“My passport’s in the house. I’m also thinking they’re probably parked down the road since we didn’t hear a car pull up. That might be a problem if there’s more than one of them.”
Paul cussed, suddenly feeling trapped. “We need our passports.”
“We need to live to tell this story to my niece or nephew,” Oliver quipped.
Paul rested the rifle he was holding on the table and pulled his phone from his pocket. A missed call from Simone lit up his screen. Ignoring it, he dialed 911 and took a deep breath.
“What is your emergency?”
“Yes, ma’am. My name is Dr. Oliver Reilly,” Paul answered, giving his brother’s name and the home’s address. “My brother and I just returned from a walk and there are intruders in our home. Can you please send someone?”
“Do you know how many there are, Dr. Reilly?” the operator questioned.
“We think there are two, maybe three men and it looks like they might be armed,” he continued.
“I have a patrol unit in route, sir. Please do not engage with the men. Our officers will be there any minute now. Are you in a safe location?”
“Yes, yes we are. We’re hiding in the barn behind the house,” he concluded. “And we definitely won’t engage them.”
When he disconnected the call, Oliver shot him a look, his eyes rolling skyward.
“It was just a little white lie,” Paul said, seeming to read his brother’s mind. “But if they ask where we walked to, you’ll have to answer. Make up whatever lie you need to.”
“Like I’ve ever gone walking in the dark around here! We’re both going straight to hell!” Oliver said. He turned and pulled the door open just a fraction to peek out. He noted the footprints in the light sprinkling of snow that covered the ground. They stopped just short of the barn and turned, heading back toward the other side of the house. He quickly closed the door and relocked it.
“Did you see anything?” Paul whispered.
Oliver shook his head. “No. Nothing good at least.”
The next few minutes felt like an eternity. At the sound of sirens careening toward them, Oliver returned both rifles to the cupboard and relocked the cabinet. He and Paul moved back to peek out the door. Three patrol cars from the Windsor Police Service pulled into the parking area behind the home and several officers exited with their weapons drawn. As one officer moved toward the barn, a second on his heels, the others entered the house through the rear door.
Paul slowly pulled the barn door open, he and Oliver both exiting with their hands raised. He announced them both. “I’m Dr. Paul Reilly, and this is my brother, Dr. Oliver Reilly.”
The officer recognized Oliver and greeted him with a nod. “Dr. Reilly, it’s Liam Trembley, sir. Are the intruders still inside the house?” he questioned.
Dropping his arms, Oliver shook his head. “Officer Trembley! I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. We’re not sure, but we didn’t see them leave. Once we saw them walking through the house, we locked ourselves here inside my office. Then we called you.”
The officer moved through the door and into the space. Oliver turned on the lights to give him full view of the room.
“This is some setup you have here, sir. What do you do?” Trembley asked, his gaze sweeping around the room.
“I’m a research scientist. Currently, I’m studying the impact of cancer cells on diseased tissue.”
“You a scientist, too?” the officer named Liam asked, directing his question toward Paul.
Paul shook his head, folding his arms over his chest as he tucked his hands beneath his armpits. “No, I’m a physician. I practice medicine in the United States. I’m here visiting my brother for the week.” Paul shot Oliver a look, beginning to sway nervously back and forth as he remembered the warrant with his name on it.
Another officer stepped out of the home and called out to them. “All clear! The house is empty.”
Officer Trembley gave them a nod as he moved back to the entrance. “Why don’t you go see if anything was taken? Officer Poole and I will take a look around out here.”
The two brothers both blew a sigh of relief, but the emotion was tentative. They couldn’t help but wonder if the two men were gone, where were they now and how long before they’d come back?
Paul knew what they’d been looking for and he couldn’t help but be concerned that maybe this time it hadn’t been their plan to let him survive. What would have happened if he and Oliver had been ambushed? Even thinking that things could have gone very wrong and he wouldn’t have been able to get back to Simone and their baby had him feeling some kind of way.
Nothing inside was out of place. The televisions were still intact, and Oliver’s gold watch rested on the counter. The police quickly eliminated theft as a motive for anyone to enter the home without permission. The brothers did as well, sensing the men Lender Pharmaceuticals had sent had invaded their space more interested in doing them harm than anything else. Paul had no doubt the drug company was still trying to shut him down.
“Is that your car parked down at the end of the road?” one of the officers questioned.
“No,” Oliver said. “We saw it when we came in but figured someone had just broken down and left it there.”
“One of my officers got the license plate and if we can’t reach the owner, we’ll have it towed to impound,” he said.
“And you said you’d been out walking?” another officer asked, looking from Oliver to Paul.
Oliver nodded. “We just wanted some air, so we walked down to the main road and over to that lot that’s for sale across the way. We’re thinking about buying it. We were out longer than we anticipated because Paul thought he saw a coyote. I thought it was a dog, but we wanted to wait until it went on its way just to be safe.”
“I’m pretty sure it was a coyote!” Paul muttered.
