by Ivy Nelson
Inside the small diner, the three claimed a small table in the corner.
Peter didn’t waste any time getting down to business. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” he said.
“Can we start with the good news please?” Adara asked softly.
The tall man smiled kindly at her. “Of course. The good news is, Homeland doesn’t have any real proof of the claims against you. If we handle this right, we can keep it that way.”
A waitress approached with menus and a coffee pot which she used to fill all three coffee cups. They took a few minutes to scan the menu before ordering appetizers to share while they talked. When the waitress left to put their order in, Peter continued.
“The bad news, is someone, not the government as far as I can tell, is watching both of you. I checked both of your places and found bugs. I have a feeling they will trace back to the terror cell that your supposed birth family is a part of.
Adara paled. “How long have they been watching me?”
“That I don’t know but I’m working on finding out.”
“We’ll stay at a hotel while we figure that out. How do we handle Homeland?” Michael asked.
“That’s a tough one. First, I don’t know what kind of records your parents have, but I would advise you to destroy anything you can find. Michael tells me your parents have a safe deposit box.” Adara nodded as he continued. “Let’s go through that together and see if it will shed some light on anything. We may pay your parents a visit too and see if they’re having a good enough day to remember anything. We can’t do anything to get rid of whatever texts they’ve sent you and that could be a problem but you can show that they were harassing you. When they interview you, you need to keep playing dumb.”
“That should be easy,” she said curtly, “I honestly have no clue what’s going on. When my parents told me I might not be a legal citizen, they never hinted at anything like this.”
“Stick with that answer. You have no idea what these people are talking about. We’re going to coach you through how to answer their questions. They take terrorism seriously and this could take a long time to clear up, but because on paper you are a legit U.S. citizen, and they have no evidence of the claims against you, they shouldn’t pursue it forever. You should think about finding an attorney as well.”
Adara’s eyes widened. “Why would you do all of this for me?”
“Michael is family. He cares about you, which makes you family. My wife is an investigative journalist and can sometimes dig up things even I can’t. With your permission. I’d like to get her help with this.”
Adara nodded. “Thank you, yes. I appreciate it.” Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she dabbed them with a napkin, attempting to keep herself from bursting into all out sobs.
“Angel,” Michael said gripping her hand. “Don’t cry. We’re going to get you through this.” Turning to Peter he said, “Any brilliant ideas for what I can do to get out of this mess with Chief Stanton?”
He thought for a moment then said, “The trial for Theresa Holden is about to start. Can you claim Adara is a witness in that case? She was marginally involved.”
Michael nodded. “It’s a stretch but it might be believable. The chief knows how close I was to that case.”
“It’s late, you probably won’t hear from Homeland until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. If they start harassing you right away, it means they are looking very hard at you. If they wait a few days, it means they have bigger things on their plates. Let’s hope for that.”
Adara stirred the now cold eggs on her plate. All of this was so overwhelming. Michael slipped an arm around her. It was as if he could sense that she was on the verge of losing it again.
“Hey, let’s take a step back from all this for now. We’ll go see your parents tomorrow. We can go get checked into a room and get settled for the night.”
“That sounds good,” she said quietly. Mention of her parents reminded her of something.
“We might want to go to my house first, I have a couple boxes of my parent’s belongings, I haven’t really looked through it all but there is a bunch of paperwork and a couple of journals in there. It’s a place to start for the night.”
The three headed to the parking lot where they agreed to meet at Adara’s house.
“You doing OK, Angel?” Michael asked as they navigated evening traffic.
“As good as I can be I guess. I’m just overwhelmed and I don’t understand what is going on.”
“We’ll figure it out. I promise, Angel.”
“I don’t think that’s a promise you can make.” She didn’t mean to sound so bitchy. “Sorry. I’m just tired.”
Michael squeezed her hand as he pulled into her driveway. “It’s fine. Let’s get this done so wecan get you into a bed.”
In the driveway, Peter cautioned them. “Be careful what you say, I kept the bugs in place because I want to see if I can trace the signal they are transmitting. Just go in, get what you need and let’s get out. If you don’t object, we can just give the whole box to Carrie. If there is anything incriminating, I’ll destroy it. I won’t let Michael do that because he has his badge to think about. He’s not even here right now,” he said with a wink Michael’s direction.
As soon as they were in her house, she went right for the hall closet where she kept the boxes. She pulled them down and handed one to each of the men.
“Go get checked into a hotel,” Peter said as he loaded the boxes into his trunk. “If anyone questions why you’re in a hotel Michael, just tell them you don’t want to take a witness to your personal residence. If you want, I can check the two of you into a suite in my name just to cover your tracks. I don’t know how closely these guys are following you.”
Michael nodded. “That’s not a bad idea Peter.”
It wasn’t long before Adara found herself checking into another hotel with Michael. At least this time it was a nice one. The suite was large with two bedrooms, a living room style sitting area, and a spacious bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. Who was paying for this? Hopefully they wouldn’t have to stay here long.
