by Casey Hagen
“Let’s get something straight. I’m not about to go touching you in ways that pull me in so deep, I can’t stop.”
Her breathing grew rapid and shallow with his confession. Her heart raced and pounded in her ears.
“Not yet. One touch, one taste of you, there,” he said, gliding his fingers over where her breast met her ribs, “and I’m done. Gone.”
The air stuttered in her lungs with the tingle of his touch, so close, yet so far away.
“I’m a man that likes to savor, and I’ll continue to deny myself the temptation until I damn well have the time to do it right. For both of us,” he said, his deep voice dropping low, practically dripping with unfulfilled desire.
“Oh.”
He smiled a predatory smile. “Oh? That’s all you’ve got?” he said, dropping her hand.
“I think so,” she whispered.
“Good.”
Cole willed the hot spray of the shower to soothe the knots in his shoulders.
The damned woman would be the death of him. He was sure of it.
He’d maybe slept a whole two hours. Or maybe he’d just managed a series of long blinks that totaled a couple hours.
It was anyone’s guess.
Something about this case had his blood buzzing and not in the fun way.
Definitely not the way Josie sent his blood soaring.
If he were honest with himself, their worlds intersecting in a bigger way had been a long time in the making. He’d never admit it, not to his boss, and not to her, but he’d watched out for her every time their paths crossed in the last six months.
Oh, he’d never intervened. Never needed to.
And maybe that chafed his ass most of all.
Everything about her called on his instincts to protect. She barreled through life, this tornado in a petite body and pixie face, braving anything and everything in an effort to make a name for herself separate from her father.
He worked to temper his need to protect, to bring it to a level of professional concern he’d have for anyone, in an effort not to stifle her.
But the minute their cases intersected, that feeling lodged in his gut all over again.
She was his. Fate all but screamed it at him every time he saw her.
He knew women that would have killed for him to feel that way. To have that kind of devotion and elemental need.
Not Josie.
She’d flip him the bird.
He smiled.
When the heat of attraction and battle of wills finally came together in bed, they might just set fire to the state of California.
With no sign of relief in sight, he shut off the water, wrapped himself in a towel, and headed for his office to print out the reports Tex had sent.
Page upon page of payments and dates spewed from his computer. None of them meaning a whole lot. He glanced at the clock and with only thirty minutes until they had to leave, gave Tex a call for the condensed version.
“Hey, Tex. I’m printing out the info now, but I’m in a bit of a hurry so I’m hoping you can give me the condensed version,” Cole said as his printer chugged on.
“Sure. Ret heads three construction companies, Linsing, Inc., Sinclair, Inc., and Matlin Group. He’s been looking to expand his offices into foreign locations. Probably to accelerate his ability to get into areas of destruction faster and give him an edge in acquiring construction contracts. Looks like he has an in with someone in the government because they’ve been giving him the opportunity to lower his bids after the cut off which explains how he’s managing to secure contracts.”
“Slick,” Cole muttered.
“Yeah. It’s not totally ethical, but also not really unethical. With his military career, it’s quite possible that the government has a whole lot more confidence in him so he’s granted that privilege, and as long as everyone keeps their mouths shut, there’s no one to question it.”
“Still, he’s not a guy I’d want to be friends with,” Cole said.
“Agreed.”
Josie showed up at the door, and he waved her in. “Anything else?” Cole asked.
“There’s a list of the payouts, but I’m not seeing anything there that’s suspect. I’ve included a list of Ret’s employees and his bank records, not that I found anything good in there. Really, the guy is a disappointment on paper. No real skeletons, a total success story,” Tex said.
So it seemed.
“You up for doing me one more favor?”
“Anything,” Tex said.
“There was an event here in Long Beach not that long ago where inventors pitched to money men. Any chance you can find a list of those investors for me?”
“Sure. You have a timeline for the event?”
“Yeah, hang on,” Cole said, putting Tex on mute.
“It was three weeks ago today. At the Long Beach Convention Center,” Josie said.
He relayed the information to Tex and said his goodbyes.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just figured I’d let you know I’m ready to go when you are,” Josie said, her gaze landing on his towel.
“Don’t start that again,” he said with a laugh.
She smiled and bit her lip. “I’m not the one running around in a towel.”
“No, but you were the one who started it by running around in my t-shirt,” he said, rounding his desk. He pressed a quick, hard kiss to her mouth, all he dared to, and stepped away. “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be ready.”
Just as soon as he rubbed one off so he could concentrate.
Shit.
Chapter 8
Josie led Cole up the stairs to her second-floor condo. She glanced at the door when she reached the top; sure enough, it had been left cracked, the doorjamb splintered with jagged shards of white-painted wood where they had busted the latch.
“Told you,” she whispered. “Just a couple of meatheads.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he muttered, drawing his weapon. “It’s your place, lead the way,” he said.
She nodded, figuring it cost him to say that, and the fact that he did earned him another slice of respect from her.
