Angel on Fire

by Jacquie Johnson

  “Do you want to? Are we going to?” Her voice quivered with equal parts need and fear as she motioned to the bed.

  “Shush,” he soothed, kissing her forehead. “No, Angel, we aren’t. Can’t deny I want to, but you deserve more than a quick roll in the hay.”

  “I do want you, but.…” She leaned her head against his chest, unsure how to explain.

  “I know, babe. Go take a shower,” he urged, nudging her toward the bathroom door. “We need to get some sleep.”

  “But?” She gestured toward the bed.

  “Relax. I can sleep next to you without jumping you.” He tossed her his spare t-shirt. “You can wear this.”

  Angela stood under the showerhead, the hot water caressing her body the way she wished Chase would. Get real, Angela. You may like the guy, but he’s not relationship material. I bet the sex would be worth the pain and recriminations, the devil on her shoulder argued persistently. Nice girls don’t have casual sex, Angela’s conscience reminded her. Riiiight, the devil replied. Come on, Angela. Even a nice girl wouldn’t turn him down. He’s sooo sexy and sweet to boot.

  She struggled to control the lust raging through her body, secretly hoping Chase would take the decision out of her hands by whisking her off to bed as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom. Instead, she found herself ignored as she entered the bedroom. Chase paced back and forth holding his cell phone to his ear. After tossing the phone on the bed, he ran his fingers through his hair, causing some of the pieces to stand straight up. Angela held back a giggle as he turned to face her. “Zach’s still not answering.”

  “So, maybe he took the day off,” she replied, not understanding his concern.

  Chase shook his head. “Zach never goes off-line.”

  Kicking off his shoes, Chase collapsed onto the bed, hands behind his head. Although he looked relaxed, Angela could feel the adrenaline pumping through his body. “Zach lives the job. No wife, no kids, no relationships. Just the job.”

  She crawled onto the bed and lay down. “I’m sure he’s fine. From what you’ve indicated, Uncle Zach can take care of himself.”

  “I don’t like it,” Chase confessed, staring at the ceiling. “His closest friend calls him out of the blue and then dies. He sends me to protect you, and suddenly, he’s unreachable. Something going on and it’s not good.”

  “Maybe not.” Angela rubbed his shoulder. When he shifted slightly, giving her better access, she urged him to sit up and slid behind him. She massaged his tense shoulders. “Is there anything we can be doing right now to help Zach?”

  “No,” he groaned as she applied pressure to a knot in his left shoulder.

  “So, there’s really no point in worrying about it right now. Enjoy your massage, get some sleep, and we’ll tackle everything else tomorrow.” Relishing the feel of his muscles relaxing under her hands, she smiled and dropped a light kiss on the side of his neck. “Maybe the girl from the office will be able to help us in the morning. All of this is tied together somehow. We just don’t have enough information to even know what to look for yet.”

  Chase rolled his neck before jumping off the bed. “Get some sleep, babe. I’m going to take a shower.”

  Sighing, she slipped under the covers and rolled protectively to her side, facing away from Chase’s side of the bed. When the sun streamed through the crack in the drapes the next morning, Angela woke slowly, enjoying the feel of the warm, hard, male body next to her. She held her breath, freezing in place with her leg flung across Chase’s body, her knee virtually resting on his erection. Her head lay on his shoulder, and he had one arm across her back and the other cupping her ass. Angela stared, her eyes devouring his sleeping form. Ever so slowly, she tried to scoot backwards without waking him, but his hand snapped out and grabbed her knee.

  “Don’t move,” he commanded.

  “Why?” she teased, feeling playful. “I could move just a little this way.” She rubbed her center against his leg.

  “Damn it, woman!” he barked, tossing her off of him. “You can’t do that to a man first thing in the morning.”

  She wiggled closer and placed her head on his chest, smiling up at him.

  “Angela!” he growled.

  Tracing his abdominal muscles lightly with her fingertips, she whispered, “It’s not often I wake up next to someone. Can we just lie here for a moment?”

  He tugged her closer, dropping a kiss on the top of her tangled mess of curls. “Just a few minutes,” he breathed, “then we need to get moving.”

  “Mmkay,” she agreed, placing a soft kiss on his chest. Chase tipped her chin up and, leisurely, lowered his head to hers, giving her time to pull away before pressing his lips against hers, exploring her mouth as if he had all the time in the world.

  “Time to get up, babe,” he ordered a few minutes later. Grumpily, she complied, tossing him a dirty look for making her move.

  “Get dressed.” He stripped off his shirt, and Angela stopped to stare at his naked chest. “Babe.” He lifted her chin with a finger, shaking his head at her lack of focus before swatting her on the butt to move her along.

  The small tap jarred her back to reality and she demanded, “Are you insane?” Pulling on her tangled strands of hair, she headed for the bathroom. “You don’t really think I can just get dressed and go, do you? Managing this mop takes time and energy.”

  “Fifteen minutes,” he called out as she shut the door.

  True to his word, precisely fifteen minutes later, Chase pounded on the door. “Move it, Angel!”

