01

Prologue

Darkness surrounded her like a warm, soft blanket. It was as familiar to her as the metal asp in its case on her belt or the Sig-sauer 9 millimeter that was held so casually in her hand. She blended with the darkness, the slate gray of her pants and turtleneck became part of the shadow and hid her from sight of the two that she watched.

Of course, they didn't really watch for her. Caitlyn smiled wryly as she listened to the grunts and moans that came from the open patio French doors. She doubted they would hear her even if she stomped up to them right now.

"Oh you fucking slut, you're so God damned tight."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes as the noises and the smells of sex enveloped her and created a little spurt of longing inside of her. When was the last time she'd had a night off? Shit, when was the last time she'd actually had a date?

"Take it bitch, take it all. You like it don't you? Don't you, slut?"

The sounds of flesh slapping against flesh and wet sloshing sounds got louder and Caitlyn turned and looked into the side panel of the doors eve as she kept her body in the shadow.

Her target was huge, six feet five inches at least with shoulders that would argue with door frames. She'd read his stats, knew his background, but seeing him in person was something else. He was impressively muscled from what she could see at this angle, his body covered the tiny body of his blonde lover who groaned with every impassioned thrust of the huge man.

Caitlyn couldn't help but wonder at the size of his cock, if it would be as impressive as the rest of him. She felt a spurt of warmth in her own groin and almost groaned.

Damn she needed to get laid. With a sigh, she reached up and pulled down the black light-weight mask that covered her bright red hair and pale face, molding to the angles of her bones without hampering her sight or her breathing.

She stepped into the bedroom of the magnificent house and felt confident; the alarm system was shut down by the new tactical by-pass circuit her tech department had developed. She knew every inch of the interior of the house down to the placement of the furniture. If she had to leave in total darkness she could without a worry. She knew the target's habits, knew his propensity for tiny blondes like the one wriggling in what seemed like ecstasy upon the bed right now. Tiny blondes that looked nothing like his hugely pregnant wife who was a beautiful brunette and her client.

"Oh bitch, I'm gonna cum. I'm gonna cum in you." His words were interspersed with loud groans and heavy pants. His hips drove into the small woman with enough power that Caitlyn felt a spurt of sympathy at the bruises she would have later.

"No! You can't, baby. Remember, I quit taking the pill cause Johnny wants babies?"

For the first time, the blonde spoke up, her hands pushing on the target's wide chest.

"Shut the fuck up, slut. I do what I want, remember?" His hand rose and threatened the tiny woman. Caitlyn watched as the small blonde cowered under him and put her hands above her face to stop him from hitting her.

Caitlyn got there first, the barrel of her Sig. gently resting against his temple.

"I don't think you want to do that, Cody, I really don't." She grinned as she heard her own voice, the new components of the mask had changed its tone, depth and pitch until she didn't recognize it herself.

Cody didn't move, he barely breathed.

"I think you should get up off the slut now, Cody. Slowly!" she warned, taking a step back and estimating the length of his reach, just in case the idiot did decide to try something stupid. In a way she hoped he would as she remembered the bruises she'd seen on pretty, pregnant Sheila White.

The blonde on the bed screeched and tried to cover herself with the blankets as Cody White slipped off of her. It gave Caitlyn a glimpse of dark brown pubic hair and impressively huge, silicon inflated boobs. Caitlyn chuckled and bent over carefully and picked up the woman's dress that lay at her feet. Bright red, micro mini with a halter top that left little if anything to the imagination, it was just the type of thing a woman who would fuck Cody White should wear. Caitlyn threw it to the woman on the bed and told her to get dressed.

"Where's your wallet, Cody?" She asked the big man who stood, his hands up at about shoulder height, his body exposed to her gaze.

"Why? What the fuck do you want?"

"Because I asked you, and you'll find out soon enough what I want." Caitlyn sighed and wondered why the big handsome ones had to be so damn dumb.

"It's on the dresser. Take it and whatever else you want, just don't kill me."

Under the mask, Caitlyn rolled her eyes. She backed over to the dresser, flicked on the light and blinded the two lovers for a moment. Her mask had eye filters that cut the light and gradually, timed to the changing focus of her eyes, would allow more in so she was never blinded or left in the dark. She picked up the wallet and counted out twenty dollars, leaving the rest on the dresser. She threw the money at the woman.

