by Lisa Hughey
Kita routinely circumvented the rules in order to get what she wanted and do her job. She wanted him but not at the expense of his principles.
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” she pressed. “Because you know I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us and sex.” She wanted to be blunt.
He skimmed his nose along her neck, the sensual move sending a shiver down her spine. “It feels right.”
God, she didn’t want to pressure him but each move ramped her arousal higher, and if he wasn’t going to come through, she needed to know.
And damn did she want him to come through. “Go with your gut,” she groaned.
And he did.
What was it about Kita Kim that caused him to lose his damn mind? He knew she wasn’t being completely honest with him. Yet every time they got within close proximity, his common sense and every fucking rule he’d ever followed disappeared in a puff of lust.
His gut was telling him to take her while he had the chance. He pressed her up against the wall, his thigh between her legs. Kita practically climbed up his body, rocking her hot sex against the hard muscles of his leg.
The grunts and groans as she moaned into his mouth caused him to grow even harder. Her furtive caresses as she popped the button on his khakis and hurriedly unzipped his pants ramped up his desire. Her fingers wrapped around his cock. His body went from zero to warp speed in a matter of seconds when they came within a foot of each other. She pushed him back so she had room to pump his cock with a sure, determined fist.
Alex nipped at her bottom lip, demanding she open for him. They bumped against the wall as they rocked together.
And fuck, but they needed to be quiet.
Dwayne and Shep were down the hall. The judge was next door. And Alex didn’t care. All he could focus on was getting inside her. Faster, Harder. Now.
He lifted her up, away from the wall and carried her to the bed.
Alex ripped her shirt over her head while she shoved his pants and briefs to his ankles. Then they switched, Kita shedding her own pants while Alex flung his shirt over her shoulder. She pushed him to the bed, the springs squeaking as they bounced.
Kita crawled on top of him. “Not this time,” he murmured against her mouth.
He rolled, taking her with him until her lithe, supple body lay beneath his hard, aching one.
Someone had left the bag from the hospital with that condom on the bedside table. He should be conflicted, or at the very least annoyed. “Thank Christ,” he whispered.
Alex ripped the packet open while Kita shook against him desperately. Her hair tumbled around her face in a multi-hued cloud. Her lips were puffy and deeply colored from the force of their kisses.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.”
Alex didn’t miss the flash of surprise on her face, but he’d have to address that insecurity later. Because now he needed to be inside her. As if he would die if she didn’t suck him in and surround him with her heat and her sexy wantonness.
“Hurry,” she begged.
Within economy of movement, he rolled the condom on his throbbing flesh and in one smooth motion he thrust inside her.
Kita gasped. Arched up into his embrace, her nipples stabbing his pecs, and her hips banging into his.
She tucked her head into his neck and bit his shoulder.
Alex tunneled his palms beneath her superior ass and lifted her into his thrusts. With every crash together she tightened around his cock. The sensations were amazing, mind-bending, mind-blowing.
Kita curled her legs around his thighs, her heels digging into his ass. “Harder.”
They banged into each other. The force of their coming together moved them across the mattress. Every thrust, their pubic bones smashed together, and his cock massaged that swollen nub inside her. Her channel tightened, and tightened, as he grew bigger and bigger.
Goddammit he was going to blow.
Kita bowed back, her mouth open in a rictus of pleasure, as her orgasm crashed through her and milked his cock with long hard draws.
The top of Alex’s head nearly blew off as exploded in a cascade of pleasure so intense he wasn’t sure he’d ever recover.
“Holy shit.” He buried his face in her neck, his body so replete he could barely move.
“You’ve got good instincts,” she said breathily.
Chapter 18
The blaring of a cell phone woke him up. Again.
Alex grabbed the phone and pressed the answer button without looking at the screen. “’Lo?”
“Kita! Ms. Kim?”
Alex shook the sleep from his head. The woman was panicked. “Hold on.” He nudged Kita’s bare shoulder. “Phone.”
She shot up in bed. The sheets dropped to her waist, baring her pert breasts. She snatched the phone from his outstretched hand. “Kim.”
Kita propped her elbows on her bent knees and ducked her head while she talked. The fall of her hair hid her face, but the tightness in her voice gave away her distress. “Where are you right now?”
Alex listened with increasing worry as she gave the caller directions and set up a meeting near the Amtrak station. Kita wanted the woman to park and wait for her.
Kita hung up and tilted her head back. Her sigh was long, hard, heartfelt.
“What’s wrong?”
She jerked as if she’d been shot. “Uh, just a…friend who’s got a problem.”
Alex wasn’t completely naïve. He’d heard enough from the woman’s raised voice to know she was in trouble and in danger. Kita didn’t want to share, but it sounded like she could use a partner. “Can I help?”
Kita avoided his attention, her focus on their clothes scattered across the scratched hardwood floor. “No, thanks.” She shifted and met his gaze head-on. “I’ve got this.”
Something, some gut instinct put him on high alert. “Your friend is in danger.”
“Trust me, Alex.” Kita began pulling on her yoga pants. “You do not want to get involved.”
