No Chance

by Christy Reece

  Now it was her turn to look surprised. Ignoring the questions being screamed at her, she allowed Gabe to nudge her into the limo that Cole had waiting for them.

  Sinking into the soft leather seat, she waited until the door was closed and then said, “Okay, tell me why.”

  Excitement gleamed in his eyes. “Did you see Harrington’s face?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He was flushed.”

  “Gabe, he’d been drinking. A lot of people get flushed when they drink, that doesn’t prove—”

  “He got redder the more I talked about Kendra. And sorry to sound so crass, but when he stood up, the man had a definite boner.”

  No, that didn’t make any sense. “There’s no way that Uncle Bill would—”

  He took her hand. “You need to look beyond what you know about the man.”

  “Gabe, it’s not possible. I’ve known him since I was a baby.” Tears filled her eyes. “He used to sneak Tootsie Roll Pops to me because my mom wouldn’t let me eat sugar. I used to hide them under my pillow and eat them when I went to bed.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. If it’s not him, we’ll prove it.”

  “But you think it is, don’t you?”

  Gabe didn’t answer but his look said it all. Her god-father, the man she would have trusted her life with, was some kind of pervert.

  No, she couldn’t accept it.

  “What about all the other people you suspected? Since starting your investigation, you’ve identified as least ten other men. Why do you think it’s William?”

  “We’ve already eliminated eight of those ten. We’ve got someone still watching one of them.”

  Gabe glanced out the window and then gave her a solemn, sad look. “I was going to wait until we got back to your apartment to tell you, but LCR has found some offshore money of Harrington’s. A substantial amount.”

  “That’s not that unusual. William’s a wealthy man.”

  “True. But this money doesn’t appear to be coming from any of his known businesses or investments. The majority of it isn’t in his name, but we’ve followed the money trail and his name keeps popping up.”

  “Maybe he’s doing something else illegal.” As much as she didn’t want William to be guilty of anything, she’d rather him be guilty of almost anything other than what he was being suspected of.

  Resignation flooded through her at the certainty in Gabe’s eyes. And though she hated for this to be true, she trusted his instincts.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Cole said. “Got a message from McCall. There’s something at the apartment you need to see.”

  Gabe didn’t take his eyes from hers as he said, “What is it?”

  The long pause had both of them turning their gazes to Cole.

  “It’s a streaming video … of Kendra.”

  “What kind of video?”

  “I haven’t seen it. Noah says it’s pretty explicit.”

  Her horrified eyes went to Gabe. “Like a sex tape?”

  Gabe squeezed the hand he still held. “Happens all the time. A special website is set up. People can go there, see just about anything.”

  “But that makes no sense. Why would he want others—”

  “No, you’re right. I suspect he wouldn’t want to share. This one’s probably set up just for him.”

  Cole maneuvered around a slow-moving car in front of them and said, “Our Web-watchers found it.”

  Shock and exhaustion swamped Skylar. She sank back into her seat, barely hearing the rest of the conversation between Cole and Gabe. Everyone she thought she could trust was turning out to be a liar.

  A more horrendous thought slammed through her; bile surged toward her throat. “I introduced them,” she whispered hoarsely.

  Gabe leaned forward. “What?”

  “I took Kendra around to a few benefit events. William was at one of them. He was standing in the midst of a group of people. Since they seemed to be in a serious discussion, I just made a sweeping introduction, then moved on.” She closed her eyes briefly as the horrible realization took hold. “I wanted her to meet some influential, respectable people. Instead she met the devil.”

  “Skye, it’s not your fault. There are hundreds of people at those events. You can’t blame—”

  She shook her head. “He never would have seen her without me bringing her there…. I brought her to his attention.” Her stomach roiled. Oh God, she was going to be sick.

  “Pull over, Cole.”

  Gabe’s voice penetrated her misery. He recognized her need before she could say anything.

  The limo pulled to a stop and Gabe opened the door, allowing Skylar to hang her head out and vomit. And all the while, he held her hair back and whispered to her. She couldn’t understand the words, but the soothing tone of his voice calmed her.

