Brand pushed back as Zach pressed inside.
“Holy fuck.” The movement was so unexpected and the sensation so heady, Zach had to take a few deep breaths to keep himself from coming. It really has been too long. “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to last.”
“I don’t care.” Brand probably guessed it had been a while. “Having you inside me feels amazing.”
Zach began to move, slowly at first, then settling on rhythmic thrusts once he’d regained his self-control. His focus returned, and he reached beneath Brand, sliding his fingers up and down Brand’s cock in time with his movements. Brand tightened around Zach as he grew hard again.
“That’s it. Just like that. Let me… oh, whoa… let me come… fuck… let me come with you.” A shimmer of sweat covered Brand’s back, and the hair at his nape looked damp.
“Feels so good.” Zach had never talked much during sex, but he sensed Brand’s need to know how he felt. Brand sighed, and Zach imagined he could see him smiling.
Zach raked his fingernails over Brand’s back, eliciting another moan. Brand began to move again, matching Zach’s movements with his own. Tiny bursts of silver ringed Zach’s vision as his climax built at the base of his spine and moved upward. His heart pounded, and he shuddered as sweat dripped down his spine and between his asscheeks.
“God, Brand. I want to… I need to….” He came in a blur of sensation, and a moment later, Brand spilled into his hands, hot and thick. Someone cried out, and he was shocked to realize that he was the one shouting.
He collapsed atop Brand, who in turn collapsed onto the couch. “Now I’m ready to get some sleep,” he whispered against Brand’s ear.
Brand laughed and pulled him close, neither of them caring that they were a hot, sticky mess. “Shower, then bed?” Brand said after a long moment.
“Perfect,” Zach said. And it really was.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ZACH WAVED as Brand pulled up to the apartment building Monday morning for their drive to meet Ronny Vandevender at Tessa’s house, or what was left of it. He and Brand spent most of the weekend before together, between Brand spending the night at Zach’s apartment and time working on the investigation.
“I’ve got a friend checking on the money-laundering case,” Brand was saying as Zach buckled his seat belt. “I doubt we’ll find anything new there, but I figure it can’t hurt.”
The money-laundering tie-in to the construction scheme made sense. The scammers needed a way to hide their earnings so they couldn’t be traced. “This thing is a lot bigger than I first thought.” Zach flipped through his notes. “Multiple shell corporations, thousands of homes.”
“And one man on the ground.”
Zach nodded. “The enigmatic Mr. Warfield. If he’s connected—”
“He has to be.”
“It’s an easy assumption to make. But we need to connect the dots. And we need Ronny to take a look at Tessa’s house.”
Ronny was waiting for them in front of Tessa’s house when they arrived. “When you said it was a pile of junk, you really weren’t joking.”
“What do you think?” Zach asked.
“Other than it looks like it was put together with string and duct tape?” He shook his head. “I’ve seen houses like this before. We’ve rebuilt a few over the years—and I mean completely rebuilt them. Most were blown down by a storm. A couple burned down because of faulty wiring. Never seen anything quite like this, though.”
“Can you walk us through what you see?” Brand asked. “Give us an idea of what might’ve gone wrong?”
“Sure. But this ain’t an exact science, and I ain’t a licensed inspector.”
“No,” Zach agreed, “but you know what good construction looks like.”
Ronny shrugged and motioned them over to a pile of wood two-by-fours and picked one up. It was snapped in half. “See here?” He pointed to a knot. “You can save a lot of money by using wood with lots of knots, but it’s weaker. Most of this stuff ain’t fit for framin’ a home. Best I can tell, it’s not pressure treated neither.”
“Is pressure treated stronger?” Brand asked.
“Nah, it’s the same as regular lumber. Thing about it is, it holds up better to the elements. And look…. This here”—he put his hand on a piling and pushed it back and forth in the dirt—“not deep enough, even for a house that’s this far back from the water. See how loose it is?”
“What about hurricane resistance?” Zach asked.
Ronny laughed. “Y’all’re serious?”
