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2023-01-21 03:02:06Related chapters
Dangerous Attraction 34
Youssef paused in the midst of yanking a handful of shirts from the shelf in his tiny closet to wipe the back of one wrist across his sweaty face. Lord, he was soaked. He dragged a small duffel bag from the closet floor and shoved the clothes inside. No matter how he tried to control it, he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. He hadn’t been lying when he’d called in sick to work earlier. He was sick. He’d already thrown up once and his stomach still churned as if it might bring up the light breakfast he’d eaten just before sunrise. That sick feeling in his gut was why he’d decided to run. The authorities were closing in on him, he felt it. Whether it was the Americans or Pakistanis who eventually took him out was irrelevant at this point. Youssef had no intention of suffering torture or imprisonment for his part in this operation. He’d already fulfilled his obligation to the organization behind all this and now he wanted out. But how could he do that?You can’t. You know you can’t.
Last Updated : 2023-01-23Dangerous Attraction 35
Claire put on her screensaver—a picture of her, her brother and father—to cover up what she’d just found, though the image of the man was now permanently burned into her brain.Malik Hassani.She sat back and ran an unsteady hand through her hair. Her heart was racing double time because of what she’d just discovered on file. Holy shit, Gage and the others had no idea what they were up against. She had to warn them.Claire prayed Gage would respond to her text. Things were about to get critical for everyone involved and she didn’t want him or the others to walk into the situation unawares. And that wasn’t the only thing that made her stomach twist. By poking around in the system and coming up with Malik Hassani’s name, she’d just flagged her activities to the entire NSA network, and probably a few more three letter agencies as well.Shit, shit, shit.She stood and rubbed a hand over her face, took a deep breath and headed for her boss’s office. Better to lay it on the line before they
Last Updated : 2023-01-24Dangerous Attraction 36
Hunter cracked one eye open when his phone buzzed on the nightstand. Grabbing it before it woke Khalia, he snuck back to the bathroom to answer it. Tom bulldozed straight ahead with the situation the moment he picked up.“Gage got some photos of Youssef and some other guy he’d been meeting with, and sent them to Claire. Her boss just contacted me to say it’s Malik Hassani, former head of intelligence for the ISI. This guy was fired under suspicion of aiding the TTP eight months ago and dropped off the face of the earth. This is the first time anyone’s seen him since then.”Hunter went from groggy to wide awake in the space of a few heartbeats. “Are you fucking serious?”“Dead serious. Apparently there’s also some chatter about another operation to happen this morning, but as far as the NSA can tell, it looks like it’s still in the planning stages. We’re pretty sure they don’t know where you guys are yet.”Well, thank God for small favors. He grunted, checked his watch. “They planning
Last Updated : 2023-01-24Dangerous Attraction 37
Khalia was already drifting back toward consciousness when she felt Hunter jerk beside her. Her eyes sprang open in the dimness to find him pushing up into a sitting position. She immediately turned onto her side and propped herself up on one elbow. He’d thrown both legs over the side of the bed and his head was cocked slightly, his body eerily still.“What is it?” she murmured, reaching out to stroke a hand down the length of his naked back. The muscles beneath her palm were rigid with tension.Then she heard it. Faint popping noises, from either down the hall or maybe the floor beneath them. Followed closely by what sounded like human screams. Khalia’s heart stuttered as she realized what it was.Gunfire. Bursts of it.Shit! She shot upright, her eyes on Hunter as she lunged for her bra and panties lying on the floor beside the bed.He was already up and reaching for his jeans, his phone to his ear. “We’ve got automatic fire in the hotel,” he said to whoever he’d called. “Can you con
Last Updated : 2023-01-24Dangerous Attraction 38
No matter how hard he tried to block them, the demons of his nightmares snapped their jaws at the edge of his consciousness. Khalia was silent and her initial trembling had stopped, but the way her hands were still bunched in the back of his shirt told him just how terrified she was. He wracked his brains for something to say to lighten the tension again, and came up blank. Giving her useless platitudes right now would be beyond shitty. They had only two options at this point, and both of them sucked ass.Smoke continued to collect in the bathroom despite the closed door, seeping beneath the lower edge in a toxic veil. They were on the fifth floor. It would take some time for any first responders to reach them. They wouldn’t have much longer before the smoke became lethal, but staying put for the moment was a calculated risk they had to take.Khalia stirred against him and let out a little cough. “Smoke’s getting bad.” He could feel her heart racing, the panic building inside her.“Ha
Last Updated : 2023-01-24Dangerous Attraction 39
