by Linzi Baxter
Antonio’s eyes tightened. “We think Juan used a unit to run missions for him off the books. Juan deleted the unit's information from the servers years ago. We need to figure out who all the men in the photo are. Clearly, if they are working for him now, they knew he was corrupt when he worked for the CIA.”
The more they dug into Juan, the more hurdles and missing pieces they found. “I know Neal was working on a new facial recognition software. He might be able to use the photo to find the man we’re looking for.” I motioned to Zane. “If your brother approves, he could run it against one of NSA’s satellites, and we could locate them faster. Neal tried to run Juan, but I have a feeling Juan is wearing a disguise.”
Antonio laced his fingers with mine and gave my hand a squeeze. “You are correct. He is wearing a disguise. I almost didn’t recognize him at my parents’ house. Zack gave us permission to do whatever it takes to get answers. We can send Neal the photo, and he can run all the men. If we find one, it might help us find Juan faster.”
Zane pulled his phone out of his pocket. His fingers flew across the screen, and when he sent the text, his phone made a whoosh sound. “I asked Asher to send the picture to Neal.”
It felt good to be in Antonio’s arms again. When I lifted myself so I could sit on his lap, I was rewarded with the feeling of his hard member through his jeans. I squirmed in his lap and elicited a groan. His arms wrapped around my waist tighter to keep me still.
A smile split Zane’s face. “Happy to see you're not mad at Antonio anymore.”
Sophie got up from the bed and grabbed Zane’s hand. “Let’s go work on lunch.”
Zane jumped up, grabbed Sophie around her waist, and threw her over his shoulder. A loud squeal erupted from her mouth. “But I want you for lunch.” They exited the room in fits of laughter.
“Did you have fun talking to Sophie?” Antonio asked. He still ran his hand up and down my side.
“It was nice to catch up. I wish she didn’t have to hide out until we find Juan. What if it takes months for us to find him?” I wanted Sophie to come to the women’s center with me.
Patience. I needed patience to get through this. That was why I liked missions where the evidence clearly showed what the bad guy did. Then the CIA would tell me where my kill location was, and I could take my target out. I had never spent months looking for my targets. This cat-and-mouse game was getting old.
“We could skip lunch and head home,” Antonio whispered. “The past few days of not holding you at night or getting a kiss in the morning has killed me. Let’s go home, Kitty Kat, so I can make love to my wife for the rest of the day.”
Antonio captured my lips. He ran his hand through my hair, pulling me in tighter. I couldn’t get enough of him. He seemed to need to show dominance and take over the kiss. His tongue swiped across my lips, requesting entrance. When he leaned back and broke the kiss, it was too soon. I wanted to stay locked to his lips.
13
Kat
It had been a full week since the attack on Sophie and Zane. Sophie was still at the safe house. Zane worked remotely, and so did Antonio. It had been nice to have him home with me the past few days.
Ant was on spring break and had been home from school. Antonio was worried about letting us out of the house. So we played games and binge-watched movies on Netflix. On one of the days, Lily came over and brought her son to play with Ant. They spent hours in Ant’s room, where they played cops and robbers. Ant used to play assassin and bad guy, but Antonio thought we set a bad precedent with that game.
It was nice to see Ant make friends so easily. Once Lily’s husband was behind bars and Juan was dead, Ant and Tommy could play together more often. Lily looked to be doing better. She wouldn’t stop thanking us for having Jacob watch over her. Greg had tried to contact her numerous times, and Jacob stopped him each time. Alex Ross had talked with one of his friends and tried to help find Lily a job as a receptionist, but we hadn’t heard back yet.
For the past few hours, I had worked on cleaning the house. Ant’s grandparents had shown up and taken him to their house for the weekend. Antonio had been in his office for the last few hours, looking over the case files. Asher had recently gotten intel that led us to believe Juan had surfaced in Fort Lauderdale.
I was frustrated that we were always one step behind Juan. Neal had used his facial recognition software to identify three of the other men in Nebula’s unit. The men had often met at a biker bar in South Miami. Antonio had sent Asher there to scope out the place and was able to get intel that there would be a meeting in two days.
Neal and Zane had been in constant contact and had come up with a game plan to take Juan and his men down. But I couldn’t stop feeling it was going to be a diversion. Juan had been careful not to get caught for the last two months. I kept asking myself why he would make it so easy for us to discover when this meeting was going to take place.
CJ had retrieved partial video from the DVR player in the bunker. The video didn’t add anything we didn’t know. It was recorded video of inside the bunker. The video showed Juan meeting with the seven men of the military unit. We wondered if these men knew Juan had killed their friend.
I needed a distraction from my current thoughts. I grabbed a piece of paper and started to think about Ant’s sixth birthday. It would be the first party Ant would celebrate with his dad and Antonio’s family.
I glanced around the room, trying to figure out what I was going to do for a sixth birthday party. My eyes landed on Ant’s cop action figure on the end of the table. Ant loved to play detective. We could set up a whole theme with his friends and have them figure out different cases.
I heard Antonio’s feet pad across the living room carpet. Over the past couple of months, I’d gotten used to having Antonio in my life. I enjoyed my evenings cuddling up in his arms on the couch. The nights that we shared were the best memories. I would cherish them forever.
