by Virna DePaul
“Baby, I can’t take much more,” he moaned. “I need you. Please.”
She’d returned to her favorite position, straddling his waist as she rubbed her breasts against him and kissed his nipples. When she didn’t respond to his plea, he pulled at the restraints on his wrists, frantic to get inside her. She raised herself up on her knees, cupped her breasts, and stared down at him with the most beautiful expression he’d ever seen.
He was in awe. Mattie was charged up and taking no prisoners. For the moment, everything else in the world was forgotten and he was determined to make it last. He gritted his teeth and rode it out, each second seeming to stretch into days. At one point, he actually entered a trancelike state, his mind slightly detached from the sensations tormenting his body. Then she did something that almost sent him hurtling over the edge.
Lifting her head, she stared down at him, her face flushed, her eyes dilated, but instead of obeying him, she smiled wickedly, lifted the hand she’d been using to touch herself, and slipped her fingers into his mouth.
He snapped. “Unlock me, Mattie.”
Her eyes widened at the guttural, naked command in his voice. Visibly trembling, she took the key and fumbled with the cuffs until finally he was free. He grabbed hold of her hips and plunged into her.
She moaned, a long, almost tormented sound that shivered over him until he knew he couldn’t hold back any longer. When she screamed out her pleasure, he let himself go, coming in violent pulses, coming harder than he’d ever come before.
He thought he must have passed out. When his brain kicked in, he turned his head and looked at her. She was out cold. He tried to lift his hand so that he could pull the blanket over her, only he couldn’t. He felt as weak as a newborn baby and just as vulnerable.
But even though he was weak, his resolve was strong. She destroyed him. And no matter what it took, he was going to make her his again. In return, he would be hers.
Unfortunately, he still had to travel the road from here to there.
With a sigh, he closed his eyes and acknowledged the road was going to be damn difficult. Because before he could give himself fully to Mattie, he needed to be the one person she hated most.
He needed to be the cop.
Her body ached, but in a pleasant way, as if her muscles had been kneaded and worked and wrung out after a particularly grueling day at work. Heat surrounded her, pulling her more deeply towards sleep even as it evaporated the air around her, making it difficult to breathe.
Mattie tried turning on her side, but something heavy pinned her down. Her eyelids twitched as the smell of Dom and sex and her own body teased her senses. She burrowed closer to the source of heat at her side, ready to surrender to the dark once more.
She felt something against her cheek and flinched. “Mattie. Mattie, wake up. Come on, baby.”
She recognized Dom’s voice instantly.
“Dominic,” she whispered, trying to pry open her eyelids. When she finally succeeded, his face swam in front of her and then came into focus. He smiled at her and she felt her heart lurch.
“Hi,” he said softly, pushing her hair away from her face with such tenderness that she automatically turned her face to kiss his hand. His breath hissed as he inhaled. She looked around.
Memories registered one after the other.
His confession about his friend.
The way he’d wrapped himself around her, as if she was the only thing on earth he needed.
His fierce passion and his unwavering determination to make her admit she wanted him.
The ways they’d made love. Again and again. No inhibitions. Every fantasy fulfilled.
As he stared at her, his gaze hot and intense, she suddenly realized that while she was completely naked, he was not. The contrast between her wanton nudity and his obvious control made her cringe.
She struggled to a sitting position even as she grabbed a sheet to cover herself. His eyes followed the movement, darkening when they skimmed across her body, but then shuttering.
“We got a little sidetracked.”
Flummoxed, Mattie stared at him. Guilt flooded her. For the time she was in his arms, she’d forgotten her fear and grief. She’d forgotten about Tony and Judge Butler. For a time, she’d even forgotten about Jordan.
And although he’d given her a taste of pleasure, how much harder would it be to live without it now?
Silence grew heavy between them.
“Mattie, we need to talk about Tony.”
Gone was the needy lover who’d made her body weep with pleasure. In his place was the cop with a mission. And she was just another means for him to gather evidence for his case.
She swallowed hard and took a deep breath, talking as she quickly put her clothes back on. “He got into drugs after our parents died. It started out small, but kept getting progressively worse.”
“He tried rehab?”
“Repeatedly. He’d always slip up. Eventually, he started to get angrier. Do things I never would have thought he would.”
“Did he ever hurt you?”
“Not physically. But he would say things. Steal things. It was really hard for a long time.”
“Then what happened?”
“Linda happened. He loved her, but he blew it. I thought losing her had finally made him turn a corner.”
“I think you’re right. I think he decided to give up the drug life in a major way.”
Wide-eyed she stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“I think Tony wanted to go straight and wanted to help get rid of his supplier, despite the risk. What better way to prove his resolve to Linda?”
“And his supplier was Guapo? Sabon?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. I think Tony called the station and got in touch with an officer there named Frank Manelli. Manelli applied for a warrant to search Guapo’s premises. To get it, he filed an affidavit, citing information from a confidential informant. Guess which judge authorized it?”
“Judge Butler?”
“Judge Butler.”
