Max Read online

  Max doesn’t consider himself fearful of relationships, he just doesn’t want to commit to the wrong man, and Sydney Marshall couldn’t be more wrong.

  Love and relationships aren’t exactly on Maxwell Shaw’s to-do-list. Give him a few drinks and a one night stand any day of the week. When his boss assigns him the task of flirting with Sydney Marshall online to gain information, Max knows he’s perfect for the job. The job is one of the easiest he’s ever been given. Max finds out very quickly that nothing about Sydney is easy. That becomes even more apparent when Sydney asks Max to meet him. From that moment on, Max is smitten. Not only is Max in over his head in the love department, but it’s with a man whose either bound for death or prison.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Max

  Copyright © 2016 April Kelley

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0900-5

  Cover art by Latrisha Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

  Look for us online at:

  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  Max

  Demon Elite Book Seven

  By

  April Kelley

  Chapter One

  Sydney Marshall’s streak of reckless, bad ideas was at an all-time high. Even as he typed a message with a silly grin on his face, he knew texting Max was stupid. It was stupid because Max just so happened to be excellent at his job as an assassin on one of the best teams in the entire country.

  He was a glorified cop, and Sydney was a criminal.

  Despite his status as a good hitman, Sydney didn’t really think he made a very good criminal, either, so the chances of Max putting him in jail were pretty high.

  So yeah, openly flirting with a member of the Demon Elite team was definitely on the top of his list of the most self-destructive choices he had ever made. Sydney shrugged. His destruction was imminent anyway, so talking to Max wasn’t going to make it worse.

  Max flirting with him made him smile and took the boulder off his shoulders while Sydney was texting him. Plus, Sydney liked Max’s honesty. He didn’t seem to hold anything back and didn’t blow smoke up Sydney’s ass, which he appreciated even if it didn’t make Sydney trust him.

  So what are you doing tonight? Max texted Sydney. Sydney knew his smile softened his eyes a bit. He was just glad Max wasn’t there to see it.

  Meeting someone. No way was he telling Max that he had a gram of cocaine in his pants pocket for the express purpose of bribing his druggie informant.

  Do you have time to chat? Max asked. It was yet another thing he liked about Max. He didn’t ask any questions or probe Sydney for information, even though that was Max’s job. Max had fully confessed that he had been assigned to talk to Sydney for the express purpose of finding out about the contract Sydney had supposedly taken on Justin, Demon Elite’s team leader, and Reggie Mize, Victoria Mize’s much nicer brother.

  For now, he’d let Max talk some of his stress away.

  Sure, but I still don’t know shit about the hits on your people. Someone else took those hits. Not sure why they’re impersonating me. When Sydney found out who it was, he’d kill them. But first he had to figure out why.

  The fact that Reggie Mize was one of Demon Elite’s people was fucking hilarious, given his familial ties to Victoria, who ran one of the biggest sex slave operations in the entire country. Since Victoria was a known enemy of Demon Elite, Sydney found that to be sweet justice all by itself. Reggie turning on his sister was like him holding up a gigantic middle finger to her.

  What do you know about mundane conversation?

  Are you asking me what my favorite color is?

  We can start with that.

  Sydney picked up the remote and clicked on the television that sat against the far wall. The six o’clock news came on, providing background noise. The silence was strange for Sydney. He had moved to this new apartment three months ago. He was on the sixth floor, which seemed just enough distance from the street so he wouldn’t hear the cars below. Sydney had thought he’d like it better, that getting away from the shitty neighborhood he came from with revved car engines and gunfire would be great. Come to find out the silence was what would send him over the edge of insanity. Who knew the neighborhood his mother had orphaned him in would be so ingrained into his DNA.

  It’s purple.

  Why purple?

  He’d never had anyone ask him why he liked the color before. Why does anyone like a color? What’s your favorite?

  Green.

  Why do you like that color?

  It was one of the colors for my high school football team. I was the quarterback, and my stepdad was one of the coaches. Got to spend a lot of time with him.

  Well, that answer was unexpected. Why are you telling me this?

  LOL, I have no idea. In a mood, I guess. So what are you wearing?

  Seriously. Sydney rolled his eyes. Max had to be the horniest man on the face of the planet. It was the third time he’d asked Sydney that, and each time Sydney refused to answer. Although it wasn’t the third time today, so that made it a little better.

  Sydney grinned evilly. What would happen when he actually answered the question? Jeans, T-shirt, and a black leather jacket.

  Take a picture for me.

  No.

  Please. I’ll take a picture for you. Sydney chuckled and waited to see if he would do it. Sydney was just glad both phones were secure. He knew his was, because he’d paid good money for the service. No way would a Demon Elite team member not have a secure line.

  Sydney was under no illusions that their conversations weren’t being read by someone else on the Demon Elite team, though.

