At Close Range (Ranger Ops Book 1)

by Em Petrova

  “You all right?” he asked, low.

  She nodded, drawing her arms up to wrap around her middle. His gaze dipped over her breasts, pushed upward from her arms. She swallowed down another leap of excitement.

  “Do you have any news on Antonio?”

  He nodded and then motioned to the cheap sofa. It had been placed in the middle of the room, but Penn had pushed it up against a wall without windows. She felt like she had a hit out on her or something, with all the protective measures he’d taken to keep her safe.

  She moved to the sofa and sank into the corner, drawing her knees up.

  He stood before her, staring down into her eyes for a moment. He pushed out a sigh. “Don’t do that. Don’t shield yourself from me.”

  Before she could guess his intentions, he sat and dragged her into his lap.

  She fell still. This was how it had all begun the other night. With her seated across his steely-hard thighs and him offering up comfort during a difficult situation. One thing had led to another, and…

  She gazed at his mouth, so hard and inviting. Yet she saw a new strain around his lips and corners of his eyes. Whatever had happened out there had affected him.

  “What happened?” she asked softly.

  He gave a light shake of his head. “Can’t say much.”

  “Nash…”

  He surprised her by cupping her cheek in his big palm and staring straight into her eyes. “Tell me you’re all right.”

  “I am.” She leaned into his touch, not knowing if she should be doing this. But she was so drawn to him, to his presence, his touch, even the way he looked at her. It was like she was his marionette, and he had hold of all her strings.

  “Penn was good to you?”

  “Of course. I figured you wouldn’t have left him to watch over me if you had any doubts.”

  A trace of a smile touched his lips but never fully materialized. “I brought you some things, books and magazines, to help pass the time.”

  She had to ask. “What about Antonio?”

  “He’s alive.”

  The words punched the breath right out of her. She hung forward, panting to gain air. Nash drew her against his chest for support, and she leaned against him hard. Her mind battled with doubts—he could be wrong. Others had been over the years. The cops or Texas Rangers would show up asking questions again, and she and her parents knew something had tipped them off or they’d found some clue. But all had been dead-ends.

  Nash had spotted him, though.

  Nash smoothed a hand down her spine. “I know you’re probably shocked to hear it, but I confirmed it myself. Antonio is alive, and we know how to get him. We’re just waiting for the opportunity.”

  “Then…” She could hardly speak, she felt so shaky. “My password helped in some way? It led you to the him somehow? What happened?”

  “I can’t fill you in on everything right now. It’s classified information, and I’m not at leave to discuss it even with you. I’m sorry about that. But I saw him myself, with my own eyes. He’s alive and has been forced into service by some men who deal in a lot of illegal online activity. Your brother hacked them ten years ago, and that put him on their radar. They lured him down here to discuss a partnership that would set him and his family members up for life—then they nabbed him and now he’s a slave for them, pure and simple.”

  She pushed back to stare at Nash. His jaw worked as though he was grinding his teeth, and the warmth in his eyes was replaced by a cold, hard expression she didn’t want to meet in a dark alley.

  “Is he harmed?”

  “Not outwardly, no.”

  She didn’t want to think about the toll such a life the past decade had taken on Antonio. But he was alive! They’d deal with everything else later.

  “My parents will be so happy! Oh my God, I need to contact them.”

  He held her in place, locking her to his lap before she could move off. “You can’t do that, Nevaeh. We have to take our time with this and do things in order. We can’t risk your brother’s life, and it was bad enough those guys—” He broke off, lips pressed together, sealing in anything more he was about to say.

  She made an involuntary noise in her throat that had his eyes clearing and his gaze riveted on hers once more.

  “I promise I will get him outta there, Nevaeh.”

  “I know you will. If anyone can, it’s you and your men. You’ve gotten so much further than anybody yet.”

  He didn’t respond to her statement but brushed a tendril of her loose hair behind her ear, raising a shiver in her. “Tell me what you’ve been doing the past few days.”

