered doing a hit for free, especially not when the mob pays so damn well. Are you sure you wanna give up all

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that cash?” David couldn’t understand why his friend was passing up all that money, but the look on Michael’s face stubbornly remained. “I know who this woman is, and frankly, it would be an honor to fucking kill her.” “Are you going to give me a better explanation, or do I have to guess?” David’s frustration with the situation was evident in his voice. “If you gimme a minute I’ll explain.” Michael stood from his seat and paced the room as he told David the story about the accident six years before. “She would have been sixteen next week. I was gonna teach her to drive in my old Mustang.” Michael’s throat tightened and tears gathered in his eyes. “Shit, Mike, I had no idea this was that same person. You never told me who it was.” David shook his head in disbelief. “We’ll do the hit for nothing.” “Thanks, I knew you would see it my way.” “So, what do we do now?” “You need to get me everything you can find on Miss Likinschitz, then you need to book us on the first flight to Poland. Oh, and please be sure to get us a good hotel this time.” Michael chuckled as he remembered the last time David made them reservations. The place he’d found was worse than a sleazy truck stop. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be sure to check the place out before I book it,” David rolled his eyes. “Sheesh, you’d think you’d let me live that shit down already.” “Yeah, you’d think, but no. Just be sure the place is clean and ho free,” Mike laughed as he went back to reading the files on his computer. His blood boiled over with every word he read, but he had to be sure he knew everything there was to know about this woman. He had to know her every move on any given day. Even with all the information he was given, Michael was still going to have to do his own surveillance for a few days prior to the hit. The fact that he was finally going to avenge his daughter was the only thing that kept him on track. “So when do you wanna leave?” David asked as he looked up from his laptop. He never left home without it. Besides, it had a lot of information in it that could be

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deadly to both him and Mike if ever found. It was hack-proof, but then again, one could never tell. “As soon as we can; first thing in the morning would be good.” Michael continued to read the screen, absorbing every bit of information. “Hey, see if we can get first class. I hate being uncomfortable on a long flight like that.” David rolled his eyes, “You’re talking big for someone who’s about to do a pro bono job.” “That’s cuz I know how to save my money. Use the travel account, there should be a good chunk of change in there since we barely use it.” Despite the fact that the people who usually hired them flipped the travel expenses, Michael always kept a reserve just in case. He figured the account probably had about a million dollars in it by now. “Holy shit,” David exclaimed. “Why the hell is there so much money in here?” “Cuz I plan to take a vacation one of these days and I’m gonna go all out and spoil myself.” Michael knew he needed some time off; he just never made the time to take it. “Where do you wanna go?” “I plan to get lei’d in Hawaii,” Michael smiled and winked at his innuendo. He never had any trouble attracting the ladies. They seemed to flock to him like flies to honey, and he loved every minute of it. “I bet you will, you slut,” David laughed. “Hey, here we go, I found a flight leaving tomorrow at nine in the morning. We have to fly outta Atlanta, though.” “That’s not a big deal. We can leave here tonight and get a hotel so we’re not late.” “Sounds like plan,” David replied as he made the final reservation and stood to leave. “I’ll go get packed and meet you back here in an hour.” “Be sure to remember the gear you have at your place. I wanna be sure we have everything we need to get this job done right. I’ve been waiting six years to get this bitch.”

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“Don’t worry, Mike, we’ll get her.” He paused at the door and turned back, “I’ll call my contact and let them know we’re heading out there and that you’re waiving your fee.” “Thanks, David. I knew I could count on you to understand.” Michael paused in thought for a minute. “Hey, if they insist on paying me, tell them to ship us new equipment and weapons, instead. That should cover it.” “Not a problem, see ya in an hour.” With that said he walked out the door.

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CHAPTER FOUR

“Explain to me one more time why they’re sending you out of the country yet again?” Staci asked as she leaned in the door frame of Marisol’s bedroom with her arms crossed in front of her. Marisol sighed and rolled her eyes to herself. The buildup of lies was beginning to take a toll on her. “Because I’m the only one who speaks enough Polish to get the job done.” “Right,” Staci paused as though in deep thought, “cuz you know Polish, makes perfect sense.” She stepped into the room and walked over to the bed, sitting next to the suitcase her friend was busy packing. “Remind me, please, my memory seems to draw a continuous blank. When did you find time to learn Polish?” Staci raised an eyebrow as she stared at Marisol, waiting for an answer. “I don’t remember it being offered as a college credit.” “Are you kidding me? What’s with the third degree?” “It’s just too weird. You just got back from France two days ago. Before that it was Germany and before that was China. Why are you the only one they send out to all these damn countries? Are you the only employee they have?” The frustration was evident in Staci’s tone. Fuck. “Look, it’s the price you pay for being the best.” She didn’t know what else to tell her. If she said she spoke all those languages, plus a few more, it would have triggered Staci’s suspicions even more than they already were. It wasn’t the fact that Marisol was a bad liar. On the contrary, it was just difficult to lie to the one person who knew her better than anyone else. There were days she wanted to just tell her she was

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an agent, but her fear of endangering Staci’s life came into play so she found it better to just conjure another lie. Marisol had convinced herself that the lies would be easier to believe than the truth anyway, so that comforted her to an extent. “The best, right, of course.” Staci shrugged her shoulders in defeat and stood from the bed. She walked out of the room without another word, shutting the door behind her. Marisol was left to her thoughts while she continued packing for her trip. She hated that she had to leave again, but she really had no choice in the matter this time. It was personal and there was no way she was going to leave it to anyone else. Someday Staci would understand. Staci had refused to take her friend to the airport. Marisol couldn’t really blame her, though. Staci did have some valid points, but it was the life that Marisol had chosen. There was no turning back now. On the plane, Marisol read through each file Miller had given her. Each one detailed everything about the women, right down to the toothpaste they liked to use. While reading Donna’s file, she saw that the woman was granted diplomatic immunity for a car accident that killed a little girl six years prior. Donna had been drinking when she slammed into that poor child. After reading all the details, Marisol wanted Donna to be the one she was after. She knew that was the wrong way to think, but she felt a child never deserved to die in vain. It was a sudden feeling to seek revenge for the ten-year-old and her parents. The flight arrived hours later. Marisol was more than exhausted as she gathered all her belongings and got off the plane. Going straight to the rental counter, she got herself a car and drove directly to her hotel. She’d been in Poland once before on an assignment, so she remembered enough to get where she needed to go. Marisol managed to get herself a decent sized suite when she arrived to her hotel. She figured if she was going to be in Poland for awhile she might as well be comfortable. Besides, who else was going to spoil her? It was one of the perks of the job,

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having the government cover her tab. Good thing they didn’t stress too much over the little things. Once secure in her room, she unloaded and set up the equipment she’d brought with her. The cases Miller had sent ahead could wait till morning. Her only concern at the moment was checking her personal e-mails on her laptop. Marisol hoped Staci had calmed down enough to send her a message. While the computer took its time to boot up, she picked up her cell phone to call the boss, “I made it, safe and sound.” “Ok, be sure to keep me abreast of the situation, and do me a favor.” “What’s that?” Marisol was a bit puzzled. “Try not to get yourself into any trouble while you’re out there.” “Well, damn, you’re no fun.” “I’m sending two agents out there to help you. They should be there within the next three days.” Shit. “Who are you sending?” Marisol was a little picky about who she worked with, especially on such a delicate and very personal matter. “I haven’t decided yet. I was thinking maybe Jeremy and Mark could get out there and be useful to you.” Marisol let out a low sigh. She figured they were better than some of the other guys Miller could send. “I guess they’ll do.” She tried not to sound too smug, but she may not have done a good job of hiding it. “Well, gee Miss Sanchez, I’m so glad you approve,” Miller’s tone was not very kind, “but the last time I checked I was still the Director.” “Yes sir,” Marisol rolled her eyes to herself. “I’ll call you tomorrow if I find anything.” “Good idea.” The line went dead before she had the chance to throw out another smart-ass response.

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With a shrug of her shoulders, she set the phone down and finally logged on to check her e-mails. To her disappointment, the inbox was empty so she powered back down. Even though she felt somewhat fatigued, Marisol wasn’t sleepy enough to go to bed just yet. Maybe a little surveillance is in order. Checking her watch and adjusting for the International time change, Marisol calculated it was about 10 P.M. Perfect cover for a late night stroll in the building. Loading up on all the necessary equipment, she decided to head out to the U.N. building to snoop around. Slipping into her baggy black jeans and tank top, she got herself ready to head out. Why waste the evening when she could use her time to case the building? Before getting all gung-ho, Marisol booted up her laptop once again. She figured it was better for her to pull up all the schematics for the building first. There was no need for any unexpected surprises if she made it inside. Being a government agent definitely had its advantages. Marisol logged onto the secure site and did a search for the U.N. building she needed to get into. The complete floor plans popped right up. Hitting a few more keys, she was able to tap into all the security cameras. Lucky for her their overnight surveillance was almost non-existent. She did a virtual walk through of the building, committing to memory where all the working cameras were located. It came as a bit of a shock that there were no security guards walking the grounds or the floors inside. They must not have too many problems out here. Printing all the pages, she moved over to the living room area to plan her strategy. The best way inside was through a second-story window that was three offices down from where she needed to be. That particular office had no cameras. It was almost too perfect, but the risk of being wrong was half the fun. That rarely ever happened, but there was a first time for everything. With a plan finally in hand and all the right gear packed, Marisol was ready to go. She could feel the blood coursing through her veins as she laced up her black and

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pink Vans and walked out the door. She wasn’t that girly all the time, but she did have her moments when she would throw a little pink into her wardrobe.

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CHAPTER FIVE

Marisol made it downtown and parked her rental car a block from the building. It was far enough not to be noticed, but close enough to get to if things got too hot to handle. Scaling the wall to the second floor was easy. Marisol made it up the twenty feet in record time. It was actually one of her favorite parts of training, that and repelling. She liked to be the best and show off her skills. Stopping her climb outside the window, Marisol reached into one of her pockets and pulled out her laser glass cutter. She knew it was going to leave proof that someone had been there, but it was the only way to get in without being noticed. There was a side door, but she realized she hadn’t brought the proper equipment to bypass the computer-coded door. Besides, she liked to believe she was a daring and adventurous kinda gal. The laser pen cut right through the thick glass. In her opinion, they had the best gadget guy around. He always came up with the most creative stuff, and they were always compact and easy to use. Her favorite was the fountain pen that shot a needle laced with a knock-out drug from the top. Being a pen fanatic, Marisol thought it was the coolest thing, especially since the pen actually worked. Climbing through the opening, Marisol nearly knocked over a potted plant on the desk beneath her. “Well, hell,” She muttered as she hopped down to the carpeted floor. Turning on her mini flashlight, she scanned the office, careful not to let the beam shine towards the window. One of the things that made her such a good agent was her photographic memory. She remembered where she needed to go and where all the

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cameras were without having to constantly check a map or ask for help from her back up. That was definitely going to come in handy since she was flying solo this time around. Marisol had let herself into the office across the hall from where she needed to be. Luckily, the individual offices were not monitored by security cameras, but the hallways were. According to the security specs, each camera took four different views of the halls at five second intervals. If timed correctly, she could make it across the hall, low to the ground, when the view was zoomed into the elevators at the opposite end of the corridor. Cutting off her flashlight, Marisol peered out the door to check the angle of the camera mounted in the corner just above her. She ran through the angles in her head so she could calculate the right moment to get across. Wide out… left… right…now! As soon as the camera shifted positions to zoom in on the elevator, Marisol dove across the hall in one long leap, tucked her head in and rolled into the other office just as the camera was about to shift again. The computer monitor and the light from the hallway gave enough of a glare for Marisol’s eyes to focus and see. There wasn’t much to the small space, but the disorganization and mess was out of control. Marisol was very anal when it came to work, so seeing the chaos in the office drove her nuts. There were nearly toppling stacks of files and paperwork on every flat surface in the room. And if that wasn’t enough, there were piles half her size being held up by the wall from the floor. There was barely enough room on the desk for the computer. Shaking her head, Marisol sat in the leather chair and rolled herself up to the computer. There has to be something in here, she thought to herself as she tried to hack into the system. She wasn’t a computer whiz by any means, but she could search enough to stumble across what she needed. There was usually a computer guru assigned to each specific mission, but she didn’t have one just yet. Technically, she wasn’t even supposed to be there until her back-up arrived. Patience… definitely not one of her strong points.

