Worcester Nights - The Boxed Set (20 page)

The voice on the other side was muffled and faint, but I’d know him anywhere. Evan’s reply was, “Let me in.”

Sean’s face went still, but after a moment he climbed up out of bed and pulled on his clothes. I did the same, trying to bring a semblance of order to my hair. I was at Sean’s side when he gazed through the peephole and then undid the locks. He pulled the door open.

Evan was standing there in black sweats and a black gym t-shirt, his lean, muscular body soaked with sweat. I wondered if he’d just finished working out when he made that call. And then he was pulling me hard into a hug, and I wrapped my arms around him. It was a long moment before he released me enough to look over at Sean.

His gaze ran down Sean’s body, at the bandages on his arms and the bruises on his face. At last he nodded. “You hung in there.”

“I always will,” promised Sean, his eyes serious.

Evan glanced behind us into the room, then nudged his head toward the hallway. “Interested in dinner? I hear you actually still have a Friendly’s left here in Worcester.” The corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile, and he looked at Sean. “That soft ice cream might be just what you need for that jaw.”

Sean and I gathered up our items, and then we headed down the stairs, Evan before me, Sean behind. Evan led us over to his Mustang and waited until we were both in the back seat before getting into the front and starting it up.

He looked in the rear view mirror as we eased out onto the main road. His brow furrowed. “Kay, you took a hell of a chance.”

Sean’s voice held an edge to it. “And you took your own sweet time coming out here,” he retorted. “What if something had gone wrong? What if she’d needed you?”

Evan’s voice glimmered with amusement. “Oh, I was at your place by the time Ethan dropped you off,” he corrected. “I have a duplicate building key now. But when I got to your studio you seemed … occupied … so I figured I’d give you some time.”

My cheeks heated with the thought of my brother hearing our lovemaking, but I pushed it away.

Evan looked over at Sean. “So, fill me in.”

Sean went through the events, step by step, and by the time we pulled in at the Friendly’s parking lot Evan was shaking his head. He came around to open the door for me, and when I stepped out he pulled me into another hug, longer this time, pressing a kiss on my forehead.

“The brother in me says you should have left and gotten to safety. But, aside from that, I am so, so proud of you,” he murmured. “You are an amazing woman.”

Sean came up to my side, lacing his fingers into mine. “Yes, she is.”

The waitress was blonde, perky, and when Evan indicated we wanted the empty booth in the far back, away from the other patrons, she didn’t blink an eye. She walked us over to the table, handed us our menus, then looked again at the two men. She leant over to me and said in a low voice, “Honey, you decide you don’t want one of them, just let me know.”

I grinned as she left to fetch us our waters. My brother had always been handsome, and maturing had only added a rugged quality to his good looks. And Sean …

I sighed as I looked at him sitting next to me. Even battered, he had a quality to him that could take my breath away. If anything, the bruises gave him that aura of taking on all comers.

The waitress came, went, and in short order we had our meals. True to Evan’s suggestion, Sean settled with watermelon sherbet for now, his mouth making gentle ripples in the scoops. I tried to keep my gaze on my tuna melt. The man could make anything seem sexy.

Evan took a bite of his burger, looked around, and then said in a low voice, “Well, I assume, given her performance in the warehouse, that when I suggest that Kay high-tail it down to Waterbury that she’s going to refuse.”

I looked steadily at him. “You bet I will.”

He sighed. “You know that would be the safest thing, Kay.”

“Seamus deliberately asked for me to be there, at this big event,” I pointed out. “The event where the entire mess of them could be quickly and easily rounded up. Their whole operation could be brought to a crashing, permanent end.”

“We could still do that without you, Kay.”

“You know how easily Seamus could spook,” I responded. “Heck, he had the glimmer of an idea that they had a mole in the organization, and Sean was beaten half to death. What’s he going to think when I suddenly ‘get the flu’ right on the day that everybody’s in one place?”

Evan’s lips drew into a line. “Still, it’s worth the risk.”

