The Senator's Daughter (Heritage Series Book 3)

by Ciana Stone

  "Damn girl, you make it fucking hard on a man, all that talk about getting naked, but I'm with you. On one condition."

  "What?"

  "Just think about giving him another chance, Naomie."

  "What if I'm just too afraid?"

  "Well, I've never known you to be a coward, girl."

  "I guess there's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

  "I hope not for this."

  "Okay, my turn. I'll think about it." She started to sit, realized she was toasted and lay back down. "You know I think I'm going to go in, shower and crash. I'm a whole lot high and way past drunk. Want to help me inside?"

  "Absolutely." He stood, pulled her to her feet, and held her hand as they crossed the beach and walked to their shabby little motel room. It wasn't much. Two narrow beds, a bathroom and one of those old-fashioned air-conditioning units mounted under the window that sounded like an old plane engine and struggled to keep the room cool.

  Naomie paused when they walked in and put her arms around Riggs. "I love you, Riggs. Thank you for being my friend."

  "Right back at'cha, beautiful."

  He smiled after she gave him a noisy kiss, then lay back on the bed with his feet hanging off, thinking he'd get up and shower once she'd finished.

  To his surprise, sunlight was streaming in from the window when he woke. He sat up and looked around. Naomie was gone.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Washington, D.C

  Two days. For two days he waited, hoping she'd show up and so far nothing. It was starting to get to him, interfering with his ability to focus. Not to mention the fact that he was facing a situation with Senator Walker and the Attorney General. They'd asked him to have dinner with them and their daughter at a very prestigious club, one whose membership boasted of influential people with the government.

  What the hell was he going to do? He'd yet to return their call but by morning had to do so. If only the Hood had shown up. Unable to sleep, he went into the living area, flopped down onto the couch and stared up at the ceiling. Unbidden images rose to the surface of his mind, and he fell into the fantasy.

  She gazed through the eyepiece of the telescope and smiled. John really should learn to close his blinds. Thanks to the enhanced features she had paid dearly for, she could see him walk into the living area and plop down on the couch. For a minute, he wore an extremely disgruntled look on his face. Then his expression changed, and with the change, his eyes closed. She'd watched him enough that she knew the look. John was fantasizing. Which meant it was time to go for broke.

  John jerked awake from the sex-filled dream at the knock on the door, grabbed his gun, and checked the clock as he headed for the door. It shocked him to discover it was the middle of the night. Certainly not a time he was accustomed to company. On bare feet, he padded to the door and looked through the peephole. A twenty-ish man with a big brown paper shopping bag stood outside the door.

  John opened it just enough to see. "Yes?"

  "Delivery for John Rushing," the young man said.

  "I didn't order anything. How did you get past security?"

  The fellow ignored the question and pulled a receipt order from his pocket. "Says right here, John Rushing, apartment 6-D. You want it or not?"

  John didn't know what was going on, but he was curious why he would be getting a delivery in the middle of the night. "Who do you work for?"

  "You want the package or not?"

  John made a mental note to give the security company for his building a call first thing in the morning. This kid shouldn't have made it past the front desk. But he had, so John was going to play along and see what the game was. "Okay, kid, how much?"

  "Nothing. Bill and tip's all been taken care of."

  "Fine." John accepted the bag and watched the young man turn and leave.

  He locked the door and carried the bag back to the living area where he took a seat on the couch and placed the bag between his feet. He began to pull items from the bag and put them on the coffee table.

  Inside was a 1990 bottle of Roederer Cristal Rose Champagne, a pair of Montano Lucino black silk pajamas, a pound of Knipschildt chocolate truffles, a bottle of Kama Sutra Oil of Love, cinnamon flavored, a box of condoms and a large flat box wrapped elegantly.

  John tore off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a variety of sex toys, restraints, lubrication, and a black T-shirt. He pulled the T-shirt out and held it up. Completely black, it bore two words on the front in bold white letters—"Wanna play?"

  "I do," a sultry feminine voice came from behind him.

  John's heart leapt into his throat as he dropped the T-shirt and fumbled on the couch for his weapon.

  "Don't move." He finally got the gun in hand and trained on the trespasser, who stood in the shadows behind the couch. "How did you get in?"

  A low sexy laugh came from the shadowy form. "As I've repeatedly told you, I'm very good."

  "Move where I can see you," he directed with his weapon.

  "Gonna shoot me, John?" she asked as she complied and walked around the couch, stopping in front of him where the light from the windows illuminated her features.

  John was struck mute. Standing before him was a woman who surpassed all of his fantasies. Golden hair cascaded over her shoulders and spilled down past her breasts in shining waves, framing a face that would have sailed a lot more than a thousand ships. Cat-green, almond-shaped eyes set in thick lashes glittered at him in amusement as he stood speechless staring at her. Her full pouty mouth broke into a sexy smile as his eyes traveled lower.

  She'd dressed to impress. A black sheath hugged her shapely body, molding to her like a second skin. On many women, the dress would have appeared sluttish. On her, it was visual sex. Stopping at midthigh, the dress was the perfect lead-in to a pair of spectacular legs that ended encased in fuck-me, stiletto-heeled slingbacks.

