by Radclyffe
Jordan sighed. “I don’t know, Kip. I’m not sure we can budget for what it would take to do something like that.”
“Well, let’s start with the plans and see where we go. And Mr. Liu does so totally have a crush on you.”
“No comment.”
“Okay, maybe I’m projecting.”
Jordan shot her a look. Kip was turned sideways in the seat, watching her as she drove. Kip often watched her. She could feel Kip’s eyes on her when she worked, when she talked to the restaurant owners, when she drove. In fact, whenever she was around Kip, she felt as if she was the center of Kip’s focus, and she liked that. She liked it way too much. She averted her gaze, focused on the traffic. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Not really. Maybe a little determined.” Kip stretched across the space between them and stroked Jordan’s arm. “I’m still thinking about the kiss. Aren’t you?”
“I am very definitely and determinedly and purposefully not thinking about it.”
Kip chuckled. “Why do I think the lady doth protest too much?”
“Because your ego is the size of the planet?”
“That aside. Oh, I know. It must be because you kissed me back.”
“Reflex.” Jordan wished she didn’t have any reflexes at the moment. Kip’s light strokes up and down her forearm shot straight to places she didn’t want to think about while driving, or doing anything else at all in public.
“Uh-huh. Try again,” Kip said, her voice slow and teasing.
“Self-preservation, then.”
Kip leaned a little closer. Now her fingers found the back of Jordan’s neck, and Jordan shivered.
“What were you saving yourself from?” Kip toyed with the lobe of Jordan’s ear.
Jordan hunched her shoulder to pull away. “Stop that.”
“I can’t help myself.”
“You’re a pest.”
“Mm-hmm. And a nuisance.” Kip sighed. “I hate this seat belt. If I could just get a little closer—”
“You”—Jordan took one hand off the wheel and poked a finger into Kip’s chest—“stay over there and keep your hands to yourself.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Adult.”
“Killjoy.”
“Working.”
“Chicken.”
Jordan risked a two-second glance. Kip was grinning, her eyes glinting with that fire again, and a faint flush colored her neck. Jordan had no trouble imagining what would happen if Kip wasn’t held down by the seat belt. Kip’s hands would be all over her. The insides of her thighs tingled, and she pushed back in the seat. “You’re going to get us killed.”
“I thought you were being responsible and unaffected by my charms?”
“I’m working on it.”
“It was a five-star kiss, though. Don’t you think?”
Jordan merely smiled.
Undeterred, Kip traced the shell of Jordan’s ear. “I don’t suppose we could take a long lunch hour.”
Jordan threw back her head and laughed. “Absolutely not. There is no way I’m having a nooner with you or anyone else.”
“Well, I’m very glad to hear that. Because if you disappear for two or three hours in the middle of the afternoon, I’m going to get awfully worried. And mighty jealous.”
“You have nothing to be jealous about,” Jordan murmured.
“No special woman in your life?” Kip asked, her voice all serious now.
“No. No one.”
“I’m glad, but it doesn’t seem right. I know you’re not a hermit, and any woman with half a brain who’s anywhere near you would be attracted.”
“Your flattery is blatant,” Jordan said, but her heart skipped a beat all the same. She was in so much trouble here. She was even willing to be flattered.
“I mean every word. So why isn’t there anyone?”
Jordan could have used any of a dozen stock responses. She’d been asked that question a lot in the last dozen or so years. She could have, but hiding from Kip was hard to do. Something she didn’t want to do. “Since my dad died and then my mother not so long after, and the farm went too, I’ve been pretty rootless. I’ve moved a lot, and…” She blew out a breath. “I’m not cut out for casual. I had this picture of my life, one I had for as long as I can remember, and then the picture disappeared.”
“A farm with a wife, two kids, and a white picket fence?” Kip asked softly.
Jordan nodded. “Something along those lines.”
“And what do you see now?”
