Code 11- KPD SWAT Box Set

by Lani Lynn Vale

  At my confused look, he explained. “Obviously there’s more to Nico’s story, and you need to get yourself up to speed on those matters. Weigh the cost with the benefits. Just know that there’s something dangerous out there… and that something has Nico in his sights. And also know that we love you and we’d be broken without you.”

  A tear squeezed past my stronghold, and he grinned. “You’re such a girl.”

  I slammed the door, then gunned the engine, kicking up dust and smoke around him.

  As I turned out of our driveway, I could see him coughing and laughing.

  Dork.

  When I pulled into Nico’s driveway, I was surprised to see if full.

  There were six trucks as well as two police cruisers.

  Instead of walking inside where I knew the crowd was, I walked to the barn.

  I shook my head as I got closer, seeing the huge panel that had replaced the old one.

  Nico had told me about all the work he was going to do to the barn so the horses were never put into jeopardy again, and I was relieved.

  I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed Nautica until I saw her again.

  I’d thought that she was sold along with all the cattle we’d had at our place after the deaths. I hadn’t let myself feel how much it bothered me until I realized that she wasn’t gone after all.

  After staring at the panel for long moments, trying to figure out how it worked, I finally decided to start punching in numbers.

  The first one I tried didn’t work. That was my birthday. The second didn’t work either. That was his birthday. The third, however, did work. It was the day I came home. 05152015.

  The door’s lock clicked, and I pushed inside, closing it and re-arming it behind me.

  I knew, for a fact, he’d have a cow if I didn’t re-arm it. I didn’t know what he’d do if he wanted one of the horses to come out. It wasn’t as if they were toys that only came out when you wanted them to. All four of the horses, Nautica included, needed daily exercising, as well as pasture time each and every day.

  There was no way he was going to be able to arm the entire pasture. He couldn’t keep the horses safe all the time.

  Or my brother’s cattle.

  Which tended to not like gates when the grass was greener on the other side.

  Nautica nickered as I made my way inside, knowing it was me instantly.

  I stopped by the large fridge kept in the corner of the room, withdrew the bag of carrots, and walked to the stalls.

  As I passed Nico’s horses, I handed them each a carrot.

  The three of Nico’s were all roans, and very beautiful.

  They were also all female.

  Seemed Nico was partial to the females.

  They snuffled thankfully, scarfing the carrot as if they’d never had anything so delicious before; something of which I knew differently, since I’d seen the apples in the fridge as well.

  By the time I made it to Nautica’s stall, I had to laugh because she was nearly slamming the door with her nose in her exuberance.

  “I know, I know,” I chided as I opened her stall door.

  She came out gratefully, rubbing her large nose against my face.

  It felt like velvet against my skin, and my tears nearly threatened again.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” I whispered softly to her.

  She neighed then snorted, blowing the hair back from my face, causing me to laugh.

  “Beautiful horse.” a deep male’s voice said from behind me.

  I screamed and turned, heart pounding to find a large man with blonde hair and a scar on his face staring at me.

  He had his hands up in a placating gesture.

  “I’m sorry. My name’s Max Tremaine. I’m the one who did all the security on the barn. I was just checking it over one more time before I left,” he said soothingly.

  I deflated somewhat. He wouldn’t have been able to get in here if he hadn’t known the code.

  “Jesus, you scared me,” I said, resting one hand against my thundering heart.

  He smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry. Like is said, I was just double-checking. Anyway, I’ll get out of your hair. I’ve got to go give the information to Nico about how to get in here. Although, I see that it wasn’t too hard for you to figure out.”

  I picked up a hint of accusation in his tone. “He used a special date.”

  His eyes narrowed, and his head tilted slightly. “Gotcha.”

  Then he was gone.

  I listened this time, hearing the familiar beeps that showed the barn was rearmed, before I turned back to Nautica.

  She nodded her head up and down quickly, and I smiled.

  That used to be a sign for she was wanting to ride, and right now I was willing to give it to her. I needed some time to think about what my brother had said.

  That had been the real reason I hadn’t wanted to go see Nico quite yet.

  What Ace had said had really hammered home how traumatizing being with a cop could be to a woman.

  I would have a lot of things to consider if I became Nico’s wife. The main one, though, was having to deal with the fact that my significant other would be putting his life on the line for strangers.

  He could possibly not make it home. Then what would I do?

  What would happen if I had kids with him?

  Would they be able to deal with it?

  Was I able to deal with the huge ‘what if’ that would always seem to hang over our heads like a thundercloud? Just waiting for it to pour down on us?

  I contemplated that as I typed in the passcode to the back barn door, leading Nautica out by just her halter.

  I didn’t plan on riding her long, only a few minutes at most, so I didn’t bother with a saddle.

  I walked over to the large fence, pulling Nautica along with me.

  Although, she did go willingly.

  I would have mounted her like I used to, just by the strength of my own body using Nautica’s mane, but I didn’t have that kind of strength nor coordination anymore.

