Heroes in Uniform: Soldiers, SEALs, Spies, Rangers and Cops: Sexy Hot Contemporary Alpha Heroes From NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Authors

by Sharon Hamilton

  “Yeah.” Mallory’s intercom buzzed. “That’ll be Ernie from the restaurant.”

  A few minutes later, Mallory took the box from the gangly son of the restaurant owners. “Thanks, Ernie.”

  “No prob, Mallory.”

  She set out plates and a couple of bottles of beer. Again, they ate at the coffee table. Gage resumed his seat on the arm of the couch. Mallory sat cross-legged on the carpeting.

  She bit into a slice of the pizza. “We got another hit. This one, Sherry Herron, is listed as a dancer here in Bradley. Since they’re all dancers, I’m wondering if they have any connection to the trafficking operation at all or if Wilder just liked the way they looked and downloaded their photos for himself.”

  Gage reached into the pizza box. “Did Wilder bring in any new dancers that resemble these women in hair color or skin tone?”

  “Not that I saw. You thinking these girls worked for Billy at some point?”

  Gage folded his slice in half and brought it to his mouth. “It would be a connection. We won’t know unless we ask them.”

  “Even if they did work for Billy, I don’t see how that would tie in with the trafficking ring.” Mallory wiped her hands with a napkin. “I don’t want to waste time going off in a direction that won’t help us find the women.”

  Gage took another slice from the box. “I agree but we won’t know if there’s a connection if we don’t look into it. Your call.”

  They had no leads. She wasn’t in a position to discount anything. “One of the women is local. There’s still time to see her tonight.”

  * * *

  Gage pushed open the door to the Arctic Club. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and from a blue fog that floated off the stage as part of the current dancer’s routine.

  The patrons were three deep and he pushed his way through, making a path for himself and Mallory to the bar. Once there, he made space for Mallory to stand in front of him, then signaled the bartender and ordered two bottles of beer.

  Rather than ask if Sherry Herron was working and risk alerting anyone of their interest, they took their drinks to one of the few empty tables and settled in. If Sherry was working, then eventually she’d appear on stage.

  Gage scanned the crowd, but their entrance didn’t appear to attract any attention. With Wilder still at large, Gage was concerned about Mallory being in a location he could not secure. When he’d voiced his concern to her, and told her he would follow up on this alone, he’d been shot down. So here they were. But he didn’t like it. The fire at the club was still fresh in his mind. He couldn’t be casual about her safety. He kept his eyes trained on their surroundings.

  They sat out three sets. The fog, the noise and the worry, had given Gage one hell of a headache. The music changed and another girl took center stage. The new woman was older than Billy’s photograph of her, but there was no mistaking the petite brunette. It was Sherry Herron. Beside him, Mallory gave him a look.

  Sherry had a long set, then with a wave and a smacking kiss goodbye to the audience, she left the stage.

  Gage leaned over and spoke into Mallory’s ear. “We should speak with her outside. Not in here.”

  Inside their rental, they watched the door to the parking lot. When Sherry emerged, she wasn’t alone. Another of the dancers who’d performed earlier was with her.

  “Better to catch Sherry alone,” Mallory said.

  Gage watched the women share a laugh as they linked arms and made their way over the patches of snow and ice. “I’ll follow at a distance until she’s dropped off the other woman or is dropped off somewhere herself.”

  Sherry was the driver. She got behind the wheel of a sporty red coop. They didn’t have long to wait before she turned into an apartment complex and the other dancer got out of the passenger side.

  Sherry drove on. A short while later, she pulled up to a modest house.

  Gage parked the car. “You take the lead on this. A man approaching her in her driveway at this time of night might spook her.”

  Mallory left the car. Gage got out after her, but stood against the hood of the rental, remaining close by.

  Mallory joined Sherry on the driveway. “Sherry.”

  The other woman swung around. Her hand, covered in a purple woolen glove, flew to her throat.