It was nice to have someone on my side who fought for me.
The more Antonio helped with parenting, the more I realized how much help I needed. And I wasn’t the only one who needed help. Ant had blossomed so much since Antonio had been around. I didn’t realize how much he’d needed a male figure in his life.
I didn’t have to turn around to know that Antonio stood behind me. I could feel his presence.
“Are you and Zane done planning for the day?” I asked while I wrote my list of things we needed for Ant’s birthday. Laser tag needed to go on the list.
Antonio took the chair next to me. “Is laser tag for the adults or the kids?”
I could only imagine the trouble Antonio and his brother’s friends would get into if we had laser tag for the adults. But I had to admit that it would have been pretty fun to pit the guys against the girls.
“They were going to be for Ant’s friends, but maybe we need to have a set for the adults as well.”
He pulled the piece of paper from my hand. “I like your idea of a detective birthday party. I’m so proud of you Kitty Kat. I thought you wanted an assassin birthday party.”
I winced at his declaration.
“You were originally going to have an assassin birthday party, right?”
“Maybe.” I pointed to the piece of paper that he stole from my hands. “But as you can see, I’m going to be mother of the year. When ‘assassin’ came to mind, I looked around the room for an idea and landed on Ant's cop figurine.”
His lips curved slightly, and in the dining room light, I could see the smile he tried to hide. “You’re the best mom there is. Maybe we could have a detective looking for the assassin.”
“I appreciate that, Antonio, but I think we’re going to do a detective looking for a bank robber.” I got up from the dining room table and headed to the fridge for a drink. Ant would be at his grandparents’ house for the weekend. We would spend the following day finalizing the plan to go after Juan. The takedown was supposed to happen Sunday night.
“Wine or beer?” I
asked from the fridge. I had planned to crack open a bottle of Moscato.
“Beer.”
When I joined Antonio back at the table, he pulled me onto his lap. A wave of need hit my body when I felt Antonio’s hard member press against my back. Antonio wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in closer. Just having his arms wrapped around me made the world fade away.
Antonio grabbed the cold beer I set on the table and took a long swig. I could feel the tension in Antonio’s body. He needed to tell me something, but he didn’t want to.
A million bad things raced through my mind. Had Sophie been kidnapped or killed? Had Greg come after Lily again and actually got her? The longer the silence went on, the more I worried.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong? The longer you're quiet, the more things I dream up.”
He stiffened, took another swig of beer, then continued. “It’s good and bad.”
“Let’s go to the living room and talk about this.” Sitting on his lap in the dining room was not the most comfortable place to be having a conversation about anything bad. Antonio followed me into the living room.
Before I could sit down on the plush gray couch, Antonio pulled me onto his lap again. “Alex found Lily a job.”
That was amazing. With everything Lily had been through, she deserved to find a job. “God, that’s so amazing. I can’t wait to celebrate with her.”
Antonio’s arms tightened around me. “Kitty…”
“Okay, tell me the bad news.”
He huffed out a breath. “Alex looked for someone with good security. We wanted her to be safe wherever she went.”
I waited for the shoe to drop.
After a pause, Antonio shook his head. “Have you heard of Jacob Black?”
Jacob Black owned Space Rock, one of the leaders in space exploration. He didn’t just do businesses that dealt with space, though. He was one of the top innovators for clean energy. He was in the process of developing solar shingles that would power a house, which would no longer need regular electrical service. I nodded, letting Antonio continue.
He paused, and his voice came out strained. “I know you’ve become good friends with Lily, but I think this is a great opportunity for her. We can’t let our feelings stand in the way.”
“I’m confused, Antonio. Why do you think I would be upset about this?”
“Kitty Kat, Mr. Black runs his company out of Dallas. She will have to leave tomorrow, and you won’t get to say goodbye. Greg is still out there, and we don’t know when you can talk to her again.”
I hadn’t thought about that. Tears burned my eyes. Lily was the first true friend I’d found on my own. I wouldn’t get to say goodbye, and I didn’t know when I could see her again.
“Do you think Alex can find her something else?” I was being selfish. If I were her true friend, I would be happy for her.
Antonio let out a sigh and tightened his arms around me. I was already pressed tightly against his powerful chest. We sat there in silence.
“You know she needs to take this. Lily will be working directly with Mr. Black, and he promised to have at least two bodyguards on her and one on Tommy. Deep down, you know this is best for her even though it hurts you. I will keep looking for Greg, and once he is back behind bars or in one of your alligators’ stomachs, you can jump on a plane and go see her.”
I let out a huff. “You moved my alligators.”
Antonio let out a chuckle. “When I know you’ve stopped killing people for sure, I will take you to visit them.”
That put a smile on my face. I had grown to like my green monsters in the backyard.
I needed to think about what was best for my friend and not what I wanted. After being apart from people for so long, I wanted to collect them and keep them close, even though that made me sound like a serial killer. “Thank you,” I said softly. It was a loaded thank you.
Antonio understood. He kissed the top of my head, and we sat in silence for couple of minutes. I leaned my head back and enjoyed his arms wrapped around my body.
