“Well then, follow me.”
Malik entered the small pool hall, surprised to find it empty.
“Yeah, business is really booming,” Dwayne observed.
“Something’s wrong.”
Dwayne followed Malik to the back. When they opened a door, an army of men turned and pointed automatic weapons at them. “Friendly business your brother has here,” Dwayne whispered, drawing his hands above his head.
“Dwayne!”
Dwayne recognized Sonya’s voice seconds before she raced from the back of the room with outstretched arms. He opened his arms and embraced her. He leaned his head down against hers as she continued to squeeze him.
Catching a good whiff of his clothes, Sonya pulled back to pinch her nose. “Oh, my. Where have you been?”
“It’s a long story.” Dwayne tried to fold her back into his arms, but she gently pulled away.
“Well, if it isn’t my big bro,” William greeted, walking into the room. All weapons descended. William approached his brother; however, he walked only as far as Sonya when their scent hit him. “Damn, man, where have you been?”
“Can we talk about that later? I would really like to take a bath and get some clean clothes, if you don’t mind.”
“You’ll get no argument from me,” William answered, taking a step back. “Follow me.” He waved to both Malik and Dwayne.
Sonya followed. She didn’t want to be alone with William’s men. She was ecstatic to see Dwayne.
William led them to the rooms located above the pool hall. “You’ll find everything you need in these rooms. Malik, I’ll have to send someone to get you something to wear. None of the clothes I have will fit you.”
Dwayne smiled and slapped Malik on the back. William entered one room, but quickly returned with a stack of clothes for Dwayne.
“I’m sure you can find something in here that will fit you.”
“Thanks.” Dwayne accepted the clothes, then walked to a vacant room. Sonya followed two steps behind.
“Dwayne, there’s so much I have to tell you,” she began.
Dwayne closed the door, and before Sonya could say anything else, he crushed her body to his. He gave her an overpowering kiss that sent her mind reeling. His arms moved around her waist, drawing her even closer. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered, pulling his lips away to nibble on her ear.
Sonya drew in a ragged breath as she tried to hang on to her deteriorating composure. Her head felt light, and she was once again floating on a familiar cloud. When Dwayne stepped away from her, Sonya’s body screamed in protest.
“I’ll be right back.” Dwayne went into the bathroom where Sonya heard him turn on the water. She waited patiently as he took his shower. There was so much she needed to tell him.
Later after Sonya had showered and changed, Dwayne emerged from the bathroom, wearing a pair of black jeans and matching T-shirt.
“Dwayne, how did you escape from Curtis’s men?”
“So Laura did make it back to you?”
Sonya nodded. “She’s back at the motel. Hopefully by now Sharon has moved everything to a safer spot.”
“Safer? Did something else happen while I was away?”
“What didn’t happen? I was drugged, chased—”
“Drugged? Chased?” Dwayne walked over to her. “Are you hurt?”
Sonya turned from him, determined to finish telling him everything. “Sergeant Freeman is in this up to here.” She leveled her hand over her head for emphasis.
“What?” Dwayne thundered.
“Oh, Dwayne, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. This whole thing has gotten out of control.”
“Wait a minute.” Dwayne pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sergeant Freeman and Curtis Durden are in this together?”
Sonya calmed down so she could explain everything clearly to him. She watched the look of disbelief cover his features as she filled him in. When she finished, Dwayne leaned against a desk, deep in thought.
“You mean to tell me, all this has been over your coin necklace?” Dwayne shook his head.
“It is estimated at twenty million dollars.”
Dwayne stood at hearing that. “We need to call the authorities.”
“But the police are in on it.”
“Then we’ll call the FBI. Somebody has to be looking for that coin.”
Sonya paced the room.
“What do you think we should do?” He wasn’t sure what Sonya was thinking.
Sonya turned toward him. “I don’t know what we should do. I don’t even know who we should trust. Nobody is who they appear to be.” Sonya held up her hand and began counting. “Richard, Freeman, Carmen…”
Dwayne cocked an eyebrow. “Carmen?”