But Alex didn’t like the way she avoided making eye contact. He watched silently from the rumpled bed.
“I’ve got to go out,” Kita said determinedly. “I’ll be back before our shift. I promise.” She wiggled her fingers, then with a sharp smile she was gone.
It took him less than five minutes to decide to follow her. Shep and Dwayne had the judge situation under control. As long as he and Kita were back by six in the morning they weren’t breaking any major rules.
But he did need to let the other two men know where he was going.
“I’m going out.” Alex dropped into the folding chair and tugged on his tennis shoes.
Dwayne was watching him, but it was Shep who spoke. “Now you?”
“I’m going to give Kita some backup.” If Alex hadn’t been staring at Dwayne he might have missed the wince.
“Not a good idea, my man.” Dwayne shook his head.
“Why not?”
“Kita can handle herself.”
“Maybe so.” Alex wasn’t going to be deterred. For several reasons. Something else was going on here. It had taken him longer than it should have to figure out that Adams-Larsen was more than just a PR agency. “But I’m going anyway.”
His gut was telling him that she might need his help. It was also telling him he might not like what he found.
“I’ll be back.”
Dwayne just shook his head.
Alex arrived at Union Station. She’d told whoever was on the other end of the phone to meet her in the parking lot near the steps.
He waited in his car impatiently, searching for Dwayne’s little Honda Fit. Finally, he saw the smaller car, wondering for a second why a guy that big would have such a small car. But when he found it, the vehicle was empty.
Alex drove around the parking lot until he could find a good vantage point to watch the exit. About five minutes later, Kita strode through the doors and headed toward the parking lot. She held a paper cup with steaming liquid in her hand,
which she tossed into a garbage can by the exit without even looking.
Behind her trailed a woman and three young kids.
Alex’s jaw dropped. Kids?
Kita hustled the woman and kids into Dwayne’s car, jamming all five into the sub compact.
Alex followed behind Kita, using protocol to tail her vehicle.
She began to take evasive maneuvers, doing a standard surveillance detection route, to make sure no one was following her. Except Alex knew what she was doing. But then he started wondering…how did she know what to do? And why did she think evasive action was necessary?
This was ridiculous. He was on her six. Just him. It was three o’clock in the morning. Barely anyone was out this time of night. Even in DC.
Alex punched in her cell number. She picked up on the first ring. “Kim.”
“It’s me.”
“I know who you are.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
“I meant, I’m in the car behind you.”
She drew a sharp breath. “Of course you are. Go home.” Which sounded a lot like Go to hell.
“Just let me help you.” Alex said, “Besides, I have some questions.”
“I’m sure you do.” Kita sighed.
At that moment, one of the kids let out a mournful wail. The frantic shushing from an adult voice came through loud and clear.
Alex waited, knowing not to push.
“Fine.” Kita acquiesced. “Follow me.”
She headed toward Alexandria, driving efficiently and at the edge of the speed limit but never going over.
She turned into the parking lot of an eight story apartment building. Once they were both parked, Alex strode over to her car.
Kita jerked out of the car, her face a thundercloud. But when she turned to the woman, who clutched a little girl of maybe two or three to her chest, she spoke gently. “Hannah. No need to be afraid. This is my friend, Alex.”
Hannah nodded and ducked her face down, but not before Alex saw the damage. One eye was completely swollen shut. The other was red-rimmed and bloodshot. The arm that wasn’t holding the child was tucked tight against her ribcage. She was herding the other kids out of the car but moving extra slowly as if every physical action hurt.
Shit.
The woman’s body shook with shivers. She wasn’t wearing a coat, even though all three kids had their coats on.
“How can I help?” Alex made his body language nonthreatening.
“If you would bring the bag from the trunk, that would be great.” Kita had also lowered her voice. She held the eldest girl’s hand and hoisted the other up on to her hip. “Cover us to the entrance?”
Alex pressed his mouth into a tight line to stop the cursing that wanted to burst from his lips. Dammit. Dammit.
Cover them. What the hell?
“Sure.” He slung a single duffel bag over his shoulder and left his gun hand free. He visually swept the parking lot for any attackers but besides the intermittent swish of traffic from the main street a block over, the area was quiet.
“Looks good.” Alex gave Kita the go-ahead.
She nodded. “C’mon girls. Let’s have a sleepover.”
He’d never heard her voice so perky. Alex followed the women and kids into the building. Kita needed a key for entry into the lobby. Then a key again to get the elevator to rise. Within a few minutes, she opened the door to an apartment.
Kita urged everyone to take their shoes off and leave them on the mat by the front door. Alex left his on.
He closed the drapes while Kita got the woman and kids settled into the single bedroom. In the full light of the apartment’s living room, the damage to the woman’s face was even more severe.
The kids were subdued, even a little fearful of Alex, which pretty much confirmed his suspicion that Hannah was a victim of domestic violence. The kids appeared to be unharmed physically. Of course, who knew what their mental state was.
