Page 35 of Renegade (The Santini Assassins #2)

With Caroline carrying the tray of mugs and coffee carafe, they left the kitchen. Tank shouldered all three computer bags. Back in the command center, they found Grey and Dakota focused on JL’s website.

As she poured the coffees, Grey said, “JL’s testimonial page lists some of her clients. She’s got every agency on the tourist map, except the Pentagon and the White House.”

Caroline sipped the hot drink. “I’m surprised she hired Erik to run an entire department. I thought she was more selective. ”

“He’s a pro,” Dakota said, “and he worked her good.”

She glanced at the screen monitoring the hole. Haqazzii’s eyes were closed, but his lips were moving.

“What about another round of questioning him?” she asked.

“Let’s ask him,” Dakota said, his finger hovering over the intercom button.

“Wait,” she said. “Could we let him sit on the floor and ask him a few questions in person? I want to watch him when he answers.”

“If you think you can read him—” Dakota said.

“I saw him with JL and getting two lap dances,” she said. “He was being his most genuine self with the strippers.”

“How could you tell?” Tank asked.

“A woman knows when a man is being sincere,” she said.

“Oh, c’mon,” Tank pushed back. “Men pull all sorts of crap to get?—”

“Laid,” Caroline replied. “I know. Same for women, but I still think it’s worth a shot.”

“When I offered him my McLaren, he was cool, but when I told him I’d ask a dancer to ride with him, he was into it,” Grey added.

“Okay, so we’ve determined he’s a horny son of a bitch,” Dakota said. “These terrorists are trained to be master manipulators. They learn how to use their body language, they become excellent at using non-verbal signals. That’s how he got JL to hire him.”

“We gotta try it,” Grey said.

She appreciated that he had her back.

Ten minutes later, all four stood in front of the door to the hole, their faces concealed by ski masks.

Caroline and Tank were armed. Grey and Dakota weren’t.

Grey removed the bar, flipped open the bolt.

Inside they went. She and Tank stood on either side of the door, prepared to fire at their target .

Working quickly, Grey removed the cuffs. “Use the bucket.”

Moving to the corner of the room, Haqazzii relieved himself. When he returned, he asked for water.

“You had your chance,” Grey rasped.

She appreciated that he’d dropped his voice to conceal his identity. If Haqazzii recognized him, he didn’t let on.

“Sit,” Grey instructed him while Dakota stood nearby.

Haqazzii sat on the cement floor and rubbed his shoulder blades.

“If you answer our questions honestly , you get water,” Grey continued.

Haqazzii glared at him.

“How are you getting the bombs into the government buildings?” Dakota asked.

He peered up at Grey, then at Dakota. “They are being smuggled in.”

Caroline studied his face. His expression remained flat, as did his eyes.

“By whom?” Grey asked.

“The team.”

“Where are they building the bombs?”

“Tunnels.”

Caroline knew of the tunnel between the Senate Office Building and the Capitol, but she knew of no other.

“They were built years ago,” Haqazzii continued. “This attack on your country began long before we arrived.”

“Who dug them?” Dakota asked.

“We hired people.”

He’s lying. This is a red herring.

The questions continued, but Caroline had stopped listening. She was busy watching Haqazzii’s face, his eyes, and the occasional upturn of his lips.

He’s screwing with us. There are no tunnels .

Ten-minutes later, Grey and Dakota were done. They’d learned nothing from Haqazzii. Absolutely nothing.

“Anything else?” Dakota asked.

“This place will be under siege in twenty-four hours,” Haqazzii said.

“My group has already found you. They’re preparing for my escape and for your bloody, painful deaths.

” Then, he pointed at Caroline. “She’s not the same woman from earlier.

” He narrowed his gaze. “I know who you are. When you leave this room, plan for your funeral. I will enjoy killing you, but not before I rape you over and over and over again.”

Dread filled her soul.

“No!” Grey hollered as he stormed over, knocked Haqazzii onto his back, and started wailing on him.

Dakota and Tank rushed in, pulled Grey off him. While Tank worked to calm Grey down, Dakota secured his wrists into the metal cuffs.

“Where’s my water?” Haqazzii asked, blood dripping from his nose and a cut under his eye.

“You lied,” Caroline bit out. “No water.”

On a growl, Grey opened the door and motioned for his team to pass through. When they had, he turned and glared at Haqazzii. “You. Will. Not. Win.”

“Fuck you, American,” Haqazzii seethed.

After Grey closed and bolted the door, he asked Caroline if she was okay.

“No, I’m not,” she bit out. “I’m madder than hell.”

In the control room, they removed their masks.

“You need a minute?” Grey asked her.

“No,” she replied.

She breathed deep, releasing the hate on her exhale. Haqazzii had gotten to her.

Time to take this down… way down.

“I can stick around,” Dakota offered.

It was almost five in the morning .

“We got this,” Grey said.

“Sin and I will be back later.” Dakota left, shutting the door behind him.

“Okay, boss, whatcha need?” Tank asked.

“Get us into Federal Commercial Cleaning Services,” Grey replied.

“You got it.” Tank got busy on his laptop.

Grey fired up his computer. “I’m gonna find out where these scumbags live.”

For several minutes, Caroline watched Haqazzii. She thought back to the first time JL had mentioned him. He claimed to be from the UK, and had several projects in play in the UAE, but he was searching for work. Had JL run a background check? Did he have references and did she check them?

Frustration suffocated her. Needing air, Caroline left the office and paced up and down the silent corridor.

At some point, Grey appeared in the hallway. When their eyes locked, he made his way over to her. With each step he took, her heart pounded faster in her chest. His bigger-than-life presence had both a calming and a rousing effect on her.

“You okay?” he asked as he peered into her eyes.

“Just thinking.”

He dipped down, close enough to kiss her, but he didn’t. “There are a million dirty things I want to do to you.”

“Tell me.”

“I want to rub oil all over your sexy body,” he murmured. “Then, I want to massage away all your frustration. When you don’t think you could be more relaxed, I’m going to feast on your delicious pussy until you shatter into a million pieces.”

Her insides had roared to life. Didn’t matter that they were guarding a terrorist on Interpol’s Most Wanted list. Didn’t matter that the Day of Destruction loomed large.

All that mattered was the mountain of a man standing inches away, his bedroom-blue eyes and early-morning promises turning her into a coiled bundle of need.

“Ohmygod,” she bleated. “Oh. My. God.”

“There’s more.”

She stood there spellbound.

“I’m going to slide a butt plug into your anus so that you feel the pressure pushing against your tight pussy. I’m going to spread your legs and slowly sink inside you, the thickness of my cock shocking you with pleasure.”

Heat infused her chest. She swallowed hard. Her entire being was mesmerized by his every filthy word.

“You’ll purr like a kitten, then come so hard all over my cock.”

“I’ve soaked my panties,” she whispered. “They’re drenched.” She grabbed his arm. “I think I’m gonna pass out.”

With a smile that melted her heart, he helped her sit on the cold, hard floor.

“What the hell was that?” she murmured.

“Foreplay.”

“You slay me.”

“You make me want to do all those things to you, all the damn time.”

“Maybe we can sneak away for ten,” she murmured. “Hell, I only need two, three max. You can take the rest.”

“I won’t last two.”

They shared a smile, the moment so perfect, she wished it would never, ever end.

Tank jogged toward them, pulling to a stop nearby. “I’m working my ass off and you two lovebirds are getting cozy in the damn hallway. Break time’s over. I found something… and you’re gonna want to see it.”