Castle Investigations Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  The meeting adjourned, and Maggie went to her room. There were still a few hours left in the work day, but her mind was elsewhere. She was tired. The kind of tired that went right down to her bones.

  She dropped her duffel bag onto the floor and kicked it back under her bed. Stumbling to the bathroom, she washed her face and slipped out of her jeans. Dressed in her t-shirt and panties, she slid into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

  Sleep eluded her. Exhaustion pulled at her like a nagging puppy, nipping at her fingers and toes.

  A soft knock sounded at the door. It was dark in her room, the sun setting on the other side of the building. It felt much later than it actually was.

  "Come in," she managed to croak out. Her voice was tired and hoarse from crying today.

  The door opened, and a large frame blocked the light streaming in from the common area. It was Sully.

  "Hey," he said quietly, shutting the door behind him.

  Maggie gave him a sad smile. "Hey, yourself."

  "Mind if I join you?" he asked, pointing to the other side of the bed. She patted it lightly.

  The bed dipped as Sully's weight sank into the mattress. He was such an overpowering presence. Not just in his size, but also in his heat, his smell, his being. It all melded together into a delicious awareness that overwhelmed her senses.

  "You ok?" he asked, taking her hands in his.

  "As ok as I can be. I'm worried about Brady. He doesn't deserve this."

  "I know. I don't think Garmoni will hurt him, though."

  "How can you be sure?" Maggie rested her head on Sully’s shoulder, grateful for his presence.

  "It's just my gut feeling. It's his own flesh and blood. These mob guys are serious about their progeny. And I think he wants you as well. He'll use Brady to get to you."

  A chill ran down her spine at the thought of Anthony getting his hands on her again. She'd rather die.

  "I won't let him," Sully promised.

  Maggie knew Sully meant it. She just wasn't sure he'd be able to keep that promise.

  "You don't know him like I do."

  Sully turned towards her, lifting her chin with his hand to gaze into her eyes. "I will keep you safe, Pixie. I promise."

  Instead of arguing with him, she leaned closer, placing her lips on his. The kiss started sweet and soft, but soon she lost herself in the feel of his mouth moving against hers. His hands roamed up her sides under her shirt, brushing her ribs with his thumbs. Pressing herself closer to him, Maggie climbed out from under the covers, placing her legs across Sully's lap.

  His growl made her pull her mouth away from his. "You're not wearing any pants," he said roughly.

  "I don't like resting in jeans and didn't feel like putting anything else on."

  Sully chuckled. "You're driving me crazy."

  "I hear sanity's overrated."

  Sully threw his head back in laughter. It didn't happen often, this man laughing with total abandon, and it was a sight to behold. Sully's eyes crinkled at the corners as his smile lit up his entire face. The sound of his throaty laughter did funny things to her insides.

  Maggie placed her hands on each side of his face. "I love to hear you laugh."

  Sully's face reddened under her scrutiny. He took her hands in his and pulled them down to her sides. "It doesn't happen often."

  "Just makes it all the more special."

  "You're special," he said. "I will keep you safe, Mags. If it costs me my life, I will do it."

  "I don't want it to cost you your life. I like having you around."

  "You like me, huh?"

  "You haven't figured that out with all the kissing?" she teased.

  Sully's warm laughter rang out again. "So that's what all that was about?"

  "You're such a goofball," she said, her Southern accent prominent in the words.

  "And you're stunning," he said, tugging lightly at a lock of her pink hair.

  This time, Sully kissed her first, his lips warm and wet and pressing against hers with the perfect amount of pressure. She opened to him, and his tongue swept in, finding hers and stroking against it in a move that she felt all the way to her toes. Her desire built inside her, and, for a moment, she forgot about her troubles, forgot about Garmoni, and all she could do was feel. Sully. Want. Sully.

  Sully lifted her, flipping her onto her back as he hovered over her. The press of his large body against hers was delicious. His muscled arms bulged on either side of her head, and she reached up to take hold of his biceps. She moaned out loud, and Sully's lips turned up in a smile.