  “Hello.” Mallory stopped a few feet from the other woman. “I’m Agent Mallory Burke.” Mallory held up her ID. “This is Captain Broderick. We’d like to speak with you.”

  “What’s this about?” Sherry lowered her hand. “It’s after midnight.”

  “We didn’t want to interrupt you at the club.”

  “You were at the Arctic?”

  “Yes.” Mallory pocketed her ID. “We won’t take up much of your time. Did you work at The Wild Club in town?”

  Sherry huffed out a breath that fogged in the cold air. “Why are you asking me about that job? It was a long time ago.”

  Mallory tilted her head and gave the woman a penetrating stare. “How long ago?”

  “I don’t know. Three, four years, something like that.”

  “How long did you work there?”

  “Six months, I think, give or take. Why is this important?”

  Mallory ignored the question. “Why did you leave?”

  Sherry’s heavily painted lips pursed. “I don’t see why I should tell you that. But if it will get rid of you faster, I left because I got a better offer at another club. More money, you know how it is. Listen, it’s really late and I’m working tomorrow.”

  “Just another couple of questions, Sherry. Do you remember any of the other dancers who worked there when you did?”

  “No. I was there to make a living, not to make friends. I didn’t socialize with any of the other girls.”

  “What about Billy Wilder? Did you socialize with him?”

  Sherry scoffed. “No way. I don’t mess where I eat, got that? No way I was going to be in a position to get canned if the boss got tired of having me in his bed. Like I said, I was there to dance and that’s all I did there. Now I’m done answering your questions.” She jutted out her hip and braced a hand there. “If you got any more for me, you can ask them in front of a lawyer.”

  Sherry turned and went into the house.

  * * *

  Though he was too long for Mallory’s couch with the armrest extending only to his calf, it wasn’t the sofa’s fault that Gage couldn’t sleep. That he was alert to every sound in the apartment. The heat kicking on. The hum of the refrigerator. The ticking of the kitchen clock. Alert to Mallory, one room away.

  He could smell her light perfume that wafted in the air and hear her moving on the mattress. Movement that was followed by a sharp intake of breath and a small groan of pain.

  Gage tossed back the blanket. The door to the little bathroom off her bedroom was ajar. She was standing, one hand braced on the soft blue counter, head lowered. He rapped on the door with one knuckle. Her head came up. “You okay?”

  “My ankle’s acting up. Since the fire. All that stair climbing, I guess.”

  Gage entered the room. “Let me take a look.” With ease, he lifted her onto the counter, then took her foot gently in his hands. The ankle was swollen. “I’ll get something cold to put on it.”

  She didn’t have any bags of frozen vegetables in her freezer, he saw a couple of minutes later. He wrapped some ice cubes in a dish cloth then returned to her. He placed the ice on the swelling which also placed him in line with her breasts. She was wearing a white tank top over some purple pajama pants and when she leaned forward to look down at her ankle he got a glimpse of her sexy cleavage, minus a bra.

  She released a sigh. “Feels good.”

  He was glad that her pain had eased, but he had a feeling his pain was about to climb to a new level. Along with her foot, the rest of her must also be getting cold from the ice. Her nipples were now pressing against the soft material of the top. His heart rate rose and he hardened.

  * * *


  Gage still wore his jeans but his torso was bare. Mallory didn’t want to stare but found it impossible not to.

  She could smell him. A trace of sweat. Heat. Something grittier that hit her system like a drug. Her heart began to beat in what felt like triple time. A fire started inside her.

  This time there was no Joseph Oliver. There was just herself and Gage.

  She didn’t need anything more on her mind now than the investigation. She’d only known Gage for a few days and knew so little about him.

  And none of that mattered at this moment. She wanted this. Wanted him.

  * * *

  Gage closed his eyes and when he opened them, Mallory’s gaze was on his. Her eyes had gone soft, liquid, and in that moment he was sure he’d never wanted anything more in his life than to be able to lose himself in them. To lose himself in her. To step outside of himself for a time. Leave the hurt and insanity of the last six months behind for a while, and engage in mindless sex where his body took over to give and to receive nothing but pleasure.

