Rapid Pulse Bounty: Obsessed Bounty Hunter Romance Series, Book 3 Read online

  “Do we have a photo of him?” Jacqui asked, curious to see the face of the man behind it all.

  “Unfortunately, this is all we have,” Uncle Max said, handing them a 4x6 glossy.

  Adam and Jacqui peered at the photograph. It was a grainy shot taken with a telephoto lens from a distance. The man wore a grey overcoat with a hat pulled low over his head. The shot showed part of his forehead, a nose, and a sharp chin, as he was about to board a plane. For some inexplicable reason, Jacqui felt agitated. It could have been a picture of anyone. But the outline of the man was strangely familiar. She shrugged it off, thinking it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

  “That photo was taken less than six months ago and the DEA has no idea where he is hiding,” Uncle Max said.

  Adam and Jacqui handed the pictures back to the old man. He was suddenly very serious.

  “I want both of you to go in and pose as buyers. As I mentioned, the DEA is afraid there is a mole buried deep within their department. Both of you fit the profile of someone this Leech could trust,” Uncle Max pointed out to Adam and Jacqui.

  Adam and Jacqui looked at each other. There was a glint of excitement in Adam’s eyes. Jacqui was excited about this development. Uncle Max must believe in her, enough to trust her with an assignment this big. That, and the fact that she will be working with Adam made the whole experience seem surreal. She forgot the initial foreboding she felt when she saw the grainy picture of the man behind the organization.

  The very next day, both boarded a domestic flight to Chicago. The two-hour and thirty-minute flight was spent going through the minute details of their M.O. and surfing through the internet with a notebook.

  Johnny ‘The Eye’ Rodriguez’s expertise with equipment and technology had allowed him to hack through the internet and bombard it with articles about their ‘escapades’. There were pictures of both Adam and Jacqui skiing on the slopes of Aspen, running with the bulls in Spain, Adam racing at The Formula One, Jacqui sunbathing in Hawaii, all very realistic, and every single one a complete hoax.

  Jacqui giggled at a copy of her photo-shopped bikini clad body, dancing with a glass of wine in her hand. Jacqui had two left feet and never danced in her entire life.

  “That looks so much like you,” whispered Jacqui, pointing to a photo of Adam wearing a black racer jacket and preppy Persols.

  “That’s because it’s really me… ” He whispered back with a hint of laughter in his voice.

  “You used to race?” Jacqui inquired, with amazement in her voice.

  “Uh-huh… still do…”Adam replied with a nod of his head.

  “Gosh… there’s so much I don’t know about you…” Jacqui replied, suddenly feeling aghast about her curiosity.

  “What do you wanna know…?” Adam asked casually.

  “Well for starters, where’s Sarah, your girlfriend? I haven’t seen her since you got back,” Jacqui asked quickly before she could change her mind.

  Adam let loose a guffaw which attracted the attention of some passengers nearby. Then he stood up and pretended to point at her while drawing circles beside his brain, miming she was crazy.

  “Sit down,” an embarrassed Jacqui hissed.

  “For starters, Ms. Busybody…Sarah is not my girlfriend, she’s my stepsister. Whoever told you she was, should have their head examined,” Adam stated, with a puzzled look on his face.

  “Well… err… no one said, really. I just assumed when I caught you two together, locked in an embrace outside the building,” Jacqui explained, a wild blush turning her face red.

  “You were snooping on us?” Adam teased her mercilessly.

  “No… no… of course not. It was an accident. I didn’t know you guys were there until I almost ran into you,” Jacqui denied vehemently.

  Adam leaned back in his seat and said, “My sister has some serious issues. That night you saw us… she came to me and told me she was above her head in gambling debts with some syndicate. It was her boyfriend who got her hooked. I tracked those bastards down, paid off her debts, but not before breaking some bones. I warned them and her boyfriend that if they ever come near her again, I would kill them. Sarah is now in a facility where I hope she gets her head back on straight.”

  Jacqui was speechless. She was totally embarrassed by her wrong assumption. But at the same time, her heart was soaring and her brain wanted to explode. Sarah was his stepsister… not his girlfriend. Best news ever.

  “Wait a minute…is that why you have been acting so aloof, so cold to me…because you thought I had a girlfriend? You were jealous,” Adam said with certainty.

  Jacqui leaned back with a Mona Lisa smile on her face and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. In a girl’s psyche, when cornered with the truth, the best defense is silence.

  ***

  When the plane touched down in Chicago, a limo waiting for them by the curb brought them straight to The Trump Hotel along Michigan Avenue. They were shown adjoining suites that overlooked the Chicago River. It took Jacqui’s breath away. Uncle Max pulled out all the stops to create the suitable scenario. After all, two rich kids wouldn’t check into a dump.

  They had no idea how long it would be before they would hear from the undercover agent who was facilitating the meeting with Leech. This was like a grand vacation for Jacqui, although she didn’t want to lose sight of the dangers surrounding the sting. Jacqui ran to her side of the double doors of the adjoining suite and opened Adam’s door without even bothering to knock.