  "Like that?"

  She nodded, too overcome with desire to say much of anything. Her hands trailed from his arms to his abs, feeling each ridge of his six-pack. He kept himself in tip-top shape with boxing, martial arts, and weight lifting. All the guys practiced on the bottom floor each day, grappling and sparring and taunting each other in the weight room.

  The result was a man that was perfect in every way. Leaning down, he devoured her mouth, his tongue diving in and out. He licked her bottom lip, then bit down softly, causing a yelp to escape her. He grinned against her mouth, then pulled her lip inside his mouth, sucking away the pain. She could feel the pull low in her belly. His mouth traveled down to her neck, and he kissed her just above her collarbone. Then he moved back to her lips, showing her just how good being with him could be.

  Bang, bang, bang!

  Maggie jerked up quickly, her head bumping into Sully's eyes.

  "Ouch!"

  "Dammit!" they said at the same time.

  "Sorry," Maggie muttered as she rubbed her forehead. Sully reached for the bedside lamp and switched it on, and light flooded the room. Maggie saw that his eye was already turning black and blue. Oops.

  Sully crawled off the bed and opened the door.

  Lucas stood there, a smirk on his face.

  "You letting girls beat you up now?" he asked.

  Sully rubbed his eye and went over to her dresser to look in the mirror hanging above it.

  "Damn, Pixie. You've got a hard head."

  Lucas came inside the room, and Maggie remembered that she was sitting there in her underwear. She yanked the covers up over her lap and tried to look innocent. The look on Lucas's face ruined that notion. He knew exactly what they'd been up to in here.

  "Sorry to interrupt," he snickered. "Zach told me to bring this up to you." He handed Maggie a phone. "He also said to keep it on you at all times, and not to answer it unless someone is with you."

  "Thanks, Lucas."

  "I’m heading out, boss. Going to spread the word about Maggie wanting to talk to Anthony, and see if I can find out where he's hiding the kid."

  "You going alone?" Sully asked.

  "No. Ethan's coming with me."

  "Good. I'd prefer that no one from the team go anywhere alone right now."

  "Roger that. I'll keep you posted," Lucas said as he walked back to the door and stopped, looking back over his shoulder. "You kids behave."

  "Shut up, Lucas," Sully growled.

  Lucas's laughter was his only answer.

  Chapter 11

  Sully woke the next morning before anyone else was around. He prepared his coffee and took a shower, then went downstairs to see if Zach had discovered anything overnight. Zach seldom slept, which worked out great for Sully's odd hours as well. He was known for going to bed well into the early morning or rising at three-thirty to work out and get started on the day. They'd all learned to operate without much sleep. He and Zach, though, were on a whole other level.

  When Sully reached Zach's computer room, it was empty. He must have stayed up late and was now sleeping. Good for him.

  Sully went to his office, checking his desk for any messages that Zach might have left. He'd never leave something really important there, but he might leave a clue that he'd found something so that Sully would follow up with him that morning.

  Sure enough, a Post-it note was stuck to the lid of Sully's laptop.


  Found something. Not sure what it means yet. Conference room 8:30 a.m.

  That was still a couple of hours away.

  Sully dropped the note into the trash can and went back upstairs. The common area was still quiet. He tapped lightly on Maggie's door and pushed his way inside. She wasn't in her bed, but he could hear the sound of the shower running in her bathroom.

  Pushing the thought of Maggie naked in the shower out of his mind, he decided to make breakfast for them. They'd eaten dinner last night, sitting around the kitchen bar. He'd made homemade ramen, and they'd talked about Brady.

  She was a good mom. He knew she thought otherwise. He could see the guilt in her eyes when she talked about having had to leave him. But she'd done it to keep him safe. Maggie had sacrificed her own happiness to secure her little boy's future. She wasn't just a good mother; she was an amazing one.

