Sins and Scarlet Lace (5 page)

He unclenched her fingers from his shirt, and then before he could talk himself out of it, he pulled her closer. The sizzle of heat between them was electric, a pulsing energy, the same as it had been so many years before. She was his soul, the one woman put on this Earth for him, and it was time to reclaim what belonged to him.

“Don’t kiss me,” she said, reading his mind. “It’ll only make things worse.”

“Sweetheart, I’ve got to disagree with you there. But we can argue about it later.”

He turned his back on her and ran towards the shadows. The need for the hunt pounded in his lungs and beat through his blood. The sooner he took care of the danger that threatened his woman, the sooner he could claim what was his.

It didn’t take Declan long to circle around and head off the men as they made their way across Sophia’s property. It was a large area to cover, and they’d spread themselves too thin, each man taking a different direction.

He could’ve heard the first man coming from a mile away. He wasn’t even trying to be quiet as he kicked leaves and branches out of the way. Dec moved in behind him and snapped his neck quickly, the familiar scent of death permeating the air as he laid the man gently on the ground and moved toward the next one.

He’d only counted half a dozen men, but there was always the chance more could’ve been waiting in the wings. He hunted with a single goal in mind—to terminate any threats to Sophia.

He dealt with each man the same way as the first, until he got to the last. The man in front of him must have had a bad feeling because he let out a low whistle, a signal to the others, and no one answered him back. He stopped in his tracks, his weapon held at the ready, and he listened for movement. He never heard Dec come up behind him.

Dec kicked out at the man’s knees, and the sickening crunch of snapping bone and cartilage had him crying out in pain as he fell to the ground. Dec followed through with a series of hits that caused numbing in the arms, and the weapon that had been in the mercenary’s hand dropped with a soft thud into the leaves.

“Who sent you?” Dec asked, gripping the man by the hair and forcing him to look into his face.

“Fuck you.” The man glared daggers at Declan, already seeing his death, and he spat on the ground at his feet.

“I’ll pass. You’re in need of a bath.” Dec’s grip tightened on the man’s hair and he pulled the Ka-Bar from his boot, watching the man’s eyes widen at the sight of the sharp blade. “I’ll ask you again. Who sent you?”

Dec brought the knife to the man’s throat, nicking it just enough for the coppery scent of blood to fill the air. “Your friends are dead. It’s just you and me now, so you might as well tell me what you know. I’m willing to let you live so you can take a message back to your boss.”

“He’ll kill me faster than you will,” he spat. “You might as well make it quick.”

“Oh, believe me when I tell you I can make you live for a long time with the things I’ll do to you. You’ll only be wishing for death.”

Whatever the man saw in Dec’s eyes must have convinced him of the truth because his lips trembled with fear and the sickly scent of urine surrounded them.

“I don’t know his name,” the man said.

Declan pressed harder with the knife and the man cried out in protest. “Honest, I don’t. We get our orders though an encrypted email account and then when the job is done, money shows up in our accounts. It’s all electronic.”

“What were the instructions for the girl?”

“To find out where the money is and to do whatever it took to make her talk.”

“And once she told you where the money was?”

“Elimination.”

“You’ve been very helpful,” Dec said, knowing the feeling would be coming back to the man’s arms soon. He swiped the blade quickly across his throat and moved out of the way before the spray of blood reached him.

Eliminate all threats to Sophia
. That was his mission, and he wasn’t going to veer from that path.

He pressed the button on his watch so it glowed, and he winced as he saw his time was almost up to get back to Sophia before she took off. She’d do it too, the stubborn wench. Dec took off at a run and just made it back to where Sophia was hiding when he heard the sound of a vehicle pulling into the drive of her house.

“Time to go,” he said, pulling her from her crouched position behind the brush. “We’re not out of this yet. It looks like the backup team has arrived.”

The glare of headlights cut through the darkness and he watched as a cargo van skidded to a stop. Two men jumped out, weapons at the ready, and headed straight into the house. Dec cursed silently at his miscalculations. These men hadn’t been following Sophia through the week. He would have seen them. But they’d been somewhere close and had been assigned some other task.

