by Maya Banks
“Yeah, you’d know wouldn’t you,” Nathan said with a grunt.
“We could set a trap for the asshole,” Connor said. “Sounds like he’s pretty damn desperate.”
“That was my thought,” Gray said. “We need to find Faith, tell her what’s going on and stash her someplace safe.”
Pop shook his head. “No.”
Gray, Connor and Nathan all looked at him in surprise.
Pop stared back at them in turns. “I don’t want her to know about any of this.”
Gray shook his head in confusion. “How are you going to keep it from her? And why would you keep it from her? She needs to know.”
“Just give me a damn minute to think,” Pop growled. He put his forehead in his hands and looked down for a long moment.
“I’ve got a plan,” Gray said slowly, his brow furrowing as he gave more thought to the idea forming in his head.
“Maybe you should let us handle this,” Connor said acidly. “I’m not too crazy about your plans so far.”
Pop held up his hand. “I’m not too happy about any of this myself, but right now, the most important thing is making sure Faith is safe. Everything else can wait.”
Gray cleared his throat uncomfortably and continued. “I can’t be involved in this, not officially, I mean. We find out where Faith is, and I go to her. Keep a close eye on her until this is resolved. You can coordinate with the Houston police here and work out a way to catch Samuels. Maybe even go with a decoy like we mentioned earlier. I’ll let Faith know what’s going on, and you can keep us posted on your progress.”
Again Pop shook his head. “I don’t want her to know about this.”
“She has to know,” Gray said. “There’s no way to keep this from her.”
“You don’t goddamn tell me what I will or won’t tell my daughter,” Pop said in an explosion of anger. His lips tightened, and he appeared to be trying to regain control of his temper. “Look, Faith is the most tenderhearted girl I know. Even with all her mother has done, it would break her heart to know her mother was involved in something like this. I can’t let that happen to her again. She’s already been let down too many times by that bitch.”
“You can’t protect her from everything,” Gray argued.
Pop looked him straight in the eye and held up a finger. “I’ll protect her from as much as I can. There is no need for her to know. She’s on vacation. I told her to take a week. We’ll find out where she is, and then you can go make sure she stays put and is safe.”
“I don’t like it,” Connor interrupted. “I don’t want him anywhere near her.”
Pop held up his hand. “I’m not any happier about this damn mess than you are, Connor, but Gray’s right. He can’t be involved in this, and I need you and Nathan and Micah here if we’re going to catch this son of a bitch. Someone has to make sure Faith stays safe.” He stared Gray down. “Can I count on you to do that?”
“I don’t like lying to her,” he said through gritted teeth. “Not about something like this.”
“But you’ll lie to her about everything else,” Nathan pointed out with a scowl.
Gray’s fingers curled into fists. “I did what I had to do to find the man responsible for murdering a cop. That bastard killed my partner. I had a responsibility to do whatever was necessary to bring him to justice. I didn’t like deceiving any of you, and I don’t want to lie to Faith any more than I already have. I…”
“You what?” Connor demanded.
He ignored Connor and looked Pop in the eye. “I care about your daughter. I’ve tried my best not to. I’ve tried to stay away from her. I’m the reason she took this damn vacation. I upset her, and now it’s time for me to make things right. I can’t make it right if I’m stuck lying to her some more.”
Pop didn’t so much as flinch. He met Gray’s stare with a steady gaze. “You can make it right when the bastard who is threatening her is behind bars. There’s no sense upsetting her needlessly. Her mother has caused her enough grief. If she knows what her fool mother has done, you won’t be able to keep her away from here. She’ll worry that Celia is in trouble. It could be days before we catch this guy. There’s no sense in having her worried sick the entire time.”
“I don’t like it,” Gray said.
“I’m not that crazy about it either,” Connor muttered. Gray noticed the sideways glance Connor threw at Pop.
“She’s not a child,” Gray pointed out.
“You didn’t seem to have any problems keeping the truth from her when it suited your purpose,” Pop said, anger rising in his voice again.
Gray looked up at the ceiling in frustration. They were wasting so much valuable time in a ridiculous pissing match. He needed to find Faith and make sure she was protected. He returned his gaze to Pop. “Look, when I got here, I had no idea if Faith was innocent or not. How was I supposed to? For all I knew, she was completely aware of her mother’s situation. I didn’t know Faith. I had to treat her like any other potential suspect. I know now that she’s not involved, and I don’t like lying to her any more than I already have.”
“And I don’t want her hurt,” Pop said quietly. “She’s my daughter. I love her. If I can keep the knowledge that her mother was willing to allow her latest boyfriend to harm her own daughter over money, then by God I will.”
Gray closed his eyes. “All right. Fine.”
What an impossible situation. His mind raced to find a way to make everything work. How was he supposed to just show up, crash Faith’s vacation and act like he didn’t have an ulterior motive for being there? He doubted she’d be overjoyed to see him. He imagined being able to level with her but instead he’d be going to her with more deceit.
But everything else would have to be real. He’d have to show her what was real. And what was real was his attraction to her, his need to see if they had any shot at the kind of relationship they both wanted.