  She fumbled to find anything to say besides dwelling on everything that could go wrong. That she’d go home without a brother again… or never see Nash again.

  “Not much. Eating. It seems like Penn feels he needs to bring me a lot of food.”

  He chuckled. “Probably because he eats nonstop and always has. As kids, our mother found out he was eating some of my portions too. He was always bigger than me, even though he was younger. Then I hit my growth spurt and evened things out.”

  A smile touched her lips, thinking of Nash as a child and hearing about his past. He was letting her in, if even a little bit. And surely he wouldn’t do that with just anybody. He trusted her enough to share this story.

  “Brothers can be a pain,” she said, swallowing hard.

  “They can.” He cradled her cheek again, this time breathing harder. She struggled with the urge to lean forward and press her lips against his, to feel his hardness again and know the complete abandon of letting go.

  “Hell…” The word came off his lips as a puff of air.

  “Nash, we didn’t discuss what happened between us.”

  He locked his gaze onto her mouth. She squirmed closer to him.

  When he swooped in and captured her lips, she gasped out. He crushed her to his chest, and she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders as he plundered her without hesitation, without apology.

  She burned for more, kissing him back with everything in her. When he laid her back on the couch and worked his hand under her top to cup her breast, she gave a cry. This passion, lust or whatever it was between them was too strong for her to deny, and she didn’t want to be alone anymore.

  She towed him down atop her, loving the feel of his weight and the way his shoulders sheltered her so perfectly. When he breached her bra and began to toy with her nipples, she strained upward.

  Leaning on one shoulder, he freed both hands and plunged one into her shorts. Her panties were already damp, and she flooded with desire at the first touch of his callused fingers.

  Reaching down, she popped the button and slid down the zipper to give him better access, and he doubled his kiss, tormenting her with each pass of his tongue through her mouth.

  One fingertip rested against her clit. She bucked upward to get closer to it. He pressed down, applying the scantest touch that was driving her crazy.

  “I’ve never needed anybody this way,” she rasped.

  His eyes were darker than ever. His eyelids slipped downward to cover the blazing depths. “Ask me to touch this sweet pussy.”

  “Yes! Nash, touch me.”

  Without hesitation, he circled her stiff nubbin. Electric pleasure rushed through her. Her hips moved by themselves, and he continued to drive her upward toward an unseen pinnacle, hard and fast.

  She clung to him, found his lips. The moment stretched on, and her body grew tauter. When she started to shake from the force of the orgasm coming her way, he raised his head and stared into her eyes.

  “Come for me. Now.”

  The command was too much. She gave in, floating on air as he continued to strum her clit through the waves of her release. She curled toward him, and he eased his arm under her spine to draw her even closer. The silence filling the air was charged with so many unspoken words, yet she didn’t know how to tell him how he made her feel just now.

  She’d just
have to show him.

  She reached for his fly, but he drew his fingers from her shorts and stopped her.

  “Nevaeh.”

  “Yes?”

  “I can’t compromise you further. I’ve already done enough damage.”

  He pulled back and stood, leaving her feeling more confused about how to take back her life, to take what she wanted, than ever.

  * * * * *

  Damage—that fucking word didn’t begin to cover it. Why the hell had he given up all control and touched her? Just laying hands on her did unspeakable things to his insides, and it didn’t have to do with his need to get off, either.

  When she gave him that look, how could he resist?

  He couldn’t.

  He hadn’t—twice now.

  Maybe it was the shit he’d had to do back there on the outskirts of the city in order to protect the Ranger Ops’ position. He’d also done it for Antonio Vincent, and that had a lot to do with Nevaeh too.

  Find Antonio, make Nevaeh happy.

  Only it wasn’t his damn job to make people happy, only stop crime, find justice. Things had gotten goddamn complicated, though.

