He tilts his head. “I could, but with your training, you probably know a little something about withstanding interrogation and we’re in a bit of a time crunch.”
I take a deep breath. “Then, I guess we’re done here…”
Elijah squints. “Caleb, when I say I’m going to have to hurt you, I don’t mean physically. Torture might not work on you, but… it might work just fine on that husband of yours. Something tells me he’s not great at putting up with pain for very long.”
“You’d be surprised, actually…”
“Either way, we will find Fox Fitzpatrick,” he says. “You can either put us on the right track now or you can watch while my sister rips off Carson’s thumbnails.”
Rage burns in my chest but I can’t do a damn thing about it in this state. “You won’t lay a hand on him.”
“That’s certainly up to you, Caleb.”
“No… you won’t even get close.” I chuckle softly and he stares back at me with amusement. “Trust me.”
Elijah drops my head, letting me fall forward. “Damn.”
“He couldn’t have gone far,” Lilah says, her shifty eyes studying me in her rearview mirror. “We’ll find him.”
“Or…” Elijah raises a brow. “We’ll just let him come to us.” He finds my phone stashed in the back pocket of my jeans. “What did you say he called himself? Boxcar?”
I don’t answer as his gloved thumbs tap away at my phone.
Chapter 14
Boxcar
Then
“Caleb.”
I whisper her name so softly even I can barely hear it. It’s a necessary measure as I’m surrounded by highly-trained soldiers and each one sleeps with one eye open — but for good reasons.
Hopefully, sneaking out with Caleb in the middle of the night isn’t on that list.
I lean over her a little more, as close to her ear as possible. “Caleb—”
She shoots up in her cot. I lay my hand over her mouth and put a finger against my lips with my other hand, urging her to keep quiet.
“Shh…” I whisper.
She mimics my soft volume. “Carson, what are you doing?”
I nudge my head back, signaling for her to follow me outside. She stares at me for several moments, blinking with confusion, until finally reaching down to grab her boots from beneath the cot. I slide back and throw my bag over my shoulder while I wait. She rises, nods, and we silently drift between the sleeping soldiers into the darkness outside.
Caleb follows me through the camp. I keep to the shadows, avoiding the paths of the patrol guards.
“We don’t have to slink around like this,” she says at normal volume. “This isn’t a prison.”
“I know… but it’s fun.”
We reach the jeeps parked at the far side. I open the backseat door to the last one in line — the one farthest away from prying lights.
“Also,” I say, “there’s something I want to show you and I’d rather do it privately.”
She pauses, her bright eyes flicking between me and the backseat. Finally, she climbs inside and I follow her in after doing a quick scan of the area to make sure no one sees us.
I sit down on the seat next to her and pull my laptop from my bag. She slides away from me on purpose, putting as much distance as she can between us until her back hits the door on the other side.
“What is it?” she asks.
“I’ve been looking into that house,” I begin. “You know, the one in France I told you about?” She nods. “It’s weird, but… it’s like it doesn’t exist at all.”
Caleb tilts her neck to get a better look at the map on my laptop screen. “How so?”
“I mean, there’s nothing in public records. There’s no documented history of it ever being built. Even satellites show an empty lot.”
“How is that possible?”
“It’s not,” I answer. “Which means that someone very powerful went through a lot of trouble to keep it hidden… and I think I know who.” I scroll through my notes, flying by various bits of information and saved photographs. “The only mention of that land’s ownership is in a very redacted document buried deep in the Parisian archives. A man named Marlow Black bought the land in 1952 and that’s where the history ends. However—”
“Carson.”
Her eyes go soft on me, but I keep going.
“I dug through the Black family tree and found out that he had a daughter in 1965.”
“What are you doing?”
I stop scrolling on her face and turn the computer in Caleb’s direction. “Marilyn Black. Born in 1965. Died young in 1988. But I met her last month at that house in Paris.”
Caleb lingers on the woman’s photo for a few moments before she shakes her head. “She could have had a daughter…”
“No, I checked that. Marilyn Black didn’t have a daughter, but she did have a son. He died in 2004 at age nineteen — but how much you wanna bet he’s still walking around out there, too? And get this—”
“Carson…” She sighs. “You need to let this go.”
“Why?” Adrenaline pounds in my chest. “There’s something going on here, Caleb. Something bad.”
“And you escaped it,” she says. “The last thing you should be doing is digging back in. This obsession is just going to get you killed.”
“I’m not obsessed. I’m curious,” I say. “And you should be, too.”
“Why?”
“Because they probably have a file on you right now… and that’s my fault.”
Caleb sits back in her seat and gazes out the window at the pitch-black sky. She shows no expression to tell me whether she agrees with that last part, but I didn’t say it to gain sympathy. If something happens to anyone out here because of those files, then I’m going to feel responsible for it — gun to my head or not.
“What are we doing out here?” she finally asks.
“I wanted to tell you about this.”
“Right.” She crosses her arms. “We could have done that anywhere. What are we doing in this jeep?”
I smile and close the laptop. “Because I didn’t just want to tell you about this.”
She glares at me. “Uh-huh.”