Zach nodded.
“This pile of junk wouldn’t even be built solid enough for somewhere inland like Charlotte or Raleigh.” Ronny screwed up his nose like he’d smelled something bad. “No hurricane-resistant windows, the hurricane shutters ain’t permanently anchored, y’all got asphalt shingle roofing, the framing wasn’t bolted onto the foundation…. Not an upgrade in sight. To be honest with you, I have no idea how this passed inspection. It don’t even meet minimum standards.”
“Well?” Brand asked after Ronny left.
“I did a little reading before you picked me up. Tessa dug up a few papers she and her husband kept in their files, including the documents for the bank loan. Care to guess who inspected this house?”
“Mr. Warfield.”
Zach nodded. “Right. I can’t confirm it, but I’d put good money on who the inspector was for the Remingtons’ first house.”
“So what’s next?” Brand unlocked the car and they climbed inside.
“The information from the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors just showed up in my inbox. I’m going to sift through it and see if there’s anything interesting. We can meet up for dinner if you’d like.” Zach didn’t add that he hoped Brand would spend the night again, but judging from Brand’s toothy grin, he was thinking the same thing.
“As if I’d pass up the invitation.” Brand drove down the winding road through the development and onto the highway.
“What are you up for?”
Brand shrugged. “As long as I get to have you for dessert,” he said with a crooked grin, “it’ll be perfect.”
Zach laughed. “You really are a big romantic idiot, you know. Horny bugger too.”
“I’ll own that.” Brand stopped at a light and leaned over to steal a kiss. “Most definitely.”
Brand parked his car at the apartment and headed back to the station. Zach walked down Front Street and stopped in for a coffee at Port City Java. The sun finally broke through the lingering haze as he sat on the steps of the Federal Building and Courthouse and sipped his drink. He thought about Brand, and as if on cue, his phone buzzed with a text.
Nothing wrong with being a horny romantic idiot. Pick you up at six on my way home.
For once Zach didn’t try to stop grinning. And he was still smiling when he rounded the corner off Front Street and pulled the key to the newspaper offices out of his pocket. He looked at the door and stared. The glass window was shattered and the door was ajar.
He’ll strangle you if you go in by yourself. He sighed and walked over to Front Street before dialing 9-1-1. “There’s been a break-in at the offices of the River Watch,” he told the operator. “I’m not sure if whoever did this is still inside.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
JESSE ARRIVED a few minutes later with another deputy. Brand got there just after the deputies entered the building, guns drawn. “You okay?” He wiped his forehead with his jacket sleeve. Zach guessed he’d run all the way from their building rather than risk not finding a parking spot nearby.
“I’m fine. Ten to one they waited until they knew I was out before trashing the place.” The thought wasn’t reassuring. If they knew when he wasn’t there….
Jesse came down the steps five minutes later. “It’s safe to go inside, but you won’t like what you see.”
“I told dispatch to let me know if there were any calls involving you or the paper,” Jesse told Zach as he and
Brand followed Jesse upstairs. Broken glass crunched under their feet. “Try not to touch anything,” he added. “They’re sending someone over to see if they can pull any prints.”
“They won’t find anything.” Zach blew a long breath from between tensed lips. The windows on all the office doors were shattered, and papers were strewn all over the carpet. One of the computer monitors had been smashed in, the printer was on its side, trays in pieces, and the phones had been ripped from the walls and tossed onto the floor. Both desktop computers were missing.
“You okay?” Brand asked.
“Brand”—Zach put his hand on Brand’s arm—“you’ve asked me that a few times already. Remember the part where you stop trying to make me play damsel to your knight in shining armor?”
“I’m not… I mean….” Brand sighed. “I’m doing exactly what you say I’m doing, aren’t I?”
“Yep.”
“I’m sorry.” Brand blushed crimson.
“You really are cute when you’re embarrassed.” Zach offered him a conciliatory smile.
“I’m worried about you. If this really is about the construction story, why target just the paper?”