“I make it a point not to look too far ahead. I’d rather spend my energy on today.”
“Then I’m glad I’m here today.” Kip tugged Jordan’s hand off the wheel and kissed her palm. “The first thing I saw—well, after the hoe you were about to brain me with, that is—was how beautiful you looked all fired up and ready to take me down.”
“I thought you were pretty amazing for a burglar myself,” Jordan murmured, retrieving her hand while she still had a brain left, and headed up Tenth toward the project. She almost wished they weren’t going back, that she could take an hour or two out of the day. She wanted to take Kip to her apartment, to sit beside her on the sofa, alone in the sunlight, and finish the kiss. If she did, she knew where they would end up, and as hard as that was to fathom, that was exactly what she wanted. She wanted Kip. She shivered.
“Cold?” Kip murmured, continuing to stroke Jordan’s neck inside the collar of her cotton shirt.
“No, just the opposite. Could you move your hand?”
“You don’t like it?”
“You know I do.”
“I know I do. Anytime I’m near you, even if I’m not touching you, I’m happy. When I’m touching you, I can’t describe how I feel except—feeling like the whole world opens up and anything is possible. That’s what it’s like to be with you. Every minute is like a new dawn.”
“I’d rather you didn’t say things like that.”
“Why?”
“Because they’ll be hard to forget.”
“I don’t want you to forget. I want you to believe me.”
“Kip, why do you force me to say things you don’t want to hear.” Jordan gripped the wheel harder, channeling her frustration. “Everything else aside—”
“Everything? You mean me being a criminal, don’t you?”
“That’s the last time I want to hear you say that, all right?” Angry at herself for being pushed into a corner and angry at Kip for continuing to beat herself up, Jordan forgot to be careful. “If you were a criminal, you wouldn’t be working off your punishment at a community garden center, you’d be in jail. You’re guilty of being stupid and maybe irresponsible, you said that yourself. We’ve all been there. Sometimes, most of the time, no laws were broken, except maybe the laws of common decency and responsibility. Someday maybe you’ll even tell me why you did what you did, but that’s not what matters now.”
“And what does matter?”
“We’re not suited, Kip—just because we’ve got chemistry doesn’t mean we’ve got anything else. How long do you think you’d be satisfied dating me, or whatever you want to call what we’d be doing? After the sex cools off, you’d discover that I’m far too old and probably too staid and boring for you.”
Kip’s mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious. You’re trying to use age as an excuse not to get involved with me?”
“You’re not listening. Sex is one thing. A relationship is something else, and I’m not really interested in a quick toss with you.”
“Well, that’s good then, because I’m not interested in it either. But I wouldn’t mind starting with the kiss, someplace private, where we wouldn’t have to stop and you wouldn’t have a chance to find an excuse.”
“That’s not going to happen today, so this conversation is pointless.”
“We’re going to have it again, Jordan. Because I’m not going to stop wanting you, and you’re not going to stop thinking about me wanting you, and wanting me
back.”
“You seem very sure of yourself.”
“I’m not always, but I am this time. I’m not going anywhere.” Kip eased back in her seat. “And neither is the constant urge to put my hands on you.”
Jordan was not about to let herself believe any of that. Kip would leave, and she just had to decide how close she was going to let her come before she had to let her go. “We’re planting peppers today. That should take your mind off your unrequited lust.”
Kip laughed. “I don’t think so, but if you’ll be planting too, I wouldn’t mind so much. I can at least watch you and fantasize.”
“Great.” Jordan muttered. “Just try to behave. I know that’s difficult for you, but I believe you might be able to, if you really try.”
Kip pressed her hand to her heart. “Anything for you.”
Jordan rolled her eyes, pulled up next to the garden gate, and hopped out. They’d almost reached the gate when a black SUV turned down the alley and parked in the narrow space between the truck and the neighboring building, completely blocking any access to the street.
“That’s an asinine place to park.” Jordan turned around to tell them to pull in behind the truck when Kip gripped her arm.