"Now, I'm going to let you out of here, but if you don't want happy hubby Johnny Carter to know you've been fucking his business partner for the past five months, I'd keep your mouth shut about what you know about this. Don't even think of lying to him and reporting anything you know to the cops, the pictures that I have will be sent to your husband. Let me think, you had a prenuptial agreement with him, didn't you?" Caitlyn almost laughed at the look on the woman's face.

* * * *

She took one last look at Cody, and fled the room. She ran out the wide double doors about thirty seconds later. As she was headed down the long drive towards the open front gates of the house, she heard the faint sound of a struggle, of furniture breaking, and for a second, she felt sorry for the woman who'd broken in. If she knew Cody, the woman would be a bruised and broken mess by the time he was done. She could only be grateful that it wasn't her this time.

* * * *

Caitlyn stared down at the man lying on the broken jumble of what had once been a coffee table situated in front of the big fireplace in the bedroom. Now it was kindling.

Cody got up slowly and Caitlyn couldn't help but grin behind the mask. She did like them big, and this one looked like he had enough muscle and stamina to keep going for a while. Now she only hoped he wasn't stupid enough to charge her like some kind of bull.

* * * *

Cody's head came down between his massive shoulders and with a roar of rage he plowed forward, his arms out as he sought to grab the woman who'd just sent him flying. When he got a hold of her, he was going to give her a beating she'd never forget, and then maybe he'd fuck her brains out so that she knew what a man was really like. She'd pay for the bruises she'd thought to leave on him.

* * * *

Caitlyn waited as he charged at her and quickly calculated the distances in her mind. She almost seemed to lounge as she stood there easily, her feet about shoulder-width apart. When he came within grabbing distance though, she ducked under his grasp and grabbed his arm to use his own momentum to send him hurtling back the way he'd come. She grinned as he hit the brick fireplace, though he couldn't see it beneath her mask. His head connected with a loud thunk and he teetered on his feet for a moment.

"You know, Cody, this could take a while. Aren't you even curious about why I'm here?"

Cody peeled himself off the wall and grimaced. Blood dripped from a cut on his forehead and spilled into his left eye. Caitlyn could only imagine how it would sting like hell and make it blur his vision. She could see the rage in his eyes and knew he must be seeing red. He took a single step and then his head lowered again and he plowed back at the woman who was humiliating him so easily.

"I guess not." Caitlyn watched him come at her once more.

This time though, she let him get closer and ducked under his arms once more but this time, she threw all her strength into the two punches she landed against his washboard stomach, hearing his grunting exhale. With a grunt of her own, she threw one more punch, landing it on the tip of his square jaw, knocking his head back on his-ox like shoulders.

* * * *

Cody teetered backwards on unsteady feet, the air knocked from him by those surprisingly powerful blows. He saw stars around his eyes, felt blood rush into his mouth from where he'd bitten his tongue. With a grunt, he fell backwards and landed on his bare ass on the floor as splinters from the wooden table bit into his skin.

* * * *

Caitlyn waited to see if he'd get up. When he continued to sit there, she got out her small digital camera and circled the huge man who now sat like a rag doll on the ground. His arms hung loosely from his sides and blood spewed from his mouth to mingle with that coming from the cut on his head. A knotted bump was on the edge of his jaw and the area swelled rapidly.

She waited until he caught his breath and clicked pictures to be given to her client.

The client hadn't wanted Cody killed, just taught a lesson and by a woman since he had so little respect for them. Caitlyn knew the type of man Cody was, and she just hoped one lesson would be enough. With men like him, those whose muscle mass far outweighed their intelligence quota, one lesson...well, normally it wouldn't be enough.

She put her camera back in its small pocket at the waist of her pants and took a seat on the small chaise lounge that had once sat next to the coffee table which was in pieces on the floor. The chaise had been knocked backwards also, and was now sitting close to the French doors.

"Okay, Cody? Are you ready?" She took out the Sig. holding it with a negligent hand as she waited for him to nod.

