“You?” I ask.
“And you, too. If you want to come.” Those words may be the best I’ve heard in… Well, excluding hearing Tony say he loves me, these may be the best words I’ve ever heard.
“Oh, Killian, you know just what to say to a girl,” I tease.
“My office in two hours?”
“I can’t wait,” I reply, before I hang up the phone.
Tony
I wonder if I should call her. I wonder if it’s okay to just call her up while she’s working. And she’s also working with her ex. I could call her, and let her know I’m meeting with the lawyer in half an hour. I can’t call her and ask her out for lunch, but Burke could take her.
There’s a knock on the door, and I’m pretty sure it’s my breakfast. As I open the door, the phone rings. “Sit it there,” I instruct the bellhop, then point at the table as I run to the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi, honey, whatcha doin’?”
Sitting here thinking about you, and wondering if I should call you. “Oh, nothing. Just getting ready to eat breakfast.”
“Did you take a bath, honey?” she asks gently.
“I’m an adult, Lani. You don’t have to remind me to bathe.” It comes out a little harsher than I want it to. She pauses for a moment, waiting for my answer. “I’ll do it after I eat.”
“Guess what I’m doing later,” she demands, and she sounds so excited about it.
Going to lunch with Burke? I try to shake off the jealous thoughts, as I say, “I don’t know, baby. Why don’t you tell me?”
“What, no sexy talk about what you want to do with me later?”
I feel a flutter in my stomach at those words. She’s practically pouting at me, begging me to talk dirty to her. This woman hurts my heart, and touches my most basic, masculine sensibilities. My cock responds immediately.
“Well you know you can come over here any time, you don’t have to wait until later, and this big hard cock is going to be ready and waiting for you, baby.” My voice comes out deeper than normal, and it shocks me a little.
“I wish I could have woke up with you, honey. I really needed some of that cock this morning.”
“Jeez, baby, you’re making me so hard right now.” My hips flinch and flex automatically, and the heel of my hand goes to press on the head to try to get it to go down. “Why don’t you come over here and take care of it for me.”
“I will. I promise. After I go and talk to the prison guard who wants to cut a deal in exchange for immunity.” My blood goes ice cold. All of the warm cuddly feelings I’d had up until now are gone.
“Baby, you have to say no. You can’t give those murderers any leeway.”
“If his information can give us Drake, I think we should hear what he has to say,” she counters.
“I can give them Drake, baby, you can give them Drake. You don’t need to make a deal with a killer.” I hope she hears the seriousness in my voice.
“It’s not up to me,” she states. “But I want to hear what he has to say, to get to the medical examiner.”
“Baby, please, just let me come with you. I need to know who you’re dealing with.” I’m already thinking about how I’m going to get dressed.
“I can’t let you come. That’s up to Killian.”
“Okay, I’ll call Burke.” My mind is already racing ahead. “I love you baby. I’ll see you soon.” I hang up the phone quickly, and look for Burke’s number.
Lani
I glance at the clock, waiting for the time I can head into Killian’s office. But I’m starting to get hungry, because I didn’t eat breakfast. I wonder if I invade his office a little early, I can convince him to stop somewhere to eat. I walk out of my make-shift office, and as I’m walking toward Killian’s, my heart stops. The hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life is stepping off the elevator, wearing khaki pants, and a navy and tan checked shirt. I wonder how, when I didn’t help him dress.
I try to sneak up behind him. I don’t know if he hears me or smells me, but he turns toward me with a proud smile and flashing black eyes. “How do I look, baby?”
“Like a Roman god, transported somehow into the 21st Century,” I admit.
He seems taken aback by my comment, and I like it. But it doesn’t last long, because he replies, “You can be my Aphrodite, with all that flowing golden hair.”
“I think she was Venus in Rome,” I correct him.
“So who am I?” he asks, as we stand in the hallway with his FBI guard, between the elevator and Killian’s office. He is so damn perfect, towering over the mere mortals. He has a slight five o’clock shadow, and his shirt isn’t tucked in perfectly, but he is gorgeous.