Out in the hotel parking lot, Gage shoved his way through the crowd of transfixed onlookers and headed straight for the armed officers maintaining the perimeter a good distance away from the hotel. The SWAT team was doing dick all, standing around the command van. A continuous stream of guests flowed out of the hotel’s ground floor exits, people in their sleepwear doubled over coughing, their clothes and skin tarnished with smoke and soot.No sign of Hunter or Khalia, and neither of them had responded to the last two texts Gage had sent. Ignoring the gestures and shouts for him to stay back, Gage strode right up to the armed guards to find out what the hell was going on.“I’m an American military contractor, and my team leader’s inside,” he told the pissed off corporal.“No one goes in but law enforcement,” the guy told him firmly. “Get back and give us some room.”He could have tried storming past them but everyone was already on edge and the last thing he wanted to worry about was b
Last Updated : 2023-01-27Dangerous Attraction 40
It swung open easily. A wash of cool, comparatively clean air hit him. When no one shot at them he reached back for Khalia, grabbed her by the upper arm and hauled her through the opening. The moment she cleared the jambs he dragged her sideways to lie behind him and slammed the heavy door shut with one foot. They collapsed together there in the stairwell, heaving and coughing like a couple of drowning victims.Hunter forced his head up, wiped at his watering eyes to see what the hell they were facing. No flames below in the stairwell as far as he could tell from this angle, and the smoke was much thinner here, curling in a thick layer that hugged the ceiling and left the bottom foot or so near the floor relatively clear.He rolled onto his side to get a look at Khalia. “Okay?” he wheezed.She dropped the soot-stained washcloth she was holding and kept coughing, managed a nod. Her face was streaked with grime and blood oozed from little cuts in her forearms, but otherwise she didn’t s
Last Updated : 2023-01-27Dangerous Attraction 41
At the sound of Hunter’s voice Khalia closed her eyes for a second and sent up a silent prayer of thanks. She had no idea how he’d survived all that gunfire, or how she’d remained unscathed with all those bullets flying around. Pushing to her feet, she threw out a hand to steady herself when her legs wobbled. The inside of her chest burned from the smoke and her coughing had done little to clear her lungs. Her left hand gripped the railing, her right holding fast to the pistol. It felt strange against her palm but she wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if she had to, lack of training or not.A few unsteady steps down and she craned her head around to see Hunter and the two men lying crumpled on the floor. Bile rose in her throat. Her gaze swung from the bodies to Hunter, taking in the rifles and—Hunter was bleeding.“You were shot!” She rushed down the remaining steps, ignoring his muttered dismissal, her attention on the blood spilling down his upper arm and the back of his leg i
Last Updated : 2023-01-30
Latest chapter
Dangerous Attraction 74
Ethan watched Ann fluff his pillows for what seemed like the hundredth time. He smiled, enjoying her pampering him. He knew she was just concerned about him and he enjoyed every minute of it. It had been a close one. So close he’d made a decision, one he had yet to talk to her about. There had hardly been a time when they were alone.When he’d woken in the ICU, she was there and so were a half dozen nurses. Then when he’d come to again, he’d been in a private room with his parents hovering over him. It had been nice having them there, but he wished for some time alone with Ann.Then she had left for the evening, promising she’d be back first thing in the morning. She had walked in five minutes after his parents and Roberta had. Now her family was there, chatting and acting like he was a hero.Blake was there as well. The kid had grown tall, but still looked the same. Ethan could tell he was glad he was okay, even if he played it cool. Javan had even stopped by at one point before headi
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Ethan was fighting for his life. There were two of them, he’d spotted them instantly when he’d entered the large stadium. His eyes had scanned not the stage, where Ann was focused, but instead the roof and upper bleachers of the large stadium. It had taken him only a few seconds to see the dark spot hovering in a private booth area. The nose of the rifle stuck out from the box. With his mind totally focused on getting there quickly, he lost track of Ann. He knew she’d make it to her father and hoped to God she had enough sense to stay down. When he reached the opening to the booth, he threw himself in and charged the man, covered in darkness. He didn’t see the second man come out of theshadows until the knife was already on a downward arch.Trying to block it, he felt the blade hit his rib cage, tearing his shirt and the skin below. Turning, he connected a solid blow to the skinny man’s nose, shattering it and sending blood splattering all over both of them. Paul, the senator’s assis
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Ann and Ethan spent the next few days locked in the editing room. They had gone over every inch of footage that had been uploaded from Rio before the incident. There really wasn’t anything other than crowd shots they could use.She’d been enjoying their time together. There was hardly a moment when they weren’t together. Javan had even been moved over to watching Blake instead.Ethan had been spending all his time with her. He slept in her bed, they ate dinner together, they ate breakfast together. He sat across from her when she worked in her office. They had been spending a lot of their evenings in the editing room together. She couldn’t explain it, she just enjoyed spending her time with him. He was easy to get along with, and she didn’t want to be apart from him.She’d woken the other night to an empty bed and had instantly felt empty herself. Then she’d heard him talking on the phone in the other room. She’d quietly rushed in and smiled when she’d seen him pacing her living room.