  A naked Adam greeted her eyes. Obviously, the guy wanted to take a quick shower because he had a towel in his hand. All his discarded clothes were in a pile on the floor.

  “Oh… oh… oh… I’m so sorry… I should have knocked first…” Jacqui said, her face in flames.

  She flew back to her side of the room and shut the door quickly, after which she sagged weakly onto the floor. She could swear she heard Adam’s laughter from behind the closed door.

  “Stupid… stupid… stupid…” she castigated herself, slapping her forehead with her palm.

  Picking up the remnants of her lost dignity, she decided she might as well take a shower too. She was feeling sticky after the long flight. Chicago was muggy this time of year.

  ***

  Jacqui whistled in awe as she opened the door leading to the bathroom. The bathroom occupied half the size of the entire suite. A walk-in closet was on one side with floor to ceiling cabinets in rosewood. The center of the room was occupied by a Jacuzzi with pink marble tiles wrapped around it. The floor tiles, also of pink marble, led all the way to the shower stall in the corner enclosed in Plexiglas. A Tallboy unit held the washbasin just beside the bathroom stall. Gold and crystal accents dominated the room and reflected the lights coming from lamps mounted on the walls.

  Jacqui eagerly stripped off all her clothes, forgetting her faux pas with Adam. She entered the stall and lifted her face up the rainfall shower head. The water, which was just the right temperature, felt heavenly as it dripped down her body. The splash coming down from the shower muffled the sound of the shower stall door as it opened. Jacqui hardly noticed that Adam had entered until he whispered in her ear.

  “Hope you don’t mind if I join you…” Adam said.

  A startled Jacqui swiveled around. She had no words. Adam lifted her chin up with his finger, their faces inches away from one another. And just before his lips descended down on hers, Jacqui realized it would be futile to resist him. This is what she had been pining the entire time while he was away.

  Adam’s kiss was deep and probing. He bit gently on her lower lip as his tongue tried to pry them open. Jacqui responded and allowed him access, opening her lips as her tongue met his. Adam reached out behind her to close the shower. His arms then snaked across her back, hands gently exploring the curves leading to her ass. Jacqui was intensely aware of his erection hitting the love spot of her vagina. She reached out her hands to stroke the smooth, hard penis.

  Adam grabbed her st
roking hand and entwined both arms across his neck before lifting her and carrying her out the bathroom and into the bedroom. He laid her gently across the bed as Jacqui’s wet body left an imprint on the satin duvet. Adam stared deeply into her eyes, his prone body atop hers.

  “Do you want to do this?” he asked her.

  Jacqui peeled away all reticence and reserve, and answered, “Yes…”

  A triumphant smile lit up Adam’s eyes before he kissed her again. The kiss was everything Jacqui ever dreamt of. Passionate and romantic, deep and searing, it touched the very recesses of her soul. It was a kiss coming from a soul that was her perfect match... her soul mate.

  Adam was a torrid lover. He brought her to heights of passion she did not know existed. He was alternately gentle and savage as he thrust deep into her. Then he would arouse her all over again as he nipped, sucked, and bit her skin. His tongue did not hold restraint as he explored every fold of her pussy, torturing her clit with his unrelenting tongue.

  Jacqui thought she had no more to give as her body racked in multiple orgasms. But Adam found reserves that she did not know she had. When she came again for the third time, she felt her body would dissolve from the pleasure. An exhausted Jacqui lay quietly in the nook of Adam’s arm. She had never been more thoroughly fucked in all her life. She suddenly felt shy being with him and buried her face into his chest. Adam’s arms were like steel bands holding her tightly next to him. His next words established what her heart already knew since the first time they met.

  “I think I’m in love with you, Jacqui Schneider,” Adam said.

  ***

  The call from the undercover agent came at 0600 hours the following day. Jacqui was alerted when Adam pulled away from her as he answered the phone. A few seconds later he turned towards her, still nestled within the covers of the bed and whispered in her ear.

  “Sorry babe, it’s time,” Adam said.

  Months of training had adjusted Jacqui’s mind and body to react swiftly. She half-opened her eyes to see his beautiful face inches away from her own.

  “Hi…” Jacqui whispered dreamily.

  How can a face rouse desire within her when half of her was still in slumber? Adam gave a naughty grin, reading her thoughts. He stood abruptly and sighed deeply, regretting the lost opportunity to be inside her once again. He headed straight for the bathroom door. Both knew they had a job to do.

  Reluctantly, Jacqui hauled her body up, grabbing the duvet to cover her nakedness. She strode to her own bathroom in the adjoining suite. She wanted to take a long shower and if she joined Adam, who knows where things would lead. No. She had to get her head straight. There was danger for both of them up ahead. It was necessary to have a clear head.

  She fought the elation that was bubbling in her chest. Adam was in love with her. He said it. Or did she dream it all? Then she must have dreamt about the way he kissed her, and tenderly suckled her breasts, and made love to her over and over again…

  “Stop it, Jacqui Schneider…” she objected to her thoughts.

  A cold shower was exactly what restored her as she dressed quickly. Adam called through the open doorway that he would be meeting her in the lobby in ten minutes.

