Special Agent Maximilian Read online

  Special Agent Maximilian

  Mimi Barbour

  Sarna Publisher

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,

  and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination

  or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead,

  business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Special Agent Maximilian

  The Undercover FBI Series – Book 3

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced

  in any manner whatsoever without written permission

  of the author except in the case of brief quotations

  embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Steven Novak

  Edited by Tessa Shapcott & Amanda Beaty

  Proofread – Leandra Hanes

  Contents

  Special Agent Maximilian

  Praise for Mimi Barbour

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Afterword

  Special Agent Finnegan

  The Vegas Series

  Also Author of...

  A word about the author

  Contact me:

  Another in the spellbinding Undercover FBI Series

  by New York Times Best-selling author Mimi Barbour

  Identical twins but different men – she loves both.

  In this electrifying romantic suspense set in the steamy streets of New Orleans, Lieutenant Commander Nik Baudin, accidently meets up with an identical twin he never knew existed. When his brother Max goes missing, Nik assumes his identity as Special Agent Maximilian. This gives him access to FBI files making it easier to arrest the gangsters who attacked his brother and to stop their trafficking of underage girls. Being that Nik has specialized commando training, he’s the perfect man for the job – that’s if his PTSD doesn’t kick in and leave him cowering in a corner.

  Special Agent Maya Barnes can’t believe it when she spots her partner, Max Foster, wandering along the French market without a care in the world. Since he’d been beaten and had gone missing weeks earlier, they all believed him dead. There’s only one problem… though this man might look exactly like the missing agent, she knows differently. In all the years they’ve worked together, she’s never wanted to have mind-blowing sex with her partner before.

  Praise for Mimi Barbour

  Praise for the Undercover FBI Series

  “As far as I know, I have read everything Mimi Barbour has published, and I bought most of them. I keep coming back because I love her sense of humor and style of writing and I always fall in love with her characters.” ~ reviewed by A. Chambers

  “Deserving of 10 stars! Love this series and highly recommend any and all books by Mimi! ~ reviewed by Shirleen Miller

  “As a writer myself, I think that one of the true marks of an excellent author is solid, believable character development, and in my opinion, Mimi Barbour is the master of character development.” ~reviewed by Flo Barnett

  Dedication

  I have one son. It’s true – a fantastic child who I adore. And from the time he was born, there were two older boys in his life who he worshipped. He called them Mikki-Max, until he grew old enough to understand one was called Nik and the other’s name was Max.

  Every week for many years, these two brothers joined us for Sunday dinner along with their wonderful, funny, endearing father. As I watched them grow up, they taught me so many things – mainly how not to be too overprotective and to give my kid breathing space to be independent. For those lessons, I’m so grateful.

  Today, I’m incredibly proud of these two men and their accomplishments. And so I wrote Special Agent Maximilian and am now dedicating this book to them….for Mikki/Max!

  Love you guys!

  Chapter 1

  From the corner of his eye, Nik saw the redhead approaching, hair flying, face full of anger. He managed to duck in time to elude the fist aimed at his face, but the one that plowed into his belly caught him off guard.

  “Maximilian Foster! Where the hell have you been? I’ve searched high and low for your sorry ass for more’n a month. Everyone thinks you’re dead. And where do I find you? Sauntering in the French market as if you haven’t a care in the world.”

  Imprisoning her wrists before she did major damage seemed to be the most intelligent thing for Nik to do, but he hadn’t realized her skill. In seconds, she had him pinned to the wall of the shop next to where he stood—not wanting to hurt her, he’d let it happen.

  “Lady, what the hell is wrong with you?” He stamped down on his rising frustration. What’s going on with this crazy dame?

  “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with… are you kidding me? We’re partners, or have you forgotten that insignificant detail, and that it used to mean something?”

  Ah! So this was Max’s partner, Maya Barnes. Now what the hell was he going to do? Recently, he’d made the decision to fake being his twin, pretend he was Max Foster. But maybe he’d gone and spoiled the chance. Thinking quickly, he attempted to recover lost ground.

  “Maya? I’m sorry… I–I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything. I’ve been wandering around here praying something would be familiar. I’m sorry, I…” He choked on the word sorry since it wasn’t a word he was familiar with, but he knew his brother used it a lot. That stupid word, along with his twin’s winning smile, had no doubt gotten Max out of a lot of scrapes.

  “Dammit, Max, don’t try using that idiotic grin on me. You know it doesn’t work. We’ve been hunting for you for weeks. One day you were there and the next you’d disappeared. I figured the Mosleys had gotten you once you’d let it out that we were on to them.”