"Are you going to kill me now?" His tongue swollen and blood filled his mouth. The words he spoke sounded more like... "R ew ing o ill me ow?"

"No, Cody. I'm not being paid to kill you." Caitlyn waited a moment before adding the two words she hoped would scare him enough to put him on the straight and narrow. "This time." But with a groan, she saw the look in his eyes It was the same look that said that once she left, he'd beef up his security. He'd do what he had to do to keep himself safe and then live his life the same way he'd done before. He'd beat his wife and fuck whatever woman caught his eye. He'd treat the female population as if the only use they had was for what they had between their legs.

"I was hoping you'd be smarter than that, Cody. I really was. I haven't had to kill a target in a while and I might be a bit rusty. It might take more than one shot to do the deed and my aim could slip. I could, say, accidentally..." She pointed the Sig. at the downed man and aimed the barrel at the limp piece of flesh that lay against his thigh. "Blow off something that you might want to keep for a while. Imagine the pain, Cody, of having that little dick of yours blown off by a nine millimeter slug. Imagine the horror of knowing that you might have to live the rest of your life squatting like a woman to take a piss."

Caitlyn loved the look in his eyes now, the horror in his face. His hand went to his crotch, his body curled over his lap protectively.

"Yeah, guys like you always do think that their dicks are the most important thing in their worlds. I always wondered why but I know now. You'd hate to be thought brainless." Caitlyn waved away her words with an airy move of the hand that held the gun. "Anyway, that's neither here nor there. As to why I'm here, I hope you pay attention to this, Cody. I really hope you do. I've seen your wife. You remember her, don't you?"

Caitlyn waited until Cody looked up at her and nodded. "She's a beautiful, sweet woman who, for some ungodly reason, loves you. Now I'm not here to argue about the insanity of love, probably because I don't much believe in it. What I am here to talk to you about is your treatment of her and how you will treat her from now on. Are you listening?"

"Ess." The word was more a hiss as it came from behind his swollen mouth.

"If I hear of anymore bruises, any more fooling around, any more shenanigans of any kind out of you, Cody boy, I will be back. I'll be back to make this little go around look like a love fest. Understood?"

Caitlyn stood over the prone man and waited for his reply. When it came, she shook her head sadly. She'd be back here. She could only hope that her client, Sheila, wouldn't bear the brunt of his anger and lived through it.

But for now, all she could do was finish the job, do the clean up, and get out of here. She spun quickly on the ball of her foot and performed a beautiful roundhouse kick that caught Cody on the temple just where she'd aimed. He fell like the bull he looked like and hit the floor hard and didn't get up. Caitlyn bent over and felt for a pulse, then checked his breathing and his eyes. He would be out for a while.

"Yep, I've never seen a man your size yet that can't get kicked in the head and sleep it off and be just as stubborn and piggish the next day." Caitlyn sighed and reached into a pocket on the leg of her pants to pull out her signature. She left it sitting on the man's chest.

She holstered her Sig and gave it a small pat like you would a treasured pet. She checked to make sure she'd left nothing of importance behind. She left the way she'd come and slipped into the shadows and disappeared quickly from sight.

Chapter One

Caitlyn Summers brushed back her long red hair from her eyes and swerved her red Miata into the tiny parking space left between two oversized luxury cars. She turned off the ignition and took a moment to check her appearance in the rear view mirror.

She licked her lips to smooth out the slick gel she used to make them glisten then brushed her hair, mussed by the wind that streamed through it from driving the convertible to work. She got out of the car and locked it then set the alarm with a flick of her thumb.

She tossed the straps to the huge bag she carried over her shoulder and set off at an easy pace, the four inch heels she wore didn't slow her down a bit. She was already on the tall side for a woman, and with the heels was well over six feet tall.

Throw in a curvaceous body that could make men drool and the flame red hair that reached almost to her waist, she was a sight to behold.

She heard a wolf whistle from behind her and glanced over her shoulder. She saw the men working on the high rise across the street stare at her from around the fifth floor. With a smile, she waved back and headed into the building in front of her. She went directly to the bank of elevators and pressed on the up button.

The wait was short and she got into the car with the other five or six passengers.