  Her stomach now empty but still roiling, she took a breath and sat up. A cold, wet cloth wiped at her mouth and face, giving her instant relief. She opened her eyes to find Gabe’s expression a hard grimace of concern.

  She traced the lines at his mouth with her finger. “You frown too much.”

  Instead of responding to her, he said, “Let’s go before a photographer shows up.”

  Wouldn’t that be a pretty sight in tomorrow’s paper? Her mind still on the horror of her discovery, she closed her eyes and lay back against the seat. And not once did Gabe let go of her hand.

  nineteen

  William sat in his chair and stared longingly at the beautiful image on the giant screen across from him. Tears poured down his face even as he rubbed the aching flesh between his legs. He tried not to think about what he had to do. This was his pleasure. His only pastime. His outlet. A man had a right to a hobby.

  Gabriel Maddox suspected him. He’d seen it in his eyes. When Maddox had started talking about his jewel, he hadn’t been able to control himself. The vision of that supple, soft flesh had appeared in his mind. The more Maddox talked, the more aroused William had become.

  Skylar had looked shocked to hear Maddox talk like that, but soon she would know, too. He had to stop them. He couldn’t allow his family to be destroyed. His reputation would be in shreds. His family was one of the oldest families in this country. He couldn’t bring shame to them.

  His hand still on his aching crotch, William kept one eye on the beauty undulating before him simulating the sex act as he pressed speed dial. He needed this done as quickly and painlessly as possible. He didn’t want Skylar to suffer. After all, she was his goddaughter … he loved her.

  Maddox, on the other hand, he’d liked to choke and torture, but it had to be done quickly, which meant it had to be done while they were together. Since they were never seen anywhere without each other, his choices were limited.

  The man picked up on the first ring.

  “The job we discussed last week. It’s a go. Just make it as fast and painless as possible.”

  “Money,” the toneless voice said.

  “Half will be transferred now. Half when it’s done.”

  The phone clicked. The line went dead. William sobbed as he continued to stare at the beauty on the screen and rubbed himself even harder. A man had a right to a diversion. Why couldn’t anyone understand that?

  Skylar emerged from the steam-filled bathroom. As soon as they’d entered her apartment, she’d headed straight to the shower, stripping her clothes off as she went. She had to get clean…. She needed to be alone. Thankfully, Gabe seemed to understand those needs and hadn’t tried to stop her.

  “Feel better?”

  Drawing the towel around her tighter, she whirled around. “Yes … a little. Sorry I lost it like that.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for, Skye. Kendra isn’t the only victim here.”

  Thickness increased in her throat as she asked, “Did you look at the website?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is it as bad as you thought?”

  The expression on his face didn’t require an answer, but h
e gave one anyway. “It’s obvious she’s drugged. Her eyes are dilated and vacant.” He blew out a sigh. “And it’s explicit and vulgar.”

  “Is she …” She swallowed. “Was she raped?”

  “No. Apparently that’s not what does it for him. She’s alone. Simulating sex.”

  Skylar closed her eyes against the tears springing up again. “Can you tell how old the video is? Is it live?”

  “No, it’s not live. It’s set up where he can go to it and watch it anytime he wants. And we were right. He’s not making it public. Even though we’ve got people watching the Web 24/7, we were lucky to find it.”

  “So Kendra could still be dead and this was made before her death.”

  Gabe shook his head with certainty. “No. I don’t think so. I definitely think that was a diversion. After seeing his face today … his reaction … I don’t think he’d let her die.”

  “So you’re saying he had someone killed to throw us off.”

  “Yeah.”

  “My God, what kind of a monster is he?”

  “There are all kinds of monsters in the world, Skye. Some are just more obvious than others.”

  She drew in a trembling breath. “So what’s our game plan?”

  “The plan is for you to get some rest.”

  “Dammit, Gabe. I have to do something.”

