by Becky McGraw
“Then why the fuck didn’t you just let us handle this? You should’ve just kept her out of here. Her sister might not be dead—” Patton shouted behind him, and Dex spun.
“Wrong,” Dex growled, and the anger that launched him earlier, now propelled him to his brother. He grabbed Patton’s t-shirt, wound it in his fist and leaned into his face. “You don’t deserve to armchair quarterback, brother, since you chose to be a hotdog instead of a team player. I’m no Navy SEAL, but somehow I don’t think that’s how you operate in the field, is it?” His lip curled. “Maybe she wouldn’t be dead if you’d just gone with the team plan instead of making us wait two fucking hours to enter.” He would forever relive those two golden hours and wonder if they could’ve saved Marcy Wentworth if they hadn’t listened to his brother.
Susan stepped in to peel his fingers from Patton’s shirtfront then pushed him back to stand between them. “Your brother knows as well as I do that any mission can have casualties. Don’t you, Patton?” She glared back at Patton.
“Yes, every mission has the potential of going south, but—” He oomphed when Susan’s elbow delivered a gut punch.
“He also knows that Harlow would’ve have killed her regardless, because that was his goal here. They weren’t filming this were they? The studio was basically deserted, right? He meant to kill her, you and Grace. He had enough men here to kill us, too. It was a set-up.”
“Yes, it was, but that’s because they were onto us because of me,” Dex replied. “There are things you don’t know.” He turned to walk away, but Susan’s hand dropped on his shoulder.
“Stop beating yourself up, Dexter. The tangos are neutralized, none of the team was hurt and you have single-handedly collected enough evidence to put the remainder of those assholes away so no other women get hurt.”
Dex’s jaw muscles hurt from the effort he used to hold back the emotional shitstorm raging inside of him. “They’ll never catch them now, and they will just set up shop somewhere else.” She turned him to face her and put her hand on his jaw, and made him meet her eyes.
“Yes, they will. The feds have had a few agents inside for a couple of months now, so I’m sure they know where to find them. The FBI and NBI are raiding the resort and his other facilities as we speak. They won’t set up shop again, I promise.” Susan heaved a breath, and removed her hand. “You’re the hero in this situation, not your brother, and not us.”
A gut-wrenching wail rang out and Dex’s stomach pitched. He turned to sprint toward Grace, who was now sitting beside her sister, rocking her. I’m no fucking hero, he thought, falling to his knees to wrap his arms around her. Love, grief, guilt and despair radiated from her in waves, soaking into his body to shred his insides as he held her violently shaking body.
“Oh, Gracie, I’m so sorry, baby,” he muttered into her hair.
He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, held her tight and let her cry. He rocked her, consoled her for what seemed like hours, while trying to shield her from the hordes of people who came in and out of the room.
“How am I going to tell Callie?” she finally asked in a raw whisper against his throat.
“We’ll tell her,” he said, his arms and resolve tightening. “I’m going to Boston with you, and I’m staying to help as long as you need me.”
“I’ve got to make arrangements for—” she sucked in a breath then it came out as a sob.
“Shhh—don’t worry about that now. I’m going to help you with all of that,” he said, rocking her again. God, if he could only turn back time.
He looked up to see Susan staring down at him with sympathy in her eyes. She nodded toward the body on the floor, then the door. They were ready to remove her sister’s body. Dex pushed her away, swiped the hot tears from her cheeks with his thumb, then eased from under her to stand.
Dex offered her his hand, and she turned as if to look at her sister again, but he grabbed her arm. “No, don’t—” he growled, bending to sweep her up into his arms. She buried her face in his neck and wept as he carried her to the door.
***
“Hawk is going to fly us back to Dallas, but you take as much time in Boston as you need,” Susan said, as she dropped her suitcase by the door. “Stay here as long as you need to stay to get the arrangements made.” Her eyes filled as she raised a hand to Dex’s face and his own eyes burned. “Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help.”