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Frustration settled in as all Marisol was able to find were work related e-mails and saved documents. I should have paid more attention in the computer-hacking class we were given in training. She cursed herself as she continued to search through the files. She remembered some of the basics, but when it came down to the nitty-gritty, she didn’t know shit. Her temper would get the best of her before she could figure it all out. While the computer ran another random search of all the files for anything with her name mentioned, Marisol flipped on the small desk lamp. The office happened to be in the back corner of the building, so she wasn’t too worried about being seen from the streets. There was an inkling of hope that whoever this woman was, she was careless and left a clue behind. She started ransacking the top of the desk and the drawers. I doubt they’ll notice if I leave a mess in here. She shook her head and laughed to herself as she kept with her assault of the desk.

****

Michael’s heart raced as he removed his backpack and positioned himself in the bushes across from Donna’s office. He had his ways of getting information too, and had already studied the layout of the U.N. building. He squat down behind the greenery with his back to the building while he tried to find his digital binoculars. Wiping the dusty lenses, he sat on the cold ground and shifted the bushes aside for a clearer view. He furrowed his eyebrows and squint his eyes. What the hell? Raising the binoculars to his face, Michael zoomed in to the small glimmering light shining from the office he knew was supposed to be empty. There was a woman sitting at the desk furiously going through all the drawers and files. He zoomed in a little further, trying to get a good shot of her face, and then… click. The binoculars had picture taking capabilities; very handy in just this kind of situation. Pulling a small cable out of his bag, Michael connected it to the binoculars and to his Blackberry. The image transmitted straight over. Michael took a closer look at the woman in the photo. Damn, she’s kinda hot. He couldn’t help himself; he was a man

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after all and a “lone wolf” at that. Hitting a few keys on the Blackberry, he was able to e-mail the image directly to David. Just as he hit send, he dialed David’s number. “Yeah.” “I just sent you an e-mail with a picture attached. I need you to check all your resources and tell me who she is.” “She? Are you out on the prowl again? Why do you have me checking these women out all the time? Damn it, man, just go over there and talk to...” Michael cut him off with a growl in his voice, “I’m at the U.N. building, asshole. There’s someone in the building that shouldn’t be there and I wanna know who it is.” “Oh… right… I’ll get on it and call you right back.” There was a click and he was gone. Michael grabbed the binoculars again and went back to watching the woman in the window. There was something about her that set off alarms in his head, among other places. As he watched, he saw her stand from the desk and pace the room. She had a great figure from his angle. He could see how her every curve flowed as she walked, hips swaying in natural movement with the rest of her. The woman had it in all the right places. As she turned to the window he zoomed in on her deep blue eyes. Michael thought he was caught, but it was as though she was looking right through him. He was instantly mesmerized by her. What the fuck am I thinking? He shook all thoughts out of his head and placed the binoculars back down while he waited for David to call him back. Granted, after his painful divorce he had turned into a bit of a playboy, but the woman in the window intrigued him. It was probably the mystery of it all, the not knowing who she was, but he definitely knew he wanted to find out more about her. What is taking him so damn long? Michael needed answers, and he wanted them yesterday. He hated having to wait around for information. Michael sat another minute or two, tapping his fingers on his knee, when his phone rang. “Whatcha got?”

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“Did you say this woman was inside the UN building in Poland?” David’s voice sounded puzzled. “Yeah, why?” “Well, then you’ve got an interesting problem.” “Would you just come out and tell me instead of giving me fucking riddles?” Michael was getting more than a little frustrated. “I was going for hype and build-up.” “Save it for another time,” Michael spoke through clenched teeth. “I just wanna get this shit done and go home. Who’s the girl in the picture?” “Fine, her name is Marisol Sanchez and she lives in Miami, Florida…” “Long way from home,” Michael interrupted. “Do you want this information or not?” David paused and got no response. “That’s what I thought.” He took a breath before he continued. “Not only is she far from home, but she doesn’t even work for the UN. She’s an International Liaison for Regents World Banks.” “Well, now, ain’t that some shit? You better pull your resources and find out who she really is and who she works for.” “You think there’s more to it?” Sometimes David didn’t think too clearly. “Are you shitting me? Think about it. If she’s just a bank liaison, what the hell is she doing sneaking around in an office at the UN building in fucking Poland? Get on it!” Michael hung up the phone before David had a chance to give a sarcastic comeback. It amazed him how David could be such a whiz about certain things and completely oblivious about the obvious. Michael decided he didn’t want to wait around for David to call him back again. The way he saw it, he could just waltz up to the office and get the information he wanted directly from the hot chick in black. Sounds like a good plan to me. Pulling the schematics from his backpack, Michael looked over the plans to the UN building. He rolled his eyes when he realized he had to call David anyway. It seemed his only option to get into the building undetected was to have David hack into

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the building’s security and shut it down long enough for him to get inside and into the office. He could have David shut it off again when he needed to leave since the office spaces had no security measures within. Michael pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed David’s number. “I don’t have it yet,” David said as soon as he answered the phone. “I’m calling for something else, chill out.” Michael had to laugh. He knew he was a hard-ass, but David was a bit too skittish sometimes. “Oh, ok, what do you need?” “I need you to tap into this big-ass building and cut the alarms and cameras long enough for me to get to the second floor office.” “Well, damn, that’s easy enough. Go wait by the service entrance and I’ll have the door open automatically when it’s ready. I can only give you five minutes, though. Some of these systems have a back-up that takes at least five minutes to kick in.” “That should be long enough. Bye.” He jumped to his feet, dropped his phone in his pocket and grabbed his bag, then ran over to the building. He had just reached the service entrance when the automatic lock clicked open. Damn, that fucker’s good. Michael grabbed the door before it locked again and went inside. The stairs were three feet in front of him; he took them two at a time. Reaching the floor he needed, Michael opened the door secretly hoping it didn’t squeak and give away his position. Stepping into the corridor, Michael turned to the right and went down the hall as quickly and quietly as he could. A few feet from the door he was able to hear the rustling of papers. Just as he approached the entryway, his cell phone rang. He kicked himself for forgetting a cardinal rule: shut the phone off when incognito.

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CHAPTER SIX

Michael reached into his pocket to shut off the ringer just as Marisol spun around, gun in hand and aimed at his head. Shit. He tried to be nonchalant about the whole thing. “Mind if I answer that?” He questioned as he pointed toward his pants. Marisol shrugged her shoulders, “Sure, why not. It may be the grim reaper and I would hate for you to miss that call.” She raised an eyebrow and smirked. Wagging a finger at her, he chuckled. “Very cute.” He pulled the still ringing and vibrating phone out of his pocket, checking the caller ID before he answered. Michael shook his head as he pressed the talk button. “Yeah, D.” “It took some searching, but I finally found out who your mystery girl is.” David sounded so proud of himself. “Mmm, hmm,” was all he could muster at first. “I have a question for ya, D.” “Sure, what is it?” Michael, being the cocky SOB that he was, smiled at Marisol as he continued his conversation. “What made you think that now would be a good time to call me with this information?” “Damn it, Mike, you said you needed to know, so I…” He paused in his explanation. “You’re already in the office aren’t you?” “Bingo.” “Let me guess.” There was a hint of anger in David’s tone. “You had your ringer on, the girl knows you’re there, and somehow it’s all my fault.”

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“Basically, yeah.” Michael shifted his weight. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to get off the phone so I can try to convince the beautiful woman with the gun not to shoot me in the head.” There was an immediate click on the other end. Michael placed the phone back in his pocket, then folded his arms across his broad chest. “Are you going to put that thing away now?” He nodded his head toward the silencer-equipped pistol in Marisol’s right hand. “Not until you tell me who you are and what you’re doing here.” “Hmm.” Michael rubbed his graying goatee, “I could ask you the same thing.” Marisol was getting annoyed by this guy’s cocky attitude. “You could, but I’m the one holding the gun.” She raised an eyebrow and smiled. Well ain’t she a spitfire. I think I like it. “This is true, but,” he paused and leaned over slightly to get a look at the rest of her. He noticed the frown on her face and stopped. Unfolding his arms, he put them in his pockets, “I’m already a step ahead of you, babe.” What an ass. “How do you figure that?” “Simple, Miss Sanchez… it is Miss, isn’t it? Anyway, I already know your name and what you do, but I don’t think this is part of your fake job description.” Michael smiled and crossed his arms back over, almost daring her to challenge him. Well, fuck, he just had to be good. Marisol didn’t know what to say. For the first time in her life she was actually speechless. She flipped the safety back on her weapon. “Ok, enlighten me,” she mocked, but she was almost afraid of what he was going to say. “All right, lemme tell you what I have.” He gave her an almost evil grin. “Now be sure to correct me if I’m wrong.” “Right, don’t hold your breath.” “Fair enough.” He shook his head and smiled. Poor girl, doesn’t she realize she’s gonna want to tell me everything anyway? “My very accurate sources informed me that

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your name is Marisol Sanchez, you live in Miami and you’re an International Liaison for Regents World Bank, whatever the hell that means.” Marisol tried her best to hide her relief. She thought for sure he had more on her than that, but then again, all that information is well hidden. “Not bad, you got three out of three.” “Yeah, but,” Michael interrupted. “That don’t add up in my book.” “Makes perfect sense to me.” Marisol grinned. “Oh, come on, humor me.” Michael took a step forward. “This could be fun. I’m dying to hear your explanations.” I don’t have time for this shit, but I can’t kill him, either. “This is ridiculous. You still haven’t told me why you’re here.” Frustration was setting in again. “Fine, I’ll make you a deal.” Michael pulled up a chair and sat down. “Deal? Are you shitting me?” Marisol raised her gun again and released the safety. “Are you forgetting I have the gun?” “How can I if you keep shoving the damn thing in my face? Just hear me out.” “Make it fast.” “As soon as you humor me, I’ll be sure you get outta here safe and undetected.” Michael leaned back in the chair and flashed her a raised eyebrow grin. “You’re pretty damn cocky.” And cute with that raised eyebrow and grin; damn, that sucks. “What makes you think I need your help to get out of here?” “Well, first of all, I happened to notice how you got in here.” He swiveled in the chair and pointed to the window of the office across the hall. “Secondly, with just one phone call I can change the angles of the cameras, set off the alarm, and have the cops here within seconds.” Marisol was trained to hide her emotions in any and all situations, but she was definitely rattled. Shaking her head in defeat, Marisol retriggered the safety and tucked her gun back in its holster. “I guess I have no choice then.” She reached for the other chair she had been using earlier and sat down. “What’s first?”

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“Perfect.” Michael leaned forward and cracked his neck. “If you’re a liaison for a bank,” he paused to rub his goatee again. “Why do you have a gun?” Marisol laughed to herself. If he thinks he’s cocky, he ain’t seen nothing yet. “I’m too damn cute; I have to protect myself from all those creeps out there. Present company included.” “Ouch, it usually takes a woman a week and sleeping with me to figure that out.” Michael lifted an eyebrow at her. Damn cute, she says, try more like fucking hot. “I’ll give you that one cuz you are damn cute, not cuz I believe the needing protection part.” Michael crossed his leg over his knee and leaned back in the chair, intertwining his fingers behind his shaved head. “Now, here’s the million dollar question.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “What are you doing breaking into a U.N. building in Poland?” “I dropped my PDA when I was here earlier today for a meeting, so I came back to get it.” “Interesting story, but I’d rather have the truth.” Michael was definitely amused by the hot little number in front of him. He was a bit turned on, too. “That’s my version and I’m sticking to it.” “I can get the right answer…” “Let me guess,” Marisol interrupted. “You can get the right answer with just one phone call.” She laughed at him and threw her arms in the air. “Go right ahead, your sources ain’t that good.” She was quite confident that her “real” records were very well hidden and sealed from outside intrusion. The CIA did its best to protect its agents. “As long as you’re sure, babe.” Michael replied as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Or, you can just tell me and save yourself the embarrassment.” “Nothing to tell,” she waved her hand at him. “Make your call.” Where has she been hiding? Michael pressed the speed dial number for David and waited for him to answer. “Do you need to get out now?” David asked as soon as he answered.