  The two of them had watched Netflix for a couple of hours, and Maggie had fallen asleep in his arms. He'd lifted her off the couch and laid her on the bed, where she'd pulled him on top of her when he bent down to kiss her good night.

  "Stay," she'd whispered.

  And man, how he'd wanted to. Wanted to curl up against her small, warm body and wake up with her in his arms. But she was tired, and he needed to keep his distance as much as he could.

  Although that was getting harder and harder to accomplish. She kept drawing him in, spinning her web, and he was willingly getting caught up in it.

  He had left her, sleepy and mussed, and had gathered all his willpower and stayed in his room the entire night—where he'd promptly tossed and turned, thinking of Maggie: her pink hair, her perfect, pouty lips, and her deep blue eyes. His fairy tale princess.

  But he wasn't her prince. He was her poison apple. Everything he loved ended up being put in danger. Sure, Isabel had come out all right, but his mom—she'd paid the ultimate price.

  He wouldn't put Maggie in that kind of danger.

  As if he’d conjured her up, he heard her bare feet smacking against the floor.

  "What's that you're making?" she asked, grinning widely and propping herself up on the stool. The thing about short people was that sitting on stools was never graceful. But even Maggie's struggle to master the seating arrangement was adorable.

  Sully lifted an eyebrow, and she gave him a mock scowl. He laughed.

  "Pancakes. Bacon. Coffee."

  "Sounds amazing."

  "It is," he said matter-of-factly.

  "Humble much?"

  "Not often."

  She laughed. He smiled back and set two plates on the bar, then poured two cups of coffee and sat down next to her.

  She didn't even wait for him to be seated. Maggie dug into her pancakes and ate with gusto. He loved that she wasn't a fragile flower, nibbling at her meals as if she were worried about carbs or calories. No, Maggie wasn't afraid to eat, and she wasn't afraid to fight.

  He loved that about her.

  He paused as he caught himself thinking the word. Love. He couldn't love Maggie. Not yet, anyway, but he could definitely see this turning into that.

  But he did like her. A lot.

  "Any news?" she asked, once she'd cleaned her plate.

  "Zach said he needed to talk at eight-thirty a.m. I'm not sure what he's found or what it's related to. I imagine that if he'd found Brady, he would have woken us. So I'm guessing it's a piece of the puzzle."

  Maggie took in the news and then breathed in deeply. Then she looked up to check the time on the microwave clock.

  "We'll find him," Sully assured her. And he would. He'd spare no expense. They would find her little boy if it was the last thing he did. Clichéd? Sure. But it was also the truth.

  "Thank you, Sully." Maggie touched his leg, and he could feel the electricity flow from where her hand had lingered, and then spread throughout his body. No woman had ever made him feel this way. He wasn't a priest. He'd had a girl in every port, so to speak, when he'd been in the Marines. But over the last couple of years, he'd grown bored with the barhopping scene.

  And then when his friends had started settling down, he'd decided that that was what he wanted, too. He knew he couldn't have it. Didn't deserve it. But he wasn't satisfied with settling for less anymore, either.

  "You're welcome. Let's go downstairs and get ready for the meeting. Maybe we can catch Zach beforehand."

  Sully put their plates in the dishwasher and took Maggie's hand as they took the elevator down to the offices.

  Zach was already in the conference room, even though they weren't expected to meet for another half hour.

  "You slept in this morning," Sully said as a greeting.

  Zach shot him a grin. "Nah, I went to bed early last night and got a full four hours of sleep."

  "I came down around six-thirty, and you weren't at your computers."

  "I was at the gym downstairs," Zach said.

  "Ah."

  "Four hours?" Maggie asked incredulously.

  "Yep. Easy to sleep when I'm curled around my beautiful wife."

  Sully felt the jealousy stir in his heart. He hated that he was jealous of his friends' happiness. And he was genuinely glad that they'd all found their happily ever afters. But he couldn't help it. He wished he had that same contentment in his life.

  A soft voice whispered inside his head, You could have that, too. With Maggie.

  Maybe so. But he would keep her safe, even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness.

