Criminal Alliance

by Angi Morgan

  “That’s one way to take care of things.”

  He had his shirt over his head before she finished speaking. The belt followed while he toed off his boots. Yeah, everything landed on top of the mass of blanket and clothes. He didn’t care.

  The three triangles of lace beckoned. Teasing. Testing his limits of control. Ripping them off might be considered too...too something rude. His brain wasn’t working, so it was probably true.

  Man, did he want underneath those triangles.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Wade reached out, grabbing her hand as he jumped onto the bed, pulling Therese down with him. She giggled like a teenager. Maybe more like a nervous college girl. But she wasn’t nervous.

  Wade was just...fun. Their circumstances aside, she loved being with him.

  He drew her next to him on top of the cool sheets. One arm under her head, the other under his own. She stared at the ceiling fan, spinning and cooling her skin.

  Suddenly feeling awkward and not nearly as brave as when she’d disrobed, she tried to cover some of her midriff. But she wasn’t going there. She would be bold and decisive with this man. She threw her arm out, landing on his chest.

  Still watching the fan spin its blades in a circle, she drew the same shape across Wade’s tanned chest, inching lower.

  He drew in a deep breath through his teeth and captured her hand in his. “Whoa, how can you be so chilly?” He rubbed the back of her hand, keeping her fingertips just at the top of his jeans.

  “Hey, not fair. There’s still a major portion of you covered up.” She gave a quick tug on a belt loop.

  “Right.” He popped up and tugged his jeans and socks off like they were on fire.

  Maybe he was. She certainly needed the fan to cool off as he sat on the edge of the bed and slipped out of his boxers. The slight darkening of bruises from where he’d been hit by Rushdan’s men almost brought her back to reality.

  But instead she lay back on the bed on her elbows, watching him. Then he joined her, tangling their bodies together. She marveled at his warm, naked flesh touching every inch of hers.

  The warmth soon became volcanic heat as he used all of himself—skin, hands and mouth—to touch most of her. Her cursed underwear was still between them.

  “Did you answer your question?” he said before another round of strokes across her good lace bra.

  “What?” she barely got out.

  “About whether this is a good idea or not.” He kissed his way to her belly button.

  It is a super good idea. She enjoyed every second of his attention and wanted to be serious. But she laughed. Partly because his fingers slightly tickled and partly because he just made her feel good.

  “Yes, my...my own question.” Oh, man. How could she still think, let alone speak, with what he was accomplishing?

  Wade kissed and explored and didn’t ask any more questions. Her entire body shattered with reaction and kept her from thinking. Feeling became everything. The man used his hands—belly, hips, top of the lace, sides, bottom, then back to repeat. When his thumbs hooked the edges of the lace across her breasts, she clapped her hands over his to keep them still.

  He paused until she slid her hands up his forearms. Then he gently raised her until his teeth could tease her nipples through the lace. Again and again he kissed, nipped and laved. Until...

  “Enough!” she shouted, her voice bouncing off the ceiling and four walls. “Enough.”

  She pushed at Wade’s shoulders, rolling him to his back. Sitting up, she bent her arms behind her back and unlatched the device she’d forever remember as being pure torture. She looked back at her partner, hoping she hadn’t hurt his feelings.

  Wade shamelessly grinned as her bra uncupped her breasts and fell to the bed.

  “You did that deliberately.” She quickly moved, shoving him deeper into the mattress, then sat across his lap and pinned him to the bed. Her intention had been to tickle him until he begged for mercy but that plan soon changed as they both realized where she was now located.

  Wade’s laughter became a raspy, long release of breath. His hands reached for her breasts but she leaned back, pushing their bodies closer together. Then he sucked in a breath, holding it while she controlled their movements.

  She allowed his thumbs to trace the remaining lace outline, closing her eyes before they gave away all the emotion she attempted to regulate. His breathing quickened as his hands skidded to her waist. She opened her eyes, seeing his closed as he spread his hands over her hips, pulling her down as his hips thrust upward.

  She couldn’t believe she was about to climax and technically they hadn’t done... Well, technically. His jaw clenched as he kept them together but separate. Her hands slid across his chest, allowing her body to melt into his.

  Then she exploded. An outburst that demanded all her energy and concentration. Wade used his body to keep her erupting. Weak with emotion, she collapsed onto his chest.

  Wanting the same feeling for him, she pushed her panties aside, but he grabbed her hands, lacing his fingers through hers.

  “Wait,” he rasped. “We need...on the left.”

  How he kept his wits about him she’d never know. They needed protection. She rolled off him and scrambled to reach the nightstand. Wade didn’t move. His breathing was still ragged or very controlled.

  It was her turn to grin.

  And drive him wild.

  Already so close, she wondered just how long he’d last if she... She didn’t need to think it through. Just do it.

  She rolled the condom into place and stretched a leg across his, almost back where she’d enjoyed such tremendous pleasure. But she slid onto his thighs, teasing his belly with her fingers. Letting her long hair fall and caress until he swooped it into one hand and held one finger silently out to stop her.

