To Russia With Love (Countermeasure Series) Read online

  Once finished, she leaned back in her chair and swung her feet up onto the desk, crossing them at the ankles. She picked up her conversation with Trevor. “Okay, give. What are we up against here?”

  Silence followed and Cassandra could picture his face in her mind. His need to internalize was strong. She could almost hear the wheels turning in his mind. She had been working on breaking that habit of his. “Stop thinking so hard, Trevor. Cough it up.”

  “The stolen files are the core source files of a new decryption program. I need to analyze the contents of the disk to understand its reach. It might be that Devlin is overreacting. But Faber, being the developer, knows its capabilities and he was scared. I’m thinking it’s big.”

  Cassandra’s quick intake of breath echoed through the feed. Her own wheels turned in her head as she mulled over the information Trevor had just shared with her. She dropped her feet from the desk, opened a blank document, and let her fingers fly across the keys as she laid down her thoughts and questions. She and Trevor had a lot to discuss when he got back.

  *****

  Adrenaline coursed freely through Trevor’s veins as he made his way back to their house. At the corner of St. Stephen’s Green, he accelerated his pace, knowing he was mere minutes from home and Cassandra—his partner in crime, hotter than hell, with a beautiful brain and a wicked attitude to match.

  In his rush to be home, he skipped giving her a heads up on his position. Anxious to see her, he strode into the house and climbed the stairs two at time. The exhilaration of fieldwork always put him on edge. Still riding the rush of adrenaline, he burst into the office to find Cassandra sitting at her desk, laptop open in front of her, and still wearing the headset. Startled, she looked at him.

  “What happened? Are you—” her question trailed off. She frowned as she watched him stalk toward her with a ravenous expression on his face. “Trev? Why didn’t you call in your position?”

  He reached for her hand, hauled her from the chair, and led her into their bedroom across the hall from their office. “Not now, Cassandra.” With not-so-gentle nudges, he pushed her back until her legs bumped against the edge of the bed and she was forced to sit. He crowded close, his heated gaze capturing hers. “I need to feel you, take you, the way I fantasized on my way home.”

  A rush of heated color flushed Cassandra’s neck and cheeks as his gaze raked her body. A deep sense of satisfaction filled him when she shifted her ass on the bed. He knew she was just as turned on by the way she parted her knees. His cock twitched and grew heavier as he watched her swallow hard and wet her lips with her tongue.

  Desire and excitement gleamed from her eyes as she spoke in a breathless whisper, “What are you waiting for?”

  Those words unleashed Trevor’s desire. He pushed her back against the bed and straddled her thighs, sitting back on his knees and watching the erratic pulse beat out of control at the base of her throat. Holding her gaze, he reached for his pants, working the button and zipper. His voice dropped and his Irish brogue became more pronounced. “I can’t wait to be buried deep inside you. Feel you surrounding me, hot and wet.”

  Without a word, Cassandra nudged him back. Curious, he gave way and moved to the side, following her intently with hooded narrowed eyes. A smile quirked the corner of his mouth as her shaky hands reached for and unbuttoned her jeans. Lust rose inside him to an unimaginable level when she lay back on the bed and raised her pelvis so she could push both the jeans and skimpy underwear off her hips.

  Once they reached her ankles, Trevor jerked them off, freeing her legs. The intensity of her gaze burned his skin as he yanked her t-shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor.

  Trevor knelt on the bed beside her, pushed his pants down his hips, and fisted his rock-hard cock, now standing at attention. His heart missed a beat and a quiver surged through his veins as his eyes caressed her curvaceous body. “Jezus Cassandra! You’re fucking gorgeous.”

  Cassandra tried to swallow the lump in her throat at the sight of Trevor’s long, lean, muscular body. Her stomach and inside muscles clenched in anticipation. “You’re pretty damn hot yourself, geek!” Her voice was no more than a broken whisper.

