Officer Off Limits (18 page)

“I knew that kid was off,” Jack ground out behind him.

“Is that Jack out there? He really shouldn’t be under any stress.”

Daniel threw a warning glance at his mentor over his shoulder. Despite Story’s assurance, he wouldn’t take any chances with her life. Especially when he knew firsthand how people could behave when under incredible stress. At this point, he would normally ask to speak with the perp, but Story had already established a relationship and he needed to use that. “I’m going to get you out of there, sunshine. Tell Frank that we know about his mother. A doctor is already on the way to her.”

Her sigh of relief sounded wonderful against his ear. She relayed that information to Frank, and Daniel strained to hear his response, but couldn’t make it out.

“He wants to talk to his mother, to make sure the doctor is really there.”

“Done.” Daniel gestured to his technician, who was already dialing a phone. This was his opening. He could use it to get inside and protect her. “I don’t want to hang up with you. Will he allow me to bring a cell phone inside?”

Muffled conversation. “I don’t think he likes that idea.”

He cursed under his breath. “Listen to me. I can’t put the call through without him letting you go in exchange. If I do that, I lose my leverage and he has no reason to free you. So this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to trade me for you. I’ll come in with the cell phone, unarmed, and he’ll let you out.”

“Daniel,
no
.” Her voice trembled. “I won’t let you do that.”

“It’s my choice. It’s the
only
choice.” Daniel exhaled a shaky breath, acutely aware how many officers could overhear his conversation. But none of it mattered. Only she did. “I won’t risk you. I love you too much.”

She choked back a sob. Her next words were whispered. “I love you, too. That’s why I’m going to hang up. Put the call through.”

His heart stopped cold. “
No
, Story.
Please
—”

“Trust me,” she said, and hung up.

His precious connection with her broken, Daniel yanked off his headset and let it fall to the ground. It landed with a clatter at his feet, but the sound barely registered over the dull roar in his ears. The recurring nightmare played in his head, only this time Nora pointed the gun at Story, Daniel nowhere in the vicinity to stop the bullet. With considerable effort, he dragged himself out of the hideous daydream and focused.
It’s not over. Pull it together.

He turned to look at Jack, who was already making plans with several officers to enter the room by force. It was a bad call. Daniel knew it in his gut. He’d just lectured Jack on the importance of trusting Story. This was not at all what he’d had in mind, but now he had no choice but to put his money where his mouth was.

“No,” he interrupted firmly. “We wait.”

Everyone, including Jack, froze. “Danny, we can’t leave it up to her. The situation is too delicate. We need to go in.”

“I’m running point here, Jack. And we’re waiting.” Resolutely, he addressed the technician. “Put the call through.” He turned once more to face the door.
Trust me
, she’d said.

“Come on, sunshine,” he whispered under his breath.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Story knelt by the desk, watching as Frank ended the phone call with his mother and replaced the receiver in its cradle. Very slowly, she stood and made eye contact with him, gently bringing him back to their situation. “It sounds like they’re taking good care of your mother.”

He didn’t respond.

“I’m sure you want to get home to her now.”

“I know you just want to leave,” he whispered in a shaky voice. “But once you’re gone, they’ll just shoot me.”

Story tried hard to maintain a relaxed expression. She could see him starting to regret the deal they’d made and needed to reassure him before he changed his mind completely. “You’re right. I do want to leave. It’s almost lunchtime and I’m starting to get hungry,” she returned lightly, grateful Daniel and Jack couldn’t hear her. They’d definitely worry for her sanity. But her instincts told her not to force him to overthink the situation. He needed to feel as though his issue had been resolved and they could move forward. When he glanced toward the door warily, she pressed forward. “If you don’t get home right away, I’ll make sure your mom gets something to eat for lunch and dinner. You have my word.”

For long, interminable moments, she thought he would decline. Then he said, “She likes the shrimp scampi from Don Carlo’s. Two doors down from our building.”

It had to be seafood.
“Great. Shrimp it is.” She made her final push. “I’m going to open the door now. Okay, Frank?”

Frank followed her to the exit and crouched down behind her, repeating “don’t shoot, don’t shoot” under his breath until the possibility began to alarm
her
as well. Since speaking with his mother on the phone, he’d calmed down considerably, but now that they were leaving the office, his agitation had increased once again.

“They will not shoot you. I promise. You trust me, right?”

“Yes. But I don’t trust
them
.”

A little bit of her composure slipped. It had been a
really
shitty morning thus far. “Well, if they
do
shoot, I’m the one who will get hit. So you should feel pretty damn good about that.”

To her surprise, when Frank spoke she could hear a smile in his voice.
Oh sure, now his sense of humor makes an appearance.
“I guess so.”

“All right then, here we go.” She turned the knob and nudged the door open with her foot. With her hands up the air, she took in the scene before her with a sense of shock. At least a hundred officers were positioned in various spots around the lobby. Jack stood at the forefront looking extremely anxious, but relieved to see her. She tried not to be alarmed when she didn’t see Daniel anywhere.

