SAFE (11 page)

“Lisa, listen to me.” Ty opened his eyes and realized Melissa’s were also closed but she had stopped shaking. He gently shook her, making her open those incredible eyes again. “Are you paying attention, minx?”

“Don’t think I have a choice, do you?” she countered, a saucy grin finally pushing up in the corners of her lush mouth.

“Good because this is a two way conversation we’re having here.” He licked her chin up to her lips and gently kissed them again.

“Could have fooled me!” He heard her little defiance but could also see the twinkle back in her passion-filled eyes.

“I want you.” There, it was out in the open now.

He watched her eyes fill with something and then clear. When she took a deep breath Ty was sure it was tell him to go to hell.

“Well cowboy, it’s about damn time!” She didn’t blink, didn’t smile, and didn’t move. She just stared at Ty and waited.

“Ah hell,” he growled as he attacked her mouth again, letting go of her hands and pulling her close.

Chapter 15

As soon as Melissa’s hands were free she wrapped them around Ty’s wide shoulders and held on tight. It was a long time before he allowed her to come up for air but when she did her head was spinning and her body was on fire. If she could she would rather climb into Ty’s body than have him lying there on top of her. It was still too far away.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and tried to pull him closer then realized it put Ty’s impressive cock in the perfect position to get exactly where she wanted it. With a tilt of her hips, she tried to get him to move, to impale herself on his impressive length, anything to ease the terrible ache that was clawing at her insides to have him fill her and make her whole for just once in her life.

“Easy baby, give me a minute,” he whispered next to her ear as he tried to pull away.

“No, please!” she mewled, pulling him back down to her.

“Shush, I’ve got to glove up. I won’t risk you,” he told her fiercely, kissing the tip of her nose.

“I’m on protection.” She couldn’t take the pill so an IUD had been a great invention once all the kinks had been worked out. No worries about prescriptions, no side effects and almost full proof.

“That may be true and I know both of us are tested on a regular basis because of our jobs, but until we can do it for the right reasons we play safe!” He reached for the strip of packets near the pillows and tore one off. With practiced ease he had it out and rolled on before Melissa could argue. “I want to feel you bare, woman. I’ve never in my life taken anyone bare and you will be the first. And I won’t, not until we are both tested. I will never risk you, for any reason.”

At that moment, Melissa knew she loved him for all the right reasons. Ty DuValle was her knight in shining armor, the one person who knew all her secrets both good and bad and still loved her. He was the one who came for her when no one else had and she knew he would be there when no one else would be.

“Love me,” she whispered to him, her heart in her eyes.

“Ah woman, don’t you know I’ve loved you my whole life?” He leaned down and softly kissed her, his eyes locked with her passion filled blue ones as his hard cock slowly slid into the soft glove of her channel.

The room fell away as she rode the waves crashing through her that was Ty DuValle. Melissa opened herself up fully, allowing him to feel every shadow and emotion that filled her essence as he became a part of her, body and soul. She felt him reach out, his shields down as he tried to meld his very essence with her own and for the only time in her life she knew the Fates had finally sent her the one man who made her whole. He was the perfect complement to her gifts, the anchor she so desperately needed in order to survive a world of chaos, and her soul mate for all times.

Melissa let go, allowing everything to flow along the feedback loop between herself and Ty, knowing that he could handle it. Her body began to fly and Ty was the pilot as he took her to heights she had never known and would never have reached without him.

Ty knew the instant Melissa dropped all blocks and let go. He felt her quiet shudder, her body coming alive under his hands as her body went wild beneath him. Never had he had a lover so demanding, so achingly needy as the woman he had loved since he knew what true love was about. Every stroke of his cock plunging into the warm glove of her body, every spasm as the muscles drew him deeper and griped him stronger made it that much harder to hold onto his stamina and make it as good as he could for her. He was determined to make her come as many times as possible before he found his release. Suddenly, Ty felt the passion double as Melissa dropped the last block on her defenses and every emotion and hurt she had ever experienced crashed onto him. The emotional assault broke his ability to hold onto his own passion and he roared, rearing back onto his knees while still clutching her to him.

