by Cate Noble
He felt his cock swell beneath the sheet. Down boy; the lady is sore.
“I’m going to take a shower,” she said.
“I’ll make coffee.”
Max rigged the small pot up to brew, and then turned on the tracking unit. The red dot they’d left behind no longer appeared on the screen.
Did it mean someone had found and freed Allen? Or had the vehicle been towed out of range? He set the machine aside. He didn’t need it to find Taz. Max knew where his friend was now—knew he had to get to him soon.
Max could feel Taz’s misery. He was confused and scared. Something was wrong. Help me, help me, help me, Taz seemed to be screaming.
Stay there, I’m on my way, Max thought. But he received no sense of a reply.
His headache returned with a vengeance. Feeling caged, Max turned on the television for a distraction.
Erin came out as he flipped through channels. “Can we watch a little news?”
Max paused at the first cable news channel he came to. It seemed weird to realize there was a two-year time gap of world events that he had to catch up on. And what about personal events? Birthdays? Holidays? He suddenly recalled that once upon a time he’d had an apartment in Baltimore. What the hell had happened to it while he’d been gone?
“Coffee?”
Erin moved in and handed him a foam cup. A certain part of his anatomy was disappointed that she’d gotten dressed.
“Last night you said you know where Taz is.” Erin said. “Do you intend to go after him?”
Max nodded, then stared at the television. Two photos flashed on the screen behind the announcer.
ROBBERY SUSPECT, the graphic caption read. One photograph was blurred, the subject indistinct. The second photo was clearly Taz.
Max hit the volume on the remote. “…this is believed to be the same man wanted by Reno Police in connection with a sexual assault the night before last. The man is believed to be on foot, hitchhiking. Motorists are warned against picking up strangers. Anyone with information on this man should contact—”
Oh. Jesus. No.
Taz was wanted for sexual assault. Robbery.
Now he knew why Taz had closed him out. Shame. Guilt. Don’t be like me, mate.
Max didn’t speak until the storyline switched. “That was Taz.”
Erin looked stunned. “Max, we have to call the police. That’s—”
“Unforgivable. I know. And even though I know why he did it, it’s no excuse.”
“Why he did it?” She shook her head. “What are you saying?”
Max looked at her. “Part of Taz’s programming was aimed at making him do what they called ‘the morally unthinkable,’ at their command. The more he resisted, the harder they pushed, and the more severe his punishments.”
“Did they…program you this way, too?”
“No. Taz tried to hang himself. They revived him and supposedly removed the program.” Max rubbed his head. “But I have to wonder if it ever really goes away.”
“All the more reason he has to be stopped,” she said gently.
“That’s why I’m going after him.”
“No, Max. Call the police. Or call Dante. Let them handle this.”
“I’m the only one who can get close to him. If he senses anyone else coming, he’ll flee. And if he’s on the run and frightened, the robberies, the assaults, will continue.” Max stood. “In spite of everything, he is my friend. He saved my life.”
“What if he’s gone by the time you get there?”
“I still have to try. But you don’t,” he said. “I’ll call Dante and have him arrange to pick you up.”
“No! I’m staying with you, Max. I know it sounds strange, but after the dream sharing thing, I think I understand some of what you’ve been through. Maybe what Taz has been through. Maybe there will be a way I can help after you bring him in.”
“That’s generous of you.”
“Actually it’s selfish, too, Max. What if I start to dream again? And you’re not there?” She closed her eyes, opened them. “I don’t think I could pull myself out of it. That scares me.”
He tugged her close, hugged her. “I swear you have nothing to fear from me, Erin. And I swear this is the last place I’ll look. If I can’t find him, I’ll turn it over to the police. I have to get my own life back. You, too.”
The drive to Buena Vista, Colorado, their new destination, took nearly eight hours. This time Max stole a cargo van that was parked near the mall with a FOR SALE sign in the window.
Erin made a silent promise that all damage would be recompensed, even if it came out of her own pocket. It was the best she could do in the moment. She felt close to overwhelmed, trying to analyze all of it, so she stopped.
Everything about this situation, from her relationship with Max to the murder of Dr. Winchette to the strange phenomenon of shared dream memories, defied conventional explanations.
But there was one sequence of Max’s dream that she couldn’t let go of. A piece that seemed to tie into something Dante had mentioned yesterday.
“You saved Catalina Dion’s life in London,” Erin said. “Is that what Dante meant?”
Max took his eyes off the road for just a second. “Are you guessing? Or did Dante mention it before?”
“Neither. Well, maybe it is a guess. Last night I saw some images that I think were from your dream. You were holding a woman with short blond hair. She was thanking you for saving her.” Erin looked away. “It seemed rather…intimate.”
“It’s not what you think.” Max sighed. “There’s a lot I can’t tell you because it’s classified, but I worked with Catalina on a job where she posed as my girlfriend. Things went wrong and we were trapped, held prisoner. One of the guards…raped her. Violently. I couldn’t stop it from happening, but I did break free and got us both out. And, yes, I did kill the bastard who raped her.”
“Oh, God, Max! How horrible.”