The two officers exchanged a look but said nothing. Officer Trembley stepped inside the home. “There are fresh footprints headed into the back woods, but they turn back around to the front of the house and cross through the yard. It looks like there were two people but there’s no sign of them and the car that was parked at the edge of your driveway is now gone. One of my men is going to dust for fingerprints and I’ll post a car at the end of the road tonight just to be safe.”
Paul nodded. “We’re actually headed back to the States tonight. I need to be back in Chicago tomorrow.”
“And I’m flying to Atlanta after I drop him home,” Oliver said. “I won’t be back until next week.”
“Just stay in touch with us,” Officer Trembley said. “And, if we have more questions, we’ll give you a call. There’s no sign of forced entry and with nothing missing I’m not sure we know what’s going on yet.”
Paul shot his brother a quick look. “I think I might have left the door unlocked. Do you think it could have been someone just being nosey?”
“That’s possible. We still want to err on the side of caution, though.”
“I appreciate that,” Oliver said, extending his hand to shake the other man’s.
Officer Trembley gave them both a slight smile. “My guys should be finished in about an hour, then we’ll get out of your way.”
“Take your time,” Oliver responded. “Can I get anyone coffee?”
The officers all shook their heads no and continued about their business. The two brothers stared at each other.
“I’m going to go pack,” Oliver finally said. “Let me know if they come up with anything.”
Paul nodded, his anxiety level at an all-time high. All he wanted in that moment was to get back to Simone. To get Lender out of their lives, and finally be done with the mess. He wanted to trust that whatever she had planned had to be far better than what they were currently going through.
His voice dropped to a low whisper. “You do that, big b
rother. Because as soon as they’re done, we’re getting the hell out of Dodge!”
Chapter 15
Paul wasn’t answering his cell phone and Simone didn’t know whether to be angry with him or worried for him. She’d left a half-dozen messages and he hadn’t bothered to respond to any of her calls. She’d even left a message for Oliver and that, too, had gone unanswered. It left an unsettled feeling in the pit of her abdomen, but she didn’t know whether to attribute that to nerves or morning sickness.
Dinner with her family had lasted longer than she’d planned but it had felt good to be back in the presence of her siblings. They kept each other grounded and she trusted that if she needed them, they would be there for her. Even Mingus and Ellington trying to instigate trouble was done in love and the back-and-forth banter that kept them laughing was everything.
She’d been tossing and turning for hours, unable to drift off to sleep. Despite her exhaustion and the long day ahead of her she knew she wouldn’t rest well until she heard Paul’s voice and knew he was safe. She blew a soft sigh. Tossing her legs off the side of the bed and then standing up, she wrapped a flannel bathrobe around the T-shirt and shorts she was wearing and slid her feet into a pair of plush slippers.
Moving to the living room she found Mingus wide awake, reading a novel under the light of his Kindle, and sipping on a glass of bourbon. His bare feet were propped against her coffee table. He’d made himself at home and looked very comfortable.
“You can’t sleep either?” she asked.
Mingus shrugged. “I wanted to finish this book,” he said, gesturing with the paperback in his hand. “You not feeling well?”
Simone shrugged as she dropped down onto the sofa beside her brother. “I can’t reach Paul. I don’t know if I should be worried or not.”
“Paul can handle himself if something comes up. That brother’s gone into war zones to administer medical care to refugees. There’s not a lot that can shake him. He’s tough. He’ll be all right.”
Simone leaned her head against her brother’s shoulder and extended her legs beside his. “I miss him.”
“I’m sure he misses you.”
Mingus reached for his glass and took a sip of his beverage. “Can I get you anything?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I just want to sit here for a minute.”
He nodded and returned to his book, his sister settling against him to calm her nerves.
Mingus had left the window blinds open, the patio door reflecting the view from outside. There was a full moon and Simone stared out at the late-night sky spattered with stars. Her brother was right. Paul was one of the most resourceful men she knew. He’d be fine and she trusted they’d be back in each other’s arms before she knew it.
She was just about to head back to her bed when there was a sharp knock on her front door. She sat up abruptly, shooting Mingus a quick look. Her brother gestured for her to stay put as he stood, pulling a large revolver from the waistband of his pants. He eased his way to the door and peered out the peephole. With a shake of his head, he secured his weapon and pulled open the door.
Paul stood anxiously on the other side. Simone jumped to her feet, excitement bubbling up as she threw herself into his arms. Her arms locked around his neck as he lifted her off the floor, her legs sliding around his waist and latching behind his lower back. The kiss was deep and intense, their two bodies so entwined that it was almost impossible for Simone to tell where hers began and his ended.
“I was worried about you,” Simone gasped when she finally pulled herself from him. “Why didn’t you return my calls?”
“Oliver and I ran into a little trouble. We had some unwanted company at the house.”
“That’s not good,” Mingus interjected.
Paul shook his head. “No, it’s not good. I don’t know how they found the house, but we got lucky.” He took a seat on the sofa and gave them a quick play-by-play of everything that had happened since she’d left Windsor.
Simone felt concerned. “Where’s Oliver now? Is he safe?”