“Can you run?” he asked.

“As far as it takes.”

“Follow me. Take the steps I take. We can’t afford for you to have a broken ankle.”

She nodded and he pushed the rest of the way through the brush and out of the gulley until they were on flatter land. And then they ran.

It took less than twenty minutes for the glow of fire to reach above the treetops, and Sophia reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. Her breath was labored and she bent over so her hands rested on her knees and she sucked in great lungfuls of air.

Dec stood silent and watched as the sky glowed bright with the haze of orange flames. Black smoke roiled in heavy clouds and hung suspended, no breeze to move them along.

“Oh, God,” Sophia said, her face wet with sweat and tears. “Oh my God. That’s everything. It’s all gone.”

Her voice was barely a whisper, but every word sliced into him. She’d endured more than any woman should ever have to, and she had every reason to blame him. He’d been the one to send her away, to chase her into the arms of another man. But he’d had no choice. At least he thought he hadn’t. And those choices were the reason she stood here now, devastation etched on her face.

But after watching men who’d become his friends get blown to hell and back, he knew he could never have a normal life. Never have a wife or children without bringing them into harm’s way. Because those men—his friends—had died because of who Declan was. Even during his Special Forces days he was being trained for deep cover within the CIA, and he’d had to make a choice. But the thing about choices was they had a snowball effect, and Sophia had been the one to suffer.

“Soph,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, baby.”

She shrugged him off, her gaze never wavering from the glow. “I don’t need your pity,” she said, her voice husky with tears. “Just get me out of here and back into town so I can figure out how to put my life together again.”

“That’s easy enough,” Dec said, narrowing his eyes at the stubborn tilt of her chin and the blaze of anger in her eyes. “Because if you think for one second I’m going to let you out of my sight while these bastards are after you then you’re out of your mind.”

“You’ve been the catalyst to everything that has ever gone wrong in my life, Declan. Quite frankly, I’d rather take my chances with these assholes on my own. I don’t think I can survive any more of your
help
.”

Sophia fought the tears as Declan’s black Jeep sped out of Virginia toward D.C. She kept her gaze averted out the window and ignored the worried glances he kept sending her way.

God, what was she going to do?
She literally had nothing but the clothes on her back—no I.D., or debit card, no car. And nothing left of her family except the cameo necklace that hung heavily around her neck. It was all gone.

If she didn’t show up for work, she wouldn’t have a job much longer either. Her tiny nest egg wasn’t much of an egg at all, and she couldn’t even put a deposit down on a new place to live. She was completely at the mercy of Declan MacKenzie. Until he decided it was time to push her away again.

The tension grew thicker between them the farther they drove, but she refused to answer his occasional questions. Curiosity did get the best of her though when Dec turned into the heart of D.C.

Her hand gripped at the door handle. She recognized the area well. It was where they’d taken her two years before to question her about her husband’s activities, and she’d be damned if she’d go back there without a fight.

“Relax,” Dec said. “I’m not with the CIA any longer.”

“Excuse me if I don’t give a shit. If you’re not with the CIA, you’re with someone else. You don’t have it in you to get out of the game completely, and I can tell you right now I’ll die before I go back into some concrete box. I want out of this car. Now.”

His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, but it was the only sign she could see of his own rising anger. He’d always been too good at hiding his emotions, to the point where she often wondered if he had any at all.

“That’s not going to happen, sweetheart. If I’m going to keep that pretty ass alive, then you’re going to follow my rules. And believe me, I have plans for that ass, so I want to take good care of it.”

Heat rushed to her face and her nipples tightened, too sensitive as they rubbed against the thin fabric of her shirt. Liquid pooled between her thighs and she clamped her legs together to relieve the pressure. He’d always been able to make her body react, just with a look or the sound of his voice.

