Hell on Wheels

by Karen Kelley

  “Now it’s locked,” she said from the other side.

  “What a waste,” he grumbled.

  For the rest of the night, he tossed and turned, knowing all that separated them was a thin slab of wood. One kick and the door would pop open like a can of soda, and on the other side was Cody, under the covers and as naked as the day she was born.

  She’d probably slept like a baby while he’d been in agony all night with sensuous visions filling his dreams: her sheet sliding down around her hips, breasts beckoning for him to come and taste, to suck on her tight nipples, drawing each one slowly into his mouth.

  His knock on the shared door in the morning was louder and harder than he’d intended. Almost immediately, he heard it click, then it opened.

  “You look like crap, Pierce,” she said, her gaze traveling over him. “Kind of like you just came off a weeklong drunk. What’s the matter? Lumpy bed?”

  “It was hard.” He didn’t specify what was hard, but it certainly wasn’t the damn bed.

  Cody looked like she’d had a restful night. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail and her face was fresh—and damned beautiful for someone who didn’t have on any makeup.

  “You okay?”

  He struggled to regain his composure. “Fine. Why?”

  “I don’t know, you look a little tense.”

  He wasn’t about to tell her that she was what bothered him. Stupid. He could almost hear her mocking laughter. Man, he needed to get himself under control and think about anything besides how much he wanted to have sex with her.

  He spun on his heel, tossing over his shoulder, “I’ll meet you at the car.” He left his room, locking the door behind him and pocketing his key.

  “So where does this sister of Adam’s live?” she asked once they were on the road. “We’re partners. I need to know as much as you.” She turned her wide green eyes in his direction. “You do know where we’re going? Please tell me this won’t be the typical male thing where you make an estimated guess of the direction we need to go? We can stop and get a map.”

  At least she was talking. He chose to ignore her smart-ass remark, though.

  “She lives on a small country estate about two or three miles out of town.” He’d called around after they’d checked in and found exactly where her place was located.

  She nodded and went back to looking at the scenery as it rolled past the window.

  “You know, this is going to be a really long stakeout if we don’t talk.”

  “Nice weather. Cooler than Fort Worth. Humidity is higher though.” She turned and looked at him again. “You think better with a pen and paper. I think better when I’m not talking.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “Have you thought about the possibility that we might get inside the sister’s home if we work it just right? Maybe walk up to the house, say we have a flat or something. A man and woman together wouldn’t be nearly as suspect. If Adam isn’t there, maybe we can get information on where he is.”

  “Yeah, I thought about it. We can probably come up with something—inspectors, telephone company. I think we could manage to worm our way inside, but I thought we’d watch the place for a while. See if anything is going down.”

  He slowed as they approached a stone fence. As they drove by, he spotted a Spanish-style house sitting in the distance, surrounded by a grove of trees. He couldn’t get near enough without screaming to Adam’s sister she was about to have visitors.

  “That’s her place.” He nodded toward the house.

  Cody sat a little straighter in her seat, her gaze scanning the area.

  He continued slowly down the dusty road until he came to a spot where he could pull off and partially conceal the Chevy.

  “Are you up for a hike?” he asked.

  “After being stuck in the car all day yesterday? Yeah, I’m ready for a little exercise.”

  “I know what you mean. I’m sure you don’t like straddling the Harley for long periods of time, either.”

  Silence.

  Was she thinking what he was thinking? He mentally shook his head. Doubtful. His were the only thoughts that had taken a nosedive into the gutter.

  They got out of the car without another word. Their next obstacle was in front of them—the stone wall. They had no choice except to scale it. On the other side were trees, and beyond that the house.

  “Nice digs,” Cody said as she stood on her toes and peered over the fence. “Adam’s sister lives better than his partner.”

  “Maybe that’s why his partner was murdered?”

  She stepped down and dusted off her hands.

  He continued. “Maybe old Adam was taking more than his fair share and he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened.”