“Maybe it was just the easiest target. Security at the station’s pretty good. And I was alone the other times.”
“Better to assume you’re both targets,” Jesse said as he emerged from one of the offices. “It’d be a lot harder to pull somethin’ like this with a few dozen folks working in the same building and full-time security guards on the premises. The way I see it, neither of you should be goin’ out alone right now.”
Zach nodded, then patted his jacket pocket to reassure himself his notebook was there. At least whoever was behind the break-in wouldn’t have all the pieces. He’d run most of the searches on his laptop, which he’d left at home.
Brand still looked worried. “Is your email secure?”
Zach nodded. “Unlike the computers, I actually change the password on that one.”
“I’m going to have someone keep an eye on both of you,” Jesse said.
“I don’t think that’s nec—”
“Good.” Brand’s steely expression reminded Zach of his mother when he tried to negotiate a later curfew in high school. “And he’ll be staying with me for the time being.”
“There’s no need for that.” Zach met Brand’s gaze with resolve. “I’ll be fine at my place.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Jesse put in. “Your place or his, y’all are better staying together.”
“My place, then,” Brand said with conviction. “Jesse could be right and they’re targeting both of us. But so far you’re the one on the receiving end of the special treatment.” Brand tapped his finger against his thigh.
“All right. I’ll stay with Brand for the time being.” Zach smiled. “He’s a much better cook anyhow.”
Brand grinned in reply.
“Good,” Jesse said. “We’ll have someone ride by the building a few times overnight, just to be safe. And if you see or hear anything, anytime, you call me, okay?”
“Got it,” Zach replied.
“Brand?” Jesse raised an eyebrow.
“Got it,” Brand said.
“Did you get anything out of the guy who mugged me?” Zach asked.
“He’s got himself a private attorney and he isn’t talking,” Jesse replied. “He’s been busted a few times for selling drugs in Rocky Mount. They charged him with resisting arrest the third time and he ended up in prison for a couple of years, but there’s nothing like assault or battery on his record.”
Not good. Rocky Mount wasn’t the same territory as Wilmington, and small-time guys like that didn’t usually set up shop in another county and take up an entirely new line of work. Not to mention someone like that shouldn’t be able to afford a private attorney.
“I’ll let you know if forensics turns up something.” Jesse didn’t look optimistic. “I’ll send you the police report. You’ll need it for your insurance.”
“Thanks.” Zach was more pissed than anything. The policy would cover the damage.
“I’ll give you guys a ride home.” Jesse motioned them toward the stairs.
“Thanks, Jesse.” Zach followed him through the door and out onto the sidewalk with Brand at his heels. “It might not seem like it, but I appreciate your help.”
“No worries.” Jesse shrugged. “I get it.”
As promised, Jesse drove them over to their building and waited until they were safely inside the locked front entrance before driving away.
“You really are good with this?” Brand asked as Zach packed a suitcase a few minutes later.
“Stop worrying. I may not be thrilled with the idea of being forced to leave my apartment, but it’s the right call.” Zach smiled, hoping to ease Brand’s discomfort. “Besides, there’s no one I’d rather be shacked up with than you.” He retrieved the cat carrier from the front hall closet and began to fill a bag with cans of cat food.
Brand laughed. “Such a romantic.”
“I do what I can.” He leaned in and kissed Brand, eliciting a long sigh.
“You need to take it where you can get it.” Zach grinned. “Like I said, the food’s better than at my place.”
Arlo wasn’t exactly thrilled with the change of location, at least not until he figured out that the new place included Brand. Even the mighty feline is powerless in the wake of an irresistible force.
“You look like you’re ready to bite my head off.” Brand picked Arlo up and petted him.
“Nah. I told you. I get why you’re worried. I may be a stubborn ass, but when the stars align and are all telling you that someone wants to hurt you, eventually you realize you’d better shut up and deal.”
Brand chuckled. “You’re not weak because you’re moving in with me.”