He snugged her tightly against him and impaled her on his raging cock, determined to sink as deeply and fully as possible. She was a part of him, body and soul, and Ty could feel her emotions as if they were his own as they raged uncontrollably. He was aware of Melissa wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, her sharp little nails digging into his shoulders as she held on and threw her head back. That long, tanned neck was displayed for his mouth and he couldn’t resist to take it, lick it and taste the salt dripping from her skin.

As Melissa came apart in his arms, her scream echoing in the early morning air of the hotel room Ty sank as deeply as possible into the cavern of his love and bit down on the juncture of neck and shoulder displayed for him. He didn’t draw blood, but it would leave a bruise, marking this woman as his if nothing else did.

Ty DuValle was tired of Melissa McKinney running and fighting alone. He was never walking away from her again, no matter the cause and he would protect her with his life. He felt the exact moment Melissa came apart for the last time, her entire body shuddered and her breath hitched. The tight glove of her body locked down on his throbbing cock buried so deep inside of her it was hard to tell where he stopped and she began. With a primal cry, Ty emptied everything he had one last time inside of her and felt the shuddered that echoed between them.

Never again would she fight alone! No one, not family or foe would ever hurt her again if he had anything to do with it.

There was still so much they had to figure out - who the mole was and why? How had he or she gone undetected for so long, and how much damage had they done to the department as a whole. But Ty was determined his woman wasn’t going to be hunting alone. It was easier to hunt in pairs, especially when it was Ty and Melissa. Once he got her fed and rested they were going to talk.

Chapter 16

May 2009

Dear Diary:

This is the last entry I’m going to make in my journals. It would be too much of a security risk considering I’m going to have a security clearance in the near future. I haven’t written much in the last three years because I have concentrated on college and graduating early. I’m lucky, I guess. I’m the top of my class and my major in criminal justice and pre-law have come to the notice of the Drug Enforcement Agency. They want me to start in their Academy as soon as I graduate and I’ve accepted. They will pay off some of my school debt and there aren’t many women in that field. It will be hard, but I know it will be worth it.

I wish my father could finally understand my goals but he has moved to the close-knit community of Lake Tanglewood south of Amarillo, and it’s a gated community. So, I’ve been told to give notice if I wish to visit. Of course, I haven’t. Why go where you are not wanted?

I’ve not seen nor heard from my sisters since the funeral, so family has been only an image for the last few years. I’ve learned to bury hurt and work on my special “talents” so that I’m better at them. Grandma would be pleased if she were still here. Dad would be appalled.

The future is uncertain but at least my path seems clear, certainly not a safe one but at least it is one of my own choosing! Only the future will prove what is to come.

* * *

After a second shared shower and a long nap, Ty woke Melissa from yet another nightmare and finally got them dressed for the office while another pot of coffee quietly brewed. They sat across from each other at the small table by the windows in silence for a just soaking up the ease that floated between them. There wasn’t the typical “morning after” uneasiness between them, just a quiet calm that cloaked both as they drank the dark brew.

“So what are we going to do about the mole?” she hated to break the easy silence but this case was getting to her and Melissa knew they had to figure it out. Soon.

“I have Lonnie pulling up Intel to see who pulled the detail off the crime site. I also have him discretely checking on who dismissed the detail on the girls’ home where Gayle was at.” Ty took a long drink of his coffee and waited. He knew his girl well, and the blow up was coming.

Wait for it… wait for it.

“Son of a bitch.” He reached for her coffee cup before she could throw it, and winked at her. Melissa’s mouth fell open at how fast his hand moved. “How?”

“Baby, the only other thing you were going to blow up about other than the detail at the site was those girls. Not even someone coming after you would have caused it.” His easy explanation scared her. Was she that easy to read? Ty reached across the small table and used his finger to lift her chin up to close her mouth. Yep, she was too damn easy!

Uncomfortable with the knowledge that Ty could read her emotions so easily, she tried to calm her anger at knowing someone had deliberately gone after the kids again and right under their noses. They had to find this monster and fast.