  Mosleys? She had it half right. They
had been after Max, and in the end had put a hit on him. Only they weren’t a local gang as the department thought. It went a lot deeper than just New Orleans bad boys. Seemingly, Max had clued into their operation, which had led back to Los Angeles. And it hadn’t only been drugs. Nope! Things had gone deeper and dirtier than even he’d suspected.

  Nik pretended a weakness he didn’t feel and let his body slouch to the side. At first her green sparklers flared with suspicion, then softness flooded her expression and she supported rather than shoved.

  “Oh God, Max. I’m sorry. You really are in a bad way, aren’t you? Come on, let me help you. We’ll grab a cup of coffee and you can tell me what happened.”

  Playing this lady while she was pissed hadn’t bothered Nik whatsoever, but lying to her when those big eyes plied him with an affectionate pity was another thing altogether. What the hell was he to do now?

  “I don’t really want coffee, Maya. Maybe I could just come to the office.”

  Not taking his refusal seriously, Maya wrapped her arm around his body, clamped her fingers on his wrist and half dragged him through the open doors to a nearby table at Café du Monde. She led him to a seat and sat across from him. “Don’t be silly, you love coffee. Look, you’re a rotten son-of-a-bitch, but I’m glad to see you. I couldn’t believe you’d leave me high and dry, worrying myself sick about what could have happened. Now it all makes sense.”

  Shaking his head, not understanding her logic, he just stared at her and waited. No doubt she’d enlighten him as to what she meant. He must have shown his lack of understanding because she assumed a disgusted look. “Stop being so dense! You might be a philandering S.O.B. and an unmitigated snob, but I’d never have believed you would treat me so shabbily. I guess I’m relieved to see I was right.”

  “You’re relieved to know I can’t remember anything? That I woke up in the ditch with a lump the size of an extra-large egg on the back of my head? God save me from trying to analyze the labyrinth of a female’s mind.”

  Maya sat with her mouth open; her eyes focused and didn’t utter a word. With a laser-like gaze, she drilled every spot of his face and then shook her head. “Even dressed like an army store reject, I’d swear you were Special Agent Maximilian Foster. Then you say something and I have to admit to having huge doubts. And just so you know, Max’d die before appearing in public looking like G.I. Joe.”

  Nik had seconds to decide his future. To make up his mind if he was serious about going after the people who’d beaten his brother and left him broken, covered in blood and lying in a ditch. Guessing there had never really been a choice, he replied softly, “I’m sorry, Maya. You’re the first person I’ve remembered, even remotely. That is, I know your name, but that’s about it. You have to believe me when I tell you that I can’t remember anything after being struck. My own clothes were covered in blood and I got these cheap. After all, I only had ten bucks in my pocket—no wallet, no I.D. I’m a mess, and I guess I need your help.” Instinctively, watching the caring flood her face, he reached out his hand and she grasped his fingers and squeezed. Hard.

  Her eyes, piercing green shards, speared him. “You lying piece of shit. I don’t know what your game is but you aren’t, and never could be, Max. Now who the hell are you and what’s going on?”

  Chapter 2

  Maya had no doubt at all that the man sitting across from her was not her partner. He didn’t have that same sly grin, or the habit of letting his gaze slide away when the subject got uncomfortable. This one looked her straight in the eye and never smiled at all.

  Before she could follow up her confrontation, his narrow-eyed stare transferred to something happening behind her. A nasty male voice shouting about sloppy brats registered, next a fist hit the table, the sound loud and threatening. Then a woman’s voice pleading, “Sandi didn’t mean to spill it, Hank,” sunk in.

  To her utter shock, Max, or whoever he was, flew from a sitting position to lunge across the room. His speed stunned her. When motivation demanded any excess energy, Maya knew her Max could move fast, but this guy was supersonic. One minute, he sat facing her and the next he was gripping the raised arm of a man two tables away.

  Not being any slouch herself, she quickly followed and saw what was going down. Max’s double had a fat dude in a hold that denied him any leverage to fight back, while a little girl, no more than five years old, with spilled juice dripping from the front of her dress and down the table, became hysterical. The woman, who Maya presumed to be the child’s mother, looked frozen from fear.

  Taking in the situation as she was trained to do, Maya crouched down so she could gather the little one close and calm her. Watching the struggle taking place between the two men, she motioned to the frozen woman to come to her and get away from the action that could erupt at any minute. Mind you, Max’s double seemed to be in complete control of the situation. Looking bored by the bullying antics the slimeball was trying to pull, he tightened his hold. Doing something amazing with the fingers of his right hand near the other man’s neck, she watched as the big bruiser slumped into unconsciousness.

