by Jamie Hill
She moaned again and opened her mouth to him fully. Her tongue batted against his, stirring sensations so familiar he suddenly felt like he was home again.
Her arms circled his neck and drew him in tight. Struggling had turned into seductive gyrations that were having the desired effect. She squirmed against him, rubbing one thigh over his crotch.
Nick cupped her ass and squeezed, then it was his turn to groan. She felt perfect in his arms, almost as if she’d never left them. He never wanted the kiss to end, but if he didn’t break it off now they’d be the stars of a Witsec peepshow which might not be appreciated.
He shifted his head and kissed her again from the opposite angle. The second reason he didn’t want the kiss to end was simple. He was afraid there might not be another one.
As expected, Jordan placed both palms on his chest and pushed him gently. They stopped kissing at the same moment and each panted for air. She gazed into his eyes. “We need to, um, go see Charlie Archer after lunch. He’s getting nervous and we’ve got some hand-holding to do.”
Nick rested his forehead against hers for a moment. “We sure do.”
She broke away and straightened her clothes, then busied herself disassembling the ice packs. She held one up without looking at him. “You need this, or you good?”
“I’m good,” he said softly.
Her voice was even softer. “Yeah. I think so, too.”
He moved behind her. “Not worried about fleas?”
Jordan glanced up, but didn’t look at him, staring straight ahead. “Oh, I’m worried all right. I’m very worried. And right now, I’m going to lunch. I’ll be back in an hour, and when you’re ready we can go see Charlie.”
“You want some company?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t think so. You’re not off the hook for fighting with Doug. I’m still pissed at you.” She didn’t sound as upset as she professed to be.
Nick wasn’t sure what was happening between them, but whatever it was felt right. He watched her walk out. His jaw hurt like hell, but his heart felt lighter than it had in a long time.
* * *
Nick was happy to find that Evan had left for the day when he got back from lunch. His jaw was puffy and the chief would want to know what’d happened. Hopefully by the next day the swelling would be down and the injury wouldn’t be so obvious.
Jordan glanced up from her desk and winced. “Youch. That has to hurt. You okay?”
He waved her off. “No problem. So today’s the day I get to meet Mr. Archer?”
“Yeah. Shall we go?”
He motioned toward the door. “After you.”
She grabbed her purse and they headed out. “He keeps insisting he needs to get to his storage unit and look for the thumb drive his manuscript is on.”
“Where’s this storage place at?” Nick led her to his truck, unlocked it, and then opened the door for her.
“Thanks.” She climbed in and waited until he’d gone around and entered from his side. “Los Angeles. He was from a small town in southern California, but living in LA. He’d taken a year off from his job at Gamestop to work on his book.”
“How could he afford to do that? Unless Gamestop pays better than I think it does. In which case, I need to rethink my choice of careers.”
She gave him the address of Charlie’s apartment and he pointed his truck in that direction.
“I don’t know.” Jordan shrugged. “I doubt it pays that well. What’s there to rethink? You love being a marshal. You used to, anyway.”
He glanced at her sideways as he drove. “Yeah, in the last four days I’ve been shot and assaulted. It’s a dream job, that’s for fucking sure.”
Jordan chuckled and directed him into the apartment complex and the closest parking spot.
He parked and turned to look at her.
She leaned in and ran a hand over his cheek gently. “I’m sorry you were shot and assaulted. You didn’t deserve to be shot. I’m not sure I can say as much about the assault.” She pressed her lips against his.
Nick opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. Their tongues nudged one another, hers definitely the aggressor. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about taking their relationship to the next level. She was obviously interested. He sure as hell was. He kissed back long and hard.
Jordan finally ended the kiss and brushed her thumb over his lips. “We should go see Charlie.”
“I’m getting a little pissed that every time you kiss me, you’re thinking about Charlie Archer.”
She laughed. “Oh yeah, I totally am. Wait until you see him. Tall, dark, even more handsome than you. Totally hot.” She pulled away and composed herself a moment before opening her door.
Nick scrubbed a hand over his face and had to smile. She still considered him handsome. This day is getting better all the time. He climbed out and followed her to apartment 3B.
Jordan knocked twice then paused before knocking two more times.
The door opened with the chain on. A man peered at them, then closed the door and removed the chain lock. He opened the door again.
“Hey, buddy! How you doing?” Jordan smiled and went in as he stepped back. “Charlie, this is Marshal Nick Pierce. Nick, this is Charlie Archer.”
Nick eyeballed the short, stocky man with wavy reddish-colored hair. He extended a hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Charlie. I’ve never met an author before.”
The man seemed pleased by the comment and puffed his chest out a little. “I’m not published yet, but I’m hopeful. Come in.” He motioned to the living room, then asked, “How’s the other guy look?”
Nick glanced at him and Charlie rubbed his own chin. Nick smiled. “Ran into a door.”
“Right. Have a seat.”
The apartment was sparsely furnished except in the technology department. Several video game consoles sat in front of a flat screen, sixty-inch TV.
“Nice setup,” Nick commented. “Do you have Call of Duty, Black Ops II?”
“Yeah, I beat it,” Charlie said proudly. “Right now I’m playing Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.”