Sonya wanted to kick herself. She forgot to tell him about Carmen. “I’m not sure about all the details just yet, but Carmen…Carmen is dead.”
Dwayne blinked, then stared at her. “Dead?”
“After Freeman drugged me, I woke up in an apartment. I found Carmen’s body there.”
“I see.”
Sonya waited while Dwayne turned his back to her.
After a long, deathly silence, he spoke. “Do you know who’s responsible?”
When he faced her again, Sonya squared her shoulders, to prepare for more bad news.
“Anthony’s dead also.”
Sonya’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.”
Sonya closed her eyes as a wave of anger and helplessness washed over her. With every discovery, she felt overwhelmed.
Dwayne closed the gap between them and enclosed Sonya in his arms. She laid her head against his shoulder and sought comfort in his embrace.
“We’ll get through this together,” he promised.
Sonya felt his head lying against her own. She inhaled his fresh scent. Gently Dwayne tipped her head back to capture her lips in a sweet, tantalizing kiss.
A sharp knock at the door jolted them back to reality.
“Who is it?” Dwayne called out.
Sonya stepped out of his arms.
“It’s me, Malik.”
“Come in,” Dwayne instructed.
Malik entered the small room. “I think you two need to come downstairs.”
Within minutes, Malik, Sonya and Dwayne descended the stairs. She was shocked to find the number of people had increased by at least a dozen.
“Miss Walters?” a man dressed in a black suit asked as he stepped into the center of the floor.
Sonya looked around and saw Laura, Sharon and James. “What’s going on?”
“Miss Walters, I’m Special Agent Stephen Rayford.” The man flashed a badge. “I’m with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I was hoping I could ask you a couple of questions.”
Sonya watched the man with mixed emotions. Why am I not happy to see this man? After a month of deceitful people, she wasn’t about to blindly trust this man without proof. “What kind of questions?” she asked with both hands on her hips.
“First of all, I need you to hand over the coin.”
Sonya kept her eyes leveled with Agent Rayford’s. “And what coin is that?”
“The Amaceo coin. It was stolen from the Chansler Museum in New York. It’s my job to retrieve it.” He edged closer to the staircase. “You can make this a lot easier on everyone if you just hand it over.”
Dwayne shook his head. “We need more proof than a possibly fake badge.”
Sonya nodded in agreement.
Agent Rayford glared at Sonya. She glared back. His eyes resembled jet-black marbles. He was tall, very muscular and working-man hard—then suddenly his face broke into a smile, a warm, contagious smile. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his badge again. This time, he walked over and handed it to her.
Sonya inspected Rayford’s badge, then handed it back. She didn’t know whether it was a real badge or not, but she had no other choice than to play along.
“I don’t have the coin,” she confessed. “I hid it.”
>
“Where?”
Sonya stepped from the last stair and walked to a nearby pool table. She hid the coin a few moments before Dwayne and Malik had showed up. She reached inside a corner pocket and pulled it out. Before she could turn around, Rayford reached out and took the coin.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Dwayne said as Sonya slid back into his arms. She ignored the heightened eyebrows from Laura and Sharon.
“Not quite,” Agent Rayford announced. “We need you to help us capture Curtis Durden.”
“Help you? How?” Sonya asked with a sinking feeling.
“We need you to help lure Curtis with this coin—”
“Come again?” Dwayne interrupted.
“Durden needs the coin back. We need Durden. We’ll set up a meeting to make him think he’s getting the coin. Then we’ll catch him. It’s that simple.”
“I don’t see anything simple about it,” Sonya protested. “How do you suppose we get this meeting with Curtis? Just call him on the phone? Invite him over for tea?”
Rayford smiled at her sarcasm. “I’m sure we can get a message delivered.” Rayford singled William out from the crowd with a hard, penetrating look.
“It could be arranged,” William replied.