“Cat could barely walk, but she didn’t want the others on our team to know what had happened. She said she couldn’t bear to look at them and see the pity she thought she saw in my eyes. So I swore to keep her secret. Then I hid with her for a week until she could walk. I held her when she woke screaming from nightmares, I let her pummel me since she couldn’t pummel the bastard that hurt her. And I made her look me in the eyes every moment I could, so she’d see there was no pity. Only caring.”
“You loved her.”
“Maybe once, in the way you mean. But I was more like a brother to her. Especially after that.” Max glanced over at her again. “When I talk to you like this, the memories just unfold without effort. Thanks.”
“But I can tell you’ve got a headache.”
“Yeah. Time to change subjects.”
“Tell me about where we’re headed. I’ve never heard of Saint Elmo, Colorado.”
“It’s a small ghost town near Buena Vista. Stony had a cabin near there. One summer, while exploring on my own, I discovered a cave that had been totally hidden by dead trees and vines. It was filled with quartz crystal deposits. I had been certain I’d found a diamond mine. Stony had laughed, and made a few jokes about it—called the rocks ‘fool’s diamonds’—as if they were the equivalent of fool’s gold. But I loved that place and went back to it whenever Stony wasn’t around.”
“It sounds neat.”
“‘Neat’ doesn’t come close.” He smiled. “You’ve seen a geode rock before, right?”
“Cracked open? Yes. My father had a gorgeous one on his desk. The inside was filled with crystals.”
“Well, imagine sitting inside one. That’s what this cave was like. Later as an adult, I realized the crystal formations were significant on their own and I always intended to go back. I had memorized the GPS coordinates—another one of Stony’s superstitions was that if he wrote down the location, someone could find it.”
“And Taz memorized those GPS numbers, too,” she said.
He nodded. “I got an impression of him s
eeing the cave for the first time. I know he was there by the sense he’d expected that I’d exaggerated.”
“I wish you’d let me go. Please? I’ll stay in the car.” Erin knew that the blisters on her feet wouldn’t allow her to hike. She couldn’t even wear regular shoes yet.
Max shot her a glance. “I’d feel better knowing you’re at a motel. It’ll be too late to hike in today, but I want to get an early start in the morning.”
The meaning hit her low in the abdomen.
They’d have tonight together.
It was nearly seven by the time they reached Buena Vista. Another beautiful area that Erin longed to explore.
Max stopped for supplies again, and they ate at a small diner before checking into a motel. This time the room only had one bed. A king-size.
Embarrassment fled at the smoldering look Max gave her.
Erin had to ball her fists at her sides to keep from grabbing him, to drag him to the bed.
“I want to change the bandages on your feet,” Max said. “I picked up some better ointment. It should help.”
He motioned her to the bed, where he gently peeled off the bandages then moved to get a towel. He rinsed her blisters with peroxide, blowing on the stinging.
“Almost done. This has an analgesic,” he said as he soothed on a new type of cream. Then he replaced the bandages. “There. What else can I do?”
Erin then looked at him. “Outside of a kiss to make it better?”
The remark had been flippant, but before she’d finished speaking, his lips brushed across hers. And when he would have pulled away, she brought her hands up, encircling his neck. Max didn’t move as she explored his mouth.
“Those soft kisses drive me crazy,” he said, his breath uneven. “And make me want more.”
“Me, too. Please.” Erin punctuated her request with an even softer kiss.
Max drew her closer then, pulling her across his lap as he caught her mouth.
She opened fully to him, her tongue dueling with his. Her fingers stroked the hair at his nape while her other hand dropped to the waistband of his jeans and moved lower, clasping at his straining erection.
“Don’t make me beg,” she whispered.
With a growl, he peeled her shirt off, and swept away her bra. Then, still cradling her in his arms, he lowered his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth.
Erin arched her back, offering herself more fully.
Max stood and laid her on the bed. His mouth never left her body, his lips traveling from one breast to the other, sucking, teasing. She felt him unfasten her pants, tugging them just low enough for his hand to slip in and cup her.
She rocked against his hand and met his gaze. His eyes were a dark kaleidoscope of desire.
“Got to have you.” He grasped her pants and tugged them off before straightening and removing his own jeans.
Erin gasped as his cock sprang free. Her gaze shifted back to his and the raw hunger on his face made her want him even more. He knelt on the bed, hovering above her.
“You are so damn beautiful, Erin. I could come just looking at you.”
She rose slightly, one hand at his shoulder, her other hand going lower, encircling his shaft. She felt his cock jump in her grip.
“The feeling is mutual,” she whispered. Her lips brushed over his, then moved down his throat.
She simultaneously squeezed her hand, stroking his shaft up, then down.
Rational thought fled as desire took over. As he lowered his body, she raised her pelvis, felt the throbbing head of his penis slide against her. He positioned his cock at the slick opening between her legs. She raised one leg, welcoming him in, bathing him in heat and moisture.
Max caught her mouth, kissing her. “Lift your other leg,” he whispered.
When she did, he slid fully, tightly inside her. Erin started to peak immediately. “Harder!”
He pulled back, then forward, going deeper still. “Hold on.”
She felt his hands slip under her hips, cupping her buttocks, cradling her closer as he pistoned his hips in and out, pushing her over the edge and into the most satisfying climax of her life.