“If we happen to make-out, too, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”
Her eyes roll back and she reaches for the door handle.
“I’m kidding!” I grab her arm, but she shoots a hard look at me and I fall back. “I would, however, like to talk about the other night—”
“No.”
“Caleb, come on. Contrary to my behavior sometimes, I am not fourteen,” I joke, drawing a fraction of a smile on her mouth. “We’re adults and I would like to talk about the other night like adults. Please?”
She releases the handle and settles back against the door, arms crossed like a pair of thick armor. “Okay.”
I take a deep breath and look into her eyes, instantly stunned into silence. Fuck, she’s perfect. Beautiful, strong. Inside and out. Mysterious, charismatic. I can’t get her out of my head nor can I get the taste of her off my lips — not that I’m complaining or anything.
“Well?” she asks.
“I don’t know,” I choke. “That’s as far as I got.”
Caleb sighs. “You can start with an apology.”
“An apology?”
She nods. “Yeah, an apology.”
“I’m not going to apologize for kissing you,” I say. “I’m not sorry.”
“It was highly inappropriate,” she says, her brow creasing with intensity.
I twist in the seat to face her. “I gave you a little peck, Caleb. You’re the one who turned it into a full-blown, tongue-on-tongue—”
“I did not!”
“Oh, so you tripped and fell?” I ask, throwing all my sarcasm into it. “Is that how we’re playing this?”
“I’m not playing anything—” She pauses and exhales a heavy sigh. “This is ridiculous. I’m leaving.”
“No—!�
��
I latch onto her arm again and pull her away from the door.
“Let go of me,” she says.
“Not until you admit that you kissed me back.”
“No.”
I tighten my grip around her wrist. “Then, we’ll just have to sit here all night and you can explain to everyone else what we were doing out here when they catch us in the morning.”
“You really have no sense of decency, do you?”
I shrug. “It comes and goes.”
She tugs her arm, but I don’t let go. “Carson.”
“Just admit it, Caleb.”
“What? That you’re an asshole? Done. You’re an asshole.”
“Admit that you kissed me, you liked it, and that you’ve been avoiding me ever since because you’re scared you’ll do it again.”
“Yeah, you’ve really got that like-an-adult thing down.”
I sigh and release her. “Fine. Don’t admit it. Doesn’t change the truth and we both know it.”
Her eyes twitch with anger as I ease back into the seat. I even rest my hands behind my head to sell the point home.
I kissed her. She kissed me. She wants more.
“You’re wrong,” she says.
“Oh, yeah?” I smirk.
“Yeah.”
“Then, why haven’t you left yet?”
She grits her perfect teeth. “You are so annoying.”
I laugh. “You’re stalling.”
“For what?”
I grab her again and pull her across the seat.
“Carson—”
I take her face in my hands. Her warm cheeks tickle my palms as I place my lips against hers, knowing full well she’s capable of breaking my nose with a single punch. Still… feeling her again, tasting her, kissing her, even for a moment…
It’s worth the risk.
My heart slams in my chest. Desire overwhelms fear. My blood runs hot and fast, so quick it leaves my digits numb against the soft skin of her face. I suck lightly on her bottom lip as a tremor shakes her entire body.
Caleb opens her jade eyes and stares into mine. I wish I could be a fly on the walls of her brain. It’d be nice to know if I should block my balls right about now.
She licks her lips, trembling softly in my hands, and leans over to kiss me back. Just like the other night, she parts her lips and I feel the warm jerk of her tongue against mine. I pull her closer and she straddles my waist, settling into my lap like a perfect puzzle piece.
A moan escapes her throat, tickling my lips as it vibrates off hers. She slides her hard body against me. I twitch as every drop of blood inside travels south. I feel behind her, gliding my fingers beneath her shirt to touch her smooth skin.
She reaches for my belt and my muscles lock.
Holy shit.
“Boxcar.”
I flinch. It’s the first time she’s ever called me that.
“Yeah?” I ask.
She stares me down, little eyes burrowing into mine. “If you tell anybody about this, I’ll kill you.”
I nod furiously. “Yes, ma’am.”
She kisses me again, this one firmer and harder while she tugs my belt free and slides my zipper down. I slip my hands beneath her shirt, taking aim for her breasts as I drop my kisses to the smooth skin of her neck. Her body quivers even more. She moans softly as I pinch her earlobe between my teeth.
I feel an ache of disappointment as she pulls away suddenly, but it all subsides when I realize she’s just pushing her pants to the floor. She’s right back on top of me in seconds, half-naked and willing, and I feel the dripping warmth of her caressing against my shaft. I kiss her again while her hand reaches for my cock. She grips it and stops, her wide eyes confirming my girth. She says nothing but I get the confidence boost of my life staring into her impressed eyes.
I keep my gaze on her, letting her lead, longing for the moment when I’m finally inside of her. She slides my tip back, angling it to penetrate her but she doesn’t lower herself down. She lets it sit there, quivering against her entrance while her wetness drips onto me. I feel her body and squeeze her breasts, trying not to go crazy as she teases me.
Finally, she lowers herself onto me. She bites her lip to hold back her moan. Even I burrow my face in her chest to keep her overwhelming tightness from taking over me.
