Avenging Kiss (Savage Security Book 2) Read online

  AVENGING

  KISS

  KAREN TJEBBEN

  Avenging Kiss is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or events is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 by Karen Tjebben

  This book, of parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the author. For information regarding permission visit: https://www.facebook.com/karentjebbenauthor.

  First Published Edition: December 2016

  ASIN: B01N6OFJNB

  Cover art designed by Christine Taylor MacLellan

  Printed in the United States of America

  Avenging Kiss is dedicated to my wonderful husband and precious daughters. Thank you for filling my life with love and joy. I love you.

  A special thanks to Beth Ramsey for her help and input on Avenging Kiss. Her support and encouragement were invaluable and greatly appreciated.

  Table of Contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

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  35

  About the Author

  1

  The slap of the folder as it hit the table released a primal urgency that ramped up his adrenalin and nearly had him drooling. He’d waited for this, the chance to avenge the wrongs of the past that haunted him. He still woke with the taste of smoke on his tongue and the stench of burning flesh assaulting his nose. There were some nights when the nightmares seemed so real that he’d awake in time to vomit into the bucket that he kept near his bed. No matter how many times he purged his stomach, he could not extinguish the taste of death from his senses. But the cold sweat that covered his body when he awoke only sickened him more as it was a sign of his weakness. He’d wander into the shower to cleanse himself of the filth that clung to him like a phantom wound. Those were the worst nights. He’d pound his fists on the shower stall as tears burned down his cheeks. He’d lived with the shame long enough. He’d been weak. Too weak to stop the attack, so his nightmares were his just punishment and catalyst for his plans. He prayed they’d disappear once he gave his friends the justice they deserved.

  The folder, as bland as it was, would change his life and bring him closure. His hand shot out and his fingertips reverently caressed the manila folder. Its contents held the answers to all his prayers. With a steady hand, he flipped it open.

  A man’s picture stared up at Hazeem from the paper. Empty darks eyes, void of light and happiness, and a trimmed, dark beard cloaked the man in mystery, making his face unreadable. But this man’s daily routine was charted in black and white. He was human; he would bleed. Hazeem vowed to end this man’s life. He would destroy everything this predator loved. This man would know the pain that haunted Hazeem. And then he’d kill him.

  Pride buoyed Adeel at the pleased look on Hazeem’s face as he stared at the information detailed in the folder. Adeel had worked tirelessly on this project. He’d taken months to follow these people. They wandered through life with suspicion and wariness, always alert and aware. But Adeel had patiently done all the reconnaissance. He’d tail one for a few hours, then wait a few days and tail a different one. He’d catalogued their movements, who they spent time with, where they ate and lived. He’d frequently used disguises. He even made himself look like a woman a few times. That was easy, especially with the advantage of donning an abaya and head scarf.

  Adeel never imagined that he’d make such a great spy, but now he believed it was his true calling. He’d enjoyed the cat and mouse game of spying. The danger sent a rush of adrenaline through his system, and that rush turned into a drug that he craved.

  It was a great honor to work on something of this significance, so Adeel was happy to get this assignment. He’d lost family too, so he also craved the revenge that haunted Hazeem. When he saw the fire in Hazeem’s eyes as he stared at the folder, Adeel knew justice would be delivered.

  “You recognize the man?” Adeel asked, his voice heavy with his accent. Adeel had lived in the States for nearly a decade. He’d done his best to assimilate, but his Middle Eastern roots were not easily hidden. His accent, dark skin, and black hair peppered with gray declared his differences in a society that still claimed to be the “Great Melting Pot”.

  Hazeem traced a finger over the white man’s face. He noted the irony of how easily this man had blended into Middle Eastern culture. This predator’s dark features and ability to speak several Middle Eastern languages gave him an advantage when he’d invaded Afghanistan. But now the tables were reversed. Hazeem was on this savage’s soil.

  “Yes,” Hazeem said. “My heart pulses with passion to end the life of this man. Then our people will finally rest in peace.” That was Hazeem’s hope. Would the nightmares end when all their deaths were avenged? Would he finally sleep through the night without waking covered in sweat and tasting death in the air?

  Adeel sat in the chair across the table from Hazeem and noted that Hazeem still fingered the photo. “As you see,” Adeel started, “I’ve included a full summary on Mr. Savage. I learned a lot, but you will have to continue the hunt. My job is complete.”

  Hazeem nodded. He would win this game. No matter how prideful or awesome those arrogant bastards thought they were, they wouldn’t see him coming. It was his turn to play ghost in the night. He had plans for them, all of them. His vision blurred as he read the monster’s name.

  Cole Savage.

  What an appropriate name for a killer.

  Adeel knew it would be difficult to see the pictures of the killers. He noted how Hazeem seemed frozen on the first face, so he reached across the table and flipped over the paper, revealing another photo on the next page.