  So I climbed to the top of the fence and mounted her as she walked up alongside me, smiling when she did so willingly.

  “Oh man, I missed you pretty girl,” I whispered to her.

  When we rode away from the fence, I leaned down and hugged Nautica’s thick neck embracing her like I used to when we rode together all the time.

  She took that as a sign and took off.

  I always loved riding.

  It made me feel free.

  The danger of it was all too real, but that was the whole point.

  It’s the danger that makes it worth doing. Makes it enjoyable.

  My mom used to hate when I did this. Nico, too.

  I was fairly sure I’d hear about it if he found out, but to be honest, I didn’t really care.

  If I had to deal with him going out and being in danger every day, then he could deal with me riding my horse fast.

  Right?

  I kept telling myself that as I rode around the pasture, sticking within sight of the house so Nico didn’t freak in case he realized I was there but not actually with him.

  I could tell the moment he realized I was there, too.

  I could also tell the moment he took a seat on the fence.

  It felt like a molten sword piercing me.

  I could feel his eyes from all the way across the pasture.

  I could tell the moment he realized I was riding without a saddle, as well.

  And as I got closer, I could also see his disapproval.

  I also had other observers.

  From what I could tell, the whole SWAT team, sans James and John, were leaning against the fence, watching.

  There were also two little kids as well.

  They were being held up in Luke’s arms, so it wasn’t much of a stretch to assume they belonged to him and Reese.

  The real surprise, though, was the re
st of them.

  People I’d never met before in my life were there.

  The man, Max, from earlier was on Nico’s side with a blonde-headed woman. She was talking to him animatedly, gesturing toward the horse.

  He only shook his head, turning away from her and watching me ride.

  When I saw the thunderous expression on Nico’s face, I started to turn around, but he let out a piercing whistle using only his mouth.

  I grinned when Nautica hesitated, coming toward him.

  She stopped when I started speaking to her. “It’s okay, big girl. Don’t listen to him.”

  I could tell she was torn, which was why instead of moving in either direction, she just stopped.

  I had to laugh at her predicament.

  Nautica was just as much Nico’s horse, now, as she was mine, then.

  She had loyalty to both of us, and to be truthful, it sort of stung.

  She wouldn’t have even had one iota of hesitation eight years ago.

  However, I put her out of her misery when I steered her in Nico’s direction.

  The men around Nico were laughing and jeering when I finally got within earshot.

  Nico, however, didn’t look to be in a good mood.

  When he got close enough, I let myself fall into Nico’s arms.

  He caught me without an ounce of effort.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes as I leaned my head against his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry,” I lied.

  He snorted but seemed to relax.

  “Then why, exactly, do I not believe you?”

  Smothered laughs came from behind me, but I ignored them.

  The big bastards.

  Chapter 13

  Because I said so, that’s why.

  -T-shirt

  Georgia

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head against Nico’s shoulder, curling my legs up and into him.

  Pulling the blanket down from the back of the couch, he wrapped it around me and curled his arm around my back.

  I sighed in contentment, closing my eyes and thinking about how much I loved this. My earlier freak out was long past, no longer even a blip on my radar.

  The only people who were left were the men from the SWAT team, minus Luke.

  He’d taken the girls home over an hour before when they’d fallen asleep on the couches.

  The rest of them, though, were all there.

  They were bullshitting, talking about the latest mistake a rookie officer made at work yesterday.

  “So the old lady gets out of the car swinging. She’s circling this umbrella around her head like Thor does his hammer. McKinney’s backing up with his hands in the air, no idea how to stop the woman. Who, might I mention, weighs not much more than a buck ten. When she finally gets tired, he points to the ground and says, ‘Get on your knees and spread your legs,’” Downy was laughing by this point, wiping tears from his eyes.

  I was smiling, seeing where this was going even before he went there.

  Nico was too.

  However, Nico wasn’t the type to laugh out loud about this kind of stuff. At most, he’d smile.

  I’d seen him laugh out loud no more than three times in the years that I’d known him.

  Each of those times were with me. Well, at me was more apt of a word.

  “So this lady crawls up on the cop car, gets on her hands and knees, and then spreads her legs. Not before she hikes her dress up first. McKinney, at this point, is speechless. He’s just watching in horror as this grandma lays down for him to ‘arrest’ her. And she keeps saying, “Be gentle, officer!’” Downy was laughing so hard he was crying.

  Michael and Bennett weren’t doing much better.

  I had my face buried in Nico’s shoulder, wiping my tears on his shirt, and he gave me a light smack on the ass.

  “Stop that,” he chided.

  I grinned at him. “Yes, sir,” I said, flipping my hair out of my eyes.

  “Your hair color is fading,” Nico said as he sifted his hands through my hair.

  I nodded. “Yeah, this was done for my graduation. It’s only supposed to be in there for six weeks, and it’s going on eight now.”