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“Not yet, D.” Michael cleared his throat for affect. “I’m sitting here with the very sexy Marisol and she seems to be lying to me.” David laughed at his friend’s tactics. “So, she’s a hottie, huh?” “The picture I sent you did her an injustice.” He smiled at Marisol as he continued. “You said you had that other information for me.” “I sure do.” “Fantastic. Lemme put you on speaker so I don’t have to repeat everything to her.” He heard David laugh as he pulled the phone from his ear and hit the speaker button. “Ok, D, give us what you have.” “Hang on, lemme pull up the screen.” There was some keyboard clicking coming through the receiver before he spoke again. “Here is it. This file says, Special Agent Marisol Sanchez, CIA Special Forces, and Sniper Unit Leader.” “Wow, that’s so not what she told me.” Michael glanced over in time to see the shock on Marisol’s face and smiled. “What else ya got?” “Seems she’s quite the bad-ass and she’s highly decorated, too.” David’s tone gave a hint of sarcasm. “Oooo, do tell.” Michael was thoroughly enjoying himself. “Let’s see here… graduated top of her class and has broken every record previously held by some guy they say disappeared years ago while on a mission. Do you want me to find the guy’s name? It’s not on this file.” Now it was Michael’s turn to look a little shocked, but not obviously so. “Nah, D, we’re good. Thanks and I’ll call you when we’re ready to head outta here.” “Ok, see ya.” David hung up. “Tsk, tsk, Miss Sanchez, I knew you had lied to me.” Marisol was speechless and devastated, but in the back of her mind she held that look of shock Michael got when his contact mentioned the agent who had disappeared. There was more to that story, but she would figure it out later. “How could anyone know all that?” There was no point in denying anything. Now she had to play along and see what she could get in return.

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“I told you, my sources are impeccable. Now why are you really here?” Marisol needed to buy some time. “I already answered your questions, now you have to come through on your half of the bargain. The answer to your new question will have to wait.” “Well, well, well, look who’s being cocky now.” Michael laughed. “You’re not the only one who can cut a deal to get what they want.” Marisol smiled and held out her hand, “So, do we have a deal?” Michael gave her a crooked grin, took her hand and kissed the palm. “Sure thing, babe, I’ll know where to find you.” Oh my God. Marisol’s heart leapt in her chest. What the hell was he thinking, and why wasn’t she slapping him? She cursed herself for liking it as she pulled her hand from his grip. “Make the call so we can get outta here. I’ve had enough of you for one night.” Rolling his eyes, Michael grabbed his phone to call David. While Michael was on the phone, Marisol adjusted her belt loop. However, it was no ordinary belt. The buckle held a mini camera which she used to get pictures of him. She was determined to find out who he was before they ran across each other again. Michael shut his phone off just as Marisol took the final picture. “Let’s go, we have five minutes to make it out the service door at the bottom of the stairs.” They both bolted out the door, Marisol running ahead with Michael close behind her. They made it out the door and Michael’s phone rang just as the lock snapped. “Yeah, D, we’re out. I’ll meet you in half an hour.” He hung up the phone and looked at Marisol with a goofy grin. “What?” “Just need to say one thing before you disappear into the night, Miss Sanchez.” Folding her arms in front of her and rolling her eyes, “What’s that?” “Your ass looks sweet in those jeans.” He tilted his head, nodding and smirking. “I know.” With that said she ran off and disappeared into the darkness. Yeah, she wants me.

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CHAPTER SEVEN

Marisol was back at her hotel within minutes. She probably broke every traffic law while trying to get as much distance between her and Michael. As annoying and cocky as that man was, there was something about him, and the fact that he was cute didn’t help, either. His closely-shaved head and goatee was one thing, but his crooked grin sent signals through her. I’ll just chalk it up to deprivation. After changing into sweat pants and a t-shirt, Marisol sat at her laptop to download the images from her belt buckle camera. While they downloaded she ran through her options in her head. There was no way to run him through the government databases without setting off red flags, and she wasn’t computer savvy enough to go through back doors. Damn it. There was only one person she could think of that would be able to help her, but she was going to have a lot of explaining to do. Shit, shit, shit! “Well, hey there, stranger,” answered the chipper voice. “I’m glad you called. How was your flight?” “Long and boring.” Marisol took a breath and tried to find the right words to continue. Even though she had patched into a secure line, she didn’t want to be on the phone too long. “Did you do any sight-seeing?” Staci interrupted before Marisol could get her thoughts straightened out. “Not really, Staci, it’s two in the morning here.” “Oh, I wasn’t thinking.” She giggled. “So what are you doing up so late?”

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Marisol cleared her throat; it had become horribly dry all of a sudden. “I was doing some work and I came across a small problem.” She paused again. “I was hoping you could do me a favor.” “Sure, what do you need?” She muttered under her breath before she got the courage to continue. This was going to be harder than she thought. “Ok, this is gonna seem strange, and I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. All I ask is that you don’t bombard me with questions cuz I can’t answer them all for you right now.” “Now you’re scaring me. Are you in some kinda trouble?” “No trouble, I promise. Now listen to me. I’m going to e-mail you some images of someone and I need you to hack into whatever systems you need to in order to find out who it is. Just don’t get caught.” Marisol tried not to sound too stern as she paced the small hotel room, but she wanted to be sure she got her point across. “What makes you think that I can do something like that?” Staci tried to sound defensive about the accusation. “Don’t give me that innocent shit. I know you better than that.” “Ok, ok. Are you going to tell me why you need me to break the law for you?” Staci’s voice took a more serious tone. “Yes, but not now. Check your e-mail in half an hour. You’ll have everything you need, but be sure you use my computer. After you finish and you’ve printed everything out for me, be sure you delete everything I sent you from the system, not just the e-mail program. Got it?” “Yeah… but…” “No buts. I promise to explain it all to you later.” Marisol hung up the phone before Staci could say anything else. Marisol sat in front of her laptop, staring at the screen while her mind kept wandering. There was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew there was no way to pursue the lead on the stranger once her back-up arrived. Her chest tightened with her next thought. Crap, I’m gonna need Staci to help me.

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Marisol got on the internet and booked Staci a seat on the first flight into Poland. This girl is gonna think I’m fucking nuts. She put the flight information in the e-mail with an added side note: Don’t call to ask why, I’ll have all the answers when you get here. She could already see the look on Staci’s face and could almost hear her cussing up a storm.

****

Marisol had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the TV, but was awakened the next day by a news flash blaring on the screen.

Investigators tell us that nothing was stolen from the office of the U.N. building. A large hole in the outer glass seemed to be the entry and exit point. Further investigations will continue throughout the day…

By this time Marisol had sat up and had her eyes glued to the screen. The news crew had somehow gotten right outside the office doorway. At a closer glance she caught sight of her three suspects. She watched their body language and movements, and tried to read their lips. What she could gather from the brief few minutes they were on camera, the big girl, Donna Likinshitz, seemed to be the angriest. She was cussing at the other two and at the police while her arms were literally flapping all over the place. All Marisol was able to get from the lip reading was Donna yelling, “How the hell could this have happened?” over and over again. Her cell phone ringing broke her concentration. She flipped it open without checking the caller ID, thinking it was Staci from the airport. “Hey, babe, I see you made the news.” “Are you fucking kidding me? How the hell did you get this number?” Marisol was on her last nerve, and it really pissed her off that this guy was better than her.

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“I have my ways of getting what I want. By the way, I also wanted to tell you that you may wanna turn down the AC and make it a little warmer.” “Huh?” “I figure you’re kinda cold cuz I can see you poking through your white t-shirt. Not that I’m complaining, though.” “You fucking asshole.” She flipped her phone shut and jumped off the couch to draw her drapes shut. She had never felt so out of control as she did at that moment. Here she was, the top agent in her division, and some guy was getting the best of her. I will fucking kill him with my bare hands. Just then there was a knock at the door. She grabbed her gun as she went to the door, released the safety and tucked it into the back of her pants. As she looked through the small peephole she secretly hoped it was Michael so she could splatter his brains all over the hallway. Relief washed over her as the figure outside her door took form through the small lens. “Next time, at least give a girl enough time to pack,” complained an exhausted looking Staci as Marisol stepped aside to let her in. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I have to fly you to another country to meet me.” Marisol wanted to laugh, but she was still pissed about the call from Michael. Staci dropped her bags by the bed then draped herself across the end, resting her head on her hand. “Now, tell me everything.” Marisol dropped onto the couch only a few short feet away from where Staci lay. “I don’t even know where to start.” She let out an exasperated sigh as she ran her fingers through her shoulder length brown hair. “Just start from the beginning.” Marisol rolled her eyes, wishing it was that simple. She took in a deep breath and started from her Marine days. She explained how she excelled at everything she did and that she was always chosen to lead tactical missions. During her fifth year in, after having mastered and perfected her sniper skills, she was approached by the CIA. They

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had just lost one of their best operatives and thought she would fit right in to replace him. Marisol paused for another breath. “They brought me in and gave me six months of intense training. The rest is history.” She looked over at Staci who had sat up on the bed and was listening intently with her mouth wide open in utter shock. Staci blinked a few times and closed her mouth. “So, all those times you left on a business trip you were actually on assignment?” “Yeah, I was.” Marisol held her breath and waited for the bomb to drop. “I knew it!” Staci screamed out, pointing her finger at Marisol. Marisol nearly jumped out of her seat. “What the hell are you screaming about? You knew what?” Staci started giggling and nearly fell off the bed. “I knew you were too cool for that shitty-ass job. Come on now, a bank liaison? Shit! I am so glad you were lying about that.” Marisol laughed in relief. “I thought you were gonna hate me.” “Hell no, especially not now, you’d take me out.” The laughter continued a little longer and Marisol gave Staci a brief explanation about her current assignment and what had happened the night before. She had to stop and wait for Staci to stop laughing at the name Likinshitz before she could continue, and an even bigger mistake was showing her the picture to go with the name. “Holy shit!” Staci roared hysterically, “She looks like she smelled something rotten.” Marisol shook her head and continued on by telling her about the news report and the call on her cell phone. “Damn, he’s good,” Staci commented. “But there’s a reason for it.” Marisol furrowed her eyebrows, “What do you mean?” “Well, I wasn’t gonna get you all that info without reading through it, too.” Staci leaned over the side of the bed and pulled out a folder full of computer printouts. She

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set it on her lap and rummaged through it. “I found a lot of very interesting information.” “Ok, are you going to tell me already?” Marisol was getting impatient. “Hold your horses; I’m looking for a specific sheet. I should have put the damn thing right on top.” She shook her head and tsked. “Anyway, after everything you just told me, you’re gonna flip when you see this, and now it makes perfect sense.” She kept sifting through the stack. “Ah-ha, here it is.” She pulled out the page and handed it to Marisol. Marisol reached over and took the page from her. Her eyes widened. It was a CIA report with a picture of Michael in the top left corner. She read the page aloud, “Michael Leoni was reported missing in action, and is presumed dead.” She stopped and looked at Staci, her jaw dropped. “Holy shit. That would explain that look of shock on his face when his contact mentioned… damn it, it was him all along. How could I have missed that shit?” “Oh, wait, there’s more.” Staci passed the rest of the folder to Marisol. “I think some of the stuff in there will help you figure out your case.” “What did you do, study and memorize all this stuff?” “It was a long flight and I couldn’t sleep.” Marisol went through the files, page by page. Staci had found his CIA personnel files, all the cases he had worked on, all his commendation letters and awards. Behind all the work-related pages were the personal information sheets and a few attorney reports with Donna Likinshitz’s name on them. She continued reading and her jaw dropped again. She even started to feel slightly sorry for the jerk. “Well, this kinda explains why he was there last night, but it seems a little late for revenge. This happened years ago. It just doesn’t make sense.” Marisol paused, deep in thought. “What are you thinking?” “I’m thinking I need to make another trip out to the U.N. building tonight. I bet Mr. Leoni will be out there.”

