The Key To Micah's Heart (Hell Yeah!) (5 page)

Madison gasped. He wanted her to reach into his pocket and get his phone? She considered it for a moment, but decided it was worth the risk of embarrassing herself again if it meant getting to touch him.

He turned his body so she could gain access to his right front pocket, then pulled away again. “Don’t be trying to grab my junk while you’re down there,” he said with a perfectly straight face.

Madison’s mouth fell open. “Oh, my Lord, Micah. I would never do anything like that.”

He looked her right in the eye and chuckled. “I’m just messin’ with you.”

Maybe he was messing with her, but Madison’s brain flooded with images of doing exactly what she’d been told not to do. With a flush, she realized she was growing wet at the thought of finding no phone in Micah’s pocket. Instead, she’d grasp endless inches of thick hard cock.
His
thick hard cock. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to touch him for just one second. She could use that memory to make herself cum for the next five years.

“It’s gonna go to voicemail,” Micah warned, snapping Madison out of her desire induced fog.

“Right. Sorry.” She reached down into his tight pants, doing her best not to show how touching him affected her. She’d been right earlier, he smelled perfect, just the right mixture of citrus and spices in his chosen cologne to make every one of her senses dance and that was what they did at the moment.

“Well, what does it say?” Micah asked after she’d retrieved his phone.

Madison looked at the screen. “Thunderbird,” she said, holding the screen up for him to see.

“Do me a favor and answer it while I take these off.” He held his hands up. “Big hands. Takes a second to get these gloves off.”

Madison hit the button that said ‘answer’. “Hello.”

“I’m sorry. I’m looking for Micah Wolfe. Is this his phone?”

“Wolfe?” Madison said out loud with a smile. She hadn’t known Micah’s last name. And what a sexy name it was. This man seemed as if he were sent by the devil himself to tempt her and oh how Madison wanted to burn for all eternity. “Yes, this is his phone. Who may I say is calling?”

“Tell him it’s Kyle.”

Micah managed to slip out of the rubber gloves after a struggle. “Thanks, Fellows. I’ll take it from here. Governor, what can I do for you?” he said as he walked off to the back of the kitchen.

“Governor?” Madison thought aloud. Holy crap! Kyle Chancellor, the governor of Texas? Damn, Micah Wolfe had some powerful friends. She watched him pace the back of the kitchen for a few minutes while he talked. He moved like a panther, powerful yet graceful, smoothly as if gliding on ice.

When he was finished, he came back toward her, grabbing his coat and pulling it on. “I’m sorry. I have to get going.” Heading for the door, he opened it and stopped in the frame allowing cool air to surge into the kitchen. “Could you please tell Sonya I’ll be back for my serving dishes later? It was nice to meet you, Madison Fellows. Sleep tight.”

And just like that, he was gone. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.

The fantasy was over. Her Prince Charming had left her in a cold kitchen in tattered clothes. “Cinderella, indeed,” Madison huffed and turned to finish the dishes.

Bombs away…

High above the lower deck of I-35 a figure loomed. As if playing a game, he counted cars and weighed the brick in his hands. Even though people were passing him on all sides, no one paid him any mind. Street people are an invisible species. Lifting the brick, he measured the distance in his mind, watching the approach of a dark sedan. And when it was in just the right position–the man let it go and smiled as the windshield of the car below exploded.

Micah and the Equalizers…

Micah turned north toward Lady Bird Lake, which ran through the heart of the capital of Texas. The portion of the same waterway that flowed through the hilly neighborhoods west of downtown was called Lake Austin. Go figure. He’d always thought it would be less confusing to call the whole expanse what the original settlers called it–the Colorado River. Having spent more time in and around Austin than all the other places he’d ever lived combined, Micah maneuvered the one way streets without thinking. He had a love/hate relationship with this part of the world. Truthfully if it weren’t for his friends, he’d have left Texas a long time ago for good. The constant friction with his father had been the bane of his existence. After Colton was murdered, Micah had left town, just driven off as far and as fast as he could go. He wasn’t shocked to find that running away hadn’t really solved anything. And while time didn’t heal all wounds, it did make them bearable. He’d landed in New York for a spell, even did a few semesters at Syracuse. But he’d gotten lonesome for his friends, so he’d returned and attended UT. After receiving a liberal arts degree, he’d followed Kyle’s example and volunteered for Afghanistan. After all of that, his whole circle of friends had found their way back to this little corner of the world. Older for sure. Wiser? Well, that was debatable. They say every life experience molds a person and that was the God’s truth. No wonder he could be a sarcastic ass.

As he drove, Micah let his mind wander. The images that came to mind were diverse and haunting. From the day he said good-bye to his mother, to the last time he saw Colton alive. The faces of the Afghan children who thought war was normal, to his buddies celebrating a successful Equalizer mission. As with anyone, the good times mixed with the bad. He’d had his share of both. The women he’d enjoyed floated through his brain like models walking a runway–from sweet Sara who’d given him his first kiss to Leah who’d initiated him in the ways to please a woman. All were memorable, not one was forgettable, yet none had touched his heart. He’d seen his friends succumb to love–Kyle and Hannah, Aron and Libby, Jet and Sami–hell, most of them had found someone, even Tanner had hooked up with the famous country singer Desiree Holt. How crazy was that?