  “Therese,” he pleaded in a whisper. “Forgive me.”

  Feeling and emotion rushed over her as Wade flipped her onto her back and they were one in an instant. But it wasn’t over. Not for a while.

  Wade had asked for forgiveness, but he didn’t seem to be in a hurry. His body tensed and pulsed over her, around her, in her. She’d only thought she’d experienced pleasure minutes before.

  Again and again he moved until they both reached a place she’d rarely been. They both stilled after one long appreciative kiss.

  It was wonderful. Something she’d hold close to her soul for a very long time. She drifted off with the sweet thought of a lifetime of possibilities.

  When she awoke, the room had gone from bright afternoon to a shadowy dusk. They’d slept for the past hour. She’d lay there watching the same fan turn in circles, attempting not to truly think about what she wanted. Or how much she hoped the assignment with Rushdan Reval would soon be over.

  “Wade?” Therese gently shook his shoulder. “We should probably get up.”

  “Did you fall asleep?” he mumbled from his pillow.

  “A bit. Too much on my mind.”

  Instead of getting up, Wade lifted her arm, rolled to his stomach and laid his head on her shoulder. He had a perfect view of her breasts, but his eyes had closed again. To his credit, the man was running on less than a couple of hours’ sleep.

  “My God, is today only Saturday?” she asked.

  “Mmm,” he sort of agreed. “You hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “I say we clean up and order some Italian. You like pasta? You aren’t afraid of some carbs, are you?”

  “I love carbs and I love Italian.”

  “Nice.” He moved his free hand next to her head and played with her hair, bringing it across his face. “God, you smell good. Makes me hungry all over again.”

  “That’s wonderful to hear. I thought I smelled like horses.”

  “Nope. Like peach ice cream.”

  “
That’s my shampoo. Peaches and cream.”

  His movements stopped and his breathing evened out as he fell back to sleep. Minutes passed and she gently freed her hair and tried to slide from under Wade.

  “I’m awake,” he said, lifting his head, but quickly dropped it again to her chest along with a quick kiss. “I’ll see if Heath can pick up from Mariano’s around the corner. He needs to take a look at the phone Sal gave us.”

  “I should probably get up, then.” She tried once again to slide free from Wade’s weight.

  He moved quickly, placing a hand on either side of her body and moving his over her completely. “You sure you’re hungry?”

  He lowered his mouth to hers, tangling their tongues as he tangled their legs. They kissed deeply, continuously as their bodies moved in an age-old rhythm again.

  There was so much to talk about, so much to plan, to discover. But it could wait. She’d waited long enough for this human contact...however much he could give her, for however long.

  Whatever happened between them, she could only hope it happened again and again.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Something had changed. Wade had a lump in his gut that had nothing to do with eating. The pasta he’d ordered for dinner had been fine. But somehow, something had changed.

  He cared.

  Before this afternoon, he had taken a beating to keep her safe. But now... The protectiveness that overwhelmed him could become a problem later on. Hell, he’d already gotten the look from Heath.

  Heath had played the part of delivery boy. Italian food along with the necessary equipment to clone the burner phone Sal had given them. Not to mention his opinion about the unprecedented interagency cooperation he’d been observing.

  But no one had any new information to clue them in on what Rushdan Reval, Public Exposure or another buyer would actually do with the algorithm. Everyone was still in the dark. By cloning the phone, the FBI, Homeland and the Texas Rangers could listen in and get up-to-the-minute knowledge about their movements and any instructions Reval sent.

  The time frame Sal had originally set had long come and gone. The phone they’d been given sat between them on a TV tray. Every few minutes, Therese would pick it up, turn the screen on and then set it back down. No messages. No calls.

  After Heath left, Wade tried to open his mouth a couple of times to ask what was wrong. Because things between them seemed awkward now. There were lots of reasons he should ask and one big one why he shouldn’t. They were on the job. They couldn’t afford to become any more distracted than they already were.

  Right. No distractions.

  Like watching her flip her hair off her shoulder or wanting to wrap the stray strand around his finger or use it to pull her to him for a kiss.

  Therese was a helluva distraction. His mind was completely occupied by finding reasons not to take her back to bed. A great idea, but it had to wait until they no longer had to deal with Reval. Or find an algorithm before a domestic terrorist group bought it. An algorithm no one could speculate how dangerous it had become.

  At least he hadn’t thought about it. He hadn’t had time. Since meeting up with Therese the day before, his sole focus had been making it through the next hour.

  “What do you think this algorithm has morphed into?” he asked breaking the silence. “Six weeks ago it supposedly could take down an electrical grid.”

  “Chaos is the word most bandied about on the dark web.”

  “Chaos on what?”

  “People paid a lot more than me only have theories. Most center around reasons terrorists would want a complicated algorithm. We interviewed all the members of Public Exposure without getting any closer. None of them knew specifics and their leader wasn’t talking.”