“Okay, so why can’t we call this Officer Manelli and find out if Tony is the one who talked to him?”
“Because Manelli’s been missing. Ever since Joel was murdered. We don’t know if it’s because Guapo took him down, as one of the major officers who searched the premises, or if he’s now working for Guapo.”
“But if Manelli’s working for Guapo, and he knows Tony is the confidential informant, that means Tony’s life is in danger, too. That’s what you’ve been trying to tell me.”
“I’m telling you it’s a possibility. The bug I found in the courtroom is very high-tech stuff. If Dusty planted the bug in the courtroom, it’s very possible he got it from the officer who arrested him—Manelli.”
Mattie gripped his arm. “What are you going to do?”
“I need to find Tony. Fast. He’ll need protection if Guapo or Sabon really suspect him. If they don’t, he still might be able to give us an advantage in tracking down the person who hurt Linda.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that they know him. And they trusted him once. If they don’t suspect that he snitched them out…”
As his words trailed off, Mattie slowly rose. “Then what?”
“Mattie—” He reached out to her, but she wouldn’t let him touch her.
“You’d use him again? Even though he’s already in danger from having helped the police once?”
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves, Mattie. We don’t know if that’s the case.”
“But what if it is? What if Tony does have an in with Sabon? With Guapo? What then?”
“He could save lives, Mattie. What about Linda? If there had been a way to stop that, don’t you think he would have wanted to?”
“Don’t you dare use her to support your argument. That’s unfair.”
“Why? Because you care about both of them?”
“Because you’re telling me that you would willingly use my broth
er to help you with a case. If he helped the police once, it was because he wanted out of that world. And you’d have him go back in?”
“I’d be there, too, Mattie. Undercover operations are some of the most well thought out and strategically planned. We just don’t run in without making sure everything’s covered. We don’t just set up a sting and go in and arrest people. We make sure our operatives aren’t compromised.”
“Tony is not an operative. He’s a waiter. He’s a recovering drug addict.”
“I’m sorry,” he said starkly, his expression radiating regret. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you won’t do it. Say that if you have a choice between choosing to use my brother—use me—to help with a case or not, that you’d choose not to.”
His eyes narrowed with a combination of anger and frustration. “Do you think I want to use him? Do you think I want to use anyone? I do what I need to in order to get the job done. But sometimes I need help. Sometimes, everyday people need to have the courage to stand with the cops. And in this case, I owe it to Joel and his wife to find out what happened to him. Having someone on the inside could help me do that.”
“So you’re saying no? You won’t leave him out of it?”
“If I thought I needed him, Mattie, it would be his choice. I wouldn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want to do.”
She smiled sadly. “That’s not good enough. Goodbye, Dominic.”
“Don’t do this, Mattie. You’re asking me to give up who I am, to give up the opportunity to get a very dangerous man off the streets. To possibly prevent more deaths, if not from Sabon directly, then from the drugs he deals.”
“What about Jordan?” she asked bitterly. “Would you use her to obtain your precious justice?” Hurt flashed briefly on his face, but Mattie was too angry to accept it for what it was.
“Is that what you really think? That I would willingly use a child? My child?”
She said nothing, and his face closed up. He grabbed his jacket and put it on with jerky movements. “I’m telling you the only person you can trust right now is me. Not Tony. And not even yourself. If he contacts you, call me first. I’m his best protection.”
“Don’t pretend you care about his safety,” she scoffed.
“I did my job well, didn’t I? It’s not just that you don’t trust me. You really hate me, Mattie, don’t you?”
Her mouth moved to answer, but she couldn’t force any words out. His mouth twisted bitterly.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to answer that. I hear your answer loud and clear.”
Chapter 16
On the drive to the station, Dom tried not to think about the hurt and betrayal on Mattie’s face. He also tried not to remember the sweet feel and smell of her in his arms; chances were he’d never experience it again, so why torture himself?
Anger that hadn’t quite cooled flamed yet again inside him. He’d known she’d be upset when he started asking questions again, but she’d actually had the gall to suggest he’d willingly put his own daughter in danger. All because he couldn’t lie and promise to keep Tony completely out of the investigation. What was wrong with maneuvering circumstances to get the information needed for the greater good? If Tony was willing, why shouldn’t they take advantage of that? He was a grown man, despite what Mattie seemed to think, and it wasn’t as if Dom would force him into it.
Would he? The question pricked his conscience, compelling him to answer honestly. Force, maybe not. But he’d used strong persuasion in the past, hadn’t he? Wouldn’t he have brought up Tony’s drug addiction to get him to help? Told him that he needed to do it to protect those he loved? To get justice for Judge Butler and Linda? To protect Mattie and their daughter?
And what did that say about him? Was that carrying things too far?
Because it would certainly insure he would never see Mattie again.
That thought made the slow burn in his stomach suddenly explode. He grimaced and rubbed his side. It took more than a few deep breaths this time to make the pain disappear. When it did, he stared at the building in front of him.