“You’re definitely Mars,” I say breathlessly. “Good job getting dressed today.”
“Thanks for the clothes.” He smoothes the shirt down the front, checking for any buttons he might have missed. “I had to use my left hand a little, and I’m feeling it.” His lip pouts out, and I remember what he said about me going all soft when I think he’s in pain.
“You won’t fool me again, mister.” I suddenly feel all stubborn. My chin juts out, and my arms cross in front of my chest as I lead him toward Killian’s office.
“But I like the super ultra-feminine you,” he complains, as he follows behind me. I knock on the door. “I don’t like the pantsuit you.”
Killian opens the door as I turn sharply to glare at Tony. “The Scooby gang’s all here, I see,” he says, as he steps away to allow us to enter.
“I was hoping to convince you to eat before we question the guard. I’m starving,” I announce to everyone in the room.
“I could eat,” Tony says.
“I thought you just ate breakfast?” God, why do I sound ridiculously like a nagging wife? I shake my head, and look toward Killian, who is observing it all with his intelligent brown eyes. He watches me and Tony like we’re a science experiment. “Never mind, you can eat whatever you want. That was extremely rude of me.”
“I haven’t been in a restaurant in ten years,” Tony reminds everyone in the room. I feel even more like a bitch now.
Killian takes it all in, incredulously. “Well, how can I say no to that? Give me five minutes.”
I nod, and instead of lingering outside his office, I lead Tony to mine. His FBI guard, a good looking man with dark skin and no hair, waits for us just outside the door. One entire wall is glass and faces the hallway, along with the window on the opposite wall, with a lovely view of the building next door.
The guard can definitely see us, because I can see him, with his arms crossed in front of his chest that’s as wide as a barrel. He’s not nearly as tall as Tony, but not many men are.
“So you do dress like that every day.” He somehow makes even that jab sound sexy. I shrug. “Good, I don’t have to worry about guys looking at your legs, or your ass.” I roll my eyes. “Or your tits, if you keep that jacket on.”
“Tony,” I groan. I’m pretty sure he’s teasing me.
“I wonder what it must be like to partner with you.” He’s examining my reaction with his dark, sensitive eyes that see and notice everything.
“I’m a huge flirt. Jamie gets a little tired of it.” I hope I give him an impish grin. He absent-mindedly flips open one of the folders at the top of the pile on the table. I take a step forward to stop him, but he’s already looking at the picture. “No, Tony,” I say hesitantly.
He inhales and exhales deeply. I see his chest expand and contract, and his nostrils flare. But he’s deathly silent, and impossibly still. “His name was Roland, and he was twenty-three fucking years old.” The picture is of a very young, light-skinned black man, with tear drops tattooed on his cheeks, and bruises in the shape of fingers on his throat.
“Yea.” I stare at the picture too. The face is etched into my memory. The sheer panic on his face when he realized he was going to die is unforgettable. I can’t imagine what Tony is feeling. “I’m sorry,” I say, and take another step toward him, to
comfort him. But he puts his hand up and stops me.
“You want to negotiate with these monsters?” He lifts the picture out from under the paperclip holding it in place, and flicks his wrist to show me. “You want to give these fucking psychopaths immunity, to go and do it again?”
“I know who it is, Tony.” I’m not looking at the picture. I’m looking at him.
“He was only twenty-three fucking years old. He was half my age.” He shakes his head, and tosses the picture down onto the folder. “Are all of these filled with files on deaths from the prison?” He waves his hand, encompassing all ten of the boxes on the table.
I feel his pain, somehow. I hear it in his voice, and see it in his eyes. He might have been a SEAL, but this man is not a murderer.
“Some of them are from the jail.” I close the folder slowly. “I’m trying to separate them by medical examiner. Thankfully so far there is only one, but I’m not even through this year.”
“How much money did they make, off his death?”
I shrug. “To be honest, I didn’t ask. Maybe Killian will know.” Like I would tell him, even if I did know. He’s not in a good place in his head right now.
