Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Saving Sarah (Kindle Worlds Novella) (New Orleans Connection Series Book 7) (10 page)

"I'm not trying to withhold anything.  The dreams are—personal.  Sharing them with somebody else…" 

"Ranger, I'm not trying to probe into your deepest, darkest secrets.  I thought, foolishly I guess, that if you talked about the dream, the details, maybe we'd find something we've missed in our investigation.  If you saw her, did you notice her surroundings?  Was she in a room or outdoors, something that might lead us in a new direction."

Why hadn't he thought of that, instead of being such a damned fool?  She was right—again. 

"I'm sorry." 

She grinned up at him, and just that easily the tension between them vanished like a puff of smoke.  "Mind repeating that?" 

"Shall I elucidate, madam?  I'm so sorry.  I was wrong, oh brilliant one.  I humbly beseech your forgiveness, woman of great wisdom." 

"And don't you forget it, buster." 

He held out his hand and without hesitating, she wrapped her fingers around his and he knew he was forgiven.  Daring to go a bit further, he tugged her into his arms, wrapping them around her.  After the dream, he needed this little bit of comfort, of celebrating that they were alive and whole.

She surprised him when her arms slid around his waist and she rested her cheek against his chest, her soft skin cool to the touch.  Acting on impulse, he brushed a kiss against the top of her head. 

"You're right.  I didn't stop to think about analyzing the dream." 

She leaned back, still wrapped in his arms, and didn't seem in any all fire hurry to leave them, which was fine with him.  He liked the way she felt against his body. 

"What do you remember?  I'm not talking about Anna, from your reaction I probably don't want to know what shape she was in.  Think about your surroundings.  Close your eyes—tell me what you see." 

"If we're gonna do this, let's sit."  He steered her to the sofa and sat, pulling her snug against his side, with his arm wrapped around her.  Good thing she didn't protest, because he liked the way she felt beside him. 

"First thing I noticed was a door.  It was dark, and the light from behind the door made it kinda glow."  He closed his eyes, struggling to remember the details. 

"You showed up beside me right as I went to turn the knob."  He squeezed her closer, needing that bit of touch to anchor him to the present.  He didn’t want to get dragged back into the dream—remembering the details was too important. 

"So there were lights on behind the door?"

"No, I don't think so.  It was sunlight, coming in through a huge window.  High up, like in the city."

"That's good.  Is it like an apartment or condo?"

He shook his head.  "No, it's a bedroom.  Thick carpet.  Expensive.  Blue."  Squeezing his eyes shut, he forced himself to relive it, looking for anything, any clue to where it might be. 

"You're doing good, Ranger.  We're in the room.  What else do you see?"

"Not see—hear.  I heard a noise.  I ran past the bed into a bathroom.  That's where Anna is." 

He knew she had a million questions about her sister, but he was grateful she stayed focused instead on the details. 

"Okay, a bathroom.  Anything special about it?" 

"I don't know.  Vanity, shower, tub.  Nothing stands out."  Except the blood, but he'd be damned if he'd mention that—not to Sarah. 

"Is there a window in the bathroom?  Or anything else that you see?"

"No window.  Marble floors."

"So we've got thick carpet in the bedroom and marble floors.  We're talking higher end stuff, so not a dump or cheap motel scenario.  Good.  Back in the bedroom, did you notice anything?  You said there was a huge window—what about that?"

He forced himself to focus, though the dream was a bit fuzzier, not crystal sharp like before.  "Huge bed.  Heavy wooden headboard.  Ugly wallpaper—stripes."

She chuffed out a laugh.  "Some people like striped wallpaper."

"Some people aren't me, sugar.  It's frou-frou, like something out of a magazine."  He straightened when he remembered the end of the dream.  The monster in the doorway.

"Right before I woke up, there was somebody else in the room.  A man."

Sarah scooted out from beneath his arm, sitting on the edge of the couch, swiveling to face him.  "A man?  Did you see his face?" 

"I…no.  The light faded, and it was getting dark.  Dusk.  He's standing in the shadows.  But he's big, taller than me, broader through the shoulders.  Something about him is familiar, but I can't put my finger on it."  He remembered what Anna called him, and he must have somehow given her a clue, because she demanded to know what he was thinking.  He'd gone this far, might as well finish it.

"I remember what Anna called him.  The monster.  She said the monster is here." 

"Do you think Danny is the monster?"  He seemed so nice." 

"Crazy doesn't always have an ugly face, sweetheart.  Look at Ted Bundy." 

"I feel so helpless," her quiet voice was filled with despair.  "Like I should be doing something."

"We are doing something, but you won't be any good to Anna if you throw yourself straight into the path of a madman.  Let Remy do his job.  He can find out if Danny's our guy.  But I agree, we don't need to be sitting here twiddling our thumbs."  He looked around the living room.  "Where's my phone?" 

She pointed to the end table, and he grabbed it, hitting the speed dial for Tex.  He knew it was early, but they didn't have time to waste. 
The monster is here. 
He couldn't get Anna's words out of his head. 

"What?"  Tex sounded grumpy.  He heard a muffled "who is it" in the background.  Must be Melody. 

"Got a lead.  Bartender at one of the clubs where Anna was seen.  He matches the description of the last person she might have been seen with."

"Details, brother.  Gimme details."

"First name Danny.  Don't have a last name."  He rattled off all the information he had, including a physical description.

"I'm on it.  Call you back when I have something."  He hung up without another word, and Ranger knew Tex would dive head first into an online search.  Remy had to follow the letter of the law when checking out Danny.  But he had a gut feeling, that instinct that had saved him in more than one firefight, something in Danny's background would pop.  If he wasn't their guy, he'd lead them straight to whoever still had Anna. 

"Nothing else to do now but wait." 

