by Casey Diam
“Whatever. I’m only fucking with you. You’re the only one who could handle her. She could chew up and spit out any other motherfucker, including me.”
“It’s the other way around. She’s the only one who can handle me.”
“Clearly,” he quipped, staring at what I was guessing was the scratch Paige had left on my neck. “Is that why you’re all dressed from top to bottom when you come out now? She’s handling you in there? Dude, you can talk to me. I know she can be aggressive, but—”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re trying to get hit, aren’t you?”
“Nah. Just you got balls, dude. Sometimes, she looks at me like she has the keys to the gates of hell, waiting to toss my ass in if I say the wrong thing. You’re good with each other though.” He lowered his voice, his mouth forming a thin as he jerked his head. “But you’ve already gone to the cops. And for what? You’re going to lose the closest thing you’ve had to normalcy, happiness even.” He shook his head again. “I don’t get it. I really fucking don’t, man.”
With that, he went to his room.
I wasn’t about to talk about it in front of Paige, not knowing if she could hear us. There wasn’t anything to talk about anyway. Calvin might not like my plan, but he wouldn’t understand the amount of guilt and confusion I’d struggled with over the years.
And, since I’d started to see Alex Connor for who he was, the things he was capable of doing to get what he wanted, I had to do what was necessary to stop him before anyone else got hurt. That thought made me wonder how many friends Connor had who worked in law enforcement because, with those connections, it could take years before the FBI could pin him down for any wrongdoing. But I would be patient. I would be his little pawn, like I’d been my whole life, even if it meant being locked away in that dark room again for months. This was my life, and I would live through it all over again if it meant no one else would get hurt.
The loud music thumping in Calvin’s room pulled me out of my head.
Coffee in hand, I walked over to the couch, my mood shifting as I drew closer to her, my axis. Her hair was bunched on top of her head, and she was in tights and a T-shirt. She acknowledged me with a smile but kept the small white earphones in her ears. This yoga thing must be a part of her therapy, but that kind of flexibility had to have come from back when she had been a cheerleader in high school. I watched her for a few minutes before I took a seat.
“Hey, do me a favor,” she said.
Setting her hands on the floor between her legs, she crawled forward on her hands until her butt lifted, and her feet flattened on the fluffy gray rug. Her firm bubble butt was in the air for my viewing. I licked my lips, my hand unconsciously drifting to my crotch.
She pulled an earbud out. “Can you tell me if my leggings are see-through?”
I cocked my head. “What?”
“My leggings,” she said, impatiently wiggling her butt. My eyes widened, not wanting to miss a thing as she explained, “After too much use, they start to become see-through. Are they?”
“Hmm...” As my thoughts drifted to peeling away her tights, my palms twitched, wanting to touch, caress, and spank those tender cheeks. I glanced at Calvin’s closed door. Setting my cup on the floor at the side of the couch, I said, “Come closer.”
She stood and moved back a couple of inches before bending over again, and I smiled.
“Closer. I think the lighting’s kind of bad or something.”
She stood as she moved back, and I reached out, taking her wrist and tugging her to where I wanted her.
“Right here. I want to make sure.” My hands slid over her tiny waist to the heart-shaped curve of her ass, and my dick swelled. Placing a hand at the small of her back, I pressed for her to go ahead and bend over. “Hmm, let’s see.”
She bent, and my lips parted.
The only thing I saw was how the material clung to her like a second skin. My words came out husky as I told her, “It’s fine. But maybe you shouldn’t wear these in public.”
“No one else gets this close, so I think they’re okay if you can’t see through them.”
“I know, but...” I palmed the glorious cheeks, desperate to take a bite. My fingers caught the waistband of the stretchy fabric, and I began to peel it away. She tried to move, but I maintained my tight grip on the material, whispering, “Shh.”
“Calvin might—” she started before we both froze at the sound of the lock.
I dragged her onto my lap, extending my injured finger out of the way of her fall.