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“I can’t believe it. It’s taken almost a week and they are finally going to let me run my piece from Rio. They want it edited a little more and some more back story, but the executives want it by Friday.” Ann was so nervous, she was pacing her small office.Ethan sat across from her and looked bored. “Are you listening to me?” She picked up the nearest item, which happened to be a stress ball, and tossed it athis head. He caught it and proceeded to squeeze it playfully as she smiled.“I’m always listening. I knew they were going to run it. It’s a good piece. Plus, you had an excellent cameraman.” He smiled and tossed the ball back at her.She caught it and set it back on her desk, then walked around and sat in her chair. There was so much to do in the next few days, she didn’t think she’d have time. Preparing a piece this big took a team and her team… she closed her eyes on the flash of memory that popped into her head. Well, her team was dead.“I’m going to spend the next few days g
Dangerous Attraction 70
Ann was bored. Since returning home, she’d gone to work, gone to the grocery store. Her kitchen was now fully stocked with groceries. When she’d arrived home last night she had realized there wasn’t anything to eat since she’d left for a long journey. She’d visited her family and done other boring everyday tasks, but was still bored out of her mind. How could she ever get back in the swing of a normal life after what she’d gone through with Ethan?She’d been happily surprised to see Javan yesterday at the store. When they’d come back to her place, he’d come in and installed several small cameras throughout her place. She’d talked to him and had found out that he’d had to leave Rio on account of helping them escape. She felt bad, but was happy that he was going to be helping Ethan out now.She was in the middle of watching the evening news, when the doorbell rang. She hadn’t even heard a word the announcer said since she’d been too busy thinking of Ethan again.Knowing it was the pizza
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The next morning Ann marched into her office with a plan. There was no way she was going to let Anthony fire her. She walked out of the elevators and past the secretary with her head held high. She avoided talking to anyone; she just wanted to make it into her office. She was so focused on getting there, she didn’t see the man sitting behind her desk until after she’d closed the door, leaned back on it, and released a sigh of relief.“Was it that bad?” Dave asked from her chair. She couldn’t help it, she squealed. She’d only met Dave Myers once before, on the day she’d been hired almost five years ago. He was an older gentlemen with silver hair. His suitsalways looked pressed and he never had a hair out of place. He had a reputation for being a hard-ass and she’d done everything she could to avoid dealing with him directly.“Oh,” she stood up straight and ran her hands over her skirt, trying to make sure she looked perfect.“Come in, Miss Rhodes. I’d like to hear all about your adven
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She smiled again. “Thanks, Daddy. I knew you’d have all the answers. What can I do now?”“Well, if he doesn’t come back on his own… If I know anything about my little girl, you’ll find a way to make him crawl back.”That night she lay in her bed for a few hours listening to the sounds of the city around her. She missed the sounds of the jungle and of Ethan sleeping beside her. She missed his warmth, his smell, his touch.She knew she was going to have a hard time falling back into a pattern. How could she ever go back to a normal life after what they’d been through? Did she want to? More importantly, did she want to do it all alone? Even though they’d only known each other a few months, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.The shadows on her ceiling did little to soothe her as the light hit the leaves that were starting to fall from the large tree outside her window. She turned and hit her pillow a few times, trying to get comfortable. She’d had no problem sleeping in the dirt or wet
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The next morning they met his parents for a day trip to the beach, something they’d done since he was a kid. Usually they’d spend the whole night sleeping in a tent or sleeping bags under the stars if the weather held out.This time they had stayed late enough to have some of his dad’s homemade mussel soup. He’d laughed as he taught Ann how to dig for mussels. She’d been a little grossed out at first, but after he’d showed her how to collect the first few, she’d rolled her sleeves up and been totally focused.She’d even helped him collect wood for their fire. He’d always enjoyed having a campfire on the beach. Something about the smell of burning wood and the salt from the ocean made him feel like he was truly home.As they sat on a large piece of driftwood in front of the fire, he pulled her close as he watched his parents laughing about a story they were telling.It was almost like life was going in slow motion for a few minutes. His mind flashed from seeing the same scene as a chil
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She’d toed off her own heels as she walked her way back to just below his hips.His erection sat between them, proud and erect. She knew he wanted her to touch him, but she leaned over and started kissing and rubbing her hands over his chest again.She wanted this to last. She wanted to enjoy every inch of him, slowly. “Ann, your killing me.”“Don’t rush me. I’m enjoying myself too much to go fast.” She smiled as she nibbled her way down his chest. When she reached his belly button, she dipped her tongue in and swirled it around the sexy spot. He had a light covering of hair that trailed down to his sex. She followed it until finally, she gripped him lightly in her hands. She watched as his eyes closed and he moaned while arching his head.“You like it when I touch you?”“God, yes!” He almost jumped when she swirled her tongue around the head, lapping at him as she used her hands to stroke his length. She cupped his balls as she used her mouth to please him.His hands plunged into her
