Elite Metal-ARE-epub (98 page)

“When I get Henry alone, he’ll have to take off his suit jacket.”

Silver shucked his jacket and tossed it onto the nearby stainless steel table. “Now what?”

“He’ll be blindfolded so close your eyes—and grip the bottom of the seat or the back of the chair. He’ll be tied up but I’m short of duct tape so you’ll have to promise not to let go.”

Silver slowly closed his eyes and grabbed the wooden seat on either side of his thighs. “I promise I won’t let go.”

The plan she had for Henry forgotten, Poppy took a moment to simply take in the sight before her. Tall, powerful and deadly, Silver patiently sat still, his knuckles almost white as he gripped the chair. He breathed heavily now, each inhale coming a bit quicker than the last.
He’s excited—about me.

The heady knowledge that she affected him so easily left her dizzy with desire. How many nights had she scrolled through their text messages and laughed? How many nights had she peeked at the photos in his files and let those images of him, some ruggedly sexy and others lighthearted and easy, fuel her fantasies? How many nights had she touched her body, running her hands over her breasts and sliding her fingers between her thighs all while thinking of Silver?

Too many.

Too. Many.

And now here he was.

Waiting.

Wanting.

“Once I have Henry blindfolded and tied down, I’ll have plenty of time to rifle through his pockets, locate the drive, plug it in and copy it.” She laid out the rest of her plan. “So you see? It’s almost foolproof.”

“Almost,” he agreed, eyes still closed. Silver looked almost crestfallen. “Well shit. There goes my shot at finally getting that lap dance I’ve wanted for ten months.”

His crude reply should have pissed her off but it actually made her shiver inside. “Is that what you want from me?”

“That’s not all I want with you.” He held her gaze, his stare steady and searing. “But if all you’re offering is a dance, I’ll take it.”

That’s not all I want
with
you.

“Close your eyes…Henry.”

Staring at him for a few more seconds, she held her breath. Finally his lashes fluttered closed and she exhaled.

Was he only interested in her body or was he interested in something deeper? A childhood spent hearing the same refrain from a bitter, lonely nanny who had warned time and again that men would only want her for her beauty and her money had made Poppy skittish. She desperately wanted to believe that the last ten months of flirting with Silver would lead to something more than a one-night stand, but she didn’t dare open her heart to trampling.

What if this op goes bad? What if I’m wasting my only chance?

Emboldened by the odds and refusing to waste this moment with Silver, Poppy approached him cautiously. He kept up his end of the bargain. Eyes squeezed shut and hands holding the chair, he seemed to be waiting for her to make a move. She leaned forward and placed her hands on his thighs. The hard muscle hidden beneath his black trousers drove her crazy. What would it feel like to have such a powerful man thrusting into her?

Clenching her thighs together, Poppy licked her lips and brought her face down to eye-level with his. She was so close she could see the freckles on the bridge of his nose. He had thick eyelashes for a man. “You clean up nicely.” She ran her fingers along his neatly trimmed beard. “I like what you’ve done with your scruff.”

The fine lines around his eyes and mouth crinkled as he smiled. “Thanks.”

“Silver?”

“Yeah?”

“This never happened.”

Four heartbeats ticked by before he parroted her words. “This never happened.”

It might have been her imagination, but he sounded almost disappointed. Surely he didn’t think the flirtation and attraction they shared could lead anywhere? Firstly, she was technically his boss and fraternizing with employees was strictly
verboten
by Warbucks. Secondly, long-distance relationships were difficult at best, but the possibilities with Silver were even more limited. He was
persona non grata
and could never join her at the HQ. He was the lone wolf on the team, the man no one wanted.

That’s not true. He’s the man
you
want.

Poppy kissed him. She allowed her lips to linger against his for an agonizingly perfect moment before drawing back and teasing their mouths together. Silver groaned, the sound pent-up and needful, and leaned forward to capture her mouth. He didn’t let go of the chair or open his eyes. He seemed intent on proving that he could play by her rules.