  He rose to his feet. With their gazes still locked, Mallory spread her knees and he stepped between them. He wanted to touch her everywhere at once but for some reason started with her hand. He took it in his and pressed her palm to his lips.

  “Gage,” she murmured.

  At the sound of his name on her lips, he pulled her to the edge of the counter so her lower body was now against his and kissed her as he’d been imagining for far too long.

  Open-mouthed. Wet. Hot. Mallory wound her arms around his neck and rocked forward, bringing his erection right against her center. Her action sent a blood rush to his arousal. Gage lifted her completely off the counter and into his arms. She wrapped her legs around him, keeping their bodies flush as he carried her to the bedroom.

  Only the lamp on the nightstand was lit, but it was enough light for him to find his way. He tumbled with her onto the bed. Bracing over her, he raised the hem of her tank top. His body went white-hot as he caressed and kissed her breasts. Mallory moved restlessly against him, then reached out and unzipped his jeans. She found him, hot and pulsing and moved her fingers up and down in a caress sure to shatter whatever self-control he had left.

  Before that happened, he slid down her body, taking her pajama bottoms and panties down with him. When he reached his destination, he parted her gently, and entered her with his tongue. His strokes were long and slow and unrelenting. Mallory let out a gasp of pleasure and then a groan that went on and on. Hearing her in pleasure ratcheted up his own and drove him closer to the edge.

  Her body bowed and as she threw her head back, her hair fanned out on the crisp sheets patterned with tiny flowers. She began to writhe. Gage was trembling now, almost at the breaking point. Bracing himself over her, he eased into her. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw at the power of the sensation of being inside her.

  Mallory dug her nails into his biceps and wrapped her legs around his hips, taking him deeper. Gage hissed as she hit every nerve.

  It had been too long for him and she was so incredible. So sweet. He had to caution himself to take it slow, not to let instinct and inclination take over and ram into her.

  But Mallory made the decision for him. She arched her back, plunging him deeper and after that there was no going back for either of them.

  Gage kissed her, tasting her lips, sucking her tongue into his mouth and began to move. Mallory matched his rhythm and then he was lost. He closed his eyes and uttered a groan with his release that blended with Mallory’s soft cry and gasps as she reached her own climax.

  Snowbound: Chapter Eight

  Gage stayed with his face buried in her neck for a long moment. Only the thought that he was likely crushing her into the mattress could make him move at this point. With effort, he rolled off her and onto his back.

  Mallory’s eyes were closed. The back of her wrist lay across her brow. “I don’t know how you were able to move. I’m too spent to open my eyes.”

  “It wasn’t without great effort.”

  “I can believe that.” She took a deep breath through her nose, let it out slowly in a long, drawn out sigh. Her lips curved slowly. “Wow, Broderick. I mean wow!”

  “Right back at you, Burke.”

  “In a few minutes. Or a month. I’ll see what I can find for us in the kitchen and we’ll have a kind of picnic in here.”

  “A picnic?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Sure. Just without the ants.”

  Gage found himself smiling at the notion.

  A short while later, Mallory managed to rouse herself and return with food. Their picnic consisted of leftover pizza, a beer for Gage and a glass of wine for herself. The aroma of spicy pepperoni blended with the scents of beer and wine.

  Gage rose onto an elbow to accept the beer she held out. Mallory’s bedroom was decorated in blends of grays and purples. He snagged a vibrant lavender cushion and set it against the headboard, then leaned back. “Gotta hand it to you, you put together a mean picnic.”

  “Not so much tonight.” She laughed, fully exposing that crooked tooth and he recalled running his tongue over it when he’d been exploring her mouth. “But I’ve been known to. I’ve had plenty of experience. My family was big on picnics.”Gage tipped back the beer bottle and took a drink. “You live in New York, but I don’t hear New York in your voice.”