  “Whatever.” Her gaze moved down the wall, looking for the best place to get a good footing. “I’m not here to judge. Just bring him to justice.”

  All work. He really did have to teach her to play. Damn, he’d really like to teach her to play. “You first,” he said, and held out his hands for Cody’s booted foot.

  She cocked an eyebrow. “And then what? Am I supposed to pull you over?”

  He loved her dry sarcasm. Almost to the point that he’d like to strangle her. If her lips didn’t look so pouty, so kissable, he just might.

  “No, I thought I would drag that rock over.” He nodded toward a large rock. “You’d still be too short to get enough leverage to go over the wall.”

  Now what the hell had he said? Her eyes had narrowed. But rather than saying anything, she snapped her mouth closed.

  “Fine.” She raised her foot and planted it none too gently in the palms of his hands. “You’re going to have to give me a little credit. I’m not going to argue with you on this one, though.”

  “That’ll be a first,” he mumbled.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” And she was short, at least compared to him. She wasn’t much more than five-six. At the most, five-seven. Apparently, she was sensitive about her height.

  He boosted her up. She grabbed the ledge and pulled herself the rest of the way. To give her a little more of a lift, he planted his hands on her bottom and pushed.

  How the hell was he supposed to know her ass would feel so damn good even wearing jeans? As she swung her leg over, he lost contact with her body and almost stumbled into the stone wall. As he caught his balance and glanced up, he ran into a different stone wall—Cody’s angry glare.

  “You did that on purpose,” she accused.

  “No, I swear.” He shook his head and held out his hands in supplication, then hoped she couldn’t tell his pants were just a little tighter than they had been a few minutes ago.

  “Watch it next time.”

  “Anything you say, baby.” He knew his term of endearment would irritate her, but she surprised him by not saying a word. She was a handful when she was pissed, but oh, what a handful. He was beginning to wonder if he’d wanted her as a business partner or so he could spend a little more time in her company. He liked the way she made him feel so alive.

  Wade would probably tell him it was the latter. His friend would probably be right.

  In the next second, she swung her leg over and dropped to the other side. He made it over the wall and they crept through the trees, as close to the house as they dared, then took cover behind one of the large oak trees. They were able to observe the front as well as the back, but were still far enough away that no one would see them.

  He pulled his binoculars out and did a slow survey, scanning the lower floor before moving to the upper windows.

  “It doesn’t look like anyone is home,” Cody whispered, even though no one could hear her from this distance.

  “Top floor, second window to the right.” He passed her the binoculars.

  She took them, then looked toward the second floor. “Okay, I see her now. She’s reading.” She lowered them as a car approached.
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  He’d heard it, too, and watched as the familiar red Caddy slowed, then came to a stop. It was an older model car. A 2000, maybe a 2001. Josh even knew where the driver had bought it. Abner’s Discount Autos. Discount, his foot. By the time Abner added on all his finance charges, the car cost almost as much as it had when it was new, but then he’d never thought Turbo was the brightest bulb in the package.

  “Turbo,” Cody groaned. “Damn, I was hoping he wouldn’t show.”

  “Five dollars says he doesn’t make it past the front door,” Josh said. He squinted. Turbo wore a suit coat and carried a clipboard. Who was he trying to impersonate?

  She looked through the binoculars again. “The woman’s looking out the window.” She chuckled under her breath. “And now she’s picking up a phone.” She paused. “Now she’s reading again. No bet. You think I was born yesterday, Pierce? Turbo doesn’t stand a chance. He might have gotten to the house before us, but that doesn’t mean he’ll charm his way inside. Not that he has an ounce of charm.”

  “Hey, it was worth a try at an easy five bucks. I won once.” He shrugged. “Thought I might be able to do it again.”

  By the warmth that crawled up her neck, she was remembering the last time, too.

  “You got lucky.”

  “I bet we could find a bar with a pool table. Want to even up?”

