“I’d hardly call that holing up. Rocky Point is a tourist destination.”
“The point is, nobody knew what he was doing there. He was just another rich gringo with a villa in the cliffs overlooking the sea. Then a couple of people made him, and the FBI was able to descend on his place—but he’d already escaped.”
“He must be back in business.” She flicked her fingers at him. “Could you put some clothes on? All this is distracting as hell.”
He crawled over her legs to reach over the side of the bed and swipe up his sweats.
She wiggled her toes beneath the weight of him. “That’s not helping.”
He plumped a pillow against the headboard and flopped down next to her, pulling up the sweats. “Is that better?”
Glancing at the soft material covering his crotch and visible lump there, she said, “Marginally.”
“I can’t help it.” He plucked at the sweats to hide his erection. “You’re still naked.”
“Is that all it takes to set you off? A naked woman with a pillow in her lap?” She crawled to the foot of the bed to retrieve her underwear, and he reclined against the pillow to enjoy the view.
“Is this a test?” He swept his hand over the curve of her derriere, her skin like silk beneath his fingertips. “Because you’re flashing me, and no man in his right mind could resist that.”
“Can we get back to the subject at hand?” She snatched up her panties and wriggled into them, clutching the pillow to her chest. “Why would Melody text me this man’s moniker? She was warning us about looking into the casino project. Do you think this El Gringo Viejo could have anything to do with it?”
“Come back up here.” He patted the mattress next to him. “I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself and stay on topic.”
She joined him, unfurling her long legs in front of her, twisting her hair behind her head into a bun. “Could he be involved?”
Sam crossed his hands behind his head to keep them off Jolene’s body and took a deep breath. He’d been drunk on making love with her, and even though Melody’s text had sobered him up, Jolene’s nearness was more intoxicating than a sip of Chivas.
He closed his eyes, his mind running over his case. The people they’d discovered dead and buried in the desert near San Diego had all died from a single shot to the head—execution style, drug-cartel style, even though their heads were still attached to their bodies. Their deaths had coincided with the appearance of a pure form of meth flooding the streets of southern California, pink meth.
That same meth had made its appearance in Arizona and New Mexico about four years ago—at the same time, a spate of missing persons had been reported in the area. Could El Gringo Viejo be behind the production and distribution of that meth?
He’d been active in Arizona for a number of years—not so much in California, but the appearance of the potent meth in Cali probably coincided with EGV feeling the heat in Rocky Point. Maybe he expanded his business to get out of Arizona where it had gotten too hot for him.
“What are you doing?” Jolene poked his ribs. “Are you sleeping?”
He grabbed her finger and kissed the tip. “I’m thinking.”
“Are you going to let me in on your thoughts or does just talking to me about any subject in bed turn you on?”
Opening one eye, he turned his head. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it, and you’re still topless.”
“I’m hugging a pillow.”
“Lucky pillow.”
She hit him over the head with the pillow and scrambled from the bed. She threw open her closet door, grabbing the first thing in front of her and pulling it on. Then she jumped back on the bed, the loose-fitting blouse floating around her.
“Better?”
His gaze raked her top half and the way the blouse settled around the curve of her breasts, her dusky nipple visible through the light material. “Yep, that’s it, totally turned off.”
Truth was, Jolene could wear a burlap sack and they could be discussing the national debt, and he wouldn’t be totally immune to her charms and the sexual tension that buzzed between them like a living thing—and she knew it.
A rosy blush seeped into her cheeks, as she crossed her legs beneath her. “Okay, let me in on your thoughts about this character.”
He gathered his wits again, and explained the connection between the bodies and the powerful meth hitting the streets. “We had the same occurrence in Arizona about four years back, before I was assigned to this sector but I read all about it. When that meth surfaced in San Diego and it coincided with our discovery of a dumping ground for drug couriers, I remembered what happened in Paradiso. Only difference is, we never found the bodies here.”
“Do you think El Gringo Viejo could be responsible for that meth?” She pinned her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.
“Border Patrol, FBI and DEA thought so at the time, but they could never pin it on him. He’s always been more of a facilitator between the cartels and the suppliers. He wouldn’t want the cartels to know he was selling and encroaching on their business.”
“And you think the dumping ground here for those bodies could be the Desert Sun Casino construction site.”
“It’s similar to the other location in California in many ways. That’s why I went out there the night I ran into you. I’d been looking at a map of the desert, and that site jumped out at me.”
“We need to search that land, Sam.” She rested her chin on her knees. “Now it’s not just my father’s death I have to investigate, it’s Melody’s.”
“That’s what law enforcement is for.” Even as the words left his mouth, he knew Jolene would never accept them.
A light kindled in her dark eyes. “You don’t even have enough proof to justify a search of the land. What chance do I have to convince anyone? That’s why I buried those bones out there. I may be found out soon, but that discovery caused enough of a delay to buy us some time.”
“I’d planned to do the search on my own.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and launched forward to collect the mess of sheets on the floor.