I leant forward. “How about the risk of the lives of all the officers and detectives who are charging in there? How about the lives of all the innocent girls which will be destroyed if we don’t do this right?”

Evan looked down for a moment. “But, Kay –”

“I won’t even be in danger, really,” I interrupted. “As far as they know, I’m just a member of their group. Sean will be right there next to me. The cops come in, I get rounded up with the rest, and then somewhere along the way you guys set me loose as not knowing anything. They’d understand that.”

Evan looked at Sean in concern. “You wouldn’t make her testify?”

Sean shook his head. “Definitely not. We have more than enough evidence without involving her. As far as everybody’s concerned, she never knew anything. She’s just a bartender minding her own business.”

I looked over at him, worry sweeping over me. “But they’ll know you were undercover? Won’t that make you a prime target?”

Evan growled. “And with Kay being your
known associate
, she becomes someone they might use to get to you.”

Sean shook his head. “I’ve thought of that, and I’ve talked to my handlers. They’re setting everything up so we have independent recordings and videos. I won’t need to testify, and if all goes well, my identity stays a secret. We’ll stay safe.”

Evan’s lips drew into a line. “She’d
better
stay safe,” he agreed.

Sean’s gaze became serious. “I would have let them beat me to death, rather than say one word to jeopardize Kay,” he swore. He turned to look at me. “I love her. I will do everything in my power to protect her.”

I leant forward to press a kiss to his lips. “And I love you. I will stay by your side, and see this through to the end. This group needs to be taken down.” I turned to pin Evan with my eyes. “They were trying to seduce a fifteen-year-old girl. They wanted to film her rape. Can you imagine what that would have done to her? To know that thousands of men out there were watching and rewatching her violation?”

Evan’s eyes shadowed. “I know. This group is beyond foul. I just wish you didn’t have to be involved.”

“It’s too late for that,” I replied. “I
am
involved. And now I will make sure it gets dismantled down to the nuts and bolts.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “You sound like Dad.”

I reached forward to put my hand over his. “He would have wanted us to work together, to do whatever it took to get these bastards behind bars.”

Evan’s brow furrowed. “He would have wanted us to stay safe.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Stay safe? Remember the time we were all barreling down the streets on our bikes, trying to jump over tin cans, and he came out to help us build a bigger ramp?”

Evan’s lips spread into a smile. “And then I hit it at full tilt, spun the bike, and broke my arm?”

“And Dad scolded you, the whole way to the hospital, about how you should have taken the lift-off at a sharper angle, to account for the nails!”

We both grinned, and Sean’s arm came around my shoulders. I knew, between the three of us, that somehow we’d find a way. We’d take down the pornographers, save the victims, and come out safely on the other side.

Chapter 5

N
ot a word was mentioned about Sean’s injuries when he and I arrived at the bar the next day. I was curious just what kind of a story Jimmy had told the others. There were edgewise glances at Sean, and Joey seemed a little jittery, but they went about their normal business of lining up pool shots and staring at the TV as if it were about to reveal the next five commandments.

Jimmy came out from his office, glancing at the door in desolation. “She can’t come again, today,” he grumbled. “Too much algebra homework. I offered to tutor her, but she said her Dad was going to do that.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You are good at algebra?”

He chuckled. “Not exactly. But I was hoping I could distract her before she realized that.”

His hand half reached for the phone in his pocket before he sighed. “And the thought of calling one of my other … friends … just doesn’t seem appealing.” His mouth turned down in a frown. “I hope Jessica realizes everything I’m giving up for her. The sacrifices I’m making.”

I kept my tone even. “I’m sure she will learn that all soon enough.”

His eyes glimmered. “Yes, she will,” he agreed. He turned and headed back into his office.

I refilled Sean’s drink, running my fingers along his hand before turning to put the bottle in its place. In a way, knowing our every word could be overheard made us much more in tune with the subtler things – the way we looked at each other, the touch of our fingers, the subtle nuances in the way we said things. It was almost as if we had a hidden language, all our own.