  But the biggest shock of all was that he recognized her.

  "You can't be…"

  She laughed. "The Robin Hood? But I am John."

  "No."

  "No? Why?" she suppressed another laugh at his shock.

  "Because you …you're… Your father…your mother…"

  She shook back her long mane of hair. "Yes, I have parents."

  "But how could you…"

  "You seem to be having trouble finishing a sentence, John. Perhaps you should sit. Don't worry, I promise I won't try to escape."

  "What the fuck, Amber?"

  "Don't you mean Hood?"

  John put his hands over his face, willing this moment to be different when he moved his hands because this couldn't be happening.

  And yet when he lowered his hands, there she stood.

  Amber Walker, the Robin Hood.

  *****

  The persistent buzz of the intercom woke John from a sound sleep. It was then he realized he was in bed alone.

  "Amber?" he called out as he sat up.

  There was no answer. John got up and went into the bathroom. She wasn't there. In fact, she was nowhere in the apartment as he soon discovered. He finally answered the intercom to learn that his partner Tom Petersen was downstairs. John buzzed Tom up then went into the bedroom to pull on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

  He was putting on a pot of coffee when Tom knocked on the door.

  "Whoa! What truck ran over you?" Tom asked when John opened the door.

  John grunted in reply and headed for the kitchen with Tom still talking. "I've been trying to call you all morning. Neither your landline or cell is working—both give an out-of-service message. What's up?"

  John gave Tom a surprised look and snatched up the phone off the base in the kitchen. Sure enough, it was dead. He found his cell phone in the living room, amid the leftovers of Amber's gift. It also was dead.

  "So what's up?" Tom took a look around at the leftovers.

  "Late night." John didn't care to try and explain his personal life. Hell, there was no way he could explain last night. "What br
ings you here?"

  "Thought you might be interested to know that the bounty on The Hood just increased."

  "Why?"

  "Word just came down that the boys at the top are crediting The Hood with one of the biggest…uh, thefts in history."

  "What kind of theft?"

  "Seems like over the last year seven of the biggest insurance companies in the world have paid out over sixty million dollars to account holders who were never approved for settlements."

  "That doesn't make any sense."

  "Tell me about it. From what I've learned so far, it appears that The Hood was able to get into company files on denied policies and approve claims that had been previously denied by the various companies."

  "And they just now realized money was slipping between their fingers?" John found that hard to believe.

  "Yeah, that's what I said. But here's the thing. The accounting software was creatively altered so that none of the payouts were recorded. And here's the kicker. The checks were never issued from the actual companies in question. "

  "Shit on a stick!" John was amazed. "How the hell did she manage that on her own?"

  "No one believes she did—at least now," Tom replied. "There's no way one person could have pulled this off. She had to have had help—and a lot of it. The question is, who was in on it with her?"

  John poured himself and Tom a cup of coffee. "Okay, so how exactly can we be sure it was her?"

  Tom chuckled. "You're gonna love this. Seems like all the big insurance companies called in a team of super techs to sift through the programming with a microscope and one of them discovered a remark line buried deep in the code that read vengeance is an arrow—which as you know, is The Hood's signature."

  John felt a lead weight take shape in his belly. He'd had every opportunity to do what he should have done and arrest Amber. But instead, he'd neglected his duty and indulged in his desires. And now how was he ever going to be able to reveal her as the Hood without revealing his own shameful behavior?

  But what really ate at him was that he didn't want to reveal her. Instead, he wanted to protect her from prosecution and let the Hood remain uncaught and undiscovered.

  It wasn't a moral dilemma he had any idea how to deal with. But he'd better figure it out fast before she slipped up and got caught.

  "So, you coming in today?" Tom interrupted his thoughts.

  "Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was thinking about the case."

  "Want me to wait around and give you a lift? We can grab some dinner after work and then I'll drop you back off."

  "Sure, Tom, that'd be great," John agreed. "Give me ten minutes." Not waiting for a reply, he headed for the shower. Now if he could just figure out where the hell Amber was and convince her to sit down with him and figure this mess out.

  *****

  She was watching for him through the telescope when he entered his apartment that evening. It had been a rather stressful day for her, waiting to see if John would turn her in to the Bureau. So far it seemed he had not.

  Which meant what? That he didn't want to turn her in, or he just didn't know how to go about it without revealing his erotic trysts with her. She hoped it was the former rather than the latter, although in the final analysis it probably wouldn't make a difference in terms of her legal status. There was no way anyone would ever trace any of the capers back to her.

  Thanks to all she'd learned at her father's feet, and through all of the contacts she'd made through him that he was unaware of, and more importantly, thanks to her partner's brilliance and skills, their tracks were covered. She was confident the Robin Hood would go down in history. Maybe not as a superhero, but certainly as a folk hero comparable with Robin Hood.

  And truth be told, she was ready for that phase of her career to end. It was exciting for a while, but John had changed something inside her. As improbable as it was, her short time with him had her wanting a different sort of life, one with him in it.

