When the check from LCR came to her, she’d been furious. Eden had calmed her down and explained that like any other operative, she’d been paid handsomely. It wasn’t an insult from Noah, but payment for a job well done. Looking at it in that light, she’d been able to accept it and began to make plans on how to use it.
Her experience in Mississippi had taught her a valuable lesson, one that couldn’t go unchecked. The promise she’d made to herself still existed. Never again would she be vulnerable to the Mitchell Stoddards of the world. Then, she would see where that led her.
And if Noah McCall didn’t like it. … Well, that was really quite perfect.
Noah stomped around his apartment, unable to find relief from the burning worry inside him. Eden’s amused, lackadaisical attitude only egged him on. “Eden, dammit. You’ve got to have some idea how she’s doing.”
Leaning back into her favorite easy chair, Eden didn’t even bother to hide her smug smile.
“The least you could do is act concerned,” Noah snapped.
Her husky laugh grated on his nerves. “I can’t help myself. This is just such a reversal, I feel as though I’m in an episode of The Twilight Zone.”
Noah ran his fingers through his hair. This was getting him nowhere other than more pissed. “When’s the last time you talked to her?”
“I called her on her cellphone while she was still at the airport. Remember … it was about three months ago? The same day you talked to her, Noah. The day you told her to go home and find her Prince Charming. That there was nothing for her here.”
“I can’t believe she told you that.”
“I can’t believe you told her that.”
“It was the truth.”
“Well, if it’s the truth, why do you care?”
“Because she’s disappeared, dammit! That’s why. No one has seen or talked to her in almost three months. I can’t believe you’re not concerned for her. I thought you were her friend.”
“As far as I know, she still lives in the same place … doesn’t sound like a disappearance to me.”
“You know what I mean. She won’t talk to any of us. Every message I leave gets ignored, every email I send unanswered.”
“You know where she is, go see her.”
“I can’t.”
Noah ignored Eden’s exasperated eye roll. She knew full well why he couldn’t go see her.
“Noah, you’re making this harder than it is. Call her family. Let them tell you how she is.”
“I don’t do well with family.”
“So basically you want to know how she is, as long as you don’t have to go see her yourself, or put yourself out there by introducing yourself to her family? You think they’re going to bite you or something?”
Her sarcastic wit was not appreciated. “What do you think they’re going to tell a complete stranger? They don’t know about me, so I can’t …” He stopped as Eden shook her head. “What?”
“They do know about you.”
“She wouldn’t tell them about me. She knows she’d be putting herself and her family at risk if they were linked to me.”
“Oh, she didn’t tell them you were the famous Noah McCall. Actually, I think she told them your name was Noah Stoddard.”
“Why’d she say anything at all?”
“I think that’s something Samara will have to explain.” A sad little smile played around Eden’s mouth, telling Noah there was a lot he didn’t know.
“I can’t call them. … Why can’t you?”
Wide-eyed, Eden shrugged. “I’m not the one looking for her.”
“Jordan’s talked to them and they won’t tell him. If they’re not telling him … they won’t tell me.”
“Well then, there you have it. They’ve apparently talked to her. They know where she is and that she’s fine. So what’s the problem?”
Noah turned away and looked out the window. He needed to know how she was. He didn’t need to see her … couldn’t risk seeing her. Just talking to someone who’d talked to her would be enough. That’s all he wanted. Why couldn’t anyone understand that?
Before he could snarl a lame reason at her, the phone rang. “What?” Noah snarled into the phone instead.
“Turn to channel eleven,” Jordan said.
“I don’t have time to watch television.”
“Trust me, you’ll want to watch this.”
Noah picked up the remote on his desk and turned on the plasma TV across the room. Switching to channel eleven, he slumped into a chair and glared at the screen.
An attractive blonde smiled at the camera. “Welcome back. We’re talking with a young woman who has put herself in harm’s way time and again to catch online predators. Due to her need to remain anonymous, we can’t show her face.” The interviewer turned toward a petite and distinctly feminine shadow. “Can you tell us how you became interested in this?”
The shadow shrugged with a delicate familiarity. “I had a friend who was involved in catching an online predator. I became intrigued and decided to see if I could do something like this.”
Noah shot up in his chair. Breath, heart, and everything in between stopped functioning.
“And you do this with the cooperation of the police department?”
“Yes. Though we’re not directly related to the police department, we work closely with them. I make the initial contact. When the men show up, looking for a young girl they’ve met online, they see me. We chat for a few minutes and then they’re arrested.”
“Some people might call that entrapment.”
“Yeah, well, I call it getting a pervert off the street.”
Despite the fury engulfing him, her wry answer had Noah’s lips moving up in a grin. Damn, she was a piece of work.
“Have you had any problems with any of these predators, once they come to meet you?”
The slight hesitation caused Noah’s blood to go cold.
“A couple of times they were somewhat resistant, but we were able to bring them under control.”
“And do you help with this, too?”
Another delicate shrug. “When I have to.”
