Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

F inn woke wrapped in Croft’s arms. Snuggling against him, she smiled as his hand delved between her legs. She opened her eyes and could see it was no longer full light. Either the sun was going down or getting ready to come up.

“Good morning,” he whispered as he nuzzled the nape of her neck.

“Is it? Did I sleep all night?”

“You did.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked as she rolled onto her back.

“I knew you needed the rest.”

“What time is it?”

“Early.”

Croft started to remove his hand from where it had been gently stroking her clit, but Finn guided it back down. He chuckled in a deeply masculine and sensual way.

“I see,” he said. “Looking to get laid, are you?”

“I was promised you’d see to that last night.”

“You were too cute to wake when I came to bed. I get points for being a gentleman.”

“Only if you make up for it this morning,” she teased.

It was so easy being with him. The fact her brother was being held captive was present but at the back of her mind. She liked to think it was because she trusted Croft and those he worked with, but part of her knew there was nothing to be done until later and just wanted to lose herself in Croft’s lovemaking.

Croft smiled as he leaned down and sucked her areola into his mouth before latching onto her nipple and grazing it with his teeth. She inhaled sharply as he laved the injured bud with his tongue. Finn brought her hands up to cradle his head and moaned as he increased both his suckling and his attention to the aroused bud at the top of her most feminine parts. He whispered kisses from one breast to the other as he gave it the same treatment. His hand slipped lower, exploring and gently caressing her labia.

Finn widened her legs in invitation and acceptance as he plunged two of his fingers into her hot, wet sheath, pressing his thumb down on the swollen nub at the top of her sex. He scissored the digits within her, stroked the ceiling of her channel before doing it again, then running them along the base.

Croft lifted his head and pushed his tongue past her teeth, inviting hers to dance. His hand, the one not pushing her toward an orgasm, stilled her head so he could plunder her mouth just as surely as he planned to do to her pussy. Finn was not much on being a passive partner in bed, but every time she tried to exert anything even resembling control of the situation, Croft used his strength and prowess to dominate her senses and force her back into a more submissive position.

He stroked her cunt repeatedly, with greater speed and to a greater depth until she was at the precipice of climax. Recognizing her readiness, he rolled on top of her, spread her thighs, and drove his cock home in one fell swoop. Finn cried out his name as she came hard, clinging to him. His hands reached under her to cup her buttocks as he thrust strongly into her depth. Her sheath stretched to accommodate his need and pulsed along his entire length, causing him to groan at the sensation.

Finn arched as Croft relentlessly pounded her pussy, forcing another orgasm to explode. She raked his back with her nails, trying to find some kind of equality in their encounter. She didn’t have the ability to withstand the onslaught of his passion and finally surrendered to him.

“Good girl,” he whispered.

Finn hated that not only could he completely control her response, but she was pretty damn sure he knew he did. She responded, digging her nails firmly into the hard muscles of his back, which only increased the frenzy of his lust. He nipped her ear before sucking the bottom of her lobe, then kissing behind her ear and down the side of her neck.

As Croft hammered her sheath more insistently, her body responded and ascended again to the pinnacle of pleasure, he seemed intent having her achieve in unison with his own.

“Please, Croft,” she called to him huskily. “Finish with me.”

He kissed her again as she reached the height of her pleasure, then spilled himself deep inside her. He had ceased stroking her, but Finn could feel his cock still spurting the last remnants of cum. As he had before, he rolled to his back, taking her with him without withdrawing, stroking her back as the last fevered shivers quieted in her body.

“I thought John told you not to fuck me too hard.”

Croft chuckled. “He did… and I didn’t. Trust me, babe, that’s nothing compared to what I plan to do you when I have the time, and it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re sore when I’m done.”

Finn shook her head and giggled, laying her head on his chest. She was fairly certain that wasn’t a sound she’d made since she was a toddler.

“Is it wrong to feel with you when my brother isn’t safe?”