“Cool. I’ve been playing some Madden 13 NFL Football.”
“That’s a good one,” Charlie confirmed.
Jordan rolled her eyes. “Boys and their toys.”
Nick smiled and rolled his eyes right back. “Girls.” He shook his head for Charlie’s benefit.
The man chuckled.
He and Jordan took the two chairs and let him return to what was obviously his spot on the sofa.
“So, I was telling Jordan,” Charlie began. “I’m having trouble recreating my manuscript. I remember most of the first part, but when I try to rewrite it, the magic just isn’t there. I need the flash drive that I saved it on.”
Nick nodded sympathetically. “Jordan told me. What’s your book about?”
Charlie’s face lit up. “It’s a time-travel thing, set in a dystopian present day. The main character, Rowan Nightingale, has the ability to travel back to prehistoric times when dinosaurs were alive. He has to find a way to use that to save the world from what has ultimately destroyed their future.”
“Wow, that sounds impressive. And deep, very deep.”
“I’m thinking sequels,” Charlie added seriously. “I can see it as a movie and definitely a video game series as well. I’d probably approach Capcom. They’re the ones who did Resident Evil and Dragon’s Dogma.”
“Good thinking.” Nick tried to keep a straight face.
“But I can’t move forward until I finish the first book. I need that flash drive!”
“All your stuff is stored in LA, I’m told.”
“Yeah. There wasn’t that much. Same type of things I have here. I had to rebuy all this.” He motioned around the room. “I figure I can sell the old stuff when I get it back.” He glanced at Jordan accusingly. “I wanted to bring everything, but was told that wasn’t possible. They said I’d be able to get my stuff back eventually.”
“Af
ter the trial,” Jordan added.
Nick smiled. “Of course you can. Once you’ve testified, we’ll see about getting everything out of storage. You’ll be getting a new identity and moving to your permanent new home, so you might as well have all your belongings.”
Charlie’s face fell. “A new identity? I want to keep Archer! I picked that because it’ll look good on the book cover. My real name is Allen. Boring. Ho hum. Archer is cool!” He looked like he was starting to panic.
Jordan shot Nick a dirty look and said, “Don’t worry about that now, Charlie. You’ll have plenty of time to figure out the name business. Besides, authors use pen names all the time, don’t they? Even if you have to choose another name for Witsec you can keep Archer as your writing pseudonym.”
The words seemed to calm him. “Okay, good. Yeah. I can do that.” He screwed up his face. “But I need that flash drive!”
She sighed. “Buddy, look. You’ve been here what, six months? It’s almost over. The trial is coming up. You can hold out another few weeks, can’t you?”
“Well…” He hesitated.
Nick jumped in. “Sure you can. Use this time to work out your plot devices, and figure out those sequels. Make outlines, take lots of notes. It’ll help when you finally get the manuscript back.”
Charlie nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Jordan stood. “Great. We’re going to take off now. It’s winding down, pal. Just hang in there a few more weeks.”
Nick rose and followed her to the door.
Charlie saw them out and pumped Nick’s hand enthusiastically. “Thanks a bunch for all your good ideas. I really appreciate it. Maybe when we go to LA I can run some storylines by you.”
“Sure! Whatever you need. I’m here for you, man. We’ll see you soon.” Nick followed Jordan and they headed to his truck. He glanced around. “What did you say Charlie drives?”
“I don’t think I did. He bought an old used Plymouth.” She scoured the parking lot and motioned when she saw it. “Right over there. The black one.”
He looked and nodded, then unlocked his truck and they climbed in.
She leaned back against the headrest. “Ay Dios mio! The way you encouraged him! We’re going to have to listen to that shit all the way to LA, and the whole time we’re there.”
He grinned. “The witness is mollified though, isn’t he? He was antsy and agitated when we arrived.”
She nodded. “You’re right. You totally calmed him down. Thank you.”
Nick leaned over and nuzzled her ear. “So Evan is gone all afternoon, and we’ve got nothing pressing going at work. What do you say we head over to my place? I’m feeling a little agitated, and I bet you know how to mollify me.”
She turned her head and planted a warm kiss on his mouth. Before he could sink into it, she pulled away. “I can’t, Nick. I’m not ready for that yet.”
He groaned, resting his forehead against hers. “Then why do you keep kissing me like you’re anxious for something more?”
“I don’t know, damn it! I guess I just like kissing you.”
“I guarantee you’ll like what comes next even better.”
Jordan batted her eyelashes. “I remember. Some things a person just doesn’t forget. For instance, that ‘I like it rough’ talk. That’s all it is, talk. You’re sweet and gentle, like a marshmallow.”
Nick’s face heated with embarrassment. “Wow, thanks. Keep that to yourself, will you? I’m picturing that big marshmallow man, and it’s not a very sexy sight.”
She smiled. “I never said you weren’t sexy. I said despite all your masculine bravado, you’re a sweet and gentle man. That’s a good thing. Chicks dig it.”
His heart melted, and he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I’m not sure I care about ‘chicks’ anymore. There’s only one woman I need to impress.”