Desperate to feel closer to him, Poppy straddled the chair and sank down on his lap. Silver actually gasped at the sudden contact of her bottom against his thighs. She didn’t miss the very noticeable erection straining against the front of his pants. Winding her arms around his shoulders, she combed her fingers through his dark hair and cupped his neck all while darting her tongue into his mouth.

With a low growl, Silver lost control. His hands were suddenly gripping her backside, kneading her flesh and pressing her fully against the length of his erection. Just as wild with lust, she rocked her hips, grinding herself on him, and gasped against his lips. Like a pair of teenagers making out in the backseat of a borrowed car, they clutched and kissed until they were breathless.

As their tongues flicked together, she realized that she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. One taste of Silver was never going to be enough.
He’s dangerous.

Tearing away from him, she panted and tried to regain control of the situation. “We have to stop.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, equally as breathless. “Fucking around before a job is a bad idea.”

That wasn’t quite what she meant, but she didn’t want to get into an argument with him right now. Her head was already fuzzy from his incredible kisses. Getting emotional by arguing with him over all the things they couldn’t have together would only put them both at risk.

“Listen,” Silver said as he brushed his fingers through her hair, “I think we have to get both pieces of intel tonight. If you only get the encryption key, you have to maintain contact with the mark so you can get your hands on the other data at a different time. That’s dangerous. It’s risky in the extreme.”

“I know. It’s the one flaw I didn’t know how to get around,” she admitted.

“You get around it by not working solo nor planning missions without help,” he gently scolded.

“You work solo.”

“Not by choice,” he grumbled.

His remark surprised her. “But you’re so good at it.”

“Baby, I’m good at a lot of things.” He traced her lower lip with his thumb. “A break-in? A burglary? Stealing some shit? That’s easy as pie when you’re alone. But a mission like the one you have planned? Hell no. You need backup. Two is one, and one is none. There’s a reason that saying exists.”

She didn’t like admitting that she was wrong, but she did it anyway. “I shouldn’t have come out here by myself tonight. I should have listened to Warbucks when he shot down my idea four months ago. I shouldn’t have pursued Henry online.”

Silver shrugged. “It’s done, sweetheart. We’re here now. My only goal is keeping us both alive and safe. It would be best if we get out of here and flee Houston tonight without ever meeting Henry—but you made it this far. Let me help you make it across the finish line.”

In that moment, she understood what a good man Silver was. He could have pulled rank or gone down the alpha jerk path with her but he hadn’t. He wanted to be a partner tonight. He wanted to help her prove that she was a useful member of Elite Metal outside of the confines of the office.

“Tell me about his penthouse,” Silver ordered.

Reluctant to leave his lap, Poppy slowly stood and moved away from him. She picked up her clutch and retrieved her cell phone. After pulling up the specs for the building, she showed Silver the screen. He tugged her back down onto his lap before she could continue.

His breath on her cheek threw her concentration and she had to focus intently on her phone before she could speak again. “He owns the top two floors. There’s easy roof access via the maintenance elevator. I have the override codes on my phone. I pulled the building specs and codes, just in case.”

“Smart girl,” he praised while gliding his finger over the screen. “We need a compelling reason for him to take you back there.”

“He’s proud of his art collection. He talks about it all the time. I could ask him to show me his newest acquisition.”

“Does he have bodyguards?”

She nodded. “Two.”

“Get him alone in a bedroom.”

“And then?”

“And then you tie him up and drug him.”

“What? How?”

“There’s a breath spray tube in my jacket. It’s atomized sedatives. He’ll zonk out fast, and it’s safer than trying to slip him something in a drink or jabbing him in the neck. Once he’s out, you text me.” He tapped the blueprints to get a better view of the bedroom access points. “I’ll come into the master suite via the terrace doors.”

“And then?”

“And then we get the information we need,” he said. “Once we have the intel, we stage a small robbery. You can steal his watches or whatever. I’ll help you get him undressed and into bed. We’ll administer one of the longer-lasting sedatives I have in my kit. You’ll wait for an hour and leave. Then we get the hell out of Houston. If it looks like a simple burglary, he’ll never know we’re onto him and have his financial records copied which means he’ll keep working with Red Wolf and unknowingly feed us intel.”