“Thank you for all your help,” she said to both men as she looked around the room. “I’m not sure what I would have done without both of you.”
“I won’t say I’m happy to help because there isn’t anything happy about this situation but you can always count on me, Angel.”
Peter echoed Michael’s sentiment. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you out of this Adara. Let me get out of your hair so you can rest. I’ll call you as soon as we know anything else. Let me know as soon as you hear from Homeland.” He let himself out, and she found herself alone with Michael.
“I care about you Angel. Whether you want me to or not. I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect you,” Michael said moving closer to her.
Suddenly the spacious room felt tiny. She sucked in a breath. “I think we should wait until all of this is over to get into the details of our relationship. Do you mind if I tie up the bathroom for a little while? I could use a nicelong soak and that tub looks amazing.”
“I don’t suppose asking if I could join you would be very respectful of your boundaries,” he said.
That sparked a smile, she nearly laughed even. Michael didn’t seem so amused.
“If you’re going to laugh at me, you could at least do it when I’m not staring right at you.”
This time she did giggle. “I’m sorry. I appreciate your respect of my boundaries. Your expression was just funny is all.”
He scowled. “Go take a bath woman. I need to make some phone calls, anyway.”
In the bathroom, she began filling the large tun. As soon as it was full, she stripped off her clothes and sank deep into the tub. A loud moan escaped her lips as her body was enveloped by the warmth of the water. Outside the door, she heard Michael swear.
“Everything OK out there?” she called.
“No, God damn it. It’s not. You’re naked and mo
aning and I’m out here having to listen to it,” he responded through the door.
Stifling a laugh, she moaned again.
“Don’t make me come in there, little girl,” he bit out.
Her pulse quickened. His voice had grown hard, dominant, and it sent shock-waves through her system. Until recently, she had never really been sure if the whole Dom/sub thing turned her on or not. But right now, his dominant threat certainly did, and she was tempted to moan again, just to see what would happen. Instead, she sighed loudly and sank deeper into the suds.
“Your little sighs aren’t any better.”
“Fuck off. I’m trying to relax,” she blurted, hoping to break the sexual tension that had grown thick in the room.
“Oh little girl. You’re lucky you’re not mine.”
Well that backfired. The threat in his voice intensified the tension. Christ, what was he doing to her? She didn’t make any more noises. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to relax. A half hour later, the water had started to cool, so she pulled the stopper and climbed out. Drying off, she donned a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top, not bothering with a bra.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, Michael stood next to the window gripping a glass with amber liquid—probably whiskey—in it. His body was stiff, and he looked stressed.
“Bathroom’s free,” she murmured. “A hot shower might help you relax.”
“Nope. All I would be able to think about is you laying naked in that tub,” he growled.
“Is sex all you think about?” she asked
“Around you, it’s pretty damn high on my list of things to think about. You’re the best sex I’ve ever had, and that’s not just me blowing smoke up your ass.”
Beneath her thin top, her nipples hardened, stretching the fabric. A blush splashed her cheeks with color and heat. She hugged herself to hide the evidence of her arousal, but she knew there wasn’t really any hiding from his intense stare.
“I… I should get to bed,” she stammered. “Goodnight Michael. Thank you again for everything.”
Fuck. How was she supposed to get any sleep after that encounter? In the bedroom, she shutthe door and leaned against it. The best he’d ever had? That was difficult to believe considering his history at the club. She wasn’t a prude, but she certainly wasn’t one of the adventurous submissives he’d been accustomed to playing with. That was one thing she appreciated about him, he was very upfront about the fact that he was known for playing with all the single girls at the club. When he encouraged her to check out the club, he had warned her that there may be women approaching him to play but that he wouldn’t because they were seeing each other. After she asked him a ton of questions, he had presented her with several books she might like to read and encouraged her to pick the one that jumped out at her the most. Conquer Me had attracted her attention, so she had started with that one. A few chapters in, and she hadn’t run away screaming from the relationship. It was actually quite a beautiful concept—submission.
Earlier, she had picked up the book and tucked it in her bag at the apartment. A glance around the room told her the bag wasn’t in there. Maybe she left it in the bathroom. Cracking the door, she didn’t see Michael. Maybe he went to bed. She tiptoed across the sitting area to the bathroom where she found her bag. Back in her room, she dug out the book and climbed into bed to read. Halfway through chapter eight, she dozed off.
Chapter 5
The shrill sound of his cell phone ringing jerked Michael out of a fitful sleep. “Silas,” he grumbled once he had fumbled his way through accepting the call. “Hey, it’s Peter. Carrie found some things the two of you should know. Can we come
up?”
Michael pulled the phone away from his face, it wasn’t even seven yet. “Let me wake Adara. We’ll order breakfast.”