  And until The General was found, she would never be safe with him.

  * * * *

  "Are we waiting for the others?" Sully asked.

  Zach shook his head. "Nope. Just us." He typed something onto his laptop and then pulled it closer to him, finally making eye contact. "I have a few online informants. Much like Lucas's, but not usually as helpful. Several of them haven't responded, but I reached one of them last night, and he told me about a meeting that was happening tonight."

  Maggie felt like she was in a movie. An action flick where spies hacked into databases and had nameless sources, and the wrong move got you knifed in the back. It was all terribly exciting. Well, except the knife-in-the-back part. She could do without that.

  "It's taking place here in D-town, on the outskirts, but I don't know the exact location yet. Lucas is working on that for me. It's a speakeasy of sorts. He said there's a password that we'll need to be granted access. Kingston, Garmoni, and a few of his minion leaders will be there, discussing their next steps. Or planning world domination. Whatever it is that they're setting up, the key players will be there tonight."

  "Let's get a team together, then. Meeting criminals at a bar isn't exactly concrete evidence that will put The General away for life, but if something goes down, I want the team there, ready to step in. Otherwise, Gabriel and I will go in undercover and see what we can find out."

  "I'm going, too," Maggie announced.

  "No, you're not."

  "If there's any chance Brady will be there, I'm coming along. It's a free country, Sully. You can't keep me locked up in this place against my will."

  Sully mumbled something under his breath. It sounded suspiciously like stubborn woman, but Maggie was going to pretend that she hadn't understood him.

  "I'll go undercover, too. And I won't breathe a word unless you tell me to."

  "Yeah, right." Sully sighed heavily, raking his fingers through his short hair. "Fine. You can go. I'll have Isabel prep you and get you a disguise. You'll have to cover the pink. It stands out too much and is way too memorable."

  Maggie nodded. "I did the whole change my image before, remember? I know how to blend in."

  Sully gave her a look that said he clearly didn't think she was capable of blending in. But whatever. She'd show him.

  "Lucas has a meeting with one of his informants at noon today. Hopefully, he'll have the location and the password to get in," Zach said.

  "Good work," Sully said, clapping Zach on the shoulder.

  "Aw, shucks,
boss. You're making me blush."

  "Ass," Sully answered back, but there was no heat in the comment. Maggie loved how these men bantered with each other, constantly giving each other crap, but with each insult laced with affection.

  Sully ushered her out into the hallway.

  "I've got some things I need to take care of today. Stay inside, please. Don't go anywhere. If you have to leave for some unknown reason, take one of the guys with you. Do not go alone. Is that clear?"

  "Yes, sir!" Maggie saluted him.

  "Smart ass," he retorted, but just like with Zach, there was no heat or malice behind his words. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, that was a smile tugging at his lips.

  "I'll be back by dinner."

  "Where are you going?" Maggie asked curiously. Sully didn't usually leave the compound unless he had good reason to.

  "My guys aren't the only ones with informants out there."

  "Shouldn't you be taking someone with you?" she asked. He glared at her. "Breaking your own rules?"

  "I'm packing," he said, motioning to his hip, where he kept his gun.

  Maggie sighed, and then before she could think better of it, she leaned into his warm body and wrapped him in a hug.

  "Be careful. Please," she begged. His hands stroked her hair as he tugged her closer to him.

  "Always," he promised.

  * * * *

  Sully paced outside the run-down apartment building. It had been months since he'd checked in on Raina, a retired prostitute friend of his mother's. He'd kept up with her over the years, even offering her money once in a while to try to keep her off the streets.

  Yet there wasn't a real affection between the two. Not really. More of a grudging acceptance that they were connected through his mom.

  But Raina heard about everything. She knew exactly what was going on in this town. Nothing escaped her knowledge, and right now, he needed that.

  Sully had taken money from the safe that they used for situations just like this, when they needed to pay off a source. It wasn't a ton of money, usually a few hundred, but that amount went a long way on this side of town.