  “Chicago.” She picked up a pizza slice from the box and transferred it to one of the two plates she’d placed on the bed between them. “Born there and lived there until I went away to college in California.”

  Her thick hair was tousled from their lovemaking and he couldn’t resist taking a lock between this fingers. “Bet you were hell on a surf board.”

  She rolled her eyes and took a healthy bite. “Hardly.” She chewed, then took another chunk out of the slice. “I’ve never been on a surf board.”

  “Come on. There wasn’t some surfer dude wanting to teach you the sport?”

  She laughed again. “Nope. Actually, I was a book worm in college. Didn’t know any surfer dudes.” She took the last bite, finishing the slice and catching a string of cheese on the pad of one finger. She licked that finger. Gage’s groin tightened. He took her wrist gently and brought her hand to his mouth. “Let me do that.”

  Mallory held his gaze and nodded.

  * * *

  They made love again and again throughout the night. Gage couldn’t seem to get enough of her and Mallory felt the same. She was sore in places that hadn’t received this much attention in some time. And, she had to admit, a smile spreading across her lips, her places had never been attended to this well.

  Gage was braced above her on one elbow. He reached out and ran his thumb across her grin. “You look—”

  She laughed. “Give a woman multiple orgasms, multiple times and she’s bound to look happy.”

  “I was about to say beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed her, his lips warm and tender. “But, happy to oblige.”

  Unbelievably, the touch of his lips had her wanting him again.

  He stretched. “I could use a shower.”

  He was off the bed in an instant, swooping her up into his arms. With a startled shriek, Mallory wound her arms around his neck.

  She heard a beep. Her laptop was still on the coffee table in the living room and the beep signaled new email. Gage must have heard it too. He set her on her feet. They exchanged a look and then were both on the move.

  Mallory looked at the message then up at Gage. “An ad for hair replacement.”

  “Hasn’t been long since you posted the profiles,” he said.

  He was right but she was finding it hard to be patient with so much at stake.

  Gage uncurled the fingers she’d unconsciously fisted, then took her hand and slowly brought her to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her.

  Mallory closed her eyes and let herself lean on him. Gage tightened his hold.

  * * *

  The next evening, Mallory che
cked the dating sites again. She’d been checking at intervals that became shorter and shorter throughout the day. Gage handed her a sandwich and as she chewed, she registered that there still had been no responses. She wasn’t certain that tracking down the other dancer would lead them to the missing girls and she felt that until/if she got a hit, she and Gage were just spinning their wheels.

  Gage leaned over the back of the sofa. “Anything?”

  “Zip.”

  She’d lost count of the number of times she’d checked her phone messages, hoping to find a call from York. She’d placed a call to him and learned that so far there’d been no sign of Billy. Wherever he’d holed up, he’d hidden himself well.

  She hadn’t received any more email since the hair replacement ad late last night. Following that, when anxiety and despair had weighed heavily on her, Gage had held her for a long time here in the living room, then eventually, moving her to the bed where he’d held her for the rest of the night. He’d given her his strength and his compassion when she’d needed them. She wasn’t used to revealing her hurt so openly with anyone other than family, but with him, with Gage, it had felt acceptable to do so and more than that, it had felt right.

  Gage picked up the keys to the rental from the coffee table. “All set?”

  She nodded.

  The last girl on their list was Rita Castile. The advertisement from six years earlier was for a club in the neighboring city of Crowley, approximately one hour away. They made good time due to the lateness of the hour and the resulting lack of traffic.

  The club was a sharp contrast to the one they’d visited last night. The girl on the stage looked dated and less than enthusiastic about being there. No flashy costume or special effects lighting or accessories enhanced her performance. Other than Mallory herself and Gage, there were only two other customers in the place, both nursing mugs of beer.

  This time they couldn’t be circumspect about their reason for being at the club. Their information about Rita Castile was too old for that. Upon entering they approached the bartender, and with a flash of ID, Mallory asked to speak with the manager.