Paul nodded. “He should be landing in Atlanta as we speak. I dropped him off at Detroit Metro and made sure he got on a plane before I came here.”
“He’s not going to his house there, is he?” Mingus asked.
“No. He’s going to stay with a friend.”
“I’m going to put security on him until this is over,” Mingus said as he began tapping a message into his cell phone. “When he calls, you tell him a man named Porter will contact him and will stay with him until I tell him otherwise.”
“That’s not...” Paul started before being interrupted.
“Yes. It is,” Simone said firmly. “It’s very necessary.” She hugged him again, feeling immensely blessed to have him back with her. She had missed him, but until he had walked through the door, she hadn’t realized just how much not having him there had actually hurt.
Mingus rolled his eyes skyward. “Well, on that note, I’m going to bed.”
“You’re staying?” Simone asked. “Now that Paul’s here...” She paused, though seeing her brother’s expression stalled her words.
“Until this is over, I am your personal bodyguard,” Mingus answered. “And that goes for you, too, Paul. I’m the third wheel until further notice. And if you need to strike out on your own, someone from my team will be with you.”
Paul extended his arm, the two men shaking hands. “Thank you,” Paul said.
Mingus nodded. “She’s got a full day tomorrow. You might want to make sure she gets some sleep.” His comment was more of a demand than a casual statement.
“I swear!” Simone exclaimed. “You’re not the boss of me, Mingus!” she yelled at her brother’s back as he exited the room and disappeared down the hallway.
Paul laughed as he pulled her back into his arms and hugged her close.
“He’s like having another father!” Simone quipped. “Even my dad’s not that annoying!”
“Your brother is a great guy. I appreciate him being here to support us.”
Simone shrugged. “Whatever!” She stepped out of his arms and took a step back. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something to eat?”
Paul shook his head. “No, thank you. I’m exhausted. All I want is a shower and a bed.”
Simone gave him a slight smile. “That I can make happen,” she said as she moved to check the door lock one last time. “And I plan to personally tuck you in and kiss you good-night,” she said, her voice dropping to a seductive tone.
As Paul smiled back, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind her to the master bedroom.
* * *
Hours later Simone’s stomach was doing flips and her whole body convulsed with pleasure as Paul lay between her parted legs, his mouth pressed possessively to her most private place. His touch was determined, his tongue lapping at her greedily. Her body arched and then dipped as heat swarmed through her nerve endings and electricity fired through each sinewy muscle. His touch was wanton and intoxicating and Simone gasped for air at the intensity of it.
A shower had been reinvigorating for them both. Simone had joined him beneath the flow of warm water, needing to feel his body pressed closely to hers. She had dropped to her knees to worship at the fountain of his maleness until she had him unsteady on his feet, his whole body shuddering with gratification. Their need for each other had been volatile, something decadent and explosive rising with a vengeance between them. It was unexplainable and left them both drunk with wanting until they could barely see straight, and rational thought seemed virtually impossible.
She struggled not to cry out, the bedclothes clutched so tightly in her fists that her nails were digging deep into her flesh. Her back arched again and all her muscles vibrated like strings pinged on a violin. His name rolled past her lips, the sweetness of it melting like chocolate aga
inst her tongue. Her body exploded, her orgasm hitting with an intensity that had her shaking. Her temperature rose exponentially, perspiration bubbling against her skin. It was sheer bliss.
Paul crawled slowly up her body, a line of damp kisses teasing her flesh. He licked her belly button, one nipple, then nuzzled his face in the fold of her neck. The aftershocks still had her quivering and he helped her ride out the last waves of her orgasm before rolling onto his side to lie beside her. He adjusted a pillow beneath his head.
Simone muttered something, her words incoherent. She laughed, her back twisting against the mattress as she stretched her limbs. The lilt in her voice bounced sweetly off the walls.
Paul chuckled. “You okay?” he asked, his eyes lifting to stare over at her. He dropped his hand to her tummy and allowed his palm to rest gently against her.
“I’m better than okay,” Simone finally answered. She shifted closer to him, needing to experience as much skin-to-skin contact as she could muster. She felt almost desperate for his body heat and the feel of his flesh against her own. Between missing him and worrying about him, her nerves had been frayed and she felt relieved to have him so close. “How about you?”
“I have no complaints,” Paul said with just the slightest nod of his head.
He curled himself around her body, cradling Simone in his arms. His eyes were closed, and she could tell he was slowly slipping into that warm space between wake and slumber. His breathing began to slow, air coming in low, even gusts past his lips.
Simone settled into the comfort of each exhale, the sound not quite a purr as Paul began to snore softly. Just as she felt herself slipping into sleep with him, his deep voice vibrated through the late-night air.
“I need to speak with your father.”
Simone nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay, but before I do, now that you’ve had some time to think, I need to know what you want. Where are we going from here, Simone?”
Simone heaved a deep sigh, the conversation coming sooner than she’d anticipated. But she owed Paul answers and she couldn’t continue to keep him hanging. He deserved better from her. Especially now that she was carrying his child.
Reunited By The Badge (To Serve & Seduce Book 3) Page 18
