DeliciousDanger (24 page)

“I always oblige a lady.”

He reached into the nightstand drawer for a condom and
expertly rolled it on his very erect cock. One momentary pause while he lifted
her legs over his shoulders and paused at her entrance. Then he pushed inside
her with one strong thrust, filling her completely.

“Oh, Jesus,” he breathed. “Oh god. I think I’ve died and
gone to heaven.” He blew out a long breath. “Look at me, Kelly. Open your
eyes.”

When she did she saw his blazing fiercely, locked onto hers
like lasers.

And then it began. The slow ride, the slide in and out, the
plunge and retreat, the incredible friction against the walls of her pussy.
Everything fell away except the erotic heat that consumed her, igniting her
body until she felt like one living flame.

In, out, hard, harder, fast, faster.

She locked her ankles behind his neck, pulling herself
tighter against him, feeling his balls slap against her with each movement.

More, more, more, more.

Her eyes focused on him, locked onto his face.

She knew the moment his climax began to spiral through him,
grip his body. And she knew he was watching her carefully for signs that she,
too, was ready.

The coil unwinding inside her snapped.

“Yes,” she hissed at him.

He drove into her hard once, twice, three times, then they
fell over the edge together. The shared orgasm broke over them with the force
of a thunderstorm, shaking them, tossing them into space as if some giant fist
had grabbed them and refused to let go. His big body tensed then shuddered,
hard, again and again, as his semen filled the thin condom, the heat of it
scorching her inner walls. He rolled to the side, taking her with him, still
joined with her, while they struggled to breathe and even out their racing
heartbeats.

When the storm finally passed, they lay spent, sweat-slicked
bodies pressed together, hearts hammering, lungs dragging in air as they
struggled to return their breathing to normal.

“Holy fuck,” he said when he could speak again. “Kelly,
Kelly, Kelly.”

She placed a hand on his cheek, stroking the day-old
stubble. “I’m here.”

“And damn well never getting away from me.” He brushed a
kiss over her lips. “Holy shit, woman.”

She couldn’t help the smile. “Does that mean it was good for
you?”

He looked at her for a moment before he burst out laughing.
“I’d say good hardly begins to describe it. If it was any better I’d be dead.”

After a long while he eased his body from hers, padded to
the bathroom to dispose of the condom, then climbed back into bed with her. She
lay nestled close to Rick in his huge bed, feeling unbelievably sated and
boneless. But worried now about the exertion and what he might have done to
himself.

“It’s okay, Red,” he told her, sensing her feelings. “I’m
not stupid enough to do myself permanent damage. Believe me. It’s all good.”His
lips curved in a slow smile. “You were unbelievable. Incredible.” He lowered
his voice. “Addictive. I may never be able to stop for the rest of my life.”

She gave him an answering smile. “I hope not.”

A sober expression replaced his smile. “I mean it, Red.
Whatever happens with this mess we’re in, I’m never letting you go. Mark and
Dan said the same thing when it happened to them. When Fate sends you someone
you connect with, you don’t turn away.”

She spooned against him, head nestled on his arm. His other
arm was thrown over her body, his hand cupping her breast. And that was how
they fell asleep.

Despite the vertical blinds on the windows, sunlight
flooding the room woke them in the morning. Rick’s hand was still covering her
breast, one leg thrown over her thigh. She could feel his morning erection
pressing hard against her backside.

But Xena was pushing at her hand, demanding attention to her
early morning needs.

Rick groaned. “We have to teach that dog how to let herself
out,” he complained. “She’s interfering with my plans.”

Kelly laughed. “We have plenty of time for your plans. Let
me get her taken care of then we can shower.”

A slow grin spread over his face. “I sure do like the sound
of that.”

“You have a lecherous mind,” she teased and rolled out of
bed, pulling on her shirt and jeans from the day before. “Come on, Xena. It’s
your turn first.”

