“I’m crying because I’m happy.”
“Happy? You cry when you’re happy?”
She laughed at the confused look on his face. “Well, not normally. Actually, I’m not much of crier.”
“Then it was something I did?”
This strong, tough-ass man was displaying his vulnerable side and she loved it. Needing to touch him, she stroked her hand down his bald head to his cheek, whisking away a tear with her thumb.
“Yes, it was something you did. For the first time in my life I felt what it was like to be loved.” Could she make him understand what it meant to have him make love to her while speaking the words at the same time? “This is going to sound juvenile, probably just plain stupid. While you had my defenses down I could feel your love and when you whispered it in my ear, I don’t know, it just all fell into place. Something clicked inside me.” Acknowledging the emotions brought more tears.
“So, you believe that I love you?”
“Yes.”
“No more bull about all I want is sex. You believe I love you?”
“Yes, yes, I believe you.”
“It’s about time.”
“That’s not all.” She couldn’t wait to see his face when she laid this on him. “Carl. I love you too.”
If she only had a camera she could keep this moment forever. His eyes grew wide, his lips quivered and a fresh wave of tears flowed. The acceptance of her declaration was immediate and relief was clear. She finally gave him what he’d wanted.
“You love me,” he whispered.
Ronnie could only laugh.
“You love me,” he shouted. “You hear that world? She loves me.”
Ronnie opened her mouth to say something only to be stopped by his mouth crushing down on hers. After a few seconds the harsh kiss softened into a sweet, mellow caress that caused her to sigh. Time passed as they lay flesh to flesh, kissing and muttering promises of forever.
Eventually Ronnie’s spent body succumbed to sleep. For the first time ever she drifted off with a smile on her lips.
* * * * *
Ricochet dozed next to her for nearly an hour. When he woke, he kissed her forehead and then slid away. As much as he loved looking at her soft, brown, naked body relaxed on the tattered bed, he pulled a blanket over her to shield her from the chill in the room.
He still couldn’t believe it. She loved him. That fact wasn’t something he took lightly and he considered it a gift he would cherish forever. Feeling complete and whole he snatched up the radio and strutted to the bathroom like a proud peacock.
The sun was setting and since he hadn’t heard from Kong for hours he decided to check in.
“Hey, Kong, you there buddy?”
“You got me. Everything okay?”
“Everythin’ is fine.”
“You sound like your feeling better.”
“I feel like a million bucks.” There was still a dull pounding in his head, but right now it didn’t compare to the euphoria he was experiencing.
“And Ronnie?”
“It was rough goin’ for a while. Who am I kiddin’? It was hell, but she worked through it. You know how it is. All the questions and shit.”
“I know.”
“She still has some issues to work out but they won’t be as difficult as acceptin’ what she did.”
“That’s good, buddy. I’m glad to hear it.”
“She told me she loves me, man.” He was aware others were listening but he didn’t care. To him it was nothing to be ashamed of.
“Ya don’t say?”
“I do say. So listen, we need to wrap this thing up so I can concentrate on some other areas.”
Kong chuckled into the radio. “You aren’t the only one who wants to wrap this up.”
“The doctor appointment is today isn’t it?”
“Yeah it is. I called and asked if she wanted me to come back for it. She pretty much told me she didn’t want me there.”
“Ouch.”
“I understand, really. There’ll be a lot of poking and prodding in areas I won’t like. She don’t need me making things uncomfortable for her.”
“Understand that.”
“Hey, Rico. Welcome to the club,” Boomer injected.
“What club is that?”
“The one where you’re tied down too. Told ya it would happen.”
Ricochet snickered into the radio. “This has to be the first time I’m glad you’re right about somethin’. So what’s the plan? We still sittin’ still?”
“He’s gotta show up sooner or later. Is she sleeping?”
“Affirmative.”
“When she wakes up, send her over to the diner to eat. That’s about the furthest I’m willing to let her go right now. If he doesn’t make a move soon, we’ll discuss something else.”
“Copy that. I could use some food.”
“Sorry, buddy. She goes alone.”
“I know, I know. She can still bring somethin’ back.”
“Okay. Let us know when she’s ready to head out.”
“Copy that.”
“And, Ricochet, congratulations buddy.”
* * * * *
The sound of running water drifted into Ronnie’s dreams, stirring her into that in-between state. There she drifted until Ricochet’s blissful whistling pulled her the rest of the way out. Groggy, she stretched her long body until her muscles protested.
“Ouch.” She hurt in places she hadn’t hurt before, but it was a good hurt. Her stomach grumbled and rolled.
“Sounds like someone needs somethin’ to eat.”
Ricochet strolled over to the bed and sat next to her.
“Mornin’, beautiful.”
“Morning?” She glanced up at the small window. It wasn’t dark, but it wasn’t exactly light out either. “I didn’t sleep that long did I?”
“No, only about an hour and a half.”
“Good.” Her stomach rumbled again. “I’m hungry.”
“Kong wants you to take a stroll over to the diner and get your face seen.”