“Hey, I’m going to get you dirty,” she protested, trying to get up, but I enclosed my arms around her.
Calvin walked out, dressed in jeans and a black shirt like he was going somewhere, but he was staying here with Paige. At least, that was what he’d told me last night when I thought Luke was the one coming over.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I shifted on the couch to retrieve it from where it was buried. I sighed upon seeing Brad’s name on the screen with a text.
Brad: Where are you? You are needed at the hotel. Now!
“Shit,” I whispered. “I have to go. What time do you get off work later?”
“Not until three thirty. I’m downtown tonight.” Her head lolled back onto my shoulder.
“Damn it, I should have woken you this morning.”
She turned her face into my neck. “We could have a quickie.”
Holding her head to my neck, I moved my lips close to her ear, hoping the music would drown out my words before they reached Calvin, who’d gone into the kitchen, ignoring us for once. “I can’t have a quickie. I’ve just witnessed how flexible you are, and because of that, I’m already thinking of about ten different ways to fuck you.”
“Don’t tell me that unless you’re ready to follow through.” The tip of her tongue traced a short path on my neck, and as my nipples tingled, a low groan rumbled from my chest.
“You’re killing me.” I looked at my watch and then at Calvin, who was sitting around the breakfast bar, his back to us and his head down. “Are you and Calvin going somewhere?”
“We’re low on groceries.” She lifted her head and twisted to me, nibbling on her lip as she adjusted my tie. Her eyes met mine, and she looked at me like she either wanted to kiss me or slap me.
Deciding for her, I brought my hand to the back of her head and kissed her soft lips until their sweet bubblegum flavor infused my mouth. One of the things I liked about her was her directness. I paid attention and could read her well when she wanted me to. So, the fact that she’d looked at me the way she just had meant she was struggling. My lips prodded hers apart, and fully acquainted, our tongues tangled, seeking the connection our bodies demanded.
With a rough, final kiss, I pulled back and looked into her eyes. I never knew what to expect when she hid from me. I was letting her see me, so why was her guard up?
Chapter Thirty-Five
Paige
The elevator doors closed, and Calvin wrapped a turkey sandwich inside a piece of foil. “Ready?”
“You already texted Luke?” I asked as I walked to my room to grab my backpack. It was packed with my work clothes for tonight along with a few other essentials in case I couldn’t make it back in time to change.
“Yeah. He’ll let us know when Caleb rolls out,” I heard him say while I was in my room.
With my backpack on, I braided my hair to the side and twisted a rubber band at the end, and as I entered the living room, I pulled a fitted black cap over my head.
“Wow, I almost didn’t recognize you,” Calvin said, sarcasm oozing from his playful voice.
My lips pressed together, and I showed him my middle finger. “I bet you couldn’t hide your big head anywhere.”
He snickered. “Wow. Okay, I deserved that.”
As he tossed his keys into the air, I opened the fridge and removed the container of filtered water. Setting it on the counter, I unscrewed the top of my water bottle and poured water inside until it
was about to spill over, my thoughts on Caleb. I hadn’t lied to him this morning. All I’d said was that we were low on groceries; that’s all. But guilt still gouged a hole in my gut.
My forehead crinkled. Ugh.
It had been three days since Calvin told me he wanted in and two days since Luke and Rob had been watching Caleb. The terms Caleb had initiated with Calvin and his friends had changed without him knowing, though it pained me that I had to keep it from him. But if anything happened, I needed to know how to find him. A small part of me was also curious about what he did for Connor. Things that didn’t relate to hotel or property management. Because how bad could it be? Caleb was good. So good, I had a hard time believing there was any bad in him.
But, since he didn’t care to elaborate on his plan B, I was going with plan A to use myself as a target when the time was right. Besides, Calvin had said Caleb would never agree to it. I didn’t know what made him so sure, but he was Caleb’s best friend, so I trusted his opinion.
