Page 75 of Jacqueline's Quest

“Beer, import,” Alex muttered, his southern drawl so thick even he didn’t recognize himself.

“We’ve got a new draft from Belgium,” the guy said.

“Sure, it’ll do,” Alex replied.

“Bottle or glass?”

He clenched his jaw. “Bottle.”

The fine hairs on the back of his neck had been standing on end since the moment he entered the establishment. The idea of Luca being a part of this kind of place kept Alex’s stomach in knots. The place was littered with criminals. Everything from drug runners to murderers. Mob leaders and heads of cartels. It made his trigger finger itchy.

Like you have room to talk. How many people have you killed? He shook the thought off. He’d done in the military, during war times.Permission doesn’t make it right.You belong here.Grabbing the bottle when the bartender placed it in front of him, Alex took a long pull of the bitter drink. He grimaced at the coriander bite on the back end of the beverage as it slid down his throat.One is more than enough for this shit.

But one would never erase the things he’d done.

He'd met Maggie aka Bloody Dawn when he'd been about twenty-six if he remembered correctly. They'd been in Ireland together. Him for training and her on a job. She'd been everything and then some. Young though, petite too. She seemed so unassuming, which worked to her advantage when it came to her job. And, her fucking accent. Just hearing the lilting tone as she spoke, got him harder than a fucking buck in rut.

They had three whirlwind weeks together, fucking and training, well, training on his part. Her, she'd been stalking a man who'd been on someone's radar and needed to be eliminated. The last night they were together, she'd been hunting. It was glorious, watching her stalk her prey until they came to a dead-end in a shithole alley. It smelled like ass and puke and whatever substance had been on the cobblestone ground stuck to the soles of Alex's shoes. It was disgusting and exciting all at the same time.

It should have freaked him out.

Instead, he waited there as Maggie retrieved her .45 caliber Kimber Custom from her bag along with the silencer. Whatever conversation she had with the man while she attached the silencer, he never heard. Everything Maggie did was in the whispers, almost as though two lovers carried on some wistful conversation. When she pulled the trigger, the man’s body jerked forward then fell back, sliding to the ground. She then grabbed her 35mm camera from her satchel and photographed the scene for proof the job had been complete.

They hadn’t even made it to the end of the alley before Alex had been balls deep inside her. It was as though some kind of animalistic drive had overtaken him and he reveled in the excitement of the kill.

By the next morning, she was gone.

Over the years, he’d heard about her exploits, but he hadn’t seen her—until tonight. Finding out she’d gone from working with different government agencies to picking up contracts on her own, had surprised him, but not. Maggie marched to the beat of her own drum and following orders hadn’t been one of her best traits.

Hell, it wasn’t one of his either.

The only reason he got along with Asher so well was due to the easy flow of their unit. He didn’t have to just be one thing for the team. He could be the chameleon, and since Calvin joined their team, he was able to put all of his skills to the test, while also learning something new from the demo expert.

Alex finished the nasty beer and turned, facing the main area of the club. The place was nice, nothing like he’d expected. There was enough leather to go around and tons of moaning subs to relax away his stress. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation and pheromones. Not to mention all the flesh. It was a feast for the eyes and the senses. He adjusted his rapidly hardening cock, pressing against the fly of his dark denim jeans. Though he didn't get down with the whole sub/Dom thing, it didn't mean he couldn't have an appreciation for the power exchange along with the sensual dance between Dom and sub.

Vicente pushed open the door leading to the club and Alex got his first glimpse of the woman who’d rocked his world. He mentally groaned when he took in her visage. She reminded him of a runway model—sleek with compact muscles he’d felt flutter under his touch. Her hair changed, of course, in her line of work it didn’t surprise him. She sported a platinum blonde pixie cut which highlighted her wheat-colored eyes.

When she started down the stairs, their gazes caught, and her bow-shaped lips parted. Fire snapped in those gorgeous eyes of hers along with anger and something else. Something he didn’t want to contemplate. He only needed her help to coax a Sicario out of their hiding place. Then, they could go their separate ways.

From the intel, he gathered since Asher gave him the case, a man in Mexico had taken the job for Lincoln. Alex didn't get a name, but supposedly he was part of the military and had protected the President of Mexico for a time. According to Alex's sources, the man had an exceptional record. Being a Sicario had been a bonus for the President, considering how many mayors and law enforcement personnel had been taken down by the cartels. It left Alex frustrated though. For as much information he received, he still didn't have a name. Hence why he needed Maggie.

“I should have known,” Maggie said as she approached the bar.

“Good to see you too, Maggie,” Alex drawled. “Been a long time.”

“Not long enough.” She frowned.

“Come on now.” Alex reached for her, but she flinched. He frowned then sighed. “Guess I should have realized.”

“Yes, you should.” She lifted her chin, giving her a superior look about her.

“Hey, you left me. Not the other way around.” He stared at her.

Maggie frowned. “This was a mistake.”

Fuck. He promised he wouldn’t allow his bruised ego take hold of senses. Waking up alone after everything they’d been through, even if it was three weeks, fucked his head up. It took years to get over. Shit, if he was honest with himself, she’d been the reason he didn’t stick around. “Let’s start over. Can I buy you a drink?”

“I’d rather talk business,” she said. “Though the atmosphere is lively.”

---