She didn’t like the idea of going over there again. Too many pitiful glances from strangers, but she was too hungry to argue. “Okay. I’ll get cleaned up and head over. What are you hungry for?”
“Anythin’ you bring back is fine with me.”
When she slung her legs over the side of the bed she moaned. “I’m going to have to get in better shape.”
“I guess I was too hard on ya.”
His apologetic tone made her smile. “No, you could never be too hard, in fact, you were exactly the right hardness.”
It took only a second for him to understand what she meant. A bright, proud smile spread across his face. The male ego was such an easy thing to manipulate, but she had to admit, she wasn’t just stroking his ego, she was telling the truth.
“I need to get a hot shower and steam some of the ache out. I’d ask you to join me but it looks like you’ve already been that route.”
He stood, pulling her against his body. “Oh I could join ya,” he said pressing her to his growing erection and letting her know he was up for another round, “but I think a rest period is in order for you.”
“And who are you? Telling me what I need.” She deliberately gave him a cold, stern glare hoping her insincerity didn’t show in her eyes.
“I’m your man and your man knows what’s best for you.”
To show his authority he reached behind her, grasped her bare cheeks and squeezed. And yet another well-hidden place on her body woke, aching. He was right. She did need a rest period.
“You win this round,” she hissed through her teeth. “I really need to soak for a few hours.” As much as she hated to do it, she dragged herself away from his hard, half naked body and gingerly took a few steps. “The next one won’t be so easy.”
“Easy is somethin’ you ain’t.”
She shrieked when his large, wide hand popped across her backside. Her flesh stung like he’d taken a
whip to it. Not bothering to look back she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door.
The hot water felt like heaven. She allowed herself about half an hour to steam before reluctantly climbing out. She was still tired, a little sore and a lot hungry. When this was over she wanted to eat a huge steak dinner, sleep for two days straight and then wake up and make love to Ricochet for hours on end. Then they’d see who needed a rest.
When she walked back out into the room Ricochet was on the radio with Kong. Not really caring what they discussed she proceeded to dress, towel dry her hair and pull it back into a tight ponytail.
“Yeah, she’s about ready to head out,” he said into the radio.
After Kong signed off, Ricochet patted the bed beside him. “Come over here a minute.”
“Why, you have some more brutality you wanna exact on my tender flesh?”
He shook his head and silently laughed. “I wanna talk to ya.”
There was serious look in his eye, one that made her muscles tense. He had something serious to say. “What is it?” she asked sitting next to him.
“I want you to think about somethin’ while you’re alone. I want you to think about what it is you’d like to do when this is over. Think hard about it, okay. I don’t mean what you’re gonna do in the next few weeks, cause I’ve got that covered, but what path you want your life to take.”
“Wow, that’s deep coming from you,” she kidded.
“I’m serious now. Your life is yours, you decide what you want and we’ll talk about it.”
God, he was serious, how scary was that. “Okay.”
“Now, go get some dinner before your stomach starts taking revenge.”
Not sure what to say, she stood, walked to the door, placed her hand on the knob and paused. “Carl…”
“We’ll talk when you get back. Take some time alone and think. And stop callin’ me Carl. Every time ya do somethin’ bad happens.”
Chapter Nineteen
She turned and smiled at him as a chill ran down her spine. Ignoring it she opened the door and stepped out into the cool early evening air. As she walked across the street she wrapped her arms around herself. The back of her neck prickled and her senses seemed to be on alert.
It was Ricochet’s fault, making her think about the rest of her life when some prick still out there wanted her dead. Why couldn’t this wait? What was so damn crucial about her making a decision about the rest of her life right now?
She stepped into the diner and looked around. It was fairly busy for early evening. As she swept the dining room with her eyes she noticed they were all older people. Early bird specials, she’d bet. Wednesdays were like that, or was it Wednesday? God, she didn’t even know the date, much less the day.
She found a table for two off in the corner and settled in. As she scanned the menu her mind drifted. What was it she wanted for her life now? Everything she focused on was gone now. Grear was dead, his militia would be pulled apart piece by piece and people would return to the level of safety that had been before Grear stepped into office.
There were still people out there who would need help. She could always continue her private investigation business, but, somehow that didn’t appeal to her anymore. Working alone didn’t seem right either. Wasn’t that a laugh? The Rogue didn’t want to take on the world by herself anymore.
She’d grown accustomed to working with Gunner and Dragon. She liked them, and they liked her. Sam treated her like an equal. Kong and Boomer saw her as a teammate. It didn’t hurt having Cannon behind her either. And then there was Ricochet.
That was a whole different story. Could they work together and not end up hating each other? Wait, now she was getting a head of herself. She was only there to get training. No one asked her to become a permanent part of the team. Hell, they may be expecting her to leave as soon this jerk was caught.
Did this mean she wanted to stay at W&S? Wow, that was something to contemplate. She unrolled her napkin, flattened it out and flagged down a waitress.
“Do you have a pen I could borrow for a while?”
“Sure, you can use this one.” The older woman said pulling one from her pocket.