The interviewer thanked her for the interview, turned to the camera, and began to give statistics of predators who lurk online, looking for their prey. Noah had stopped listening. He couldn’t believe she had done this.
“Of all the insane, stupid, asinine things,” he muttered as he stalked to his bedroom.
“Where are you going?”
Without turning, he snapped, “Where do you think I’m going?”
“So you know who that was?”
“Of course I know.” That sweet, husky voice whispered in his dreams nightly.
“So what are you going to do?”
“First I’m going to shake her so hard her teeth rattle, then I’m going to spank her pretty ass until she can’t sit down for a week.”
Noah closed the door on Eden’s burst of laughter.
As he threw his clothes into a suitcase, he couldn’t stop shaking his head. Dammit, he’d wanted to keep her safe, away from the scum he worked with every day and what had she done? She’d not only immersed herself in it, she was putting her life at risk.
Did she think that just because they’d worked together, she was trained for this kind of thing? She was too delicate, too fragile. He couldn’t allow her to put herself in danger like that.
And if she argued with him? His mouth kicked up in a grin. Well, he still had his ties. Tying her to the kitchen chair had worked once. Why not again?
sixteen
Samara searched the room for her date. He’d sent her a picture showing a nice-looking young man in his late teens. She was willing to bet this creep hadn’t seen young skin like that in the mirror in twenty years.
Over the last few weeks, she’d gotten pretty good at being able to spot a real teen who only wanted to hook up and have some fun and a creepy, weaselly freak of a sexual predator. The differences were sometimes subtle, but
they were there. Most of the time it was a gut feeling and nothing more.
Tonight’s meeting place was a coffee shop, a popular teen hangout. A ripple of chills ran down her spine, making her squirm. Why was she so nervous tonight? This would be her seventh sting. The other six resulted in three arrests, two lonely teens who really wanted to meet a nice girl, and a no-show. She had been somewhat nervous on the other jobs. After all, she, more than most, knew what could happen. But tonight’s nervousness seemed more acute. She felt as if she was being observed, watched. Her eyes sought out the reason for her uneasiness, but she saw nothing that should cause such alarm.
The last few months hadn’t been easy but they had been worthwhile. Not hearing from Noah. Knowing that she’d offered her love to him and he’d rejected her. Knowing that at any time of the day or night, he might be putting his life on the line and she might never see him again. She still held out hope for them … for him. Loving him meant understanding him … his motives and his beliefs. His rejection of her love had hurt tremendously but hadn’t broken her spirit or tarnished her feelings. No matter what he said or did, her love was forever.
But she refused to sit and pine away like some weepy romantic fool. Seeing those young girls so abused and terrified had struck a need in her to do something more. She’d contacted the police and had been directed to the Macklin agency, a small private investigative firm who worked with the sex crimes unit of the police department to catch online predators. She’d been vague about her experience, but they’d seemed to understand and agreed to give her an opportunity to prove herself. She’d been working for them ever since.
Not wanting to dwell on her heartbreak and determined to keep her promise to herself, Samara had also enrolled in a self-defense class and shooting lessons. The self-defense classes were fun and kept her in shape. Shooting a gun not so much. It had taken her almost half an hour to stop shaking before she could shoot the first time. Now it only took about three minutes to settle down and begin shooting. Definite progress. She was now the proud owner of a. 38-caliber Smith & Wesson AirLight. Small, light, and the perfect size for her purse or ankle holster.
Last week, she’d purchased a small house in Shelby County. In a few weeks, she’d be moving into it and when she wasn’t tracking Internet predators, taking self-defense classes, and learning to shoot, she would enjoy decorating her new home. Staying busy was her panacea. At some point it would begin to work. After all, hadn’t she slept almost four hours last night? Definite improvement.
Another chill ran down her spine. What was causing it?
Breathing out a shaky breath, she took a sip of her luke warm latte. Her date, Travis Benson, was late. He’d said nine o’clock and her watch showed eighteen minutes after. Did another one get scared off? Was she giving out vibes without knowing it? Samara tried to relax her body, determined to look like a somewhat nervous teenager looking to hook up.
“Julie?”
A thirty-something ferret-faced man with a potbelly, greasy hair, and desperate, bloodshot eyes grinned down at her.
She allowed her face to show a flicker of uncertainty.“Yes?”
He slid into a chair across from her. “Now don’t panic, but it’s me … Travis.”
“But … but you’re not seventeen.” Her eyes widened with shocked wonder.
A sleazy “You’ve got nothing to be afraid of” smile lifted his thin lips. “That’s why I didn’t tell you. I knew you wouldn’t come.” His hand touched hers. “But we made such a connection, I wanted to give us a chance to meet. I don’t think age has anything to do with real love. Do you?”
“So you lied to me, told me you were seventeen so we could meet?”
Cold, damp fingers rubbed gently up and down her arm. “I know you’re only fifteen, baby, but we’ve got a connection. Something special. You said you were a virgin. Don’t you want a real man to teach you what it’s all about? Not some pimple-faced kid?”