  Caught up in her own thoughts she didn't notice what John was doing until he walked over to the balcony holding a sheet of paper in front of him with big handwritten letters that said "Tonight. Come here."

  She smiled and moved away from the telescope.

  *****

  John was sitting on the couch, staring through the open sliding door of the balcony when Amber literally dropped in. She unclipped the rappelling line from the harness she wore, tugged on it and watched it retract. After hopping down off the rail, she removed the harness and stepped through the open doorway.

  "You wanted to see me, John?"

  "The front door would have worked just as well."

  "But far less exciting."

  "Is that what all this is for you, Amber? Excitement? Something to entertain the poor little rich girl?"

  "My goodness, we are in a snit tonight, aren't we? Perhaps I should come back another time when your mood is improved."

  "Cut the crap! This isn't a joke. You've committed some serious crimes. You could go to prison."

  "No, John, I won't. Not ever. First of all, no one but you knows, and you have no proof. And there is no proof for anyone to find. Besides, I'm done with all that."

  John threw up his hands in exasperation. "Amber this isn't like saying I'm giving up playing tennis. Regardless of what you do from this point forward, nothing will change what you've already done, and the law won't stop looking for the guilty party. You're a fugitive from justice, and you always will be."

  Amber crossed the room and knelt on one knee in front of John. "I'm not arguing with you. I agree. What's done is done. But no one will ever, ever know it was me. I've covered my tracks too completely. No one can discover the truth."

  "How can you be so certain?" God help him, John wanted to believe her.

  "The same way I can be certain about this…" She ran one hand up the inside of his thigh to the erection that strained at his pants.

  "That's sex. Nothing more."

  "Is it? Maybe for you, John. But not for me. What's happening between us is much, much more than sex. So much more that it was what made me decide to give up my…adventures."

  "In exchange for what, Amber? You've already got everything—more money and privilege than Midas. You can have anything and anyone you want. So why me?"

  "Is there really an explanation for love?"

  "Love?" he asked, in his heart wishing it could be true, but in his head doubting that it could be so.

  "Yes, John. Love."

  "You don't love me, Amber."

  "Maybe," she agreed. "Maybe what I feel right now isn't really love, but it might be—in time. Don't you want the chance to find out?"

  "More than anything," he admitted.

  "Then we should definitely lay the Robin Hood to rest, don't you think?"

  "Do you think that's possible?"

  "Most definitely."

  "And just how do we go about that?"

  "Well, first we exorcise her."

  "Exorcise?"

  "Oh yeah."

  "And how do we do that?

  She rose in one fluid motion and straddled his lap. "Why don't I show you?" Her arms circled his neck as her lips slanted across his. Their tongues battled for dominance as she wiggled on his erection.

  "And just what did you have in mind?" he asked when the kiss ended.

  "How about we take a nice long shower and discuss it?" She rose and extended her hand.

  John let her pull him into the bathroom. She slowly undressed him, kissing his chest, his abdomen and working lower as she knelt to work his pants down his legs. Her mouth closed on his erection, and he fisted his hands in her hair, closing his eyes and giving in to the delicious feeling.

  When the sensations started to overwhelm, he pulled her to her feet and quickly stripped off her clothes.

  "I can't get enough of you," he said and knelt in front of her, burying his face in her crotch. Amber spread her legs to give him easier access, and he plunged his tongue into her hot sex.

 
"Not yet," she straightened. "I want another turn. But I want it in the shower."

  They started the water and climbed in under the spray. Amber turned her face up to the water, letting it soak her hair then switched places with John. She knelt in front of him and began to lick him, starting on the inside of his right thigh and traveling up the crease of his thigh, then under his balls. Her mouth opened and she gently sucked one testicle into her mouth, rolling it softly.

  John leaned his head back, closing his eyes and immersing himself in the sensations of the water cascading down on him and Amber's hot mouth on him. She worked her way to his erection and licked its length, teasing the head with her tongue and teeth, then licked her way back down. Over and over, until she had him holding onto the wall for support.

  Just when he felt like he would rupture from need, she rose and soaped his dick. While one hand moved up and down the shaft in smooth strokes, her other palm rotated on the head of his cock, making him quiver at the electric sensations that shot through his body, making his toes want to curl.

  "Baby, stop," he begged, about to come in her hand.

  "Not yet." She refused to stop. "Come for me. Do it, John, do it now."

  With a groan, he complied, filling her hand. She rose and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull his head down. Their lips met, and his arms circled her, pulling her close. "Christ, Amber, what am I going to do without you?"

  "Who says you have to?" she replied with a smile.

  He drew back to give her a serious look. "Baby, I'd like nothing better than for this to last forever, but as long as you're doing…what you do, we're on opposite sides of the fence, and I just can't live like that."

  "Well, maybe there's a solution to our problem."

  "I'm listening."

  "Okay, here's what I was thinking…"

  Heritage Ranch, Texas

  Riggs tossed his bag into the back of Mace's truck. "I'm gonna say goodbye to Dad."

  "Okay." Mace agreed.