  She rested back on her elbows, spread her legs in invitation, and glanced down the length of her body as Trevor moved between her thighs. His eyes mirrored her desire and held hers captive. A shiver rippled along her spine as he guided his cock to her entrance and slid the tip of it up and down along her sex, coating it with her juices.

  “Do you feel it? Feel the need?” he demanded as he continued to tease her.

  Her heart jolted and pulse pounded. “God, Trevor! Yes. I feel it—need it right now!”

  Trevor pushed his hips forward and thrust his cock deep inside her. Cassandra fell back against the bed as she released a soft lingering moan, “Love…me…Trevor.”

  “I plan to. I will, love.”

  Initiating a cadence, Trevor supported his weight on his hands and pumped his hips hard against hers. Cassandra wanted more of him. She lifted her feet off the bed, circled her legs around his hips, and pushed her heels against his lower back, pulling him tighter against her. She met him thrust for thrust, circling and grinding her pelvis against his.

  Trevor’s breath hissed through his gritted teeth. “I love filling you like this, Cassie!”

  “Je-zus, Trevor!” she moaned, arching her body instinctively toward him as he increased his tempo. “Harder! Yes!” she breathed, sliding her hands around his thighs and digging her fingers deep in his flesh.

  At the same time, Trevor brushed the lace of her bra aside, and pulled a dusty pink nipple into his mouth as he reached down between their bodies, seeking her clit. He pulled, laved, and sucked at her nipple while he rubbed the sweet bundle of nerve endings in a circular motion.

  Cassandra’s head pressed into the bed as her back arched into him, hands fisting the covers. He knew exactly how to play her, touch her, drive her wild. She breathed in deep, soul-drenching gasps. The gentle stroking of his fingers and the pounding of his cock pushed her beyond thought. Soon her inner muscles rippled around his shaft in her impending orgasm.

  “Yes, babe. Come for me. I want to feel you squeezing my cock.”

  Leaning down, Trevor claimed her mouth hungrily, kissing her hard and deep as he continued his loving assault, their bodies coming together in urgent harmony. She moaned and whispered against his mouth, urging him on.

  Cassandra clenched her inner walls, squeezing tight as she sucked and rolled her tongue around his. A swift rush of heat slammed into her. Her entire body tightened and arched from the bed as her climax exploded inside her, forcing her head back and ripping his name from her lips in a scream, “Trevor!”

  “Fuck, Cassie girl! God!”

  Her body shook with the aftershocks and the pulses of electricity coursing through her, into her sex. Her muscles contracted and clamped down tight around his cock as he continued to thrust deeper and harder into her, pinning her to the bed.

  Trevor wanted to bury himself in her over and over until he exploded into his own release, but the need to taste her was stronger. Breaking contact and pulling from her, he slid down her body to kneel on the floor by the bed. He seized Cassandra’s hips, yanked her to the edge and draped her legs over his shoulders.

  “God Cassie! You’re so wet for me, babe. I just want to lick you until you burst again,” he whispered as he kissed her inner thigh and sucked her clit deep into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue. He took his time licking and lapping at the juicy folds of her sex.

  Cassandra whimpered, threaded her fingers through his hair and grasped it, holding him to her. “Trevor!” she cried out hoarsely in bliss.

  “Do you want me to fuck you with my tongue, babe? Tell me.”

  Cassandra reeled under the rush of sensations flooding her, her body still sensitive from her last release. “Damn, Trevor! Please! I love it when you do…but…I need to feel you!”

  Desperate to feel his bo
dy against hers again, she lifted her legs from Trevor’s shoulders, letting them drop to his sides. She cupped his nape and brought him to her for a hungry kiss that rivaled his intimate one. She tasted herself on his lips, licked along them, and plundered his mouth with her tongue. Trevor crawled his way back up her body, a groan escaping them as their tongues continued to dance along each other’s.

  Releasing Trevor’s face, Cassandra skimmed her hand down his chest to reach between them. Her fingers brushed across the velvety head of his hard cock. Her thumb rubbed across it, massaging the pre-come over and around it before wrapping her hand around his girth. She squeezed him gently as she began to pump her hand up and down along his length.