“You wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to get on that property if it hadn’t been for my scheme.” She yanked on the edge of the top sheet as he handed it to her and smoothed it across the bed. “You owe me.”
“Okay, we’ll go out there together, but it has to be at night.” He tucked the edge of the sheet under the mattress. “Now let’s get some sleep before the sun comes up.”
“I’m dreading the day ahead. Gran is going to be devastated by Melody’s death. Do you think Tucker confessed yet?”
“So, now you think he did it?”
“Of course not, but that doesn’t mean the poor soul isn’t going to confess to it.” She rolled out of bed. “I need to brush my teeth...and stuff. Do you want a toothbrush?”
He tapped his front tooth. “Before you got that text, I was in the bathroom rubbing toothpaste over my teeth with my finger.”
“I have extra toothbrushes. You could’ve asked.” She padded to the bathroom, looking sexy as hell with that blouse floating around her.
While she ran the water in the bathroom, he straightened the covers on the bed.
“Here you go.” She tossed him an unwrapped toothbrush as she exited the bathroom, and then pulled the bedroom curtains tight, shrouding the room in darkness.
He brushed his teeth and left the new toothbrush on the edge of the sink. Should he read anything into the toothbrush?
She’d already admitted to him she didn’t know if she could trust him for the long haul. He’d have to change her mind. In the meantime, the short haul had been deeply satisfying.
He crept into the bedroom to find Jolene under the covers, one bare shoulder visible. At least she’d gotten rid of the blouse. He stripped off his sweats and crawled into bed na
ked, nestling up to her back. She’d left her underwear in place.
She reached behind him and skimmed her knuckles down his hip. “What happened to your clothes?”
“I only put those on so we could think.” He wrapped an arm around her body and cupped her breast, dragging his thumb across her nipple while the breath hitched in her throat. “We don’t have to think anymore, do we?”
She turned around within his embrace, and pressed her lips to his. She murmured against his mouth, “If I thought about what I was doing, I might stop.”
And as he didn’t want to think about what she had just said, he thrust his erection against her belly and proceeded to make her his own...while he still could.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING, Sam carefully extricated himself from Jolene’s limbs tangled with his. Before he slipped out of bed, he paused to study her face. A small bruise had formed over her left eyebrow, and her bottom lip looked slightly swollen—of course that could be from all the kisses they’d shared. He couldn’t get enough of her.
He tiptoed from her bedroom and into the laundry room where he retrieved yesterday’s clothes from the dryer. He got dressed in the living room, and set about making coffee.
He checked his own phone charging on the kitchen counter—a few texts from Aimee’s mother about Jess and a call from work, but nothing as dramatic as Jolene’s text last night. If only Melody could’ve given them more than El Gringo Viejo’s name. Maybe she didn’t know anything more about him—or maybe she was too drunk to know what she was doing.
The coffee started to drip in the pot, and he raided Jolene’s fridge for eggs, butter, milk, cheese and a leftover pepper and onion. Since the separation from Aimee—the second separation—he’d gotten pretty good in the kitchen.
As the first omelet bubbled in the frying pan, Jolene scuffed into the kitchen, the blouse from last night hanging off her, the first several buttons undone. “Smells good, but it’s lunchtime. I slept so late.”
“You were in a car accident yesterday. I think you deserved to sleep late.” He jiggled the pan. “I’m making omelets.”
“I’m impressed.” She yawned. “But my accident is not the reason why I slept late. I think that had something to do with the man in my bed.”
“At least I’m properly dressed now, which is more than I can say for you.” He waved the spatula at her. “Whoever told you that was a modest blouse was lying, especially when it’s open to your navel.”
She clutched the top of the blouse and yanked the two pieces together. “I’ll go take a shower and get dressed. Don’t get any ideas about joining me in the shower. I’m sore.”
He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “I’m that good, huh?”
She picked up a balled-up paper towel from the counter and fired it at him. “My muscles are sore from the accident. Look at my arms.”
He eyed the bruises from the airbag on her arms. “I saw those, but that airbag probably cut down on the damage to the rest of your body.”
“I suppose so.” She wrapped her hair around one hand. “I already have a million calls from Gran and Wade and everyone else this morning, so I guess what happened to Melody was not a bad dream.”
“I’m sorry it wasn’t.” He slid the first omelet onto a plate. “Any chance you can get into Melody’s apartment today?”
“What do you mean? Isn’t it a crime scene? The sheriff’s department arrested Tucker yesterday. They already had the crime scene tape up before we left last night.”
“You stole onto a construction site and planted some bones. You can’t figure out how to get past a little crime scene tape and into your cousin’s apartment?”
“You’re encouraging me to break the law, Agent Cross?” She folded her arms and tapped a bare foot on the floor.
“You need encouragement?” He cracked two more eggs into the bowl. “Go get dressed, and I’ll finish breakfast.”
“If you think we might find something useful at Melody’s, I’ll get in there. I have to see Gran and the rest of the family first. Do you think you can find out what’s happening with Tucker?”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
Jolene slipped out of the kitchen, and a few minutes later, he heard the shower running. He’d have liked nothing more than to join her, but she needed sustenance and painkillers right now—not another tumble in the sheets.