  “Sweetheart, there’s nothing to do. We can’t prove a damn thing. It’s still all supposition. If I went to the police and told them what I think and why I think it, they’d either lock me up or laugh at me.”

  “Then what—?”

  “LCR’s people are trying to track where the website feed is coming from. Cole is following Harrington everywhere he goes. We’re tracking as much of his banking and real estate business as we can get our hands on, hoping it leads us somewhere.”

  His hands grasped her shoulders and gave her a bracing squeeze. “Believe me, we’re doing everything we can. The bastard won’t get away with this…. It’s just a matter of time.”

  “I just can’t imagine what she’s going through. What this is doing to her.”

  “We’ll get her help when we find her. The most important thing now is to find her.”

  Gabe was right. Everything that could be done was being done … except one thing. “What if I go to him and tell him what we know? Shame him … threaten to go to Margo or his kids unless he confesses. We’ve always had a good relationship.”

  Though Gabe’s head started shaking the instant she’d started talking, she continued, “He’s been like a second father to me, Gabe. I’m sure I can get him to tell me the truth.”

  “Skye, your own father kept a terrible secret from you for eight years. William’s number one priority will be protecting himself. If you confront him, there’s no telling what he would do. I don’t want you anywhere around him.”

  Helpless tears sprang to her eyes. “But I—”

  Gabe pulled her into his arms. “Skye, baby.” The words sounded tortured and strained as he breathed them against her hair.

  Skylar closed her eyes. “I used to dream about you saying that.”

  “Saying what?”

  “‘Skye, baby.’”

  She looked up at him, smiling at the sweet memory of the first time he’d said them. The first time they’d made love. The most beautiful experience of her life. How incredibly tender he’d been. So wonderfully loving.

  Gabe held her tighter. She felt his arousal. Knew he wanted her and she wanted him. Making love to him would be totally, absolutely one of the stupidest things she could imagine doing. But she wanted him. After denying herself for so long, she refused to deny herself this. Gabe was her husband, one she thought she’d lost long ago. How could she not want to relive, if only for a brief time, those glorious moments?

  Skylar stood on her toes and kissed the small dimple in his chin.

  “Skye.” Gabe swallowed hard and said again, “Skye.” Then he whispered, “Skye, baby.” And lowered his mouth to hers.

  With a groan of surrender, of need, Skylar wrapped her arms around him and opened her mouth, allowing his tongue inside.

  Oh. Sweet. Mercy. She’d forgotten his taste. Tart and delicious, he stirred desire to a fever pitch of longing and need. She heard moaning, told herself to stop and couldn’t. It had been so long … eight long, lonely years. How often had she fantasized about this? Dreamed of his hard, masculine body pressing against her.

  Gabe pulled away and asked softly, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  With one sweep of his hand, Gabe pulled the towel away and dropped it to the floor. Then, as if he were seeing heaven for the first time, his eyes devoured her body. Goose bumps spread everywhere those hot midnight blue eyes roamed. Throbbing began deep inside. A throb of longing. Hot. Intense.

  “Your nipples are peaking as if I’ve already been sucking them.”

  Skylar closed her eyes at the sexy growl in his voice. How could she have forgotten? When Gabe made love, he talked … narrated. He’d realized early on that his sexy talk turned her on, and when they made love, he used his voice to arouse her even more.

  “You want me to suck them?”

  “Yes … please.”

  A husky groan and then his hot breath bathed her breast in heat. Skylar could feel her nipple harden further in anticipation of his hot, moist tongue. But then, instead of sucking, he moved to the other nipple. She cried out her disappointment.

  “Just a minute, sweetheart. I want both of them to know what’s coming.”

  His mouth breathed on the other one and then his tongue licked lightly.

  “Gabe.”

  His name was a moan of need and he recognized it as such because his mouth closed over her nipple and sucked hard … then harder. Skylar cupped her hands to his head and fed him her breast. He pulled away slightly, licked again, sucked again, biting gently. Skylar gasped at the sensation. A hot moist pool of desire settled between her legs, throbbing, wanting, anticipating.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t handle any more, he switched and went to her other breast and gave it the same treatment.