  Another face peered up at Hazeem. Another dark haired man, but his green eyes stood out. Tiny scars lined his face and added to his roguish appearance. He wore the scars well, but Hazeem would add to the collection that covered the man’s body. He would enjoy carving into Mike Lewis’s flesh.

  “They are all there,” Adeel said. He swallowed and watched as Hazeem flipped the page and stared into another face. “You know how to get ahold of me?” The usual protocols were in place. This wasn’t their first job together.

  Hazeem nodded and read another name. Jack Black. The cocky grin on this one set Hazeem’s teeth on edge. His jaw clenched as he read the biography on Mr. Black. His list of accomplishments was great, and that was only what had been documented and accessible through their contacts. All of these men had done deeds that would never be spelled out in black and white.

  It would be a great honor to destroy them.

  Hazeem flipped the page and looked at the next profile. His heart raced as he formulated his plan. He knew how he’d get in. Every one of these men would know pain before he ended their lives. He would make sure of it.

  2

  Saturday

  Jack Black opened the door to The Grill House and stepped into the crowded restaurant. It was all decked out for Christmas. Poinsettias sat on the dark wood partitions that
divided up different sections of the room. The traditional holiday plants also softened the bar. Tiny white twinkle lights brightened the romantically darkened room. This was the one time of year that their hangout resembled a classy place instead of their favorite casual beer and burger joint. A fake tree sat in a corner with LED lights that rotated through white and color blinking stages. A large ‘Toys for Tots’ box sat next to the tree. Gifts of all kinds spilled over the edges of the box and were also elegantly displayed under the tree.

  Jack shook the Christmas present in his hand. He hoped that the boy who received his gift would enjoy it. He understood that Christmas wasn’t wonderful for everyone. Not every child had a tree full of presents, or even parents who could sit in the same room with each other without fighting.

  This time of year was supposed to be magical and filled with promise, but it didn’t feel that way to Jack. It hadn’t for a long time. His parents had managed to ruin Christmas forever. Christmas was now associated with the day his parents ripped his family apart.

  Jack had been eight, and after the excitement of opening the presents and going through the stockings, his parents sat him and his sister, Andrea, down at the kitchen table. He’d sat frozen in anger and fear while his sister sobbed uncontrollably as their parents told them that their dad was moving out. They’d tried to soften the blow by telling the kids it was just a trial separation, but that had been the worst part of it. Jack and Andrea had done everything they could to be perfect so their parents would love each other again. But that hadn’t happened. Their parents never reunited.

  After all these years, Jack now realized that reuniting had never been on the table. His dad hadn’t been living alone in his new apartment. Instead of fixing his marriage, he’d upgraded and shared his bed with a younger woman from work. It was so cliché that Jack was embarrassed to tell people. To Jack, it felt as if his dad was either too dumb or too lazy to even try to be original in his cheating ways.

  As Jack cut through the crowd toward the Christmas tree, he caught Cole’s eye. Cole stood at the bar, talking with the owner. They nodded to each other in greeting. Cole held his drink high and pointed to a long table in the far corner of the room. Jack gave a little wave with his present and continued towards the tree. He’d join the guys in a minute, but first he had a gift to drop off.

  A pretty blonde dressed in a skimpy elf costume welcomed him. She obviously wasn’t a real elf, and for that matter, he wasn’t certain how much of her was real. Dark roots proved that her various blonde highlights that striped through her long locks were fake. And as she took the gift from Jack, her fake nails gently scraped over his hand as she flashed him a brighter than white smile. He was certain those chompers would glow in the dark. Her porn-worthy DDs were barely contained in her green elf bustier. Jack felt confident that they were fake too, such perfection and buoyancy was seldom a gift from God.

  “Thank you for your donation,” she cooed as she cradled his gift in her arms, purposely elevating her breasts even higher. “Do you have a Christmas wish?” She cocked her head and gave a little shrug of her shoulders in a ploy to draw attention to her magnificent rack.

  Jack kept his eyes on her face. “World peace,” he stated and turned. He looked over his shoulder and tossed his hand up in a wave as he walked away and said, “Merry Christmas.”

  Jack scanned the restaurant as he made his way to the table where his friends sat. There was only one woman he wanted under his tree, and she wasn’t there yet.

  Bella.

  The name was nowhere near as beautiful as the woman. When Jack first met her, it was like a film that covered his eyes and dulled his vision had been peeled away. Life was brighter when she was around. She radiated a warmth and positivity that decimated the mediocrity and negativity that bombarded the world. She was the opposite of everything he’d hunted and destroyed, and he wanted her. Not as a hook-up. Not as a fuck buddy. She was too rare and special for that. She was the kind of woman a man wanted to marry. The kind of woman that shredded Jack’s self-preservation instinct to avoid commitment at all costs.