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“Good thinking.” Staci stood from the bed, picked up her suitcase and dropped it flat on the bed. “What should we wear?” She questioned as she unsnapped the sturdy Samsonite luggage. “Oh no, you don’t,” Marisol exclaimed as she stood from the couch and walked over to shut Staci’s suitcase. “There is definitely no ‘we’ in this equation.” “But what if you need me?” Staci whined. Marisol shook her head and rolled her eyes. “This isn’t a game. You could get hurt.” “Fine, but I still wanna help.” Staci looked quite adamant as she folded her arms across her chest. “We’ll figure something out.” Marisol said calmly, “Did you get yourself checked in?” “Yeah, I just wanted to stop here first.” “Go on over, get settled in and rest a little while I work out some details. We can open the adjoining door when you’re ready, but I have to find out when Jeremy and Mark are getting here.” Marisol checked her watch. “I thought they would have been here by now.” Staci did as she was told and went next door to her room. “I need to freshen up anyway.” While Staci was gone, Marisol called headquarters to talk to Miller and check on her back-up. “Weren’t these guys supposed to be here today?” “Yeah, I was about to call you on that.” Miller started, “We had an issue and they’re not leaving for another two or three days, so hang tight and do some sightseeing or something.” He had no idea how perfect that was. “Fine, I guess I can sit around and wait on them. Thanks.” Marisol flipped her phone shut with a smile. Sit around, my ass; I know what I need to do. She walked over to the door that lead to Staci’s room, opened her side and knocked on the other.

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Staci came to the door rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “I thought you told me to freshen up and get some rest. Why are you bothering me?” “Well, damn, I thought you wanted to help me, but I can let you sleep instead. Sorry to have bothered you.” Marisol took a step back and started to shut the door, but Staci stopped it with her hand faster than she’d ever seen her move before. “I’m awake now, let’s go.” “Dress in black and come over to my room so I can give you all the rules.” “Damn it, I have to follow rules, too?” “Yup.”

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CHAPTER EIGHT

Staci appeared in Marisol’s room with a grumpy look on her face. “What’s wrong with you?” Marisol asked as she looked up from tying her shoes. “I don’t think this outfit looks right.” She grumbled under her breath. Marisol rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? No one’s gonna see you anyway.” She finished tying her shoes and stood from the bed. “Is that one of your rules?” “It sure is. You’re going to stay in the car with the laptop. We’ll be able to communicate with these.” She held up two tiny receivers that would fit into their ears. “And you’ll be able to track me on the laptop.” “Ooo, cool. So I can hear you and you can hear me with that tiny little thing?” Staci walked up to Marisol to get a closer look. Marisol went over the rules and showed Staci the programs on the laptop she could use to keep a constant trace on her location. It was a simple plan that would keep Staci out of trouble and keep her from getting bored at the hotel. The girls packed up their gear and headed out just as it had gotten dark outside. Marisol pulled the car into a dark alley about a block from the UN building. With the investigation still going on she didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention to Staci in the car. They popped in the earpieces and Marisol jumped out of the car. “Remember, stay right here and keep your eyes open. If you see anyone coming, let me know and I’ll take care of it.” “I heard you the first three times you explained it to me. Just go already.” Staci rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the laptop.

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“Fine, I shouldn’t be too long.” She turned and disappeared into the dark alley. Marisol’s head was swarming with all the information she had read in Michael’s extensive files. Her mind raised questions, curiosities, and for some reason, anger. Maybe it was anger for abandoning the CIA and making them believe he was dead, but she didn’t want to judge him right away, either. He could have a good reason for turning his back on his country. No matter how hard she tried, it kept going back to that. Before she knew it, she had dodged all the buildings and cops and was in the wooded, bushy area across from Lickinshitz’s office window. She saw Michael about ten feet away, crouched in the bushes with his binoculars. Stepping lightly, she came up on him and crouched behind him. “I knew you couldn’t resist me. What took you so long?” He lowered the binoculars and turned to look at her. Damn, I don’t remember her looking this good last night. “You and I need to have a conversation.” Michael leaned in a little, catching a whiff of her shampoo. “Why talk when actions speak so much louder than words?” He reached out to move the strand of hair that had blown into her face. A heat wave shot through her, but she pushed his hand aside anyway. “I know who you are. You have some major explaining to do, Leoni.” “I underestimated you, Miss Sanchez.” He shook his head and sat back on his heels. “Fine, but we can’t talk here.” “Good going, Mari,” Came Staci’s voice through the tiny receiver. “I knew you would get him to talk to you. You’re really good at this.” Marisol tried her best to contain herself and not roll her eyes. No matter how many times she repeated herself, she knew Staci wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut. “You’re not talking to me.” Staci gave a small whine then stopped short. “Oh, shit, you can’t talk back to me. Damn it, I’ll shut up now.” “Where then, if not here?” Marisol wanted answers, and fast.

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“I know this little club downtown. It’s called ‘The Dark Side.’ We can talk there. They have a few secluded and quiet corners.” Michael gave her an evil grin. “I’ll meet you there in an hour.” Before Michael could object or change his mind, Marisol jumped up and headed back to the car. Marisol got back to the car and hopped in the driver’s seat. She looked over at Staci as she turned on the car and practically peeled out of the alley. “Not a word outta you.” “He has a sexy voice,” she giggled. “I can just drop you off at the hotel and go meet him myself if you wanna be a smart-ass about it.” “You’re not going dressed like that are you?” “What’s wrong with this?” Marisol glanced down at her black jeans and t-shirt. “If you’re trying to get information outta the man, looking a little sexy wouldn’t hurt.” Staci waggled her eyebrows. Marisol rolled her eyes. “I’m not trying to date the man. I just need to know why he’s here.” “Right, and don’t you think he’d rather tell a beautiful woman instead of a frumpy CIA agent?” Staci crossed her arms in front of her. Damn it, she’s probably right. “Fine, I’ll stop in and change.” “Good,” Staci replied with a giggle. “I’ll help you pick out something, and then I’m going with you.” Not taking her eyes off the road, Marisol replied, “You’re still staying in the car.” “Fuck, that’s no fair.” “It’s the price you pay for making me change my clothes.” “Then it’s worth it,” she retorted with a grin. They arrived back at the hotel shortly after. Staci practically dragged Marisol to the room, then pushed her on the bed while she raided through the clothes. Staci was able to find a few things for Marisol to wear. “If you weren’t planning on doing sexy

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while you were here, why do you have these?” she held up a sheer halter top, a black mini skirt and some strappy sandals. “I had them in case I needed to go under cover at a club,” Marisol replied, her tone oozing with sarcasm. “Yeah, right. Now go put these on and let’s go.” Staci grabbed Marisol by the arm before she walked off to change in the bathroom, “Oh, and a little make-up wouldn’t hurt either.” Marisol just shook her head and walked away. She felt like she was getting ready for a date. Looking in the mirror after dressing, she nodded her approval. The extra five pounds she had lost made a difference in her hourglass figure. “Perfect,” cheered Staci as Marisol stepped out of the bathroom all decked out, make-up and all. “Let’s just go before I change my mind and grab my frumpy clothes again.” Staci jumped up and was the first one out the door.

****

Michael was waiting outside the door of the bar when Marisol walked up. She noticed that he had changed too, and damn, he looked good. She kicked herself for noticing, but she couldn’t help it. He had changed into faded blue jeans that hugged just the right places, a skin-tight grey shirt and brown boots. The shirt brought out every curve and muscle in his upper body. He definitely treated it like a temple and it showed. Michael bit his lower lip as he eyed Marisol from head to toe. “Damn, you look hot.” He held out his hand to her as he opened the door to the establishment. “After you, babe.” “Thanks,” she said, sliding by him and accidentally brushing up against his hard chest in the process. Her heart jumped and she caught her breath as she felt a warm sensation take over. What the hell is wrong with me? Has it really been that long?

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Placing his hand on the small of her back, Michael led her to a small table in the back corner next to the bar. He held out her chair then sat across from her just as the waitress approached. “What’ll it be?” asked the portly woman, speaking Polish. Marisol was about to speak up, but Michael beat her to it by ordering two shooters and two beers in a perfect accent with impeccable dialect. She was impressed he still had his foreign language skills, but then again, he probably got plenty of practice in his newly chosen profession. “What did he order?” Staci asked through the earpiece. Marisol had almost forgotten she was even there. “A shooter and a beer, huh?” She heard Staci thank her as she continued, “What makes you think I didn’t want a glass of wine?” Michael leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “Babe, a woman like you, as drop dead gorgeous as you are, is too tough for a girlie glass of wine.” “Wow, he’s good,” Staci giggled in her ear. Marisol leaned forward, her cleavage right where Michael could drool on it. “You’re right; I could probably drink you under the table.” Michael grinned and licked his lips. “Baby, under the table is the last place you want me while you’re wearing that short skirt. I’d be praying to the gods that you weren’t wearing any panties.” Marisol heard a gasp in her ear as she sat up straight in her chair. The waitress interrupted the rude comment she was about to make by bringing over their drinks. She placed them on the table and walked away. “Enough of the bullshit.” She pulled the files out of her bag. “You have some explaining to do.” “Looks like you’ve been doing your homework.” He leaned in a bit to get a closer look at what she had. “Well, damn, you even found all the classified shit. You must have a helluva contact on your cell phone, too.” “Damn straight,” Staci chimed in. “Tell him, Mari. Tell him you have the best in your corner.”

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Marisol smiled while trying to ignore the voice in her ear, but it wasn’t doing her any good. Note to self, no more communication privileges for Staci. “Only the best,” was all she could muster up. “Hell, yeah.” “So do you want me to ramble on or did you have some specific questions in mind?” Marisol thought for a minute and tried to keep her focus. This man was making strange signals run through her and she could have sworn she saw him snarl. “Before we get into why you were at the U.N. building, I need to know what happened on your last assignment to make the CIA think you were dead.” She downed her shot and half her beer while she waited for his response. “Well, that was pretty damn blunt,” Michael laughed. “Leoni…” “Call me Michael,” he interrupted. “Fine, Michael. I need a good reason why I shouldn’t shoot you and bring you in as a traitor.” There went her ideals about not being judgmental. Michael clenched his fists and grit his teeth. A deep rooted anger boiled within him. “Traitor? Is that what you think? What does your report say?” Marisol could hear the anger and frustration in his voice. “In a nutshell, it said you were missing in action and presumed dead.” “Of course it said that.” Michael shook his head and grit his teeth again. “Who wrote the report?” Marisol pulled out the pages to look for the signature. “It was Director Miller.” She looked up to catch the reaction on his face. “Fucking cock sucker,” he muttered under his breath. “He broke my mother’s heart with his bullshit “we regret to inform you” letter. I had to sneak back home to prove to her I was okay.” Michael waved his hand at the waitress and ordered more drinks.

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“So what’s your version, then?” Marisol was having trouble swallowing his sob story right off the bat. Michael looked at her with a half grin. “I wasn’t missing, they left me there. I was lucky to get out alive and in one piece.” The waitress placed six shots on the table. Marisol couldn’t remember what Michael had ordered. She grabbed one and downed it anyway. It burned all the way down to the pit of her stomach, but it tasted good. Although it was too dark to tell what it was, she thought she tasted a hint of rum and granier in it. “Why would your team just leave you there? It makes no sense.” “Come on, babe, you know the protocol. The shit hit the fan; I didn’t make it to the exact rendezvous point, so they left me. The bastard saw me coming though. I’d been shot so I was dragging my right leg a little. Miller looked me dead in the eye as he gave the pilot the signal to lift off.” Michael downed a shot and pounded the empty glass on the table. “Oh, my God,” Staci exclaimed. “That’s fucked up.” Marisol closed her eyes to drown out Staci’s voice and to try to make sense of what Michael just told her. She knew the protocol, but never knew it had ever been carried out. “Why did you let them think you were really dead? You should have come back.” Michael laughed. “Are you serious? Do you really believe it would have worked out like that? Miller would have had me shot on the spot just so he wouldn’t have to redo his precious reports or look bad in front of the higher-ups. My coming back would have meant that he would have had to admit that something had gone seriously wrong and it was his fault.” Michael downed another shot before continuing. “Miller knows I made it out; I was the best they had, and he has to live with the constant fear that I’ll sneak up on him and take him out. Right now, that’s good enough for me to get to sleep at night.” Marisol grabbed another shot, too. She wanted to keep up with him, plus she noticed that the more he drank the more he talked. Definitely a big plus.

