Exposed (22 page)

“What time is it?” she whispered drowsily. She felt like she was floating, all her cares and stress gone. Nothing mattered except this moment, being in the shelter of his arms, wrapped around her like a cozy cocoon.

“About midnight.” He stroked a warm hand up her spine, settled it on the back of her neck and kneaded the muscles there. She made a purring sound and he chuckled softly. “Tired?”

“Yes, but in a good way. I feel like I don’t have a single bone left in my body.”

His answering laugh stirred the hair on the top of her head. “That’s exactly how you’re supposed to feel after sex.”

What they’d just done together wasn’t sex. As inexperienced as she was, even she knew that. And he had to as well. “Well, it worked.”

“I’m glad.” He kissed the crown of her head.

For some reason the simple, chaste gesture of affection pierced her. It made no sense, given that they’d just been joined in the most intimate way two people could be, but that kiss made her heart ache.

You knew going in that this was only for one night
, she reminded herself.
Enjoy it while it lasts
. He’d warned her he’d be leaving soon and hadn’t made any mention of continuing anything beyond that. He’d respected her wishes, now she had to respect his. And yet, she couldn’t help but long for more.

Marisol kept her eyes closed and inhaled, breathing him in. She felt so close to him right now, was absolutely dreading the moment when it ended. He hadn’t said anything about wanting more than this one night together, even if she knew he cared. And she wasn’t going to make things awkward by asking for more than he was willing to give. As far as she could tell, he had no plans to settle down anytime soon.

She didn’t either, at least for the next while, though she’d love to be in a committed relationship someday, provided her partner respected and accepted the rigors of her job. The practical side of her knew it could never work long term anyway. With them so far apart and both of them heavily invested in their jobs, they’d barely see each other even if they did try to make it work.

The thought depressed the hell out of her.

“What time do you have to be up in the morning?” he murmured, his long fingers stroking through her hair now. The caress was gentle, drugging.

“I was planning for five-thirty. Have to be on the road at six.”

“Me too, unless I get called in to base before that. Mind if I stay over?”

Surprised but glad that he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, she tipped her head back to look into his face, the faint illumination of the bedside clock allowing her to see him. “Not at all.” She’d love to spend the night curled up with him in this bed, maybe even go a second round later if she wasn’t too sore.

“You need anything before we get some sleep? A hot bath maybe?”

“No, I’m so comfortable I don’t ever want to move again.” And she was going to memorize the feel of him, so it stayed with her forever. She settled deeper into his embrace, let her fingers drift over the line of his shoulder.

With nothing left to say and small talk way beyond her ability at the moment, a subtle tension took root between them. She kept waiting for him to say something about some kind of a future for them, kept hoping he would. But he didn’t. Neither of them said anything for several long minutes.

“Good night,” she finally whispered.

“’Night,” he answered, and she felt the way his body relaxed when she didn’t question him about what was going to happen between them after this.

Closing her eyes, she let herself drift but her mind refused to let go of one thing.

He might not have said the words, but she knew what they’d just shared had affected Ethan as much as it had her. He’d touched her with such care, made love to her rather than simply having sex, and now he was holding her close as though he couldn’t bear to let go.

Those things told her there might still be hope for them after all.

There were feelings involved, on both sides, and she wasn’t sure where they were going from here. All she knew was, it was going to hurt like a bitch when he left her behind.

****

Bautista’s eyes snapped open when the bed shifted and an arm draped across his chest. His entire body went rigid until his brain caught up to the present a second later.

Julia.

He was in her bed, hadn’t left it since he’d carried her up the stairs last night. He was on his side facing her and she was tucked against him, her breath warm against his upper chest.

Pulling in a deep breath, he let it out slowly and absorbed the feel of her. He’d been right in guessing the chemistry between them was hot enough to melt steel. Every step of the way last night she’d been right there with him, demanding he give her everything, nothing held back.

He swallowed and carefully set his hand on the small of her back. She shifted and sighed in her sleep but didn’t wake up.

Her skin was silky smooth beneath his palm. He could spend hours running his fingers over it, would love to tie her to the bed and tease her for hours until she was begging for him. But the light seeping in around the edges of the blinds told him it was nearly dawn.

Time for him to hit the road down to Key West and start hunting.

He stayed where he was for a few more minutes, milking every last moment he could with her. But even he couldn’t hold back time.

Hating to leave her, he gently eased her away from him. She stirred but he leaned over her and tucked the blankets securely around her shoulders. “Go back to sleep. It’s early.”

“You’ll call me later?” she murmured.

“Sure,” he lied. He wanted to be able to call, he just wasn’t sure if he could. Or whether it would be safe to.

A sleepy smile curved her lips, tempting him to lean down and kiss her again. But if he did that he’d never get on the road.

“”Kay,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand.

He straightened and stood by the bed, memorized the sight of her curled up there before leaving the room and shutting the door soundlessly behind him. At the front door he paused and reached back for the weapon holstered at the small of his back. It was so early no one else was out wandering around the complex.

Stepping outside, he scanned the area then headed for his truck. After checking it over to make sure no one had tampered with it, he climbed in and started the engine.

As he drove away from her complex, he’d already come to a decision. He’d been thinking about it for a while now, but last night had solidified everything. He knew what he had to do.

He waited until he’d hit the highway to ensure no one was following him, then dialed Perez.

“You on your way to Key West?” his lieutenant asked, not a hint of grogginess in his voice despite the early hour.

“Yes.” He took a breath, released it, and said what he needed to. “But after this job, I want out.”

A shocked silence filled the line for a few tense seconds. “What?” he said with a startled laugh.

“You heard me. After this, I’m out.”

Another pause. “You’re not joking.”

