by Ciana Stone
“Thanks for the advice,” she said frostily. “And for all your compassion, Ryan. It’s such a comfort to know that after you’ve had two friends murdered, been abducted, beaten and thrown out of a van, that your friends are so concerned for your welfare.”
“Dammit, Senna! You know I’m concerned! I rushed to the hospital as soon as I heard what had happened.”
“That was very kind. Thank you.”
Ryan’s hands dropped away from her shoulders. “There’s no point trying to talk to you while you’re in this mood. I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll sit down and iron this thing out.”
She gave no reply and after a moment he left. It wasn’t long before Konnor walked into the kitchen. “Get your coat and some clothes,” he said as he looked around. “Where’s my jacket?”
“In the bedroom.”
“Fine. Get whatever you need for a couple of days and let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere safe.”
As she ran into the bedroom and started stuffing clothing and personal items into an overnight bad, it occurred to her that she was acting like a fugitive. Running away. She closed the bag and returned to the den with it and Konnor’s jacket.
“Why do we have to leave?” she asked as Konnor opened the door.
“Senna, the FBI hasn’t taken over the Weston case.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know.”
“But maybe your sources are wrong. Ryan said that an agent was on his way here now, so the FBI must be involved. Ryan is with the police, you know. He knows the FBI when he sees them.”
“Whoever is on his way here now is not with the Bureau.”
“How can you know that? Because you’re CIA? Well, I thought the FBI had jurisdiction in the United States and the CIA didn’t have any authority on home soil, so to speak, and—”
“We don’t need authority,” he interrupted in a quiet, deadly voice. “Now let’s go.”
“Why?” she demanded stubbornly.
“It’s necessary.”
“Why?” she asked again, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Because I want to keep you alive!” he barked. “Now let’s go!”
His answer startled her enough to get her moving. Together they went out and got into his car. She didn’t think to ask him where they were going. She was much too preoccupied with wondering why someone would want to kill her and who that someone could possibly be.
Chapter Six
Auston Woods Apartment Homes, Charlotte
“If you’d just stop and think about it a minute without—” Paige didn’t get to finish her sentence. Ryan pounded his fist down on the table, making coffee slosh out of his cup, all over the papers that were spread around.
“Goddamn!” he cursed and grabbed a hand towel to mop up the mess.
“I’ll take care of it.” Paige took the towel from him. “But like I was saying, if you’d just allow yourself to step back from it for a moment and look at it objectively, you’d see it all makes perfect sense.”
Ryan rolled his eyes at her. “Right. About as much sense as me getting beamed up to take a little trek around the galaxy.”
“You’re letting your emotions get in the way,” she argued as she wiped up the coffee and started patting the wet papers with a napkin.
“She isn’t involved!”
“Oh, really?” Paige’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Then how do you explain her story? Like the mysterious Pete Lester and the claim that she went to Weston’s room and it was empty. I personally spoke with the man on duty at the front desk and he doesn’t remember anyone fitting her description asking for Weston. Add to that the fact that there was no Pete Lester registered at the hotel and what do you have?”
“Nothing. Just more questions.”
“For god’s sake, Ryan! Not only did she invent the story about talking with the desk clerk and some salesman, but she admitted she was at the scene.”
“She said the room was empty so she left.”
“You mean right after she wiped the room clean of prints,” Paige scoffed.
“I don’t believe that.”
“Well, the lab has the proof whether you want to believe it or not. There’re no prints, no fibers, nothing that would indicate anyone was in that room but Weston.”
Ryan frowned and looked away but Paige would not let up. “She the only common element in both murders, Ryan.”
“Senna isn’t involved! Paige, I know her. She couldn’t be involved. She’s…well, she’s just not gutsy enough. For god’s sake, she’s a damn schoolteacher, not some secret agent!”
“A schoolteacher who happens to have known not one but two of the leading scientists in this country who have been murdered in the last week,” Paige said as she tossed the napkin toward the trash.
“And a schoolteacher who was damn near killed,” Ryan pointed out. “Has it occurred to you that if that guy in the hotel parking lot hadn’t forgotten his briefcase and not gone to his car to get it, whoever grabbed her might have killed her?”
“Yes, it has,” she answered as she poured two fresh cups of coffee. “Just like it’s made me ask why this mysterious caller wouldn’t give his name and why he went to the trouble to use a pay phone when the phone in the hotel lobby was closer.”
“People don’t always think straight when they’re upset or scared. Besides, has it occurred to you that maybe she’s just another victim? She was almost killed.”
“I’m not stupid, Ryan. I’ve asked those same questions. And that’s made me also ask just why someone would want to kill her. Obviously, whoever it was knew where she was supposed to be. And is it just a coincidence that her friend winds up dead the very same night?”
Ryan shook his head and sat down. “I talked with Justin before you got here. They found the van. It was abandoned down in Rock Hill somewhere and set on fire.”
“They should be able to trace it with the VIN.”
He nodded and took a sip of coffee. “Getting back to what you said. What if Senna is just another target?”