“Look at me, Finn. From everything you’ve said, your brother loves you. You finding comfort and some sense of happiness with all that’s happening would only reassure him you will be fine, regardless of what unfolds this afternoon. Once he sees you’re safe and sound and knows Fariq will leave him alone, he’ll be able to get over his guilt about involving you.”

“But he didn’t involve me,” she protested.

“I know, babe, but he’s not going to see it that way. Having you happy and settled with a man who loves you will make him feel better.”

“You think I’m settled?”

“I think you damn well better think so. If you don’t, I’ll ensure your backside is just as sore as your pussy before I’m done.”

Finn shook her head and kissed him. “You really are a jackass.”

“I really am. We have some time to kill before we need to get ready. The other thing John told me was not to worry about what we might need for the operation. My only concern before we leave is to reassure you and make this as easy on you as we can.”

“I take it, then, he’d approve of me lying on top of you, impaled on your cock.”

Croft glanced down at his watch. “I’m fairly sure that right about now, his Mandy is in a similar position.”

Finn rolled her eyes. “The whole lot of you are jackasses.”

“Damn straight,” Croft said as he sat up and brought her legs around him.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked, suddenly shy and unable to look him in the eye.

“It’s just me, Finn. Nothing has changed in the past few minutes except we’re sitting up. And yes, babe, as long as I’m sleeping curled up with you, I sleep better than I ever have in my life.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to seem wishy-washy. This has just been so fast, and I never expected anyone like you in my life.”

“You mean an ex-SEAL, ex-cowboy who only wears a suit when he absolutely has to?”

“God, I wish.” She laughed. “That doesn’t bother me at all. What I’m having trouble accepting is the whole dominant/submissive thing. I’ve never, ever thought of myself in those terms.”

“Good. I’ve never wanted a submissive. Some couples thrive in that dynamic, but I want a woman who’s my equal and makes a choice to yield to my authority. I don’t think there’s one right or wrong way. People need to find their own way that works for them. For us, ideologically, you have an objection not being the dominant partner, but deep inside, the largest part of you has been looking for me as long as I’ve been looking for you.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I do. There are just too many societal norms that tell you not to.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?”

“No. At some point, too many men got lazy and abandoned what I see as their natural role to be the dominant partner. Someone has to be, so a lot of women were forced to step up and assume that position. Problem is a lot of men now want it back because they think it means they get their own way. They want all the goodies, so to speak, and none of the responsibilities. Most women, if given the opportunity to be with a man who can actually lead, prefer it that way, but they won’t be put in the position of having to yield if the guy’s an idiot and wants them to still do all the work. Frankly, I don’t blame them.”

He made it all sound so easy. “What about your friend Avery? Is she involved?”

Croft laughed. “Avery proves my point. When the right man comes along and takes Avery in hand, she’ll fall into line, be incredibly happy, and a great partner, but he’s going to have to be every bit as tough and fearless as she is. Otherwise, Avery will do what she’s always done in the past and roll right through the middle of him without breaking stride.”

“So, it won’t bother you that some guy is beating her ass? Don’t you want him to respect her?”

“You mean spank her? Not if she’s done something to deserve it. And knowing Avery, she will. Do you feel disrespected by me or anyone you’ve met so far with the firm? I can assure you, you’ll never find a group of men who has more respect and admiration for the crap women have to put up with than me and the guys I work with.”

“They kept looking to you for answers instead of me,” Finn protested.

“Only about whether you were going to the meeting. And yeah, that’s one we’re all going to defer to the man involved, provided we know he’s going to do the right thing for his woman.”

Finn thought about what he’d said and began to feel better about their relationship, which seemed to be proceeding at warp speed. She still had questions and concerns, but they were headed in the right direction. He was right that she did feel he respected her—yes, he was a bit on the overly protective side, but not because he felt she was inferior in some way. She was feeling better about everything until the enormity of the entire situation landed on her like a giant weight whose mooring had been cut.