  “No.”

  She turned her gaze back to Turbo. Josh smiled, remembering their game and wishing she would’ve taken him up on the bet. Damn, he liked the way she moved when she shot pool. Sexy as hell.

  Someone crossed in front of a window on the first floor. A maid or maybe a personal secretary.

  The door opened.

  “Oh, lord, you ought to see the smirky smile on Turbo’s face. That is one man who is so full of himself,” she said, looking through the binoculars again. “And the door shuts in his face. Bye-bye, Turbo.”

  He stomped back to his car, got inside, slammed the door, and peeled out, leaving rubber in the circular drive that would probably royally piss off the lady of the manor.

  “So, any bright ideas how we’re going to get inside? Apparently the sister isn’t going to be an easy mark.”

  “I have a couple.” He didn’t, but he figured Adam would either show or by the end of the day he’d have a plan.

  She rested her back against the tree. “And just how do you propose we get inside the house? Breaking and entering? I mean, if he’s somewhere inside, he might not leave the house for days. I’d rather not spend any more time out here than necessary watching the house. If you haven’t noticed, this ground is pretty damn hard.”

  Not as hard as she constantly made him. Hell, he was getting used to hard. His condition wasn’t relieved when he turned his gaze off the house and back on her. Damn, she was sweet to look at. Her skin so soft. He wanted to brush his fingers across her cheeks, outline her lips, before tasting the sweetness she had to offer.

  He drew in a deep breath, but it only made it worse as he inhaled the heady scent she wore.

  He couldn’t resist. The temptation was too much for one man to bear, especially after having his hands on her ass. No court in the land would convict him.

  Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against hers. For a millisecond, her eyes widened and he thought she would push him away. His quick prayer must’ve reached his guardian angel because she accepted his kiss.

  Her lips were hot. She didn’t hesitate when he nudged her mouth open. He stroked her tongue with his, reveling in the velvety softness. The earth seemed to move beneath him. Earthquake? Or just her touch? Probably the latter, but if that were the case, he hoped it never stopped.

  He moved his hand to her breast. Crap, sometimes he hated second-chance vests. Right now, hers was effectively cooling his ardor. With more than a little regret, he moved away, trying to regain some measure of his equilibrium.

  “You said you wouldn’t kiss me.” Her voice was thick with barely restrained passion.

  For a moment, he thought about pursuing what he’d started. He didn’t think she’d resist much—if any. He turned from her, fixing his gaze on the house, and drew in a couple of deep breaths. If he had to look at her, he wouldn’t be responsible for what he did next, and starting his own agency meant a lot to him. He had to stop thinking about sex. Yeah, right, like that would ever happen.

  “No,” he said, once he could catch his breath. “You said there wouldn’t be any kissing. I don’t remember agreeing to any of your rules.”

  “Then maybe we should end the partnership right now,” she quietly told him.

  His gut clenched. “Are you saying you didn’t like it as much as I did?”

  “No. I’m saying it could get us killed.”

  “When it counts, I won’t put either one of us in danger.” And he meant what he said. He would never let harm come to her.

  She turned her back to him. “I can’t concentrate when you kiss me. I don’t like not being in control.” When he didn’t say anything, she faced him. “Do you understand what I’m talking about? If I’m going to do my job, I need to have control over my own body.”

  Was that what she did when they made love—lose control? A drop of sweat rolled down his spine as he thought about stripping her naked—here, out in the open—and seeing just how much control he could make her lose.

  “Josh?”

  He brought himself back down to earth. “Yeah, okay. I’ll back off.” He didn’t add for now.

  Silence. He wondered if she was going to turn around and walk back to the car, continuing the investigation on her own. Loneliness welled inside him. He hadn’t realized how solitary his life had become. And he realized he wouldn’t like it if she walked out of his life.

  She finally broke the silence. “So, what’s your plan?”