She had serious doubts about her ability to dabble in an affair and later move on when he continued to do and say little things that wound their way into her reluctant heart.
Shaking off the worry of their entanglement, she forced a reassuring smile, drew her gun, and made her way to the door.
With an ear to the crack, she listened for any movement, but heard only the silence that came with a near-empty building and neighbors who had no problem living in a building for years without ever once officially shaking hands with the people next door.
The tenant across the hall spent a lot of time traveling and hadn’t been home for the past week—something Josie learned when he had reluctantly asked her to keep an eye out for any packages—despite not knowing each other’s first names.
She ran her fingers over the wood that jutted out, barely connected to the frame. It would have been one solid hit to the door if they were any good at what they did. Not necessarily enough to snag the attention of those living downstairs who were content to keep to themselves.
The sound would have been so abrupt, they’d think nothing of the silence that followed.
She pushed open the door with the toe of her shoe and kept her back along the wall. Cole followed her, double-checking around corners, in closets, and down the hall as they skirted around ripped couch cushions, broken glass, and everything in her pantry opened and dumped on the floor.
In the bathroom, the secondary roll of toilet paper she kept on the tank had been knocked into the water. Her makeup and hair styling tools spilled out of the vanity under the sink.
A foundation bottle lay smashed, the liquid makeup had lost its sheen from being partially dry, telling her that it had been like that for a number of hours.
Her favorite eyeshadow palette lay broken on the floor. The powdered makeup cracked and chipped, falling out of the tray
But the real punch in the vagina was her brand-new bed. She’s spent over three thousand dollars on the memory foam cloud of heaven she slept on.
They sliced into it and even cut chunks out.
They wanted computer equipment, but that’s not what they had come for. Not with this kind of damage.
This was about sending her a message.
She planned to send another right back.
Sure, they were just things. They could all be replaced.
And no matter how many times she told herself that, the sense of violation remained.
With the kitchen, living room, small bathroom, and bedroom cleared, they lowered their weapons.
She watched as Cole dropped to his hands and knees, barely making a sound, and glanced under the end table next to her couch.
He pointed to the underside and gave her a thumbs up. The hard line of his otherwise sensual mouth told of the fury churning in him at the state of her condo.
There was time to be angry, to vent, and yeah, to seek comfort in one another…later.
But right now, they had a job to do.
She took a breath. “I can’t take this anymore. He’s on his own. They tore up my shit, and for what? It’s not like Eric lives here.” She cringed at the sound of her voice, knowing that the bug wouldn’t pick up the nuances that made her sound hokey.
But saying them in front of Cole?
Ack.
Cole pushed to his feet. “Don’t you think it’s about time you shed that guy? He causes you more trouble than he’s worth. Just give them what they want, and let him clean up his own mess for once.”
He winced.
Yeah, he was a shit actor, too.
She stifled a laugh by biting her cheek, until the metallic taste of blood settled on her tongue. “Yeah, but they want him, and I don’t know where he is.”
“But you could give them his computers,” Cole said.
“If I do that, he’ll never forgive me,” she replied.
“Seems like he should be the one looking for forgiveness for pulling you into this mess. We can go over to his bunker now, and I can help you get them out. Then when they come back, you can turn them over,” Cole said.
She had to end what was turning out to be the worst bit of amateur theater in the history of the world. Shakespeare had to rolling in his grave.
She sighed. “Okay. Let’s head over to his place.”
He followed her out of the building, and they climbed into the car, both silent. When they turned and looked at each other at the same time, they both burst out laughing.
“God, that was bad,” she said with a shake of her head.
“So bad we should never discuss it again. I can’t tell you how glad I am that the guys didn’t hear it,” he said.
“But you don’t mind that I did?” she said, tilting her head and studying his smiling face. God, those warm eyes just lit up when he smiled. He had to be the absolute perfect example of brains, brawn, humor, and kindness if she ever saw it.
And he was attracted to her. Until she screwed it up, because at some point, she’d say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, and as sure as there were seven days in a week, she’d manage to torpedo this relationship.
A relationship she had lied and told herself she didn’t want.
One she promised to let go of after she took her fill.
Assuming she could get enough in the first place.
“Oh, I mind, but I want this case over so, whatever it takes,” Cole said as he started the engine and rolled out of the parking space.
“Customer satisfaction—it’s everything,” she said.
He glanced over at her and laid his hand on her thigh. “It’s important, but your safety, that’s everything.”
Seven words.
Just seven, and the door to her heart widened just enough that if he so chose, he’d be able to squeeze right in.
She laid her hand over his and nodded before turning to watch the world go by outside her passenger window on their way to what she hoped would be the final showdown.
His phone buzzed with an incoming call.
“Hello?” he said after clicking on the green icon.
“It’s Dylan. We’ve got your earpieces. Meet us in the parking lot of the Bank of America on Elm. We’ll get you two hooked up,” he said, his voice confident with a bit of an edge, unlike the more relaxed version she’d heard the day before.