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“You don’t believe me, do you?” “It’s a little hard to swallow, but I can see the truth in it, too.” “Babe, as good as you are and as important as you may be to them, don’t ever doubt that they won’t turn on ya in a heartbeat.” Michael downed another shot and pushed the last one toward Marisol. “The next six shots are on you, your choice.” “As long as you’re gonna tell me why you’re here.” “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, hot stuff, but I need to know what you know first. I don’t need to give up all of my secrets just yet.” He winked at her and grinned as he called the waitress back over to their table. Marisol ordered six kamikaze shots. After about two shots each, she began to feel a little numb and realized she didn’t have dinner. Great, I’ve been drinking on an empty stomach. She didn’t want to rehash too many painful memories, so she tried to choose her words carefully when she pulled out the Likinshitz file. The only think she could think of was to pull out a picture of Donna and slide it over to him. “I know you don’t like this woman too much.” “That’s a fucking understatement,” Michael growled as he downed the last of his three shots. He gestured to the waitress to bring them six more. “Look, you don’t need to go into this with me. I’ve already read the file and I’m very sorry.” Marisol was truly sincere about the death of Michael’s daughter. Losing a child so suddenly had to be mortifying. “What I want to know is why you’re seeking your revenge now?” “Yeah, I can see where you’d get that idea from.” More shots were placed on the table and Michael grabbed one up right away. “I was actually lucky enough to be given this chance.” Marisol, still trying to keep up, downed another and got a head start on the next one. “Would you care to elaborate on that a little?” “Yeah, have him elaborate,” the little voice broke in again.

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“I’m sure your contact found what I’ve been doing for a living lately.” Michael paused and waited for some sort of reaction or response. Marisol sifted through her file folder and found what she was looking for. “Of course I know. Putting it mildly, you’re a gun for hire, a mercenary.” Hundreds of light bulbs went off in her head. It suddenly dawned on her how helpful he was to her own personal agenda in Poland. His blabber mouth actually narrowed her suspect list to the one person she hoped she needed to go after. “So someone hired you to take care of Likinshitz? That was pretty damn convenient.” “I’ve been waitin’ years to get my hands on that bitch. It was my pleasure to take the job.” Michael grabbed his last shot and sat back. “I think that’s enough alcohol for me,” he laughed. Marisol downed her last one too. “So who sent you and why?” “You seem really interested in all this. Am I inadvertently helping you with your assignment?” He raised an eyebrow. “Look, I’m not gonna lie to you. You’ve given me solid information that’s helping me, but I think we can help each other and get the job done to both of our satisfaction.” She stopped for a breath. “I just need to know why her, because then that will give me the final bit I need to resolve my issue here, too.” Shit, did that even make sense? I’m so fuckin’ plastered. “I’ve never needed a partner before. Not sure I can trust anyone anymore.” “I feel the same way, but I think we need each other on this one.” “Right, you just want me,” he grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her. Marisol just rolled her eyes, which made her a little dizzy. “Get over yourself, Leoni. Do we have a deal or what?” “Ok, babe, but if you screw me over I’ll kill ya before your back-up ever gets here to save ya.” “Ditto here, sunshine,” Marisol smiled back. “Now spill it.”

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CHAPTER NINE

Being that Michael was quite hammered at that point; he agreed and told her everything. He even mentioned how he was going to do the hit for free. “The bitch has been fucking with the mob’s money and they’re pissed. They wanted the best to handle the situation so they got a hold of me through my cell phone buddy.” Marisol just sat and absorbed all the information Michael was spewing out. The light bulbs flickered again. The puzzle was complete and she was thrilled. The last hit she went on must have been one of her middlemen, and even though she said he meant nothing, it had to have pissed her off enough to send her the e-mail. Now all she had to do was figure out how to get to Likinshitz. “I can see the wheels spinning, babe.” Michael had paused from his ranting. “Did I solve your mystery with all my blabbing?” “Actually, you did. You narrowed my three suspects down to one. Now all we have to do is get rid of her.” “We? Oh, hell, no! You’re not taking this away from me. I want this bitch to suffer.” “Hey, calm down, no one said I was taking it away from you. We can do this together. She needs to know she fucked with the wrong woman.” Marisol could feel her blood boiling, but she wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or her anger or even her hormones going out of whack again at having Michael so close to her as she spoke. “Damn, you’re hot when you’re angry,” Michael grinned.

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“Screw you.” Marisol checked her watch and saw it was after one in the morning. “I think it’s time to head out of here. We have a lot to figure out for tomorrow.” Michael just smiled, “are you sure you can keep yourself under control?” “Excuse me?” “I see that look in your eyes.” He paused and bit his lower lip. “You want me.” Marisol wanted to deny it, but in her slightly drunken state she couldn’t. Drinking made her a little horny, and the fact that Michael was so damn good looking didn’t help much. “Correction, I think it’s you who wants me. I have some self control.” She was straight out lying. She hoped Staci didn’t call her bluff because she would flat out tell her to shut up. How screwed up would that be? “I’m not denying that,” Michael laughed. “Let’s just go before I throw you on this table and have my way with you.” Her heart skipped a beat and she could have sworn she saw him snarl again. Marisol had to admit, but only to herself, that throwing her on the table sounded pretty good. In all honesty, she was a bad girl at heart, but had yet to find the right man to unleash it all with. Keep your head in the game, Mari; don’t mix business with undoubtedly outstanding pleasure. Trying not to topple over, Marisol stood from her seat and headed towards the exit. She felt Michael’s arm around her waist and she couldn’t help leaning in a little for support. Oh my God he feels tight. Her heart raced as she stifled a gasp. “We need to walk off some of this alcohol before I let you get behind the wheel of your car.” Michael gestured to the left where there was a walkway leading to small bridge. Marisol could not explain why, but she agreed and let him lead her down the cobblestone path. She had no choice but to hold on to him because her shoes and condition were not cooperating with the cobblestone beneath her. Strong arms, I love it. She could feel her self control slowly fading and her hormones trying to take over instead.

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They reached the middle of the bridge and stood there staring at the full moon reflecting off the water of the small lake. It shimmered across the water with an almost spotlight affect to where they were standing. It would have made for a very romantic spot. Michael leaned on the railing and pulled Marisol closer to him, “I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as I want to kiss you right now.” Marisol gasped and placed her hand on his small chest, but she didn’t push him away or fight him. Instead, she felt him pull her closer and hold her tighter. In a breathy whisper she replied, “That’s the alcohol talking. I don’t even like you like that.” She felt her lips move, but all she could focus on was his perfectly suckable lower lip. Michael grinned, his lips almost touching hers. “You don’t have to like me.” He pressed her body against his as he kissed her. Not a demanding kiss, but a gentle beckoning brush. It was as though he was savoring every moment. Marisol heard a sigh in her ear, but she ignored it as she melted against Michael’s tense hard body. it had been years since anyone had taken the time to kiss her with such feeling and passion. It felt so right, but deep inside she knew it shouldn’t happen. Reluctantly, she slowly pulled away and tried to catch her breath. “We can’t do this.” Michael looked disappointed. “Why not? I know you felt the same thing I did just now.” He took her hand just as she was about to pull further away from him. “Mari, don’t pull away from me. I haven’t felt this way about a woman in years. I don’t want it to stop.” There was almost a look of pain in his hazel eyes. “I have to go. You know how to reach me tomorrow.” She had slipped off her shoes for a faster getaway at the same time she slipped out of his grip. Marisol took off before he had the chance to stop her, nearly falling on her face when she grabbed her sandals off the ground.

****

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“That must have been a damn good kiss for you to have run scared from that sexy man like you did.” Staci almost scolded. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Marisol kept her eyes in the road and got them safely back to the hotel. Marisol’s heart was still pounding, her lips tingled and her panties were damp. As much as she hated to admit it, Staci was right; the kiss scared her to death. It had been too long since anyone had ever wanted to be close to her. Sure she dated, but none of those men ever gave her butterflies like Michael did. Wrong place, wrong time; it’ll never work. “You know you like him.” Staci began. “Working with him is not gonna be easy. Your hormones are bound to take over, but I’m sure you already know all that. Marisol sighed and shook her head. “Let’s just try and get some sleep. Tomorrow is bound to be a long day.”

****

At six in the morning Marisol sat up suddenly in bed. There was someone in her shower. Taking a calming breath and assuming it was Staci; she walked over to the dividing door only to find her side was locked. Damn it, it’s not Staci. She grabbed her gun and released the safety. Charging into the bathroom with pistol aimed, she was met by a smiling dripping wet and naked Michael. “You know, this place has great water pressure.” He continued to dry off, but made no attempt to cover himself up. “How the fuck did you get in here?” Marisol exclaimed as she clicked the safety back on. She was pissed, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from the naked God in front of her. “I convinced the housekeeper; sweet old woman. Anyway, I told her my lovely new bride, that would be you,” he flashed a smile at her as he stepped into his boxer briefs, “had accidentally locked me out, and since I had worn you out last night, there was no way you could hear me knock.”

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Marisol was either still a little drunk or completely distracted by Michael’s perfect ass, but she actually found that funny. “I probably would have done the same thing.” She turned on her heel. “Hurry up and get dressed, we can order some room service.” If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Michael peeked around the door behind her. “By the way, you may wanna wake your girlfriend next door and see if she wants to eat, too. We don’t wanna be rude newlyweds.” She turned to give him a dirty look. “How the…” She thought twice and shook her head. “Never mind, I’ll go wake her.” There was no sense in arguing with him anymore. He was always a step ahead, and she could definitely see why he was the best. Marisol went to the dividing door and opened it to find Staci already standing there. She raised an eyebrow at her. “What are you doing?” “I couldn’t sleep anymore and I thought I heard a man’s voice in here.” She peered around Marisol to see Michael half dressed and standing next to the bed. “Holy shit, you’ve got a naked man in your room.” Staci almost giggled like a school girl. Marisol rolled her eyes for the hundredth time since arriving in Poland. “He’s not naked. He lied his way into my room and used my shower.” “Mmm hmm, and did you help him scrub the hard to reach spots?” Before Marisol could answer, Michael swooped in and put his hands on her shoulders. “She was too busy pointing her gun at me, again.” He stepped around Marisol and held out his hand. “I’m Michael, and you must be the computer guru who pulled up all my confidential files.” Staci blushed at the compliment and his still half naked body. “That would be me.” She took his hand. “I’m Staci.” Everyone piled into Marisol’s small living room space while she ordered room service. There was no way she could fully function without a cup of coffee. Michael had brought over his files on Donna, and Staci managed to find the one’s Marisol had

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strewn around the room. Once the food arrived they all sat to eat and figure out the best strategy. While sipping his coffee, Michael looked over at Marisol, “There’s one thing we need to get straight before we go any further with this planning.” Marisol folded her arms in front of her. “And what would that be?” “Your little Nancy Drew wanna-be can’t go out on surveillance with us.” Marisol laughed at the reference. She used to love reading Nancy Drew when she was young. “It’s a deal.” “Wait a minute.” Staci whined. “Don’t I get a say in this?” Michael and Marisol both answered in unison, “No.” “So what do I get to do?” “You’ll be our computer guru from here along with my guy.” Michael stated. “It’ll be a perfect team and you won’t get lonely.” Marisol stifled a laugh. “You could always go home early if you’d rather.” “Fine, I’ll be the geek on the sidelines.” With breakfast devoured, the three had come up with a set plan for the day. They knew they had to work pretty fast because Marisol’s back-up were due to arrive in the next few days. Michael called David, gave him the run down and told him to get to the hotel right away. “We know she’ll be at work, so we’ll start there.” Michael paced the room as he spoke. “David is heading over in our surveillance van so we’ll have everything we need.” Marisol watched him pace. She was relieved he had finally decided to put his shirt on. The man was distracting enough as it was. This was bad, alone all day and most of the night with that man in a van. Good Lord I’m in trouble.

