Dane - A MacKenzie Novel (20 page)

“MacKenzie always did seem to have all the
luck.” Carlos’ eyes darkened with lust and he reached out to tweak
her nipple, laughing as she cringed away from him. “I wish I had
more time to enjoy you.”

Carlos uncorked the small vial and stuck the
tip of his pinky inside so only a small amount of white powder
clung to his finger.

“You cringe from me now, but you’ll be
screaming my name before I’m finished with you.”

“The hell I will,” she spat.

Unbidden tears filled her eyes as he rubbed
the white powder down the center of her chest, rubbing it into her
skin almost lovingly.

“It’ll always be his name,” she said
viciously as her body began to tighten, the familiar prickle of
arousal slithering across her skin. “You may take my body, but
it’ll be him I’m thinking of.”

***

“Where the hell is she?” Cade asked Declan as
his brother got off the phone with one of his men. “Fuck, I can’t
just stand here waiting.” He paced across his living room, waiting
for his brother to give him news.

There was only about an hour left until
sunrise, and she’d already been gone too long. The phone call he’d
gotten from Carlos an hour before had sent all of the agents in the
area scrambling. They had to find Carlos before he followed through
on his threat to kill Bayleigh. Because once he killed Bayleigh,
Carlos would be in the wind until he found the perfect opportunity
to go after Cade himself. This was the last chance they had to get
him before he disappeared again.

He and Dec had traced Bayleigh’s steps to the
other side of the trees into an open field, where the land was
being leveled for a new subdivision. There was no trace of her once
she left the sandy area, which meant she had transportation of some
kind. Or worse, she was forced to take transportation of some kind.
But he didn’t think so.

Carlos had let it slip during his phone call
that he had a tracker on her, and that he’d been on his way to her
even as they spoke. They
had
to find her before Carlos got a
hold of her. Her chances of surviving lessoned if he had her in his
possession.

Cade tried not to let the panic overwhelm
him, but it was getting more difficult with every second that
passed. His training was the only thing keeping him sane. He
couldn’t lose her now.

“That was the cab company,” Declan said.
“They picked up a woman matching Bayleigh’s description about five
blocks from here. I’ve got an address. Let’s go.”

Cade’s phone rang as he climbed into Declan’s
Jeep and he looked at the number. A muttered curse escaped his lips
and he knew he was in deep shit. He wouldn’t have even answered it
if it weren’t for the fact that Darcy might be in trouble.

“MacKenzie,” he said, holding onto the dash
as Dec took a corner at high speed. A couple of unmarked agency
vehicles followed close behind them as they weaved in and out of
what little traffic was on the road at that time of night.

“What the
fuck
is going on there?”
Brant yelled through the phone.

“We’ve got her location. We’ll get to
her.”

“You shouldn’t have let her go in the first
place, asshole. She was fucking crying when she left the message on
my phone. She never cries. If things hadn’t been going to shit here
when she called I would have been able to talk to her to find out
what the hell you did to her. But whatever it is, apologize and get
her back under your protection.”

“Is Darcy okay?” he said, slanting a look at
Declan. “What happened?”

“She’s fine. And the men Carlos sent are
taken care of. A cleanup team will be here to get rid of them in a
couple of hours. I’ll take care of Darcy because I promised I
would. Now you take care of Bayleigh, or I’ll fucking kill you.
Best friend or no.”

The phone went dead and Cade tossed it into
the seat beside him, frustration and impotent rage eating at
him.

“Can’t you go any faster,” he yelled.
“Dammit.”

His fist pounded against the dash and he
welcomed the pain that sang in his hand. He didn’t think he’d ever
been so terrified in his entire life. Not even when he’d been
looking into Miguel del Fuego’s eyes when he’d killed his own
daughter. Bayleigh was everything to him. She was his life and his
future. He couldn’t even consider that he wouldn’t get to her in
time. He just had to. Plain and simple.

They pulled into a motel parking lot that was
more than half empty, and Cade was out of the Jeep and running
toward the office before it rolled to a complete stop. Declan
grabbed him from behind, his arms tightening like a vise around him
before he could burst into the office and terrify the girl behind
the counter.

