Hell or High Water (22 page)

The heat from her body skewed his thinking. He moved to the living room to help his focus.
 

“Nate?”

Her voice fell like velvet from behind, sliding across his skin. He shouldn’t hold her. Knew not to. But he whirled and dragged her against him, hard. Held her tight. Breathed in her recently showered scent. Grapefruits or lemons swirled around her freshly washed hair.
 

“I have an idea,” he said, taking one more breath. “Marcus might be able to help.”

“What’s that?” Her face rested on his shoulder, and her palm circled the spot over his heart.
 

While Nate explained his idea, he ran his hands up and down her back, across her arms, her gorgeous face. If she really meant their relationship was temporary, he’d have to honor her decision. So he memorized every crest and valley. How unmilitary was that?
 

“You really think Marcus can get his hands on an eighteen-wheeler?” She kissed the vein in his neck, and his pulse thumped harder under her lips.

“Be the perfect vantage point to watch that Dairy Dream and keep an eye on you.” He thought a minute. “The container has to have a ramp. Loading and unloading a car or my bike would be a snap.”

He tipped her chin up and stared down into her deep-brown eyes. “I don’t like you being in the middle. Not one damn bit.”

“Me either. But we didn’t get to choose.”

A knock on the door pulled her away from him.
 

She peered through the peephole. “Tomas and Wayne.”

“What the hell do they want?” Nate scooped the laptop and throwaway cell off the kitchen table and carried them to her bedroom. A second knock came as he jogged back to Kaycie. “You have to get rid of them.”
 

“I know. We’ll let them think they interrupted a private moment.”

She reached over and removed the leather thong he used to keep his hair back, the same hair he intended to have cut after this was over, and jerked his shirt over his head.

He reciprocated by unbuttoning the top two buttons on her blouse and mussing her wavy mane.
 

Arm in arm, they opened the door. Tomas and Wayne exchanged glances. Their gaze shifted from Kaycie to Nate.
 

“We need to talk,” Tomas growled, pushing his way inside.

Chapter 22

Every nerve in Nate’s body went on alert. Cop or not, nobody barged into Kaycie’s apartment, and they damn sure didn’t boss her around.
 

“You better have a warrant in your pocket. Else you can bully your way right back out that door.” His hands flexed of their own accord, itching to pound the arrogant bastard.

“Wait.” Kaycie stepped in front of Nate. “Have you learned something? Anything?”

“Nothing to help us locate your friend.” The cop named Wayne spoke directly to Kaycie. “And if you keep interfering, we may never find her.”
 

Nate dug back in his memory bank to fish out the guy’s official title. “Detective Kern, isn’t it?”
 

Nate shook the extended hand. He ignored Tomas altogether. “Exactly what brings you out this late in the day?”

“You can blame my partner’s curious nature.” Wayne’s words came out slow and casual. He turned, facing Kaycie. “Why were you nosing around the Walsh warehouses today?”

“Since when is it illegal to look?”

“You keep poking around, you’re likely to hit a sore spot and get hurt,” Tomas said directly to Kaycie.
 

“Not on my watch,” Nate countered, pulling her closer to him.
 

She wrapped her arm around his waist. “We were hunting for the white van or the black Mercedes. If you two remember, I told you I wanted to find the warehouse where I’d been held.”

“And what did you learn?” Wayne asked.

“You first,” she countered, sending a sense of pride swelling in Nate’s chest.
 

“Working with the FBI, we’ve uncovered a human-trafficking ring. But we couldn’t connect Hank Walsh to the organization.” His hand went up to silence any possible interruptions. “That doesn’t mean we’re discounting your theory.”

“What about Holly?” Kaycie asked.

“The crime scene team found nothing. We have zilch.” Wayne’s eyes narrowed. “Her parents are on alert to ransom demands. But living out of state and not having any wealth to speak of, they don’t expect to be contacted. Have you heard anything?”

Kaycie looked Wayne in the eye. “Nope. That’s why I still have my protection.”

Tomas scoffed, his gaze scraping across Nate, no doubt noting his bare chest and messy hair. “Exactly what is he protecting?” he asked, nodding at Nate.

“You have something you want to say?” Nate moved a step closer to Tomas, and Kaycie stepped between them.

Wayne cleared his throat.”We’re leaving.” He locked his gaze on Kaycie once more. “You’re sure there’s not something you want to tell us?”

“I’m sure.” Her back was straight and she held her head high as she opened the door and waited.
 

Nate wanted nothing more than to reach for her when they were alone again. He stopped himself. She’d spoken directly to Tomas and identified Nate as her protection. And she’d intervened damn fast. Which man was she protecting?

A question slapped him across the face. Was he an old itch she was scratching? Getting him out of her system before returning to her regular life? Maybe she really did want temporary.

He pushed their tattered relationship out of his mind and called Marcus. Nate hated to wake Marcus after only a few minutes of rest, but had to update him on the phone call and upcoming meeting in Oklahoma. Then Nate asked about access to a big rig that included a loading ramp.

“I have a friend who came off the road last night. He’ll let me drive it, but he’s not putting his livelihood on the line for free.”
 

Nate moved down the hall out of Kaycie’s earshot. “I’ll cover the charge. We have to be able to get a car and my bike in and out with ease.”

“Fuck, man, this is really going down.” Marcus sounded more enthusiastic than he had in days. He’d gone from sounding sleepy and groggy to full-on Army badass. “When do we need it?”

“Kaycie has to be outside the Dairy Dream in Madill by nine in the morning.”

“Don’t make it too easy on me.” Marcus chuckled. “If I’m going to pull an eighteen-wheeler out of my ass, I’d better get busy.”

