I remembered Gracie's warning to not be too cocky going in, how that attitude had caused many others before me to fail. Looks like this one was going to take longer than expected. It was going to take all my considerable skills to bring down the great Mancini, if that were even possible. The question is did I want to? Yes I had a job to do but was I really doing that job if I let others dictate what I should believe? Something inside of me was very against the idea of his being guilty of the things we'd put on him; if he wasn't guilty of the list of criminal activities we suspected him of then what? Because when all was said and done Hank Mancini has been up to something for the past decade or more; problem is no one seems to know exactly what that was. I spent the next few minutes on the phone going over strategy with my boss while feeling slightly sick to my stomach. I had a weird feeling that I was about to embark on a very twisted journey full of pitfalls and stumbl
I had to set things up with my guys before going in because once I boarded the ship I had to be in constant motion and we couldn't afford to miss a step once we got the ball rolling. There was most definitely going to be firepower exchanged; my job was to see that none of the innocents were caught in the crossfire. I hated losing any of the unfortunates on my watch and so far I've been lucky where others haven't. This cargo was made up of young girls who were bound to be terrified; one of my operatives is a female who specializes in these matters, we've done enough of these runs that we're almost expert by now but there was always an unknown element that could pop up out of nowhere. In the old days we would've just rushed the shit and taken the hostages by force, there would most likely be lives lost, among them some of the victims. These days we handled things with just a bit more sophistication; I have accrued a reputation as a dealer so to speak, I'm known all over
Pretty soon I was sitting around the table with dignitaries and men in high places brokering deals between nations, all hidden from the watchful eye of the public of course. It was then I learned my distrust of government agencies, I saw the way they did things, how they were willing to cut deals with unsavory characters in order to bring down what they considered to be the top dog. I believe in making them all pay. When I'd first been approached by Wilson I'd been very suspicious of him as well; it had taken him almost a year to wear me down and it was only after the realization that the thing I'd created had become bigger than I that I'd given in and called Wilson. When I'd met Jace, Jace was more into the physical aspect back then than I, I was the brain to his brawn. I'd learned more then about the secret society that worked behind the scenes, an organization that had been in existence for centuries, governed by men of certain families of which Wilson's was the lea
I received the signal from my men aboard the ship that they were approaching the harbor. Jace was already in place on a boat a few slips away from where the ship was supposed to dock. The Coast Guard as earlier prearranged was out of sight and the harbor clear of even light traffic. I stood on the pier a lone figure dressed all in black a very B movie cliché to be sure. As they pulled in and went about the business of dropping anchor I communicated with the Captain who would soon become the first casualty of the night. I saw the spray of blood across his chest before his body dropped. Good job Jace. There was suddenly a lot of movement on deck, which is what we wanted I went into motion while chaos ensued on board. I knew where the cargo hold was and that's where I was headed, my only interest in getting those girls out of there. The rest of my team was in charge of keeping the enemy occupied. They had no idea where the attack came from, as there had been no o
I made it a point that my job didn't just end with the rescue I kept up with my victims and they all had ways of keeping in touch with me. Funnily enough they all chose to, these girls would be no different. The other team I had in play to end things on this Op should be making contact by the time we reached the safe house. I wanted to make sure the girls were completely safe before we did anything else. There's no doubt that if these men lived they will do anything to keep their part in this crime secret which included murder; it was also a known fact within the organization that most of them had ties to if not in fact were members of organized crime. These factions are some of the most vicious in the world and would not think twice about snuffing out the lives of young innocents, they're the reason men like me exists, we're the complete opposite of them and their destructive forces in the world. It was hours before we got the girls settled; I was pi
Nothing that I had uncovered hinted at a love interest but that didn't mean it wasn't a possibility. I folded my fists at the surge of emotion that overcame me at the thought I'll have to deal with that later. Right now I have to see her, be sure she was here alone, what the fuck I planned to do if she wasn't I had no idea I just knew I would punish her in some way if that's what I found. Fucked up I know but there you have it, I never claimed to be the most rational motherfucker out there. The moonlight coming in through the bedroom window cast a shadowy glow over her perfect skin, her face serene in slumber looked even younger; my fingers itched to touch, to stroke her hair where it laid spread out over her pillow. Thank heavens she didn't sleep in the nude or else my control might've failed me; it was a trial as it was keeping my distance as her chest rose and fell with her easy breathing the T-shirt she wore to sleep in stretched taut across her breasts.