  He stepped into the kitchen. Bringing his fingers to his nose to catch her feminine scent was his first mistake. Or his second or third, who the hell knew by this time? He was wrecked, his cock throbbing with the demand to go back there, gather that beautiful woman into his arms and find the closest bed.

  Locating the bathroom, he washed his hands and forced his dick back into a more comfortable position in his jeans. The need was real, but he couldn’t let it control him.

  He also felt like a fucking jerk for walking away from Nevaeh like that. When he returned to the living room, she was nowhere to be seen, so he had to explore the house until he found a closed door.

  Rapping softly, he said, “Nevaeh?”

  She didn’t reply. Shit, what now?

  “Nevaeh, darlin’, open up. We need to talk.”

  No response.

  He listened hard at the door but didn’t hear a noise inside. His mind kicked into high gear, propelling him toward a conclusion that she was inside that room, in trouble. Maybe someone had sneaked inside and taken her hostage while he was washing her delicious juices off his hands to keep himself from licking his fingers clean.

  “Nevaeh!”

  No answer. That does it.

  Shoving hard with his shoulder, he busted the door inward. She whirled at his forced entry, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded.

  He scanned her body and their surroundings, but she was safe. No intruder, just his overactive mind at work.

  “You didn’t answer the door.”

  “Because I didn’t feel like talking to you, Nash. You broke the lock and handle!”

  “I had to make certain you were safe.”

  “Safe? What would I be doing?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. Things were getting out of control, and fast. He had to get hold of himself and the situation.

  “Look, I want to talk to you. What just happened—”

  “Was nothing.”

  Fuck, that hurt. It shouldn’t, but it did. He also deserved it.

  But he couldn’t let things drop this way. He wasn’t an asshole.

  He stepped forward and took her by the shoulders. Holding her in place, he stared into her eyes. “Nevaeh, I’ve already broken about a hundred rules just by touching you. Christ, it’s not that I don’t want to. But I have to stay focused, to find your brother.”

  “I know,” she said in a hollow way. “I thought of it after you left days ago, that we couldn’t let anything happen between us again. Then I saw you, and I guess I went a little crazy.”

  Damn, that made him feel like a king, and he didn’t deserve it. His grip on her shoulders turned into a caress. He kneaded at the tense knots in her shoulders. “You’re a strong and special woman.”

  She sighed. “I can’t be anything but strong. I had to be here for my parents all these years. As soon as they’d begin their lives again, it seemed a short time later some Texas Ranger would show up asking questions, and then they’d sink back into that same old despair. Their grief never had resolution, and how could it when they were constantly being reminded of their son being missing? I had to hold them together more often than not.”

  “And you’re amazing because of that. Many daughters might have run to escape it or turned to substance abuse. You’ve shown what you’re made of.”

  She eyed him. “What are you getting at, Nash?”

  He laughed, an unexpected sound in the quiet of the house. “See? Smart too.”

  “Now I know you’re trying to get me to do something. What is it? Because if you want me to go back to Texas now, you’re about to see just how strong I am.”

  Smoothing his hands down her arms, he shook his head. “You have a radar, don’t you? Ever considered the Texas Rangers?”

  Her expression softened. “No. Now tell me what it is.”

  He steered her to sit down on the bed and sank next to her, close but not touching. It was difficult to think with the silky feel of her under his hands, and he couldn’t risk not getting this question across.

  “A few days back we came across some women who we’d rescued from a man who was terrorizing them. It was clear they’re in the skin trade, but that’s no reason. We got them to safety, questioned them and let them go. But when we ran across them again, we found them drugged out of their minds and back in it. Not surprising.”

  She twisted her fingers together, listening.

  Nash went on, “One said something that had my guy on alert, and he was listening close. He took them into custody and kept them until the shit was out of their systems and they could answer our questions. They offered some information about the habits of the men who nabbed Antonio, and from there, we began scouting local hangouts and bars. We approached the cops about it, but that’s a fucking dead end. Those guys don’t give a damn about our problem. Anyway…”

  He took her hands to stop the twisting action, gently untwining her fingers and clasping them in his own. She relaxed a bit, and he continued.