Could he pull that off as the real reason for tracking her down? That part wouldn’t be a lie. He’d very much wanted to level with her and then pursue this thing between them. Only now, he’d have to go about it bass-ackwards. Pursue, then level.
Hell.
CHAPTER 27
The office building resembled the monthly meeting of the SWAT team just an hour later. Policemen, friends of Pop’s, littered the offices of Malone’s, and the buzz of a dozen different conversations reverberated through the building. Amid the chaos Micah walked cautiously in, a bewildered expression on his face.
“What the fuck is going on?” he asked from the doorway of Pop’s office.
All four men turned around, their cell phones to their ears. Pop tossed his aside. “Do you know where Faith is?” he demanded.
A peculiar look crossed Micah’s face. “Uh, why do you ask? What’s going on?”
Gray rose and walked over to where Micah stood. “If you know where she is, tell me. She’s in a lot of danger.”
Micah’s gaze sharpened. He lowered his voice so only Gray would hear. “She’s at Damon’s beach house.”
“Who the fuck is Damon?” Gray growled.
“He’s the manager of The House, the guy who set Faith up to visit. You probably saw him when you went to get her.”
“Yeah, I saw him,” Gray muttered. What the hell was she doing with the sex club guy?
“She’s alone,” Micah said as if reading Gray’s thoughts.
“Would you two care to share with the rest of us?” Connor demanded. “Micah, if you know where Faith is, then you better spill it.”
“I know where she is. Now who’s going to tell me why our office looks like a policemen’s union meeting and what that has to do with Faith being in danger?”
Gray quickly related the story to Micah. Micah frowned and glanced over at Gray. “So all this time you were jacking us around?”
Gray sighed. “I had a job to do, man. You were a cop. You understand.”
A dull shadow crossed Micah’s eyes. “Yeah, I do.”
A commotion in the hall had them all looking up. A few seconds later, Mick came barreling past several policemen. He hadn’t shaven in at least a week, and he looked like hell.
“Damn it, Mick, what are you doing here?” Gray demanded.
“Where else would I be?” he ground out. “Now tell me what’s going on.”
Gray sighed. “I can’t be involved in this, Mick, and neither can you. I’ll give you the key to my apartment. You can go stay there. The police will notify you when an arrest has been made.”
“The hell you say! And where the hell are you going?”
“I’m going to make sure Faith stays out of harm’s way,” he said evenly. “Hopefully this will all be over quickly.”
“You’re leaving?” Mick asked incredulously. “You’re going to let some piece of ass deter you from catching your partner’s—your brother’s—killer?”
In a blur, Connor flew past Gray and shoved Mick against the wall, his hand twisted in Mick’s shirt. “Listen to me, you son of a bitch. That’s my sister you’re talking about. Why don’t you do what Gray told you and get the fuck out of here.”
Pop strode over and pulled Connor away. Though he appeared calmer than Connor, his eyes blazed with anger. “Back off, son. Me and Mr. Winslow here will have a little chat. And then he’s going to clear his ass out of my office.” He turned to Gray. “You need to get on out of here. You’re supposed to be protecting my daughter.”
Gray started to dig around in his pocket for a key to his apartment, but Pop waved him on. “I’ll take care of making sure Mr. Winslow has a place to stay. You focus on your job, and we’ll do ours. I’ll be in touch and let you know how things are going and when it’s safe to come back home.”
Gray nodded then turned to Micah. “I need you to tell me where.”
Micah walked out to the front with Gray and picked up a tablet of paper and a pen and jotted down an address. He tore off the piece of paper and handed it to Gray. “Just head straight down Seawall Boulevard out of town. You can’t miss it. Just about the time you think you’re going to fall off the other end of the island, you’re there.”
“Thanks,” Gray said. “Look, keep me posted okay? You weren’t here this morning, and the guys are pretty pissed over this. I don’t blame them, but I need to be kept in the loop, and Pop is adamant that Faith not know any of what’s going on. If I had to guess, he’s not going to be calling much.”
Micah nodded. “Will do, man. Let me know if you need anything.”
By the time Gray arrived at the beach house, it was close to sunset. He pulled onto the paved circle drive and parked outside the steps leading up to the front door. As he got out, he eyed the bags he’d packed but decided to wait and bring them in later.
He jogged up the steps and tapped at the door. Déjà vu settled over him as he recalled doing the exact same dance at her apartment earlier that morning.
This time when she didn’t answer, he didn’t waste any time letting himself in to make sure she was all right. He stepped into the spacious living room and took in the masculine decor. Definitely a bachelor pad. Didn’t have a woman’s touch at all. He briefly wondered if Damon had planned to join Faith here and scowled at the thought.
When his gaze lighted on the French doors leading out to the deck, he saw an arm draped over the side of a lounger. Faith’s hand dangled and brushed the floor.
He hurried, and when he got close enough, he could see that she was curled up asleep. Quietly, so as not to wake her, he eased outside, closing his eyes in appreciation when the gulf breeze blew over his face.
But as his gaze lowered to Faith’s sleeping form, his appreciation only grew. She looked beautiful. One hand dangled from the lounger, the other curled underneath her chin. Her chest rose and fell gently with each breath, and the breeze lifted the blond strands of her hair and blew them around her face.