Durant called ten minutes before I was headed out the door. "Stone you ready for tonight?" "Yes sir I've got everything in place. I made sure to pick a place that our guys could have access to. Our table will have eyes and ears on it the whole time and his shadow will be on-site." That was one for the win column, since we weren't allowed to tap any of Hank's places or the man himself the fact that I could get close to him eliminated the legal aspects. In essence it was entrapment yes, but there were loop holes a mile wide that we could skate through, I left such things to the organizers. If we got burnt once more none of this will fall back on me, I'm just an agent doing the job she was assigned to. It was spectacularly confusing how they'd worked it out in their minds but hey if it worked none of that will matter. I got butterflies in my stomach at the thought, the truth is I was becoming less and less hopeful of it working. I'd accep
Did they have to be so fucking obvious? I mean seriously, after all this time you'd think they'd have upped their game. They might as well have been wearing a sign that said G-men. She on the other hand was looking exceptionally pretty in her off the shoulder blouse, which is all I could see of her outfit from my vantage point across the room. Her hair fell in curls to her shoulders and I noticed her little butterfly pin slash camera, was pinned to her blouse again. I approached with an air of nonchalance even though I had no doubt the place was bugged to pick up even the fall of lint from my cuff if there was any. I flashed my boyish grin to unnerve her as soon she caught sight of me. I've been told that it's very disarming to the opposite sex. Watching that blush spread from her cheeks to her shoulders, I was reminded of what she looked like when I watched her in her bed the night before. Sweetly innocent and yet so fucking alluring, it won't be long now, I
Christmas in New York! I'd spent the last week showing her the city. I had no idea the stalwart special agent was into this fluffy shit until I heard her giggle like a little girl each time her new sisters brought up Rockefeller Center and the abominable tree. Shit I hadn't even thought of doing in years was now on the menu. When she wasn't dragging my ass all over the city I was parked at my parents' house or one of my brothers. Ma is in heaven. She had them all eating out of her hand, the little sneak and I dared not piss her off or I'd have four angry women on my ass with their shit. She hadn't quite forgiven me for going to see Durant behind her back, and now she had something else to be pissed about. This was the third morning she'd puked up her guts and I'd finally told her that I'd fucked up her birth control. Durant to spite me, refused to put her ass behind a desk, so I found the next best way to get her there. Now I had her impaled on my cock with her
Oh good gracious, crazy man on the loose. He all but dragged me out of the restaurant and I didn't have time to say hello to the young man whom I'd finally remembered. He was an up and coming agent, we'd worked indirectly on a program together a few months earlier and that's why I'd had a hard time placing him. Minimal contact. Things had cooled a little during lunch but I felt his tension once we were leaving and we passed the table. He hadn't said two words to me on the way back to the hotel and I could feel a different kind of tension in the air when he dragged me into the elevator and pulled me down the hallway and into the room. He'd never touched me like this, with that sense of desperation. I didn't complain when he tore my nice blouse or at the way he dragged my slacks off and threw them. I did make a little squeak when he threw me to the bed and came down on top of me. He's so fiercely intense always, that sometimes I'm afraid he'd consume me with all h
I didn't even break a sweat when I drove into the enemy camp. The jovial, laid back husband was gone and in his place was a man ready to tear someone's throat out through their ass. I walked into the building like I knew where I was going, like I'd done it a thousand times. It was surreal to see my face on fucking posters all over the place. These fucks are demented. I ignored the stares and whispers as I headed to the big man's office."I'm here to see Durant." I stopped long enough to tell the secretary in the outer office but didn't wait for her reply."Sir wait you can't go in there." I opened the door and walked in on some kind of meeting. The man himself stood up from behind his desk. I could see surprise written all over his face but he wasn't prepared. "Mancini, what the hell do you want?" That's the best you can do after hunting my ass for ten years?I walked up until I was in his face or as close as I could get with the slab of mahogany between us. The
I covered her head and upper body with mine as glass flew and bullets rained down around us. I'm not one for emotion in the middle of battle, but the fucker was dead, he shot at my fucking wife. What the fuck! I waited for another break in the action and then with my body shielding hers, got her back to my car. "Hank I have to stay with my partner.""Stay your ass in this car I'll be right back." I went around the other side from where we'd come and looked for an opening. The shots had come from outside, closer to the water. There was still a good chance no one was inside with the girl if she was still here. The asshole agent was still out there where I'd left him I was guessing; amateur.I found a door and worked to pry it open. Inside the place was cavernous and the only light came from the moon and the stars through the filthy windows. I didn't have time to comb the place so I closed my eyes and opened up my senses. The first floor was too obvious so I ma