This isn’t about me, he reminded himself. It’s not even about Mattie. It’s greater than that. Tony was an adult who could make his own decisions. So Dom would do what he needed to do, just like always.
Slamming out of his truck, he strode into the station, then the back room where the detectives worked. Cam was pouring himself a cup of coffee. His eyes were shadowed, his jaw covered in the beginnings of a five-o’clock shadow. For Cam, the scruffiness was a surefire sign that Grace Manelli’s rejection was weighing heavily on him.
“Cam, I’m looking for Lewis. I want him to track down a witness for me. One that might be related to the warrant Frank wrote up in the Guapo case.”
“Lewis is off. Anything I can help with?”
“I’m trying to track down a guy by the name of Tony Cooper. I have reason to believe he may have information on the Guapo case.”
“What kind of information?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I think he might have been the CI who talked to Frank.”
“And you can’t look for him, why?”
“I’m looking for him, too. I just want to cover more ground. If I’m right, then this guy’s life is in danger. I need him protected and fast.”
“Why? So you can get more info on Guapo?”
“No. Because he’s Mattie Nolan’s brother.”
Mattie’s phone had been ringing off and on ever since Dominic had left. Each time, the caller ID told her that the caller wasn’t Tony, the hospital, or her in-laws, so she let it ring, wanting to shut out the world for just a while until she could figure out what she was going to do.
Dominic’s blatant honesty about his willingness to use Tony had angered her, but after replaying their argument over and over again, she had to admit she hadn’t exactly been fair. She’d let her fear of the intimacy they’d just shared drive her when he’d shown her time and again his main motivation was fairness and justice. He wouldn’t understand Tony’s weakness for drugs in the first place, and would probably see his willingness to help the police as some kind of penance owed.
It wasn’t the same, not to him, as using her or Jordan.
Still, it made no difference. Tony was her brother and she wouldn’t allow him to risk himself that way, which meant she and Dominic were still at opposite ends of the spectrum. He’d risk himself and others for justice—she wasn’t willing to do either. But that didn’t mean she hated him, and the vile things she’d said to him had been wrong.
When her phone rang, she expected it to be another unknown caller. Instead, the display blinked with Tony’s cell phone number. “Tony! Where are you? I’ve been looking everywhere—”
“Linda.” His voice cracked and Mattie cringed at the grief enveloping the sound. “I needed to see her, but there’s a police officer posted outside. I’m afraid that cop of yours will have me arrested if I try to see her.”
When had Dominic become “her” cop? Oddly, despite their fight, the moniker felt right.
“He thinks I want to hurt her,” Tony whispered. “Just like you do.”
She’d known her brother all her life. The hurt and grief in his voice wasn’t an act. “No, Tony. I never said I believed that.”
“I saw it in your eyes, Mattie.”
“You’re wrong,” she insisted, remembering what she’d told Dom. Working through a scenario or questioning what the evidence appeared to be wasn’t the same as believing Tony had hurt Linda. Deep down, she’d always believed in Tony’s innocence. That’s why she’d been so reluctant to talk to Dom about him. Doing so had felt too much like conceding Tony’s guilt. “Whatever you saw, you’re wrong, Tony. I know you love Linda. That you’d never hurt her like that. I know you’d never hurt Judge Butler, either.”
Silence filled the line and she wondered if he’d hung up.
“Judge Butler?” Tony’s voice was stronger now. “What are you talkin
g about?”
“He was—he was at your apartment, Tony. I used the key you gave me and when I went inside, he was there. He was dead. You haven’t been back there?”
“No! I’ve been staying with a friend. This is the first time I’ve come outside.”
“Tony, when I went to your apartment, a man named Michael Sabon was there. Do you think he killed Judge Butler?”
His hiss was audible over the phone line. “Did he talk to you? Did he hurt you, Mattie?”
“He grabbed me, but—”
“No! Damn it, no! I’m going to kill him, I swear.”
“So, you do know him?” She couldn’t help the slight accusation infused in the statement.
“He used to be my supplier. He’s been trying to get me back in, but I’ve told him no, over and over again.”
“Is he the one who called you on your cell phone when you were at my house?”
“Yes. I—I don’t want to piss him off. There’re things you don’t know—”
“You mean that you’re the informant that gave the police information on Guapo?”
“You know?”
“Dom figured it out. He thought Guapo would make an attempt on Judge Butler. And then when Linda—”
“Mattie, listen to me,” Tony urged. “If the cop knows, then he might be the one working for Guapo. That man has spies everywhere. He’s going to come after me, Mattie, and then he’ll come after you. You need to leave—”
She grabbed her purse and rifled through it for her keys. There was no way she thought Dom was working with Guapo. “Stay where you are. I’m coming to get you. Will you wait for me there?”
“Where’s Jordan?”
This time she didn’t even hesitate to tell him. “She’s with John’s parents. Safe. I want you safe, too.”
She held her breath in the silence that followed. Finally, Tony said, “I’ll wait for you, Mattie, but then we’re all getting out of here.”