Alex had the nagging sense that the woman looked familiar. Her body movements tugged at his subconscious. Of course, he’d seen abused women before in his line of work but it was more than that.
He let his mind work at the puzzle of Hannah and her kids while he prowled around what he quickly realized was Kita’s apartment. Inside the entryway was a fancy mountain bike, several pairs of athletic shoes, and a basket full of sports equipment. A sliding glass door led to a small balcony. A mix of different size pots clustered in each corner. Little rectangular boxes hung from the railing and held a mix of some big pom-pom-type flowers like the girls used to get for homecoming, surrounded by spiky plants and trailing leaves with purple flowers.
He paced the living room, peripherally noting the aesthetic mix of Asian and Western design. A clearly ancient tea service perched next to a small wood box that held the remote control. A squat little Buddha statue smiled happily on the coffee table. In the kitchen, a planter box full of herbs sat on the windowsill. He took note of the little facets of her personality revealed by her furnishings. The small apartment filled with a sense of serenity.
A little while later, Kita came out of the bedroom, her gaze blank. She gave a little sigh, then jerked when she noticed him standing there.
“Oh, uh, hey.” Then she ignored him. She sat at the desktop on the elegantly carved antique desk and flipped on the computer.
“That’s it?” Alex’s temper began to boil. “Hey?”
She didn’t even look at him. “You’re welcome to have a seat.” She gestured at the sofa.
Once the computer booted up, she began clacking away on the keys. She was on the Amtrak website. She bought a one-way ticket for Hannah Smith from DC to Denver, leaving in twenty minutes.
Hannah Smith. Fuck. Now he knew why she looked familiar.
Hannah Smith had been all over the news a few months ago, while they’d been investigating her brother-in-law. Her sister had disappeared and no one had ever found her. Hannah had been very vocal about saying her sister would never leave her children.
“There’s no way she can make that train.” Alex thought he’d point out the obvious and observe Kita’s response.
Kita leaned back in the chair and let out a tense breath. “That would be the point.”
And that was when he remembered where else he’d seen Hannah Smith before. “She was the woman you were sparring with the day we met.”
Kita nodded sharply.
His brain was swirling. What the hell was going on here? “Those aren’t her kids.”
“Nope.”
Other details clicked into place. “Her coat?”
“Left at the station.”
The picture was becoming clearer. “With a receipt for a cup of coffee time-stamped in the pocket?” Pocket litter. Tradecraft 101.
Kita rubbed her face, her weariness apparent.
When she didn’t answer, he speculated, “Near the track for the train she isn’t going to board.”
“That would be the plan.”
It was at this moment that Alex realized some key information had been left out of the background he had on Kita, which now that he thought about it was slim. These were not the actions of a damned social media seeder. “Where did you work before Adams-Larsen?”
“I’m not at liberty—”
“Cut the bullshit.”
“Fine. I worked for the CIA,” Kita said. “But that’s all I can tell you.”
The CIA. The Central Intelligence Agency. Other little nuggets poked at his brain. The training. The hacking. The reason the judge wanted Adams-Larsen involved in the first place. “What does Adams-Larsen really do?”
“We’re a full service image consulting agency.”
“I know what your website says,” he ground out. “I’m asking you.”
“I’m sorry.” Kita didn’t say another word.
But as details clicked in his brain, he was compelled to keep pushing. “The shooting at your offices last month.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
“But the FBI did.” Russians. Top secret. Supposedly the CIA had also been involved. Although that was just rumor in the intelligence community. “Rumor has it that the CIA was there too.”
She winced. “I don’t know.”
“Sergei Polzin was a Russian on the no-fly list who mysteriously got into the US and was somehow shot and killed on Adams-Larsen premises.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Okay, fine. You don’t want to talk about that?” Alex began to pace. “Let’s talk about why Hannah Smith is in your bedroom.”
“It would be best if you forgot you saw her.”
Like that was going to happen.
“I’m not leaving until we discuss a few things.”
“Well then you’re going to be here a long time.” Kita crossed her arms and lifted her chin in a big “fuck you.” A sharp vulnerability darkened her eyes, and guilt assailed him. He didn’t want to hurt her but she was in the wrong here. Not him. But it still made him feel like shit. A grinding nausea churned in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn’t let it go.
The woman in the other room. The children. “This is kidnapping.”
She just sat there.
Finally, she said, “It’s just a matter of time before he starts hitting those kids. Even you, Mr. Rule Follower, can see that Hannah and the children are in danger.”
“There are proper channels—” He stopped. Because this wasn’t just about principles, although he didn’t want anything to happen to the kids, and yes, the wife’s disappearance was suspect, but, he couldn’t help reiterating, “She doesn’t have custody.”
“You don’t want to continue.” Kita pressed her palms together in a gesture of begging. “He killed his wife.”
“They couldn’t find the proof,” Alex shot back. Except these kids were vulnerable.
“There is no way the wife left his kids with him,” Kita argued. “He’s an abuser and a killer.”
“It’s still not in your jurisdiction to hide those kids from their father.” There were proper channels to protect the kids. “That’s why we have laws.”