“We’ll be there in five,” Cole said before clicking off the phone.
“They’re hooking me up, too?” she asked.
He shrugged and turned onto Alamitos Avenue. “You’re one of us now. And we all need to be able to communicate.”
“One of you, huh?” she said, giving him a chance to back out of his heavy declaration.
“Sure, at least for this job,” he said, giving her that smile again. The one that said he didn’t know that with his words, he bruised her heart.
That’s what she got for playing the game and not leaving well enough alone.
Cole pulled into the back row of the parking lot where Dylan, Slyder, and Evan waited, leaning against Evan’s Escalade.
“Keeping it inconspicuous, I see,” Cole said with a grin at the shiny, black beast.
“Listen, this piece of sexy is my good luck charm. I’m bringing it with me from now on,” Evan said, propping his elbow against the frame.
“But we’re not playing “Ridin’ Dirty” at full blast with the windows down anymore,” Dylan said with a hard look at Evan.
Evan smiled at Josie and wiggled his eyebrows. “He’s got no sense of adventure.”
Josie laughed. Okay, giggled, and Cole gave Evan a warning glare.
“That’s the way of it then? So noted,” Evan said quietly.
Josie glanced between the two of them. “What just happened?” she demanded, her agile hands going right to her round hips.
“You don’t want to know, it’s so beneath you,” Slyder said, pushing away from the SUV and handing her an earpiece. “You know how to use one of these?”
“Well, I’m not military, so no,” she said, staring at the flesh-colored communication device that would allow Josie to hear what was happening on the outside as well as transmit sound from the inside to Dylan, Slyder, and Evan, wherever they were.
Slyder tucked her hair behind her ear.
Cole’s temperature spiked.
“I’m just going to tuck it in, right here, and you’ll be able to hear everything we say and we’ll hear you. No one will even notice it’s there.”
“Do I need to talk loudly or?” she asked, pushing the piece in a bit farther.
Slyder shook his head. “Nope, it’s military grade. This thing can pick up the sound of a squirrel breaking wind in Costa Mesa.”
Cole swung his head in Slyder’s direction. “Did you seriously just say that?”
“Shut up. She’s one of the guys now. We say shit,” Slyder said, giving her a wink.
“Yeah, Cole. I’m one of the guys now,” she said with a flicker of a glance before turning away.
Well, damn them. He didn’t want her to be one of the guys. He wanted her to be his.
Just his.
Which meant he had one hell of a problem.
“So, what’s the plan?” Cole asked.
“We’re going to head over. We’re parking three streets away and staking out the bunker.” He pointed to the map. “I’ll be in the neighbor’s shed. She already knows and approves, but she’s a little nuts. I think I got her husband to understand the ramifications if she tries to get involved.”
“Let me guess, fuzzy dice slippers?” Cole asked, shooting him a smile.
“That’s her,” Dylan said in a grim tone.
“I bet she was a real man-eater back in the day,” Cole said.
Dylan shivered and stretched his neck. “Forgetting you said that.”
“No, you’re not. You’re going to remember. Probably a couple minutes before you try to get inside your wife.”
Josie landed a sharp glance in his direction.
He lifted his hands, palms up. “What?”
“That’s gross,” she said.
He shrugged. “Hey, that’s the kind of shit we say to each other before we go in the field. Helps with the tension.”
“That’s the kind of shit Cole says, cause he’s a dick,” Evan said, smiling at her.
“Very funny,” Cole shot back.
“I thought it was,” Evan said, raising his chin.
“You guys are like a bunch of brothers,” Josie said, her eyes darting between them with a look of pure fascination on her upturned face.
“Well, yeah,” Cole said.
“If you don’t mind, we’ll get back to the plan,” Dylan said with a note of warning.
Cole leaned over to Josie. “Most times he’s more like the mother than a brother.”
Dylan reached out and flicked Cole on the back of the head.
“See?” Cole said with a laugh.
Dylan pointed to the map again. “Evan will be here, and Slyder…right over here. We’ve got all entry points covered, and the minute they climb into the bunk, we move.”
“What do I do?” Josie asked, squinting against the sun that broke through the clouds above.
“You just be the bait,” Dylan said with a shrug.
“I don’t need to get them to say anything, do anything?” she asked.
“They’re assholes, I’m sure they’ll say plenty. If you think you can get them to admit who they’re working for, try. But if there’s any chance that guns will start going off, don’t. It’s a tin can down there, and the last thing we want are bullets flying. Between the police station and Tex, we’ve got resources to find out who they are. It just means keeping Eric hidden a bit longer until we know it’s safe. Getting these guys in custody will be the solid start toward his freedom,” Dylan said.
She blew out a breath. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Good. Give us ten minutes and then head over. Wait in the bunker. Play the part. It’ll all be over soon,” Dylan said with a nod.
Cole opened the passenger door to her car and waited for her to climb inside.
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