  “Reval is just the go-between guy?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “When he went to jail, I thought my undercover days were done. But I hung around Reval’s organization tying up loose ends. Then you guys arrested the leader of Public Exposure six weeks ago. Word got out that the creator of the algorithm was looking for a new buyer. Reval wasn’t involved before that.”

  “Then why is he now?”

  “Since I was officially still a part of Reval’s group they already had eyes on him. The FBI released him, hoping he could broker a deal. Homeland pushed the potential buyers in his direction by arresting others.” She shrugged. “I haven’t had any luck discovering details of the sale or exactly what the algorithm is capable of now that the programmer has upgraded it. Rushdan is keeping it very close to his fat chest.”

  “You think whatever reason he needs me will give you answers.”

  “Fingers crossed.” She made the gesture with both hands. “The team has checked out all his known contacts. All dead ends.”

  “Does the computer guy who got my juvie records have something to do with it? How do we track him down?”

  “We don’t.”

  “What do you mean? It should be easy enough to find the info in Reval’s office. Don’t you have a warrant for his phone records? Together we should be able to find something written down.”

  “That’s not our job.” She gave a little shrug of acceptance—not anxious to explain.

  “Wait a minute.” He had to be misunderstanding. What the hell was their job if not to put Reval behind bars...for good.

  “The team has checked out all his known contacts. All dead ends. Finding who has developed the algorithm is my objective. My primary goal. It won’t matter if we stop whatever show they have planned for Dallas if we can’t find the programmer.”

  “Show?”

  “That’s what they’ve called it recently. I’ve overheard Rushdan refer to it that way. The team is certain it’s Rushdan’s term for the terrorist attack.”

  “On Dallas? Do the rangers know about this? Local police?”

  “I’m not certain. Prevention and cleanup aren’t my jobs.” She reached for the burner phone, checking it again.

  “Wait...what?” He shook his head, unable to clearly comprehend what she’d just said. “What exactly is our job then? I thought we were taking down Reval’s organization and preventing the algorithm from being used.”

  “I tried to tell you this before, Wade. Sure, I want to put Rushdan Reval behind bars. But they may let his petty crimes go in exchange for the algorithm tech and developer.”

  “Petty? Rushdan’s crime activities are no longer involved just locally. And attempting to kill me or others isn’t what I’d call petty.”

  “You know what I mean. He’s only a means for me to find the algorithm and the programmer. That’s my objective. I have to find the person who created it. Hopefully before it’s disbursed or sold.”

  The use of her singular “I” throughout her explanation didn’t escape him. It stung like nothing he’d experienced before. She’d been in big trouble with Reval’s men before she’d cozied up next to him at the bar.

  Things like accomplishment credit usually rolled right off his back. Especially since he’d been sitting behind a desk while his fellow rangers had been stopping a serial killer, uncovering subversive FBI plots and keeping state analysts alive—a favor to this woman that had nearly gotten him killed.

  Teamwork had resolved those cases and he’d been a part of getting the job done. Just like teamwork had gotten them farther along in this particular case. Or at least he’d thought it had. Dammit, were his feelings hurt? Or his ego?

  Whatever it was, he had to let it go.

  “I heard you say you were after the algorithm. I kind of thought that’s what I was helping with. One good break and we could grab Reval before he sells anything. Stop the terrorist group before they get started.”

  “That might not happen.” Therese checked the phone, then moved to the window. “You need to get used to that idea.”

  “I get it. You’ve been at this
a long time and it’s hard to accept that you’ve needed help or that someone might have a different way of doing things.”

  She squinted in confusion. “I needed help? Hard for me to accept? Oh, really?” She crossed her arms and pressed her lips together into a straight line.

  Damn.

  “I just meant that working with me—with the Texas Rangers—might accelerate things a little. And plans might change.”

  “And you think I don’t want to what? Share the credit? Stop acting like a bimbo? Stop having Rushdan or his men leer, touch and pinch me?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Oh, I see. Then you think I like being undercover. Or maybe I’m afraid to explain to my family exactly what’s been going on so they might speak to me again? Or stop wondering if they’ll be proud of me for what I’ve done over the past three years instead of thinking that I cheated on my police academy exam?”

  “That’s rough. I had no idea your family didn’t know.” His sympathetic thoughts slipped out. Then he witnessed a reaction that he was familiar with but hadn’t seen. The feelings he’d had for so many of the early years with Fred rippled across Therese’s face.

  “I don’t need you to feel sorry for me. This is a job.”

  “Right. Just a job.” He hoped she meant the operation and not what had happened in the other room. For him the other room had been life changing and it was hard to focus on just the job.

  She backed up and rested on the arm of his lounger but at least her arms weren’t crossed in anger. “The FBI and Homeland are after the big fish, Wade. Some of the little ones will be thrown back.”

  “Meaning, they’re already prepared to offer Reval a deal like the last time. Like the jail time he didn’t serve for ordering his men to kill me.”

  “I don’t have anything to do with the decision-making. Neither do you.”

  “Why not arrest him and make him cough up the programmer now? Why are we going through the motions?”