“No.”

“What brought this on? Are you all right?”

Once again, he was going with his gut. He was done with this game, wanted out once and for all. Sever all ties to his old life. “I’m fine. It’s just…time.”

“Where will you go?”

The Caymans, maybe, or some other non-extradition country. He had enough money saved up to move his
abuela
there quietly, maintain a comfortable lifestyle off the grid. He wouldn’t tell anyone where he planned to go though, not even Perez. “I don’t know.”

“What will you do?” The older man sounded bewildered.

“Not sure.” He trusted Perez and knew he’d never betray him. It was why he’d made this call before the job was over.

But he also knew he didn’t want to live like this anymore. Living in the shadows, killing for money. Even if he normally eliminated targets he considered to be evil, one day he’d still have to answer for his crimes.

And there were others. Innocents he had no choice but to eliminate. Like Marisol, whom he was watching closely.

If she compromised this last job or his cover, he’d have no choice but to silence her forever. Those stains on his soul would never come clean. Before his final judgment came, he had a lot of moral ground to make up. He wanted to wipe the slate clean, start over.

And hopefully one day, be with the woman who’d stolen his heart.

“Well shit, I don’t know what to say. I’ll be sorry to lose you,” Perez said finally. “But I understand why you’d want that, and you know I wish you the best.”

“I appreciate that.”

His boss cleared his throat. “You’ll contact me once it’s done then?”

“Yes.” He disconnected and drove in silence, mentally listing the steps he needed to enact an exfil plan from his current life. He already had the bones of one in place, an emergency strategy to fall back on if he’d ever been compromised. It needed fleshing out immediately.

By tonight when this last job was over, he had to have a final plan in place. And once he enacted it, he had to somehow convince Julia to take a huge chance and come with him. Because after last night, going through the rest of his life without her was unthinkable.

Chapter Sixteen

Marisol crossed her legs again, aware of a slight soreness between them as she settled more comfortably against the backrest of the padded deck chair.

The witness they were here to interview, Nick Clancy, sat across from her with his lawyer. Frank was seated to her right, and Agent Lammers beside him. They were outside on Clancy’s back patio in his upscale, newly renovated house in Key West’s historic district.

She had to admit, this was the most gorgeous setting she’d ever conducted an interview in. All around the immaculately kept crystal blue pool, a veritable oasis of lush plants and flowers enclosed the backyard, giving them total privacy.

The house itself had to have cost him a mint, but with the improvements he’d put into it—he’d listed them all during a tour when they’d first arrived—she was betting it was now worth double what he’d paid for it.

Which begged the question, how did an ex-con who’d formerly been stripped of his assets and material wealth afford such a home after being out of prison for only the past two years?

Since getting out of jail he’d supposedly taken a million dollar nest egg that belonged to his live-in partner of two years, and somehow managed to turn it into five times that much. Hence the FBI and IRS investigating all his offshore accounts and scrutinizing his investments.

Little wonder they were analyzing his finances with the forensic accounting equivalent of a high-powered microscope. If they found anything the slightest bit shady, he’d wind up back inside a cell.

“Like I already told the cops and the FBI,” Clancy began, his tone adamant, “the only dealings I’ve ever had with Fuentes were some investment opportunities a few years ago. All that information’s on record. He approached me about buying into several of them and I helped him with the initial purchases, wire transfers, things like that. Again, all on record previously. It wasn’t until later that I realized who he was.”

“But you didn’t come forward to the authorities with your concerns. They came to you after you’d been flagged in their systems, after you’d not only taken on Fuentes as a client, but many of his associates as well. And in your previous statements to the FBI concerning this upcoming case, you said you didn’t come forward before your arrest out of fear for your safety,” Marisol added.

Clancy set his coffee mug on the glass-topped table and gave her a get-real look. “With good reason. The man’s ruthless, and so are his lieutenants. Anyone gets on the wrong side of their radar, and
boom
. They put an enforcer on your ass and you’re dead by nightfall.”

“And yet you’re suddenly willing to testify against him now, if it helps you avoid jail time.”

So far investigators had been able to scrape together enough evidence to prove he’d been operating in the gray to black end of the scale of the tax code over the past couple years. This time they had enough to prove several counts of minor tax evasion and a few other things that, combined with his previous conviction and sentence, would land him back in jail. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was counting on the promise of immunity being enough leverage to get him to cut a deal and testify against Fuentes.

Unfortunately, with most of the witnesses involved with this case, force was the only thing they understood and respected. Clancy, though to the rest of the world he appeared like a successful white businessman, was no different.

“He’s behind bars and he won’t be getting out,” Clancy replied with a shrug. “I helped him a long time ago without knowing all the facts and I’ve already served my time. He’s got no reason to target me now. Everything I have to say about our business dealings, I’ve already said before in court. If my testimony will clear my record sooner, then yeah, I’ll do it.” He sighed, settled back against his seat. “I’ve put a good chunk of my newly acquired net worth into my home here. It’s all I’ve got left.”

Yeah, her heart bled for him. So terrible, to only have a couple million dollars to your name. She withheld a snort of derision. The price tag on this place was worth ten times any of the houses on the street she’d grown up on.

“I just want to settle down here and live my life without a cloud of suspicion following me everywhere.”

Marisol eyed him.
Well then maybe you should make sure you earn money through legitimate means and pay your damn taxes like the rest of us have to
.

“And that’s a good possibility, providing the investigation of your finances doesn’t turn up anything more than what they already have on you,” Lammers said from the end of the table.

Clancy inclined his head. “Understood.”

Marisol shared a look with Frank. Clancy had been a high-powered investment banker in New York before going on his own to open up a private company, when he’d first dealt with Fuentes a few years back.