“I think you should wait.”
“What? Why? They can’t block the alley like this. We’re supposed to be getting a delivery of mulch, remember?”
“I don’t think they’re gonna be here that long,” Kip said.
Kip’s flat, emotionless tone made Jordan stop and study the two men who stepped out of the vehicle. Both were in their thirties with trim waists and broad shoulders, dark suits and ties, matching close-cut haircuts, and sunglasses. The hairs on the back of her arms stood up. “You know them?”
“Not exactly. You should go inside.”
“What? Why?”
“Just go, Jordan,” Kip said quietly.
“Ms. Kensington, Ms. Rice. A word with you, please.”
Jordan stiffened and jammed her hands on her hips. She didn’t like being ordered around by strangers. “Do I know you?”
Both men reached into their matching suit jackets and extracted slim leather folders. The first let his fall open and the second followed suit. Some kind of official seal, photos, and bright shiny badges. Jordan’s stomach clenched. Kip was still as a statue beside her.
“Agents Davis and Carmichael,” the sandy-haired one said as he quickly flipped the wallet closed and his companion did the same.
“Agents from where?” Jordan raised her voice to hide the tremor. The sun was out, people passed by thirty yards from them at the mouth of the alley, and she could hear Ty’s radio on the other side of the garden fence, but something about these men made her feel as if she was caught in a trap. Some atavistic sense buried deep in her animal brain screamed danger as fight-or-flight hormones flooded her system.
“If you’d both get into the vehicle, please. This won’t take long.”
“No.” Kip stepped quickly in front of Jordan. “You know why I’m here. Ms. Rice has absolutely nothing to do with what you’re interested in, and you both must know that. I’ll go with you.”
Jordan grabbed the back of her shirt. “You’re not going anywhere with these men until I get an explanation. What do they want?”
“It’s okay,” Kip said. “I work for them—sort of.”
Jordan didn’t lessen her grip on Kip’s shirt. “I don’t believe it.”
“They just want to talk, but they don’t have very good manners.” Kip looked at the men. “Look, let’s not complicate this. I’ll come, but Jordan stays here.”
The men exchanged glances and one nodded.
“Kip, come inside.” Jordan couldn’t have felt more exposed if she’d been standing in the alley naked. “We’ll call an attorney or…or something.”
Kip turned her back to the men, putting herself between Jordan and them. “They’re not going away, and they tend to be short on patience. Just go inside before these guys start throwing their weight around.”
“What about you?”
Kip lifted a shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“Call me, will you call me when you’re done?” Jordan had the feeling if she let Kip go now, she wouldn’t see her again. She wasn’t ready to let her go. “After all, there’s still that small matter of the kiss.”
“Now you decide you want it?” Kip gave her a crooked smile.
“Never said I didn’t. Be careful?”
“Trying.”
Jordan stood rooted to the spot as Kip joined the two men, who pivoted in formation and walked her, one on each side, to the SUV. One opened the door, Kip climbed in without looking back, and he slid in beside her. The other got behind the wheel. The blacked-out windows blocked any sign of the passengers. The doors closed, and an instant later, the big black SUV backed down the alley and disappeared.
Jordan waited five minutes for Kip to walk back down, but she didn’t.
Chapter Eighteen
“Morning!” Ty dumped a bag full of cullings into the to-be-burned pile and waved. Her radio—a real radio, not an iPhone or iPod connected wirelessly to miniature speakers somewhere—played an upbeat reggae mix. She moved between the beds with an unconscious rhythm that matched the energy of the music.
Jordan let the fence gate swing shut behind her, looking numbly out over the gardens. What had just happened? Did people really just get whisked off the streets like that, with no warning, with no explanation? Who were those men and what were they doing here? Were there really agents, and agencies, with that kind of power? She supposed she’d always known somewhere in her mind that such people, such organizations, existed, but, like most people, had no reason to think about it, so she didn’t. She didn’t want to think about it now, didn’t want to experience the helplessness and fear she’d felt out there in the alley again, but Kip was gone and she couldn’t not think about that.