“Thank you, and Logan, for everything,” Dex said, stepping in to give her a hug. “We’ll probably be out of here by Friday. I set up the flights for us and, um, the body this morning. I’m thinking I’ll be back in Dallas in a couple of weeks.”
He knew the road to healing for Grace would just be starting by that time, though. As torn up as she was at the moment, he felt like full recovery from this ordeal may take years, if that ever happened. She had twelve years, now, of raising her niece ahead of her.
“You never need to thank us. We take care of our own,” Susan whispered near his ear, then pushed away to wipe her eyes. “You’re family.”
“Aw, fuck, don’t start that again,” Dave said, walking into the living room to set his suitcase beside hers. “You know that shit kills me.” He growled as he pulled her into his side to tip up her chin for a kiss. “You’re getting entirely too mushy these days. Where’s the Barracuda hiding? I kind of miss her.”
“Cross me and she’ll come out to play,” Susan warned with a snap of her teeth and a secret smile. “You came very close to reacquainting with her on that mission at that studi—” Dave’s eyes widened, as he put a finger over her lips. She sucked the digit into her mouth, then slid her lips off. “Sorry,” she whispered with a quick glance at Dex, then the bedroom door.
“No worries,” Dex replied in a hushed tone. “It will take time, but hopefully she’ll put this nightmare behind her soon.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Hopefully, we all can. It’ll just take a little time.”
“I like her,” Susan informed, separating from Dave to walk over and give him a kiss on the cheek, which earned a growl from his boss. “Take care of her.”
Susan had come a long way since she married Logan—he had too. There was a soft, loving air about her now, instead of a hard professional shell.
Their son, who they couldn’t wait to get home to, could have something to do with that too. Dex was just thankful they’d given him two extra days of their precious time with him, so he could focus on sorting through the evidence for the feds, in between consoling Grace.
Even though she’d softened some, Susan still retained her killer instincts on cases, though, because she was right this time too. By this morning, the third day after the showdown at the studio, the feds notified her they’d rounded up all but three of the suspects. The funeral home director had been arrested too.
Last night, after Grace went to bed, Dex uploaded all the evidence he’d gathered to the FBI. The resort was shut down, the studio was shut down, the phone sex line and the escort service were too, all of which he found out were partially staffed by underage runaways who were lured to Sin City by Tim Harlow. Thank God that man was dead…and Sheridan too. He had a feeling learning that would only add to Grace’s grief, so he kept it to himself.
The fact that two of the most evil men on earth had crossed paths, had known each other for years through the military, and that their evil converged in Las Vegas, was just mind boggling. More startling, though, was the fact his former lover, his brother and his surrogate family from Deep Six converged here with him to battle that evil.
The Karma Train had stopped in Vegas. Tim Harlow and Thomas Sheridan had their day of reckoning, and were sentenced to death.
May they burn in hell for eternity.
In all the cases he’d help solve in the six years he’d worked for Deep Six, this had to be the most horrific, but satisfying, to resolve. This case drove home the importance of what he, his team members and the company did. For people like Grace, who, if they hadn’t in
tervened, might well have ended up dead like her sister, and those monsters would’ve continued to exploit women to build their evil empire.
Dex didn’t regret losing his vacation anymore.
Instead of a vacation, he’d learned a valuable lesson, several lessons, during this trip. The services Dave Logan offered, and sometimes performed for free, were vital to stopping things like this from happening to make the world a better and safer place, and every person on their team was critical to getting that job done.
Pride surged through him that he was given the honor to be included on their team. He hoped that didn’t change when he had the talk he needed to have with Logan and Susan when he got back to Dallas.
A soft sob from the bedroom told him that Grace was awake now. He huffed a breath, hugged Susan, then walked toward the door. He was dreading this trip to Boston even more than he’d dreaded any other. He would be attending a funeral this time, and informing a child he’d never met she was now an orphan.