“Tell him Miss Walters wants to exchange the coin for her freedom. He’ll believe that. It’s important that he thinks that you just want him off your back. He’ll meet you. He’s a desperate man.”
Sonya looked at Dwayne.
“What do you want to do?” he asked, touching her shoulders gently.
Sonya debated her next move. Curtis would continue to haunt her and Laura until he had what he wanted. With that in mind, she had no choice but to go along with Agent Rayford’s plan. “All right, I’ll do it.”
Twenty-four hours later, Dwayne sat in Sonya’s bathroom, running her a hot bath. “I think it’s ready,” he called out.
Sonya appeared in front of the bathroom door. “I can’t begin to tell you what a relief it is to be home.”
“You look tired.”
“I’m nervous. What if something goes wrong?”
“Nothing will go wrong. The FBI is taking care of everything.”
Sonya shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Come on. You need to take a long, hot bath to relax. Everyone will be here in a couple of hours. There are two agents posted on the grounds now. You’re safe.”
Sonya wanted to believe him. “Maybe you’re right.”
Dwayne stood and walked over to her. “I know I’m right.” He leaned down and gave her a long, intoxicating kiss. When he pulled away, Sonya smiled up at him.
Dwayne returned to the edge of the marble and granite tub. His eyes brimmed with passion as Sonya held his gaze. Slowly she moved in front of him, feeling her own passion mounting. When she lifted her cotton T-shirt, she displayed to Dwayne a beautiful, black-laced bra. Her hardened nipples told of her body’s excitement. Dwayne reached up and ran his thumbs along the lacy texture.
Her body exploded with tingling sensations as she unfastened her bra.
Dwayne turned off the water and stood before Sonya. With a smile, she held up his shirt and tossed it into the air. His upper torso was exposed to the warmth of her gaze. She slid her hands to his belt buckle.
“Let me,” he offered.
“This is part of my pleasure,” she protested.
“You mean part of my torment.”
Sonya continued to undress him while feeling his body’s muscles flex and relax beneath her touch. When she finished, she allowed him to undress her.
His movements were slow and deliberate, causing her to take in sharp breaths of air.
Dwayne stepped into the steaming-hot water, then offered his hand to Sonya.
She entered the water, ignoring the first sting surrounding her legs. Her eyes watched Dwayne as he sat in the tub.
“We’re in luck. This tub seems long enough for the two of us,” he whispered.
Sonya nodded and took a seat facing him on his right leg. She reached for the bar of soap lying in its dish and gently began rubbing his body until he was covered with white suds. Their eyes remained locked together. Neither spoke. Both just enjoyed the feel of one another.
Slowly Sonya brought the soap lower. She listened as Dwayne’s breathing became shallow and his eyes closed in anticipation of her next move. Her fingers curled around his shaft as she proceeded to stroke and caress him.
She felt her own wave of desire at knowing she had aroused Dwayne to such a state. She studied the whole man—the broad shoulders, the firmly muscled midriff and slim hips—while her hand explored the silk and steel of his heavy arousal.
Sonya watched his intriguing expressions, then leaned in and kissed him hungrily. Dwayne returned her kiss. The fresh smell of soap enticed Sonya’s senses.
In a flash, Dwayne switched positions with Sonya, sending a wave of water to cover the bathroom floor. “Try to tease me, will you?”
Sonya’s fingers massaged his hair as he brought his mouth down to her breast and lightly touched the swollen tip with rhythmic, flicking motions of his tongue.
He drew her into his mouth, gradually expanding the circle his tongue made until Sonya closed her eyes against the exquisite sensations. Flashes of light played against her eyelids, and her heartbeat seemed to pulse whenever Dwayne moved his tongue.
“Love me, Dwayne,” she pleaded in a voice she hardly recognized.
His fingers raked gently over her abdomen, then lower to take her in a slow, intimate possession. She tightened her muscles at the pleasurable feeling. He relaxed his movements only to begin again. The tip of his tongue caught the edge of her mouth to outline the fullness of her lips before plunging inside.