  It was really cool, but it’d taken a lot of time, and around four hundred dollars to do it.

  It had looked great in my graduation pictures, though.

  My hand that’d been resting on his chest underneath the blanket fell down when he repositioned himself, ending up right above his belt buckle.

  We both froze. We’d been more than aware of each other all night.

  I knew the moment I launched myself into his arms from Nautica’s back that he wanted to have me.

  It’d been in his eyes. His need. His want.

  He’d had a rough day, and I’d scared him by riding Nautica the way I used to.

  And when I’d thought about it while we were eating pizza, he’d always give me a lecture after I’d done it when we were younger. Then he’d disappear for twenty minutes, coming back in a much better mood.

  It didn’t take much brainstorming to guess what fighting with me would do to him.

  Our emotions had been high. Our bodies close. And accusations had been flying.

  In the end, we’d both been a needy mess, but we’d never acted on a thing.

  Today, though, we were older. We could act on those things because we were both of age.

  Or we would’ve been able to if we hadn’t had a houseful of people.

  I pretended to be asleep as I let my hands work underneath the shirt he wore.

  My hands encountered the soft tuft of hair that led from his belly button to his cock, and I ran my fingers up and down it, letting them dip down below his waistband before I’d start back up again.

  He’d tensed, his muscles flexing with each pass of my fingers.

  On one such dip of my fingers, he sucked in his belly, allowing my fingers to slide even further down.

  My fingers extended down until they reached the base of his cock, where the root of him met the pubic hair.

  I shivered, as did he.

  My fingers quickly disappeared, but I’d felt the hardness. I knew what was waiting for me.

  And the entire thing made me feel like such a bad girl.

  There was something just so naughty about doing this in front of his friends.

  Not that I’d ever go any further than that.

  But just the thought sent shivers shooting down my spine.

  My hand stayed firmly planted on his belly, high above his waistline.

  But the seed had been planted, and that was almost worse for both of us.

  It was another ten long minutes before Nico abruptly stood.

  Without the support of his body, I face-planted onto the couch.

  The men looked at Nico in surprise, but Nico wasted no time. “Alright, y’all need to leave. I’m ready for bed.”

  It was more than obvious to not just me but the rest of them that Nico wasn’t ready for bed. He was ready for something else. Not that they’d say anything on the contrary.

  They all stood good-naturedly, shook his hand, and left without another word.

  When the last one left the driveway, Nico locked the door and turned to where I was still lying on the couch.

  And he wasted no more time coming to me.

  Nor stripping his clothes off as he came.

  When I was younger, I’d always liked to compare Nico to the wild horses we used to see when we went out of the state to auctions.

  They’d been captured in Nevada; sold by private landowners for profit. Although they’d done nothing ‘illegal’ per se, the whole idea of them being in captivity was wrong.

  I remembered looking at them, feeling their pent up energy. They were very intelligent creatures, and they wanted nothing more than to run free.

  Which had been the very thing that’d reminded me of Nico.

 
; He was powerful, strong, and intelligent.

  He was silent and lethal, much like those caged wild horses had been.

  Weary at being caged, they bided their time, just waiting for their chance to run free again.

  Most never got that chance; to this day, I could remember the disgust on Nico’s face as he’d seen those horses being herded into the back of trailers.

  That was what would happen if I tried to take away his passion.

  If I tried to make him stop doing what he loved, protecting the public, he’d do it. But he’d never be happy again. Never truly be who I’d fallen in love with.

  “Deep thoughts?” he asked once he stopped at the foot of the couch.

  I shook my head. “No. I just want you to know that I support you. Whatever you want to do, I’m here for you.”

  His eyes went hot, and I swear to God, I felt that look all the way to my toes.

  They curled as he dropped his pants, and I swallowed thickly.

  “Stand up,” he growled, causing my nipples to pebble into hard peaks.

  I threw the blanket off of my legs and stood, waiting for his next instruction.

  When I went to pull my shorts down, his hands stayed mine, looking his fill.

  His eyes traveled up the length of my bare legs, stopping when they came into contact with the top of my shorts.

  They’d ridden up, so they more resembled short boy shorts rather than normal shorts.

  They were a thin knit material. And by thin, I meant very thin. As in each line and seam could be seen through them.

  So his eyes had frozen on where the shorts had ridden up between my legs, lodging into places that weren’t usually sexy.

  To Nico, though, it was and more if the large steel pole jutting out of the bottom of his boxer briefs was any indication.

  I could just make out the head of his cock as it slipped out the very bottom of the tight band around his thigh.

  Before I could ogle it too long, though, his voice snapped my attention back up to my face.

  “Take your shirt off,” he commanded.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, grasped the hem of the shirt, and pulled it over my head.

  My skin started to pebble the moment the cold air hit my exposed flesh, causing me to shiver.

  But I wasn’t shivering solely because I was cold.

  It also had a lot to do with the way his eyes flared when he realized I wasn’t wearing a bra.