Antonio grabbed his beer from the end table and took the last swig. “Where’s my mini clone?”
“Your mom came by earlier and picked him up for the weekend.”
“We have the house to ourselves all weekend?” The growl in Antonio’s voice gave me tingles. “I can have my wicked way with my wife all weekend?”
The question he rumbled made my mouth go dry with anticipation.
I spun in Antonio’s arms so that I straddled his waist and whispered in his ear, “You can have your wicked way with me anytime.” I was rewarded with a groan.
“I can’t wait to strip you naked.”
I swallowed hard and tried to keep my body in control. I felt the desire run through me.
His lip curled into a smile. Antonio knew what he did to my body.
He reached up and tugged on a piece of hair that had fallen out of my messy bun. “Don’t worry, Kitty Kat. I plan to have my wicked way with you all night. But I think we should have dinner first.”
I couldn’t believe Antonio. My body was on fire with need, and he wanted to eat. How could he even think about food at a time like this?
I wanted him, and he wanted me. Antonio’s pupils were dilated. He needed me as much as I needed him.
When I ground my hips against his thick member, he tightened his arms around me and lifted me into the air.
“Kitty Kat, you're playing with fire.” Antonio started down the hall toward the kitchen. If it meant my husband ended up naked, I would play with fire every day.
“I’m not hungry.”
He whispered in my ear. “I’m hungry, and my dinner is in my hands. I can’t wait to feast on that pussy all night.”
In answer, I wrapped my fingers in Antonio’s hair and pulled his lips to mine. He stopped and pushed me up against the wall. We were both panting by the time Antonio pulled back. “I love you,” he whispered across my lips.
By the time we made it to the kitchen, we had both clawed at each other's clothes. Before I could figure out what he had planned, he tugged my jeans down and set me on the kitchen counter. My bare ass sat against the cool countertops.
Antonio’s wide shoulders pried my legs apart. He leaned his head down and took my bundle of nerves into his lips. Normally, Antonio took his time. But instead, he licked his two fingers and pushed them in immediately. My juices helped him slide in with ease.
“You taste so good, Kitty Kat.”
I didn’t have time to respond before he took a long lick over my nub. The sensation of his rough tongue made my body go weak. I used my hands to keep my body supported.
“Please.” I didn’t know what I begged for. I needed more of anything he could give. My body was about to explode from arousal. I felt so close to him. I rolled my hips with every thrust of his hand. Antonio leaned over me and caught my lips in a kiss right before I went over the edge. He captured my moan in his mouth.
He stood back and yanked his shirt over his head. I couldn’t help but groan when I saw his naked chest. Then he reached down to unbutton his jeans, and my mouth watered with need. While he was distracted by his task, I jumped off the counter and dropped to my knees.
I pulled Antonio’s jeans down the remainder of the way and took his hard length in my mouth.
“Kat,” he whispered as I worked him farther down my throat.
While I worked him in and out of my mouth, I reached up and cupped his balls. Antonio leaned forward, rested one hand on the counter, and wrapped his other hand in my hair.
He tried to control the speed at which I took him down my throat.
“You feel so good.” Antonio held my head in place. He groaned when I ran my hand over his balls. When he released my hair, he reached down and lifted me under the arms. Then he turned me so I was bent over the counter. When I heard him step away, I went to turn.
“Stay.”
I laid my head back down on the counter. I heard him open the fridge, and
his footsteps walked back toward the counter. “Damn, you have a nice ass.” He placed a wet finger on my star. We had never had anal, but the thought of it sent a shiver of desire through my body. To have that man meant he had to possess every inch of my body.
“This will be mine one day, but I have other plans tonight.”
I heard the sound of the whipped cream can a second before I felt the cool touch of the cream. Antonio bent down and licked the cream from my pussy. The new position was too much for my body to take. I was so aroused that the first lick sent me over the edge. I could feel my juices and the whipped cream on my thighs. I was ready for him.
“Oh my god,” I whimpered. I rocked back, and Antonio ran his tongue across my nub. I couldn’t hold back the second orgasm.
Antonio lined himself up and wrapped one arm around my stomach. His other hand rested on my shoulder, and he thrust into me. We both groaned at the connection. I felt so close to Antonio when he was inside me. It was a connection I couldn’t quite explain. Every time we were together, I fell for him even more.
I hadn’t known it was possible to love someone as much as I loved Antonio.
After a pause, he leisurely worked his girth in and out. I pushed back to take him deeper into my channel. He filled me and touched all the right places.
Antonio sped up his thrust, hitting my G-spot with each one. I could feel the climax building. It wouldn’t be long before I was consumed. I clenched my channel.
“Come,” Antonio whispered as he pinched my clit. We went over at the same time. Antonio and I stayed connected until we caught our breath.
On the counter sat a pint of ice cream. We dropped to the floor and ate the ice cream off each other.
14
Antonio
The overhead light shone down on the conference room table, and pictures of Juan’s men were plastered around the table. A map marked the location of Wild Hounds Bar in South Miami.
“Did you let Director Westblack know our plan?” Asher asked.