His heart twisted as he pushed open the door and walked in to close it behind him. He wanted to go to the morgue and find that bastard Tim Harlow so he could blow off his penis and balls again. But Dex felt sure the devil was right where he belonged—in hell. With his commander, investor and buddy, Sheridan. Their cohorts would get to enjoy their own living hell in a federal prison soon.
“Brennan?” Grace whispered, and her raw, needy voice drew him toward the bed.
“Yes, baby, it’s me,” he said.
“I need you to hold me, please,” she pleaded, and he was more than glad to do what he’d been doing the last two nights.
During college he’d never had the opportunity, or desire really, to hold her all night—or any woman since then. He hadn’t slowed down long enough to realize he might need it. But that desire was very strong as he knelt on the edge of the bed, then crawled up beside her.
When he pulled her into his arms and she snuggled into his chest, a warm feeling blanketed him, the frenetic energy inside of him settled, and he sighed as he wrapped his arms around her lush body.
It would take time, but they’d get through this together. He would count that time as time well spent, drinking in his fill of this feeling he was experiencing right now, because he knew once he went back to Dallas, he may have withdrawals.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Thank you. When you have the paperwork together, please call right away so I can come to your office and sign it,” Grace said, her voice trembling. Her thumb hit the end call button, and she sighed. She was so glad he’d rented this extended stay hotel room for them, so she didn’t have to make these calls in front of Callie and her mother.
Dex must’ve realized she was winding up for another crying jag, because he snatched a tissue from the box, then scooted down the sofa to put his arm around her. He grabbed her chin to turn her face and her heart swelled. He dabbed the tissue at the corner of each eye, then swiped it under her nose. Her heart swelled more, then exploded, releasing a hot wave of need to wash through her.
“What can I do to help?” he asked gently. “Do you need something to eat?”
“Nothing…thank you,” she replied, raising her hand to stroke his sexy beard stubble. She wanted something to eat alright—him.
“No thanks needed. I’m glad to be here, baby,” he replied, turning his face to kiss the side of her hand, sending electricity zipping up her inner arm to her elbow.
Brennan had been so damned good to her since they landed in Boston two days ago. He was the kindest, most compassionate man in the world, who just happened to be wrapped in the sexiest package of any man she’d ever met.
The depth of character he’d shown since he saved her at that resort made her realize what she felt for him in college amounted to nothing more than a girlhood crush because he paid her a little attention. What she felt now scared the hell out of her, because Grace knew if she let herself freefall over the ledge she was balanced on with him, she would have a lot more than two weeks of moping to deal with when he left her this time.
Like she had back then to focus on her studies, she would just have to keep her emotions out of play. Callie needed her focus right now. Both of them had a lot to deal with, so she needed to keep her head. But that did not mean she would ignore the gift of this time she’d been given with him, even if it was under the worst circumstances.
She needed that gift. Needed him.
Grace didn’t know what she’d have done without him. Yes, she did. She’d have fallen apart, she thought, as she leaned in to skim her mouth over his.
Now that the fact her sister was dead had finally sunk in, she needed more than cuddling and comfort from him. She needed him to remind her that she was still alive. If not for his intervention, she might not be.
Grace made a second pass over his lips with hers, but he didn’t engage, so she added the tip of her tongue to her next even slower pass. He finally groaned, but instead of kissing her back, his muscles tensed, he grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away.
“We have to go to your mother’s in an hour, and you don’t have to do this either, Gracie. I’m not here for that, I’m here to help you.”
“Well this is how you can help me,” she whispered, her eyes on his mouth as she leaned in toward him again. “I need you, Brennan.” Forever, her mind whispered, but she ignored it as she sealed her mouth to his and he swallowed her sigh.