  Max’s double lowered the guy’s body onto a chair, leaning him against a pillar and positioning him to look as if he was napping. Then he picked up the other fallen chair before he turned toward the shaking woman still frozen in place, unable to move. He took her arm and guided her away from the rest of the crowd. With his head bent to listen, it was obvious that his gentle manner soothed her.

  Maya couldn’t hear what was being said, but she saw him take a wad of money from his pocket, hold it out to the crying mom and wrap her fingers around it so she clutched it tightly.

  She switched her attention to the sobbing child in her arms. “I hate Hank. He’s a big ol’ meanie.” Though the words were whispered, Maya heard them loud and clear.

  “Is he your daddy?” Knowing that nowadays nothing could be taken for granted, she decided to get the information rather than chastising the girl.

  “No! And I wished he didn’t live with us. He’s a big poopy-mouth, so there.” Sniffling, her face once again hidden in Maya’s neck, the almost-baby clung tight and began to wail loudly.

  Hiding her grin, Maya rocked back and forth, trying to calm the child as best she could until the mother’s reaching hands came into view. Maya transferred the shaking little person into the arms of the still terrified, embarrassed woman. With eyes full of tears and something else that looked like hope, the mother hugged her darling close. Maya questioned, “Are you okay?”

  Skinny and trembling, her blonde hair scraped back into a pony-tail that did her no justice, the mom smiled shakily and nodded. “I am now. Your man just gave me the means to escape, and Sandi and I will be free. We’ll go and gather our things from the trailer and be on the next bus before Hank can find us.” After she had spoken, she opened her fist to show a stack of bills that looked to be at least five hundred dollars.

  Maya patted her shoulder and smiled. “I’ll hang here until the cops come and arrest Hank for disturbing the peace. By the time they get him to the station and take their time booking him, it should give you a few more hours to make your escape.”

  “Bless you. That’ll really help. I’ll be able to properly quit my job and get the money owed before we leave.” The tears flowed steadily now. “I’ve been trapped for what seems like forever. I can’t believe we’ll soon be free.”

  “We going to leave Hank, Mama?” Wet eyes glowing, the little doll patted her mother’s cheek to get her attention.

  “Yes, baby. We’re going on a bus trip, just you and me.”

  “Goody!”

  Amazed how quickly a youngster’s tears could end when happiness flooded out fear, Maya shared their pleasure with a spontaneous hug that made the world brighter. Then, she kissed the baby cheek of the now excited and happy little angel. Looking at the mom, she added. “Good luck, honey. You get away from that idiot and find a nice place to settle down. Make sure it’s safe, and introduce yourself to the l
ocal police; let them know about this scum, and that you want a restraining order placed in case he finds you.”

  Waving to Sandi as the two rushed away, Maya checked the sleeping fool to be sure he was still out cold and pulled her phone from her pocket. She scanned the restaurant for Max’s double. Last time she’d seen him, he’d been talking to the owner and soothing ruffled feathers. Now he was nowhere to be found.

  “Aw, shit! Not again.”

  Chapter 3

  Nik knew he shouldn’t have disappeared from the restaurant and left Maya to deal with everything, but he needed time to think. After all, before his capture, his twin brother Max had come to him for help and he’d promised to do whatever he could.

  Unfortunately, the incident in the cafe had put the fear of God into Nik. He’d used every ounce of willpower he could dredge up not to damage that child-abusing bastard in a really bad way. Mind churning with fury, his hands had itched to leave lasting scars. Hearing the brutal manner the asshole had used with the little one had brought back memories best forgotten. Memories he couldn’t seem to push back into the niche in his head where they’d been stored for years.

  As he walked, the military counselor’s warnings popped into his head. He’d been forced to retreat from active duty for the time being because of an injury and insomnia—most likely caused by a form of PTSD. Thinking back at how he, and a lot of his friends, had scoffed at the idea of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, thinking themselves immune, he shook his head at their insensitive stupidity.

  What had the doc said? No anxieties or hassles! No alcohol and absolutely no drugs. Exercise, good food, lots of sleep; then the nightmares would fade and the panic would be more controllable.

  Since he drank very little and never did drugs, or hadn’t since his misspent youth, that hadn’t been a problem for him. As far as the stress went—well, that seemed to be his biggest threat.

  On the other hand, earlier, when he reacted to the circumstances at the restaurant, he hadn’t lost control. Tough as it had been, he’d stayed cool. Though his heart had taken a shit-kicking, much more than it used to when he’d been in dire situations, it hadn’t choked him or made him lose consciousness. Not like the last time.