She nervously bit her thumb. “Do you think it will be that easy?”

He dragged her hand away from her mouth. “No, but once we step out into the warehouse and he sees you, we’re committed.” Silver interlaced their fingers. “It’s your choice, Poppy. We can stay and see this through—or we can run out the back. I’ll get you safely back to the headquarters, and you can pretend none of this ever happened.”

She had come so far. It seemed foolish to walk away now. Strengthened by Silver’s presence, she squeezed his fingers. “I’m glad you’re the one who came for me. I can do this—if you’ll help me.”

“I’ll do anything for you, Poppy. You only have to ask.”

“Anything?” It was such a broad promise, but she knew he meant it. Whatever she asked, he would give.

“Anything.” Silver stood them both up and brought her hand close to his mouth. He kissed her fingertips. “I’ll be your backup for this op. I’ll make sure we both walk out of here alive.”

“But?” She sensed there was more coming.

“But if this bastard hurts you? I’m breaking his fucking kneecaps.”

“If he hurts me, I’ll let you.”

“I’m glad we have that out of the way.” Silver clasped the back of her neck and drew her in closer. Despite her high heels, he towered over her. “When we’re done with this, we’re picking up right where we left off, Poppy.”

“Are we?” The thrill of anticipation that rippled through down her spine and settled in her lower belly set her body on fire.

“Yes, we are.” He captured her mouth in a wickedly erotic kiss. “Tonight.” He grazed his lips over hers. “You’re mine.”

Chapter Four

You are in so much trouble.

Silver still couldn’t believe he had agreed to back Poppy on this crazy play. The cold, calculating special ops side of him knew this was a bad idea. The planning was too thin. They had no real backup. She wasn’t armed and had no field experience. There was no in-depth profile on the money launderer. His bodyguards were easy enough to neutralize, but a man with connections to Red Wolf probably had a tail.

Warbucks is going to hand your ass over to INTERPOL by sunrise.
The shadowy man behind Elite Metal seemed to have a soft spot for Poppy. It was clear that the boss had expected Silver to snatch Poppy right out of here. He had gone against that order—and there would be hell to pay.

Watching Poppy flirt with the mark soured Silver’s stomach. He refused to think of the man by his real name. He needed the distance of generic terms to keep from storming over there. He wanted to rip the man’s arm off and beat him with it after watching the mark play with her hair and touch her neck.

Focus. Shit’s about to get real.

She’s counting on you.

Although he had fitted Poppy’s left high heel with a tracking device from his kit, he still worried about the time they would be separated. If she managed to convince Red Wolf’s financier to take her back to his penthouse, the time she was in transport would put her at extreme risk. His chest tightened painfully as he considered all the ways she might be hurt.

She swore up and down that she had been taking hand-to-hand combat classes for years. He believed her because a body like that came from years of hard work, but there was a difference in mock fights on a gym mat and fighting for her life in the backseat of a car.

Then, if she got into the penthouse without being discovered as a covert agent, she would have to seduce and drug the mark without rousing the suspicion of his guards. It was a tall order for a skilled and experienced Marine. It might be too much for a civilian woman with even the considerable talents Poppy possessed.

You’re selling her short. She’s got this.

As he watched her laugh and flirt with the mark, Silver couldn’t help but compare himself to the other man. Henry was older, maybe early forties, and very fit. Cultured, suave and extremely wealthy, the mark was everything Silver would never be.

Is that what she wants in a man?
She seemed to have a connection with the mark, even if her motives were self-serving. Their relationship may have started online, probably in some seedy corner of the internet Silver had never even heard of, but it seemed genuine enough to an onlooker. If Poppy was faking all that, she was very good.

When she twirled her hair around her finger, he recognized their signal that she had convinced Henry—
shit,
the mark—to take her back to his place. Silver made his way toward the exit and out to his bike. He had parked it strategically, ready to make a quick getaway if necessary. While he waited in the shadows of the buildings he had parked between, he unzipped his saddlebag and retrieved his weapons and holsters. So far, this op had gone too smoothly. The tension building in his body warned him all hell could break loose at any moment.