The dog followed her down the stairs and waited while she
turned off the alarm with the codes Rick had given her. But when she opened the
back door Xena stopped on the porch, scenting the air. Refusing to move.

“What is it, girl? Something out there?”

Moving back just inside the doorway she scanned the yard,
wishing that Rick didn’t have quite so many old, thick trees. It gave him the
privacy he wanted but didn’t do much for security. She hoped his system worked
as well as he promised.

At last she was able to nudge the dog into the yard. She
completed her business rapidly then bounded back into the house and nudged the
door closed. She whined and tossed her head until Kelly bent down and put their
faces close together. At once an image flooded her mind, little more than a
shadow. A man dressed in black from head to toe, something long in his hands.
Then it was gone.

“Okay, okay,” Kelly said, resetting the alarm. “Let’s go
tell Rick.”

“There can’t be anyone out there,” he argued. “No one can
get past my system.”

“Okay,” she said with reluctance, “but I’d trust Xena over
any system any day.”

He picked up the radio from the nightstand where he’d left
it. “I know Alpha changed shifts at six this morning. Let’s make sure
everyone’s in place.” He clicked the talk button. “Everyone report in.”

It took only seconds for the three men hidden in the area to
signal their presence. Rick set the radio back down.

“Let’s shower and eat and I’ll check the tapes on the
security cameras.”

Rick would have prolonged the shower if Kelly had let him
but she insisted they could play later. Xena’s edginess was making her uneasy.
When they dressed, they each checked their handguns again and stashed them on
their bodies. Rick picked up the radio and clipped it to the waistband of his
jeans.

The minute they hit the front hall downstairs, Xena pushed
Rick toward the kitchen with her big body. Kelly moved to the living room
window and peered between the slatted blinds but in seconds she felt Rick
behind her, his hand clamped on her wrist, pulling her away.

“Someone may be out there. My partners said strange cars
have been doing regular drive-by surveillance. The team didn’t report anything
suspicious but it only takes a second for someone to turn onto this street and
cruise by. If someone’s there you don’t want to let them see you.”

He pushed her behind him and went to take a look for himself
without disturbing the slats. Xena growled louder and again pushed herself
against Rick, shoving him away from the window. When Rick tried to resume his
position, Xena just pushed harder.

Rick backed away from the window and Xena planted herself
between Rick and the wall. He lifted the radio to his mouth and asked each team
member to check in again. Two of them reported all clear.

“Strange car cruising by,” the third man reported. “I was
just about to buzz you. It’s made a pass twice.”

“Can he see you?” Rick asked.

“Are you kidding? I didn’t start doing this yesterday,
Rick.”

“Sorry. Okay. I’m calling the office. Stay alert.” He
replaced the radio on his belt, still trying to see out the window. He slipped
his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed the button that rang the Phoenix
private number. Mark answered on the first ring.

“Trouble?”he asked, ignoring the amenity of a greeting.

“Maybe. Xena seems to think there is and I trust her
instincts. One of the team out there reports a car cruising more than once. I
don’t want them to reveal themselves yet just in case. I’m going to check the
tapes.”

“Be right there.”

Rick clicked off.

Kelly picked up her rifle from the table where she’d left
it, checked the load and snapped the barrel back in place.

“I hope to god we don’t need that,” Rick said.

“Better safe than sorry,” she told him.

Rick had started toward the window again and once again Xena
was in his way, preventing him from moving forward.

Rick reached down and touched the dog’s head. “Okay, girl.
We’ll wait.”

He led Kelly into the den where he flipped on the monitor
that showed all the camera feeds and pressed rewind, then play. In a moment
they saw an innocuous gray sedan passing the house, driving the posted speed
limit. Two minutes passed, then the car drove by again from the opposite
direction.

“Could be someone looking for a house number but I don’t
think so,” Rick said. “All right. Let’s get some coffee.”

Kelly followed him into the kitchen and dug in the cupboards
for coffee supplies. The drip of the coffeemaker was the only sound to break
the silence.