When no one said anything, she decided they must be waiting for her to speak. “Frank left his gun inside on the desk. Please don’t shoot.” Story waited until Jack finished barking out a command before stepping out of the office.

Daniel moved so fast from her left, she barely had time to register it was him beside her. With a strong hand on her shoulder, he thrust her behind him, inserting his body between her and Frank. Several officers sprang forward to take hold of Frank’s arms and handcuff him. His body coiled with tension, Daniel kept his gun trained determinedly on Frank, refusing to lower it until she wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled his upper back with her cheek. Breath shuddering in and out, his arm finally went slack.

He turned then, arms crushing her against his chest in a fierce hug. Somehow, just being held by him cured her of all the pain and fear of the morning, as though he was absorbing it into his own body. She inhaled his scent hungrily. It calmed her and invigorated her at the same time.

“Dammit, Story. Don’t you
ever
do that again.”

“Get taken hostage?” she struggled to say as the breath whooshed from her lungs. “I’ll try not to.”

“You know what I’m talking about,” Daniel growled into her hair. “You shut me out. Do you have any idea what the last five minutes has been like?”

“But you trusted me. You knew I could do it.”

“Yes,” he replied unevenly. “That didn’t make it any easier.”

Story pulled back and laid a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”

“Damned if I know what you’re thanking me for, but I’ll take it.” Daniel shook his head. “Tell me you know this thing between us is real,” he said urgently. “Tell me you know that.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Of course I know.”

Then he leaned down and kissed Story until her legs went weak.

A throat cleared loudly. She pulled back to find Jack averting his eyes just beyond Daniel’s shoulder. A blush crept across her skin as she moved out of Daniel’s embrace.

“Dad, you really shouldn’t be out of bed.”

He sat down in a chair retrieved by Daniel. “I guess I should be glad you’re not too mad to care about my health.” For once in his life, it appeared Jack didn’t know what to say. He gestured toward the office door. “You got out of there almost entirely on your own. Maybe I should offer you a job.”

Daniel pulled her roughly against his side, clearly not feeling that idea at all. She rubbed circles into his stiff back. “Oh, it wasn’t too hard once he got what he wanted.” Clearly detecting the note of mischief in her tone, Jack narrowed his eyes. “I told Frank we’d get his mother a live-in nurse. And that
you
would pay for any expenses the insurance won’t cover.” She smiled brightly. “Since you had enough cash lying around to bribe my fiancé, this should be no sweat.”

“Ex-fiancé,” Daniel clarified gruffly.

Jack could hardly keep the grin from his face. “Deny it all you want, you are your father’s daughter.”

Story smiled, but after a moment grew serious. “When everything calms down, we need to talk. No more behind-the-scenes string-pulling from you. Promise me, Dad.”

He gave a single nod in Daniel’s direction. “I’ve already been read the riot act. Daniel, you get her on home. I’ll handle any paperwork and postpone her statement until later.”

Daniel smirked. “Not even out of the hospital yet and he’s already giving orders.”

After Story secured yet another grudging agreement from Jack that he would go back to his room and rest, Daniel took her hand and led her toward the hospital entrance, blocking her from the news cameras and reporters taking pictures outside. They ducked into the back of a waiting squad car with an officer behind the wheel, and seconds later were flying down Second Avenue. Ignoring the driver, Daniel pulled Story onto his lap and buried his face in her neck.

Since walking out of the office, Story’s emotions had been all over the map. She’d stemmed the flow of adrenaline in order to deal with Frank, but now that the danger had passed, she didn’t feel tethered to reality. If it weren’t for Daniel’s arms around her, she felt like she might float away. She craved more of him. Needed him to surround her. Bring her back down to earth. Story knew she was experiencing the aftereffects of being in a dangerous situation, but didn’t care. Only knew what she needed and that Daniel could provide it.

On her thigh, his warm hand rested protectively, but beneath it her skin began to tingle, the heat moving higher until it settled between her legs. As if on cue, his mouth parted against her neck to taste her skin. The air around them felt stifling, hot.

She shifted slightly in his lap and put her lips to his ears. “I need you,” she breathed. Beneath her, she felt his stomach and thigh muscles tighten and had to force herself not to squirm. They weren’t alone in the car.

He grazed her earlobe with his teeth. “It’s about time.”

The normally quiet hallway of Jack’s building held a dozen police officers and medical personnel when they arrived. Several curious glances were thrown their way, but Daniel and Story couldn’t get inside the apartment fast enough. As soon as the door closed, she pushed Daniel against it, desperation and leftover fear mixing together until her sole focus became Daniel. Her need for him.