All the way down here, he’d convinced himself that he’d tell her the truth no matter what Pop wanted. But now that he looked at her, so fragile and innocent, he understood why Pop wanted to protect her. Hell, he wanted to protect her. Wrap her in cotton and make sure nothing ever hurt her.
She wanted to be taken care of, and what man wouldn’t want to? She was sweet, soft and delicate in all the right places. As he stood watching her, she stirred and moved restlessly on the lounger. Her eyes fluttered open. She blinked as she looked at him, and then her eyes widened in surprise.
“Gray?” she asked sleepily. “What are you doing here?”
He bent and ran a finger down her arm. “I hope you haven’t been lying out here all day. You’ll burn.”
“Was in the shade most of the day,” she mumbled. “What are you doing here? How did you know where I was?”
She shifted and sat up in the seat and continued to regard him with sleepy eyes.
“I wanted to talk to you,” he said simply.
Her expression was disbelieving.
“I know I’ve acted like an ass,” he said. “The fact is, Faith, you threw me for a loop.”
He knelt on the wood deck, shifting his weight to alleviate the discomfort on his knees. She placed a gentle finger over his lips, and he was shocked into silence.
“Let’s go inside to talk,” she said.
He rose and held out his hand to help her up. Her hair, tousled by her nap, blew in the breeze, and he reached out to snag a tendril, unable to resist touching the silky tresses.
She turned and walked inside, leaving him to follow. He watched the gentle sway of her hips, and he imagined himself between her thighs, his hands curled around those hips as he thrust into her.
His throat tightened, and he swallowed against the uncomfortable sensation.
When she entered the house, she turned and looked over her shoulder at him. “You coming?”
He moved forward, the knot growing a little larger in his stomach at the thought of what he was about to embark on. He was continuing, not ending, his chain of deception, and he was looking to start a relationship steeped in those lies.
The cooler interior air brushed over his face as he stepped inside. Faith padded barefoot into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“You want something to drink?” she asked. “There’s beer, wine and some juice.”
He shook his head then said, “No, I’m fine.”
She poured herself a glass of juice then walked back into the living room where he stood. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”
He observed the slight tremble of her lips, something she tried to disguise by raising the glass to her mouth. She was nervous. Hell, so was he, but he didn’t want her to feel uneasy with him.
He reached out and cupped his hand under her elbow. “Let’s sit down.”
She gazed at him with troubled eyes as if fearing what he’d say. Unable to help it, he leaned in, cupped the back of her neck with his hand and pulled her to him. Her glass pressed into his stomach, mashed between them as he captured her lips with his.
He swallowed the whispery sound of surprised pleasure that escaped her mouth. He tasted the tangy orange on her tongue, absorbed her flavor and savored it with every swipe of his tongue over hers.
When he pulled away, her unfocused gaze met his, confusion outlined in the depths of her eyes. Her mouth, now puffy from his kiss, tempted him again. Later, he told himself. He’d sample every inch of her skin.
He nudged her backward until her legs met the edge of the couch. Then he sat her down. Opting to stand, he moved a few steps back and began pacing, unable to control the anxious energy flowing through him.
“I made a mistake in pushing you away,” he said.
Her green eyes widened. She set her glass on the end table then folded her hands in her lap, clutching at her fingers until the tips were white.
He stopped pacing and looked directly at her. “I want what you want, Faith. You, in my bed, in my arms, my way.”
Color surged into her cheeks as she reacted to his blunt statement.
/> He moved toward her, kneeling in front of her. He gathered her hands in his and raised her fingers to his lips. “I’m not easy, Faith. I’ll push you. I’ll demand things of you that you may not be sure you can give. If we do this, you’ll give everything to me. In return, I’ll cherish your gift. I’ll see to your every need. I’ll take care of you.”
A slow blaze began to burn in her eyes as she studied him. “You want this?” she asked huskily. “You want me? This isn’t some game? Some role you think I want you to play?”
He cupped her chin in his hand and stared into her eyes. “No games. You’re off for a week. As it turns out, so am I. This is the perfect opportunity for us to explore this relationship.”
Her chin trembled in his hand. He rubbed his thumb over her velvety lips before he stood and began pacing again.
“There are some things you need to understand, Faith. If we do this, I will be in complete and utter control. There are no safe words, no playacting, no ‘lifestyle’ books to read. That’s all bullshit. I’ve never lived by anyone else’s rules and certainly not a bunch of rabid lifestylers all spewing what people do or don’t do according to their list of guidelines.
“If that’s what you’re expecting, then you need to walk now. You can forget about anything you’ve read or experienced, because what I will demand from you bears no resemblance to what a bunch of role players screwing around with sex games would.”
He paused to let his words sink in. Then he walked forward again, kneeling once more in front of her. He threaded his hand into her hair, twining the strands around his fingers as he caressed her scalp.
“You’ll be mine. Mine. You’ll give your everything to me, and in return, I’ll give you more than you can ever imagine. I’ll take care of you, pleasure you, provide for you.”
“Wow,” she said after a shaky breath.
“Is that a yes?” he asked as he stroked through her hair.