She reached over and hit the button for the fifteenth floor with a little grimace. If there was one thing that got to Caitlyn, it was heights. Every morning, she'd go to her office and the first thing she'd have to do was pull the shades on all the windows. It didn't matter that it showed off a beautiful view of the Hudson River or the sky-scape that was absolutely breath taking.

It made Caitlyn's knees hurt and her stomach drop just to think about it.

The elevator doors opened onto a huge sitting area dominated by a circular reception desk. Two women were hard at work at the desk, though it was barely nine a.m. Caitlyn stopped on her way to her office and picked up the stack of pink message notes that the receptionist handed her.

"How'd it go last night, Cat?" Monica nudged the other receptionist.

"How'd what go?" Cat looked up from the pink slips, the red slash of her eyebrow cocked over smoky gray-green eyes.

"Your date, girl. Geesh, it's not as if you go out on so many of them that you could possibly forget. Hell, if I had your face and figure, I wouldn't be making a lousy paycheck here chasing down cheating husbands and missing dogs. I'd be walking runways in Paris." Monica stared down at her own chubby figure and mentally compared it to the svelte body that leaned against the desk.

"Oh, the date. It was fine, nothing to write home to mom about. And Monica, give up the Hostess Twinkies girl and come running with me in the morning. You'd be walking runways in no time what so ever." She grinned at the groan that her words elicited and then waved over her shoulder as she made her way down the hallway to her office.

Cat dug out her company keys and unlocked the office door. She noted that Geena, her 'assistant', was late again and sighed. After the last talk she'd given the girl, she'd thought for sure that she would straighten out her lazy ways. There was only one reason she was loath to fire her, the girl made excellent coffee and managed to finagle the irritable coffee maker with ease. No one else could deal with that thing and she made it put out the most delectable French roast.

Maybe she should just buy a new coffee maker and then she wouldn't have to deal with those damn blinds on her own every morning. Cat crossed the small area that was outside her office door. A desk was off to one side where Geena should have sat at already. She unlocked her office and grimaced at the widely opened blinds.

She cursed the cleaning crew just as she did every morning.

She averted her gaze and walked over to the cord then pulled. She held her breath until the blinds covered the impressive view.

"Oh, God, Cat, I'm sorry. I got caught up in traffic this morning. Some guy was killed on the west side. The cops had all the streets blocked off. Casey's stuck on the two and man is he pissed." Geena barreled in, her hair a mess. She still carried her coat and purse.

"It's fine, Geena. Do me a favor and start some coffee will you? I'm dying for caffeine this morning." She dropped her purse next to her desk and set the pink slips down on the edge of her desk to push her chair back.

"Oh, sounds like your date last night went good." Geena went to the corner and easily started a pot of coffee. She waited until it started to drip and then slipped a coffee cup under the dark stream. She added a single creamer and stirred it then brought the cup to her boss.

"The date didn't go, I ended up working instead. Damn." Cat took the cup from Geena's hands and sipped the hot brew with a heavy sigh. "You'd think I never went out on dates the way this seems to be all anyone can talk about today. Now, would you go out and get my appointment list up for the day, I need to return some of these phone calls. And then I need you to come in and take a letter for me." She sat the cup down on the coaster that protected the beautiful oak desk and picked up her phone, then gave the harried assistant a meaningful glance.

Geena headed to the door and grabbed her own purse as she went. Before she closed the door behind her, she stuck her head back in. "You don't go on a date all that often, boss, that's why it's a big deal. And we all just want you to be happy, so there!"

Cat dropped the phone back in its cradle as soon as Geena closed the door. She let her head rest in her hand for a moment before she started work. Her "date" last night had been Cody White and it had gone just the way she'd thought it would go.

Whether that was good or not was anyone's guess. But it was part of her job, well, a part of the secret part of her job here at King of Hearts.

She'd gotten involved one day when a client had come into her office, wishing for Hearts Detective Agency to follow her husband. Joseph Heart, her boss, had given her the job. The client was six months pregnant and sported a black eye that she said she "got when I fell down a flight of stairs".

Cat followed the jerk all right. She'd followed him back to the girlfriend's house and waited until they were involved. She snuck in and beat the husband to within an inch of his life then threatened to come back if he didn't treat his wife better.