Sonya released a deep moan and felt her body being lifted from the water. The next thing she knew, Dwayne had placed her on the bed. The silk sheets felt cool, but Dwayne’s skin scorched her own.
“Please,” she whispered, reaching for him. She was full of sensations, but she felt empty without him.
Dwayne didn’t know where he found the strength to be gentle, but with infinite care, he drew Sonya beneath him and entered her.
The first velvet thrust brought her hips upward and pulled him deeper. Again she moaned, surrendering to the fluid pulsing inside her body, the damp rush of hunger for him. Every nerve quivered to life, every impulse centered on the need to absorb him, to deliver herself to him. Sonya’s legs twined around his, resisting him every time he drew back. His pace increased, driving her to a pinnacle, pushing her to a moment of perfect unity with him.
Dwayne paid homage to her perfection with his hands and mouth. He whispered words in the hollow of her throat. He closed his eyes and sank into the euphoria of ecstasy. Every inch of her body molded itself with his. He couldn’t get enough of her. She was addictive as any drug, and Dwayne was in danger of an overdose.
The familiar wave of pleasure rippled through his body as he clutched her closer. He felt her body vibrate against him, then relax. Soon after, Sonya surrendered into a deep sleep.
Hours later, Sonya stood before her full-length mirror. She reached above her right breast to feel the tiny microphone. She was nervous. Can I pull this off? A tight ball of tension attacked her stomach. A soft, comforting hand from Dwayne appeared and gently rubbed her shoulders. She smiled and admired their reflection in the mirror.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“That’s an understatement.” She attempted to laugh. She relaxed and enjoyed the magic his hands performed on her shoulders.
“It will be over soon,” he assured her. He placed a light kiss on the back of her head.
“I wish I could believe that.”
Dwayne turned her around to face him. “Believe it.”
Sonya smiled. “How’s Bridget doing?”
“She’s a little sore, but she’s recovering nicely.”
“I’m sure she’s happy to be home after a week of being in the hospital.”
>
Dwayne placed another kiss against her forehead. “I am, too.” When Dwayne pulled back, he stared into the soft glowing pools of her hazel eyes. There he saw exactly what he had been waiting to see when she looked at him: love. She had never said the words to him, but her actions spoke volumes. He kissed her again.
Sonya wished that she could remain in Dwayne’s arms forever. How did this happen to her? She didn’t need anybody. She had spent a great deal of her life convincing herself of that. Now she had this big, strong man who would do anything for her, including love her for the rest of her life.
She wanted to say the words to him, she needed to say it, but she was afraid. Afraid that suddenly he would turn into what she experienced all men to be like: dominating, demanding and violent. No, her heart screamed, he could never be that.
Sonya pulled away to look at him, “Did you get in contact with Anthony’s family?”
“Yeah. The funeral is tomorrow. Carmen’s is Wednesday,” he said solemnly.
“Dwayne, I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s not your fault. Tonight we’re going to get the one who is responsible for all of this.”
A knock sounded at the door. “Sonya,” Laura called out.
Sonya rushed to answer it. “What’s wrong?”
“You have to come see this.” Laura grabbed her hand and practically dragged her into the guest room where the news was on.
“This just in. The body of Sergeant Francis M.
Freeman, from the Atlanta Police Department, was found late last night in College Park. The police department has issued no official statement but is said to be baffled by the execution-style killing of one of their top men.”
“Dear God,” Sonya whispered. Suddenly she felt her knees weaken. “You don’t think that Curtis killed Sergeant Freeman?”
“We doubt it,” Agent Rayford answered from the door’s entrance. “Mr. Gaetano has been spotted in town.”
“How would you know that?” Dwayne asked with a frown.
“It’s my job to know, Mr. Hamilton.”
“Mr. Gaetano?” Sonya asked Rayford.
“He’s no one to tangle with. He claims his profession is a jack-of-all-trades, and none of them is legal.”
Defenseless Page 25