Without her saying a word, Croft gathered her close, rocking her gently and stroking her hair and back. In a most unusual act, Finn burst into tears and buried her head in his neck, clinging to him and accepting his solace as he whispered kisses and murmured soft words of comfort in her ear. When the storm of tears had passed, he gently wiped their residual tracks from her cheeks with his thumbs and brushed his lips against hers.

“Better?”

“You knew I’d fall apart,” she accused softly.

“I knew when you felt completely safe, you’d let down your guard. I’m glad it happened now while I could be here for you. It’s just me, Finn. You have nothing you ever need to hide from me… nothing.” He grinned at her. “And if you ever lie to me or use those crocodile tears on me again, you and my belt will have an in-depth discussion why that is a bad idea.”

“Jackass,” she laughed.

“Yep. How about we see what we can put together for breakfast, then see how much time we have? If there’s enough, maybe we’ll saddle a couple of horses and take a brief ride before it gets too intense.”

“Any chance we could ride Jasper and Sam? I’ve grown kind of fond of that appaloosa mule of Willa’s.”

“As I said, he’s a good mount, and I don’t mind riding Sam.”

Croft helped her off his cock and off of his lap, then the two went to the kitchen. They fell into cooking together as easily as they had many other things and quickly had breakfast ready and consumed.

There wasn’t a lot of time, but they managed to take a brief ride. Finn could tell Croft was trying to keep her mind occupied and reassure her without mentioning what they could expect that afternoon.

“Do you think Christian will be all right?” she asked as they rubbed down the two mules and put them in their stalls.

“Fariq said he had him cared for, and I have no reason to doubt him. He also indicated this whole thing with your brother was done without his knowledge, and I tend to believe him. It’s not that I don’t think he’s capable of kidnapping and torturing someone, but remaining in the States is not his normal MO. He prefers to operate in neutral waters where there’s little anyone can do about it afterward.”

“You almost sound as though you like him.”

“Like? Hardly. He’s ruthless and a killer, but in his own way, he’s honorable, and at the end of the day, he’s a professional and a businessman. He’s a lot easier to deal with than some hopped-up junkie or a committed terrorist. As I said, we’ve dealt with him before. We’re a known entity for him. He knows as long as things go down the way they’re supposed to this afternoon, he’ll have no issue from us. He also knows if it doesn’t, we won’t stop coming until we’ve put him out of business… permanently.”

She nodded as he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. Returning to his cottage, as Finn liked to think of it, each took a shower and got ready to leave. They hopped in the truck for the short drive back to the firm’s headquarters, where they were to convene before leaving for Las Vegas. As they drove up and parked, Finn was reassured to see the team and a larger helicopter waiting.

“We aren’t late, are we?” she asked Croft.

“No, babe. We just all tend to be chronically early. I’m usually the first one here. I plan to blame it on you… an excuse they’ll all understand.”

She rolled her eyes, and he laughed, then kissed her again. Finn had to give it to him—for a tough ex-SEAL cowboy, he tended to be very affectionate and loving.

C roft was glad to see, while Finn’s body had a bit more tension in it than earlier in the day, she seemed far more relaxed and confident than when they had first started. John had been right when he’d advised Croft to keep her occupied and make her feel as safe as he could yesterday and this morning.

“Morning, Finn. I don’t know if you remember from yesterday, but I’m Baez.”

She nodded. “Rafael Baez, if I remember correctly.” She turned to the other two men. “You’re John Hampton, second in command, as I recall, and you’re Noah Taylor.”

Both men tipped their hats. Croft wasn’t sure why her behavior made him feel even prouder to be with her.

“Your pilot is Avery,” she went on, “but I don’t know that I met the man with her.”

“That’s Junior,” John said. “He’s our backup pilot as well as sniper. If it all goes to rat shit, Junior’s the guy you want coming for you.”