His hand glided over her shoulder to cup her neck and pull her closer to kiss her deeper. She moaned into his mouth, put her hands on his shoulders and urged him back on the sofa. Her body settled on top of his length, her tongue found his, and enticed it to play. With a growl that danced through Grace, his fingers slid into her hair to grip her skull while he devoured her mouth.
His heat radiated through her clothes to warm her insides, her nipples hardened and moisture flooded her folds. His erection pressed into her pubic bone and her breath came in short snatches as her heart raced and she ground her hips against him.
Memories of how perfectly their bodies fit together in Vegas, had always fit together, how good she felt when her body stretched to accommodate him, how incredibly intuitive he was at finding exactly where to touch her to give her optimum pleasure—how unrestrained he was in his enthusiasm to let her know how much she pleased him flooded her mind.
She needed to feel that again—now.
Those thoughts mixed with the reality of his taste as he kissed her, the feel of his hand sliding under the hem of her shirt to stroke up her spine to the clasp of her bra. A shiver rocked her as she dragged her mouth from his to sit up and remove it, and her shirt.
It felt like he was touching her when his intensely hot eyes locked on her breasts and he licked his lips. He grabbed her hips in a tight hold to rock up against her hard, and the head of his cock connected with her throbbing clit. Grace threw her head back to moan loudly and circled her hips against his heat inching up the pleasure.
“God, Gracie—” he moaned, gripping her hips tighter as he continued with short strokes against the bundle of nerves which sent bolts of electricity up her body.
Her breath hitched as she ground into him and Brennan moaned loudly. His ragged breathing excited her, because it told her he was enjoying this just as much as she was. Involuntary spasms clenched her inner walls, ratcheting up the tension inside her body.
She wanted—needed to divest herself of her soaked panties, get him out of his jeans, but this was just too damned good, and she was so close.
Grace’s eyes opened and connected with his to find his pupils dilated almost to the edges of his green eyes. His jaw clenched, and his nostrils flared as he dragged in breaths and his body jerked with each gyration.
His movements slowed, adjusted a little to the left and she moaned her pleasure as she squeezed her eyes shut to enjoy the sweet, hot sensations pulsing through her. With each contact, her pleasure inched higher, sound gurgled in her throat and her chin dropped to her chest as the first fiery orgasm
approached. Her fists clenched, and her body quaked as it crashed through her.
“Oh—oh—wow,” she breathed at her body tensing as her insides clenched and pleasure drowned her.
Brennan growled, his uneven breaths rasped louder, and he quickened his motions, dug his fingers deeper into her hips to increase the pressure of his contact with her body. Grace pressed down on him and rode each delicious aftershock that swept through her.
His body jerked, and he roared as his hands locked on her hips in an iron grasp and tremors rocked him. On a rush of breath, her eyes opened and her body buzzed as she reached down to unbutton his jeans, and noticed the flush that rode high on his cheekbones. He shook his head, and a grin kicked up one corner of his mouth.
“I haven’t done that since I was a teenager,” he said with a harsh laugh. “But it’s just as well, since I don’t have a condom.”
“I saw one in the welcome basket in the bath—” she started. The memory of the incredible sensation of having him inside of her body without a barrier in Vegas caused an intense tremor to zip through her. Before he left, they would definitely have do that again.
“Latex,” he reminded, heaving a deep breath. “Things could get really ugly.”
It really wasn’t funny, but a giggle tickled her belly at the thought of him having that allergic reaction down there. The laugh came out as she slid off of him to stand beside the sofa.
“Don’t laugh—it happened as a teenager too, and I definitely wasn’t laughing. That is how I found out I’m allergic to latex,” he admitted, his mouth quirking.
“Yeah, so let’s not do that. You scared me bad enough with the mask incident. But we will stop to buy some non-latex condoms on the way to Mom’s. I have a feeling I’ll need more stress relief when we get back.”
“Is that what this was?” Brennan asked, with an odd expression.
“What do you mean?” she replied, raising her skirt to push her panties down to her ankles and step out of them.