* * * * *

When his cell phone rang Zarife looked at the number on the
readout and quaked. Source unknown. That meant only one person. He pressed talk
and lifted the phone to his ear.

“Yes?”

“You and your family have to be the stupidest people I have
ever done business with,” the man on the other end said.

His voice was so cold, Zarife shivered. “I don’t understand.
The money was in your account as promised. We took delivery as agreed. If
you’re worried about Rick Latrobe, I am helping your man locate him as we
speak.”

“Well, you’d better damn well find him,” the man spat,
“because we’ve got bigger troubles than you can imagine. You tell your father I
thought he was a careful man with brains. He’d better be glad he’s not in my
sights right now.”

“Excuse me?” Zarife was shaking. What could have gone wrong?
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. The raids have all gone well. Soon
the entire territory will be ours again.”

“If we’re not all in prison first.”

A sudden bubble of nausea rose in Zarife’s throat. “What are
you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that the last raid was not just
a miserable failure. Your father and his people left one of the rifles behind
and it’s been traced.”

The bubble threatened to pop. Zarife swallowed hard. “Do you
mean…”

“I mean we’re in a shitload of trouble. It feels like every
government agency under the sun is digging into this and men in matching black
suits are asking questions we don’t want answered. Is
that
clear enough
for you?”

Zarife felt the vise of a headache gripping his temples.
This couldn’t be happening.

“Have you spoken to your father lately?” the man asked.

“Not since a week past,” Zarife told him. “In our last
conversation he assured me all was well.”

“You’d better give him another call. Tell him no more raids
until this blows over. If it ever does. And he and his people better figure out
how to disappear from sight for a while and take all that gear with them. Do it
now.”

The connection was gone. Zarife looked around him. He was in
a strip mall and had found an outside bench to sit on while he took the call.
People were walking past him in both directions, none of them appearing to
notice him.

He would have to call his father. All their dreams were
about to disappear. How could this have happened?

* * * * *

Greg Jordan lowered his binoculars and let them hang from
the strap around his neck. The binocs were the most powerful he could buy and
even at that distance the clarity was unbelievable.

He couldn’t believe that luck had been with him again, kind
enough to provide a hiding place for him that wasn’t out in the open. If he
hadn’t had to move his car so quickly… If he hadn’t nearly been hit by that
other vehicle… But he had and now he was invisible as he watched the house
where his quarry was sequestered. He only needed it for a short time, long
enough to see who went in and out and what their pattern was, if any. He’d seen
whoever it was that brought Latrobe and the girl leave, then someone let that
ungodly dog out in the yard, a process they repeated in the morning. Otherwise
nothing.

Okay. He needed to scope out what was at the rear of the
house, because those few minutes might be his only chance to make his hit. He
could do it. He’d been a sniper for many years and he hadn’t lost his edge. But
he needed a place to wait unseen and an escape route.

If things went well, one more day and he’d be done. He
couldn’t afford to hang around much longer. Now that Rick Latrobe was out of
the hospital the man would pull out all the stops to find him and Greg could
not allow that to happen. He’d be damn glad to get rid of that son of a bitch
once and for all. He’d do his thing and get the hell out of Dodge.

He scanned the front of the house again, looking for any
sign of activity. For a moment he thought someone was looking back at him from
an upstairs window. His heart tripped a beat then settled again. He couldn’t
take the chance of being spotted. But when he refocused there was no one there.

Letting himself out of the house at the side door, he made
his way to his car parked two blocks over. He’d moved it every couple of hours,
just in case someone was checking. He drove slowly down the street, a man in no
particular hurry to any watching eyes, until he was on the street facing
Latrobe’s backyard. Stopping for the briefest amount of time, he found what he
was looking for, made another pass in the opposite direction, then found a new
parking space. He’d catch some sleep tonight and make his plans.

Once he was back in the house, he flipped open his cell and
punched in the speed dial for Zarife.

“You’re off the hook,” he told the other man. “I found him.
I’ll take care of it myself.”