  A picture came up on his phone a second later, and he forgot all about security. Hell, he forgot his own name for a second as he looked at Max’s gorgeous face and naked chest. He clicked on it, making it bigger. If this was, in fact, Max, then he was the hottest man Sydney had ever seen. He had slicked wet hair and an easy smile. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief, which didn’t come as a surprise to Sydney. He had a dark blue towel around his waist and not much else. Sydney’s dick hardened just looking at Max. He adjusted it in his jeans, trying to get it into a more comfortable position.

  Is that really you?

  Yes. Have I lied to you yet?

  No, Max hadn’t. He’d been forthcoming about things that he probably shouldn’t have told Sydney. Even Sydney could admit that.

  Sydney typed. You show anyone my picture and I’ll rip your dick off your body. Sydney held his phone out in front of him. He smirked and took a picture, sending it to Max immediately.

  He didn’t get a response for several long, intimidating minutes. He was starting to feel a little self-conscious and then his phone rang. He looked at Max’s name as it flashed on his screen. Max
had never called him before.

  His heart beat in his chest, and he tried to calm some of his nerves by taking deep breaths. It didn’t help. He’d fake it, then. He pressed the talk button. “Hi.”

  “Well, hello there. I’m surprised you answered.”

  Sydney closed his eyes and willed his voice to even out. “Me too.” Damn it. He sounded nervous even to his own ears. “Why are you calling me?”

  “I just wanted to see if your voice was as sexy as the rest of you.”

  “That is such a line.” Sydney chuckled, and some of his nervousness disappeared.

  “Maybe a small line, but it’s still true.” Max’s voice was deep and just a little bit raspy, as if he’d just finished fucking and was coming down from his orgasm. Or that was the image that popped into his mind whenever the man spoke. He could read a pamphlet about farming out loud, and Sydney would still think about sex.

  “Won’t your boss be mad that you’re fraternizing with the enemy?” Sydney adjusted his cock again and then decided just to open his pants and let his hard cock breathe so the discomfort wouldn’t grow. He unbuttoned his pants and was going to unzip, but Max distracted him with his next words.

  “I’d have to consider you an enemy first.”

  “I thought your team did.”

  “They might. But I don’t.”

  “Why is that?” Sydney found it odd that Max’s opinion was different than the rest of his team. He must know something that Sydney didn’t.

  “Can we talk about it face to face?” Max asked.

  “I’m not meeting you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’re gonna take me to jail.”

  “Have you done anything to go to jail?”

  Sydney snorted. “You know I have. You probably have a file on me two inches thick.”

  “It’s three inches thick.”

  “Very funny.”

  “Meet me and I’ll tell you what I know. Just you and me. I promise.”

  Sydney had no guarantee Max would actually give him information, and he wasn’t willing to take the chance. Not when he had a good informant that would get him the information he needed. “I’ll think about it.”

  Sydney unzipped his pants and let the flaps fall open. He breathed a sigh of relief when he set himself free just a bit.

  “What are you doing?” Apparently, Max decided to change the subject.

  “Getting more comfortable. What are you doing?”

  “Picturing you naked.”

  Sydney chuckled. “You’re such a fuck boy.”

  “Fuck boy?”

  “A player. A heartbreaker. A man that only likes one night stands.”

  “I’ve never broken anyone’s heart. Everyone I’ve fucked knows the score.”

  “Is that so? So if I said I wanted to fuck right now, you’d be down for that?”

  “Yeah. You just say when and where.”

  “Right here. Right now.”

  “Like phone sex?”

  “Yeah.” Sydney wrapped his fingers around his cock through his underwear and held it. “Or aren’t you good enough to turn me on over the phone?” Max was already making him horny, which was why his mouth overrode his brain and made him challenge the man in the first place.

  Max chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”

  Oh god, Sydney was in way over his head. He was a fucking man-whore magnet. What Sydney wanted was hearts and flowers, yet somehow he was settling for a quick no-strings-attached phone sex. He should feel disgusted with himself, and he supposed that would come later. The chuckle of excitement that welled up in his chest didn’t leave room for backing out.

  He told himself he needed the release. Max’s sexy, raspy voice talking him through an orgasm sounded good.

  Max was someone he’d never meet in person anyway. Despite Max’s words to the contrary, they were, in fact, enemies. Sydney would have to be desperate or crazy to meet Max, and he was neither.

  “I’ve never done this before, and you probably have, so talk me through it,” Sydney said.

  “All right. Do me a favor and take off your jacket”

  Sydney put the phone on speaker and sat forward just enough to follow Max’s order. “You want my shirt off too?”

  “Yeah. And then take a picture for me.”

  “No way. Do you think I’m stupid? I know your boss reads our messages. Hell, you’re recording our conversation, most likely.”

  “The messages are read by some of my team, yeah. No one is in on our phone conversation but the two of us, though. That’s why I called you instead of texting.”

  Sydney took a deep breath and let it out. “I’m still not sending you a naked pic. If you want that, then you’ll have to find another way.”