He finished cooking the second omelet, shoved some bread in the toaster and poured himself a cup of coffee. He even set the table and fed Chip.
When he looked up from placing the silverware next to the plates of food, Jolene was studying him, one hand on her hip. “You’ve become quite domestic.”
“Now that I have Jess on my own, my apartment is immaculate.”
One corner of her mouth lifted. “Never thought I’d see the day. I—I’d like to see you with your daughter someday.”
“She’s funny right now—and bossy.” Should he be bragging to Jolene about Jess? He wanted to share his daughter with Jolene, but it hurt him that Jess wasn’t hers.
“It’s a cute age—which I know from my cousins’ kids.” She grabbed the back of a chair and sat down, picking up a fork. “I know where Melody hid a key to her place, so if the cops aren’t watching her apartment, I can get in. How long will they designate it as an active crime scene?”
He shrugged and took a seat at the table. “Depends on what Tucker’s been telling them. They were already searching her place. May have taken her computer and other electronic devices.”
“I wonder if they found her phone? She must’ve texted me on her way home. I wish she would’ve told me how she was getting there.” She wrapped both hands around her coffee mug and stared into the cup.
“Maybe she thought she was in the app car.” Sam sawed into his omelet and stabbed at the piece of egg with his fork. “She called for a car, she was drunk and didn’t realize she was getting into some random car. It’s happened before.”
“You mean someone was waiting for her. Knew she’d called for a car and took advantage of her inebriated state.” She took a sip of coffee. “We need to talk to Eddie, the bartender. Maybe he saw someone hanging around her.”
“We still need a motive. Tucker has a motive. He had her purse. He also had opportunity and the means.”
“Do you really think that scrawny guy could’ve overpowered Melody?” She plunged her fork into the omelet and raised it to her mouth, a string of cheese hanging off the end.
“She was drunk, Jolene. Wasted, according to Eddie—and he should know. Maybe she did hit her head on the edge of that table while she was struggling with Tucker. She pulled away from him and fell. Tucker wouldn’t have had to do anything.”
“Why are you trying to convict Tucker? I thought you were going with the fake driver story.” She dragged a paper towel across her mouth, but the cheese clung to her chin.
Sam reached over and dislodged the cheese with a dab of his finger against her face. “I’m playing devil’s advocate. Tucker’s motive was robbery. The fake driver’s motive could’ve been knowledge.”
“You mean Melody knew too much. Maybe part of what she knew was that El Gringo Viejo was involved in the casino project...and maybe some deaths connected to the project.”
“Could be, but why didn’t she go to the police? She could’ve laid out everything she knew for them and gotten some protection. A woman one of our agents is dating knows too much about El Gringo Viejo and she’s under protection.”
Her eyes widened. “Rob Valdez’s girlfriend? That woman who showed up in Paradiso with amnesia?”
“That’s the one, Libby James.” He put his fork to his lips. “But you’re not supposed to know that. It’s life and death for her. Do you understand?”
“Of course. Didn’t my cousin just get killed for the same reason?” She crunched into her toast and a shower of crumbs rain
ed down on her plate.
“You came to that conclusion quickly. We were still discussing Tucker’s guilt.”
“I just don’t believe it. I know you law enforcement types have to go with the evidence instead of feelings, but the cops don’t know what we know about Melody and the casino project.” She dusted her fingers together. “Should we tell them?”
“Not yet.” Sam shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t want to tell them until I have a chance to search that construction site. You talk about feelings over evidence? I’ve had a hunch about the connection between the missing people here and the bodies we found east of San Diego for over a month now, but I can’t get a search warrant for that property based on my hunches. Doesn’t work that way.”
“So, you’re going rogue. I like it.”
“And the food? Do you like the food?” He aimed his fork at her half-eaten omelet.
“It’s hard to talk and eat at the same time. It’s great. Even Chip wants some.” She nudged Chip with her foot. “You got dressed without taking a shower. Do you want to shower here? I have to get over to Gran’s.”
“I’ll clean up at the motel. I need to go into the station, and that means I need my uniform. Besides...” he ran a thumb across her bottom lip “... I still have the scent of you on my skin.”
“If you need to get to the station, and I definitely need to go to Gran’s house, you’d better stop saying things like that.” She pressed her lips together. “I’ll clean up since you cooked.”
“I’ll let Chip out again. Should I leave the dog door open?” He strode to the sliding doors that led to the back, whistling for Chip.
Jolene picked up his cell phone. “Your phone’s ringing. It’s the station.”
Sam slid open the door to set Chip free, and then turned to grab his phone from Jolene. “Cross here.”
“It’s Clay.”
“Hey, Clay. What can I do for you? I was planning to come in this morning.”
“This is really just a courtesy call, Sam. You know that transient who was arrested for having Melody’s purse? The guy you held for the police?”
Buried Secrets (Holding The Line Book 4) Page 12