“I’ll know what?” Killian asks, as he opens the door.
“You could knock,” I grumble.
“I could see inside the room. You weren’t doing anything.” He flips open the folder on top; Roland’s folder. “This one of yours?”
“Don’t, Killian.” I try to make my voice as sensible as possible, but I’m too close to tears.
“One of my what?” Tony’s voice is controlled, and extremely intimidating.
“Nothing,” Killian says, when he realizes the tension in the room is not sexual. “Who wants waffles?”
My stomach growls. It’s embarrassing, but I can’t control it. “Me.”
“Let’s go. We need to be at the prison in an hour and a half.” He holds the door open for us. I slide a few file folders into my fussy little bag, along with my phone and my tablet.
I wrap my arm around Tony’s waist. He tries to move away from me, but I hold him tighter. I nod at Killian, and we head toward the elevator together.
Chapter Eight
Tony
We’re sitting in a booth, the four of us, eating breakfast for lunch. I guess the technical term would be brunch. Lani sits beside me, across from Burke. Agent Riley sits beside him. I think it’s his last name, but it might be his first name. I am doomed to be surrounded by handsome, younger men.
They’re having a normal conversation, and she’s pouring syrup on her waffle and drowning her hash browns in ketchup. It’s a normal day for them.
I’m looking around at everything. The waitress is younger than, but not nearly as hot as Lani. She’s very polite to the waitress, Burke is cold, and Riley is flirty. I stare at the cars in the parking lot. I observe the other customers. Everything is interesting to me, as if it’s new all over again.
“Do you need the syrup?” Lani asks, as she gazes at me.
I take a sip of my orange juice. “Sure, thanks.” I pour the syrup, then cut the waffle with the metal fork. Real utensils still feel weird in my hand. I think this might be the closest thing I’ve ever had to an anxiety attack, sitting here in this diner trying not to think about the picture of the dead kid I saw earlier.
“Thanks,” Lani says, as the waitress refills her coffee cup. I ordered coffee, orange juice, and milk. It might be a little much, but I’m enjoying it.
The waitress also refills my coffee cup, although I haven’t even drunk half of it yet. “Thanks,” I say, and glance up at her. She’s smiling at me, and I have no idea how to react. I scowl back at her, and scoot closer to Lani.
She shrugs, and turns her attention to Burke. “You need anything, doll face?”
“Nope, thank you,” Burke replies. He looks up at me when she says it, expecting a witty quip. I’m too damn nervous to comment.
“Doll face,” Lani teases.
“Shut it, Vaden. Just eat your sugary excuse for a breakfast.” He tries not to grin at her as he says it, but his cheeks are slightly pink.
“Waffles aren’t that high in caloric value,” Lani states, as she takes another bite. She’s already eaten half of it. I’ve probably taken two bites of my food.
“The syrup is all sugar, though,” Burke retorts. “And your potatoes smothered in ketchup probably have more calories than a donut.”
“Glazed, or cake?” she asks.
Their playful banter isn’t helping my already anxious mood.
“What does it matter?” Burke retorts.
“Well, glazed has more sugar, obviously.” She looks over at me, and I don’t know what to say, so I shove a piece of bacon into my mouth. “Are you okay?”
I nod, but in reality my chest hurts, and my stomach is tied in knots. My hands might be shaking. When they said the guard was in prison, I didn’t realize they meant the prison I spent the last few months of my life in.
“Are you sure?” she continues, with a softness in her eyes I only see when she thinks I’m hurt. These rare moments of femininity feel sweeter than all the flirting I’ve ever experienced from other women combined.
Lani, I’m an adult, comes to mind again. But she knows something’s just not right. Her left hand reaches out under the table, and gently squeezes my thigh. It reminds me that if I have her with me, I can survive this. She won’t leave me in there.
Lani
Burke puts the meal on his expense account card, as I lead Tony out to the car. “What’s wrong?”