Hiding a horrified shudder wasn’t easy. “But you’re too old for me.”
A nauseating blend of cheap aftershave and onions assailed her nostrils as he leaned closer. “I’ll make it good for you, baby. I promise. We got something special going on here.”
Samara jerked her hand away, scooted her chair back, and stood. “Yeah. I think we’ve got something real special. Why don’t you talk to the nice policeman behind you and tell him how special?”
Travis jumped up with a snarl. “You baited me!” A fist swung toward her. Samara ducked. Two policemen grabbed him, pulled his hands behind his back, and forced him onto the floor.
“You bitch!” He glared up at Samara one more time. Then poor Travis began sobbing his anger and frustration against the floor.
At one time, Samara might have had compassion for someone so obviously sick and desperate. These days, those feelings were much harder to come by. Travis needed help and hopefully he would get it. In the meantime, one less teenage girl traumatized and another sexual predator off the streets.
With a long sigh of gratitude that this had turned out well, she waved at the two plainclothes policewomen sitting at a table close by and walked out the door. The odd feeling had returned, but for some reason it now had an anticipatory edge.
Her head shaking at such an odd sensation, she pressed the button on her key chain to unlock her car. A scream caught in her throat as a masculine arm snaked around her waist. Another arm wrapped around her chest, pulling her against a hard body.
“I can’t decide whether I should spank your ass in the parking lot or wait until I get you home.”
He had come. Joy infused her and everything within her wanted to melt into him. Samara closed her eyes and offered up her sincere gratitude for a prayer answered. Then, knowing she couldn’t let him get away with this, she did what she’d been training to do for the past three months. He’d left one arm free, which was surprising. Not wanting to hurt him but needing to make a point, she swung her arm up and back and punched him in the face. At the same time, she kicked him in the shin.
“Shit!” Noah dropped his arms and moved back.
Samara whirled around to see him rubbing his jaw, admiration and something else gleaming in his eyes.
“Learned a few moves, sweetheart?”
She grinned up at him. “Yeah. Whaddaya think?”
His expression darkened with sensual intent. “I think we need to get to your place.”
Needing no further encouragement, Samara jumped into the driver’s seat of her car. Noah got in beside her. As she maneuvered out of the parking lot, she cut her eyes over at the gorgeous man beside her and a flush of heat swept through her.
Knowing that once they got to her apartment, talking would be limited, she forced herself to think rationally. Didn’t he want to know about her new job? “I guess you’re wondering about—”
He pulled her hand from the steering wheel and kissed it. “Tell me later. Let’s just get home.”
His voice, thick with desire, caused that hot flush of heat to rise toward boiling as it spread through her entire body and then settled deep within her. His voice alone made her nipples go erect and caused a slow throb of need between her legs. With shocking boldness she’d never attempted before, Samara pulled her hand from his and placed it in his lap, caressing the hot, hard length she found there.
“Mara,” his voice grated like gravel on velvet, “if you don’t want to find your legs straddling me in five seconds, you’d damn well better get your hand back on the steering wheel.”
Shudders of excitement zooming through her, Samara did as he suggested. She wanted him with a desperation she’d never felt before, but she would wait. Because more than wanting him inside her, she wanted him to herself, in her apartment, where she could throw herself into his arms and revel in his nearness.
The drive home seemed interminable but was only about fifteen minutes. When she pulled into the parking spot, they were both out of the car and headed toward her apartment before the car fully stopped.
Feeling lighthearted and happy for the first time in months, Samara ran toward her apartment, knowing Noah was only a few feet behind her. She opened the door, Noah slammed it shut, and then she was in his arms.
She tasted delicious. Better than he remembered. God, he’d missed her. Every night, he dreamed about these luscious lips, heard her voice in his head, telling him she loved him, felt her warm and soft under him as he moved inside her wet warmth. Then the cold light of morning sliced him like the blade of a glacier. He was alone. He would always be alone. … That’s the way it was, the way it had to be.
But for the here and now, his dream was a reality. As he cupped her delectable ass in his hands and pulled her closer, he devoured her mouth. Sucking on her tongue, he gave her his as she moaned into his mouth.
Pulling slightly away, he breathed out his real reason for being here. Once he got her promise, they could devour each other till morning. “Promise me something.”
Her eyes dazed with passion, she blinked up at him. “What?”
“Promise you’ll stop this … that you’ll not put yourself at risk like this.”
Her eyes widened. “But …”
With ruthless intent, he unbuttoned her blouse and unhooked her bra, letting them both drop to the floor. He covered her breasts with his hands and squeezed gently. Their sensitivity would ramp up her passion faster than anything. With his mouth pressed against hers, he breathed the words, “Promise me, Mara.”
Her little whimper of arousal and need went straight to his throbbing penis. But he wouldn’t take this further until he had her word. His desire for her body was great, his need to keep her safe far greater. Using fingers and thumbs, he pinched her tight nipples with an erotic pleasure/pain.
Arching into him, she groaned his name.
RETURN TO ME Page 21