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CHAPTER TEN

David arrived half an hour later and introductions were quickly made. It was almost eight by the time Marisol and Michael were able to leave. Stepping into the van, Marisol realized Michael wasn’t kidding when he said all the equipment they would need was already in there. There were TV’s, a computer console, cameras, weapons. Marisol felt like a kid in a candy store. Everything was top of the line and state of the art. It was amazing, and most of it was better than what they had at the CIA. She was jealous. Michael got in the driver’s seat while Marisol continued to admire everything in the van from the passenger side. “Impressed?” He asked with a crooked grin. “You even have stuff we’ve been wanting to get for our surveillance vans,” Marisol replied in awe. “You just have to be owed favors by the wrong people to get some of the merchandise I have,” Michael boasted as he drove off towards the U.N. building. Marisol turned around and fastened her seat belt. “I don’t wanna know about it. I’m already gonna catch hell for going rogue.” “Sometimes breaking the rules is too hard to resist.” Michael grinned again. Marisol didn’t reply, but it did give her an adrenaline rush to go against the rules. She’d had to follow strict rules all her life. It felt good to be rebellious, but she wasn’t sure she could do it all the time. “I’m taking your silence as a yes,” Michael teased. “Everyone wants to be a little bad at least once in their lives.”

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“Maybe once, but not without good reason,” Marisol tried to condone the behavior, if only to make herself feel better about her blatant disregard for orders. Oh, well, too late to dwell on it now. The deed was almost done. “Oh, right, of course,” Michael replied with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. “There’s always a good reason.” He paused a moment as though deep in thought. “I suppose the CIA gives you a good reason when they send you out to kill someone.” Marisol looked surprised at the comment and felt almost insulted. “They don’t have to give me a reason. They gave me an order, and it’s my job to follow it.” “Hmm,” Michael took a hand off the wheel and scratched his goatee. “So, you don’t think they could be wrong or maybe just trying to get a quick solution to a small problem?” He parked the car behind the bushes he had hidden in when they met. Turning in his seat to face her, he furrowed his eyes in question. “Haven’t you ever questioned an assignment?” “I have no reason to question it. Why would they send me out if it wasn’t for the better good?” Marisol felt almost confused. She never thought to question her orders, but there had been a time or two when she wondered why. Maybe she should have been asking and having her doubts, but it never crossed her mind to go through with it until just then. “I mean, they’re part of the government and we believe in justice… right?” “And there, my dear, is your doubt.” “You’re an asshole.” “Say what you want, but that doubt was always in you. You were just too afraid to say anything, and in all honesty, you should be. They’ll take you out as quickly as they send you on assignment. That’s one thing you don’t have to doubt.” Michael’s tone had gone from playful to sarcastic to serious in a matter of moments. “Let’s just get this rolling so we can get outta here and I can go back home to Miami.” Frustration was already creeping in on her. The other thing was trying to keep under control.

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“Fine.” He cut the engine and climbed to the back part of the van. “Help me get all this equipment turned on and lined up the right way. We want to get a clear view of everything, and I want to try to get the right sound frequency from her office.” Marisol followed Michael and helped him turn on all the monitors. “You even have the equipment to pick up sound?” Now she was really jealous. “Of course, it’s right over here.” He motioned for her to sit next to him. “I’m not gonna bite.” He bit his lower lip, “Unless you want me to.” Oh, how she wanted to say yes. “Can we just do this surveillance thing, please?” Marisol tried to keep her voice from quivering, but she’s not sure if she succeeded. Michael turned the rest of the equipment on, hit the record buttons and swiveled his chair to face Marisol. He reached out to grab hold of her chair and pulled her closer to him. “What are you so afraid of?” “I’m not afraid,” She answered indignantly. “It’s just that we have a job to do and I think we should get to it.” What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never passed up a good roll in the hay. Why the fuck is this guy so damn different? How can I possibly have these feelings for someone I just met? Besides, he can be an asshole; a mighty fine asshole. “You’re full of shit. You want me just as bad as I want you. I can see it in your eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul, you know.” He reached out and brushed a stray hair from her face, moving it behind her ear. “I can’t allow anything to happen. We have to be professional about this.” “What happened to the girl who wanted to break rules? I saw that glimmer you got earlier. There’s nothing wrong with doing things your way and getting what you want when you want it. All you have to do is go for it.” Marisol sat and watched his lips move as he spoke. Her self control was withering away. His touch sent a chill down her spine. “I don’t think…” “There’s the problem. You’re thinking too much. Be spontaneous, just do what you want.” He leaned closer to her, his lips barely touching hers. “What do you want?” Her breath caught in her throat. She could feel his warm breath on her lips and it was driving her insane. Fuck it. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her as she

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wrapped her lips around his. Marisol couldn’t help herself. His kiss the other night set a fire in her that only kindled her curiosity to what else he could do for her. Her kiss was a little more demanding than his, but it had the same passion and feeling behind it. Michael was caught off guard by her aggressiveness, but he liked it. He stood from his chair and pulled her up with him; their lips never leaving each other. He pulled her into him and put his hands on her ass, thrusting himself closer into her. Marisol let out a soft moan. His hard body felt good against her aching breasts. “What about Likinshitz?” She managed to ask while catching her breath. “I don’t like her enough to ask her to join us,” Michael grinned. “I mean the surveillance. We’re supposed to be watching her.” “She’s at work doing whatever she does. I hit record on the cameras and on the microphones. Whatever we miss now we can catch later.” He had pushed the chairs aside as he spoke. Pulling her back toward him, he looked into her eyes. “Now, where were we?” He really was too irresistible and she had been deprived for so long. One quick romp wouldn’t hurt anything. Besides, she was already breaking rules, why not break the one about mixing business and pleasure? Giving in to her attraction, she let her actions speak for themselves. She planted another kiss on him, this time more demanding as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Marisol felt his arms tighten around her as he squeezed her into his every curve. Their kissing became more intense as their hands began to roam. It was inevitable. Neither could resist the other and the temptation had mounted to an unbearable peak. The only step left to make was total nakedness and rolling around on the floor of the van, but who was going to make the first move? That question was answered when Michael’s hand made its way up Marisol’s shirt and easily unfastened her bra. Her breath caught and she let out a sigh as her nipples hardened at the thrill of their release from confinement. Oh, my God, was all that ran through Marisol’s head as his hand came around from her back to cup her right breast. When he gently pinched her nipple it sent a shiver down her spine.

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Marisol pulled back a little, stopping the kiss for a moment, and pulled off her shirt to reveal the well rounded D’s she was hiding. Michael followed suit and took his shirt off as well. Marisol reached out to touch his chiseled chest and noticed the tattoo on his left side; it said “Daddy’s Girl…Maria,” in black cursive writing. It was a simple tribute to the loss of his daughter. She moved her hand over the tattoo, admiring the work. She had a thing for guys with tattoos. It was yet another of her weaknesses. Michael watched her hand move across his chest and pause on the tattoo. “I got that just before the accident. She thought it was so cool that I put her name on my chest for her,” he chuckled at the memory. “Kids are too easy to please.” Marisol pulled him to her again, wanting to feel his bare skin against hers. With lips interlocked once again, they fumbled with each other’s zippers and buttons. With a little effort, both sets of jeans dropped to the floor leaving Marisol in her black lace thong and Michael in his blue boxer briefs. Michael stopped kissing her only to move his lips to her neck and ears. “You feel so soft,” he whispered as his hands slid up and down her sides, then rested on her hips. The more he kissed her neck and heard her moan her approval, the tighter his boxer briefs got. Moving from Marisol’s neck, he began to inch his way down to her breasts. He suckled one while kneading the other. He could see her head roll back when he glanced up at her. Hearing her reactions to his touch gave him the initiative to keep moving south. Michael kissed his way down her stomach, pausing to flick her belly button ring with his tongue. Damn, that’s sexy as hell. He heard her breath catch as his lips reached her pelvic bone through the lace. Moving his hands slowly off her hips, he hooked his fingers into the band of her thong and pulled them down to her ankles. Oh, dear God, she shaves. Michael slid his tongue between her already moist lips. In his opinion there was nothing better than the taste of a woman’s sweet nectar. “Mmm, you taste so good,” he growled between licks and nibbles. Marisol was losing her balance. She dropped back in the chair, not able to enjoy the pleasure and stand at the same time. There was no way she was going to let him

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stop, but she wasn’t sure how much she could handle either. Michael’s tongue was amazing. He lapped up all her juices then would flick her clit to get more. He was relentless and she loved it. It took all she had to keep from screaming out his name. “Uh, Mike?” echoed David’s voice through an intercom in the van. “What the fuck was that?” Marisol was startled by the sudden intrusion. The glazed look on Michael’s face was not as happy as it should have been after the feast he was enjoying. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Mike made his way to the console and hit the speaker button. “This better be good, man.” “Uh, yeah, you hit the webcam when you tried to record from the outer monitors.” David’s voice trailed off, and the sound of Staci’s giggles could be heard in the background. “Oh, my God, is he saying what I think he’s saying?” Marisol jumped up from the chair and dressed as fast as she could, embarrassed out of her mind. Michael had to laugh. “What took you so long to let us know you could see us, asshole?” “That would be my fault,” Staci cut in. “It’s been so long for Mari that I didn’t want to interrupt what looked like a damn good thing.” The giggling continued. Marisol was still turning all shades of red. “When I get back there, Staci, I’m gonna beat the shit out of you. How could you do that to me?” “Oh, get over it. If it wasn’t for David’s big mouth you never would have known we were watching.” Marisol had to admit, the fact that they were being watched was a bit of turn on. She was still humiliated a bit, but it was fading with the kinky thought. “Mike, shut that shit off already and kill the speaker.” “Yes, ma’am,” Michael chuckled and flipped the buttons just as Staci whined her disapproval. He turned back to her to see she was fully dressed. “You’ve got too many clothes on.” He moved toward her in an attempt to get her naked again.

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“Don’t even try it. We have work to do and I don’t trust your equipment.” Marisol sat down and slid her chair in front of the monitors so she could keep an eye on Donna. The screen showed her sitting at her computer typing away. “Is there anyway to zoom in and see what she’s doing?” “Of course there is.” Michael pulled up a seat next to her and pulled out the wireless keyboard from beneath the console. “Lemme see how close I can get.” He zoomed right up to Donna’s monitor and flipped the view around so they could see the screen. Marisol moved closer in order to get a better look. Donna was typing an e-mail. “I wonder who that’s for.” She squint her eyes trying to make out the small print. “That fucking bitch, she’s e-mailing me again. How the fuck is she able to do that?” She was furious. “Well she certainly has balls.” Michael commented. “What’s she saying?” Marisol read the e-mail aloud… Did you think I wouldn’t know the break-in was you? Who else could it be? You should have tried to cover your tracks better. You better hope I don’t find you because this invasion is not gonna fly with me. “Oh, hell no!” Marisol exclaimed as she finished reading. “Does she have any idea who she’s fucking with? I swear she has a death wish.” She looked over at Michael who was shaking his head. “Can we go get her now? I need to know why she has it out for me. There are tons of other agents out there working her mob ring friends. Why am I on the top of her shit list?” Marisol knew she was rambling, but she was frustrated and pissed all at the same time. “I’ll make you a deal,” Michael began. “We’ll see where she heads after work and maybe we can grab her from there. I’m sure we can convince her to tell us what we want to know. I can be pretty persuasive.” He gave her his crooked grin. “Torture is my favorite method of communication, and something tells me you have no problem with that.” “Not in this case I don’t, babe.” She grinned back with satisfaction in her voice.