  “We were frustrated at this point and about to switch to another approach, when I found a kid who steered us to an old lady.”

  “An old lady? Is she someone’s mother or something?”

  “No. She’s a woman who lives on an upper floor of a building near one of theirs. While she sits on her landing, looking harmless, she sees things.”

  “And she knows where Antonio is?” Hope was written over her face.

  “Not exactly. And she wasn’t one to talk freely either. Clearly, she’d lived long enough to know whether or not to spill information.”

  “But she did talk.” Nevaeh clutched his hand, her statement forceful as if she was trying to make it so because she wanted it so badly.

  He nodded. “She gave us some information, yes. But in trade.”

  “Trade. Money?”

  “No. She has enough of that, but what she needed was help.”

  “What kind of help? Are those men terrorizing her too?”

  “No, this is something totally different. First, she pulled us into her house, all six of us, and insisted on feeding us. Total strangers to her, but she didn’t care.”

  “Oh, an abuela for sure.”

  He nodded at the mention of grandmother. “Yes, and great food too. Anyway, when we were finished eating, she asked us to do some things for her around her place. Her door handle wasn’t working in one room and a window wasn’t opening in another.”

  Nevaeh’s eyes popped in surprise. “She needed handymen?”

  “Seems so. She has family, of course, but says they’re busy working too much. Said that’s the trouble with young people, never slowing down to live. Anyhow, I digress. She asked for something else.”

  “Okay,” she drawled out, suspecting Nash was coming to a conclusion.

  “She wants
to throw her granddaughter a huge Quincinera party, but she doesn’t have the help.”

  “Shit. This is where you offered for me to go help, isn’t it?”

  “See? I said you were smart.”

  She jumped off the bed and took two steps, folding her arms across her chest. Hell, even when she scowled, she looked beautiful. “I’m supposed to go help this old woman prepare for a party?”

  He stood and took her by the hands again. “Look, there’s no lowly task in a team. We need you, Nevaeh. We don’t have time for this, but she gave us information that was very helpful, and it’s a repayment. Besides, she might think of something else that could help, and you would be in a position to talk to her in a relaxed atmosphere.”

  “So while we chop peppers and onions, we talk about what crimes the jerks across the street are committing?”

  “Something like that, yeah. Look, I won’t force you into doing this, but I’m asking. Besides, she really is nice and could use some help. You’d be safe with her, and I’ll have Penn posted outside the building to watch over you both.”

  “Damn. How am I supposed to say no to this? I want to do anything I can to find Antonio and get him back. I’m closer than I’ve ever been since the day he disappeared. So yes, of course, I’ll do it. But I have to confess I’m not very good at talking to people. I’m too quiet and awkward.”

  “You talk to me easily. You’ll be fine. It’s settled. Now gather your things.” He didn’t add: Before I kiss you and we never leave this room. But it was all he could think.

  Chapter Six

  How had Nevaeh gotten herself into this situation? She was a simple bookkeeper, a good daughter and her favorite thing was catching a Saturday matinee alone. Now she was standing in a strange woman’s kitchen, spit-shining every surface to the woman’s strict instructions.

  It seemed the family didn’t often come to visit the dear old woman with the charming name of Altagracia. She was old-school to the core, set in the ways she did things, even scrubbing the kitchen.

  As she worked, Nevaeh listened to Altagracia’s broken English interspersed with Spanish here and there when her English failed her. The entire first day was spent cleaning the kitchen until every pot and surface gleamed. By then Nevaeh had listened to tales of all the woman’s seven children who were scattered throughout Mexico and her sixteen grandchildren, the youngest of which was turning fifteen soon and would receive a special gift of her grandmother’s party.