“Duh!” She made a face at him. “What have I been trying to tell you all morning?”
“You didn’t say that! You said she was involved with the murders.”
“Besides being terminally boring?” she quipped.
Ryan gave her a nasty look and she shrugged. “So sue me, I call ‘em like I see ‘em.”
He stood and put his coffee cup in the sink. “I need to make a couple of calls. Why don’t I meet you at the department in an hour?”
Paige remained seated for a minute, just staring at him. “Ryan, let it go. She’s not worth it.”
“She’s just acting on impulse,” he said. “She was hurt and Konnor was there and…and she’s just trying to get even.”
“I don’t think so.” Paige got up and walked over to him. “I saw the way she looked at him, partner. That’s not a look a woman gives a man she’s using to make her boyfriend jealous.”
“Thanks so much for your concern and support,” he said bitterly.
Paige put both her hands on his chest. “Ryan, I’m not trying to hurt you, I’m just being honest. If she cared for you the way you thought she did, Konnor Chase wouldn’t have been with her last night. You saw the way she clung to him at the hospital. It’s not just some one-night fling. At least not for her. As far as Konnor goes…well, that’s anyone’s guess, but I’d be willing to bet he’s not the sort of man who hangs around one place for very long. Or one that’s into commitment.”
“I agree,” Ryan said. “About Konnor, I mean. I like him and he’s one hell of a martial artist, but I don’t see him as the fall-in-love-and-settle-down type. And that worries me. Senna isn’t…well, she’s not strong like you. She’s—”
“A frail little flower,” Paige interrupted. “Yes, I know. And a flower that you’re better off being allergic to. Ryan, trust me. She isn’t the woman for you.”
“And I suppose you k
now who is,” he commented just before she leaned closer, brushing her breasts against him.
“Oh, you better believe it,” she breathed huskily.
He knew it was stupid. He knew it was a mistake. But when she leaned in closer and reached down to run her hand over his crotch he completely lost track of his better judgment.
“Ummm, baby,” she crooned right before locking her lips onto his.
Ryan couldn’t stop his hands from moving to her breasts. Her nipples were hard beneath the silk of her blouse. He thumbed them in circles and she moaned against his mouth and tore at the zipper of his pants.
Paige tore her mouth from his and dropped to her knees, sliding his unfastened trousers and boxers down around his ankles. Ryan’s knees nearly buckled when she took him in her mouth. Good god, it felt good. She took all of it, sucking it deep and fast and hard.
He had to brace himself against the counter. He was going to come any moment. She sensed that and stood, pulling up her skirt as she did.
Ryan’s eyes traveled south. Her legs were spread. “Christ!” he whispered harshly.
“Like what you see?” She dropped one hand to run her fingers through the wet folds of her sex.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” He couldn’t tear his eyes from the sight of her hand.
Paige smiled seductively, turned around and bent over, affording him full view of her backside. She looked back over her shoulder at him. “You want some of this, Ryan? It’s yours, baby. Front door or back. Your choice—take it.”
Ryan didn’t have to be invited a second time. Time ceased to exist for Ryan as Paige eagerly provided the wildest, most exciting sexual experience of his life. She was incredible, totally uninhibited and willing to do everything he’d ever dreamed of.
Hours passed, with Paige firmly in control. When his orgasm finally arrived, he felt, for the first time in his life, that the earth had actually moved. Both of them nearly collapsed. Ryan pulled out of her, breathing hard. At that moment the phone rang. Ryan reached over and snatched up the kitchen extension. “Yeah?” He hoped he didn’t sound as breathless as he felt. “Hey, Justin, what’s up?… Yeah, give us twenty minutes.”
He hung up the phone. “They found the owner of the van.”
Paige grabbed a handful of paper towels, wet them at the sink, and cleaned herself. With a grin she grabbed her handbag and scooped up the still-wet papers from the table. “Let’s ride,” she grinned.
Jackson Township
Senna woke to find herself alone in Konnor’s bed. She rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It wasn’t even six. She rolled back over and closed her eyes but after a few minutes gave up on the idea of going back to sleep. She got up and pulled a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt from her overnight bag and went into the bathroom.
When she came out of the bathroom she went looking for Konnor. He wasn’t in the house and she wondered where he’d gone. She poured herself a cup of coffee then went to the back door and looked outside.
The morning sky was overcast and frost glazed the wooden deck and dusted the grass of the yard beyond. Aside from a couple of birds that pecked at a half-filled feeder hanging from a limb of one of the trees near the deck, there was nothing moving.
Senna leaned back against the doorjamb, sipping her coffee and thinking about the prior evening. Konnor hadn’t talked much during the ride to his house and she hadn’t interrupted his silence. She was trying to come up with a reason why anyone would want to harm her. By the time they reached his house, she was still clueless.
Konnor waited until she had showered before he asked her about what happened. She admitted that she thought she knew one of her attackers, but had no proof. He had seemed to want to ask her more but didn’t. Instead, he suggested she get some rest. He took her to his bed, but didn’t try to initiate anything sexual. She fell asleep in his arms, feeling safe and protected.