“You’ve got to calm down and think straight,”
Declan hissed in his ear, “Or I swear to God I’ll find enough men
to sit on you while I go in. Priority number one is making sure
she’s safe. You’ll endanger that if we don’t do this as a
team.”

Cade nodded once and shook him off,
unholstering his weapon and checking the clip. “What room?” he
asked. “Now Declan. You and I do this now, or I go in alone.”

“212,” he answered, taking out his own weapon
and following Cade up the stairs.

Declan made hand signals to a couple of the
other agents and sent them around to the back of the building, and
he had two more wait as back up outside the door.

Cade and Declan got in position at each side
of the dark blue door, the number
212
nailed at the center
in tarnished bronze. His body tensed as adrenaline pumped through
his veins in time with his heart. He couldn’t afford to think the
worst. His focus had to be complete and he blanked his mind and let
his training take over, waiting for Declan to give the signal to
enter.

Or he’d
planned
on waiting. At least
until he heard the thin, mewling whimper through the door. All bets
were off then, and his control dissolved. The only thing in his
head was the need to protect. She was
his
woman.

Cade’s foot kicked against the thin door and
he vaguely heard Declan’s curses as it crashed open. It took a
second for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, but he’d
never forget the sight in front of him for as long as he lived.
Carlos stood by the bed, his body naked and erect, preparing to
crawl between Bayleigh’s legs as tears streamed down her face. Her
head shook in denial even as her eyes gleamed with lust and her
body was ready for the taking.

Cade let Declan take the fatal shot, knowing
his control was in shreds, and he didn’t want Bayleigh to see the
side of him that could kill so easily. He spared a glance as blood
bloomed across Carlos’ chest, and he collapsed across the bed. The
team of agents Dec had with him went into action, but his eyes were
only for Bayleigh. He holstered his weapon and went to her,
kneeling beside her and working at the knots at her wrists.

“He drugged her,” Declan said, averting his
eyes from her naked body.

“Bayleigh,” Cade said. “Let me help you,
sweetheart.”

He pulled the disheveled sheets across her
body as she cringed away from him.

“Don’t touch me,” she pleaded. “I can’t fight
it if you touch me. It hurts too bad.”

The knots at her ankles were tighter, and
Cade used the knife Declan tossed him, cutting her free
quickly.

“Ssh, it’s okay, baby. Just relax. I’ve got
to get you out of here before the drug gets all the way into your
system. Hold on a bit longer for me.”

He rolled the sheets around her and lifted
her in his arms. She moaned lustily, her body shifting against him,
searching for a fulfillment she hadn’t wanted but was left with no
choice but to take. She bit at his neck, her tongue stroking in hot
little licks against his skin.

“Bayleigh, you’ve got to control it,” he said
desperately, even as his body tightened.

He wouldn’t take her like this. Couldn’t take
her like this. But he knew if she didn’t find relief soon then the
pain would get worse until she could lose her sanity. The drug was
still untested enough that the effects were different for everyone,
though as long as it had been given to her topically she was in no
danger of death like with an internal dose.

Declan handed him the keys to the Jeep. “Get
her out of here. I’ll grab a ride with one of my men. We’ve got the
location of several of the cartel members, and a few others in
questioning. Hopefully one of them will have information on the
labs where this shit is developed.”

Cade nodded and headed out the door and down
the stairs before anyone could stop him to talk. He saw patrol cars
pulling up late to the party, his captain stepping out of one of
them with a narrow-eyed glare that had Cade wincing. He was going
to get a hell of a tongue-lashing from every boss he had, local and
federal. But it just couldn’t be helped. Bayleigh was his first
priority. The rest of them could wait. Or better yet, he could
resign for real and tell everyone to kiss his ass. That was
sounding like the more prudent course of action.

He sat Bayleigh in the passenger seat gently
and put a hand to her brow. Her face was flushed and dewed with
perspiration, and her eyes were wild, searching for
someone—anyone—to give her what she needed.

“Hang on, baby.”