Damn him
. She’d been fine before he’d shown up. Kane had damaged more than just her self-esteem during their marriage. He’d made her feel so sexually lacking and unappealing that she’d lost the ability to achieve climax—not with her fingers or the multitude of toys she’d tried. And she’d tried everything. The need for release was still there, and she could bring herself right to the edge of orgasm but never reach the pinnacle, and it would leave her dissatisfied and in pain for days. She guessed it was the female equivalent of blue balls.

She’d finally gotten to the point where she’d stopped trying, and eventually the need for sexual satisfaction had disappeared all together. But just being in the vicinity of Declan had nerve endings waking up she thought long dead, and already she felt the swollen slickness between her thighs and the painful ache in her breasts. And there would be no relief for it.

“You had your chance,” she finally managed to say. “It’ll be a cold day in hell before you ever touch me again.”

Dec checked the rearview mirror once and then slammed on the brakes, bringing the Jeep to a screeching halt in the middle of the highway. Traffic was light in the middle of the night, and the few cars on the road veered around them with a honk of the horn and the occasional rude gesture.

“What the—” before she could finish the sentence he had her seatbelt unbuckled and pulled her across the gearshift so she straddled his lap. There was no time to struggle or protest. His hand tangled in her hair and the other pressed at her hip. His body was hot and hard beneath her and his arousal pressed insistently against her mound.

She sucked in a sharp breath as his lips rose towards hers, and she knew there was no point in pushing him away. As much as she hated what he’d done to her, and as much as she hated herself for going liquid at his touch, she wanted this. Passion hadn’t existed for her for more years than she cared to remember—not since the last time Declan had touched her.

“Don’t do this, Dec,” she panted even as her hands clutched his shoulders. “You’re just trying to prove a point. It doesn’t mean things will go back to what they once were.”

“Whoever said I wanted things to be what they were?” he said, biting her bottom lip and absorbing her moan with the warmth of his tongue. “We’re two very different people than we were then.”

“Yeah, a traitor and a bastard,” she sneered. “What the hell? Let’s fuck. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You’re going to piss me off if you keep calling yourself that.”

“I notice you didn’t dispute being called a bastard.” Her laugh was harsh and she bit back at his own lips, tired of the direction the conversation was headed. “So what now? You’ve decided to believe me all of a sudden just so you can get in my pants? I’ve seen more effective pick-up moves.”

“I always believed you.”

“Sell it to somebody else, MacKenzie.”

The low growl that rumbled in his chest tingled against her sensitive breasts, and she felt his anger and frustration as his hand tightened in her hair. He’d always had a thing about her hair—he liked to run his fingers through it and massage her scalp when they made love slow and easy, but he would wrap it around his fist and pull it tight while taking her hard and fast. She’d always liked that edge of pain, though she’d been too innocent and embarrassed at the time to ask him for more.

His mouth covered hers and reality faded. The occasional car speeding by and the blare of horns sounded distant in her ears. There was nothing but the familiar taste of the forbidden and the scent of her own desire. She was starved for him. Desperate to feel his own need powering over her.

He pushed his hips up, so the hard length behind his zipper pressed against the swollen flesh between her thighs, and she held onto his shoulders like a woman starved for touch and writhed against him.

Release was closer than it had been in a long time, and she searched for it. Yearned for it. But it was still just out of reach, and she screamed out in frustration as his erection pressed into her clit.

His hand skimmed up her ribs and wrapped around her breast, his thumb rubbing across the sensitive bud of her nipple. The sensations had gone past pleasure and rode the edge of pain. She knew she’d be feeling the heat for hours—days—and never find the fulfillment she craved. It seemed Kane’s death hadn’t released his hold over her.

“Enough,” she said, pushing against his chest. Her face felt overheated and she was almost delirious with the need racing through her.

“It’ll never be enough.” His voice was raw with unfulfilled desire, but he’d made his point. If they stayed together then this would happen again. And again.

