“I’m all in. What do you want me to do?”
Jaw tight, his blue eyes intense, Flynn said, “You don’t have to do this.”
She shook her head. He was wrong. “It’s not about my sister anymore, Flynn. If she’s gone I can’t save her, but maybe I can save someone else.”
Flynn shot his buddies a dirty look and stepped toward her. “They have other ways to get the information. Let them figure it out.”
“We’ll do everything we can to protect you, Miss Fuentes,” Maddox said.
“With no guarantees,” Flynn bit off.
“No, but it’ll be safer for her this way than her flying solo,” Maddox responded.
Maddox set down the thick file folder he’d been holding on to on the coffee table and stepped back as if his nearness distressed her. “It’s your call, Miss Fuentes,” he said.
“I said, I’ll do it.”
Flynn scrubbed his hand across his face, exhaling loudly.
Izzy hurried to reassure him and herself that she would be careful. “I won’t do anything stupid, Flynn.”
Giving her a pointed look, he said, “It’s not you I’m worried about.”
His words stung deep. Damn it, the hot rush of tears burned her eyes. When had she become so vulnerable?
Realizing how harsh he sounded, Flynn quickly reassured her. “You misunderstood, Pink. I’d chop both my nuts off if would change your mind.” He traced the line of her cheek with his fingertip. “I’m worried about what Boris or Andre would do to you if they suspect something.”
“Ryker,” Justin intervened. “We’ll have an army of UCs inside during the hours Miss Fuentes is on the job.” He moved around the sofa, stepping closer. “We’ll put the word out on the street at those times for all units to be on alert. Have them pay particular attention to the area without giving anything away.”
Arms crossed over his chest, Flynn stared down Maddox, who wasn’t in the least bit intimidated. “This isn’t my first rodeo, Ryker,” Maddox said. “I haven’t lost a CI yet.”
Izzy grasped Flynn’s forearm and looked up into his stormy eyes. “I don’t need your permission to do this, but I’d like your blessing.” Heat rose in her cheeks. “I don’t want to make the video with anyone but you.”
Letting out a long breath, Flynn acquiesced. “You don’t have a choice in that, Pink. One, no one else is going to touch you and two, Andre has seen me and expects me to be your mark. So you’re stuck with me.”
“So we’re all agreed then?” Justin asked. Everyone nodded, including Flynn, who Izzy desperately wanted to be in on this, if only because if he gave his seal of approval somehow she’d feel like she wasn’t in imminent danger. Secondly, she wanted him around. He could say what he wanted, and act like he didn’t care about her, but she knew he had a higher stake in her safety than the other two.
Not that Justin and Maddox didn’t exude a supreme command presence that left her feeling dizzy. But in her eyes, they weren’t Special Agent Ryker.
“Let’s get the video wrapped up, and go from there,” Justin said.
Maddox nodded and said, “Miss Fuentes, your cell phone?”
Izzy retreated to her bedroom to get her cell phone and heard raised voices in the room behind her. When she returned with the phone, the three men stood angrily glaring at each other.
“Okay, boys,” Izzy said. “Play nice or I’m sending all three of you home.”
She handed Maddox the cell phone.
“Miss Fuentes, if you wouldn’t mind showing me the way to your bedroom.”
“Not going to happen, Price,” Flynn said stepping in front of him.
Maddox turned angry eyes on Flynn. “Do I have to call your SAC and have you removed?”
“Make the call,” Flynn challenged.
“Ryker,” Justin said moving between them. “We’re just going to establish the date, location, and players, and then let you two do what you need to do privately.”
Flynn stepped past them both, caught Izzy’s elbow, and proceeded to the bedroom.
Pulling her into him as they entered, he lowered his lips to her ear and said, “Relax, it’s not going to be like Saturday’s video, just follow my lead once we start rolling, okay?”
The warmth of his breath on her ear shot straight to her nipples and beyond. Not trusting her voice, she nodded.
Once they were all assembled, Maddox turned on the camera, and began to video himself. “This is Inspector Maddox Price, San Francisco PD.” He stated the date, time, and location before turning the camera on Justin.
“Lieutenant Justin Barbieri, SFPD, joint task force liaison.”
When the camera turned to Flynn, he briskly identified himself. “Special Agent Flynn Ryker, Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Lastly the camera turned to Izzy. “Isadora Fuentes.” She looked at Flynn, then at the camera, and said, “Classified informant.”
Flynn shook his head, but Maddox grinned as he turned the camera back to himself. “The purpose of documenting the date, location, time as well as involved parties preceding the bait video is to establish that the content is sanctioned by the joint task force of Operation Bullwinkle. All acts contained in this video are staged, but willfully consensual for the purposes of the operation. Any props used during the filming of this video are placebos.”
He handed the phone to Izzy. “Miss Fuentes, to ensure fluidity and the validity of the video if it’s challenged in a court of law, please refrain from turning the camera off until such time as the act is complete.”
“Okay,” she said, gingerly taking the cell phone and placing it on her nightstand in the exact same position she had put her original phone Saturday night.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled as her eyes rested on Flynn, who stood silent at the foot of her bed. She didn’t hear the door close when Maddox and Justin left them alone. At Flynn’s continued stare, her skin warmed. Her nipples tightened beneath the thin fabric of her top. His jaw clenched as a curse slipped from his lips.
Swallowing hard, Izzy wasn’t sure how to proceed. Flynn had been given the script. He told her to follow his lead, but he just stood there.
Should she start the act that wasn’t really going to be an act on her part, because she craved Flynn’s hands on her again, or wait for him to come to her? When he still didn’t move, her heart thudded with the intensity of a runaway freight train. Fighting the tremor that threatened to go through her, it occurred to Izzy that maybe Flynn didn’t want her.
Maybe it was better that way. With a shaky breath, she sat down on the edge of the bed in view of the camera. Mustering up all of her bravado, Izzy moved back onto the mattress, and then slowly, rose up on her knees. Crooking her finger at him, she said, “Come here, Special Agent Ryker.”
When he still didn’t move, her stomach did a slow, hard roll. Humiliation swept through her. She wasn’t going to beg him, damn it! Mentally she counted backward from ten. When she got to one, if he hadn’t moved, she was going to go tap Justin or Maddox for the job! Her belly did another slow roll. As hot as those two were, she only wanted one man. The one standing at the foot of her bed who didn’t want her.
Closing her eyes, she bit her bottom lip. Ten. Nine. Eight. Heat flushed her cheeks. Seven. Six. Her chest rose and fell sharply as emotion clenched her resolve. Five. Four. Three.
Warm breath caressed her cheek.
A rush of heat flooded her veins. “I hate that I can’t stop wanting this,” he rasped inches from her.
Biting back the cry that struggled to escape, Izzy opened her eyes and this time the cry escaped. His blue eyes glittered intensely. His nostrils flared like the predator he was. The way his features tightened with unleashed power stirred her soul. Every inch of her cried out for succor.
A strong arm slipped around her bare waist and yanked her hard against his chest. His lips hovered just above hers. “I can’t get you out of my head,” he said, anger edging the words.