  “Cassie!” he growled against her mouth.

  Cassandra felt his cock expand and harden even more in her grasp. “Yes, babe?” she whispered in a shaky voice against his lips. “Please, Trev. Love me. Let me love you.”

  Her hand was like heaven but, while he loved what she was doing, he would much rather be buried inside her when he came. Spurred by her words, he covered her hand with his and guided the engorged head to her entrance. He rubbed it against her clitoris and a ragged moan escaped her lips. “I want you bad, Cassandra.”

  Before Trevor’s harsh whisper faded, he thrust deep, pumping his groin against hers in a hard tempo, enjoying the sight of his shaft slipping in and out of her body over and over again. A moan slipped through her lips with each thrust. Trevor twined his fingers through her hair, grasped it tightly, and turned her face to his so he could stare in her heavy-lidded eyes and at her plump parted lips. She looked sinfully beautiful. He lowered his mouth to hers, invading it with his tongue.

  Cassandra burned out of control, drowning in the sensation of Trevor’s grip on her hair, tongue loving her mouth, and cock filling her. She gasped in sweet agony as she moved her legs up around his hips and squeezed her muscles, tightening them around him as he pulled away and relaxing them as he sank back to the hilt. His tongue mimicked his hips, moving in and out of her mouth, twirling and brushing it along the inside of hers before withdrawing and biting on her lower lip.

  “Fuck! I love you, Cassie. So damn much.”

  Swooping back in, Trevor captured her mouth again and her sob filled it as he careened toward release. Her hands reached under his arms to grip his back, nails digging deep as she held him to her. He trailed his lips along the line of her neck to her collarbone as he skimmed his hands along her ribs to her breasts. Trevor flicked the nipples with his thumbs before squeezing and pulling one close to his mouth.

  His tongue laved around one of her nipples and his fingers kneaded the other as she arched her back, forcing her breast further into his mouth. The grazing and scraping of his teeth on her nipple triggered another orgasm to rip through her, forcing her body to stiffen and clamp around him rhythmically. Trevor couldn’t hold back any longer. “Cassie!” he cried out, giving in and allowing his own release to overtake him. He thrust wildly against her, groaning with each pulse of his cock, each squeeze of her body around him, grasping and milking him to the last drop. Collapsing over her, tired and spent, their breaths wheezed in and out, mirroring the erratic beat of their hearts.

  When they finally could breathe again and the racing of their hearts slowed, Cassandra looked at Trevor with a lazy, sated smile on her lips and love shining from her eyes. “So, I take it you feel good about the meeting.”

  “That was just the excuse. The truth is I just want you all the time,” he answered with a wicked glint in his eyes. He rolled over to lie on his back. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Trevor turned to his side and gazed down at her. “I love you. The great sex is just a bonus to the whole amazing trip we’re taking together.”

  Cassandra cupped his cheek. “So glad I tracked you down. I wouldn’t trade this for anything.” Smiling softly she leaned into him. “You’re stuck with me, you know?”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, love.”

  Chapter Three

  The Mole?

  “CASSIE! CHOP, CHOP!” TREVOR YELLED from the office.

  “Be right there!” Cassandra grabbed a towel, dried her face, and quickly ran a brush through her hair. “I can’t believe he let me sleep in!” she mumbled under her breath as she ran back into the bedroom and slipped into a lightweight dress. Feeling more awake, she hurried across hall to the office where Trevor was already hard at work.

  It had been three days since the meeting with Paul Faber; Trevor had been up to his ears in infiltrations, research, and collection of data that would help them pinpoint the origin of the hack that resulted in the theft of MDS’s files. Trevor had scrutinized the contents of the disk received from Faber and they now understood the importance of the stolen data.

  They had learned that the files in question were actually decryption software that could crack anything encoded with a certain algorithm by exploiting a secret vulnerability. The kicker was that the algorithm in question was the one used by most financial institutions around the world to process inter-bank fund transfers. That meant it allowed access to any bank’s system with the pressing of a few keys. The reach and repercussion of the usage of such software was astounding. It could bring the world financial market to its knees. It was the subject of nightmares for anyone in the software development field. Something so powerful could never be distributed at large.