She straightened as she saw him run up from the woods that bordered his yard. He slowed when he reached the edge of the yard and walked the rest of the way to the house.
Senna watched him, admiring the way he moved so gracefully yet with such strength and solidity. He saw her and raised one hand. She moved away from the door and sat at the table. He entered, peeling off his sweatshirt. Beneath it, the white T-shirt stretched over his chest was wet with perspiration.
He kicked off his shoes and peeled off his socks as he walked to the laundry room. When he returned he was naked, drying his face with a towel. He stopped beside her, leaned over, and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to shower then I’ll fix breakfast.”
“I can do that,” she offered.
“It isn’t necessary.”
“But I’d like to.”
“Okay. I’ll be out in ten minutes.”
After he left the room, she let out her breath and stood. Seeing him naked made her feel as if someone had suddenly jacked up the heat in the room. She didn’t quite know how to take her own reactions. She had never felt such a strong attraction for a man before and it was a little unnerving.
Trying to think about something besides his muscular, wet and naked body, she started looking around to see what he had to eat. By the time he returned she had two omelettes, a pile of toast and broiled potato slices ready to go on the table.
“Looks good,” he commented as he came up behind her.
She turned and handed him a plate. “Let’s just hope it tastes good. I’m not exactly a world-class chef.”
They sat down and Konnor dug into his breakfast. Senna picked at hers. She was not a big breakfast person and at the moment her mind was still on Konnor’s body. “I really should be going,” she said as she took her plate and cup to the sink. “I have a ten o’clock class.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said.
She frowned and set the dishes down. “But I have to.”
“All right,” he said after a moment. “I’ll take you.”
“Thanks.” She gave him a quick smile then went into the bedroom and changed clothes. When she came out he was sitting on the couch in the den.
He slapped his hand on the couch cushion in invitation and she took a seat beside him. “Last night I asked what you remembered about the time you spent in Iraq prior to your parents’ deaths, but we were interrupted before you could tell me. I’d like to try and do that now.”
Senna leaned back and closed her eyes. She didn’t have trouble remembering what happened prior to her mother’s death. In fact, it was all as clear as if it had happened yesterday. “Well, my father was working with a colleague from Italy, authenticating and dating artifacts and my mother was busy with two English researchers compiling a Sumerian dictionary. I pretty much just hung around the house listening to tapes and reading. There wasn’t a lot to do.”
“Do you know if your father was working on anything in particular at that time?”
“Actually, I think the trip was kind of a spur of the moment thing. This friend of my mother’s called and said she and some man were going to be there working on the dictionary and asked if she’d come over and give them a hand. My father had been in Iraq a number of times. He was considered something of an authority on Sumer, but I don’t remember anything specific he was doing. Maybe Min would.”
“Min? Your aunt Minora?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “She and Dad were very close. Well, she and Mom, too. Min’s a pretty remarkable person. She was the youngest of three children. There was Graham, my dad, and Min. Graham was killed in an expedition in the Yucatan when my dad was in undergraduate school. He was a medical researcher and was on an expedition concerning a plant extract. Anyway, Dad was a junior in college and Min was a junior in high school. Despite the age difference, they were always on the same wavelength, if you know what I mean.”
“And they confided in one another?”
“Oh, yes.” She smiled as she remembered. “My mother told me that it was a good thing she’d been friends with Min before s
he and my dad got married or she would have been jealous. But you can’t know Min and not love her. She and Mom were like sisters.”
“I’d like to speak with your aunt, if that’s possible.”
Senna straightened up and turned to face him. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Min never really got over the death of my parents. You’ve got to understand. They were all the family she had left. When they died and I…”
“And you disappeared,” he finished the sentence for her.
She nodded. “It almost killed Min from what I’ve been told. After I was found, she was so protective. It was like she was afraid to let me out of her sight. I guess she was scared something else would happen. She eventually overcame it but it wasn’t easy. Anyway, the point is, I don’t want her to be upset.”
“I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”
Senna considered it for a few moments. “How about this? I’ll speak with Min and see if she remembers anything. It won’t be as bad coming from me. If she does then I’ll ask her to talk to you.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. “Do you need to go by your house before class?”
“Oh shit!
“What?”
“My car! Everything was in my car. I left to go see Nolan from the university.”
“That’s not a problem. I’ll take you to your car then follow you to the university.”
“That’s not necessary, Konnor. Really.”
“Yes, it is.” The tone of his voice squelched any thoughts she had of arguing.
“Thanks.” She gave his hand a squeeze.
He returned the gesture and pulled her over to him. When their lips met she wanted to tell him she had changed her mind. She would let them fire her for not showing up for work. All she wanted was to stay there in his arms. But she couldn’t find the courage to act on the desire. Not for fear of losing her job. She could always find work. Her fear was of losing herself.
The shrill ring of the phone interrupted them. Konnor got up to go to the kitchen to answer the call. “Hello?… Yes, she is… No, she has a class at ten… All right, where?… Yes, she’ll be there.”