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

They watched the monitor and saw a smirk spread across Donna’s face when she hit the send button. Marisol turned to Michael, fire in her eyes. “The bitch has got to go.” She leaned back in the chair, deep in thought. “I still don’t understand what she has against me. Ok, I understand I’m one of the people who’s trying to bring her down, but hell, I’m not alone in this. There’s a whole damn team.” “Who really understands what goes through the mind of a crazy woman,” Michael joked. “We’ll just keep an eye on her and see where she goes next. We’ll switch out vans later tonight and grab her.” An evil grin spread across Marisol’s face. “Do you have a good place to stash her?” She bit her lower lip in anticipation. She couldn’t explain it, but she was enjoying the thought of causing this woman pain and suffering. It gave her a rush to know that Donna would be powerless against her. “Baby, don’t you worry about a thing.” Michael touched her cheek as they continued to watch the monitors. “This is getting boring as hell. Can’t we go back to what we were doing before?” He lowered his head and raised his eyes up at her with a puppy dog look on his face. “Nope. We have to be sure not to miss anything.” Marisol turned back to the screen just as someone walked into Donna’s office. “Who the hell is that? That’s not a U.N. employee.” Marisol and Michael had retrieved the files and photos of all the employees in the building so they could spot an outsider right away. It was a good thing they did, because there was a stranger in the office talking to Donna. “Give me more volume, Mike, come on.” Marisol was antsy.

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“Ok, ok, geez.” He fiddled with the controls and was able to get the sound to a better level. “What the hell are you doing here?” Donna exclaimed in a loud whisper. “We want to be sure you are handling your little problem without affecting the rest of your job. You’re taking this too personally and we’re not happy with it.” The man had a thick Polish accent, but his English was understandable. Donna’s eyes squint in anger and disgust. “You let me worry about all that. I know how to do my job and I’ve been doing it just fine for the past few years.” She paused to look around, as though making sure no one was listening. “You tell the boss I’ll have everything taken care of soon and that we’re still meeting in front of the old clock tower in the square at midnight tonight.” The man nodded his approval and left as quickly as he had entered. “Well that was interesting,” Marisol said once the man had disappeared off their screen. “Now we know where to find her tonight. I think she may need to disappear from her rendezvous point before her contact arrives.” Michael smiled at Marisol. “What do you think, babe?” “I think that’s an excellent idea, darlin’. I think we can go now. Watching her is not only boring, but it’s making me angrier by the second.” “We have everything we need to know for now anyway.” Michael stood from his chair and got in the driver’s seat. Waiting for Marisol to take her seat, he started up the car. “We should get back to the hotel and figure out the details of the night.” A sudden horror came across her face. “Oh, man, how the hell am I going to face Staci and David after what they saw?” The exciting and embarrassing thoughts swept over her again. She really did want to beat the crap out of Staci, but not in a malicious way. Giving it more thought, she figured she probably would have done the same thing if the tables were turned.

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“Just go in there like nothing happened and if she teases you, then just throw it right in her face and let her know how fucking fantastic it was.” He winked at her and drove off. Marisol tingled at the thought and memory of his touch and magical tongue. She secretly hoped she would get to experience it all again soon. Perhaps a celebration after Donna was gone. Damn, that was all sorts of wrong, but I don’t care.

****

Lucky for Staci, there was no teasing when Marisol and Michael arrived at the hotel. It could have been the look of death Marisol gave her when they walked in that convinced her to keep her comments to herself. “Did you bring the disk from the monitors in with you?” David asked as Michael plopped himself on the couch. “Yeah, here it is.” Michael tossed a small disc over his shoulder in David’s general direction. “It doesn’t have much, but it gave us what we need.” “So what’s the plan,” Staci interrupted. “The plan is for you two to stay here again.” Marisol jumped in. “The final step is gonna get way too ugly and messy for you to tag along.” There was a sudden look of concern on Staci’s face. “What are you planning to do?” Michael cut in before Marisol could say too much. “Let’s just say we’re going to get the information we need one way or another.” He winked at Marisol, leaned back with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. “You guys don’t mind if we get some rest do you? We’re gonna have a long night ahead of us.” “Yeah, sure,” David answered. Staci and I will go grab a bite to eat. You guys want anything?”

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“Could you give us a call when you’re heading back? I’ll be starving later,” Marisol laughed. She knew there would be no other time to eat, so she might as well take advantage. Once they left Michael got off the couch and lay on his back next to Marisol on the bed. “Whatever will we do in this room on this big bed all by ourselves?” He glanced over at her as he reached over and placed his hand on her thigh. The spot where his hand rested burned right through her. “We’re going to lay here and get some rest so we have the energy to beat the shit outta ‘fat-ass’ later on tonight.” As much as she wanted to screw his brains out, she had to be the level-headed one. There would be time for play after the job was done. “Damn, you’re no fun.” Michael folded his arms across his chest and pouted. “I’m plenty of fun, but you’re still not gonna get your way.” “I usually sleep naked, you know.” He peeked over at the look on her face. “Not today, you don’t.” With that, she turned on her side with her back to him and did her best to get some sleep. It definitely wasn’t easy.

****

Two hours later, Staci and David returned with Chinese food for Marisol and Michael. They walked in to find the two were curled up in each other’s arms, asleep. Staci looked over at David and giggled. “I wonder if they did it while we were gone.” Marisol opened one eye, “Stop wondering. They didn’t do it.” I don’t remember curling up like this, but damn, it feels good. She bet Michael was the type who liked to cuddle after sex. A man like that was hard to find. She shook the thoughts out of her head and shook Michael. “Wake up, we need to eat and get outta here.” Michael groaned his disapproval and stretched out his back. He tried to reach out for her, but she had already moved off the bed. “Damn, woman, you didn’t even give me a chance.”

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“Exactly. I already know you too well to have stayed in that bed while you were stretching.” She winked at him and stepped into the bathroom to freshen up. Marisol and Michael ate their food while the four of them plotted out the events of the night. There was no need to give Staci and David all the gory details, but they were briefed on the basic idea of the plan. “So, you’re just gonna grab her off the street?” Staci asked. She seemed almost bothered by their kidnapping plan. “Yup,” Michael answered with a wide grin. “I know of an abandoned warehouse right outside of the city limits. It used to belong to a contact I had, but things went a little south for him. Anyway, I know we can take her out there for a private conversation.” “Just conversation?” Staci questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Sure,” Marisol jumped in. “Just for a nice chat about the weather and what the fuck she’s been thinking these past few days.” Her tone oozed of sarcasm with a hint of anger. “I dunno, you guys. I don’t like it.” Staci sounded concerned. “It’s part of the job. Sometimes you have to take risks in order to accomplish your final goal.” Marisol explained. “Do you think it’s all like TV? We find the bad guys and take them to jail? It’s not all as pretty a picture as they paint on TV and in the news. The behind-the-scenes can get nasty, but we just have to trudge on and get it done.” “Just like that, huh?” Staci still sounded uneasy. “Yeah, Staci,” Marisol continued. “It’s our job and we’re expected to do it by whatever means necessary.” “Ok, I know you have to do whatever you have to do when it’s your job, but you weren’t really given a job this time.” Marisol was getting a little tired of Staci questioning her. “No, not technically, but it’s gotten way too personal for me to ignore. If the shoe was on the other foot you wouldn’t be arguing about all this shit with me.”

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“Fine,” Staci threw her arms up in defeat. “Go do your job.” She turned on her heel and crossed the doors to her room. “I’ll go explain it to her,” David volunteered as he turned to follow her. Marisol shrugged her shoulders and sat on the bed to tie her shoelaces. “I don’t know what else to tell her to make her understand.” Michael sat next to her and placed his hand on the small of her back. “Babe, there’s no way she could really understand unless she had to live the same life we do. Let’s just get this done so she can go back home to her normal life.” Marisol nodded in agreement. She didn’t choose to have this life; it fell into her lap, and she wasn’t going to turn it away. It wasn’t her fault that her military career was successful enough to get her noticed. Being a perfectionist was a curse sometimes. She stood from the bed and straightened her top. “Let me get my gun and we can go.” Squatting in front of the bed, she pulled the metal case out from underneath and unlocked it. She checked to be sure the gun was loaded, strapped on her holster and dropped it in. “Ready.”

****

Michael suggested they scout out the rendezvous point before Donna arrived to be sure they would be able to grab her without being noticed. He had gotten a tranquilizer dart that would knock her right out so they could drag her fat ass to the van and take her to the warehouse. It was a simple plan, but should prove to be effective none the less. Michael parked the van across the street and caddy cornered to where Donna was going to be. He cut off the lights, shut off the engine and there they sat to wait. “Are you sure that this one tranq will be enough to knock the bitch out?” Marisol asked, a little doubtful. Michael laughed at her question. “Why, are you worried?”

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“Not at all. I just don’t want her to start squealing like a pig and attract attention when we throw her in the back of the van.” Marisol flashed the sweetest fake smile she could muster. “This shit could knock out an elephant, so we should be good.” Michael paused to stare out the window. “By the time she comes to we’ll have her tied to something in the warehouse.” “Ok.” Marisol shrugged her shoulders. “Sounds good to me.” Just as she leaned back to relax, Michael perked up in his seat and pointed out the front windshield. “Well, well, well. Look who I see waddling down the sidewalk.” “I’m glad to see she’s early.” Michael got the tranquilizer gun ready and loaded. “I’ll shoot her from here then we’ll drive over and throw her in the back.” “I have a better idea,” she interrupted as an evil grin spread across her face. “Go pull up next to her and follow my lead. I want her to see my face before she passes out.” Michael placed his hand on her cheek, caressing it with his thumb. “I think I’m in love.” Marisol moved his hand and kissed his palm. “You can prove it later; now drive before her people get here.” Michael did as he was told and pulled around. He stopped right in front of Donna who stared at the van, unsure of who was inside. As soon as Michael stopped the car, Marisol rolled down her tinted window. “You sure it’s safe to be walking around alone knowing I’m in town?” The sudden look of shock on Donna’s face was priceless. Donna stuck her nose in the air as though trying to hide the fact that she was caught off guard. “Screw you; I’m not scared of some fucking whore.” Marisol nodded her head and smiled. “Point taken. You don’t really know me.” She tapped Michael on the hand that was holding the gun. “But you should definitely be scared of him.” She pointed toward Michael, but as she did so she leaned forward.

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Michael aimed the gun right at Donna through the open window. “Remember me, bitch?” He saw her eyes widen as he squeezed the trigger. The dart hit her in the shoulder and down she went like a ton of bricks. Marisol shook her head as she watched Donna fall in a heap on the sidewalk. “Damn, she’s gonna be fuckin’ heavy.”

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CHAPTER TWELVE

The warehouse had been abandoned for months. There were cobwebs all along the rafters and some of the lights had blown out. The remnants of a shootout were still evident by the bullet holes in the walls and the shattered glass still scattered on the floor. Michael had tied Donna to a chair beneath one of the only working lights in the building. There she sat with her head still slumped over from the tranquilizer. Marisol leaned against the van, trying to catch her breath. “Damn, babe, you that outta shape?” Michael laughed. “No, I just haven’t had to lift that much dead weight since the military,” she laughed back. “How long will she be out?” “Not too long. It should start wearing off pretty soon.” Michael moved to lean next to her. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to control my rage when she wakes up,” he said softly with his head down as though in shame. Marisol took his hand in hers. “I’m right here for you. I’ll stop you if I have to.” “Thanks, babe.” He gave her a peck on the cheek just as they heard moaning and movement from Donna. “Where the hell am I?” She demanded, still a little groggy. Michael stood up and folded his arms across his chest, walking toward her. He clenched his teeth as he got closer. “You’re someplace where no one can hear you.” “Do you think you can scare me, little man?” Her Polish accent came across thick and harsh, as she sneered in disgust.