After ending the call, he tugged on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Making his way across
the living room, he tapped on her door. No response. Several more taps. Then panic began to envelop him. Surely she wouldn’t have left. He eased the door open and a rush of relief flooded him. There in the middle of the bed was the most beautiful sleeping angel. A book lay open next to her. When he realized what book it was he grinned. So she was still curious. Maybe they had a shot after all this was over. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently shook her.
“Wake up, Angel. We’ve got company coming.”
She muttered something unintelligible and rolled away from him.
“No you don’t little one,” he said nudging her again—harder this time. “Wake up.” “Go away.”
Laughter filled him. “Not a chance. Peter and Carrie will be here any minute.” She flopped onto her back and cracked one eye open. “What time is it.” “Just after seven. Come on, get up and get dressed. And put a damn bra on or I won’t be
able to concentrate on the conversation.” Both of her eyes flew open at th at and she blushed furiously before glaring at him. “You better be planning to get me coffee and breakfast.”
“If you’re good. Get your ass up. They’re on their way up.”
Her scowl deepened, but she tossed back the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed, her slender legs swinging back and forth.
“Good girl.”
“Oh stop with the big bad Dom act.”
“I think you like it,” he said as he picked up her book with a raised eyebrow.
“You think wrong,” she said. But he could hear a little of that saucy attitude in her tone. She was embarrassed that he had caught her reading the book he had recommended. He wouldn’t tease her anymore. Instead, he tousled her already messy hair and told her he would see her in the living room in a few minutes. Then he stepped out to order breakfast and coffee for four.
A few minutes later, Adara emerged wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and thankfully for his dick, a bra. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her dressed so casual. Anytime they had spent time together she was coming from work where she wore formal business attire. The few weekends they had spent together, he had made it his mission to keep her naked as much as possible. A body as incredible as hers should never be covered.
When a knock came from the door a few minutes later, she jumped.
“Easy Angel. It’s just Peter and Carrie,” he said as he made his way to the door.
Swinging the door wide, he invited the couple in. Carrie looked grim. Not a great sign.
“Morning Michael,” the cute blonde said cheerfully. “Good to see you again,” she said patting him on the arm before brushing past him to where Adara stood.
“Hi Adara. We didn’t really meet at the wedding, it was so crazy. I’m Carrie Mercer, Peter’s wife and submissive.”
Michael quirked an eyebrow upward. He wondered why she felt the need to disclose that part of their relationship.
He wouldn’t question it though. Maybe knowing another submissive would be good for her.
Adara smiled. “It’s good to meet you Carrie. I’m grateful to your husband for all his help and for yours too.”
“Breakfast should be here in ten minutes or so. Shall we sit?” Michael said as he and Peter moved farther into the room.
Peter and Carrie each took one of the arm chairs and Michael and Adara sat on the sofa.
“I might have a line on your potential birth family, Adara,” Carrie said, not wasting any time.
“I’m listening,” Adara said.
“Based on the last name that Homeland used in your initial interrogation, I did some digging. I have a lot more to do, but if you are related to these people, I have reason to believe that your half brother—or full, I haven’t quite worked that out yet—is in D.C.”
“I have a brother?” Adara asked.
“Several. Potentially anyway. We still don’t know if there is any truth to this. But if there is, you have multiple brothers and at least two sisters that I’ve been able to find. Terrorist leaders have been known for polygamist behavior, they often have dozens of children.”
<
br /> Adara sat back on the sofa. Michael watched as a million emotions raged inside of her. This had to be a shock to her system. To go from being an only child to having many siblings would be a shock to anyone. Discovering that those siblings were potentially terrorists would be even worse. It had to be scary to think that might be the blood you came from. Michael reached for Adara’s hand and squeezed.
“Are you OK?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know what to do with this information.” Turning to Carrie, she continued. “Do you think my brother is the one watching me? Did he plant those bugs?”
Carrie was shaking her head. “I don’t know yet. I just know he’s in the country and was last spotted in D.C. It’s been several months since anyone has actually seen him but there is no record of him leaving.”
“I didn’t get the first wrong number text until right after I quit working for Atleigh.”
“That was months ago Adara. You’ve been dealing with this for that long and you didn’t come to me?” Michael asked. “Why wouldn’t you come to me, Angel?” If he was honest, it hurt.
Adara blushed and shrugged. “I’m sorry. I honestly just thought it was a wrong number and after the first one, I didn’t get another until right before Darci’s wedding.”
After a moment of awkward silence, Michael turned to Carrie. “What else do you have for us?”
“Not a lot. I can tell you Homeland is aware of his presence but it’s not their top priority because they don’t have enough intel to know if he’s a credible threat. There is a team on him. I don’t believe they have connected him to Adara in any way. At least not yet.”
“But we don’t know how much he knows about me?” Adara questioned.
“Right. It’s difficult to know that without digging some more. But I’m on this now and I promise to dig up every thing I can. We’ll want to talk to your parents soon.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Adara jumped again. Michael squeezed her shoulder. “Just breakfast, Angel.” He hated seeing her so jumpy.
“Sorry. All of this just has me on edge.”