“But you think it’ll be okay, right?” she asked, looking at Croft.

“We do,” Croft said. “Like John said, Junior and Avery are our backup. They’ll be linked into our communications. I don’t expect any problems with Fariq, but it’s a bit bothersome this happened in the first place. It’s not at all like him. If he’s got something going on in his organization, there may be a power play we know nothing about.”

The men and Avery all nodded.

“We’re the just-in-case team,” Avery said with a grin. “Things start to go sideways, Junior and I come in, guns blazing.”

“But only two extra guns,” Finn said.

“And a fully armed helicopter,” Avery informed her. “This is the one that isn’t registered with anyone, anywhere. Trust me, I can take out the back wall of the Four Seasons dining room before Fariq and his goons know what hit them.”

“You know, Avery,”—Finn smiled back at her—“I think you and I will become great friends. I rather suspect you know all sorts of interesting stories about Croft.”

“I do indeed. And unlike the boys in the band here, you don’t have to get me drunk to get me to tell.” Avery walked over, disengaged Croft’s arm from Finn, and linked arms with her. “Why don’t you sit up front with me,” she continued as she led Finn to the chopper.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Baez teased. “She knows way too much about you.”

“Me?” Croft answered. “I’m not the one we had to bail out of the brothel in Morocco.”

“All right, gentlemen, that’s enough. Let’s go get Finn’s brother,” John said.

The team climbed into the helicopter, and Avery lifted off, heading for Las Vegas. As always, Croft was impressed by her skill behind the controls. She was deliberately keeping off the highways and flying illegally under the radar. She would want to ensure if Fariq was looking for their approach, he’d have to work to spot it.

They made good time and landed at Circus Circus in Las Vegas, and except Junior and Avery, the rest of the team, including Finn, walked to the Four Seasons, arriving early. They had chosen the smaller dining room. Baez and Finn held back, just outside the kitchen. Croft didn’t want her in play until they had a chance to scope out the meeting. Croft took up residence at one of the tables by the back window while Noah and John assumed positions on either side of the room and kept themselves visible and alert. They wanted Fariq to know they were there in case of trouble.

Time crawled by. Thom, who was back at HQ, ensured all their communications were working properly.

“Here we go,” John whispered as Fariq and his men entered the room.

Croft looked up and sighed with relief. “They have Christian with them.”

Finn’s brother was moving slowly but seemed to be relatively unharmed. Fariq, Christian, and a man unknown to Croft from Fariq’s organization sat down at another table. Two men he did recognize stood where they could see the whole room. Unlike the Wild Mustang team, they couldn’t do it from opposite sides as the fourth side was solid windows, and Croft was at one of the tables.

“Anyone know the guy with Fariq?” Noah asked.

“No,” Croft said. “That’s a bit worrisome. Make sure you keep a sharp eye on him.”

Fariq caught his eye and nodded. Croft acknowledged him and heard John in his ear.

“Okay, Baez, bring in Finn. We didn’t leave them with much of a choice; their table is in the middle. Their two goons are together and on the side opposite the windows.”

“You want to do this, Finn?” Baez asked. Croft heard nothing until Baez continued, “Okay, she’s nodding. How does her brother look?”

“Better than I thought he would, babe. Just hang on for a little while longer,” Croft said in a reassuring voice.

“I’m assuming you’re talking to Finn, right?” answered Baez before Finn could. “Because I told you, Croft, you aren’t to call me babe during an op.”

With that, Croft could hear Finn laugh and was fairly sure she mumbled something about jackasses. Baez escorted her to Fariq’s table but held her back from her brother until Fariq and his man stood and walked away.

The next few moments would be forever etched in Croft’s memory.

The man closest to Fariq pulled his gun and tried to shoot the arms dealer. Fariq’s two bodyguards opened fire on the man who was able to snatch Finn from Baez’s grasp. Realizing he had lost Finn, Baez grabbed Christian and took him to the floor, shielding his body with his own. The few other diners in the room dove under their tables.