"I'm sick and tired of waiting."  She crossed her arms over her chest, and had the cutest pout on her lips.  He couldn't resist.  With a quick tug, she was off the couch and onto his lap.  The squeak she let out was sweet, and cut off by his mouth. 

The kiss started soft.  Tender.  Worshipful.  Just the slightest brush of lips against lips, but it wasn't enough.  Hunger rolled through him like a blazing fire, and judging by her response, it wasn't all one-sided. 

"Sometimes waiting is good."  He leaned forward and brushed his lips along her cheek, nuzzling her jawline, trailing small kisses in his wake. 

"Anticipation adds a certain spice."  He angled her head between his hands, sliding one around to cup the nape of her neck, holding her right where he wanted her.  He licked across the seam of her lips, drinking in her gasp. 

"Expecting one thing to happen," he whispered, brushing soft kisses across her eyelids, and feeling her body relax against his, "and getting something else entirely." 

His hand cupped her breast through the flimsy cotton of her T-shirt, and he watched the nipple peak beneath his thumb.  He hummed as she snuggled closer. 

"You got something in mind?"

"I thought a little distraction might be in order." 

He felt her purr against his throat.  It ran through his body like wildfire.  Instead of his hands obeying and putting a little distance between them, they had a mind of their own, encouraging her to arch against him.  He was sinking to an all-time low, taking advantage of her, yet he didn't want to stop.

'Distraction?"  Her voice savored the word.

When her hands slid across his chest, he had second and third thoughts about his actions.  Taking advantage of her didn't sit well with him, but Sarah seemed to like his attempt at distracting her just fine. 

"Maybe distraction isn't the right word," he whispered against the skin of her throat.

"What word would you use?"  The tip of her tongue rimmed his ear, and he felt it all the way to his toes. 

"Seduction."

She leaned back and smiled, a sinful smile that had the blood surging through his veins.  "I like that word." 

He stroked her hair, feeling the silken texture against his fingers.  Loved the dark tresses falling about her shoulders in reckless abandon.  That just rolled out of bed after a night filled with lovemaking look. 

His breath hissed between his teeth when her tongue continued its journey along the column of his throat.  All his good intentions flew out the window with her next words. 

"Maybe I should do the seducing." 

She kissed and licked her way along his bare chest, then lifted up and swung her leg across his lap to straddle him.  Those same hands that wouldn't listen to his urging earlier, still refused to obey, reaching for the bottom of her T-shirt and lifting it upward, until her breasts were bared to his gaze.  And his lips.  And tongue. 

She raised her arms, letting him pull it all the way off, leaving her clad only in a pair of panties.  When he reached for her breasts, she shook her head, and he flattened them on the sofa by his legs.  She slid back further on his lap, resting on his knees, and ran her fingertips across his chest.  Traced the flat copper-colored nipples, lightly pinching them.  He sucked in a breath when she leaned forward and swiped her tongue across the tip. 

"Damn, baby, that feels good." 

The look she sent him was sizzling, her blue eyes burning with a hunger she couldn't deny.  "You like that?" 

"Yeah.  Do it again." 

She laughed, the sound sultry and innocent at the same time.  She ran two fingers down the center of his chest before tracing the outline of a scar on his right ribcage. 

"What's this from?" 

"Fell out of a treehouse when I was ten." 

"Poor baby."  Leaning forward, her hair spread around her like a velvety blanket hiding her face, she kissed the scar.  She stroked his skin again, a feather-light caress that had him gritting his teeth against the pleasure. 

"Do that again," he demanded.

He shuddered as fire shot straight through him like a conflagration.  Sheer pleasure swept along his spine, as she reached down and cupped him through the fabric of his jeans. 

The smile she gave him left him with no doubt she knew exactly what she was doing to him.  Her fingers squeezed and released.

"You liked that too."

"Yeah." 

The reward for his honesty was another squeeze of her hand.  He had to struggle to find his voice, and when he did, the words came out in a growl. 

"You're torturing me." 

"No, I'm seducing you."  She whispered the words against his lips.  This time she used her tongue, sweeping it in and around his mouth.  When she pulled back, her eyes were heavy lidded.  She ran her tongue over her lips, as if savoring his taste.  

She was going to kill him—that was a given fact. 

"I like seducing you, Ranger."

"And I like being seduced by you, sweetheart.  Come here." 

His hand moved to cup the back of her neck, pulling her forward into his kiss.  There was no gentleness this time, only a driving hunger he couldn't contain.  He needed her more than he'd ever needed or wanted anyone before.  When he pulled back from the kiss, he looked at her, gauging her response.  She was a gorgeous sight, hair flowing over her shoulders, lips swollen from his kisses.

He was a selfish bastard, because he wanted more.  Hell, he wanted everything she had to give and then some.  He closed his eyes against the need to toss her onto the cushions and sink within her. 

"I want you, Ranger.  Right here.  Now."

Her words lit the fuse and there was no more holding back. 

"Tell me what you need." 

"You.  Just you."

Her lips landed against his, and he felt her hands fumbling with the button at the waistband of his jeans.  Not breaking the kiss, he brushed them away, sliding down the zipper, though it wasn't easy.  There was no way he'd get them off with her sitting on his lap, but with her grinding against his thighs, he wouldn't have moved her for anything. 

His hands threaded through her hair.  Her creamy breasts rose before him like a feast, and he buried his face in that sweet valley, and she clutched at his shoulders.  Swirling his tongue around a nipple, she moaned.  

"These have to come off."  He tucked a finger into the waistband of her panties, tugging on the elastic, before sliding his hand inside to cup her.  Warm heat and a willing female, two of his favorite things.  He growled in pleasure at the moisture he found.  Though he wanted to taste her, he needed to sink into her more.