Page 41 of Dangerous Games (Tempting SEALs 2)

"He makes it look very easy, doesn't he, Jayne?" he murmured to his head of security, who was currently pacing the room.

Jayne Smith-he almost snorted at the name-was the best money could buy in the security field, but even she had been unable to catch the drugging of the women.

"It's the second attempt, though there are slight differences in build and mannerisms between the two men slipping the drinks in," Smith snapped, her icy blue eyes staring at the screens intently. "We managed to avoid one last week. Sandy feigned accidentally spilling her drink when he noticed it had been switched. But he didn't see who switched it. That bastard ..." She pointed to the leather-clad shadow slowly moving back from the table as the slow-motion reverse cycle of the feed continued. "Is damned good. He knows the placement of our cameras, your bouncers, and the men watching out just for this. If it hadn't been for the bouncer making a quick, unannounced trip to the men's room, another girl would have disappeared last week."

"Reno isn't going to be pleased with this report," Drage muttered as he kept his eyes on the video. "Have you been able to figure out where McIntyre has Morganna hidden?"

"Not yet." She shook her head, the short strands of silky dark blond hair feathering around her face. "But we're working on it. That attempt on her at the house will spook him. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll pull her out."

Drage shook his head slowly. "It won't happen. She's committed to this. We'll wait until the club empties out of employees before we relocate a few of the cameras. Don't let anyone else know what we're doing. We'll do it ourselves. I want to know how that bastard knows my security angles enough to keep his face hidden."

You and me both." Murder swirled in the dark cadence of Smith's voice. "And I don't know about you, but I'm starting to suspect Agent Merino has a mole in his group. They would know our cameras and their placement after pulling the security tapes last month after one of the women turned up dead."

"Agreed," Drage murmured as he continued to watch the figure move through the club until he exited. The outside cameras picked him up from there.

Two dozen cameras and nothing, not even a profile shot that wasn't shadowed one way or the other, to give a hint to the man's identity. No tags on the plain brown sedan he entered, no marks to identify it.

"Joe definitely has a mole." Drage finally admitted to the suspicion he had tried to deny. "Contact McIntyre when you find him. He called earlier, but his number was blocked. I want to talk to him before he brings her back in."

"He rescinded his request?" Smith guessed.

Drage smiled faintly. "As I expected he would. I didn't expect this attack on her so soon, though. It will only raise suspicion. Merino surely suspects himself now that he has a leak."

Smith shook her head as Drage glanced back at her. She looked like a cuddly little mistress, not the best-damned gutter fighter he had ever run across.

"He won't believe it," she said coolly. "He'll point out that the objective was to bring focus to her in the first place. He won't accept one of his men has turned."

"Do we have any reports on who could be behind this yet?" Drage asked.

Smith's nostrils flared as her gaze met his. "A few rumors are coming in, but nothing I can substantiate. We've had the name of a canceled cartel pop up a few times, but they were taken out two years ago, the entire family neutralized. We have a possible Russian connection, but that one doesn't feed right. I'm still checking into it."

Drage nodded in reply before sighing deeply. "Take the bouncers off scheduled posts. Have them move freely about the club rather than in the formation we've kept them in. I don't want to lose any more women from my clubs, Smith. This is pissing me off."

 

; "You're not alone," she snorted. "What I can't understand is why strike so soon after the three were arrested last week."

"These videos are funding something." His fist clenched as he stared at the video once again. "And they're using my damned clubs to do it."

"Two other women were hit last month at other clubs," she pointed out. "Diva's, Merlin's, and the Roundtable just happen to have the crowd they're looking for. As for what they're funding, I'm guessing their own damned pockets, boss."

He heard the throttled fury in her voice and knew she was just as determined to find the bastards behind this as was he. Jayne looked soft, sweet, like a sex kitten waiting to play. She was a tiger waiting to devour instead. The damage she could do to a man when she wanted to had Drage wincing at the thought. She had nerves of steel and ice water for blood.

"Let me know when you're ready to start moving the cameras," he told her quietly. "I'm going to go over these videos again, see if I can catch anything familiar about this guy."

She was silent. Drage could feel her standing behind him, watching him. And he remembered weeks before, when he had nearly lost her to those bastards. Jayne drugged on Whores Dust wasn't a sight he ever wanted to experience again.

"Be sure to remember to eat," she said, her voice cold as she headed for the door, obviously offended by his abrupt .manner. "Don't make me have to cart it in here to you. I'm not your maid."

Before he could snap out a reply the door was closing qui-y behind him and he realized that once again she had managed to get the last word on him. Damn her.

Chapter 11

CLINT PACED THE SUITE AS he listened to the water running in the shower. The dinner plates had been cleared away and set outside, the door carefully bolted. He was sealed inside with her, the scent of her filling his senses as he prowled the room, waiting.

If he could hold the rest of the world at bay for just a few hours, then he could convince himself, to the bone, that she was okay. He pushed his fingers through his hair before gripping his neck in an effort to massage away the tension there.

He couldn't shake the sight of that knife moving for the fragile column of her neck. If she hadn't saved herself, she would have been dead. There was no way he could have gotten to her in time. He tried to tell himself he would have, but he knew better. All the training in the world couldn't make him Superman.

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