“So, have you talked to Lonnie yet?” she asked, taking another sip of coffee as she watched him.

“Got a text a few minutes ago.” Ty blew on his coffee as if it was just too hot to drink.

“Stop stalling and tell me,” she mumbled. “It can’t be that bad can it?”

The minute she looked back up Melissa knew she wasn’t going to like it one bit. Ty normally didn’t stall but this had to be bad. Really bad.

“Lonnie hacked into the Sheriff’s database and found out that a call came in from our Task Force office to remove the detail from both the girls and the site. It came from one phone number, a burner phone.” When Melissa started swearing a blue streak, Ty held up his hand. “However, Lonnie checked on some local busts to see if any take downs had happened over the last few months, and if so, had there been any burner phones taken. As it happened, a ring of Coyotes were caught by ICE near Nogales a few months ago and the shipment was on its way to Dallas when it was hit by two blacked out SUVs with no plates. The only things they took were the cash bags on hand and the phones.”

“So they knew what was in the shipment and what they were looking for.” Shaking her head, Melissa knew crooks were getting smarter but this was going out there.

“Not only that, but they had to know which route they were on since three different sets left with different shipments. Someone on the inside had to be giving out information.” Ty knew that they had to close the leak on both ends of the organizations if they were to stop this ring. Otherwise, they would just move on.

“Ok, so did Lonnie find out who had the burner phone?”

“No, but he had tower locations where the calls pinged off of, which tells us approximately where the individual was at.” Ty took a deep breath. “The only one in the area was Chip both times and it matches the exact times the calls were made. It’s not conclusive but if we can locate the burner phone we have him.”

As they talked, the two of them came up with a plan to trap whoever had the burner phone. If Chip did indeed have it, it wouldn’t break Melissa’s heart but it would be bruised considerable. To have one of their own dirty was a blight on the entire department. If he was actually helping the criminals then it was a crime that crossed state lines but the same agency had already screwed it up royally. To put a cop behind bars was just putting cut bait out for the sharks, and that was putting it mildly. The cop wouldn’t last a week, if that long. Once they had a plan, the two of the headed to the office. It was time to check in with Lonnie and see what their resident Geek had for them.

As soon as they entered the Task Force bullpen Melissa knew something was wrong. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife and everyone was already at their desks working like beavers.

“Report!” Melissa shouted out before Ty could open his mouth. She stood there with her hands on hips, looking at each Task Force member expecting an answer and no one opened their mouth.

“Well, did Agent McKinney stutter or are all of you deaf?” Ty shouted, the death glare he gave each of them a promise of retribution none of them wanted to take on.

“We’ve tracked the phones to a group out of Nogales but lost it there.” Paco stood next to his desk with his hand running through his long hair. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days and the five o’clock shadow on his jaw was more pronounced than normal.

“We know for a fact that’s not correct so who’s laying down misdirection?” Ty took off his sunglasses and threw them onto a desk close at hand then picked them back up. “Let’s take this to the conference room.”

The team members followed him to the large conference room with Melissa walking in front of him. They had white boards spread around the room and it was obvious someone had been very busy. Lonnie stood in a corner next to one, a dry erase in one hand and a pen sticking in his mouth. He looked up when the group entered.

“Haahahveda.” Taking the pen out of his mouth, he grinned. “Sorry. Take a seat. I think I have the coordinates of the phone.”

Melissa continued to stand, hands in the back pockets of her jeans and waited. She watched the team as they fell into chairs around the large conference tables but her nerves wouldn’t let her settle in a chair until she knew where that phone was at and who had it.

“It’s not what we thought,” Lonnie finally said, looking distracted as he turned an apologetic look back at the team. “The burner phone is in the area, not in Nogales but it’s with someone who had access to it from the FBI. That’s the group who had the routing and stats for the SUVs to take and the only ones who could have compromised that mission. Those files were locked tighter than a virgin’s chastity belt so there is no way anyone else could have hacked them.”