  He breathed a sigh of relief.

  Plan? Cody wanted to know if he had a plan. He glanced at her, then at the house. Plan?

  When Josh didn’t say anything, Cody knew there was no plan. He was playing it all by ear. It figured.

  Before her temper could rise, her already short fuse fizzled out. It wasn’t as if she had a plan, either, and they were partners. Damn it, he had to quit kissing her. But the thought of never receiving another kiss from him sent cold shivers racing up and down her arms.

  “Why don’t we watch the house? See if any more surprises develop,” he suggested.

  His words effectively cleared the warm fuzzy feeling that had swept over her when he’d touched her. They were here to do a job. Nothing more. She drew in a deep breath and concentrated on the job. Forcing thoughts of Josh and sex from her mind.

  A few minutes of silence passed.

  “You think Adam might show?” she asked. It wouldn’t be the first time gut instinct had played a role in capturing a fugitive.

  “No, but just in case, I think we should hang around for a while. See what develops.”

  Okay, so he didn’t have any kind of premonition. She looked at the house with dread. This was the hard part of doing a stakeout. Sitting and watching, doing absolutely nothing. It took patience, and right now hers was wearing thin. Usually, she worked crossword puzzles or something equally boring so it wouldn’t capture all her attention.

  “Have you ever played poker?” he suddenly asked, pulling a deck of cards from his back pocket.

  This might be Josh’s way of putting some space between them. Playing cards was safe.

  “Poker? Sort of.” Had she played poker? She bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling.

  Fate did have a way of stepping in and evening the score. She sat cross-legged on the ground, keeping her face devoid of all emotion. He stared at her as he sat across from her.

  “What?” she asked, keeping her expression innocent.

  He let his gaze linger on her face a couple of seconds before he began to shuffle the deck.

  “Nothing. Draw poker.” He pulled some change from his pocket. “Ante a quarter, one raise, two bumps max.
That okay with you?”

  “You might have to remind me of the rules, but yeah, I’m game.” She reached into her pocket and dropped what change she had in front of her.

  “Sure you want to play? I don’t want to take your money.”

  “It beats staring at the house every second. Besides, the harder you stare at something the easier it is to miss the changes.”

  She might let him take her money and she might not. Fighting wasn’t the only thing Rodney had taught her, but she’d keep that to herself. She wouldn’t exactly be cheating…Okay, so maybe Rodney had taught her to cheat, and she was damn good at it. She could palm cards, deal them so her opponent would think he had an unbeatable hand—except hers would be a little better. At least if nothing happened, the afternoon wouldn’t be a total waste. She liked the idea of winning at something.

  Maybe she should’ve suggested strip poker? Damn it, as hard as she tried to be good, Josh still brought out the bad girl in her.

  “Cards?” He held the deck, waiting for her to decide.

  She looked at the cards she held. A pair of fives. Not much. She pulled out two and laid them facedown on the ground. “Um, two. No, make that three.” She removed another card, then nibbled on her bottom lip to keep from smiling.

  Ahh, revenge could be sweet.

  Chapter 13

  Josh crossed his ankles and leaned against the tree. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Cody was cheating at cards. He just hadn’t caught her. No one could be this damn lucky.

  “I think you’ve played poker before.” He tossed the cards down.

  “Beginner’s luck.” She smiled sweetly.

  He almost believed her. Almost. “Yeah, sure. Well, you’ve taken my change and all my ones. I don’t think I want to give you a chance at the bigger bills.” He thoughtfully eyed her. “Now, if you want to play a little strip poker…”

  Her grin widened.

  That was too easy. “On second thought, I have a feeling I’d be the only one out in the open, bare-ass naked.”

  She placed her cards on top of his and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. “Okay, no more poker.” She nodded toward the house. “Nothing going on there. I hate stakeouts. They’re the most boring part of the job. I think I’ll take a nap while you keep watch, then you can catch a few Z’s. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”