His fevered eyes watched her make quick work of the buttons on his shirt before ripping it off over his shoulders. Beneath her greedy hands, his chest and stomach muscles dipped and swelled with his rapid breaths. “God yes, baby. Take what’s yours.”

Story’s mouth sought his. Tongues met, testing, before their lips slanted over each other in a kiss that shook her soul.

With a moan, Daniel pulled away just slightly. His eyes, dark and heavy with arousal, searched her face. “Tell me you’re really okay first. Tell me you aren’t hurt anywhere.”

“I’m okay,” she assured him in a rush. “I just want you so bad.”

Before the words left her mouth entirely, his hands dug into her hair and he spoke against her forehead. “Christ, I almost lost you today. Never again.”

“Never again,” Story repeated, her heart lodged in her throat. “Please, Daniel.”

Daniel groaned, his hands dropping to the hem of her dress. “Just tell me how you want it, gorgeous.”

Story leaned forward and nipped his chest with her teeth, loving the way his muscles jumped in response. She looked up and met his eyes. “Fast.
Hard
.”

He whirled her around until they’d exchanged positions, her back to the door. His hands moved quickly beneath her dress, yanking the panties down her legs, then sinking two fingers deep into her heat, pushing, flexing. She cried out at the desperately needed pressure, but he removed them just as quickly to draw down the zipper of his pants. As his erection sprang from the opening, she bit her lip in anticipation.

Strong hands clenched into fists at his sides, his eyes swept her body hungrily. “Baby, I’m feeling a little crazy right now. If I’m too rough, promise me you’ll say something.”

Heart swelling with love, Story wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the underside of his jaw. “I promise, I promise.”

In one lithe movement, Daniel palmed her ass and lifted her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. As he strode toward the bedroom with Story wrapped around him, her lips traveled the length of his neck, urging him to hurry. To get her into bed and slake her urgent need. If she didn’t feel Daniel moving inside her soon, she would scream. She knew the same urgency existed in him, could feel his demanding length slide against her with each step he took, creating an incredible friction.

Halfway to the bedroom, he froze. It took Story a moment to realize they’d stopped moving, but she eventually tore her mouth away from his neck. His heated brown eyes were fixed on something in the living room. She followed his gaze and saw what had caught his attention.

Her packed suitcases, still side by side in front of the couch.

Story opened her mouth to explain, but Daniel angrily cut her off. “All right, that’s it.” Once again, he marched toward the bedroom, his stride considerably more determined than before. No sooner had they crossed the threshold than he tossed her onto the bed, where she bounced once into the air. Hurriedly, he stripped off his pants and kicked them aside before crawling toward her on the bed. Stalking her. The look on his face could only be described as a snarl. “I’ve been extremely patient, Story. I gave you five long,
frustrating
days to think. Then this morning, I came face-to-face with the punk you were going to marry. I listened to him declare his love for you and then watched you
leave
with him. Do you have any idea what that was like? And then you have the nerve,
the nerve
, to get taken hostage at gunpoint. As if that wasn’t bad enough, you hung up on me and put your life at risk.”

On her elbows, she edged backward toward the headboard. “Daniel—”

“No, no, let me finish.” His hand closed around her ankle and dragged her beneath his naked body. “You said you loved me. No one has ever said that to me before and it
meant
something. So if you think I’m going to let you get on a goddamn plane and fly out of my life, you’ve got another think coming.” One strong hand grasped her knee and curled it around his waist. When he ground his erection into her damp center, her head fell back onto the mattress with a whimper. “I will follow you, do you understand me? You don’t get to swoop in, make me fall in love with you, and bail. That’s not how this is going to work.” Daniel rotated his hips once, twice. “Can you live without this? Because I
can’t
. I won’t.”

Story gasped as he thrust into her, hard. “Wait,
listen
. You—”

Placing his weight on his forearms, he stilled completely and leaned down to speak urgently against her lips. “Don’t send me back out into the darkness, sunshine. Please.”

His fervent plea broke through the staggering need rocketing through her. “I have to go back to California to get the rest of my things,” she managed.

“Not going to happen.” Daniel drove himself deeper, but then his intense eyes shot to hers. “Wait. What?”

With her thighs starting to shake around his hips, she released an unsteady laugh. “God, you picked a really inconvenient time to talk about this.”

“Answer me,” he demanded, ending on a groan when she squeezed him with the muscles inside her, enticing him to move.

“My bags are packed because I’m moving in with Hayden. I’m staying. In New York.” She tangled her fingers in his hair and nipped at his lips with her teeth. “Although I have a feeling I’ll be spending a lot of nights at your place.”

Daniel’s brown eyes scanned her face. He didn’t speak for a moment. “You’re damn right you will,” he said, words thick with emotion. “I’m going to make you so happy, baby. I promise.”

She blinked away the tears blurring her vision and smiled up at him. “You’ve got sixty seconds to prove you’re not just a bunch of talk.”

Daniel threw back his head and laughed. “You’re on.”