“You have to know, baby. Being out in the real world is going to take some getting used to.” He’s very serious. I think he’s telling the truth.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Tony. I promise.” We’re sitting beside each other in the backseat, and I grab his hand and hold it tight.
He holds my hand tighter as we get closer to the prison. We drive up to the Mason County Federal Penitentiary, and I’m afraid Tony might break my hand he’s holding it so forcefully. Burke parks, and Tony sits in the car for several moments, staring at the building.
“It’s okay, Tony. Really, it’s going to be alright.” I somehow get him out of the SUV with promises I know I can’t keep. I’m afraid I won’t be able to convince him to come out, and I’m beginning to think of ways I might be able to lure him, but eventually he steps out. One of the National Guard members leads us into an observation room, on the other side of an interrogation room. We can see the guard through the two-way glass.
Tony is staring angrily at the man. “Lani, do not make a deal with that guy.”
“Why?”
“Just don’t. Don’t do it, Burke,” he says to Killian as he leaves the room. He enters the interrogation room, and Tony grabs my hand again.
“Can you leave us alone for a moment?” he asks Riley. The guard nods, and leaves the room. When we’re alone, he points at the glass. “He was one of the guards in the solitary section.”
“Tony, is he the one?” He nods. I scowl at the window. I never thought about it. I thought about the guy who did it. I thought about the medical examiner. But I actually felt some sympathy for the guards. Now I realize that all I feel is a deeply rooted, seething hatred for this man.
“Calm down,” he says, as if he knows I’m furious. I’ve said nothing, done nothing to express my anger, and yet somehow he knows I’m incensed.
“Why should I calm down? I’m done with being calm.” I throw open the door, and Tony grabs my hand, trying to stop me.
“Don’t go in there,” he cautions me, but I pull away and stride into the interrogation room like I own the place. The guard looks like a normal human being, with a bald head and a beard. He might even be considered attractive. But I know, deep inside, he’s just an animal.
“You look familiar,” he says, after looking at me for several moments.
“Maybe if I had a bandana over my eyes, and was handcuffed, you’d know where you saw me last. But, I
was a brunette then, too.” I don’t know how in the hell I’m keeping my voice so calm, when I am an emotional wreck inside. My knees are knocking, my hands are shaking, and my heart is pounding.
“Ah, I remember now. You were the last girl they took out of there. You spent a couple of nights with the gladiator.” His dark hazel eyes narrow, and I shudder to think of how he’s picturing me, like something worse than a sex object, more like a sex slave.
“This girl right here, you remember her?” I ask, as I pull Addison’s file out of my bag, and place it in front of him.
“Yea, I remember her too. We put her in the cell with Lucius. She was cryin’, and blabberin’, unlike you.” I ball my hands into fists at my sides. I’m fucking sick of these monsters praising me for how well behaved I was. “Yea, we opened his cell when he started banging on the door. When I pulled her out of there, she had that purple bandana wrapped around her pretty white neck. He strangled her with it.” Then he looks up at me. “It’s the same one we put on you, a few weeks later.”
He sounds so unruffled, so cool, as if he’s reciting what he watched on television, not finding a young, beautiful girl murdered in a four by seven foot cell. He’s not talking about her like she’s a human being. Hell, I bet he wouldn’t even talk so methodically about finding a dead dog on the side of the road. Or maybe he would.
“That girl is my sister, Addison Foster. She was in jail because she bought a joint, and you put her in a cell with a monster who killed her because she didn’t want to be raped.”
He shows no emotions, no remorse, as he glances from the picture of my dead sister, to look into my eyes. “Yea, I guess I did.”
I snap. I’ve never, in my life, felt as much rage as I feel right now. It crashes over me like a tsunami, my entire being shaking from the intensity of it. “You sick son of a bitch!” I scream out, and right before Killian can catch me, I slap the shit out of the guard. “You’re a fucking piece of dog shit. You’re evil. You’re fucking evil!”
Prisoner and Together: All of You series complete set Page 24