She’d lost her damned mind. Before she could scramble out of his lap he plucked her up and back into her own seat, then reached over and buckled her seatbelt. He threw the Jeep in drive and pressed his foot to the accelerator and they rejoined the few cars on the highway. The whole event had only lasted a few minutes, but now her body was burning for something she knew she couldn’t have. Damn Declan MacKenzie.

***

Declan cursed himself for his lack of control as he turned onto 7
^th
Street. His control in high-tension situations was something he was known for, but if the former agents who’d been under his command could see him now, they’d probably die laughing.

No other woman had ever been able to get to him like Sophia could. Between her smart mouth and the paradise he knew waited between her thighs, as soon as she got near he started thinking with the head below his belt instead of the one above his neck.

He checked his rearview mirror one more time and made another circle around the block. He hadn’t noticed anyone following them out of Virginia, but he wanted to make sure he didn’t inadvertently lead anyone to the front doors of MacKenzie Security either.

Dec watched Sophia out of the corner of his eye. Her back was ramrod straight and her arms were crossed protectively across her chest. She gazed straight ahead through the windshield and he could all but hear the internal tirade that was producing the fierce scowls on her face. He knew she hadn’t come, even thought she’d been damn close. Sophia had never been the kind of woman to hold back sexually, and it hadn’t been at all uncommon for her to come multiple times in a variety of ways. He’d felt her frustration as she’d ridden that edge, and he knew it was another hurdle they’d have to deal with.

He hit a button in the dash and a black chain link gate at the side of his building slid open, revealing a parking garage of sorts. There was nothing special about the building other than it was prime real estate—a two-story square block of grey concrete and stone that advertised a by-appointment-only financial service, and dark tinted bulletproof windows. A armored door led into a spacious lobby where an armed security guard and receptionist sat to ward off interested parties.

He turned into the drive and started the descent into the underground parking area, following the curved road down two full levels. There were several cars parked in the bays, but he rolled his eyes at the sight of the black and silver Audi Spyder that sat in the corner. Things were about to get interesting.

“I meant what I said.” Her voice was cold enough to give him frostbite. “I won’t go back in a cell.”

He sighed and opened the car door. “No one is putting you in a cell, Soph. We’re here to help you. Just remember that when you go in.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to warn me at the same time you’re reassuring me?”

“I always said you were perceptive.”

He led her over to an elevator and typed in a code that had a panel popping out of the wall. He placed his hand over the screen and felt it warm as it scanned his palm print for verification. The elevator doors opened and he waited for her to precede him just in case she decided to run. She had that look about her.

“Paranoid much?” she asked as he typed in another code before the elevator doors closed and began to rise.

“If you knew some of the people I’ve encountered over the last fifteen years, you’d have a true appreciation for my paranoia.”

The elevator stopped one floor up and opened into a large control room. There were no windows since they were still underground and all of the screens on the wall were running a multitude of computer searches for different cases his teams were involved in.

A large conference table and chairs sat in the middle of the room and computer stations of various neatness levels faced the screens on the walls. There was also a sitting area to the left—bright red chairs and a matching couch surrounding a coffee table—and Dec felt Sophia stiffen the moment she noticed the others in the room.

He put his hand to the small of her back and felt the fine tremors shaking her body as she watched Gabe Brennan unfold from the chair and come to a standing position. His piercing gaze took in her appearance and the defiant expression on her face and his lips quirked in a smile of amusement.

Declan shook his head in warning at his friend. Gabe was a troublemaker to the fullest. He could read people at a glance—know their strengths and their weaknesses and how to manipulate them for his own purposes. It’s what had made him such a great agent. It was what made him an even better agent now that he’d gone private like Declan, though Gabe’s agency was based in London and he took international cases instead of dealing with domestic like Dec had chosen to do.

“Mrs. Huxley,” Gabe said, just as he had so many months before. “It’s good to see you.”

She turned her cold stare toward Declan and he swore he felt his balls shrivel before she turned her gaze back to Gabe. “It’s a pity the feeling isn’t mutual.”

Declan barely grabbed hold of her wrist before she pulled the gun from the small of his back.