I lay my head back, almost ready to explode. “Oh, fuck—”
She clamps her lips down on mine. We moan into each other as she slowly grinds herself on me. Her hips glide up and down, perfectly clenching my cock from the inside. I buck upward to thrust in deeper as she shakes on me.
“Shh—!”
Caleb slaps a hand over my mouth and locks her body in place above me as her eyes focus on something outside the windows.
I slowly crane my neck to look outside. A patrolman wanders alongside the jeeps, stepping softly against the sand. It takes all of my control to stop thrusting her. My dick begs for me to just keep going but I sit still, counting the excruciatingly long seconds as this fucking prick takes his sweet ass time.
He finally turns the corner. The second he drifts out of sight, Caleb lowers her hand from my mouth and kisses me hard. She adjusts her movement to keep the jeep from rocking and drawing attention to our location, but she doesn’t stop that perfect grind on my cock inside of her.
I keep fucking her, the new fear of getting caught fueling an even sharper pleasure. She grips my jacket and her body goes tense. Her face contorts with ecstasy, twisting even more as I push against a sweet spot inside of her. I grip her waist tighter, replicating the movement, memorizing every inch of her as lust colors her cheeks.
Caleb falls forward to stifle her moan against my shoulder. I smile even wider, feeling her tightness go wild as she climaxes on me.
I am a fucking god.
My balls tighten and I can’t hold back for another moment. I pull out of her as I come and point my tip into my shirt to keep from getting my DNA all over government property.
She stays still on top of me, desire hot on her breath. Her body shakes with each exhale, just like mine, but I can see the thoughts building behind her eyes.
“Shit,” she says.
She slides off me and reaches down to fish her pants off the floor.
I push my spent cock back inside my briefs and pull them up. “Well, that—”
“Never happened.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say—”
“I would,” she interrupts again. “And if you know what’s good for you — you will, too.”
I watch her pull her panties back on, blinking with confusion. “Okay, hold on…”
“I can’t do this kind of thing,” she says, still out of breath. “I have a reputation to keep here.”
“Okay, I get that, but… you kind of just did it.”
“And that was a mistake.”
I sigh, smiling. “Caleb, slow down.”
She zips her fly and shoves her feet into her boots. “I have to go—”
I grab her arm. “Stop.”
She freezes in place with her eyes on the floor, refusing to look at me.
“I said I wouldn’t tell anybody about this, and I meant that,” I say. “I’ll take this to the grave if you really want me to, but I won’t pretend it never happened.”
“Fine,” she says, flicking her dark eyes at me. “It happened. It was fun. We both enjoyed it, but it won’t happen again. It can’t.”
I let go of her. “Why not?”
“You know why not.”
“Yeah, yeah. Reputation and duty or whatever but you’re not going to be out here forever.”
She looks straight ahead. “This… this isn’t who I am. You’re not…”
Her voice falls again.
And there it is.
I’m not sure why I didn’t see it coming until this moment. This isn’t about her.
It’s about me.
“Oh.” I collapse into the seat. “I get it.”
Why would she e
ver go for an asshole like me when she’s surrounded by heroes like Fox fucking Fitzpatrick?
“You’re right,” I say. “This was wrong. It shouldn’t happen again.”
I reach for my bag and throw it over my shoulder without looking at her.
“I’ll go first,” she says.
“Cool.”
She takes a quick look out the windows before climbing out and closing the door softly behind her.
So, that’s it. The end of my affair with Caleb Fawn.
It crashed and burned just as quickly as it began but holy shit — it sure was fun while it lasted.
I fucked the untouchable Caleb Fawn. Not only that, she enjoyed it. She even admitted it, but she never had to. I fucking felt it and she sure as hell wasn’t faking it.
I’ll let this feeling linger for a few more minutes before heading back to the barracks and crashing right back down to zero.
I scoop my laptop off the floor and open it to see Marilyn Black staring back at me from the old photograph.
Caleb’s probably right. I absolutely should let this go. I suppose that’s a consequence of growing up a lonely kid with an overactive imagination. I’ve always had a thing for puzzles. Crossword, jigsaw. You name it, I solved it. What I have here now is a bunch of corner and edge pieces with nothing in the middle to connect them together. I could keep digging through the box to figure out what the mystery picture is, or I could move on and live with the unfinished puzzle lingering in the back of my head for the rest of my life. Of course, if I do that, then I sure as hell better have something better to occupy my headspace.
I close my laptop and look around the jeep as my memories of the last half hour come crashing back in.
Caleb.
I think about her mewling on top of me and I smile.
There’s no way I can let this be a one-time thing.
I’m not leaving Afghanistan until I make Caleb Fawn fall in love with me.
Shouldn’t be too hard, right?
Chapter 15
Boxcar
Now
“Caleb?”
I knock softly on her door. The ride back was excruciatingly long, mostly because of the time I spent in my head planning out what I was going to say to her. I have it all figured out. A few variations of phrases Fox told me plus plenty more of my own personal things that I’d only ever say out loud to her and no one else.
Broken Love Page 9
