Jenna was slowly inching closer, just another few inches and he’d be close enough to land the first kick. After that, it was going to be all her show. “You see, I’d been stashing money for years and had never made a mistake, until you. You were a temptation. You were the only one I ever let walk away. I’m almost done, just need to tie of a couple of loose ends and then I’ll be enjoying the good life in my beachfront villa while your family mourns the loss of their precious little princess.”
Jenna was shocked to the depths of her soul.I was the only one he let walk away? Oh my God, how many other women did he brutalize and then kill?Her shock fueled her fury and with a burst of power that even surprised her, she sent a lightning-fast kick the front of his knee and smiled as she heard the satisfying pop of soft tissue and snap of bone. Scott screamed and drew up a small pistol, but before he could get off a shot, Jenna had kicked the weapon from his hand, spinning around to land another solid blow to the center of his chest. When she heard the whoosh of air leaving his lungs, she knew it was time to rearrange his dick and balls before she rendered him unconscious, she sure didn’t want him to miss out of that fun. Two more rapid kicks to his groin were answered with a gasping sound that was somewhere between a howl of a wolf and the screech of an owl. Smiling to herself, she didn’t have much time to bask in her victory before they were surrounded by the ShadowDance Club’s security team.
When Colt had heard from Grayson where Jenna was and what the monitors were picking up, his heart had nearly failed. Theodore James was really Ted Scott? And the implications of the man’s compromises to not only his team’s safety, but to national security were staggering. Hell, it was going to take years before they really knew the extent of the man’s betrayal and the cost of his greed. Colt ran into the area on the heels of two of the younger men who had been working the perimeter of the property and saw they had Scott secured. Colt turned and wrapped Jenna in a hold that would have made a grizzly bear proud. All he could do was hold her tightly. Jesus he’d never been so scared in his entire life. Was this how life with Jenna Lamont would always be, challenge and terror? He wasn’t sure his heart could take it. When he finally stepped back enough that he could get a good look at her, the first thing he noticed was the look of smug self-satisfaction in her expression, and then he realized his little warrior pixie wasn’t even out of breath.
“Woman, I have no idea what to do with you. You scared me so badly I’m pretty sure my brain is scrambled. Why on earth are you out here in the dark, alone? Didn’t you read the note I left you giving you very clear instructions to stay right where you were, that under no circumstances were you to leave my suite without an escort?” Colt knew he was almost yelling at her, but all things considered he felt he was handling the adrenaline surge remarkably well. “I’m going to have to think up some whole new level of punishment for this and when I’m done, your brothers are sure to want their turns.”
Jenna narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms underneath her beautiful breasts and spoke in a tone that was nearly arctic. “Excuse me? Punishment? You must be bat-shit crazy if you think you’re going to go all big bad Dom on my ass. No, I don’t fucking think so, buster. I brought down a spy that has eluded not only your Special Forces “Super Troopers” but the US government in general, and I’m the dimwit here? Don’t think I want to buy a ticket for this little guilt trip, thanks anyway.” Jenna was seeing red, literally. She was beyond pissed off…about everything, having been raped and then convinced to cover it up—Christ, who knew how many other people had suffered because she had been so selfish she’d let him get away. She was mad that the man now being led away by deputies had betrayed his team and her country, how dare he? She was mad because at this moment all she wanted was to be cuddled, and that alone was enough to make her nearly thermonuclear. Damn, couldn’t he just say, “Wow, great job, babe. Way to get the confession and kick the prick’s ass in less time than it took my team to run across the gardens”?
Colt recognized the signs of adrenaline crash a split second before Jenna’s knees folded. Hell, he’d been so caught up in his own reactions, he hadn’t even considered how she was coping. Talk about all those years of training as a Dominant flying right out the window. Fuck! And right now, all he cared about was listening to his heart and holding the woman who had just single-handedly taken out a rat bastard the rest of them had all missed. Christ, he was so proud of her, even when his palm itched to paddle her sweet ass until she couldn’t sit for a week. Looking into her sweet face, he was overcome with his love for her. “God, Jenna, I’m so very proud of you. You not only did an amazing job of settling a very old score, but you’ve done a service to your country that few have ever rivaled. Fuck, if I have my way, you’ll get your own national holiday!” Smiling down at her he continued, “But I’m still wondering why you are out here? Hmmm? You weren’t thinking of running again, were you?”
Looking down at her hands as she twisted them together, she finally let out a big breath before looking up at him through her lashes. “No, I didn’t even see a note. I was mad when I woke up alone, then I remembered everything that was supposed to happen here tonight, and I knew I’d left something in my car and I wanted to make sure I had it in case someone took my baby. Face it, my car would be the fastest and most agile vehicle if you wanted to make a quick escape down the mountain…and well…I got so distracted by well…everything…that I forgot about the gifts I’d brought back, and well, one of them is really valuable and I didn’t want it stolen or destroyed.” Her voice had dropped to a near whisper by the time she had finished speaking.
“Jesus, Jenna, what could have possibly been so important that you’d risk your life to retrieve it amid all the danger that you knew you might face?” He couldn’t believe it. Would she really risk her life for a few gifts she’d brought back from Egypt?
“Well, I have always remembered you telling me about your dad losing a priceless amulet to thieves during one of his archeological digs…and well, one night years and years ago we were sitting in the kitchen and you drew me a picture of it on a napkin…and…” She had to stop and recenter her thoughts before speaking again. “Well, I saved that napkin, I kept it in my jewelry box for years and then when I started traveling to that part of the world, I always took detailed copies of that picture with me and showed it to everyone, from museum curators to back-alley venders. And this last trip…well, I found it. That’s why I missed my original flight back home, I was buying it back for your dad. I know he isn’t well, and I was hoping this would help.”
Colt was absolutely stunned, nothing she could have said would have surprised him any more than this had. The amulet had been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars at the time it was taken, and his dad had been devastated by its loss. His career as an archeologist had taken a huge hit. He’d barely retained his teaching position at the university he’d dedicated his entire career to.
“Jenna, I don’t know what to say, this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard. My father will be overjoyed, and I am grateful beyond words, but how on earth can we ever repay you for this?” He knew her family was wealthy, but if it took him the rest of his life, he would repay her.
She smiled shyly. “Well, it turns out the amulet was given to the thief’s mother as a gift. The family is still very poor, but had never considered selling the piece because it was the last gift the son gave his mother before he died in a car accident later that year. They have just kept it all these years, but now, there are grandchildren in the family, and the grandmother wanted the gift to benefit someone else before she dies. And what she wanted most was to know her two young granddaughters would have American educations. My parents and I arranged for those two young women to come to the US and they will be enrolling at the University of Colorado for this next semester. My parents are thrilled to have them staying at their condo, and the girls are really lovely young ladies and this is means it’s kind of a win-win situation for everyone.”
“I’m completely speechless. You are the most amazing woman I have ever known. We’ll get the amulet later, your car is in a secured section of the garage, its contents are safe, I promise you. Now, we need to get you out of this cold night air before…” Colt’s words were cut off by the sounds of gunshots near the backside of the garage. As chaos erupted around them, Colt turned and walked up to what appeared to be a flower-covered trellis. He quickly placed his palm on a hidden panel, and a door slid open revealing a hidden set of stairs descending to a hallway. “Go. Follow the hallway straight, don’t take any turns, just go straight, and it will lead you to the mansion’s wine cellar. Grayson is in the Crow’s Nest. He’ll open the door on the other end. Please go straight to Katarina’s suite, that place is more secure than fucking Fort Knox.” He kissed her once with enough heat to be sure she’d remember it until he could get back to her and then he was gone.