He ran around to the other side and started
the Jeep, speeding out of the parking lot and heading back in the
direction of their houses. He didn’t know if she could last the
fifteen minutes it would take to give her privacy.

“Cade, please,” she cried. “I ache.”

“I won’t take you like this, baby. Not when
you don’t even know it’s really me.”

“I know it’s you,” she panted. “You’re an
asshole. But you’re all I’ve got at the moment. If I don’t come
soon I’m going to die. And then you can go jump off a cliff. It’s
my turn to use you for a change.”

His heart clutched at her words, knowing for
sure now that she’d overheard that part of his conversation with
Declan. He needed to explain, to tell her he’d been a fool. But not
until she could understand him clearly. He was actually surprised
she was as coherent as she was. Carlos either didn’t give her a
large enough dose, or Bayleigh was putting up one hell of a
resistance. He had a feeling it was the latter.

She shrugged out of the sheet and scooted
across the bench seat until she was practically straddling his
thigh.

“Fuck, Bayleigh,” he said, swerving to miss a
car as she blocked his view of the road.

Her hands were busy, working at the buckle of
his belt and unzipping him with record speed. He cursed his body,
wishing he had enough control over his cock to tell it not to
spring to life every time she touched him, but he’d never in a
million years have control like that. Only a saint would.

“Stop, baby. We’ll be home in a few
minutes.”

Her hot hands grasped around him and he
sucked in a hard breath, his foot pressing down on the gas until he
was breaking so many laws he didn’t want to think about the
consequences. His arm curved around her body and her knees
straddled his thigh so she was open to him, and he plunged two
fingers inside of her from behind. She screamed and bit his
shoulder as she clamped around him and came in an instant.

His eyesight dimmed as she stroked him while
her hot body writhed. Sweat popped out on his forehead as he felt
the first signs of his own orgasm. Their street came into view and
he breathed a sigh of relief, taking the corner on two wheels. He
was damned glad it was in the middle of the night and all the
busy-bodies on the street would be tucked into bed. There was no
way he could get them both inside his house circumspectly.

“More, more,” she chanted, over and over
again.

He managed to get his foot on the brake, and
skidded to a stop haphazardly in his driveway. Declan would
retrieve the vehicle later. Cade had the wherewithal to grab the
sheet and pull it around her as he lifted her out of the Jeep, her
soaked pussy pressing against his cock, searching desperately for
him as she tried to draw him inside.

“Dammit, Bayleigh. Stop it,” his teeth
snapped together as he tried to reposition her. “I’m not taking you
like this. I’ll make you come all you want, sweetheart, but I can’t
do this to you. Not until you’re ready to listen to me.”

He stumbled through his front door, their
balance precarious, and he slammed it behind him with his foot. Her
mouth clamped on his, hot and wet, as she bit at his lips, invading
his senses as she alternated between languid strokes of her tongue
and biting nips.

Her legs tightened around his waist and they
spun so she was pressed against the wall. He needed to get back in
control. Somehow. Jesus, she was making him crazy.

“Fuck me, Cade.” She pulled at his shirt
until she had it over his head and tossed to the floor. “I’m
begging you.”

“Bedroom,” he rasped. “I’ll take care of you,
baby.”

She threw her head back and moved against
him, the hard bud of her clit sliding up and down his cock. He was
going to be sore tomorrow, but there was pleasure with the pain,
and he held back his own release as she came apart again in his
arms.

“Please.” Tears coursed down her cheeks, and
her eyes were tortured with need. “I need you inside me. It’s all
I’ve ever needed. Don’t deny me this. Just one last time and we can
go our separate ways.”

He couldn’t bear her pain—pain that he’d
caused her deep inside that had nothing to do with the drug Carlos
had given her.

“Look at me, Bayleigh,” he said, holding her
face between his hands and forcing her to look him in the eyes. Her
pupils were dilated to the point that the blue no longer showed. “I
won’t take you without you knowing the truth. I love you,
sweetheart. With everything I am.”

She fought against his hold as sobs wracked
her body, even as her hips continued to thrust against him.