  The NSA itself would’ve loved to have developed such software, have full control of its reach. Instead, it had been the brainchild of a small company on the brink of stardom, and now most likely had fallen into very wrong hands.

  Cassandra spotted the cup left by her computer the moment she walked through the door. The addictive aroma of coffee filled her senses and almost brought her to her knees. “Thank the Irish Gods!” Lifting the cup for a slow sip, she gazed at Trevor across their desks.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Took you long enough.”

  Cassandra flashed him a smile as she walked to his side of the office and dropped a kiss on his lips before sitting at her desk. “Hey, you’re the one who let me sleep in.” She pulled up her notes from the previous day. “So, where are we? Do you have anything new?”

  Trevor frowned as he filtered through all the information they had collected about the job. Crossing his hands behind his head, he leaned back in his chair and began to outline what they knew. “Based on the information provided by Faber and George, the data was taken about two weeks ago. Whoever took it erased the data from the server. Thankfully, Faber had copies of the source stored off-site. We also know the potential of the program.”

  Cassandra nodded in agreement. “Any crook in the world would love to get their hands on it.”

  “The good thing is the development of the decryption software was not completed when they took it. Maybe they thought they could hire someone who could easily do that, making it functional in no time. Lucky for us, it isn’t that easy. I’ve analyzed the code. It requires someone with a high-level understanding of parallel computing—not a lot of programmers with that skill out there.”

  Trevor watched as she scooted back from her desk, grabbed her cup, and sat on his desk facing him. He could see from the somber look in her eyes that she was deep in thought as she took a sip from her coffee before setting it aside.

  “Okay. Who can we trust at this point? Faber is the original developer. We can assume he doesn’t want his creation in the hands of criminals, based on the results of the facial analysis. Devlin’s out, too. His company would be in financial ruin if the defrauded companies filed suit. Other than that, I don’t think we can be sure of anybody.” She captured his eyes with hers. “Trevor, we need to be sure what’s at stake here and who’s involved. We don’t want a surprise like France.”

  Silence filled the air as they both contemplated those ramifications. Cassandra and Trevor had met betrayal and unforeseen circumstances on the first case they worked together. Knowing the players in this technological game of hide-and-seek had become
a must. Neither wanted to have to go through the pain of seeing the other hurt—again.

  Cassandra shook her head and continued, “Hey! What about the logs from the kernel-based keylogger software you installed on all the MDS computers? Did you check the new ones?

  He had infiltrated MDS the day he received the details of the case from Faber and installed a keylogger, small programs that gained access and recorded any information typed on the keyboard, on all of MDS’s computers. The keylogger he had installed was virtually undetectable. It had recorded any input to those computers from the time of its implementation and generated a daily log with the captured data. Trevor never ceased to be amazed by Cassandra’s attention to detail. “Get out of my head. I was about to check last night’s reports.”

  Her laughter wrapped around him like a warm blanket. He straightened in his chair and started typing commands to pull up the log files. Although they had full access to MDS’s network, which also gave them access to their email server, that wouldn’t be enough to track personal communications if the mole avoided using traceable means. “Everybody in IT can read emails. Whoever is involved will use something more inconspicuous, like instant messaging through social media sites. That’s why we needed to track keystrokes on every computer.” Smirking, he added, “They wouldn’t expect their own company to give an outsider root access to their entire network. So much for company privacy policies.”

  Cassandra watched his fingers fly across the keyboard and chuckled. Trevor looked like a mad pianist, hitting keys, creating magic with his fingers. Under her watchful gaze, he remotely accessed each of the computers targeted and retrieved the logs.

  “We have over fifty text files to go through. We can split them between us and be done in half the time.”

  “Yes, sir!” Cassandra sat back at her desk, eyes glued to the screen, scanning the files for any subtle clue as to who the mole could be.