At her cry of release, Max pumped deeply into her, before collapsing with a shuddering explosion.
But before that even finished, he rolled over, pulling Erin on top of him, their bodies still intimately joined. “Now I just want to hold you forever,” he whispered.
Chapter 30
Erin woke up to tiny kisses on her shoulder. Had she even slept? The last time they’d made love had been fast and furious. Then she’d fallen into a deep slumber.
She turned to face Max, her body responding, ready, but found him fully dressed. The bathroom light faintly illumined the room. He sat on the edge of the bed. Stoic. As if she weren’t naked and wanting him.
“Don’t leave.” The words popped out before she could stop them. “Ignore that. I understand you have to go.”
Max’s hand caressed her cheek, his eyes intense, missing nothing. “I liked hearing you say that. Asking me to stay.” He pressed a chaste kiss to her mouth. “You feel like the only constant in my life, Erin. I—”
She softened with expectancy, waiting for him to finish the sentence. I—What? She didn’t expect a declaration of love. But an “I will miss you” or “I’ll be thinking of you every moment” would have been nice.
“I gotta go.” He whispered the words against her lips, deepening the kiss as his hand crept down to caress her breast with a possessive touch that said she was his. Which even she couldn’t deny, not now when he was this close; not with his lips, his hands, touching her.
Abruptly he stood, releasing her. “I didn’t think it would be this hard to leave.”
“So stay.”
He shook his head. “The room is paid for, for two days.” He tugged a wad of bills from his pocket. “Here’s money for food, whatever. Stay close. There’s a restaurant next door. If I’m not back by nightfall—”
She cut him off. “You’ll be back!”
“If I’m not, call Dante. Tell him everything I’ve told you. He’ll know what to do. Give him the tracking device. I don’t need it for finding Taz.”
“Okay.”
He moved to the door, opened it slightly. “And keep this locked.”
“Be careful.” She sat up, gathering the sheet around her, self-conscious that he was dressed and she wasn’t.
“You, too.” And then he was gone.
Erin curled onto her side. Feeling bereft. And dazed. How could she come to feel this way about someone she’d known such a short time?
If it weren’t for all the other factors, she’d have to wonder at the term “love at first sight.” Logic didn’t fit.
She heard a noise at the door, the lock clicking. She rolled over and drew a sharp breath, startled as the door opened.
Relief drenched her as Max slipped back into the room and strode straight to the bed. Not stopping, he climbed across the top of the bed, pinning her down beneath the covers.
His mouth swept close, catching hers.
This kiss was fierce. Savage and yet gentle. Domineering and giving. It spoke of caring and confusion. Love and anguish. She melted, wanting to heal him.
Wanting to be healed by him.
When he stopped, she was trembling. Pride fled. “Please, Max,” she begged. “I need you. You.”
He leaned in close and rested his forehead on hers. “As selfish and wrong as this may sound, I needed to know that you would respond that way. I’ll be back, sweetheart. And not to finish this.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “But to start again. The right way.”
Then he moved off the bed and left without saying another word.
Erin lay in bed a few minutes longer but realized Max wasn’t coming back. Not until he’d checked that cave.
Not until he’d found Taz.
She closed her eyes against the things she’d seen in Max’s dreams. The things that had been done to these men w
ere beyond terrible. They were also beyond her professional abilities. She’d stand by Max and support him as a friend.
And as a lover?
She didn’t want to guess how they’d feel after this was over. After they dealt with all the fallout, from her father, from Dr. Winchette, from Abe Caldwell, from what was done to Max and Taz overseas.
Feeling overwhelmed, she took a shower and then started coffee.
She checked the time. Max had been gone barely fifteen minutes. How would she last all day? She looked at the phone, had a wild urge to call Dante Johnson. That Max had left her alone, free to leave, free to call anyone—spoke volumes about his trust. His faith in her.
She’d wait.
A knocking sounded at the door. She flinched. Max! She hurried to the door and opened it.
Her smile faded. It wasn’t Max. But the tall man was familiar.
“Dr. Houston?” That the man knew her name relaxed her.
“Yes?”
“We need to talk. About Max Duncan.”
She realized then who this man was then, had seen pictures of him in literature that Dr. Winchette had in his office.
Abe Caldwell. The man who’d hired Allen! She tried to shut the door, but he shoved his way inside, flashing a small hand gun.
“It’s unfortunate that it came to this,” he said. “Now put on your shoes. Mr. Duncan needs your assistance.”
Max felt certain he was doing the right thing. Leaving Erin behind while he met Taz meant he could get in and out faster.
Back to her more quickly.
Last night after she’d fallen asleep in his arms, he realized he had to turn himself in. To end this and seek answers. Only by attempting to make peace with his past could he stake a claim on the future.
A future he wanted to include Erin.
The mind reading, the bonding with her, had given him an advantage. He understood her on a deeper level in ways he couldn’t begin to describe. There was an emotional intimacy between them that he’d only dreamed about.
When he’d been beaten and tortured and at his very lowest point overseas, he’d held on to a fantasy, a pipe dream of someone loving him like no other.