I turned to look at him, and his eyes drew down me. A slow smile came to his lips. I knew that gaze. Warmth swirled within me, sinking lower, and I glanced automatically at the clock. It was only ten.

The corner of his mouth turned up at that, and he flicked his eyes toward the hall – and to the shed beyond.

My body flared into awareness, and my lips parted.

Sean called over to Joey without turning. “Joey, I think I left my phone on my bike. Kate’s gonna come help me find it for a few minutes.”

Joey waved a hand. “Take your time. My glass is full.”

Sean held his hand out to me, and the texture of his fingers against mine sent swirls of energy circling my nipples, moistening my sex. I gave him an answering squeeze as we took the steps to move into the back lot.

The shed had a bright, new padlock on it, replacing the one the Cubans had cut from it just under a week ago. The thought of that made me pull up, and Sean turned to me, his brow creasing.

“If you’d rather not –”

I stepped forward, fisting my hand in his hair, pulling his warm lips down onto mine. He groaned, then pulled back, glancing around. He quickly undid the lock and led us in.

The moment the door closed behind us, he turned me, pressing me against the wall, his lips on mine, hot with need. I moaned as his tongue darted in my mouth, pulsing, making me want that sensation on my nipples, on my clit. Every part of my body sang out with need for him.

There was a noise from outside, and we froze.

I recognized the voice. It was Zeke, one of the pool players – the tall one with scraggly hair and a Fu Manchu beard. He was whining, apparently into his phone. “But Maaaa, Thanksgiving isn’t for another week and a half. I don’t want to drive all the way up to Bah Hahbah and freeze my ass off so we can watch Jeopardy all night long. Get that dead-beat sistah of mine to …”

Sean slid his hand up under my shirt, reaching my nipple, and gave it a firm squeeze.

I bit down on the moan which threatened to fill the shed. His eyes sparkled in the shadows, and he moved his lips next to my ear.

“Ssshhhhhhh.”

He squeezed again, and I melted against the wall, my every focus on holding in the sounds which craved release. A faint corner of my mind whispered that this silence had been all I had known with Derek. My ex had insisted on a lack of sound, and I had barely minded, because most of the time the sound I would have made was a sigh of disappointment.

But when Sean slid my shirt and bra up, releasing my breasts, and then brought his moist mouth to suckle at one, pulling, pulling, it was all I could do to rein in the deep-seated groans which seemed to have a life of their own.

His mouth moved to the other, his fingers gently twirling the moistened one, and I could feel wetness soaking my panties. I arched my back, pressing my breasts against him, craving him with all my soul.

He released my nipple from his mouth, grinned, then pulled my top and bra off. He quickly undid my jeans, sliding them and my panties down to my knees. He turned me in place, and I pressed my hands against the wall, my breath coming quickly, eager for what I knew would follow.

There was a zipping noise, and then a moment later his hard cock, lubricated with saliva, was sliding against my butt, moving between the firm folds of my cheeks. His hands pressed the cheeks in tighter, and he leant against me, his mouth near my ear. His voice was a low whisper. “God, Kay, you feel amazing.”

My nipples were screaming for attention, and I reached one hand down toward them. He gave the side of my cheek a gentle swat. “Uh, uh,” he scolded. “Yesterday you made me wait while you pleasured yourself, using my body however you wanted. Now it’s time for you to see what it’s like.”

My juices seeped down my leg at his words, and I tried to raise my hips so his cock would miss its angle and slide into me, deep and hard. I knew once I had him in me that he would be unable to leave. But he swatted me again, pulled my hips down, then tilted them for a better angle. He groaned, low and soft, a sound for my ears alone. They soaked me through, and my body was in agony. My breasts craved him, my sex needed him, and I could barely breathe. All I could feel was the amazing sensation of his cock moving against me. His breath in my ear was coming faster and faster, interspersed with groans as he squeezed and released my cheeks.