Maybe love wasn’t in the cards for Micah Wolfe. He had too much to do to settle down and plant an herb garden while his wife crocheted baby booties. Jet had informed him last night that Sami was pregnant. The good news brought a smile to his face. He was going to enjoy this. The big rough biker was a fool for babies and head over heels for Sami. She’d recently gotten a clean bill of health and he hoped to God she continued to do well. He knew his friend lived with the constant dread her brain tumor would return.

The honking of a horn brought him back to the here and now. A yellow cab was behind him, anxious for the traffic to thin out. Oh well, he understood the poor guy’s frustration. Uber was putting the cab companies out of business. Nothing was permanent. Nothing lasted forever…and that was why he chose to live as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Because caring hurt like hell when the one you cared about left you behind.

Ahead of him, he could see the capital building. A smile came to his face. Who would’ve ever thought he’d have a friend who was Governor? His childhood friend, Kyle Chancellor, the Thunderbird, their platoon leader in Afghanistan, sat comfortably in the Governor’s mansion and was married to the love of his life. They were doing well, raising their handsome little boy, but there had been a time when it looked like Kyle would lose it all. Micah had been right there beside Kyle when he’d searched for Hannah, finally finding her and baby Paulo. Life was a fragile thing, and Micah understood better than most how easily happiness can slip through your fingers.

As he turned on Colorado, he pulled into the drive and was met by a valet. “The Governor is expecting you, Mr. Wolfe.”

“Sure thing. Be careful with the car, it’s my baby,” Micah warned the young man.

“Yes, sir. You can count on it.”

Micah smirked, knowing his Dodge would be parked in a spot that routinely housed Bentley’s, limousines and foreign sports cars. Hell, he could afford to drive something more expensive. He wasn’t poor, he made an ungodly amount off of his writing. The point was–he didn’t want to. Micah took a great deal of satisfaction in doing something other than what people expected of him. He loved his friends–hell, he’d die for his friends–but he was his own man and he took pride in being a rebel.

A butler opened the door before he could knock. “Thank you, Jeeves.”

“This way, sir.”

Micah walked behind him, mirroring the butler’s stilted stride. His name wasn’t Jeeves, it was John, but the older gentleman seemed to enjoy Micah’s teasing.

At the end of the hall, Kyle stood, hands on his hips, shaking his head. “Get in here, Arthur. You’re such an idiot, Wolfe.”

Micah shook his friend’s hand. “Hey, I love that movie, but I’m much better looking than Dudley Moore.”

“Taller too.” Jet interjected. “Although, I don’t think you’re nearly as suave.”

“What the hell would you know about ‘suave’, Foster?” He slapped the giant MMA fighter on the shoulder. “How’s Sami?”

“She’s good. A little morning sickness. I can’t tell you how scared I was when she started throwing up. All I could think was cancer. When I found out she was pregnant, I got down on my knees and thanked the high heavens.”

Wow. He’d never heard Jet make such a long speech. The man was obviously excited about being a father and loved his wife very much. “I’m thrilled for you. Any more treasure hunting trips on the horizon?”

“Maybe. I was contacted by someone in the Columbian government to help verify the location of the
San Jose
. They have a dispute with an American salvage company. I’m not sure what will come from it, but I would love to see the ship up close and personal.”

“And get a piece of the pie.” Saxon rubbed his hands together. “If you let us invest in the venture, of course.”

“Hey, we’re a team.” Jet waved his hand in dismissal. “If this works out, even our small slice of the pie will be substantial. The ship was carrying rubies and emeralds to France to help fund their war effort when it was sunk by a British warship in 1708. This is a grave site as well as a treasure site.”

“How much is this pie worth?” Micah smiled with dollar signs in his eyes.

“About 16 billion.” Jet said calmly.

“Good God!” Micah grabbed his heart. “That’s more than the Powerball.”

“Someone give Micah CPR, he’s about to have the big one.” Destry remarked dryly as he came through the back door, closely followed by three men: Noah McCoy, Jacob McCoy and Bowie Travis Malone.

“Come in, gentlemen.” Kyle motioned for his butler to bring more glasses from the wet bar. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

There were greetings all around. Micah had wondered what was up, and now he knew.

Angel Rubio. 

He also noticed one of the Equalizers was missing. “Where’s Tyson?”

“He’s at the airport picking up Marisol.” Saxon reported as he dug in the wet bar for peanuts.

“Are those two ‘together’ together?” Micah asked, making quotation marks with his hands.

“She’s letting him chase her until she catches him,” Destry said dryly. “It will be a cold day in August before I get serious about anyone. First Kyle, then Jet, now Tyson. I wouldn’t be surprised if Saxon doesn’t succumb anytime. Micah and I are the only two who’ve been inoculated against this plague called love. Right Micah?”

“Bachelor for life.” Micah held up his hands as if in surrender. “I have no plans to tie myself down to any woman.”