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“Nah, you seem like a big, brave girl, emphasis on the big part.” Michael had to pause to hide his laughter. “We just have some questions for you, then maybe we’ll let you go back about your business.” “American piece of trash, I’m not talking to you or your whore over there.” Donna nodded toward Marisol and spit at Michael, but it only got as far as his left shoe. “I’m stronger than you think, asshole.” Michael nodded with a smile, “We’ll see about that.” He turned to Marisol and shrugged his shoulders as he paced in front of Donna. “Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.” He unfolded his arms and crossed them behind his back as he continued to pace. Marisol could see the frustration building in his face. She stood and walked toward Donna on the hopes of getting a few answers before Michael ripped her to shreds. Putting her hands in her pockets, she took a deep breath. “I just want to know one thing. If you don’t answer it’ll just give us more reason to beat it out of you. As unafraid as you are, it’s still gonna hurt like hell and neither one of us gives a shit. Personally, I’d rather hear the answer in a coherent conversation instead of between screams and cries for mercy.” Donna laughed, “Your tactics to scare me are not working. I’m not telling you shit.” “Hmm,” Marisol placed her hands on her hips and furrowed her eyes. She tried to speak in her calmest and most soothing voice possible. “Sweetie, we’re not trying to scare you into anything. We’re simply telling you that the pain is inevitable, but we want to get our answers first so we can understand what you’re saying. This is not fear, these are promises.” Donna’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “One question, so make it a good one. You’ll have to kill me for anything else.” “Don’t you worry about that,” Michael interrupted from his pacing. Marisol continued her train of thought. “I just want to know what the hell I did to you to make you threaten me. I don’t take too kindly to threats, especially when

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you’re able to breach through security.” Marisol could see the struggle in Donna’s face, as though the answer to the question haunted her. The woman turned red with fury. Finally, “You fucking whore, you slept with my husband and killed my brothers.” She blurted it out so fast that Marisol almost didn’t catch it. Now it was her turn to look wide-eyed and shocked. It wasn’t the killing her brothers part, but the fact that she was accused of sleeping with her husband. She had to stop and think through the men she had slept with. Michael stopped his pacing and turned to Marisol, laughter in his eyes. “You slept with her husband?” He walked up to Marisol, “Damn woman, you look like you don’t even remember. Have you been around the block that many times?” Michael couldn’t hold the laughter in. “Shut up, I’ve had a fast and interesting life.” She grinned and bit her lower lip. “I knew it, you fucking whore. How can you not remember my Viktor?” Donna bellowed in anger. Marisol rolled her eyes, “Geez woman, can’t you think of something else to call me that’s more original? Damn.” She stopped again, still in thought, and then it came to her. “I think I remember him now, but hell that was a long time ago and as I remember we were both so fuckin’ plastered.” Marisol stifled a snicker from the memory. He was actually pretty good. “It was just a one night stand for crying out loud. I probably wouldn’t remember him if I ran into him in the street.” “When the hell did you sleep with her husband?” Michael was more than curious. “I was on assignment in Russia. I had to go undercover at the local bar so I needed to blend in. There was a big wig party going on and everyone was drinking; I had to go with the flow. I definitely had one too many vodka shots. The rest is a blur, but I do recall sleeping with some guy named Viktor, vaguely. Donna continued her ranting, “Well, it was more than that to him. He fell in love with you and left me. It took me months to find out who you were because he wouldn’t

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tell me. I had to beat it out of him,” she grinned. “Then you went and killed my brothers on one of your missions. You could have spared them, but you had orders to leave no witnesses.” “There’s no such thing as sparing anyone,” Marisol corrected her. “Okay, enough of this shit,” Michael was getting bored. “I don’t care about any of this; I have an assignment to fulfill.” “You mean you’re not here to protect your whore?” Marisol had had enough of Donna and her name-calling. She walked up to her and gave her a hard right hook across the jaw. “If you can’t be original with your insults, then you need to shut the fuck up.” She didn’t know where that came from. It could have been the ridiculous reasoning behind Donna’s attack on her. All that shit over a man that meant nothing to her. How could one night have made him fall for her? I didn’t know I was that damn good. Donna spit out the blood that had accumulated from the hit. “Is that all you’re got?” “Nah, but it made me feel better.” Michael spoke up again, “Can I get in on some of this?” “Be my guest,” Marisol stepped aside. “I don’t have any questions for you,” he spoke slowly as he tried to keep from clenching his teeth any tighter. “I’m just here on a job.” “Well, get to it then. I’m not afraid to die, but know this.” Donna paused to spit out more blood. “The Polish mob will be after you, and they’re not people you want pissed off at you.” “I’m shaking in my boots,” Michael rolled his eyes. “The people who sent me will make sure I have no trouble with the Pollacks.” Michael pulled a knife out of his back pocket and stepped closer to Donna. “Stabbing a defenseless hostage is a bit cowardly don’t you think?” Donna smirked.

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“It sure it, but I’m not going to use this to kill you,” Michael smiled. “Allow me to explain my torture methods. My trademark, per say, is taking the left ring finger of my marks to whomever paid me to do the job as proof that it’s done. Just killing you would be too easy.” Just as Michael was about to get close enough to cut off the finger, Donna blurted out, “I remember you now. I was forced to leave America because of you.” Michael jumped back, fire in his eyes. “Forced to leave because of me? Are you fucking kidding me? You killed my daughter you fat-assed bitch. You should have gotten the death penalty for what you did to us.” Donna just looked him in the eyes, “Diplomatic immunity.” Michael couldn’t control his rage. He leapt at her and sliced her finger off before she knew what had happened. There was a blood curling scream of pain as Michael stepped back and wiped his face of the splatter, holding out the finger for her to see. “Fuck you.” Marisol didn’t flinch. She almost felt Donna deserved it and much more. She had promised Michael she would stop him if he went too far, but she didn’t feel he was at that point just yet. He needed to get the rage and revenge out of his system. Donna calmed down and looked up at Michael again, “Did you really think it was an accident that I ran into you that night?” She took a deep breath before continuing, “It was supposed to have been you that died, but my superiors took it as a bonus that your child did instead. That way you could suffer forever. Death would have been the easy way out.” Marisol took action before Michael could have a chance to lunge at Donna again. She stood between the two. “Aw, look, your whore is trying to stop you.” Marisol was about to hit Donna again, but Michael grabbed her arm, “I can handle this.” She turned to face him, “Are you sure?” “Just let me do this,” he paused and swallowed hard, “for my daughter’s sake.”

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Marisol stepped aside. “Here’s what’s going to happen, bitch.” Michael spoke through gritted teeth and clenched fists. “I’m going to take one finger for each year I’ve had to suffer without my daughter or until I feel better, whichever comes first. If I run out of fingers, I’ll go to your nasty little toes.” He paused again, catching his breath to slow his racing heart rate. “If that doesn’t help me feel better, I’ll keep cutting body parts till I do.” Now Donna looked worried and scared, “I was only doing as I was told.” “So are we,” Marisol answered with no remorse in her voice. She had accepted that Donna was going to die by their hands that night and it was almost like a sigh of relief. She would be at peace from any more threats and emails, and Michael could finally lay the haunting memories of his daughter’s death to rest with her. “You can’t do this,” Donna almost seemed to beg. “Yes I can,” Michael replied as he sliced off the index finger on her right hand. “That was for taking her from me when she was only ten.” Donna screeched out in a bellowing fit of pain. It didn’t seem like torture was a stranger to her. She screamed, but seemed to recover too quickly from the pain. Michael was blinded by his rage, and he cut another finger, then another, “That’s for her eleventh birthday, and her twelfth. That’s for missing her first year as a teenager.” Marisol just stood back and watched. She wanted to stop him, but something inside her wouldn’t let her do it. There was no explaining it. The screams echoed in the empty warehouse, but Marisol was able to ignore them. Michael got to the sixth finger for the sixth year when he stopped suddenly and turned to Marisol. There were tears in his eyes as he whispered to her, “I can’t do this anymore. Maria wouldn’t want this from her daddy.” Marisol looked into his eyes. Taking the knife from him with her left hand, she placed her right hand on his face, “I’ll take care if it.” She stepped around him to stand in front of Donna. Her head was down in pain as she dripped blood all over the floor

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around her. Taking her gun out of its holster in the back of her jeans, she removed the safety and aimed at Donna head. “Say goodnight, bitch.” Donna looked up at her, “Fuck you.” Marisol pulled the trigger and nailed her between the eyes. Death was instant as the back of her head blew out and left a mess on the back wall. She repacked her gun and turned back to Michael who had been watching from behind her. “I knew you were the perfect woman for me.” He reached out for her and pulled her into a tight embrace. The emotions overtook him as he cried in her arms. Finally, he had closure.

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EPILOGUE

Marisol called her boss. “Don’t send any back-up,” was the first thing she said when Director Miller answered the phone. “Why not? What did you do?” There was no humor in his tone, he was dead serious. “Likinschitz is dead.” “Sanchez, tell me you didn’t kill that woman!” His voice had gone from a monotone to anger in a matter of seconds. Marisol, always the sarcastic smart-ass that she was, told him what he wanted to hear. “Fine. I did not kill that woman.” Memories of Clinton saying he did not have sexual relations with that woman ran through her head. Just like the ex-President, her statement was fabricated, but who was going to waste the taxpayers’ money on a piece of shit like Likinshitz? “What the hell happened?” “It could have been anyone, sir. It turns out she had ties to the Polish mob.” “We already knew th…” Miller stopped mid-sentence, clearing his throat. “Just get back to headquarters as soon as possible. I expect a full report.” Before Marisol could say anything else he had hung up the phone. “The fuckers already knew.” She said out loud to no one in particular. “What are you talking about?” Michael asked as he rolled closer to her in the bed. “Who was that on the phone?”

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Marisol got back under the covers and curled up closer to Michael, feeling his warm body up against hers. “I called Miller to tell him not to send the extra help. He stopped himself mid-sentence when I told him Donna was dead and connected to the mob. He was saying he knew. What the hell does that mean?” “I told you when you confronted me about my past, babe, you can’t trust any of them.” Michael squeezed her to him and breathed her in. “He sent me out here without all the information I needed. How could he do that?” Marisol rambled on, not really sure what she was trying to say or figure out. “You’re a smart girl; he knew you would figure it out and handle it.” Michael stopped in thought. “Here’s one better than that. He may have known who to call to light a fire under their ass and get the ball rolling to stop her. Why should the government get their hands dirty when there are already bad guys with dirty hands to do it instead?” It was actually beginning to make sense to her now. The government didn’t always have to play by the rules as long as they had secret agencies to take care of all the dirty work. Yes, she was getting rid of the bad guys, but she could be considered one as well. No wonder they would leave you behind at the drop of a hat. “I’m sorry,” she looked Michael in the eyes. “Sorry for what, babe?” “For not believing you when you tried to tell me all of this before. I should have known better and I feel like an ass about it.” “Well, there’s really no proof, but it has always been a bit too fishy for me,” he explained as her brushed a loose strand of hair out of her brown eyes. “I guess we’ll never really know.” “I suppose not,” she sighed. “You know I have to leave in the morning, right?” “Yeah, I know, but we have tonight, and last night was damn good.” Michael gave her an evil grin. “Where did you learn that little trick with your tongue? It was fucking amazing.” He kissed her gently on the cheek. “I can’t reveal my secrets.”

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“You do realize I’m falling for you, right?” “I had an inkling,” she paused to take a deep breath, “but I still have to leave.” “I know, but this isn’t the last you’ll see of me. I’ll find you. There’s no way I’ll be another of your one night stands,” he grinned. Marisol stared into his bright hazel eyes, unsure of where their lives would lead them next, “I was hoping you would be more than that myself.” “I feel like I can be human again. You’ve helped me lift a heavy load off my shoulders.” Marisol laughed, “She was pretty damn heavy, wasn’t she?” “That’s not what I meant, smart-ass.” “I know. I just didn’t want you getting too serious on me. Our lives are pretty complicated and our paths may not cross again after this.” “Oh, they will, you can count on that. You just go on home to Miami tomorrow and I’ll see you there.” Before she could reply, Michael placed his lips on hers. He knew their lives were like a roller coaster ride, but he didn’t want to lose her so soon. He was gong to make sure their paths crossed again and again. The life of an assassin was unpredictable, but even the best assassin needs a vacation.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION Marissa de A’mor www.marissadeamor.us

Born in New York and raised in Miami, Marissa has had a love for writing since she was fifteen. Her dream of publication was finally realized in 2004 and she hasn't stopped. Marissa is a single mom, sharing in the raising of a wonderful and smart nine year old son. She is also doing all she can to enjoy her life and make the most of it. Having found a new passion and spark in her life, her "Gringo/Cover Model" has kept her motivated to create new masterpieces for all her fans to enjoy.

Other Titles by Marissa de A’mor: Waves of Deceit

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