❧
Calvin stopped at a nearby gas station to fill up the tank and grab some snacks before our unofficial stakeout began.
Yesterday, the first day of our watch, I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I would need to urinate at some point, but Calvin had already thought of it when he showed me a portable toilet at a construction site two blocks away. He even had a set of binoculars we could use to spy from a safe distance. They were so nifty, only I also realized it was how they’d kept an eye on me before I met them.
He pulled into a parallel-parking spot on the road behind a car, a couple hundred feet from Alex Connor’s property. We were in Luke’s SUV today. In some weird way, I also enjoyed doing this. I got a slight rush at knowing that I held the upper hand on Connor this time. Because, through these binoculars, I was right in his yard, standing on his doorstep and walking around his driveway.
A few hours went by without any activity, but I kept the binoculars to my eyes as I asked, “Why did you warn me to stay away from here before?” I could smell the beef jerky he’d been nibbling on for the past fifteen minutes. I’d been contemplating having a bite myself just so I could ignore the scent. The bag crumbled, and I glanced at him. “Those smell like crap.”
“But they’re so good. Have one.” He popped the bag open for me, and I reached in because we’d already been here for so long, but we still had ways to go before the scent would vanish. “You should ask Caleb. He knows more than I could tell you. He was the one living here.”
I squinted. “You waited a whole two minutes to tell me that?”
He shrugged. “Caleb never talked about it, but I just remember when we were kids...I think we were about eleven. I didn’t really know much about him then, but we were inseparable at school for that year. So, while I was out one day riding my bike, I figured I would stop by his place after school. After that day, I didn’t see him again for years. He found me, and the only thing he told me was that he’d gotten homeschooled. But I knew it had been much more than that, and I also knew it was my fault that he hadn’t gotten as much freedom as he could have. If I hadn’t gone to his house that day, he wouldn’t have been homeschooled.”
Holy crap.
“I know you didn’t tell me that, so I could tell you this, but I’m telling you anyway. It wasn’t your fault, and Caleb wouldn’t want you to believe that it was. Also, if he held it against you, you wouldn’t have been the first person he sought out when he was able.”
He bit off a piece of the beef jerky in his hand and chewed. “Either way, it’s time I did something for him. Even if it means acquiring a couple of blocks of C-4 and blowing up that fucking building, Alex Connor included.”
I winked and clicked my tongue. “Now you’re talking.” I moved the binoculars back to my eyes while I laughed. “Can you imagine? That would be awesome. Seriously, we should look into that.”
Calvin chuckled. “So, how’s therapy going for you?”
My mouth fell open. He did not just go there. Though I had made fun of his big head this morning.
“That was dickish. Very dickish.” I gave him a tight smile.
“Damn it, Paige. Stop doing that. I was just telling Caleb about your crazy-ass eyes this morning.”
“What?”
Calvin and I goofed off a lot when no one else was around. Our tendency to speak our minds had helped our friendship evolve into this cool, sarcastic kind. So, I was curious about what he’d been telling Caleb about our weird moments together. Caleb only knew about some of my crazy, and I was almost self-conscious about him finding out more.
“You get this look in your eye, and it intimidates the shit out of me,” Calvin admitted.
Well, that explained why he’d been so honest since we met.
And that does not sound like a problem. I like it.
“You’re doing it again.”
Oh.
“Sorry, I can’t help it. But you know I’m not evil.”
“We’re laughing about blowing up Alex Connor.” He smirked.
“Okay, so a little evil then.”
He shook his head and sighed.
“Hey, you brought it up,” I accused. “You’re just as evil.”
“I know I’m evil.” He grinned. “But, unlike you and how you make it apparent, no one knows I am until it’s time to light the match.”
He was serious, and I’d be shaking in my boots if I didn’t know him better. This was Calvin we were talking about. Though I had a sick suspicion he was up to something.