I sat in the room he offered and waited. It wasn't long before he came back with the kid in tow. "I'll take it from here thanks." He huffed a little but closed the door behind him when he left. The kid looked like he was about to shit his pants and I hadn't even started yet. I walked around his chair and stood behind him, crowding him. An old interrogation tactic to put him off center. I wanted his nerves shot by the time I asked him the first question. "Are you ready to go to jail for the rest of your life?" He turned his head and opened his mouth to speak but I shushed him. "Before you say anything, think very carefully. In another hour or so, your friend Sven is going to be released to his parents, leaving you and your little cousin holding the bag. His parents are already making plans to get him off the island and who knows where he'd go into hiding." I didn't know that for sure but I know how that type works. The truth is, unless this was a horse and pony s
I accepted the new information he brought and looked over all the Intel they'd gathered thus far. My mind was already processing and discarding. "You've checked the whole island and you've had divers out there already." I said it more like a statement. "Yes, that's protocol in a situation like this. Plus there were a few sightings near the beach." "What about these boys she was seen with?""There's nothing there." Not the question. I looked up from the report I was reading over and stared him down. "You have these boys in holding?" He didn't like the question and I quite frankly didn't give a fuck. "Yes, but we can't hold them for much longer. Without any evidence of foul play, you know..." Yes I know only too well. Another reason I resent the fuck out of law enforcement. They cater more to the criminal than the victim. Thank fuck I don't suffer from that stupidity. "And why have you come to the conclusion that they're not involved?" I almost expected him to
I leapt off the bed and headed for the closet where I kept my travel kit with everything I could possibly need for a job. "How long?" I didn't have to iterate, I knew he'd read between the lines."Four hours. She went on holiday with some kids from college. They went out on the town and she just disappeared from the club they went to. The girls didn't take any chances and sounded the alarm right away so at least we have that on our side." "The plane's ready I presume.""Yes, Tony has the location, you're heading to Bonaire. I don't have to tell you how important this is to me. Cassandra is a flighty little thing but she's dear to my heart. Bring her home Hank." "Send me everything you have." There had been a batch of murders involving cruise ships in the last couple years. Something not many people knew about since it wasn't broadcasted for obvious reasons. The assholes that be, were more interested in the money tourism brought in than preserving lives. I
"That wasn't so bad now was it?" I was dancing ma around the makeshift dance floor under the marquee she'd had set up in the garden behind the family home. The wedding I'd expected to have at the most ten people had turned into about seventy-five. Don't ask. Since Cierra had no real family, Gracie was her only guest and the rest were distant relatives and friends of the family that ma had dug up from somewhere. "No, it came together quite well for all the notice you gave me.""You loved it. I had no doubt that you could do it." I kissed her cheek and spun her around, making her laugh like a little girl. "She's lovely Hank, I'm proud of you.""How come?" That was an odd thing to say."Because for the longest time I despaired of you ever finding the right girl and settling down. The girls and I had many discussions about it and we all agreed, you were a mess when it comes to women." "What girls? Sabra and Star?" Figures. "And what was wrong with the women I
Whatever, I'll just have to talk her into staying put in the city. We pulled into the short driveway of the ranch style house just as the sun was going down. A middle-aged man came to the door and looked out. I would've known him anywhere since I'd spent a lot of time researching all the players in this game. I probably had a better dossier on them than they had on me, something for which I was eternally grateful since it was about to come in handy. He recognized me as soon as I stepped out the car and I could see the indecision written on his face. Fucker wanted to go inside and slam the door in my face, but the intrigue of my very presence kept him where he was. "I'm guessing no introductions are necessary, but you might be wondering what I'm doing here.""You could say that. What is this? Have you come to turn yourself in?" He grinned in a way only a demented spook could but I didn't return it."No." I let that sink in until the stupid look dropped off his face.