The best thing for her to do was make a kind of pro and con list. Working through it this way could help her narrow down where she wanted to go. Immersed in what she was doing, she didn’t notice the man standing next to the table, pulling out the chair to sit.
When she felt the hard barrel of a gun press against her kneecap her heart stuttered and her lungs seized. Very slowly she cast her eyes up from the table and centered on the man sitting across from her.
“If you’re as smart as I think you are you’ll keep your mouth shut and do what I tell you. There are a hell of a lot of innocent people in here who won’t get to finish their meal if you try to make a scene.”
His voice was calm, deliberate and chilled her insides.
“You’d kill all these people just to get to me?”
The corner of his mouth drew up. “What do I have to lose?”
“Good point.” Desperation drove people to the brink and he had to be as desperate as they came.
She studied his features, trying to remember seeing him while she was under Grear’s so-called care. He didn’t look dangerous, at least not at first. He was a pleasant-looking man, with sharp, high cheekbones, a square jaw and fine chiseled nose. His brown hair was cut short and parted on the side. Muscular arms were attached to an equally muscular chest. She placed his age at about mid-forties.
Of all the men she saw that night, she didn’t recall him. If he was supposed to be Grear’s main man, why was he in the back ground?
“Do I know you?” Wouldn’t hurt to play dumb.
“Let’s not play games, Veronica. You know exactly who I am.”
“Afraid not. You seem to know who I am.”
“Then let me refresh your memory. You should be dead. You should have died that day at the camp. Unfortunately my boss was busy grandstanding, giving your friends time to infiltrate. You should have died two nights ago, but once again he’d rather hear himself talk and your friends came to the rescue once more. Any of this jog your memory?”
“A little.” If she could stall him, keep him at the table for while, maybe the guys would realize something was up and come looking for her. “I don’t remember seeing you.”
“I stay out of the limelight. You did a nice job luring me here. I haven’t seen your friends but something tells me they’re around.”
“If you know they’re around, why come for me?”
He smiled, a wicked, evil smile. “I don’t like unfinished business, and you are unfinished.”
Unfinished. That word slammed her in the gut. Maybe that’s why she didn’t feel settled yet. Grear was dead, but as long as this man walked and breathed, a part of him still lived. The ultimate good soldier ready to carry on his mentor’s work.
“So you intend to carry on for him?”
“No, not at all. I never did buy into Grear’s thinking.”
“Then why work for him? Why kill innocent people on his say-so when you didn’t believe in what he was trying to do?” At least Grear had a motive, a goal for his actions, this man did it for what? “Money,” she answered herself.
“See. I knew you were smart.”
“All that killing for money. God, I’m not sure who the bigger monster is. You or him.”
“You hurt my feelings. It didn’t start out for the money. He took me in, gave me responsibility when no one else would. At first I believed the shit he spewed, but as time passed he began to lose sight of his basic goal. The power went to his head and the higher he went, the more twisted his head got. Shame, really. If he’d kept his wits about him he could have done some real good for this country.”
“I still don’t get it. If you two were so tight, why didn’t you try to drag his ass back on track? Ya know, smack him in the head and knock that high and mighty attitude out of him?”
He mad
e a tsk, tsk sound while shaking his head. “You don’t smack Grear. You don’t tell him he’s wrong. I disposed of enough people who thought they could. I learned.”
“Are you the one who butchered that little girl?” Anger blossomed in her gut. If this bastard was the mastermind behind that she’d snap his head like she had Grear’s.
“Don’t insult me,” he snapped quietly. “Even I’m not that big a monster. Neither of us ordered that. Hell, we didn’t even know about it until it was too late. Grear didn’t seem to mind but it pissed me off. I have my limits and dragging a child into it went too far.”
So there was a tiny thread of humanity in him. She could work with that.
“Let me ask you something. Did you enjoy all the killing?”
“Why?”
“Just curious.”
He rubbed his jaw, as if he had to think about it. “Never thought about it. I just did the job.”
Maybe she was wrong. Maybe the humanity in him was a ruse.
“Will it bother you to kill me?”
“Believe it or not, it will. You were a challenge. Something I never got with all the others. I admire your determination going up against the mighty Grear. Not to mention your ability to slip out of his grip not once, but twice.” He chuckled. “You really pushed his buttons. The mention of your name sparked a short fuse.”
“Glad to know I gave him some level of misery,” she muttered.
“Well, this has been fun, but we have unfinished business. And I don’t need your friends interfering.” He pressed the barrel of the gun hard against her knee. “Let’s go.”
Basic self defense taught to fight being taken away from a public area. But this guy would start shooting innocents without even blinking. She had no choice. She had to leave with him. Once they were alone, that was a different story.
“Very slowly now.” he warned.
She stood, stepped in front of him and cringed when the gun found its home in the middle of her back. Steady she told herself. Don’t give him any reason to pull the trigger. Once they were out the door, the team would see what was going on and she’d be home free. She had to believe that.
Ricochet's Rogue (Agent of Mercy, Book Three) Page 26