Noah, John, and Croft all drew their weapons. Croft took aim and dropped one of Fariq’s men as Noah did the same. Croft grabbed Fariq and pushed him to the floor. John took aim and fired at the man who was leaving with Finn as his hostage but missed. Croft heard the chopper’s blades cutting through the air outside the dining room but saw John wave him off as John and Noah started after the man with Finn.

“Croft, you and Baez secure Reid and Fariq in the helicopter. Tell Avery to get you out of here. Junior, Noah, and I will go after the guy with Finn,” John ordered.

“No,” Croft said, running with Fariq in custody and intercepting Junior. “You take him and get back on the helicopter. I’m going after Finn.”

Before Junior could question him, John barked into their comms, “Do it, Junior. Croft, get your ass in gear.”

Croft was running before the sentence was complete. Unfortunately, the Four Seasons didn’t have a casino to mask the gunfire… not that there had been much. All the weapons involved were equipped with silencers. What had alerted the other diners was the exploding glassware, but what garnered most people’s attention was the large helicopter hovering just outside the back windows.

All three men from Wild Mustang quickly put their weapons away and calmly searched the first floor and lobby of the hotel.

“I’ve got her in sight,” Noah said. “He’s pushing her into a town car.”

“Finn,” Croft said in a desperate tone, “if you can hear me, behave. Do whatever they tell you, don’t make any trouble. They’ll probably take your comm unit away, but we’ll find you. You do whatever you have to in order to stay alive. I will come for you.”

Christian grabbed the communication device.

“Finn? It’s Christian. Your people have me. I’m okay, Finn. You listen to Croft. I’m sorry, Finn. Cooperate with them. Tell them I’ll do whatever they want.”

Croft watched the team and Reid’s reactions when they heard the sound of Finn’s device being crushed and the resulting dead air.

“Thom? Do you have any idea where they might be headed?” John asked.

“Nothing to triangulate with, but based on the direction of the car, my guess is one of the private airports or helipads. I’m already contacting all of them to give us a heads-up. Do you want me to call the cops?”

“No,” Baez said. “Our buddy Fariq here is pretty freaked out. The guy who engineered kidnapping Reid was the brother of the guy who started the shooting. You were right, Croft, there’s some kind of power play, and I’m afraid Finn is in the middle of it. Avery knows the people at Circus Circus, and we have clearance to land there. Let’s rendezvous there and get airborne.”

“No cops, then,” Thom said. “I’ll ask people not to intercept but to tell me where they leave from and if they have a flight path.”

“Shit!” Croft said as he and John reached Noah, who had a cab waiting for them. Croft was sure Noah had promised the cabbie a very large tip for breaking every speed limit on the Vegas strip to get them there in the least amount of time.

They were back in the chopper and in the air in record time, Croft upfront with Avery.

“Everybody, hang on. I’m going to see if we can spot them. There’re field glasses back there,” she said as she headed down the strip in the last known direction of the town car that held Finn.

Quietly, Avery signaled Croft to switch comm channels.

“We’ll find her, Croft. She’s tough, and she knows you’re coming. We’ll get her. I promise.”

He nodded, and they switched back to the main comm channel.

“Christian, I’m Croft. How are you doing?”

“Physically much better, but that madman has my sister.”

“We know,” John said quietly. “I don’t know if you know who we are, but this is what we do, and we’ll get your sister back. As soon as we can, we’re going to ask our old buddy Fariq here a few pointed questions about what the fuck is going on, and he’s going to tell us.”

Croft turned in his seat and watched Fariq Abdal, one of the most notorious arms dealers in the world, try to shrink into as small a space as he could. He was no fool. He knew Wild Mustang by reputation, but more importantly, he knew Croft, and the first hostage’s sister, who was now being held, was Croft’s woman. Fariq knew him well enough to know there was nothing Croft wouldn’t do to get Finn back.