  “What other way?”

  Sydney chuckled. “If you don’t know, then your team didn’t do enough research.”

  For several seconds, Max didn’t say anything. When he did, it sounded like he was a man on a mission. “Are you saying there are naked pictures of you somewhere?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Oh, man.”

  “Go fish, fuck boy.” Sydney grinned and pulled his shirt over his head.

  “I will. After we’re finished.”

  Sydney chuckled. There weren’t naked pictures of him that Max would find. The strip club he used to work for had a website that still had his picture on it, but he wasn’t fully nude in it. In fact, he had on boy shorts, and he was on his hands and knees facing the camera. The shadows were so dark only his face and shoulders were visible.

  “I’m naked from the waist up.”

  “Okay, then just lie back on the bed and let me take care of you.”

  Considering the experience was the first, last, and only one he’d get with Max, he was going to do exactly that. Sydney lay back, his head cradled by a pillow, and let Max’s voice wash over him.

  Chapter Two

  Sydney sat across the table from Twiggy. In all the years he’d known Twiggy, he had never looked quite so drugged out. Maybe it was the dark lighting in the bar. Sydney hoped it was the lighting, but he doubted it.

  Sydney eyed Twiggy carefully, trying to see just how fucked up his informant truly was at that moment. His eyes were red-rimmed as if he had been crying, although it was more likely he was high. He was thinner than the last time Sydney had seen him, which didn’t seem possible, considering they’d just had a meeting a couple weeks ago.

  “When was the last time you got high?” Sydney asked.

  “Two hours ago.” Twiggy looked away, seeming to fold in on himself slightly. His shoulders were so tense they were practically in his ears, and Twiggy had a hard time sitting still. He kept moving on the seat. “Do you have the stuff?”

  “Yeah, but the shit is killing you, Twig. How about you give me information, and I take you to rehab as payment instead?”

  “That wasn’t the deal.”

  “It’s a better deal than me giving you drugs, man.”

  Twiggy clamped his mouth shut and looked away.

  His movements reminded Sydney of a dog wiping its ass on the grass to keep the shit from sticking to its fur. Only Twiggy couldn’t go as far, because the bench style seat didn’t go out far enough. He moved back, his back resting against the red vinyl, then scooted up again.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you? Does your ass hurt or something?” Sydney’s felt great. He’d finally gotten something in it for the first time in forever. Even if it was his own fingers, just imagining it was Max’s long hard cock was enough to satisfy him, even now.

  Twiggy sat forward, leaning over the table. His eyes widened with desperation. The red veins, squiggling across the whites of his eyes, were more visible than ever. “I’m coming down, man.”

  Sydney sighed and dug the baggy full of drugs out of his pocket. He fisted it in his hand, laying his arm on the table. Twiggy looked at it as if willing him to open it up an
d show him.

  “Tell me what you found out first.”

  “Harvey Guthrie. That’s who’s trying to fuck with you. He’s saying he’s you, killing the person, and then leaving the body for the police to find. Like right out in the open. He even called the police himself on one of the hits. That’s how I know it’s him. I got a guy who knows. He told me. My information is good, Syd.” Twiggy’s eyes widened and he breathed heavily, leaning on the table. The way he looked at Sydney spoke of his drug-induced paranoia.

  Sydney ignored Twiggy’s growing desperation and asked, “Why?”

  “Don’t know. He works for Victoria, but no one’s supposed to know that. He’s running the whole show right now for some reason. Maybe something happened to her. I don’t know, man. I heard she’s being cagey.” Twiggy rocked in his seat. “You know how she worked for the government, right? Right. Well, she doesn’t anymore. Feds are after her. Guthrie’s wiping her ass right now. You want me to find out what’s going on with her.”

  “Maybe. Tell me about this Guthrie guy.” What Sydney wanted to know was why Victoria and Guthrie were using his name. What was their goal in doing that?

  “He’s working out of a warehouse on the south side. He’s supposed to be there until late tonight, and then he’s going to do a job, using your name again.”

  “How do they know each other?”

  “Guthrie used to work for her father back in the day. He’s loyal to her.”

  “Why use my name?” Sydney mumbled to himself, finally voicing the question, as if saying it out loud would help him figure out the answer.

  “I don’t know, man. I don’t know.” Twiggy repeated the words a few more times before Sydney couldn’t take it anymore.

  He grabbed Twiggy’s hand with his free one and then dumped the baggy into it. Twiggy clutched the drugs to his chest immediately, a look of relief crossing his face.

  “You’re an idiot if you think the drugs don’t have control of you,” Sydney said, unable to keep the disgust off his face. Sydney stood as much as the table would allow, grabbing Twiggy by the shirt. “Next time, the payment won’t be drugs. I’m fucking done helping you kill yourself. If you want to die, then I’ll put a bullet through your fucking skull, Twiggy. It’s a lot quicker.”