Jordan brushed her thumb over his lips. “You don’t need to impress me. You’ve already gotten my attention. But I have to admit, I’m still hurting. I spent a lot of years being angry at you. It’s going to take some time until my mind’s in the right place.”
He couldn’t resist smiling at the expression on her face. She was petulant, stubborn, sassy, and gorgeous as hell. And if she said they had to wait, then they’d wait. “I understand. But there can still be kissing, right?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, yeah.”
Nick grinned and brushed his lips over hers. “Good. Because I like kissing you, too.”
Jordan opened her mouth to his, and all conversation stopped.
Chapter Five
California State Prison, Corcoran
Protective Housing Unit
Corcoran, California
The door to his cell clanged open and a guard appeared. Manualo, a thin Hispanic guy with a big family. He was decent enough. They’d talked a few times. “Your lawyer’s here, Rossi. Hands out.”
Pete stood and held his arms out while the man snapped handcuffs around his wrists.
“Step forward, face the wall, feet together.”
“You don’t need the ankle cuffs. I won’t cause trouble.” He hated shuffling along with his feet bound together.
“You’re in here for murder, man. We’re not supposed to take chances. Move on forward now.”
He did as instructed, muttering, “Whatever happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty’?”
Manualo moved behind him and secured the ankle cuffs in place. “Just trying to keep you alive until the trial.”
Pete glanced at him as they headed out. “Seems to me like you’re trying to keep yourself alive.”
The guard laughed. “That’s my number one priority, man. Truth be known, I don’t give a shit about you.”
“Not many people do.” He walked slowly as they went.
“Your lawyer’s a looker. How’d you manage to find someone like her?”
Pete grinned. “I saved a little back. She’s something, isn’t she?”
“Oh, yeah.” He led Pete into the normally crowded visitation room.
Today there was only one table in use. Mercedes Winston had papers spread out in front of her and was looking over them. His lawyer was a sight for sore eyes, with long brown hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. Her business casual jacket hid what he knew to be a shapely figure, which he’d admired on several previous occasions.
She glanced up and smiled at him brightly. “Hello, Pete. How are you getting along?”
He shrugged and sat across from her. “Definitely been better. Unless you have good news for me.”
Mercedes winced. “Nothing too good, I’m afraid. The prosecution has confirmed there was a witness to the murder of Roy Melton. A man by the name of Charlie Allen. They didn’t come right out and say it, but I’m sure he’s in the witness protection program.”
Pete groaned. He knew someone had seen them that night. He saw the guy’s face. But he’d been busy dealing with Roy, and by the time he was able to chase the other dude, the man had split. “Why is he just coming forward now?”
“I’m sure they’ve known about him all along. The prosecuting lawyer is required to submit a list of his witnesses before the trial, and that’s how I found out about Allen. You think he’s the guy you saw?” She held up a photo of a red-headed, pale faced man.
He nodded. “That’s the guy. I looked for him that night, but somehow he got away.”
“Lucky for him,” she commented as she tucked the photo away. “Okay, well we knew he was out there somewhere. It doesn’t change our defense. You were doing as instructed by LeRoy VanDyke, and you were so hopped up on the cocaine he provided that the situation got out of control.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a defense.”
Mercedes shrugged. “We were never going for innocent. We’re after a reduced sentence of something like twenty-five to life.”
He snorted and shook his head.
“Beats the death penalty. Your testimony takes that off the table.�
�
He placed his cuffed hands on the table. “I’d like to see it lowered to less than twenty-five years. With good behavior, I could get out while I’m still fairly young. Think you might be able to work on that?”
She smiled pleasantly. “Of course. We always have options.”
Mercedes always made him feel better. He’d dealt with lawyers in the past who’d talked down to him and treated him like scum. She was straight and fair with him, and always listened to his opinions. He wondered for a moment if she had a man in her life. He knew she wasn’t married, but that didn’t mean she was available.
As if she’d want a jailbird like me. He knew better, but it was fun to dream. In solitary confinement, a man’s dreams were about all he had left.
* * *
Topeka, Kansas
Jordan rolled over in bed and slapped off her alarm clock. The ring irritated and was not her favorite way to wake up. When she envisioned what her favorite way actually was, Nick came to mind. She smiled, imagining him kissing her from head to toe and then settling his mouth somewhere near the middle.
“Idiota!” She could be waking that way this morning if she wasn’t concerned about getting her heart broken again. If she was only in it for the sex, Nick had made it clear he’d be a more than willing participant.
It’d been so long since she’d been close to anyone, she was almost ready to agree. If she could turn off the worrying part of her mind and just let herself feel, they could have an incredible three weeks to look forward to.
But then, it’d be over. Nick would leave and Doug would come back to find her a pathetic, miserable mess. Because the next time she slept with Nick she’d fall in love with him again, despite whatever phony story she told herself. Her emotions ran deep. She wasn’t a one night stand type of girl.
Doug would be pissed and all about the ‘I told you so’s’. Nick would be his usual smug, cock-of-the-walk self as he drove away. She’d be alone and lonely and possibly more miserable than she was the last time Nick left. This time she should have known what she was setting herself up for. Whatever happened, she’d allowed it.