  He could thank his parents for the well-ingrained belief that commitment was futile. They’d taught him that marriage wasn’t forever. His dad hadn’t even stayed faithful to the woman who’d replaced his mother. He was now on his fourth wife. That fact embarrassed Jack too. No one wants a serial cheater for a father. Jack couldn’t understand how any woman would be foolish enough to get involved with a man who so obviously refused to be faithful. Unfortunately, Jack figured that said a lot about the women too. They were just as pathetic as his father in their own way. Maybe they were needy or insecure. He didn’t really understand it, and he really didn’t need to. He just knew that when he’d met Bella, he’d met someone he could commit to.

  He remembered their first meeting perfectly. He’d barged into Cole’s office to report that his team was back when his eyes landed on her. His blood had turned molten as a rush of lust flooded his system. She’d sat in the chair opposite of Cole in a modest skirt suit with a leather binder in her lap. Her hands were folded together on top of the binder, and surprise had lit her dark brown eyes as she took him in from head to toe.

  Cole had stood from behind his desk and motioned to Jack. “Miss Chan, this is Jack Black. He’s one of our operators.”

  She’d stood and stepped toward him in a pair of heels that defied logic and comfort. When Jack had extended his hand, he’d hoped it hadn’t turned sweaty from the heat that smothered him. “Miss Chan,” he’d said politely as his hand encompassed hers. “And your first name is?” He gave her a warm smile, which had been easy since he was on fire.

  “Bella.” She’d seemed to relax as she smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Black.”

  Mr. Black? Who the hell was that? He’d chuckled and said, “You can call me Jack.”

  “Jack,” she’d repeated as she broke the handshake and held her leather binder in front of her with both hands. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  She’d already said that, but he wasn’t about to point that out. Was this how it felt to be pierced by Cupid’s arrow? Her voice had washed over him like the gentle flow of a stream gracefully dancing over pebbles on its voyage to the sea.

  And from that day forward, she’d added more kindling to the fire that consumed him. Every day she’d impressed him with her kindness, compassion, and love for life. She had enough optimism to balance out the cynicism that circled around her. And now he was tired of being afraid of commitment. He wasn’t that man anymore.

  Hell, he figured he was already committed to Bella. He hadn’t had sex with a woman since the day he’d met her. There’d been plenty who offered, but he couldn’t. He refused to harbor the desire for her and be with another woman. No way in hell would he become his father.

  “Merry Christmas,” Alisha Woods said to Jack from her perch on Mike Lewis’s lap, zinging Jack from his thoughts and into the here and now. “Good to see you,” she added. With each day she felt a little stronger and braver as she worked to reclaim her life. It had been a little over two months since the attack, and as she worked with her therapist, she realized that life could still be wonderful. She had a great guy who loved her, and she loved him back, passionately.

  “Hey,” Jack said. He pulled out a chair and sat at the large table. He chose that spot because it gave him a good view of the entrance and bar. He’d arrived early so he could wrangle Bella into the seat next to him. His plan was to use the work Christmas party as an innocent way to flirt with her. He was always polite and professional at work, although he did flirt a little with her. Occasionally she would return the flirtation, but she was typically professional with him. He wanted to break through that professional exterior to the softness that defined her. He wasn’t going to miss his chance when she walked in.

  Jack did a quick look at Alisha and Mike. There were plenty of empty chairs at the table, so there was no need for Alisha to be on Mike’s lap. “Want me to get you a chair?” he
asked Alisha. He already knew the answer before he asked. “Wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” He smirked at Mike.

  “No, thanks.” Mike shook his head. He’d just returned that day from a business trip. He was already irritated that he was here with everyone from work for the annual Christmas party when he wanted to be alone with Alisha. No way was he letting her get off his lap. She was working her nails through his hair, teasing him with her attention and the sexy feel of her body pressed against him. Besides, he loved having his scalp massaged. “She’s good right here for now.” He ran his hand over her thigh, and she squirmed in his lap. He wanted to snake his hand higher, under her skirt, but he couldn’t get away with that here. They would celebrate in their own way once they were in private.

  Alisha pointed to the chair next to Mike. “I’m saving this one for when the food comes.”

  Jack snorted. “You just can’t get enough of him, can you?” He hoped that one day Bella would see him like that.

  “Nope. He’s addictive,” Alisha replied. She stroked her fingers through Mike’s short hair and stole a kiss. She’d never imagined that a man like him existed outside the pages of romance novels. Mike was fiercely loyal. The type to do anything for a friend, including take a bullet for them, and his body bore the scars of his selflessness.

  Cole eased into his chair and took a sip of beer from his glass. “We appreciate you being here with us,” he said to Mike. He knew what Mike would rather be doing. He’d rather be doing that too, but everyone worked hard all year and this little party at Savage Security’s expense was a small way of saying thanks.

  A part of Cole was a little jealous of Mike because he had a great woman who showered him with love. He’d come to realize that he wanted that too. He’d spent enough time as a bachelor sleeping in the sweltering heat with a gun as his closest companion. He was ready for the feminine curves of a woman to caress at night.