“Noted. Evil partners in crime then?” I held up a hand for him to high five, and as the slap of our palms echoed in the SUV, a light bulb went off in my head. “Evil Partners In Crime. E-P-I-C. Epic.” My mouth opened. “Whoa.”
“Whoa.” Calvin’s head tilted. “I was going to say your knack for coming up with these stupid acronyms was a little tired but”—he shook his head—“that was pretty epic.”
“I am awesome. Just say it. Paige, you are awesome.”
“Uh, no,” Calvin said at the same time he pointed ahead.
I brought my binoculars back to my eyes to see someone heading out of the building.
Only one person had walked out of there yesterday and gotten in one of the vehicles parked on the side of the road, and it had been someone I didn’t recognize. This someone I recognized. It was Caleb’s brother, Brad.
That asshole.
Caleb didn’t talk about Brad, but I knew enough to gather that he was a douche. Especially for snitching on his own brother. I might not hate him as much as his stupid father, but for the way he’d set up an attack on me that night after my shift at the gym, it was reaching pretty close.
With his brisk walk down the driveway, I only caught a glimpse of his screwed-up face. Like he was pissed about something. He trekked down the sidewalk toward us but on the opposite side of where we were parked. A tree blocked him from view before he branched out onto the street, next to a bright blue Ford Mustang. As he folded himself inside, my eyes dropped to the spiderweb tattoo on his elbow.
His black workout shorts and red T-shirt made me wonder if he was still working out at my gym. Maybe awaiting my return. If only I could go and strangle him until he told me everything.
What is his motive? And why doesn’t he care about Caleb?
I could only imagine how hurt Caleb must have been to find out Brad had known they were related all along, only for it not to have made a difference.
No wonder he didn’t want me to give him hope.
The hair on my skin bristled as a strong need to be with Caleb swept over me. I needed to feel his warmth. I needed to hug him, kiss him, make love to him, and maybe one day tell him how I really felt about him. I wanted him to be more than just my boyfriend for now. I didn’t care about the worst thing he’d ever done or that he might go to jail. I loved him. And maybe I could help him. Maybe I could talk to Bailey, and she and Agent Langley could help him with legal immunity if he talked to them. There had to be a way.
<
br /> The Mustang roared to life and eased out of the parking spot before zipping forward and out of sight. My stomach cramped, and I realized I’d been holding my pee for some time.
“How does no one know what Alex Connor looks like?” I asked. “He owns the most luxurious hotel downtown. Shouldn’t his picture be up on the website, or some other corporate crap at least?”
“I’m guessing he doesn’t want anyone’s attention on him, whether it’s good or bad.”
“Or maybe the good could lead to the bad,” I mused.
Calvin’s expression turned pensive.
“I’m going to go pee. I’ll be back.”
Putting my sunglasses on, I got out of the car and walked down the quiet street. With the clear blue sky today, the day was scorching even though the sun was beginning to fall in the sky. The days without a cloud in sight were strange. Like something was malfunctioning in the universe because I was so used to a cloud hanging over my head.
Ten minutes later, I got back to the vehicle, and before I could close the door, Calvin said, “Caleb’s here. He just walked inside.”
A slow ache eased into my chest. I’d wanted to see when he got here.
Calvin set his binoculars between his seat and the center console and took up his bottle of water. “It’s five thirty. We should head back to the condo. It won’t take him long to put two and two together if he heads there next and finds out we aren’t there.”
He was right, but I wanted to wait.
Picking up my binoculars, I looked to where Caleb had parked in the driveway. “Why did Brad leave in such a hurry right before Caleb showed up?”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Caleb
While Connor skimmed through the documents I’d given to him a few minutes ago, I paced the large space in his office where the old carpet below my feet hid the vault I couldn’t stop thinking about.
My gaze passed over the silent clock on the wall. It had been over ten minutes.
Why is he taking this long?
He usually signed whatever I gave him without bothering to read it through.