“Famous last words.” Jet gave him a knowing smile. “I’ll make you eat them with a dash of hot sauce one day.”

They all gravitated to the large conference table in front of a roaring fire. Kyle took the head chair. Micah sat down by Jet, bracing his feet on the cross bar beneath the oblong table, leaning his chair as far back as it would go. Looking around he couldn’t complain about the digs. When the Equalizers first formed, they’d met around a booth in Tyson’s rickety RV or on Jet’s boat docked at Galveston Island. Sometimes they’d gathered at Kyle’s swanky loft overlooking the lake. And now…now Albert Wolfe’s only son was sitting in the Governor’s mansion, the oldest continuously inhabited home in Texas. He could still remember well the day in 2008 when someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail on the front porch of the house and almost blown it up. The crime was still unsolved, but one of these days Micah was going to find out who’d done it.

If he ever had the time.

Between the work he did with the Equalizers, his ranch, and his writing, he rarely had the opportunity to get into trouble anymore. He’d had to juggle three projects just to make time to go to
Angel House
. For a second, he remembered Madison Fellows smile. She’d been a ray of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy night.

“Noah has some news for us. I told him that we’re ready to do what we can to help him find his mother.” Kyle announced, waving off a man at the door with a folder in his hand. “Not now, Carl. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

“Thanks, Kyle.” Noah removed his gray Stetson and set it on the smooth oak surface of the table. “I need to start this off by thanking you for what you did for me earlier.” He looked toward Jet and Micah. “You followed up on the photo lead that my cousin Heath passed along. Isaac told me you found yourself in quite a harrowing experience.”

Jet just waved it off. “No problem. We were glad to do it.”

“Yea, Jet enjoyed it, especially the tranny he met in Tampico.” Micah couldn’t help it, he loved to pick at the big guy. Jet gave him a look, then he realized it might not have been in the best taste, considering what Noah’s mother might be involved in. “Sorry. I wish we could’ve found her for you. At least we verified she’s alive.”

“Yes.” Noah cleared his throat and his brother Jacob took his glass and stood to refill it. “I’ll admit that when I got word she was in Tampico, I was devastated. At first, I thought the worst.”

Micah felt for the guy. What a bitter pill to swallow to find out your mother might be a prostitute.

“However after you returned, I received some additional information.”

Everyone leaned forward, fully invested in the mission.

“The last word we got from the PI was that my mother has left Tampico and moved to Juarez.”

“Damn.” Micah muttered. “Frying pan to the fire.”

Noah stood, going to look out the window. “Exactly. We don’t know why she moved.”

“I hope it wasn’t because we were asking too many questions,” Jet observed in a worried tone.

“I don’t think so.” Noah returned to his chair. “All you did was verify what we already suspected.”

“So, what can we do?” Micah asked. “I have a cop friend in El Paso by the name of Santiago. He’s former intelligence and knows the situation in Juarez well.”

“That would be great,” Jacob said. “We won’t turn down any help. Noah is understandably anxious to get started. But…”

“I know, I know.” Noah held up both hands. “We can’t go half-cocked, but this is my mother. And if what Roscoe and Vance are saying is true, she’s made some pretty powerful enemies.”

“What do you mean?” Kyle asked as he turned his UT class ring band around and around on his finger. Micah knew he did this when he was anxious. Any talk of Mexico always brought back memories for Thunderbird. He’d fallen in love with Hannah before he’d found out she was an illegal. Fighting her battles for her had given him a whole different perspective on immigration and issues across the border. 

“Apparently, she’s doing her best to undermine the prostitution rings funded by the cartels. We think she’s running something akin to a half-way house or an underground railroad saving every girl she can.”

“I’d say that was good news,” Micah observed. Noah gave him a questioning glance. Micah stated what he thought was the obvious. “This woman is not only your mother, she’s someone you can be proud of McCoy. She’s a hero.”

His words seemed to soothe Noah. The meeting wasn’t over, but for the rest of the time they worked together to formulate a plan to locate Sofia and bring her home.

Angel Rubio…

“Angel Rubio! Angel Rubio! Is that you?”

The woman’s feeble voice called to Sofia from inside the dimly lit courtyard. She pulled the red mantilla closer to her face and looked up and down the street. Maybe she hadn’t been followed. After changing buses three times and following a circuitous route, if someone was on her trail, she’d know it soon enough. As she’d told Mateo this morning, everyone died sometimes. Some died
from
something and the lucky ones died
for
something.

If she were called upon to give her life in the quest to save the lost girls of Mexico, so be it.

Sofia stood near the stone wall for a few more moments, studying every shadow. When she was satisfied no one was lurking in the darkness, she entered the small dwelling of Senora Estevez. “I am here. How may I help you?”

The older woman made her welcome, fluttering around to offer Sofia refreshments. When she finally sat on the edge of a padded rocker, she began with a sad story that was only too familiar. “My granddaughter is missing. She is a good girl. We’ve never had any trouble with her.” Senora Estevez wiped her eyes with the edge of an embroidered handkerchief. “Lupe is beautiful. She’s a virgin. If someone took her, it was against her will. Will you help me find her?”