  Angela opened the door wearing just a towel, and Chase inhaled sharply. Angela pushed past him, rifling through her clothes. Tossing yesterday’s panties aside with a grimace, she yanked on her jeans under the towel and then slipped into her bra. She topped the outfit off with Chase’s spare blue button down shirt tied at her waist.

  As she turned around, Chase grabbed her, settling his hands on her waist and playing with the shirt tails. “I don’t recall you asking to borrow my shirt. I think you should give it back.”

  “In your dreams,” she retorted, covering his hands with hers.

  “Umm, hmm. Right now, you have the starring role,” he breathed, his lips only a hair away from her own.

  Rising to her tiptoes, she kissed him briefly. “Hmm, maybe someday you’ll find out if reality trumps your dreams.” She skipped to the door, relishing the fact that she had surprised him. Chase yanked her back, kissing her with bruising force, practically devouring her, before stepping back. She stumbled slightly, her eyes glazed with passion and her lips swollen.

  “Now, we’re ready to go,” he smirked, before gathering their things and pulling her out the door.

  “Hey!” she complained. “This dragging me around thing has to stop. I’m not that kind of girl.” But I sure wish I was. I wouldn’t mind him dragging me to bed and keeping me there for an extended stay. Shit, I need to get my act together. He’s made his feelings pretty clear. Besides, I should be focusing on Dad, not my nonexistent love life.

  “Then keep up,” he advised keeping a firm grip on her wrist. “What kind of girl are you referring to?” he asked as they stepped into the elevator.

  “You know, the ones that like the strong, domineering man.” She shrugged quickly. “It doesn’t do it for me.”

  “Right,” he drawled out the word, an undercurrent of amusement lacing his voice. “So, I don’t turn you on at all, babe. ‘Cuz I guarantee that’s exactly the kind of man I am and so far, you seem to like it.”

  “Humph.” She crossed her arms and looked away petulantly.

  “Now for this morning’s rules: you will stay by me at all times, and if I tell you to do something, you’ll do it immediately and without question. Understand?” His voice was harsh and his gaze heavy.

  “What the hell? I’m not an idiot, and I never agreed to obey your orders.” Miffed at his audacity, she glared, fighting every instinct that insisted she stomp her foot and walk away from this man.


  “I’m responsible for your safety, Angel,” Chase growled. “I take my responsibilities very seriously. So unless you’d like to spend the rest of this operation under lock and key in a safe house, you will obey me.”

  “You can’t do that!” she protested. “You want me to obey?” She spat the word out as if it tasted vile. “Children obey. I’m definitely not a child.”

  His eyes darkened with lust, and his gaze heated as he inspected her body thoroughly. “You’re definitely not a child, babe, but you sure are acting like one.”

  As the elevator doors opened, Angela released an inarticulate but very feminine sound of frustration before trying to stomp off. The effect was spoiled by the fact that Chase retained control of her arms and simply tugged her to his side. “Next to me, babe,” he murmured in her ear. “That means you stay right here.”

  “I’m not yours to control,” she retorted, and he had the nerve to chuckle.

  “Poor baby, can’t handle reality, can you?” he teased as they strolled toward the park. As they turned toward the pond, he turned serious and morphed into the covert operative he claimed to be. He slowed his pace and gentled his hold, making them look as if they were simply a couple enjoying a leisurely walk in the park, all while paying close attention to everyone and everything around them.

  “Do you see her?” he asked as they approached the swan boats.

  “No,” she started. “Wait! Over there. She’s pushing the stroller.” Stepping away, she moved in the young woman’s direction, but Chase stopped her, gathering her in his arms and leaning down, his lips a breath away from hers.

  “You never make sudden moves in the field. You watch and wait first. Otherwise, you might put both parties in danger.” His breath whispered across her mouth, sending a thrill through her despite the seriousness of the situation.

  “She’s passing the swan boats,” he reported, his hands running up and down Angela’s sides as he played the role of her lover. “She looks nervous.”

  “Where’s she going?” she gasped, his touch lighting a fire deep within her.

  “She’s coming toward us at a pretty fast pace. I think she recognizes you,” he warned. “When she catches up, I want you to walk with her while you talk. It’s harder to hit a moving target.”

  “Why are you so worried?” Angela wondered. “It’s not like anyone knows we’re here.”

  “It’s my job to worry. Here she comes.” Chase nodded at the young mother as she passed and Angela stepped alongside the stroller, cooing at the baby, acting as if she were just an admiring pedestrian.

  “Hi,” the woman greeted Angela in an almost whisper. “I’m Jaida, and this is my baby, Patrice.”

  “I’m Angela, Nick McKenzie’s daughter,” Angela answered as the baby grasped her finger.

  “Look, I don’t want to get in any trouble,” Jaida’s voice wobbled. “But I heard something you should know ‘bout your dad.” The woman’s hands clenched the stroller handle.

  “What?” Angela kept her voice soft since it was obvious the young woman was frightened.

  “Dr. Richards? He’s a good doc but not a real good man, if you know what I mean?” Jaida turned toward Angela who nodded in response.