“I’m not moving in, I’m visiting temporarily,” Zach shot back. “Don’t get used to it.”
“Killjoy.”
“That’s me.” Zach sat heavily on the couch and opened his laptop. He downloaded the report from licensing board and scrolled through it.
“Anything interesting?” Brand popped the tops of two beers and handed Zach one.
“Thanks.” He took a long pull from the bottle and set it on the coffee table. “Most of the complaints are about repairs, paint jobs… nitpicky stuff. But there are two that sound a lot like Tessa’s place. Collapsed buildings after a storm. New constructions on Oak Island and Holden Beach.”
“Defunct corporations?” Brand asked.
Zach took another sip and ran a search on the developers. “Let’s see.”
Brand sat next to Zach and put his chin on Zach’s shoulder.
“You’re incredibly distracting.”
“Thank you.” Brand blew on Zach’s ear.
“Stop.” Zach tried not to laugh.
“I need something to do.” Brand kissed Zach’s neck.
Zach shivered and tried to focus on the screen. “Brand….”
“I’ll put some chicken up to marinate.”
“Good idea.” Zach took a deep breath and shrugged off the heat of Brand’s touch. Focus! Staying with Brand was going to be more challenging than he thought.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
BRAND WAITED patiently as Zach clicked around on his laptop. Arlo, who’d found Brand’s lap and decided it met with his approval, purred as Brand absentmindedly petted him. After what seemed like an eternity but was probably about fifteen minutes, Zach shut his computer and set it on the coffee table.
“Anything interesting?”
“Nope. One of the homes was built by Vanguard, the other was built by Euclid.” Zach patted the couch next to him.
Brand flashed Zach a self-satisfied grin but continued to pet Arlo.
“What’re you doing?”
“Petting your cat and trying not to bother you.”
Zach rolled his eyes. “Now you’re playing hard to get.”
Brand shrugged and nibbled his lower
lip. “Are you done?”
“I’m done.” Zach gently removed Arlo from Brand’s lap and pulled Brand over to the couch. “I guess there are a few advantages of being cooped up here with you.” He kissed Brand, and Brand pushed him down and cupped his ass.
Brand loved squeezing the tight muscles there. He kissed Zach’s neck and inhaled the scent of Zach’s cologne, then ground his erection into Zach’s. “I figured you’d see it my way eventually.” Brand ran his fingers through Zach’s hair and kissed him again as he freed Zach’s shirt from his pants and gently twisted a hard nipple.
Zach moaned and leaned toward him. It took all of Brand’s willpower to climb off Zach. “Something wrong?” Zach looked disappointed.
“Nope.” Brand took Zach’s hand and pulled him off the couch.
“Where are we going?”
“Bedroom.” Brand grinned.
“I thought you were making dinner.” Zach offered him a coy smile as Brand pulled him down the hallway.
“Nope. Chicken needs at least another hour to marinate.”
“An hour?”
Brand nodded. “Maybe two.” He climbed onto the bed and waited.
“Appetizers, then.” Zach climbed on top of Brand. He pulled his own T-shirt over his head before doing the same with Brand’s.
Brand’s breath stuttered as Zach ran his thumbs over his nipples, then leaned down to explore them with his tongue. “Shit.” He was already rock-hard, something Zach must have felt, because he reached down and squeezed Brand’s cock over his sweats. Brand groaned and ran his hands over Zach’s sides, reveling in the smooth skin over lean muscle.
“You’re beautiful.” Zach held Brand’s gaze. Brand loved how Zach’s hazel eyes seemed to change color with his moods. In the late afternoon sunlight filtering in through the blinds, they looked silvery green with flecks of yellow.
“I kind of like it when you tell me that.”
“It’s all about the audience.” Zach was right. Compliments about his looks usually made Brand uncomfortable.
Zach moved back and pulled Brand’s sweats off. Zach kissed his way back up Brand’s body, trailing his fingers over the insides of his legs before taking Brand’s cock in his mouth.
Chasing the Story Page 14