“How does meeting right outside Tyrell’s apartment sound? At oh-three-hundred. You can park on the shoulder and drop the ramp.”

“That’ll work.”

“I’ll ride with Kaycie until outside Madill. Then I’ll join you and Tyrell. We’ll go into town first, and the truck can break down. Shit ...” Nate closed his eyes for a second. No doubt the bastard Kaycie was meeting would be there early, too. “Won’t work. Three men our size in the cab would be too obvious.”

“Naw. This rig has sleeping quarters. One of you can crawl back there. I’m driving.”

“Tyrell will fit just fine.”

Nate walked back to the living room, parked in the monster easy chair, and made the second call. Tyrell answered on the first ring. Tyrell was about to turn rabid. Waiting had never been either one of their strong suits. The decision to end the surveillance on Hank was hard, but if the shit got nasty, having Tyrell or Marcus to help cover Kaycie was a smart thing.

Nate hit end and then dropped his cell on the table. He scrubbed his hands over his face, battling exhaustion. He and Kaycie needed sleep. Rest upped the odds on their side.
 

She wrapped her arms around her waist and rocked, her eyelids drooping. Worry lines bracketed her mouth. He just might kill the motherfucker who’d caused her this anguish and despair.

“Go to bed.” The words “before I pull you into my arms” clung to the tip of his tongue unspoken.

“Is that an invitation?” she asked.

“No. You need rest.” He finished the beer he’d opened earlier. He could tell by the determination on her face, she was building toward arguing that she couldn’t sleep. “Count sheep. Do whatever relaxation techniques you can to slow down your brain. You have to be sharper than any of us tomorrow. Go.”

She’d made it plain he was only passing through. If that’s the way she wanted things, temporary would be over tomorrow.

“What about you? You laying down with me?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll grab a shower and stretch out on the couch.” He didn’t wait for a response. Another round of temporary with her and he’d be screwed. He grabbed his bag from her room and hit the shower

****

“Stop staring at me.” Even in the dark, Holly’s eyes on Johnny’s face warmed his skin. Her voice poured over him like a blanket, soft and warm.
 

Why he’d given into her pitiful cries was a mystery. He didn’t like puzzles. He had too many of them in his life already.

“You’re not a bad person, Johnny. I know that in my heart.”

The pain over his right ear seemed to ease at the sound of her voice. “You know nothing. Shut up, or I’ll toss you back in the trunk.”

A soft whimper drifted across the open space between them. “Please don’t.”

“You haven’t eaten since lunch. I can’t trust you in a drive-thru. If you get hungry ...”

“No food,” she said quickly. “Really. I’m fine. Can you tell me where we’re going?”

He saw no reason to keep their destination a secret. She was never leaving the property anyway.

“The boss has an isolated cabin. Sounds like a good place to make the swap. I want to get there early enough to do reconnaissance. I need an alternate way out in case things go bad.”
 

“That’s a military term, isn’t it? Recon. What branch were you in?”

Was he in the military? Hell if he knew. He ran his hand over his chin and concentrated. Nope. Nothing.
 

“Johnny?” She spoke so softly he almost didn’t hear.

A small cold hand gripped his bicep, startling him and causing him to jerk out of her grasp. The noise she made didn’t sound human. Shit, he’d scared her again.
 

“Sorry, you surprised me.” He hoped she’d say his name again. She didn’t. “Did you want something?”

“What happened to you?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” The pain over his ear heightened.

“People don’t get up one morning and decide they’re capable of killing on command. Do they? Why else would you be involved in this?”

“I’m good at what I do. Orders are easy for me to follow.”

“So if I order you to stop the car and let me out, you’d do it?”

“It’s not quite that simple.” He allowed a smile to creep up his cheeks. He huffed out a breath. No reason she shouldn’t know his story. It wasn’t like she’d ever tell anyone.

“Help me understand,” she persisted.

“When Mr. A found me, I was living under a bridge, filthy, and starving. He gave me a job. Gave me the clothes on my back. Hell, he gave me my name.”

“You didn’t know who you were?”

“Correction. I don’t know who I am.”

****

Kaycie’s couch wasn’t all that uncomfortable, but Nate had been up and down. His brain refused to shut down. Too bad this wasn’t the military, where you rescued the hostage, killed your enemy, and never looked back.
 

Kaycie kept creeping into his thoughts. He moved to the oversized chair, hit the lever, stretched out, and forced his eyes to close. He ran the different options, including one where he asked her for a second chance, through his head. She didn’t trust him, and he wasn’t sure how to restore her faith.

The hair on his arms rose. Without moving, he opened his eyes to confirm what he already knew. Kaycie had entered the room. A full moon streamed through the bank of windows, casting an ethereal light over her. His throat closed. His chest hurt. Jesus, she was beautiful.
 

He wanted to feel her skin pressed against his. Needed to bury himself inside her and give her pleasure.

His heart thumped a staccato rhythm against his rib cage. Even though she was on the other side of the room, he hardened and throbbed inside his Jockeys. He remained silent, barely breathing. She passed the empty couch, headed straight toward the chair.
 

In one motion, her T-shirt went flying. A second had her panties sliding down her hips to the floor. Had he fallen asleep and this was a dream? He prayed not to wake.
 

No dream. His muscles contracted as her slim, warm, naked body climbed on top of his, enveloping him with a warm and velvety sensuality. He breathed in. Images of clean, fresh sea air crashed his senses.

 
She settled one knee on either side of his hips and lowered herself over his erection, swiveling until he rested in the juncture between her thighs. Nothing separated them save for his cotton skivvies.
 

She leaned down. Her warm breath brushed across his cheek seconds before she captured his lips. Her tongue swept inside his mouth, stroking and stoking the fire building.