She tried to remember everything she could about the bizarre encounter. God, she hadn’t even thought to get the license plate number. Think. What had Kip said? She’d said she worked for them, but what did that mean? It certainly didn’t look like any work relationship Jordan had ever seen. It looked like Kip was going with them against her will. All that was missing was the handcuffs. Was that what she had just witnessed? An arrest? If it was, where had they taken Kip, and what should she do about it?
She should call someone—report what had happened. Find out what the hell was going on.
Who should she call? She didn’t even know where to start. Wait, yes, she did. Kip’s family should be notified.
What had Kip said about her family? Nothing, or almost nothing. Her mother was dead, Jordan knew that. But Kip hadn’t said anything about the rest of her family, nothing Jordan could recall—no names, no childhood anecdotes, no mention of recent phone calls or visits. Now that she thought about it, she knew nothing of Kip’s life outside the confines of their relationship here. She’d never been to her apartment, never met any of her family, never even heard her talk about her friends. Could Kip really be that alone, or was she hiding something?
Jordan shook her head. Of course Kip was hiding something. She very obviously avoided talking about her personal life and even more obviously obfuscated the details of her job. And Jordan hadn’t pushed. She’d rationalized her willingness to accept Kip’s secrecy because she had such an intense need for privacy, because she had always avoided talking about old pains that couldn’t be changed, because she’d stopped short of anything truly personal with anyone she wasn’t forced to be open with herself. Her life wasn’t any different than what she knew of Kip’s. Except for Ty, she didn’t have friends. After her mother died, she’d lost touch with the rest of her family and friends. By choice, yes, but also out of fear. She just didn’t want reminders that hurt.
“Where’s Kip?” Ty dumped the empty bucket and strolled over. “And, more importantly, where are the pastries?”
“Oh—I left them in the tru
ck.”
“I’ll get them. For a second I was afraid you two had polished them all off.” Ty paused and cocked her head. “Jordan? What’s wrong? Where’s Kip? Isn’t she with you, or is she taking the day off?”
“No, she was with me. But she’s…” Jordan paused out of habit, but there was no reason for secrecy at this point. Maybe there never had been any reason, at least not one that was fair to everyone involved. “Two men just picked her up. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”
“Two men.” Ty frowned. “That’s sort of vague. Are you all right? You look…I don’t know, a little stunned.”
Jordan grimaced and ran a hand through her hair. “Shell-shocked, I think. I don’t know who they were. They had badges and they wanted to talk to Kip. She went with them.”
“Police, you mean? From the probation office or something?”
Jordan shook her head. “I don’t think so. They were driving a big SUV and didn’t look like any of the police I’ve ever seen. Their credentials looked federal, at least how I imagine federal credentials would look.”
Ty took an abrupt step back, her eyes widening. “You’re sure? Federal agents?”
The fear in her voice was unmistakable. Jordan blinked away the fog in her brain and focused on Ty. “I think so, why? Does that mean something?”
Ty licked her lips, glancing around the garden as if she expected the two men to jump out from behind the trailer. Of course they were alone. Aside from the rare visitor, they were always alone here.
“Ty?”
“I don’t think you should keep Kip on here any longer.”
“Why? Because she might be in trouble? She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“Obviously she did, that’s why she’s here. And maybe it’s not over, whatever it is.”
Jordan scoffed. “For heaven’s sake. She was driving a car that didn’t belong to her—hardly an international crime.”
“She stole a car?”
“Yes, well, I’m not sure exactly. I don’t know the details.”
“That’s my point!” Ty closed her eyes briefly and sighed. “Listen, I know that you like her. Maybe more than like her, but what do you really know about her? And now, she’s bringing trouble around.”