  “About two weeks ago, some medicine turned up missing when the head nurse checked the inventory. Doc Richards said he’d dropped a few vials, and they’d broken. I saw him take them and put them in his pocket.” Jaida frowned. “He knows I saw him. He told me to keep my mouth shut so I did. Your dad died on Tuesday, right?”

  Angela nodded again and the two women walked in silence for a few minutes before Jaida spoke. “You can’t tell anyone what I’m going to tell you. Please. I’m afraid they might hurt my little girl.”

  “I won’t, Jaida. I just want to find out what happened to my father.”

  “Promise,” Jaida begged, her eyes imploring Angela to cooperate.

  “I promise,” Angela agreed.

  “Doc Richards got a call that day, after hours. I’d stayed late to finish up a few things. The head nurse had been givin’ me a hard time.” She shrugged. “If I get fired, I can’t take care of my baby. Anyway, that night Doc got a call, and I heard him talkin’. He said the needle mark would be noticed during an autopsy. I didn’t know what he was talkin’ ‘bout but then he said he’d take care of it.” She looked over her shoulder before lowering her voice eve more. “When he came out of his office, he looked surprised to see me. He got a funny look on his face and then asked me to make a duplicate file for a patient. He said he’d taken it home and accidentally left it there. Files are never supposed to leave the office. Doc said he’d help me sometime if I helped him. So I made the file, but I felt kinda weird about it so before I left I checked the computer system. Doc had me make a file for your dad, Nicholas McKenzie, but no such patient existed in the system. The patient’s always entered into the system before a file is opened. I’m pretty sure your dad was never a patient at our office.”

  “Did you say anything to anyone about this?” Angela clenched her fists tightly as she realized her suspicions had been confirmed. Her father’s death was no accident.

  “No, of course not!” The young woman’s eyes widened with fear. “I’d lose my job. I’m a single mom. I need this job. You promised you wouldn’t tell!”

  “I won’t,” Angela promised, trying to sound reassuring while her mind processed what she had just learned. “Was there anything else?”

  “No, well, maybe.” Jaida pushed the stroller a little faster, and Angela worried that she planned to run away without answering. “The next day, your dad’s name had been added to the system. And, that night, as I was leaving the office, I saw Doc accept an envelope through the open window of a fancy black car. Doc called off work the next day, and no one’s heard from him since.”

  “Do you know where he lives?” Chase interrupted from behind them, and both women jumped in surprise. Angela had forgotten he was there.

  “He’s got a brownstone on Botolph St in Back Bay.”

  “Address?” Chase demanded as they neared the end of the park.

  “Umm, don’t know exactly but it’s the second unit on the corner of Botolph and Follen St. Name’s on the buzzer.” Jaida turned the stroller toward the street. “I gotta go.”

  “Thanks, Jaida,” Angela called as the woman walked away without another word.

  “Where’s Botolph St.?” Chase demanded, tugging Angela toward another exit.

  “That way.” Angela gestured with her arm. “We need to talk to Richards.”

  “I know. That’s where we’re going.” He threaded his way through the crowd. Angela remained silent during the walk. Until now, deep in her heart, she had been afraid that she was looking for answers that didn’t exist. For the moment, at least, it appeared that her instincts were right on.

  As they approached the building Jaida had mentioned, Chase continued past, practically dragging Angela who tried digging in her heels.

  “Hey, we passed…” she protested.

  “I know, Angel,” Chase muttered. “We need to check the area before you go barreling in.”

  Angela rolled her eyes in frustration. “Geez, it’s not like the guy is a terrorist or master spy.”

  “And you know this how? Christ, woman. How the hell did you survive working for the FBI? You have no patience.” Chase hauled her to a small sidewalk café, choosing a table with a view of the Richards’ brownstone, and requested coffee and menus.

  The smell of food stimulated Angela’s empty stomach, and she blushed profusely when her stomach growled. “Sorry, I’m hungry.” She covered her rumbling stomach with her hands. “I didn’t eat much last night, and you didn’t give me time to eat this morning.”

  “Sorry, babe. I frequently miss meals on missions so I eat when I can. I’ll try to remember to feed you at regular intervals. That beast is kind of loud.”

  “Hey!” she complained. “That’s not nice.”

  “Neither is the sound coming from yo
ur stomach,” he teased, just as the waitress arrived.

  Angela ordered the breakfast combo with eggs, pancakes, fried potatoes and bacon while Chase requested an egg white omelet. Twenty minutes later, he stared at Angela’s clean plate. “I thought for sure you’d have lots left over. Where did you put all that food?”

  Smiling widely, Angela patted her very full belly. “Dad used to joke I had a hollow leg. Seriously, though, I love good food.”

  Chase simply shook his head in response to her confession, his face showing his disbelief.

  “What? You’re not one of those that think women shouldn’t eat, are you?” she asked, her own face registering horror at the thought.

  Chase smirked, “Most women I know don’t eat. They nibble, usually on things like salad, carrots or celery. They certainly don’t inhale the lumberjack of all breakfasts.”