  As she entered the lobby, she espied him over at the reception counter with a suitcase by his side.

  “Ready?” Adam asked.

  Jacqui nodded her head in agreement. She sensed that he was tense, probably more aware than she was about the danger that lies ahead. Carrying the suitcase, he led her to a Mercedes Benz SUV parked in the curb of the hotel. He opened the door and strapped her in.

  As he took the driver’s seat, he looked at her seriously and said, “Just follow my lead, Jac. I’ll do all the talking.”

  “What’s in the suitcase?” she asked curiously.

  “Twenty-five million dollars and this car are all courtesy of The Agency,” Adam answered simply.

  Adam punched in an address in the GPS system of the car. They drove through the main thoroughfares of Chicago until they reached the Tri-State Tollway, then onto an inn with a park across the road.

  “Leave your gun in the compartment,” Adam ordered Jacqui.

  “But…” Jacqui started to argue until she saw Adam’s face.

  Gone was the Adam who held her all through the night. His eyes acquired a shade of blue like the waters of the ocean in its deepest places. His pupils dilated as he scanned his surroundings. The planes of his face resembled cast metal. A predator, focused, unfeeling, aware of the danger lurking ahead. This was a man who lived for the hunt.

  “They will frisk us…” Adam said in a cold voice.

  Bypassing the reception area, Adam and Jacqui took the stairs to the second floor and knocked on a door at the end of the hallway. The door was opened by a mean-looking Hispanic who eyed them suspiciously.

  “Leech is expecting us…” Adam said in a steely voice.

  The door opened wide as Adam and Jacqui entered a small conference room. The curtains were drawn against the windows. An air-conditioning unit was on full blast while a ceiling fan whirred from above, giving the room its only ventilation.

  Malcolm Leech was seated by a table. Prominent among his features were the droopy eyes that stared in a sinister way and a cut on the lip giving him a permanent sneer. A diamond stud gleamed from his ear. Two other men stood on each side. One of them played with a gun in his hand. Adam and Jacqui step into the room and headed for the table. A hand dropped on Adam’s shoulder and roughly spun him around.

  “Not so fast, Amigo…I need to see you’re clean,” said man who opened the door.

  Adam stared him directly in the eyes, indicating his displeasure. After a few seconds, he spread out his arms and legs to allow the search. The man nodded towards the direction of the table to indicate Adam was clean. He reached out to do the same to Jacqui when Adam swiftly grabbed hold of his arm, twisted around and held the man in a headlock. The man squealed in pain.

  “You can do a body search on me. But touch my girl and we’re both out of here, comprende?” Adam said loudly, looking directly at Leech seated on the table.

  Leech nodded imperceptibly and Adam let go, pushing the man away from him. Adam picked up the suitcase and ushered Jacqui towards the table.

  “Leech…” he greeted the man in a sneering voice.

  “Friend, you have the pleasure of knowing who I am but I know almost nothing about you,” Leech said amiably.

  “You know enough about me. Otherwise you wouldn’t have agreed to meet with us. This is not a social call. I am here for business. Tell me what you’ve got. I want it all,” Adam said in an autocratic voice.

  Jacqui saw Leech blanch in surprise as Adam’s words caught him totally by surprise.

  “We have single shot rifles, an odd assortment of handguns, AK-47s up to military grade assault rifles,” Leech reeled off the entire arsenal in their possession.

  “That’s fine with me…” Adam answered without batting an eyelash. “Can you make the delivery within two days?”

  Leech hesitated for the first time… a reaction that didn’t go unnoticed by both Adam and Jacqui.

  “Wait… wait a minute…” Leech faltered. “I need to talk to my partner about this.”

  “I was told you are the man to talk to. Not some fucking runner for someone else,” Adam replied with a note of mockery in his voice.

  Leech showed his displeasure over the insult and stood up menacingly. But Adam was quick to push his advantage.

  “Look Leech, I came here prepared to pay…” as he opened the suitcase and displayed the bundles of money within, “…not negotiate. You bring your partner here now, or else we walk,” Adam upped the ante.

  “That’s impossible. He never meets with anyone. I do all the negotiating,” Leech blustered as he eyes the layers of cash within the suitcase.

  “Then this is all a waste of my time,” Adam said with irritation.

  He snapped the suitcase shut and walked to the door with Jacqui quickly
behind him. Both were aware this was the biggest bait they could play. Either Leech takes the bait or they leave empty-handed.

  “Hold on…” Leech called out just as they reached the door.

  Adam turned around to face him, and raised his brows in an arrogant manner. Leech pulled out his cell phone and talked in a low voice. It was obvious from his face that whoever was at the other end of the line was not happy about the turn of events. Leech gesticulated wildly with his arms, trying to make a point. Then he listened intently, nodded his head, smiled and snapped the phone shut.

  “He will be here in twenty minutes. You owe me, man…I convinced him you’re worth it…” Leech bragged.

  Adam felt Jacqui’s sigh of relief. But he admired her composure. Her face never lost the insipid but haughty look she wore since the start. Both approached the table once more. Now that the tension had broken between them, Jacqui noted that Leech was friendlier… salivating over the money he would earn.