  Suddenly her hands needed to be all over him at once. She ripped at his clothes and the husky “Yes” he gave told her he loved her enthusiasm. When her hand met the smooth velvet flesh of his penis, she slowed down. This … she wanted to savor. And remember.

  But it was not to be.

  He pulled away from her and dropped to his knees. His eyes glittering with a scorching lust, he growled, “Hold on to my shoulders.”

  Unable to refuse him anything now, Skylar complied.

  Masculine lips moved over her stomach. Skylar groaned at the sensation of his beard stubble scratching her soft skin. The throb inside her deepened. Unable to stop herself, she took one of her hands off his shoulder and pushed his head toward the part of her dying for his kiss.

  Groaning his approval, he placed a kiss on her mound. Skylar pushed her hips forward, letting him know she wanted more.

  Laughing blue eyes looked up at her. “Put your hands back on my shoulders, sweetheart. You’re going to need something to hold on to.”

  When she once again complied, he issued another instruction: “Spread your legs for me.”

  Barely able to hear from the lust roaring through her head, she forced her legs to move apart.

  For the longest time, he just stared at her sex. The longer he looked, the hotter she got. Skylar was almost to the point of begging him to take her, when he looked up at her again and gave her the sexiest, most tender smile she’d ever seen. “Do you remember the first time I put my mouth on you?”

  She shuddered at the memory. “I screamed.”

  “And then you came. Remember that, Skye? You exploded in my mouth … on my tongue.” He pressed a soft kiss just above the deepest throb. “The sweetest taste in the world.”

  “Gabe, do it again.”

  “With pleasure.”

  Sliding his hands from her hips, he u
sed his thumbs to open the folds of her sex and then … sweet, merciful heavens, the pleasure. He licked, sucked, and then went deep.

  Without conscious thought, her body began to ride his tongue. A growl from his mouth vibrated against her clit and she sighed out a gasping sob. Gabe pulled away abruptly. Dazed from the exquisite need building inside her, Skylar looked down … surely he wasn’t stopping. Hot eyes locked with hers, he lifted one of her legs, placed her knee on his shoulder, and said, “Open for me, Skye.”

  With a groan, she arched toward his mouth. Using both thumbs, Gabe opened her folds again and delved deeper. Closing her eyes, Skylar was no longer aware of anything other than what was happening between her legs. Pleasure swamped her as Gabe swirled his tongue, licking, sucking … eating at her. Sobbing with needs she barely knew existed, she rose on her toes and then came down again. Gabe’s tongue slid outside her, licked, and then went back inside, thrusting, plunging, retreating, and then thrusting once again.

  Skylar’s fingers dug into his hair as she rode against him. Groaning sounds came from his mouth and vibrated against her. Tension built … a scream rose inside her. Skylar opened her mouth on a silent scream and flooded his tongue.

  As she came down to earth, her body shaking and almost collapsing from the insane pleasure, she looked down at the dark head between her legs. Gabe continued to nuzzle, lick, and thrust … gently, sweetly. Heat rose again, but as much pleasure as his mouth had given, she wanted something else inside her even more.

  Pulling away slightly, she whispered, “Take me to bed.”

  Gabe straightened; lifting her in his arms, he turned around and walked the few steps to the bed. When he placed her on the edge, she thought he meant to join her there. Instead he dropped to his knees in front of her.

  “Gabe, I want you inside me. Now.”

  As if he hadn’t heard her, his hands cupped her butt to pull her closer and his mouth was on her again. He muttered against her clit, “You taste even better than before. Give me just a little more.”

  Unable to deny his command or herself the pleasure, Skylar spread her legs wider and allowed that diabolical tongue to sweep inside and have its way. Her hands went to his head, her fingers tangled in his hair, and she was once again riding, thrusting against him. A blast of heat speared through her and this time she screamed his name.